Chapter 1035: Milestone (22)
Vulcan District 3, an old cathedral at the edge of the area.
In front of a praying goddess statue, an old man with jet-black hair played an ancient board game alone.
Despite his advanced age, his hair and eyes were an impossibly vivid black.
Whoosh…!!
The old man, holding a black piece, watched the board game, bathed in a serene breeze.
In the seat opposite him, where the breeze had just been, a woman wearing a loose cardigan sat down.
The old man, unfazed by the woman’s arrival, set down a black piece and spoke.
“Heiberk. You’re late.”
“You’re just early, Yasir.”
The woman pushed up her thick glasses, a frown on her face.
“Phase 34, move A18. I wouldn’t play it like that. Take it back and replay.”
“There are no replays, Heiberk.”
The old man in black laughed with a deep, resonant voice.
“The word ‘again’ is no longer permitted for us.”
“…”
“Still, it’s surprising how things have turned out.”
The old man’s eyes, having set down the black piece, grew hazy as if recalling distant memories.
“I never would have imagined you accepting this kind of life before.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“Hardly. Quite the opposite.”
The old man shook his head, watching the woman pick up and place a white piece.
“It’s just… I never thought you, of all people, would side with the outside rather than the Central.”
“You still have that annoying habit of talking in circles.”
The woman retorted in a level tone.
“You’ve been Senate Chairman long enough; you should have learned how to be considerate of your subordinates by now.”
“…”
The old man didn’t reply.
He merely carried an infinitely heavy silence, and set down the black piece he held.
Clack.
As the old man flipped the white pieces on the board one by one, turning them black, he spoke.
“The Nether King is moving. He’ll soon arrive at the entrance to Paradise Lost.”
“…”
“I believe he…”
The old man hesitated, then continued.
“I believe he won’t disregard the karma Jinwa has accumulated.”
“The last of the Black Rhapsody bloodline wasn’t exactly known for a righteous character, was he?”
“True. But that man… he demands incredibly high standards from both himself and others.”
The old man shook his head, looking at the white piece the woman had placed.
“Once that black wizard restarts the Gabihaeng, he’ll never try to finish things halfway.”
“…”
“Conflict is inevitable. The important thing is to control the situation afterward. Measures to protect the sealed-off areas in preparation for the worst-”
“Aren’t you asking for help from the wrong person?”
The woman replied, moving a white piece.
“I’ve only inherited some of the talent for records; Ascendant matters are a completely different domain. It’s not a curse I can interfere with.”
“…”
“It’s especially true for Ascendants who achieved transcendence on their own, unbound by the Central. Unless they’re a unique case like Chogyeon, they wouldn’t feel anything for us.”
“But…”
“But, if it’s while I’m staying in Vulcan, I’ll seriously consider it.”
The woman offered a hollow smile, watching the black pieces rapidly flip over on the board.
“That wizard you’re watching… I quite like him myself.”
“…”
“He openly told me he’d use us. He seemed to be preparing for something, and now I’m curious what it is.”
It was a chill laced with sharp cynicism, utterly unlike the languid smile she usually wore in front of Lennok.
“So, until then, don’t interfere. You wouldn’t say you can’t even grant such a small request, would you?”
“Van. I barely even care anymore when the areas around the Magic Tower get demolished, you know?”
Vulcan District 49, Adamant Thunder’s Magic Tower. The Tower Lord’s office on the top floor.
Jenny sighed, gazing out the window at the street below, where restoration work was still ongoing.
“But having that eyesore just sitting there near the Tower is a problem of a different dimension. It’s a serious emergency.”
“An eyesore, huh.”
Lennok followed Jenny’s gaze, looking at the grassy plain unfurling across the sky outside the window, and gave a wry smile.
The Undertaker of Ars Nova, Cyrus Ardeltio’s Domain, the Funeral Ship to the Sea of Return.
The form of that Domain, newly established above the Magic Tower, clearly didn’t sit well with Jenny.
Days after Anathema’s funeral ceremony concluded and the battle that upended District 49 was over.
Lennok was taking a short break, tidying up affairs at the Magic Tower.
Though he had brought the nobles into the Tower, it was taking time for them to settle in and for the surrounding residents to adjust.
Even with Lennok mediating the transition, various problems were arising.
“This is no laughing matter. Do you know what rumors are spreading in this city right now?”
Jenny turned to Lennok, her expression turning serious.
“They’re whispering that the crazy wizard has now personally flown in a graveyard to kill and bury people.”
“…”
“I tried to contact that noble, the Undertaker, to see if we could at least change its location, but no one’s gotten a reply. He’s completely incommunicado.”
“I’ll try to convert the training grounds behind the Magic Tower to make some space.”
Lennok said with a wry smile.
Even Lennok himself had never managed to communicate normally with the Undertaker, so it was obvious how others would fare.
It would likely be better to talk to a wall, so Lennok would have to mediate at the very least.
“He’s not at the level where he can’t understand language. If suitable space is provided, he’ll likely accept moving the location.”
“I certainly hope so, but…”
Since the Central Nobles staying in the Tower was Lennok’s request, he needed to provide them with as much convenience as possible.
Jenny knew this too, which was why she came to Lennok instead of trying to solve the problem herself, to report on the recent developments.
Lennok, picking up the grimoire of Black God Demonic Art he had been reading intently, spoke.
“How about Jutiya Heiberk?”
“She’s just as strange, but completely opposite from that Undertaker.”
Jenny shrugged.
“She roams all over Vulcan all day, then drops by the Tower briefly at midnight before leaving. She doesn’t seem to have any intention of staying in one place.”
“Has she requested anything specific?”
“We provide expense support for people who go out of the Tower for work. But she refused it from the second day. Do you know why?”
Jenny, unable to hide her exasperation, tapped on the desk.
“She said she earns more than that in a single day. Told us to save the budget.”
“The expenses provided aren’t small. Has she already found a source of income in Vulcan…?”
He knew that the nobles he had brought in were only nominally tied to the Tower, and couldn’t truly become its members.
Even so, the actions these two nobles displayed in the mega-city were quite peculiar.
Perhaps it was because they were accustomed to living alone, having wandered the continent their entire lives after their hometown was destroyed.
“Oh, and this is a bit of a different topic. She asked if you were thinking of entrusting her with the IT systems.”
“IT systems?”
“She said she could organize all the Tower’s systems within a week and boost process efficiency by nearly 30%.”
“That’s…”
If Jutiya, who used to work as a Scribe for Ars Nova, said it, then such an outrageous claim wouldn’t be an empty boast.
As Lennok was lost in serious thought, a languid voice echoed beside them.
“She’s a Bajour’s granddaughter. You shouldn’t talk about her like that.”
“!!”
Behind Jenny, Jutiya stood idly, wearing sunglasses.
Jenny, realizing Jutiya’s presence a step too late, flinched and retreated towards Lennok.
Like a tourist enjoying her trip, she held a pamphlet in one hand and stirred a smoothie she’d bought somewhere.
But Jutiya, unfazed by Jenny’s strong reaction, spoke in a level tone.
“What I meant was that I’m more confident with IT work than clerical work. That was just an example, after all.”
“Ah, I see…”
“Adamant Thunder said I could take it easy, but I have no intention of idling away while living off others. If you need help, please let me know.”
Leaving Jenny to nod with a reluctant expression, Lennok gazed at Jutiya and asked.
“I heard you weren’t staying at the Magic Tower. Have you enjoyed your city tour enough?”
“Hardly enough. You’ve lived here, but you still don’t realize how vast this mega-city is, do you?”
Jutiya, with a languid smile, thrust the pamphlet she was holding in front of Lennok.
“Even just picking out the prime tour courses to visit Vulcan’s main tourist spots takes over two months. You can’t see everything in just a few days.”
“I see.”
“Today I went to Vulcan’s central district, and it was nice to meet some familiar faces after so long.”
“…”
“Tomorrow, I’m going to the botanical garden in District 31. I’ve arranged to meet another acquaintance there. The city is big, and there are so many people; it has its own kind of fun.”
Jutiya seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her tour of the mega-city.
Perhaps she was intent on meeting acquaintances residing in Vulcan while she had the chance.
But Lennok knew exactly why Jutiya had returned to the Magic Tower at this particular time today.
“So, Adamant Thunder. We’re getting the results for Thorben today, right?”
Jutiya, sipping her smoothie through a straw, her eyes glinted sharply.
“It’s more fun than I expected, but I at least need to know how long I have to stay here. I can’t keep wasting time, can I?”
“The examination should be finishing up around now.”
Lennok tucked the grimoire of Black God Demonic Art into his pocket and rose from his seat.
“Let’s go straight to the Underground Hollow.”
“Haa…”
Jenny, realizing who Lennok was going to meet, also looked tense.
Cyrus, who remained motionless in the sky near the Magic Tower, and Jutiya, who wandered Vulcan every single day.
But a far more significant and serious problem lay dormant within the Magic Tower’s Underground Hollow.
Crackling!
“…Ugh.”
As soon as they entered the Underground Hollow, Jenny winced at the blinding flash of lightning that struck her eyes.
Electrical currents brilliantly illuminated the massive Underground Hollow of the obsidian Magic Tower.
Amidst the resounding rumble of thunder that filled the entire hollow, an old man with abundant white hair sat with his eyes closed.
Crackle, crackle…!!!
A man of bold features, possessing an intense vitality unbefitting his age.
Simply by sitting with his arms crossed and his mouth shut, he exuded an oppressive aura that made it difficult to approach him.
But what captivated the gaze first was the intense, fiery glow of electricity that enveloped his body.
ZAP!
With every breath he exhaled, a tingling current of lightning flowed out, brilliantly illuminating the surroundings.
Every twitch of his eyebrow caused a burst of lightning to explode, producing a thunderous roar, and electrical currents flashed through his hair.
The old wizard, flashing and glowing boisterously as if he had become living lightning.
Jutiya, standing behind Lennok, waved her hand with a languid expression.
“Akendrias, are you awake?”
“…Heiberk.”
Thorben opened an eye slightly, looked at Jutiya’s face, and snorted.
“Still alive, I see. Be grateful for my grand-disciple’s mercy.”
“Funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you.”
Jutiya tilted her head and asked.
“Shouldn’t you, who was defeated by Adamant Thunder and survived, be grateful for his mercy?”
“Hah! This is why outsiders who know nothing of magic…”
Thorben declared with a confident expression.
“This old man has already shared a bond of lightning thicker than blood with my grand-disciple. Fleeting victories and defeats mean nothing, so why should this old man worry about his life?”
“…”
Jutiya was speechless, and Jenny looked around in bewilderment.
“Is that true?”
Lennok looked stern.
“Forget a bond of lightning, we haven’t even properly introduced ourselves.”
But Thorben paid no attention to Lennok’s reaction, stating proudly.
“And as for you all, I assumed you would have paid dearly for holding a funeral ritual without my grand-disciple’s permission. To think you’re still alive. How surprising.”
“I’m sorry, but weren’t we on the same side until we arrived in Vulcan?”
Thorben’s words and actions, chastising the nobles on Lennok’s behalf as if they’d never passionately fought, were utterly natural.
Even Jutiya tilted her head at his absurd change of stance.
“Hmph, enough!”
Thorben raised a hand with a roar and declared.
“This old man shall now, in place of my merciful grand-disciple, strike down the insolence of these old nobles…!!”
Crackle!
As Thorben drew forth his magic, an explosive flash of lightning surged from his body.
A powerful surge of energy that instantly illuminated the dark Underground Hollow in a brilliant blue.
Jutiya’s unenthusiastic face was tinged by the lightning, and Jenny’s complexion turned pale.
At the moment Lennok wondered if he should intervene, due to the incredibly powerful magic, almost unbelievable for a wizard whose Domain had been broken and defeated.
[Woof.]
Chomp!
A pure white baby dragon, rising from behind the Tower Lord, bit down on his head with a snap.
“~~~~!!!!!”
Ignoring the Tower Lord, who was roaring soundlessly, the Guardian Spirit Beast mumbled as if talking in its sleep, eyes closed.
Each time, the electrical currents flowing from the Tower Lord’s body began to rapidly siphon into the Guardian Spirit Beast.
Whoosh…!!
“…Wow.”
“…”
Jutiya stood with her mouth agape in amazement, and Jenny was frozen like a statue on the spot.
Even the Central Nobles seemed to have never imagined Thorben would be in such a state.
“Cough, cough!!”
Only after the Guardian Spirit Beast, having gorged itself on electricity, opened its mouth, did Thorben emerge, coughing laboriously.
The old wizard, drenched in drool, turned with a flushed face and roared.
“You brat, just how long do you intend to suck on this old man’s lightning? Get up now!!”
[Snore.]
The baby dragon, seemingly oblivious to the Tower Lord’s outcry, was deep in slumber.
Ever since consuming Akendrias El Thorben’s Domain, the Guardian Spirit Beast had remained asleep.
The only times the Guardian Spirit Beast moved were to suck electricity from the Tower Lord like a pacifier when it needed more.
Perhaps the sight of Akendrias El Thorben, reduced from the Thorben’s Tower Lord to the Guardian Spirit Beast’s electrical pacifier, was quite shocking.
Beside Jutiya, who was gaping speechless, a side door in the Underground Hollow burst open.
“Adamant Thunder, you’re here.”
“Murphy.”
The emaciated doctor in the wheelchair, Alejandro Murphy, pointed to the examination report in his hand and spoke.
“You arrived just in time. Akendrias El Thorben’s examination just finished.”
The battle ended when the Tower Lord collapsed in futility, and since then, Thorben had been confined within the Magic Tower’s Underground Hollow.
Lennok had then summoned Alejandro Murphy, a specialist in bio-examinations, to inspect the Tower Lord’s body.
Murphy was not only responsible for Lennok’s health check-ups but was also a doctor with experience treating various high-level wizards.
A doctor of his caliber should be able to clearly identify Thorben’s current condition in this situation.
However, it seemed Lennok wasn’t the only one who knew Murphy.
“Alejandro.”
Jutiya, turning her gaze towards Murphy, spoke.
Her gaze, behind thick glasses, was low and somber.
“You’re alive.”
“Lady Heiberk.”
Murphy hesitated, then bowed slightly.
Murphy’s manner was exceedingly polite, something never seen before.
Alejandro Murphy was one of the very few survivors from Ars Nova.
If he was a distinguished doctor even in Ars Nova, it wasn’t strange for a noble to remember him.
However, Jutiya’s reaction wasn’t merely from knowing Murphy.
Even she, who had been meeting various acquaintances in Vulcan, reacted as if she hadn’t expected to meet Murphy here.
Lennok, watching the two of them intently, asked.
“Do you need some time?”
“No. Lady Heiberk and I will handle that ourselves.”
Murphy hesitated, then shook his head and unfolded the examination report.
“I’ll start with the examination results. I’d like to deliver the results with the patient present, if that’s alright?”
“Proceed.”
“Alright. Then… let’s begin with the most important fact.”
Murphy, quickly flipping through the examination report, looked at the prone Thorben’s Tower Lord and spoke.
“Akendrias El Thorben has no major organs, including a heart, within his body.”
“What?”
“The functions of organs like his lungs, heart, liver, and kidneys are being handled by electrical signals.”
Murphy, sitting in his wheelchair, rapidly flipped through pages with graphs printed on them, and continued.
“Looking at his overall metabolic rate, it’s not that his major organs were completely removed. It’s probably more accurate to say that he transformed his own organs into lightning and stored them within his Domain.”
“…”
“And that’s why your Guardian Spirit Beast consuming Thorben’s Domain is a problem.”
Murphy said, pointing at the baby dragon sleeping behind the Tower Lord.
“Akendrias El Thorben’s organs, transformed into lightning, are now swallowed inside the Guardian Spirit Beast’s belly. In essence, a part of Thorben’s spirit and flesh has become one with your spirit beast.”
“Are you saying the Guardian Spirit Beast and the Tower Lord’s body have fused?”
“Spiritually, it’s a similar state. And one side has unilaterally taken ownership. In this case, we need to look for precedents not in Arcane Medicine, but in other fields.”
“Other fields, you mean…”
“In cases where a part of one’s spirit and flesh is unilaterally bound to another, in sorcery or daoist arts-”
Murphy, his brow furrowed, spoke.
“They often call it becoming a Shikigami [식신].”
“…”
Silence followed.
Jutiya raised her gaze with an incredulous expression.
“Perhaps… I have to stay here much longer than I thought?”
[Arururung.]
The Guardian Spirit Beast’s sleepy mumble, as it continued to siphon electricity from the sullen Thorben, echoed in place of an answer.