Chapter 227: Alteration (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 227: Alteration (1)
Alon, who had been silent at Kailas’s words, slowly spoke.
“...The one who first spread the path of magic.”
“Exactly as you suspect. It means he was the first to handle magic and the one who created it.”
“...And the formula such a person used was the Art of Defying Heaven?”
When Kailas nodded silently, Alon followed up with another question.
“I know this question might be meaningless since you’ve already told me, but has no one else besides the Primordial Magus ever used the Art of Defying Heaven?”
Checking once more just in case, Kailas gave a firm nod.
“In the first place, the Art of Defying Heaven is nothing more than a legend passed down among Magi. The Primordial Magus was an existence from the distant past even when I was still human.”
“So it has only been passed down as a story.”
“Yes. Oh, one more thing. The Primordial Magus was a bit peculiar, unlike ordinary Magi.”
“In what way?”
At Alon’s question, Kailas replied.
“After the Primordial Magus spread magic, most Magi left behind successors. The system was designed such that they had no choice but to leave successors.”
Knowledge is important for using magic, but ultimately, the most important thing for Magi is the Heart Image.
Kailas continued the story.
“However, the Primordial Magus did not create a successor. No, going beyond that, he vanished without a trace after spreading magic to other Magi.”
“...He vanished?”
“As if the act of spreading magic was his sole purpose, he disappeared after teaching it to three disciples.”
“That is why you said his tracks were peculiar.”
Kailas nodded.
“Because of that, virtually nothing is known about the Art of Defying Heaven. The three disciples who would have seen the formula are long gone, and they left no specific records regarding the Primordial Magus.”
“If there was at least one piece of information left—” Kailas muttered, looking at Alon.
“It was that if someone possessing the Art of Defying Heaven reaches that Horizon, they might obtain a hint.”
“That is—”
“It seems you really are capable of learning the Art of Defying Heaven. Even though you haven’t inherited a Heart Image or anything else, for that matter.”
Alon remained silent at Kailas’s conclusion.
He still had no idea how he was supposed to learn the formula.
‘Use everything you have learned so far, is it?’
With that thought, he asked one more question just in case.
“Is there really nowhere else to obtain information about the Primordial Magus?”
“Thinking coldly, it’s right to assume there isn’t. But if we think a bit more optimistically—the gods might know something.”
“...The gods?”
“Yes. Though I don’t know how many of the gods who saw the Primordial Magus back then are still alive.”
The gods—
Alon fell into deep thought.
“Now then, since our conversation seems to be over, let’s start again.”
Snapped back to reality by the following words, Alon formed a hand seal with a slightly tense expression.
And exactly five seconds later.
“...Ah.”
Alon had no choice but to open his eyes with a hollow expression in Penia’s office, where she was giggling to herself.
* * *
For the next two weeks, Alon did two things.
One was conducting magic research with Penia.
The other was borrowing Penia’s mana once a day to enter the Feet Running Through the Past and engage in battle with Kailas.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
“How many seconds was it?”
“Hmm, it was 19 seconds this time.”
At Penia’s report, Alon let out a deep sigh and stood up from his chair.
“...It has increased quite a bit.”
“It has. You couldn’t even last four seconds at first.”
Alon scratched his head as he looked at the Feet Running Through the Past, which had turned black due to the depletion of mana.
‘It’s not easy.’
From two weeks ago until now.
He had been challenging it once a day, devising various strategies, but the gap in battle with Kailas did not narrow easily.
No matter how much Alon racked his brain to bring a strategy.
Kailas would mockingly drive Alon to his death with a completely new form of attack.
‘Thanks to that, I’ve learned a lot about how to use Blackie, and I’ve gained some useful data for the current synchronization research, but...’
Ultimately, he hadn’t moved a step closer to winning the battle.
“...I’ll come back tomorrow.”
“Okay!”
He visited Penia’s office every single day.
Penia had been joyfully researching the artifact he had handed over for more than two weeks now.
Alon watched her for a moment, her face full of life, before heading to his own office.
[Now, repeat after me. I am Lord Basiliora’s servant.]
[I... am? Servant... am.]
The sight that greeted him as soon as he opened the door was.
Basiliora, and the Sea God in front of him, tilting its body this way and that.
[Once more.]
[Servant... am?]
The Sea God tilted its head at Basiliora’s command but followed the words anyway.
Alon recalled the Sea God swimming in the pond in front of the mansion just a while ago and asked Basiliora.
“...What are you doing?”
[Hierarchy training.]
“Is that really necessary...?”
[Hierarchy training is, of course, a necessity.]
Basiliora looked at the Sea God with a quite satisfied expression.
Just then.
“My Lord—I was looking for... what are you doing?”
Evan, who had entered the office just like Alon, immediately spotted Basiliora and the Sea God and asked.
[Hehehe—]
Basiliora let out a very confident laugh.
[Now, Sea God. Go and punish that fellow!]
[Punish... him?]
[Yes! You are my servant, so you must listen to me! Bulk up your body just a little and attack him!!]
As if he had been waiting for this very moment, Basiliora stretched his body out long and commanded the Sea God.
The creature tilted its head a few times, then nodded as if it understood.
Sssss—
It soon grew its body to the size of a giant python.
At that.
“...I was wondering what you were doing so diligently in the garden pond these past few days.”
[It’s too late for regrets! From now on, I’ll make you realize how terrifying I am to your very bones!!]
Evan looked down at Basiliora as if he were pathetic.
But Basiliora only became more emboldened, laughing loudly.
Soon, Evan let out a small smirk.
“Now, King Snake, come here.”
He pulled a piece of beef jerky from his pocket and waved it in the air, calling the Sea God.
The Sea God, which had been slowly heading toward Evan—
[...!]
It reached Evan’s nose in an instant and looked up at him with sparkling eyes.
[Huh? What is this—]
Basiliora was flustered by the unexpected situation.
However.
“Do you want to eat?”
Nod, nod, nod, nod!
“Then go punish that guy over there.”
Nod, nod!!
The Sea God instantly changed its target and headed toward Basiliora.
[!? W-wait, hold on!! Sea God! You are my servant! Why are you attacking me—GYAAARGH! You brat, not me, attack that dimwitted fellow—GYAAAAARGH!!!]
Basiliora fell into his own trap and began to let out bizarre screams as he was constricted by the Sea God.
Alon, who had been quietly watching the series of events, spoke up.
“What’s with ‘King Snake’?”
“The servants already started calling it King Snake while they were feeding it.”
“...King Snake?”
“Yes. It follows people well. It likes being petted, and I heard it likes beef jerky, so I was carrying some around to give it sometime. I didn’t expect a situation like this to arise.”
He had learned the full story of how the Sea God got its nickname.
[GYAAARGH!! Save me!!!! Spare me—!!]
...With Basiliora’s screams as background music.
Soon, Basiliora’s body went limp.
King Snake, having completed its mission, was already munching on the beef jerky in Evan’s arms.
‘At this point, it’s not a Sea God, it’s just a puppy.’
Just as Alon was thinking that, Evan, who was stroking King Snake’s head, spoke to him.
“By the way, My Lord, you mentioned going to the Colony last time. Isn’t it about time you left?”
“I should.”
“Then shall we start preparing?”
“...Well, let’s plan to depart in about three days.”
Alon replied, thinking of the gem in his pocket.
‘Come to think of it, the Dragonkin seemed like quite an ancient race. Should I ask them?’
The information Kailas had given him previously.
Stroking his chin and contemplating for a moment, Alon decided to ask the Dragonkin.
.
The next day.
“Hello, Godfather.”
“...Line?”
Line visited the Palatio Marquisate.
“Yes, Godfather. I just stopped by on my way to the Colony.”
She—
“I see. But... where are you looking?”
“Oh, I just thought there was something I didn’t see last time.”
Strangely, she wasn’t looking at Alon’s eyes, but at his chest.
She smiled quietly while looking at the red brooch Yutia had given him.
* * *
The City Kingdom Varnos had maintained the appearance of a proper nation until just a few months ago.
However, its current state was nothing short of desolate.
The woodlands that had once been filled with greenery.
They had become a barren land where not even a single living creature could survive properly.
And inside the city that had once been vibrant and full of people.
All that remained were ruins indicating that people had once lived there.
Across that parched, cracked, and barren earth.
Thud. Thud.
A man was walking.
A man wearing a black holy shroud, with black accessories clinking at his waist and hands.
That entity was walking alone across the land devoid of life.
He soon passed what had been the capital of Varnos and reached a ruin so broken it could no longer be called a castle.
And there.
“Look who it is.”
He met another man.
A man with dark gray eyes.
The one who had occupied this place after single-handedly destroying the Duchy of Varnos not long ago—
The Hungry Ghost.
“It’s been a long time.”
At the greeting from the man in the black holy shroud, the Hungry Ghost, one of the Four Major Factions who was grinning widely, replied while sitting on the stairs of the ruined castle.
“Yes, it has been a long time.”
“Looking at the situation, it seems you’ve adapted perfectly.”
At the words of the man in the black holy shroud, the Hungry Ghost let out a smirk and nodded.
“Yes, thanks to you. Though it was a bit difficult—”
The Hungry Ghost then created a black droplet from his finger and let it fall to the ground.
A black ripple shimmered and spread out.
It instantly began to cover the desolate land in dark gray.
And with it.
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■—!!!!
In the barren capital where there had been nothing just a moment ago, Hungry Ghosts began to appear.
Even at a glance, they did not look normal.
Each one failed to maintain a constant shape, appearing as a gruesome sight.
They were wandering all over the capital, letting out eerie screams.
“Well—I’m handling them very well now.”
Soon.
Sss—
The black ripples vanished, and the Other World closed once again.
The man in the black holy shroud, who had been watching this, spoke softly.
“...It seems you’ve pushed characteristics into all your minions as well.”
“Correct. Anyway, so—”
The Hungry Ghost grinned once more.
“—The fact that you’ve come all the way here means you have something to say, right?”
“You know me well.”
“Since you gave me this kind of power, I’ll listen to almost anything. Honestly, even I didn’t know I’d be able to devour ‘Greed.’”
‘Heh—I never imagined Greed would be inside that corpse,’ the Hungry Ghost chuckled contentedly.
The man in the holy shroud watched him for a moment before continuing.
“This is a request, but it’s also for your sake.”
“For my sake?”
“Even if you succeeded in digesting it, you won’t be able to handle the power properly yet. Am I wrong?”
“You know your stuff.”
“So, I shall teach you how to handle that power well.”
At those words, the Hungry Ghost stared intently at the man with a curious expression.
“But you know.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve been curious for a while now. Why are you helping me? We’re complete strangers.”
He had been suspicious for some time.
Just why he was helping him like this.
At the Hungry Ghost’s question, the man in the holy shroud remained silent for a moment.
“Help, help—well, I suppose you could think of it that way.”
He muttered quietly and let out a smirk.
“It’s simple. Helping you is a quite important matter for me.”
The man in the holy shroud then turned his body.
“A Strange Gate will open in the desert, so go there.”
“...What’s there?”
“It’s not that something is there, but rather, something will come there—”
His murmur of ‘The body of Greed’ did not reach the Hungry Ghost.
Smiling quietly, the man in the black holy shroud walked away once more.