Compass (2)
It looked as if someone had kneaded a chunk of hellfire into dough.
A mass formed by layering the primal energies of countless fire spirits.
"Kyaa! Yeah! That's it! The flame scent is just right! Tiberian, can't I take just one bite first? Just one bite, I swear!"
I ignored Hierniorn, who was drooling shamelessly.
Meanwhile, Mayor Averb, who had brought the Fire Spirit Essence, was peeking at my expression and bowing obsequiously.
"Uh…."
"Why beat around the bush like that? Spit it out."
"It's nothing. Just… thank you, and I'm sorry…."
"Is that really all?"
"……."
Didn't seem like it.
There was something else on his mind.
The mayor scratched the back of his head vigorously, then bowed deeply.
"I'm terribly sorry, but… could you put in a good word for me with the family head?"
"What kind of word?"
"That I wasn't that incompetent—that I actually did a decent job in my role…."
Figures.
I clicked my tongue lightly, and Mayor Averb let out a deep sigh.
"You may not know this, but the cities in Kirchheis territory are quite prosperous. Protected by the Warlock, they have solid credit and thriving trade. For a politician, building a record in a place like this is a blessing."
"……."
This sudden candid confession.
The gist was simple.
"You want me to put in a good word with Grandfather to protect your position? Is that what you're saying?"
"Yes, young master! Exactly! If I get kicked out of this post, my rabbit-like wife and fox-like kids will all starve!"
Something felt backwards here.
Anyway, I was once again greeted by that gleaming bald pate.
With the Fire Spirit Essence clutched in one hand, I stared silently at Mayor Averb.
How should I handle this opportunist?
"Handle him like the opportunist he is. Sweet, swallow it; bitter, spit it out. Easy peasy. By the way, if I could just have one bite beforehand, this Hierniorn would have no regrets…."
Not bad advice.
I broke off a small piece of the Fire Spirit Essence and flicked it into the air.
Hierniorn darted forward and gulped it down in one go.
Perhaps finding the sight undignified, Mayor Averb flinched and bowed his head again.
"To be honest, I can't forget my first impression of you."
"My first impression…?"
"You scolded our academy, saying we don't value 'planning.' Don't you remember?"
Professor Rapens had requested Discipline Corps escorts for every mission site, for our safety.
But Mayor Averb had mocked him openly.
"I just don't get it. If you'd gotten intel from the main family, why not bring guards from the start? Why come all the way here to make a fuss? Doesn't Eternalism value planning?"
If he didn't remember, I could make him.
Though the outcome wouldn't be pleasant.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—Poi Averb didn't take long to recall.
"I'm sorry, young master! I was gravely mistaken back then! Eternalism is a branch of the great Kirchheis family, descendants of the Holy Hero—bold and extraordinary people—and I failed to see that…!"
"Mayor. Timing is everything when paying off a debt with words. Unfortunately, you've missed yours by a long shot. We'll need a different approach, won't we?"
"……!"
Meaning: don't try to brush it off.
Not with words, anyway.
True to form, the opportunist caught on quick and pulled out pen and paper.
"What do you need? Name it! Anything I can get, I'll fetch it in a flash…!"
"You figure it out. Show me your sincerity."
"Come on, young master. At least give me a hint?"
A hint, huh.
One popped into my head just then.
I tossed it out casually.
"…How about it? Possible?"
"Ugh…."
"If it's too hard, forget it."
"N-no, of course. I need to make up for my mistake. I'll do it!"
The mayor bowed deeply to me and left.
We'll see how it goes.
Alright, now for the Fire Spirit Essence ritual.
"Not that—say it's this Hierniorn's turn! The time of radiant flames has come!"
Someone was way too excited.
I shook my head and began channeling mana into the Fire Spirit Essence.
Hierniorn promptly settled atop it, absorbing the essence mixed with my mana.
Something Ulfrik had once told me came to mind.
—When a guardian spirit blooms, its master can designate a 'reinforcement form.' The higher the spirit's rank, the greater the transformation. For example, with my phoenix Hierniorn….
A 'sword' form.
Hierniorn would transform directly into a blade, soaring through the skies to annihilate demons.
A longsword wreathed in flames, flying—it was quite the spectacle.
One of Ulfrik's favorite armaments.
"You'll pick the sword form, of course? The best choice?"
"Hmm…."
"What are you hesitating for? As you know, this Hierniorn has cleaved countless foes. Even now, I swear I can smell demon blood on my feathers. A brutal, glorious era…."
"Nah. Let's go with a grenade. That's my pick."
"……What? Grenade? S-say that again? Tiberian?"
I'd thought this 500 years ago too: Hierniorn as a sword wasn't all that efficient.
Flashy, sure, but as he boasted, it hadn't felled hordes of enemies.
More often, it served as a signal flare from Ulfrik's hand.
"Honestly, it was all flash, no substance."
"What? Flash? This Hierniorn's 'Flameburst Blade'? You call that flash?!"
"Gotta own up to it."
"Impossible! I won't stand for it!"
What was he gonna do, not stand for it?
I smirked and envisioned the new form in my mind.
A small, rounded bomb like a fruit.
A weapon that didn't exist 500 years ago.
I explained the tactic briefly.
"I'll drop you right into the enemy ranks. You self-destruct, channeling your explosive power into your feathers and blasting them everywhere. Sound good? Easy, right?"
"S-self-destruct?! And scatter these beautiful feathers? What kind of frivolous attack is that?! No dignity! No! Absolutely not!"
"It'll work."
A phoenix spirit that could rebirth through flames.
I intended to maximize that power.
I finalized the image, projected my mana, and a red beam erupted from the Fire Spirit Essence.
The essence exploded outward, flooding into the guardian spirit.
"Self-destruct?! Me, a grenade?! Nooo! I hate it! Haaate iiiit!"
"Yeah, yeah, you hate it. Tough luck—you're doing it anyway."
Hierniorn writhed and screamed, but I tuned it out.
I had one goal.
To wield an even more devastating weapon.
To confront the new Demon King.
Kirchheis Castle, family head's office.
Rohbark stood with hands clasped behind his back, gazing out the window.
The clouds drifting beyond the horizon looked strangely fresh today.
"That boy, personally hunting the watcher in Dickferji. I figured he'd request reinforcements…."
Kirian had started as a mere tool, but had somehow become a prime heir candidate.
Thinking of his grandson's bold face stirred complicated feelings.
Perhaps he was witnessing the birth of a mage worth the world's attention.
Though he'll never surpass that one.
Rohbark turned from the window.
A man's voice came from beyond the door.
"Father, may I enter?"
"Come in."
The door opened quietly, and a sharp-featured man stepped inside.
A mage with a lavish gold dragon emblem embroidered on his cloak, utterly unashamed of flaunting his status.
"Greetings, family head."
"Sit, Garnas."
—Seeker of the Abyss, Garnas Kirchheis.
Rohbark's second son, acknowledged as the family's top mage after himself.
He strode in, pulling a document from his robes before even sitting on the sofa.
A bundle stamped with intelligence seals.
Titled 'Fox Hunt' on the cover.
"Father, is all this true?"
"……."
An identical report lay on Rohbark's desk—no need to check.
The family head nodded silently, and Garnas scowled fiercely.
"This is a problem. If you truly care for our family…."
"What? You want me to chain Kirian and assassinate Demiph?"
"Yes! If that's best for the family, you must! I believed you would!"
His voice rose in heated accusation.
Something no one dared.
Yet Garnas glared at Rohbark with fury, only to receive a look of utter disbelief in return.
"To think you'd be so brazen before me…."
Kugugugugu!
Invisible pressure surged from Rohbark, crushing Garnas.
Garnas summoned mana to resist—
"You're deeply mistaken, Garnas. I've never promised to hand you this family. Your 'belief' is delusion."
"……!"
"For this family's sake, I'll raise Kirian and let Demiph live. Your hopes mean nothing to me. Understand?"
"……."
He shrank under the icy tone.
Defying the warning further would be perilous.
But the 'Fox Hunt' report demanded addressing.
"Fine, Father. I won't interfere with Kirian in Eternalism. That's another school's affair… and Eternalism anyway. I don't see them threatening Extremism."
"……."
"But adopting Kirian to Brother Leonir while hiding that Demiph is alive, gathering power in the north? That's entirely different!"
The 'Fox Hunt' detailed Kirian's biological father, Demiph.
Incredibly, he lived.
Despite a full funeral.
Moreover, intel showed him building forces in the north.
"I ordered my men to eliminate him if the chance arose. He fled after acts harmful to Kirchheis."
"But your men were incompetent. Annihilated in a counterattack."
"……I didn't know he hid such power. His incompetence at Kirchheis Castle was all a ruse."
Rohbark smirked at his lip-biting second son.
His fears were obvious.
"Worried Kirian will sprout two wings, eh? Foolish boy…."
Leonir, swordmaster reigning as firstborn.
Demiph, the 'incompetent' youngest, thriving outside.
If Kirian gained his adoptive father's prestige and biological father's talents?
"Yes, he'd soar with two wings. Straight into the sun—reckless. He'd become dangerous."
A warning.
But Rohbark stroked his chin and chuckled.
It was exactly what he wanted.
"Very well. Make him dangerous, then. I'm curious what you'll do."
"You'd allow blood between cousins?"
"If family rules permit, gladly."
"……."
The Iron-blooded Warlock's words.
Garnas bowed silently and withdrew.
Joining his secretary in the hall, he paused thoughtfully before speaking.
"Contact Explosionism. Challenge Eternalism to a competition."
A plan to use the third-ranked Explosionism among family schools.
One more order followed.
"Reach out to House Terazard too. Invite 'Her' as observer. Father won't move freely then…."