Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Ancient Species
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It had been a long, long seal.
How many hundreds of years... no, how many thousands of years had passed since he last set foot on this barren land?
He needlessly stomped the ground a few times with his foot. The heavy tail trailing behind him also thumped the ground two or three times.
"......No life here."
It was only natural.
Thousands of years ago, massive battles had raged here for days on end.
After that, it had become a land of death where no one could survive.
Even now, millennia later, traces of the war remained. That said it all.
'Exactly how many years have passed?'
He had been trapped in a sealing spell for ages, but his mind had remained clear. He could feel the flow of time on his skin.
Still, he couldn't pinpoint the exact number of years.
He only knew that an immense stretch of time had gone by.
"No one remembers me now."
They probably called his kind "ancient species" these days.
There wouldn't be any descendants left, either.
He had been the sole survivor of his clan to the very end.
The Heavenly Dragon Clan.
They had all been exterminated, and he alone had endured as the last one.
The final heir and king of the Heavenly Dragon Clan, Gorsia Arsius.
And the one who had ultimately been sealed away.
'Come to think of it, this was near the Belheim Kingdom, wasn't it?'
Of course, "near" by his standards still meant thousands of kilometers away.
And with so much time passed, he couldn't even be sure the Belheim Kingdom still existed.
Still, who knew? Maybe it had grown stronger since his sealing and still thrived.
Even back then, Belheim had been a sturdy kingdom.
It was about time for the other heterogenous races to start keeping an eye on it.
Dwarves and elves, who had been somewhat friendly with them, had begun distancing themselves.
"But why us, of all people?"
To avoid scrutiny, the Belheim Kingdom had started hiding its power, redirecting attention to his clan.
He held no grudges.
The weak died, and the strong survived.
That had always been the law of this land.
So he had no intention of seeking revenge.
Arsius cast a polymorph spell.
The two horns protruding from his head vanished, as did the thick tail and the wings on his back.
A ripple of mana swirled before him, forming a bluish mirror-like membrane.
Inside it stood his human form.
He stroked his chin as he examined himself.
"Hm... Back then, I heard I was handsome quite often."
Memories of sneaking into the Belheim Kingdom and spending nights with its ladies.
Those had been fine memories for him.
"Time passes, but the looks endure."
After gazing at himself for a while, he started walking again.
Anyway... which way should he go?
He knew the Belheim Kingdom had been somewhere around here in the past, but not the exact direction.
It had to have been ages ago.
But he didn't ponder long.
He just started walking. Something would turn up eventually.
He had plenty of time.
He didn't know why he had been released from the seal, but... even among the long-lived Heavenly Dragon Clan, he had been on the young side.
Released in the same state, his physical age hadn't changed.
'I'll find whoever freed me from the seal, too.'
He had no grand plans. Desires simply bubbled up now and then.
He let those scattered thoughts drift as he walked silently for days.
And at the end of his path, he faced a cliff filling his view.
Even craning his neck, he couldn't see the top.
'Should I bring out my wings?'
Troublesome.
So he just powered his legs and leaped.
He soared up and landed atop the cliff in an instant.
Unlike the desolate bottom, the view up here was different.
Grass, vines, and small trees dotted the landscape.
He could sense the breath of life.
He didn't know the direction, but he seemed to be heading somewhere proper.
"As expected of me."
Arsius strode forward with satisfaction and good cheer when he suddenly sensed an odd flow.
It was a tangled stream of mana.
'First encounter?'
But it felt too weak to be a foe.
Without hesitation, Arsius headed toward the source of the mana.
And there, on a vine, sat a black stele.
"What’s this?"
Something to eat?
The mana looked complex... maybe an elixir-like spirit medicine.
Arsius reached out. The stele, caught in the vine, flew into his hand as if summoned.
He grabbed it and brought it straight to his mouth.
His teeth, morphed into human form, bit down evenly.
...Hard.
Of course, he could crush it with more force.
As the thought struck, his human teeth sharpened completely. Only his teeth had undone the polymorph.
Just as he went to bite again.
The moment his teeth grazed it, blue light etched something onto the black stele.
Unique Mana Pattern has been input.
Anonymous (1) has entered the chat room.
Would you like to use voice recognition?
It has been used.
Anonymous (2) has entered the chat room.
Something whizzed by quickly.
Arsius opened his mouth, spat out the stele, and examined it closely again.
Unique Mana Pattern?
He hadn't input one.
Anonymous 1?
"What is this?"
What is this?
The words he spoke aloud etched themselves onto the stele.
He recognized it immediately because the script matched what he knew.
It was slightly different, but readable enough.
Even if not, he could just use an interpretation spell.
'Might not work if it's outdated magic now... tsch.'
What?
This time, words he hadn't said appeared. Utterly out of place.
Come to think of it, "Anonymous 1" preceded the echo of his own words.
The foreign text came from Anonymous 2.
'I'm 1... and there's another being with one of these steles?'
Arsius thought for a moment, then nodded.
'As expected, I'm number one.'
It warmed his heart.
Recognizing the top rank.
He decided to spare it from being eaten.
I lay in bed, manaphone in one hand, staring at it.
This familiar pose. How I'd longed to soak in dopamine and sprawl out like this.
As I wallowed in sentiment, Anonymous 1 and 2's confusion continued, they bickered a bit, and eventually Anonymous 2 noticed my presence.
Anonymous 2 seemed pretty level-headed. Anonymous 1, on the other hand, came off as brutally straightforward and impulsive... hard to dress up as "passionate."
I couldn't judge solely on snippets, but Anonymous 1 struck me as the type whose real self matched that vibe.
And naturally, a question arose.
No way they were using voice recognition, right?
That was still in beta.
I'd included the function, but it wasn't polished, so turning it on sent messages without confirmation.
'But... the manaphone reads mana flow to let users grasp functions right away.'
So anyone sensitive enough to find a manaphone should pick up on its features quickly.
'Misjudged that.'
Well, high mana sensitivity didn't guarantee skillful use.
Anonymous 1 seemed low on magic proficiency.
"...Cute."
But honestly, no need for such elaborate deduction.
I could check group chat participants' unique mana patterns without guessing.
My manaphone was strictly the admin version. I could view other phones' locations and imprinted mana patterns anytime.
But I didn't bother.
This was all just fun.
Recall why I made the manaphone in the first place.
Boredom. Crippling boredom.
No need to ruin that fun myself.
Then, having noticed me, Anonymous 2 posed a proper question.
There must be a reason you hid this from others. I merely called it an invitation. With someone else here besides us, shouldn't we say something?
Invitation...
Actually, watching users' live reactions was entertaining enough that I hadn't planned to say much, but "invitation" felt like a decent term.
A refined expression I hadn't considered!
I couldn't stay completely silent. Some moments demanded a response.
If others joined, that one word could smooth over a lot.
So I typed briefly.
Invitation confirmed.
If it's an invitation, there must be a purpose in inviting us. What is it?
Purpose.
That question made me chuckle unwittingly.
Surprisingly, none.
No grand meaning, cause, or destiny.
Just made it out of boredom.
While deep in manaphone research, Professor Palrez had asked countless times.
What on earth was I making it for?
I'd dodged every time.
Because... the honest truth would feel empty.
I didn't think he'd get it.
Same here.
No need to overthink. You couldn't understand it right now anyway.
Didn't you make this wanting us to do something?
Do whatever you want.
After that, nothing new appeared on the screen.
Looks like the sudden freedom left them pondering.
A while later, a message arrived from Anonymous 2, seemingly done deliberating.
An artifact like this opens endless possibilities. But one thing comes to mind first: secret deals... right?
I'd thought something similar.
A covert way to share thoughts in real time from afar.
The empire hadn't even developed proper communication concepts, so detection was unlikely. Palrez and I had invented the communication orb first, after all.
Perfect for underworld groups lurking in the empire to use in crime.
'Not letting that happen.'
Yet Anonymous 2 had zeroed in on that utility right away.
Either a cautious thinker or someone tied to such circles.
'Part of a crime syndicate? ...Or the opposite?'
Meanwhile, more messages from Anonymous 2 poured in.
I have no desire for illegal activities, but secret deals have merits even without crime. What do you think? Does that count as "whatever"?
So, not crime, but deals appeal.
Hard to tell if hiding true intent or genuine.
Still, "deals" was the manaphone's most practical use.
'No reason to limit it to that.'
Deals, casual chats when bored. Versatile.
So I gave no firm answer. I wouldn't dictate uses going forward.
That was for them—Anonymous 1 and 2—to figure out.
I had no intent to narrow options beyond freedom or crime.
If... I overstepped and offended you, my apologies.
Misread my silence?
Tricky.
As I pondered a vague reply, the hitherto quiet Anonymous 1 chimed in.
But it's uncomfortable that number 2 talks more than top-ranked me.
...Then talk more.