Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: The Genius Who Lost His Light (1)
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“Your name is Harvest.”
At Arcane’s words, the black sphere vibrated. Its molecular bonds loosened, and the black substance rose like smoke. The monstrous entity born from darkness spoke in a murky voice.
“I am Harvest.”
“I will run a few tests. For now, you will stay inside this test tube.”
Arcane pointed to a three-meter-tall glass tube. It was a space so cramped a human wouldn't last ten minutes, but for a magical creature, the concept of time's continuity didn't exist.
That night, Canis and Arin snuck into the laboratory. They hadn't received Arcane's permission, so their nervousness was palpable. But that feeling vanished the moment they saw Harvest.
A two-meter-tall humanoid shadow.
Its slender waist and dynamically broad shoulders stirred Canis's heart.
“This is the master's…”
The quintessence of magical biology, perfected by the Archmage over 150 years. Moreover, it was a magical creature that had inherited Arcane's memories and possessed intellect.
Unlike Canis, Arin shuddered as if she were looking at an abomination.
“Ugh. It's so strange. I thought it would look more human.”
“Who would be scared of a magical creature if it didn't look frightening? To me, this form is incredible. It looks built for combat.”
“Still, it seems weird to me…”
Canis paid it no mind. If Arin didn't like it, that was all the better.
‘Wait for me, Harvest. I will become your master.’
Arcane had said he would choose Harvest's master from between her and Arin. Of course, Arin was a dear friend, but in a matter like this, there could be no concessions. She would prove her worth through fair competition.
“Canis, let's go. The master might come.”
“Huh? Oh, right.”
Arin turned off the light and followed Canis out. Then, she flinched and glanced back. Harvest's explosive, vibrating emotions reached her.
“Ah!”
Arin fled the room as if escaping and didn't go near the lab after that day. But having spent her childhood locked in a warehouse in Radum, she couldn't just leave Harvest like this.
When everyone was asleep, Arin mustered her courage and went to the lab. Harvest was still trapped in the glass tube, just as before.
“Is it very suffocating?”
When there was no answer, Arin examined the device on the glass tube, looking for a switch.
“I can let you out for a little while.”
“Why do you think it is suffocating?”
Arin flinched and stepped back. It was a chilling voice that naturally invoked fear.
“You've been trapped for a month already.”
“It is humans who find immobility uncomfortable. I cannot perceive time. I wouldn't mind being trapped like this forever.”
Arin tilted her head, unable to believe it. The waves she felt from Harvest were filled with a suppressed, stifling energy.
“…But perhaps, you might be right.”
“Did something come to mind?”
“Well. Should I call it curiosity? The expression isn't quite right. I was made to learn from the moment of my existence. But right now, that is impossible.”
“That's exactly what people call suffocating.”
Harvest sank into thought. Was that so?
“How can you read my emotions?”
“Hehe. It just kind of happened. I lived in Radum for a long time.”
“Radum. The slums of Bashka, the capital of Tormia. High-level concealment facilities and extreme population fluctuations. Presumed to be a den for demi-humans who lost their territory on the continent.”
Even Arin, who had lived in Radum, had never heard this before.
“You know a lot, Mr. Harvest.”
“What information do you possess?”
“Are you asking to have a conversation?”
“I see. A conversation is inevitable. I do not yet have a master with whom to share my mind.”
Arin talked with Harvest all night long. Having spent most of her childhood alone, this was the first time she had ever spoken so much with someone.
After two months of experiments, Harvest finally gained its freedom. Arcane opened the glass tube. But Harvest still didn't move.
“Come out. You will resonate with Canis. However, you will not be bound by subordination. I will explain why in time.”
Harvest did not answer. It was unexpected for a magical creature with superhuman processing speed to be slow to react, so Arcane turned his head.
“Why? Is something bothering you?”
“Why Canis?”
“Hmm. Are you saying you don't want to? It's strange that you've already developed a preference without even performing a mental resonance.”
“I understand there's no merit in me, who inherited your memories, being subordinated to you. But Canis is stubborn and prideful. She is unlikely to listen to my advice. Such a tendency will be a weakness in battle.”
“That is true, of course.”
“Arin, on the other hand, is different. She lived in Radum for ten years and met no one but Canis. As a reaction to that, her mental sensitivity is incredibly high.”
“Are you referring to her 'first sight'?”
'First sight' was a unique brainwave pattern that perceived any object as if seeing it for the first time. Arin had grown up from infancy without seeing anything, and her brain had solidified in that state.
Therefore, she couldn't distinguish objects like ordinary people. But her ability to grasp the feelings contained within objects was absolute. Though it had many inconveniences, it was the greatest talent for a mental-type mage.
Arcane also knew that Arin's talent was more special than Canis's.
“Not Arin. That child is too soft-hearted.”
“I cannot understand. 'First sight' more than covers her other shortcomings. With her, my abilities could be maximized.”
Arcane gave a bitter smile.
Sharing the same memories, yet because their forms are different, are their judgments also different?
“Perhaps what you say is more rational. But it cannot be Arin. You are going to Canis.”
***
“Kekekekeke!”
The falling Harvest convulsed.
“So that's what it was, Arcane.”
Only at the last moment of its life could it understand. The reason why Arcane gave up on Arin, who had outstanding magical talent, and insisted on choosing Canis.
‘They were both just as stubborn.’
Harvest's fall felt weightless. Which made it look all the more pathetic.
“Harvest!”
Canis ran to Harvest. Harvest's body, shriveled like a thin sheet of paper, was riddled with holes, making it a difficult sight to bear.
“Why! Why did you do it! I didn't care if I died! If you were going to do this, you shouldn't have betrayed me in the first place! Just why!”
“Kekeke. How would I know? You're my master.”
Canis's mouth snapped shut, as if she'd realized something.
“A magical creature, you see, just has to do what its master wants.”
“Harvest…”
Canis's head drooped. Life felt so resentful and unfair that she would rather just die. But at the same time, she wanted to live. Why wouldn't she want to live? That was human nature. It seemed Harvest had known. That's why it had broken the master-servant contract and decided to self-destruct.
“I'm sorry, Harvest. I…”
Harvest paid it no mind. A magical creature just has to do what its master wants. It was designed that way, so even death wasn't a shocking event. More than that, it was more interested in the combat prowess of Shirone, who had overpowered its and Canis's combination play.
‘Hmm. He uses a strange magic. But it wasn't simply that we were outmatched in magic.’
He was certainly a strong opponent. No hesitation in subduing his opponent. And yet, he didn't have a belligerent personality. Rather, his fighting style, which thoroughly aimed only for the result, resembled that of a magical creature.
‘The speed at which his emotions recover is incredibly fast. It must be superhuman insight. The time it takes him to get from the problem to the solution is so short that he appears unshakable.’
Finishing its analysis, Harvest's mouth split into a grin. He is absolutely specialized in something. It didn't know what, but it wasn't a quality commonly manifested in the natural world.
‘Kekeke. Arcane, you're in for some trouble.’
Arcane's expression was not pleasant. Not a single human, this one or that one, moved according to his will. Disgusted by the current situation, he slowly took a step and spoke.
“How pathetic, Canis. To bring such shame upon me…”
“Shut up.”
Shirone cut him off. His friends' eyes widened at his unusually harsh words. Arcane, on the other hand, turned his head as if intrigued. When something is too absurd, one doesn't even get angry.
“Hahaha! What a spirited child. How about it? I'll make you an offer…”
“I told you to shut up. Can't you hear me?”
This time, even Arcane's face couldn't help but stiffen.
“I'm already trying my damnedest to hold back. So shut up. One more word and I'll smash you to pieces.”
Shirone's body began to glow with a faint red light. A laser. Its power had already been confirmed. If it was powerful enough to make Harvest, a being specialized in energy absorption, explode from an energy overload, then even an Archmage could be vulnerable.
But for his friends watching, their blood ran cold. Their opponent was an Archmage who had commanded the world, and Shirone was merely a student. This kind of provocation was no different from suicide.
“What on earth is he thinking? Is something really going to happen?”
“No. It will be fine.”
Nade and Iruki turned to Etella at the same time.
“Professor. What do you mean? Shouldn't we stop him now?”
“This is a tricky situation for Arcane. He's at a disadvantage in terms of compatibility. If Shirone's earlier magic was a type that concentrates energy, then the current Arcane cannot block it. As long as there's a chance he could get bitten back, he won't act based on emotion. Shirone knows that.”
Nade looked back at Shirone again. Even so, having the nerve to challenge an Archmage was something only Shirone could do.
‘He's so cunning, anyway.’
Arcane readily admitted it.
“Yes. As you are now, you might be able to defeat me.”
For a moment, the surroundings fell silent. It was a hard thing to believe, coming from the mouth of an Archmage. But it was not a thought born of servility. He was, in fact, wearing a relaxed smile.
“A red wave. It seems to work on the principle of vibrating particles, which is truly the natural enemy of dark magic. Moreover, I am exhausted, so stopping you would be quite difficult.”
Arcane carefully observed Shirone's reaction.
“How does it feel? Hearing this from an Archmage.”
“What do you mean, how does it feel? Didn't I tell you not to talk?”
“Magic… it's interesting, isn't it?”
Shirone furrowed his brow. He couldn't understand what Arcane was trying to say.
“That's what magic is. It's not fair, and there are no rules that say it has to be a certain way. There are no limits, so it can't be predicted. The world of magic is a place where a meteor mage who can wipe out a city can be killed by some insignificant mercenary mage. Therefore, it wouldn't be all that strange for me to be defeated by you.”
“So what's your point? Are you going to atone for your sins?”
“You could take it that way, but…”
Black smoke rose from Arcane's body. The whites of his eyes showed, and his expression was demonic. A blade-sharp killing intent exploded outwards in all directions.
“I'm saying you don't know the outcome of a battle until you fight it.”
Shirone took a step back without realizing it. It was pure fighting spirit, unrelated to skill or level. An aura of death that only one who has crossed the line between life and death countless times could exude.
“No matter how good the matchup is, it's useless if you can't win. What do you say? Will you face me?”
Shirone's lips, so confident until now, were silent for the first time. To be honest, he had no desire to fight. Arcane's fighting spirit was that overwhelming.
‘He really is something else.’
He persistently attacked the weakness, and as soon as it was gone, he immediately changed his stance. He wasn't stubborn. His thoughts were as flexible as water, and his vision was open in all directions. He felt he could understand a little of why Canis had lost.