Chapter 656: The Personification of Flint
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 656: The Personification of Flint
On the bright side, having a spy on me was actually good news. It meant the Shrine of the Divine's activities were sensitive and important enough to warrant such close attention.
Besides, with my mind-reading ability, it didn't matter how many spies they sent.
The only question was whether I could trust an organization like the Shrine of the Divine, which couldn't even spot a single spy in their midst.
“It seems he’s not too happy to see me.”
“Johan is a fundamentalist. He believes that the advancement of magic is the most rational and proper path to reaching the Divine. He won't take kindly to outsiders like Shei or you getting involved.”
“Do you think I’ll be able to get along with him?”
“It’s fine. You don’t have to get along.”
“Pardon?”
The Red Tower Master offered a confident smile.
“There is no progress without conflict. Flames are born from friction. Whatever he thinks, whatever means he employs, even if he clashes with us! Such friction will ignite a flame that will rise and create something the world has never seen before!”
She didn't know Lord Johannes was a spy. Her attitude was simply that it didn't matter what stance he took.
It was an arrogance befitting an absolute being. Considering her Unique Magic and level of skill, it suited her.
“Is that why you’re rebelling against the Mage King? To create friction?”
My question was tinged with the doubt, Can you even do that? Fahrenheit, the Red Tower Master, was a powerful mage capable of melting the ice of the Celsius family on her own, but she was leagues below the Mage King. I doubted she could ever defeat him and find the Divine.
“Rebellion? Is it truly rebellion?”
“Pardon?”
The Red Tower Master’s confident expression faded for a moment, replaced by a fiery intensity—the burning look of someone who desires something with all their being.
“There is nothing in the Floating Castle that my master does not know. He knows what the Shrine of the Divine is and what we do. For all I know, this very conversation might be reaching his ears right now.”
And not because of a spy…?
The Mage King's power was the manipulation of space. Not everything about it was known, but for some reason, it bore a strong resemblance to Rene's relic. No, it was safe to say they were identical.
After all, wasn't it the Mage King who gifted the Celsius family their heirloom? He might even have the power to interfere with Rene's Pocket.
And if he could use such spatial magic at will, he would be as omnipotent as a god.
“But does that matter? To doubt and to explore is the duty of a mage. To deconstruct and process the Arcane, to turn it into bricks to build a tower—that is a mage’s obligation. And to build that tower until it reaches the stars in the sky is a mage’s lifelong ambition! My master wishes for that as well!”
“You’re saying the Mage King wants you to rebel against him?”
“The reason my master, the guardian of the Divine, tolerates every attempt to claim the Divine is because he wishes for someone to challenge him and seize it! This isn't rebellion! It is honoring our master’s will!”
Her logic was a huge leap, but it had a certain credibility.
When the Blue, Green, and Black Tower Masters had their petty squabbles, the Mage King didn't stop them. Instead, he separated the space around them, encouraging them to run wild without worrying about collateral damage.
Considering that…
“Perhaps you, Red Tower Master, are the one who best understands the Mage King’s will. After all, a rebellion is all the more valuable when its target is omnipotent and powerful.”
Hearing my murmur, the Red Tower Master broke into a wide grin and suddenly threw her arms around me. Even in this northern land, her nearly bare skin was beyond warm; it was scorching hot.
“That’s it! The King of Humans. A being who accepts and understands all of humanity. I knew you would understand me. And you will help me! You have to. You are….”
“Hey, that’s too close!”
Shei cut the Red Tower Master off. Rushing over, she pulled me away from the Red Tower Master and glared at her with sharp eyes.
“I may have agreed to help the Shrine for a bit, but don't go acting like he's your subordinate!”
My body was easily pushed away by Shei, but the Red Tower Master was another story. There was a strange resistance to her body.
Shei’s physical strength was more than an ordinary person could handle. The Red Tower Master, despite her healthy appearance, was still just a mage. She shouldn't have been able to resist the power of a Qi Practitioner… but something was enveloping her.
Standing her ground, the Red Tower Master looked between Shei and me and scoffed.
“Shei. This is the most passionate I’ve seen you since you agreed to help the Shrine. Until now, haven't you just been leaning against a wall, watching from the sidelines?”
“I just didn't have anything to say.”
“But now you do? A good sign. Bringing Hughes here was worth it just to see you fired up.”
“Hah? Fired up…? It’s not like that, okay? I was just annoyed that you dragged my com—uh, my colleague into this.”
As Shei replied, about to cross her arms, her Heavenly Counter Domain sent a warning bell through her senses. Shei instantly drew Chun-aeng.
Flames erupted above her. Incandescent light and heat spread through the empty space, feeding on nothing.
Combustion is the act of breaking down and deconstructing matter, forcibly extracting the light and heat contained within. Once lit, a flame begets more violence, spreading to its surroundings. It is destructive, violent, and even conquering, continuing until there is nothing left to burn.
Ironically, however, destruction must precede destruction. A spark must first be created for the fire to catch. The irony that fire is needed for fire.
The reason the entire world is not engulfed in flames is likely because that irony has not been overcome.
But in the Red Tower Master’s world, things were different.
Unique Magic, the Kindling Garden.
A garden where fire blooms like flowers. In that world, all things could burst into flame at any moment, without even needing a spark to start.
“Skyblade Art. Sundered Sky!”
Dust ignited in response to the mana. Shei immediately drew and swung Chun-aeng. The compressed space severed the air itself, and the blade of Chun-aeng blazed as if it were on fire.
‘This resistance! It’s…!’
Chun-aeng was too sharp to be swung in the Kindling Garden. The minuscule friction created the instant she tried to sever space was so shocking that localized explosions bloomed like fruit along Chun-aeng’s blade.
“As I thought. The Rene's Pocket you possess is special! It’s different from my master’s.”
The Kindling Garden grew stronger the closer one got to the Red Tower Master, and even the mana cloaking her body would readily ignite. Like a meteor burning from friction with the atmosphere, any object approaching her would collide with her mana and explode.
With her Unique Magic active, the Red Tower Master was essentially wearing armor made of bombs.
Having ignited the very space around them, the Red Tower Master stared at the weapon in Shei’s hands.
“You cannot take out a pocket from within Rene's Pocket. All of Rene's Pockets exist on the same phase; even if they are called pockets, they are merely partitioned sections of a single space. But. Your pocket exists on a deeper phase.”
Her truth-seeking eyes analyzed Shei’s Chun-aeng. Shei unconsciously tightened her grip on the sword.
‘Chun-aeng isn’t from the Mage Federation, it’s one of the Sanctum’s holy relics. The key to reaching Saint Rene’s true relic, Rene’s Map…! Tch, it’s not good for it to be noticed by the Shrine of the Divine! This is all Hughes’s fault!’
Why is that my fault? If anything, it’s yours. A key to reaching Saint Rene’s holy relic? Why haven't you given it any thought until now, when you have something so important?
Well, it didn't really matter now.
“All the pieces are in place. It’s a perfect, almost unbelievable opportunity. You two are the pieces we needed most. It’s now or never.”
The flames she had shot out earlier were merely a greeting. The Red Tower Master paid no mind to Shei’s sharp glare and turned energetically. She walked toward a fireplace and ignited a flame within it.
“King of Humans. And Shei. Our goal is the Divine. I assume yours is as well. Use each other, join hands, or step on each other’s backs—whatever it takes to climb. Let’s seize the Divine at the top of this Tower of Babel!”
A crimson landscape became visible beyond the fireplace. I’d never been there, but it was probably the Red Tower. To be able to travel from the Celsius domain to the Floating Castle in an instant… Rene's relics were all astonishing.
The Shrine of the Divine had its reasons for targeting Rene. A power that significant and potent was bound to be sought after.
“From now on, you can contact me through the fireplace. This one is mine, and I’ll keep a fire lit for a while, so come find me whenever you need to. It’s fine even if it’s nothing important. I can always make time for you two.”
So it opens when a fire is lit. How unusual.
Ah, wait. There was something I needed to ask before she left. I called out to the Red Tower Master, who was already halfway inside the fireplace.
“Wait. I have one last question.”
“Don’t hesitate. Ask away. I’ll answer anything I know.”
It was quite a meeting, getting to see the leader of the Shrine of the Divine like this, but… it hadn't exactly been a natural encounter.
I had read her thoughts, but I needed to be sure. I asked the Red Tower Master.
“Why me? My ‘sister’ was there, too.”
My ‘sister’ is the King of Humans.
Her power is real. The Red Tower Master, or any other mage, would have known it the moment they saw her, even from a distance. They would have known the King of Humans was ‘real.’ That she had truly returned.
Normally, only one Beast King is born in any given era. If my ‘sister’ was the real one, any interest and suspicion directed at me should have naturally faded.
And yet, the Red Tower Master singled me out as the King of Humans from the very beginning. As if she knew all along that there were two kings.
The reason was…
“At the top of the Tree of Genesis lies something Nevida cherishes. The King of Humans who died long ago, back when humans were still beasts. The one you call your ‘sister,’ I presume? Are you calling her that because you are both Kings of Humans, like siblings?”
This wasn't something she could have known through hearsay. I probed gently.
“For you to mention that… you must also be…”
“That’s right. I, too, was one who awaited the king. I know what Nevida’s lifelong wish is.”
The Red Tower Master was a member of the Human Regime. One of those who had eagerly awaited the King of Humans, who had striven to find him.
Nevida is a living Divine, and the Shrine of the Divine studies the Divine. It wouldn't be strange for them to have been in contact.
But the question was why she had chosen me instead of my ‘sister.’
“Because a weak king nearby is more in need of me than a strong king far away.”
In other words, because I was weak. Was she saying that if our functions were the same, she’d choose the one who was easier to handle?
Seriously. There’s a limit to how blunt you can be.
After saying that, the Red Tower Master paused in thought for a moment before continuing.
“And this is just my personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. I find a king who immerses himself and broods over things, like you, far more lovely than a transcendent, absolute king.”
“Excuse me?”
“What?”
That came out of nowhere. Does she not consider personal space when choosing her words?
The Red Tower Master ignored our reactions and continued.
“You are searching for something. You are walking toward a destination. Your steps forward do not falter. You clash with your surroundings and create change. I find a flame that burns its own body, even if it will soon be extinguished, to be lovely.”
“Spoken like a true Fahrenheit.”
“Yes. Fahrenheit. My beautiful, brilliant hometown, which in the end was reduced to ashes. Just like it.”
The Red Tower Master paused, her expression becoming dreamy and distant. Shei, who had been on edge this whole time, snapped at the Red Tower Master, who had stopped halfway into the fireplace.
“What are you doing? Weren’t you busy? Hurry up and go!”
“Ah, right. I’ll see you again soon.”
The Red Tower Master gave me a wink before disappearing into the fireplace. Like a spark.