Chapter 116: Secret Principle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 116: Secret Principle
Lucy let go of Ferda’s hand and plucked a petal from a rose in the garden.
As she squeezed the petal in her small hand, it instantly transformed into dried tobacco leaves and settled into her pipe. She produced a spark from her fingertip to light it, then took a deep drag, exhaling a cloud of thick smoke.
Ferda, who had been waiting for her to speak, finally asked his question.
“What do you mean by it becoming a blessing?”
Ferda couldn't quite grasp her meaning.
Lucy gave him a mature, knowing smile. “As you know, cultivating the Blue Circle generally stems from meditation.”
Most cultivation methods for the Blue Circle begin with meditation—emptying the mind or focusing on a single thought to maintain a steady rhythm while shaping mana circuits. To disrupt such a mage, one simply needs to break their composure.
“What is the source of power for the Red Circle?” she asked.
“The emotion it originated from when the circle was first created.”
“Exactly. If it started with joy, growth comes from even greater joy; if it started with hatred, it leads to even deeper hatred.”
Lucy nodded.
“Conversely, how would you hinder them?”
“Contradiction and dilemma.”
A person fueled by hatred loses their life as a mage the moment they lose their reason to hate. When presented with contradiction and dilemma, their emotions cool and turn brittle. Ferda knew this well; he had lived his life with that principle etched into his mind.
“Right now, both affection and regret exist within your heart,” Lucy noted.
“That’s true.”
“If you want to grow stronger purely through the theory of the Red Circle, you would have to nurture your affection and suppress your regret so that you grow solely through your love. Isn't that right?”
This was something Ferda already understood. He nodded slightly and asked, “Are you saying you know a way to get rid of that regret?”
Lucy shook her head.
“That would be a foolish choice, child. Would you burn down your house because you're afraid of bedbugs? If even one emotion is missing, the balance is bound to collapse.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means all emotions are connected by causality.” Lucy took another deep drag of smoke. “Affirmation exists because there is negation. You have affection precisely because that regret exists.”
Ferda frowned slightly. “If I don’t erase the regret, won't it continue to test me?”
Ferda spoke the words, but he still felt as though he had gained a useless organ. Lucy likely expected him to think that way. She, too, was a master of the Red Circle.
“Then let me ask you this. Why does that regret exist?”
“That’s…”
As Ferda hesitated, Lucy added, “You don’t have to answer me. Just think deeply so you can find the answer yourself.”
Because I killed Valdrova. Her, who was purer than anyone.
If he were to erase this regret… what would happen to his feelings for her? Thinking about it that way, he began to understand. He understood why he had to let the regret remain.
“Child, your regret is like a heart. If it is excessive or lacking, problems will arise; if it disappears, you will die. If you can learn to control it, it becomes a magnificent driving force. Do you understand?”
Ferda nodded. “So, what must I do?”
Lucy drew a straight line in the air with her index finger. “You must draw a line.”
“Draw a line?”
“If you build a fence between emotions so they do not mix, you will be able to see exactly what they are made of.”
As a mage who handled the Red Circle, he could vaguely grasp her meaning. Emotions were as ambiguous as wet paint. If one didn't focus, they would run together, mixing and becoming muddy until their essence was lost. The moment the essence vanished, the growth of the Red Circle died.
In that regard, Ferda was an elite. He had reached the 9th Circle purely by converting everything into rage.
‘But this time, I have to separate two.’
It was his first time using a mana circle powered by affection, and his first time having regret interfere. Naturally, it was also his first time trying to build a fence between the two. A mana circuit that operated on both affection and regret for Valdrova—how was he supposed to partition them?
“In that sense, child, you have already taken the first step.”
“What step?”
“Shape of Shadow.”
It was a mana cultivation method recorded in Barbatos’ Shadow Arts.
“‘The shadow becomes me, and I become the shadow.’ Do you remember that phrase?”
Ferda nodded.
“The answer lies within that.”
Lucy ended her explanation there. Ferda felt as if she had stopped mid-sentence, but Lucy didn't seem to care.
“Now, what else should I give you as a reward…?” Lucy tilted her pipe, humming thoughtfully. “Hmm…”
She stared intently at her pipe and then smirked. Ferda worried she was about to give him something useless. Then, the thorny vines hovering around Lucy gathered toward her hand. A hundred snakes seemed to entwine and rise in a chaotic mess before spitting something out.
It was a straight wooden branch. It looked remarkably similar to the pipe Lucy was holding.
“What do you think this is?”
“…A pipe?”
“Why would I give you something like that? You’re too young to even know the true taste of tobacco.” She exhaled smoke with a spiteful expression, as if telling him not to smoke. Of course, Ferda had tried it before. He had stopped because he disliked the hazy sensation it caused.
Just as he was about to ask what it was—
Crackle!
Red sparks flew around the rod. It was the Heaven-Defying Lightning. She laughed delightedly at the look on Ferda’s face.
“It is Retribution.”
“Retribution?”
“I named it ‘Retribution.’ It is a magic staff I crafted myself.”
“Is that so?”
“There is a branch where I struck down a thunderbolt, yes? The kind of thing mages would risk their lives for. It will naturally absorb that power. Then, the instability will settle, and you will be able to use that power perfectly.”
He didn't understand why she was explaining this to him. Based on the context, she was saying she would give it to him as a gift, but he didn't jump to conclusions. It could be a trick to test his greed.
“Take it.”
He had his doubts, but it was true. Even though she told him to take it, Ferda didn't grab the staff immediately.
“My arm is going to fall off, child. I may not look it, but I am a delicate girl, you know?”
“…”
“I’m trying to give you a gift, yet you have the face of a pig that’s just been handed a heaped bowl of rice. Why? Do you think I’m going to slaughter you?”
“It seems likely.”
Lucy burst out laughing. “What an insolent thing to say. Why can’t you consider that I might just be giving it to you for free?”
“Because people like that all died a long time ago.”
“True. That is also true,” she said, cackling. “As I said, I help women with tragic fates. Valdrova also possessed a tragic fate. That is why I wanted to help that woman. But it wasn't easy.”
“Why?”
“Wasn't there a very fierce dog around her?”
He didn't need to ask who she meant. Wasn't that fierce dog the one preventing anyone from entering this space?
‘I don’t know what Ruri will do once I get back.’
He was already prepared to be scrubbed raw. Just thinking about the green towel in her hand made him tense up reflexively.
“Since that puppy says she can’t trust the words of a witch, how could I help?”
It was only natural that Ruri wouldn't listen. Ruri was Valdrova’s attendant, and Lucy was a witch notorious across the continent. There was no way Ruri would stand by and watch her mistress be toyed with by a witch.
“Since I have no means of contact, I thought I could help through you. Even if you are a man, there’s no reason to be uneasy about saving a tragic woman.”
Listening to her story, it didn't feel like a lie. He had felt this when he fought her in the past; even though she was the leader of the witches, she didn't feel malicious. She seemed infinitely calm, as if she had reached a state of emptiness, much like the current Ferda.
Was he being enchanted, or was he certain of himself? If he was enchanted, he was doubting himself; if he was certain, he was trusting himself. There was no other choice. Ferda finally reached out and took the staff.
As he gripped the blunt end of the staff, a change occurred. In an instant, the branch transformed into a sleekly finished black staff. It took a form that matched Ferda’s presence and attire perfectly. Simply transforming was a trick other staves could perform, but there was one thing that surprised Ferda.
‘I can’t feel any mana.’
Generally, since staves or wands serve to assist in casting spells, they always have a reservoir to hold mana. The higher the quality of the staff, the larger the reservoir.
Just in case, Ferda channeled his mana into it.
Crackle!
Immediately, red lightning began to surge.
‘It’s not releasing stored mana; it’s instantaneous conversion.’
He could use magic the moment he wanted to, and since it held no mana, it would be treated as a simple walking stick by anyone else. It was a Magitech tool that was essentially a dream for all mages.
“I will use it well.”
“Hmm? Why the sudden change to formal speech?”
“How could I not use honorifics after you’ve provided such help?”
“Heh, is that so? What a commendable child.” Lucy gazed at him with mischievous eyes. It looked as if honey were about to drip from her gaze. “Is there anything else you need?”
“Since you said it’s possible with Shape of Shadow, I was hoping for a few more clues…”
“Haha, so you were flattering me just to say that?”
It would be a lie to say he wasn't. While she was in a good mood, Ferda had to squeeze out whatever he could.
“Fine. I shall tell you. In the East, they call it Shadow-Self Unity. Isn't the essence of Shadow Arts to treat the shadow like your own limbs?”
“Yes.”
“If you truly believe the shadow can become you, then what is impossible?”
What did that mean? Ferda hoped Lucy would explain further, but before he could even get the question out, a small finger touched his lips.
“This is the last favor, clue, and secret principle this girl can give you.”
Lucy’s small finger slid up and touched Ferda’s forehead. In that instant, Ferda’s consciousness was sucked away. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the spot where he had first received the invitation.
* * *
After Ferda vanished, only the witch remained in the Witch’s Garden. Lucy covered her face with a black cloth and returned to the Rose Pavilion. The other witches were laughing and chatting as usual.
“Ferda—what did that man seem like?”
“An insolent fellow. He kept speaking informally to our Big Sister.”
“I wanted to shove this needle under his fingernails…”
“There’s nothing better than a stoic man like that screaming in pain.”
“I like the moaning. I want to make him moan for three hours.”
The witches cackled as they shared their twisted fetishes. Then, they nudged Lucy.
“Our Big Sister seems quite demure today. Is that the concept you’ve decided on?”
Lucy Philias, the Big Sister of them all, sat slumped in her seat as if uninterested in the conversation, endlessly smoking her pipe. Seeing her like that, the other witches chimed in.
“Indeed, you look more troubled than usual, Big Sister.”
“It’s been a while since you’ve seen a man. How fluttering your heart must have been!”
“Ah, youth, youth.”
Lucy tapped her ash into the ashtray. Despite the various teases, she didn't get angry once before opening her mouth.
“Ferda Valdrova.”
The name came out along with a puff of smoke. For a man’s name to come out of Lucy’s mouth meant he had become a target.
“What do you want to do with him?”
“I’m curious to see what kind of scheme you’ll cook up.”
Their gestures suggested they were dying of curiosity. Lucy replied, “Look into that man a bit more.”
“Is that all? Nothing else for us to do?”
“There is,” Lucy added as if she had forgotten. “None of you are to touch that child recklessly.”
The cackling of the witches stopped.
“That’s an unusual order. Even though he’s a man?”
“Oh my, has our Big Sister actually developed an interest in a man?”
“You pathetic things. It is not because of simple amusement like yours.” Lucy looked up at the seated witches and said, “It is because I do not wish to see you die at that child’s hands.”
“…What?”
“Does that make sense? A mere nineteen-year-old brat killing us?”
If it had been anyone else, they would have thought it was a joke, but Lucy’s words carried weight. When she spoke to the witches, she never said things she didn't mean.
“So, um… are you talking about something like a past life?”
“Do you think it’s such a trivial story? I am saying that child has erased your very existence from this land before.”
“Are you saying he invaded this place?”
“He didn't stop at invasion.” She puffed out a cloud of smoke. “He even took my life.”
Every witch held their breath. It was a silent question and, at the same time, pure shock. Limbo was a land that no being could properly track. To enter such a land and kill Lucy Philias, the mother of all witches, was virtually impossible.
The witches who had been mocking and joking fell silent along with Lucy. It was the first time a heavy silence had fallen over the Rose Pavilion. They were likely turning the gears in their heads in their own way.
‘If I died in that place, there must have been a reason.’
Lucy considered this another message sent to herself—a signal letting her know that while she didn't know the reason, Ferda was special.
‘Is all of that… also for that woman?’
Lucy subtly released mana into her hand. It formed a specific shape. It was a Rune. The Rune that had dwelled in Echidna’s heart and nearly killed her helplessly. That Rune was a massive collection of information forged purely from emotion.
‘Is this Rune that child’s regret?’
Just as Echidna had, Lucy tried to take a small taste of it. But before she could even sample it, she pulled her hand away. This was something even she, the Big Sister, could not handle.
Even though she was an authority on the Red Circle, she harbored the question of how a human could possess such immense emotion. The answer was clear.
‘He must have turned back time.’
She couldn't help but wonder how Ferda had managed it. To reach that level, one had to enter the realm of the 9th Circle—the domain of a Demigod—and use a ‘Wish.’
‘Did he reach the place I gave up on?’
It would be a lie to say she wasn't jealous. However, knowing it was futile, she killed the emotion.
‘To sing of regret with a Wish…’
Lucy smiled.
“I won’t be bored for a while, now that someone worth watching has appeared.”
Emotions that had been worn down over a thousand years throbbed in her chest. It was, without a doubt, excitement.