WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 651: Personification of Flint

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Looking on the bright side, having a spy among us was not entirely bad news. It meant the Temple of the Demon God's movements were sensitive and important enough to warrant that kind of attention.

Of course, since I could read minds, it did not matter how many spies there were.

The real question was whether the Temple of the Demon God was trustworthy if it could not even identify a single spy.

"It seems Lord Johannes doesn't welcome me very much."

"Johannes is a fundamentalist. They believe that advancing magic is the most rational and proper path to reaching the Demon God. Johannes won't welcome outsiders like Shei or you getting involved."

"Do you think I can get along with them?"

"It's fine if you don't."

"Pardon?"

The Red Tower Master smiled reassuringly.

"There is no progress without conflict. Flames rise from friction. Whatever Johannes thinks or devises, even in conflict with us! Such friction will kindle flames that rise and create something the world has never seen before!"

She did not know Lord Johannes was a spy. She simply did not care what attitude Johannes took.

It was the kind of arrogance only an absolute being could possess. Still, considering her innate arcane and mastery of magic, it suited her.

"Is that why you're rebelling against Lord Demon King? To create friction?"

My words carried an unspoken question. Could she really do that?

Hwaran Fahrenheit was the Red Tower Master, powerful enough to melt all the ice of the Celsius family by herself. Still, she paled beside the Demon King. Could she really defeat him and find that Demon God?

"Rebellion? Would it truly be rebellion?"

"Pardon?"

The Red Tower Master's confident expression faded for a moment. In its place was a blazing longing for something.

"There is nothing Master does not know in the floating castle. Master knows what the Temple of the Demon God is and everything we do. This conversation may even reach him as we speak."

Not because of the spy...?

The Demon King's power was command over space. It had not all been revealed, but for some reason, it shared much in common with Rene's relics. No, it would not be wrong to say they were identical.

Was it not the Demon King who had given the Celsius family its Heritage Vault in the first place? He might possess the power to interfere with Rene's Pouch.

If he could use such space magic without restraint, he would be nearly omnipotent, no different from a god.

"But does that matter? To doubt and explore is a mage's duty. A mage must dismantle mysteries and shape them into bricks to build a tower. A mage's lifelong wish is to build that tower until it reaches the stars in the sky! That is what Master wishes for as well!"

"What Lord Demon King wants is for people to rebel against him?"

"Master stands as the guardian of the Demon God, yet permits every attempt to seek it because he wishes for someone to challenge him and claim the Demon God! That is not rebellion! It is carrying out Master's will!"

There were some enormous leaps in that logic, but it was not entirely unconvincing.

When the Cyan Tower Master, Green Tower Master, and Black Tower Master had minor conflicts, the Demon King had not stopped them. Instead, he separated the space around them and encouraged them to run wild without worrying about dragging others into it.

Considering that...

"Perhaps you are the one who best carries out Lord Demon King's will, Red Tower Master. The more omnipotent and powerful the opponent, the more valuable rebellion becomes."

The Red Tower Master heard my mutter and broke into a broad smile before suddenly hugging me. Even in this northern land, the barely dressed Red Tower Master was beyond warm. She was hot.

"Exactly! King of Humanity, the being who accepts and understands all of humanity. You will surely understand me. And you will help me! You can't help it. You..."

"Wait, you're too close!"

Shei cut the Red Tower Master off as she stepped in. She rushed over, pulled me away from the Red Tower Master, and glared at her with sharp eyes.

"We agreed to help the Temple of the Demon God for a while, but don't act as though he's your subordinate!"

Shei pushed me away without effort, but the Red Tower Master did not budge. There was a strange resistance around her body.

Shei's physical strength was beyond what an ordinary person could endure. Even if the Red Tower Master looked healthy and strong, she was still a mage. She should not have been able to resist an energy practitioner's strength, but something was wrapped around her.

The Red Tower Master stood firm, looked between Shei and me, and snorted.

"Shei. This is the most passionate you've been since agreeing to help the Temple of the Demon God. Until now, haven't you only leaned against the wall and watched?"

"I simply had nothing to say."

"So you do now? A good sign. Bringing Hughes here was worthwhile if only because he inspired passion in you."

"What? Passion, my... It's not like I care. I just didn't like you dragging my com, um, companion into this."

As Shei answered and tried to fold her arms, the Heaven-Reversing Boundary sounded a warning. She immediately drew Skywarbler.

Flames poured down upon us. Blazing light and heat spread through a space with nothing to burn.

Combustion was the act of splitting and breaking down matter to forcibly draw out the light and heat contained within. Once lit, a flame created further violence and spread to its surroundings. Flames that continued until there was nothing left to burn were destructive, violent, even conquering.

Yet ironically, destruction had to come first for destruction to begin. A spark had to be created at the very start before more fire could be lit. Fire required fire. That was the irony.

Perhaps the whole world was not filled with flame because it could not overcome that irony.

The Red Tower Master's world was different.

Innate arcane, Ignition Garden.

A garden where fire bloomed like flowers. In that world, all things could burst into flame at any moment, without even needing a spark to start them.

"Heavenly Sword Technique, Severing Void!"

Dust reacted to magic power and ignited. Shei immediately swung Skywarbler. Compressed space sliced through the air itself, and Skywarbler's blade flared as though it had caught fire.

'That resistance! This is...!'

Skywarbler was too sharp to swing within Ignition Garden. Even the tiny friction created as it tried to cut space seemed too much, and localized explosions bloomed along Skywarbler's blade like fruit.

"As expected. Rene's Pouch that you possess is special! It is different from Master's!"

Ignition Garden grew stronger the closer one came to the Red Tower Master, and even the magic power covering her body quickly caught fire. Like a meteor igniting as it collided with the atmosphere, anything approaching the Red Tower Master struck her magic power and exploded.

With her innate arcane activated, the Red Tower Master was effectively wearing armor made of bombs.

The Red Tower Master, who had set flames alight in the air, stared at the weapon in Shei's hand.

"You cannot take a pouch out from inside Rene's Pouch. All of Rene's Pouches exist on the same plane. Though they are called pouches, they only divide one space into separate compartments. But your pouch exists on a deeper plane."

Her eyes, digging into the truth, analyzed Shei's Skywarbler. Shei unconsciously gripped it tighter.

'Skywarbler is one of the Sanctum's holy relics, not the Arcane Federation's. It is the key to reaching Rene's Map, Saint Rene's true relic...! Damn it, it won't do any good if the Temple of the Demon God notices! This is all Hughes's fault!'

How was that my fault? If anything, it was yours. You had a key to reaching Saint Rene's relic, and you had never thought about it until now?

Well, it was not especially important anymore.

"All the pieces have gathered. It is an opportunity that fits together perfectly, as though it were a lie. You two are the pieces we needed most. If not now, the chance will never come."

The flames she had fired earlier were no more than a greeting. Unbothered by Shei's sharp hostility, the Red Tower Master turned decisively and walked toward a fireplace. She kindled a flame within it.

"King of Humanity. And Shei. Our goal is the Demon God. Yours is the same, is it not? Use each other, join hands or step on each other, and claw your way upward. Let us claim the Demon God at the summit of the Tower of Babel!"

A red landscape was visible beyond the fireplace. I had never been there, but it was likely the Red Tower. To travel from Celsius territory to the floating castle in an instant. Every one of Rene's relics was astonishing.

There was a reason the Temple of the Demon God sought Rene. Such important, powerful artifacts could not be ignored.

"You will be able to contact me through the fireplace from now on. This is my fireplace, and I will keep it lit for the time being, so come whenever you need me. It's fine even if nothing is wrong. I can always make time for you two."

So lighting it opened the connection. That was unusual.

Ah. There was something I needed to ask before she left. I stopped the Red Tower Master, who was already halfway inside the fireplace.

"Wait. There is one last thing I'm curious about."

"Don't drag it out. Ask. I'll answer everything I know."

Meeting the central figure of the Temple of the Demon God like this had been quite fortunate, but it had not been a natural meeting.

I had read her thoughts, but I wanted to make sure. So I asked the Red Tower Master.

"Why me? 'Big Sis' was there too."

'Big Sis' was the King of Humanity.

That power was real. The Red Tower Master, or any other mage, would have known the instant they saw her, even from a distance. The King of Humanity was real. She had truly returned.

Usually, only one Beast King was born in an era. If 'Big Sis' was genuine, the interest and suspicion directed toward me would naturally fade.

Yet the Red Tower Master had identified me as the King of Humanity from the beginning, as though she had known from the start that there were two Kings.

The reason was...

"At the top of the Tree of Origin rests something Nevida cherishes dearly. The King of Humanity from the distant past, who died when humanity was still beastkind. The being you call 'Big Sis' must be that one. Did you compare yourselves to siblings because you are both Kings of Humanity?"

That was not knowledge someone could know by hearsay. I asked carefully.

"Since you mention that, you too..."

"That's right. I was also one who waited for the King. I know Nevida's long-cherished wish."

The Red Tower Master was one of the Lords of All Creation. She had been among those who eagerly awaited and worked to find the King of Humanity.

Nevida was a living Demon God, and the Temple of the Demon God studied Demon Gods. It would not be strange if they had made contact.

What I wanted to know, though, was why she had chosen me instead of 'Big Sis.'

"A weak King nearby will need me more than a powerful King far away."

In short, I was weak. If their functions were the same, she would choose the easier one to handle.

Seriously. There was a limit to honesty.

Having said that much, the Red Tower Master fell silent in thought for a moment, then continued.

"This is only my personal view, so don't take it too seriously. I find a King like you, absorbed and consumed by something, far more lovable than an absolute King detached from all things."

"Pardon?"

"What?"

That came out of nowhere. Did she never consider distance when choosing her words?

The Red Tower Master continued without caring about Shei's or my reaction.

"You are searching for something. You are walking toward somewhere. Steps that move forward do not fall. They collide with what is around them and create change. Even if it quickly burns out, I find a flame that burns its own body lovely."

"That sounds like something a Fahrenheit would say."

"Yes. Fahrenheit. My beautiful, brilliant homeland, which became ashes in the end for that very reason. Like that place."

The Red Tower Master stood still with a dreamy, distant expression. Shei, who had been irritated for some time, snapped at the Red Tower Master, who had yet to finish entering the fireplace.

"What are you doing? You said you were busy. Go already!"

"Ah, right. We'll meet again soon."

The Red Tower Master winked at me once, then vanished into the fireplace.

Like a spark.

Footnotes:

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