Chapter 554: Resonance and Recognition
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 554: Resonance and Recognition
The Tower Lord doesn't get involved in politics.
It's said this isn't out of some personal conviction, but rather because she simply never felt the need to intervene.
In fact, she paid little mind even when the current military regime rose to power.
She was simply focused on fending off the massive hordes of magical beasts on the front lines.
And why would she? From the Magic Tower's perspective, it made no difference whether a military regime was in power or not.
Thanks to their influence, the Magic Tower and the Church enjoyed what was essentially extraterritoriality, leaving them relatively free from government pressure and interference.
In other words, they could pull a "who gives a fuck?" no matter what the government said.
It wasn't for nothing that they, along with the government, were known as the three great powers of the nation.
Of course, some nations, like China, ostracized the Magic Tower and the Church, but even they wouldn't publicly condemn or antagonize the two powers.
The direct and indirect benefits were simply too great.
That dictator bastard seemed well aware of this. He'd persistently send partnership requests to the Tower Lord, but he never once crossed the line.
And so, the Tower Lord, in turn, felt no need to intervene.
But I wasn't like her.
Tiring-
[The Devil Slayer has detected demonic energy.]
Leaving the cathedral and heading for the parking lot, I stared at the notification that popped up in the corner of my vision.
It was the message that had appeared when I'd run into Igor just a moment before.
Honestly, I hadn't noticed anything strange about him before the message popped up.
The energy was just that faint.
But the moment the dating app alerted me, I finally realized I could sense a familiar aura from him.
The very essence of a thick, cloying evil.
It was the demonic energy of those demon bastards, the same kind I always sensed from their worshipers.
'I can't tell if this guy has balls of steel or is just plain stupid.'
Pfft.
A dry chuckle escaped me.
Seriously, coming to worship at a cathedral crawling with high-ranking clerics when you can't even control your demonic energy perfectly like I can?
You wouldn't do that even if you had ten lives to spare.
President?
In the face of an inquisition, a title like that is worth less than a rotten fence.
After all, an inquisitor has the authority to execute even a high-ranking official from another country on the spot if they're judged to be associated with demons.
The Church isn't a global institution for nothing.
'Well, with the demonic energy being that faint, he probably wouldn't get caught unless it was by someone at the cardinal level. Besides, he doesn't seem to be a demon contractor.'
No, he might not even be a demon worshiper.
There are plenty of ways to secretly plant demonic energy in someone else.
I could think of ten off the top of my head.
In that sense, if Igor has formed some kind of cooperative relationship with Dmitri, it's possible Dmitri set this up so the Church would take care of Igor for him once he's outlived his usefulness.
'A queen dancing on the board, not even knowing she's a disposable piece... Maybe I don't even need to lift a finger?'
Of course, personally, I wanted to deal with him myself.
I couldn't care less if the bastard ruled as a dictator for decades or ran the country's economy into the ground.
But I could never forgive him for daring to hit on my woman.
'First, I'll break Ana's curse, and then, when the time is right, I'll set fire to the mansion where he's staying... hmm?'
Just as I was nearing the parking lot, a strangely familiar presence made me turn my head.
The next instant, I reflexively scowled.
'Ah, fuck. What is with today?'
My mood soured the moment I saw the face standing in front of the parked car.
Dmitri Chernov.
The Vice Lord of the White Magic Tower and Belmoras's 11th Apostle was standing in front of the car.
'What the hell is that bastard doing here... No, wait a minute?'
The demonic energy planted inside the dictator, and his unscheduled visit to the cathedral.
And to top it off, that bastard, a high-ranking executive of Belmoras, is loitering around the cathedral, a place teeming with holy knights and priests?
The few clues that flashed through my mind naturally led to a single conclusion.
'...Is he here for surveillance and management?'
He might have been waiting nearby in case the demonic energy in Igor's body was detected by the clerics.
No, it seemed almost certain.
And if my guess was right, it meant Igor was still useful to Belmoras.
'What the hell are they plotting?'
Even in the memories of the other apostles I'd absorbed in England, there was no information about Belmoras's plans for Russia.
It was probably because information sharing between apostles was restricted for security reasons.
For now, the most plausible hypothesis was that they were trying to summon a demon using Valentina's soul as a medium.
After all, the descent of a demon in Russia 23 years ago was also an atrocity committed by Belmoras.
'If I had my way, I'd just off him right now...'
I suppressed my presence and observed Dmitri.
The last time we met, I wasn't sure, but after awakening to Resonance, it became much easier to gauge the level of other Elementalists.
With the effects of Devil Slayer added on top of that, I realized the bastard was intentionally hiding his realm.
'...A 7th Circle Mage.'
He was a mage on the same level as Sister Lael.
For reference, the apostles of Belmoras are not numbered according to their strength.
Just as Lancelot, the former 13th Apostle, was stronger than not only Tristan, the 12th Apostle, but also Van Kruger, the 7th Apostle.
Dmitri was even stronger than Talion, the 4th Apostle and the last survivor of the druid clan, who was known by the epithet 'Noble Killer'.
In other words, he was an opponent I couldn't guarantee victory against with my current skills.
Of course, I could use the fact that we were near the cathedral to cause a commotion and summon the holy knights to deal with him...
But if I did that and he managed to escape, things would only get more complicated.
Moreover, in a situation where I didn't even know how many of Belmoras's apostles had infiltrated Russia, acting rashly was clearly a foolish move.
'Besides, there's no need for me to take the risk myself.'
Once I break Anastasia's curse, the Tower Lord will take the heads of Dmitri and all the other demon-worshiping bastards anyway.
Rather than waste my energy on people with not long to live, it would be far more productive to get back to the mansion as quickly as possible and blow raspberries on Anastasia's soft, smooth belly.
For the record, I have to do it secretly, because if the Tower Lord catches me, I'll get beaten like a dog on a hot summer day.
Fortunately, I haven't been caught yet.
Anyway, having reached a suitable conclusion, I leisurely walked toward the car.
As I naturally revealed my presence, Dmitri's gaze turned toward me.
“You...?”
The moment our eyes met, Dmitri's eyes widened as if in shock.
But his expression quickly turned icy as he looked at me.
“...Kang Hyun-woo.”
“Calling each other by name like that... it's a bit much coming from another guy, don't you think?”
I might not mind it from a woman, but when a guy does it, it just makes my stomach turn.
“Anyway, looks like you've dropped the 'nice guy' act. Ah, is it because there's no one around to see?”
“...Why are you here?”
“And what would you do if you knew?”
I let even the faintest hint of a smile fade, my expression hardening.
Perhaps it was the influence of Devil Slayer, but whenever I faced a demon worshiper, an unknown hostility surged from a corner of my heart.
“...I heard the Republic of Korea is called the 'Land of Eastern Courtesy.' Was I mistaken?”
“If you're that upset, you want me to start insulting your parents or something?”
“Insult my parents...?”
I made a fist and stuck my thumb between my index and middle fingers.
Dmitri's expression twisted when he saw the fig sign.
But it was only for a moment. He took a calm, deep breath and suppressed his emotions.
I thought he would've lunged at me after being provoked that much, but it seemed he was restraining himself, conscious of the fact that we were near the cathedral.
For a demon contractor, he had considerable self-control.
“...I've been curious since we first met. Do you have some kind of grudge against me?”
“A grudge?”
“Yes. Unless I'm mistaken, you've had a strangely sharp attitude toward me ever since we met at the Magic Tower. If I've done something wrong, would you mind telling me honestly?”
“'Something wrong,' you say...”
I continued, a blatant smirk playing on my lips.
“What man in this world likes a dog in heat sniffing around his woman?”
“...What?”
“If you have nothing else to say, stop blocking the way and move aside.”
Beep-beep-
As I pointedly pressed the button to unlock the car doors, Dmitri's face instantly turned ashen.
“Wh-why do you have the car keys...?!!”
“It's my car, so of course I have the keys, right?”
“Don't be ridiculous!! K0○○○Y – 50 is definitely the license plate of the Tower Lord's vehicle!!”
“Oh, fuck. That's creepy. You actually memorized it? You're a total stalker.”
Click-
I got into the driver's seat, rolled down the window, and looked at Dmitri.
“I heard you made some kind of confession last time. Please refrain from such acts in the future. You're not a middle schooler. Aren't you ashamed of hitting on someone else's girlfriend?”
“...Girlfriend?”
“If you do it again, I'll report you to the Magic Management Bureau.”
Vrooooom-!!
I stepped on the gas, leaving the dumbfounded Dmitri behind me.
Not long after, a news report came on the radio about a mysterious explosion in a parking lot near the cathedral.
*
Having succeeded in thoroughly pissing off Dmitri, I bought a dessert for Anastasia with a satisfied smile and immediately left the city center.
But my destination wasn't the mansion, but a deserted, remote mountain valley.
The reason was simple.
What I was about to do was something that couldn't possibly be done near the mansion.
There was a chance that the pissed-off Dmitri might follow me, but if things got too dangerous, I could just go to another world, reach the 6th Circle, and come back.
Of course, the thing I'd hoped for... no, worried about, didn't happen.
He was surprisingly patient.
'Well, he's probably holding back so he can deal with me for good later, just like that old geezer.'
Screeeech-
I parked the car in a secluded spot, got out immediately, and approached the cliff face before me.
I quite liked how solid the ground was.
“This place will do.”
Wooooong-
Having chosen a suitable spot, I resonated with the Earth Element.
Ruuuuuumble-!!
In an instant, a cave just large enough for one person to squeeze through formed in the cliff face.
I went inside, illuminated the surroundings with Light Magic, and then sealed the cave entrance with earth.
On top of that, I drew in more of the Earth Element to firmly reinforce the ground.
“Hmm, cozy.”
Fortunately, I wasn't claustrophobic, so I sat down in a suitable spot in the lotus position.
Perhaps because it was such a deserted place, I could feel the high concentration of magic power on my skin.
Fwhoosh-!!!
Soon, black flames erupted violently, surrounding me.
It was the Black Flame.
[Master of the Black Flame
Grade: Special
Receive the acknowledgment of the Black Flame.
Reward: 'Black Flame' Grade Up]
To be honest, I wasn't sure about what I was about to do.
Frankly, I still had no idea what 'receive the acknowledgment of the Black Flame' actually meant.
I had merely formed a vague hypothesis that, just as I had resonated with the Fire Element, I might be able to resonate with the Black Flame in some form.
Creating a space where it felt like my lungs would burn up or I'd die from carbon monoxide poisoning at any moment was also a desperate attempt to increase the probability of success, even by a little.
Of course, as a Pyromancer, my organs themselves have a natural resistance to fire, so the disaster of my lungs burning up wouldn't happen.
And thanks to the Wind Element, I wouldn't get carbon monoxide poisoning either.
Fwooooosh-!!!
'...This should be fine, right?'
I felt a momentary flicker of anxiety as the temperature inside the cave skyrocketed to a frightening degree, but the die had already been cast.
“Hoo...”
I slowly closed my eyes in the middle of the flames.
Was it because I had meditated hundreds, thousands of times before?
I was able to observe myself, forgetting even the absurd heat that was beginning to breach my Immunity to Cold and Heat.
And soon, a scene completely different from usual unfolded before my eyes.
Nature and I.
The boundary between us slowly began to blur.
No, to be more precise, I began to see all the elements that make up nature.
From the Fire Element drawn to the Black Flame I had artificially created, to the Earth Element that formed the cliff and the entire mountain, the Water Element dwelling in the groundwater, and of course, the Wind Element that had to be present.
That wasn't all.
I could even clearly perceive the elements of Light and Dark, born from the faint darkness remaining in the cave and the light source created by the flames.
Of course, I could always see the elements, but never to this extent.
Was it thanks to awakening Resonance?
It felt as if my very perspective on the world had been completely overturned.
I was momentarily flustered by the unexpected situation, but in a way, this was also a perfectly natural phenomenon.
Humans, after all, are also a part of nature.
'...Is this the turning point?'
The blurring of the boundary between nature and myself meant that my ego could collapse if I continued like this.
As proof, my mind and the flow of time were gradually becoming hazy.
But I didn't forget my initial purpose. Among the countless elements surrounding me, I faced and focused only on the most fiercely burning Black Flame.
The moment I shunned all other elements and slowly reached out my hand toward the Black Flame—
Fwhoooooooosh-!!!!!!!!!
'?!!'
An immense heat washed over me like a wave, swallowing me whole.
