Chapter 58: I Am Alive (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58: I Am Alive (5)
—Ah, there is one thing I should tell you, Teacher.
—Yes, please speak.
—Rachel Grace and Veronica Manasil are here. I met them briefly today.
Unlike in Kairis, women in Libern didn’t take their husband’s surname upon marriage. Rachel was no exception; she used her own family name, not ‘Manasil’.
Hearing Calian's words, Alan's voice warmed with pleasure.
—That is wonderful news.
—I believe they will return to the capital with us.
—They certainly should. If they accompany you, the journey will be much more bearable, even if it doesn't quite compare to the forest paths of the elves.
—What do you mean by that?
—Rachel is also a highly capable mage. While she is a professor at the Magic Academy, she privately researches teleportation magic.
—Ah, then… could Duke Siegfried’s earlier-than-expected arrival be because of her?
—Has she already been of help?
Only then did Calian understand how Suleiman, who had been away on an inspection, had managed to return ahead of schedule. He must have run into Rachel on his way back.
Delighted by this news, Calian summoned Rachel and Arsen to the reception room the moment he returned to the castle.
“I called you both because there is something I would like you to prepare.”
“Yes, Your Highness. What is it?”
“Kairis is simply too vast,” Calian began.
Kairis was vast. Far, far too vast.
He had realized this truth all too clearly on his journey to the Siegfried territory. The fact that it took months to travel between the capital and the duchy was a scale that defied imagination.
And yet, Sispanian had told him to ‘come back.’
While he didn't mind meeting her again, he had no desire to waste so much time on the road just to return to Siegfried.
“I find the time wasted traveling between regions to be a great shame. And meeting the elves again just to shorten the journey is not even worth considering.”
Arsen nodded silently.
“Therefore, I have been thinking of a way to shorten that travel time.”
If they could move quickly between regions, the Valkan Mage Corps could be operated with far greater efficiency. No matter how the struggle between the princes unfolded, if it ever escalated into a civil war, the side with faster mobility would hold a massive advantage.
Recalling these thoughts, Calian continued, “What we need is teleportation, and for teleportation, we need Teleportation Magic Circles. Thus, I plan to establish them throughout Kairis.”
Teleportation Magic Circles that would allow instantaneous travel across the kingdom. He had conceived the idea and now had the two perfect candidates to construct them.
A mage who researched teleportation magic.
And a mage with nothing to do.
“Ah…”
Arsen’s face was one of grim resignation, as if to say that what was bound to happen had finally happened. His expression screamed that he wouldn’t be getting any sleep for the foreseeable future.
In fact, the moment Calian first showed interest in teleportation, Arsen had harbored an uneasy premonition that this task would fall to him. His fears had only solidified when he’d heard what Rachel was researching while Calian was in the cavern.
Deliberately ignoring Arsen’s expression, Calian addressed Rachel first.
“I heard that Libern has Teleportation Magic Circles connecting its various regions.”
“Yes. They aren’t just present; they’re exceptionally well-established. Though expensive, anyone with enough money can use them.”
Calian’s own understanding of teleportation was still vague, and magic circles had never been the original Calian’s specialty. He nodded politely at Rachel's response and asked another question.
“As I said, I wish to establish them in Kairis as well. However, the distances here may be much greater than in Libern. Would that pose a problem?”
Rachel had assisted in constructing Libern's Teleportation Magic Circles multiple times. Consequently, she was well-acquainted with solutions for long-distance travel.
“Even if the distance is great, it won’t be much of an issue.”
Seeing her nonchalant expression, Calian smiled with satisfaction. Arsen, meanwhile, looked immensely relieved.
But Calian wasn’t finished. He added the most crucial condition.
“Excellent. However, for the time being, only my faction must be able to use them. We don’t know what kind of conflict might erupt with my brothers’ factions. There’s no benefit in building magic circles that anyone can access.”
Rachel furrowed her brow in thought before asking, “In Libern, we guard the magic circles themselves. But what you mean, Your Highness… is that rather than securing the area, outsiders should be fundamentally blocked from using the circle itself?”
Calian’s smile never wavered. “Exactly. Good things are even better when you monopolize them.”
It was an eternal truth.
Thinking that Calian’s smiling face somehow resembled Alan’s, Rachel replied, “I have never applied such a condition before. I can’t give you an answer right away, but I will give it some thought.”
She had come to train the magic corps, yet Calian had already given her homework before she had even set foot in Kairisis. Feeling both apologetic and grateful, Calian offered her a warm smile.
“Thank you.”
Then, he turned to Arsen.
“I would like Sir Hertz to assist her in this matter.”
At those words, Arsen asked, “Will there be no opposition from the capital? I believe it would be proper to speak with His Majesty first.”
“Speaking to him is a given, but His Majesty will not oppose it. The other factions won’t be able to object forever either, so it will be fine. Therefore, even if we don’t proceed immediately, it would be best to plan ahead so we can begin the moment the time is right.”
It was his way of telling them to stop making excuses and start brainstorming, because he would make it happen one way or another.
Unable to bring himself to ask, ‘Aren’t you a mage too, Your Highness?’ Arsen simply turned and headed straight for the library of Siegfried Castle.
*
After his meeting with Rachel and Arsen, Calian went to find Suleiman.
“I know the perfect place where we can speak quietly.”
Suleiman, who had readily agreed to a private conversation, led him to a place Calian had not expected at all. Normally, wouldn’t one converse in a reception room, a study, or an office?
Instead, Calian found himself looking awkwardly around Suleiman’s private training room. The air was thick with the scent of sweat—a world away from the subtle aroma of tea or the quiet scent of books.
“These are surprisingly comfortable, you know.”
Unaware of Calian’s discomfort, Suleiman pointed to a large log set to one side of the room.
Calian couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Had Yan witnessed this, he would have thrown a fit on the spot. But Calian didn’t decline, settling comfortably on the log.
“Honestly,” he said cheerfully, “I almost want to ask you to come to the royal palace with us. I’d love to see you and my teacher together.”
He truly couldn’t imagine what it would be like to see the two of them in the same room—so strangely alike, yet so different. It was a remark born of pure goodwill, a simple expression of regret that he would have to leave the Siegfried territory soon and wouldn’t be able to see the Duke often.
Suleiman nodded readily in reply. “And I would like to ask you to stay here and spend your days sparring with me, Your Highness.”
Soon, the two were deep in a conversation they couldn’t have had in front of others, with Yan’s denseness as the main topic. When Calian mentioned that Yan still believed he had only learned some basic self-defense, Suleiman laughed until tears streamed down his face.
Through it all, Suleiman never questioned how Calian had suddenly learned to wield aura overnight. Though there were plenty of reasons to be suspicious, he simply didn’t consider it important. And for that same reason, Calian didn’t bother to explain.
Only after they had discussed how Lemain’s recent attitude toward the princes had shifted slightly—thanks to Alan’s sharp tongue—did Calian finally bring up his main point.
“I met Sispanian today, Duke Siegfried.”
“Yes, I am aware. What did you discuss with her will?”
“No. It wasn’t her will.”
Realizing the implication, Suleiman’s eyes widened.
“Could it be… her true body?”
At the question he could barely bring himself to utter, Calian nodded.
“Yes. I met her true body.”
The broad smile that always graced Suleiman’s face vanished for a moment, only to return with explosive force. A booming laugh erupted from him, filling the training room.
“Bwahahaha! I knew it! I knew she was alive!”
He was the head of a family that had guarded the empty nest of an ancient dragon for five hundred years, never certain if she even still existed. To have that faith confirmed… how could he not be overjoyed?
Suleiman laughed for a long while before finally speaking, his voice thick with emotion. “What a relief. It means our family’s stubbornness was not in vain.”
“I agree.”
With that said, Calian returned to his original point. “I don’t know if Sispanian will come here directly, but I believe I will meet her at least once more in the near future.”
Suleiman looked surprised once again.
Calian then explained the conversation he’d just had with Arsen. “Because of that, I wish to create a path that allows for faster travel between Kairisis and Siegfried. Starting with a connection between Kairisis in the north and Siegfried in the south, I plan to expand Teleportation Magic Circles throughout the kingdom. I came to ask for your permission in this matter.”
“Teleportation Magic Circles…” Suleiman’s expression turned skeptical. “My opinion is one thing, but will His Majesty grant permission? I understand there has always been a prevailing opinion that having them would expose the royal capital to the risk of invasion.”
“I am aware. If you agree, even if we cannot connect directly to Kairisis, we could link the path to the Whitrin Territory instead.”
Calian’s territory, Whitrin, was a four-day journey from the capital. If connecting to Kairisis proved too difficult, he would simply establish the magic circle on his own land.
“If we build it,” Calian continued, “I plan to restrict its use only to those with my permission. Furthermore, the circle here will be established at least a day’s journey from Siegfried’s Outer Castle. If you ever judge that it poses a threat to this place, you are free to destroy it at any time.”
After listening to the full explanation, Suleiman pondered for a moment before nodding. “If His Majesty approves, I will not oppose constructing it at a distance of more than a day’s journey.”
“Thank you. And I have one more favor to ask.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
At Suleiman’s words, Calian grinned and raised his hand. Instantly, a sharp aura of mana began to condense at his fingertips.
Seeing this, Suleiman laughed heartily. “Are you challenging me to a duel? I brought you here with that very intention! I’m delighted you brought it up first!”
“It’s similar to a duel, but slightly different.”
Calian paused. The condensed mana in his hand had grown to the size of a large apple. A sharp gleam flickered in Suleiman’s eyes.
It was a form he had never seen before. An entirely new power—not fire, not ice, not wind. It was a mass of pure aura, created by stripping away all elemental attributes, leaving only the essence that served as the source of Calian’s circles.
Gazing at the condensed mass, which looked like countless shards of swirling, intertwining glass, Calian spoke in a low voice. “I made this using aura. Normally, aura must be coated onto a medium, but fortunately, I can also use magic. By concentrating mana the way mages do and then condensing aura within it, I was able to manifest aura without a medium.”
Calian was showing Suleiman, for the first time, the power he had spent days contemplating. Though he spoke of it lightly, managing both aura and mana simultaneously was no easy feat.
“To think you could create such a thing… It seems Sispanian’s survival is a blessing for our family, and her blessing working properly is a blessing for you, Your Highness.”
Calian smiled silently. In truth, this was only possible because Bern, who had been a Sword Master, had entered the body of the original Calian, who possessed a talent for magic. But he couldn’t explain that.
“At any rate, what I wanted to ask of you…”
Calian closed his eyes and concentrated. The shape of the condensed mana began to change. It gradually lengthened and thinned, soon forming the shape of a sword.
Suleiman let out an involuntary gasp of admiration.
“I intend to use this as my ‘sword,’” Calian continued. “However, I have not yet used it properly. I don’t know its exact strength or sharpness.”
“You wish to test it?”
“Yes. It’s difficult to gauge the extent of my own power. Since I have you here, Duke Siegfried, I would like to verify it precisely.”
Finally understanding exactly what Calian wanted, Suleiman radiated a powerful battle spirit. The broad grin on his face was directed at Calian’s aura sword.
Suleiman spoke, his voice a low growl.
“Come.”
A blue aura flared to life on his sword, which he had drawn without anyone noticing.
In the same instant, Calian’s figure vanished.