Aion unfolded the parchment.
The light from the magic lamp in his hand spilled across the writing.
He took a breath and began reading again from the beginning.
The title written at the top read:
『Mana-Devouring Synthetic Material — Dark Matter』
Beneath it was a synthesis formula that filled the center of the page.
Geometric patterns were densely inscribed within layers of circular spell formations.
At a glance, it differed from an ordinary magic circle. Rather than drawing mana in, its structure seemed designed to prevent mana from even coming into contact with it.
Beside the formula was a sketch of the completed material.
It resembled topaz.
Half transparent, half opaque—when light struck it, it was depicted not as refracting the light, but as though it swallowed it whole.
Rather than a gem, it seemed closer to something that imprisoned light.
Aion lowered his gaze to the research notes.
Synthesis materials.
— Morflam: A flame that never goes out and burns on its own. It has a blackish hue and constantly radiates heat. It cannot be created or extinguished through ordinary magic.
— Anigma: The remnant of a soul that failed to vanish completely. It has no form and resembles trailing smoke, yet possesses physical substance. It is extremely unstable and cannot be preserved without sealing.
— Fracvitium: A mineral formed from crystallized mana. Its surface is covered in cracks, and faint light leaks from between them. Mana loss begins immediately upon mining, making swift sealing essential.
— Caelferrum: Metal powder harvested from meteorites. It consists of fine silver particles and, unlike ordinary iron, possesses the property of absorbing mana.
Aion read through the entire list, then paused.
【Flame: ...What exactly am I looking at?】
“Mana-devouring synthetic material... Hmm.”
The Terminuses reacted to Aion’s words.
【Lightning: Heeheeheeheehee! It devours mana?! What an absurd lie!!】
【Arcana: ...Interesting. A substance that nullifies mana. The concept itself is not theoretically impossible. It is simply...】
A brief silence followed.
【Arcana: Whether it can be realized in the material world is another matter.】
【Water: Look at those ingredients. Morflam, Anigma, Fracvitium, Caelferrum. Not one of them has ever been discovered.】
【Flame: No, I think I’ve seen one of those before?】
【Earth: I have seen those two minerals as well.】
【Water: ......What?】
Aion looked down at the list again.
Every single material was bizarre beyond measure.
【Flame: Well... I only said I’d seen them. That’s different from saying I obtained them....】
【Earth: I seem to vaguely remember where I saw them, perhaps....】
Aion said nothing.
【Water: So, in conclusion, they do not exist.】
【Arcana: It is too early to conclude that.】
Arcana’s voice lowered.
【Arcana: The fact that this parchment exists before our very eyes is proof that someone actually studied it.】
Silence.
【Arcana: Quite interesting.】
Aion slowly looked down at the parchment.
The densely written equations, the detailed sketch, the traces of repeated revisions.
This was not mere fantasy.
It was the product of someone spending a long time devoted to real research.
‘This Dante fellow... what was he trying to create?’
【Flame: Whatever it is, there’s no use for it right now. You do not have a single one of those materials.】
【Earth: True enough. For now, it is nothing more than a worthless sheet of paper.】
As Aion moved to fold the parchment at those words, he paused upon realizing it was not a single sheet.
‘...Special paper?’
Slide—
Perhaps because so much time had passed, the parchment sheets that had been bound by a special adhesive slowly separated.
【Flame: ...Hm?】
There was additional writing behind the research notes.
Unlike the earlier handwriting, this was hurried and rough. It was obvious that it had been written in haste.
— Note: Anigma
Through legendary records, I confirmed the existence of ruins somewhere in the northern Irgas Mountain Range, where the soul of one who was never forgiven lies dormant.
‘The location of one of the ingredients?’
— In the legends, this place is called the Tomb of Regret. Records remain of an expedition that explored those ruins centuries ago. Only one member of that expedition returned alive, and even that survivor was no longer sane. However, according to his testimony, there is a high possibility that the sealed being within the ruins possesses Anigma.
‘If it is the Irgas Mountain Range... such a place certainly could exist there.’
Aion had once traveled through the Irgas Mountain Range. Unlike an ordinary mountain range, it was a place steeped in a sinister aura from end to end.
Aion lowered his gaze further. At the end of the note was a small addition.
— However, as far as we have determined, a special key is required to enter the Tomb of Regret. We are currently tracking the whereabouts of the key taken by the expedition.
A brief silence followed.
【Life: ...The Tomb of Regret.】
A gentle voice spoke.
【Life: Could it be... that place...?】
Aion raised his head.
“Have you heard of it?”
【Life: Heard of it? I have been there myself.】
“...Then?”
【Life: I entered it personally.】
【Flame: What?】
【Life: Besides Anigma, it was filled with knowledge and items that could be useful to Aion.】
The Terminuses brightened at those words.
【Earth: Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s leave immediately!】
【Lightning: Heeheeheeheehee! Grave robbing! Grave robbing!】
Life calmed the excited Terminuses.
【Life: It is not that simple. You heard that a key is needed. We need the person who possesses that key.】
“Who has it?”
【Life: I have no intention of pouring out too much information that you do not need yet. To tell you only what matters, as far as I know, Aion will come to know the one who possesses the key to open the ruins.】
【Arcana: So we are to let things unfold naturally.】
【Life: Yes. At least, not yet. To go there... the current Aion is too weak.】
Aion considered those words for a moment.
Then he slowly folded the parchment.
“So it is on hold for now. Well, there is no need to rush.”
As he spoke, Aion tucked the parchment into his clothes.
“Dark Matter...”
For some reason, the words lingered in his mouth.
***
Tap.
Another nail was driven in.
Aion lowered his hammer and surveyed the wall. It was certainly better than yesterday.
With Leila assisting him, the work was steadily progressing faster.
“Hold this.”
“Mm.”
Leila placed both hands on the plank. Aion positioned the nail.
Bang!
“A little higher.”
“This much?”
“Yes.”
Bang!
After working for quite some time, the two decided to straighten up and rest for a moment.
Creak—
The door opened, and Leila stepped outside. She only meant to get some fresh air.
But then—
“...Leila?”
It was a familiar voice.
Leila raised her head.
At the end of the narrow path leading to the cabin stood a young girl. She held a large basket in one hand, her face overflowing with excitement.
“So this is where you were!”
It was Ruana Belmora.
Leila’s only friend at Exion.
The moment she spotted Leila, she hurried toward her.
“Leila, how could you move dormitories here without saying a word? Do you know how hard I had to look for you? I had to beg the administrative office staff just to find out!”
Leila blinked as she listened.
“...You worked hard.”
“What do you mean, ‘You worked hard’? You are supposed to say thank you!”
“Thank you.”
Ruana puffed out her cheeks.
“And look at this. My father brought in oranges from the southern Kingdom of Solentia this time. They are rare. I brought them for you, Leila, but...!”
Just as she approached the cabin and moved to offer the basket—
Creak—
At the sound, Ruana’s gaze naturally turned toward the door behind Leila.
Aion appeared through the open doorway.
“......”
Ruana was rendered speechless.
Aion stopped as well.
Their eyes met for a moment.
“Uh... what?”
Slide—
Aion quietly stepped back behind the door.
As though nothing had happened.
Then he vanished without a sound.
The strength left Ruana’s hand.
Thud—
The basket she held fell to the ground.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
Oranges began rolling in every direction.
“Oh.”
Leila spoke.
“They’re rolling away.”
She immediately toddled after them, beginning to gather the oranges into the basket.
Ruana remained standing there for a while.
“...Th-that was.”
“That was Aion.”
Leila answered matter-of-factly as she picked up an orange.
“...That’s all?”
“Mm.”
Ruana looked at Leila, then turned her gaze to the door Aion had disappeared behind.
Then she looked back at Leila.
“...No, Leila! What in the world is going on?”
Leila tilted her head.
“What is?”
“What do you mean, what is?! A man, a man just came out of Leila’s home! Is this really something that ends with, ‘That’s Aion,’ ‘Mm’? Am I supposed to just say, ‘Oh, that’s Aion,’ and move on?!”
Leila thought for a moment.
“...We live together?”
“Th-that makes it even worse!!”
Ruana covered her face with both hands.
Then she took a deep breath.
As though desperately trying to preserve the dignity of a rational person amid an overflowing flood of idiocy.
She slowly walked toward Leila and began helping collect the oranges.
“...Leila, you know.”
“Mm.”
“Wherever you live, whatever choices you make, I have no intention of stopping you. Your life belongs to you.”
Picking up an orange, Ruana continued.
“But I will be honest. I was really hurt that you left without telling me anything.”
Leila looked at Ruana for a moment.
Trying to remember what she was supposed to say in a situation like this.
“I’m sorry.”
“...That is enough.”
Ruana gave a small smile. Then, placing the orange back into the basket, she continued.
“But Leila, I feel like I really need to talk to you about this. A young lady must always be careful with her conduct.”
Leila tilted her head.
“Why?”
Ruana blinked.
“What do you mean, why? It is... just something you have to do. For example, even being alone with an unfamiliar man can start rumors. Those rumors can affect your family. They can also create problems for future marriage proposals. So you must not walk around alone at night. You must be careful not to hold a man’s gaze for too long. Speaking loudly in public is also improper, and your posture while eating...”
“......”
Leila silently listened to Ruana’s words. As she did, her head gradually tilted to one side.
Ruana did not stop.
“...You must keep your legs together when you sit. Covering your mouth when you laugh is basic etiquette. It is also important to adjust your eye level depending on the other person. And establishing a residence alone in a secluded place is truly...”
Leila raised a hand.
“Wait.”
Ruana stopped.
“Do I... have to do all that?”
“Yes.”
Leila considered those words for a moment.
“...Why?”
Ruana closed her mouth.
“If you ask why... it is just how it has to be, Leila. There are people who prey on those kinds of openings. If you are not careful, bad people might approach you.”
As she spoke, Ruana’s gaze slid—just slightly—toward the door.
Aion had come back outside.
Perhaps he had been gathering his tools. He seemed about to say something to Leila, but froze when both girls turned to look at him.
Ruana turned toward Aion.
“Excuse me.”
“...Yes.”
“If you think you can treat Leila carelessly just because she came from the countryside—”
Ruana spoke clearly.
“I will never forgive you! I will be watching over every aspect of Leila’s life very closely. If you are targeting this girl in any way... then when that happens!!”
Aion silently looked at Ruana.
Then he looked at Leila.
Leila was fully occupied peeling and eating an orange with her tiny hands.
Aion turned his gaze back to Ruana.
“......”
Ruana cleared her throat.
“...Well, ahem. That is only if such a thing happens. I should be going now—”
“Hey.”
The moment Aion spoke, Ruana’s body stiffened.
‘Could he be upset over what I just said...?’
Just as Ruana’s imagination spiraled into horrifying possibilities—
“Since you are here, help out.”
Silence followed.
“...Huh?”