Chapter 186
Chapter 186
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: The Unveiled Veil
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After taking in the surviving members of the Star Remnants, the library soared back into the sky, vanishing from sight once more.
The first thing they checked was the library's power source.
"Starlight mana..."
"It used to be called dark mana in the old days. But dividing it into light and dark is pretty meaningless, really."
"Light and dark are meaningless?"
"Yeah, because dark mana isn't some evil power infused with malice or anything. It's all about how you use it."
As Eloise explained, Arsen gazed at the massive sphere—the material that powered the library.
It was a compressed form of what people on the ground called awakening stones, with starlight—more precisely, the mana of the stars—as its raw material.
There were two types of mana.
The first originated from the earth and atmosphere, dwelling in the bodies of mages and knights and powering magic tools. The second came from the sun and stars in the sky above, serving as the driving force for magic beasts.
This library ran on the latter.
"Hmm..."
Arsen reached out toward the container holding the awakening stone.
The sleek glass-like material looked like it would shatter with a single punch, but according to the label beside it, this transparent vessel was tough enough to withstand being smashed with a building.
"So this is what caused that day's chaos."
Arsen recalled his childhood memory of the ruined festival.
The light that had shone from the sky back then, awakening magic beasts and spurring them to invade Belluan—it had been this library's awakening stone.
More precisely, the stone had lit up the heavens as it fell to the ground after being vented into space to prevent overcharging.
The awakening stone in the Star Remnants' possession had likely leaked to the surface in the same way.
"How far can it go with this much?"
As he gripped the container and asked, something like an built-in AI in the library responded.
-The current capacity is 99 out of 100. It can remain in the atmosphere for 475 days. Using onboard satellite facilities will shorten this time.-
"Plenty of time for now."
Arsen clapped his hands and said.
"Then it's time to gather everyone..."
* * *
On the bridge, Arsen summoned the others via broadcast.
The three Star Remnant elders, and the knights who had followed him, gathered in response—whether they had been resting or delving into the library's knowledge.
Facing them, Arsen explained the purpose of the assembly.
"It's time to decide our destination. We can't just float around forever."
"Our destination."
Elder Latis exchanged glances with his colleagues and nodded with a hum.
"We'll follow you, Sir Arsen. As you know, our agreement was..."
"Of course. I share the Star Remnants' cause, so we'll establish a base in our home of Belluan first."
"We agree."
Arsen had already aligned with the Star Remnants on their future path to some extent.
Their goal was to eradicate prejudice against mages and restore the world—a value Arsen had no reason to reject.
From the Star Remnants' perspective, there was no need to start from scratch on barren ground when they had an ally in a transcendent knight and his territory for protection.
Thus, the Star Remnants decided to take root in Belluan alongside Arsen.
"That leaves Sir Anun—we can drop him off at Elta on the way..."
"It's a shame to part ways."
Anun nodded.
With family waiting in Elta, it was only natural for him to return.
His Jin, weapons, and armor would be gifted to him as compensation for his faithful service.
"You could just send me back in one piece."
"It's customary to send someone off with a generous severance package."
"Severance?"
Arsen just shook his head and chuckled at the puzzled question.
Then he turned to Bazkal, who had been staring blankly into space.
"And Bazkal."
"Yes, bro?"
"Our contract was for five years, right?"
"That's right."
Arsen nodded at the reply, then said flatly.
"There's still plenty of time left on the original term, but if you want to return to Narvik, I'll end it early."
"Well, yeah..."
Bazkal, wearing an uncharacteristically tormented expression, mumbled awkwardly. Prodding gently, Arsen offered.
"What if you came to Belluan instead?"
"Of course!"
Only then did Bazkal's face light up.
He shot to his feet, humming a tune and stomping excitedly.
"Ah, I've been dying inside waiting for you to bring it up, bro."
"Narvik knights don't bow to other knights, huh?"
"When was that from, anyway?"
Arsen considered teasing him that it hadn't even been a year but let it go. In front of him, Bazkal spoke with a relieved grin.
"I figured you wouldn't just ditch this Bazkal, but still, just in case..."
Judging by his rambling, he wanted to follow but had been too embarrassed to say it outright.
Arsen could guess the psychology. What if he declared he'd stick around, only for Arsen to say he wasn't needed and to get lost back to Narvik?
Bazkal added with a sheepish smile that didn't suit him.
"Plus, I'm at that age now—gotta get married, meet the future father-in-law, and all that..."
Bazkal glanced toward Gisharan, the group's herbalist and Luden's daughter.
At his words, she flushed slightly beneath her stoic expression and cleared her throat.
Arsen had known they'd grown close while she learned axe techniques, but he hadn't expected things to progress this far.
Amazed at his subordinate's swift advances, Arsen said.
"This'll be fun to watch when you square off with Sir Luden."
"So what if he's a mage? I'll take whatever spicy punishment the father-in-law dishes out."
Arsen didn't mention that Luden was a grand mage on par with Eloise, fully capable of beating a non-resisting Bazkal black and blue.
What good would foreknowledge do but scare him?
"Good, that's settled. Then Lady Gisharan will come to Belluan too..."
"Yes."
"We'll make a stop at the Darkwood Forest later as well."
Her mother, Irenne, was bound to the Darkwood as its contractor and couldn't leave before her death.
To see her again, Gisharan and Luden would need to visit in person.
Considering the distance between Darkwood and Belluan, it would take months without Arsen's direct transport.
"Thank you."
After Gisharan's thanks, Arsen looked to the other knights.
Next, he had to settle their status.
"I'll say this upfront: Anyone who wants to return to Narvik, I'll send you back. You can keep all your gear and mounts as is."
"I'll follow the captain forever!"
Rino dropped to one knee, eyes shining.
The other knights followed suit, bowing formally to show no one wished to leave.
They had followed Arsen from Belluan dreaming of escape from Narvik's kill-or-be-killed life, a paradise of peace.
Arsen solemnly declared to his pledging subordinates.
"I'm grateful you're all coming. I swear, if you respect Belluan's laws and stay loyal to me, I'll protect you no matter what."
"Understood!"
With the warm exchange concluded, Arsen manipulated controls to project a massive hologram.
A perfect continental map, far surpassing crude modern charts.
He pointed to a small region nestled deep within a long mountain range at the eastern edge.
"Now, we head back to Belluan."
* * *
The journey to Belluan wasn't as far as expected.
Traveling the skies avoided obstacles, and their prior underground path from the western edge had shortened the straight-line distance southeastward.
The library itself was quite fast.
A few days later, they reached Elta—Anun's homeland, domain of the war god.
It had taken time cross-referencing outdated maps with precise ones, but with exact coordinates, two days would have sufficed.
The library landed invisibly on a plain kilometers from Elta.
Standing atop the deployed stairs, Anun spoke wistfully.
"Not sure when we'll meet again."
"I'll visit often. Belluan's too far for you to come easily."
"True enough. I'll prepare a lavish welcome if you do."
"Looking forward to it."
For Arsen, the library's master, dropping by Elta was no trouble, so they parted with smiles.
Not everyone smiled, though.
As the library ascended, Bazkal clung to the open entrance, teary-eyed and waving.
"Sir Anun! See you again!"
From below, Anun waved back toward the sky.
* * *
After seeing Anun off, the library flew eastward.
Those aboard didn't just idle during the flight.
Knights converted an open space into a training ground to hone their skills; mages desperately absorbed the new knowledge.
Most crucially, Eloise and the Star Remnants' wisest mages pored over the gene manipulator.
Soon, they isolated the gene that caused special perceptions of mages.
The device's extensive case studies and Arsen as a perfect control subject made it possible.
After scrutinizing removal methods and potential side effects, they proceeded to the first procedure.
In front of the machine, Bazkal and Eloise bickered.
"Hey, miss, this is really safe, right?"
"I told you, it's completely safe. No room for side effects at all. It's like worrying about getting sick from pulling out a hair."
"Pulling out hair can definitely hurt your health..."
Having once suffered from baldness, it was a sensitive topic for Bazkal.
Eloise changed tack.
"You're about to see Luden—imagine showing up with a sour face?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
Bazkal was the first subject for mage-perception correction for a simple reason.
Among high knights similar to control Arsen in physique—himself and Rino—Bazkal had drawn the short straw.
"It'll be over in a flash, so get in."
"W-Wait, just a sec..."
Eloise shoved Bazkal into the cylinder and locked the door. Nearby mages readied the controls.
Arsen quietly asked via earring.
[This has no side effects, right? We could grab some ground raiders to test...]
[No need. It's certain. Plus, original data is saved, so we can revert if needed. Not that anything will go wrong.]
Arsen nodded silently at Eloise's assurance.
As a knight ignorant of advanced magic, he couldn't opine meaningfully.
Varklan, offering future knowledge, knew nothing of gene editing either, so they relied fully on the mages.
"Alright, let's begin."
"If this works... it'll truly usher in a new era."
Tension etched the mages' faces.
Seeing it, Bazkal inside would have smashed the machine and bolted in fear.
They had the blueprints anyway, so rebuilding wasn't an issue.
"Start!"
At Eloise's shout, a mage pressed the button.
Light flashed within the cylinder, followed by a click as the lock released.
Eloise banged on it.
"Done. Come out."
"Huh, already...?"
From the sidelines, it looked like snapping a photo.
Emerging cautiously, Bazkal gaped around.
"Whoa..."
"Just to check: anything look weird?"
Bazkal shook his head vigorously at Eloise's question.
"Nope, all good."
The mages erupted in cheers at his answer.
"Success!"
"Now anyone can just hop in and run it!"
"We need designs for regular knights and civilians."
"Results suggest it'll work the same."
Per the instructions, it used negligible mana, required no expertise once set up, and passed the trait to offspring—dooming mage prejudice to fade quickly if rolled out from Belluan.
Eventually, mages could mingle with humans as in ancient times.
Amid the cheers, Bazkal eyed the mages in awe.
"Man, we've spent months together, but they look fresh now. Nice to meet you properly, Sir Marun."
"Likewise, Sir Bazkal!"
The two fools bumped fists in celebration.
Already quite friendly, they could now mingle without a hint of hesitation.
After briefly dancing arm-in-arm with Marun, Bazkal turned to Eloise.
"You know, seeing you like this, your beauty's no joke. I get why bro does anything for you... Ow."
Mid-mumble, Bazkal yelped softly—Gisharan had kicked his ankle from behind.
Ahem. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he turned with a sheepish grin.
Everyone burst into raucous laughter at the sight.