Chapter 42 – Seollang (4)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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As soon as they arrived at the City of the Old Gods, Kahara, the Red Tower mages, Riyan, Seollang, and the Golden Mane clan decided to wait near the entrance, where the city’s scenery could be seen best.

Of course, Seollang and Evan wanted to follow Alon, but Alon instead left the two of them at the entrance and went down into the city alone.

There was only one reason.

Because the voice he heard the moment he entered Kahara whispered this to him.

You can hear the voice, so at least you possess the minimum rank. Come alone to the tower at the center of Kahara.

Naturally, Alon had no idea whose voice was whispering into his ear.

He had visited this city dozens of times already, yet not once had he ever heard a voice inside his head like this.

But instinctively, he realized that it had to be related to the words Wondrous Calamity had left behind, and without hesitation he began walking until he finally reached Kahara’s center.

The tower there was so tall for something underground that it looked less like part of a forgotten city and more like a castle. After staring at it blankly for a moment, Alon stepped inside.

What he found there was a circular staircase leading upward.

“….”

Alon climbed it in silence.

Whoosh.

As soon as he began ascending, lamps started lighting one by one as if to illuminate his path.

It was a situation he had never once seen in the game, and it made his feet pause for only a brief moment.

Then he continued, following the lamps.

By the time he had finally climbed the long stairway, Alon saw an enormous chamber.

Ratatatat.

“!”

With the activation of a magic circle, the empty room that had contained nothing a moment earlier was filled with massive bookshelves.

The shelves rose straight up from the bare floor and quickly covered the whole tower until, aside from the ground and ceiling, there was nowhere he could look that still had any clear sense of front and back.

At that point.

“You’ve come.”

* * *

In truth, not every member of the Golden Mane clan loved other blood kin with abnormal intensity.

Compared with other beastfolk, the race-wide affection they felt for one another was certainly on the stronger side.

That made sense. Five hundred years ago, the Golden Mane clan had stood above the beastfolk races.

Even so, that fondness was not deeper than the affection one felt for family.

It only meant they liked one another a bit more than other races did.

At the end of the day, they were still others.

But even so, the reason Seollang was so obsessed with blood kin and family, and cherished fellow members of the Golden Mane clan so dearly, lay in the past.

Her happiness had existed in the past.

She had been happy when she lived among her blood kin.

Helping her father finish out the day had felt rewarding.

Sitting at the table in the evening and eating with her family had made her happy.

That life, where only Golden Mane clan members lived together and everyone existed inside the same frame of blood kin and family, still remained happiness in Seollang’s memory.

That was why she had wanted revenge on the Black Dragon who had shattered that happiness, and why she had gathered her blood kin in hopes of reclaiming it.

Her respect for the Great Moon also came from there.

She believed that the Essence of the Golden Mane Alon had given her would not only grant her revenge but return that happiness to her as well.

And for someone like her.

Crunch.

“Huh?”

The death of a Golden Mane clansman was enough to make her reason boil over into terrible rage.

Right in front of her, the body of the blood kin who had been talking moments ago collapsed in a pathetically empty way.

And at the same time, the one who appeared before it was.

“Hm. So this is all?”

Maliam.

“Nothing special.”

Baba Yaga Maliam.

Twisting his hideous face into something uglier still, he tossed the corpse of the Golden Mane clansman aside as though the situation was amusing. More than dozens of black-clad figures appeared behind him.

“This is bad.”

“Prepare for battle!”

At once, the Red Tower mages and the mercenaries they had hired raised their staves with tense expressions.

The faces of the Golden Mane clansmen, who had looked relaxed until just moments ago, changed to shock and alarm.

And then.

“What are you doing?”

Maliam looked straight at Seollang, whose expression had turned chilling to anyone who saw it, and twisted up the corner of his mouth.

“Are beastfolk stupid by nature? That’s the only explanation if you’re still asking me that in this situation.”

It was a voice full of naked mockery.

At that, Seollang widened her eyes as if there was no longer any need to listen further.

Crackle.

Electricity burst out in every direction and wrapped around her body, and the moment her clearly shining golden eyes fixed on Maliam.

“!”

Seollang twisted her body away from a dreadful sensation she felt in an instant and avoided the attack.

The ground exploded with a thunderous roar.

The great cavern resounded as if a giant meteor had fallen.

“Well now, you dodged that? You’re definitely not ordinary.”

“….”

Soon, the man who had completely destroyed the entrance, Kalman Arentz, walked out through the dust with a deep smile and boundless ease.

Seollang let out a hollow laugh when she saw him come to stand beside Maliam as though they had planned it.

She understood now what was happening.

Seollang clenched her fists.

Crackle.

Electricity burst out in answer to her will.

To anyone looking, her fighting stance made it obvious that no further conversation had been necessary from the beginning.

“W-wait. What exactly do you think you’re doing? We are mages of the Red Tower. And the two of you are Baba Yaga, aren’t you?”

Unlike Seollang, one of the Red Tower mages shouted in hopes of getting everyone out of this situation unharmed. Maliam turned to look at them.

“Hm. Red Tower mages. True enough. Causing trouble for you would be inconvenient.”

“Exactly. If any harm comes to us here.”

The mage immediately tried to add more, but Maliam cut in before he could exploit even the smallest opening, and the man fell silent.

“But that’s only a problem if you leave here alive, isn’t it?”

The mage’s face stiffened completely.

The mages were not stupid enough to miss what that meant.

And so.

“Tch. If you hadn’t run around so wildly, we wouldn’t have needed to go this far. Why make everyone so tired like this?”

“Come to think of it, I don’t see that noble who needs dealing with. He definitely came with you, didn’t he?”

“Well, let’s kill this one first and look for him at our leisure.”

Answering Maliam lazily, Kalman scattered black mana so ominous that anyone would feel chilled just looking at it.

“Well then.”

“Shall we try an experiment?”

Kwang.

With Kalman throwing a punch at Seollang, the battle began.

* * *

Alon realized that the voice which had been echoing in his head was now coming from right in front of him, and when he raised his head, he saw a shape seated at a desk.

Its appearance could not be defined.

More precisely, it was as if the very definition of its appearance was constantly being interfered with. Its form remained uncertain.

It looked human.

Then beastfolk.

Then monstrous.

As Alon stared blankly at that shape, whose outline shifted like a shadow changing infinitely.

“Don’t stare so blatantly. Even if you try to recognize my existence, you cannot.”

At those words, Alon came back to himself, fell silent for a moment, and then spoke.

“Who are you?”

“If you cannot even recognize my form, do you think you could recognize my name?”

“…Did you know I would come?”

“How could I? How long do you think I have been trapped here?”

“You were speaking as if you knew.”

“I did no such thing. Are you not simply mistaken?”

“….”

For some reason, Alon felt an urge to flick the forehead of the thing sitting in front of him, despite the fact that even its head seemed to be fluttering without proper shape, but he restrained himself and spoke.

“…I came here after hearing the words of Ultultus. Or rather, Wondrous Calamity.”

“Hm. I had more or less guessed as much.”

The thing responded in a tone that sounded faintly interested and continued.

“So he told you his true name? Well, looking at you, I suppose he judged you worth making the wager on.”

Alon watched it nod as if that were a perfectly reasonable judgment, then after a moment of silence he asked.

“…What exactly is being wagered?”

“A chance. On you.”

“A chance…?”

As Alon murmured, the thing answered.

“You seem to have many questions. But unfortunately, the current me cannot tell you anything. You do not possess the rank suited to it.”

“And what exactly does that mean?”

This was something he had never heard, even in the game, so he asked in confusion.

“Let me say this in advance. I do not mean a grade judged by me. To state it clearly, I mean the standard by which this world itself judges you.”

After saying that, the thing seemed to think for a moment, then opened its mouth again.

“You do not understand, and you have many doubts. So I will explain simply.”

Then it spoke.

“Before long, another Outer God will descend. Deal with it, and then come back here.”

“…And if I do?”

“You will satisfy the minimum condition. The minimum condition by which you will be able to see me, and by which you will be able to unravel the questions you carry.”

“Then you’re saying there is nothing I can learn right now.”

“Well. I can at least give you one hint.”

The thing whose shape could not even be judged properly smiled while looking directly at Alon.

“When you leave the tower, read the writing at the eastern edge of this city. Then you should at least be able to draw the rough outline of this situation.”

“…The writing at the eastern edge.”

As Alon repeated it under his breath, the thing dragged out a low hum and spoke again.

“Good. I’ve decided.”

“In truth, what I had to say here is already over, but you came all the way here after some effort, so I will pass on one amusing piece of knowledge as well.”

Before Alon could even ask a question, it continued.

“In the magic of this world, beyond phrases there is a next stage called natural order. Did you know that?”

“Natural order…?”

“Yes. Beyond that there is self-nature manifestation as well, but that is still too early for you.”

After murmuring that for a moment, it continued explaining.

“The natural order that forms the foundation of the magic used by these fools who are hardly worthy of being called mages. In my eyes, you are somewhat better than them, but you are still using it incorrectly.”

It sounded as though it were enjoying the situation as it kept speaking.

“Magic implemented by phrases has a natural order. You do not simply stuff them together at random. Only when phrases are unfolded according to the proper natural order they are matched to, and the name is spoken in accordance with that order, can it be called true magic.”

Then it raised one finger.

And said.

“Of course, if I only say it like this, you still won’t understand. So as a gift, I will teach you one fragment of natural order.”

Then it declared.

“What proper magic is.”