Danmachi - Infinite Mana System! - Chapter 162 - Altena 02.

[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV
Orario.

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"Maybe we should stop doing things like this in places like this, Lucius..." Riveria murmured as she adjusted her school dress. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t enjoyed Altena's school of magic library with its books. While studying the tomes, Lucius glanced around, no longer eager to read after spending the whole night doing so, and began teasing Riveria. She tried to stay focused on her reading, seeing these magic books for the first time. Though she resisted at first, in the end, she gave in to Lucius, and they ended up making love in that very corner of the library.

After finishing their session, they emerged from the secluded library nook where no one had seen them. They walked back to their table, where the books they had picked up lay, as if nothing had happened, with Lucius using cleaning magic.
The house elves he had summoned quickly started bringing him several copied books discreetly, even though the library was quite crowded with other students. However, the library was vast, with many unused corridors.

Once they had stored all the books, the elves began disappearing.
“I think we’re done here. Shall we leave and pick an inn to stay at?” Lucius suggested.
Riveria nodded, and the two started heading toward the library exit.

"I must say, the human perspective on magic is quite interesting. I’m not saying it’s superior to the magical talent of elves, but the magical artifacts created by humans, rather than other races, have their merit. They’ve developed a unique technology in this city..." Riveria commented.

"That’s true. The creation of magical artifacts compensates for the lack of natural magical talent humans have. Both theoretically and practically, they push their limits. As soon as I can, I intend to study how this city functions, if the ruler of this place allows me," Lucius added as they walked through the library hall.

"Shall we find a place to stay, and then...?" Riveria asked.

"Yes... Then... we should try to meet the goddess, though I doubt we’ll simply be allowed an audience with the Atenas Familia. We’ll probably need to stir up some commotion to get her attention," Lucius replied. "That, or we could just fly to the tallest tower and knock on her window. But she might not even be there, and we’d end up waiting all day," he concluded.

As they left, everything seemed ordinary. The students were already in class, so the corridors weren’t as crowded as when they first passed through. Only a few students ran by, greeting them and addressing Lucius as “professor” repeatedly.

It was at this moment that someone different, not dressed as a student but wearing a mage’s robe, approached. Riveria widened her eyes, and Lucius looked puzzled as he watched the figure run toward him.

"Finally, I’ve found you, Professor Van Laiac!" she exclaimed.

Lucius frowned, while Riveria knitted her brows.
"What do you mean by that?" Lucius asked, confused.

"What do I mean by that, professor? What kind of joke is this? You’re the substitute teacher for Magic Concepts! I’ve been running all over the school to find you. Today’s your first day, and the class has already started with the students waiting for you!" she exclaimed, clearly in a hurry.

Lucius glanced at Riveria, who also seemed at a loss for words. They had two options: flee or go along with the woman. Finding the situation intriguing and his curiosity piqued, Lucius decided to play the role of this Van Laiac.

"Yes, I am Professor Van Laiac. I’m glad you found me," he said, causing Riveria to look at him in shock as he continued.

"Could you show me to my classroom? And I trust it won’t be a problem for me to bring my assistant, who also happens to be a student, correct?" he asked in a calm tone, performing the role convincingly. The woman sighed, relieved to see that the “professor” was no longer joking around.

"Of course, professor. Teachers are allowed to have assistants. Come with me, I will guide you," she replied.

Lucius followed, glancing at Riveria.
"Come along, hidden elf. You can’t leave my side now," he murmured.

Riveria couldn’t hide her discomfort with the situation but followed Lucius, silently questioning what he was really up to.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, at a specific school uniform shop, a woman seemed quite embarrassed as she faced a man glaring at her with anger.

"Are you telling me my uniform was stolen?" he exclaimed arrogantly.

"Yes, professor. I deeply apologize. When we opened the shop this morning, your uniform was no longer in our inventory. It was taken!" she answered, flustered.

"It was the only one made with the material I specifically requested! I should already be in my classroom by now! How am I supposed to resolve this?" he complained, frustrated. He couldn’t believe someone had stolen from a professor in Altena, where they were among the most respected figures in the city. And today, of all days, when he was about to start his brilliant career.

“So...” Lucius walked with the middle-aged woman as she led them through the school’s corridors, far from the path to the exit.

“Tell me, professor...” she turned to him with a look of respect.

“I’m teaching my assistant a few things about this academy. Could you explain to her why students keep stopping to greet me so respectfully?” Lucius asked, ignoring Riveria’s pointed look, clearly disapproving of being used as an excuse for information.

“She doesn’t know? She’s not a student? Then she should be aware of the identification brooch,” the woman said, casting a suspicious glance at Riveria. Riveria tried to pull off an apologetic expression but clearly disliked being put in this position by Lucius.

“She knows, but I’d prefer for her to hear it from someone intelligent like you,” Lucius said, causing the woman to blush at his comment.

“Of course, Professor Laiac, it would be my pleasure to fulfill a request from someone as promising as you,” she said shyly. Lucius was slightly surprised by her reaction, as if his words had been an invitation for a date or something similar. Her professional demeanor completely faltered. Meanwhile, Riveria’s eyes practically burned red as she stared at Lucius, clearly not pleased with the woman’s behavior.

“Well, the identification brooch is a magical device that identifies all students and teachers, providing restricted information about their classes, names, and families," she explained while Lucius pondered this.

"So, the information came from the uniform..." Lucius murmured, realizing what made him be addressed as a professor.

"Yes..." the woman couldn’t help but look at Lucius with confusion, surprised that he was asking about something so obvious. "All uniforms are tailored to each student every year. Their information is embedded in the uniform, and everyone who uses the brooch can see each other’s details. For example, I can see that you are Professor Van Laiac, and your assistant is a ninth-year student," she explained.

It seemed that Lucius's appearance, which looked like that of someone in their twenties, made sense as a teacher, and Riveria’s youthful look, resembling a girl of 18 or 19, helped her blend in as a student.

"But I must say... Professor Laiac, you’re already quite popular at our school. Becoming a professor at just 20 years old is an incredible achievement, truly worthy of the Laiac family. Moreover, your thesis on magic is astounding. I’m sure we can study your magical theories further and perhaps take another step forward in the field of magic," she began rambling, showing clear admiration for Lucius, who appeared deep in thought about the information she had provided.

"I wanted to revisit my thesis. Where can I find it...?" Lucius asked suddenly, eager to know more about it.

"Your thesis? It should be among your materials in your office... you should know that, Professor Laiac," she replied, finding it suspicious how the professor seemed lost with his academic responsibilities.

"I'm a bit disoriented, actually. We lost our identification brooches. Could you lend us some?" Lucius asked.

"Well... You're in luck. I brought my pouch with the extra stock here. I can lend you a pair for today," she finally said, opening a small pouch she wore on her waist beneath her mage robe. From it, she pulled out a box much larger than the pouch itself could seemingly contain.

"Is that... spatial magic?!" Riveria suddenly exclaimed, visibly stunned at the sight.

"Yes?!" The woman jumped at the outburst from the professor's assistant, who was now staring at her pouch as though it held a treasure. Even Lucius was surprised by Riveria’s reaction but was more intrigued by the item itself. He understood her excitement—after all, dimensional magic wasn’t something known to exist in their world as far as they were aware.

He cleared his throat to regain control of the situation, trying to ease the tension caused by the reaction of his "assistant."
"Apologies for my assistant. She’s been studying Altena’s innovations and got a bit curious about your dimensional pouches. Seeing one up close must have been quite a shock. Could you explain a little about it?" Lucius asked calmly, aiming to steady the situation.

The woman hesitated, glancing at Lucius, then at his assistant, before replying.
"Well, this is something we’ve been working on for the past three months. Some faculty and staff have received these items as part of a development project in Altena. We can store numerous items inside, creating a much larger space than it appears to have."

"So, you've been developing this for three months?" Riveria asked, genuinely surprised. She had never heard of anything like this before—it was clearly revolutionary.

Lucius, who could achieve similar effects through magic, recognized the magnitude of such an object. It represented a significant breakthrough, especially for adventurers venturing into Orario’s dungeon, allowing them to carry far more in a limited space.

The woman continued, explaining its drawbacks.
"Of course, it’s still far from complete. For instance, the weight of everything inside is still felt, and the maximum space available is only 10 cubic centimeters," she explained.

Lucius examined the item and nodded. Despite being groundbreaking, it was quite limited. His dimensional magic currently allowed for 11 cubic meters of storage and could hold thousands of items without any weight being felt. Clearly, his magic was far superior, and it seemed unlikely Altena would ever reach such levels of development.

"Anyway, here are your brooches," the woman said, handing over the box. Lucius and Riveria took the brooches into their hands.

"Your students are waiting, so I’ll take my leave. Thank you for everything, professor. If you need anything, I’ll be available in the magical laboratory!" she said before departing, standing briefly in front of the closed door before walking away.

Lucius and Riveria exchanged glances once she was gone. Riveria immediately fixed him with an intense stare.
"What are you doing? Why did you bring us here?" she demanded without delay.

"Obviously, I wanted to see how this place functions. Don’t worry, I’ve learned a lot about magic from you and can handle this," Lucius shrugged as he clipped the brooch onto his clothing.

Riveria did the same, and the two began seeing information displayed about one another.

"So that’s why they were calling you professor! There’s something showing above your head. You picked up a uniform that wasn’t meant for you, Lucius!" Riveria murmured, while Lucius tilted his head in response.

"Well, to me, the uniforms all look the same. I had no idea about these identifications. How could I have known?" he replied, shrugging again.

"Whatever! I just hope you know what you’re doing," she muttered.

"What’s wrong, my love? Afraid of teaching some human teenagers about magic? Let’s see what we can teach them—after all, we’re the two most powerful adventurers alive when it comes to magic in this world," Lucius said, laughing.

Riveria narrowed her eyes at him, clearly displeased, but she couldn’t disagree. In the next moment, they stepped forward, opened the door, and entered the classroom.