Chapter 653: Black Magic, White Magic, and Gray Sorcery - Finale
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 653: Black Magic, White Magic, and Gray Sorcery - Finale
I had never met the Red Tower Master before. If I had, I wouldn't have easily forgotten a beauty with such a fiery and intense impression. She was also a bit of an overwhelming type.
And yet, for some reason, she seemed to like me a great deal.
"How long are you going to stay trapped in that snow globe, Celsius? Do you think you can stay that way forever, frozen solid in a freezer? The time will come. The time to break your own hardened shell and step outside."
Was she sociable? No, more like she had no inhibitions. Even calling her self-confident didn't quite fit. Her eyes, like flickering flames, weren't looking here. They looked as if they might burn up and vanish at any moment.
"Miss Fahrenheit… Don't tell me you were behind all this?"
My question, it seemed, was not very interesting to Elcia. The red hair that had been fluttering like a blaze sank as if doused with cold water.
"Is that all you have to say?"
"What more needs to be said? The topic of the Mage Shrine. If you were maneuvering in the shadows… then Celsius's defeat was also…"
"Behind this? Maneuvering? None of that matters! Get a grip, Celsius!"
The Red Tower Master grabbed my shoulders and pulled me toward her. She was a little shorter than me, but her forceful grip, which brooked no resistance, pulled my body along helplessly.
"Did you know of this man's existence? Did you grasp how dangerous and powerful he is? Did you even feel a shred of caution? Of course not. If you had, you wouldn't have had the key to your family treasury stolen and been forced to declare such a miserable defeat!"
A heavy succession of facts. Elcia couldn't refute them and bit her lip.
"This man is just one of the countless disasters that could have befallen you. And a 'humane' one at that. He didn't slaughter you all, nor did he burn, freeze, or overturn your domain. Celsius should be grateful. Grateful that the disaster that came calling this time was merciful enough to end things here!"
"Huh? It's not over ye—"
The grip on my shoulders tightened. It was starting to hurt. I didn't know what was going on, but I decided to keep my mouth shut for now.
"It takes strength to uphold a rule! But your rule isn't strong enough. It isn't great enough to allow you to stand still. It isn't hard and firm enough to stand against a changing world!"
The Red Tower Master snapped her fingers. In that instant, flames erupted from beneath her hair, and a massive fireball exploded high in the distant sky.
Bang, popop. Fireworks of all colors embroidered the heavens. Flames so bright they shone even in the stark blue of midday. The Empire's fireworks couldn't have been more spectacular. Having single-handedly unleashed magic that could burn through a provincial imperial budget, the Red Tower Master shouted with blazing eyes.
"The Ice Crystal? The Blue Tower Master's determinism? Ridiculous! To think you'd be so tense and terrified of something so trivial that you're afraid to even touch it! A mage is one who seeks the means to overcome their fears, not live with them!"
"More grandiose words… when you haven't even found a way to overcome it…!"
"Haven't found it? We have. No, it's standing right above us!"
The Red Tower Master pointed to a structure visible in the distance. Next to the Celsius domain. An impossibly huge structure. The Floating Castle, which occupied a corner of the sky with aloof dignity, as if the chaos unfolding in Celsius's ice castle had nothing to do with it.
"It was only a short while ago that the Mage King suppressed the Blue Tower Master's unique magic in a single stroke! Using the power of space!"
It wasn't just the Blue Tower Master's. The Green Tower Master, the Black Tower Master, and the Red Tower Master herself—all were powerless before the Mage King's spatial magic. Because no matter how arcane the magic, it is still bound by space.
"The Mage King is the Divine of Space! If we establish a rule with that power, the Ice Crystal and its ilk will be no problem at all!"
The nearly omnipotent power of space. To analyze that power and make it the cornerstone of a new World Law.
Since the power of space was monopolized by the Mage King, it was an act that could be seen as a rebellion against him.
But the Mage Shrine had decided to proceed. To obtain spatial magic and leap to greater heights.
"A rule? How pathetic! The only thing you gain by trapping yourselves within limits is this miserable sense of security! You bleed from a tiny scratch, fall to your knees, and whimper, calling out to long-dead ancestors! That's all you are!"
"Umm…"
"Decide! Will you adapt yourselves to the world, or will you make the world adapt to you!"
It was a threat made with a knife to their throats. It was like a treaty a victor in war forces upon the vanquished, demanding change from the defeated.
However, Elcia was a mage, too.
"...Miss Fahrenheit. For you to say that means you have a method, doesn't it?"
Elcia's words were laden with multiple meanings. Hearing them, Rankin Celsius started in shock.
"Elcia! What are you saying! Are you planning to accept their demands?!"
"Be quiet, Uncle Rankin. The key to the family treasury is in their hands now."
"The key is merely a passage! That space is inside Rene's Pocket! We just need to plead with the Mage King and receive another key that connects to that pocket!"
"That's the problem, Uncle."
Saint Rene. The saint said to be the founder of the Mage Federation, and the teacher of all mages.
That pocket, whether a relic or the remnant of something else, was a pocket dimension that could only be opened by a specific method. It was probably the closest thing to the Divine.
"Even if it was my mistake, we become powerless if we lose the key. We may use Rene's Pocket, but we've never truly understood it. In the end, if it's taken from us, we have to rely on the Mage King."
"Well, it is the Mage King's power…"
"If that power becomes a rule that we can use."
Elcia pushed herself up. Her pride was wounded, and she didn't trust us completely. But Elcia, in her own way, was preparing for change.
'When an opportunity presents itself, it's better to ride the wave than to refuse it. From the moment Celsius was defeated by a single person, we were left with no other choice. The rule is already broken, so even if we retreat now, Celsius will never be as steadfast as it once was.'
"If we can use even a part of the World Law, there will be no reason to fear the Ice Crystal. And Elisha will earn the right to return to the family."
"But…"
"If not, Uncle Rankin, will you retrieve the key and the rule for us?"
Impossible. He couldn't even handle me alone. If the Red Tower Master, the essence of the annihilated Fahrenheit family and one of the five Tower Masters, joined in, he stood no chance.
Rankin Celsius fell silent. After glaring at him for a moment, Elcia turned her gaze back to me and the Red Tower Master.
"Celsius will accept your demands. You should be pleased. The finest rule in the Federation is now supporting you."
"Elcia!"
"If there's a way to handle the Ice Crystal, there's no reason we can't expand the reach of its warmth. The only reason Celsius stopped expanding until now was because of the limitation of the Ice Crystal. We will adjust the rule so it can reach the off-limits zones, and we will not pursue the matter of the black magic."
Was it because I had broken her rule right before her eyes so many times? Elcia's attitude was far more compliant than before. I was surprised; I thought she'd be more stubborn. I still had more to show her.
"And, we will formally invite the Mage Shrine to join us at the magic demonstration for the Mage King's audience."
"Elcia! That's—!"
"That must be what you came for."
The Mage King protects magic. The sole reason the Mage King, who reigns aloof in his Floating Castle, sometimes descends to the surface is to witness the magic he can find there.
Compared to the Floating Castle, where talents as numerous as the stars in the night sky gather, the achievements of the surface are sorely lacking, but diversity has a value of its own. The Mage King visits his landing sites, hears of their accomplishments, and bestows blessings befitting them.
Like Rene's Pocket, which became the Celsius family treasury, for example.
Upon hearing the answer she wanted, the Red Tower Master laughed heartily.
"We accept!"
It was in front of everyone. They had come too far to pretend this verbal agreement didn't happen. A dramatic compromise between Celsius and the Mage Shrine had been reached.
Good. That's good.
"...So why are you the one deciding all this? What do you have to do with me?"
Who are you to show up out of nowhere, steal all my lines, and start making demands? You've turned my magic show into a sideshow.
The Red Tower Master breezily dismissed my complaint.
"Because we're already in the same boat!"
"Since when?!"
"We're not?"
"We haven't even spoken before, have we? What connection could there possibly be between you and me…"
It was the truth, so I tried to deny it. That is, until something fell from the sky.
Through the scattering flames, dark figures descended. Seven mages in black robes. On their robes was an emblem of a circle surrounded by six rings.
The Mage Shrine.
The most dangerous mages, who treat the world itself as a subject for their magic.
They might not be on the Red Tower Master's level, but there were seven of them, each one comparably dangerous. I even recognized a few faces.
"Huey! My friend! If you were going to cause trouble, you could have given me a heads-up. If I'd known beforehand, I could have come to watch!"
"It's Lankart Spendry!"
"The mad sorcerer!"
How the hell are you so well-known even in the Celsius domain? Tsk. Since he and I were in the same class, it was getting awkward to deny any connection.
…More importantly.
"Hughes?"
The youthful face revealed as a robe was pushed back was, surprisingly, Shei's. Shei, who had appeared with the Mage Shrine for some reason, muttered in disbelief.
"You suddenly vanished without a trace. What's this? Why are you here?"
That's my line. Why are you here?
*
A battle between a single mage and the House of Celsius. Astonishingly, the victor was the lone mage. He had won after a tense battle against Celsius's renowned mages and the rule of their family treasury.
…Or so one might think. But Missionary Casas was realizing that this battle had been a one-sided victory.
"He played us all on a stage of his own making."
It looked like a fight where Celsius, holding an overwhelming advantage, had the key to their treasury snatched away in a moment of carelessness, leading to a helpless defeat. But the reality was different.
Magic had no effect on him.
Unlike with holy power, he overcame magic through pure understanding and strategy. Celsius probably would have lost even if they had continued to use their family treasury. The only reason they managed to save any face at all was because he had directed the whole affair so comically.
In any case, he had won. Thanks to him, Missionary Casas had been able to save the people who had been caught up in the mess.
"Still, he was a man who took responsibility for his own rampage. Teaching black magic was unforgivable, but if the scope of the rule is expanded, then Richard, too…"
The off-limits zones were lands beyond the rule's influence, so they couldn't use temperatures above the freezing and boiling points. They survived by taking the scraps discarded by the domain. They were too busy trying to eat to have the luxury of teaching magic.
But if the scope was expanded, the off-limits zones would effectively cease to be off-limits. Just being able to build a greenhouse would improve their situation immensely.
And since they had agreed not to pursue the matter of black magic, Richard was no longer in danger. Missionary Casas was relieved, and also glad.
"...Father."
At the voice coming from his arms, Missionary Casas looked down. Richard, who must have woken up at some point, was staring at the Red Tower Master's fireworks with wide eyes.
He had probably been awake for a while. With a child's cunning, he must have kept his eyes closed, knowing there was nothing he could do to help by waking up.
It was better that way. At least a fainted child and the priest holding him were not a threat. If the missionary had nothing to protect, Celsius might have taken action against him.
"Richard. Yes. Rest easy. By the Lord's will, everything has ended well. This, too, must be the Sky God's protection…"
He was relieved that things had ended without disaster, but Richard's gaze was elsewhere. With eyes full of both sorrow and longing, Richard stared at the arcane wonders beyond.
"If I learn magic, too… can I become like that?"
Over there, fire and ice were mingling, dancing with each other. Ice and fire. Two opposing phenomena, but there was no need to distinguish between them. For it was magic that allowed them both to coexist.
'He's been enchanted by magic.'
Richard was captivated by that mystery. He would probably spend the rest of his life chasing it.
He had to give up. Richard had neither the environment nor the opportunity to learn magic. He may have learned black magic, but the House of Celsius was only letting it slide, not acknowledging it. He was cunning, but not exceptionally talented. To be mesmerized by that light would only lead to him burning to death, like a moth drawn to a flame.
It would be better for him to know his place, be grateful for what he was given, and live content with reality while believing in happiness in the next life. That was the right way.
A today that is the same as yesterday promises a tomorrow that will come.
That was the purpose of faith, the purpose of its teachings.
But.
"...If you rely on something like black magic, you'll never make it, not even in your next life! Seal away that black magic and learn white magic, no matter what!"
Things had come this far; he wouldn't give up just because a priest told him to.
But the priest wasn't the kind of man who could speak the harsh, heartless words that would make him give up.
"If you live long enough, an opportunity will come someday! So hold your breath and wait for that chance, you cunning little rascal!"
The white lie was gray. It wasn't the truth, and the possibility was extremely low. But Missionary Casas breathed a gray hope into the boy.