Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Aumpasha's Farewell
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[Chapter 92]
"Aumpasha."
He had called out the name, but there was no particular surprise.
Was it because he already knew he would be drawn into the world within the memories?
"Hah. It's been quite some time since someone called my name."
A faint trace of longing colored the voice that said this.
Until meeting Damian, he had spent eons alone in this space. There was no one to converse with.
"You've even awakened Grim Reaper well. Beyond expectations."
"You told me the method."
The way to awaken it was simple. Just infuse a massive amount of primal mana.
"I didn't expect it to succeed on the first try. Well, given the circumstances."
It wasn't wrong.
If it hadn't been the battle with Ramsey, Grim Reaper would have been pushed to the back burner.
The fusion of black magic and swordsmanship.
Unless it was a situation where he couldn't use both of his powers, Damian wouldn't have attempted something so reckless.
Of course, there was no reason to exchange such trivial small talk with him.
"Your face says you have many questions. Alright, what's the most pressing one?"
Going through them one by one would never end.
What was the purpose of the experiments he conducted during his active era.
The reason the world of memories was created.
What conflict he had with the owner of those memories.
What he knew about the fusion with the sword.
What abstract terms like "that one" or "prince" meant.
And why he was helping him.
No, what he sought to achieve through him.
But right now, there was no spare energy to focus on such matters.
"Tower Master Ariella. Do you know anything about her disappearance?"
It had already been three days since Ariella vanished.
During that time, not only the internal staff of the Magic Tower but also mages gathered from across the Empire had been fully devoted to searching for her.
Damian had also investigated the entire Magic Tower using black magic surveillance. He had already consumed one Book of Hell.
Yet, there were still no results. And then he had been pulled into Aumpasha's world.
"Kekeke. That's the right attitude. Humans should focus on the present and future. What can you do about things that have already happened?"
"So, what do you know?"
His voice couldn't help but sharpen.
Because the moment he thought the problem was solved, things had gone awry.
'Who the hell is it?'
Ramsey had left the Magic Tower, drawn by Ishtar's power. He had said all the remaining seekers in the tower were dealt with.
Was Ramsey lying to him? But there was no one in the Magic Tower now who possessed demonic power.
How could someone confront Ariella without borrowing Ishtar's authority?
And without leaving any trace at that. Even Michael and Rubia couldn't do it.
"I want to tell you to step out of that narrow-minded thinking for a moment."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's simple. Just because someone was hit by an arrow doesn't mean it necessarily came from a bow."
It was a strange metaphor, but he could grasp the intent.
"There doesn't have to be a culprit just because a disappearance occurred?"
"That's right. There are quite a few ways a single person can vanish."
Indeed, the focus had been on the incident being caused by someone's clear intent.
Because of the precognitive dream Ariella had before. There had definitely been a culprit then. Ramsey.
But that future had already been changed by Damian. So the past precognitive dream wasn't reliable information.
"And she didn't actually disappear in the first place."
"What?"
Did that mean she was hiding somewhere?
Ariella could be playful, but she wasn't the type to cross the line like this.
"She exists, yet can be seen as not existing. Since no one has observed her yet."
"Get to the point."
"It means she's existing in another phase."
"Is that... possible?"
It wasn't as if she was trapped in some barrier. If so, tracking would have been possible in some form.
According to Aumpasha, Ariella was in the Magic Tower, yet not in the Magic Tower.
"You're asking if it's possible after seeing that world...? I'm a bit disappointed."
The tone was similar to the Aumpasha he had seen in the world of memories.
"No high-level magic like that is possible in this era."
"True. Conventionally speaking. But the world is amusing—the ripples in a teacup can summon a typhoon."
"An accidental 'incident'?"
"Who knows. We can't say for sure without unraveling all the tangled coincidences."
Figuring out the process of how it happened wasn't important right now. Saving Ariella came first.
"Is internal interference impossible?"
Rubia had directly intervened in the world of memories. Ariella could do the same.
"It's possible, if a situation for interference arises."
"Like making the structure visible."
Aumpasha smiled brightly at Damian's response.
"Seeing you say that, it seems you did something quite amusing in Eshnunna's world."
Eshnunna, the owner of the memories.
As he uttered the name, a bitterness tinged Aumpasha's smile.
They had once worked toward the same goal but ultimately parted ways. The process couldn't have been smooth.
"Is external interference possible too?"
"External approach is actually easier. Approaching from inside like you did is far more difficult."
"Will you tell me the specific method?"
Aumpasha doesn't catch the fish for you.
He teaches the basic method of catching fish, and even that indirectly or through radical means.
"There's no need to tell you. Now that you've recognized it, it should become visible. Honestly, at your level, you would have realized it even without my help."
Zuzuzuzu. The pure white world shook. Today's meeting was also coming to an end.
"By the way, one more thing. This is the last time we'll converse like this. I no longer have the power to maintain this space."
In truth, the fact that this space had lasted until now was close to a miracle.
Hadn't the Aumpasha in the memories called it eternal life upon seeing it?
"Then you could have told me when I returned to the Magic Tower."
"I wanted to observe you a bit more. Thanks to that, didn't we save time?"
"Did you know this would happen?"
Kekek. Aumpasha didn't answer that question. But his choice had indeed been helpful.
"There's nothing more I can teach you. I learned black magic for research purposes only, not delving deeply."
He had recognized the manifestation process of black magic and learned how to accelerate it. He had also mastered extracting and using primal mana.
It was already sufficient guidance. Not enough to call him a master, but gratitude was felt nonetheless.
"And actually, I can't answer the history you're curious about. It's a kind of restriction to maintain this place."
Was it that he had consumed the memories of the past? Or that they had worn away over the long ages?
If answers couldn't be obtained, there was no need to cling.
Still, with a faint hope, there was one thing he wanted to ask.
"Why are you helping me? What do you want to correct?"
"Honestly, even that I don't remember well. Only one thing: that when a being with potential arrives, I must guide him."
The Aumpasha who said this looked exceedingly weary.
He was already something hard to call human, existing only in the mental world, but now even the last vestiges of humanity seemed gone.
Like a familiar that had lost its power source. Having fulfilled its purpose, there was no need to maintain itself any longer.
"...Damn."
He wanted to say one last thing to him, but the pure white world completely collapsed.
Aumpasha, the mage from the ancient civilization era, left Damian with both enlightenment and questions before vanishing.
"No way, no trace at all? Lady Ariella—the great Ariella!"
"Is there anyone on the continent who could stand against her?"
"Something's going to happen. This is just the beginning...."
It was the chaotic streets of the Magic Tower once more.
The unprecedented incident of the Tower Master's disappearance. Everyone was worried about the future unfolding ahead.
'He was right—no need to tell me anything.'
Amid all this, Damian alone lifted his gaze. Toward the First Spire, where Ariella's room was.
───. There, some mass was visible. Something no mage, not even Ezekiel, had noticed.
It was visible only to Damian's eyes.
Even using the Book of Hell, it hadn't been seen, but now it was visible to the naked eye.
The difference from before was small. He had merely envisioned the possibility of another phase in his mind.
"...."
The First Spire was relatively quiet.
Because a massive investigation had taken place on the day Ariella disappeared, and no traces had been found.
Thus, there was no obstacle to entering the Tower Master's room.
───. Some membrane was visible. It writhed as if alive.
Tok. Touching it caused ripples in the air. The phases were separated, but here they were still connected.
[Damian?]
Ariella's voice rang out.
[Are you okay with the incident?]
[Yeah. This place isn't bad either. Actually, quite fun.]
Even trapped in another phase, there was no fear in Ariella's voice.
Because such emotions offered no help in overcoming the situation.
[Everyone needs to reflect. Especially your master. Falling behind your disciple like that....]
[I didn't find it with my own ability either.]
[Whatever. I've roughly analyzed it, but it seems finishing it up will be hard without external help.]
[How can I assist?]
Ripples formed in the air again. This time, they took shape, pointing to a certain area of the Magic Tower.
[Is this the mess those guys caused?]
[Probably not intentional. Even I couldn't cause something like this on purpose.]
It was a place Damian knew.
A place he wouldn't go to unless something like this happened.
* * *
Erewin lounged comfortably on the sofa, filing her nails.
If Empress Abigail saw this, she would be horrified, but Erewin enjoyed spending time this way.
Ariella's disappearance. The unprecedented incident at the Magic Tower.
Many people scurried about searching for the Tower Master, but not everyone did.
Simply electing a new Tower Master wouldn't solve the issue.
She didn't know what schemes the Imperial Family and the Imperial Assembly, who always resented the Magic Tower's independence, would pull.
Amid such unease, some sought new opportunities. Empress Abigail targeted those people.
She didn't want civil war, but preparation was necessary. For that, many talented individuals were needed.
And in the realm of magic, the place with the most such talents was the Magic Tower. So now was a good chance to expand her influence.
Moreover, Rubia was currently not at the Magic Tower.
It was the perfect opportunity to turn mages loyal to her.
Thus, the order to put plans regarding Damian on hold had come down.
"Such a hassle."
Boris was busy meeting people. On Abigail's orders, to secure supporters for the Empress's faction.
Of course, in the process, he was probably pushing ahead a bit to get them to support himself.
──! Suddenly, noise came from downstairs. Had Boris caused some incident?
"...Even so, this is too much. No matter that we're both from the Imperial Family, without any prior notice—"
"Out of the way."
Vitality sparked in Erewin's eyes at the voice that carried over.
She hadn't expected him to come visit her.
"Lord Damian!"
Ignoring the servant's remonstrance, Damian flung open the door and entered.
He went a step further and locked the door behind him.
Erewin's lips trembled. From a slight thrill.
She had schemed this and that to bring Damian to her side, but there had been no results.
Damian himself being busy played a part.
But for him to come so suddenly like this. It wasn't incomprehensible.
Rubia aside, Erewin's appearance surpassed Agnes's.
"Da...!"
She tried to adjust her attire,
But Damian's hand gripped her wrist. With a pull, she had no choice but to tumble onto the sofa.
"What are you...?"
Resisting with magic would have been easy, but she didn't bother.
Because Damian's expression looking down at her from above was thrillingly chilling.
Erewin was the Empire's sole princess. No man had ever looked down at her like this.
Ah, Boris was an exception. He couldn't be counted as a man.
"Isn't this too rough on your big sister? Well, this situation isn't bad either."
With a seductive voice, Erewin stroked Damian's cheek. But his expression showed no change.
"I'll get straight to the point. What experiment are you conducting?"
Hearing his voice, Erewin's expression crumpled.
It seemed the situation she had hoped for wouldn't come.