Since then, there was something that had been bothering Ars for a long time.
　Ilyce was also a cut above the modern mages. After decades of honing her skills in the underworld, she had developed her own theories and applied them to magic.
　Even without the existence of the Devil's Eye, no, it should be said that she is utilizing the characteristics of the Devil's Eye well.
　One of them had to do with the fact that Ilyce did not have AWR.

　However, she was trying to find a solution by finding a connection between the magic formula she had and the magic formula Loki had engraved on her arm...Anyway, it seems that only Ars was serious.


''Hmm, hah-hah-hah.

　A sweet, tantalizing warm breath could be heard leaking into the room. I tried to endure it, but unintentionally a voice sounded from the girl's mouth that was so lustrous that it was unimaginable from her appearance.
　It overflows from the back of her throat against her will as she swoons from the heat. And each time she did, the girl showed a variety of reactions, including wiggling her hips, cowering her head, and sometimes stretching her body muscles.

'Hey, stop!　I don't think I've ever forgiven you that much!　Ahi!

　The girl - Ilyce sensitively sensed the sensation transmitted through her skin and looked up at the ceiling with vigor as if she had received an electric shock.
　It's not a highly confidential conversation, but rather something trivially obscene if someone is watching this scene from the rooftop garden.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of people who are willing to give you the opportunity to do so.
　Of course, depending on the appearance of the other party, there could be a whiff of crime in the air...

　In any case, Ars protests with a regretful face at such a reflex action that could be considered an odd behavior of the girl.

''Don't raise a voice that could be misunderstood just by looking at the magic formula on your arm. It makes me feel embarrassed over here.''
'You can't be!　Who touches the skin like that as if it's touchable or not!

　Ilyce raised his voice, leaving a slight dignity in his reddened cheeks. Even though he may be old, he still seems to have some shame left in him.
　If this was an age-appropriate old man, as expected of Ars, he would have run away from this room right away.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for. You can understand if it's an eye for surveillance purposes, but Loki's eyes have a doll-like gaze that is as close to emotionless as possible.

　Arus straightens his residence and once again looks down at the magical formula engraved on Ilyce's arm. This time he grabbed his arm firmly.
　The formula that Ars had never seen before could be seen on the surface of the youthful skin, which has a burriness and luster. It was quite arranged in terms of the systematic formula, and it concentrated the knowledge of the magical formula that Ilyce had developed. Of course, it was possible to carve a magic formula directly into the body in principle. The exercise of magic would be possible enough.

　However, whether this would work well and sustainably as a magic formula circuit is another matter. No, from the point of view that the assembly of a magical formula is different from the one carved into the AWR, Ars is convinced.

'Well, if you try to assemble a magical formula in terms of inscribing it into your skin, the composition of the formula you inscribe into the AWR will also change.
''I can't do it without the power of the magic eye, so it's not helpful. Forget it. It's too intimidating to be a worthy opponent.
'Oh, yes. I was hoping it might give me a clue to the formula inscribed on Loki.

　That's the original purpose of the project. I wasn't expecting much, but I thought that if I could decipher it completely, maybe I could find a way to solve it.
　The most perfect magic that is said to be used by demons. It's probably possible if you can decipher the [lost letter (lost spell)] of the formula that makes up the formula.
　But the analysis, even if it is Ars, has to come at the cost of a tremendous amount of time.

''As I thought, we have no choice but to defeat the sorcerer, [World Serpent [Jormungand]?
I don't have much knowledge of it either, but this kind of tracking magic used by magicians has a duration that changes depending on the strength of the magician's magic power and information. Normally, if the sorcerer dies, it would be inevitable that the magic would disappear as well... but if you ask me if that applies to a demon,
The trouble is, I can't say for sure.

　We must imagine what perfect magic is, what it can and cannot do, or rather, what it cannot do. It might even be able to create something out of nothing. It had infinite possibilities, so to speak.
　The only move it could make was to defeat the demon. But even that was no guarantee that the mark would disappear.

''Thank you. All I know is that we have to defeat it as soon as possible first.
'Good, then. The rest is bad enough, but if you'd let go of that fervent grip on my arm, I don't have much to say.


　Ilyce, who had barely escaped from Ars's restraints, huffed and took a deep breath and sent a breeze around her neck with her hand with a huff. After that, she pulled her sleeve back to hide her arms and went into the kitchen to drown out the heat.
　Tea and milk, which must have been brewed by Ilyce himself, are prepared. One is the tea, appropriate for the low temperatures with the steam rising, and the other is the cold milk with a drop of water floating in a glass.

　Ilyce grabbed the cold milk first and drank it all at once. It's a refreshing drink until it's even more refreshing.

　Then Ars also put in a few words before holding the tea. It's not an elegant taste, whether it's instant or not, and the bitterness is thick and numbing on the tongue forever, no matter what the harassment. It was a tea with a strong habit.
　Kuhhh~ In front of the young girl who was drinking it deliciously in front of him, Ars was left with a furrowed brow.

　The pleasant drinking makes it feel tedious to even do it with every single tsukkon.
　I don't like to eat, and while I want to be treated as an adult, my childish side is still there. I guess he doesn't want to grow in height, either.

　If you try to say something to Ilyce, who is drinking her milk with great relish, she may talk for a very long time.

　With mixed feelings, Ars sipped his tea again. A bitterness that was exactly what he was feeling right now spread in his mouth.


　The two men in the rooftop garden were quite happy and were in the middle of watering the flower beds. This was another smiling sight, Latifah's hand held a silver watering can, and Loki held her wrist as he guided her.
　It was a joint effort to water the water.

　From the looks of it, it was going to take a little more time, and Ars presented a topic that he wanted to get rid of now.
　As expected, Ars excuses his rudeness in drinking his tea standing up and settles back in his chair now.

'I have a word of advice from Instructor Kreisman,'
Who's that? I don't have enough time on my hands to remember every name.

　Of course I expected Ilyce's reaction, but since she is a teacher, she could be a little more selective with her words.

''No, I think this is the first time for Ilyce. He's a scholar who teaches at the Second Academy of Magic. And therefore, I'm also a member of [Babel]'s research team.

　The corner of Ilyce's brow reacted with a peek, and her attention was clearly focused on Latifa behind her. It was out of concern for her, but that was naturally factored into Ars's mind as well.
　Nevertheless, it was unlikely that any progress would be made when the report about Babel was given to Ilyce.
　It's a good idea to have a report that positions you as a head of state.

　So Ars decided to tell her as well as the first thing he heard.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a huge hole in the basement of Babel. That's the report.''
'You didn't get anything out of it?
I guess not yet.

　In this, Ilyce did not show deep interest. That is exactly what she is not pretending to be. She herself seemed to be lightly dismissing the report as a place to hear it.
　At the same time, she may have had some doubts, and immediately made a small face and tilted her head. I could see the obvious question mark floating above her head.

'Oh, I know what you mean. You're trying to tell me it's not worth bothering to report at that stage.
That's about it.

　It's not that there is anything serious or new to discover, it's just that I'm too nervous to ask if there was a need to report it at the investigation stage.
　I'm sure you'll find it hard to deal with the fact that even Ilyce has been given detailed details.

　It's certainly true in theory. It is certainly not important for Ilyce, who is a busy chairman of the board, to make the best use of his limited time.
　But beyond the thought that Ars has arrived at, the conclusion is an ominous choice of words.

'We've talked about Babel before, haven't we?
'Yeah, it's a long story. I can generally agree with you that Crockel was taking over the research. I also agree with you about the research that was done at Babel.

　The research that was done at Babel. Specifically, it was a study of the human pillar that Crockel had supposedly taken over, a replacement for Latifah. At least he had taken a few steps to save Latifah. One of them is also the rebuilding of the world.

　As well as the research that Crockel had taken over, there must have been some research that existed when Latifa first became a human pillar in the first place.
　After organizing these timelines, Ars gently places his cup on the table, as if he were left with an uncomfortable feeling. After a pause, he decided to give his thoughts exactly as they were.

The time of construction of Babel should obviously be after the outbreak of the demons. But there must have been some kind of research done before that.

　Ars glares at the Barral Castle in question, which also served as the laboratory. Since there is no confirmation of anything right now, he puts that speculation to the side and begins to tell the rest of the story.
　Various possibilities were opening up at super speed when Ars heard about this side hole - or underground tunnel. Now, Ars was finally able to consciously catch up with the calculations that he couldn't successfully output, I guess, now that he was finally able to consciously catch up.

'Hey, if you say I was made a research subject at Babel, then there should have been other subjects as well. More to the point, if it was done before Crockel took over, there must have been not a few failed attempts. That guy (Crockel) said that signs of transformation into a demon were seen. If that's the case, didn't the failed work turn into a demon?
...

　Choking and wide-eyed, Ilyce was calculating a number of possibilities as well.
　Although he had a bad feeling, it was certainly hard to ignore.

　Partly, he thinks about the possibility that perhaps the failed work has turned into a demon.

''Wait a minute!　How can you do that?
'I can't, I thought, because I've seen Latifah in that form.

　Yes, Latifa had transformed most of her body into a demon, and not only Ars, but also the heads of countries have confirmed it.
　There must be a primary factor, such as Kronos' body tissue. It couldn't be just any kind of demon. Otherwise, immediately the magician would have been infected just by being exposed to the demon's body fluids.

　Ars thinks that by taking it into the body under various conditions, some kind of erosion would be seen, Ars thinks.

　A side hole in the basement, I have a bad feeling about it.
　And that premonition was about to provide one solution to a concern that Ars had been having all along.

　You will find that you will be able to find the best way to get the most out of your own personal life.

'Hey, Ilyce. I wonder where the failed test subject was dumped. It's not Crockel, and there's no way they can carry something that has turned into a demon to the outside world. Most importantly, is the failed work really dead?
..........

　Even Ars is said to have died at one time, but even with the power of the demon's eye, the fact that it is now alive and well. As a human being, he may have died...then, which one is the one that turned into a demon?
　If it's a demon, does that mean it died as a demon?

　Did that body fall apart like ashes?
　And was there someone who could immediately dispose of a demon that had been mutated into a research facility with only researchers?

　Questions begged questions.
　In the end, Ars couldn't find a solution. Still, the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't solve it.

　Ars felt a little bad about saying a prediction that he couldn't assure, and tried to numb his tongue with a thick cup of tea.