Chapter 419 - Monologue
An old memory is replayed.
I, together with the "young Verden", looked back at the life I had lived from the standpoint of a third person.
***
The first world I became aware of was an ordinary orphanage, tucked away in a corner of the village. A place for children who had no parents or relatives, for one reason or another.
The only guardian was the director, and she gave me the name "Verden".
The young Verden smiled innocently.
"The director was just an ordinary person. Clumsy, but always trying, usually kind, but would get annoyed when irritated, fearful, but also responsible… that kind of person."
In short, she was a good person.
Thanks to her, I had a smooth childhood, despite being an orphan. At my side was Rovellin as well.
Then, one day.
An elderly neighbor, once a military Mage, gathered the village children together and showed them flames conjured with magic.
A simple spectacle.
It was close to a gift of talent.
But unlike the other children, to me it was not merely something to watch.
I felt longing, and greed arose. Looking back, it was instinct.
───I want it.
From that moment, I became obsessed with magic.
Whenever I had even a little bit of free time, I would run straight to the old man and pester him to teach me magic, stubbornly pleading.
But.
───Verden, I'm sorry.
The answer was always the same.
The old man only wore a pained expression, but never once nodded his head.
The young Verden tilted his head.
"The old man didn't dislike me. If anything, he liked me… and yet, when it came to requests about magic, he always refused firmly. Why was that?"
"Perhaps he already knew it would be useless, no matter how much I tried."
I never knew exactly how great a Mage he truly was.
But since he had been a military Mage, perhaps he had faintly glimpsed my magical talent— or lack thereof— through Mado or the like.
"Well, it doesn't matter now. Anyway, I turned eight years old, without having learned magic."
Eight years old.
It was a significant age.
Because in that very year, one of the greatest changes of my life arrived.
───Is anyone here?
Two Mages from Bohemirn Magic Tower came to the village to recruit workers.
Though they had put up a notice on the village bulletin board, they had been met with failure until then, and so they came to the orphanage, searching for children with the potential to awaken magic power.
───Oh, the results this time are the best so far.
───Six of them. If even one were to volunteer, it would be good.
But of course, no child readily stepped forward, and the director wasn't too pleased either.
Bohemirn Magic Tower was simply too far away.
In the end, the Mages left the orphanage in disappointment… and I picked up the notice they had left behind.
[Recruiting children under the age of thirteen to work at the magic tower. The work is hard, but if one contributes to the tower, upon reaching adulthood, an opportunity to become a Mage will be granted. Furthermore, should one wish, the tower will accept them as one of its own.]
"The pay was 4 million Elk, with three meals and lodging provided. Considering the recent famine, it was more than enough to help the orphanage. For me, it was nothing more than an excuse to learn magic."
With the notice in hand, I went to the village inn. The Mage from Bohemirn Magic Tower was surprised, but after a moment of surprise, sincerely welcomed a new worker.
After filling out the application and stepping outside, Rovellin was waiting.
───Verden.
───Rovellin?
───Are you leaving?
───…Yes. Because I want to become a Mage.
───Then I'll go with you.
Before I could stop her, Rovellin filled out an application identical to mine.
"Well, going together was better than going alone anyway, so I was glad. Not that she would've listened, even if I tried to stop her."
"Rovellin was stubborn."
"Just like me."
A few days later, at dawn, leaving behind only a letter and 4 million Elk upon the bed, we boarded the carriage bound for Bohemirn Magic Tower.
A vivid sunrise stretched before our eyes.
Rovellin and I looked at the scenery, as though heralding a new beginning, our hearts filled with anticipation.
───What kind of place will the magic tower be?
───Who knows? Surely very different from the village?
The young Verden muttered.
"Yes, it was different. Very."
***
Mages of the tower usually bore strong pride, and thus had a tendency to shun menial labor that seemed lowly.
It was the tower's workers who bore the brunt of such chores.
───These are mana stones bound for the 21st floor, the lower elemental research lab. Move them all to the elevator entrance before sunrise.
The underground of the magic tower.
At the words of the supervising Mage, the young workers moved.
The weight of the supplies was considerable, but there was no lack of manpower. With the aid of magical tools that made the work easier, it wasn't too taxing on the body.
Of course, having to go back and forth dozens of times along the same path was tiring nonetheless.
───At least we're not hungry.
───Yeah.
Rovellin and I quickly adapted to the life of a worker.
We strove tirelessly, hoping to catch the eyes of Mages and learn magic, and when things were hard, we willingly extended hands to one another.
Time flowed endlessly.
Thirteen years old.
The age when one undergoes the aptitude test of the magic tower… and for me, the time when an invisible brand was carved upon me.
───First tier? Remarkable, in its own way.
The limit tier, first tier.
Officially, and magically, it was proven that I had no value for investment.
"Unlike me, Rovellin was considered an excellent talent in the eyes of the tower."
Now with a slightly more mature voice, the young Verden had grown into the "thirteen-year-old Verden" and asked me.
"As soon as your talents were measured, you were forced apart from your childhood friend. Rovellin became a promising apprentice, and you remained a worker… overnight, the difference in rank was decided. Even though you both worked equally hard. Didn't you feel resentful or bitter?"
"I did feel a little disheartened, but never once did I resent Rovellin. I never despaired, even though my talent was meager. No matter the result, I never intended to give up becoming a Mage."
I had perseverance.
Workers of the tower were all required to be taught basic magic and fundamental knowledge. During that process, some would awaken their magic power.
So did I.
I achieved the first tier, only to hit the wall immediately, becoming an inferior Mage.
Even so, I worked hard at life.
On the basis of minimal magical knowledge, I secretly stole books and broadened my horizons.
Then, I was swept by a strange sensation.
The more deeply I delved into vast magical concepts, the more I felt my magical thinking expand day by day.
Pure understanding of magical principles.
A magical system that clicked together like the pieces of a refined puzzle…
It was a belated realization.
───I, have talent.
An understanding of magic unlike ordinary, differentiated even from other Geniuses.
That is why, in order to see and feel more magic and theory up close, I chose to set my path as a member of Bohemirn Magic Tower.
"Because that was the fastest way to approach the ideal Mage. Chores and studying, I worked hard to seize both."
"In the end, you seized them both."
My efforts bore fruit.
Two years later, I became a junior researcher of Bohemirn Magic Tower.
The "fifteen-year-old Verden" shook his head.
"If not for appealing as a diligent worker, no one would have looked at me. No matter what knowledge, no matter what talent I held. In the eyes of others, I was nothing more than a lowly first-tier Mage."
He was right.
Even with unique talent, if unrecognized, the reality was harsh.
Knowing my place, I pursued growth only from my position.
And so, in just three years.
I devoured the library accessible only to regular researchers, and with that as my foundation, in just two months, I laid the groundwork for "Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory".
Rovellin, who spent most of her days outside the tower receiving various education, and whom I only saw a few times a year, had no knowledge of this.
To publish an undeniable result, something that everyone would admire, to be recognized as a Mage in an instant.
That had long been my wish.
The "eighteen-year-old Verden" said.
"But with my level, proving the theory was impossible. Moreover, Rovellin, being a trait-holder of a special kind, was not a suitable subject for applying the theory, so I couldn't ask her for help."
So I secretly sought assistance from Lucard Maniacs.
He was outstanding in his knowledge of elemental magic, and the Mage I was closest to at the time.
───Verden, you are a Genius! How on earth did you come up with this? No, that's not the point right now. If this is true… this will definitely be recognized by all the towers. Even the tower master will be impressed! You might even become his disciple!
Lucard did not hold back his admiration.
I taught Lucard the Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory thoroughly over the course of about three months, and at last succeeded in confirming the possibility of the theory.
"But Lucard betrayed me. The moment he completely understood the Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory I had taught him, he made it his own. As the sole author of the theory."
I had to stop him somehow.
At once, I rushed to the center of the tower and desperately raised my objection.
By chance, I came face-to-face with the tower master, Balrog Bessias, and appealed to him with the truth.
And then.
───Come to the laboratory on the 32nd floor, two nights from now.
The eighteen-year-old Verden's lips trembled.
"…I trusted him."
***
A hidden, unofficial laboratory within the middle floors of Bohemirn Magic Tower.
That place was hell.
At least, to me.
[Offer your life for the tower]
A command etched into the forced magic circle.
The irresistible suppression gripped my breath, tightly.
───Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!
The unofficial experiment began.
A systematic process of experimentation.
The tower master, Balrog Bessias, and the elders of the tower not only commanded the entirety of the unofficial experiment, but also oversaw and managed it.
The first disciple, Croden Olentia, actively utilized me.
The second disciple, Rayshen Tailrod, remodeled me like a mere test subject.
The eighteen-year-old Verden laughed madly, his shoulders shaking.
"For the sake of attitude correction, they cut my fingers hundreds of times. To test how effectively my exclusive new drugs, such as [memory expand], worked, and to see how much my lifespan decreased, they laid bare my veins and organs while I was still conscious. To save time, they maximized the burden upon my brain and mind to the extreme… even a short summary amounts to this much. Yet I survived."
"Though even that life of mine was not my own."
The unofficial experiments of Bohemirn Magic Tower were brutal and merciless, yet… from a purely magical perspective, they were endlessly elegant.
The tower's profits were maximized, and the losses minimized.
The fact that I did not die during the experiments was proof of that.
───Stop! Sto-o-o-o-op!
My head felt as though it would burst.
My language ability regressed temporarily, leaving me to scream the same words, over and over.
And when they complained that it was noisy, even that was forcibly silenced by Coercion.
"…In that place, I was no longer human. I was nothing more than a precious consumable. Something to be used as long as possible, then discarded without hesitation once useless. Not a single Mage who participated in the unofficial research felt pity for me."
Endless pain.
Death approaching, slowly.
I despaired.
I only wanted to be a Mage, yet I couldn't understand why I had to endure this. When my tears dried, blood flowed instead.
"In that chaos, I thought and thought again about the reason… and at last, I reached a conclusion. That the only reason I suffered this fate was because I was weak."
Everything was because I was powerless.
Once I understood the cause, my mind cleared.
At the same time, my shattered spirit pieced itself back together, and when I regained reason, despair was smothered by fury.
A powerful urge rose within me, to force these people who had made me this way to kneel, and kill them cruelly.
"Of course, with my broken body, and my clearly limited talent, it was impossible. So, I devised a plan. The vast amount of magical knowledge forcibly injected into me ironically became my aid. I wielded every ounce of what I had as my weapon."
Outwardly, I appeared to be a pitiful test subject, while inwardly, I sharpened my blade in cold calculation. With purpose, even the unofficial experiments became a daily routine.
Had I not hidden my feelings, I would have burst into laughter many times.
That was a hideous madness.
From eighteen to twenty-five years old, for about seven years.
At last, I completed it.
The unprecedented theory of Defying the Heavens.
And then, I waited.
Waited for the Magic Festival, when Rovellin, and all others unrelated to the unofficial experiments, would leave the tower.
The twenty-five-year-old Verden folded his arms.
"Contrary to expectation, Rovellin left a week earlier to study abroad in the magic city, Virente… but that only reduced variables, so there was nothing bad about it. The plan proceeded as scheduled."
I infiltrated the tower's treasury, and stole treasures including the artificial artifact [Second Circuit].
Next, I entered the control room of the power source, and killed two Mages who had participated in the unofficial experiments.
Finally, I succeeded in reconstructing my body through Defying the Heavens, using the power source, and as the finishing touch, evaded Balrog's gaze, and teleported across the continent.
I escaped the tower.
I was no longer a test subject.
"Only then, could I truly laugh."
The twenty-five-year-old Verden changed.
His hair turned ash-gray, his eyes dyed blue.
"And at last, I set foot into the world."
The Principality of Riviant.
The Kingdom of Estiria.
The Midros Free Territory.
The Ark of the Ark.
The united city-states, Kailiens.
The Republic of Beldirn.
The Ownerless Land.
The great city, Gargant.
The Great Forest.
The Blue Mountain Range…
So many places I passed through in that time.
"It wasn't a long time, but it was intense. And I gained so much. The test subject, lower than an insect, came to gaze upon transcendence, and I was no longer alone."
The twenty-seven-year-old Verden.
"So now, it is time to choose."
I, faced myself.
***
Adrian's group escaped the Great Forest safely, but did not return to the Ownerless Land.
Fwoooosh!
Two shadows pierced through the distant sky, far above the clouds.
Adrian and Isabella.
Naturally, Adrian was not a Mage, so he could not cast
By infusing Adrian's body with magic power, and activating
"Alpha, the direction?"
Alpha, nestled in Adrian's arms, clutching the [Compass of Black Hour].
Until recently, the needle had been moving ever so slightly, but now it had fixed its direction.
[Confirmed straight ahead. Continue forward.]
"Got it!"
Isabella cast
The city of Arein grew ever more distant.
It was a clear violation of orders, but one they had no choice but to accept.
'The head of house wanted to be alone, so we agreed for now… but…'
Awakening was unknown.
No one knew how it would unfold.
"Adrian, even without us, the Ownerless Land will be fine, right?"
"With Keirel, sharp with information, and the Society twins, who are sheer force itself, they can surely handle most variables. So do not worry."
For now, there was no danger.
With the death of Diamoon, the tower master, the various forces would be wary of each other for a while, and Arein would be safe.
That was precisely why.
In such circumstances, they could not simply remain guarding the Ownerless Land.
What to prioritize, was obvious.
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