Chapter 570 - Companion (1)
Once it begins to burn, the flame of passion does not extinguish alone, not until it has reduced everything around it to ashes.
Rovellin, whose abdomen had been deeply torn open by a sharp rock, cauterized the wound to barely stop the bleeding and prevent her organs from spilling out, and killed five mages of the Black Hour.
Her one and only life was nothing more than collateral to her.
It had been so during the outbreak of the war three years ago, and it remained the same even now, after she had gained countless experiences in that dense stretch of time.
Whether or not she had an artificial artifact gifted by the magic tower, it made no difference. The fact that the enemy was a transcendent was not even enough reason to feel fear.
The only thing she dreaded was the irreparable regret of that day, when she had failed to force Verden along to the magic city to study abroad.
But it was precisely because Rovellin was who she was, that she had to stop herself.
She had to.
Because she could not possibly ignore the voice piercing her mind, and the continuous scenes that followed.
───What kind of place is the magic tower?
───Hmm? Isn't it going to be very different from the village?
Two young children, leaving the orphanage that was as close as home, climbed onto the back of a wagon, embraced by the warm rays of dawn sunlight.
An unforgettable memory.
Yet, something was strikingly different from what she remembered.
The vision, into which Rovellin's consciousness had seeped, reflected a red-haired girl smiling innocently.
It was Rovellin herself, at eight years old.
'This is....'
It was Verden's perspective.
***
Memories both endlessly familiar and unbearably foreign flowed like a brook, at times crashing down like a waterfall, unceasing and overflowing.
The vast flood of information gave rise to a creeping, excruciating headache.
And yet Rovellin dared not take her eyes off it for even a moment.
She was immersed.
Immersed in the world where her closest childhood friend was living his life.
And at the same time, she compared.
With her left eye she recalled her own memories in detail, and with her right eye she gazed into Verden's memories...
───So this is the magic tower. That's the building where the workers stay. Seems a lot better than the orphanage, doesn't it, Verden?
───I feel sorry for the director saying this, but yeah, I think so.
The two, now seeds of the tower and taken in as its workers, were each assigned to separate dormitories according to gender.
But they weren't lonely.
Because mealtime allowed them to fill their stomachs together.
In the mornings, they greeted each other warmly, at lunch they nodded off or chatted away, and in the evenings they promised to meet again the next day.
And at the age of thirteen, they took the aptitude test conducted by the tower.
───Ohhh, this talent...! Truly a rough gem! If you are polished well from now on, you'll surely grow to be a great mage with a future worth expecting!
Rovellin was revealed to be a rare possessor of a special trait, with her limit rank at the upper 6th rank, a prospect worthy of the tower's elders.
In stark contrast, Verden was revealed to have a limit rank of 1st rank, incapable of further growth, the worst kind of dullard.
Becoming the laughingstock took no time at all.
───Those bastards...
───It's fine, Rovellin. Really. I don't mind at all. I don't plan to give up magic just because I don't have talent.
Though countless people believed that innate talent was everything in the field of magic, Verden was not among them.
For him, it had nothing to do with rational interests or advantages, he was simply fascinated by magic, driven by a pure desire of "I want this".
And Rovellin wanted to stay by his side, to help him. Yet the rational commands of the tower were an undeniable reality.
───Rovellin. Ah, so you're that famous special trait. Congratulations on joining the Bohemirn magic tower.
───Ah, I...
───I know you're glad, so there's no need to express it further. You're no longer bound to those menial worker chores, of course you're happy. Now, come. Time waits for no one.
After the aptitude test, Rovellin was selected as a promising talent of the tower, while Verden remained a worker.
Because of the tower's training of talents, it became harder for them to meet, but... she never doubted, not even a little, that one day she would be able to live alongside Verden within the tower.
True to that trust, Verden handled his duties as a worker adeptly, and in stolen moments secretly devoured magical texts he managed to acquire.
Magical comprehension.
And at last came the moment when he truly realized his own uniqueness.
Days repeated, leaping by in strides, and two years passed before they knew it.
At fifteen years old.
───Congratulations, Verden, on entering the Bohemirn magic tower, the spearhead of the Elemental school. Didn't I tell you? That you could do it.
───It's not like I'm being treated as a formal mage, so what's there to congratulate... but anyway, thanks.
Verden was promoted from worker to junior researcher, and entered the Bohemirn magic tower.
He had distinguished himself enough as a worker that the tower's mages figured he'd be convenient to use for chores, so they plucked him up.
That was good enough.
Neither Verden nor Rovellin bothered to hide their joy.
They could now access a broader range of magic, and they now belonged to the same group. What news could be better?
Orphans who had once had nothing were now members of the tower.
───Rovellin! Focus!
───Ah, yes! I'm sorry!
Rovellin's studies grew ever busier. She had to amass sufficient magical knowledge to serve as the foundation before she could raise her realm.
She, destined to become a high mage of the tower, climbed the steps step by step.
───Hey, clean this up.
───Yes, right away.
Verden too was just as busy.
While taking on every errand and chore demanded by his seniors, he still accumulated vast magical knowledge through books.
And soon three years passed.
At eighteen, the two became full-fledged adults, each setting out upon their own trajectory.
Rovellin now spent more days outside the Bohemirn tower than within its walls.
She had begun experiencing the world of mages.
Meanwhile, Verden, in secret from everyone, even Rovellin, established his own theory.
The Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory.
Until its completion, he concealed its progress, even from her, and to prove it, he sought the help of Lucard Maniacs.
At first, their cooperation was smooth.
Until Lucard, having mastered the theory, betrayed him.
Of course, Verden, robbed of his theory before his very eyes, protested furiously. He appealed his injustice when he ran into the tower master in the corridor.
And the tower master said:
───Come to the laboratory on the 32nd floor, two nights from now.
Immediately after, the atmosphere of the memory shifted violently.
Screams and shrieks.
'What is... this.'
What Rovellin now saw was the horrific human experiments being conducted in the hidden laboratories of the Bohemirn tower.
Surrounded by numerous mages.
Verden, the owner of the memory, was "magically" dissected by them.
***
───Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!
He thrashed in madness, pleaded desperately for it to stop, his voice tearing raw, tears streaming down his temples without ever drying.
Verden, crying out to be spared.
It was an inhuman atrocity Rovellin had never once seen in her life.
And what had Rovellin herself been doing at this time? She had spent her days as always, living her routine as usual.
Her clear consciousness trembled.
'I, I am...'
Rovellin, under the guidance of a senior mage, went outside the tower.
Verden was subjected to human experimentation once every week, regularly.
Rovellin studied tiresome and difficult magic.
Verden was endlessly forced into sacrifice by Coercion.
Rovellin set foot in foreign lands she had never visited before, learning and sightseeing together.
Verden, under the direction of Crodon Olentia, was made to overexert his talent, until his mind suffered a grievous fracture.
A few months later, when Rovellin finally returned to the tower, she had no knowledge at all of the human experimentation, hearing only rumors related to the Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory.
───What? Verden tried to steal someone else's theory? What kind of nonsense is that…!
She immediately sought Verden out.
And she asked.
────…Did something happen?
────No, nothing at all.
It was a firm refusal of help.
And Rovellin knew the reason.
Even if she helped Verden now, it would only worsen things. Rovellin could not remain in the tower for long.
It was all too obvious that the bullying would only worsen in her absence.
It was a problem that could only be solved once she had gained status and authority within the tower. Swallowing her indignation, Rovellin resolved that she would one day achieve it.
That very day, Verden was subjected to drug experiments by Rayshen Tailrod. Bound by Coercion, he could not even scream, forced to endure in silence.
It was not long after, that Verden, standing on the brink of despair, swore vengeance.
Seven years later, at twenty-five.
Rovellin had built her foundation solidly, becoming a 3rd-rank upper mage. Now all that remained was to soar higher.
At that time, the subject of studying abroad arose.
Verden had become terminal. He would not live long before death arrived.
None of those who had partaken in the unofficial experiments felt the slightest pity. Behind that indifference, Verden gauged the perfect moment.
And then, seven days before the opening of the Magic Festival.
Rovellin boldly sought Verden out and confidently urged him.
She was going to study abroad in the magic city.
Come with me.
It's too hard for you to stay here.
But she could not hear the answer she wanted.
────Sorry. I'll refuse.
────As expected, you… what?
────I belong here.
Knowing that his will would not be broken, Rovellin, after several hesitations, at last departed for Virente in lonely silence.
She looked back at the tower many times, but never did her friend follow.
And so, watching Rovellin fade away from the window, Verden thought.
The plan is proceeding smoothly.
Now, nothing stands in the way.
At last, on the day the Magic Festival began, the day when even the tower master and senior figures vacated the tower──── Verden made his move.
The source of the runaway power source incident.
Verden, who had reconstructed his body and seized talent, escaped the tower master's pursuit with a space-transference array that left no trace.
Falling upon the eastern continent as planned, Verden burst into laughter. Louder than Rovellin had ever seen from him before.
Thus began the new story of Verden, who became "Asher".
The eastern continent.
The central continent.
The western continent.
Scenes accelerated, flashing past Rovellin's eyes with dizzying speed, the stream of information adjusted to lessen the burden upon her.
Because of that, it was impossible to discern what conversations had taken place, or whom he had met. Nor could she know Verden's thoughts at each moment.
But the realms he reached were perfectly clear.
From 1st rank to 2nd rank.
From 2nd rank to 3rd rank.
From 3rd rank to 4th rank.
From 4th rank to 5th rank.
From 5th rank to 6th rank.
From 6th rank to 7th rank.
From human to transcendent.
Rovellin experienced, directly and indirectly, the flow of Verden's life.
Not all of it, but even that much was enough.
Huff.
The shared flow of memory gradually slowed, and soon halted. In the blink of an eye, she had returned to reality.
The flames that had enveloped her entire body had long since disappeared.
Rovellin slowly lifted her head.
"I, I…"
What should she say?
Her trembling lips parted with difficulty, her reflection wavering in her blue eyes. With a trembling hand, she clutched Verden's robe.
In a voice breaking with tears, she forced the words out. Not an excuse, nor consolation, but what she truly had to say.
"I'm so, so sorry…!"
Drip, tears streamed down her cheeks.
She hadn't known.
But ignorance was no absolution. On the contrary, it was guilt because of her ignorance.
At the very least, Rovellin thought so. And under the weight of that guilt, she was crushed.
Then Verden placed a hand on her head and said.
"Don't say that. You've done nothing wrong."
Even if abridged, they had shared the memories spanning from the age of eight to twenty-eight. If one counted only the passing time, that was twenty years.
In that time, the world too had shifted.
The veil of night lifted, and the sun began to rise from the eastern horizon. The golden dawn light dazzlingly illuminated the two of them.
Just like that time, when they had boarded the wagon bound for the Bohemirn tower, filled with hope and dreams.
Thus, the two were reunited.
***
It was their first meeting in true form since the tower, but in truth, they had already met before. Not only that, but had even shared a kind of adventure.
The labyrinth of ants, stage of Ignacia's Scales.
Disguised as "Alan", the tower mage sent as an assistant by Rayshen, Verden had stayed by Rovellin's side throughout the entire auction.
The two sat side by side in front of a campfire.
"To see you cry like that, I think it's the first time since the orphanage. Seems you've grown more tearful while I was away."
"..."
Rovellin kept her lips pressed tight, wiping the tear stains from her cheeks. Then, cautiously, she looked at Verden once more.
"…What are you doing?"
"Just stay still."
He touched her ashen hair, pressed her arm and shoulder, the physical texture stimulating his sense of touch.
'As expected… it's real.'
Though his appearance had changed, and his voice carried authority now, there was no mistake. This was Verden, the very one she had thought dead.
For Rovellin, it felt like a dream. A dream she never wanted to wake from. Yet she knew all too well that this was reality.
It was a relief.
An immense relief.
"Haa."
At last, she exhaled a deep sigh of relief and bowed her head.
"Truly… that you are the famed Asher, that you were Alan, that you've become a transcendent, that you are the master of the Black Hour… Ah, there are so many things I want to say, so many things I want to ask, but I don't know what to do. My head's a mess."
"There's no need to rush. We'll have plenty of time to think from now on."
Then, Verden gently pulled Rovellin's left arm closer.
"Stay still for a moment."
"Eh?"
Her blue eyes flickered.
"Let me check that bracelet."
Just as Rovellin had seen Verden's memories, so too had Verden glimpsed Rovellin's.
That artificial artifact, was it called [Flame of Protection]?
It was time to learn what exactly the Bohemirn tower had intended to do through Rovellin.
And how they had sought to ensnare the leader of the Black Hour.