Chapter 651: Black Magic, White Magic, and Gray Magic - 9
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 651: Black Magic, White Magic, and Gray Magic - 9
Elisha Celsius, Lord of the Blue Tower, held another title. She was the director of the Mage Federation's intelligence bureau, a powerful position that involved her in all information flowing in and out of the Floating Castle.
Elisha's appointment to the director's seat had more to do with her personality than her abilities. This was because most mages were lone wolves, too self-centered to be adept at observing others and digging up information. There was no one better suited for the job than the sociable Elisha, who was skilled at coordinating with others.
Elisha, who secretly looked down on everyone, surprisingly performed her duties well. Most of the information from within and without the Floating Castle passed through her, and she collected and verified it with her innate intelligence.
That "information" included the matter of Hughes, who had descended to the Celsius territory.
"Lankart Spendry. I did as you said and simply watched Hughes, but..."
Elisha had suggested that Hughes stay with the Celsius family during his time in the mortal world. After all, it was her family home, and it lacked nothing for a talented mage to reside in. It was a gesture of goodwill, but Hughes had been vague in his response and, for some reason, ended up teaching children at an academy on the frontier.
It was puzzling, but understandable. Hughes was researching ways to use magic with insufficient mana, and it seemed plausible that he might find his answers by teaching the children of the mortal world.
However, at some point, Elisha received intelligence that Hughes was spreading Standard Magic. Even though she had left, it was still her family's home. Elisha didn't hide the information, and the intelligence bureau discreetly passed the report to the Celsius territory.
"Is this really okay?"
As a result, a conflict erupted. It was entirely predictable, and it could have been prevented.
If only Lankart Spendry hadn't been there.
"So what? Standard Magic is indeed a lowly form of magic, but for people of a lowly level, there's no magic more fitting. There's nothing wrong with Huey's judgment."
Elisha had tried to stop the conflict. Causing a disturbance at a time when the Floating Castle had descended would do no good. But Lankart stopped her, and Elisha had no choice but to obey.
Was it because Lankart seemed ready for a fight? That was part of it, but...
"Is that the will of the Shrine of the Divine?"
More precisely, it was because of them—the ones behind Lankart Spendry. The Shrine of the Divine.
Lankart answered with his arms crossed.
"The Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka is a Divine. She was always close to becoming one, but some event triggered her complete transformation. Huey was probably involved."
Elisha raised an eyebrow slightly. This was the first she was hearing of this; no intelligence that might have led to such a conclusion had ever reached her. Lankart must have intentionally withheld it.
Of course, Lankart's words were laced with a fanatical faith in Hughes and the logical leaps that stemmed from it, but it was a fact that was, nonetheless, close to the truth.
"The first reason Standard Magic is considered lowly is that it demands the body as a price. The second is that, for a form of black magic, its sacrificial requirement is so meager that it cannot produce grand magic. It's ironic—committing a taboo for power, only to find that power lacking. But if a vampire's regenerative ability could cover the price..."
"The range of usable magic would expand significantly."
There is something called blood magic. It is magic that vampires manifest by consuming their blood energy. Its origins lie in black magic, but because sacrificing one's own body is so effortless for a vampire, it came to be called by a different name.
If all humans could use that as a technique...
"The Shrine of the Divine... they intend to make black magic into a World Law, don't they?"
Elisha calmly stated the ultimate goal of the Shrine of the Divine, their long-held ambition.
A World Law.
A rule that the Shrine of the Divine would build, one that would apply to the entire world.
The great magic families had woven rules with their relics. They established these rules in this cold, desolate land and survived in their own ways by applying them.
But a relic, no matter how powerful, is merely an object that creates a phenomenon at the cost of mana; its range and power are limited. Furthermore, relics are not eternal. They can reach their limit, suffer damage, or be thrown off by external interference.
Many great magic families had vanished due to this unavoidable uncertainty. In particular, after the fall of the once-mighty Fahrenheit territory, some mages grew disillusioned.
Was it right to rely on rules built upon such imperfect relics?
The Celsius family tried to increase stability with more relics, but other mages looked outward.
Instead of imperfect relics with clear limits, they would use a perfect and infinite Divine as the core of their magic circle.
A range that encompassed not just a single city, but the entire planet.
Instead of Unique Magic, the very principles of the world.
By weaving a Divine into it, they would create a vast, powerful, and eternal rule that would span the globe.
The Shrine of the Divine was a group that had gathered in pursuit of a goal that would tempt any mage.
They were the most dangerous secret society in the world.
Lankart, one of their most noteworthy mages, nodded coolly.
"Huey must have judged it worth considering."
Elisha was puzzled. As far as she knew, Hughes was from the Military State and had never set foot in the lands of the Mage Federation. He was a complete outsider. How could he possibly be connected to the Shrine of the Divine?
Moreover...
"I was the one who discovered you and brought you to the Shrine. Back then, I'd never even heard of anyone named Hughes."
Though she now kept her distance, it was all the more incomprehensible to Elisha, who had once been a member of the Shrine herself.
Lankart said nonchalantly, "You're about the only one who's ever done me what could be called a favor. You can be proud of that."
"My eye for talent was sharp in recognizing your gift... but now, it feels like a mistake."
Back when Elisha had just arrived at the Floating Castle, there was a time she worked for the intelligence bureau, visiting various nations while posing as a wandering mage.
The Military State was a closed-off nation that controlled information through unknown means. For a country of its size, far too little was known about it, but Elisha knew that was the perfect time to target its people.
Elisha approached the State's Mage Officers, found the most talented among them, and won him over. It was a feat no other mage could have imagined, but Elisha had done it.
It was now her greatest regret.
Lankart spoke.
"A mistake? Knowing something can't be a mistake. Not knowing is the fault, the deficiency. If you made one mistake, it was failing to recognize just one thing."
"Your personality?"
"What's wrong with my personality? And besides, there's something far more important than such a trivial matter."
Dismissing his own personality as a trivial issue, Lankart wore a confident expression.
"You didn't know Huey."
"...What is he?"
"You can't define Huey with a single, simple word. That's why you don't get it."
What in the world did he do to turn that arrogant mage into such a fervent follower? Elisha's common sense couldn't grasp it.
"You don't seem to understand. Well, I get it. I didn't recognize him at first either. But... I'll tell you one thing for sure."
Filled with a faith that bordered on madness, Lankart declared without a hint of hesitation.
"A mage cannot defeat Huey."
*
Laws are written in codebooks, but they do not reside there.
If one had to find a location for the intangible concept of law, it would be in the hearts of the people. That is why disseminating a law can be a greater task than creating it. To change a single law, one must confront and win over the hearts of all who know it.
In that sense, the rules of the Mage Federation possessed a quality coveted by all rulers.
Immediacy.
The moment a principle was changed, it applied to everyone in the territory.
"Huh? What's going on?"
"It's warm...? Did summer come early?"
"No way. The family must be holding some kind of festival. Or maybe the Mage King up in the Floating Castle complained it was cold."
The temperature of the territory rose.
The rule of the Celsius territory was based on its freezing and boiling points. By constraining heat, it raised the temperature, protecting this land from the bitter cold... until now.
Because the relic was located in the heart of the Celsius estate, the family castle was unavoidably the warmest place. As the center of power, it was only natural for the heat to linger there.
I altered its effect slightly.
Instead of just trapping heat, I made it gather the cold from across the territory.
"It's warm. Now this is more like it. When it's cold, you just have to turn up the heat, right?"
"Stop him at once!"
Rankin Celsius raised his staff and prepared a spell. The cold emanating from it formed into the shape of an icicle. After coating the icicle in swirling mana, Rankin Celsius finished his incantation.
"Ice Spike!"
The tip of the icicle was enchanted with forced freezing, while the back was enchanted with forced vaporization. Spewing a trail of hazy steam, the icicle flew toward me like a flaming arrow.
Oh, how scary. I reached for the heirloom thermometer. I lightly touched the mark far above, where the number 100 was written, and muttered.
"Boiling point control, over."
Pshhhhhk.
The approaching icicle abruptly lost its power. It had been propelled by the forced vaporization magic, but with the change in the boiling point, the steam jets had stopped.
Watching the icicles flutter and scatter like butterflies, I adjusted the dial again.
"Boiling point control, under."
The icicles, which had lost their direction, regained their propulsion. They shot off rapidly in every direction, targeting various spots in the Celsius territory instead of me.
Rankin Celsius's expression hardened. He knew the danger of the icicles better than anyone.
"The icicles are enchanted with freezing magic! Don't get hit!"
Rankin Celsius then erected a protective wall of ice around himself. His bodyguards hid behind his ice wall, but the others weren't so lucky.
"Aaargh!"
"Run!"
Those who couldn't find cover were struck directly by the icicles. Thud, thwack. Dull sounds echoed. Since everyone was armored, the impact wasn't severe, but the problem was the freezing magic enchanted on the icicles. Ice spread from the points of impact. People screamed as they froze solid...
"Freezing point control. Over."
In that instant, the ice became water bombs, bursting with a splash. The drenched soldiers stared at each other with bewildered eyes. Amidst the hazy steam, I clapped my hands and shouted.
"That was the Soaking Show! Thank you all!"
'What in the...!'
Rankin Celsius, flailing in the water from his melted ice wall, couldn't hide his astonishment.
'This isn't a coincidence. He didn't just aim it. He twisted their trajectories by calculating the freezing and boiling points! How can someone who isn't even a Celsius handle the relic so skillfully?'
People who are suddenly doused with water tend to react in one of two ways. They either go limp, or they get angry from the damp discomfort.
The reaction I was seeing was mostly the latter. I suppose it was inevitable, given they were armed and ready to capture me.
"You...!"
Before I could do anything, the soldiers charged as one. Soaking wet, they rushed toward me, the one controlling the freezing and boiling points.
Well, what can you do? Some people just have to learn the hard way.
"Stop! Don't approach him while you're wet...!"
"Freezing point control."
Crrrack.
The charging soldiers froze in place, starting from their ankles. Losing their balance, they crashed into one another and fell, creating a scene of chaos.
Kelvin Celsius had said it was no big deal, but that was excessive modesty. Controlling the freezing and boiling points was the foundational knowledge of this land, and with that control, one could do anything.
In other words, the right to wield it doesn't come from bloodline or knowledge.
It means anyone can use it, as long as they know how to use the tool well.
"Wh-what is that..."
"He's not even a Celsius... How can he use such magic..."
It seems ice really is colder than water. They were angry when they got wet, but they lost their spirit when they were frozen.
"This time, it's the Freezing Show! Thank you!"
"That bastard..."
Or not? They're getting angry again.
It was then.
"It seems the strength of fools is not enough."
Swaaaa—.
Like an ebbing tide, the ice "flowed" toward a single point. At its end stood Elcia Celsius—the master of the heirloom chamber, from whom I had pickpocketed the key.