The Visit (4)

"Hello, Osera."

"A pleasure to meet you, person of importance."

Not long ago, Asella Fraus had come calling at the Spacetime Magic Tower.

The tower welcomed her with open arms. For all its closed-door policies, it remained endlessly receptive to talent in service of its ultimate goal — and Asella Fraus was a genius who fit their criteria for talent to the letter. Of course they would greet her warmly.

"Do you still hear those strange whispers every night?"

"Heh. I'm fine. Lately I barely hear them at all — and as always, they don't bother me in the slightest."

"I'm glad. So what brings you here?"

"I have a favor to ask."

Asella held out a sheet of paper. It contained information on Evan Alcarte.

"Evan Alcarte. I want you to Observe whether he's lying or not."

"Hmm. Lying?"

"He's toying with the entire continent with this lie about his talent. You wouldn't believe how much damage that's done to me…"

The Spacetime Magic Tower despised false geniuses more than almost anything. Such frauds wasted the precious time they needed to find real talent — and sometimes, out of envy and spite, those pretenders buried genuine geniuses entirely. The tower never ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stepped forward to punish them directly. After all, the frauds never went around shouting, I'm from the Spacetime Magic Tower!

"But intervening isn't within my jurisdiction. We'll need to discuss it."

"Of course. I'll wait here for your answer."

It was the first time anyone had made a request quite like this. Mages who maintained ties with the Spacetime Magic Tower were typically indifferent to the affairs of the world. To ask them to clean something up in person?

Debate stirred within the tower. Should they intervene, or not?

Evan had a reputation as a genius, but he hadn't harmed anyone. His influence, such as it was, reached only as far as the underworld. Under ordinary circumstances, they would have stayed out of it.

However—

"If we want to recruit Asella Fraus, granting a request of this scale shouldn't be a problem, should it?"

The opinion of the tower's eldest elder carried considerable weight.

"This is an investment. An investment toward our long-cherished wish!"

"Didn't you say you were retiring soon?"

"This is the final investment of my life. You know as well as I do — her talent is precious. We must secure her at all costs."

I heard he's blown several fortunes gambling… is this really fine?

The opportunities left for the Spacetime Magic Tower to take a real shot were growing scarce. Time was not infinite, and the space they could stand upon was finite as well. Sometimes even a forced gamble had to be made.

If Evan truly was a genius, that was fine too. They could draw him in as a colleague, or take him into the tower's ranks. And if he wasn't?

A warning would be enough.

That was when Osera stepped forward.

"I'll go."

"Osera? You?"

"I could use some fresh air. I'll just take a quick Observation and come right back."

"If it's you, Osera, we can trust it. Go. And if he proves to be exceptional talent, don't forget to recruit him."

"Of course."

Osera was one of the mages loyal to the Spacetime Magic Tower. Her talent was said to rival even that of the Night Sky Priestess, who had since left the tower — and she was regarded as the tower's future. A mage who held the trust of everyone there. They sent her off quietly, without a shred of suspicion.

None of them knew what was in her heart.

If things go well, I might get to see my sister.

The Night Sky Priestess and Osera had been extremely close. Two people of similar talent, they had never seen each other as rivals so much as companions walking the same path. Family, almost. Jealousy? There had been none. Neither of them was so small a person as to drown in a petty emotion like that.

That bond had fractured when the Priestess left the tower, and they had not seen each other since. This was her chance. She was not about to let it slip away.

The moment she stepped outside, she secretly sent a letter — and fortunately, the Priestess answered.

The Knight Kingdom of Demicia!

Outside the Empire entirely. A kingdom ruled by the strongest of knights, Kyun-baek, and said to rival the Empire itself in pure martial might. In exchange, its geography was wretched. Deserts pressed close, the land was barren and grew little food, and monsters raided it with grim regularity. A country that suited the Priestess perfectly — a woman who could never turn away from the suffering of others.

The Spacetime Magic Tower of today had been corrupted. Its original purpose had been to watch over the stars, but at some point it had taken on an entirely different goal. Disillusioned, the Priestess had left — a woman whose overwhelming talent no one, not even Osera, could hope to match.

Sister…

Even so, Osera was happy. It had been a long time, but she had exchanged letters with the Priestess. Having achieved her purpose, she set her heart at ease. She would simply finish the job and go home.

Evan Alcarte? She had no particular interest. His name was plastered with notoriety and rumors of talent, but nothing worth being wary of. The Alcarte family's renown was considerable, but that was ultimately the Emperor's domain to manage. Evan had merely been the pretext for her outing.

Or so she had thought.

…I never imagined I wouldn't be able to see his talent at all.

A failure of Observation. It was the first time she had ever experienced such a thing.

Her talent was considerable, even if it fell short of the Night Sky Priestess. The bindings that covered her eyes had only sharpened her spatial awareness further, and she possessed a sensitivity that could feel souls invisible to the naked eye. And still, she could sense nothing.

Which meant his talent was so immense she couldn't even perceive it.

And then, at the end — his reaction to the Night Sky Priestess.

That was absolutely not a casual question.

Evan's talent was so vast that even Osera could not Observe it. A talent capable of advancing to a higher dimension entirely. And a person like that had taken an interest in fate. It made more sense to assume he had some plan than to chalk it up to idle curiosity.

…Remarkable.

Osera was impressed. To possess talent of that magnitude and still refuse arrogance — to reach instead for a better fate. Just how grand a design was he drawing?

Asella's request had long since been wiped from her mind. This was not merely exceptional talent. It was transcendent. Of course a favor like Asella's would simply vanish.

…With someone like him… maybe…

Through Evan, might she be able to meet the Priestess again?

A small, selfish desire. An emotion no one who dreamed of a greater cause should harbor. And yet it churned in her chest all the same.

"…The Priestess's location? Yes. I know it."

"Truly?"

"What? How would you know? You people drove her out and then turned into stalkers?"

At Aegis's words, Osera's lips twisted into a faint smile.

"Hardly. I simply happen to have a personal connection with her."

"Hah."

"Do you wish to know the Priestess's whereabouts?"

"…Yes. If it wouldn't be an imposition."

Such a polite manner of speaking. It only deepened her curiosity. What kind of person was he, really — this man she could not Observe?

I'm starting to want to see his face for myself.

That was when it happened.

"Evan, Evan."

A child's voice. Osera flinched and trembled.

The body and soul she Observed — the soul was so vast and so ominous it looked ready to devour the flesh that housed it. She had known, of course, and half-averted her eyes from it, but…

Wrath, is it?

Red, and red, and red again. A twisted soul. Without meaning to, she swallowed hard. A question rose unbidden: could that thing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ever return to its original state?

The answer came at once. The moment the girl went to Evan's side, the soul normalized — as if Evan were not a target of Wrath at all.

"Um, can I ask you just one thing?"

"Of course."

"Who told you to check on Evan?"

Osera jolted. How did she know?

"You didn't just show up on your own. Someone asked you to come, right? You keep poking at me and Evan with that weird sense of yours. It's gross."

Had she noticed the Observation?

Observation was no ordinary magic. It was a form of celestial magic — corrupted and mutated over time into what was now classified as spatial magic, but still something an enemy should never be able to detect. How had she known?

"I won't say anything about it."

Evan did not seem particularly offended. She couldn't see, so of course she would rely on something like that. And half of it had been her own will, half someone else's, hadn't it? If anything, it was pitiable. This much consideration was the least he could offer.

"Would you simply answer the question?"

"…I apologize for my rudeness. To someone of your standing, I suppose this much is fair to disclose."

Osera offered a polite apology, then spoke.

"Are you familiar with Lady Asella Fraus?"

That name again. Evan's brow furrowed. At this point, it was almost a pleasure to hear it.

"…I know of her, but what about her?"

"She asked me to confirm whether the talent you possess is genuine or a lie."

So I'm the target now?

In the original story, it had been Leo, not Evan. Had she seen Leo fall for the rumors hook, line, and sinker, and decided she'd already taken one of them down?

"It seems she was mistaken, however. Your talent is so vast that it is invisible to me."

…Isn't it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more likely that it's too small to see?

Maybe he had fine-dust-level talent. Honestly, that would be preferable. It would mean he could live and die quietly, without any presence at all. Things had gone sideways thanks to a string of bad luck, but surely they'd return to normal soon enough.

"I believe there's a misunderstanding."

"?"

"It isn't that my talent is too vast to see. It's that it's too small to see."

"???"

"???"

"???"

Lapis, Osera, and Aegis all turned the same look on him — the look reserved for pure nonsense.

…Why does no one ever believe me?

He felt wronged, but he said nothing. Their stares were too terrifying. Well — accurate, but still.

"…As recompense for my discourtesy, I will offer you a Spacetime Herb and one spatial magic technique."

"But—"

"This is my apology. Please accept it."

Her voice was firm, as if she would brook no argument. Evan nodded, and Aegis shot him a fierce look.

You cheapskate!

Sensing both of their gazes, Evan was left speechless. Seriously? They were going to fight over this too?

"I will tell you where the Priestess is."

At Osera's words, Evan assumed a posture of careful attention. His posture was already so impeccable that it made little visible difference.

"The borderlands of the Kingdom of Demicia — the holy ground of the arenas."

Osera spoke in a calm, even voice.

"A place where the stars are always clearly visible… That is where she is."

Ah.

Evan's mouth fell open.

Of all places, Demicia?

Demicia. The kingdom where Mad Knight Kyun-baek reigned as king. Naturally, it was far. A full two weeks of travel, at minimum.

Tsk. Should I just not go?

"Her last contact reached me two days ago… She said she would likely remain there through the end of this month."

Ah. That's too good an opportunity.

A chance to meet the Priestess in person. A chance to meet his favorite character. How was he supposed to resist that?

He couldn't. Not even Evan, the safety-first man himself.

Evan nodded.

"…I see. Thank you."

"Not at all… This is the Spacetime Herb."

Osera reached into the bag at her waist and held something out. The Spacetime Herb — an ominous-looking plant shot through with the blue and violet of spatial magic, the kind of coloring that made one think of poison at a glance. Evan accepted it carefully. Through a golem, of course.

"What sort of spatial magic would you like?"

"Subspace magic, if you would."

"…Is that truly enough? There are spells that erase every trace of air from an entire area, for instance…"

"That will be fine."

Evan declined politely.

Ugh!

Why on earth would he learn a spell that terrifying? It was not to safety-first Evan's taste. Something like dimensional armor would be better — magic that exploited the mutability of space to stretch the distance between himself and an enemy to infinity. He'd heard that was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠extraordinarily safe. You couldn't make contact with the enemy, sure, but still.

"Very well. These are the formulas, and this is a scroll. I will teach you carefully. Ah, and also…"

Osera drew something from her robes and hesitated for a moment. The look of someone wondering whether she ought to hand it over. He waited, and at last she offered it.

"If you should meet the Priestess… please deliver this to my sister."

It was a single letter. Well, that much was nothing. Evan accepted it through the golem as well.

"Understood."

He had no intention of departing immediately. He still needed to learn the magic, prepare gifts, and craft equipment to protect himself. Thorough preparation was essential. He probably wouldn't be able to deliver it right away.

Handing it over slowly should be fine, right?

Meanwhile, Aegis wore an expression of pure anguish.

The borderlands of the Knight Kingdom of Demicia.

A high mountain peak where the stars were always clearly visible.

"Ghk… gahhk…"

The desert, once so still, was filled with the screams of the dead. Corpses blanketed the mountain. Scarlet blood ran like a river. From within a heap of bodies, a wandering knight who had barely survived lifted his head.

A beautiful night sky studded with countless stars. And beneath it, at the summit of the sand-mountain, a single figure stood.

A robe without a single drop of blood upon it.

The wandering knight murmured, hollow and spent.

"The Night Sky Priestess…"

The culprit behind the mountain of corpses and the river of blood.

None other than the Night Sky Priestess — known to the world as a saint.