Chapter 291: Isaac's Story
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 291: Isaac's Story
“It’s done.”
Isaac nodded, gazing at the magnificently crafted staff. He couldn’t begin to count how much of his soul he had poured into making it. This staff contained his very everything.
“Wilson. What do you think? Isn’t it magnificent?”
He glanced over at the golem, but of course, it couldn’t answer. Nevertheless, Isaac continued to speak.
“What? You don’t think it’s that great? Oh, Wilson…”
Born into a family of mages, Isaac was what you would call a genius. From a young age, no one could match him when it came to magic, and everyone around him always called him a great mage. They were all busy singing his praises, and in return, Isaac created various items to aid them in their lives.
Indeed, with Isaac, humanity enjoyed an era of prosperity.
Golems, chimeras, magic soldiers, various armaments, and items with special abilities improved the quality of life for humanity, and the many potions Isaac created were also a great success. But the peace did not last long.
Before long, the magical creatures created to help with daily life were transformed into killing machines for slaughtering enemies in war, and the various armaments, as if in a cruel joke, led humanity to its own ruin.
‘This isn’t right.’
And so, Isaac recalled all his magical creatures, built a tower, and sealed himself inside, never to emerge.
Despite this, the wars continued. Isaac’s family was defeated in the war, and eventually, the voices insulting him grew louder and louder. Witch, monster—all sorts of labels were attached to his name. As time passed, Isaac’s mage tower became known as a place where one could obtain the ultimate treasure, and humans began to climb it endlessly.
They were all humans with greedy faces, seeking only to acquire his magical creatures and armaments. Isaac paid no heed to their voices. Instead, he worked tirelessly to protect the tower and his life’s work.
That is, until he realized he didn’t have much time left to live.
Isaac was twenty-two years old at the time.
What worried him more than his own death was the fate of the things inside his tower after he was gone. He considered destroying them all, but every single one was like a child to him. He couldn't bring himself to lay a hand on them.
He wanted these children of his to be used for the right purpose, in the right way. And so, Isaac created rules and devised a test.
“Someone who will use my children for the right purpose is bound to appear.”
But reality was different from his expectations. There were challengers who would backstab their own comrades, and those who were too terrified to advance. There were parties that would push others forward as sacrificial lambs, and even those who appealed to his emotions. Isaac had seen countless humans. But they were all the same. They were greedy, avaricious humans who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
‘If I die…’
Isaac shut himself in his tower and devoted himself to his research.
Five years later, his body had grown much weaker, but he had managed to raise the tower even higher and had perfected a spell that could leave behind a special thought-form. Then, Isaac focused on creating a vessel for this thought-form.
He reinforced the tower’s security and established various new rules.
“Wilson… they’re like my children. What’s that, you already know? Hahaha. No, Wilson, you’re my friend.”
He was lonely and wanted to see the outside world, but he was afraid to leave. He was afraid he might make another mistake. Around this time, the number of humans seeking the tower dwindled, and eventually, no one came at all.
Isaac continued to immerse himself in his research. He knew it was the only thing he had left to cling to. He had no lover, no family, and no friends. Confining himself in the tower was partly an act of atonement, and partly due to his fear of meeting people.
A little more time passed, and Isaac’s body grew weaker and weaker.
“You don’t have to worry so much. Oakley, and you don’t have to cry either, Wilson. I’m not dying. I’m being reborn.”
“Hahaha, you’re sad? I told you we’ll meet again soon. I’m going to protect this place. I used this staff as a vessel to create a thought-form… It’s not me, but it is me, too. You don’t get it? You’ll understand soon enough.”
Isaac himself didn’t know what illness he had. All he knew was that death was drawing near. As a brilliant mage, he knew his own body well. It had stopped growing at the age of seventeen. He was already approaching thirty, but unlike his youthful appearance, his body’s functions were gradually deteriorating with time.
Isaac slowly closed his eyes and thought about why he wanted to remain here so badly.
If he destroyed all the magical creatures, armaments, items, and mystical potions, then everything would be over when he died. There would be no need to cling to this tower, no reason to keep protecting it. He would be completely free from it. Isaac nodded to himself.
“Wilson. A lot of people died because of me.”
Perhaps trapping himself here was a form of atonement.
“If I hadn’t been born, would the war not have happened? You think it would have happened anyway? You’re too kind, Wilson.”
“Maybe destroying everything in here would be the happy ending…”
It probably would be. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Because Isaac had left nothing of himself in this world.
He had never married, nor had he any children. He had never taken a disciple, nor did he have any acquaintances who would remember him.
The chimeras, the soldiers, the golems, the weapons—these things in here were all that Isaac had left behind in the world. In the memories of others, Isaac would simply be remembered as the Great Archmage. But these creations were different.
“To be honest, Wilson, I want to go on adventures with friends, just like in the books. Eating together, getting lost in a labyrinth, and defeating a demon lord sounds like it would be fun. Haha. Right, Wilson? What’s that, I can just do it now? No. You know I don’t have time. And going outside now… well, it’s still a little scary…”
“............................”
Oakley, Wilson, Shelby, Memphis—the golems he had named—naturally did not reply.
“You all were my only friends. If I had been born an ordinary person, what kind of life would I have lived? If I hadn’t become a mage, I mean. That’s right. Then you wouldn’t exist either. Hahaha, thank you, Wilson.”
Feeling his consciousness begin to fade, Isaac chanted the spell in his mind. He realized it was time to go. He wasn’t truly dying. He himself would die, but his thought-form would continue to live on within this dungeon. It was him, but it was also not him. To be precise, it felt like a child, or a successor, or an heir.
But…
“The truth is, I don’t want to die, Wilson. There are so many things I want to try. I just want to run around and play, and I want to go see the flowers. I want to read more books, too. And I want to study magic more, and more, and more. I want someone to need me… and… it’s… it’s… it’s… it’s embarrassing, but I want to fall in love, and have a lover. And get married, of course.”
“......................................”
“I want to hold hands, and I want to try a peck on the cheek. A real kiss, too… hic… It’s… it’s embarrassing, but I… I want to have… relations, too… I don’t want to die, Wilson.”
Of course, no answer came.
“Pfft… hahaha, of course, that’s not why I put so much effort into the thought-form. This will be me, but it won’t be me, you see. Someday, someone will appear who can get me out of here. It could be a woman, but if possible, I hope it’s a handsome prince. A smart, kind, thoughtful, wise, and very handsome prince. He’ll use you all for the right purpose, and he’ll use this staff for the right purpose, too… a champion of justice… you know…”
“.......................”
“If it’s a woman… I hope she’s a trustworthy friend. But… if a champion does appear, what should I have them call me? Wouldn’t ‘Master’ be a bit much? Hahaha…”
Isaac slowly chanted the spell and closed his eyes.
“This child will live a happy life. It may be a staff, but… it will surely travel all over the world. It will make lots of friends, sleep under the stars, light a campfire, listen to music, and maybe… maybe even fall in l-l-love. Even though it’s a staff! It can create a f-f-form, so it might even be able to kiss. A… a kiss of oath! Yes, I should add that as a function.”
“..............................”
“Don’t look at me like that, Wilson. I’m about to die… Even if I have to go, this much is okay, right?”
Isaac closed his eyes.
“It’s like being a princess in a fairy tale. I’m going to be happy. I’ll be happy. I’ll definitely be happy.”
Tears welled up in his eyes for no reason. It was because he felt it was so unfair that he had to be born this way. But this was a kind of mission. Surely, there was a reason for his birth. Isaac forced a smile.
“See you when I wake up. Wilson, Oakley, Shelby, Memphis. Starting tomorrow, it’ll be a new me.”
And so, the mage tower was completed.
Countless years passed, and the thought-form Isaac continued to immerse itself in its work. In the meantime, Isaac thought that if it weren’t a thought-form, it might have gone mad. Because even after so much time had passed, it still couldn’t meet anyone.
When about a thousand more years had gone by, Isaac gave up on counting the days.
—Wilson. When will the guests arrive? Are humans still alive? Could the world have been destroyed? Or did I make the dungeon too hard to find… I wonder.
It was curious about the state of the outside world, but it couldn’t leave. Because it had been programmed that way. It resented the original Isaac for a moment, but the thought-form Isaac recalled the last words he had spoken.
‘This child will live a happy life. It may be a staff, but… it will surely travel all over the world. It will make lots of friends, sleep under the stars, light a campfire, listen to music, and maybe… maybe even fall in l-l-love. Even though it’s a staff! It can create a f-f-form, so it might even be able to kiss. A… a kiss of oath! Yes, I should add that as a function.’
‘It will live a happy life.’
‘It could be a woman, but if possible, I hope it’s a handsome prince. A smart, kind, thoughtful, wise, and very handsome prince. He’ll use you all for the right purpose, and he’ll use this staff for the right purpose, too… a champion of justice… you know…’
‘A handsome champion, a kind prince. Do they really exist?’
It believed that one day, a worthy person would enter this place and free it from the tower.
And now, in the present,
The moment it felt the sensation of a rough, green hand touching a part of its body, Isaac let out a scream.
“Welcome to my collection, Isaac.”
—Hie… Hieeeeeeeeeek!
A handsome champion, a kind prince—such things didn’t exist.
Realizing the truth, the thought-form Isaac…
…screamed, denying the Isaac of the past with all its might.