EP.185 Omen (4)
After a commotion in the lobby, not long after, an old man set foot on the top floor of the tower.
“Y-Here it is!”
“Good work.”
“Yes, yesep. Then have a good time…!”
The mage who guided the old man to the top bowed respectfully with a ninety-degree bow, which was very surprising behavior for the Master of the Black Tower.
Wh-what on earth?
When sending the communication from the lobby, the mage had been thinking, “What should I do about this nonsense-spouting old man?” Yet now, he stood in front of the old man, lowering his head. He looked strangely terrified.
What kind of magic has he cast?
As he looked at the old man with suspicious eyes, the old man spoke indifferently.
“A brat who hasn’t even seen fifty winters babbling nonsense without knowing his place. He needs some etiquette training, so I stepped in. Do you have any complaints?”
His tone was as if he were stating the obvious. In that tone, Yetual instinctively realized.
This guy is a crazy old man.
An acquaintance of the Ashen Mage, it seemed. Yetual shook his head. Having a lengthy conversation with someone not in their right mind would surely bring him harm.
“…Thank you. So, are you the guest of the Ashen Mage?”
“That would be an invitation of sorts. It was so noisy that I couldn’t possibly ignore it.”
As the old man answered the question and moved forward, his gait was anything but ordinary. Although he looked to be well over sixty, his movement resembled that of a young man.
Thump.
At that moment, as the old man took a step, Yetual unconsciously doubted his own eyesight. The old man who had just been there now stood before him in the guise of a middle-aged man.
“It’s Cardi. You should be more accustomed to this appearance.”
The old man’s wrinkles smoothed out. His previously white hair started to show strands of black. The middle-aged man who revealed himself was someone Yetual knew as well.
“…Are you not the owner of the shop in the back alley?”
“Indeed. It seems we’re acquainted.”
The middle-aged man who sold quality magic tools in the back alley. He was also the person who had arranged a meeting with Yetual and Belnoa, giving him the information about a certain position.
“I heard you were looking for a disciple.”
“Then go to where the remnants of dusk are left. A useful brat is causing a ruckus there.”
That’s where Yetual discovered Belnoa and Chloe. He thought it was just a coincidence at the time, but looking back now, it was clear that something was amiss. Yetual narrowed his eyes.
“Who are you, really?”
“It doesn’t seem like that’s what’s important right now.”
Ignoring Yetual’s words, the middle-aged man took another step. As he passed by Kalt, who was on guard, the middle-aged figure shifted once more, this time to the appearance of a younger man.
Ashen hair and elongated ears. Yellow eyes, like a beast.
Is that his true form? It remained unclear. From old man to middle-aged, and now transformed into a young elf. Looking at the person whose race had changed, Yetual chuckled to himself.
Hah.
Such a uniquely enigmatic figure. There seemed to be no words that could capture this elf just as precisely as a single word from the Ashen Mage. Yetual gave up on trying to understand the person before him.
“Well… if you need any tools, let me know. I should be able to prepare most basic materials.”
What could someone stuck among monsters do? He merely hoped for this storm to quietly pass. Yetual genuinely wished for that.
2.
“…I suppose that called for a hasty response.”
Kardi murmured after checking on Rania, who lay on the bed. He turned his head and looked at Kalt, who stood beside him.
“Looks like you brought her here, so I’ll ask first.”
Kardi crossed his arms and continued.
“■■. ■■. ■■. ■ lost its ■■. Is there any language you can understand?”
“…No.”
“Then it doesn’t seem to have appeared before us. Was there something nearby? An altar or a medium of some sort?”
Kalt shook his head and pulled something from his pocket.
“All I have is this black crystal orb. I thought it was a magical tool that had disappeared in the circuit but—”
Snap. Kardi’s finger made a loud noise. Kalt instinctively placed a hand on his waist. He could feel a restrained killing intent from the elf’s gaze.
“Speak. Before I suspect you further.”
“…It was brought by the Hound. They found it in the sewer. It appeared overnight.”
“That scoundrel is the culprit then.”
The culprit?
“This was a magical tool designed from the start to target her. Its purpose is strikingly clear.”
Kardi said as he tapped the crystal orb.
“This crystal has properties that stimulate nearby ■■. It’s caused a temporary overload by irritating the contaminants lodged in her heart.”
Screech, screech.
The circuit still made a raucous noise as it spun. Looking at the circuit engraved on Rania’s chest, Kardi continued his explanation.
“However, this isn’t the main function of this magical tool. With this structure, it’s not just merely stimulating, but pulling in and collecting.”
“…What does that mean?”
“It means this was a modified magical tool intended to attack her.”
Kalt fell silent.
So, I delivered a trap meant to kill my senior right into his hands?
“Your expression suggests you understand the situation.”
Then what do we do?
“Honestly, she shouldn’t be a big problem.”
Kardi shook out his robe. He retrieved a handful of test tubes from a pouch at his waist.
“It seems some emergency measures were taken even in a broken state. The circuit was overloaded to speed things up. Though it’ll strain her body, if left alone, she’ll recover in about ten days.”
I can’t exactly leave her like this…
Muttering to himself, he shook his head.
“All I can do is….”
Whoosh, he popped the stopper off a vial. Then, with finesse, he began mixing the substances while holding test tubes with both hands. He shook them between his fingers as he continued speaking.
“I can only administer an antidote and assist in recovering her broken body.”
Even the Master of the Tower wouldn’t have known.
“Also, if the circuit’s overload lasts too long, all her organs will roast… so I’ll need to find a solution for that too. Relying solely on the antidote won’t be sufficient.”
Having accurately grasped the situation and suggesting solutions, Kalt took a shallow breath. This elf was exceptional, perhaps even better than his senior.
“And you, Master of the Tower.”
The elf, who was mixing the antidote, turned his head. Kardi, with his beast-like yellow eyes, stared at the Master of the Black Tower, who watched him fix the potion with a start.
“…What is it?”
“Bring me cooling water. Heat-resistant stones. Potions that are usable for mana replenishment. Gather whatever you have.”
Kardi pointed to Rania.
“This one will cover all the costs. We need to get her through this, don’t we?”
“…I will do as you say.”
Yetual nodded obediently, unable to voice the thought, “Who are you to give me orders?” He immediately began contacting every floor of the tower.
“And Hound.”
“I’m listening.”
“This one’s condition will improve over time. The question is, what event must be triggered at the expense of pushing her into a trap?”
Kardi’s gaze sharpened.
“The other side knows the identity of the Ashen Mage. Only a very select few know about this one’s ■■ as well. But the main objective is not the assassination of the Ashen Mage.”
“…What?”
“The real aim lies elsewhere.”
He proclaimed.
“The exclusion of the Ashen Mage. That is merely a condition. And now, that condition has been fulfilled.”
Then…
“Something is about to happen. Whatever it is, it means something is happening of greater priority than the exclusion of the Ashen Mage.”
Kalt understood his trailing words.
He drew out a magical tool from his waist. Kardi’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the ruined magical tool Kalt had pulled out.
“…I think it’s already too late.”
Just as Kardi murmured that moment.
Boom!
The tower trembled. The windows shook, and the view of the royal capital seen outside jerked violently for a moment. A wave swept over the royal capital.
It wasn’t a wave intended for the tower.
The starting point of the wave was not the tower either.
Kardi, who had been shaking the test tube, Kalt, who was trying to connect communication with the magical tool in hand, and Yetual, who was contacting each floor for the sake of gathering items—all of them suddenly froze for a moment, everyone stopping in unison.
They stared out the window.
“…What is that?”
Yetual looked perplexed.
Crunch.
Kalt gritted his teeth.
“…”
Kardi frowned silently.
Their gaze converged in one place.
Clang, creak, creak, creak, clang.
It was a colossal distortion. Even from a distance, it resembled space itself twisting. From the twisted space, muck flowed down.
The center of the distortion.
It wasn’t difficult to guess its location.
“…Apuria Academy.”
Apuria was engulfed by darkness.
3.
The star shines brilliantly.
Because it shines, it creates shadows.
The larger the light, the greater the shadow becomes.
“Apuria is the cradle of stars.”
That phrase used when constructing the finest Magic Academy in the royal capital was not merely a decoration. In fact, Apuria is home to many related to the stars. They are individuals with talents that might only appear once in centuries.
“A place where stars gather.”
Starlight resonates with starlight.
Resonance generates an even brighter light.
“So, if there’s a place that an overshadow must fall…”
“It must undoubtedly be this place.”
There’s a mage who has longed for shadows throughout his life. He stands at the heart of the cradle of stars. He reaches toward the sky, seeking where the stars should be, revealing his true form.
Snap, crackle.
The bones of the human that became a medium twist.
Flesh crumbles, skin tears.
What emerges from the discarded husk of a human is an ancient lich enveloped in black mist.
“Ah.”
He looks to the sky with both arms outstretched. Rising from between his gaunt ribs is a black crystal orb. The product of a lifetime of research. Gazing at it, the ancient lich chants a spell.
“Resonate.”
The crystals set around Apuria begin to resonate. The three crystals exist at their center.
One for the child loved by the stars.
Two for the children chosen by the stars.
Three for those who can read the context of the stars.
The crystal orb bathed in blessings shines brightly near those graced by celestial bodies. It stimulates the starlight they possess. A vast starlight floods forth, ready to engulf the black crystal orb.
“More.”
The loved one.
“More, more!”
The chosen one.
“More, more brilliant light!”
The watcher.
“Light, more brilliant light!”
The three starlights resonate. Waves of light flood forth. A platinum starlight rises endlessly. The principles that structure this world begin to reveal themselves.
And then.
Where there is light, shadows are also created.
Clang, creak. Creaking.
Shadows loom under the light.
“Fifty-five.”
It is a being that has strayed from principles.
It is a being that shouldn’t be understood.
An entity that may not be comprehended.
A being that should not exist.
A being that defies the very foundation of existence.
“O my King.”
It is a remnant of the demonic, one who has lost the right to be a king.
Shadows morph into muck, the muck contorts into a hand, and the hand reaches back toward the light. Being born to devour light, it yearns for illumination.
Crush.
The starlight is seized, swallowed, and dragged down. To a mire, to a bottom darker than darkness. It begins to draw the stars down to a place like itself.
Thud, thud. Boom!
Light explodes. Shadows consume the explosion.
Light spills forth once more from within shadows.
Light and shadow begin to intertwine.
“Ah, ahhhh!”
The ancient lich Skebal cheers for the arrival of the king. The sound of joyous laughter resounds.
Where shadow meets light lies the truth.
Shadows will devour the mediums of light. The mediums of light will become the mediums of shadow.
Once more, the cyclical events repeated throughout history are reenacted here. Once failed attempts are now being succeeded. That is his role.
Crackle, crackle.
The ancient lich Skebal moves his fingers.
In an instant, crystal orbs rise one after another over the cloaked Apuria. They form barriers that enclose Apuria using shadows as a medium.
No distractions must exist.
Even the Ashen Mage had been dealt with successfully.
The plan was perfect, and there were no variables.
“This time it isn’t a traitor.”
Or perhaps one variable.
“What a pity.”
Darkness has fallen over Apuria.
As everyone sinks into nightmares, a man walks across the now quiet Apuria. Straight toward disaster. Without hesitation.
One step, another step.
To the sound of approaching footsteps, Skebal turned his head.
Human.
A mere human stood there.
The human raised his head to meet the king’s gaze, his insolent demeanor igniting Skebal’s dark eyes.
Bow your head, for you are before the lord.
“I can’t do that.”
A mere human dares—
“I am but a human.”
He halts.
“Because I chose to live as a human, I swore on the day my hometown turned to ashes a hundred years ago.”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
Click, something sounds as it clicks into place.
“To keep that vow, I have endured a life of immortality.”
A human who has lived amidst madness for a century.
“I now judge at this very moment.”
The madman, Kelharlem.
“This is the moment to fulfill my vows.”
The madman and the ancient lich face each other.
A brief silence.
Then, the silence was shattered as dozens of circuits lit up simultaneously.
Circuits completed in an instant burst forth with light. Blue mana mixed with thick black mana.
Booomm!!!
A tremendous sound struck Apuria.
