The Elf's Unshakable Will
Adel Temir walked down the corridor of the Black Magic Palace, gazing at the Rift Heart in his hand with a satisfied chuckle.
"Heh, heh heh…."
He had taken the gem Sennew Laren had created in place of the elf, who kept his head bowed even as they left the hall.
[Why'd you take that thing? Smash it to pieces right now.]
"Smash it? Why would I smash something this good?"
[Don't tell me you're getting greedy for the rift's power too.]
"Guilty as charged."
[…What?]
Kalderet scowled, glaring at Adel.
[Are you insane?! Have you not heard a word I've said? The rift's power is beyond what any human can handle!]
[He's right, Adel. I hate to agree with Kalderet, but on this, yeah.]
[Plus, something that incomplete could wipe out this whole area—or worse—if anything goes wrong!]
Garon backed up Kalderet's scolding. Despite their constant bickering, their agreement showed just how serious they felt about it.
"That's not it. You guys don't get it. You don't know how this Rift Heart is made."
[What do you mean?]
"Kalderet, you're right—the rift is a power no human can wield. I'm not planning to keep it. But what about the gem holding that power?"
[…Hm?]
"What do you think of a gem strong enough to contain that insane force?"
[It can't be ordinary. Not if it can hold that much energy.]
"Exactly."
Adel grinned.
"I ate a Dragon Heart. My mana is overflowing, but my bloodline isn't refined enough to contain it all yet. But if I had something tough enough to seal rift power, I could transfer my rampaging mana into it."
[No way… You're thinking of turning that gem into a mana storage artifact?]
"Bingo."
[But how? To use it as a mana vessel, you'd have to remove the rift power inside first.]
"Obviously. And the one who can do that is right in there. He'll probably choose soul-linking over full resurrection anyway."
[Hmph. That elf seemed consumed by revenge against the gods. You really think he'll follow you?]
"Of course. If it means seeing his daughter again, he'd sell his soul."
Adel answered without hesitation. After all, Sennew hadn't created the Rift Heart out of resentment for his bloodline—it was for the daughter he'd lost because of it.
[Even if we grant that… To store mana, you'd need to reforge the gem. Finding a blacksmith with that skill won't be easy.]
"Don't worry about it. This gem wasn't made by just any caster. We need an engineer, not a blacksmith."
[An engineer…]
"Gnomes. The best craftsmen on the continent."
[Hm, fair point… But finding gnomes is as tricky as finding dwarves.]
"Sennew will hook us up."
[How?]
"The head of Leviathan—the guild that charts the continent's seas—is a gnome."
[Ah.]
Kalderet finally nodded in understanding.
[Two birds with one stone.]
"Of course, he'll need time to think. So while we wait, how about a little sightseeing?"
[Sightseeing?]
Thump.
Adel lightly patted his chest.
"Forgot? We didn't come here just for Leviathan."
[Oh, right…]
"Time to feed the Dragon's Gluttony."
"…Hey!!!"
Sennew Laren looked even more haggard, as if he'd aged another decade in the half-day since. He stormed up to Adel, huffing indignantly.
"You're back?"
"My warehouse!! How did you open it?!"
"You told me. How to undo the barrier, remember?"
Adel shrugged it off casually.
"…Don't lie to me. No one but me can open that barrier. You think you can fool a grand archmage with some magic formula?!"
"That's exactly it. You said it yourself."
"…What?"
"The formula. It's the core expression of the barrier's origin and method. Know it, and you don't even need mana to dispel it."
"But the formula's essence is known only to the caster who set it… No way?"
Sennew's eyes trembled.
"Yep. You told me before you died. Starting to believe in my regression now?"
Come to think of it, Adel was lounging in the largest room of the Black Magic Palace—the one Sennew used. Too natural for coincidence. Sennew let out a deep sigh.
"Fair enough. No dragon could breach my barriers easily."
He glanced at the Rift Heart beside Adel.
"And don't underestimate me. If I didn't believe you were a regressor, I'd have kicked you out already."
"Then why…?"
"An ancient god I thought gone shows up, and you're his contractor. Probably were in your past life too. Otherwise, how could you find one so many sought, just like that?"
"Hm."
Adel smiled oddly at his words.
"Makes sense. A god wouldn't overlook someone who twisted the worldline."
"Indeed… Fitting for the lord of the Black Magic Palace. Regression requires unshakable faith to accept. An ordinary person would cling to doubt."
"…So why'd you go into the warehouse?"
"Just looking around."
"Sounds to me like 'hand over the marked item.'"
"That too."
Sennew stared in disbelief, but oddly, felt no real animosity.
"You're the first human like you in three hundred years. If there'd been one back then… maybe things would've been different."
Clench.
Sennew gripped his fist without realizing.
"Elves live longer than humans. But she was only five… Too short, even by human standards."
He spoke softly.
"I still hate the gods. All we did was follow them more faithfully than any race…."
Pity hung in the air.
"Yet all they left us was a curse—forcing us to watch our kin wither away."
[…I doubt 'regrets' console you, but even we didn't foresee elves' weakness to Divine Poison.]
Kalderet spoke quietly after listening.
"Enough. Even with a human like me, nothing changes. I can't save dying elves. All I know is hunting."
But Adel responded coldly, unmoved by the pathos. Comfort for the past was useless.
"I'm not asking that of you."
[Hm…]
Sennew's tone softened, but three centuries of grudge wouldn't vanish easily. Still, he knew—his hatred had no true target.
'Gods created life in the beginning, but it was mere seed. How they grow is up to each path.'
But he couldn't accept that. It would shatter the only pillar holding him up for three hundred years.
Better to have a target for blame. Without it, he might crumble instantly.
[…Do what you want.]
Kalderet saw no need for more words.
"Is there a way to save that child's soul?"
"Complete the imperfect Rift Heart."
"…You said that's impossible."
"For now. You know the Titan's Book I gave you is one of the three Immortality Books left by the ancients. They're the pinnacle of ancient alchemy."
Adel pointed at the scroll in Sennew's hand. It trembled faintly, as if answering.
"Gather all three, and it's possible."
"How can you be sure?"
"You told me."
"…?!?"
"Before you died, after activating the imperfect rift gem and turning the continent to ruin."
"Ha. Haha…."
Adel met his gaze.
"I don't make impossible deals. In my past life, I gathered all three Immortality Books. Just lacked an elf to decipher them."
Gulp.
Sennew swallowed dryly.
"So we can do it again. And this time, there's an elf to read them."
"…I see."
"Don't trust me—trust yourself. You said it, so it must be true. Though… that still boils down to trusting me, huh? Sounds more plausible this way."
Adel shrugged and waved it off.
"Kh, khk…."
Sennew couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Maybe the first real laugh in three hundred years.
"Took fifteen years to gather them last time. Should be faster now. What do you say? After three centuries, what's another decade?"
"I…."
Whoosh—!!!
Then it happened. The Black Magic Palace windows flew open, a breeze carrying countless spirits inside.
"The spirits you sent for Leviathan? Faster than expected."
Dozens of wind spirits swirled around Sennew.
"Sennew, even after abandoning life, the spirits haven't left you. Because you never abandoned your elven will."
Adel held up the Rift Heart.
"I believe in that unyielding will. I won't demand you follow me now. Just watch me. That's the deal."
"If you doubt me, complete the gem your way."
"Your way."
Adel smiled in satisfaction.
"Deal struck."
Grab.
Sennew hesitated at the offered hand, then clasped it firmly.
"Oh, one thing you're wrong about."
"…What?"
"I was an ancient god's contractor even before regression. Not that surprising. Don't judge my worth on that."
Sennew looked flustered.
"The future I'll show you—that's what proves my true value."
Whoosh—!!
At that moment, the wind spirits fluttered as if guiding him, flying out the window.
"Talk about a smooth talker…."
Seeing even the spirits acknowledge him, Sennew understood why he didn't hate the man—and smiled unwittingly.
"Speaking of which."
Adel turned to Sennew.
"Can I borrow some stuff from your warehouse?"
"Touched for a second, and you jump straight to business."
"Keep the sentiment to yourself. Your time's been frozen for three centuries—mine hasn't."
"Ugh… Rude as hell. But better than wishy-washy. Fine. Take what you want. What do you need?"
"Nothing much."
Adel said, as if he'd been waiting.
"Elf magic."
"W-What?!"
Sennew's face hardened, unlike Adel's calm delivery.
"Yeah. Teach me Spirit Magic."