A Deal with the Immortal (3)
Ellen told the Lich everything that had happened to him.
"There was a time I was driven to the brink of death by another mage's scheme. Caught in his magic, I felt my consciousness slipping away and knew I was about to die. In that moment, a vast black gate appeared before my eyes."
At the mention of a black gate, the Lich tilted his head.
Ellen took that to mean the Lich knew something about it.
"I still don't fully understand what that black gate was. But as I drew near, the enormous doors began to open. Light spilled from within — and at the same time, a dense darkness poured out. I don't remember much after that. In the end, with my companions' help, I barely escaped death. And from that day on, I could cast magic without chanting the incantations."
"So the Gate of Truth truly existed? There is a door that only reveals itself once one reaches the absolute extremity of the arcane path. The ancients called it the Gate of Truth. I suspect what you saw was that very thing."
"The Gate of Truth?"
It was a name Ellen had never heard before. He had once read an enormous number of books, yet not a single line in any of them had described such a gate.
"I only uncovered this after decades spent as a Lich, devoted solely to the study of magic. The Gate of Truth was branded heretical — finding any records of it would have been nearly impossible."
Even in Ellen's own era, the royal court and the magic towers had burned certain categories of magical texts. That was why nothing on the Gate of Truth could be found.
"I see. If the towers suppressed it, of course it would be untraceable. In any case, that Gate of Truth is what gave me this ability. The problem is my insufficient mana. Even without needing chants, I never had enough mana to draw out its full power."
At Ellen's words, the Lich burst into a rasping laugh.
"Listen to the complaints of one who has reached a realm no one in history has ever touched. There are, of course, things like elixirs for increasing mana. But that is not what you truly want, is it? There is one method that can raise your mana capacity dramatically."
Ellen allowed himself a quiet flicker of admiration. They were bargaining, each holding something the other needed. The Lich's proposal was so tempting he wanted to press for every detail at once — yet ever since his mercenary days, he had never laid all his emotions bare during a negotiation.
"There is such a method?"
Ellen asked, as if merely intrigued.
"Do you know of the Elven Forest?"
"The forbidden woods to the east?"
The region had earned its name from the ancient belief that elves once lived there. Thick canopies of trees blocked out every scrap of sunlight, leaving the forest dim even at midday. Worse still, magic could not be properly cast inside it — for reasons unknown, the calculation of magical formulas was disrupted. The royal court had declared the entire forest off-limits for its dangers.
"Precisely. Within that Elven Forest stands something called the Tower of Intellect. Go there, and your magical talent will be elevated in a single stroke."
The Tower of Intellect?
Elves were known for spirit arts rather than magic. Ellen, who had devoted himself entirely to magecraft, knew only the barest fundamentals about them. Even so, if a tower that enhanced magical talent truly existed, there was no way he would not have heard of it. Had he not yearned for such a thing above all else?
"If something like that exists, why has the world never learned of it? If the nobles had known, they would have torn the place apart trying to get there."
"Because it is thoroughly concealed. Even I found it only by chance."
"By chance…?"
"While roaming the continent in search of training, I once entered the Elven Forest. It was forbidden even then, but as a royal mage I was permitted entry. The forest proved far more dangerous than I expected. Before long I lost all sense of direction and time. With magic unusable, getting lost was inevitable. And then, by pure accident, I found the tower. Astonishingly, elves lived within it — elves thought to have vanished centuries ago."
"Elves? You're saying they still exist?"
The Lich's words were staggering. Records of the age when elves had lived remained, but they had always been figures of legend.
"It was my first time seeing them as well. They are said to favor spirit arts over magic, yet their magic was far more advanced than humanity's. It was there that I finally awakened the magical talent that had long stagnated within me."
Magical talent — the ceiling that had constrained Ellen in the past and still constrained him now. A place that could raise that ceiling in a single leap truly existed.
"The Tower of Intellect… If what you say is true, it could be of great help to me as well. Where in the forest does it stand?"
"I can tell you the location, but originally only those who are qualified may enter. My own entry that day was a coincidence — they happened to be adjusting the barrier at the time."
"How does one prove qualification?"
"Unless you are someone acknowledged by the Elflord yourself, you cannot set foot inside the tower."
Ellen's mind raced. Only with the Lich present could he enter the Tower of Intellect. He would have to bring the Lich along. But walking around with a Lich in tow was a perfect way to get seized as a practitioner of Black Magic.
"As you well know, I cannot take you outside like this."
The Lich snorted.
"Spare yourself that worry, boy. I will take you there myself. And you — will you fulfill my long-cherished wish in turn?"
The Lich repeated the terms of the bargain. The content was the same, but his tone now carried iron resolve.
"I swear it. No matter what happens, I will see that wish fulfilled."
At Ellen's words, the Lich nodded and began to chant.
Ancient tongue? I've studied a fair amount of it myself, yet I can't make out a single word.
The Lich's incantation was cast in an exceptionally advanced form of the ancient language. Ancient-tongue formulas carried superior intermediary effect, allowing magic to be realized with far greater efficiency.
A low, resonant hum filled the air.
Black mana streamed from the Lich's body and gathered before his chest. The mana coalesced into a dark sphere, then began to reshape itself into something new.
A necklace?
The black orb settled at last into the form of a small pendant.
"Wear this."
When the Lich's voice issued from the necklace itself, Ellen started in surprise.
"You've sealed yourself inside it?"
"Something of the sort. This way, there will be no trouble moving about outside."
A soft vibration thrummed through the air. The moment Ellen's fingers touched the necklace, a wash of black light enveloped him.
What are you dawdling for? Put it on already.
Suddenly the Lich's voice rang inside his head — not through his ears, but directly into his mind.
No need to be startled. We are contracted now.
"Isn't form-conversion magic an eighth-circle spell? Have you reached the eighth circle?"
The highest realm a human could attain was the eighth circle. That would mean this Lich had reached the absolute limit of humanity.
Regrettably, I fall just short of it. This magic is indeed eighth-circle — but I borrowed the power of the ancient tongue to cast it.
"I see. But artifacts cannot be worn at the Academy."
Academy students were forbidden from wearing artifacts in the name of surface fairness. Of course, artifacts for noble convenience or vanity were quietly tolerated. Ellen, however, was a commoner.
Do not fret. Ordinary whelps will never notice a thing.
"Understood. By the way — do you have a name? It would be strange to keep calling you 'you' when we are traveling together. I am Ellen."
Ellen fastened the necklace as he asked.
It has been a long time since I had use for a name. I am Proveng.
"I look forward to working with you, Master Proveng."