Chapter 324 - Reward (1)
Two old men arrived at the isolated Sky Island.
Upon seeing them, Legrit immediately stepped forward and offered a simple bow.
"You have come. Elder Ren Balhagne, Elder Sheorn."
Two of the three Elders of the Ark.
Among them, Ren Balhagne, Locke's master, spoke firmly with his hands behind his back.
"Yes, we have come. It was you who made us come here. Legrit, I thought I was familiar with your eccentricities, but… to think you would not only interrupt the Ark Council midway but also flee with a candidate."
"It is not fleeing, but an exchange battle."
"Hmm, an exchange battle…"
Ren Balhagne looked around.
The blue sky that should have surrounded the place was nowhere to be seen.
The Sky Island, swallowed by shadows.
Dark clouds drifted slowly with the wind, as though a torrential downpour could fall at any moment. Parts of the island were split as if an earthquake had struck.
There were also countless charred marks, as if struck by a thunderstorm.
"Quite a fierce trace for something called an exchange. Still, fortunately, you did not destroy the island itself."
"Of course. Neither of us had the intent to kill."
Verden and Legrit.
Both had revealed their true strength by opening their Mado, yet they did not cause unnecessary destruction.
If they had fought with the intent to truly annihilate each other, unleashing their full power indiscriminately, the outcome would have been entirely different.
No matter how solid the foundation was, the Sky Island would not have endured their power and would have half-collapsed.
Had that happened, it would have been a catastrophe, exchange battle or not.
Even if there were no people below, the aftermath would have been immense.
They would have had to desperately struggle to prevent the collapsing fragments of the island from falling to the ground.
"So, what was the result?"
"I lost."
The Captain's defeat.
Ren Balhagne raised an eyebrow.
"You, the War Lord of the Empire, say so?"
"Of course, we did not see the fight through to the end. But had it continued, I would eventually have lost."
"You admit it cleanly."
"The truth is the truth."
Legrit stood proud.
Part of her golden armor was faintly damaged. But she felt neither defeat nor regret.
"Still, are you not disappointed? Had you used 'those', it might have been different."
"This is an exchange battle after all. Even I know when to restrain myself."
She had indeed shown her strength as a War Lord.
She had opened her Mado, wielded her martial arts, and even used one of her trump cards.
But that was not everything.
She had not used the ultimate techniques that marked the peak of martial arts, nor her final resort, the ancient artifact.
However—
"Even if I had revealed my full strength, whether the result would have changed… I dare not claim. For it seems to me Asher was holding back at least as much, no, surely more, than I did."
It was an instinctive intuition.
Beyond those clear and deep blue eyes, she had felt an unknown abyss.
"That much, you say…"
Legrit and Ren Balhagne both turned their gazes aside.
There stood the gray-haired Magus and another Elder, speaking face to face.
Verden bowed his head slightly.
"I did not know you were an Elder."
"Haha, of course. I never said so, after all."
Library Director, Sheorn Kernoden.
The guardian of the Library stroked his chin.
"I watched the exchange battle well. Not only did you incapacitate the Ark candidates with a
"My apologies."
"No need to say so. It was astonishing, bewildering, and impressive all at once. And since neither of you seems greatly hurt, it appears you kept to the rules of the exchange battle."
The exchange battle was over.
"Then, let us return to the Ark."
Elder Sheorn lifted his short staff.
Leisurely, he gathered mana and brought it down vertically.
Hwaaaahk—
Mana flowed, forming an attribute.
With a flash of violet light, a rift split open and space was revealed.
'This sensation…'
A mighty pressure that stirred the soul.
An overwhelming presence that made one's mana ripple of its own accord.
Could it be—
"…You are a Transcendent?"
Elder Sheorn.
The Ark's Transcendent, who had pioneered the Mado of space.
He smiled at Verden.
"The Library. To guard the Ark's repository of knowledge, should one not be at least of this level?"
Given its scale, he had expected there to be a Transcendent. But that the Library Director was one—he had not imagined.
'Who in the world is the master of the Ark, to keep even a Transcendent beneath them…'
He dared to speculate, but the truth was unimaginable. Neither the power, nor the heart, nor anything else about that master could be guessed.
"Then, let us go."
The entrance of space, connected to the Ark.
Led by Elder Sheorn, the two Elders, a Captain, and Verden disappeared inside.
***
Exodium, the Ark's citadel.
The faraway summit where the current master of the Ark resided.
"There were no issues?"
"None at all. When I arrived, the exchange battle had just ended. Both Asher and Legrit had minor injuries, but nothing approaching serious wounds. They would heal quickly even without potions, by natural recovery."
"I see."
At Elder Ren Balhagne's report, the master of the Ark nodded.
"A candidate victorious over the Captain in an exchange battle… Even if Legrit did not reveal her full power, that strength exceeds expectations. Indeed, one who has overcome the ancient trial."
"In that regard, there is something most important I must report."
Once part of the Captain's circle, the Elder spoke gravely.
"Asher used the Demon King's mana control method,
"…!"
The master of the Ark reacted.
And that was not the only astonishing news.
"Furthermore, he reproduced a magic derived from Legrit's Mado. Not an identical spell, but in his own way. Perhaps he uses
"Are you certain?"
"A robe crafted from dragon's material is rare in the world… I share Legrit's conclusion."
"A being who wields the Demon King's things, without being of the Demon King's blood."
His thoughts deepened.
The silent master murmured to himself.
'Not merely one who picked up a masterless relic… but a successor of something other than blood?'
If so, could it mean—
'No, I cannot yet conclude.'
Unless he asked Asher directly, he could not know.
But he had no intention of prying into what Asher had gained from the ancient trial. That would go against the Ark's ideals.
That duty bound even the master of the Ark.
Unnecessary interference with a candidate only brings harm.
The Ark's role was to aid him in walking his own path.
Even now, it was the same.
To the one who had overcome the trial, a reward.
To the one who had shown meaningful results in the exchange battle, a reward as well.
The Ark does not directly help, but supports growth.
"What must be given to Asher is decided."
His gaze turned to Ren Balhagne.
"Elder Ren Balhagne."
"You have called."
"Open the Library's repository."
And—
"Bring Elder Sheorn."
***
After the exchange battle with Legrit, Verden entered the chamber provided to him.
It was the private space given to candidates visiting the Ark, but since he had spent the night in the Library, this was his first time seeing it himself.
'A suitable place to sort my thoughts.'
Quiet and spacious.
It was apt for contemplating and studying the mana control and elemental fusion he had gained from Legrit.
But there was no time for that.
"Do you drink?"
"If you pour, I shall accept."
"Preferences?"
"I do not mind, but I prefer something clean."
"You know how to drink."
At the table in the center.
Two ordinary wooden chairs.
Elder Ren Balhagne sat opposite, filling glass cups himself.
Verden, having received the glass with courtesy, created ice and dropped it in. Not a single drop of liquor spilled.
Both downed it in one breath, then faced each other.
Suddenly, Ren Balhagne looked at Verden's hand.
"The [Chamelios Leather Gloves] gifted to you by the Principality are gone. Were they ruined?"
"Unintentionally so."
There had been no helping it.
During the fierce battle with Leonil of the Raging Inferno in the Kingdom of Estiria, the heat of the fire magic had been too much to endure, and the gloves had melted away.
"Well done. Equipment only has meaning when used properly. One must not regret or fear its breaking. At any rate, compared to when you subjugated Gluttony's Fang, you have changed greatly. Though not much time has passed…"
It meant that he had lived a life of passion.
The greater the result grasped in hand, the harsher the ordeal endured to obtain it must have been.
"Thanks to you, the exchange battle ended early."
It was just as he said.
The exchange battle was brought to a close.
Most of the candidates had lost consciousness, so how could it continue? Even the six candidates who endured the
And more than that, Legrit, who had been in charge of guiding, had even deserted.
Though the greatest fault lay with her, Verden also shared considerable responsibility.
After all, he had not resisted, even though he could have refused the spatial teleportation Legrit had forcibly triggered.
Today would be recorded as the day the exchange battle ended fastest in the history of the Ark.
"And you shall be remembered as the candidate who defeated the most candidates, and as the Magus who won an exchange battle against the Captain. I wonder if that record will ever be broken."
"..."
Verden had nothing to say.
Yet he felt no regret, no reflection.
For he had gained so much from the magical battle against the Empire's War Lord. Even if he returned to that moment, he would do the same, or even more, never less.
"Anyway, let us leave idle talk here. The reason I am sharing drinks here with you is because I have something to give you. You must have heard about the rewards granted from the trial and the exchange battle?"
"I heard beforehand."
"Then I have come to deliver them personally. First, the matter of the exchange battle."
What Ren Balhagne showed was a pure white book, its cover filled with magical patterns.
'Could it be…'
Though he had never seen it in person, he had come across it in knowledge.
In a catalog of artificial artifacts, he had seen the same shape drawn.
"Is that the [Magic Tome of Many Origins]?"
"You recognized it at a glance."
A magic tome, an item of magic, consuming mana stones to register specific spells and enhancing the user's magical capability.
Verden also possessed one.
A yet-unopened tome he had stolen from the treasury of Bohemirn Magic Tower, which he had made into the Tome of Earth, linked with a magic circle, and stored now in subspace.
As he had felt before, the enhancement effect of a magic tome was overwhelming.
Coveted by any Mage.
But it had a flaw, that a Mage could only use one tome.
'But this one is different.'
The Tome of Many Origins required no spell registration.
Like the orb that had once been one of Orient's materials, it strengthened all magic related to elemental attributes themselves.
And unlike existing tomes, it was not bound to a single element.
To sum it up, it was truly a magic tome encompassing all elements, a collection of them.
Only the Artison Magic Tower could craft such tomes.
And among them, artificial artifacts like the Tome of Many Origins were but a handful in existence.
But it could not be used as it was.
"As you know, the Tome of Many Origins is meaningless on its own. It is an artifact that consumes other elemental tomes. And it only accepts tomes personally opened by the Mage registered to it."
Not tomes touched by another's mana.
Only those the Mage had personally opened.
Simple, yet extremely demanding conditions.
"Do you have such a tome?"
"I happen to own one."
"Excellent. Then you can test it immediately."
There was no reason to refuse.
Verden drew a dagger from his waist.
'The Tome of Many Origins is registered with blood and mana.'
He activated his mana circuits.
At the same time, he cut his palm deeply, squeezing hard, and drops of mana-infused blood fell upon the tome's cover.
Tuk, tududuk.
The Tome of Many Origins glowed crimson.
It greedily absorbed the blood and mana, before regaining its pure white.
"...!"
A vivid sense of connection.
It was akin to the engraving of an artifact.
"Congratulations, you are now one of the few owners of the Tome of Many Origins. Now, the next step."
Nodding, Verden opened the tome.
Inside, there were no pages.
Only a small space, exactly fitting the standard of a magic tome.
He retrieved the Tome of Earth from subspace and placed it inside.
Without hesitation, he closed the cover, and a brilliant light of mana flared.
Soon, among the complex magical patterns carved on the cover, the strip-like part turned brown.
'The connection to the Tome of Earth is gone.'
Yet there was no sense of loss.
Rather, he felt even more filled with magical strength.
'And just as my tome's capacity was becoming insufficient…'
Should he call this luck?
Not only that, but he had also gained an external means of enhancing his elemental magical capability beyond earth.
He would now need to seek unopened tomes.
'Though that will be extremely hard to obtain.'
Even with great wealth, the same was true.
Without opportunity, it would be hard even to see one.
But there was no need to be hasty.
It would suffice to make it an additional goal along his journey.
Satisfied, Verden took out a top-grade potion and healed his wound at once.
"From your expression, it seems it went well."
"I have received something precious. Thank you."
"I shall deliver those words to the master of the Ark. It was his decision to grant it to you. But it is too soon to react so. For there is still more I must give you."
What remained was the reward for overcoming the ancient trial, the Demon King's Tomb.
Even one Tome of Many Origins was more than enough.
Yet there was more still to give. It seemed excessive, but considering the Ark's scale, it was not beyond reason.
"But that reward is not mine to give."
"Then…"
"The time has come, he will soon arrive. I shall take my leave now. It was a pleasure."
Elder Ren Balhagne filled his own glass to the brim, then slipped out of the room.
'…So quiet.'
Alone, silence fell.
Only the ticking of the clock filled the air. Before long, when the minute and hour hands leaned together—
Hwaaaaaahk!
Space twisted.
In the turbulent waves of mana's pulse, a familiar man appeared.
The Library's Director, Elder Sheorn.
Without even giving Verden time to greet him, he dropped himself into the seat Ren Balhagne had vacated, leaned back, and downed a drink.
"Clean. Not bad."
"To see you, Elder—"
"I would prefer you call me Director instead of Elder. I favor that more. Though, if you are as stubborn as Legrit, you may call me however you like."
Verden listened attentively.
"Yes, Director."
"Good. Then let us get straight to the point. Elder Ren Balhagne will have given you some hint."
Elder Sheorn took a book from within his robe and placed it on the table.
This too was a book.
But unlike a magic tome, it was not a magical item.
No mana dwelled within it.
Yet surely, the knowledge inside was no less.
"…I heard that books on spatial magic were forbidden to candidates."
"That is true. But there are exceptions. Overcoming the Demon King's Tomb, classified as an ancient trial, is one such case."
Swiik—
The Elder gently slid the book forward.
As if to say, take it at any time.
But his words were not done.
"This book is your reward. But only as one of two choices."
A choice?
Then, there was another?
Verden tilted his head inwardly.
"Asher, they say your Mado is quite special. That you can reproduce another's Mado, the magic derived from it, in your own way… Is that true?"
"Similar enough."
He was asking of the Mado.
Verden did not bother to hide.
For what the Director and Legrit knew was but a fraction.
"I see. Then, I shall show you another choice."
Elder Sheorn moved his mana.
It was not rough, but smooth. The presence of a Transcendent softly enveloped the space.
"I am Sheorn Kernoden. The Transcendent of magic, who pioneered the Mado of space."
He extended his hand.
Space warped, violet fluorescence flickering.
"Will you take the book of spatial magic, or will you behold my Mado firsthand?"
Elder Sheorn twisted his lips.
A smile filled with the curiosity of a Mage.
"Now. Choose, Asher."
One of the two.
Different, but of the same meaning.
The long-desired spatial magic, its power was now laid before Verden.
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