Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: The Name of the End: Johan (8)
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The Phantasmal Archive Celestia—ever since I first set foot in this vast library, there had been questions nagging at me.
Celestia was not a space with a physical form.
Moreover, it was impossible to exit through any physical doorway to the outside.
However, if spaces similar to Celestia, which existed as a conceptual realm, were present elsewhere—
If intelligent beings without physical bodies on the earth were endlessly adrift outside the world—
Then perhaps they too faced their own constraints when it came to interfering with the earth.
Such thoughts had occasionally floated through my mind.
“Countless fates are watching you. From now on, it won’t be as easy to interfere with the earth without hindrance.”
And as if driving the point home, the white-haired girl spoke those words to me.
The fate of eons.
The gazes wary of my descent to the earth.
The puzzle pieces that had been slowly fitting together began to rapidly form an outline.
The secrets hidden within the Phantasmal Archive Celestia were finally surfacing.
‘The rituals of descent up to now were merely processes to complete an avatar body.’
The origin of the descent ritual that the doctor was currently conducting stemmed from a legend long passed down in the White Order.
The descent of the guide from ancient legends—
It was the result achieved through the sacrifice of faithful priests.
This meant that the object of the order’s faith had limitations in directly interfering with the earth.
Perhaps without a suitable vessel, descent itself was impossible.
It also suggested that the guide had long sought workarounds to influence the earth.
‘If that’s the case, then the order’s very existence must be a means to secure influence over the earth.’
A clear map began to draw itself in my mind.
The concept of the ‘outer world’ I had encountered once before through a black magic sacrificial rite.
The far side of the world, beyond the continent’s people’s awareness.
In the inscrutable cosmos beyond human comprehension, there existed beings defined by laws.
Even the tentacles that obeyed me were mere feeble lifeforms drifting around them.
“I see. So that’s how it was.”
The intense pressure I had felt on the earth revived in my mind.
Now, I thought I could understand.
Unlike the other entities summoned to the earth through black magic, why had my own summoning been so difficult?
Why had the summoning magic ritual caused such significant repercussions on the earth?
“The library’s existence was far grander than the world they inhabit—”
The Phantasmal Archive Celestia was a conceptual space.
What was visible to the naked eye was merely a part of Celestia.
This meant its essential scale dwarfed even the continent where the Secret Society’s members lived.
It was impossible for something small to contain something larger.
Thus, a delicate approach was necessary.
One had to diminish oneself, create a vessel to hold that diminished self, and strive to fill that vessel with something.
The experiments so far had continually failed, yet it was self-evident that the doctor’s direction was not wrong.
“But if there are beings watching me, that means they’re after something similar.”
“…….”
“There seems to be some difference in the degree of influence they can exert on the earth. Rather than holding back their influence... it’s more likely that the concept of ‘knowledge’ being carried out from the library is far more malleable than they imagine.”
A grand flow began to take shape in my mind.
What was possible and what was not.
The countless trials and errors centered around me branched out like veins.
Swish—
Amid that scenery, the girl’s cold touch, which had covered my eyes, began to gently caress my cheek once more.
“You still want to leave this place.”
Her voice echoed softly in my ear.
It was no different from before.
She wished I wouldn’t leave the library, yet there was no sign of displeasure at my desire to depart.
She simply continued to watch over me.
Crack, craaack—
Cracks began to spread through the white world surrounding me.
It seemed even my time here had its limits.
In the center of the crumbling world, the girl pressed her cold cheek against my face.
“You were the same back then, long ago.”
“…….”
“Then and now, you haven’t changed much.”
For a moment, it felt as if I had heard something incomprehensible.
It was like the white-haired girl and I were talking at cross purposes.
However, before I could even ask about it, the world’s collapse accelerated further.
Craaack, craaack—
In the world where cracks proliferated, only the girl’s voice lingered in my ear.
“No matter how many times you return here, you keep striving to recreate the same magic.”
“Wait, what did you just—”
“So that’s why those children can’t forget you and keep coming back—”
Zzt, zzzt—
The sound in my ear gradually faded.
I desperately reached out into the void.
I tried to grasp the girl’s hand caressing my cheek.
But my hand grasped nothing.
It passed futilely through the empty space, and once again, I faced the familiar scenery.
“Ah—.”
My hollow eyes, having failed to hold onto the white-haired girl, scanned the surroundings.
The vast library and countless books came into view.
The Phantasmal Archive Celestia—
The illusory magic library housing innumerable spells existed here.
—Caw, caw—!
“…….”
Hearing the raven’s cries echo in my ears, I once again felt the cold reality settle over me.
The moment the third experiment failed.
* * * * * *
If asked who the greatest knight in the Empire was, the Empire’s subjects would give mostly one answer.
The knight among knights, stronger and braver than any other, leader of the order.
One of the Empire’s war heroes, bearing the symbol of the black lion.
A member of the Seven Pillars and the noble leader of the Black Lion Knight Order.
—Savior Sword Klein Adenov.
The middle-aged knight with windswept brown hair was the hero praised by all.
“…….”
And now, that Klein Adenov was walking toward his office with a complicated expression.
Step, step—
Countless thoughts swirled in Klein’s mind as he walked.
Most of those concerns revolved around the barbarians he had encountered in the north during the recent expedition.
The siege warfare against the Erbar Union.
Among them, memories surfaced of a certain barbarian who had crossed swords with him.
“……Great Chieftain Partlinger.”
The great chieftain etched in Klein’s memory wielded mysterious powers.
Too strange to call magic, yet too subtle to label as shamanism.
Even the Empire’s mages didn’t know how those powers worked.
He could only surmise that it was a traditional force among the barbarians, manifesting strongly in the great chieftain.
“No matter how I think about it... it’s an incredibly ominous power.”
The great chieftain Klein had faced possessed strength beyond human limits.
His might, traversing the battlefield, was something even the valiant Black Lion Knights couldn’t withstand.
It befitted the man who had gathered shattered tribes into a union.
Having displayed such prowess before all, it was no wonder he had swiftly unified the tribes.
Thus, Klein needed to devise a way to deal with the threat of the union encroaching on the Empire.
“…….”
Lost in such contemplation, Klein’s strides carried him through the knight order’s facilities.
Swish—
His eyes, heading toward the office, suddenly caught sight of someone and halted.
He had spotted someone blocking the path to his office.
“……Your Highness.”
“You’ve returned just in time, Sir Klein.”
Striking blue hair.
Plain attire unfit for his noble status.
And even the crudely made sword at his waist—
For Klein, it was an unforgettable figure who had slipped out of the imperial palace to stand there.
Crown Prince Roderline.
The Empire’s next sun was blocking the office, gazing at Klein.
“Your Highness, have I not told you repeatedly to always bring escorts?”
Seeing him there without a single guard, it was clear he had left the palace by irregular means again.
Hoo—
A sigh escaped Klein’s lips.
As Klein’s eyes met the prince’s, Roderline responded leisurely.
“In a place gathered with the Empire’s strongest knights, who would dare target me?”
“Even so, wandering alone is dangerous. So, Your Highness, what brings you here?”
“I tried contacting you through the crystal orb, but regrettably, you didn’t respond. So I came in person.”
In the crown prince’s hand was a large crystal orb.
Polaris No. 1—
A popular communication magic tool among the Empire’s nobles.
Klein himself had one in his office, a gift from the prince.
It was said that any high noble in the Empire should have at least one.
Klein somewhat agreed, so he had gladly accepted the gift.
He just hadn’t expected the prince to visit because of an unanswered call.
“I was briefly away from the office on business.”
“So it seemed. That’s why I came like this.”
“Very well, Your Highness. What urgent matter brings you here personally, abandoning even your escorts?”
Klein asked the prince facing him.
If it was something trivial, he planned to give a little scolding.
And the response that came back to Klein was quite shocking to the Empire’s knight order leader.
“Sir Klein, the mobile fortress Laplacia has been shot down in Marquis Alperatz’s territory.”
“……Pardon?”
“It’s that mobile fortress you know.”
Mobile fortress Laplacia—
Hearing the familiar name, Klein stared at the prince before him with eyes wide in shock.
The fall of the continent’s most dangerous military facility was enough to astonish anyone.
But the prince’s words didn’t end there.
The demise of a great mage flowed from the prince’s lips.
“One of the mages called the Seven Pillars burned to death along with the fortress.”
“…….”
Klein Adenov fell silent.
Winds of change were blowing.
What impact this change would have on the Empire’s situation—
Even Klein could not imagine.