◈ Episode 579: To the center of the battlefield (2)
“We have to go find it ourselves…” … .”
“It’s better. I can’t do anything alone, but if I have you, I’m still strong. “I don’t like you, but you still have real skills.”
“… … “Do you say that confidently in front of yourself?”
“Well, why? “Aren’t we like this anyway?”
Ludger shook his head as he looked at Gariel provoking him.
To begin with, to be angry at Gariel’s words like that, their relationship was more profoundly deeper than I thought.
A case in which people don’t really like each other, but still recognize each other’s abilities.
Gariel would growl one-sidedly when she saw him face to face, but there was no way she would be happy to be with someone like Ludger who hated her so much.
Nevertheless, the two held hands.
Only one person made it possible.
It was Line.
“do not forget. I’m not helping you. “I’m helping Line.”
“Know. So I’m using you. “Because I can’t save Rine by myself.”
“… … “He’s such a rational guy that it’s annoying.”
Gariel crossed her arms and grumbled.
Unlike the lazy and free-spirited Gariel, Ludger was stoic and cool-headed.
However, this does not mean that he does not have the heart that a human being should have.
If Ludger was truly a man without blood or tears, Gariel would not have even interacted with him.
“Let’s stop talking about this trivial relationship of ours for now. “Because that’s not what’s important.”
“… … okay. “I see.”
“I need to go rescue that ancient curse school warlock. Where is he now?”
“wait a minute.”
Gariel was rummaging through the junk piled up in a corner of the room, found something, and brought it to Ludger.
“This is a rough map of Isla Machina.”
On the wide-open old map, the approximate shape of Isla Machina was drawn like a drawing.
No, not like the drawing.
This was really a drawing.
“… … “Isn’t this the design?”
“ah. that’s right. “It’s a blueprint.”
Normally, a map should only show the rough topography of Isla Machina, but the one Gariel showed even showed the overall structure of the interior.
“… … Blueprint of Mechanism Island. Where on earth did you get this? “This is probably data that will be stored under very strict security.”
“I forgot where I got it. There’s so much junk around. “Maybe it came into my hands by chance?”
Gariel pointed behind herself with her thumb as if it was no big deal.
Ludger shook his head at all the miscellaneous things, books, and bundles of parchment that had no known purpose or use piled up there.
“I must have stolen it. “Is it possible that the island blueprint was discovered by chance?”
“Why are you talking so rudely? I just borrowed it. I borrowed it. “You said you’d give it back someday?”
“But don’t you say that the fraudulent gamblers also borrowed money from the casino?”
“It couldn’t be helped because of funding.”
“He hates using time magic more than dying, but in times like this, he uses it well.”
Gariel became angry at Ludger’s point.
“You don’t hate it more than dying, right? I’m just a little reluctant because writing only passes my time. “If you knew how my teacher got away, you wouldn’t be able to say that, right?”
“Your teacher… … .”
Time magic is based on one-man lore.
Of course, Gariel had a teacher, and that teacher was also a user of time magic.
“How do you feel when you turn 40 and see your hair and beard turning gray?”
At first glance, Gariel’s teacher resembles an old scholar who has lived for a very long time.
And he resembles an idealist from a fairy tale.
Although he looked close to 80, his actual age was only 40.
Gariel’s teacher spent 40 years in frozen time.
I used time magic often, and each time I did so, I just aged quickly in the accumulated time.
“The master was truly self-indulgent. “You even deceived me by saying that time magic is amazing.”
Gariel shook her head as if she was still sick of thinking about that time.
As a child, he was immature and was fascinated by the fact that he could manipulate time, so he quickly accepted the offer.
“I guess so. “Time magic is a magic that exhausts all other magical talents and possibilities into mastering only time magic.”
Time magic is not something that just anyone can learn.
It follows the bold prerequisite of investing all magical status in only [Time Magic].
Of course, in order to learn time magic, one had to have excellent qualifications and suitability in other fields as well.
Gariel was that type.
If you hadn’t learned time magic, you would have become a great wizard in many fields.
Even if he doesn’t reach the peak, he is a very talented general who can easily learn various attributes up to at least the 5th level.
Perhaps, if he had had enough time, he might have reached the 6th rank.
Every time that happened, Gariel lamented her situation.
“damn. Why did I learn this? “I felt really cheated because of the penalties and restrictions, and finding out that time magic, which was said to be good, was all that was available.”
But now it’s too late to regret it.
There was no way to turn back the time once chosen.
A user of time magic can’t turn back time.
Isn’t this a situation where the hairdresser can’t cut my hair?
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So Gariel did not use time magic often.
Even if it was used, it was only used for a split second. Like when gambling at a casino.
It was partly an impatience that he did not want to grow old quickly at a young age, but it was also a timid rebellion towards his now deceased teacher.
The wonderful time magic that the teacher talked about so much is only used for petty theft.
“Master told me to use time magic to become a great person, but those words were not even half a guess. “I will use this ability to live the way I want to live.”
The gossip ends here.
Gariel pointed to one side of the blueprint with her index finger.
“Do you see here?”
“okay.”
“This is where we need to go.”
Isla Machina is a huge island that is driven by mechanical devices.
Ultra-large pipes, compression cylinders, large barometers, and steel gears to transport pure white steam and compressed steam that suck in seawater and evaporate it, spewing out 24 hours a day.
Isla Machina, which was created by remodeling an existing island, was a very sophisticated and sturdy giant mechanical device that showed the way to the future.
The overall shape was close to that of a wedding cake, with discs stacked from large to small.
However, it was full of all kinds of factories, devices, and machines made with magic engineering.
“Isla Machina consists of a total of five floors. “The lower the floor, the bigger and wider it is, but the public order gets worse.”
From the 1st to the 5th floor.
The lower the floor, the harsher the environment, and the higher the floor, the richer and more luxurious the streets appear.
This hideout where Gariel currently stays is located on the 2nd floor.
It was also cleverly hidden, and it was a remote place where not many people lived around.
And the place Gariel pointed to was the first floor, at the very bottom.
The shadow and darkness of Isla Machina.
It was an underground area where warlocks lived.
“This first floor is currently divided in half. It is an alliance between an emerging power and existing warlocks. And this is where the most collisions occur: Area E-34.”
The first floor was divided into sectors using alphabet and number combinations, and in sector E, a war of attrition between the two forces was taking place.
Unfortunately, the Ancient Curse School was a school established in Zone E, and was a school of warlocks with a long history on the island.
However, it is on the verge of collapse due to the suddenly appearing alliance of Nikolai, Verum, and Victor.
“It seems like he’s holding on for some reason or another, but there’s no sign of the other warlocks helping him.”
“Didn’t you say it was a union? “Every bit of power must be precious.”
“If a warlock holds hands, he is still a warlock. “There are a lot of people who don’t trust each other and are trying to stab each other, so can you afford to be loyal and save them?”
Right now, they are just holding hands because of a common enemy, but before that, it was a mess reminiscent of the Warring States period.
Even if such people joined hands, it was difficult to form a proper union.
“It’s actually a miracle that we’re holding on like we are now. Because we are fighting a common enemy while pointing our swords at each other. But what saves me is that the cases are different.”
“That means we can’t hope for support from the other side.”
“yes. The New Magic Tower is watching this, saying it is a fight that has nothing to do with them. On the surface, yes.”
“On the surface?”
“The New Magic Tower thinks this fight itself is a way to make money. Even if the warlocks are united, they do not fight with only their pure power. “We need to airlift potions, artifacts, and magic tools needed for battle.”
“It sounds like the New Magic Tower is selling it.”
“Because fighting makes money. So, although the new magic tower is still on the surface, it is rowing hard underneath the water.”
At those words, Ludger made a cold sneer.
It was so obvious what the New Magic Tower was aiming for.
“The intention was to continue exploiting the fighting on the first floor to make money. “Now I understand why the warlocks are able to form an alliance and endure.”
From the perspective of the New Magic Tower, they would not want to miss out on the lucrative business of war.
Even if it is a very small number of events that take place inside the island, and only on the first floor.
“In the New Magic Tower, the underground war is now a business. So, they say they are subtly dispatching wizards to support the warlocks.”
“In the meantime, throw away those who should be thrown away, right?”
“To begin with, the Ancient Curse School had little potential to make money.”
money.
In today’s reality where materialism is rampant, it is something that causes the most problems and at the same time becomes the biggest solution.
“This is truly disgusting.”
“The old magic tower, the new magic tower. Of all the guys who go by the name Magic Tower, I haven’t seen any decent ones. Well, that’s not the point. “We have to enter this E-34 area now.”
“Are you able to single-handedly destroy a saturated zone where enemies and allies are mixed?”
“I’m not short. I’m with you?”
“Do you know how to fight?”
“no.”
Looking at Gariel answering shamelessly, Ludger felt a headache coming on.
Since she was of no real help in battle, it was actually right to exclude Gariel from the personnel.
“But if we are away, who will take care of Rine?”
“That’s right, I… … .”
“At least you, who are supposed to give me directions, shouldn’t be left out.”
As Ludger strained his eyes, Gariel shrugged her shoulders.
“Is there anyone else I can ask for help?”
“doesn’t exist. “To begin with, I’m not living here to be friends with anyone.”
“… … I would have stayed here for more than a few years, but I don’t have any connections? So how has the data research and work been handled so far? “I don’t think I would have done it alone.”
“Of course I’m not alone.”
“You’re not alone?”
“In Isla Machina, there is someone who does the work that people do. Did you forget? “This is a place where magic engineering is developed.”
Gariel said this and clasped her palms together.
Then, a knocking sound was heard outside the door, as if waiting for it.
what?
There was no sign of anything outside, but there was a knock on the door.
As Ludger was puzzled, the door opened and a woman wearing a maid uniform came in.
‘You’re not a person.’
Although she was a very beautiful woman on the outside, Ludger realized that she was not a living person.
“Is it an automaton?”
“answer.”
A green-haired, bespectacled woman, presumed to be an automaton, quietly stood next to Gariel.
When I said that I couldn’t feel any presence, it was because it wasn’t a living person.
That said, that automaton is definitely not an ordinary automaton.
The movements were smooth and controlled, and no footsteps were heard as they moved.
I had no idea what was hidden inside that long skirt that went down to my ankles.
For a being made of steel to move so quietly, it was said to be a specially made product.
“how is it? Amazing, right? It looks almost like a human, right? Even though it looks like this, it is one of the most outstanding automatons. Should I say that a lot of magic engineering went into it?”
Gariel shrugged.
It is a special automaton that can only be found on Isla Machina, not anywhere else.
No matter how Ludger he is, he’s never seen anything like this.
“… … .”
However, as Ludger, what can I say, I wasn’t very impressed.
Although it was an extremely excellent automaton, Ludger knew of two automatons that were even more outstanding than that one.
That automaton with Isla Machina’s magic engineering is amazing, but can it compare to Arpa, which was created as a secret national experiment by a large steel nation?
Considering Arpa’s internal components, it was safe to say that its technology was several generations ahead of Isla Machina’s automaton technology.
“Uh, okay. “You must have spent a lot of money.”
However, since he couldn’t be bothered to explain it verbally, Ludger just agreed and passed it on.
“It can also be used for housework, so this child will be looked after by Rine.”
“For household purposes?”
Ludger stared at the messy room with an indignant gaze.
When people asked if it was really something that could be used for housework, Gariel averted his gaze.
“No, I’m just comfortable with it the way it is. “That’s why I didn’t order you to clean.”
“… … I hope your automaton does a good job. I don’t want to break it with my own hands. “But it still looks like a human.”
“No, wait. Breaking it?”
“done.”
Ludger jumped up from his seat.
“what. “Where are you going now?”
“What do you think we’ve been talking about so far?”
Before heading out the door, Ludger looked back and stared at Gariel.
At the same time, Ather Nocturnus, who was taking care of Line, carefully laid her down on the bed, then flew to Ludger and clung to his body.
From toes to head.
A shadow covered Ludger’s body.
A cloak of shadow like a crow’s wings fluttered and black feathers flew.
A pitch-black crow-beaked mask was placed over Ludger’s face.
“I don’t have time, so I’ll go right away.”
Blue eyes flashed above the mask.
“With all my might.”
