Chapter 648: Black Magic, White Magic, and Gray Sorcery - 7
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 648: Black Magic, White Magic, and Gray Sorcery - 7
More than one person had mastered a Unique Magic.
Naturally, that meant there was more than one relic.
Not everyone who mastered a Unique Magic left a relic behind, but they could if they had the will to do so. After all, a relic was nothing more than the will that remained from a Unique Magic.
“The achievements of a great man are passed down through generations, never freezing even in the harshest cold.”
“All of Celsius are successors to the progress of our ancestor, Kelvin Celsius.”
“The family relics shall assist the Ordinance, further solidifying the rule of our domain.”
There were seven members of Celsius present, all possessing relics. Two of them, including Elcia, were mages. The rest were sorcerers of a caliber that would not be out of place in the Floating Castle.
With this much power, they could redraw the map. If a new island of ice were to suddenly rise from beyond the sea, they would likely be the first to be suspected.
“Knowledge is a tower, its foundation laid by one, built upon by their descendants until it is complete.”
“Those who do not seek truth are not worthy to climb this tower.”
The world itself seemed to distort. Seven relics, each containing a Unique Magic. They hadn't even been activated yet, but diamond-shaped crystals crackled into existence in the empty air, appearing and disappearing in rapid succession.
Unique Magic was the manifestation of a Spiritual World into reality. With seven such Spiritual Worlds overlapping, the very providence of this area was being rewritten. Where they conflicted, they canceled each other out; where they aligned, they grew stronger. Here, a single drop of sweat would freeze solid in an instant.
Elcia walked lightly through the air. Ice formed from nothing, supporting her steps. Pale blue wings shimmered behind her back.
In this space where seven relics coexisted, the Celsius family was the law itself.
“Every Unique Magic is different, but from childhood, we all learned and grew under the rule of Kelvin Celsius, studying his magic. Any mage born in the Celsius domain is qualified to become a part of the Ordinance.”
Her words reminded me of the Golden Lord. As the founder of alchemy and a Divine, the Golden Lord had wandered the Fallen Dominion as its god, exerting a powerful influence.
Perhaps that was why. Most of the Primarchs of the Fallen Dominion had awakened Unique Magics similar in nature to alchemy.
It was inevitable. The Golden Lord’s power was just that immense and potent. Humans who survived in the shadow of a Divine were bound to resemble that Divine. People resemble their gods.
Though on a smaller and far safer scale, the same was true for Celsius.
“Knowledge is like the starlight in the night sky. All gaze up at its distant glimmer, charting constellations and building towers to reach those stars. But your black magic is the storm cloud that looms beneath it. It obscures the precious, distant starlight, making it seem far away. The ignorant masses, having lost the light, will flounder in the darkness and vanish miserably, leaving nothing behind.”
Aspiration toward sorcerers was the very foundation of this Mage Federation.
Something like black magic could not be tolerated.
Even if it offered humanity immediate convenience.
“Why do you continue to lecture, Elcia? Open the Vault of Heirlooms at once.”
As the conversation dragged on, a Celsius sorcerer in a white robe cut her off. Elcia glanced at me and said.
“To point out foolishness and guide one to the correct path is the duty of a descendant of a noble house.”
“There is no need for conversation. We have already deliberated and reached our answer. We will not accept the rule the Shrine of the Divine seeks to establish.”
The Shrine of the Divine.
Where had I heard that before? The first time, it had passed by in a flash during one of Shei’s recollections. The next time was at the Floating Castle. They had reacted almost violently to the mention of the Divine. It was an open secret that Lankart was connected to the Shrine of the Divine.
The story that had been left unfinished at the Floating Castle was now continuing in this land.
“Celsius has rejected the Shrine of the Divine. We will uphold the Ordinance, just as we always have. But for you to test the Shrine of the Divine’s World Law in our domain… that is no different from seeking conflict.”
“What? Wait a minute. The Shrine of the Divine?”
Why were they telling me this? I’d never even met anyone from the Shrine of the Divine.
“Your power is that of a Divine. Did you think we wouldn't know?”
“Mr. Temperus didn’t seem to know.”
“A guard dog doesn't need to know how to read.”
“Though it would be convenient if it learned.”
The sorcerer pointed his staff at me and spoke.
“Even Fahrenheit, once the most prosperous in this northern land, was annihilated for overlapping with another rule. The Celsius domain was built by the Ordinance and prospers by the Ordinance. We have no need for another rule.”
Indeed, the Celsius domain was flourishing. It would be difficult to find a city this prosperous anywhere else in the north. A few of the ignorant were left behind, but that was true of any city in any country.
Elcia took out a transparent key. When she thrust the crude, pale blue key into the air, an extradimensional pocket opened with a fierce gust of wind.
Rene's Pocket. It was probably the same structure as Shei’s Pocket. But its purpose was different from Shei’s, which was used as a convenient pouch.
This was an extradimensional space designed to control and attune the overwhelmingly powerful and destructive force of the relics.
“Viva Celsius. We shall protect and cultivate the great work of our ancestor.”
Having opened the Vault of Heirlooms, the extradimensional space where the family treasures were stored, Elcia removed her gloves and reached her hand toward me. A large shadow flickered behind her. Chwa-rararak. Her touch transcended space and reached me.
Huh? I tried to run, but my body wouldn't move. It was as if I were trapped in ice.
“Phase Out.”
No, I am the ice!
The very ‘phase’ of the space enveloping me had been fixed into a solid state. I couldn't move a single fingertip. But it felt natural. Because, well, it was a solid.
“I don’t know if there will ever be a reason to release you, but. I hope you cool your head in there.”
As my world slowly faded within the ice, Elcia turned her back. Unable to move even a fingertip, I continued to sink into a world where everything was frozen…
…
…
…
I blinked my eyes open.
The Celsius Vault of Heirlooms. The trump card of a prestigious magical family, usable only when all the family relics were gathered in one place. I’d been taken down without even a chance to resist. It was a terrifyingly powerful force. There was a reason the vassal states, incited by the Empire, had been defeated.
I hadn't wanted to experience that power with my own body, but… it couldn't be helped. My contribution wasn't something they would have wanted anyway.
-…! Impossible!
-Well, I’ll be. Live long enough and you see everything. Though I’m already dead. To think there’s a human who can reach the Spiritual World.
-Reach the Spiritual World? It’s more than that! We’re conversing amongst ourselves! This isn't him ‘entering’ us! It's us who have ‘entered’ him!
-What’s all the fuss? I know that as well. I just thought it better to analyze the situation than to get worked up.
-Analyze what! The answer is right in front of us!
-We are relics, nothing but lingering wills. How can a tool that neither sees nor hears, only lends its power, make judgments for itself? It is more logical to wait for him to reveal himself.
“Ah. Hello there, everyone in the Vault.”
I greeted the hazy figures of the mages and looked around.
The Spiritual World resembled the Vault of Heirlooms within the extradimensional space. Like a constellation, some were far, some were near. Each relic was in a separate room, set at a certain distance. The owners of the relics stood as faint spiritual images, staring at me.
“A pleasure to meet you. I am the King of Humans.”
When I revealed my identity, the owners of the relics were greatly flustered.
-The King of Humans?
-Good heavens. He was just using the power of the Vault. What on earth happened?
-Did our descendants actually pick a fight with the King of Humans? That doesn't seem like a rational decision by any measure.
“But one who has lost his power.”
-Ah, well, that’s understandable then.
-He used the power of the Vault even after losing his strength?
-A noble house is said to prosper for three generations even after its fall. It would be even more so for the King of Humans.
-If he is the King of Humans, that would explain why we have ‘entered’ him. As conceptual beings, perhaps we can converse like humans within him.
Listening to the relics converse like a group of friendly old men, I felt like I'd walked into a senior citizens' center. Facing the relics, who were now noisily debating amongst themselves, I calmly counted them.
Eight. There’s one too many.
One of the relics, the one with the clearest form, spoke to me.
-What is it you wish to know?
“I came to see all of you.”
-That much is obvious. There is no one else here. My meaning is, what knowledge do you seek by coming here?
“I was just curious.”
Relics cannot lie. This was a Spiritual World, after all. Thoughts, ideas—anything that came to mind was instantly reflected here.
And there was no reason for a spiritual image to lie. Lying was deceiving others to gain something, but what was there to gain for a being that was already dead, with only its will remaining?
The relic spoke.
-It is to uphold the will of Kelvin Celsius.
“And what is the will of Kelvin Celsius?”
-He left behind many wills. The theory of freezing and boiling points. The method of preserving heat, the magic to obtain water… But if I had to choose one, it would be the ‘rule.’ The one called the Ordinance, which governs all things above freezing and boiling points.
This was a relic that had once been a sorcerer. His love for showing off his knowledge hadn't changed even in death. The relic told me everything, even things I hadn't asked.
-This land cannot be survived without a rule. The ice melts only in the summer of each year, and only moss-like grass grows within it. Beasts with thick fur flock to eat that handful of grass, and wolves and bears come to hunt them. The northern sea never has a day to freeze. The Leviathans break the icebergs and chew on them like snacks.
There was a reason its history was so short. The further north one went, the higher the proportion of large beasts. They were too much for humans to handle; more often than not, humans ended up being eaten.
If it were the south, where everything was abundant, they could at least gather in numbers to form groups, but even that was difficult in this environment. Only a few Eskimo-like people survived, living like beasts.
-Only magic is the sole ember that illuminates this cold, desolate land. The great Kelvin Celsius left behind his relic to protect that ember for future generations, to gather firewood and make it burn brighter. We, too, have followed that noble will and left behind relics for our descendants.
Though I couldn't see the relic's face clearly, I could feel it was filled with pride as he spoke. He had indeed lived a faithful life and died amidst everyone's praise. He had no regrets.
-To be of help to future generations even in death, is that not the most meaningful death of all?
That was why this relic was incredibly stable. The very purpose of its existence was to lend its power to its descendants.
-Even if my snowman eventually melts and disappears, if it can make someone smile… Olaf would be happy.
“You’re the one who made Olaf?”
-Yes. The snowman that grows on its own.
“He looked quite dashing.”
-You noticed! Astonishing. Since he was to become a relic, I took special care in making him. I even used a carving knife to make the snowman, and I knitted the red wool hat myself.
A red wool hat? It was too big for me to see. Was there really something like that?
In any case, his book was complete. Having read enough, I looked around and asked.
“By the way… where is the relic of the most important one, the first Celsius?”
-Him? He is asleep.
“Asleep? Even though he’s already dead?”
-Relics are not eternal. Everything in the world decays with time, and relics are no exception. The reason my voice is the loudest, despite having the least seniority, is likely because it hasn't been long since I became a relic.
For his sake, I said something I didn't mean.
“What a shame. The most powerful ancestor of the Celsius domain, Kelvin Celsius, who became a model for all of you… he could have vied for the throne of the Divine.”
-I agree. Kelvin Celsius would have been worthy of it.
“While other domains declined or were destroyed, Celsius stood firm. I heard that was the power of Kelvin Celsius. I came here hoping to ask about that secret.”
-There is no secret to speak of. The achievements of Kelvin Celsius remain throughout the entire domain. We, more than anyone else, are his achievement.
It was then that the Spiritual World trembled. The largest relic, which had been listening to our voices, was vibrating.
The ancestor of Celsius, Kelvin Celsius, who had been quietly sleeping, had been awakened by the noise. After a loud stretch, Kelvin Celsius…
-Stop it-! I-I'm not that great of a person-!
He cried out in shame and embarrassment.