Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Chapter 20: The Wind Sorceress
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“What?”
“To wield magic that transcends magic, you naturally must become something that transcends humanity. There’s no room here for a human heart.”
“……”
“Hit with this, and things that were impossible until now become possible. Extreme compression, multi-layered calculations, output beyond limits. For a mage, it opens up a dreamlike realm.”
“But I lose my heart? What exactly does ‘losing your heart’ mean?”
“More precisely, you lose your humanity? It sounds grand when put into words, but... in reality, you just become an emotionless human. To others, you’d look like a machine devoted solely to magic.”
The sponsor extended the needle-tipped vial forward with a smile.
A machine devoted to magic.
Tolari’s face stiffened for a moment.
Terrifying words, yet to her now, they sounded surprisingly appealing.
But if she did that, the current her would vanish.
She’d become something that found no meaning or joy in anything else, using magic day after day.
“Wait, how is that any different from how I’m living now?”
“Did you say something?”
“Huh? No. Nothing.”
“Anyway, even then, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to use Pure Magic. But the odds skyrocket. You’ll break through all the necessary intermediate steps. So, what’ll it be?”
The sponsor shook the needle-tipped vial slowly, as if tempting her. Tolari’s gaze followed the swaying vial as she swallowed the saliva pooling in her mouth.
“Ugh......”
“Will you fulfill your wish now? Right this instant?”
“......Just a moment.”
Tolari squeezed her eyes shut then open, panting.
“Give me a few days first. Hoo, damn it. Why’s my heart suddenly racing like this?”
“That’s how humans are. When something you truly desire is right in front of you, your heart races. Time? Of course, take as much as you need.”
The sponsor placed the vial directly into Tolari’s hand.
“I’ll even give you the syringe.”
“You call this a syringe?”
“That’s right. You’ve used one before, so you know how it works, yes? Once you’ve made up your mind, just stick the needle in yourself and inject.”
“What if I change my mind?”
“I’ll come collect it later, so keep it safe. Or just burn it if you want.”
The sponsor mimed flames bursting from his hands.
“It all depends on you, Lady Tolari. Will you cast aside your heart and achieve your dream, or suffer eternally for an unattainable wish?”
With that, he descended the stairs connected to the rooftop. Tolari hurried after him, but the floor below was empty as always.
“Eternal suffering......”
Tolari muttered, glaring at the syringe.
In the end, the root of suffering lies in the heart, and this injection would make that heart itself disappear.
Wouldn’t that make her twice as happy?
Completing Pure Magic, and erasing the source of her pain, her heart?
“......Yeah, right.”
Tolari set the syringe down with a sigh.
Without a heart, there’s no happiness either. What joy could a wind-up machine ever feel on its own?
But even so, what was this urge to jam the syringe straight into her shoulder?
* * *
“I prefer warmth over the cold......”
Rune made a tiny ice cube on her small palm, her face downcast.
“But this is the magic that suits me best. That’s what makes it so frustrating.”
“Elemental affinity is innate; nothing you can do about it. Just accept it.”
“But Your Highness uses every element, right? Can’t I do that too?”
Rune whined plaintively. Hey, miss? I wasn’t born wielding all elements freely either. It took me roughly eighty years to get here.
“Hmm...... I’m a bit of an exception. Anyway, I don’t recommend changing affinities. Even mastering just cold could take nine more years before you can cast Tempest—or maybe not.”
“Nine more years? Oh, meaning at least nine years of training.”
Rune nodded as if she understood.
Precisely, it means nine years left in this world, but...... whatever. As long as the result works.
“But what’s Tempest?”
“The highest-grade spell. Applies equally to each element. Compress it to the extreme into a vortex, hurl it at the enemy, and boom—devastating explosion.”
“Wow, and I’ll be able to use something like that?”
Rune stared at her ice shard in disbelief. Sitting on the garden bench, I immediately stretched my hand toward the sky for a demonstration.
“Rune, step back a bit.”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
Then I cast Wind of Tempest toward the sky.
Wooong!
A small, compressed mass of air currents shot high into the heavens.
At the same time, enormous wings of wind unfurled in the middle of the sky, engulfing a vast area in storm winds.
Whiiiiiinnnnn!
If I’d hurled that at the mansion, it would’ve shredded the entire place like a blender in an instant, scattering it to bits.
“Whoa...... Amazing.”
Even after the Tempest storm faded, Rune stared at the sky in awe for a long while.
“That’s Tempest...... Truly the ultimate spell. What happens if you use it with ice?”
“Technically with cold, not ice. A colossal cold storm flash-freezes the target into an ice block.”
“Eek......”
Rune shuddered and bowed her head. She seemed fragile and unremarkable now, but this little girl would one day stand tall in the war against otherworld invaders.
“It’s far in the future. First, build up your output steadily.”
“Output?”
“Magic output. All spells are the same at heart; only the output differs.”
Another demo seemed in order. I conjured a small flame in my left hand and a larger one in my right.
Fwoosh!
“See? All magic is the same.”
“To me, the right one looks bigger?”
“Same essence, different output. Stretch it like an arrow, it’s Arrow. Roll it into a ball, it’s Ball. Just know that the shape changes based on how much output you shape into what structure.”
“That’s...... S-sorry.”
Rune bowed her head, flustered.
“I don’t understand what Your Highness is saying. I’m uneducated and stupid......”
“No need to get it now. You just started. Nobody’s born an Arch Wizard.”
“Arch Wizard means the strongest mage, right?”
“Right. Cast Tempest multiple times a day, and the Magic Guild bestows the title.”
“Then......”
Rune peeked up at my face.
Huh?
Me?
Born an Arch Wizard?
“No, no, I’m a special case. I contracted with spirits.”
Precisely, I bullshitted about receiving power from spirits to justify my mana.
In truth, it’s the accumulation of nine regressions’ worth of time.
Freely wielding all elements is the same—purely the power of time.
Magic limits are fixed anyway. After mastering Tempest, I meditated and trained to boost weaker elements.
Then, suddenly, a face flashed in my mind.
“......There is one.”
“Huh?”
“There is someone close to being born an Arch Wizard. Name’s Tolari.”
“Tolari?”
“Not literally from birth, of course...... If memory serves, she got the title at fourteen.”
“Fourteen? Same age as me?”
“That girl’s a true genius.”
Unlike me, who barely stacked this up through endless loops and time, Tolari was heaven-sent talent.
The problem? That Arch Wizard Tolari is humanity’s betrayer.
Oblivious, Rune’s eyes sparkled with admiration.
“She’s a woman too. Where is she now? What’s she doing? How old?”
“She’s a weirdo who hates people...... Probably holed up alone in a wasteland magic tower.”
“Hates people? That’s sad. But what’s a magic tower?”
“A tower made with mana-reactive materials. Think magic fortress. Automatically repels invaders.”
“Wow.”
“Only Arch Wizards can build them. Costs a fortune too. Anyway, Tolari’s done for. She’s not human.”
Silence fell. Rune blinked repeatedly, confused.
“Not human? Then what? One of those rumored elves?”
“Not like that. Her humanity’s rotten.”
Put precisely, Tolari’s an emotionless slaughter machine, a puppet-masked killer who massacres without twitching an eyebrow.
Still, no immediate threat.
Left alone, she starts full slaughter in Imperial Year 518. Four years from now.
So the ‘eliminate Tolari route’ can start in two to three years—no rush.
But what about reality?
Events are already deviating from historical norms.
Jess never turned berserk and attacked me—never happened before. A berserker appearing pre-invasion is new.
Knight Master Phiren never sprouted tentacles into a monster, nor did the Emperor Road sewer incident occur.
Common thread? All linked to humanity’s betrayers.
Other betrayers might accelerate beyond prediction.
Conclusion’s simple.
Eliminate threats ASAP—faster than planned.
Start with Tolari. Toughest to handle.
“......Your Highness?”
I snapped to; Rune looked anxious. I smiled lightly and ended the lesson.
“That’s enough study for today. Something came up.”
“Huh? Oh, yes. Thank you for teaching me, Your Highness.”
Rune bowed deeply. I summoned Rania on the spot and canceled all afternoon schedules.
Strike while the iron’s hot.
How long to fly to Tolari’s black magic tower?
Ideally back before bedtime...... But if she’s not there after the trip? Stake out till she returns?
* * *
Flight magic took four hours to Guiness region, home of Tolari’s magic tower.
Never flown direct from the mansion before. Why? Mana drain’s insane.
Arrive low on mana for the assassination? Disaster.
But not this time.
Absorbing the lich’s mana crystal gave me huge reserves.
“Now, if only that bastard’s home......”
The black tower loomed faintly in the distance. I halted flight, dropped stealth, and approached slowly, scouting.
Guiness: northern imperial plains, population zero—a forsaken wasteland.
Reason? Some war incident long ago......
Irrelevant now. Key point: rampage freely; no witnesses.
Even so, for eliminating Tolari, I chose the quietest, cleanest method.
“First, check if she’s in......”
Activated Life Detection, flew cautiously to cover the tower in range.
Magic towers have built-in defense spells blocking external attacks—even from top mages en masse, briefly.
Plus alarms for intruders in range.
Caution essential.
Against Tolari, no effort’s wasted. Stealth over frontal assault.
The spell caught someone inside......
“......She’s there.”
I stopped flying, eyes narrowing.
Still distant, but the top-floor room window was open.
A hazy silhouette of a woman stood just inside. What? My eyesight this good?
Thanks to the core?
Maybe purging hidden poison boosted my vision too?
Whatever.
Boosts ‘snipe’ success rate big time. Visual confirmation beats relying on detection alone.
“Fuu......”
Deep breath, then recalled a rare spell.
Spell Breaker.
No official name—I coined it. No element, so Pure Magic fits too.