Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Old Ties (2)
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"What do you want to become?"
At that question, I looked at the man in front of me.
A silver-haired elf with yellowish-golden eyes.
Cardi.
There were only a few facts I knew about this silver-haired elf. From our first meeting, he had been special. He never revealed anything about himself.
-Just call me Cardi, nothing fancy.
-I ditched my baptismal name ages ago.
That's how he introduced himself.
-I've got a couple conditions.
-First, no formal speech. It brings back old memories, and it sours my mood.
-Second, don't ask about me. I can't answer even if you do.
That's what he requested.
I kept his requests. Kyle didn't. And so, Kyle could no longer meet Cardi.
'Kyle didn't even remember Cardi.'
The day Kyle asked Cardi about his identity.
From that day on, Kyle could no longer meet him. He forgot him.
I don't know the principle behind it.
It just happened at some point.
So, I let go of my questions about this elf. Just a peculiar elf. That's how I decided to think of him.
'What I know about Cardi is...'
That he's an elf who's lived an incredibly long time.
That he's connected to the old kingdom reduced to ashes.
And that he's an alchemist.
Just those three things.
And now, one more was about to be added.
'Curse.'
Cardi had clearly said it.
I hadn't explained anything yet. But he pointed at my heart and uttered the word "curse."
'What does he know?'
I narrowed my eyes.
"You seem to know something."
"How could I not? It's something I must never forget."
Cardi's gaze remained sharp.
"Answer me, Raniel. My attitude toward you will change based on your reply."
To that question, I gave a short answer.
There was no need for a long explanation.
"I met the Demon King and got cursed."
"...What?"
Cardi tilted his head.
"Not a contract or deal, but got cursed?"
"Why are you talking like I must've made some deal with the Demon King?"
"...You didn't?"
His calm retort made me frown.
'What the hell is this nonsense?'
Did that thing even understand words in the first place?
At least, not the Demon King I'd seen.
'How do you even talk to that monster, damn it.'
Contract or deal, you'd need to communicate first.
"No way. How do you make a deal with that ancient sludge heap that doesn't even speak? Even if I could, I wouldn't."
"...It didn't speak?"
"What are you even saying?"
The conversation had been skirting around each other for a while now.
I let out a deep sigh and slowly opened my mouth.
"Hey, Cardi."
"...What."
"I'll say it once, so listen carefully."
I opened my mouth and spoke.
That I'd met the Demon King and received the curse.
That I'd used the Balance to escape in front of the Demon King.
That the Succubus Queen had stimulated the curse.
'And that this body was the end result.'
I told him everything without omission. As the story ended, I met Cardi's eyes.
His pupils were trembling faintly.
It was unfamiliar.
'First time seeing this.'
This sly elf looking flustered.
"...That's."
Cardi spoke. His voice trembled like his eyes.
"That's possible?"
"What is?"
"You turned the curse into cursed mana and suppressed it? By drawing circuits? No, you even countered that mist...?"
"I'm here, aren't I?"
"Talk sense, Raniel. How could...?"
It seemed faster to just show him.
I took off my robe and showed Cardi the circuits engraved on my chest.
"....."
Cardi stared at the circuits as if entranced. After a long while, he slowly raised his hand. He covered his eyes.
"Ha."
Then, he burst into laughter.
"Ha, haha."
He wiped his eyes with a hollow laugh.
"...Utterly absurd."
A voice drained of strength.
Cardi muttered weakly.
"Yeah, it really seems real."
"...I haven't understood a word you've said since earlier. Can you please explain?"
Though I asked.
"Sorry. I can't say."
The response was the same as always.
A tone that drew a firm line.
"I came for nothing, then."
"...It's not for nothing. I can at least make you some medicine."
Cardi shook off his laughter and stood.
"I don't know a way to fix your body's changes either. But for the curse, I have a method."
Soon, he returned with several potion bottles.
"Take one every month. Come anytime if you run out."
"...What kind of potion is this?"
"It stops the curse's erosion. Working with the circuits you engraved, it should prevent the curse from eating away at your body any further."
Of course, he added.
"It's not a fundamental solution."
"Yeah, figured."
I hadn't expected that much to begin with.
'No way it'd be that easy.'
It was a curse placed directly by that Demon King, after all.
"Hmm..."
I fiddled with the potion bottle, inwardly impressed.
Honestly, I'd thought it wouldn't work.
No matter how skilled an alchemist, I figured he couldn't make something effective against the Demon King's curse.
'So I came expecting nothing.'
This was an unexpected gain. If Cardi said so, its effect must be reliable.
"Hm."
I looked away from the potion.
I raised my head to look at Cardi.
"So, how do I pay?"
"...No need for payment."
"Looks like you put a ton of work into it. Like old times, give me some errand or something."
"Hmm..."
Cardi stroked his chin, then spoke.
"Lately, I've felt something crawling around in the underground aqueduct."
"Underground aqueduct?"
"The sewers under the slums. Hasn't been properly used since it turned into a slum..."
He pointed at the floor.
"Lately, keeps feeling like something's crawling around."
"So, you want me to clean it up?"
"I'd appreciate it. I already sent one disciple... but looks like he won't finish by today."
...Disciple?
At that word, I tilted my head.
"You took a disciple?"
"More like a babysitter than a proper master... but I did teach magic."
"Weird."
He never taught me anything.
As I gave him that look, Cardi shrugged.
"You were already complete. Plus, you'd found a better master than me."
"...True."
By the time I met Cardi, I was already under my master's wing.
"If it interests you, must be talented?"
"Not up to you, Raniel... but unique talent. Take good care of him if you run into him in the aqueduct."
I nodded.
"What's the name?"
Cardi answered.
"Belnoa."
2.
Kwachik.
The wriggling undead underfoot went limp. Belnoa rubbed his shoe sole on the ground a few times.
Chik, chiiik.
Green blood smeared off.
'No end to them.'
It had been two or three hours since entering the underground aqueduct. The undead he'd killed already filled one side of the channel.
Despite killing that many.
No end in sight.
"......"
Belnoa silently scanned the aqueduct.
A dimly lit underground aqueduct shrouded in darkness. No idea where it started or ended.
'No way finishing today.'
Sighs kept leaking out.
Having to spend a rare holiday in this underground sewer. By plan, he'd be sightseeing the city center with Chloe right now.
'That damn geezer.'
Went to see Chloe, and the old man suddenly said something's crawling on the floor and told him to clean the aqueduct.
'Thought it'd be catching rats.'
But upon arrival, no rats—just undead crawling around.
-Grroooaaar.
Belnoa sighed and drove shadows into the charging undead's body.
'Why are undead crawling in the aqueduct?'
Some crazy mage experimenting?
Belnoa gathered shadows and muttered.
"Weird old man, anyway."
Grumbling, Belnoa diligently cleaned the aqueduct. Debts to the old man aside, he owed him big.
The old man who took in him and Chloe from starving in an alley corner. Taught basics of magic and shamanism too.
Worthy of "master."
Couldn't take such a request lightly.
"Hoo."
Belnoa took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. Holiday until day after tomorrow, but planned to finish today.
'Date with Chloe tomorrow.'
Belnoa wiggled his fingers.
'Use it?'
One or two fingers wouldn't hurt. Still had a potion from the old man.
'Efficiency's up too.'
Lately, shamanism understanding surged. Easy to guess why.
Lania van Trias.
Thanks to that oddly eccentric professor's worst-first-meeting lessons.
'Mana Spring.'
Enduring a minute there half-forced, Belnoa's mana control leaped to another level.
'And... that public lecture.'
Belnoa recalled the lecture hall speech.
The Balance scattering brilliant platinum light, and the trading process through it.
The Balance, origin of offering sacrifices.
The spell manifestation through it.
Witnessing flawless mana trades, Belnoa gained insight. Could manipulate offerings more precisely.
'Normally, it'd cost fingers...'
Uduk.
Now, he could sacrifice joints individually. Still awkward, but it'd become familiar.
'Offering.'
Pinky's tip joint offered.
The shadows around Belnoa swelled.
"Hoo..."
As he exhaled shortly and stepped forward.
Kang.
Noise echoed from somewhere.
Kang, kaang.
Like hammering nails.
"......"
The noise grew louder, closer. Belnoa held his breath, narrowing his eyes.
'Footsteps.'
Footsteps echoed through the aqueduct. Not hiding presence.
Footsteps mixed with metallic clangs.
Gauging distance and rhythm, Belnoa raised his arm. Shadow gathered at fingertips.
Abandoned aqueduct long neglected.
Folks who'd enter here, by Belnoa's think: two types.
'Twilight remnants sneaking for illegal deals.'
Or.
'The one who unleashed the undead.'
Likely the latter. Especially with such blatant footsteps.
Soon, a silhouette entered Belnoa's view. He released the stocked spell without hesitation.
Former or latter, didn't matter.
No backlash either way once dead.
Shadow-Needle.
Shadow enhanced by offering launched.
Assassination-specialized, it blended into darkness. Silent. Pierced quietly.
Kwachik!
But contrary to expectation, loud noise. Like crushing something.
"...Huh?"
Reason clear immediately.
The target the shadow needle should've pierced.
Jijik, jijijik.
A spell gripped in that target's hand.
Sparks flying, spell distorting. Belnoa widened his eyes.
'Caught... it?'
Bare-handed, the shadow needle?
No time to marvel.
The one who snatched the spell lightly stomped. Kang, metallic ring as they kicked off ground.
"Ah."
By the time he realized.
'Crazy.'
Already right in his face.
No time to react. The figure reached out. Movement fluid.
Hand swinging down from above like a chop.
That grip filled Belnoa's vision.
Only pale white palm visible.
And five slender fingers.
Mana rippled at fingertips. Mana that could pierce anytime. But fingers stopped.
"Uh, what."
A voice.
"You?"
Belnoa blinked.
A familiar voice.
'This voice.'
Belnoa slightly turned his head.
A woman with ash-gray hair stood before him.
"...Professor Lania?"