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Episode 11
Purpose and Revenge (4)
[Are you awake?]
“yes.”
Riley woke up and rubbed her eyes.
It seemed like he woke up because of the ship’s announcement.
I heard that there was confusion in the ships’ routes.
They said we’d have to wait a few more hours to get fully docked or something.
[Well, there’s nothing bad about it.]
As it happens, I also had a simple technique I wanted to teach Riley.
“Technology? Again?”
[huh.]
“I think it might not work well since I’m doing it right after waking up.”
[are you okay.]
It wasn’t that difficult of a technique.
Riley could probably do it even in a dazed state.
“What is it?”
[Don’t you feel uncomfortable talking to me in front of other people?]
I have to whisper for no reason.
You have to be careful not to be suspected of lying to yourself.
It was uncomfortable in many ways.
“That’s true.”
[This is a technique for such times.]
“Is it something like telepathy?”
[Well, it’s similar.]
Telepathy.
This technique, also known as sound transmission, was extremely difficult.
As it is a technique that vocalizes magical power and sends it accurately to the target, it is often difficult to succeed unless you are a truly skilled person.
[But the telepathy we are trying to do has a slightly different ending.]
From the beginning, since the “Power of Binding” was formed, Riley and I had a certain level of understanding of each other.
If we use just a little bit of vocalization through magic here, we can achieve a method of communication that is much easier and more efficient than regular telepathy.
“It seems difficult just from hearing the explanation.”
Of course, it may feel difficult if you just listen to the explanation.
But there was no need to be afraid.
Because it was simpler and easier than I thought.
In fact, all of the disciples I raised succeeded in mastering this technique.
[Even those with no talent at all have learned it, so if you just figure out the tricks, you’ll be able to succeed in no time.]
Since then, things have progressed rapidly.
I taught Riley the tricks and she implemented what I taught her.
‘Is this the right way to do it…? I’m doing it at a fast pace right now… .’
[I can’t hear you well.]
Of course, it was impossible to succeed right away on the first try.
I had a rough idea of what he was trying to say, but it didn’t come across exactly.
I should say it feels like there’s a lot of static noise while on the phone.
‘I don’t know if this will work.’
[Ahem.]
But an hour passed.
‘■I think I’m starting to get a feel for it’
[Okay. Let’s keep trying.]
Time passed again and two hours had passed.
‘Can you hear me?’
[Perfect.]
Riley was able to learn telepathy with ease.
I didn’t think it would take that long in the first place. Then again, the telepathy Riley had learned wasn’t that difficult of a skill.
I thought I could complete it within two hours at most, and I was quite satisfied with the result as I finished it within that time.
‘But why are you telling me this technique only now?’
[huh?]
‘If it was this easy to learn, you could have told me a long time ago.’
[Well.]
To be honest, I had my own petty reasons.
I just thought it was kind of cute that Riley would whisper whenever she had something to say in front of other people… … .
If I say that out loud, he might just scold me for nothing.
Let’s just keep quiet.
‘… … Anyway, because of the power of binding, I can hear the Master’s inner thoughts.’
[… … .]
Ugh.
* * *
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Eventually, it took another hour before we could finally settle in the port.
There were no particular complaints.
This kind of confusion was common in systems where transportation was originally concentrated.
It was also good for us because Riley could have used that time to learn telepathy.
‘This is the system.’
[huh.]
Riley, who had finally left the port and entered the center of the island, slowly looked around.
A magnificent city was spread out.
A neatly maintained road.
White buildings lined up neatly.
Even the various merchants and people coming and going from the stores.
Indeed, it was a typical fantasy world wealthy village worthy of being the capital of an empire.
‘That’s cool.’
[Is this your first time here?]
‘It’s not the first time. But… … .’
[but?]
‘This is the first time I’ve ever leisurely enjoyed sightseeing in such broad daylight.’
[Was it night when you came last time?]
‘yes.’
It was night.
I’ve been here before, but it was for the Thieves Guild’s business.
Perhaps there was no time to examine the institutional landscape in detail.
Then it will definitely catch people’s attention.
The city was a very prosperous one.
It’s so bad that I feel bad about comparing it to other cities.
Even I, who have been here countless times, could not help but be amazed at the sight of the system I had not seen in a long time.
[It’s still gorgeous here.]
To be honest, I was a little curious.
How much has the system changed?
Are the stores I knew still around?
What about that temple?
What about the mercenary guilds?
I would have liked to take a quick look around here.
I hated to admit it, but… … I was secretly excited to leave the library after 300 years.
The excitement was enough to temporarily allay my anger towards Jan Lantes.
And above all.
Riley’s eyes are so sparkly right now.
I’ve never seen him so focused on something.
[Want to take a look?]
‘yes?’
[I have some time left anyway.]
“… … .”
[Since you’re already in the island, why not try eating some delicious food and seeing some local specialties? It’ll change your mood.]
As it turned out, I had enough money.
Because the amount of money the professor gave us in Rethemis was quite a lot.
Riley’s expression brightened after hearing me say that.
Of course, she had the same expressionless face as usual, but I could sense her excitement through the “Power of Unity”.
‘great.’
* * *
It’s already been four hours since I started touring the island with Riley.
The sun was already high in the sky.
[Hmm.]
The system hasn’t changed as much as I thought.
300 years had passed, but most of it was still the same as I knew.
On the one hand, I felt fortunate.
Still, there is a sense of relief that the world has not changed drastically.
[… … .]
But what.
Actually, I had predicted this to some extent. I thought the empire wouldn’t change much.
Thousands of years of empire history.
No, perhaps I held a pivotal position not only in the history of the Empire but also in the history of this continent as a whole.
A magical invention that changed the times.
Theoretical discovery.
Innovative ideas.
This was all created by me and my disciples.
Since my existence had been absent for 300 years, it was only natural that there had been no major changes in the empire.
I looked at Riley with that thought.
And then he asked a question.
[Is it delicious?]
‘yes.’
In Riley’s hand was one of the island’s specialties, a unicorn skewer.
Of course, the name of the food was unicorn skewers, but in reality, it was no different from any other lamb skewers.
“… … ?”
But Riley’s reaction to my words was strange.
‘This… wasn’t that grilled unicorn?’
[what?]
‘I thought it was unicorn meat because the name was ‘Unicorn Skewers.’
[What is he saying?]
If you do that, you’ll be in big trouble.
Either the person eating it or the person selling it.
Anyone who touched a divine beast was mercilessly sentenced to death.
‘I feel like I’ve been scammed. No, I was scammed. I want a refund.’
[… … .]
I responded because I was dumbfounded.
[Think about it logically. Would there really be a crazy person who would try to make a skewer out of a unicorn?]
Riley immediately questioned.
‘The world is big and there are many crazy people. I thought there would be at least one person who tried it.’
[… … .]
‘I thought this skewer was the product of that crazy idea.’
[How could that be?]
Again, no one in this world would ever think of making skewers out of unicorns.
Never.
‘Would you like to make a bet?’
[I tried it.]
For a moment, Riley’s expression changed strangely.
Feeling creepy, I quickly continued speaking.
[No, but you don’t have to do that.]
‘I got caught.’
[… … .]
no.
If this were someone else, I would just think it’s a joke and let it slide.
I feel a little uneasy because of him.
‘Of course I’m joking. What do you think of me?’
[… … Then that’s fortunate.]
I hoped it was a joke and put that conversation out of my head.
Riley took another bite of the skewer.
She, who was chewing on it, asked a question.
‘By the way, I think I’ve looked around the whole system?’
[no.]
‘Is there more left?’
[huh.]
There was still one place we hadn’t been to.
This is a place that every citizen of the empire must visit at least once in their life.
* * *
The place we headed to was the vast square of the island.
A wide square in the city where children walk with bright expressions, holding their parents’ hands, and where minstrels sing joyfully.
Riley, who was observing the scenery, spoke softly.
‘I understand why the Magic Book Master asked us to come here.’
There were huge objects in front of her.
It was a statue.
Five very large statues.
I quietly recited the names of the statues one by one.
[Ian Shishkin, Cherdian Sokolov, Crombel Stingwood, Dmitry Kissin, and Marta Pargerich.]
These were all the names of the great wizards I had raised.
[You know who these guys are, right? You probably learned about them in history class.]
‘yes.’
Riley answered.
‘The five great wizards. I learned that they were incredibly great, talented, and geniuses with a great passion for magic.’
[no.]
‘yes?’
[No.]
I continued.
[They weren’t geniuses. They were just a bunch of idiots.]
I stared at the statue silently.
300 years.
A whole 300 years have passed.
During that time, everything in the system remained the same, but these statues alone seemed unable to withstand the ravages of time.
[… … .]
There were disparate colors here and there on the statue.
Marks left from patching corroded areas.
I looked at them and began to talk slowly.
[Do you see the old man on the far left?]
‘yes.’
[That’s Ian Shishkin.]
“… … .”
[At first, he was just a kid.]
Ian, who grew up in the countryside of the empire, discovered me when I was eight years old.
Of all the wizards I’ve raised, he’s the most mischievous.
He was the most grumpy and the least talented.
You could say she was the complete opposite of Riley.
[That’s why I was so hard on them. If they failed even once, I would yell, scream, and curse…]
“… … .”
[And then do you know what he said one day?]
‘What did you say?’
[Failure is the mother of success, so please be a little more forgiving of mistakes.]
‘That’s right.’
[Right. But when a guy who always fails says something like that, do you think I’d get mad or not?]
Recalling the old days, I continued the story.
[So I said something.]
‘What did you say?’
[If failure is the mother of success, then what mother of your success is thousands of people?]
Riley burst out laughing.
People passing by looked at her strangely, but Riley didn’t really care and answered.
‘Still, Ian Shishikin, you have managed to rise to the position of Archmage.’
[Yeah. Even though he threw tantrums, he wasn’t the type of guy to give up.]
anyway.
[See the next kid? The one next to Ian.]
‘yes.’
[That guy is called Cherdian… … .]
The story continued.
Drenched in nostalgia, I told Riley every anecdote about my students.
When Riley heard that, sometimes she laughed, sometimes she looked serious, and sometimes she looked sad.
Time passed.
And my story also flowed.
Passing Cherdian Sokolov.
Crombel Stingwood.
Dmitry Kissin.
And 300 years ago, my last disciple, Martha Pargerich.
After I finished telling the whole story, I asked Riley.
[how is it?]
‘yes?’
[What do you think? This is what I thought after hearing the stories of these five little ones I raised.]
Riley thought for a moment.
Then she told me her thoughts.
‘It seems that the Magic Book Master really cares about his disciples.’
[… … .]
You care about your disciples.
Hearing Riley’s comments, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
It was a lonely laugh.
[Riley.]
‘yes?’
[You asked me yesterday, what my purpose in raising a wizard is.]
‘That’s what it was.’
[The reason is simple.]
There was only one reason why I raised a wizard.
It has been my goal and a milestone in my life ever since I first became a grimoire.
[I’m going to get revenge on those fucking bastards who made me like this.]
“… … .”
[I want to raise the contractors to be great wizards, and take revenge on those bastards who turned me into a piece of paper.]
It was still vivid.
My first contractor, Payndal.
And his death.
-Paendal?
-… … .
And next to that cold corpse, until midnight, when a new “phase” opened, I could do nothing but stare into his eyes.
Even though they beg and cry for help, saying that people are dying here.
No one could hear my voice… … .
I remember that day vividly.
[From that day on, for thousands of years, I had no more disciples. I didn’t give them affection.]
“… … .”
I was afraid that my beloved disciple would die.
Every time I faced that death, I was afraid of the mental pain I would receive.
That’s why… … .
Contractor.
I called them that for a while and stopped using the word disciple.
The contractors were just tools to me. I wanted revenge from them, and they wanted power from me.
I wanted them to teach me magic so that I could take care of the beings that made me like this, and they wanted me to learn magic so that I could become stronger.
It wasn’t a priestly relationship.
This was literally a contract created by the mutual interests of both parties. It was a series of cold days where there was no such thing as human affection.
And in the process, I used the contractors as tools.
I didn’t think about their safety.
I thought of the contractors as nothing more than test subjects.
Whether they died or not, I continued to force them down the dangerous path.
They just used those overlapping deaths as data to achieve better results the next time around.
And so this bloody, vicious cycle continued.
Until I met a girl.
[It’s called Ruel Nirav.]
“… … .”
A name now forgotten in history.
But the one who holds the biggest place in my heart is the world’s first great wizard.
Ruel Nirav.
[I’ve done all kinds of dangerous experiments on him? He’s been on the brink of death thousands of times.]
Thinking back now, it was a miracle.
The path of magic that the girl walked was a continuation of suffering. After enduring that suffering, what awaited her was death.
But the girl persevered.
And he lived till the end and finally became a great wizard.
[But do you know what that kid said to me right before he died?]
“… … .”
[Just one word.]
-Thank you.
Thank you for raising me as a great wizard.
I am so grateful that you never gave up on me, even though I had no talent, and that you raised me.
[That was her will.]
“… … .”
I was just doing it for my own purposes.
I didn’t think about her safety or life.
It was only for his own selfishness.
She thanked me for that.
My mind suddenly opened.
As I fought for revenge, at some point I became the same as the people I wanted to take revenge on.
There were countless victims lying along the path I walked.
And from the moment I realized that, I changed direction.
The main objective is revenge.
But in the process, we can reach our goal without sacrificing anyone.
Also, so that I can build bonds with my disciples.
Although this method was slow to produce results, it was worth it.
I began to enjoy the very act of raising disciples.
So much time has passed.
The first great wizard remembered by the current empire, Ian Shishkin, was born.
* * *
okay.
It was my fault.
I have used thousands of wizards as tools.
It was a road filled with destruction.
The devil’s way. It was literally the ‘devil’s way’.
I reflect on that past.
I keep apologizing.
I truly apologize to my contractors for the deaths I caused. Looking back, it was truly a piece of crap.
The path I have walked was a path made through the sacrifices of unfortunate contractors.
A training method that was created through trial and error over thousands of years. I raised great magicians based on it.
Ruel Nirav, now forgotten in history.
As well as Ian Shishkin, Cherdian Sokolov, Crombel Stingwood, Dmitry Kissin, and Marta Pargerich.
It was through the sacrifices my contractors made long ago that they were able to rise to the position of Archmage.
But all those sacrifices were quickly stolen by a conman named Jan Irantes.
By impersonating Martha Pargerich’s disciple.
But he didn’t stop there, he used the injustice to increase his own value, even building a pagoda named after himself.
[Do you understand now?]
“… … .”
Why am I angry?
[… … Do you understand now?]
The crime committed by Jan Lantes was not simply an insult to Marta Pargerich personally.
The path I have walked.
It was an act of denial of all the contractors who sacrificed themselves in that bloody witchcraft.
And it was an act of deception that had me walking that painful path, teetering precariously on the edge of a mental abyss.
“… … .”
Riley was silent.
The sun was slowly setting in the plaza of the system.
Shadows began to fall between the five giant statues.
A long time has passed since then.
Finally, Riley nodded.
And then he answered.
“I know that too.”
[… … .]
“I know the anger you feel when you are deceived by one person and when you are denied the path you have walked.”
Riley looked at me in my pocket and continued speaking in a determined voice.
“Let us swear to each other.”
[… … .]
“I will take revenge on Jan Irantes for the sake of the Magus. And not only that, I will become a great wizard and hold accountable the being who made the Magus like this.”
Riley’s voice was strangely shaky.
Just like yesterday, I thought I knew why I was trembling.
Anger.
A burning hostility towards something.
Since ancient times, those who sought power through magic usually wanted only one thing.
“Instead… … .”
[… … .]
“… … Master of Magic Book, please also carry out my revenge.”
I was silent.
Riley wanted me to teach her magic and become stronger.
And he wanted to take revenge through that power.
That is why she came to see me in the library that night, risking so much, with that one goal in mind.
… … What on earth made her like this?
A girl who has only lived for 15 years.
No, maybe.
A girl who has only lived on her own for three years, free from the tools of the Thieves’ Guild.
I felt so sorry for her that there was someone she wanted to risk her whole life for to get revenge on.
[… … .]
But on the other hand, I could feel a sense of kinship with her.
Because I also had someone I wanted revenge on.
okay.
That night.
We met at the library of Rethemis and each had our own purpose.
Each of them had someone they wanted revenge on.
Also, each of them had a wish they wanted to fulfill.
My relationship with Riley wasn’t your typical priest-sister relationship.
It was simply a contractual relationship created by the mutual interests of both parties.
[I promise.]
“… … .”
But unlike the cold days of the past when there was no such thing as recognition, this is a strong oath made based on mutual trust.
[I will get your revenge.]
I felt a sense of bonding.
It wasn’t a contract with alcohol or magic, but I still felt a strong bond.
