Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 194
>Chapter Title: No, What...
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A chilling silence settled over the space.
Ancient tomes preserved over long ages and the lived-in atmosphere they carried filled the room.
In this stagnant scene where time itself seemed depressed, the spirit shuddered.
- There's... something here. Right?
The spirit finally voiced the "something" it hadn't wanted to mention—that is, the purpose of this space. Faced with that question, it couldn't help but hesitate.
'What do I do?'
Deep down, it wanted to hide nothing from its savior who had come to rescue it.
If he hadn't asked, that would be one thing, but since he had, it didn't want to lie.
But it was anxious.
What if, when it told the truth about this ruin, Baharmut's function... the savior who would free them became just another tyrant?
What if he succumbed to greed like all the other humans and turned into a monster?
Then, what awaited the spirits wouldn't be freedom, but another round of oppression and bondage.
Just like thousands of years ago, trapped in this narrow ruin, forced to witness humanity's greed over and over, things they never wanted to see.
Anxious thoughts chained one after another, making the spirit's light-woven form flicker unsteadily.
That was when Aster's voice came.
"Hard to talk about?"
[A bit, difficult.]
The spirit replied in a downcast tone.
On one hand, it worried that the savior might be offended by its refusal to answer and abandon them to leave the ruin.
Catching that anxiety, Myselrn slyly joined the conversation.
"Hmm, how about this?"
[...?]
"Even if we hear Baharmut's purpose, we promise to save you all. I stake my own spirits on it."
At those words, the spirit's light blazed brighter.
[Old human, really?]
"Ah, of course, this is under the condition that freeing you doesn't harm the world. But that won't happen, right?"
[O-Of course.]
The spirit felt its mind clear at the unexpected proposal.
With such a promise, it wouldn't have to refuse the savior's request, and they could still be safely freed.
Instead, Aster was the one who raised doubts.
"Do we really need to go that far?"
"I'm curious too. Just what is this ruin's purpose that it imprisoned so many spirits like this? Aren't you curious? Baharmut... a forgotten ruin not even mentioned in history."
Myselrn sought agreement by glancing at Damian and Chenbi.
Their reactions were predictable.
"I'm curious! Feels like there's something huge here, but I can't guess what."
"I'm curious too."
Hearing them, Myselrn turned to Aster.
"What do you say? These two agree."
"No, I get it. But staking your spirits...?"
"The spirit's anxious, isn't it? If we're not going to force it out of them, this seems the simplest way."
Aster nodded in agreement.
Yet, he also thought:
'...Why?'
If it was just pure curiosity, there was no need to stake spirits.
Staking spirits was like, in the Black-White Slums among the urchins, betting your parents.
Just to hear a ruin's purpose?
'Feels like there's some other agenda...'
Aster felt puzzled by Myselrn's oddly awkward behavior, but it didn't take long to resolve his doubts.
"So, we have a deal? No matter what Baharmut's purpose is, we promise to free the spirits."
"You're not seriously..."
"Ahem, ahem. Not that I don't trust you. Just to reassure the spirit."
"..."
Aster stared at Myselrn with a look of utter bewilderment.
'No way, worried I'd hear the purpose and then keep the spirits imprisoned for my own use?'
No, what...
He was too flabbergasted to speak.
No, even I wouldn't go that far, right? Staking his own spirits to protect the ruin's spirits from me?
'This is deep-seated human distrust.'
Aster paid silent tribute to Myselrn's distrust of humanity.
Meanwhile, the spirit fluttered around Aster, its revived light sparkling.
[So, I can tell? Savior, my friend?]
"Sure, go ahead."
Yeah, what more was there to say.
Good was good.
As Aster resigned himself, the spirit swelled its light to full brilliance.
But did this thing have no middle ground?
[Baharmut, purpose. Sees the future.]
Straight to the heavy core from the start.
* * *
Baharmut.
This structure was a ruin built thousands of years ago in the Grand Elemental Era, originally for "climate manipulation."
Its origin was truly touching.
A great spiritist who lost their lover to a natural disaster created it hoping no one else would suffer the same pain.
Hundreds of spirits who followed him, along with thousands of spiritists, joined in.
Thus was born the crowning jewel of spirit arts.
In its early days, Baharmut truly deserved the word "great"—a noble edifice.
As per its purpose, it observed typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis across the continent, then used the spirits' power to dispel or weaken them.
It was around then that it gained the name Baharmut—Ruler of Nature.
But all tragedies began with a certain wandering mage. Or more precisely, with a single "artifact" that wandering mage presented to the great spiritist who had become emperor.
-Great Emperor. Sovereign who holds the continent underfoot and rules nature, would you believe me if I said I have a way to perfect your dominion?
In an era when magic was reviled, the emperor ignored the old mage's words.
He granted an audience only due to rumors of the mage's exceptional skill for one, but magic back then was merely a relic of a bygone age.
At best, a supplementary tool to support spirit arts.
But the wise emperor was considerate, not wanting to offend the old wanderer. He nodded along only for that reason.
Who could have known?
That small courtesy would ultimately lead the great emperor to ruin.
-Heh heh, as expected of the great emperor. Others just scorned and ignored this old fool...
-Magic may be outdated, but paths exist everywhere.
-Well said. Then, since it's late, I won't drag this out. This is the way to perfect the emperor's dominion.
-This is...?
What the mage handed the emperor was a "single sheet of paper."
The emperor recognized its extraordinary nature at a glance—anyone would have.
The paper, holding a mysterious power neither spirit force, mana, nor ether, exuded an indescribably eerie aura.
Enchanted by the paper's form, the king heard the mage's parting words before he vanished.
-Take this to Baharmut's altar. Then, the emperor's dominion will become even more perfect.
When the emperor snapped out of it, only the paper and an empty throne room remained.
From that day, the emperor scoured the continent to uncover the paper's nature and the wandering mage's identity.
He couldn't take an unknown parchment to Baharmut, after all.
Thus, years passed.
The wandering mage never reappeared.
The parchment's secrets remained unknown.
All the emperor learned was that it was likely "part of a grimoire" and held some strange power.
It was then that war broke out on the continent.
-The war situation... is not good, Your Majesty.
Invasion by neighboring countries targeting Baharmut.
The crumbling empire.
Long-lurking enemies struck with precision and ferocity.
Before them, Baharmut's climate control and the emperor's vaunted spiritists faltered uselessly.
Faced with doom, the emperor had to choose.
-Ruin. Or...
The mysterious parchment.
Cling to this slim miracle?
In truth, the answer was already decided.
-...To Baharmut.
In the end, the emperor took the parchment to Baharmut's altar.
And...
[We won the war.]
The spirit explained those days in a somewhat somber voice.
The emperor reversed the unfavorable war using futures shown by Baharmut.
Through foresight of enemy positions and forces, doomed battles turned to victories, and even defeats minimized allied losses to preserve strength.
And when all wars ended.
[We thought happiness would return. But no.]
The emperor grew obsessed with Baharmut, consumed by lust for power. From then on, Baharmut was no longer for all.
Only war.
A tool solely for seizing power.
Afterward, even after the emperor's death, Baharmut's masters changed repeatedly, but rulers behaved similarly.
And so, endlessly.
[We had to watch. How to kill the most. It was torment. So painful.]
Futures stained only in blood.
The faces of those futures were uniformly vicious. Filled with greed, lies, and twisted obsessions—humanity at its worst.
Trembling as it recalled those memories, the spirit finished.
In a way, those few centuries were harder than thousands of years of waiting. No—hard wasn't the word.
Pure horror.
As the spirit drowned in those horrific memories, Aster's voice cut in.
"Is that the end?"
[Yes.]
The spirit replied cautiously, finally lifting its gaze to Aster since starting the tale. In that brief moment, anxiety flooded its core.
'What if...'
What if the savior succumbed to greed like the others?
What if, like them, he became intoxicated by Baharmut's power and oppressed them?
Of course, they'd secured the promise to free them first, but a sliver of unease lingered. As the spirit gazed at Aster in anxiety.
Rumble—
A sudden vibration shook the space.
"......!"
Aster's group, listening intently, hardened their faces and readied for battle.
[I-Infernal!]
The spirit cried out shrilly.
Terror instantly swept through its mind, chasing away prior anxiety.
The Infernal, recovering from Aster's attack, had finished healing and begun moving.
[W-We have to run!]
At the panicked spirit's shout, Aster slung Damian and Chenbi over his shoulders and prepared to flee.
'Tch, still so much to ask...'
A bitter taste filled his mouth.
Above all, his plan to ditch Damian, Chenbi, and senior Myselrn to tackle it alone was ruined.
But what could he do?
Dodge the approaching disaster first.
Still, he'd learned one key fact.
'Reverse Heaven Fragment.'
As expected, it was here.
Five Infernals were a slight issue, but... easier than Destrow, right?
Whatever.