Chapter 188
Translator: uly
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: In Their Own Places #4
〈 Chapter 187 〉 In Their Own Places #4
Hainaks asked.
“…Have you perhaps opened that door?” he said.
It was as if he were scolding someone for doing something they shouldn’t have.
It reminded me of those classic lines from ghost stories, like “You… saw it, didn’t you—.”
I shut my mouth, wondering if I’d said something I shouldn’t have. But my ambiguous attitude had already given away the answer.
“Phew—.”
Letting out a short sigh, Hainaks concluded briefly, “As I thought, you saw it.” He glanced around, then snapped his fingers with a crisp *snap*. The windows and doors, which had been wide open moments ago, now closed shut.
“Why close the doors?”
As the space suddenly sealed tight, I felt a twinge of unease, but Hainaks reassured me.
“The things we’re about to discuss are matters only seekers who’ve reached certain circles can know. Sir Taeo, I must be frank with you. And you be frank with me. Did you see anything beyond the door?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t even know what it was that I saw. That’s why I came to ask you, Sage.”
“I see. That makes sense. Unfortunately, Sir Taeo, no one among us—no, among all of us—truly knows what it is.”
“Is that really true?”
“Yes. We all saw the same thing when we crossed the wall of magic. A black sea like ink. A door, a separate world beyond it, and a throne. And atop it, that bizarre thing sitting cross-legged….”
A separate world and a throne. That bizarre thing sitting cross-legged. I had never described it that far.
But since Hainaks had brought it up first, it was clear he had seen something similar to what I had.
So it really wasn’t just a dream.
Hainaks continued.
“It appears differently depending on one’s aptitude. In my case, I could barely make out a hazy, writhing form sitting cross-legged.”
“A hazy form….”
“But Sage Brown of the brown robes saw countless eyes wriggling. It varies from person to person.”
That made sense.
To me, its form was horrifically vivid and clear.
A grotesque cross-legged figure made by twisting and fusing countless human bodies. It was so vividly clear that I wanted to look away.
Hainaks went on.
“Sir Peltor, the black mage, even heard a voice. A voice endlessly spouting negations. A litany of grim futures—. Sir Peltor went mad because he peered too closely into it.”
I see. It felt like lines were connecting in my mind. Sir Peltor had been the greatest mage, but he’d lost his mind upon reaching the 6th Circle.
“The greatest one ended up the most assimilated.”
The words he spoke were nothing but negatives: “destruction, chaos, rape, arson—.” He was just parroting like a mimic bird what he had heard.
Now I finally understood why high-circle mages lost their minds. Had Aira ever seen it, by any chance?
As I sank into thought, Hainaks spoke up.
“You should keep what you saw a secret from everyone. It could sow needless chaos in the world. We archmages keep the existence of the door and what lies within strictly confidential.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes. It’s a decision from the Order. We’ve already made agreements with the Saintess and the previous, previous Holy Emperors. What we’ve seen must remain secret from all but those who’ve beheld the door.”
Hiding something that enormous. My head struggled to accept it, but my heart understood.
It was worth keeping secret.
I’d want to hide it from the world too.
If people knew there was some eerie door somewhere in this world, and beyond it something so horrific writhing and muttering all sorts of negations, they wouldn’t be able to live without anxiety.
At that moment, Hainaks drove the point home with one more remark.
“It’s bizarre, yes. But it’s also true that it holds immense power, deepening our magical paths. That’s why we’ve named it the Truth.”
“The Truth? It didn’t look like something that suited a name like that….”
“Exactly. But the one who decided on that name is someone you know well. No one could give it a more accurate name than the greatest living mage, her.”
At those words, an image of black hair fluttering flashed in my mind.
Aira.
She had never once told me about this.
A faint sense of betrayal toward Aira crept up inside me.
The policy itself was to keep the Truth secret from everyone, so it made sense that Aira had hidden it from me, a non-mage….
As I grappled with my tangled emotions, Hainaks muttered offhandedly.
“Solomon must have seen it too, surely. I wonder what he named it.”
I had no idea what name the Demon King Solomon might have given it.
But if I were to name it….
It’d probably be something like a devil.
* * *
A training ground in one corner of Ark.
—Air Bullet—!
I cast the most basic attack spell.
It was a spell that fired a small air projectile from the wand’s tip, with destructive power equivalent to a standard rifle bullet.
*Paang—!*
But my air bullet didn’t just pierce the training dummy’s waist—it blasted a huge hole through it, splitting it clean in half.
This is basically a cannon shot. The power felt two or three times greater. The amplification was massive.
I can’t even use this spell on people anymore.
Is this the level of an archmage at the 5th Circle?
If even the most basic attack spell gets boosted this much, how powerful have my ultimate spells become? It was exciting, yet subtly frightening.
*Clap, clap clap—.*
From afar, Hainaks and the other elder sages of the council applauded.
“Impressive progress, Sir Taeo. You’re still young and exceptionally talented—you could grow without limits.”
I took the towel Hainaks offered and wiped the sweat from my forehead after demonstrating several spells. Through the white towel, I could see the old men beaming.
━Splendid. At this rate, you’ll become the greatest mage among us.
━It means there’ll be more researchers delving into the Truth.
━Half-fairies have long lifespans too, so you’ll surely produce meaningful results someday.
The old mages seemed to think of me as an explorer paving the way to a new era.
That they expected me to uncover what the “Truth” really was, where that door was located, and how to reach it?
But I had no desire to approach that grotesque, flesh-thing again.
They only saw a hazy form, so they didn’t fully grasp it, but what I saw was honestly not something I wanted anywhere near.
“Good luck in tomorrow’s duel trial, Sir Taeo. I was a bit worried, but with skills like yours, you’ll hold your own. Duels deepen the magical path too.”
“Thank you.”
“And tell Kasim to attend the mages’ council more diligently. And your queen as well.”
“Understood.”
Bidding farewell to the elder sages full of grandfatherly concern, I stepped out into the street.
I had sought the sages hoping for answers, but instead, I left with even more questions.
Amid all that, someone caught my eye.
“Such remarkable progress in your skills. As, as expected of you, Sir Taeo. The mana swirling around you feels on a whole different level.”
The woman praising me in a stammering voice was a beauty in a purple dress and high heels, her abundant indigo hair cascading down. Professor Ballan.
I knew she’d been watching my spell demonstrations from the corner of the training ground. She’d been waiting for me to finish my business.
“What’s the matter?”
“Well, th-there are too many eyes and ears around here….”
Professor Ballan glanced around furtively.
It seemed she had something to say that couldn’t be overheard.
So I went with Ballan into a narrow alley between buildings. Only when we reached a deserted spot littered with trash did she speak, seemingly relieved.
“As you instructed, Sir Taeo, I conducted the investigation.”
“Investigation? What kind?”
“The hunter who plotted to assassinate the queen this time. You told me to look into the, the strange guide among his companions….”
“Ah, right. And since you waited for me like this, it seems you found something.”
At my words, Professor Ballan chuckled softly, “Ku huhu.”
“As expected of your insight, Sir Taeo. That man had something suspicious about him. Very suspicious.”
It looked like Professor Ballan had made some headway.
“What was suspicious about him?”
When I asked expectantly, Professor Ballan replied.
“That man, from morning till night, until he sleeps. He, he repeats the exact same routine every single day without fail.”
“…….”
Just a normally disciplined person?
Such diligent people were common in the world, so as I puzzled over where the suspicion lay—
“From the number of tomatoes he eats in the morning to the number of toothbrush strokes before bed at night. He repeats a pathologically fixed daily routine.”
“That does sound suspicious.”
“Yes. Very suspicious. It’s clearly behavior to hide something. An act to avoid suspicion—if you don’t watch closely, you wouldn’t notice.”
“I see. You did well to spot that.”
As I nodded, Professor Ballan gave a faint smile tinged with relief, as if glad.
“I, I just followed your orders, Sir Taeo. I’m happy it was helpful.”
She seemed pleased by my approval of the intel.
From Ballan’s perspective, it must feel like recognition from her lord. I always felt subtly good when Aira praised me too.
On that note, I asked something that occurred to me.
“If you finish the job well, is there a reward you’d like?”
“A reward…?”
“Yes. Work deserves compensation. Give and take. It’s an important principle.”
“A reward…. For me, serving you, Sir Taeo, is reward enough. You’ve given me the chance to serve the bloodline of Angmar again, which I thought had perished….”
A lengthy oath of loyalty followed. Did she think I was testing her devotion?
“So you don’t want anything? I’ll ask one last time. If it’s something I can give, I’ll reward you with it.”
Just in case, I asked once more.
“W-well, then….”
Professor Ballan hesitated as if she did have a wish, then cautiously spoke.
“Then… an imp….”
“An imp?”
“Imps have long been helpers for mage armies, perfect for errands. With an imp, efficiency would rise….”
“Hmm—.”
“S-sorry. I overstepped—.”
At my hum, Professor Ballan flinched and trembled.
I realized now she feared and revered me excessively, while being utterly loyal.
Probably because my predecessor Solomon had ruled as such a formidable and terrifying figure.
I shook my head.
“If it’s an imp, I know some. I’ll assign you one. But you’ll have to keep many secrets from the imps too.”
Purupuru or Tartar—one of them would do.
“Th-thank you, Sir Taeo. I’ll work even harder to deserve proper rewards.”
To Ballan, who bowed deeply, I said.
“Then let’s both do our best in our own places.”
The sun was setting above my head.
Tomorrow, I’d finally prove to everyone the efforts I’d put in all this time.