Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: The Seekers' Declaration
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The great incident that unfolded on the final day of the regular conference.
It was no longer just the Mage Tower's problem, entangled as it was with the tower's councilor, the guardian, and the emperor's illegitimate son.
From the imperial capital to remote rural villages.
Wherever people gathered, that very incident was always the topic on their lips.
"The tower councilor committing such an act... He's practically begging for his own downfall."
"He's a councilor, sure, but he's a commoner at heart. Of course his bloodline's gone sour."
"Hey, you! You're a commoner too—why trash your own kind?"
"Tch, don't lump me in. My family's served the lord for generations as knights. I may lack a noble surname, but my stock's far above yours."
"Oh yeah? That good, huh? Prove it then. Duel me! Draw your sword right now!"
"Damian Renekht... He's like a storm magnet. How many incidents has he been dragged into this year alone?"
"The fourth prince's duel seems like child's play now."
"The real shocker is that he keeps surviving these ordeals."
"It's like he's cramming all the dull years he wasted into now. At first, I thought using sword and magic together meant he was crazy, but no one dares say that anymore."
"He'll play a role in deciding the next emperor, won't he?"
"He could be a key card. He's not just some illegitimate carrying dead weight anymore."
"He'll side with the empress, most likely. It's only natural to repay a debt of gratitude."
"Hey now. When power's on the line, even parent-child bonds mean nothing."
And so, Damian's name flowed endlessly from people's mouths.
Yet none of them knew what truly weighed on his mind.
The power of demons.
The hidden truth behind the Cadral incident.
He hadn't told a soul.
'No one would understand even if I tried.'
Even Dennis, who had seen Cadral transform like a demon with his own eyes, perceived it merely as something akin to a chimera.
[So no one will give you answers?]
Three days had passed since the incident wrapped up. His body had recovered considerably.
Damian kept addressing the Lords of Hell.
It consumed a hefty amount of mana. And there was no guarantee they'd respond.
Still, he persisted. This time, he needed clear answers.
[Balefor. Come to think of it, I do have a deal with you. Don't you think it's time you spoke up?]
[Hrm...!]
The cynicism was gone; through his soul, Damian sensed Balefor furtively glancing around.
[The question you wanted to ask came before this incident. So...]
[You can't answer?]
[We need time to deliberate too. Being a Lord of Hell isn't as free as you imagine. Of course, other questions are welcome anytime.]
[I'll put it on hold for now.]
He was curious about the old mage too, but it wasn't urgent.
What demon's power had Cadral wielded?
Were there ways to handle hell's power beyond black magic?
Were they truly ignorant of demons and black magic?
How far did their demonic hands reach?
What connection did it have to Ariella's disappearance?
Why hadn't they stepped forward in his previous life?
'What the hell is their goal?'
The moment they tapped into hell's power, the empire's welfare couldn't be their aim. Were they gunning for the throne like him?
Knock knock. As he sorted his thoughts, footsteps approached from outside the door.
"You could've just summoned me to the First Spire."
"Even so, I can't order a patient around."
Ariella placed a small vial atop a pile of flowers on one of the shelves.
"Fresh flowers."
"It's a shame they wilt, but that's what makes them beautiful. Hehe. Seeing all these piled up, your head must've been pounding from all the visitors."
Just as Ariella said, the well-wishers had been a headache.
Those seeking a connection to Damian were mere trifles.
They couldn't withstand Ezekiel's glare and left early.
The real issue was those who already knew him.
He'd barely calmed Anna, who threatened to storm the tower, and sent back Erewin, who insisted on staying until Damian recovered.
Rubia, on the other hand, stayed quiet. She'd sent flowers and recovery herbs via others, nothing more.
"You drew attention when you first burst in with Ezekiel and caused that ruckus, but the spotlight from now on will be even brighter."
No matter the reason, he'd taken down a tower councilor—a frontrunner in the world of magic.
"Oh, almost forgot this."
Ariella offered a small box. Inside was the Tear of Eternity, awarded as a prize at the banquet.
"It's a relic of Jeremiah, my master and your grandmaster. It'd be wonderful if you could uncover its true value."
He wore it around his neck, but felt nothing special. Only Gremory's elation radiated from his soul.
"Is Duke Dennis alright?"
"No threat to his life, but he'll need rest for a while. Thanks to you, he's recuperating at my place now. Hehe. Stirred up some old memories—not bad at all."
An injured guardian recovering at the tower master's home... Bound to spark odd rumors.
Conversely, Dennis staying silent suggested he hadn't recovered enough to consider such things.
"Let me thank you once more. This is from me as a teacher, not the tower master."
"I only helped because I could. Duke Dennis would have done the same."
He never dreamed he'd end up on such terms with Dennis.
In his past life, they'd tried to kill each other on the battlefield.
Their first meeting at the tower hadn't been friendly either. Damian had no desire to pull him to his side.
Even now, "ally" felt too strong, but they shared a common goal.
"How's the investigation into Cadral going?"
"...Not easy. We're probing every angle, but no solid leads."
"Nothing from his body? Like some kind of mark?"
Ariella shook her head at Damian's question.
"Something seemed implanted in him, but we couldn't find it. And because of that influence..."
Ariella twirled a finger at her temple. Cadral's condition was far from normal.
A biopsy was an option if desperate, but it violated imperial law and would destroy their one lead.
"We extracted more memories too, but nothing useful beyond what you showed us."
Likely due to the demonic power. Modern magic couldn't read related recollections.
"May I see him?"
"As tower master, I'm not thrilled... but I entrusted my fate to you."
The next day, a meeting with Cadral was arranged. Agnes would accompany as guard.
"No major issues expected. No need to be so on edge."
"You never know. I won't show such an embarrassing sight again."
He still smarted from getting drunk at the banquet.
'Even sober, it wouldn't have changed much.'
Creak. The heavy iron door swung open, and Cadral shuffled in weakly.
His eyes, mouth, and entire body were bound in mana restraints.
The guardian behind him seated him, then loosened only the facial bindings.
"Ooh!! Ooh!!"
The moment he saw Damian, joy lit Cadral's face.
He lunged forward, but a translucent aura rose from Agnes. One wrong move, and she'd cleave him.
"Grraaah!!"
The guardian flicked a hand from behind, and Cadral convulsed like he'd been shocked. After seconds of groans, he slumped back into the chair.
"Share your power— just a bit! Our great wish can be fulfilled through you!"
Tch. Damian could only click his tongue.
'Using Absorption would be too risky.'
From the reaction, even in this state, black magic's effect on Cadral was unpredictable.
"You—no, you bastards. What's your goal?"
"Goal? Did you say goal? There's only one. Just one."
Cadral's body trembled violently. Madness filled his eyes, and he flicked his dry tongue repeatedly.
"The ultimate... pursuing the ultimate. To be reborn as new beings against the coming calamity!!"
Thud! Thud! Thud! He bashed his head on the table. Blood streamed from his forehead, but the manic grin remained.
"You were the answer. You, Damian Renekht!!"
"Hey."
Damian's gaze locked cold. Cadral's words halted instantly.
"How long you gonna just watch?"
"...Ah. You knew?"
A different voice emerged from Cadral's mouth.
Agnes and the guardian assumed combat stances.
They braced for trouble, but Damian raised a hand to stop them.
Black Magic - Gaze swept over Cadral.
As long as it didn't touch, Damian's power wouldn't affect him.
Damian saw the other life force residing in Cadral's body.
Like a parasite. Tiny enough to evade the tower's probes.
"Since it's come to this, allow introductions. We are the 'Seekers.' Those who worry for humanity's welfare more than anyone on the continent."
"Bullshit."
"Haha. We're used to that. Ignorance isn't a sin."
Cadral's face beamed, but no vitality stirred. It felt like conversing with a puppet.
"Still, I'd like to keep good relations with you, Damian Renekht."
"Should I take that as a declaration of war?"
"Your spirited demeanor is refreshing. Looking forward to our next meeting. We'll talk details then."
The words cut off, and Cadral collapsed with a thud. The parasite's life force vanished.
"Oh dear..."
The guardian shook his head. No pulse under his fingers at Cadral's neck.
* * *
"That's odd."
He explained the interrogation mishap in the tower master's room.
"Seekers, huh..."
Ariella, who had listened quietly, tilted her head toward Damian.
"...What are you doing?"
Her slender finger propped his chin, turning his face this way and that.
"Trying to figure why they're after you."
"See anything?"
Damian knew better than anyone there was nothing to see.
"Abundant mana, quick grasp of spell structures, unique magic similar yet distinct from the norm. Your growth in half a year is astounding, but not enough for an organization including a tower councilor to target you... Ah, one thing."
"What?"
Poke. Ariella jabbed his cheek. His brows furrowed naturally.
"Peerless beauty that defies theory? Even looking now, it's heartwarming. Your future wife will be lucky."
"Stop joking."
"You're not looking that serious either. They declared war—identity unknown—and yet you seem unfazed."
"I'm just preparing calmly."
These weren't foes pure black magic could handle.
Like this time, he'd need death knights and undead, or Derek's swordsmanship.
'Or summon a Lord of Hell outright.'
Even absorbing demonic power, he couldn't beat one.
He'd likely shatter first.
The Book of Hell was short now, but manifesting a portion like against the mountain elder could give him a chance.
"And I'm not fighting alone."
"True enough."
It was beyond Damian alone now. The Seekers had made enemies of the entire tower.
'Not sure how their power could help me either.'
Cadral had grown from Damian's black magic. The reverse might hold too.
"Got plans ahead?"
"I'll investigate those who collaborated with Cadral."
"That memory you showed only me."
They declared they'd come, but Damian wouldn't sit idle.
Some collaborators were likely Seekers.
If they had parasites, Black Magic - Gaze would spot them. This time, Damian would interrogate from the start.
But the next day, trouble hit.
"Is that true?"
The councilors and mages he'd planned to probe had vanished like mirages.
* * *
"You should step away from the tower for a bit."
Ezekiel relayed Ariella's suggestion. She was short on time with the tower's issues.
"Given how things have turned."
Before the Cadral mess even settled, ten mages including two councilors disappeared.
The Seekers' doing? All entangled? Ariella's vanishing part of their scheme too?
The tower was chaos central now.
With the imperial family involved amid this fiasco, it was a headache for the tower.
Conveniently, Boris and Erewin's operation fit perfectly.
"Crushing eastern demon worshippers... Great cover."
The east's situation mattered to the tower too.
The mad cultists weren't a huge threat, but they were a pain in various ways.
With the imperial side leading the purge, the tower had justification to assist.
Crucially, it got the three imperials and the magic noble's daughter out temporarily.
Preparations wrapped swiftly. The tower supplied ample potions, magic tools, and a few mages.
Boris and Erewin had already headed to the subjugation force. Damian and Agnes departed today.
"Dillon and I will head to Hilton Trading Company briefly too. Need to review detailed plans."
"No worries on potions. Anya and I will handle it."
For reference, Dillon's advance payment all went to the Falko family, so no tower funds needed yet.
"Dillon's got fun new nicknames lately. Gambler of the century, investment genius."
"N-No, that wasn't my intent..."
Some of Cadral's students were detained for aiding his crimes. Others floundered with their professor exposed as a criminal.
Dillon was unaffected. He'd distanced himself from Cadral while researching potions with Damian.
Not his intention, but to the world, it looked like he'd foreseen the scandal and switched sides.
"The estate will be quiet for a while. Shame I won't have your cooking, Dillon."
Smack. Ezekiel smacked his lips. Without Dillon, it'd be simple meals again.
"Master must be busy too."
"You bet."
No official title, but he couldn't sit idle in this mess.
"Then, back to the tower later... What's this?"
Suddenly, space expanded vastly, enveloping Damian in a pristine white void.
"Didn't expect you'd show up like this."
"You said you were leaving the tower briefly. So I hurried."
The old mage stroked his goatee.
"Shall we begin the next lesson?"