Chapter 48 - Shape of the Shadow

Ferda returned to the dark room.

It was to continue his cultivation method instead of getting some sleep.

The mana cultivation method, Shape of Shadow.

If ordinary mages were to rank it, it was a cultivation method difficult enough to be placed in the 'high' tier.

However, Ferda was a man who had already walked paths that were far more difficult and arduous.

He could pull this off as if it were no problem at all.

The only thing required was the movement of his circle.

And finally, that circle began to move.

'The amount is absurdly lacking.'

Ferda also knew how to forcefully squeeze it out.

If he had done so, he would have advanced all the way to the 5th Circle right this instant.

But he did not do that.

It was because he knew just how dangerous it was to be consumed by one's emotions.

Ferda struggled to find an answer while remaining wary of this emotion.

And finally, he was able to find it.

Ferda closed his eyes.

He spread the flow of mana and concentrated it throughout his entire body.

Then, slowly tilting it, he overturned everything.

Ferda's entire mental imagery stuck to the floor.

His mind was projected into the world of shadows.

The flickering shadow within the candlelight swaying softly with his breath.

That shadow moved on its own, creeping up and wrapping around Ferda's body.

The coiled shadow came face to face with the red circle inside Ferda's core.

'Valdrova.'

Ferda's mind began to imagine Valdrova's figure on its own.

A mad painter lived inside his head.

It repeatedly painted the exact same image on the canvas, only to repeatedly destroy it out of dissatisfaction.

It painted thousands of pieces, and destroyed thousands of pieces.

This unfulfilled feeling was not a simple thirst.

'It was also what I wanted to figure out when I reached the 3rd Circle.'

The question that had vanished while stopping Valdrova's rampage.

However, Ferda had finally figured it out.

That there was an unfilled, empty space in the image of Valdrova he was painting.

In that empty space lay a single word.

'Tomorrow.'

At that moment, the mad painter in his heart began to move.

Unlike when consumed by anger, it was filled with passion.

This time, it began to relentlessly paint Valdrova's figure on a much broader canvas.

'Her tomorrow.'

Not just a simple tomorrow for her alone.

'A tomorrow... with me in it.'

He filled himself into the space that had not yet been filled.

That painting was formed into a single sentence.

'I want to share tomorrow with her.'

The moment the sentence was completed, something astonishing happened.

The paintings born from shallow imagination began to come alive and move.

Ferda knew what this was.

'Childhood innocence.'

A dream dreamt by a frail boy a very long time ago.

The vaguely drawn image of his partner was overlaid by a beautiful woman with red hair and four horns.

It was a dream, and at the same time, an ecstasy.

Ecstasy was the climax of emotion.

It moves.

His uncontrollably swelling heart convulsed the circle.

If left alone, Ferda was destined to be broken.

So Ferda concentrated.

Because the future where the two were together had to become reality, not a fantasy.

Ferda brought the sense of form from his focused spirit into the circle.

At that moment, dozens of hands gathered the raging mana and began to shape it.

'It's easy.'

It was on a completely different level from simply scooping it up and shaping it with a single hand.

The effort he put into forming his 1st Circle and 2nd Circle felt even harder by comparison.

'It's too easy.'

Since he was surrounding and pressing down on it from all directions, there was no loophole for it to escape.

The rotation moved as a rotation, and the form was shaped as a form.

Like that, it was overlaid in the form of a new shell.

And just like that, Ferda reached the 4th Circle.

Ferda opened his eyes.

The shadow wriggled and moved before eventually transforming into the shape of a hand.

It was the 3rd-tier magic, Shadow Hand.

No, it was on a different level from that Shadow Hand.

This was not some artificial construct created through magic.

It was another body part that Ferda had hidden deep within his body.

Ferda immediately adapted to it.

'The shadow is me.'

The hand divided to create another hand.

Those hands into even more hands.

It divided endlessly in that manner.

The narrow room was filled to the brim with black hands.

'I am the shadow itself.'

Unable to endure the dense darkness, the candlelight snuffed out with a soft *PFFT. *

* * *

Guilds.

A guild was an organization that proved the identities of its members and provided them with benefits.

In return, it held them accountable for their actions, controlled them through rules, and even demanded unity for the sake of profit.

Protecting their rights and interests through the union was its true essence.

However, the Serdes Humanity Magical Society had a completely different essence from such guilds.

Surveillance rather than proof.

Control rather than benefits.

That was the world in which mages lived on the Serdes Continent.

Its founder was Erdes Roton.

She was a war hero of the 12-member expedition formed to defeat the Demon King in the Dragon-Demon War, and the founder of the Humanity Magical Society.

Even now, a whopping 150 years later, she was still alive and active.

A mage who had yet to relinquish the title of humanity's strongest mage to the current generation.

The culmination of intellect.

A living witness.

Though she possessed an age and experience that could not be ignored, she was younger than women in their prime.

"You need to do your official work."

"No!!"

Beyond just being young, she threw a tantrum like a child.

"I said I don't want to work! Leave me alone!"

"Your paperwork has been delayed for days. Look at this. It's piled up so high I can't even see your face, Madam President!"

"I piled it up because I don't want to see your face. You do it instead, Blue."

"How am I supposed to do it instead? And my name is Lou."

"Nobody dies just from a little delay. If they're that pissed off about it, tell them to say it to my face."

"But you won't even open the door for them, will you?"

"I open it just fine if they challenge me to a duel, don't I?"

"What kind of crazy bastard in this world would fight you, Madam President?"

She was a war hero of the Dragon-Demon War and humanity's strongest mage.

In a field where the win rate drops infinitely the moment there's a gap in Circles, there was theoretically no one who could defeat her.

"Exactly, that's the problem. They only talk big about risking their lives, but the moment I ask, 'Wanna die?' they scurry away screaming, 'I want to live!' Hmm? They have no guts, no guts at all."

"Didn't you cripple the last person who actually risked their life?"

"I just failed to control my strength a little—it happens. I reached an amicable settlement with the person involved, didn't I?"

She brushed it off as if it were nothing.

The only thing he could do as her secretary was sigh and hand over the documents he had received.

"This is the list of attendees for the upcoming Grand Council. Please check it."

Not that it matters if you don't.

Lou muttered those last words under his breath.

With a single flick of Erdes's finger, the list flew right into her hand.

"There's a lot of old geezers I know. If they're that damn old, they should just hand it over to their kids. How long do they plan on clinging to power?"

"You can say that again."

The secretary's eyes stared meaningfully at Erdes.

"Withdraw that look before I pluck your eyeballs out. If you don't, hmm?"

Erdes's gaze, which had been quickly skimming the list, suddenly fixated on one spot.

"Is there a problem?"

"Just wondering if I read this wrong."

She repeated the word several times over.

"But I didn't misread it. Blue, you little shit, can't you do your job right?"

"Pardon?"

He was flustered by the sudden verbal abuse.

She pointed at one of the names written on the list.

"The surname of this guy here says Valdrova, doesn't it?"

"Ah, that really is the name of the Red Dragon Valdrova. Meaning I didn't write it down incorrectly, nor is it a mistake by the organizers."

"You swear it's not bullshit?"

"Yes. There are records of it, too?"

Erdes shook off her embarrassment by shrugging her shoulders.

"That's rare for that terrifying dragon. So is it a dragon spawn of Valdrova?"

"Uh... you didn't know?"

Erdes smiled brightly.

Yet a freezing shadow fell over her face.

"What is it that I don't know? The fact that I'm an ignorant, blockheaded little lady? Or the fact that your head could go flying today?"

"Gasp, that's not it at all! I never intended to disparage or mock you, Madam President, and this was purely..."

"Get to the point."

"I mean, it's the newly minted fiancé of the Red Dragon Valdrova."

"Fiancé?"

As immature as Erdes was, she knew exactly what being Valdrova's fiancé meant.

"For real?"

"Huh?"

"I'm asking if it's for real."

"Uh, yes. It's for real."

"Fascinating. Nobody voluntarily walks into a death sentence... Ferda. Give me this guy's records."

"Ah, just a moment!"

The secretary brought both hands to his temples and chanted a spell.

"Search, Ferda Valdrova."

At that moment, a bundle of papers squeezed through the gap under the door from outside the office and neatly piled up in front of the secretary.

Having finished the spell, the secretary handed the papers to Erdes.

"H-Here it is!"

Her eyes quickly skimmed the handed-over document.

"Let's see here... the third son of the Rosnova family... Hmm..."

Erdes's eyes grew noticeably calmer.

The further her eyes moved down the page, the more serious her expression became.

"Blue."

"Yes."

"When is the Grand Council being held?"

Lou's eyes went wide.

"It opens in 5 days, but don't tell me you're planning to go?"

"I was going to skip it because I figured they'd just spout boring talk, but now I think going wouldn't be such a bad idea."

Erdes stared intently at Ferda's portrait.

"Besides, getting to see this stupidly handsome face shouldn't be too bad, right?"

"Isn't the significance simply in your attendance? We might be late, but I'll prepare a carriage right away..."

"No, there's no need for that."

Erdes spun her finger toward the empty air.

With that, a circular portal resembling the trajectory she drew appeared in the air.

"Why bother with such a troublesome chore when there's a simple method?"

The 5th-tier magic, Teleport Door.

She had easily materialized such a difficult spell without an incantation or a magic circle.

It was a wondrous moment that a mage would be lucky to see once in their lifetime.

However, for Lou, his anxiety was much greater than any wonder.

"So, Lou. I'll be off doing official business now."

"Pardon?"

"Hold down the fort well while I'm gone. And don't forget to feed the cats!"

"No, wait, Madam President. Just a minute!"

"I'm off~!"

The president brazenly waved her hand and threw herself into the Teleport Door.

"If you're just going to take a portal, couldn't you have finished the delayed paperwork before leavinggg!!"

The portal snapped shut, completely ignoring Lou's screaming.

* * *

10 days before the Grand Council.

Ferda finished his preparations to head to the central continent.

He had to depart right now in order to reach Blancaros's territory located in the central region of the continent.

'Customs are so utterly useless.'

The higher one's status, the more things they must possess.

Among those was time, and taking things at a leisurely pace was considered a virtue of nobles.

For Ferda, who had experienced the future, it was a laughable matter.

Because such a leisurely culture had disappeared once magic cars began to become popularized.

In fact, the nobles ended up desiring even faster means of transportation.

"Regent, may I come in?"

It was Zed Swallow, not Luri.

As a member of Valdrova Castle, he was wearing a red formal uniform.

It was because the vassals of the Grand Duchy's territory were required by regulation to dress that way.

"Sir Arwen and the soldiers under his command, sent by Count Concillus, have just arrived."

"I see."

"We've also finished preparing the carriage, so you just need to get in... Huh?"

Zed looked Ferda up and down with a puzzled expression.

"Is there a problem?"

"Not exactly a problem, but I was wondering if you were going to wear that..."

Ferda's clothes were incredibly plain.

Nobles were beings who strove to make themselves shine no matter what.

Therefore, spinning thread from jewels to give off a glow was the bare minimum.

Among them, the most accessible golden thread was a staple inclusion.

Even when he entered the royal palace, Ferda had worn red clothes laced with gold thread.

But right now, he was wearing red on a black base.

Furthermore, the gloss was only at the level of being moderately starched.

Compared to other nobles, it was far too plain.

"I've never been fond of gold."

"Who in the world hates gold?"

Zed reacted as if that was absurd.

He glanced over Ferda's clothes and gave his own assessment.

"Since you don't have that, you'll look just like me."

"Good. That lowers the chances of some clueless assassin targeting me."

"I'm a bit too handsome for a body double, so I don't think they'll target me instead."

Zed flashed a smile brimming with full-blown narcissism.

Unbothered by his attitude, Ferda picked up an item from the table.

"Take this."

Since he was too far to receive it directly, Zed was about to step forward when something astonishing happened.

SWISH.

A shadow stretched out from Ferda's hand, grabbed the item, and drifted over to hand it to him.

He was quite taken aback by the shadow hand, but he tried not to show it.

"What is this?"

"The item I promised."

At the mention of a promised item, Zed checked its contents.

"I, Ferda Valdrova, Consort, proxy, and Regent of Valdrova, acting on behalf of the Great 12 Dragons' Ruler of Power and Fire, Valdrova, hereby ordain Zed Swallow as a sword of the king and a shield of the people..."

He could easily realize what it was without having to read through all that tongue-twisting content.

"A knighthood appointment letter?"

Zed lifted his head with wide eyes.

"... Is this for real?"

"Why would it be fake? Didn't you come in on the promise of exactly this?"

"Well, you said you'd help me step into high society, but I didn't think you'd officially knight me right away?"

Becoming a knight was the stepping stone to nobility.

Thus, unless one was from a long-standing knightly family or had built up remarkable military merits, it was impossible to achieve.

"Is it really okay for me to just receive this right now?"

"There's no need to worry. Your abilities were proven sufficiently at the Empire's warehouse."

"No, it's not that..."

Zed waved his hands wildly.

"Shouldn't this kind of thing come with a grand banquet as the default?"

"..."

"Skipping the important parts like calling in women, singing songs, and drinking booze feels a bit..."

Ferda stared flatly at Zed, who was mimicking clinking a glass.

'Should I take it back?'

"Just focus on your mission, 'Sir' Zed."

"Tsk. Understood, Regent."

'My party...'

Grumbling like that, he left the room.

"I should hurry up and get ready, too."

Normally he would have to be attended to by Luri, but there was no longer a need for that.

SWISH.

Something like a black mist stretched out from Ferda's sleeves and chest.

That mist formed into eight hands and began to attend to Ferda.

Buttoning his shirt and fixing his clothes, they created a near-perfect appearance.

'Reaching the 4th Circle really is worth it.'

He was only using them for such simple tasks right now because he was inexperienced, but these hands were an extension of Ferda's arms.

Once he got used to them, he could use them to cast magic circles and strike at his opponent's blind spots.

His talent still remained within him, so all that was left was practice and experience.

"Shall we go?"

The sound of Ferda's footsteps echoed down the hallway.

When he arrived alone at the gates of the inner castle, many soldiers were gathered below.

"Pay your respects!"

Arwen's voice rang out loudly.

The soldiers moved in perfect unison and knelt.

Even though it was just a single motion, one could tell how brutally they had been trained.

"Arwen Wolfheart, alongside my unit of 30 men, have received orders to carry out the escort operation!"

"Orders received!"

The shouts of the knights.

Ferda slowly swept his gaze over each of them and nodded.

"I'm counting on you."

"Yes, sir! Everyone, to your positions!"

Arwen mounted his horse, and the soldiers spread out into a defensive formation for the escort.

Beside Arwen, Zed was also mounted on a horse.

It hadn't even been a day since he was knighted, but true to a playboy who had made more than a few women cry, he had the proper posture down.

Ferda turned his gaze toward the carriage.

Waiting for him was a red carriage and the maid Luri.

She was holding the door open with her usual business-like expression.

"Please get in."

"Alright."

Right at the moment Ferda left the castle and was about to step into the carriage.

Ferda felt a gaze and subtly turned his head to look up at the castle.

The balcony in the inner castle overlooking the gates.

No one was there.

It was only natural.

'What was I expecting?'

"Lord Ferda?"

"Let's go."

Ferda took his seat, and the carriage began to move.

The long, 10-day journey flew by like an arrow.