Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Black Church Elites
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The world at large believed that black mage groups were unified under a single purpose and order, but the truth was only half right and half wrong.
While there were ragtag bands of nobodies crudely mimicking black mages after picking up basic black magic, there were also elite organizations gathered under the umbrella of the Black Church.
The group led by Tureina was one of the latter. Of course, that didn't mean they were actively communicating or collaborating with the others.
[Ribadin's been taken down?]
Shadow Number Five asked in a startled voice, and Shadow Number One nodded.
[He went down in mutual destruction with undercover Special Forces mages. Tirintid was among them.]
Tirintid...
A fairly strong mage, but hardly someone who could take down Ribadin.
[Was Tirintid a martial artist or something? Otherwise, how could he stand against Ribadin's chains...]
[He's dead too, so no way to find out.]
[This is tricky. Number Eight got killed by the Special Forces chief too. Including us, we've only got four members left.]
At that, Shadow Number Four—who had been humming a tune while fondling an ominous doll—let out a giggle.
[Quiet's nice, isn't it? Why complain.]
[This isn't the time for jokes. Valencidis is heading to the Papal Court soon.]
Just then, a puff of tobacco smoke billowed out, sending a fierce ripple through the flow of mana. Everyone fell silent, submitting to that overwhelming power.
"Ribadin mutual-destructed against some Special Forces rookies..."
With her pipe clenched in her teeth, Tureina mulled over the report from Valencidis before suddenly fixing him with a straight stare.
"You sure I can believe that?"
The pressure felt like every vein in his body was swelling taut, the intimidation like his spine was being pierced by wires and forced ramrod straight.
Even though her body was far away in <Delaiten>, Valencidis's own was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
In the midst of that mana storm that twisted even his breath, Valencidis bowed his head with surprising composure.
[How could I dare lie to you.]
A long silence hung in the air.
Her gaze lingered over his eyes, as if peering into his soul.
Only after the heat from her pipe had died down did Tureina speak again.
"What about this Rain Ludwig kid?"
[We confirmed his talent is immense from watching him throughout finals, but not enough to take down Ribeni.]
"I see?"
Tureina seemed lost in thought with her pipe in her mouth for a moment, then suddenly sensed a presence and nodded.
"Then we'll talk next time. In person at the Papal Court. Until then, avoid anything suspicious. This is your last regular check-in."
With Valencidis bowing out and vanishing, Shadows Four, Five, and Seven followed suit one by one. Only then did Tureina glance over her shoulder.
"What is it?"
Light footsteps brushed through the shadows of the ruined shrine, and a girl with short dark-blue hair came toddling out.
"I figured we need a big score soon, so I came to help our Tureina~!"
She looked like a ten-year-old girl.
The innocent smile on her face seemed straight out of a ten-year-old's playbook too, but in reality, she was a monster who'd lived for centuries.
'One of the three pillars guiding the Black Church... Elamas.'
Even Tureina couldn't gauge the limits of the power this monster commanded.
"I'll handle it. I don't need your help."
"Aw~ come on. No need to play hard to get. We need to get Lin's body out, and now we're down half our forces."
"They were disposable from the start. Doesn't matter who dies or lives."
She slithered closer like a snake and reached delicately for Tureina's pipe. Tureina immediately repelled her with an irritable burst of mana.
"Don't touch my things."
"Ahahaha~! Fine, fine. Playing coy is just your charm, Tureina."
These repulsive creatures...
Every encounter made her stomach churn, but she just needed to endure a little longer.
'Once I wake Master from his slumber, we'll wipe them all out and burn them to ash together...'
They think they're using me, but it's the exact opposite. I'm using them.
"Just say the word if you need help~ I'll come running for my cute Tureina!"
Afterward, she could just explain it was all for this plan, and the church's excommunication order would be lifted.
And then once more, together with Master...
* * *
"Pipi, look at this! Check it out!"
The moment he got back to the dorm, he made a huge fuss. He'd been so intoxicated by the stone's power that he couldn't even remember how the party ended.
"Know what this is? Heh heh, curious?"
Pipi, who had been sleeping in her cage, cracked one eye open before rolling over indifferently and closing it again. Rain spun the cage around.
"Curious, huh? This is a Black Sheep Lin! Emita Page's relic!"
"......"
"Heh heh, jealous? Super jealous? Heh heh heh heh."
He flopped onto the bed. To ensure the Black Sheep Lin wouldn't break or get lost, he wrapped it in a thin chain and hung it around his neck.
Just carrying it on him filled his body with a circulating flow of qi that brimmed over.
The sensation he usually only felt when seated in meditation training his mana was now vividly present in everyday life.
Quantifying it changed the feel, so he immediately summoned RudiyËn.
Gustaba: Objectifies the caster's physical condition into mathematical values.
・ Pillar (柱): Current mana 39,412.
His mana, which had been in the low 30,000s, had jumped by nearly 10,000. A quarter increase, and his jaw wouldn't shut.
Brante.
- New mana circuit connection detected: ???
>>>
Camitishia.
Analyzing circuit...
・ Maintaining circuit connection activates 'Active Mana Recovery' in caster's pillar.
・ Hourly mana recovery: 3,941 (1/10 of caster's current mana)
・ Disconnecting circuit deactivates 'Active Mana Recovery'.
Incredible. Absolutely incredible.
With meditation on top, he could recover full mana in 4-5 hours. Even mid-battle.
Socrafres.
- Inherit progress on 'Unique Magic' research from surrounding environment.
- Progress: 49.2%.
Thanks to the real fights with Ribadin and Valencidis, his unique magic was nearing 50%.
What bonus would half-unlock? Rewards were thrilling just to think about.
But recalling Valencidis's face instantly cooled his excitement.
'I really needed to corner Ribadin this time and find out who's in charge.'
He knew Rain's cross-dressing form, and the techniques he used (the Tribute Chains' magic circle wasn't in any history book)...
Who the hell was it?
Only party members knew, but Rista, Kies, Fride, and Tureina were all dead.
'Maybe some legacy Tureina left behind?'
That would fit. She died recently, so maybe she created Ribeni and Ribadin before going.
'But human-body fusion is black magic, right?'
Yet thinking of the 'Golden Children' hot on Tureina's trail made the puzzle pieces fall perfectly again.
He didn't want to believe it.
Didn't want to, but...
No, maybe minions borrowing the 'Lord of Time's' power spied on his past self.
Auntie said it was just Tureina's books being exploited... No need to rashly suspect a disciple, right?
'That kid who listened to me so well. No way she'd forget my stern warnings against black magic.'
Worst case, he didn't need to worry about soul tampering results—his soul was already in this body.
"Pipi."
"Pipi sleepy. Pipi tired. Lin, quiet."
"Remember what it was like when we parted with Tureina?"
It was an offhand question, but Pipi flinched, then after a brief silence, spoke.
"Pipi hate Tureina. Tureina fight Fride lots. Fride cry sometimes. Lin, so Pipi hate Tureina."
A massive shock slammed into his chest.
"...That cheeky brat talked back to Fride? Why?"
That tomboy dared defy her sky-like master?
That crossed the line big time.
He could never fully repay her for teaching and raising him in his stead... If he'd been there, a head-knock wouldn't have cut it.
"Can't say. Pipi can't say."
"Why, tell me. It's okay."
"No say. Fride say no tell Lin. Pipi no say."
It was so absurd his head throbbed with blood rushing to it.
That brat Tureina, really...
He was dying to know, but Pipi always prioritized Fride's words, so pressing wouldn't yield answers.
'File away that Tureina went a bit off the rails at the end.'
That way, any shocking info later wouldn't shatter him. Always assume the worst.
Hoping it wasn't true.
So now, only Valencidis left to squeeze info from. How to corner him so word spreads he spilled well?
'But that guy's finals magic showed he's no pushover...'
Third-years numbered under fifty, so finals wrapped Friday afternoon.
As always over three years, Valencidis claimed top cadet with overwhelming scores. Both chief and vice-chief profs gave perfect marks.
But from how he handled Ribadin last time, he wasn't top brass. More mysteries the more he thought.
'Still, got Black Sheep Lin this time—proper power-up.'
Figuring out countermeasures shouldn't be too hard.
* * *
Morning came, time to part with family.
Golden Rose's north gate bustled with magic world folks heading home across the Empire, but the Ludwig Marquess house's guard detail was large and ornate, easy to spot.
House guard knight Swan spotted Rain and Elin, snapping a salute.
The packing soldiers followed suit, grinning oddly.
"Been a while, Swan."
"Are you well, young master?"
Elin, yawning lazily beside him, narrowed her eyes at the soldiers' smiles.
"What happened yesterday? Why's everyone so hyped."
"Some famous house's heir became top cadet, that's why. One guy won five gold taels in the betting pool."
A young soldier yelled, "Thank you, young master!" Laughter rippled through the ranks.
"Oh man, oh man! Impressive, huh? Gambling all the way in the magic capital. Why not bet big and win more."
"Twenty silver was my all! I'll bet it all on second-semester finals and grow it for sure!"
"Okay, noted. I'll get you a house."
Rain's hearty cheer drew a roar of laughter from the soldiers.
"Young mas-ter!"
"Young mas-ter! Young mas-ter!"
"Young mas-ter! Young mas-ter! Young mas-ter!"
They chanted in unison until surrounding glares made Elin hush them quick.
"Hey, you pathetic lot! Trying to embarrass us now?! Why not just splash shit on the house banner? Shut it!"
That's when Rain's family arrived.
"Big brother Rain!"
As always, Seri bounded over.
Problem was, four-year-old little brother Bran joined the charge, making defense tricky.
In that hesitation, Seri latched onto his back, Bran clung to his left leg. Kids, you're killing me.
"B-bro... I, I wanna... be a cool mage... like bro...!"
A cool mage like me?
Ridiculous. He tousled that tiny head into a bird's nest.
"You'll have to work super hard for that."
Didn't realize until doing it myself after getting wrecked by Kies. Being the one doing it felt amazing.
"I-I will...!"
"Yeah? Then teach Seri stuff she doesn't know."
"Believe in Seri!"
He felt eyes on him and looked up to meet his smiling mother's gaze.
"You've become a fine example of a big brother for your siblings, Rain."
"They're just clinging to me."
"Ever think why?"
Brim tossed an unanswerable question before approaching to pat her son's cheek fondly.
"Student council member now, so you'll dive into seasonal festival prep for real."
"Yeah? Gonna be a pain."
"Make a festival everyone enjoys. It'll be good memories. For you, and others."
With that Valencidis?
At least with family leaving the capital, no hostage worries.
"...I'll try."
"I know you'll give it your all anyway."
Short chit-chat followed, then family boarded the house carriage. Swan mounted up, soldiers gripped spears and formed ranks.
"Then, Lady Elin, Young Master Rain. We'll be off."
"Yeah. Safe travels."
Rain's slightly serious tone, thinking of Valencidis, drew a solemn nod from Swan.
"No worries. I'll guard the three with my life."
The column set off behind Swan at the lead. Seri and Bran plastered to the carriage window, waving wildly.
"Big brother!"
"Bro!"
They'd keep it up till he died if he didn't respond, so he waved back lazily. They burst into giggles.
"Why don't they wave at me?"
Elin muttered jealously, and Rain smirked with a shrug.
'Family, huh. Such a hassle.'
Hassle, annoying, pain to deal with.
But... not bad. Like some part of life filled with something indescribable.
In short, yeah. Not bad.