Chapter 114 Saint Birth Festival (3)
Saint Birth Festival (3)
The Magic King.
Even here, that name pops up. Just what kind of person was he to still exert such influence hundreds of years after his death?
No wonder I felt a throbbing in my head. Silvana was quietly observing me—or rather, the Silpi within my memories.
Silpi, too, seemed at a loss for words and remained silent for a while.
[The Magic King... That bastard again.]
A sigh laced with frustration escaped his lips. As if feeling dizzy, he pressed his forehead repeatedly with his hand.
After a brief silence, Silpi looked up at Silvana and asked,
[Can you tell me more about the Magic King? I have a feeling I'll be fighting his descendants soon.]
[...You mean those so-called Descendants of the Magic King?]
Silvana's brows furrowed sharply—a rare sight.
Silpi, taken aback by her reaction, could only stammer out a confused, "Huh?" His bewildered emotions seemed to reach me even across the memory.
It felt like watching someone usually calm and composed suddenly lose their temper.
She rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought for a moment, before continuing.
[They're not actually the Magic King's descendants.]
[Huh? Then what are they?]
[They're just hyenas who happened to snatch a scrap of the Magic King's power.]
Silvana clicked her tongue dismissively in response to Silpi's question.
[Calling themselves his descendants is laughable.]
[...You really don't like them, huh.]
[Well, it's...]
She hesitated briefly before exhaling deeply. Silvana twirled a strand of her hair around her finger as she spoke.
[The Magic King was once my contractor too.]
[...Seriously?]
Silpi's shock reverberated through me. Even I was stunned to learn that she had been contracted to the Magic King.
I had guessed she was experienced, given her calm demeanor and how she mediated conflicts between Sally and Silpi—but I never imagined she had made a contract with the infamous Magic King centuries ago.
[Yes. Though I was still young back then.]
[So that's why you're so angry.]
Silvana nodded faintly at Silpi's words.
[The Magic King was an incredibly powerful man. Whether in strength or willpower.]
Her bitter smile left Silpi speechless.
Even to him, this side of Silvana was unfamiliar—his flustered emotions lingered, transmitted through our synchronization.
[I agreed to the contract thinking he might be able to overthrow that Emperor...]
But in the end...
She trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought.
[So those so-called descendants aren't really connected to the Magic King?]
[Right. They're just scavengers who took fragments of his legacy after his death. They don't inherit his will or anything like that.]
[...I see.]
Silpi didn't press further, unsettled by Silvana's rare hostility.
Continuing the conversation would only agitate her more, so he decided to change the subject.
'So even thoughts are readable now?'
Not just Silpi's emotions—I could sense the flow of his thoughts too.
It was a sensation I'd never experienced during our usual conversations. Maybe that's why I felt slightly dizzy.
It was as if I couldn't control the direction of my own thoughts. Staying in this state for too long would probably be exhausting.
[There's one more thing I want to ask.]
[Hm? What is it?]
Silvana's voice had softened again, perhaps having calmed down while Silpi hesitated.
He asked her something he'd been curious about for a while.
[The existence sleeping inside the contractor. Did you know about it too?]
[The contractor... You mean that child?]
Silpi nodded repeatedly at her question.
The existence sleeping inside my body.
It must have been because of what happened inside the Oblivion Whale. I'd heard about it from Silpi afterward.
Not only had it stolen Silpi's spirit power against his will and fought that monster on equal footing—it had even defeated it in the end.
If I hadn't felt Silpi's emotions from that moment myself, I would never have believed it.
And I wasn't completely clueless about it either.
During the subjugation expedition, a voice had interfered with my mind, briefly freeing me before warning me not to look.
It had spoken to me a few times since then, though never more than a word or two.
[There's no way you wouldn't know.]
[Do you know what it is?]
At Silpi's repeated question, Silvana nodded her head lightly. She gazed at Silpi for a moment before slowly continuing her words.
[I can't say I know everything for certain. But...]
Silvana trailed off, lost in thought. Seeing this, Silpi grew impatient and urged her on—So what is it then?
Silvana chuckled softly at his reaction before finally answering.
[A fragment of the Magic King's power. And not just any fragment—the most powerful one.]
[...What?]
Her words shocked not only Silpi but me as well.
A fragment of the Magic King's power was sleeping inside me? It was hard to believe.
No, considering I had defeated that monster, her words did carry some credibility.
But still—a fragment of the Magic King? The thought of something like that lying dormant within me gave me an eerie feeling.
[So, does that mean the contractor is a descendant of the Magic King or something?]
[No. The Magic King has no descendants.]
Silvana shook her head repeatedly as she spoke. It seemed she knew this for certain, likely because she had made a contract with the Magic King himself.
[But... he must be connected to the Magic King in some way.]
[What do you mean by that?]
Silpi retorted, sounding incredulous.
I shared the same confusion. The idea that the being inside me was linked to the Magic King was something I couldn't comprehend.
[Have you ever seen your contractor use that power?]
[...Yeah. He even took my power effortlessly and wielded it. He was so strong it felt impossible to keep up.]
Silpi sighed as he spoke. Silvana nodded and continued.
[Then it's confirmed.]
[What do you mean?]
[Those who call themselves the Descendants of the Magic King are nothing more than hyenas scavenging for power after losing their master.]
Because of that, they can never wield that power fully.
They can only use it by shouldering some kind of risk—that's what the Descendants of the Magic King are.
Silvana slowly elaborated.
[But your contractor used that power without paying any price, right?]
[Right.]
[I don't know the exact details either. But...]
Her words trailed off as she sighed. Then, she lifted her head and looked straight at Silpi. Her vivid green eyes fixed on him.
For a fleeting moment, I wondered if it was just my imagination.
It felt as though she was looking beyond him—at me, lurking in the memory. Her eyes shimmered mysteriously.
[This is something you, the contractor, should also be aware of.]
Her sudden address sent chills down my spine. Had she sensed my presence beyond the memory?
As I thought this, Silpi frowned sharply.
[What are you suddenly talking about?]
[Weren't you planning to share this memory with your contractor?]
[Well... yeah, but—]
Ah, so she had anticipated the memory being shared and was speaking to me through it. The realization that she had directly addressed me sent a brief panic through me.
But my relief was short-lived as Silvana spoke again.
[You're being too careless, Silpi's contractor.]
Another wave of chills ran through me.
The moment she said this, the scenery within the memory faded into monochrome. Time seemed to freeze—Silpi didn't move an inch.
Even the leaves swaying in the wind stood still, their pointed tips frozen mid-air.
The abrupt change made me instinctively scan my surroundings.
Though I couldn't move my body or even my eyes, I had to assess the situation as quickly as possible.
Because the moment I hesitated, all that awaited me was death and regression. In the brief silence, Silvana, who had been watching me, smirked and spoke.
[There's no need to be wary. Right now, I'm merely speaking to you through Silpi's memory.]
It's not like the Silvana in this memory sensed your future self and reached out to you.
She grinned mischievously, and I couldn't help but sigh deeply. No wonder she was Silpi's friend—she had the same playful streak.
'Do you... have something you want to tell me?'
At my question, Silvana nodded slowly.
[Yes. Because this is something I can't tell Silpi.]
'What is it...?'
She closed her eyes briefly, as if carefully choosing her words. For some reason, she seemed almost afraid of what she had to say.
What should she say? Though she had resolved to deliver the message, she now seemed to lack the courage to voice it.
Unable to read her thoughts, I could only feel confusion rising within me.
[..If you ever see Sally again—please, kill her.]
The moment I heard those words, her earlier hesitation made perfect sense.