Chapter 904: The Eye That Sees Fate (40)
The outskirts of the city, beyond the megacity’s residential zone.
Past the boundary line designated as an undeveloped district, at a distance where a satellite city was closer.
Beneath an old ship tilted askew on the sandy desert, Lennok was lighting a campfire.
Crackle, crackle!
A small ember quickly caught on the dry branches and blazed up.
Lennok, who had backed away from the campfire that stained his face with its red light, sat down on a sand dune.
Aside from the two of them, no one else was in sight.
As soon as they left the city, Lapis had dismissed the other Watchers to create this space.
“I never thought you’d ask me to light a fire.”
Lennok said as he pushed more firewood into the campfire.
“I’m not used to camping. If Evelyn were here, she would have done it much more skillfully.”
“It’s fine.”
Lapis replied.
“A moment is all I need to speak with you face-to-face.”
“……I see.”
A suffocating silence.
An awkward sense of dissonance he had never once felt with the old Lapis.
But Lennok wasn’t surprised that his relationship with Lapis had become like this.
From the very moment he had sent Lapis beyond the world’s boundary, he had thought things might turn out this way.
If there was anything that bothered him, it was Lapis’s changed appearance itself.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes.”
Lapis nodded with a blank expression.
“A part of the personality my grandmother left behind is with me.”
“……”
“Once my abilities stabilize and settle, I suppose I’ll be able to choose one side.”
“Choose, you say……”
Lennok replied, glancing at Lapis’s feet.
The flickering shadow of Lapis beyond the flames repeatedly grew and shrank, as if shifting between an adult and a child.
“If the overload of will-thought has affected your body’s growth, you’ll likely feel considerable fatigue for a while.”
“……”
“Whether you return to your original state or become fixed in that form, you’ll need time to adapt. Try to rest if possible.”
“I am a little tired, but the physical pain isn’t that severe.”
Lapis shook her head.
“Rather, the sense of dissonance from my magic and spellcraft is stronger. I think it’s a matter of hierarchy rather than will-thought.”
Lapis spoke of her own changes as if discussing someone else’s affairs.
Even her cool reaction showed almost no change in emotion or expression.
An abnormal calmness, as if she had left something important behind, had been palpable from the moment they reunited.
“Madria Falcia likely acquired all of the Lighthouse Keeper’s abilities after she became an Ascendant.”
Lennok said, ignoring the sense of unease.
“It’s inevitable that there would be a backlash since you, who are not yet complete, have reclaimed those abilities.”
“……”
“Perhaps you yourself have become a being detached from the existing hierarchy. We’d have to examine your biological rhythms and mana-return cycle for details, but……”
Lennok shrugged.
“From that point on, Gapseon or Grisha would know better than I.”
“Evan-nim.”
Lapis suddenly called his name.
“What is your true wish, Evan-nim?”
Lapis asked, her face still devoid of emotion.
“From the first time we met until now, why have you been helping me?”
“……Lapis.”
“I’m sorry.”
Lapis apologized calmly.
“It’s too late, isn’t it? It’s a question I should have asked a long time ago.”
“……”
“Before, I hesitated because I was afraid to confirm it. I thought all of this might be nothing more than a light pastime for you.”
A calm and quiet confession, as if relaying someone else’s emotions.
Staring at the blazing campfire, Lapis spoke.
“The Evan-nim I know is like a fire. You burn fiercely only for things that interest you, and you don’t even spare a thought for anything else.”
“……”
“Because your nature and talent were close to the ideal I aspired to, I never once doubted that fact.”
Lapis looked intently into Lennok’s eyes.
“That’s why… I might have known that you hadn’t lost this fight.”
“……”
“What is the ending you desire?”
She asked the same question again.
“It’s late, but can I hear the answer now?”
“……Well.”
Lennok gave a bitter smile.
“I’m not sure where to begin explaining.”
“……”
“I am who I am. In the past, I was afraid to reveal that fact, so I hid it and tried to conceal it until the very end.”
Lennok murmured, looking up at the night sky.
“But as time passed and the end drew near… the priorities within me are just gradually changing.”
The starlight was exceptionally clear beyond the desert night sky.
He now knew that those shining stars were not mere heat sources, but the starlight viewed from the ground was still beautiful.
The fate of this world was likely of no more significance than that to the calamities from beyond the Outer Sea.
“I try not to leave any path untaken. I try to see and understand everything as long as time permits.”
“Why is that?”
“Because to gain one thing, you must give up another.”
Lennok replied, watching Lapis’s expression change slightly.
“Following the pre-established laws and causality of the world will never lead to an answer that transcends the world.”
“……”
“It probably wasn’t like this in the past. For those who challenged ascension in the Old World, it would have been enough just to attain a status equal to the world.”
Lennok shifted his gaze.
“But it’s different now. To draw a non-existent next, an answer that transcends this world’s causality is needed. And I……”
As Lennok’s eyes met Lapis’s, his voice flowed out very naturally.
“I believe that answer already exists within me.”
“……”
“It’s not a light pastime. I have never risked my life for such a trivial emotion.”
Lennok said with a serious expression.
“The matter concerning Evan Vylun was the same.”
“……”
The boundary between Evan Vylun and Martinez was particularly ambiguous among Lennok’s identities.
This was because Evan, the identity he used in the public eye, had coincidentally come into contact with Lapis and begun cooperating with the Eyes of Blue.
He had only started using the Martinez surname to differentiate them after the subjugation of the 10th Apostle, Amrita.
He had never intended to separate them in the first place and rarely thought of them as distinct, but Lapis must not have felt the same way.
Therefore, he needed to make things clear, at least to Lapis.
“I wasn’t trying to hide it. Our meeting was never that clean-cut to begin with.”
“……”
“I got busy once I started producing research results, and we lost touch for a while when the Eyes of Blue advanced into the central city.”
Lennok gestured in the direction of Vulcan.
“I didn’t think it was something to contact you about and brag, but as time went by… it turned into that.”
A large photo of Evan Vylun was displayed on the billboard of an airship floating in Vulcan’s outer district.
The news that Professor Vylun had been appointed director of the research institute and had begun research on universal magic with Professor Raphael.
“I understand.”
After a long silence, those were the first words Lapis spoke.
“In the end, you couldn’t fully be on my side, could you, Evan-nim.”
“……”
“In the past, I think I sometimes had this thought.”
Lapis murmured, closing her eyes quietly.
“If I had known it would be like this, I shouldn’t have asked you for help with the Jindun matter back then……”
“……”
“Even without the Jindun affair, you would have been a great wizard. And maybe our relationship would have been a little different…… I thought.”
Well, Lennok couldn’t easily answer Lapis’s words.
Regardless of Lapis’s thoughts, Lennok had always strived not to be tied down to one side.
But instead of explaining his thoughts to Lapis one by one, Lennok remained silent.
Lapis, too, did not cling to that sentiment for long. As if she no longer thought that way.
“Actually, I still don’t know. Whether the choice you’ve made can truly be an answer that transcends the world……”
“……”
“But I will believe you. Because the beautiful sea I saw was not a lie.”
“Lapis……”
“Therefore, it would be best for you to keep your distance from us for a while.”
Lapis said, slowly standing up.
“If you intend to face all possibilities, then accompanying us to Ars Nova would be the very opposite of that.”
“……”
Because she acknowledged and tried to believe in the ending Lennok had chosen, Lapis asserted that, conversely, they needed to keep their distance for a while.
How much emotion was buried in Lapis’s whisper.
How much deliberation she had put into it to convince herself once again.
But Lapis accepted that this was the ending she had chosen.
Fwoosh!!
Thrusting her hand into the campfire, Lapis pulled out a small, golden-glowing sphere.
It was a strangely shaped artifact, as if a human eye had been exquisitely carved from a brilliant jewel.
“The Eye of the Wellspring. It’s one of the spell-armaments my grandmother left in the autonomous region.”
Lapis said, placing it on Lennok’s palm.
“Like the [Charm of Earth’s Embrace] I gave you, it’s a relic-class artifact she used before becoming an Ascendant.”
“……”
“It possesses the power to record and remember all of creation, and this eye itself is the power that exists as the thirteenth Lighthouse.”
“Lapis. If it’s a Lighthouse, I already……”
“That’s why.”
Lapis whispered.
“In exchange for giving you this, I will take back the authority of the fifth Lighthouse I gave you.”
“……”
“If this remains, it might interfere with your journey to create the ending you desire.”
Swish.
The moment Lapis’s hand brushed over Lennok’s, he felt an unknown sensation slip away from between his index finger.
He knew it was Lapis revoking the observation authority of the fifth Lighthouse, but Lennok did not stop her.
Lapis smiled quietly and raised her hand.
“Let’s part ways here. You still have things to do in that city, don’t you?”
“……”
“I’ll speak to the other Watchers. Evan Martinez will temporarily set aside the duties of a Watcher and……”
As Lapis’s hand fell limply, her voice faded like the campfire.
“Will enter a period of confinement to treat the aftereffects of the battle.”
The decisive battle between Adamant Thunder and Cheonbeon, which had used the outskirts of the Hexagonal Fortress as its battlefield.
Four days had passed since the end of the disaster that anyone with eyes and ears in the entire city had watched.
The megacity was still struggling to deal with the aftermath of the incident.
[Ahead of the redevelopment schedule for the urban area near the undeveloped district, a heated debate is taking place within the council.]
[Now that an area spanning tens of kilometers has been damaged beyond recovery due to a clash of high-level superhumans—]
[Is it reasonable to proceed with the redevelopment of the outer districts, including District 49 where the magic tower is located—]
The media continued to report and debate the same topic fiercely every day.
Experts added their opinions and explanations to the real-time reactions and news.
[The proponents point to the fact that since the incident, visits from wizards from magic towers across the continent have increased by more than twentyfold, and are demanding active investment.]
[The opposition, while considering the financial benefits, questions whether it is right for Adamant Thunder, the party responsible for the incident, to be the one to take direct responsibility……]
“……”
No matter what channel he turned on, no matter what news or bulletin he looked at, it was all about this.
Even gossip about Professor Evan Vylun had gone unmentioned for the past few days.
That was how much of a hot topic the decisive battle in the outskirts of Vulcan had become for its citizens.
Ever since the Central Council had seized real power and stabilized the city, a battle of this magnitude had never been officially observed within the city.
It was only natural that opinions would be divided now that the city government had officially acknowledged the incident and stepped in to manage it.
[To understand the clash between Adamant Thunder and Cheonbeon, we first need to review the situation at the time.]
[The conflict escalated to its peak when Adamant Thunder abducted the Lighthouse Keeper, Lapis Falcia, who had secretly entered the country, correct?]
Through a special program, an unknown professor and a host explained to the viewers from across a desk.
[That’s right. The proponents’ logic is also based on this; it’s because realistically, it’s impossible to hold such a mad wizard responsible.]
[For now, the priority would be to preserve and respect his territory as much as possible.]
[They’re saying to secure the practical benefits first, separate from the issue of responsibility. With the number of wizards visiting Vulcan on the rise, it would be a shame to miss this opportunity, wouldn’t it?]
[I see you’re also subtly in favor of the redevelopment, Professor?]
[Haha, well, some of my old colleagues from the tower said they were planning to visit the city on this occasion, so……]
The boisterous laughter from beyond the screen.
Lennok stood leaning against his laboratory workbench, staring at the screen with a blank expression.
“……”
Several days had passed since everything ended, but there was still much to be done before the situation could be resolved.
The number of messages piling up on his phone alone had already easily surpassed several hundred.
However, Lennok had put all other matters aside and had been holed up in his lab, engrossed in a new project.
The stabilization of his maximum mana, which had suddenly increased due to the Outer Sea’s magic.
The knack for manipulating Incarnation Spellcraft he had newly grasped through this incident.
And even the technology to create an external mana core, newly developed by applying Jindun’s barrier arts.
He took a break by researching and analyzing long-postponed spellcraft modifications and newly acquired techniques to his heart’s content.
No, could this even be called a break?
The usual Lennok would not have called sitting around doing nothing and watching Vulcan’s political situation ‘resting’.
Since his conversation with Lapis, Lennok had been thinking.
To be precise, since he was advised to keep his distance from the Eyes of Blue for a while.
Lennok had been constantly thinking about that moment.
“……”
Was he shocked? Perhaps he was.
But he already knew that even that decision was Lapis’s way of being considerate to him.
It was just that he had unconsciously assumed the Lapis he knew wouldn’t make such a choice.
Because that decision too was not the ending he had expected, he was just mulling over that fact.
That Lapis Falcia was a much stronger person than Lennok had thought.
He was realizing that it was Lapis who had truly been considerate of their relationship.
After pondering it for days, Lennok shook his head, still without an answer today.
“……I should just finish my work.”
Clank!!
He lightly lifted the heavy, large shotgun lying on the workbench.
An intense appearance, with the entire thick double barrel glinting with a vivid blue magical light.
Lennok had been engrossed in newly modifying firearms that he had been using less frequently in his lab.
There were several reasons he had stopped using his long-favored firearms, including switching between various identities, but the fundamental issue was the limit on their permissible mana capacity.
Unlike the spells he wielded directly, there was a limit to the output of auxiliary magic channeled into firearms.
However, with the newly developed external mana core, he had been able to find a new way to solve that problem.
‘If I modify the external mana core into the barrel of a rechargeable shotgun, I can surpass the previous output limitations.’
Lifting the long, rectangular double barrel, Lennok was lost in thought.
‘But if I just recklessly increase the output, it will be difficult to properly test its balance and durability. It would be nice if there was someone to help…….’
While the shotgun itself needed to be customized to Lennok’s body, he needed data to serve as a baseline for that adjustment.
To extract such standard data, a demonstration by a physically capable person with a sturdy body would be most effective.
Someone with excellent reflexes and mana manipulation skills, proficient in handling modern equipment including firearms.
Someone who would cooperate with Lennok’s research without complaint and keep his secrets—
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
“Yo.”
Evelyn, carrying all sorts of vegetables, stood at the mansion door with a grin.
“Heard you got dumped by Lapis?”
“……”
“Now we’re both unemployed, huh?”
Twisting the truth is momentary, but refuting it takes a long time.
He had no choice but to open the door, if only out of sheer frustration.