Chapter 173: Incomprehensible
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 173: Incomprehensible
A remote village sat on the outskirts of the capital.
It was a quiet place where the inhabitants farmed under the protection of House Rosnova. Located deep within the heart of the Empire rather than on its volatile borders, the village was a bastion of profound peace.
Boom!
Consequently, it was an exceedingly rare sight to see the manor of such a venerable knightly family half-shattered.
The epicenter of the explosion was the drawing room.
In the middle of the hollowed-out space, a man knelt with his forehead pressed against the floor. Every fiber of his being was directed toward the ground, save for his two hands, which were raised high in the air.
Those hands reached toward a young girl, begging for mercy.
“Please… I beg of you, just spare my life.”
The middle-aged man’s voice was pathetic as he pleaded.
“Hey.”
The girl responsible for half-destroying the building showed no sign of letting her anger subside.
“What were the last words I said to you?”
The man’s throat seemed to seize up; only the ragged sound of his breath escaped his nose.
“If you don’t answer, I’ll blow your head off.”
“You told me… to stay out of sight and live as if I were dead.”
“Live as if you were dead. Right. And what do you think that means? It means keep your head down and don’t even let the sound of your breathing be heard. Did it not sound like that to you?”
“It did, my lady.”
“Then why the hell did you go running to Alexander to tattle that Ferda is a black mage?”
A cold blue light flickered in Erdes’s eyes.
For Erembalt, it had been an unavoidable situation. While it was true that Alexander’s side had pressured him, he wasn’t actually afraid of the Prince himself. It was because Waldemar stood behind him.
If Waldemar was involved, it wasn't just his two sons' career paths at stake, but the very survival of his house. Erembalt had received an offer he couldn't refuse.
“It was never my intention to disrespect the President of the Magic Society.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit. I saw you stick your head out just to screw me over. Do you think I’m blind? Do you think you’re the first one to try something like this?”
Her hand moved as if she were about to manifest a spell at any moment.
Killing a noble was a capital crime, but Erdes had already executed many of them with her own hands. Sweat poured down Erembalt’s face.
“I fully understand that you must be displeased. It is entirely my fault. However, please give me one more chance. I have prepared something to appease your anger, President.”
Erdes withdrew the hand that had been gathering mana and rested her chin on it.
“Fine. Let’s see it.”
There wasn't a hint of expectation in her voice. She simply figured it wouldn't be too late to kill him after seeing whatever trivial thing he offered.
Seizing the opportunity, Erembalt hurriedly signaled a servant to bring the item.
“It is this.”
What Erembalt presented was a simple wrapping cloth.
“What is this?”
“This is an item related to Anna, Ferda’s mother—the woman you have been searching for so desperately, Lady Erdes.”
“What was this cloth used for?”
Even if an item was related to the target, it was useless if there was no significant history attached to it. If mere association was enough, she could have just taken a fork the woman had once used.
“It is the swaddling cloth… that the child, Ferda, was wrapped in when he was first brought here.”
“Ferda…”
An item related to both Ferda and his mother simultaneously. It was the most ideal medium Erdes could have hoped for.
“I searched the entire estate to find this. I kept it ready so that I could give it to you whenever you arrived…”
“Hmm…”
The mana gathered in her eyes dissipated. Since she could now proceed with an investigation that had seen no progress until now, her anger softened. Erdes decided to show a measure of leniency.
“Fine. I’ll forgive you.”
“Th-thank y—”
“Choose.”
“Pardon?”
“Between you and your two sons. Pick one.”
She held up one finger on her left hand and two on her right.
“Do you want one of your arms completely crushed, or should I half-crush the arms of both your sons?”
His own pain, or his family’s. Erembalt chose without a moment’s hesitation.
“...Please, take my arm.”
He chose his children’s future. Erdes spoke as if the choice wasn't surprising at all.
“Right. The choice a father should naturally make.”
Crack, crunch!!
“Ugh, aaaaaagh…!”
Erembalt’s arm twisted into a zigzag, as if several new joints had been added, and went limp. The pain was indescribable.
Erdes turned her back and walked out.
“Sob… huff…”
Erembalt wept as he watched Erdes move away. It wasn't just because of the agony. Within those tears was the relief that he had managed to save his family.
* * *
Upon leaving the Rosnova mansion, Erdes immediately prepared a magic circle. Since the item had been stored in the manor for so long, it would surely hold a strong lingering energy of the vicinity.
“Maroon’s Eye.”
The spell, known as the eye of the God of Knowledge, was the highest tier of search magic. Erdes tossed the cloth into the magic circle, and mana began to envelop the fabric.
Every particle of mana scanned the interwoven threads, searching for information. Following the will and obsession of the Archmage, the spell sought the data she desired.
What she wanted was a location associated with this object. As her desire and the information synchronized, the mana drew a signpost.
Erdes followed the path. The place she arrived at was the back gate of the Rosnova estate. This was undoubtedly where the first meeting with Erembalt had taken place.
“Then…”
Erdes summoned her magic staff. It was time to begin the search in earnest.
This was high-tier magic on a completely different level than Maroon’s Eye. The mere flow of mana was enough to shake the ground and turn the sky upside down. To manifest a spell of this magnitude, five 6th Circle mages would usually have to work together for a week.
However, it took only thirty minutes for the magic circle under Erdes’s hands to be completed. Finally, she chanted the name assigned to the spell.
“Nostalgia of Scholar.”
A massive ripple erupted, causing the surroundings to shimmer. Under her mana, the area became a gray zone, stripped of all color.
This magic went beyond simply tracking the past; it used the medium as a door to recreate the state of that past. Even if a face was wrapped tightly in thick cloth, the spell would reveal the past itself. In essence, it was a leap through time.
In the gray space, the cloth that served as the medium fluttered in the air as if caught in a breeze. Then, it took on a specific shape, as if wrapping something.
A moment later, a woman appeared, holding the bundled cloth. A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. It was undoubtedly Anna Rosnova, Ferda’s biological mother.
Creeak—.
Soon, someone opened the gate and appeared. It was a younger, much thinner Erembalt Rosnova.
—Excuse me, milord.
Anna spoke first.
—What is it? If the servants called for me so urgently, it must be a pressing matter.
—It is nothing else. I am Anna, and I have come here by order.
—By whose order?
—By the order of the Order of Sierra.
The woman showed the emblem hanging around her neck. Erembalt’s expression soured.
—Sierra… I’m sorry, but I am a man of the Empire. An Imperial citizen follows the Alte Order.
—In that case, will you harm me?
—If you do not leave, I must follow the law, must I not? But I am not so cold-hearted as to harm a woman I’ve met for the first time today. Especially since you have a child. I will give you food and clothes, so leave quietly.
—You are a generous man. But unfortunately, I cannot do that.
—What?
—From today, I am to be your wife.
—What nonsense is this? Why should I take you in?
—Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice, honey.
—Honey? How dare a piece of Sierra trash coming in the dead of night… Ugh…!
Erembalt, who had been raging, suddenly clutched his head in agony. The woman calmly placed a hand on his shoulder.
—What’s wrong? Are you alright?
—Huh? Oh… it’s nothing.
Erembalt stared blankly at her. His wary gaze turned relaxed, as if he were looking at an old acquaintance.
—But why are you out here, wife?
The woman smiled brightly and spoke as if nothing had happened.
—I just liked the night breeze.
—What if our child catches a cold… Come inside quickly.
—Yes.
The woman walked inside confidently, then stopped. Erdes had frozen the scene.
Watching the scene, Erdes muttered, “…What is this?”
She doubted her own eyes. She carefully twisted her wrist to rewind the time that had passed. She repeated the moment the woman went from a stranger to a wife over and over again.
Usually, even if a scene was incomprehensible, the silhouette of the truth would reveal itself after three rewinds. Erdes was, after all, the greatest Archmage on the continent.
And yet, she saw nothing. There were no traces of spells or curses, no gestures, nothing.
I was certain Anna was a demon…
Erdes believed Ferda was the child of a demon. If so, Anna had to be a demon or a worshipper. But there were no traces of worship, nor any demonic aura. All she had done was say that things would be so.
I have no choice but to dig deeper into this woman’s identity…
Just as she was about to reach out toward Anna, Erdes felt a chill. Reflexively, she twisted her wrist to rewind time again.
But it wouldn't move. Time remained frozen, and her wrist was similarly paralyzed.
Erdes was supposed to be the one dominating this space. But instead, she was becoming subordinate to it.
“Ugh!”
Erdes deployed an emergency protection spell to shield herself. But even with the protection active, she couldn't stop the sensation of being swallowed. It was as if she were becoming like Erembalt.
—Oh?
In the frozen space, the woman’s voice rang out clearly.
That’s impossible…!
Erdes rolled her eyes to look at Anna. Anna, who had been holding the baby, should have been looking at Erembalt. It was impossible for her to be making eye contact with Erdes like this.
As if to show off, the woman’s lips curled into a smile.
—We have an unexpected interloper.
Erdes realized it then. The initiative had shifted to the woman who was supposed to be a mere subject of this space. She moved freely and approached Erdes.
—Are you the one who hates our Ferda so much?
Erdes cursed herself for underestimating Anna. What she was facing was neither a simple woman nor a demon. She was something transcendental that shouldn't exist on this continent.
—I actually had something I really wanted to say to you. Since you’re here, make sure to carve this into your ears.
Anna leaned in and whispered something into Erdes’s ear. At that moment, Erdes felt her consciousness being sucked away. The gray that had spread out shattered like thin glass and vanished, and Anna disappeared with it.
She returned to reality, where color existed.
“Haa… huff!”
Erdes breathed heavily, drenched in cold sweat. How did she get back here? Her body was paralyzed, and she couldn't use her mana. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't have escaped on her own.
Did that woman, Anna, let her go? That felt unnatural. Then who on earth had helped her?
“To think there was someone who could give the continent’s greatest Archmage such a hard time. How surprising.”
A youthful voice contrasted with the mature tone. Erdes knew that dissonance well. Only then did she feel the sensation of a hand resting on her back.
“Get your hands off me!”
Erdes shook off the hand and spun around as if having a fit. Her staff pointed at a girl of similar stature. She was the mother of all witches and the Big Sister.
Lucy Philias.
“How ungrateful. I pull you out of the water, and instead of thanks, you try to slap me?”
Lucy spoke leisurely, puffing on a pipe.
“What the hell are you talking about?! You didn't save me from anything!”
“From mana exhaustion. You were about to become a vegetable, trapped in a manifested space. I’m the one who saved you, wasn't I?”
At Lucy’s words, Erdes could feel it too. The mana in her body was dangerously low. The fact that it was being replenished now was likely due to Lucy Philias’s mana.
“Your vessel is pointlessly large, so this much isn't enough. Take a bit more.”
“Get lost! Don’t touch me!”
She moved away from the hand reaching out again. Erdes placed her finger on one of the formulas engraved on her staff. As the formula broke, she absorbed the massive amount of mana stored within it into her body.
“I see you kept a trick like that up your sleeve,” Lucy muttered, sounding relieved.
Erdes glared at Lucy as if she wanted to kill her. But Lucy only gave a faint smile.
“Are you really not going to say thank you, even if you die?”
“Why didn't you just let me die?”
“Unfortunately, I couldn't do that. I have to keep the oaths I made to myself.”
“Keep them for your filthy witches. I’m not one of those disgusting Red Circle types like you!”
Though the insults were blunt, Lucy didn't seem offended in the slightest. Erdes traced a finger in the air. A teleportation circle was completed, and she threw herself into it.
Lucy stood still, watching the spot where Erdes had vanished. Since she was well-acquainted with such hostility, she wasn't surprised.
“You foolish girl.”
Lucy only felt pity for her.
“Even if you hate and curse me… I cannot turn my back on you.”
Lucy’s words reached no one, scattering fruitlessly like gray smoke.
* * *
The President’s Office of the Serdes Magic Society.
Blue, the President’s secretary, was processing the work Erdes had left behind, just like any other day.
Why do I have to be the one taking all the verbal abuse…?
Blue lamented his lot in life. These were people who wouldn't have dared to make a peep if Erdes were here, but Blue was a different story. He had become the punching bag for all the complaints and protests that the President should have heard.
The only miracle was that Blue’s hair roots were still alive.
I’m not letting it slide this time!
Blue sharpened his blade as he stamped the approval seals. The moment that delinquent mage returned, he was going to scream his head off.
Just then, the gate opened, and the long-awaited delinquent returned.
“President!”
Blue let out all the sorrow he had prepared.
“Where on earth have you been?! Didn't you promise me you’d work after that hearing?”
“...”
“There’s so much work piled up, you hear? If you keep acting like this, we really won't be able to handle it…”
When there was no reaction despite his nagging, Blue finally looked at Erdes’s face. She wasn't listening at all. Instead of her usual arrogant expression, she looked like someone possessed.
“President?”
“...”
Blue placed a hand on her shoulder. Only then did she seem to regain consciousness, turning her head to look at him.
“Are you alright? Your complexion is…”
Blue asked out of genuine concern. Erdes stared at his face for a long time before answering.
“...I’m fine.”
It was only three syllables, but Blue could tell. The great Erdes looked dejected, like someone who had been beaten down.
“I’ll be in the meditation room for a bit.”
“Ah, yes. Please rest…”
Afraid to say anything else, Blue had no choice but to let her go. Erdes entered the meditation room and forced herself into a formal sitting position. She needed to clear her mind, empty her head, and circulate her Blue Circle.
But Anna still lingered in Erdes’s mind. She wondered if she had been affected by magic or some mystical power, but that wasn't it. The reason the woman stayed in her head was because she was incomprehensible.
If she was a mother,
If she was someone who should at least take responsibility for her child,
She had left behind words that should never have been spoken.
—Do everything in your power to prevent my son from finding happiness.