Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Eighth Planet
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Right after subduing the 'Guide of the Lanterns'.
The squad members stared blankly up at the sphere I'd made from the priests.
They muttered among themselves.
"Why... did you clump them together like that?"
"You could save at least one circle in the magic circle that way..."
"Is that really the reason?"
"Man... ruthless."
Listening to them made me a little embarrassed.
Reducing the detection range to save resources while composing the gravity spell had been a blunder.
I approached them and spoke up.
"Um... could you keep my name a secret, by any chance?"
At my words, all their gazes snapped to me.
"The main branches are all smashed, but we haven't caught the scattered cell groups yet. Just keep today's events under wraps until then."
The squad members nodded vigorously.
"Yes, sir."
"...We'll keep it secret. Absolutely."
I trusted them, but their stiff, formal responses still felt distant.
I missed the days when Howard could chow down on femicon with them.
That's when Sara cautiously spoke up.
"...Then what about this?"
Her finger pointed at the entire cavern.
The ceiling torn open to reveal the sky, dozens of priests clumped into a massive orb floating in midair.
It was profoundly surreal.
"How do we... explain this? The commander will definitely order an investigation."
I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Just say 'Howard Wallowitz' did it all. Sounds like he was some amazing mage, right?"
"Will that... work?"
"What other choice do we have? Right?"
"Sigh."
Sara let out a short, resigned breath.
"Fair enough. Howard Wallowitz... Got it."
The other squad members nodded as well.
We decided to postpone the return to base until tomorrow.
Marching through this frigid night with the unconscious priests would be too much.
As I reached for my personal tent, Sara blocked me.
"It's cold out. If it's alright with you, sleep in our tent with us."
"I'm not Howard anymore, though...?"
"...What are you talking about?"
Maybe because we'd been comrades in arms, she was willing to overlook one little lie.
I entered the massive field tent with the squad.
A bit chilly in here.
I said to Sara,
"Mind if I heat things up a little?"
"...Using magic might keep you from sleeping deeply."
"Eh, I've got ways around that."
I quietly pulled a few gold bars from my subspace pocket.
The next morning.
Sara woke up and stared blankly at the tent.
It was a bit gaudy with the gold foil still up.
"...Gold really does warm you up just by being near it."
"..."
She sounded like she'd sold her soul to capitalism.
Sara asked me,
"Does it only have this insulating effect when it's gilded like this?"
"Hmm..."
Aluminum alone would probably do something similar.
But aluminum's probably pricier than gold around here...
I replied to Sara,
"Yeah. Looks like it'd be tough otherwise. Want some gold if you need it?"
"...No. Processing it this thin every night would lead to rebound eventually."
"I see. Well, how about some other kind of help instead of gold?"
Sara tilted her head.
"Other help?"
"Your combat spells could use some efficiency tweaks."
I outlined my rough idea for her.
"I'm thinking of restructuring the magic circle to separate the loading and activation circles."
Current spells crammed multiple commands into each circle.
I wanted to organize them neatly, like 'Memorize,' so you could freely halt the spell right before activation.
"...Is that even possible?"
"Yep."
Sara's eyes went wide.
"Won't that cause rebound if the structure fails?"
"Preventing that's my job."
"..."
She said,
"Can we really ask you for something like that?"
"Of course."
They were the ones handling national defense in my stead; they deserved this much.
"Isaac."
"Yes... whoa!"
Sara grabbed my hand tightly with her bandaged one.
"Don't push yourself too hard. We already owe you so much."
A bit of blood seeped from the wound on her hand.
"No, no. It's fine. I'm just grateful you're doing my military service for me."
"Really?"
"Well... honestly, about half of it's just for my own interest."
Sara studied my face closely before replying.
"...Good lord, you really mean that."
She loosened her grip.
Sara said,
"You're... unusual, Isaac."
"Huh?"
"Magic Tower mages usually don't think much of field mages."
"..."
I'd heard the rumors.
I answered her,
"Maybe it's because no one's experienced both the military and the Tower, so misunderstandings pile up."
"..."
"Once your mandatory service is over, come visit the Tower. We can clear up the misconceptions and hang out."
"My mandatory service ended ages ago."
"Wait, that means... no way..."
"Yeah. I'm reenlisted."
Oh no...
As we finished talking and prepared to depart, one squad member hurriedly stopped me.
"Hold on! You forgot something really important, Uphills."
"What?"
Were there still stragglers hiding?
"Once we get back to base, you'll have to go by Howard again."
"Until we interrogate the priests and wipe out the remnants... yeah."
"So, one last autograph before that..."
He pulled a hand-copied Principia from his pocket and held it out.
Sara gave him a look of utter disbelief.
But he didn't back down.
"I swear I won't tell anyone how I got it. For real. Please."
"..."
His eyes shone with sincerity.
I glanced around.
The squad members' eyes were filled with anticipation.
I told them,
"If you have any of my other papers, bring them all. I'll sign them."
"...!"
What followed was a total mess... no, neatly organized signing session.
Back at base, I heard updates on the other two sites.
Both had been successfully subdued.
Our side had almost no casualties.
With this, the 'Guide of the Lanterns'' main forces were completely eliminated.
Refreshing.
Gwendolyn Everglow said to me,
"All that's left is interrogating the priests to root out the remnants."
"Got it."
"In that regard, it's a huge relief you captured all the priests alive, Uphills."
"Huh? Why?"
"Lord Valerius killed all of his."
"Whoa. Was that allowed?"
"Hm? Of course. They're enemies of the Empire."
"Oh."
Right. I had to remember.
This was a medieval world where insulting the Imperial Court was a real crime.
Criminals had no rights.
I asked Gwendolyn,
"So, what happens to the captured priests and followers?"
"Labor reeducation. That's standard for northern criminals."
"Ah."
Makes sense.
The north was always short on manpower; it was a win-win.
"For the priests, it'll probably be labor until they die."
'For the priests' case'?
"Do believers get punished too?"
"Yes. Depending on how involved they were in the crimes, they get sentenced to labor terms."
It was understandable, if ruthless.
"We don't make mere accomplices labor till death, so rest easy."
They had some conscience, at least.
All my questions were answered.
I told Gwendolyn,
"Thanks for explaining. I'll be off then..."
"─Oh, right. Lord Valerius wants to see you, Uphills."
"Now?"
"Yes. Go on."
I headed to Valerius's tent.
Valerius sat in a folding chair, reading Principia.
Must've come from Sara's squad, since it had my signature.
Without looking up from my paper, Valerius said,
"You revealed your real name."
"...Pardon? Why?"
"You said you'd hide yours. After pulling off something this big, leaving the ringleader ambiguous would just confuse the Imperial Investigation Bureau unnecessarily."
"So... you revealed yours because of me?"
"Yes."
"What if revealing your name gets your friends or family targeted? You could've hidden it until the remnants are caught."
"..."
Valerius fell silent at my question for a moment.
He soon chuckled and replied,
"I'll kill them all before that happens."
"Whoa..."
Impressive.
An archmage's mindset was on another level.
"Rest until the next caravan. I'll uproot every last remnant."
"Got it."
The next day.
We held an interim report meeting in the commander's office.
Me, Gwendolyn, Sara, and the commander.
Valerius had left to hunt remnants.
The meeting began, and the commander started his report to me.
"...With this, all core members of the 'Guide of the Lanterns' have been subdued."
The commander seemed awkward around me.
He probably saw me as some 'secret Imperial weapon.'
He continued,
"We've identified the scattered cells through priest interrogations and are now focusing on tracking them down."
Very successful.
But the commander's expression remained dark.
He hesitated, then continued with a troubled look.
"And... there's one more thing to report."
"What?"
"Some of the rescued people still miss the 'Guide of the Lanterns.'"
At that, Sara's face visibly darkened.
So it came to this after all...
Sara said stiffly,
"Most have admitted their wrongs and accepted labor reeducation, but... some still firmly believe their leader will save them."
Sara's gaze flicked toward me.
She said,
"I'm sorry to ask this, but... do you have any sharp solution?"
Believing the leader would save them.
Fanaticism born of pure faith—not brainwashing magic—couldn't be broken easily with drugs or spells.
The strongest prison was the one you built yourself.
I answered her,
"I do have one... but it might be intense."
"Doesn't matter. Tell us."
I explained my plan to them.
A few days later.
A simple observatory stood on a barren hill near the army camp.
At its center was the reflector telescope I'd built.
There, the 'Guide of the Lanterns' leader peered haggardly into the eyepiece, dazed.
Behind him stood hundreds of believers and guards.
"..."
"..."
The believers waited anxiously for what would come from their leader's mouth.
The leader finally spoke.
His voice was as dry as dead leaves.
"It was real... not an illusion..."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
That single sentence stirred uneasy unrest among the believers.
The leader staggered back from the telescope.
He asked me,
"If the doctrine was wrong, then what... was my life?"
"You should've asked your god that."
Scientists didn't know life's meaning.
Mages probably didn't either.
The leader's eyes shook, lost.
"Hah... hah..."
In the past few days, he'd visibly withered.
His life was ebbing away from creating the werewolf.
"..."
"..."
The gaze of the soon-to-be corpse fixed on me.
Having his convictions shattered before death.
Was this misfortune or fortune?
Personally, I hoped he'd see it as misfortune.
That way, the victims might feel a little less wronged.
The crowd buzzed.
"So what does that mean?!"
"There are seven planets, right?! Tell us, Leader!"
"We believe in you, Leader!"
Grind.
Sara clenched her teeth beside me.
She commanded the leader,
"Leader. Sign it, and repeat after me."
He flinched at her words.
A single parchment lay before the leader.
It claimed the solar system had not seven, but a total of eight planets.
With trembling hand, the leader signed the parchment.
Then he said,
"The solar system has... not seven, but a total of eight planets."
At his words, some believers collapsed limply to the ground.
"No way..."
"This can't be."
"Leader..."
That day, their world crumbled.
But not everyone accepted despair.
Tremble.
Sara's sister clenched her fists tight.
Sisters are alike in that way.
Moments later, she bared her teeth and charged forward.
"Out of my way!"
The guards hurriedly blocked her, but she thrashed like a madwoman.
"You fucking bastards! It's a scam! That damn spell-slinging prick tricked us!"
"..."
"That bastard! Howard, that fucking asshole, is deceiving us!!"
What a mouth on her.
I said calmly to her,
"This telescope's construction and setup were done right in front of you, verified by your own cross-checks. What's the scam?"
"There can't be eight planets! The gods' providence is perfect! Eight planets would shatter astrology!"
"Guess astrology was wrong then."
"No! That's just a new star. Definitely not a planet!"
"..."
Come on.
The observatory had been open for a week, and now she says that after not looking?
Arguing seriously with someone like this was a loss.
I signaled the guards.
Time to wrap it up.
Yes, sir.
The guards announced,
"Verification meeting concluded. Everyone, follow military orders."
"Argh! No! It can't be!"
I said to the believers,
"We'll keep the observatory open for now. If you're curious about that planet's orbit, come check it yourself after work at night."
I turned and left the observatory.
Aaaaagh!
A scream echoed behind me.
Probably Sara's sister.
After the verification meeting, I moved to upgraded quarters.
The officers' lodging I'd envied before.
Apparently, two officers had to bunk together for a few days because of me.
Poor guys.
Not my problem, though.
Slurp.
I quenched my throat with warm sheep's milk and gazed out the window.
Far in the distance, faint Neptune lingered in my view.
Invisible to the naked eye, but clear through the telescope.
Heh heh heh.
"By now, the capital's probably in an uproar over the new planet sighting."
My second prophecy fulfilled.
One left.
Knock knock.
A cautious knock sounded.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Sara entered.
She approached and bowed her head.
"I'm truly sorry about today."
"For what?"
"My sister... causing a scene."
"Don't worry about it."
I turned my gaze to the window, saying indifferently,
People were like that.
Even in a world where GPS corrected for relativity to pinpoint position and time, flat-Earth believers persisted.
Human faith didn't break easily, even before overwhelming facts.
...Of course, if it was your own twin sister, your heart would ache.
I told Sara,
"If anything, you need to steel yourself, Squad Leader Sara."
Convincing a once-fanatical believer was incredibly tough.
"Aren't you frustrated, Uphills?"
Sara's voice trembled faintly.
"You proved the truth, yet... people won't believe."
I pondered briefly.
Frustrated?
The capital was probably praising the discovery lavishly.
With the princess's endorsement, the Imperials would acknowledge it.
This was progress no handful of northern fanatics could stop.
...Still, it pissed me off a bit.
'There can't be eight planets! The gods' providence is perfect!'
I held back because she looked just like my comrade Sara; otherwise, I might've slapped her.
I answered Sara,
"I'm fine."
"..."
What could I do?
This was my limit.
I could change the world, but not every person's heart.
At my response, Sara bowed her head deeply.
"I'm... frustrated."
"..."
"I didn't want to see my sister hurling abuse at you, Uphills."
Sara's eyes reddened.
"I thought once she knew the truth, she'd sincerely apologize to you. But... but...!"
"..."
I didn't know what to say.
It'll be okay?
Empty your mind?
...Nonsense.
As always, solutions came easier to me than empathy.
I told Sara,
"If the fanatics really bother you, just endure for exactly three years."
"...Pardon?"
Sara looked up.
"Remember the final prediction in Principia?"
"...You prophesied a solar eclipse."
I nodded.
"Spread rumors based on that. Say a northern sage predicted the eclipse timing and is spreading new doctrine to the 'Guide of the Lanterns' followers."
"..."
"When the sage's prediction hits, people will embrace the new gospel over the old doctrine."
Sara's eyes widened.
"Can we... do it that way? Doesn't that go against what you wrote in Principia?"
"Pfft, who cares."
I chuckled and continued,
"The guy who wrote it is Isaac, and I'm 'Howard Wallowitz.'"
"..."
"If it bugs you, get permission from Isaac first."