The Academy Student Gordius: How He Became the Gold Tower Master's Disciple

To answer this question, we must first explain who the Gold Tower Master is. She is an extremely tall woman reaching 240cm in height, who wears a wide-brimmed hat over her long hair.

Ten years ago, during the Tower Master Assembly incident in Sanjebi Village, the Mad Magician had seen the Gold Tower Master and expressed his thoughts: "Isn't that an eight-foot ghost?"

The Gold Tower Master personally thinks skirts that rise above the knee look pretty, but knowing that wearing such attire would cause unavoidable observations due to her height difference, she wears long dresses that flutter around her ankles.

And above all, she harbored a desire to scrape together the continent's landmass to create a new planet.

"The secular world is polluted and dirty, so I'm going to float a new moon in the sky and live there. I'll name it 'Moon Kingdom'... hehe."

For this aspiration, she was conducting unlimited land purchases across the entire continent, buying up cheap land regardless of whether it belonged to the Empire or the Kingdom.

Thus, she was also known as the "Queen of Real Estate," and she continued to increase her wealth and property by buying and selling land.

The amount of land needed for the "Moon Kingdom" plan was currently at 67%.

The moment she reaches 100%, she will gather an enormous amount of earth through a once-in-a-lifetime earth magic. A second moon will appear in the continent's sky. And naturally, the planet will suffer.

According to Imperial Defense Bureau documents, if her plan were executed, the continent's size would decrease by about 5%. The subsequent collateral damage was too horrifying to calculate.

Therefore.

"...Buy it back. I can tolerate her nonsense outside the Empire, but I cannot allow such actions on Imperial land."

"Yes, Lord Irid."

She had a capital-based squabbling relationship with the Imperial family.

Despite these conflicts, the Gold Tower Master wasn't officially marked as an enemy of the Empire because she also provided benefits such as techniques to make barren land fertile, mineral exploration, and mine development.

It was a dream far removed from normality, and one might question whether it could be achieved even with a lifetime of dedication. But the Gold Tower Master didn't mind. For her, dreams weren't pursued based on their success rate.

You run all the way to the end first, then think about it.

Therefore.

"What's your dream?"

"I want to create a giant golem at least 50 meters tall."

"Wow, that's... a wonderful idea! A 50-meter golem would be perfect for large-scale earthworks to shape a planet! But it would be even better if it were a bit larger..."

She had no choice but to select Gordius, who wanted to build an ultra-giant excavator (that's how it sounded to the planet-obsessed Gold Tower Master), as her disciple.

The two had strong wills to achieve their dreams, proportional to their dreams' size. They saved money by eating bread crusts and tightly controlled the Magic Tower's budget.

"Mage Jiff. Your research budget has been cut by 30%. According to the Gold Tower's internal regulations, your research progress this quarter was below the standard."

"Mage Jiff. I heard your budget was cut? I'll put in a good word with the Gold Tower Master, but I'd appreciate a little 'show of sincerity'..."

That's how the Magic Tower's crazy miser priest duo was born.

But they weren't just harsh. Money doesn't grow unless it flows through investment, so when they did invest, they did so boldly, accepting the risk of failure.

More money for productive Gold Tower mages. Less money for the incompetent.

Because of this policy, the Gold Tower's atmosphere was closer to that of a securities firm.

Anyway.

Both planet creation and giant robots clearly require enormous amounts of money. Just as the Gold Tower Master increased her wealth through real estate speculation, Gordius also needed ways to make money.

He tried collecting art pieces and jewels for profit, but being of non-noble birth, he was ignorant in such matters and lacked an aesthetic eye. He kept losing money on these investments.

He created various inventions to solve everyday inconveniences, but setting up mass production systems required investors. Unfortunately, he had none yet.

So how did Gordius make money?

"Gordius! The Princess's wristwatch is broken! This is a national disaster!"

"Fixed it. For an additional fee, I can add a poison needle firing function..."

"Gordius. My chain sickle, broken. Lost to, a rock."

"Fixed it. For an additional fee, I can add an automatic retrieval function to the chain sickle..."

It was comprehensive equipment crafting that encompassed precision processing and enchantment.

From simple repairs to modifications, his speed and skill rivaling that of a master craftsman was enough to wipe out 50% of the sales of the blacksmiths established in the Academy.

That's why he caught the Mad Magician's eye.

"...Professor? Welcome to Gordius's forge. This week's limited product is a breathable launchable gauntlet."

"Student, let's make a cursed sword."

"Pardon?"

"I need a structurally very stable sword. I'm thinking of sealing a really powerful and evil spirit inside, and I need to forcefully cram the identity of a 'sword' into it. You know what I mean, right?"

Generally, the more nonsensical the order, the more difficult it is.

Make it modern but with a classic feel, hot but cold. In that sense, the moment "identity" was mentioned, the difficulty of this request shot up vertically.

"I currently have a backlog of orders..."

Gordius tried to politely decline, but.

Thud!

A heavy money pouch fell on the table, leaving a mark. The financial power of the Mad Magician, who consumed most of the Purple Tower's funds, had a hypnotic app-like effect.

"This is the down payment."

"I'll push everything else aside and start on this right away."

The Gold Tower Master's disciple joined the cursed sword forging party.

===============================================================

The extraction operation of 'the Thing' was complete.

With former traitor Aisha's control mad movie, the computational support of the "Promise" Module in my head, and Yuna's sharp incision using "Subtraction" as a scalpel.

After about 32 hours of major surgery, we succeeded in extracting 1% of 'the Thing.' That day, we were all too exhausted to even think about throwing a celebration party and just collapsed into sleep.

The existence of "Promise" was particularly helpful.

In the previous session, I had to enter a deep-sleep state, but for this extraction, that wasn't necessary. I could participate in the extraction work with my eyes wide open.

With conditions this favorable, what part was difficult?

"This crazy bastard is trying to escape! Pull it!"

When we tried to grab and pull it by the hair, it would run away.

"This crazy bastard is trying to come out! Push it back in!"

Then it would suddenly change tactics and try to headbutt its way out, attempting to release not just 1% but 2% or 3%.

"Oh, Oppa, I'm suddenly feeling hot..."

"Selvia, don't take off your clothes! Damn, did she fall under hypnosis? Anyone with free hands?!"

"Uh, no one! Yuri has entered the mental realm, ah, Aisha went in too, and I'm currently, argh, damn it, stop running... can't we just destroy a bit of your mental world?!"

"Don't get angry, take deep breaths! Selvia, hey! Don't unzip my pants...!"

Just a moment of carelessness, and somehow it managed to send hypnotic waves to Selvia who was outside. It disrupted my concentration through Selvia's sexual harassment while under control.

-It's me, Aisha. The work is done, so I'm coming out. Could you open the door?

"...Password! Red!"

-Huh? What's wrong, MadMa? We didn't have any passwords.

"We agreed to call me Daddy for this operation, you jerk! Gold Tower Master, that's a fake, don't open the mental barrier!"

It even attempted to escape through voice phishing.

I didn't expect extracting just 1% would be this difficult. After all, hadn't Yuna successfully separated and extracted 7% on her own?

I think... at that time, 'the Thing' might have been gambling. Willingly giving up 7% of its body, with the message that if she couldn't suppress it, she would die.

I realized anew that Aisha's existence was a miracle.

Actually, with incidents like the fake MadMa, there were several moments when 'the Thing' almost broke free if Aisha hadn't reformed. I'm glad our daughter turned out to be good in the end.

After all this struggle, was it over once we separated 1% externally? Not quite. The 1% released into the material world was in a dangerous state, more hazardous than radioactive material.

Bubble, bubble.

Something black wriggles in a tank filled with mana concentrate. It changes its form every second, becoming a lizard then a snake, tapping on the glass wall.

If that thing gets loose, there will be chaos again. We needed a secondary processing operation to safely isolate and handle it.

The first priority was to block its transformation ability.

Just as Aisha could change her form at will, the separated 1% could probably transform into any appearance. If it disguised itself as a human and hid among crowds, or became a mole or worm and burrowed into the ground, there would be no way to find it.

The second priority was mental magic.

"......"

The mental wave experienced by Selvia, who was now standing with her hands up wearing a sign saying "I sexually harassed the Mad Magician while he was defenseless," her face as ripe as in-season produce.

She still fidgeted with her left hand that had been fondling me, making even me embarrassed.

If this ability remained active, who knows what accidents might occur. To seal these two abilities, we chose to turn it into a cursed sword.

To be more specific.

Previously, Aisha had been swept up in the malicious data of my "I-love-gothic-lolita-female-humans" obsession. The aftermath still remains, so although she can change her appearance at will, she maintains a female form by default.

We'll use the same method. We'll force the 1% to fix its identity as a "sword" by cramming that data into it, forcing most of its resources to be invested in "hardness" or "sharpness."

After I explained the theoretical background, Yuri asked from the side.

"Wouldn't there be more harmless forms than a blade? Like underwear?"

"Well, about that."

There's a reason. It's because Benett has returned to the Academy.

I plan to borrow a bit of the immutability of Benett's "Vow's Guardian." That's why I chose a sword. If the Vow's Guardian had been in the form of a shield, I would have made a magic shield.

The magical and ascension preparations were complete. Now it was time to take care of the physical aspects.

It would be disastrous if we made it like those fake cursed swords, cheap products. If it were to shatter with a bang, I can't imagine what would happen.

The best case would be if the sword explodes and the 1% is annihilated simultaneously.

But it's also possible that the Thing might inhabit each broken piece of the sword, floating and moving like scattered cherry blossom petals. 'The Thing' was always beyond imagination.

So I called that Gor-something guy and outsourced the job. I asked him to make a sturdy sword that wouldn't break under ordinary impacts and would well express the concept of a sword.

The delivery arrived a week later.

"...Professor, I made it faithful to the sword as ordered. But there are quite a lot of people here? Even the Saintess and Benett..."

"Very good. I'm satisfied. Student, since you're here, would you like to watch us make a cursed sword?"

A simple design without any decorations. The epitome of orthodoxy, so normal it's what you'd think of when you hear "longsword." Thick enough that it wouldn't likely bend or break easily.

I mounted the longsword above the tank and signaled.

"Alright, let's begin the final operation. Aisha?"

"Isolation barrier confirmed, 2nd and 3rd defense lines normal. No discrepancy between time detector and perceived time. Magic circle activated... I'll input on your signal."

"Benett, bestow the quality of 'Vow's Guardian' here."

"...Understood."

Woooong—

The magic circle spins, spinning threads of mana. The flow carries meaning, and meaning forms shape. What I'm imagining is bondage. I pressed the switch as I finished the incantation.

Clunk. Splash!

As the entrance opens, the longsword is dropped into the tank where the 1% is suppressed. Simultaneously, I concentrate mana to bind it powerfully so it can't move a finger.

Creak. Kigigigigik—!!

The mana concentrate in the tank boils violently and evaporates.

The black form writhes. Inside the tank, black currents swirl like a storm, scratching sharp marks on the glass wall and thrashing wildly. But it's gradually being sucked in.

Then Aisha frowned and shouted.

"...Hey, Daddy, I mean MadMa. The resistance is fiercer than expected! The isolation barrier's durability is sufficient, but it's dragging on!"

"Even if it drags on, aren't we in the safe zone?"

"It's wasting mana stones!"

That's true. This vicious 1% bastard, trying to inflict damage until the very end. Then I'll have to give it a knuckle tap.

"Gold Tower Master, hit it with anything but 'Subtraction'!"

"U-um... 'Mental Rupture.'"

Clang!

Shuururururuk!

After a clear mental impact sound rang out once, the black form wriggled as if staggering, then was completely sucked into the longsword. We waited for about 10 minutes with our vigilance at maximum...

"...Did it work?"

"I think so."

"It's not moving."

It worked.

We perfectly succeeded in extracting 1% with the power of love and friendship!

But it would be good to verify it slightly. I opened the tank's barrier and grasped the cursed sword.

Yuna looked up at me with an anxious expression.

"...H-how is it? Do you feel strange? Should I wash your brain?"

"If you think the power of love might be needed to break free from brainwashing, shall I give you a kiss? I can summon the courage anytime."

"No, I'm fine. It's very stable."

It does nudge at my mind a bit, but at a level I can easily suppress. This level means none of our party members would be enchanted if they held it. Since we crammed it into a "sword," it can't change form or move.

I put down the cursed sword and applauded myself. Success!

What can we do now that the sealing work is complete? We can extract data about 'the Thing' from this one and safely run simulations.

What specific properties it has. What its weaknesses are. We'll find out everything in detail... and in the end, erase 'the Thing' completely.

"Now that the work is done, shall we go for a team dinner? Benett, come too. I'll cook something delicious. Bring your two wives and sister."

"...Not a bad idea. But, Mad Magician."

"Yes?"

"The cursed sword is rattling, is that okay?"

That can't be right.

Click.

As I quickly turned my head, the handle part of the cursed sword clicked open, and boosters emerged from both sides. I was momentarily stunned and blinked.

There was no flaw in my theory. I really carefully embedded the magic, and even cross-verified with Yuna and Aisha. It shouldn't be able to transform like that.

Unless the sword originally had boosters attached...

Oh.

"Wait, Gold Tower mage. Did you attach that?"

"Since I was paid handsomely, as a service..."

"I asked you to make nothing more and nothing less than a 'sword,' damn it!!"

"But Professor, isn't it 'common sense' that swords should have propulsion devices?"

"......"

That guy's pupils didn't waver. It seemed he genuinely believed that, not just making a poor excuse. There are no normal people at the Academy.

Fwoooosh—!!

While I was bewildered, the cursed sword floated up, ejecting flames from its rear.

"Sh-should I shoot it down?!"

"No, we've thoroughly placed barriers on our windows, so it's fine. No matter how much it flies around, it can't escape, so when it runs out of energy, we'll catch it and remove the propulsion..."

But making my words meaningless.

Bang!

The cursed sword pierced through a gap in the barrier and flew away into the vast sky.

"......"

"......"

"C-catch it! Catch it quickly!"

"Chase after it! Chase after it!"

We all rushed out of the laboratory as a group to catch the escaped cursed sword.