Chapter 197
Chapter 197
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: The King's Name
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Using the properties of Birna's mana to unleash an electric shock was an intuitive decision.
It was also an excellent choice, as it traveled up the mana and struck its source directly.
However, it was a bit too effective.
“Aaargh!”
Thrown back several meters with a loud bang, Birna slammed hard against the wall and continued to scream, her convulsions not stopping.
This was because the electricity Loan had discharged hadn't fully dissipated.
*The electricity was amplified instead.*
Firmly conceptualizing that mixing water and electric attacks could inflict greater damage on an opponent, Loan walked toward Birna.
“Uwaaaaaargh!”
Only after another scream did Birna slump against the wall, half-leaning, completely limp.
The damage had spread across her entire body.
Her skin was burned so black that her tattoos were no longer visible.
Her hair standing on end, Birna glared at Loan, her arms hanging limply as if she had lost them.
On her blackened face, only the whites of her eyes gleamed.
For someone who had just been talking about the fragile bodies of mages before the fight, she was in a truly wretched state.
Loan frowned at the smell of burning flesh and cleared the rising smoke with Convection.
If it could be called a mistake, it was that his opponent had suffered far more damage than he'd expected.
“Can you speak?”
No answer came.
Her magical power seemed to be fading away with the smoke.
It wouldn't be strange if she died right then and there without proper medical attention.
At the same time, Birna appeared to have lost all will to fight, simply accepting or waiting for death.
Of course, Birna still had a spell that could be called her ultimate technique, one that could save her life in a moment of crisis.
She couldn't raise her arms, but she could still try for another reversal by softly chanting an incantation.
But that depended on the opponent.
Birna realized after a single clash.
Loan hadn't been arrogant.
The word 'arrogance' could only be used when the gap between them was manageable; with a difference this insurmountable, the term itself was meaningless.
Loan looked pitifully at Birna, who had completely lost her will to fight.
He read in her eyes a sense of regret, as if she had completely given up on life.
He had a premonition that this encounter would end without satisfying a significant part of his curiosity.
Still, he felt no need to heal and save her. Nor could he let her die peacefully.
Her life was short. It should be put to good use.
Loan summoned Aul.
The purpose was to interrogate Birna for the truth before she died—
“Aul!”
After spinning around and instantly scanning the main chamber, Aul glanced at Loan before starting to peck at and eat the darkness-infested heads scattered on the floor.
The sight of Aul, who usually showed no interest in human heads, eating them greedily was proof that the members of Nostra were comparable to demons.
Even if it had been a while and it was hungry, it had never been like this.
“Au-uuul?”
After letting out a sound close to a burp, the now-full Aul approached Loan.
And, just as Loan wished, it flew over to the slumped Birna to use the [Mask of Truth].
Aul, its flesh sagging as it covered Birna's face, looked at Loan with a confident expression.
There were quite a few things he was curious about.
Her identity, including her affiliation.
Where and how she learned magic. What spell the magic circle in the basement was originally meant to cast. She had said she wasn't the scholarly type, so who taught her such a complex magic circle?
If she belonged to Grave, what was their next plan?
Was the plan to exterminate humanity a personal one, or the will of her group?
Even so, being drawn to beautiful things was almost instinctual; had seeing him truly not caused any change in her philosophy or beliefs about humans? Was there truly no hesitation?
Was there a reason she held such strong, negative feelings toward humans? And was she, then, not human herself?
She had said she wished for only 'that person' and herself to remain in the world; was 'that person' not human? Did she mean a demon?
Did she feel no guilt or reluctance about exterminating humanity? Did she see it merely as a duty or a calling she had to fulfill?
Of course, the last question wasn't for a moral lecture.
He had hypothesized that he might find the origin of Birna's pure mana in that direction.
In any case, he had a mountain of questions.
If he were to ask them one by one.
*It would be endless. She'd die before she finished answering.*
Even if he chose from these, considering Birna's condition, he could only ask one or two at most.
Loan organized the questions in order of what would be most valuable to the Union in the current situation, what answer he might never hear if she died, and what he himself was most curious about. He then brought up two virtual questions in his mind.
He chose which of the two was more important or curious, then pitted it against the next question.
After this internal tournament of questions, only one remained.
*'That person.'*
The only person besides her who would remain after the extermination of humanity.
He guessed that knowing who this person was would be extremely important information.
It didn't have the nuance of referring to family, nor the feeling of referring to a loved one.
It could be the head of Le Tell, or the leader of the Grave alliance. It wasn't necessarily a distinction between species, but it could also be a demon.
Loan asked softly.
“Who is 'that person'? Tell me the full name.”
An answer didn't come immediately.
Instead, Birna's entire body began to tremble.
This was a common phenomenon caused by internal resistance or a clash of magical power when forced to reveal a secret truth or a difficult answer.
This time, it seemed particularly severe.
*Did she make a Vow of Silence?*
As Loan narrowed his eyes in thought.
Birna's mouth slowly opened.
“The Seven… as one… to stand above… all… a new… race… to reign… the one… sovereign… Simon… Gla… Gra…”
Her open mouth couldn't close, freezing in place.
She couldn't finish, but Loan clearly understood what the word would end with, what name she had spoken.
*Simon Gladwyn Grafton.*
The father of Crown Prince Denian Gladwyn Grafton, who was suggested as the mastermind behind the Schwerin invasion, and the current king of the Grafton Kingdom. The man who effectively stood at the apex of the Seven Principalities.
It was a truly shocking answer.
The disjointed words that preceded it must have been descriptions of King Simon, and inferring their meaning, they were not something to be taken lightly.
Something about uniting the Seven Principalities and a sovereign who would rule even over new races.
*So, the final mastermind was the king?*
Of course, it was difficult to conclude that for certain.
Superficially, it was only that she hoped 'that person' would remain even if all other humans in the world disappeared, and that 'that person' was King Simon.
*It wouldn't be strange if it were simple faith or admiration.*
Loan tried to ask a more in-depth question.
Something that could reveal the relationship between Grave, the king, and the crown prince.
But Birna was out of time.
Her trembling body showed no signs of calming and only grew more intense, causing Aul to shrink at a rapid pace.
Before he could even utter the first word of his next question.
“Aul!”
Aul detached from Birna's body and landed on Loan's shoulder.
Birna trembled violently until the very end, her eyes wide open, before her head finally slumped down.
It was different from the Brien production manager whose head had exploded after speaking the crown prince's name. It didn't seem to be a [Vow of Silence].
This meant she had desperately resisted uttering that name.
“Hoo…”
Confirming that her magical power had completely vanished, Loan let out a deep sigh.
The information he had just obtained was incomparable to what he'd learned about the crown prince.
Just mentioning it could be an act of treason.
Until he could obtain solid information and be certain, he had to leave it as a mere possibility.
Still, it was a great relief that several people came to mind with whom he could share his suspicions and ease his worries.
Loan immediately took Aul and left the main chamber.
One of the people who came to mind should be interrogating nobles nearby.
But then.
“Aul?”
Aul, who had been following behind, picking up and eating any decent heads it could find, suddenly stopped and called out to Loan.
It was in front of the commemorative tower for the opening of the Parliament in the central hall.
“What is it, does it feel familiar?”
After the magic circle's activation, Loan's Convection that had enveloped the tower had completely disappeared, so the dark mana was now flowing out uncontrolled.
Fortunately, no one was left in the Parliament building, so no one was affected.
In any case, he thought that was why Aul was interested, and indeed.
“Aul!”
The reply came back that it felt somehow comforting.
In that case, the possibilities were that the tower was made from a material brought from the demon world, namely a dark magic stone.
Or that they brought a stone steeped in dark mana from the Rhodes underground.
Or that they had imbued the tower with magical power using a method similar to the magic enchantment Loan had learned in Schwerin. He could summarize the possibilities as such.
Loan judged that investigating who made this commemorative tower and where they got it from would be of considerable help in understanding the situation.
So, he smashed it until it was little more than a pile of dirt.
CRASH!
He found the curtain that had initially blocked the mana and covered the pile with it again.
The magical power it was emitting had lessened, but it still needed to be strongly isolated.
“Aul…”
Aul kept looking back wistfully at what was once the commemorative tower, now covered by the curtain, but it regained its energy once they were outside.
Centered around the Parliament building, there were a great many people lying dead.
Most of them appeared to be from Nostra or Le Tell.
Among them were those who had been possessed by demons, and others whose minds were tainted to a similar degree.
Aul began to feast, growing in size for the first time in a while.
Its legs stretched out, and its body grew proportionally larger.
To save time, Loan started to scout Felsina while riding Aul.
Passing by people who shrieked and fled, Loan quickly checked the area around the Parliament building, admiring the swift cleanup by his seniors from the Responsibility Committee, while at the same time…
*The Ferrara Guards are truly amazing…*
Those who were stationed at key points, standing firm and scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes.
The blood on their heavy armor suggested they had been through a significant battle, yet they remained vigilant, never letting their guard down to protect the city's safety.
Loan thought that the reason Ferrara, despite suffering frequent calamities, hadn't collapsed and remained strong was likely due to its army, including the guards. He was able to solidify this thought a little more after meeting Richa shortly after.
The man standing next to Richa.
He had never seen him before, but he could easily tell that he was the commander leading the guards.
The countless decorations on his light leather armor seemed to attest to his experience and dignity, and the long scar running from his forehead to his chin under his helmet reminded him of Vice Commander Oscar.
Loan averted his gaze from the man and paid his respects to Richa.
“Birna died after the battle.”
“Good work, Loan. We can talk about the details later…”
Richa pointed to the man standing beside her and continued.
“This is Sir Gordon, Captain of the Ferrara Guard. He will be acting as the Duke's proxy for the time being and will focus on stabilizing Ferrara. This is…”
“Lord Loan, isn't it? I've seen you before at Ferrara Castle. Though you were collapsed at the time.”
“Ah…”
Loan's face turned slightly red.
The memory of collapsing on the road while chasing Bella came to mind.
But Gordon didn't seem to hold that embarrassing moment against him at all.
“I am also well aware that you are the esteemed person who saved our Ferrara. We are greatly indebted to you once again. Personally, I feel I want to repay you in any way I can.”
Loan could feel the sincerity in his words.
For some reason, his gaze drifted to the badges and decorations on Gordon's chest.