Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: A Flexible Misconception (5)
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"I am acting to prevent the Transcendents of Evil from rampaging unchecked across this land."
"Why... are you trying to stop them?"
"Because the great oath established by our great hero must be upheld."
"...Pardon?"
Great hero?
From the mention of an oath, it seemed to refer to the Hero.
So, did that mean this blond Transcendent was one of the human Transcendents who revered the Hero?
He abruptly stood from his seat.
The lamplight rippled like waves across his golden hair.
And for the first time, he introduced himself.
"I am Joart Zan."
Joart Zan.
He had previously described himself as human, so his family name was likely 'Zan'.
Was there a noble family with the surname Zan?
No such name appeared in my mental list of noble houses.
At least, not among the current Empire's nobility.
"There are others like me preparing for similar tasks. All of them human Transcendents."
"But forming factions goes against the oath, doesn't it?"
"We are not gathering forces. We are simply making preparations to welcome the new Hero, each with our own power. In hopes that he will quell this chaos."
...Somehow, it felt like I was learning far more than necessary.
"Once the forces tainted by evil are eliminated, they will naturally disintegrate, so there is no issue."
There was no reason to refuse new information, but I wondered if a 5th Circle mage should know this much about Transcendents.
It felt like I was getting drawn deeper and deeper into something.
In truth, Joart had spilled everything so easily that this situation had arisen.
I had vaguely sensed it before, but... was he naive? Indifferent?
It might be easiest to think of him as an otaku fanboying over the ancient Hero.
This was the first time I had seen him show such emotion.
The legendary Hero must have been incredibly powerful, just from the tales. The mere fact that all Transcendents had to uphold the oath was enough to gauge his strength.
In any case, every time I asked, new information poured out, making it hard for me to find a natural stopping point.
"So, in the end, you're currently moving to counter the forces of evil gathering in the north. And their movements are extremely radical."
I summarized as my head naturally tilted to the side.
"But the north is undeveloped wilderness anyway."
"That's precisely why we can't leave it alone. We can't let them take it."
"Haven't they already allied with the races settled there?"
"Not all of them. The elves, for instance."
"Elves..."
It wasn't strange for elves to exist if magic did, but it was rare to hear the name growing up here.
"They have always been reclusive, with no contact with the outside world at all."
"Then we should at least inform them..."
Joart shook his head.
"No need. They don't require our help."
"Why not?"
"They have been so isolationist since ancient times that they stand outside the oath entirely. Thus, they bear no responsibility or obligation to unite. There's no reason to help them, and even if they face danger, they have the power to overcome it on their own."
According to Joart, most Transcendents operated independently as individuals, but the elves did not.
They still existed as a community, living by their own ways.
They had never participated in the oath due to their isolationism, so there was no basis to invoke it.
"They can form forces without issue. They live only among themselves in their closed world. And above all, they are essentially one body."
"One body?"
"Yes. Their true body is their great mother, the World Tree. Elves are beings that move according to her will. They are not separate individuals; you could view them as a single colossal Transcendent."
Joart, who had fallen silent for a moment, suddenly turned his gaze to me.
"At first, I thought you might be a half-elf."
"...Because of the magic I use to detect Followers of Evil?"
"Yes. It's their unique magic, something they would never share outside. So that was the only possibility. Perhaps you have an ancestor you don't know about."
"..."
That couldn't be.
The one who taught me that magic was Anonymous (2).
So, was Anonymous (2) an elf?
The possibility was high. Monitoring Palewood's movements, sharing elf unique magic in the chat...
Circumstantially, 99%.
I hadn't particularly wanted to know, but I had stumbled upon their identity.
"And we need that. How about using that magic for us?"
Even amid my swirling thoughts, his proposal brought a smile to my lips.
"No thank you."
It felt like I had neatly extracted only the necessary information and sent Joart on his way.
But he was the one who had promised to share information in the first place, and all the extraneous details were volunteered by him.
There was no need to feel guilty, as if a mere 5th Circle mage had exploited a Transcendent.
My concerns shifted elsewhere.
Worries about Anonymous (2).
They probably didn't know. That Transcendents tainted by evil were secretly joining hands in the north, aiming to seize the entire undeveloped region.
Elves were an isolationist race, after all.
It wouldn't hurt to warn them in advance. I hadn't yet delivered the information they wanted anyway. I could slip in a hint when providing that answer.
Not as a trade... since fate had brought us together through the manaphone I created.
Standing by and watching idly didn't sit right with me.
I gathered my thoughts and picked up the slate.
Transaction with Anonymous (1) confirmed complete.
Aren't you being too meticulous? I've been waiting forever.
So... you're giving me the information now?
Do you think it's impossible for Transcendents to join forces?
That violates their oath, doesn't it?
Well. Is it still the case now?
It's been thousands of years since the oath's creator vanished, and now Transcendents who can't even fathom its weight are popping up everywhere?
But... it's the oath. It must never be broken.
You can't be certain.
Especially you, of all people.
...I'm not basing that just on the oath.
I also...
No.
Anyway, it's not just because of that.
The fact that the forces you're wary of are secretly contacting others has already been confirmed.
Their goal is to seize the entire north.
Not just them—all forces of evil share that objective.
The oath alone can no longer control their ambitions.
You need to be wary of far more than you realize.
Celine was lost in deep thought amid the pre-dawn silence.
Swirling in her mind was the message '0' had sent at dawn.
The warning that evil forces aimed to seize the entire north.
The reason she couldn't easily believe it was the absence of words from the Great Mother.
If such a grave threat approached, guidance would have come down.
Yet Celine was still worried.
Was she doubting the World Tree? Honestly, she had to admit it.
Though she could never voice it aloud, the Great Mother was gradually losing strength.
If she had fully trusted, she wouldn't have monitored Palewood's movements in the chat, bringing up trades.
Of course, it started as simple caution. The increasing Followers of Evil around Silvarion was a fact known even before migrating there.
Celine wanted to escape the forest, and to do so, she needed to drive away the surrounding Followers of Evil.
'It doesn't hurt to be careful.'
Her increasingly tangled thoughts and accompanying guilt led Celine to a conclusion.
Believing the suspicious '0' might be foolish.
His identity was unknown, yet he had pierced hers.
He might have gathered them for some purpose, and the flow so far could be part of his elaborate scheme.
Though the suspicion lingered, a strange bitterness also arose.
Were they too isolationist?
Was that why they lacked information compared to other Transcendents?
Had they become ignorant of the world's currents...?
But one thing was clear: whatever '0's goal, she was the one exploiting it most actively.
'0' knew much she didn't, and Anonymous (1) was no mere personality—clearly experienced in combat and powerful.
'If it's true... and a threat is approaching us...'
Was all this mere coincidence, or the harbinger of real change?
Either way, at the center was that being.
'0.'
His identity was impossible to fathom.
The vague unease and wariness he evoked. And the strange premonition enveloping it all.
Celine had once felt it as the echo of something great.
A fleeting thought, but if his words proved true, she would waste no more time doubting his identity.