Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Truth of the Spirits
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Spirit.
One of the vanished '7 Great Mysteries'.
Ancient records frequently mention that humans once lived alongside spirits, but no one in modern times has ever laid eyes on one.
Of course, there were reports, and people who claimed to have summoned them.
But it was all lies and scams.
We didn't even know why the spirits that coexisted with humans suddenly disappeared, or where they went.
Not until we discovered proper 'Spirit Language'.
"I can't believe it. This is the first time I've seen Spirit Language engraved so clearly."
In the spacious area created by shoving aside the palace library.
Edis chattered on as he examined the 'Spirit Language' inscribed on my right arm.
It was the moment curiosity took root in his otherwise ice-cold eyes.
"Can you tell what it says?"
"'…I who pierce the light and dye the darkness.' That's the sentence engraved on the very first line. There are some difficult characters mixed in, so it'll take a bit of time to translate fully…"
I who pierce the light and dye the darkness.
Grand, but a proper introduction from a spirit.
At the same time, it was part of the activation phrase.
A secret I only learned after smashing every treasure in the imperial vault.
'Spirits aren't sentient beings with wills of their own.'
Humans viewed spirits as organic entities.
They thought of them as intelligent beings that left their true forms in their original world and moved according to summons or commands.
But that was just human prejudice.
A crude notion tainted by human perspectives.
Like projecting human emotions onto dogs or cats.
'Spirits are weapons.'
Spirits aren't like that.
Spirits were merely one type of weapon created by ancient humans.
They'd simply grown too old to function.
Broken, with activation phrases erased, or even if intact, drained of power and unable to activate.
Only after shattering every treasure in the imperial vault did we find ancient weapons inscribed with activation phrases inside them.
Of course, none worked properly, but countless scholars and mages studied them and eventually uncovered the truth.
Spirits hadn't vanished somewhere.
We'd had them right beside us all along, but failed to recognize them as spirits.
"I've never seen Spirit Language graft onto a human body like this before. Could you tell me what happened?"
"Do you know of the staff called the [Light Seeker]?"
"How could any mage not know that treasure? It even appears in the '100 Great Legacies of Humanity'. It's the one His Majesty the Emperor bestowed upon the 3rd Prince."
The Emperor had tossed it over like it was nothing, praising his son's efforts, but to mages, it was a treasure among treasures.
They said wielding the [Light Seeker] boosted mana control by about 0.5 circles, an enormous effect that grew even more profound at higher circles.
If Edis held it, he could hold off two same-circle mages for an extended time.
Its cultural value was immense, but its practical effects were even greater.
And such a treasure among treasures…
"I broke it."
"…Pardon?"
"I broke it."
"The [Light Seeker]?"
"Yeah. I grabbed both ends of the staff and snapped it over my knee. The material was weaker than I expected."
Edis's facial muscles began to twitch.
His expression overflowed with bewilderment.
He had to be wondering how I'd gotten my hands on something that belonged to the 3rd Prince in the first place, but smashing it would be even harder to fathom.
Of course, I had my reasons.
I wanted to decipher the Spirit Language engraved on the [Light Seeker] more quickly.
In the past, we'd failed to translate the Spirit Language on it before it burned up during the purges.
The mages were gathered anyway, so I'd hoped to resolve one of the '7 Great Mysteries' and solidify my position.
'I didn't expect it to latch onto my arm.'
It was just like a tattoo.
A faint glow emanated from the [Nano Machine] asserting its presence.
[Cannot analyze 'Unauthorized [Nano Machine]'. It is locked with a high security rating. A higher grade of 'Admin Authority' is required for analysis.]
[Current '[Nano Machine Zero]' Admin Authority is Grade 9. At least Grade 6 Admin Authority is required to analyze this 'Unauthorized [Nano Machine]'.]
[To raise 'Admin Authority' grade, you must dominate a greater quantity of Nano Machines.]
[Higher grades will unlock more functions.]
Raising the authority grade enhanced [Nano Machine Zero]'s capabilities.
Even now, Zero boasted absurd performance.
It had normalized my body in mere days—something no one else could fix.
I was curious, too.
What would happen if I raised my authority grade and unlocked the [Nano Machine] on my arm?
But gathering 'Nano Machines' the normal way would take ages.
There was one exception: dominating rampaging Nano Machines.
And conveniently, Edis—the first to make contact—was right here.
Deciphering the Spirit Language?
Important, sure, but that wasn't my real goal.
"That treasure… Ha ha."
I spoke to Edis, who still couldn't wrap his head around it.
"The Spirit Language from the [Light Seeker] suddenly latched onto my arm. Isn't this what they call 'fate'?"
"Your Highness, no fate is forged by smashing a treasure."
"Just a figure of speech. Anyway."
Now for the main point.
I had to tread carefully here.
Alleviating the rampage.
But behind that, it was ultimately stealing mana.
One misstep, and I'd be branded a witch or demon.
They could accuse me of dabbling in forbidden black magic and toss me into the Special Prison.
'If word got out, it'd be perfect fodder for a witch hunt.'
The mad Crown Prince dabbles in black magic!
He's not stopping the rampage—he's stealing mana!
That's why not just anyone could treat rampages.
Treating them willy-nilly could lead to exactly that kind of backlash.
So I put on the strongest performance I could.
"They say coincidences piling up become fate. And seeing you made me think of 'fate' over and over."
"Fate?"
"This power I gained by chance was confirmed by your chance arrival. Without you, I'd have been called a liar."
"Not at all, Your Highness. Wasn't that entirely your own power? Surely people would have recognized it."
That might hold for ordinary folk, but this was the imperial palace.
If he hadn't shown up to reaffirm my ability, things could have gotten far messier.
Now. Time to begin.
"That's not all. Your circumstances and mine align so perfectly. I need you, and you need me."
"Is there a reason you need me, Your Highness?"
"Just look at how you've already started deciphering the Spirit Language."
"That… Other Tower Masters could do the same."
I shook my head.
"They wouldn't step up like you. They'd be too busy worrying about their ties to the imperial family or the dignity they have to maintain as Tower Masters."
"…"
"What I need is someone who ignores all that nonsense and holds firm to their own convictions."
"I only acted because my granddaughter's treatment was urgent, Your Highness."
That's right.
But most people aren't like that.
Someone who throws everything away for their granddaughter only exists in fairy tales.
In reality, how many in his position would abandon it all and move solely for their granddaughter?
After she died, he even stepped down from his position as Tower Master.
I'd heard he retired to the countryside and died quietly by her grave.
This man has convictions.
He walks his own path.
I gave him a smile.
"That's why I call it fate. Fate, and your desperation, brought you here."
For a moment, Edis's eyes wavered.
A solution he'd sought by any means, but never found.
Now facing it here. Like fate.
He probably hadn't thought of it as fate until now, but my words would make him start to see it that way.
"What do you want, Your Highness?"
Edis asked, probing my intentions.
What did I want?
"Just one thing."
Edis forced himself to calm down and looked at me.
It was odd for the Crown Prince to want nothing.
Maybe he'd demand something outrageous…
That's what he was thinking.
But.
"Your complete cure."
A full treatment.
Eliminating the rampage's side effects.
It would confirm my ability and let me take his rampaging Nano Machines without suspicion.
Edis's calculating eyes began to shake even harder.
"…I think I'misjudged you."
Edis rose from his seat.
Then slowly, he bowed his head.
"Forgive me, Your Highness. Forgive this selfish fool who failed to see your pure goodwill."
Pure goodwill?
A passing dog would laugh, but from Edis's perspective, it had to feel that way.
I was like a lifeline from the heavens.
"No need for forgiveness. Raise your head."
"No. I can't forgive myself."
Mages seem calculating and cold, but they have a naive side, too.
'When their faith wavers, they cling even harder.'
Ordinary people can't accept it when their common sense shatters.
But high-circle mages tend to trust even more in what lies beyond 'common sense'.
They have to embrace it to break through walls and reach higher.
Edis was the same.
His prejudices and common sense about my reputation.
All crumbling at once, letting him see me anew.
If I played this right, I could turn Edis into a complete ally.
"It's hard to treat you like that. Sit down."
"…"
He might cry.
***
A 8th-circle mage's rampage.
The sheer volume of Nano Machines was beyond imagination.
The amount I absorbed daily exceeded the limits.
Thanks to that, I reached my goal quickly.
Just as I sucked up all the rampaging Nano Machines.
[Grade 6 Admin Authority has been unlocked.]
I heard Zero's voice announcing the Grade 6 Admin Authority unlock.
Along with it, Zero's many new 'abilities' unlocked.
And the announcement that it was beginning to analyze the Spirit Language on my arm.
I nodded.
The preparations to turn the imperial palace upside down were complete.
Admin Authority End