Fog. (3)
Sylvia's island, the Nameless Isle, had achieved magical value. It had gathered the mana-infused soil—Magsoil—drifting in the orbit of the Floating Island, transforming the isle itself into a catalyst dedicated to Sylvia.
Thus, the magic Sylvia wielded from the Nameless Isle could reach anywhere on the continent. Be it the empire's underworld, the surface world, or that distant, nameless phantom isle far away...
"...I have no right to kill that child."
Sylvia heard Deculein's words. She felt the tone of his voice.
"But that child does."
"...What right."
She asked anyway, knowing he couldn't hear her. As if in response, he conveyed:
"The right to kill me."
"..."
It pierced her heart like a needle. A faint pain reaching the emotions that had died within her.
"What does Idnik think."
A flat question devoid of inflection. A voice parched and twisted as if it might crumble.
Idnik, standing beside her, answered.
"Guess the bastard's got a conscience after all."
Sylvia looked up at the sky. It was filled with birds. Migratory flocks drawn to the island. A swift was leading them.
"The right to kill."
I have the right to kill him.
He had acknowledged it himself.
"..."
Sylvia closed her eyes and stood motionless, lost in thought.
The hatred knotted in her heart. The anger that grew the more she learned.
Yet at the bottom, charred black and stuck fast, impossible to peel away—another emotion.
Love.
"Idnik. Kalra and Deculein know each other."
"Hm? Ah..."
Idnik gave a small smile at the question.
"There are a few names in this magic world that everyone knows just by hearing them. Like Kalra, Rohakan, Adrienne, Lordran, Gilteon, Betan, Rezol, Keimdal, Longdalp, Roserio..."
Idnik placed a hand on Sylvia's crown. Sylvia narrowed her eyes in displeasure and glared at her.
"And Sylvia."
"...Take your hand off."
"All of them, great or small, are connected to Deculein. Especially Kalra and Rohakan—they've taught him before."
Whether it was the right expression or not, Deculein was quite the social butterfly.
Of course, not in a good way.
"Including the previous family head Dikailen, it's nearly all the Monarch rank and above in this magic world. Thanks to all that sponsorship, even among the addicts on the Floating Island, plenty have ties to Yukline."
"..."
"What a bizarre family. Pulling aggro like that, and somehow doing it so well..."
Sylvia nodded and closed her eyes again. Focusing her magic, she peered once more into that distant isle on the continent.
Kalra and Deculein were, in a word, teacher and student. Kalra was the first mage to come teach Deculein at Dikailen's request, followed by Rohakan.
Of course, neither achieved their goal.
Kalra, who had been the same age as Deculein at the time, quit after about two weeks. Deculein's talent had been too limited.
She felt a bit sorry, but figured it was his fault anyway. And it had been.
"..."
Kalra looked at Deculein. He was pressing a hand to Ifrin's forehead, trying to Understand the dream.
"Tch."
No, he clicked his tongue and stopped. Kalra tilted her head.
"Why?"
"This method would take too long. Instead."
He closed his eyes briefly. He was sending a 'different command' to the woodsteel within the castle.
"I'm considering a more primal approach."
Kalra looked at Deculein's head. More precisely, peered into his skull.
What had happened to Deculein all this time for his brain to become the one thing the Altar coveted most?
"Deculein. What happened to you all this time?"
"..."
Deculein said nothing. Kalra peered into him.
"I find you fascinating. Curious, even."
"About what."
"Your growth intrigues me. But I'm also curious why you take full blame for Cielia's death."
"..."
"For Sylvia's sake, perhaps?"
Deculein's brow twitched. Kalra shifted her gaze to the empty air.
The magic watching this space. Its presence was visible to her.
"The Deculein I knew had already gone far astray."
"..."
Deculein listened silently. The insight into his past that Kalra conveyed was intriguing information even to him.
"Did I pity you back then? You, who couldn't even admit your own lack of talent?"
The Deculein Kalra had seen long ago was like a timid lapdog.
A small dog that snarled and barked preemptively, fearing attack or ridicule.
"But now there's a spark in your soul? I can see it."
Kalra said. At that moment, Deculein leaned back against the chair.
Spark.
To him, that spark held a slightly different meaning.
Was it the soul of Kim Woojin with Deculein's spark?
Or Deculein's soul with Kim Woojin's spark?
"...Kalra."
Still, it irritated him somewhat.
Who was this wretch to pity whom?
"I pity you too."
"..."
Deculein knew the settings for the named character 'Kalra.' There were ample reasons for her to be pitiable in that storyline.
"No life as twisted as yours."
Deculein said. Kalra met his eyes directly.
"Reason for accepting Cielia's death? Simple. I killed her."
"..."
Cielia had died by Deculein's own hands. He remembered it, and Kalra knew the truth.
When facing demons, Kalra had always been at Yukline's side.
Cielia's death was also due to that demon.
The great calamity called the 'Letter of Fortune.'
"No matter the grudge or reason. The fact that I killed her can't be justified."
Deculein said.
"Regretting it now is too late, and nothing changes."
Kalra nodded.
"So I'll live like this."
"...What if Sylvia kills you someday?"
"I'll accept it gladly."
Wind blew again at those words. Kalra let out a quiet breath.
"...I see."
She abandoned her plan to trap Deculein in her Authority. She set aside the thought of cracking open his skull and offering it to the Altar.
"Deculein."
But he probably didn't know.
That Dikailen hadn't died yet.
That the tenacious ghost's 'brain' still survived, clinging to life at the Altar's depths.
And that the monster wanted his body.
"Why."
"...You should be careful."
Kalra simply said that and shook her head slowly.
...Ifrin pondered how to break this situation. But no good ideas came.
It's a dream here! That guy's a ghost!
Should she just shout it? Or wait a bit longer?
Unable to stay still, she glanced at Jakal.
"Ah, so delicious!"
The fairly strong-looking man was obliviously shoveling food.
"Miss Ifrin!"
Then Lia tugged at Ifrin's hem.
"Have this!"
"Huh?"
And handed her a wrap.
Ifrin hesitantly put it in her mouth.
"Chew thoroughly. Don't cough again."
Chewing carefully, she glanced at Hesrok. This time it was a normal wrap. He'd clearly 'learned.'
"Alright! All done eating, so shall we advance?"
By then, the meal had ended. At Ganesha's words, Ifrin shot to her feet.
She was determined to stop them from entering the inner castle.
"No! I—"
"It's fine~?"
But Ganesha cut her off. Then she scurried close and whispered in her ear.
"...!"
As expected of Ganesha!
Ifrin nodded in surprise. Ganesha grinned and continued.
"Ah..."
She had a friend to rescue~ That explained it~
An image flashed in Ifrin's mind like lightning, someone she'd dismissed casually.
Her temple throbbed as if pricked by an awl.
"?"
She looked around. Scanning desperately for 'that person' with her eyes.
But he wasn't there, and the door to the inner castle opened.
"Day 6, 6:06:06. Entering."
Hesrok said. Then Ifrin noticed something odd once more.
It had been 6:06:06 just before.
And now it was still 6:06:06.
Time wasn't moving at all.
"Let's go in?!"
But Jakal charged ahead energetically, sensing nothing amiss, Ganesha and Lia played along, and Allen grinned as he followed the team.
"Sis! You there?!"
Soon Jakal's shout searching for Kalra echoed.
"Karos! Over here?!"
Ganesha and Lia called out loudly too.
Then, was Deculein inside as well?
"..."
Ifrin followed them for now.
Ghost Castle's second floor.
"Do you have a plan? I want to wake my little brother now too."
I nodded at Kalra's words.
"I have a plan."
The preparations had begun during our conversation with Kalra and had just finished.
Kalra asked.
"What do you intend?"
"Sometimes, raw primal violence is needed more than Understanding."
I surveyed the castle.
A space that had become 'one lifeform' itself. This grotesque, wondrous monster.
"What do you mean."
"I will shatter this entire castle."
"?"
Kalra let out a slightly surprised breath. Then asked again in her usual questioning tone.
"Deculein, won't your mana fall short?"
"Help me."
Kalra chewed her lip briefly. The sudden request for cooperation seemed to fluster her.
"How?"
"I've engraved Telekinesis runes across the entire castle using woodsteel. You'll supplement the mana shortage, and I'll wield the Telekinesis."
I didn't know the exact size of Kalra's mana reserves, but at least tens of thousands, up to hundreds of thousands.
With that much mana support, unleashing my Telekinesis at maximum would shake the entire continent with a minor quake.
"I'll smash the souls infesting this castle and the island entirely."
The plan was simple. Pour that immense magical energy solely into this castle.
"..."
Kalra looked at me. For some reason, she seemed amused.
"This castle seems made of thousands of souls. You'll kill them all?"
"...Hmph."
I twisted my lips.
"Better to die than live as these pathetic souls."
"What if they don't want to die?"
Kalra countered. It was a very human concern, but I shook my head without hesitation.
"Even so, they're already dead."
No matter the castle's circumstances. No matter what happened to the souls trapped inside.
Deculein—and Yukline—didn't care.
My ego wasn't bound by humanitarian notions like 'souls are people too.'
"It'll be a massacre. Many mages might condemn you. They acknowledge souls' existence."
"So what."
"...Huh?"
"Not my problem."
Why treat souls as people?
They're already dead. Pathetic wretches dragging the living into their bullshit.
"Yukline compromises with no one."
I spare no means or methods. Unswayed by anything but the goal. No obsession with sentimental values or happy processes.
"Now, the villain's resolve is needed more than the saint's plea."
And I don't hesitate in that resolve.
Born with the Fate of the Villain, I live as a villain.
"The ghosts might hold grudges?"
I simply smiled at Kalra's words.
"Just what I want."
I'll probably kill countless 'real people' from now on. Even if they become ghosts and resent me, I won't care.
"They'll cling to your shoulders and shorten your lifespan?"
"Think ghosts can't be killed?"
They can cling like earthbound spirits if they want.
I'll gladly kill those damned ghosts again and again.
"Kill them until they stop bothering me. That's all."
"...Yeah."
Kalra nodded. Then she poured mana at her feet.
"Guess this castle picked the wrong opponent. Shouldn't mess with a lunatic like you."
Following the magic circle of woodsteel, the Authority Holder's mana erupted. Faster than any torrent, easily surpassing the speed of sound.
Kalra closed and opened her eyes briefly. In that instant.
Her mana had already permeated the entire castle.
"Seems done. Can you handle it? Don't want to embarrass yourself after talking big."
"No need to worry."
I connected the magic circle infused with Kalra's mana to my body. The monstrous mana surged like it would burst my circuits, but the Iron Man body endured.
───Thud.
A small sound, like a pebble dropping on pavement.
The mana pulse signaling the ritual's activation.
Right after, a naming that hardly fit Mid-tier Telekinesis anymore...
Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble-RUMBLE─────!
A sudden, catastrophic earthquake struck.