I put down the practice ring and sighed.

「Allen: So, when are you going to teach me about Proxy Magic?」

I insisted again.

「Grohm: I told you! You have much to learn before breaching that subject, yes? STOP ASKING!」

Grohm replied in exasperation. But I didn’t relent.

「Allen: Even so, I would like to start ahead. It will be useless if the demons attack before I can make any use of it.」

I could almost hear him grind his teeth.

「Allen: Besides how do you expect me to build a complex CPU without one? You’ve seen from my silver cube how many spells that would require. You can’t expect me to waste a whole month building one!」

「Grohm: I can help with that, no? NOW SHUT UP!」

I caught his switch mid-swing and grinned. Haha! I got you! Grohm scowled in disapproval.

I’ve had enough of all this postponing.

I loosened my hold on the switch and turned serious.

「Allen: You said you wanted to see glimpses of the advanced stuff, right? Well, I won’t show a damn thing then, we can keep going for months with just the basics, if you so wish.」

I crossed my arms and dug my heels.

「Grohm: I just sa-」

I cut him off, slamming my fist on the desk.

「Allen: No! You think I haven’t noticed how you’ve been delaying the topic of Proxy Magic?」

Grohm narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.

「Grohm: Now you lis–」

「Allen: While I respect you and enjoy our sessions of knowledge share, I will not be made a fool. I’ve had enough of everyone walking all over me!」

The last sentence came out as a yell. Grohm turned red with fury and glared at me with a deepened scowl.

「Grohm: You… YOU!」

He stared in silence breathing heavily. Then he stood up and walked off the room without saying a word.

Did I go overboard? I wondered.

No, I really have had enough. I’m very grateful for the lessons he’s been giving me, but I hate, hate, being delayed when I’m so close to getting my personal projects going. Call me a cynic, but I just know shit is going to hit the fan right after winter. This is my only chance before it’s too late.

I waited for a while but eventually, I left the empty room.

I had another pressing problem to take care of…

「Clerk: We have all kinds of spirit wards here in our establishment! What were you looking for? Wisps, pixies, sylphs?」

The clerk said with a smile, coming forward to receive his patron.

「Allen: Think bigger.」

「Clerk: I see! Ghosts or Revenants?」

「Allen: Bigger.」

His smile creased a little.

「Clerk: Elementals… or Fairies?」

「Allen: Bigger.」

The clerk’s smile died on his lips.

「Clerk: Errr, what are we talking about exactly?」

I looked upward, shaking an angry fist.

「Allen: Gods!」

I exclaimed, scowling with full power.

「Allen: I have a god infestation!」

I grabbed the clerk by the shoulders and shook him.

「Allen: I just want to be left alone. No one intruding my mind and getting offended, flaying my soul or leaving their taint on me!」

A terrible analogy of beasts marking their territory with piss crossed my mind. Curse them!

「Clerk: Wha-Whaaat?!」

He pushed me back with a confused look. He started looking about himself, probably thinking I was some kind of nut job.

「Allen: I’m serious. I need to drive gods away before they ruin my life.」

I gave him my serious stare.

「Clerk: S-Sorry we can’t help you.」

He excused himself and stepped back several meters until he hit the counter.

「Allen: Fuck.」

I turned and walked out of the useless shop.

「Allen: Useless. Useless! Everyone’s useless!」

I complained out loud in my own language.

This was the fifth shop selling wards I visited. My first attempt was met by a dumbfounded man staring open-mouthed and saying nothing more, another suddenly pretended I didn’t exist, the third dropped down on his knees and started praying his god, the fourth hid behind the counter and started whimpering.

Did I perchance put too much emphasis on my request? Or was my bad mood leaking on my face?

Isn’t driving gods away just a legitimate request brimming with common sense?

I saw Alher. She’s just a blob of bright mana. Well, a very big and bright blob of mana. Surely a big enough warding should do the job!

I gave up and walked to the Adventurer’s Guild, wondering if the trio was there.

They were.

「Yusdrolir: Allen!」

The dwarf raised a tankard. Right, we had let the dwarf join our party.

I narrowed my eyes.

「Allen: That’s not alcohol is it?」

Yusdrolir scowled at his drink. Ellin answered for him.

「Ellin: No, it’s an herbal infusion to fight alcohol addiction.」

She replied with a cheerful smile. The dwarf was anything but happy.

「Namrick: Ah right!」

Namrick caught my attention.

「Namrick: Someone sent a messenger at the inn looking for you. You’ve been summoned at the Arcane Academy.」

The Academy? Maybe Grohm wants me back there to scold me? Well, I won’t let myself be intimidated.

「Allen: Was it said by whom?」

「Namrick: No, but it was said to be urgent. So… you should go.」

I sighed and turned to leave.

「Grastel: We have something to discuss later! See you!」

I waved at them and headed toward the Academy.

I asked the clerk for information about the summon and he directed me to Violet’s office.

Violet? Did Grohm go and complain about me? Well, whatever.

I prepared my smiling corporate face and knocked at the door, announcing myself.

「Violet: Come in.」

Violet said with a strange hint of amusement in her voice. Strange. I walked inside.

She was sitting at her desk, facing me. Her pale blue eyes fixed on my own.

「Allen: Ma’am, I’ve come as soon as I heard about the summon.」

She stared at me in silence.

「Allen: So… huh, why am I here?」

Silence.

「Allen: Is this about Khalkear? I won’t budge.」

I said with determination.

「…」

Finally, Violet took in a deep breath and spoke.

「Violet: It has come to my attention that someone has omitted important details about themselves.」

Her lips curled in a faint faked smile.

Oh no… I had a bad feeling about that remark. What does she know?

「Allen: Ah… I wonder who that someone is…」

I said innocently. Bide your time, Allen.

「Violet: I wonder if he’ll be forthcoming and speak up. What would you suggest?」

「Allen: Ah… ha… I’m sure that asking gently will lead to positive outcomes. Who would resist an archmage after all?」

I said, as my flight-or-flight response kicked in.

「Violet: Hmmm.」

She lifted her chin slightly never letting her gaze waver.

I shot a glance at the door behind me.

「Allen: W-Well, if that’s everything…」

I turned around and…

*SLAM*

The door closed itself before me.

I stared at the door, my hopes waning.

Perhaps I could jump from the window? My thoughts were turning delusional.

「Violet: If that someone came from another world… he would tell me, right?」

Oh no. No no no no.

I turned back slowly, making sure my smiling poker face hadn’t been broken. My heart was beating fast.

「Violet: Please have a seat.」

The seat moved on its own, inviting me my doom.

Nononono.

「Allen: Ah…」

HOW? HOW DID SHE FIND OUT?!

「Allen: Eh…」

I’M GONNA GET TORTURED AND DISSECTED. I started sweating cold.

Violet continued.

「Violet: I happened to hear an interesting story about a casket of potions and a certain man whose homeland was nowhere to be found.」

GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHMMMMMM!! I firmly gripped the chair armrests. My knuckles went white.

But it didn’t make sense, I had never told him that I was from another world!

「Allen: How did y–」

「Violet: Taldinann. He was more than forthcoming to spill it all out.」

What? HOW?! WHEN?!?! That fucking elf!

I slumped on my chair, losing the smile from my poker face.

「Allen: …」

「Violet: I guess I should thank you since I also obtained important intel from this little investigation.」

「Allen: I never lied to you… intentionally...」

「Violet: Indeed you didn’t.」

「Allen: I always said the truth and agreed to share my knowledge…」

「Violet: No one is claiming otherwise.」

Silence for half a dozen breaths. I sighed.

「Allen: What do you… want to know?」

「Violet: I already know everything I need to know. About how you came here, about your newborn spirit and the dark god’s touch. The very fact that your spirit stood up to the scrutiny of a Goddess without revealing evidence of mindweaving is proof enough.」

Violet relaxed in her seat and continued.

「Violet: That fool… Taldinann thought you were the result of a failed magical experiment but Khalkear vouches for the legitimacy of your knowledge, which finds no match in our world, therefore it must be the truth.」

「Allen: Then what…」

I said furrowing my brows.

「Violet: I’ve been told you’ve been pressing for learning Magic Generators.」

「Allen: Yes… I need them.」

「Violet: I have an offer.」

I grimaced inside. Not again!

「Violet: I want you to join the military…」

「Allen: No.」

I spoke without thinking. She stared hard at me for a few moments, sending a chill down my spine, then resumed.

「Violet: I want you to join the military and use your knowledge to develop magical weapons and tools to use against the demons' armies.」

「Allen: Why? Can’t I do that without joining the military?」

Violet leaned forward.

「Violet: I want you to be bound to our kingdom and work for us exclusively.」

I ground my teeth. I didn’t want to be bound forever to serve this country and end up involved in politics. I hate politics.

「Allen: I don’t want to be bound.」

Violet narrowed her eyes and began drumming her fingers on the desk. Not a good sign.

「Allen: N-not forever.」

「Violet: Very well… what if it were exclusively for the demon war and the length of its duration?」

「Allen: But… there’s no telling how long it’ll last!」

Violet stared in silence. *tap tap tap* Her fingers weren’t stopping.

「Allen: What if I refuse?」

「Violet: Then you’ll never learn Magic Generators.」

「Allen: Why not, what if I simply ask someone else?」

「Violet: It is strictly forbidden to pass down this magic without an Oath and explicit permission from an acting authority. And no, this is not knowledge you can simply acquire by attending the Academy.」

She stated flatly.

「Allen: What? Why?!」

I asked, confused. Magical Oaths were serious stuff. Was Proxy Magic such a big deal?

The tapping stopped.

「Violet: You don’t know much about Magic Generators, do you? Magic created through them has no magic signature. Do you understand the implications?」

The magic signature was the DNA of mana beings. Which meant…

Shit, so Proxy Magic could be used to commit crimes without leaving direct evidence? Grohm hadn’t told me about that detail. Beside him, I hadn't been able to find anyone else knowing about the topic, or even any literary mention.

「Allen: I guess… I do.」

She nodded.

「Violet: Besides, I think it would be beneficial to be backed by the military in case anyone found out you came from another world.」

Her gaze turned somehow more intense.

「Violet: There are mages who have spent centuries theorizing about different worlds and wouldn’t stop at anything to put their hands on a living proof of their existence.」

That sounded like a threat.

But there was some truth to it. What if I let it slip, or my friends drank a little too much and got talkative with the wrong people? How long before I ended up locked in a dungeon to receive my long dreaded dissection?

With Alher and her loose-lipped priest knowing, the cat was out of the bag. My privacy was obviously the least of their concerns.

「Violet: Your knowledge is valuable. If you work for us we will take steps to ensure your safety.」

「Allen: I see. I don’t much of a choice, do I?」

I said lowering my eyes.

「Violet: There is always a choice. Will you accept?」

I was hoping for my inner voice to say ‘no’ and ‘get the hell outta here’. But all I got were remarks about being done for and that all was over. Damn my cynicism.

I didn’t want to join the military. But I wouldn’t mind fighting against the demons, indirectly.

Proxy Magic was mandatory. All my future development relied on the ability of mass producing processors and improve them.

Normal people may not know, but the ability to script and automate tasks was something of terribly useful. I needed that extra edge to compensate for my low magical skills.

I might even be able to create spell macros.

I had no choice, it was now or never.

「Allen: I… I accept.」

It was also the best option to deal with my current problems, even if I ran away it wouldn't solve the dark god issue. My dreams were still clear from nightmares since the Goddess' hamfisted cleansing but the real problem was my mindset, so it was just a matter of time.

An archmage could surely help with that.