Ash and Flesh Magic

After leaving the chemistry lab, Theus went to see his chief clerk.

"My lord, construction on the factory is going fairly smoothly. As you know, we've already produced a little olive oil."

"But as for the school... Are you planning to build new buildings, or...?"

"Let's find some empty buildings first."

The school's main priority was finding teachers. Theus had considered having the clerks under Alexei teach, but after thinking it over, he abandoned the idea.

He didn't have enough influence over those clerks, and the civil servants trained by the Empire might not be willing to teach commoners.

Most of them were illegitimate children of minor nobles who couldn't inherit their family estates, or merchants' children. They were the upper class closest to the common people.

In Theus's experience, people in this class were the most hostile toward commoners.

They could easily fall down the social ladder, or the only thing separating them from commoners was a title. As a result, compared with the upper nobility, they worked even harder to make themselves seem "different" from commoners.

Just like the original Theus, the illegitimate son whose body he had descended into. He had desperately tried to maintain the so-called "noble bearing," with elaborate daily etiquette and afternoon tea and reading, which he'd kept up even after arriving on this island.

People cared most about what they lacked.

So having these low-ranking officials teach commoners would probably end in disaster.

For now, Theus planned to choose from among his servants.

Most of his servants came from commoner families. Only the great nobles could afford to have servants who were nobles themselves. At the end of the day, Theus was just an illegitimate son.

Since they served him, a fair number of his servants could read. That was enough to meet his requirements—

Yes, his only basic requirement for the school was literacy.

If people could read, they could understand basic signs and develop the most basic qualities of a worker.

As for training engineers or scholars, he planned to make those advanced courses.

He intended to teach the advanced courses himself.

Yes, he would be the school's only teacher.

There was no helping it. Although he planned to teach only the most basic physics, he suspected there wasn't another person in this world with a complete system of knowledge.

Well, unless there were other transmigrators.

He planned to teach some basic science and engineering, starting with the fundamentals. As for anything more advanced, he'd provide books and let the students study on their own.

Surprise! Self-studying advanced mathematics was even harder than advanced mathematics.

But that was for much later. For now, he needed to provide a general education.

"Just find some suitable buildings, then tell the islanders that school will be free."

"Right. Literacy classes will be free for all employees and their relatives. Advanced courses will cost only a small fee. Other islanders who don't work for us will also be charged only a token amount."

"Go door to door and make sure everyone on the island knows about it!"

After sending the chief clerk away, Theus thought for a moment, then decided to check on the Banshees.

"I'm going to the study. Starting today, I'll work there. No one is to enter without my permission," Theus instructed the butler at the door.

He wasn't ready to reveal the Banshees' existence.

Connor nodded in acknowledgment.

Theus followed the stairs to the study. He pretended to direct the servants as they laid out documents about the island and account books from previous years on the table. After ordering everyone else to stay out, he closed the door himself and quietly locked it from the inside.

The study was small. Theus walked around it, drawing every curtain shut. Then he lit a lantern and went to the fireplace.

A secret passage in the fireplace led straight to the sea. The last time he'd gone Night Wandering, he'd used it to meet Ash.

Back then, she'd still been a Swollen Monster.

Theus smiled and shook his head. Using the long-handled axe hanging on the wall, he pushed open the hidden door and slipped inside.

After making his way to the bottom, Theus looked at the sea before him, closed his eyes, and gently stirred the Symbiotic Pact in his heart.

Almost immediately, it responded. A shadow gradually appeared in the water, then burst through the waves with a splash.

Ash lowered her head to look at Theus, who stood on the reef. "My lord, you called for me."

Water streamed from her silver-white hair, then slid down her tail, covered in fine scales, and into the sea.

Her body seemed to have been cast in silver and carefully polished, giving it an indescribably harmonious beauty.

The slightly metallic sheen of her scales and skin reminded Theus of polished plate armor. In the dim lantern light, they gleamed with a halo, cold and hard, yet sacred.

Theus stared for a few seconds without meaning to. It was his first time seeing Ash on land. Her towering figure was like a statue of a god, while the graceful, streamlined lines of her body made her seem less inhuman.

A Banshee's presence was oppressive; you could only feel it when standing right in front of her. If each of her six hands held a weapon and she charged toward you through the enemy ranks...

The name was truly fitting. Their appearance sounded the death knell, announcing the enemy's imminent demise on the battlefield, before their massive bodies crushed any ants in their path.

Banshees, Death-Knell Angels—warriors like these were willing to fight for him. At the thought of it, Theus felt his blood boil for a moment.

But he quickly calmed down. After lowering his head to think for a moment, he asked, "Ash, are you unable to leave this place?"

Ash's gaze shifted. She lowered her head. "My... lord, those who sign a Symbiotic Pact can't go too far away. Through my pact with you, I gained the ability to survive on land. Unless you come with me... I can no longer return to the Abyssal Trench."

She hesitated, as if wanting to say something to make her resolve clear, but Theus waved a hand and cut her off.

"What happens if you go too far away? I remember that when I was unconscious, you tried to descend into the Abyssal Trench by yourself."

"I'll keep losing life force. The farther I go and the longer I stay away, the more I lose."

I see. Theus nodded. No wonder she hadn't gone straight to the bottom of the Abyssal Trench to undo that swollen form back then... Wait, no, that didn't make sense!

"Then how come you didn't swell up this time..." Theus gestured to indicate something expanding. "You stayed in your current form the whole time."

"That's Flesh Magic, my lord," Ash said softly, her tone heavy.

"Flesh Magic is one of our innate abilities. It lets us stay active in harsh conditions or when we're gravely wounded. We use it to withstand the water pressure, which lets us survive, barely. But we can't stop it for even a moment. Without a pact-bearer, the instant Flesh Magic stops, death descends."