The Black Death (4)
The Black Death (4)
For any experiment, reliability only comes from repetition.
I slogged through a hellish grind for an entire week. I blew the whole week just making mosquito repellent scrolls and then verifying their lethality.
Nothing much happened during that time. At every morning assembly, the crown prince would pick a fight with me; each time, Irka would chase him off with an ice spear; Frey would pester me to down vodka after school every day... The only solace in my daily routine was tutoring Rote and receiving silver coins.
That routine repeated every day. The classroom without Professor Haspelt was reasonably peaceful.
"Ugh."
Had I been overdoing it lately? The stress from my power struggle with Haspelt all unraveling at once made me feel like death.
I got up from the bed, clutching my head. The handmade mosquito repellent on my bedside was working well. On the floor, a few flying insects lay dead, taken out by the EMP.
It was a rare weekend. I had to make the most of these two days.
My weekend routine was simple: study, research, tutoring, and then study again.
"Ah."
Rest would have to wait until the afterlife.
I set out for the library before the morning dew had even dried. According to my schedule, today's goal was to acquire three or four water magic spells.
It was also important to build a nuclear fusion device in preparation for the Demon King's resurrection. But my primary duty, after all, was to escape this wretched world and return to my original world. To do that, I had to go through the magic compendium in the Hardcover Book, one entry at a time, and understand them.
I pulled a few books on water magic from the shelf and sat down.
[General Introduction to Intermediate Water Magic]
A title that looked thoroughly unappealing. But what could I do? If I had a problem with it, I shouldn't have been reviewing that paper in the first place.
I flipped through the pages, quickly scanning only the sentences that seemed like they might be keywords.
[The Water Attribute refers to Magic Arts concerning water.]
[In modern times, the scope of Water Magic has expanded, and it has been established as the study of all things that flow. Some argue it should be called the mechanics of fluids.]
[For example, suppose there is a metal that flows like water at room temperature. Does this metal belong to Earth Magic or Water Magic?]
[Water mages argue that because it possesses liquid properties, it should belong to Water Magic. The author also agrees with this opinion.]
That was boring. I skipped dozens of pages at a time.
[...In the same vein, Ice Magic is also included as a type of Water Magic.]
[What you will learn in this chapter is the entirety of Ice Magic. It will explain intermediate-level Ice Magic, and provide scrolls containing its mechanisms and methods of activation.]
Ice magic.
Irka's specialty was Ice Magic. Irka used ice spears and had the talent to freeze anything with mass. Come to think of it, I'd never seen her manipulate flowing water.
She could immediately use ice spears and, if there was a fire, freeze that area. I'd never seen Irka actually manipulate flowing water itself.
There weren't many Ice Magic spells. At best, Icicle Arrow, Ice Spear, Ice something or other.
This didn't appeal to me. But something interesting appeared near the very end.
[Advanced Water Magic ─ Frozen]
[A technique to freeze liquid water. Also known as rapid cooling.]
[It includes a sterilizing function, so when used together with Fire Magic, it can be used for disinfection.]
That meant disinfection....
This was interesting. Should I try learning it?
[□ Prerequisites for learning this magic (Magic Series)]
[Icicle Arrow (Not Learned)]
[Ice Spear (Not Learned)]
[.......]
Ah, it was boring.
**
A feeling of discomfort washed over him.
Every time he entered the Imperial Palace, a feeling of nausea washed over him. It felt as if his present self and his past self were jumbled together. That dissonance stabbed at his insides.
Still, there wasn't much Clion could do.
[Supreme Unique Magic ─ Disobedience]
He merely moved forward, having activated the scroll he received from the elf.
"Oh my, you've arrived, Prince Clion."
When he opened the bedroom door and entered, Duke Blanton was sitting on the opposite chair. Clion, who had momentarily failed to control his expression, frowned.
'To enter the crown prince's bedroom without permission, he's not normal.'
Jack Blanton, Duke of the Philiut Empire, was one of its four pillars.
He governed water and was called the pinnacle of Water Magic in the Empire. Yet Clion had never once seen him actually wield magic.
'So this bastard is a magic beast.'
The male elf student who came to study abroad from Kaurelia had informed him that this man was the magic beast who had been brainwashing him.
At first, he couldn't believe it. A Grand Duke of the Empire, a calamity-class or higher magic beast? If that were true, this country should have already been on the path to ruin.
And after observing Blanton for about a month with a 'clear mind,' Clion had come to a single conclusion.
'We're doomed.'
The Empire was sinking in real time. Hierarchy and discipline were vanishing. The very fact that this man had trespassed into the crown prince's bedroom was proof. It was nothing short of a violation of imperial law.
But he had to endure. He had to act.
'Shameless bastard.'
He had to hide his true feelings and simply grind his teeth.
"Why do you look so pale? You're even breaking out in a cold sweat. Have you caught a cold?"
"It's nothing. I'm just tired."
"Perhaps that girl from the Gold-Eye Tribe has been defying Your Highness again?"
"No......."
He hesitated.
"...Yes! That lowly bitch wasn't obedient and kept talking back at every turn!"
"Then you must take corresponding measures. Since that girl also marred Your Highness's person before, let us hold her accountable for all crimes at once and deal with it legally."
Since neither force nor Tillet's exceptional regulations worked, they would pressure the judiciary to 'legally' dispose of her. It wasn't a bad method.
If the Second Prince were still under brainwashing, that is.
"No, that won't do. If I mishandle this and my authority falls, will Duke Blanton take responsibility?"
"Ho ho."
Blanton laughed bitterly and glared at Clion.
"Your Highness stands above the law. Without an emperor, there would be no vassals or subjects. Why would you think of being bound by such trivial regulations?"
"......."
He'd read him. Blanton must have noticed his subtle change in expression.
"Now then, you seem stressed, so let's put this matter aside. To refresh yourself, how about attending a banquet I am holding?"
"A banquet? At a time like this?"
"Isn't it the perfect time? There's no plague or anything, and the economy is improving day by day. And what about funds? Thanks to the chancellor's hard work, the imperial treasury never runs dry! A single banquet's extravagance is a cheap price to pay."
He was a crazy bastard.
'Elf, you were right. There's a lack of physical evidence, but this man is undoubtedly a magic beast.'
It didn't matter whether he was made of machinery or human flesh and blood. Every corrupt official gnawing at the Empire was a target for purging, without exception.
However, his father was being held hostage. If he moved to rescue his family and Blanton noticed, it would be disastrous. Clion, gripping his throbbing head, reluctantly nodded.
"Very well. What kind of party is it?"
"Actually, today is my daughter's birthday. Would you like to go meet her?"
"Guide me."
Duke Blanton invited the prince to a detached palace within the Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Palace was divided into five major areas. Centered around the main palace where the imperial family resided, there were detached buildings to the east, west, south, and north. Starting from the north and going clockwise, they were Fire, Water, Earth, and Air.
The emperor had granted use of the four annexes. In principle, each of the Four Great Dukes owned one.
How they used the detached palace was up to them. They could use it as a residence, or only as a reception room. The Haspelt family, obsessed with the northern expedition, used their annex as a warehouse.
"This is the banquet hall. There is liquor and women, so please enjoy yourself to the fullest."
From early evening, a splendid party unfolded. A nightless city. Fireworks rose beyond the windows.
"Thank you all for attending my daughter's birthday party. We haven't prepared much, but please feel free to enjoy yourselves!"
Looking around, everyone belonged to Duke Blanton's faction. Originally, they would all have been part of the Second Prince's faction as well, but for some reason, he felt politically isolated.
He sat on one side of the sofa, sipping cold liquor.
A dry feeling rose from his parched insides. Setting down the poisoned cup, Clion glanced sideways at the sound of a violin playing in the distance.
A beautiful melody pierced his ears. Clion turned his head to face forward.
Hair of a purplish hue tinged with blue. Aquamarine-like blue-green eyes. An antique air emanated from her adorned dress. A girl of that appearance stood on the high stage, sounding strings made of horsehair.
There were no lyrics. But she had a talent for enchanting people, like the tone of a siren.
The lively yet mournful melody made his heart swell. The song continued for about four to five minutes, following an imaginary score.
"Your daughter's playing skill is excellent. May I ask what piece that is?"
"It is the 'Tarkenil Requiem' composed by a person named Seraphanya in the west."
"A requiem... Whom does it mourn?"
"For the people of her nation. Seraphanya was the last remaining royal of the Kingdom of Tarkenil, which existed in the Middle Ages. It is said that just before the kingdom fell to foreign invasion, she played this piece on the violin to greet the enemy army."
"Ho-oh...."
It was utterly inappropriate for a child's birthday party. It would have been better to prepare something for children.
"It is the piece our Rosemary plays best. Our daughter likes Seraphanya's compositions."
Despite the melody, the people applauded in unison. Riding that momentum, Duke Blanton's daughter played several more pieces of a similar tone. All of them were said to be requiems.
'The duchess has it tough as well. To think a magic beast snatched away a musically talented daughter.'
Or maybe the daughter was a magic beast too....
He couldn't be sure.
Looking at those innocent, water-colored eyes, he thought it might not be the case. How could such an innocent, artless girl who beamed at adults' praise be a magic beast?
Of course, he had heard the folklore that magic beasts were cunning, so he knew that well... Clion swallowed his liquor to soothe his uncomfortable feelings.
He hoped this time would pass quickly.
**
The banquet continued until dawn.
The party was to continue until the next day. Right now, it was a time to recover from hangovers.
In the early morning, when everyone was asleep, Duke Blanton, having arranged sleeping accommodations for the attendees, headed to a certain room in the annex. Only those permitted by Duke Blanton could enter this place.
Creak, the door opened with an eerie sound. Inside, there was a sofa.
Rosemary was sitting on that sofa.
"Daddy!"
"......."
Rosemary, who had been playing with a turtle doll, ran over to Blanton with an innocent smile.
"Daddy, I played well today, right?"
"There is no one around, 4th Seat."
"Heh...."
Rosemary's smile subtly shifted. She pulled a candy from her bosom and popped it into her mouth.
The candy was sweet-and-sour, apple-flavored.
The candy was laced not only with apple flavor but also with mana. As a means for a child who couldn't smoke to replenish mana, it was adequate.
"...The 7th Seat doesn't know how to go along with the mood. At times like this, you're supposed to hug me and say 'That's my girl~'"
"......."
Crunch, crunch. Rosemary chewed the candy and looked down at her feet.
There was a magic circle constructed on the floor.
A Teleportation Circle. A supreme magic circle that moves objects from one place to another.
Just a few seconds after Rosemary had chewed the candy, the magic circle activated. The room shone brightly and guided the two somewhere.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the entrance of a towering iron tower.
"Ah, it's cold. Do you have any antifreeze left?"
"No."
"You're so useless."
A blizzard raged even inside the tower. The surroundings were entirely glaciers.
Checking the time, it was past dawn. Since it was a spatial formation that changed only latitude, the outside scenery should have been pitch-black.
But the night sky was white.
"Let's go in. The other corps commanders are waiting."
"...Yes."
It was only natural.
The place they had warped to was the northernmost edge of the land, what the Empire called the '3rd Defense Line'....
Because it was the heart of the Demon Continent.