Chapter 280
Chapter 280
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 280
Chapter Title: The Dilemma's Trap (4)
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Never in his life had he judged a person by what they possessed. The inertia of those eighteen years now sounded a warning bell of doubt.
Only then did it feel like his mind was starting to work.
This was the dilemma's trap. No matter what he chose, Zion would win this fight.
The terrifying thing about the logic of a dilemma was its ability to shut down any possibility outside the given choices. By presenting a bad option and a worse one, it guided you to choose the bad one, creating the illusion of having gained something when, in reality, you were just dancing in the palm of the enemy's hand.
Shirone realized he had misinterpreted Olina's words.
*No one gives you a gold coin for no reason.* In other words, no one would help someone who gives up.
It was a delusion to think that Therese's faction would spare him if he begged with a servile expression.
The royal castle was a den of beasts. Showing any weakness would only get him devoured, flesh torn from his very bones.
That was what Olina had wanted to tell him.
*If you want to live, then bark. Bare your fangs and growl. Swing your claws so no one thinks you're easy prey.*
*The moment you stop fighting, all the beasts in the royal castle will rush to devour you.*
“Huuuuuuuuh!”
Shirone finally exhaled.
He didn't know how long he'd been holding his breath, but the air rushed out endlessly. It felt as if every stray thought was being purged from his mind.
As his mind cleared, his target came into sharp focus.
Shirone corrected his stance, preparing to cast a spell. But the nobles merely scoffed.
In their minds, if Shirone had any sense, he should have deployed his technique as quickly and flashily as possible.
His magical skill was for the experts to judge; what they wanted to confirm was Shirone's will. Such a lukewarm attitude would convince no noble.
But Shirone didn't care.
*I will become a beast.*
With that thought, he focused his mind, and a Photon Cannon erupted into existence before him.
Shirone compressed the photons endlessly. The sphere of light pulsed violently, contracting and expanding.
Amy was horrified, realizing that the casting for the Photon Cannon was taking much longer than usual.
During their two-thousand-bout duel, its power had been enough to crash the system even when his mental energy was nearly depleted. She couldn't even imagine the consequences of channeling the strongest possible Photon Cannon through Ataraxia.
*It's not enough. This won't satisfy my anger!*
Shirone continued to compress the sphere of light.
From the beginning, there were no enemies or allies here. Therese's faction, Olcamp's faction—they all just wanted to use him.
“More… more!”
Tears welled in his eyes. The memories of the past three days flooded his mind all at once.
The memory of his mother's terrified face caused the Photon Cannon to compress rapidly, turning into a state of white incandescence, unable to accept any more photons. The Photon Cannon, the size of a human head, shook violently as if it would fly off its center point.
Amy shot up from her seat. It was too extreme, and dangerously unpredictable.
But before she could shout at Shirone, the Photon Cannon passed through Ataraxia. Having already experienced it in their two-thousandth duel, she squeezed her eyes shut and twisted her body away.
*Flash!*
A colossal tunnel of light appeared in front of Shirone, pushing everything in its path aside. Even the atmosphere itself.
A deafening roar burst forth, paralyzing everyone's eardrums, and the intense light momentarily erased their vision.
For a while, everything was dark.
As their eyes adjusted to the scene, the world that was revealed was completely different from a second ago. Not only the inner wall of the colosseum but even the distant mountain ridge had vanished. Disintegrated particles floated above the ground like a massive smokescreen.
When the wind blew the dust away, the trail of the Photon Cannon was finally revealed. A flat plain, wide enough for dozens of carriages to pass through, stretched to the horizon.
The nobles were surrounded by high-ranking mages. Around the mages, who were scowling as they maintained powerful localized barriers, swordsmen stood guard. Had Shirone shown the slightest suspicious movement, they would have leaped into the colosseum.
“How audacious! What do you think you're doing!”
A fat noble slammed his chair and shot to his feet. The other nobles were just as furious.
What would have happened if he had cast the spell toward the stands?
A swordsman would have cut his throat the moment Shirone turned, but that was just a matter of protocol. In reality, hadn't they also let their guard down, thinking it was just a student's magic demonstration?
The fat noble continued to hurl insults at Shirone. But he quickly shut his mouth and sat down at a word from the wolf-like noble sitting next to him.
This demonstration had already been approved by Olcamp. To raise an objection here would be tantamount to revealing their true allegiance.
“That… that bastard…”
Zion trembled with rage.
It wasn't just that Shirone had dismissed his offer like a dog chewing a bone; the terrifying power of the magic had shattered his pride to pieces.
How could a human being possibly obliterate a mountain?
No, even if it were possible, it was the level of an archmage.
For a mere magic aspirant to wield such power was proof of how unfair the world was.
Zion, who had always refused to be equal with anyone, was now unbearable with jealousy.
Such overwhelming power should belong only to royalty. If a bastard with no power, no wealth, and no status were given such strength, how could the nation possibly endure?
“I've heard your answer loud and clear, Shirone. Just you wait!”
Zion shouted for all to hear and headed for the exit. A large group of nobles followed him out.
It was likely Therese's group, but Shirone paid them no mind. He was struggling to hold onto his consciousness, which felt like it was about to fly away from the aftershock of casting a full-power Photon Cannon.
This was the first time he hadn't collapsed after using Ataraxia. It was partly thanks to his increased endurance, but it was also proof of how fiercely he was holding on.
Shirone turned his head, his gaze intense. Olina was still in her seat. But her only reaction was to raise an eyebrow slightly, the corner of her mouth curling into a smirk.
Rising from her seat, she whispered something to her cat and left the colosseum without a second glance.
3. The Midnight Ball (1)
Olcamp's pace was faster than usual.
He was not one to get easily excited, but this time, he found it difficult to control his emotions.
He pushed open the door to his study, strode to his desk, and gulped down the water there before he could finally calm himself.
Ataraxia.
It was a truly catastrophic magic. No, was he only just realizing that now?
What he had witnessed was the power of an archangel, the supreme commander of Heaven. And he had heard there were seven more archangels in Heaven with comparable power.
Suddenly, he was filled with doubt.
Could they truly face them with just the Valkyries?
*Enough. Let's not look too far ahead. In any case, this is good for me.*
If he could just replicate Ataraxia, joining 'The Sanctum'—the assembly of Valkyrie's top national representatives—would no longer be a dream.
The twelve most powerful monarchs in the world.
While a position in 'The Triumvirate', to which Empress Therese belonged, was out of reach, he could certainly aim for 'The Seven Stars' below it.
If that happened, even Therese would have no choice but to acknowledge Kazra's independence.
What would it feel like to control the world's economy, culture, society, life, knowledge, and art at will? Olcamp found himself already lost in such fantasies.
“Well?”
Olcamp asked, and Arius emerged from a corner of the study.
This kind of appearance was unpleasant from a ruler's perspective, but Arius was stubborn in strange ways.
Today, however, he wasn't as ostentatious as usual. His face was just as flushed as Olcamp's.
“It was certainly incredible. Ataraxia is a magnificent ability.”
“That's not what I'm asking. You can replicate it now, can't you?”
“It's impossible.”
Olcamp thought he had misheard. But there was nothing wrong with his ears.
He tried to suppress his surging anger, but calm was a distant prospect.
He had done everything Arius had asked of him. He had even pushed for this demonstration, twisting a dagger in his own son's heart to make it happen.
“Why not? Is it the encapsulation again?”
“That's the primary reason, yes. But it would be the same even if we broke the encapsulation. Ataraxia is an ability beyond human conception. In short, even Shirone himself doesn't understand it.”
“Does that make any sense? I saw Shirone cast Ataraxia with my own two eyes. Are you telling me Shirone isn't human?”
“In a sense, yes. Because a human body contains something that is not human. Shirone doesn't understand Ataraxia and then cast it. How about this explanation? It just… happens.”
Olcamp's eyes grew cold.
“Speak plainly. Your next answer had better convince me.”
Sensing the killing intent, Arius finally dropped his smile.
“The most likely possibility is that Ataraxia is engraved in the deepest part of Shirone's subconscious. Perhaps it's close to instinct? If so, it's not strange for Shirone to use the ability without knowing the principle behind it. We don't breathe by understanding how breathing works, after all.”
“Instinct, you say. Then can't you just extract it from there?”
“Well. Instinct is what you might call a foundational consciousness, an area governed at the genetic level. No matter how much of a professional 'grave robber' I am, diving that deep is impossible. No, to be precise, I *can* dive, but I'd be crushed to death by Shirone's subconscious.”
Olcamp slammed his fist on the desk.
“You've been saying nothing but 'no' this whole time. And now you won't dive because you're afraid for your life?”
“Do you think I hired you just to listen to such nonsense? If I can't obtain Ataraxia…!”
“There is one way.”
Olcamp's expression changed in an instant.
Indeed, one of the Seven Archmagi of the Black Line wouldn't have advertised his own incompetence without a contingency plan.
“My apologies for not mentioning it sooner. But this method could be… difficult. You will likely need to steel your resolve, Your Highness.”
“I am always resolved. What is it?”
Arius glanced around before whispering in his ear. He usually didn't care whether Eliza was listening in or not, but this time, it was better to be cautious.
“What… what did you say?”
Olcamp's eyes shot open in horror. In contrast, Arius's eyes narrowed like a snake's.
One wouldn't know it when he was smiling, but with his expression gone, his face was like that of a venomous serpent.
“It is the only way.”
Olcamp braced himself against the desk with a trembling hand.
“N-no, I can't. Do you have any idea what that means?”
“Of course. But with this method, you can obtain Ataraxia without fail.”
Olcamp breathed heavily.
To obtain Ataraxia. To possess an ability designated Triple-S by the Valkyries.
The independence of Kazra. The Seven Stars. Various thoughts raced through his mind.
“But… must we really go that far?”
“Your Highness, as I've said repeatedly, we don't have time. A swift decision is required.”
Olcamp shook his head.
He needed time. Even if he went through with it, how would he handle the ensuing fallout? He would need to prepare countermeasures for that as well.
“Just… just give me some time to think.”
Arius's face twisted into a hideous scowl. But when Olcamp looked up, his smiling mask was back in place as if nothing had happened.
“Of course, this is something that requires time. Very well. Please call for me when you are certain.”
Arius bowed respectfully and left the study.
Striding quickly down the corridor, he found an empty spot, leaned against the wall, and spat a curse.
“Tch, that idiot. Pathetic fool. What a coward.”
Of course, Olcamp's reaction was normal. After all, he had summoned his own flesh and blood, found after eighteen years, only to subject him to all sorts of humiliation and insults, and was now plotting to steal the most precious thing he had.
But a king's ruthlessness should know no bounds. To have barriers in judgment, thinking 'this is okay, but that is not,' ultimately meant his vessel was too small.
The moment one begins to hesitate, one can gain nothing. Even if he were to accept the proposal later, the pangs of conscience would cloud his mind. Such men were bound to ruin everything someday.
*What a disappointment, Olcamp. I thought you were a ruthless monarch, but you're no different from any other common noble.*