Chapter 152: Wahrheit (2)

There is a Convention common to the Misunderstanding Genre.

When the Protagonist puts on a Great Performance, the surrounding people develop an Obsession.

After thinking that this world was a Misunderstanding Genre World Setting, I also did not doubt that I would live such a Life.

However, Reality was the exact opposite.

The Imperial Court or the religious order that should have obsessed over me set me free, as if they had no Interest in me.

Of course, it wasn't that they truly had no Interest in me.

In the sense of respecting me, they just didn't put a Leash on me.

Up to this point, it was a pleasant miscalculation.

If a Leash couldn't be avoided, I'd enjoy it, but if it could be avoided, a free state was better.

The problem lay in the fact that innocent-looking people who did not respect me were obsessed with me.

'Just what kind of Confidence do Black Sorcerers have to think I would join them.'

It was absurd for me.

It wasn't that they were giving me a lot of money, nor were they promising to hand me power. Much less were they giving me knowledge I didn't know.

Above all, the thing I disliked the most was......

'Give up Divine Magic? Are they crazy?'

It was exactly the demand to give up the Miracle of Divine Magic.

Of course, even before hearing that Proposal, I didn't have even an Eye Crust of an intention to accept it.

However, immediately after hearing that Proposal, I hardened my resolve.

'Since you've only lived in a world with Magic, you don't know the sorrow of a world without Magic, do you?'

Do you know the terror of failing Hemostasis on a Blood Vessel thinner than the thickness of a pinky finger because DIC sets in?

What about the sense of despondency when Urine stops flowing just because you slightly touched a Ureter thinner than a Fingernail while cleaning up organs in a mess?

There are even cases where you finish the Surgery perfectly, yet Chylothorax occurs.

The Surgery was definitely performed perfectly!

'Fuck. You're so full of yourself because you've never lived in a world where you face an Unfair Nerf even after a perfect Surgery.'

Compared to that, this world is very kind.

Even if you accidentally sever a Ureter or Blood Vessel during Surgery, as long as they don't die, it can somehow be restored by paying a lot of money.

If you don't make a mistake, most Unfair Nerfs don't occur.

Even the frequency of unavoidable Aftereffects following a Surgery is far lower.

What a kind world this is!

Even though the World Setting is Dark Fantasy, in the medical realm, this place is a soft and fluffy Romance Fantasy. (At least to me.)

'It's because you don't know the terror of Intestinal Adhesion after Surgery that you can spout nonsense about replacing Divine Magic.'

That is why I can say it confidently.

Black magic can never replace Divine Magic.

Even if they might complement each other, replacing each other is eternally impossible.

'It wasn't for nothing that I sucked up to the religious order to stay on good terms while managing the Merkur Trading Company.'

Who was it that said this.

That one who has tasted Meat can never go back to before knowing its taste.

The same goes for me.

Therefore, Wahrheit's Proposal was an absurd remark not even worth considering.

This was also the reason I rejected his Proposal without hesitation.

"I am still an immature human, so I desperately need the Miracle of The gods."

"You are not such a weak human that you must rely on a god."

"No. I am indeed a weak human."

Wahrheit, who had lived enjoying the Benefits of Magic as naturally as breathing since birth, would eternally be unable to understand me.

Whether Wahrheit also sensed my resolute will, he suddenly changed the direction of his persuasion.

The Soldier's twisted body came to a towering halt.

A single streak of black Ichor flowed from the gouged-out eye socket, wetting the collar of the Military uniform.

Before long, an empty Voice flowed out from the Soldier's mouth.

"Divine Power, you say."

The Soldier's head slowly tilted.

His broken neck bone creaked following that angle.

"......I also once pursued the same will as you."

He muttered as if reminiscing about the distant past.

"I also had days where I lived begging for the Mercy of The gods. Believing that there was a line humanity must keep, and that ethics was indeed a Mage's final Conscience."

"Is that a story from your days as the Master of a Magic Tower?"

"It is. Back then, the Magic Tower of Life communicated closely with the religious order, and it was a Magic Tower whose goal was to gain an Understanding of life."

In the past, the Magic Tower of Life was a Department that explored life itself.

However, there was a clear difference in their goals from the religious order,

If the religious order's goal was understanding life to treat a Patient,

the Magic Tower's goal was understanding life to strengthen Humanity.

In reality, the Research achievements of the Magic Tower of Life were remarkable.

The Body Strengthening Branch Magic that the Vanguard used as easily as breathing was a representative example of that.

The problem was that, excited by those achievements, the Magic Tower of Life ended up crossing the line by far.

— "Teacher. I have a Duty to make Humanity greater!"

To The public, Tower Master Wahrheit was known to have gone mad, blinded by his Magical Power while researching Life Magic.

However, the Truth I heard through my Teacher, the Great Sage, was a little different.

Wahrheit hadn't gone mad because of Magic.

He merely went mad from the anxiety brought about by Precognition and a finite Lifespan.

— "To raise one's Level of Mastery in Magic, numerous corresponding Experiments are required. Most other Magics have no limits in their Experiments, but Life Magic has many restrictions, Yulian."

A Wizard must raise their Level of Mastery to live a long life.

To raise their Level of Mastery, they must raise their Magic's Level of Mastery through all sorts of Experiments.

A Flame Mage burns countless substances for this to raise their Understanding of flames, and a Prophet researches various Divination to raise their understanding of Precognition.

However, Life Magic was bound to have limits in its Research.

As the subjects were people, ethics acted as its obstacle.

No matter how much they experimented on a Demonic Beast and Livestock, they couldn't expect the same Effect as experimenting on a human,

so the Master of a Magic Tower of Life, Wahrheit, had no choice but to remain at Rank 2 despite his position as Tower Master.

Until he kept the line.

— "Yulian. Before I teach you Black magic, promise me this one thing. No matter what happens, do not cross the line. The moment you cross the line once, there is no hesitation in advancing forward from then on."

Wahrheit, who felt anxious at the approaching Limit of his Lifespan.

The Master of a Magic Tower of Life, who had secretly crossed the line once, had no hesitation.

He merely cut open the stomach of one human, yet a Rank rose.

When he split open the heads of several people, his Rank rose once more.

Having tasted the sweetness of that rise, he began to secretly experiment with people thereafter, and such a trend gradually spread even among the Elder and Mages under the Tower Master.

Ultimately, in the end, the Magic Tower of Life ruined The West of the Empire, created Demonkin, and after causing numerous other problems, faced Retribution from the Great Sage......

......That was the whole story of its History.

As if retracing that past, Wahrheit with the Soldier's face fumbled around his chest.

It was as if he were trying to check the beating of a heart that was not his own.

"But one day, I heard a Prophecy. The first Tower Master of Precognition...... It was a Prophecy told to me by my Senior Sister. A Prophecy that in the distant Future, a Mage who handles life would eventually make Humanity the masters of the world."

Snap.

The sound of a Joint shifting places was heard.

It was the sound of covering up the Joint he sacrificed earlier while transporting Perisia somewhere with another body Part.

"The moment I heard those Words, I did not doubt that I was the person of that Prophecy. My hateful Teacher also called me the Child who would become a Savior."

"By Teacher, do you mean the Great Sage?"

"Yes. He would be more familiar to you as Great Sage Edelhardt."

The Soldier's mouth corners were pulled upward, going against the grain of his muscles.

"Lord Yulian. I saw that Prophecy once again in you."

The reaching Fingertips touched the Iron Bars.

The fingers that touched the Old Testament Style crest sizzled, burning away while letting out a faint smoke.

Because he had stolen another's body in an unholy manner, the divine letters rejected him.

However, Wahrheit didn't mind.

"One who blossoms Truth alone in a white Corridor packed with hypocrites. Those eyes that had no shame even after shoving a Taboo at a dying person. That looks so much like my younger days."

"......"

"I don't want to see my Junior fall into despair like me."

Even as his Fingertips were burning, his Facial expression was peaceful.

But true Pain seemed to be buried in that Voice.

Whether that Pain was due to his burning flesh, or due to his own past, only he would know.

"Do you know the misery of having one's hands meant to save the world tied down by ethics, dying of old age without even fulfilling their given Lifespan? I went through that. I want at least you to not go through that."

I quietly watched those fingers burn away.

And I opened my mouth.

"That's strange. Am I the only one who sees a Contradiction in your figure, Senior?"

"If there is a Contradiction in my Words, it's probably because there isn't enough Time for a full explanation. Even so, if you need an explanation for your Understanding, go ahead and ask."

"It's because I've never in my Life heard of the Courtesy of slipping Lead into Wine for the sake of a Junior."

The Soldier's hand flinched.

"If your intention was simply to visit me in a dream, there would have been many other good Catalysts besides Lead Sugar (Lead). Using Sandman's Sand would have been a method too. Yet, the fact that you specifically used Lead Sugar means......"

After pausing long enough, I opened my mouth again.

"You merely wanted to lock me in a dream and take away my body, didn't you?"

A moment of silence flowed.

And.

"......Heh."

What leaked from his twisted mouth was laughter.

"It seems there was a Misunderstanding. Let me make a Correction."

The Soldier's hand fell from the Iron Bars. A thin wisp of smoke rose from his half-burned Fingertips.

"I have no Interest in your body. It's just that I have the Confidence to put that Talent to better use than you."

The sound of Freya grinding her teeth could be heard behind my back.

I was thankful she was getting angry on my behalf, but right now was a Time to be compliant.

I quietly grabbed Freya's hand.

Her trembling hand quickly regained stability and stopped.

Wahrheit continued his story.

"Just as there are children who don't know how to handle things even when they're placed in their hands, there are Adults who can utilize them a hundred times over. That treasure trove in your head...... Isn't it a waste to leave it stuck in The Underworld."

Translated, it meant he wouldn't use me as a vessel.

Instead, it meant he would use me as a Knowledge Vending Machine.

A vending machine standing next to him like a Doll, spitting out knowledge At the Click of a Button.

Naturally, I also refused to end up in such a state.

"I will still refuse."

"......What a shame. Truly."

Wahrheit let out a Sigh.

The Soldier's Lungs swelled and collapsed on their own, making a whistling sound.

"Alright. Then I will leave you with just one last thing."

His twisted neck abruptly turned back toward me.

"You, how long do you think that Teacher of yours will believe in you?"

The Soldier's hand slowly clenched the empty air.

"I only realized it much later. That man was already seeing it through Precognition. He was afraid I would surpass him. So he was taming me. Intending to use me while he could, and throw me away when the Time came."

Resentment flowed out thickly through his Voice.

"So at first, he supported me more than anyone, but then from a certain point, he started thwarting my Experiments one by one. Perhaps one day, the Great Sage will also block your Development."

"I do not agree. As far as I know, that person does not stop Thought Experiments or an Idea itself."

This is a fact I learned while submitting numerous Black magic Attack Scenarios as Academic Papers.

No matter how dangerous the ideas I submitted were, the Magic Management Bureau never used them as an excuse to impose a Disadvantage.

Despite the fact that they were people who would have a Flare-up at the mere mention of Black magic.

The only time they had a Flare-up was when I suggested putting that Thought Experiment into practice.

The Inspection I received when I gathered Mold Sorcerers to make Penicillin was Evidence of that.

However, it seemed Wahrheit felt it was unfair how his Experiments were stopped in that manner in the past.

"What's the point of coming up with an Idea. A Mage cannot raise their Rank if they cannot conduct an Experiment."

"Is there a need to have an Obsession over your Lifespan?"

"You might think so right now. But when your Lifespan nears its end, and you realize your body can no longer support your Genius, will you continue to be so detached?"

"......"

"The door is always open, Lord Yulian. I'll stop here for today. My Teacher's gaze is slowly reaching this place. Farewell then."

Leaving those Words, the Soldier's body slowly collapsed.

His knees buckled like a Doll with cut strings, and his Upper Body fell face-down on the cold Corridor floor.

The face of the fallen Soldier twisted uncontrollably for one last time.

Then it spread like an Afterimage over the amber shadow draped on the wall before disappearing.

Like that, I stared for a moment at the trace of Wahrheit, who disappeared after only saying what he wanted to say.

Belatedly answering the Words he left at the end.

— "When your Lifespan nears its end, and you realize your body can no longer support your Genius, will you continue to be so detached?"

"......Yes."

There was something he was misunderstanding.

He might constantly have things coming to mind because he was a Genius, but I wasn't a Genius, so there was a Limit to my knowledge.

I was just bringing over 21st Century knowledge and freeloading off it; in reality, there was practically no Technique or knowledge that I had newly discovered.

In other words, it meant I was a human whose bottom line was bound to be revealed someday.

Therefore, I had no reason to have an Obsession with Lifespan like him.

'I need a Lifespan to be able to run away.'

What if my Lifespan ends before my knowledge runs out?

Then I can just leave it as a Book.

Even genius mathematicians or scientists like Da Vinci liked doing that.

Writing down all those unrealized Ideas in a Notebook and passing them down to a Future generation.

Then on the last Page, I'll leave a sentence roughly like, 'I have proven this Formula, but the margin is too small to contain it.'

In truth, I couldn't prove it either, but I would just throw a Task to torment my juniors and close my eyes.

This way, the image of a Tragic Genius whose Lifespan couldn't wait for him would also be brought to Completion.

Anyway, I had no particular reason to have an Obsession with my Lifespan.

I quietly stared at the spot where Wahrheit disappeared, simply resolving once again not to become like that when I get old.

***

Meanwhile, at that Time.

The deepest part of the Imperial Castle, in front of the door at the end of a Corridor where no light entered.

That door was not the door leading to the Audience Chamber.

That door, smaller than the massive door leading to the splendid room where the Throne was placed, was the door leading to the Emperor's Bedroom.

The Corridor where that door was located was a space where even the Emperor's relatives, and even the Imperial Princes who would succeed the Imperial Throne, could not recklessly step foot.

In the first place, there was practically no one in this Empire who knew the Emperor's face.

Not to mention the common people of The public, even among the Nobles who received the Empire's stipends, those who had directly seen the Emperor's Countenance could be counted on one hand.

His portrait was not hung anywhere, and his edicts only reached his Subjects through print and Voice.

One who exists but cannot be seen.

That was the Emperor.

In front of that secretive Emperor's most hidden bedroom, an old man stopped.

The only person in this world with the Permission to visit this room without prior notice.

It was none other than Great Sage Edelhardt.

"Ahem, hem."

Before opening the door, the Great Sage cleared his throat.

Then he disabled the layers of Barriers and opened the door.

The inside of the Emperor's Bedroom was dark.

A drape surrounding the bed was hung long from the Ceiling.

Beyond that thin veil resembling a canopy, the silhouette of a single person was reflected.

It looked like someone was sitting on the edge of the bed.

A rough Breath Sounds leaked from that shadow.

Haaah— grrrg. Haaah—.

A mechanical inhalation and exhalation, as if they were wearing a Respirator.

As if even pulling up each and every breath was a Burden, the silhouette of their Shoulders precariously rose and sank with every inhale.

The sound of wet Phlegm boiling deep within their Lungs faintly flowed out from beyond the veil.

Edelhardt looked at that sight with sorrowful eyes.

"Eschenwald."

However, he called the Emperor in a flat Tone of voice, pretending not to show it as much as possible.

"Did you sleep well."

The silhouette beyond the veil slowly raised its head.

"......Is it Edelhardt."

Haaah. Only after catching a beat of breath did the next words follow.

"I slept...... well. Yes."

"What kind of dream did my dear friend have today."

The Emperor could not answer immediately.

Grrrg, the Emperor answered only after his chest boiled once.

"......It was a good dream, for the first time in a while. A dream that wasn't Precognition or anything."

"Was it the past?"

"Yeah."

Through his rough breaths, something like a faint laugh mixed in.

"A thousand years ago, you and...... them. We all crossed the sea together. The Saintess was terribly weak to seasickness, so she was collapsed on the deck."

"You left her alone and were just fishing using a shark as bait, saying you'd catch a Sea Dragon."

"And you were preparing Magic just in case the ship might sink because of that."

Edelhardt's eyes curled gently.

The sunlight from those days seemed to seep into this dark room for a moment.

"Someday, when the ice on that sea melts, we'll go again."

"......Yeah. Someday."

The two closed their mouths for a moment.

Haaah— grrrg.

Only the sound of the Respirator filled the room for a while.

Before long, Edelhardt corrected his posture.

And he spoke with the courtesy of a vassal.

"I have a Report, His Majesty."

"Speak."

"The Defier of Heaven Wahrheit Jäger, revealed himself for a moment."

Grrrg.

The sound of Phlegm beyond the veil momentarily stopped.

"It seems he attempted Contact with the boy named Yulian Nihilrit. I immediately conducted a Tracking, but—."

Edelhardt chose his words for a moment.

"I apologize, but I only managed to erase one of his pieces. I could not reach his main body. It is all my Fault for being lacking."

Silence flowed.

And, unexpectedly, what flowed out from beyond the veil was not a reprimand.

"No. He is one who invested everything into surviving. You must be busy as well, so it is an impressive feat that you managed to find a piece of such a person in the midst of that."

Haaah, the Emperor pulled up a breath.

"Rather, it is enough. He is a person who already lost his physical body by your hands. A mere Soul wandering from this body to that body...... lost a piece of itself. That is a wound on a completely different level from having a piece of flesh cut by you. For the time being, he...... will not be able to easily raise his body."

"Thank you, His Majesty."

"Yes. You have once again...... accomplished a great task."

Through his rough breaths, a faint sense of pride permeated the Emperor's Voice.

Edelhardt bowed his head.

It seemed the Report was ending like that.

Haaah— grrrg.

However, the Emperor did not immediately dismiss Edelhardt.

As if about to bring up some words or not, only the sound of the Respirator went back and forth a few times.

Before long, the Emperor slowly opened his mouth.

"Edelhardt."

"Yes, His Majesty."

"About that boy. Did you say he was Yulian."

"That is correct."

The silhouette beyond the veil brought its hand to the drape.

Over the thin fabric, the Outline of emaciated fingers was reflected.

"Now...... It seems that Child will no longer need shade."

"Shade...... you say."

"Yes. He needed it during this time. Until that Child could stand on his own two feet...... Someone had to become his shade, protecting him so the light wouldn't burn that Child too early."

Haaah.

"But...... he wouldn't need it anymore. He's already become a Giant Tree rather than a Sprout, too big to be hidden in the shade."

"There will be many who target him."

"It is a necessary thing. For a bird...... to fly, it must leave its Nest, must it not."

Edelhardt's Facial expression quietly stiffened.

"......His Majesty. Those Words are."

"Make Contact with the religious order."

Haaah—.

"Tell them that it is Time to closely discuss...... about bestowing a Title of Nobility...... upon The Black Saint."

"......"

"For the Empire. And—."

Grrrg, his Lungs boiled one more time.

"Even if it is for the sake of all of Humanity...... whom I could not completely save with this one body."