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Episode 75
Remnants (2)
Knock, knock.
Crimson blood flowed down the platform. Red blood flowed from Tephi’s headless corpse.
How long must he have stared at that horrible sight?
Finally, Riley was able to face reality, albeit belatedly.
Tepee is dead.
That too, at a ceremony where all of the Irantes Matapwon members were present.
Riley, who had been staring blankly at the corpse in such an abrupt situation, slowly turned her gaze toward the auditorium.
“… … .”
[… … .]
Swish─.
I could see people’s expressions.
They had calm faces. There was not a single trace of agitation in their expressions.
As if this were a given in “rituals”.
“what…….”
It was at that moment that Riley, who had been observing them, muttered to herself in a trembling voice.
Plop─!
Right then.
An eerie sound coming from the side.
Riley quickly turned her gaze back to Tephy’s body.
Crunch, crunch!
flower.
It was one flower.
A single red flower was blooming from the perforated neck of the tepee.
Swoosh─!
Is it an attempt to use Tepi’s corpse as nutrients?
The flower’s roots gradually engulfed Tepee and consumed his body.
“… … .”
[… … .]
A flower bud in full bloom.
In contrast, Tepi’s body was losing more and more life.
All the blood flowing through his body was sucked into the flowers, and his corpse began to take on a mummy-like appearance.
Saaaa …
Time passed.
Before long, the roots of the flower had completely covered Tepi’s body. On top of the beautifully blooming flower buds, there was a fruit the size of a thumb.
A fruit that has the shape of a round bead, like a pill.
Jan Lantes walked slowly towards the flower and snapped off the fruit.
“… … .”
[… … .]
The fruit had a strange aura.
It was a feeling I had never felt before, but Riley and I were able to immediately identify it.
‘… … Vitality.’
[… … .]
okay.
That fruit was the fruit that grew at the cost of Tepi’s life force.
“Okay, kid.”
Swish─.
Jan Irantes reached out to Riley.
A dark red fruit was placed on the palm of his hand.
“Eat this fruit.”
“… … .”
“Eat it and enjoy immortality with this magic tower. Let’s rule this continent together and open a new horizon for magic.”
Riley, who was blankly looking down at the fruit, spoke to me in a trembling voice.
‘Master of the Book of Magic… … .’
[huh.]
‘… … Could that be the “Immortal Art”?’
I answered right away.
[no.]
That wasn’t a spell for immortality.
Even if the children of the Irantes claim so, at least the magic of immortality that Martha Pargerich and I were studying was not such a terrible thing.
[That’s not a magic spell for immortality.]
I thought back to a conversation I had with Elder Isabella a few days ago.
I’m talking about the conversation we had in Isabella’s private study the first day I set foot on the Tower of Irantes.
-The magic of immortality broke the chain of life and death. This is an act of betrayal against the laws set by heaven.
-But even so, the magicians of Irantes were able to escape the mark of magic.
“… … .”
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[… … .]
The reason why the magicians of Irantes who defied death were able to escape the mark of magic.
The reason why he was able to remain sane despite betraying the laws of heaven.
The reason was simple.
There was a very fundamental solution for the Irantes Matap.
From the beginning, they did not meddle in the flow of life and death, and from the beginning, they did not betray the laws of heaven.
Price.
The flow of life and death was one of the natural laws that followed this law.
It was a natural law that the death of existing life would create space for new life.
But the Irantes Matap used that law in reverse.
By eliminating the space for new life, they create a space for existing life to survive.
That was the price that the Irantes Matap paid for the magic of immortality.
“What are you doing, child? Hurry up and eat the fruit.”
Swish─.
Jan Irantes reached out to Riley again.
The crimson berries shone brightly, reflecting the stage lights.
“… … .”
[… … .]
A terrible silence filled the great hall of the Irantes.
All that could be heard was the sound of Tepee’s blood dripping down the steps.
Boom, boom─.
Stop.
Time passed.
Until the blood flowing down the stage stopped moving.
Tephi’s body was no longer visible.
Because the flower’s roots had completely engulfed his body.
The life essence that once flowed through Tepee’s veins has now become nothing more than nutrients for the red flower.
Many eyes turned towards Riley.
Jan Irantes continued to offer Riley the fruit, but Riley simply responded to his advances with silence.
The magicians glared at Riley with jealous eyes.
“… … .”
[… … .]
That day.
Riley never managed to swallow the fruit.
* * *
Smart─.
That dawn.
Someone knocked on the door.
Riley, who had been sitting on the bed with a blank expression, carefully opened the door.
“Hello, wizard.”
There was a boy standing in front of the door with an expressionless face.
He began to introduce himself in a low, calm voice.
“I am Zion, and I will be your new assistant starting today. Please take good care of me.”
Bow─.
The assistant, who introduced himself as Zion, bowed and greeted me.
Riley looked at him like this and kept her mouth shut without saying anything.
For some reason, he seemed like a familiar boy.
As I gazed quietly into Zion’s face, a memory flashed across my mind.
[……ah.]
okay.
I remembered.
Zion.
He was one of the assistants I had seen through the window in Isabella’s study a few days ago.
A child who was sold into slavery as a gladiator at the age of 15 and barely managed to survive.
The unfortunate life story I read that day in the “Assistant Record” is still vivid in my memory.
“Mr. Zion.”
“yes.”
“You said you were my new assistant?”
“Yes.”
Zion nodded with a blunt expression.
After hearing that answer, Riley smiled bitterly and continued speaking.
“If I am chosen as the subject of the ‘ritual’ again, a new assistant will come to me.”
“… … .”
[… … .]
ceremony.
This was a sorcery in which the assistants sacrificed their lives in exchange for the magicians gaining longevity.
This is what Elder Isabella meant when she said a week ago, ‘Tepi is with you for the rest of your life.’
By consuming the life force of the assistant through the fruit, the wizard was able to live the life that the assistant was supposed to live.
“Mr. Zion, don’t you feel wronged?”
“… … .”
“The fact that your life is being used as a tool by the Irantes Tower, and that the Tower members take that sacrifice for granted… … . Are you really not bothered by it?”
Upon hearing that question, Zion immediately gave an answer in a calm voice without any highs or lows.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Wizard Riley.”
“… … .”
[… … .]
After hearing his answer, Riley was speechless for a while.
When it comes to etiquette, security is always maintained.
What happens during a ceremony must never be revealed outside the auditorium.
Now, Zion was consistently ignorant of what had happened during the ceremony, and was strictly observing the rules of the Tower.
“… … .”
[… … .]
There was silence.
Zion looked at Riley without saying a word. And Riley looked back at him with empty eyes.
Tick, tick─.
How much time has passed like that?
Sighing deeply, Zion shook his head and fell to the floor opposite the bed where Riley was sitting.
“Phew… … .”
Zion opened his mouth cautiously.
“In the past, there were often wizards who refused the magic of immortality like Wizard Riley. I didn’t see it myself, but I learned about it through anecdotes passed down among my assistants.”
“… … .”
“But, wizard, it is said that among the wizards who refused the magic of immortality, there was not a single one who kept his creed to the end.”
He continued talking.
“It is said that as we grow older, our bodies become weaker, our minds become more rigid, and our fear of death grows with each passing day.”
“… … .”
“The wizards of Lantes are no different.”
“… … .”
“Most wizards say they regret it and think, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t have refused the ritual. I should have received the magic of immortality a year earlier.’”
Swish─.
Zion said, slowly turning his head towards Riley.
“Are you asking if it’s not unfair that my life is being used as a tool by the Irantes Tower?”
“… … .”
“Yes. I am not wronged. If it weren’t for the Irantes Tower, I would have died anyway.”
Zion’s voice was dry.
No emotion was expressed.
“I don’t mind if my life is used as a sacrifice for the magic of immortality. If my insignificant life can become the cornerstone that opens the horizon of a new era, then I would rather be honored.”
“… … .”
“It’s not just me, the other assistants all think the same.”
The strange atmosphere that permeated the auditorium when the ceremony was held also originated from these feelings.
The assistants felt honored to be offered as ritual sacrifices.
And the wizards hoped that their lifespan would be extended through the ritual.
okay.
That was it.
“Wizard Riley.”
“… … .”
“Now that you have entered the Tower of Lantes, you too must naturally accept this ritual. The world is originally a series of sacrifices. Humans kill cows and pigs for meat. It would be easy to think that this ritual is no different.”
Rustle─.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zion started rummaging through the inside pockets of his uniform.
He took a small pouch out of his pocket and handed it to Riley.
“Eat.”
“This is… … .”
“It’s a whiskey bonbon. When I’m feeling down, I feel much better when I eat it.”
Zion continued speaking.
“It contains strong alcohol, so you’ll get drunk quickly after drinking just five or six of them.”
“… … .”
“You can eat with peace of mind. Even though minors are prohibited from drinking alcohol under imperial law, there is no law that prohibits them from eating chocolate.”
Riley stared blankly at the bag, then shook her head in refusal.
“I appreciate your kindness, Mr. Zion, but… … I will decline.”
“Why?”
“Alcohol clouds a person’s mind. For a magician who must be sharp in everything he does, it is like poison… … .”
“Magician.”
But Zion cut off Riley’s words abruptly.
“Even if you’re a wizard, sometimes you need to let your guard down. If you’re always holding on to your guard, eventually that guard will wear out.”
“… … .”
“It was all thanks to that that I was able to survive the gladiator battle without going crazy.”
Swish─.
After finishing speaking, Zion stood up from his seat.
Although we had only been talking for less than ten minutes, I was able to get a rough idea of the boy named Zion’s personality.
He had a personality that was the opposite of Tephi’s.
He was blunt in everything and showed no signs of emotional ups and downs.
It had to be that way.
Because Zion was a child who had been living as a gladiator since he was 15 years old.
As a young boy, he would have had to suppress his emotions in order to survive as a gladiator.
“Then good night, wizard.”
Squeak─.
The door is closed.
Riley looked down at the bag of chocolates Zion had handed her in silence.
“… … ”
[… … .]
okay.
Zion was a good kid.
It’s hard to believe that this boy has been living as a slave gladiator since he was 15.
But even Zion, if Riley were to be the object of the “ritual” one day, would meet a meaningless end.
Did she even recall that fact? Riley’s expression darkened immensely.
Swish─.
She put a chocolate bar into her mouth without saying a word.
“… … .”
The first taste was sweet.
But perhaps because of the scent of alcohol that followed, the aftertaste gradually became bitter.
