The Vacant Seat
An indoor chamber with a glass ceiling.
Beyond it, the rising moon illuminated the night. The moonlight, falling vertically, fractured along the geometric patterns engraved into the glass panes, scattering into tiny, starlike shards.
Aside from the transparent ceiling, there were no windows to be seen. An antique circular table sat solitary in the center of the room. The figures seated around it were wildly diverse in appearance.
It went far beyond mere individuality; they belonged to entirely different species.
A man with slit reptilian eyes, a girl with bat wings on her back, a shadow visible only as a silhouette, a man made of roaring flames, and even a wild hyena.
It was a gathering that possessed absolutely no sense of unity.
As the six of them took their seats, all eyes converged on a single spot.
A figure wearing a fox mask and formal attire spoke.
"Yesterday, Knowledge was extinguished."
The reaction to this sudden revelation was mixed. The man of flames crossed his arms, the bat-winged girl tilted her head, and the shadow wavered as if shrugging.
After a heavy silence, the Dragonoid spoke.
"I suppose he failed to recover from his injuries in the end."
"He was practically dead anyway. It seems he tried to orchestrate a resurrection in his own way, but..."
The Dragonoid shook his head.
"No matter how much he struggled, it was an impossible feat. Even now, Theodore Paleon must be desperately awaiting news of Knowledge. It is a miracle he wasn't discovered until the very end."
"For an old man on the brink of senility, his obsession was quite something."
Bizarrely, human speech flowed from the hyena's maw. It was the voice of a young man, thick with disdain and pity.
"You will understand in thirty or forty years. While some grow gentle with age, others only grow more venomous. To me, you seem like the typical latter."
"Well, that's a relief."
The beast's eyes gleamed with a sinister light.
"It means I'll still be full of energy even when I'm old, right? It's good to live fiercely! That old man might have been embarrassed by his obscure youth, but I think it's better than pretending to be detached like some people."
"I misspoke."
Despite the aggressive remarks, the Dragonoid took a low posture. It wasn't out of fear of the wild youth, but rather the pragmatic mindset of avoiding filth.
"In any case... though his prime has passed, Theodore is still a Special Class Archmage. To a severely weakened Knowledge, his attention must have been a heavy burden."
Harmensales had limited choices.
Recovering from his injuries required a grand ritual, which carried an equally high risk of discovery. His best option was simply to hide in his sanctuary and sustain his life until he was forgotten.
Finding a convenient contractor to exploit might have granted him a bit more freedom, but it wouldn't have changed the fundamental reality. The need to avoid drawing attention remained the same.
In other words, his death had been a certainty from the start.
"An end exactly as predicted a decade ago. I see it as a natural extinction. Are there any objections? Or perhaps any suspicious points discovered?"
"Unknown. We only confirmed the extinction."
"Without information, we cannot address the incident itself."
The bat-winged girl let out a wide yawn at the exchange between the Dragonoid and the fox mask.
"Then why did we gather? Just to be informed?"
Despite the gravity of the event, most of those present showed little interest. Many attempts had been made to find Harmensales in the past, but after failing repeatedly, they had abandoned their greed.
There was no use crying over spilled milk. The fox mask did not criticize their indifference; indeed, he accepted it as natural.
However, from this point on, the story changed.
"If the seat is vacant, we must think of the 'next.'"
The candidate to become the new child of Knowledge.
Only one Apostle of Knowledge could exist at any given time. Conversely, one must always exist. Unless someone intercepted it, the 'factor' would return and automatically pass to the next candidate.
The vacant seat of the Apostle of Knowledge would soon be filled.
By the person in the Empire most suited to receive 'Knowledge.'
"Do you have anyone in mind?"
The Dragonoid's gaze turned toward the faceless shadow.
"Perhaps Aria Spellite."
"The recluse of Greenline?"
"In terms of her understanding of magic, she has surpassed mere erudition. She does nothing herself, so she draws no attention, but the great houses of Blueline are approaching her under the table. Though she seems to reject them all."
"I have heard many rumors of her eccentricities."
In stark contrast to the nodding Dragonoid, the hyena narrowed his eyes.
"To me, you seem far more plausible."
"A humble person like me? Surely not."
"Don't be too modest. How many mages have lost their heads after offending Barazman? Just recently, there was that fellow who fell to ruin after being caught turning his own mother into a chimera."
Despite the persistent prodding, the shadow maintained a calm demeanor.
"Our perspectives differ. Information is ultimately brought by others. Unless we are talking about an organization, it is a stretch to say I possess deeper and broader knowledge than Aria Spellite as an individual."
"I wouldn't know how great she is."
"Even if not her, there will be many candidates more suitable than me."
Deciding that further badgering was pointless, the hyena merely snorted.
With the minor dispute settled, the Dragonoid steered the conversation back.
"Indeed, Knowledge has historically chosen those who have walled themselves off from the secular world. In truth, the moment Harmensales lost his roots, his authority became half-baked."
The authority of Knowledge possessed immense influence by nature, but even that had now faded. Because the root was lost due to the damage to the factor, new knowledge could no longer be collected.
At best, one would merely become the librarian of a closed library.
"Let us watch how things unfold."
The conclusion was that there was no need to force a reconciliation or initiate hostilities—assuming, of course, that Aria Spellite became the new Apostle of Knowledge as expected. It was a matter to be uncovered through investigation.
With that, the meeting came to an end.
As the attendees began to disperse, the silent man of flames approached the hyena. He cast a silence barrier to ensure they wouldn't be overheard, causing the hyena's eyes to turn sharp.
"What do you want to say that requires so much effort?"
"You were tracking Harmensales, weren't you?"
His tone left no room for denial.
"Did you have a hand in his extinction?"
"What an absurd bastard," the hyena growled.
"You didn't say a word when the old man was babbling about how he died because it was his time. Why pick a fight now that it's over? If you're going to be like this, don't even bother coming. Nobody wants you here."
"You must have wanted me to question you publicly."
"I'm asking if it's morally right, you son of a bitch."
"How surprising. To hear the word 'morals' from your mouth."
It was a crude insult, but there was no refuting it. Reputation was everything, and the hyena knew his own actions were often reckless.
"Anyway, it has nothing to do with me. I was a bit curious about what was inside that demon's head, I won't deny that. But doesn't that make it even more nonsensical? Why would I kill him when I wanted his knowledge?"
It was a reasonable defense. The man of flames had no choice but to withdraw his suspicion.
Instead, he added a warning.
"...Do not act rashly."
"Why do you keep accusing an innocent man?"
"Because if the existence of the Hidden Path is exposed, I am certain it will be because of you."
"Yeah, fuck off."
The man of flames glared at the sneering hyena before turning his back.
"Make sure you remember this."
Having said his piece, he departed. The hyena let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded. But the moment the man's back vanished from sight, his expression stiffened completely.
"Sharp bastard."
Following the others who had already departed, he left the chamber.
The moment he crossed the threshold, a sensation of floating washed over him, and the world shifted. He was now in a laboratory filled with various experimental ingredients and flasks. Inhaling the sharp scent of herbs, he let out a deep sigh.
"Damn it. I don't know why it failed."
The hand scratching his head was undeniably human. The meeting chamber was a special magical space; the moment one entered, a completely different appearance was overlaid like a disguise.
"How incompetent do you have to be to screw up in Redline? This is why you shouldn't use trash. Am I cursed lately? Nothing is going right."
After grumbling for a long while, the man stepped out. Outside the laboratory was a corridor where mages bustled about. As he walked among them, his demeanor shifted once more.
'Old man. You told me I'd grow venomous as I age.'
He wore the face of a good-natured man, smiling despite his fatigue.
'But I've always been venomous.'
It seemed he would have to dig a bit deeper.
The Archive Terminal in Eastred was strictly guarded by the Gate Administration. Setting aside the lawless nature of Redline, it was the same in any city.
The Archive Terminal was a magic engineering device resembling a server computer, and its value was immeasurable. If it were to shut down unexpectedly, the entire city would be paralyzed.
Even in such a vital facility, Aiden walked around as casually as if it were his own home. Muzark was slightly tense, but for a reason entirely unrelated to the terminal's importance.
"Alright. Check if it updated properly."
At Aiden's words, Muzark materialized his license.
HOLDER:Muzark Bespard
RANK:Lower 3rd Class
AFFILIATION:Redline, Eastred
"It says Lower 3rd Class."
"As expected, you didn't make it to 2nd Class. Disappointed?"
"Not really."
He was sincere.
Rather than disappointment, he felt a deep sense of pride. Though it was still a low rank, he felt as if he had finally set foot on the path of a true mage. He would continue to grow until he hit his limit.
― Congratulations. You've already jumped two ranks.
"How unusual. I thought you'd call me third-rate."
― I'm not that twisted, you know.
As they conversed, Aiden looked back and forth between them.
'Looks like a madman.'
Since others couldn't hear Yen's voice, Muzark appeared to be a schizophrenic talking to himself. However, Aiden didn't point it out. After getting burned a few times, Muzark would learn to restrain himself.
As they finished the update and stepped out of the facility, someone was waiting for them.
"So you're leaving now."
Shadia Drury. The chief of the collapsed Security Bureau stared at the three who were about to depart. Her gaze lingered briefly on Yen, who was currently occupying the demon's body, before fixing on Muzark.
"I apologize for many things."
"To me?"
"If I had done a bit better... things would have been resolved much more smoothly."
It was a truth that could not be denied.
Her decisions had been indecisive, and she had failed to realize the existence of the mastermind. If Shadia had judged and acted coldly, what would have happened? At the very least, one or two more people might have survived.
― Don't take it to heart.
Yen spoke, her voice audible only to Muzark.
― The Chief is just inflexible and lacks tact. Her trying to establish order in a city like this is the real madness. I wouldn't have even dreamed of it.
Muzark felt the same.
To him, Redline was a cesspool to escape as quickly as possible. It was far too late to fix it. He had no interest in what would happen to it hereafter.
"What will you do now?"
"I plan to rebuild the Security Bureau. It's an unwelcome name now that it has collapsed once, but to get support from above, I have no choice. I just have to be grateful we aren't starting from absolute scratch."
But Shadia was different.
Unless her restriction was lifted, she was bound to Redline. Of course, she could have used her power to seize control of the city and live in luxury, but that was far from her character.
― I always thought the order the Chief envisions is hard for Redline to accept. Unless the upper regions actively intervene, it's impossible.
In Redline, the highest priority was survival.
Order and rules could never take precedence.
― It will certainly be a thorny path. But she'll accept it as it is.
The Shadia that Yen had known was not one to settle.
"I hope we can meet again someday."
"Pardon? Are you cursing me to fall back down here?"
"Don't worry. I'll make it a place worth living in."
After exchanging light banter, Shadia took one last look at the two of them. Muzark, who now looked like a proper mage, and Yen, who was clinging to his shoulder and staring blankly at her.
"Take care of each other."
She did not specify who should take care of whom.
That day.
Muzark crossed the gate.