Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: One-Eyed Village (6)
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"Kee-ya."
In front of me stood Philip Deran, meticulously shaped by piecing together the primordial mana I'd painstakingly gathered bit by bit.
Blue flames flickered up from the empty sockets of his exposed white skull, like ghostly fire rising.
That was a vision function I'd created separately. I'd gone ahead and implemented the photo feature I'd been planning for the manaphone.
Hearing worked the same way—I'd used the manaphone's voice recognition function.
I'd already researched most of this while building the manaphone.
Voice could be avoided by not speaking, but eyes and ears were essential for me to grasp the situation from afar.
These weren't fused directly with the primordial mana. Instead, I'd crafted separate artifacts and hidden them inside Philip Deran's body. The long-range communication function was the same.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say I'd basically installed the manaphone's circuits as-is.
'Anyway, I'll cover most of the body with a black robe.'
The view and sounds Philip Deran saw and heard would appear on a separate artifact screen I'd prepared.
When I sent mana infused with my will, the skull immediately nodded.
"Kruu."
Chunks of primordial mana, each one crafted with utmost care.
His body was formed by countless such pieces fused together.
There were some awkward joints since it was assembled in parts, but the black robe would hide that anyway.
His appearance was recreated exactly as Vinsen had described.
I'd met Vinsen, imprisoned in the imperial capital's jail, through Raistel. Using the excuse that I had questions about the calculation artifact.
Vinsen had already resigned himself to the impossibility of escape. He'd surely heard the news of Philip Deran's death by then.
He was utterly listless, and when I asked for a detailed description of Philip Deran's looks, he was puzzled at first but soon brushed it off and told me.
Though he mocked me with his mouth, saying I must want to boast about my achievements.
After that, as I headed north, I immediately started creating Philip Deran.
At first, I thought this would take forever... or might even be impossible to complete.
But surprisingly, it wrapped up easily.
Primordial mana. Even though it was a power I'd never handled before, it clicked after just a few tries.
Maybe because it was a derivative power.
To be honest, it felt like something that had always been a part of me—it came naturally right away.
After a few attempts to get the feel, I dove into the work.
"Nice to meet you."
"...Ni... ce... to... meet... you."
"Hm, better keep talking to a minimum."
The voice function was rushed, so it was still awkward.
I'd heard a rough description from Vinsen, but without hearing Philip Deran's actual voice, perfection was impossible.
Still, seeing it finished filled me with pride.
Even though my circles had been completely drained, I couldn't help but smile.
Of course, this body wouldn't last forever.
Once the fixed primordial mana's power ran out, it would collapse. I hadn't applied long-term preservation magic to primordial mana yet, so it wouldn't hold for decades—probably not even years.
But a month would be plenty.
"Phew..."
Finally, the work I'd rushed against the clock was done.
Maybe because I'd completed it under such tight constraints, the sense of accomplishment felt even deeper.
It wasn't life-or-death like the tracking commission, but the unexpected discovery from that secret-grade artifact had pushed me into hyper-focus over a short time.
Looking back now... none of this had been a loss for me.
"From now on, your name is Philip."
My first creation... what should I call it?
A doppelganger.
It had the loathsome look of a lich, but somehow it seemed cute to me.
And finally.
After a moment's hesitation, I pulled a transparent box from my subspace.
Inside, the black slime had settled obediently at the bottom.
I picked it up and attached it to Philip's spine.
I wondered if contact with the mana-shaped bones would cause something, but nothing happened.
It stayed completely still, without even a twitch.
When I'd first acquired this slime, I'd planned to study it separately.
But then I recalled a passage from Philip Deran's diary.
The forces of evil identify each other through this slime.
'I don't know if digesting it really activates the effect... but better than nothing.'
If my identity got exposed the moment I joined the gathering and I shattered to pieces, that would be the most pathetic end imaginable.
Of course, I'd already prepared various functions for the worst case.
'Pray it doesn't come to that.'
I got out of the carriage and walked through the northern forest with Philip.
No need for excessive caution.
I had experience from the tracking commission. I already knew nothing would happen until Philip Deran's castle.
I planned to set up a base nearby.
After that, Philip would head beyond the border alone.
The coordinates for the regular gathering outside the border were in Philip Deran's diary.
'He doesn't tire like I do.'
No need for magic, so he shouldn't run out of power easily.
"Hah... huff... huff..."
No need to baby the body like last time, so it wasn't as taxing on stamina, but crossing the mountains was still grueling for my endurance.
If I'd had more time, I would've made a flying artifact instead.
A flying artifact. Sounds impressive just saying it, but now that I'd reached 6th circle... and with knowledge of primordial mana, I felt ready to tackle things I'd never even dreamed of attempting before.
Until now, I'd made general and rider-grade ones as mass-producible, but with focus, even secret-grade seemed possible.
I set up near the castle, and from then on, Philip crossed the mountains alone.
The rattling skeleton bounding along looked pretty pathetic.
Liches should float gracefully through the air, right?
'Definitely still lots of room for improvement.'
Still, he was like my firstborn—no changing that.
Without stamina worries, Philip initially dashed across the mountains, but soon slowed to a walk.
He was nearing the coordinates, and to avoid suspicion if he ran into someone who knew Philip Deran—rattling bones would look off.
"Yawn..."
Days of staring at a screen, making him climb mountains—it felt like grinding in some no-lifer game.
Especially since I hadn't slept properly for days.
Time was tight, so Philip had to keep pushing without rest.
Then, a strange sound echoed from beyond Philip's field of view on the screen.
"@@#$#@@@"
He turned his head, and there stood another being.
I jolted upright from my slouched position staring at the screen.
When had it approached?
It was speaking to Philip.
In incomprehensible words.
"Kee-eek! @@#@@@!!"
...What the hell is it saying?
At least, it seemed to know Philip Deran.
Its looks were tolerable on screen, but up close, even I'd grimace.
The area around its eyeball was pitch-black hollow, making the eye float in midair, bloodshot and glaring.
Skin cracked like tree bark, fingers elongated to nearly touch the ground, wriggling like living things.
Pale Water Tribe.
Exact match for Anonymous (1)'s description in the anonymous chat.
"@#@#$##@!!!"
They were a coalition of minorities, so incomprehensible speech was expected.
But this was too much.
Was this even language?
Just spewing onomatopoeia and growls.
To blend in, I'd have to learn this crap too?
After pondering a response, I chose to ignore it. No other option.
I turned forward and kept walking, but fierce chatter chased from behind.
Still incomprehensible.
It wasn't attacking—just following and muttering.
One clear thing: we were nearing the destination.
We'd left the forest long ago, entering the damp marshlands.
Beyond the border.
And finally, we arrived.
Exact coordinates, but it didn't look like a gathering spot.
Just an empty plain.
But strangers were already gathered, leaving no room for doubt.
The Pale Water Tribe that followed naturally joined the group.
It went to someone it knew.
"@#@$@#"
"Speak so I can understand."
"Ah... something funny happened on the way. Kekek."
...This bastard knew the imperial tongue?
"..."
Well, as a Transcendent, it had to have some intelligence.
Plus, to ally with other races, communication was key.
And the imperial language was most fitting—established first since ancient times.
"What happened?"
"Look over there. It's Philip Deran."
"...He was alive?"
The Pale Water Tribe and a wolf-like race with gray claws whispered, glancing at Philip. They snickered now and then.
More races trickled into the plain, each giving Philip a look before passing.
Like a father watching his son get ignored.
Irritating feeling creeping in.
'I'll remember you.'
My first goal here was intel on their northern takeover.
Second... sabotage.
Disrupt their plans, delay them even a little.
Risk had dropped sharply once I could send Philip this far.
Regret was that Philip was rushed, so limited functions.
Thus, I was jotting down appearances and traits of the other races on screen.
Candidates for my next doppelgangers.
'Come to think of it, how many masks am I wearing now?'
Group chat '0', Cedric, Philip.
I'd unwittingly made three masks with different personalities, and now plotting more.
All of it felt like consequence-free fun, really.
Cedric might be risky if exposed.
Then.
The murmurs cut off abruptly.
The plain full of whispers fell silent, gazes fixed on one spot.
A white-furred figure approached—floating a handspan off the ground.
Body shrouded entirely in thick white fur. Two striking features.
Blood-red eyes gleaming through the fur.
And sharp teeth bared where lips should be, amid the fur.
"Everyone here?"
The voice was frail—childlike, or a woman's.
But the solemn tone created an odd dissonance.
"All preparations are done, right? They have to be. The ritual's in a week."
The white-furred monster scanned around, eyes meeting Philip's.
"You're... supposed to be dead."
"..."
"Gone mute too?"
Tense moment.
No long replies planned, but this was the first response.
This one word could decide exposure or escape.
Even short, it needed nuance.
Especially to mask the awkward voice.
I recalled Philip Deran's personality from the diary.
Cowardly, somewhat self-aware, but subtly boastful.
Cringing before the strong, domineering to the weak.
That was my snapshot of him.
"Sur... vived..."
"Pfft."
Laughter erupted around at Philip's reply.
"Shouldn't we bench him for this?"
"Can't even talk right—how's he gonna fight?"
Mocking voices rose.
Tears welled up a bit.
'Sorry for letting Dad get dissed.'
"He's a total retard now? Too embarrassed to talk, huh!"
Ah... but that Pale Water Tribe prick's been snarky since earlier.
Bad blood originally?
Amid it, the white-furred one stayed quiet.
Blood-red eyes peered calmly, as if piercing the disguise.
They seemed to glow brighter for a moment.
Then the light faded, eyes returning to normal.
The white-furred monster quelled the mood.
"Enough."
The buzz died instantly.
"Who got you?"
I'd expected this question.
If they cared less about Philip or he was high-ranking, I'd prioritize quiet intel-gathering.
Neither was true.
So, time for goal two.
Sabotage.
"Very... strong... guy..."
"What?"
"North... terrifying... bastard... has taken root."
I'd mix truth and lies, spewing maximally confusing info.