Chapter 1440: A New Phase (5)
A blue field stretched to the edge of the Central Front’s outer border.
A plain overflowing with a vitality completely different from the purple-hued Paradise Lost.
Lennok stood looking out at the vast meadow, dyed green as far as the horizon.
Swoosh-
A warm breeze brushed past his cheek. The scent of grass lingered at the tip of his nose.
A quiet tranquility that made everything that had happened in Paradise Lost feel like a lie.
Lennok’s expression as he watched the swaying meadow was calm, as if deep in thought.
As he quietly looked down at something in his hand, an unfamiliar voice came from behind him.
“How is the test going?”
Soryu stood behind Lennok with a cold expression, gazing at the meadow.
“A plant weapon made from the power of the Extinct Eye. It seems it’s not as easy to handle as you thought.”
“…”
Soryu approached the silent Lennok and spoke.
“I pursued the head of the Empty Mirror clan, but I couldn’t find any significant traces. Hylaea said it was likely due to his magical properties.”
“He probably didn’t reveal himself just to fight us in the first place.”
Although Lennok knew Atera was acting on the Emperor’s orders, he hadn’t bothered to stop him from leaving after his work was done.
He had intuited that Atera wasn’t following the Emperor’s command out of loyalty, but was moving based on his own interests.
While there was no need to believe everything the head of the Empty Mirror clan said when he handed over this staff, for now, it was enough to have obtained a meaningful clue.
After all, this was virtually the first time since the Subjugation Operation that he had acquired such sensitive information about the Emperor and the Imperial Palace.
“Did you come to tell me Atera’s whereabouts?”
“No. There was something I borrowed from you at Yeongheo Palace.”
Taking the Ice Seal from her coat, Soryu spoke with a cold expression.
“I came to return it.”
“…”
As Lennok silently accepted the Ice Seal, Soryu glanced away.
“Without the power of the Ice Seal, it would have been difficult to buy time at Yeongheo Palace. It was close, but you helped.”
“That’s surprising.”
Fiddling with the cold seal in his hand, Lennok let out a smirk.
“I naturally assumed you wouldn’t try to return it. Wasn’t it a royal treasure?”
The Ice Seal was a treasure of the Kabahim royal family that Lennok had acquired from Armas von Anathema’s mansion in the past.
He had obtained it along with the Forbidden Armament, the Glass-Colored Gauntlet, which had been stored in the mansion.
Given that he had seized the Curse-Eating Ghoul and the Ice Seal after a struggle with Pandemonium, he wouldn’t have thought it strange if Soryu had been greedy for it.
But hearing Lennok’s words, Soryu scoffed instead.
“If I were to get it back through a proper process, that would be one thing, but I have no intention of sneakily wiping my mouth and stealing it like this. You are mistaken.”
“Interesting. Is this the pride of a royal?”
“No. The country I was born in has already fallen, and my father has been dead for a long time. I have no intention of clinging to hollow honor.”
Soryu looked into the distance.
“However… I do have a desire to collect the royal treasures scattered across the continent. I know that the power flowing in my blood can be strengthened through them.”
“…”
“It’s not that I don’t covet the Ice Seal, but the treasured sword I currently use was also borrowed from Victor. I don’t want to be indebted to multiple people.”
Soryu stroked the royal treasured sword at her waist and turned her gaze.
“That’s enough about me. Let’s get moving soon. We are ready to leave. We can move as soon as you finish testing the performance of that staff you acquired.”
“I see. My apologies for making you wait.”
“…No, I wasn’t looking for an apology.”
“I had to confirm in advance whether it was alright to bring this item back to Vulcan. It took more time than I expected to figure that out.”
Lennok said calmly.
“This is an object possessing the power of the Extinct Eye Outer God. Even if I’m fine, an unfortunate incident where others get swept up in it must not happen.”
“…”
“I don’t think I said anything I shouldn’t have. Why are you looking at me with that expression?”
“No… It’s just that I think I understand why the rumors about you are so bizarrely twisted.”
Soryu, who had been looking at Lennok with a strange expression, gave a bitter smile.
“To think a wizard great enough to kill an Ascendant alone possesses emotions no different from an ordinary human… It’s no wonder others can’t accept it as it is.”
“Don’t you think that’s not something you should say to a person’s face, in many ways?”
“Let’s go back to the story about the Extinct Eye. So, has the plant weapon’s safety been confirmed?”
Lennok, who had been looking at Soryu in disbelief as she blatantly changed the subject, turned his gaze away.
“It’s ambiguous. It’s not that it’s uncontrollable, but its actual performance has many dubious aspects.”
“Dubious? I don’t know what you mean.”
“What do you think the power of the Extinct Eye Outer God is?”
“The tree of calamity that destroys civilizations… I heard it’s a corrupted World Tree from the Outer Universe.”
Having passed through Paradise Lost, Soryu now had a vague understanding of the Extinct Eye.
“If it’s a great tree of destruction, then I would think it possesses the ability to extinguish everything just by its existence. Because it’s such a dangerous power, wasn’t that why the Empire exterminated the Black Edict clan as soon as they had a pretext?”
“That’s about half right.”
“…I feel like I’m being tutored. Then will you tell me the other half of the answer?”
Nodding, Lennok slowly raised the staff made from the wood of the Extinct Eye.
He wrapped mana around the blackened staff, infused it, and carefully planted it in the ground.
At that moment, the green meadow of the plain began to wither in an instant, centered on where the staff was planted.
“This is…”
Saaaah…!!
The grass that had been swaying in the wind was instantly drained of its life force and wilted.
The fresh blades of grass turned yellow, oxidized, and soon crumbled into a handful of ash.
A sight as if the field, dyed blue to the end of the horizon, was losing its life and dying out, centered on Lennok.
Just as Soryu, watching from right behind, stared at the perishing meadow with a hardened expression…
…it stopped the moment Lennok pulled the staff out.
“What do you think?”
“…Unreal.”
He had only planted the staff in the ground for a moment, yet an area with a radius of several hundred meters around Lennok had perished at once.
The knee-high grass of the meadow had vanished in an instant, revealing the desolate plain.
“I understand why Jinwa coveted the power of this Outer God. This is a power that could extinguish a planet just by existing.”
It was a power that perfectly matched what Soryu had imagined—a power of calamity that could extinguish anything just by contact.
It wasn’t hard to imagine what would happen the moment such an object was brought near a human body.
If anything, Lennok, who was holding it with his bare hands without any issue, seemed all the more strange.
But despite Soryu’s words, Lennok calmly touched the staff and spoke.
“At a glance, it might seem like it extinguishes life just by contact. But that’s not it.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not a power that extinguishes life merely by contact. It’s simply absorbing nutrients for its own growth.”
“…That is.”
“The Extinct Eye Outer God is a great tree of destruction that feeds on civilization to grow. But even after becoming an Outer God, its essence as a World Tree has not changed.”
Lennok said as he looked at the staff.
“It’s just… a being that no longer hesitates to absorb even civilization or life to use as nutrients for its own growth.”
“…”
“The ability of the Extinct Eye is not to extinguish or kill something. It lies in absorbing and growing by sucking in any concept and civilization.”
Lennok slowly turned around.
“That’s why the Emperor attached the pretext of treason and annihilated the Black Edict clan.”
A tree of destruction that drinks civilization to grow.
But the true power of the Extinct Eye lies in the very act of drinking civilization and growing.
A seed of calamity that could have grown by eating the glory and civilization built up by the Imperial Palace of Ars Nova whole.
Only then could Soryu understand what kind of concern Lennok had about the plant weapon.
“Is it… alright to take something like that into a mega-city?”
“Probably. It should be fine for now.”
Lennok replied as he stored the staff in his coat.
“As long as I’m around, no one will come into contact with it. The problem is that… the branch of the Extinct Eye grows every time this plant weapon is used.”
“…”
“It’s a powerful and convenient ability in that you can forcibly feed anything to it, but I don’t know what form the seedling that grows from it will take.”
He suddenly felt he understood why the Black Edict clan hadn’t used this to resist the Empire.
This plant weapon Lennok had obtained was not a weapon of slaughter or a strategic weapon comparable to the power of the Empire.
It was an object that would devour even filth and waste, using them as nutrients to one day consume this very star.
Perhaps the reason the Emperor left this in the main house of the Black Edict clan, even after obtaining it, was related to that.
After that, Lennok and Soryu tidied up the surroundings and moved to the rendezvous point.
Pandemonium members who had packed their own luggage were scattered around, taking a rest.
Seeing Lennok approaching with Soryu, Hylaea rose from her seat.
“Adamant Thunder, you’ve come. Soryu didn’t return right away, so I was worried something had happened.”
“Confirming the power of the plant weapon took longer than I thought. My apologies for making you wait.”
At Lennok’s calm words, the expressions of the other members turned awkward.
Lennok ignored their reactions and immediately asked Hylaea.
“I heard you were looking for me. Are you planning to conclude the plan here and leave?”
“…That’s right.”
“You care more about formalities than I thought…”
Lennok smiled.
“I didn’t think we were on terms to say our goodbyes. If you want to leave, can’t you just go back whenever you want?”
“There are a few things I need to tell you before we part ways.”
Hylaea cleared her throat and said.
“First, about the Conjunction Spell Master, we’ve found a way. The Doctor said he would take charge of him directly.”
“…”
“As you know, the Doctor is a genius who has reached the pinnacle in the field of academia. If he says he’ll take charge of the Spell Master, it must mean he has a way.”
Hylaea glanced at Lennok and asked.
“We plan to hand the Spell Master over to the Doctor right away, is that alright? I thought I should at least explain in advance.”
“Avesta Chapman was a psychopath who used humans as test subjects to explore his spellcraft.”
Lennok replied.
“But it’s also true that I was helped by the point he reached by risking his own life at Yeongheo Palace.”
“…”
“If Pandemonium has found a way, I will not interfere with his disposition. Is that all you have to say?”
“No, this is the main point.”
Hylaea, with a tense expression, glanced at the other members.
Ermont was grinning as if something was amusing, and Freya had a peculiar expression.
Maiya and Sarin were staring intently at Lennok, and Agneta had her mouth agape, lost in thought.
“I have a proposal, and I hope you will hear me out without misunderstanding.”
Just as Lennok’s expression soured at the strangely unsettling atmosphere, as if they were anticipating his reaction, Hylaea cleared her throat and spoke.
“Even after this is over… why don’t we maintain our current relationship for a while?”
“What?”
“To put it briefly, I’m proposing we sign a truce.”
“…”
Lennok didn’t answer and just stared at Hylaea.
Startled by his gaze, Hylaea quickly continued her explanation.
“It sounds grand, but the purpose is simple. We don’t want to fight your Magic Tower in or near mega-cities like Vulcan.”
“…”
“Once this plan is over and we part ways, the Magic Tower and Pandemonium will remain hostile. After all, there are those in the Magic Tower who fought us during the Subjugation Operation.”
Hylaea said.
“But I think it would be more beneficial for us to just pretend not to know each other rather than to be at odds. I want to confirm that here and now.”
“Hmm…”
“The Doctor has agreed, and I plan to contact the Director soon for approval. If necessary, I will bring someone who can have a conversation with you on equal terms.”
Lennok fell into thought, and the other members waited silently for his answer.
“A truce agreement, what a strange thing to say. I’ve never thought of myself as being at war with you.”
“Of course. That’s why you so brazenly threatened me into participating in this operation, isn’t it?”
“Ermont, will you shut your mouth?”
“No, didn’t I say it? That man probably thinks of us as nothing more than thieves crawling into his house.”
Ermont grumbled.
“Bringing up grand words like a truce agreement will only be counterproductive. ‘Are those bastards thinking they’re at war with me?’ It’s a tactic that only fuels unnecessary wariness, isn’t it?”
“Thanks to you saying that out loud just now, I think the probability of that has increased significantly.”
“Ah, for fuck’s sake!!”
The enraged Freya kicked Ermont in the shin, and Soryu stomped on the back of his neck.
“Useless, absolutely useless!! Whose side are you on, you bastard!”
“If I freeze his tongue, he won’t be able to spout nonsense.”
“Agbubububub!!!”
“Hah… it’s ruined.”
In the instantly relaxed atmosphere, Hylaea looked crestfallen.
“I was trying to use this as an opportunity to establish a foundation for Pandemonium to operate in Vulcan, but was it all in vain?”
“I don’t know what you’re so arbitrarily proposing and despairing about all by yourself.”
Lennok looked at Hylaea and smirked.
“I understand what you’re trying to say. In short, you want to sign a non-aggression pact with the Magic Tower, a proposal along those lines, right?”
“Th-that’s right.”
Snapping back to her senses at Lennok’s unexpectedly gentle reply, Hylaea corrected her posture.
“A non-aggression pact. That expression is certainly more fitting. Concepts like a truce or an alliance don’t suit us. In the first place, our domains rarely even overlap.”
“…”
“I’m proposing this because I’ve come to know what kind of person you are through this incident. Separate from your notoriety, at least in matters like this, you’re capable of making rational judgments—”
Hylaea, who had been speaking up to that point, suddenly snapped to her senses and hurriedly shut her mouth.
She must have realized that for words meant to persuade Lennok, they had a very poor nuance.
“Hylaea, aren’t you too nervous? If you’re worse at speaking than me, what are we supposed to do?”
Ermont, who had been on the ground, chuckled as he lay pinned under Freya’s foot.
“As if that crazy cold-blooded man would be persuaded by such words. If this causes us to never be able to set foot in Vulcan again—”
“It doesn’t matter. I accept.”
“—the fact that it is entirely your fault will be solemnly stated here and nooooow?”
Ermont’s eyes went wide, and the other members looked at Lennok with surprised expressions.
At the center of their gazes, Lennok stared at Hylaea with a deadpan face.
“It seems you want to increase your room to operate in Vulcan, but you don’t need my permission for something like that. There are countless groups and organizations in Vulcan that I’ve been at odds with.”
“That’s…”
“If you want to establish a base in Vulcan without interference from the Tower, do as you please. I know why you brought this up in the first place.”
Having said that, Lennok looked at the artificial spirit body sleeping deeply among the members.
It looked like a young black dragon, a small mass of darkness, writhing as it slowly breathed out.
Lennok, who had been silently staring at the spirit body containing Myeong’s soul, spoke.
“You intend to manage Myeong in Vulcan, right? You wouldn’t be able to look after him stably if not in an environment like a mega-city.”
“…That’s right. I was also planning to return to Vulcan for a while after this is over.”
Hylaea quietly nodded.
“I haven’t sought the Director’s opinion yet, but I plan to support his recovery directly. I can’t just dump something like that on you.”
“When you proposed the pact, why didn’t you mention that part first?”
“I thought it might look like I was using the Nether King’s well-being as a hostage to make the proposal.”
Hylaea answered calmly.
“With anyone else it might be different, but there’s no need to mention that part first and displease you. And, above all…”
Lifting her gaze, Hylaea looked at Lennok and said.
“I was also confident that you would notice quickly even if I didn’t say it myself.”
“Not a bad answer.”
“Well, then… will we be meeting next in Vulcan?”
Ermont, dusting himself off as he stood up, finally wore a relieved expression.
“Finally, all this terrible Paradise Lost business is over. Now I think I can finally rest easy.”
“Ermont, I don’t know why you’re talking as if you’re sneakily trying to get out of this alone.”
Freya scoffed.
“You were practically the first one to bring this up, you know? You’re not going to Vulcan?”
“No, I naturally assumed we would part ways here and gather in Vulcan, wasn’t that it? Both we and they need time to prepare.”
Ermont shrugged.
“Or, what, are you saying we’re going to hold hands and go back to Vulcan together right no—”
“Hearing you say that, it certainly seems more efficient.”
“…w?”
“Is there a need to take the long way around? We can just do what we did when we first set out.”
Lennok smiled at the dumbfounded Ermont and nodded his head.
“We’re returning to Vulcan. Lead the way.”