Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: A Dangerous Bargain
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Spirit Mountain.
I never thought I would hear that word in a place like this, much less from the lips of a dark elf mage.
“…Where did you say?”
“I said, Spirit Mountain,” Liseradigos replied calmly, looking at my dumbfounded expression.
“There is a strangely shaped peninsula at the eastern edge of the continent, and it is one of the great mountains there. It is likely considered one of the most cursed lands on the continent today.”
“……”
Her subsequent words brought me back to my senses.
I realized the Spirit Mountain she spoke of was an entirely different place from the one I knew.
It was an obvious conclusion, really.
“…The name is rather unique.”
“I hear it was named by the followers of the Colorless.”
“……”
That was probably not the truth.
I didn’t know what this world’s Spirit Mountain was like, but…
It couldn’t be a mere coincidence that the place where my Eldest Martial Brother resided was also called Spirit Mountain.
This meant that it was he who had named the mountain, and those so-called believers were simply following his lead.
‘Why?’
My Eldest Martial Brother had left Spirit Mountain of his own accord.
At first, I thought there might have been some misunderstanding, but when I met him directly, I knew that wasn’t the case.
My Eldest Martial Brother had abandoned everything.
The bonds, relationships, and memories with our Master and martial siblings—all of it. People who prioritize their mission above all else often behave that way.
So why would a man like that name a mountain ‘Spirit Mountain’?
‘…….’
I thought not of the Demon King I had seen in hell, but of the Eldest Martial Brother from my memories.
He usually had a smile on his face, but it wasn't to hide his own emotions.
When he was happy, he laughed even louder.
When he was troubled, he wore a difficult smile.
Before every meal, he would always offer a prayer to someone.
After killing the demonic beasts and spirits that dwelled on Spirit Mountain, he would always repent with a silent expression.
He would even fight back against our Master, who was like the heavens to us, if there was something he couldn't accept.
That was why, after our Master, he was the one I respected and followed the most…
I used to think the reason he was always smiling was because he always faced life with joy.
After all, laughter is born from a place of ease.
But in my world, the Colorless Demon King had destroyed a nation.
An entire nation.
Just how much blood had been spilled because of him?
“—Now.”
As if clapping her hands, Liseradigos drew my attention back.
“This should be more than enough to cover the value of thirty-five points. To find this information outside, you would have had to search through at least several hundred ancient texts.”
She was right.
With today’s questions and answers, I had likely saved myself several months of time.
Still, my mind was in turmoil for some reason.
“You look unwell.”
“…Do I? I must not have slept well.”
I shook my head, but the fog in my mind wouldn't clear easily.
“If your business is concluded, you may leave. I’ve spoken more than usual, and my throat is sore. You can exit by retracing the path you took to get here.”
“……”
“What are you doing? Go on.”
I looked at Liseradigos and asked.
“Will I be able to come here again?”
“The underground library does not welcome return visits. Each guest may only enter once.”
I had a feeling that would be the case.
For a place bearing the grand title ‘Tomb of Forbidden Books,’ most of the knowledge here was likely dangerous.
The kind of knowledge that ordinary people were better off not knowing.
‘In other words, it’s exactly what I need.’
One way or another, my future would be deeply entangled with that cult.
On top of that, with the Martial God, the Seven Sins Sword, the Forgotten Age, and the Divine Throne… the list of things I needed to know was growing, not shrinking.
Therefore, if I could make the knowledge of this underground library my own, it would be a tremendous help in my journey ahead.
“Is there no other way? I’d like to visit this library from time to time.”
“Such a matter was not in our contract. Get out.”
Her tone was starting to sharpen.
I could feel her limp hair beginning to rise again.
Before it could take the form of snakes, I spoke.
“Then how about a trade?”
“A trade?”
“If you permit me to borrow books, I will give you something of equal value in return.”
A look of disbelief flashed in Liseradigos’s eyes.
“Do you even know the definition of a trade?”
“Of course, I—”
“Do not answer yet. I do not think you are ignorant of the word’s concept. What I am curious about, child, is what a fledgling who has not even reached his prime could possibly offer me.”
I felt that what came next was crucial.
This mage was certainly eccentric, but at least she was willing to talk.
Of course, the tiresome thing about mages was that you never knew when an attitude like this could suddenly change…
“Is there anything you desire?”
“Nothing.”
Was that a lie?
If she truly desired nothing, then regardless of her lack of malice toward me, there would be no reason to continue this conversation.
She would have thrown me out with force by now.
Of course, given her earlier mention of a ‘contract,’ there might be a condition preventing her from causing direct harm…
In any case, Liseradigos was testing me.
She was cunning, but that made this doable.
I momentarily considered several things I could offer.
I could simply offer money.
I was now a man of means, with a whole 5,000 gold… or I could use that money to procure materials needed for magic on her behalf.
‘But…’
A strange certainty washed over me.
A certainty that everything I had just thought of was the wrong answer.
“Speak your mind. However, if your answer does not please me, you will pay the price.”
“What price?”
“You are still young, so I will not take your life. But you will have to give up your right arm.”
I almost sighed.
At this point, it felt like my right arm was seriously cursed.
I remembered Keian severing its tendons in the past, and the High Priest cutting it off just before my regression.
Half in frustration, I blurted out.
“I will teach you magic.”
“……”
“You will teach me magic?”
“Yes.”
“…Hah.”
Liseradigos gave a dumbfounded reaction, then let out a strange sound before I could reply.
“Aha, ha, ha-ha, ha, hahaha…”
It took me a moment to realize it was the sound of laughter.
This mage’s laugh was as bizarre as her appearance.
“Amusing, child. I cannot remember the last time I laughed like this…”
“……”
“Teach me magic? That is a phrase I have not heard in hundreds of years. Child, do you know who I am?”
“…The serpent divine beast of the Bednickers, an ancient dark elf, the librarian of the underground library, and a mage, are you not?”
“That is but a fraction of the whole.”
Liseradigos spoke in a voice filled with amusement.
“Child, I will ask again. You would teach magic to me, Liseradigos, Guardian of the Night Sky, rightful master of the Dark Tower, and creator of the nine runes? Can you take responsibility for those words?”
I could feel the anger laced in her voice.
She clearly felt I had insulted her.
However.
“Yes.”
Did this mage know?
That I was actually pleased with this situation.
“A magic you have never experienced before. I will teach it to you.”
***
Liseradigos looked at the fledgling before her.
For one of Bednicker blood, his features were remarkably faint.
For starters, that distractingly bright platinum-blonde hair was not a trait found among dark elves. His skin, too, was as white as porcelain.
If not for the color of his eyes, she wouldn’t have even known he was a Bednicker.
In other words.
Even facing him like this, Liseradigos’s heart should have remained unmoved.
‘How strange.’
He was maintaining his decorum.
In his occasional surprise and flustered expressions, she could even glimpse a hint of caution.
It was the typical reaction of those who faced Liseradigos.
There was just one difference…
‘He has no fear.’
This was the strangest thing of all.
Liseradigos was well aware of how others perceived the aura she exuded.
It was, to some extent, intentional.
Anyone without considerable mental fortitude would find it difficult to maintain their sanity.
And yet, this child.
Even when she directed a rather elaborate threat at him, his demeanor remained unshaken.
Judging by his age, he couldn't have had much experience with this sort of thing. Was it simply his innate disposition?
“…Well, very good. Speak, then. Tell me of this magic that I have never experienced.”
In any case.
Whatever this child’s identity, he had succeeded in one thing.
Bringing Liseradigos to the negotiating table.
He had piqued her curiosity—the most crucial emotion for a mage.
Still, there was one more thing this fledgling needed to learn.
“But if you intend to mock me with some paltry knowledge, you will pay the price.”
That piquing a mage’s curiosity was, in some cases, a dangerous act worth risking one’s life for.
***
“What price must I pay?” I asked.
The mage answered in a nonchalant voice.
“As I said before, I will take your right arm first. And I will cut out your tongue as well. A tongue that spouts such nonsense will no longer be of any use.”
Cutting off an arm and a tongue.
She made Keian from my days as a Collector seem like a gentleman.
“But child, you ask a pointless question. Are you perhaps trying to deceive me?”
“Of course not.”
There was something I had wanted to know, and our conversation just now had given me certainty.
“Then… Lady Ladirisegos.”
“It is Liseradigos.”
“Lirasedigos—”
“Just call me Lise.”
“Yes.”
“Let me tell you in advance. My skills are not merely limited to magic.”
Lise continued in her deadpan voice.
“I am well-versed not only in alchemy, summoning, and spirit arts, but also in divine power, the primitive shamanism practiced by the minority tribes of the plains, curses, demonic contracts, and necromancy.”
I paused for a moment at her words.
“If the magic you intend to teach me is one of these, this is your last chance. If you tell me now, I will not go so far as to cut out your tongue.”
She still intended to take my arm.
To me, it was all the same.
The only fortunate thing was that the magic I was about to reveal was an entirely different and alien power from what Lise had listed.
“About the magic you cast in the tunnel.”
I continued, paying close attention to any change in Lise’s expression.
“It was magnificent.”
They say praise can make even a whale dance, but it didn’t seem to be the case here.
Lise replied in her characteristically dry voice.
“In what way?”
“Usually, that kind of magic prefers to distort an intruder’s senses, doesn't it? But you, Lady Mage, did not do that. You cast a spell over the entire tunnel.”
The reason for employing the former method is simple.
It is far more efficient to cast a spell that distorts an intruder’s perception than to constantly alter the tunnel with magic.
Despite my rather specific example and praise, Lise’s reaction remained impassive, which was to be expected.
No one would get excited over a sniveling kid telling them, ‘You’re so smart.’
“In truth, that alone was enough to tell me you are a mage of a remarkable level—but that’s not all.”
At this point, I deliberately and dramatically shifted the topic.
“I have been to the old training ground beyond the manor’s rear garden.”
I had no intention of revealing this to anyone in the family, but if my suspicions were correct, there was no need to hide it from Lise.
“It was completely unmanaged, with no signs of anyone having been there.”
“And?”
“I saw an undead there.”
In situations like this, it’s more effective not to look away, so I kept my gaze fixed on Lise as I continued.
“To me, the flow of mana is like a signature. It cannot be hidden, even if one wishes to.”
In truth, everyone perceives mana—that is, Ki—differently.
—Some distinguish it by color, while others feel it by touch. In rare cases, some are even said to distinguish it by smell.
My Second Martial Sister, in particular, had possessed exceptionally keen senses.
—How does the flow of Ki appear to you, Ruan?
She had asked in her characteristically soft voice, and I had answered.
That to me, the flow looked like handwriting.
And the mana signature I had felt from the undead was identical to the signature I had just seen passing through the tunnel.
In other words.
The mysterious necromancer who had handled the undead at the Bednicker estate was Liseradigos.
“……”
Lise fell silent.