Chapter 226 – Problem (2)
At the highest place of the underworld Roafra.
In the gray castle, overlooking the underground lake filled with bones, the leadership of Vintert had gathered.
The king of the underworld, Grond.
In his hand, seated upon the throne, was the message from the Royal Family of Estiria. A heavy laugh, brimming with delight, echoed through the audience chamber.
"Kuhahahaha! Has the King of Estiria finally gone completely mad! No matter how rare the trait, to place such an outrageous sum on just a single Mage, he must have utterly lost his mind. Honestly, I'm the one left speechless."
"Perhaps the experiment that Leonil has been leading is finally nearing its conclusion."
An experiment that had continued in secret for decades.
As the King of Estiria, he could not help but feel pressed. With every passing year, his health had visibly worsened.
Seen that way, the enormous amount could be understood.
"Experiment or not, I don't care. The important thing is, the Mage's price has risen to its peak, and our precious client is more than willing to pay dearly for it. The waiting is over."
His murky golden eyes shifted.
"Robert, where is Asher?"
"After recently visiting the capital together with the Marquis of Esperanza, his whereabouts have become unclear. It is possible he has taken on some secret commission and is moving in secret."
"Then we simply need to ask those close to him. His information broker, tightly connected with him, the companions he moved with in Roafra, and Calia, at least one of them will know something."
"You mean Calia? But with the Marquisate of Esperanza we have a non-aggression pact..."
"Pact? Such things mean nothing anymore."
Grond rose to his feet.
"The civil war between the First Prince and the Second Prince has already begun. Needless to say, it will end in the victory of the First Prince I raised. When that happens, this entire Kingdom will fall into my hands, do you think the Marquisate of Esperanza will be able to do anything? At best, they will flail helplessly."
His tone dripped with mockery.
The king of the underworld gave his orders to his retainers.
"Robert, you and Draken shall lead the civil war from behind the First Prince. Do not end it swiftly, drag it out just enough. Make sure the First Prince understands, to the very marrow of his bones, how necessary Vintert truly is."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"We shall obey."
Grond turned his gaze.
"And, Slay."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
A coarse voice that scraped at the ears.
Slay, head of the assassin branch, bowed his head.
"As I told you before, the matter of Asher is entirely entrusted to you. Take the assassins of Vintert with you, and no matter what, track Asher's whereabouts and bring him before me alive and whole. Come to think of it, the captains of the security division, Robat and Rocky, were disgraced by him at the auction house. Take them with you as well."
"I will not disappoint you."
They all bowed low before Grond at once.
Amid their loyalty and fear, Grond reclined once more upon the throne. His twisted lips curved as he envisioned his future.
The day when he would rule the bright world, after conquering the shadows.
***
There are two kinds of artificial Golems.
One is a unitary type that uses a single magic circle, and the other is a composite type, applying separate magic circles to each body part and linking them together.
The repair Golem belonged to the latter.
"..."
At the core of the repair Golem was engraved a magic circle designed exclusively for artificial Golems.
A magic circle never used at the Magic Tower of Bohemirn. Even so, they had managed to partially interpret its functions, though it was not simple to handle.
Never had they encountered something so complex, not even in the theses of the magical world. Even half of it was just as baffling.
'Still, it didn't take as long as I thought.'
Fortunately, the repair Golem's magic circle was nearly complete.
The command system to open locked doors was already installed. Through considerable effort, the magic circle had taken on a functional form.
Next, he linked it with the magic circles in each body part. As he gently infused magic power, the entire array flickered to life.
'Now, only the mana storage remains to be adjusted.'
Perfection was unnecessary.
Even the tower master of the Artison Magic Tower would find it lacking. Verden's crafting ability could not reach such heights. Durability and efficiency had been entirely discarded.
For now, this was more than enough.
'But....'
Verden's consciousness turned forward.
Alpha was silently observing the entire process. Holding conversations, making judgments accordingly, following orders while also giving them.
Special, befitting the title of general overseer.
How exactly had Alpha been created? It was beyond imagination.
Meanwhile, the work came to an end.
The Golem was fully charged with magic, enough to last at least an hour. If lacking, more could always be supplied. The endless supply of magic power was one of Verden's strengths.
From his fingertips, he drew threads of magic.
They invaded the core magic circle and forcibly activated it.
Fwoooong.
Light bloomed from the repair Golem.
Its movements in rising were undeniably awkward, yet for a first attempt, the result was excellent.
Alpha scanned the repair Golem.
[Repair Golem completion rate, 72%. Mission capable. I will guide you to the First Power Plant.]
Light shone from Alpha's eyes.
The repair Golem began walking behind Alpha, as though a Golem controlled by the mind itself.
'Truly special.'
Verden and his group arrived at the entrance of the First Power Plant.
Under Alpha's command, the repair Golem approached the device beside the door.
Its thick, awl-like arm inserted into the device, and with a twist to the right, a click resounded as magic flowed within.
"How long will it take?"
[23 seconds remaining.]
Faster than expected.
Soon after, light of magic streamed across the door.
Kigigig! Kigik!
The sound of tearing steel, and a booming rumble.
A gap barely wide enough for a single person opened. Beyond lay a long corridor steeped in darkness.
Footsteps echoed in their ears.
The First Power Plant they arrived at was a cube-shaped chamber, filled with magic circles—floor, walls, and ceiling alike.
There was scarcely an empty space in sight. The air was frozen by an intense chill.
At first glance, it seemed to be a conduit for transmitting power...
'Some parts are damaged.'
Here and there were broken sections. Whole walls had collapsed.
As if someone had vented their rage upon it... This was certainly the second facility problem Alpha had spoken of.
No analysis was needed, the scars were left by magic. For it to damage even the architecture of the magical nation, the force must have been extraordinary.
It could only have been the work of the intruder Alpha mentioned, a member of the Ark.
And the culprit's whereabouts?
There was no need to search.
At the center of the First Power Plant.
There lay the remains of a Mage.
***
Shattered glasses, a white staff, a fountain pen.
Over them was draped a tattered robe, stained with blood. Evidence that someone had been here, and had met their death.
[Intruder confirmed deceased. Three facility breaches. All resolved.]
Alpha pronounced the death.
Kneeling on one knee, Verden narrowed his eyes.
'...Suicide, perhaps.'
There was no trace of a corpse.
With the chill of the First Power Plant, even decay should not have set in. The only conclusion was that the Mage of the Ark had used magic upon himself, choosing death.
Was it because food had run out, trapped within these walls?
If so, why did he damage the First Power Plant and imprison himself? The answer lay hidden inside the robe.
He carefully lifted the robe.
An ice-frozen notebook was revealed.
He warmed it lightly, then opened the first page. Records, written in the Mage's own hand during his lifetime, filled the pages.
Praises for the Demon King continued in a stream.
Though it was clearly constructed in ancient times, it surpassed modern technology, and the Mage rejoiced. His determination to seize the hidden secrets and the legacy of the Demon King was evident.
Until this point, his handwriting radiated confidence.
But page after page, that attitude began to vanish.
<...I cannot understand. I don't know where to begin. I clearly examined the magic circle, yet I cannot grasp a single thread.>
The Mage of the Ark attempted countless trials.
A third, a fourth... an eighth... a twenty-second... a one-hundred-thirty-eighth... a four-hundred-second... The more the numbers rose, the rougher his handwriting grew. His writings hinted at mental derangement.
Pages torn and crumpled multiplied.
<1,032nd attempt. The result was the same. I lost my temper and unleashed magic in anger. It was only venting. It was never a rational judgment. Why did I do such a thing?>
His emotions steadily reached their peak.
Step by step, he was being driven to the cliff's edge.
<3,023rd attempt... Continuous cold destroyed my robe. Its function to maintain body temperature was lost. To live, I need fire.>
Insults against himself filled the pages.
Drops of blood had fallen on the words, perhaps from self-harm.
The reddened pages spoke clearly.
The last page of the notebook.
At its end, these words remained.
<...May my choice not bring suffering to the Listener.>
***
'So he had ties with the Listener.'
Verden quietly closed the notebook.
Through what he left behind, Verden witnessed the final moments of the Mage named Kalad.
In a completely sealed space, feeling the limits of himself, he collapsed, unable to overcome despair. And by his own will, he ended his life.
Verden knew that feeling well.
The only difference was that unlike Kalad, he had not collapsed. That was the distinction.
He placed Kalad's relics into the spatial bag.
Though they were tools a Mage could use, he had no intention of keeping them. They were inferior to what Verden already possessed.
Then why did he take them?
'...Let's just call it courtesy, as a fellow Mage.'
After finishing the retrieval, he moved on.
[Your Majesty, Demon King. The condition of the First Power Plant is....]
"I will confirm it myself."
Sending Alpha away, he circled the First Power Plant.
He examined every detail of the magic circle, then stood at its center. Raising his head, he looked to the ceiling. The magic circle was staring back at him.
Verden could only give a hollow laugh.
For the structure of this magic circle was already known to him.
"Now even the Magic Tower's power source appears."
The magic circle here was the same as that which transmitted the mana of a power source throughout an entire Magic Tower. No, to be precise, it was similar.
Overall and in detail, it appeared degraded compared to the Tower's magic circle.
The power source of the Tower was first invented around 180 years ago. Between that and the era of the Demon King lay several centuries.
What connection existed between the Demon King and the power source?
Was his knowledge handed down? Or else... had the living Demon King himself intervened?
'If that is the case.'
Verden placed a hand upon his chest.
He felt the strong heartbeat, and the vast magic power.
The power source of the Demon King.
The Defying the Heavens magic circle of Verden.
The unknown born from their union was contained entirely within this heart.
'Perhaps here, I might learn the secret dwelling in my body.'
It was not certainty, only expectation.
But even so, he had gained one more reason to press forward.
For that, he must fully repair this magic circle, and alter some of it, to open the door to the Second Power Plant.
Verden's destination was the Administrator's chamber at the end of this laboratory, the one with authority higher than even Alpha, the general overseer.
'Who is the Administrator?'
He was curious, but asked nothing of Alpha.
He intended to confirm it directly. Asking pointless questions and revealing he was not the Demon King would only stir needless trouble.
Verden spoke.
"Alpha, you hinder my work. Wait outside."
[Order confirmed.]
Alpha departed, taking the repair Golem with him.
Alone, Verden stretched his hand toward the magic circle.
Time passed.
[First Power Plant restoration complete. Total energy restored, 37%. Thank you, Your Majesty, Demon King.]
Mana returned to the laboratory.
***
The Administrator's chamber, a space steeped in abyss.
Here, where centuries had passed, the flow of time meant nothing. For in this place, there were no 'humans' who could withstand time.
Only the staff and scepters, leaning against the pillars, bereft of owners, symbolized that change had once occurred. That too had been decades ago.
Since the chamber had closed, after the second intruder came to him, none had set foot here. Not even Alpha, who managed the entire laboratory.
Silence was his only companion.
Kugugugu...!
Then, the entire space began to tremble.
From afar, the surge of mana was felt. It was from the direction of the First Power Plant. An unforeseen flow.
And that change gave rise to another change.
The gray throne, set upon ten steps.
The Mage who had slept there for so long, the Administrator, opened his eyes.