Chapter 401
Chapter 401
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 401
Chapter Title: Final Decision (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Shirone, having handed Plu the coffee, asked if she had brought any spare clothes.
Plu said she had used them all on the way. Things like bandages and ropes were often needed in emergencies.
After changing into the clothes Shirone gave her, she recounted the full story while recovering her strength.
The reason Gaold had avoided capture was due to his near-paranoid distrust of people.
No, perhaps it was because his desire was so desperate that he couldn't bring himself to trust anything in the world.
This was evident from the single ironclad rule Gaold had established when he started the project twenty years ago.
If even the slightest variable arises, cancel all plans and monitor the situation.
Gando had once been absent from his post at the Magic Association for about two hours without reason.
In truth, it might have been nothing more than a personal matter that could happen to anyone.
But Gaold didn't let it slide. He disbanded his personal guard and left the Association himself.
However, the royal castle's response was much faster than expected, and most of his guard was arrested.
Only Gaold, Kangnan, and Plu managed to escape by force, but the Association's pursuers were relentlessly on their tail.
After being chased relentlessly, the place they finally reached was Gaold's alma mater, Alpheas Magic Academy.
Shirone looked at Plu with a sympathetic expression. According to her story, it was a miracle they'd made it this far alive.
“You've really been through a lot.”
Thanks to the sugar, the color quickly returned to Plu's face.
She stretched out her arm and activated her Kubrick, and a magic staff adorned with a phoenix materialized before her palm.
“It's not just because we had nowhere else to hide. The Chairman wants to meet with Master Alpheas. But the pursuit is too intense, so he sent me. If I get caught, I can just die. Anyway, Shirone, I need your help.”
With Gaold's skills, normal tracking would be impossible, but the Association had many irregulars, so it was best for him to stay hidden just in case.
“Where is the Chairman now?”
Plu got off the bed, twirled her magic staff quickly, slung it over her back, and headed for the door.
“I'll lead the way. If you're coming, that is.”
Her words held a warning. If he wanted to get out of this situation, this was his chance to back out.
“First, I want to meet him and hear what he has to say.”
Risking one's life on a vain hope is inefficient.
He had been entangled with Gaold from the moment he joined the Association. In a situation like this, it was better to find a solution himself than to hide under the covers.
*He's been training desperately, Shirone.*
Shirone's aura was different from three months ago. Just as life evolves in extreme environments, Shirone had grown amidst the fierce competition of the graduating class.
“Alright, listen to what the Chairman has to say first, and then you can decide. But if it's possible...”
Plu slung her staff behind her back and gave a silent bow.
“I hope you'll help us.”
It was something she could never say in front of Gaold. It was also a gesture that treated Shirone as a fellow mage for the first time.
“Let's go now.”
Shirone deferred a definite answer and opened the door.
The two, clad in raincoats, began climbing the mountain behind the building. Using magic would have been easier, but there was a near 100 percent chance they would be detected by Jonor.
Gaold was hiding on the other side of the mountain range surrounding the magic academy. It wasn't far as the crow flies, but they had to cross the mountains, so it was already dawn by the time they arrived.
Climbing a mountain in the rain was no easy march, but Plu didn't even pause to catch her breath before flipping back the hood of her raincoat and entering a cave.
“Chairman, I've brought Shirone.”
After letting Shirone in, she went back outside the cave to stand guard against any potential pursuers.
Inside the cave, there was only darkness.
From the depths of the darkness, a flame flared to life, revealing Gaold as if only his face were floating there.
Leaning against the back wall of the cave with one knee up, Gaold smiled and raised a hand.
“Hey, Shirone.”
Just seeing Plu's condition was enough to guess how difficult their life on the run had been, but Gaold was as robust as ever, his characteristic mad grin unchanged.
“You look like you have a lot of free time.”
“Kukuku, this unemployed life isn't so bad. Then again, I didn't do much work at the Association either.”
Gaold pointed to the spot in front of him.
“Sit. I can't offer you tea, but I have a whole sack of stories you'll like.”
Shirone asked bluntly.
“How did they get you?”
Gaold rested his chin on his hand and clamped his mouth shut like a clam. The dominant emotion wasn't anger or regret, but rather indignation.
“Gando exposed my corruption. Most of it fabricated, of course. It seems even King Adolph couldn't tolerate it this time. To be fair, he'd put up with a lot for a long time. The problem is that most of my personal guard has been arrested or is currently being hunted down.”
“Why didn't you foresee Gando's betrayal? Your personal guard was made up of hand-picked people, wasn't it?”
“A question just like you. I admit, I have no excuse for that part. I was thoroughly had. But thanks to that, it's become easier to dig into who's behind this. Teraje is probably behind Gando.”
“Teraje...”
The Empress of Kashan. She was also the mother of Uorin, whom he had met in Kazra, and the leader of the Valkyries.
Just listing what he knew made it easy to guess how powerful a being Teraje was.
But he still couldn't see the reason why Gando's betrayal was connected to her.
“You, you've met Uorin in Kazra, haven't you?”
“Yes. She helped me a lot. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be here now.”
“Hmm, you received help. Yes, so that's how it is. Heh heh.”
Shirone wore a sullen expression. What was so funny about him saying he owed her his life?
Gaold's laughter suddenly stopped.
“Teraje is probably... Mitochondrial Eve.”
“Mitochondrial... Eve?”
“Very few people outside the Holy See would know. The woman you met named Uorin was likely the Empress Teraje herself.”
“Explain it so I can understand.”
Gaold explained about Mitochondrial Eve.
Through a mitochondrial mutation, Teraje can pass her memories down to her daughter. The timing of this memory awakening is presumed to vary by individual.
But if Uorin had already awakened at that time, then Shirone didn't meet Uorin, but the Empress Teraje.
“In that way, Teraje possesses all memories from the dawn of humanity to the present. With that vast database, she sees through the essence of human nature. To her, you are just another cog turning the wheels of history. The proof is the very thing you're holding, the ultimate object, the <Magic Sword Armand>.”
Shirone touched Armand, which was hanging at his waist.
He had suspected it wasn't a simple act of goodwill, but hearing it now sent a chill down his spine. The most frightening thing was that even now, knowing Teraje's true nature, he couldn't even begin to guess her motive for giving him this gift.
“Teraje's abilities don't end there. As you know, we live in a peculiar world. The Guffin Annihilation. In other words, it has already been reset, and we are living our lives again after the reset. This is just a guess, but it's highly likely that Teraje still retains memories from before the reset. If so, that would explain how Gando was able to get into my personal guard, bypassing my paranoid screening.”
“So she predicted today's events from the moment Gando was born and planted him.”
No need to waste time if he understands quickly. Gaold nodded honestly.
“I was completely outplayed. No human could predict that far ahead. It's only possible because she's Teraje.”
Indeed, in a case like this, even the great Gaold was helpless.
In the end, all his limbs were cut off, and the project he had planned for twenty years had gone up in smoke.
But having lost everything, there was likely only one option left for Gaold to choose.
“What are the remaining chances of winning?”
Gaold is going to Heaven. Even if he lost his guard, even if the plans he'd designed for over half his life had turned to dust, he would go. Because he was the kind of person who would abandon all of humanity to save Miro.
Gaold leaned back leisurely and crossed his arms.
“As things stand, I can't do anything. But I wasn't just playing around for twenty years. It's not exactly a final trump card, but I haven't lost everything. After all, I still have you.”
“I haven't said I would help you yet, Chairman.”
“Kukuku! Kid, don't be so tense. The reason I told you my situation was to make you understand the order I'm about to give you. Do me one favor, and then we're done. Just study hard and graduate.”
With those words, Shirone was certain.
At a point where he was fighting the world, he had no leeway to worry about a student's well-being.
“But you made me an offer, didn't you?”
One of Gaold's eyebrows shot up.
That was a deal made when everything was perfect, and more importantly, when there was a year's time.
“Don't tell me you've found a way?”
“Not a method exactly, but...”
“Hmm.”
Gaold stroked his beard.
He wasn't the type of kid to make a proposal with a clumsy lie. But his tone lacked the confidence to suggest he had truly found something.
“Alright, I'll hear you out. How are you going to destroy Heaven?”
“Before that, promise me. If I meet the conditions, you will share all the information you know. This is a matter of life and death for me, too. Also, the final choice of whether to go to Heaven must always be mine.”
It was an unreasonable deal.
Gaold would have to reveal information that could endanger his own life, while Shirone could back out at any time.
“Fine, let's hear it first.”
Gaold readily agreed.
After all, negotiation is the process of two selfish people meeting to find a compromise. If Shirone had spoken emotionally, Gaold wouldn't have been able to trust him.
It couldn't be seen as entirely disadvantageous either, as Shirone had attached the condition 'if I meet the conditions'.
Of course, if there was a way to destroy Heaven, he was willing to take any risk.
But even though he had given him a year, it was a task he had assigned with a 'nothing to lose' attitude from the start. If the method was absurd, he could just ignore it.
And considering Shirone's current skill level, the outcome would inevitably be the latter.
*It can't hurt to get even a little bit of information.*
Gaold thought to himself.
“Basically, it's a magic that uses Ataraxia,”
“I figured as much.”
Shirone spent ten minutes explaining the magic.
Gaold didn't interrupt once. He just listened, looking down at the ground until the story was finished.
“...If that happens, no, maybe it would be possible to destroy Heaven... something like that...”
When Gaold didn't respond, Shirone's voice trailed off. Now that he'd said it out loud, the obstacles he had only considered in his head seemed much larger, and his confidence waned.
Even after Shirone finished, Gaold remained silent. He was just endlessly replaying, replaying, and replaying what he had just heard.
Shirone, feeling even more intimidated, added.
“I mean, you said it yourself, Chairman. If I could just find a possibility...”
“Kh.”
A metallic sound escaped Gaold's lips.
“Kukuku! Kukukuku! Kukukukukuku!”
No matter how hard he tried to suppress it, the laughter scraped at his throat. Unable to hold it back any longer, he threw his head back and burst into a maniacal laugh.
“Kuhahahaha! Kuhahahahaha!”
The cave echoed with the sound, and Plu entered with a startled expression. But after confirming there was nothing wrong with Gaold, she resumed her iron-clad guard duty.
Shirone stared blankly at Gaold. He couldn't understand the meaning behind his laughter.
Gaold stretched his lips into a wide grin and glared at Shirone. His eyes, reflected in the flame, were blazing.
“You... crazy... bastard.”
It was the highest praise Gaold could give anyone.