Chapter 171
Chapter 171
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: The City of Truth
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Valderian Territory, Road to the Daina Kingdom.
While the Valderian family and the Daina Kingdom were currently hostile to each other, the roads built during the era of the Unified Empire still existed as if they had once been part of a single nation, maintained somehow thanks to the merchants traveling back and forth.
Having finished his preparations, Beonald was now riding in a carriage with Selina, heading toward the Daina Kingdom.
They were traveling alone, as bringing more people would only increase the likelihood of raising suspicion.
Beonald was disguised as the carriage driver, posing as her attendant, while Selina was passing the time by reading various books she had brought from the 'Egg's Nest' between the mana stones in the back.
"The journey is so quiet. Unnervingly so, in fact. It's nice to have peace and quiet, but this is clearly a country. Why is there no sign of life? We've crossed the border... and all I can see are grasslands. There seems to be so much good land here, too..."
Beonald looked out with a sense of oddity at the seemingly fertile lands left completely unattended.
Moreover, it was strange that no small villages or other territories were visible, even after traveling a considerable distance from Valderian territory. This place, where the signs of monsters were more prevalent, seemed like a truly bizarre country... when Selina suddenly cut in with a retort.
"How many times have I told you!"
"Did you? My memory's a bit hazy from working on magic tools. Pulling all-nighters for days on end... you know."
"And you pretended not to hear because you'd be bored on the road, right?"
"You caught on. Impressive."
"...Sigh, fine. Now listen carefully this time."
Letting out a sigh at Beonald's plan, Selina began explaining about the Daina Kingdom again.
"The Daina Kingdom. It's called a kingdom, but it's actually just a city-state consisting of one enormous city. There are no territories or lords. So its actual territory is smaller than what's marked on maps. All activities, including agriculture, are just enough to sustain that single city."
"Then why is all this vast territory being wasted? It's rare to see such fertile land just lying idle like this."
"That's because..."
KWAHAAAAAAAAANG!
Right in the middle of their conversation, a massive explosion sounded in the distance, and a pillar of fire erupted.
Startled, they looked over to see the aftermath of a huge crater being formed, followed immediately by a massive bolt of lightning striking the same spot, setting the grassland ablaze and starting a fire.
Seeing this, Beonald understood in an instant what was going on.
"Don't tell me... everywhere except that central city is a magic testing ground?"
"Yes. In the Daina Kingdom, regarding magic, everything is free as long as it doesn't interfere with other mages. They can freely use wide-area annihilation spells like that, release failed chimera experiments without proper disposal, create lands of death practicing necromancy, dump tons of chemical reagents from alchemy research and so on... There's no such thing as research ethics here; infinite freedom as long as you don't infringe on another mage's research. Ah! Look over there."
"That's a rabbit... or something vaguely like one."
"Yes. Probably another chimera someone dumped."
In the forest Selina pointed to, a bizarre creature with a rabbit's head but a torso of sturdy, muscular build like an orc appeared briefly before vanishing.
Only then did Beonald understand at once why the Empire and others left these golden lands alone, and why the Daina Kingdom even held this territory.
"It's a crazier country than I imagined."
"It was founded not to function as a state... but for magic research. The king and all that are just for diplomatic authority, with someone from the Daina family ascending the throne. Actual governance is loosely handled by a council of elders or delegated to disciples while everyone goes off to do their own research."
"That's really..."
As he listened to various information about the Daina Kingdom, Beonald felt something was off.
Hearing that the magic-obsessed Daina family had founded a kingdom, his initial thought was, 'That family, only interested in magic, somehow managed to establish and run a state.' But hearing the current situation, he felt nothing but an ominous premonition.
'...I shouldn't expect it to take a conventional national form.'
"...You'll probably be quite shocked when we get there."
"I'm really looking forward to seeing to what degree."
After several days of continuous travel, they finally reached the Daina Kingdom's capital and only city. Its name, embodying the truth Darken Daina always pursued, was 'The City of Truth'.
Beonald began to be greatly shocked by the sight of the city from afar. Firstly, while it was a clear day with a visible blue sky, the city was shrouded in thick, grayish clouds.
"...What is that?"
"Ah, it's better than usual today. Normally, it's completely pitch black, and sunlight doesn't come through at all."
"Can people even live like that? Wait, hold on. That river...! Ugh!"
Beonald stared in horror at the bizarre liquid, a mix of purple and green, flowing in the river.
Alchemy experiments could produce poisons, wastewater, and waste, but during his time as the Pillar of the Magic Tower, he had strictly ordered that such pollutants be purified or disposed of safely in places unreachable by people to avoid river contamination or other casualties. None of that seemed to be followed here.
"Good heavens..."
"Ah, that's why you have to buy water to drink inside. I was shocked when I heard water was free outside."
"Buy water to drink? That's utterly ridiculous."
"Anyway, welcome to the 'City of Truth'~ Lord Beonald."
At Selina's words introducing the Daina Kingdom with a bitter smile, Beonald was so shocked he didn't know how to react.
He was also an alchemist and researcher, but he was someone who adhered to the 'way'.
After all, the world must be maintained to be a ruler; what use is power if humanity perishes and everyone dies?
"It's truly absurd."
"Anyway, we're going in now, so behave. Ah, and don't forget to cover your mouth with cloth. The air is quite toxic."
"Understood."
Shocked by the state of the Daina Kingdom, Beonald followed her instructions, covering his mouth with cloth and beginning to act his part as the driver.
Upon reaching the city gate entrance, a knight clad in thick armor appeared.
Beonald thought, 'At least there are knights,' and glanced over, noticing something odd.
'No eyes? No, more than that, this sinister aura?'
The knight, whose eyes or flesh were not visible, filled with a dark energy, greeted them with a sinister voice.
"I am Selina, disciple of Professor Gemini of the Elemental School, First-Class Mage. I have returned. Here is the authentication magic tool. And this person is my attendant."
Selina showed a ring, infused it with mana, and before it, summoned light formed a magic circle and various seals that repeatedly appeared and disappeared.
That was presumably the method to verify her affiliation with the school and her status as a tower disciple.
The Death Knight named Zakur checked it and immediately bowed respectfully.
Beonald then moved the carriage inside.
They said there was infinite freedom regarding magic, but he never imagined he'd see a Death Knight right at the entrance.
"Wow... my first time seeing a Death Knight. Isn't necromancy usually forbidden?"
"It's forbidden where the Church has influence. But this is the 'City of Truth'. Under the name of Daina, all~ magical research is permitted."
"I see. Truly bizarre."
Upon entering the city, an even stranger sight than the Death Knight at the entrance appeared.
Human figures were scarce; skeletons carried loads, golems pulled carts, and beings with mixed human and monster limbs roamed about... No matter how capable he was, for Beonald, who possessed normal human sensibilities, the shock was too great.
"Are there no people here?"
"Yes. Hardly any. Because here, only mages and the merchants who trade with them are treated as 'people'. Everyone else... is treated as research material or experimental subjects."
"...It's a madhouse."
"Well, from the outside, it's a madhouse, but on the other hand, you can research freely."
"You managed to stay in a place like this and come out sane."
"Our school is the relatively sane 'Elemental School', so we're okay. The Necromancy School, Alchemists, and the Dark School... those three are hopeless."
Hearing that alchemy was hopeless made Beonald flinch for a moment, but thinking about it, aside from himself, those guys really did a lot of crazy things.
Beonald was, after all, a ruler who prioritized practical research and believed that to strengthen a nation, its people must be kept safe, which is why he imposed many restrictions on the Magic Tower to prevent harm.
'Well, it was a den of madmen. But then again, you'd have to be mad to conduct such research...'
"Here it is. It inherited the name 'Magic Tower'... but it's not a tower..."
"Judging by the looks, calling this a research institute seems more fitting."
It was a neat place, fitting Beonald's description of a research institute, consisting of tidy three-story buildings that looked like a large mansion complex.
Of course, being under the grayish clouds gave it the feel of a villain's lair, but he decided to keep that thought to himself.
"Yes. When they rebuilt it, Master said a uselessly tall tower was pointless..."
"Right. I agree with that."
Knowing the old Magic Tower well, Beonald was aware of how dirty and annoying its structure was.
The tower built to challenge the gods was just piled endlessly high with no maintenance, becoming structurally unsound from age, with all sorts of experiments conducted inside and various magic formulas tangled up, causing some floors to become otherworldly and turn into dungeons infested with monsters.
'I managed to fix it somewhat when I was there... but ugh~ it was horrifying.'
"Anyway, let's go in. I'm not sure if Master is here. The carriage..."
Following Selina's words, Beonald parked the carriage and got off.
Then, a man made of a flaming mass wearing clothes appeared, checked Selina's identity, created a fire barrier around the carriage, glanced at Beonald, and left.
Beonald, still struggling to adapt to the Daina Kingdom, found his mental confusion was far from over.
"Professor Gemini, I've returned."
"Meeeeeh~? Me~ Mehemeh~!"
'...A black goat?'
Entering the 'Professor Gemini Research Lab' on the top floor of the research building they ascended to, what appeared before them was a black goat beastman wearing a black suit with a white lab coat draped over it.
The goat beastman with large horns and a long beard saw Selina and waved a hoof... no, a hand in greeting. She responded with a calm, pleased expression, slapping the hoof in return.
"Mehemeh! Mehemeheh!"
"Ah, yes? Why am I back already? Is that what you say first when your disciple returns? I came back because I achieved proper results."
"Mehe~ Meheh?"
"Ah, this human next to me? This is my collaborator, Lord Beonald. A retainer of the Valderian Earldom, an excellent alchemist and magitech scholar."
Selina introduced Beonald while conversing with the goat beastman Professor Gemini, and Beonald's confusion only grew.
No matter how hard he listened, all he could hear was 'Mehemeh.' How on earth were they communicating?
He wondered if he needed to learn some magic, but as this was a first for him, Beonald could only stare at the two with a dumbfounded expression until Selina explained.