Chapter 10
Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Rampage
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There was no response.
His gaze never once fell on me.
As if I were invisible, with his eyes covered and ears plugged.
"Pfft!"
Josephine Empress clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
The other empresses wore looks of Serves you right.
But even so, I didn't care.
From his perspective, I was a blemish on his reputation.
A dark cloud staining the name of the Holy King.
Just as I expected. The Holy King, hanging his neck around that phony noble title all by himself.
It was actually a relief that he matched my memories of the past.
He had lived his entire life as the Guardian of Peace, protector of the continent's long-standing tranquility.
That was the same reason he'd left the empress's throne vacant for over ten years.
Normally, he would elevate one of the empresses to lead state affairs, but he couldn't shake off his "spotless integrity" or his "heart aching for his late empress," leaving it empty as a poignant symbol.
Of course, it was all bullshit. A scripted performance.
Image was everything you made it.
And no one had built a more perfect image than Holy King Deus.
"Sir Croft. For you to step forward like this—unexpected."
He only paid attention to Croft, the empire's greatest swordsman.
Croft gave a slight bow of his head.
"Seeing Your Majesty's radiant visage clears the stuffiness from my chest."
"You're not just getting older; your flattery's grown too."
"So have my white hairs."
"Even a Sword Master can't escape the march of time, it seems."
Deus shook his head with a click of his tongue and turned his gaze away.
He then ascended to the central podium where the imperial family sat and addressed them.
"It must have been a long journey. You've had a hard time of it."
At the same time, the four tower masters bent deeply at the waist.
"Not at all. Thank you for inviting us."
"It's an honor."
"We'd have rushed here even from the opposite end of the continent!"
"What does distance matter when it comes to seeing Your Majesty?"
Eyes gleaming with sycophantic flattery.
The four tower masters—all renowned mages on the continent.
There were barely twenty 8th-circle mages across the entire continent.
And four of them were gathered here.
Though famous for their arrogance, their opponent was the emperor of the empire—their greatest patron, sparing no support for the towers. What more was there to say?
Once the great famine passes and the tower funding dries up, they'll turn away without a second thought.
For mages, their research mattered more than the suffering of the common folk.
I understood—they lived off their labs—but still, when funding was cut for just one year, they withdrew every mage from the palace towers.
"I've heard you wish for me to inspect the princes' achievements."
Emperor Deus's eyes turned to the other princes.
A flicker of emotion entered his gaze as he looked at them.
At that moment, Josephine Empress cut in.
"Your Majesty, why not start by reviewing the achievements of Crown Prince Carmen, our host today?"
The order of presentation mattered too.
Who went first could earn extra points.
The other empresses wouldn't let her obvious scheming slide.
"Your Majesty, for the dignity of the imperial family, we must proceed by rank."
The second empress shot back immediately.
She could yield the lead to the first prince but not let the third steal it.
An age-old power struggle.
It was also the emperor's fault for leaving the empress throne empty so long.
"......We'll begin with the 1st Prince."
By strict rank, it should have started with me, not the 1st Prince—but I was already invisible in the emperor's sight.
Fwoosh!
The 1st Prince, flames descending upon his entire body, stepped onto the central demonstration platform.
The 1st Prince—a peerless genius backed by the Tower of Flame.
His Phoenix Knight Order was the empire's strongest force, gathered from its top experts.
Ten Phoenix knights followed him up.
It would be a sparring demonstration.
Clang!
Their swords clashed with no gap, like a real battle.
With dazzling swordsmanship, he felled the knights in an instant.
Worthy of a least-year Sword Expert of the highest grade.
But that wasn't the end.
Kreeee!
A massive flame erupted from his back, forming a phoenix that spread its wings wide.
"Ah...! He's completed the 'Phoenix Ring'!"
The Flame Tower Master exclaimed in admiration.
Phoenix Ring—the Tower of Flame's pinnacle circle training method.
Heat rose from the awakened 1st Prince's body as the phoenix descended.
Twice as fast as before, he knocked out all ten knights in a flash.
Clap clap clap!
The first empress clapped.
Clap clap clap clap!
"Incredible, Your Highness!"
"It gave me chills!"
The remaining knights and Flame Tower mages began applauding.
But it wasn't empty praise.
That skill was the real deal.
A genius who works hard.
That was the 1st Prince's terror.
A once-in-a-generation genius who put in the effort too.
Never slacking a day, obsessing over training—that's how he reached such heights at his age.
Next was the 2nd Prince's turn.
The 2nd Prince, looking like everything was a hassle, flicked his hand.
"Winds, whirl in chains and blow fiercely."
Rumble!
Thunder cracked as a vortex formed around him.
But for a 6th-circle wind spell, it was utterly ordinary.
"Th-three...!"
"Three typhoons at once?"
The issue was the quantity.
Creating and controlling three typhoons simultaneously.
Even a typical 6th-circle mage would struggle.
It required abnormal mana reserves and superhuman mana sensitivity—just barely possible.
And he was pulling it off with that bored expression.
"......You'll reach 7th circle soon."
The Wind Tower Master marveled.
7th circle—a realm fewer than fifty on the continent held.
And he aimed to claim it before twenty.
What blessed talent...
The imperial family's future shone bright.
Grind!
The one grinding her teeth was Josephine Empress.
Both the 1st and 2nd Princes had shown beyond-expectation talent.
She never dreamed they'd reached such levels already.
It's fine. Prince Carmen is the Light's Guide. The 1st and 2nd Princes can never touch that miracle.
What was light?
Hope. A miracle in itself.
Carmen was born with the right to become the Light's Guide.
Carmen, receiving her gaze, ascended the platform.
Thud!
"Ah...!"
His armor got in the way, and he tumbled awkwardly.
But he quickly got up, brushed dirt from his legs and face, and grinned bravely at Josephine Empress.
"Light."
Light mana gathered around Carmen.
One, two—the light illuminated him more and more.
Just 2nd circle now.
Calling light and directing it—that was all.
"Light, dance even more brilliantly."
Carmen pushed further.
Even more brilliantly—a reinforcement incantation possible only at 3rd circle.
"D-double overlap...!"
But the mages saw the real issue at once.
Hadn't Carmen said "Light" twice?
Mana imbued language. It moved by linguistic will.
But even magical language had taboos.
Double overlap.
Repeating the same phrase simultaneously.
The result? Rampage.
A foundational rule that must never be broken.
In his tension, Carmen had made a mistake.
A simple rampage would be fine, but with greed added, the backlash would be severe.
Whoooosh!
The mass of light expanded explosively.
"Ah......"
Josephine Empress's eyes widened in horror.
Light leaked from every orifice of Carmen's body.
"St-stop it! What are the tower mages doing?!"
"Light, be calm!"
"Light, return to normal!"
The Tower of Light sprang into action.
They had no choice but to override the input mana with stronger mana.
But the rampage didn't stop.
"M-Mother."
"Prince Carmen!"
"It h-hurts... Ahh."
Only eight years old.
The immense mana crushing his young body amplified the pain.
He'd burst like this.
She stomped her feet in anguish.
The Tower of Light had no real solution.
The other towers were the same.
Interfering with mismatched attributes would only worsen it.
"Do something!"
"W-we're trying our best."
Even the Light Tower Master stepped up.
But the rampage persisted.
[Unauthorized nanomachine rampage detected.]
That instant, a voice resounded in my brain.
[The 'unauthorized nanomachine' is processed to bond with 'induced pluripotent stem cells' and follow one command.]
[It lacks A.I.-like intelligence like mine but can patrol externally to execute orders.]
[For a rampaging nanomachine from command overlap, you can use the currently dominated nanomachines for 'forced adsorption.']
[Approve?]
In short, it meant I could quell this rampage.
"It hurts, ahh! It hurts, I said!"
Carmen writhed on the ground, clawing at his body.
"Your Highness...! Please, anyone—stop it!"
Josephine Empress begged through tears.
I loathed the sight of her.
But Carmen was innocent.
Approved.
[Master's approval confirmed.]
That moment, transparent mana—nanomachines—began discharging from my fingertips.
The released nanomachines swiftly rode the air to Carmen.
They adsorbed the rampaging mana, then leisurely returned to me.
[Commencing domination of forcibly adsorbed unauthorized nanomachines.]
[Domination complete.]
Rampaging, they were dominated unusually fast.
Soon, I felt the nanomachines filling my heart tracing a perfect circle.
......1st circle.
I realized it then.
Me, scorned as talentless in magic—had achieved 1st circle.
"Wh-what...?"
"Th-the rampage?"
"The rampage has stopped!"
The Tower of Light mages shouted.
Suddenly, the rampage halted, and the light mass vanished in an instant.
"Ahh, thank you, thank you, mages of the Tower of Light. I don't know how to repay this. If there's anything you want, just say it. I'll grant anything."
Josephine Empress expressed her gratitude.
"Th-that's... we're glad, Empress."
But the Light Tower Master only looked dazed.
They knew better than anyone—they hadn't stopped it.
But who then?
If not the Tower of Light, who could halt a mana rampage?
"It's abnormal."
"Double overlap and mana rampage on top of that. How'd they stop it?"
"Only a void mage could..."
"That's just a fairy tale attribute mages invented."
The mages began whispering. These were the towers' elites. They all knew something was off with the rampage's end.
"The Tower of Light didn't stop the rampage."
Someone stepped forward to point it out.
All eyes focused on him.
The one who should never speak up had opened his mouth.
"Nor are they the ones Josephine Empress should truly thank."
The empire's greatest swordsman, Sword King Croft!
Everyone fell silent, swallowing hard at his word, carrying absolute authority.
At the same time, Croft's eyes turned to me.
[ ]