Book 14 Chapter 25

The hero's hometown,

in the central part of the Empire (1)

Rista made contact with an interrogator disguised as an apple seller near <Central North>.

He was a Holy Knight belonging to [Children of Gold], the Inquisition agency under the Papacy.

Rista pretended to be a woman who had simply fallen for a hawker's cries, but the coded conversation between the two was elaborate.

"I wonder if there are any apples more delicious than these."

Translation: Do you have any information on the whereabouts of the [Flesh of the King]?

"I thought so too, but I heard a rumor that incredibly delicious and large apples are being sold in <Central North>. I don't want to just go there to taste them, so I thought I'd try selling our apples while I'm there."

Translation: I've received intelligence that there is a large [Flesh of the King] in <Central North>. It would be suspicious to infiltrate directly, so I've disguised myself as an apple seller.

Rista was startled by the interrogator's words.

'No, it would have been stranger if they had said there weren't any…'

It's a large commercial city where goods bound for the North converge. There's a possibility that flesh-bearers are using it as a base or are temporarily staying there.

"It's delicious. You have to eat these apples right down to the core. The closer you get to the seeds, the more sugar there is, making them tastier."

At that moment, Lin said this.

Translated, it means:

"No matter what kind of [Flesh of the King] it is, no matter where it is, it must be thoroughly collected. Even those that are difficult to gather because they are close to the center."

Those words felt like a blade reproaching her for having intended to collect the flesh based on convenience, and Rista shivered.

'Right, this isn't the time to quibble over personal circumstances…'

The interrogator also secretly admired her.

Such insight, unbecoming of her young age; she was indeed a boy who had reached the pinnacle of the magic world at thirteen.

Rista gathered her last hesitation into a hot and overwhelming sigh and exhaled it.

"So this is how it turns out. I expected this due to the location and scale, but…"

It would be natural for Lin, who had only met Rista a little over two weeks ago, not to understand her reaction.

After all, she had never explained her past.

That's why the interrogator's defense of Rista was very welcome.

"Isn't it because your companion is from <Central North>?"

"?"

"Well, isn't it true that people have a hometown they want to go to, and a hometown they want to leave?"

A hometown she wanted to leave… Rista bitterly chewed on those words.

Well…

It's not that she doesn't want to go, nor does she want to leave, but…

* * *

Near the southeastern outskirts of <Central North>, cruelty (殘酷) stains the fields.

Corpses were precisely cut into a dozen pieces, and magical residue still blazed from the severed surfaces.

That is, the being who perpetrated this act did so despite being able to instantly kill an enemy with a single slash.

Those who died horribly were strong.

They had recently annihilated the punitive force sent by Duke Sion, the Elector of the Central region. The bandit group numbered over five hundred, and all high-ranking members were flesh-bearers. All of them were dead.

"What business does a black mage have with me?"

Said the man, rummaging through the victims' entrails with both hands.

This was to extract the [Flesh of the King] stuck to the fascial membranes of the intestines.

As soon as he said that, a black mage wearing a dark blue robe appeared from within a mirror. The man continued.

"Just by the aura of the abyss, you're definitely not a small fry; you must be a big shot, like the head of some institution within the Black Church. Did you come to monitor me? Or to retrieve my flesh?"

The man brought the blood and gastric juice-soaked object before his eyes, examined it casually, and then swallowed it without a second thought.

"The black mage who destroyed <Ikegrad Prison> told me to live as I wished, but it seems your organization isn't functioning properly."

This man's name is Jiheet.

A 'Special Class' risk prisoner.

He was an existence imprisoned in the lowest level of <Ikegrad Prison>, and once aimed for the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

"If you intend to fight me, good, you won't be the first black mage I've killed, nor will you be the last."

In an instant, a sword draw too fast for the eyes to follow cut across the horizon.

It was not a mere sword draw. It was sword aura, the power radiating from the end of a dazzlingly and robustly woven magical thread, breaking free from the blade's confines.

In the moment he anticipated his opponent's demise, the man had to raise his eyebrows sharply and assume a defensive stance.

'A mirror?'

The sword aura was suddenly sucked into a mirror that appeared before the black mage, then sprang back out and attacked Jiheet.

Jiheet had to block his own sword aura, barely deflecting it.

The scattered corpses were caught in the sword aura and torn beyond recognition.

"I came to warn you, Jiheet."

The black mage, who had pushed the mirror aside, was a slender woman as tall as an adult man.

"It could even be advice, depending on how you take it."

The black mage's robe, with the rune of [Ice] elegantly embroidered on its back… was completely different from the black mages Jiheet had seen in his youth.

Aesthetically, there was a certain dignity about it.

The collar was high and the hood covered her mouth, making it difficult to discern her features except for the shape of her lips.

"I am carrying out the command of the First Pillar here. To make <Central North> the center of chaos."

"What's your point?"

"Aren't you here to seek revenge for the past?"

Leland Apeltas, the head of the Apeltas family of sword-smiths responsible for <Central North>.

He was the current hero's lineage.

Rista Alter Schurpen's biological father (親父).

"I won't tell you to cooperate. Just wait for the right time. Then, I will give you a definite chance to kill Leland."

* * *

As Rista seemed to want to eat more delicious apples, I was able to come to <Central North>.

This is a special-class commercial city.

My goal here was to find Genesis-era rune characters to establish Osarius-style beast-humans.

"Let there be light."

Since the creation began with this single phrase, great power resides in each character of the Genesis runes.

That is, runes alone are not enough.

I needed a book that explained the principles by which the runes were formed and the original form of their power. This was why I really wanted to visit this place.

"Lin, I need to start investigating 'apples' now, but I can't go to the central district. Someone might recognize me."

Rista said seriously.

Given that he was talking about apple specifications and core locations, he seemed incredibly sincere about apples.

I don't laugh at people who are sincere about something. Because I, too, am sincere about [the strongest].

"I'll explore the outskirts slowly. Lin, you handle the central area."

Therefore, I saw off Rista's firm resolve with a solemn, sincere nod.

"Okay, good luck. I'll keep an eye out if I see any good 'apples' too."

After Rista left to find delicious apples, I sat by the fountain in the square and observed people for a while.

Is this a city south of the great river?

The people's attire was distinctly different. Many, both women and men, revealed bare skin beneath their clothes, which looked somewhat free.

Indeed, after leaving the Eleonor River, the weather became noticeably hotter.

I rolled up my sleeves to my shoulders. Hanbok sleeves are wide, so they need to be tied up roughly a couple of times to stay comfortably in place.

"Kyuu?"

Sbal, wriggling inside my clothes, had never felt so valuable as now. Hiss, it's so cool!

"Kkyuung!"

Across the square, children and adults gathered in small groups to watch a puppet show. My eyes naturally drifted that way.

"Are you leaving now?"

It was the story of Karenden, the Black Sun and creator of magic, and Emitsa, the first mage.

"I have no more time to stay. So now, I entrust this magic to you, along with my heart."

"I'll wait. Until the day you return."

"Only when I finally complete the mission I could not finish will we meet again. Until then… farewell."

One of <The Comers>, Karenden, the Black Sun, is said to have left this world after imparting magic to Emitsa Page after the Great War of the Mythical Age.

And Emitsa never met Karenden until the day she died and was buried. That last conversation remains in Emitsa's journal.

Why did the scene of that farewell, where the children were sniffling, suddenly remind me of my last moments with the Dean? A premonition of ill omen, I shook my head to dispel it.

This was not the time.

I went to a secluded alley and spread out my palm. A vortex of light formed into four orderly magic circles.

"Come out, Rudiyën."

Rudiyën.

It's an ancient word for 'guide'. To explain the magic simply, it's a butterfly constructed from light particles.

This butterfly tracks the source of magic like a magnet. It's a 4-star magic I created for my convenience in learning.

It also appraises the magic power levels of magical tools or grimoires whose value people don't recognize.

The runes are Ju (柱), Yu (留), Du (逗), Je (梯), and the mathematical formula… explaining it would be difficult for someone with the intelligence level of a gorilla to understand, so I'll omit it.

I clenched my fist, shattering the magic circles, and the fragments of light coalesced into a pair of wings, fluttering in the air.

"Find the Genesis runes. See the runes in this 『Osarius Vibon』? We're looking for something with similar magical properties to these."

The first place Rudiyën flew, scattering light dust, was the municipal library.

Its scale was immense.

However, there were no valuable books, mostly cheap ones, so there were no books about Genesis runes.

The next destination was the lord's inner castle.

As the city grew in size, so did the lord's territory, power, and authority. This also increased the number of soldiers that could be conscripted.

The guards glared with strict, solemn, and serious eyes, to the point that even a gorilla like Gisela would instantly assess the castle's defenses and think, 'This looks dangerous!'

But I dream of [the strongest].

I believe that the strongest mage should never be discouraged or give up no matter what obstacles appear. One must not let go of the ferocity towards power.

"Gyut?!"

What I mean is, I decided to infiltrate the inner castle of this city.

I don't steal.

I'm just borrowing it for a moment.

That is a right granted to [the strongest].

"Kyukyu, Kyugyut, Kyukyukyukyugyut!"

No, who said anything about stealing?

I said I'd just look at it for a moment, didn't I?