Chapter 343
Chapter 343
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 343
Chapter Title: The Protagonist of Life (3)
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Kangnan took off her glasses and tucked them into her breast pocket. Then, as if embodying a wolf, she raised both fists to her face, slid her left foot forward, and bounced lightly on the balls of her feet.
Shirone and his friends were bewildered. Even if they didn't recognize the specific fighting style, they could tell it was a combat stance. But in front of the colossal Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara, it looked utterly ridiculous.
Unable to watch any longer, Lilia approached with a frown.
“Hey! What do you think you’re—!”
At that moment, Kangnan’s body blurred. A high kick, too fast to see, traced an arc through the air with a thread of dust. Her instep struck the face of the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara, snapping its neck at a right angle.
The Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara’s expression shifted to one of confusion. Its eyes rolled for a moment, and the movement of its hands slowed. Finally, as if sinking into the water's surface, it was pulled into the deep sea of the Okwang-bak-yojin.
“W-what was that…?”
The shock Shirone and his friends felt was beyond imagination. Although the creature had been trapped in the Okwang-bak-yojin, the sight of its neck being snapped by a single kick was so startling their hearts nearly leaped out of their chests.
Shirone’s gaze fell to her thighs, visible beneath her suit skirt. At the moment of impact, the stocking over her instep had burned away and rolled up, exposing her right leg. Her muscles were sculpted, flexing like chiseled stone. But they soon softened, returning to smooth subcutaneous fat and revealing a sleek, shapely leg.
‘Who is she?’
The thought that she might be a government official crossed his mind. It was a reasonable insight; if an exorcist from another country had come, it was likely that some domestic department had also anticipated the situation.
“Hoo.”
Kangnan let out a breath of relief. She then took her glasses out of her breast pocket and put them back on. Shirone, who had been watching quietly, exchanged a look with his friends and walked toward her.
“Excuse me, who are you? Are you perhaps from the kingdom… Ugh!”
Shirone’s face turned beet red as Kangnan suddenly lifted her skirt. After rolling down the torn stocking, she took out a new one. Seemingly oblivious to the boys’ sidelong glances, she spoke as she changed her stockings.
“The enemy you fought is a spiritual entity that resides beyond the northern limit of Heaven, codenamed ‘Lawgiver’.”
“Heaven?”
Dante tilted his head. The world truly was full of crazy people, he thought. But Shirone and Amy couldn't dismiss her words so easily. And if this woman knew of Heaven, it meant she was no ordinary person.
“The Lawgiver isn't actually that dangerous. It’s a simple phenomenon, like an aurora. But things get complicated when the environment changes. The golden window is seventy-two hours from its appearance. After that, it evolves exponentially. You all made it just in time.”
Kangnan pulled the stocking up to her navel, then patted her skirt to smooth out the wrinkles.
“Because you made the right call, I’ll overlook your unauthorized actions. If the Lawgiver had expanded its range of activity, the army would have been deployed. You saved countless lives.”
After saying her piece, Kangnan turned and put on her high heels. She then adjusted her clothes, which had been disheveled by the kick.
“But could you please tell us who you are first?”
As Shirone approached, taking off his hood, Kangnan’s eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing his face.
‘He looks younger in person. To think he actually defeated a Lawgiver…’
Even in its initial stage, an awakened Lawgiver was ranked as a B-class phenomenon by Valkyrie. A Standard Angel was A-class, meaning they had fought a formidable enemy on par with a Fallen Angel.
‘But how did he block the Law?’
The , a gift from Princess Uorin, could have defended against the Law to some extent. But she was certain that alone would never have been enough to defeat the Lawgiver.
‘Could it be…’
Kangnan could only think of one possibility.
‘Mental Transcendence? No, that can’t be. It's not a state someone who's only eighteen could reach.’
Kangnan had heard that all living beings eventually move toward realizing their Incarnation. But the process was so long that most died without finding themselves within their given lifespan.
Heaven was an exception.
There, where lifespans were determined by Anke La, existed not only humans who lived for hundreds of years but also plants that lived for hundreds of thousands.
That was why the Art of Incarnation was called a technique from Heaven.
The time it took to reach enlightenment was said to differ for each creature: on average, 220 years for humans, 400 for cats, 600 for monkeys, 700 for snakes, and 1,000 for foxes.
Ultimately, if Shirone had attained the state of Mental Transcendence, it meant he had leaped forward by roughly 200 years.
‘The Association's assessment wasn't an exaggeration, it seems.’
Kangnan was not an idle person. She was also one of the most trusted key figures in the Association.
If it hadn't been for a direct order from her superior, Gaold, she would never have come to meet a magic academy student for a simple interview.
Kangnan recalled the situation.
“Shirone… Are you talking about Arian Shirone of Alpheas Magic Academy?”
“Yeah. That junior of mine at my godforsaken alma mater. I wonder why that school hasn't gone under yet.”
Gaold joked, but Kangnan saw through her superior's intention and cut straight to the point.
“You're not thinking of including him in the new project, are you?”
As expected, Gaold didn't answer.
“I'm against it. The risk is too high. This isn't a decision to be made based on Ataraxia alone. Are you trying to turn twenty years of preparation into nothing?”
Gaold, suddenly serious, spoke with a heavy voice.
“I heard his growth rate is fast.”
Kangnan scoffed in response. When it came to Shirone, no one in the Association knew more than she did.
“Of course, he's one of the kingdom's most promising talents. An Unlocker who uses Zenith, which grants mass to light. If he diligently builds his achievements, he'll probably reach Grade 6 by the time he's twenty. Talented administrators are always in short supply in any organization.”
Kangnan narrowed her eyes and watched Gaold's reaction. As she expected, he understood her point and kept his mouth firmly shut.
“Are you kidding me? He'll still just be Grade 6. Romi Etella and Olipher Shina, who are teaching Shirone, both achieved certified Grade 6 at twenty. But even they weren't the youngest. He's just another genius, the kind you find a few of anywhere in the kingdom. Unless you plan on waiting another ten years, it's best to give up on Shirone.”
“I don't know about all that youngest this, youngest that. I wasn't a genius, so I wouldn't know.”
Gaold put a cigar in his mouth and leaned his head back against the chair, looking up at Kangnan.
“But I'm the best now, aren't I?”
Kangnan couldn't deny it. From what she'd heard, Gaold hadn't been an outstanding student. But now, he was undeniably the greatest mage in the Tormia Kingdom.
“That's just an exceptional case…”
Gaold raised a hand to stop her.
“Ah, that's enough. Just do as I say. Whether he becomes Grade 6 at twenty or Grade 6 at forty, none of that matters.”
“No, it does. In reality, countless scouts use performance over time as a measure of talent. If that's not important, then what is?”
Holding the cigar between his fingers, Gaold exhaled a thick cloud of smoke and fell into thought.
“In the end… what matters is what you accomplish.”
Kangnan was about to retort but closed her mouth. He was an insane man, but sometimes he had a way of leaving her speechless.
“Pup. Now that I've reached the pinnacle of magic…”
Gaold lifted his chin arrogantly. Indeed, he was the only person who could call the last descendant of the wolf tribe a "pup."
“Being the best doesn't mean being number one. It means being completely detached from the herd of rank and file. Sure, quickly following the path others have paved might be a talent in its own right. But look at the world. The ones we call the best are lighting fires in unknown territories that humanity couldn't reach even if they spent a lifetime trying. It's not about being first or second. It's about being something that can't even be compared in rank. That's a completely different matter from quickly following an existing path.”
Kangnan mulled over Gaold's words several times.
“Do you believe that Shirone can become the best?”
“I can't guarantee it. But his growth rate is fast enough to shatter common sense, and he can use Ataraxia. If those two things align at the right time, he might be able to reach that point momentarily, under specific circumstances. If so, he might just be able to create at least one more variable for us.”
It was a project twenty years in the making, but the difficulty was still a challenge against the absolutely impossible. In such a situation, a single variable was worth any sacrifice.
But Kangnan couldn't accept it. In a matter so critical that it could be weighed against the lives of all humanity, it was not good to place baseless faith in an uncertain subject.
“I understand. But do you realize? The right time, specific circumstances, momentarily, at least. Most of what you just said is based on hypotheticals.”
Gaold's lips finally curved up as if his tension had eased.
“I know. That's why I'm telling you to go meet him. See for yourself. If we can increase the success rate by even 0.1 percent, shouldn't we use everything and everyone we can?”
Kangnan emerged from her reminiscence and spoke to Shirone.
“I am Ahoya Kangnan, Chief of Staff of the Magic Association.”
“Ch-Chief of Staff of the Magic Association?”
Shirone’s eyes widened. His friends watching from behind couldn't hide their surprise either. The Chief of Staff was essentially the second-in-command of the Magic Association. It was someone a mage could live their whole life without ever meeting.
Shirone quickly bowed his head.
“Ah, hello. I'm…”
Kangnan cut to the chase.
“Shirone, this is a national emergency. There is someone who wishes to see you. Come with me to the capital.”
Shirone wore a dazed expression.
The words "national emergency" were one thing, but the idea that someone would seek him out, a mere student, in such a situation was also strange.
“Who is it that wants to see me?”
Kangnan said nonchalantly.
“The President of the Tormia Magic Association, Mikea Gaold.”
“What? Mikea Gaold?”
Shirone’s heart began to beat faster. Of all the people he had never met, that was the name he had heard the most in his life.
It wasn't just Shirone. There wasn't a single person in the Tormia Kingdom involved in magic who didn't know the name Mikea Gaold.
Dante asked with interest.
“Why would someone so important be looking for Shirone?”
Shirone was just as curious. But a part of him had a suspicion.
“Is this related to the Ice Queen?”
“That's right. The Ice Queen is a being from Heaven. Do you understand what it means for such a being to descend upon this world?”
Shirone’s eyes flashed open. The moment he heard that a being from Heaven had descended, the first thing that came to mind was the final war.
“D-don't tell me?”
“Yes. A crack has formed in Miro's Spacetime.”
If the only barrier holding back Heaven's army was cracked, then Kangnan's claim of a national emergency made sense.
Lilia cautiously interjected.
“Wait a moment. This 'Miro's Spacetime,' is that what the prophecies refer to as the Wall of Law?”
Kangnan looked Lilia up and down and asked.
“Are you from a holy order?”
“Akeanis.”
“I see.”
Kangnan nodded and continued her explanation.
“It's not a critical issue for now. It was a small crack, and it has since been repaired. But a crack is always the beginning of a collapse, so the situation isn't likely to get any better than this. We need to prepare for that.”
“Then Miro is now…”
Kangnan raised a hand to cut Shirone off.
“This is as much as I can tell you. You can hear the rest from that superior of mine yourself. Come with me to the capital.”
Shirone fell into thought, his expression cautious.