Chapter 179 - Those Who Realized (5)

As bewilderment spread across Shtalian V's face, Kurak slowly turned his head.

"What is it?"

The question was calm. Wondering whether he had misheard something, Shtalian V asked again.

"... You just said Marquis Pallatio, didn't you?"

"I did. What of it?"

"..."

His head was beginning to spin. Had he ever been this bewildered even while governing the kingdom?

"What does that mean?"

"What are you referring to?"

"What you just said."

"Exactly what I said. I'm going to verify whether Marquis Pallatio truly is that revered one's close friend."

Silence fell in an instant.

Frankly, Shtalian V needed an explanation, yet he could not say a word. He had no idea where to begin or how to frame his questions.

After spending a long while sorting through his tangled thoughts, he cautiously spoke.

"... May I ask one more thing?"

"Do as you please."

Kurak waved a hand casually.

"... The one the lizardmen serve is an incarnate god, is he not?"

"Yes. A great being."

"... Then does being his close friend mean the marquis is also an incarnate god?"

There were any number of things he wanted explained. But he also knew that asking would not earn him a helpful explanation. From what he had seen of the lizardman before him, Kurak did not particularly enjoy explaining things.

That was why Shtalian had asked about the most important conclusion first.

"You understand well."

At Kurak's reply, he unwittingly let a curse slip.

"... Fuck."

It was his first since he was fifteen, when he had narrowly dodged the sword of a prince trying to kill him during the struggle for the throne.

And so, by a different route from Karmakses III, he arrived at a strange truth.

'... Marquis Pallatio is a god...?'

####

Having reached the tower's upper floor, Alon picked up the pendant and letter lying there alone.

A red gemstone was set into the pendant. Inside it, cracks spread in every direction, as though depicting crackling lightning.

He then unfolded the letter.

"Hmm."

Neither long nor short, it filled just the front of the page. Along with a casual greeting, it contained two pieces of information he needed.

First, crafting the gemstone mentioned last time had exhausted the dragonkin's strength, so the dragonkin would be unable to appear outside for half a year.

Second, the gemstone would speak to him of its own accord in a month or two, along with advice to make a good go of things once it did.

Alon quickly read the letter carefully, feeling a small pang of disappointment.

'... There were some things I wanted to ask.'

He had intended to ask the dragonkin about his inner world, but there was nothing he could do.

Putting his disappointment aside, he took the pendant and letter and headed outside.

"Oh? You're back rather quickly this time, my lord."

Alon gave a slight shrug.

"Well, that's how things turned out."

"Then are we heading straight back?"

"Yes. There's nothing more to do here anyway."

As he walked, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

'... I was already planning to visit Kailas again today. Perhaps I can ask then.'

How long had he been walking out of the ruins, arranging his schedule in his head?

Before he knew it, he was back outside beneath the scorching sun.

"The marquis looked so impressive when he did that back then!"

"Mm-hmm! I know exactly what you mean!"

Karsem and Seollang came into view, engrossed in a heated discussion(?) and apparently in perfect accord.

Like a comedy duo, the sight of the two together gave him an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

Then he lowered his gaze to Seollang's busy hands.

["Kyuu..."]

His eyes met Blackie's as Seollang petted the creature every which way.

... Those pitiful eyes were full of reproach.

####

By the time the sun was high overhead, the party had returned safely to Coloni under Karsem's escort.

Alon went straight into Seollang's guild building and took out The Foot That Runs Through the Past.

'I could have used this much earlier.'

It had already accumulated all the mana it needed around the time he entered the desert and began crossing toward Coloni with the merchant caravan.

However, he had waited until he could use it in a fixed location. According to Evan, the moment Alon used The Foot That Runs Through the Past, his entire body had disappeared somewhere before reappearing.

If he had been sucked inside it, that would be fine. But if he used it while traveling and ended up stranded alone in the middle of the desert, he would be in trouble.

"I'll be off, then."

"Yes, my lord. I'll stand guard, just in case."

"Me too!"

["Kyuu!"]

Seollang and Evan nodded earnestly as Alon lifted The Foot That Runs Through the Past. Blackie, a little more energetic than usual—perhaps thanks to escaping Seollang's hands—also swished its tail vigorously.

Watching them, Alon fed mana into the artifact.

His vision blazed white, and then...

"..."

He entered the place he had seen before. A place where everything lay in ruin. The inner world that, if Kailas was to be believed, appeared to belong to Alon.

And there stood Kailas.

"You're here, whelp."

####

"... Are you asking whether an inner world can manifest in a different way?"

"Yes."

The moment he saw Kailas, Alon had asked about the inner world.

"Impossible."

"Is...that so?"

"Whelp. If you walk the path of magic, understand something this simple the first time you're told."

Alon smacked his lips at Kailas's mild rebuke. It was not as though he was asking because he had failed to understand.

'In any case, getting answers about this inner world from Kailas will be difficult.'

Having reached that conclusion, he spoke again.

"... May I continue with the questions I had last time?"

"Ask. I wouldn't have come in the first place if I didn't intend to hear you out. Still, keep your questions as brief as possible."

Kailas jerked his chin slightly and sat on a mound of stones.

Alon organized the questions he had been unable to ask last time.

"I want to ask about spell formulas."

"... Spell formulas?"

"Yes."

As Alon nodded, Kailas's expression grew strange.

"... Whelp, I hardly believe I need to ask, but are you serious?"

"Yes."

"... You walk the path of a Magus, half-baked though you may be, and you don't know about spell formulas?"

"Is there something wrong with not knowing?"

"..."

Alon was utterly unabashed. Kailas's mouth fell open in disbelief.

Soon, however, he shook his head lightly, as if dismissing a bothersome thought, and began explaining.

"A spell formula is, quite literally, a formula."

"Every Magus essentially utters activation words to draw forth Mourning of the Heart. But as you know, a Magus's activation words are long and slow."

"..."

"In battle, speed is directly tied to your life. Nor is that all. From research onward, speed matters everywhere magic is used. That is why the Magi created formulas: to manifest it immediately without calling out activation words."

"Then a spell formula means a formula created to manifest magic quickly?"

"You cannot define it so simply. Ultimately, a spell formula comes to function as a Magus's unique trait. Well...that's not something you'd understand when you haven't even properly acquired a spell formula yet," Kailas added.

"... How do you acquire that spell formula?"

"It isn't difficult. If you properly understand Mourning of the Heart, you need only weave it together and engrave it on your body."

"By weaving it together and engraving it on your body, you mean—"

"Exactly that. Like the Mourning of the Heart you possess—no, wait."

Breaking off his explanation, Kailas glanced around at the 'ruined world' surrounding them with a peculiar expression.

"... Come to think of it, whelp, didn't you certainly possess Mourning of the Heart? Why is your inner world like this?"

"Ah."

Alon understood the question easily enough.

'True, I dealt with Kailas using Ice-Crystal Painted Halberd before.'

Recalling that, he considered for a moment, then explained that he could use phrases and sentences even without Mourning of the Heart.

"That's absurd..."

Kailas's expression twisted further. A moment later, he gave a small sigh.

"In short, you're saying you can use sentences without understanding Mourning of the Heart."

"That's right."

"Ha. Ridiculous."

Kailas shook his head with a hollow laugh.

"In that case, there's no point in explaining spell formulas or anything else. You haven't even received Mourning of the Heart, so there's no chance you would understand my explanation."

"... Just to be sure, were there no Magi like that?"

"Of course not. There couldn't possibly be a Magus like—"

Kailas, who had been about to deny it outright, suddenly stopped.

"... No, now that I think about it, there may have been one."

"Who was it?"

"I only heard stories myself, but they said one of the elven Magi practiced magic that way."

"... You don't know who?"

"I don't. I never had occasion to meet them. But..."

He dredged up a memory from the distant past.

"Yes. The primordial elf...was it? I believe that was what they called that fellow."

"The primordial elf?"

"Yes. That's all I know."

"..."

He now had another reason to visit the elves' village.

'The primordial elf also used magic without Mourning of the Heart...'

If he went there, perhaps another stubborn knot would unravel.

Having organized his thoughts, Alon decided to ask Kailas another question—no, a favor.

"From what I know, you handled a Shadow Dragon. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Then can you teach me how to use a Shadow Dragon?"

"How to use a Shadow Dragon?"

One corner of Kailas's mouth curled upward.

"Do you even know what you're talking about? You can only use a Shadow Dragon after forming a contract."

His gaze was that of someone looking at a fool.

Rather than offer an explanation, Alon pulled Blackie from inside his clothes.

"I have one."

Kailas saw the black ball of fur resting in Alon's hands.

["Kyuu?"]

At the sudden appearance of a Death Shadow Dragon, his face filled with shock, and he unwittingly swore.

"What the fuck—"

####

Kailas, who had exuded effortless composure until now, had become thoroughly flustered the instant Alon showed him Blackie.

He looked back and forth between Blackie and Alon several times, as though unable to comprehend it.

"How did you do it?"

"... Do what?"

"How did you form a contract with not a Shadow Dragon, but a Death Shadow Dragon—and its true body, not even a fragment...!"

Kailas snorted in disbelief, but Alon answered calmly.

"It just happened."

"... Are you trying to brush this aside with 'it just happened'? After doing something so utterly impossible?"

After getting worked up all on his own, Kailas looked behind Alon and sighed.

"Right, well... I suppose it could happen."

With his reaction somewhat subdued, Alon raised the question on his mind.

"I know Shadow Dragons and Death Shadow Dragons are different, but is the difference that great?"

"There are a great many differences."

"... That much?"

"Yes, that much. For that matter, today is the first time I've learned that a direct contract with a Death Shadow Dragon is even possible."

At Kailas's fuss, Alon looked down at Blackie, sitting loaf-like in his arms.

["Kyuu?"]

Blackie tilted its head adorably.

Alon, too, knew Blackie was powerful. But he had only read about it in writing, never witnessed it himself, so he was honestly puzzled.

Was it really that powerful? Wondering anew, he stroked Blackie's back.

"... It seems you don't properly understand how fortunate you've been."

Watching him intently, Kailas gave a hollow laugh, then raised both hands.

"Well, fine. It should be possible here, at any rate, so I'll show you."

"... Show me what?"

"Watch closely. See what good fortune you've gained."

Without further explanation, he immediately formed a seal.

Extending his left hand straight forward, he moved his right hand behind it and interlaced his fingers in a strange posture.

"Seat of the Impartial Heart."

The moment Kailas quietly uttered those words—

KRRRRAAAK!!!

Something black began to rise from his shadow.

Then, as though he had been waiting for it—

"Path of Illusory Images."

The shadow devoured the ruined world.

The ashen sky.

The cracked earth.

The rotten trees.

The twisted grass.

Everything. It devoured everything.

As though cramming all that existed into an abyss.

"Linked Dragon."

As soon as Kailas spoke, the shadow, having finally devoured everything, began to take shape.

As though creating nothingness from existence, life was breathed into the black shadow.

And what took shape at last was—

"Emissary of Sin, Dragon of the Heart's Consent."

A dragon.

An enormous dragon that alone blanketed the ruined world.

And then—

"This is your Death Shadow Dragon's final stage."

"..."

At those words, Alon could only gape blankly.

In a world where everything seemed to have frozen before that unfathomable being—

["Kyuu?"]

Only Blackie's adorable cry echoed through the emptiness.