Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Seven Pillars: Celestia (3)
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Vice Chairman of the Extreme Arcane Research Society, Alandorf.
He was the man leading a secret society composed of madmen renowned even across the continent.
A wizard who roamed freely between bodies by dominating souls with forbidden spells—Alandorf Petreus's ability to control others' bodies was a publicly known secret.
Alandorf would freely swap his own flesh for another identity depending on the situation or necessity.
And this time, the identity Alandorf had chosen was that of a rising noble who had made a name for himself in the capital.
"......"
Scratch, scratch—.
In the room filled with silence, only the sound of Alandorf's pen moving echoed.
As he wrote, Alandorf's gaze shifted to the mirror placed before him.
His eyes, infused with impure mana, contemplatively observed his reflected state.
It had been several months since Alandorf had begun recuperating from the wounds to his soul.
Fortunately, his soul seemed to have recovered to about eighty percent of its peak condition.
Of course, since it had been patched together like rags from others' souls, the state wasn't exactly stable.
"No matter how many times I think about it, it's a horrific memory. I never want to experience it again—."
As thoughts of the wound resurfaced in Alandorf's mind, so did the terrifying recollection.
The encounter with that dangerous entity in the mysterious library remained an unforgettable scar for Alandorf even now.
A transcendent wizard whose mere visage instilled an overwhelming sense of disparity.
That alien being, whose true nature he couldn't even guess, had torn Alandorf's soul to shreds.
Ever since that day, Alandorf hadn't so much as spat in the direction of the Magic Tower.
As a bonus, he'd also given up his nasty hobby of sending invitations to prominent figures in the academic world.
"Hoo... Well, at least I won't have to see them for a while. The gift I sent as an apology seemed to please them enough......"
Finally suppressing the trauma, Alandorf resumed moving his hand to finish the documents.
They were papers for legally and constructively embezzling funds from the empire's treasury.
Just as Alandorf, weary from his long trauma, was scribbling away at the documents.
Knock, knock—.
A knocking sound came from outside his office.
"Master, it's me."
Hearing the familiar voice, Alandorf looked up.
William, the butler who served Alandorf.
A master of transformation magic, he was a capable servant Alandorf always kept by his side regardless of identity.
Whoosh—.
As Alandorf dispelled the magic on the door, William promptly opened it and entered upon the signal.
"What is it?"
"A letter has arrived for you, Master."
Entering the office, William immediately approached Alandorf with the envelope.
The envelope bore no proper seal.
Judging by the eccentric sender's name scrawled on it, it seemed someone from the Arcane Research Society had sent it to Alandorf.
"I'll take a look, so wait a moment."
"Yes, Master."
Slide—.
Alandorf took the letter from William and nodded.
He then roughly tore it open and began examining the contents.
"It's obviously from the Doctor."
Alandorf easily identified the sender.
The madman, Begerton Antares.
Even among the mentally unstable wizards of the Arcane Research Society, he boasted a uniquely unparalleled state of mind.
Hmm—.
Alandorf fully unfolded the letter, his eyes slowly scanning the contents from the top.
—I have some highly useful information to share today with a special friend I've corresponded with for a long time.
—You should be wary of the individual named Sirius who appeared in the Great Forest.
—I recently confirmed Isaac Leoblant's death in the Great Forest.
—At present, Sirius has the highest likelihood of ascending to one of the Seven Pillars seats.
—I trust that as my dear friend, you can predict how things will unfold from here.
Alandorf's eyes stopped at the end of the letter.
That was the entirety of the Doctor's message.
No matter how many times he read it, there wasn't a shred of courtesy in its format.
"As expected of the Doctor. Not a trace of noble phrasing anywhere."
With a sour expression, Alandorf glared at the letter.
He didn't particularly like corresponding with the Doctor, but that didn't mean he could ignore the contents.
It was the Doctor who had brought this up, after all.
He wasn't one to fabricate nonsense.
Knock, knock—.
Alandorf's eyes lingered in brief contemplation.
Soon enough, he looked up and issued an order to William standing beside him.
"William. Investigate everything on Sirius."
"Yes, Master."
"Ah... And while you're at it, look into the Black Market and Isaac Leoblant's current status as well."
Bow—.
William bowed his head in acknowledgment of Alandorf's command.
Alandorf, legs crossed, watched him.
'If the Doctor is right... the Black Market could become unstable soon.'
The birth of a new Seven Pillar—.
Whether it would truly come to pass was uncertain, but if it did, there wouldn't be a better opportunity.
Chaos always bred profit.
It seemed the time had come to replenish the Arcane Research Society's lacking research funds.
* * * * * *
The night in Celestia, bathed in moonlight.
While Austin, his magic armor wrecked, drank at a tavern, I remained alone in the library, perusing books.
Rustle, rustle—.
The pages of aged tomes turned one by one in my hands.
A recently acquired book with unfamiliar contents.
It was more than enough to pique my interest in the library's collection.
"Spirits, huh......"
As I gazed at the book filled with new information, my impressions naturally slipped out.
The book in my grasp was the tome Begerton had offered as tribute not long ago.
—Spirit Magic.
A magic that summoned beings of supernatural power from a new dimension called the 'Spirit Realm.'
The Doctor had apparently discovered and retrieved it while investigating the battle traces left in the Great Forest.
Knowledge of magic that elves had independently mastered and developed had now flowed into Celestia.
"It feels very different from standard magic systems. In a way, it's like summoning magic... no, closer to magic tools, perhaps."
I carefully analyzed the contents of the materials the Doctor had brought.
Spirit Realm. Spirit Magic. High Spirits—.
Information entirely separate from conventional magic systems flowed into my mind one by one.
Rather than demanding precise calculations or complexity, it required a more simple, intuitive approach.
Among the library's spells, the closest might be 'Tyrant Dragon.'
The essence of spirit magic lay in commanding spirits that served nearly omnipotent roles.
"Judging by the mana supply limit at once, it seems difficult to use alongside grimoires in general."
From a convenience standpoint, there was no reason for a wizard not to use it.
However, elven spirit magic had several limitations.
First, spirit magic tended to demand excessive resources from the caster.
With a heavily burdened grimoire active, it seemed unlikely to supply sufficient mana to a spirit.
"Better to pair it with weapons other than grimoires. Compensate for shortages with bows or the like—."
Maintaining and utilizing spirits required a significant amount of magical resources.
In some cases, it could conflict with a grimoire over resource allocation.
Like with magic swords, its limits were clear when paired with high-level spells.
"And it requires spirit affinity."
Second, handling spirits demanded an intuitive talent.
Spirit affinity—.
This was how elves judged suitability for handling spirits.
"The more popular you are with spirits, the more usable the magic."
A special charm that could bend any spirit to one's will.
That was the most crucial condition for wielding spirits.
Spirits were exceedingly capricious and finicky beings.
Thus, elves, born beautifully under the strong influence of the World Tree, were more likely to be loved by spirits—.
This was the core claim in the elven materials.
"What nonsense."
After reading the materials for a while, I let out a hollow chuckle and set the book down.
Magic usable only by the chosen ones—.
This was the most steeped in elitism of any material I'd encountered.
"A race soaked in superiority complex—explains why their development lags despite their long lifespans."
I rejected the elves' views in the book.
No matter how capricious spirits were, there was no reason they'd favor only elves.
Judging suitability by absurd standards without proper research was laughable.
Different spirits would likely react differently based on their temperaments.
Slide—.
In the end, I decided to verify the elves' so-called 'spirit affinity' myself.
As someone born not an elf, I'd check if all spirits would reject my commands.
"......"
I raised my hand toward the empty air, snapped my fingers, and looked down at the floor.
Snap—.
The moment my fingers clicked, light burst forth, activating an improvised summoning spell.
The magic to summon a top-tier spirit had activated.
Fwaaaah!
A brilliant radiance erupted.
Immediately after a passage connected the Spirit Realm and the library.
—Kyaeeeeek——!
With a wriggling silhouette, an alien creature soon appeared before me.
A cheerful cry echoed everywhere.
What emerged was a single crow cloaked entirely in darkness.
Flap, flap—.
The crow flapped its enormous wings.
Beneath it, trailing thick haze, loomed a house-sized shadow disproportionate to its small body.
—Kawk, kyaaawk——!
"Is this the top-grade spirit the elves spoke of?"
I closely observed the crow before me.
A top-grade spirit, among the strongest in the Spirit Realm.
That was the true nature of this crow.
Humm, huuuumm—.
With each flap of the small crow's wings, the massive shadow beneath writhed.
Unlike its external form, it had some enormous entity as its true body.
"It doesn't look particularly friendly toward me, no matter how I see it."
Moreover, the crow spirit glared fiercely while threateningly flapping its wings at me.
Kyaaaaak—.
As I watched the somewhat displeased spirit.
"This is a good chance to verify the materials."
Soon, I extended my hand toward the crow and quietly spoke so it could hear.
"Fly closer and perch."
—Kawk, kyaaawk——!
A short command.
The spirit responded with an even fiercer cry than before.
Did it dislike my order?
Or, as the elves claimed, was my spirit affinity lacking?
Whoosh—.
The crow spirit turned its head aside, completely ignoring me.
"Failure, then. Shall I dispose of it and summon another—."
—......
But the purpose of this experiment was to control spirits regardless of affinity.
Thus, I planned to leave this one and move to the next.
Huuuuumm—.
As I quietly began gathering mana.
Flap, flap—.
Suddenly, the crow spirit flew urgently and perched on my arm.
"......"
—......
A brief silence passed between me and the crow spirit.
The crow spirit averted my gaze, nonchalantly turning its head to the side.
As if nothing had happened between us from the start.
"Hmm—."
Slide, swish—.
I moved the arm where the crow perched.
As I adjusted the angle, it tilted its head further to avoid eye contact.
Left. Right.
Regardless of direction, it maneuvered its head to evade my gaze.
Whoosh—.
Even when I quickly twisted my arm, it rotated its head 180 degrees to stubbornly refuse eye contact.
"It seems burdened by eye contact, so it doesn't feel much intimacy toward me—."
I gave a simple assessment while watching the crow.
Then, the crow quietly lowered its head and began rubbing its cheek against my arm.
—......
Rub, rub, rub—.
It acted as if we'd always been close, naturally nuzzling my arm.
Watching this, I immediately gave the crow spirit a more difficult command.
To test how far I could control it.
"Dance for me."
—Kawk, kawk......!
Right after my command, the crow spirit folded its wings to its sides.
Then it swayed its head and body side to side, rhythmically grooving with enthusiasm.
Thump, thump—.
An excited song poured from the crow spirit's beak.
Amid its pitiful struggles, our eyes met.
For the first time, the spirit wore a complicated expression.
"......"
—......
A special charm that could make any spirit obey one's will.
It seemed I possessed such affinity, after all.
What a pity—.