Chapter 233: It Was Winter (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 233: It Was Winter (1)
“So. The Magic Sword is finally finished?”
“Yes.”
“And the one who crafted it was the Dwarf artisan, Derf. Correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Right. I’ve followed you that far.”
The Captain, visible across the screen, nodded as he spoke.
“So. For the materials, you used a member of the Demon Tribe known as the Sword Demon?”
“Unlike most of his kind, his very foundation was a sword, so he was incredibly durable. Even without mana, he didn't take a scratch from fire-attribute sword energy.”
The frustration I felt back then still haunts my dreams. To be honest, I barely remember the moments I was using Aura; most of my memories of the fight with the Sword Demon consist of me getting the absolute hell beaten out of me.
“I see. And inside that sword dwells the soul of Arberus, the man once called the Great Sword Hero?”
“There was a moment where he almost attained Nirvana, but fortunately, he still had lingering attachments to this world.”
“Hmm. I see. I see… Wait. Have I been hit by dark magic or something?”
After nodding for a good while, the Captain suddenly bolted upright from his seat.
“Hey! I know things are crazy, but what kind of Demonic Realm is that Academy?! No, I already knew it was a Demonic Realm, but still! Why on earth is a Magic Sword like that being created there?!”
He’s finally seen the light.
The Captain has likely never even set foot in the Imperial Academy. To think he’d naturally understand that this place is a Demonic Realm.
“I’m living a hard life, sir.”
“No, I don't care how hard your life is! Why is something like that being made?!”
Usually, he’s not one to stick to common sense. It felt a bit strange hearing him talk about 'common sense' just because it involved a sword. But what could I do? He wasn't just anyone; he was my boss.
So, I offered a solution.
“Why don’t you visit the Academy sometime? You’ll understand everything in just one month.”
“……”
“Captain?”
“Ahem. Well. I suppose if you live long enough, a good Magic Sword might be crafted by sheer luck. It’s not like Ego Swords are completely unheard of.”
“……”
He was rambling, but the summary was simple: he didn't want to come to the Academy.
As expected of a man who, despite his appearance, served as the Knight Commander of a nation… his judgment was impeccable.
“I’ve been thinking lately.”
“About what?”
Princess Ruelle, who had been lying low for a while, had requested a consultation. I wondered why she was coming to me instead of her professors or her own brother.
She was the princess of a rival nation. Conventionally, the more weaknesses I knew about Dale, the better. So, I accepted the consultation with a fluttering heart, but…
“I’m thinking about dropping out. What do you think?”
“……”
The completely unexpected topic left me momentarily speechless.
…Is this Dale? It seemed the Magic Spammers who escaped the Curse of RoFan were slowly gaining intelligence. Princess Ruelle, who was unaffected by the Curse of RoFan to begin with, was trying to make the ultimate rational decision.
“What makes you think that?”
“I mean, isn't it obvious? Why do you think a princess of another country left her own Royal Academy to come abroad? It was because the Head Professor is McGregor, the former White Tower Master, and his entire division came with him! I came here to learn! But there are no classes!”
“……”
It was a perfectly logical judgment—one that the foolish Prince of Leon, who had forgotten the Academy’s purpose because he was blinded by a woman, couldn't even fathom.
Damn. To think I’d lose to Dale like this.
“If this incident were a one-time thing, I’d stay. But after living at the Academy for nearly a year, I don’t get the feeling that this was a 'special' occurrence. No, seeing how the scale keeps escalating, I can’t imagine what will happen next year. No, not even next year! Who knows what will happen by the end of this year…!”
“……”
Her insight was terrifying.
Is this the level of perception required to double major in Magic and Swordsmanship?
…As expected, her insight was almost as good as mine.
However.
“But thanks to that, you were able to grow quickly, weren't you?”
I couldn't let someone like her escape alone.
I was the only one suffering… No, the loss of a talented individual who even knew the secret Dale Secret Magic barrier would be a great crisis for the Academy.
Therefore, I had to catch her somehow.
The power inflation of our enemies is already absurd; I couldn't let a talent who could pull more than her own weight desert the Academy.
“That’s true.”
Princess Ruelle nodded at my persuasion.
“But I shouldn't have to put my life on the line just to get stronger, right?”
“Can’t you put it on the line once in a while…?”
“…I’m royalty, you know?”
Damn, I couldn't argue with that.
It is weird for foreign royalty to be out here in the Empire risking their life to hunt down dark mages. It’s not weird at all to consider dropping out to stay alive.
“Still, your brother is attending the Academy too.”
“That’s just one more reason to drop out.”
“…Aren't there other royals attending the Royal Academy?”
“One brother and one sister. Another younger sibling is enrolling next year. But at the very least, over there, we don't have any bastards who’ve gone crazy for a girl and abandoned their childhood friend who shamelessly gave up everything for them.”
“……”
Was it because I was used to dealing with people in desperate situations, or because I usually negotiated with beasts who had lost their intellect due to the Curse of RoFan?
Dealing with a sane person who wasn't under the Curse of RoFan left me at a loss for words.
Should I just let her go quietly?
“Then I guess it can’t be helped…”
If she wants to drop out, how could I stop her?
“Wait, why is that here…?”
“Who knows?”
But just as Arberus, who was about to pass on, remained on this earth.
It wasn't impossible for a student who was about to drop out to continue attending the Academy.
The method was simple.
“So, she says she’s going to drop out. Is there any way to stop her?”
—Ruelle is an essential combat asset! Where does she think she’s going?!
He’s easily bypassed sometimes, but he’s a surprisingly useful last resort.
Codename Boradori.
The number two of the Leon Training Officer Imperial Academy branch, an agent who maintained his ace status in everything except baking competitions, went into action.
—Just tell her this one thing.
I relayed Boradori’s confident words exactly to Princess Ruelle.
“You know the area under the Imperial Underground Library?”
“The place the Holy Kingdom declared a Holy Land?”
“Yeah. I heard 'Toha' is down there.”
“…Why on earth would that be there?!”
Princess Ruelle was so startled she even bit her tongue.
“Ow. Wait. Before we get to why it’s there… how do you even know about Toha?”
“It’s a Dale Secret Magic, isn't it?”
“I can understand you knowing Eternity or Hellfire because you had no choice! But Toha is a spell barely known even within the Royal Family!”
“I know about Thundercloud and Nebula, too.”
“Our royal secrets?!”
Actually, the only 'Toha' I knew was the Toha-shrimp bibimbap I had at a restaurant in my past life.
Since I had only just learned about the magic 'Toha,' it wasn't surprising that Princess Ruelle was shocked.
As for Thundercloud and Nebula, the person who had been hit by them was currently in the Academy basement, but it seemed Princess Ruelle was unaware of that fact.
“Who is it? Who did you hear it from?!”
“Me? I’m a special agent of Leon.”
“Don’t make me laugh! There’s no way you’d remember something like magic!”
“I’m still a mage, you know…”
“Aaaargh!”
Princess Ruelle clutched her head and sank to the floor. Then, after taking a few ragged breaths, she bit her lip and stood up.
“Well, th-that doesn't… actually, it does matter! But since it looks like you have no intention of telling me, I’ll let it slide! Anyway. If you know about the existence of Toha, then you must know it’s a spell the Dale Royal Family has lost.”
“Mhm. Of course.”
I didn't know.
That damn Boradori. Why didn't she tell me such important information?
“Knowing that… means you must want something.”
Seeing Princess Ruelle’s face filled with humiliation, I simply kept my mouth shut and maintained a heavy atmosphere.
…It was because the mood made it impossible to admit that I just couldn't forgive her for escaping alone.
“What is it… no, what is it that you want from the Dale Royal Family?!”
“……”
Uh, well. Let me think about that starting now.
Violet - Surely nothing will happen.
Toha (土下).
If you translate the name literally, it means 'Beneath the Earth.'
In Japan, it’s also used to mean dogeza… but in the original work, no particular meaning was assigned to it.
To be honest, it didn't even properly appear. It was just passed over with a vibe of 'There’s also stuff like this under the Academy library!'
Among the readers, some speculated it was one of those sequel hooks the author sneakily threw in.
There was only one thing mentioned regarding Toha.
Information on why Toha was under the Academy library.
Well, honestly, it wasn't even much in the way of 'information.'
The reason the lost Toha of Dale was there was surprisingly simple.
“Because the successor died there.”
And it was a natural death, at that.
He was so obsessed with Secret Magic that he thought he was invincible, went out to hunt a dragon, got humbled, and died. That counts as a natural death.
“…Wait?”
As I was nodding to myself, something occurred to me.
“What’s the timeline on this?”
Among the major powers considered the heavyweights of the continent, Leon was the first to be founded, and the Empire was the most recent.
Dale was between Leon and the Empire, but since the people of Dale had been settled on their land for thousands of years…
The country had been split and unified several times, and the name of the kingdom had changed just as often. In essence, it was a nation with a history similar to the progression from Gojoseon to Joseon in my past life.
“Since Great Emperor Luke and Altear drove out the dragon and made this the Imperial Capital… there’s a gap before that, but…”
In the original work, it seemed like the previous user of Toha had died a very long time ago.
In times like this, asking an eyewitness is the fastest way.
—Toha? Ah, are you talking about that mage who used the Fragments of a Fallen God?
As soon as I put on the Helmet of the Demon King and thought about it, an ominous answer came back immediately.
“What are Fragments of a Fallen God…?”
—They are things mages created by dragging down a portion of a god, stealing their name, and turning the power of that name into magic. We call those the Fragments of a Fallen God.
“Whoa, that’s terrifying……”
That never came up in the original work.
I feel like I’ve learned something I shouldn't have…
—Why are you worried about that? I’m more terrified of that mage-wannabe bastard.
Hearing the Helmet of the Demon King say that I was scarier than Adam Smith was even more shocking.
—Anyway. Why are you asking?
“Well, it seemed like something happened during that gap…”
After hearing such an incredible story, I couldn't focus on anything else.
“Then, Hellfire and Eternity are also…”
—Yes. Those too are proof that mages dragged down the gods. The 12 Original Sins of Mages.
“…Wasn't it seven?”
—There were originally twelve Original Sins. Three gods reclaimed their names, and two were forgotten entirely, leaving only seven.
The more the story progressed, the more I felt my life was in danger.
If Dale finds out about this, they’ll send assassins for sure.
“Th-then, how do you get them back?”
—Oh, that? The landlord just needs to come.
“…Lord Altear?”
—That guy is an illegal squatter. Besides, he already attained Nirvana.
That meant the actual owner who built the place had to come.
And that protagonist was…
“A dragon?”
—Yes. Since that fellow caught it and sealed it, to take it out, he’d have to unseal it himself. Or someone even more skilled would be needed.
My head is throbbing.
I already have so much to do, and it’s only going to get worse once I return to the Academy.
“First, let’s deal with what’s in front of me.”
I checked the calendar.
There were less than two months left in the year.
It was the season when snow began to fall in certain regions, even if they weren't in the north.
And we still hadn't been able to return to the Academy.