Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Baldur's Nightmare (2)
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Seven celestial bodies, eternally unchanging regardless of the seasons, adorned the sky.
Each magic tower named after those stars was a golden pillar housing the sum of human knowledge and a symbol of Penheim's national power.
For magic, and magic alone. Those massive spires, driven by that singular purpose, always drew seekers of knowledge who pressed their ears to the outer walls to listen.
The distinct pulses emanating from each tower were the essence of magical arts forged by the mages who upheld knowledge.
Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid.
Elemental, Fire, Mental Image, Summoning, Holy, Alchemy, and Curse.
Countless schools aligned under white and black magic, along with derivative factions from unique magical paths—the pinnacles of their knowledge hung at the tops of these towers.
Mages from across the continent flocked to the towers, scaling the three tiers of lower, middle, and upper levels to claim the tower lord's seat and seize the fruits of that knowledge.
For the second-year students at Pharenchia Academy, just beginning their magical training, only the lower level was permitted. Yet even though they'd only arrived at Phecda Magic Tower a few days ago and barely unpacked, their faces were full of smiles.
"Liv, look at this! It's Portrait of Albreter, the only original copy—not just a replica like in the library! They say it hides the construction principles and incantation for Count Albreter's famed 'Rain of Fear' spell... So it belonged to Phecda Tower all along."
Karen was half-dazed, eyes spinning at the national-treasure-level artifacts scattered everywhere and the magic tomes of incalculable scholarly value.
The Bartudis region wasn't economically prosperous due to its unique environment, but the interior of the magic tower was an exception.
Magic towers were academic institutions that refrained from participating in any national conflicts, even small wars. The sole exception was the Great War, when all humanity faced extinction, but even then, only a few tower lords—and a grand duke among them—joined; the towers themselves did not contribute to the war effort.
We have a duty to preserve humanity.
A profound statement encapsulating the philosophy that humanity is magic itself. As a result, the treasures and papers on magic accumulated by the towers were unrivaled across the continent.
Nothing like Pharenchia Academy, which merely copied materials from the royal library at best.
Consider where the professors teaching at the academy were dispatched from, and the answer became obvious.
The second-years studied furiously, seizing every moment between meals and personal time to question the tower-affiliated mages or the sub-tower lord overseeing the training—until their heads ached.
They all knew the immense value of the tower's lower level.
The sole exception was Liv. Even as she attended lectures on mental image magic in earnest, she showed no enthusiasm whatsoever.
Her mind was entirely on Louis and Adella.
By now, back at Pharenchia, the two were probably together in the canteen again. Her heart sank like a metal lump crushed under deep water pressure.
Squeeze.
"Liv? Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
"Huh?"
"Why are you clutching your stomach? Is it that time of the month?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine..."
On the third day, before the lectures truly began, Dominic gathered the students and explained Phecda Magic Tower's defense system—and the defining feature of the Bartudis region: "Baldur's Nightmare."
"On your way here, you likely saw illusions that shouldn't exist in reality. The quick-witted among you may have noticed the monster hit by the train wasn't native to Bartudis."
Several students nodded. As they approached the tower under Dominic's guidance, the weather had shifted, and nonexistent buildings and people had appeared.
"This region calls it Baldur's Nightmare. They're typically phantasms without substance—residual images from the past that deceive our senses."
"Is it really... without substance?"
One student raised a hand. The reason was clear.
Phantasmal murders. The disappearances and killings in Bartudis. If Baldur's Nightmare were mere illusions, physical incidents wouldn't occur.
"Even if they can't affect reality, getting lost in dense demonic beast concentrations can trap people who can't escape on their own. That's what I want to warn you about."
Dominic extended the upper part of his severed arm. Miraculously, a cup on the nearby table floated into the air.
He calmly brought the hovering cup to his lips and continued.
"Phecda's field of study is [Mental Image]. Magic that makes the nonexistent feel real. Baldur's Nightmare is the same. Interpreting unique magical paths is tricky, but the phenomenon embodies the essence of mental image magic."
With a flick, he scattered the liquid from the cup into the air, projecting a holographic map of the Bartudis region centered on Phecda Tower.
His severed arm pointed to a jagged cliff protruding west of the tower.
"That's why, separate from the tower lectures, starting today, you'll head to the 'Storm Altar' in teams. It's the best spot to observe Baldur's Nightmare and acts as a sort of core."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"If the nightmare intensifies, alarms will sound from observation posts everywhere. You heard the sirens on the way, right? We won't depart if a lockdown is ordered."
Dominic gazed steadily at Liv, who had been staring out the window.
"I've spoken at length. Lastly, don't get too immersed in the illusions. Magic is as dangerous as it is beautiful."
Liv, meeting his eyes, shivered inexplicably and quickly turned away.
The moment I stepped off the train, damp air assaulted my nose. The tower loomed in the distance, but first, I donned a raincoat and wandered the surroundings.
For me, without official access to Phecda Tower, visiting meant something rougher than knocking and dropping off a newspaper before leaving.
Investigating while being chased by mages would be risky. My plan was to scout the Bartudis village where the demon god statue was found.
Splash, splash. Low fog and soggy ground. Perfect setting for ghosts.
As I walked for a while, a dilapidated wooden building suddenly appeared before me. A lone structure in the empty field—with a sign under the eaves reading "Gluti Inn."
"Welcome~ customer!"
"Excuse me."
Opening the door, the innkeeper couple greeted me normally. But their attire was strangely unfamiliar.
I sat in the first-floor dining area and ordered drinks and food. Soon, steaming turkey dish and beer arrived, piping hot.
"Hm, tastes good."
No bad smells or rotten food. It even filled me up.
But when it came time to pay, the couple looked troubled. Especially the burly-armed husband, who scowled at my gold coin.
"Hey, mister. You joking? Paying with this currency?"
"What's the problem?"
"Hah. So those daring adventurers dine-and-dashing in the capital these days..."
"Dear, don't be like that."
"Go upstairs, Maria! You're in luck. Come out back!"
The capital...
Not a term used in modern times. There's no empire on the continent anymore.
So, only one—or two—things to test.
Gripping my beer mug in one hand, I seized the innkeeper's throat as he reached for my arm.
"G-guhk...! What strength...!"
Unique Magic Path: Magic End
Dispels all magical effects in range
I heard the wife's scream and the crunch of snapping neck bones, but nothing else changed. As expected, the illusion itself wasn't the source of spellcasting.
"Kyaaah—!! Help! Someone, please help!"
Leaving the wife calling for nonexistent imperial guards, I exited the inn.
The moment I crossed the threshold, the beer mug in my hand shattered to dust. The liquid that should have spilled evaporated into the fog.
My stomach growled.
"Baldur's Nightmare, huh..."
Quite the amusing phenomenon.
Half a day more of walking revealed a small village.
Since the first illusion, I'd encountered emotionless knights or women engulfed in flames about once an hour, so I'd suspected this was fake too.
But the moment my eyes met those of the vigilantes guarding the village entrance, my doubts vanished.
Seeing me, they aimed crude crossbows and fired questions.
"Name and affiliation!"
"Louis. Pharenchia Academy."
"Pharenchia? What's your business here?"
"Uh... travel. For now."
"No guide in sight. Got a tower pass?"
"Don't have that, but I do have this."
I pulled out the insurance I'd grabbed from Pharenchia just in case.
Lehel's cherished Four-Leaf Medal. I hadn't brought her, but the medal—useful in many ways—had come along.
—Why take mine?! I gave you the wind orb!! I said no more gambling, waaah!!
Her tearful, clinging image made me chuckle.
Nobles familiar with the medal's issuer and titleholders would spot it as fake. It wouldn't get me into the tower.
But to ignorant commoners, royal authority was absolute. Indeed, the vigilantes' hands trembled at the sight.
"S-sorry for the offense."
"Forget it. Open the gate."
"Yes, sir!!"
Inside, I was surprised by the residents living surprisingly normal lives. They seemed somewhat accustomed to these insane illusions.
"Welcome to Kantata Village."
"You guys make coffee by any chance?"
"Pardon?"
"Never mind. More importantly, I'm looking for something..."
I showed the sketch of the demon god statue from Mareil's memo. But the villager guiding me tilted his head, saying he'd never seen it.
"Never laid eyes on such an ominous thing. The opposite, maybe..."
"The opposite?"
"Yes. It's our village's main income source lately. Want to see?"
He led me to a small warehouse on the outskirts. Opening it revealed boxes stacked with statues of the goddess of light, gleaming with holy aura at a glance.
"What the hell is all this?"
"As I said, our village's livelihood."
"What's nearby? A temple? How do you make money off these?"
"Well..."
The man's story was surprisingly intriguing.
"So... you take these into the illusions and bring back items from inside one by one?"
"Exactly. You leave one in the nightmare zone. Then you can snag food, weapons, even old currency in small amounts."
"The tower doesn't stop you?"
"Tch, why would mages care about commoners like us? To survive in this godforsaken land that sees no sunlight, you grab what you can. We found it by chance."
The villagers were already familiar with this bizarre phenomenon. Plus, surviving a nightmare came with rewards.
Like adventurers looting dungeon byproducts.
But residents risking danger instead of daily work wasn't ideal.
"Let me see... Huh?"
Crack!
As I picked up a goddess statue, a fine crack split its surface, and the embedded magic shattered.
Angelic wings fell off, grotesque horns sprouted from the head.
The draped toga turned into hole-riddled leather made from human skin.
Unique Magic Path: Magic End
Dispels all magical effects in range
Fuck. It's the demon god statue.
"...Hey."
Seeing the villager's more panicked expression than mine, I realized they had been kindly distributing these across Bartudis.
"Who gave these to you guys?"