Chapter 558 - Excessive Desire (2)
His vision was blurry, his consciousness not fully awakened. Like whipping a dazed mind, he darted his eyes around.
A place he had no memory of.
No matter how much he looked around, it was the same.
As reality slowly settled back in, Lucard's face filled with confusion and unease. A natural reaction for anyone.
To wake up and find oneself trapped in a pitch-dark space, who wouldn't be startled?
"What the hell is... ugh?!"
He tried to get up, only to collapse from a dull pain stabbing his abdomen. As he gasped for breath, his recent memories came rushing back.
The invited lecture at the high district of the magic city, Virente.
The unwelcome guest who came while he was resting in the VIP chamber after the speech.
Then, the front kick and the knee strike.
Lucard had been ambushed.
"Shit, then I... got kidnapped?"
Now he realized that all the magic items once hanging from his body were gone.
What clung to him was no longer the robe of the magic tower, but shabby clothing.
His breathing quickened.
It was sinking in, the reality that his very life was being held hostage by some unknown party.
'W-what should I do?'
As he desperately searched for a way to escape, no, at least to survive, a gap opened in the wall and a hidden door creaked wide.
Sssk.
A shadow fell over Lucard.
"You are...."
It was a face he had never seen, but the overall figure was not unfamiliar.
The armor beneath, the robe draped over it, and the tall, broad frame—those belonged to the very assailant.
Adrian spoke.
"You've finally woken up."
"Khak!"
Grab!
Clutched by the nape, Lucard was dragged like livestock bound for slaughter. He thrashed with all his might, but of course, couldn't peel away even a finger.
"Let go...! I said let me go! How dare you, with no fear, lay hands on me───the third disciple of the Bohemirn tower master?! If you beg for forgiveness even now, I might consider leniency...! If you don't release me at once, my master will make you pay an equivalent price..."
His frantic resistance didn't last long.
Because he saw it.
The eerie corridor lit by the dim glow of mana lamps, the banners on the walls embroidered with their distinct insignia.
"Black... Hour?"
His blood ran cold.
An inverted triangle signifying magical instability, and in its center, a sinister eye... unmistakably the symbol of Amwol.
'So it was Black Hour that kidnapped me?'
Lucard had never once taken part in any allied front.
He was specialized in research, not battle, and his official work as the founder of Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory was his main role.
But of course, he had heard countless rumors about Black Hour.
The collective of death mages.
Once you become their target, survival is impossible.
'Wait a second. Then, could this place be... that Great Hall....'
Thud───!
The massive doors connecting the Grand Hall to the corridors of the Great Hall swung open. Dragged inside like a prisoner, Lucard was thrown down unceremoniously.
"Ugh...."
His chin hit the floor, making him groan as he slowly propped himself up and squinted. It was pure instinct. His eyes darted frantically.
Empty, on all sides.
Though he realized Black Hour was behind the kidnapping, he still couldn't fully grasp what situation he was in. Slowly, Lucard lifted his head.
And came face to face with the master of Black Hour.
Upon the throne on the dais, Verden rested his left hand on his chin, looking down upon him. After a few seconds of silence, his lips parted.
"I once hated you so much, but seeing you now, I feel nothing."
"W-what...?"
"I'm sick of introducing myself to those who don't even recognize me."
Lucard trembled.
Unable to make sense of his words, his mind ground to a halt.
Then, Verden activated [Ainber]'s
His appearance before Defying the Heavens.
It was a sudden magical transformation, but surprise only lasted a moment. Lucard's darting gaze locked still.
His mouth hung open.
"...Huh?"
"After that day, you deliberately avoided me. In the magic academies, you spouted nonsense as you pleased, but I suppose it was awkward to stand before me and claim ownership of the Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory? Well, anyway."
Verden returned to his true form.
"To meet this close again after nearly five years, Lucard Maniacs."
***
The voice of the Great Hall's master sank deep into the Grand Hall.
"Though superficial, Balrog stuck several things onto you, calling you his disciple. Well, if you'd been ridiculously assassinated, it would've tarnished the magic tower's reputation, so of course he would."
Verden snapped his fingers.
The various accessory-type magical tools Lucard had been wearing clattered to the floor, scattering everywhere.
All the magical functions within them had already been destroyed.
Even the tracking formulas tied to emergency protective magic circles and forced magic circles.
Lucard Maniacs, being an external figure not tied to unofficial experiments, wasn't constantly under control.
Balrog only engraved Coercion upon those he deemed valuable—tower mages or test subjects who met his standards.
He selected manpower to pursue ideal efficiency.
In that sense, Lucard had failed the cut.
Though he himself had no idea.
"T-this...."
Lucard's eyes trembled.
"This is a dream, right...? Otherwise, Verden, you... couldn't possibly be alive? And here, in the Great Hall of Black Hour..."
"Does this feel like a dream to you?"
Adrian snarled, pressing his light blade against Lucard's neck. The coldness of the metal seeped into his skin.
That sensation.
Not a dream.
It couldn't be a dream.
Captured by Black Hour, and before him a man long dead standing alive—this was undeniable reality.
Verden said.
"Seven years have passed since the publication of Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory, rumors spread that Lucard Maniacs was nearly finished with a new thesis, and two years ago you announced something called the reversible approach to the Origin of Elements. So I checked it myself."
"...!"
"As expected, though voluminous, it was nothing but derivative. All you did was reinterpret the foundational Origin of Elements theory, which is the root of Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory, and systematically list dozens of related theories to pad the grounds—a patchwork, nothing more."
His gaze narrowed.
"And that is the so-called fruit of ten years of labor, including the present. Seems you never fully grasped the interpretation of Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory that I personally taught you for months."
Even under such scathing criticism, Lucard could only remain still. Even when his painstaking work was denied, he had to shut up.
His mind was far too muddled to raise his pride in defiance.
"B-but Verden, you... the magic tower said you died in the runaway of the power source... your body even gone..."
"If you wanted certainty, you should have confirmed the corpse yourself, you and the tower both. And that's hardly the point now, is it?"
"...!!!"
Only now did Lucard grasp the situation he was in, his eyes flying wide.
"So you kidnapped me."
"Ten years ago, because of you, I became a base 1st-tier mage claiming ownership of another's theory, scorned by everyone but Rovellin. Well, compared to the unofficial experiments, that was nothing but nostalgia. An outsider like you wouldn't know."
Verden slowly lifted his right arm from the throne. His index finger leveled straight at Lucard.
"In the end, the cause of everything, is you."
Whoooom.
Magic power focused at his fingertips took shape, blazing violently. An indescribable pressure pressed down upon the space.
Though unworthy of being called a disciple of a transcendent, Lucard was still a 4th-tier high-rank mage with some talent.
There was no way he couldn't recognize just how much power was condensed in that mana.
"Th-that... that tier is...."
Lucard recalled that Verden's limit tier had certainly been 1st-tier, but he didn't dare voice the question aloud.
Countless possibilities flashed through his mind in an instant.
Amwol had overloaded the power source of the Bohemirn magic tower, and was the very instigator of the recent tier breakthrough incident.
Lucard too had once dreamed of such a thing.
'And Verden, who went missing from the magic tower, was here, in the heart of Black Hour...!'
Perhaps Amwol had personally taken him in as a disciple. Highly possible. Verden's magical reasoning had always been in the realm of genius.
In today's magic world, tier limits were no longer an absolute standard.
He would die.
"Wait... Verden, wait! L-listen to me! I didn't mean to steal your theory... I had no choice!"
"...."
"Think about it rationally...! Who, who would want to share credit with a 1st-tier mage born of laborers? It's only natural to get greedy...! If you're a mage, of course you'd want that...! Even if it wasn't me, it would've been someone else. The result would've been the same no matter who it was!"
Lucard babbled nonsense, justifying his actions as instinct. Had he learned self-rationalization from Crodon Olentia?
"And Verden, in the end, you didn't die, you're alive like this. Right? Compared to when you were in the magic tower, you've advanced so much higher...! What could you possibly gain by killing someone like me! Think of the past. Didn't we, get along quite well?"
───Verden, you're a genius! How on earth did you even think of this? No, that's not what matters right now. With this... with this, we'll surely be recognized by every magic tower. Even the tower master will be astonished! Maybe, I could even become his disciple!
"You taught me magical theory and I admired you... together, we stayed up nights to complete the proof of Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory...! N-no, it's all my fault, so for the sake of old times, please...!"
Pathetic excuses and apologies became Lucard's defense. His grotesque plea for life made Adrian feel a murderous urge.
Then it came.
A low sound reverberated.
Leaning back upon the throne, Verden let no effort to hide the laughter spilling out.
The chill it exuded struck Lucard speechless.
"Yes, you're right. Even if it hadn't been your doing, one day I'd still have been dragged off as an unofficial test subject to endure the same ordeal. As long as I stayed in the Bohemirn magic tower, I couldn't have escaped it."
As Verden withdrew his mana, the suffocating pressure ruling the Grand Hall vanished. Immediately after, Adrian returned [Silendar] to its scabbard and stepped back from Lucard.
The killing intent faded.
In the quiet stillness, cold sweat dripped from his chin. After swallowing several times, Lucard asked cautiously,
"Y-you're... sparing me?"
"You won't die here."
Lucard's face brightened, if only for a fleeting moment.
"Your end will be decided personally by Balrog Bessias."
"What? What does that...."
The conversation ended.
Crack.
Before Lucard could blink, Adrian's kick smashed his jaw. An uppercut kick. His body didn't fly, but the shock was transmitted directly to his head.
His consciousness shattered, and Lucard collapsed to his knees, face down.
Adrian clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, in words and in deeds, he's no different from those nobles blind to their own station. But, are you certain you won't end him yourself?"
"A year ago I might have, but not anymore. To personally seek revenge on a thief who had nothing to do with human experiments is laughable."
Verden whispered softly.
"Of course, I don't intend to let him live."
If all Lucard Maniacs had done was steal Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory, Verden would have left him be.
Lucard Maniacs.
Despite lacking the talent or effort to bear the heavy mantle of a transcendent's disciple, he had stolen Verden's achievements and nestled under Balrog's wing.
Naturally, he could never fully protect his standing. It wasn't something he had won purely by his own strength.
In fact, to the tower's leadership, who already knew the truth, Lucard was of no interest at all.
'He was nothing but a tool, paraded as the founder of Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory to raise the tower's prestige.'
If Lucard had secretly delivered the theory to Balrog outside official channels... Lucard would have been discarded, replaced by a more promising mage.
Thus, unable to sustain the position, it was inevitable Lucard would collapse mentally.
So, how had he relieved the mounting psychological stress?
The Society had thoroughly investigated Lucard's past conduct.
Though he had erased all traces, leaving behind no evidence, the circumstances were discovered, supported by Verden's insight.
Rape, murder, torture.
Secret atrocities, enabled by newfound power he had never possessed before.
The fruit of excessive greed.
Had Lucard lived within his bounds, indulging only in a modest selfishness, perhaps he could have lived his life as a mage of the Bohemirn tower.
But that was meaningless speculation.
Verden had no thought of personally disposing of such worthless trash. That was Balrog's responsibility.
"Anyway, by now even Balrog should have received word. He may already be checking the damage."
Verden rose to his feet.
"While the Bohemirn tower leadership assesses the situation, we must move as well."
From subspace he summoned [Black Hour's Compass] and the Red Fragment of condensed life force taken from Gluttony's implant host.
The former, unlike the incomplete prototype once used by Black Hour to track Harkan, was the completed piece held by Dahit.
"From here on, we hunt Gluttony."
With the Red Fragment and the compass, they would track down and infiltrate the Gluttony forces hidden within society.
Just as they had in the Principality of Riviant.
Of course, even this completed compass could not designate the positions of multiple enemies. It pointed only to the nearest one.
The solution was simple.
Exterminate, until no implant host remained within range.
***
Amid the blue sky, where white fragments of clouds drifted, violet light flickered. A magic circle formed with a slight ripple.
A presence cast itself upon it.
"...."
To guard against any pursuit, he had distorted the coordinates through countless intermediate points.
And upon arriving at the destination... the mountain that should have stood intact was half gone, fused with nature itself.
Specifically, the very portion where the unofficial laboratory had been.
Not only the surface, but down to the deepest depths.
Drip.
Veins bulged upon Balrog's forehead.