WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 643: Black Magic, White Magic, and Gray Magic - 7

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More than one person had mastered innate arcane.

Naturally, there was more than one relic as well.

Not everyone who mastered innate arcane left behind a relic, but anyone with the will to do so could. After all, a relic was what remained when only the will within an innate arcane endured.

"The achievements of great people are passed down through generations and do not freeze, even in the bitter cold."

"We of Celsius have all inherited the true teachings of our ancestor, Kelvin Celsius."

"The family's relics shall support the rule governance and make this territory's rules even more secure."

There were seven members of Celsius, and all of them possessed relics. Two, including Elcia, were mages who had mastered innate arcane. The rest were also powerful mages, skilled enough that they would not have been out of place on the floating castle.

With this force, they could redraw the map. If an island of ice suddenly surfaced beyond that sea, these people would probably be the first suspects.

"Knowledge is a tower completed when one person lays the foundation and later generations build upon it."

"Those who do not seek truth are unworthy of climbing this tower."

It felt as though the world was warping. Seven relics held innate arcane. They had not even activated yet, but diamond-shaped crystals kept appearing and disappearing in the air with faint crackling sounds.

Innate arcane manifested one's mental image in the world. With seven such mental images overlapping, the laws of nature changed in this area alone. What clashed was canceled out, while what aligned became even stronger. Here, even a single drop of sweat would quickly harden.

Elcia walked lightly through the air. Ice formed beneath her feet where there had been nothing, supporting her as she moved. Pale blue wings shimmered behind her.

In this space where seven relics coexisted, Celsius itself was the law.

"Every innate arcane is different, but we grew up learning Kelvin Celsius's magic within Kelvin Celsius's rules from childhood. Mages born in Celsius territory are qualified to become part of its rule governance."

That made me think of the Lord of Gold. The Lord of Gold, founder of alchemy and a Demon God, wandered through the Lesser States as its god and exerted a powerful influence.

Was that why most of the Lesser States' leaders awakened innate arcane that resembled alchemy in nature?

It could not be helped. The Lord of Gold's power had been that immense and overwhelming. Humans who survived beneath a Demon God's shadow could not help but resemble that Demon God.

People resembled gods.

Celsius was the same, though on a far smaller and safer scale.

"Knowledge is starlight hanging in the night sky. It makes everyone gaze up at that distant light, draw constellations, and build towers in hopes of reaching those stars. But your black magic is the dark cloud spread beneath them. Because it is close, it hides that distant, precious starlight. The foolish masses who lose that light will flounder in the darkness, leave nothing behind, and vanish miserably."

Admiration for mages was the foundation of the Arcane Federation.

Something like black magic could not be tolerated.

Even if it made human life more convenient for the moment.

"What are you still explaining, Elcia? Open the Heritage Vault already."

As the conversation dragged on, a Celsius mage in a white robe cut her off. Elcia glanced at me and spoke.

"Only someone who points out foolishness and guides others in the right direction can call herself a descendant of a prestigious family."

"Conversation is unnecessary. We have already considered the matter carefully and given our answer. We will not accept the rules the Temple of the Demon God seeks to establish."

The Temple of the Demon God.

Where had I heard that before? The first time had been a passing mention in Shei's memories, and then I heard it again at the floating castle. They had reacted to the mention of a Demon God as though they had suffered a seizure. It was an open secret that Lankart belonged to the Temple of the Demon God.

The story that had not reached its conclusion at the floating castle continued here.

"Celsius rejects the Temple of the Demon God. We will preserve the rule governance as we always have. If the Temple of the Demon God intends to test its World Rule in our territory, that is no different from asking for conflict."

"What? Hold on. The Temple of the Demon God?"

Why was this mage telling me this? I had never even had dealings with the Temple of the Demon God.

"Your power comes from a Demon God. Did you think we wouldn't know that?"

"Temperus didn't know."

"A watchdog has no need to read."

"It would be convenient if they learned, though."

The mage pointed a staff at me.

"Even Fahrenheit, once the most prosperous place in this north, was destroyed when it overlapped with another set of rules. Celsius territory was built through rule governance and prospers through rule governance. We need no other rules."

Celsius territory certainly was prosperous. It would be difficult to find another city this flourishing, even in the north. A few foolish people were cast aside, but that was the same in every country and city.

Elcia took out a transparent key. When she thrust the crude, pale blue key into the air, a subspace opened and fierce winds swept out.

Rene's pouch. Its structure was probably the same as Shei's pocket. Yet its purpose was different from Shei's pocket, which she used as a convenient bag.

It was a subspace meant to control and coordinate the power of relics too powerful and destructive to handle otherwise.

"Viva Celsius. We shall protect and nurture our ancestors' great achievements."

Elcia opened the Heritage Vault, the subspace that stored the family heirlooms. She removed her glove and held out her hand toward me. A massive shadow wavered behind her. Rustle.

Her touch crossed space and reached me.

Huh? When I tried to run, my body wouldn't move. It felt as though I had been trapped in ice.

"Phase Out."

No, I was the ice!

The very phase of the space covering me had been fixed as solid. I couldn't move even a fingertip. Yet it felt natural.

Because it was solid.

"I don't know whether there will be a reason to release you later. Until then, cool your head in there."

Elcia turned away within the slowly darkening ice. Unable to move even a fingertip, I continued sinking through a world where everything was fixed...

...

...

...

Blink.

I opened my eyes.

The Celsius Heritage Vault. It was the trump card of a prestigious magical family, something that could only be used when the family's relics gathered in one place. I had been caught before I even had time to resist. It was terrifyingly powerful. There was a reason the vassal state backed by the Empire had been defeated.

I hadn't wanted to encounter that power by experiencing it firsthand, but... it couldn't be helped. My contribution was not the kind these people wanted.

-...! This is impossible!

-I have lived long enough to see this. Though I am already dead. To think there is a human who has reached the mental image.

-Reached the mental image? It is beyond that! We are talking among ourselves! It is not that this person has entered us. We have entered that human!

-Why are you so surprised? I know that too. I simply thought it better to analyze the situation than waste time getting upset.

-Analyze what? The answer sheet is right in front of us!

-We are relics with only mental images left. What judgment can tools that lend power without seeing or hearing make for themselves? It is rational to wait for the person himself to explain.

"Ah, hello, everyone in the Heritage Vault."

I greeted the hazy figures of the mages and looked around.

The mental-image world resembled the Heritage Vault within the subspace. Like constellations, some relics were distant while others were near. Each relic sat in a separate room at regular intervals. Their owners stood there as hazy mental images and watched me.

"Nice to meet you. I am the King of Humanity."

The relic owners were greatly alarmed when I revealed my identity.

-The King of Humanity?

-My goodness. You were using the Heritage Vault's power just now. What is happening?

-Did our descendants truly pick a fight with the King of Humanity? No matter how I look at it, that is not a rational decision.

"Though I have lost my power."

-Ah, then that is understandable.

-You lost your power, yet you can use the Heritage Vault's power?

-A prestigious family lasts three generations even after it falls. The King of Humanity should last even longer.

-If you are the King of Humanity, you can explain why we entered you. Since you are a being of concepts, can we converse like humans within you as well?

Watching the relics converse like friendly old people made me feel as though I had wandered into a senior center. As they loudly debated among themselves, I calmly counted them.

Eight. There was one too many.

Among them, the relic with the clearest form spoke to me.

-What did you come here to learn?

"I came to see all of you."

-That is obvious. There is no one here but us. What I mean is, what did you come here to learn?

"I was just curious."

Relics could not lie. This was a world of mental images, after all. Thoughts and anything one imagined were immediately reflected here.

And there was no reason for a mental image to lie. A lie was deceiving someone to gain something, but what could someone who was already dead and had only a mental image left possibly gain?

The relic spoke.

-We exist to carry on Kelvin Celsius's will.

"What is Kelvin Celsius's will?"

-She left behind many things. The theory of freezing and boiling points. Methods of preserving heat, magic for obtaining water... But if I had to choose one, it would be rules. Rule governance, the anomaly of freezing and boiling points.

This relic had once been a mage. Even in death, it still loved showing off what it knew. The relic told me everything, including things I had not asked about.

-This land cannot sustain life without rules. Ice melts only in summer, and only grass no different from moss grows from it. Thick-furred beasts gather to eat that handful of grass, and wolves and bears come to hunt those beasts. The northern sea never has a day when it freezes, because the Sea Calamity smashes apart icebergs and chews them up like snacks.

There was a reason the region's history was short. The farther north one went, the greater the proportion of massive beasts. They were difficult for humans to face, and humans often ended up becoming their prey instead.

In the abundant south, people could at least gather in numbers and form groups. This environment did not even allow that. Only a few Eskimos had survived by living like beasts.

-Only magic is the single spark that illuminates this cold, desolate land. The great Kelvin Celsius left behind relics to preserve that spark for later generations and gather firewood to make it burn brighter. We too followed that noble will and left behind relics for those who came after us.

Though I could barely make out the relic's face, I could tell it was filled with pride. They had lived a faithful life and died welcomed by everyone. They had no regrets.

-If I can help future generations even after death, would that not be the most meaningful death of all?

That was why this relic was so stable. Its purpose was to lend power to its descendants.

-Even if my snowman eventually melts away, if it can make someone smile, Olaf will be happy too.

"You were the one who made Olaf?"

-Yes. It is a snowman that grows by itself.

"It looked wonderful."

-You recognized that! Remarkable. Since it was a snowman meant to become a relic, I took special care making it. I even used a carving knife to make it, and I knitted the red wool hat myself.

A red wool hat? It was too big for me to see. Had it even had one?

Anyway. Their book was complete. Having read enough of it, I looked around and asked.

"Then... where is the relic of the most important person, the first Celsius?"

-Her? She is sleeping.

"Sleeping? Even though she is already dead?"

-Relics are not eternal. Everything in the world decays with time, and relics are no exception. Perhaps the reason I, the least experienced relic, have the loudest voice is because I have not been a relic for long.

For their sake, I said something I did not mean.

"That is unfortunate. Kelvin Celsius was the ancestor of the strongest Celsius territory and an example to all of you. She might have been worthy of vying for a Demon God's seat."

-I agree. Kelvin Celsius was worthy of that.

"While other territories declined or were destroyed, Celsius remained firm. I heard that was thanks to Kelvin Celsius's power. I came here to ask about the secret behind it."

-What secret could there be? Kelvin Celsius's achievements remain throughout this territory. We are her achievements.

That was when the mental-image world trembled. The largest relic, which had been listening to our voices, was vibrating.

Celsius's ancestor, Kelvin Celsius, who had been sleeping quietly, awakened because of all the noise. Kelvin Celsius stretched loudly, then...

-Stop it! I, I am not that amazing!

She cried out in shame and embarrassment.

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