CH 189

Chapter 189

When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : Each Choice, Part 11 — Becoming Entangled

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

「That girl is… Alfiris is by nature on our side.」

「……Huh?」

「The damned thing is that Aldreus or whatever that kid is. That little bastard has thrown a wrench in my plans, albeit a slight one. It was inevitable that there would be some major or minor discrepancies in the plan, but he was the only one who intentionally sabotaged it. In that sense, that Aldreus may have been the real hero. No one notices or even appreciates him, though. Well, it’s ironic that it may turn out to be the most desirable form.」

「…I don’t understand exactly what you mean…」

「Listen up, Lifeless.」

Aurangzebul gives Lifeless an earful. Each time he hears the word, Lifeless’ eyes open in surprise.

「You… What a thing to think about. Even the most brutal Anomaly and Doom don’t think that far.」

「I was not willing to go this far myself, but it was for a good cause. But for what it’s worth, it’s what it’s all about.」

「…What a cruel man. But certainly the most efficient. What do you think you’ll end up doing there? No one seemed to care earlier.」

But Aurangzebul didn’t give that answer.

「I can’t tell you now. But you will know when the time is right, and you will eventually come to realize it naturally.」

「Oh well. I’ll be quiet for a while and do as you say. So I’m just supposed to keep an eye on Alfiris?」

「That’s right. And you can help her if she needs it.」

「Very well. If that’s my punishment, then I’m willing to accept it.」

Then Lifeless turned on his heel and left. Only Aurangzebul remained behind. And when he sees that no one is there, he mutters to himself without saying anything to anyone.

「Phew… It was a bit chilling for my liver at one point, but it will work. I can’t let them kill Alfiris yet. Still, Lifeless, what mental strength you have to be able to resist my bondage even to some extent. That he would do so even though he had lost part of his memory is indeed like the Heroic King.

Now, I have to get to the other guy.」

And so Aurangzebul disappears as well. But while he was certain that no one was there, he didn’t know that someone had heard the soliloquy.

＊＊＊

In a different place, this is the workshop of a boy who didn’t show up until the end. Even though it’s called a workshop, there are no signs of experimentation at all like in Anomaly, except for books and magical formulas like bludgeoning on the walls. It was rather dull and even gave the impression of being empty. It was a workshop that resembled a scholar’s private office. And there were no wards at all that would have prevented intruders.

A boy meditates alone in the workshop. Then Aurangzebul suddenly appeared.

「You, why didn’t you come there earlier?」

「…I had been there. My errand was to see Alfiris, so I just made sure she was okay and went on my way.」

「Why are you so selfish? Tell us what we are working for.」

「Stop, Aurangzebul. The spell bind doesn’t work on me.」

Aurangzebul was startled by the boy’s comment, and then looked at him with a horrified expression on his face. The boy, however, brushed off the look with an air of aloofness.

「I thought about it.The slogan『For the liberation of the world’s truth』is used as a key, and the words are regularly recited so that they unconsciously hear your orders. It’s even more efficient if you can say the words yourself or have the other person say them when there is something that is likely to cause a reaction or when you want to give an order. In fact, they only follow the slogan and do as you order, even though they don’t even know what the actual goal is. Even the Heroic King is doing so. You are indeed a modern-day wizard. But otherwise, they would never have followed you. Even so, a runaway like Lifeless must have chilled you to the bone.」

「You… who are you?」

When he arrived there, Aurangzebul was alerted to the boy for the first time. Aurangzebul recalls the first time the boy appeared before him. At first, he was intrigued by the boy’s insight into history and the mysterious magic he handled, and decided to bring him into his fold. And he thought that he had put a language-binding chain on the boy and that he was obeying his will.

In fact, however, the boy’s verbal shackles didn’t work at all from the very beginning. Then why is he here? Aurangzebul backs away involuntarily at the mysteriousness of it all. Seeing this, the boy speaks plainly, not changing his expression in particular.

「Who I am is none of your business. I will not identify myself. But let me just say that I am not an enemy of yours at this time. Rather, I am willing to cooperate with you, depending on the situation. Your reading and true purpose is desirable to me as well.」

「! You!」

At that moment, Aurangzebul creates a fireball and a lightning ball in both hands at the same time. A very high level magic that uses magic of different elements at the same time. It’s a feat only possible because Aurangzebul is considered the founder of magic. However,

「Stop, this is futile.」

Just as the boy clenched his palm toward Aurangzebul, the two balls popped and disappeared. Aurangzebul looks astonished at this fact.

「Wha…」

「Aurangzebul, you have a tendency to look down on creatures other than yourself. Even those True Dragons look down on you, don’t they? You may be one of the founders of magic, but you are nothing more than a creature without much power. Even though you have achieved this level of power through tireless effort and thought. If you forget that, someday you will be caught flat-footed by someone you don’t expect.」

「What in the world are you…」

「I told you it is none of your business. I’m not even going to talk to you.」

The boy slowly stands up. Then, with a short transition, he appears right in front of Aurangzebul. He places his hand on Aurangzebul’s surprised shoulder and slowly releases the words.

「We only need to agree on our objectives. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you just because you did something different from my purpose. So leave me alone and go ahead with your plan. If you need my help, consult me, but don’t think you can command me, get it? Then leave… this is my domain.」

With those last words, Aurangzebul found that the boy had turned his back on him and was sitting and meditating again as if nothing had happened.

What did Aurangzebul think when he saw him? He left with a bitter look on his face. And when the boy saw that he was gone, he muttered.

「Well, what should I do? At any rate, Alfiris survived and it is still my turn. Maybe I should go see her once.」

And again the boy sinks into meditation. There was no sound around him, only silence.

＊＊＊

After leaving the boy, Aurangzebul had returned to his workshop. It was his own workshop, which he didn’t even tell Hidden about. After leaving Gwendolf and the others, he based himself here for the next 2000 years. What occupies his thoughts, of course, is the boy he mentioned earlier.

「Who the hell is that person… I’ll have to check him out.」

But he won’t know if he have a clue. His own magic, using astrology to know events far in advance and far back in time. There was no sign of the boy-like presence.

He had a well-thought-out plan. He doesn’t think it will stop now, but he want to expose any uncertainties.

「It’s going to take some time, but I don’t have a choice, I’ll just use astrology to find out.」

Astrology is Aurangzebul’s strongest suit. He sits down on the ground, encrusts crystal balls and rings of various sizes around him, and activates astrology. Then the spheres and rings float softly and begin to rotate slowly around Aurangzebul. His body glowed faintly, and the scene looked like a small universe with Aurangzebul at its center. Eventually, Aurangzebul also floats up into the air and connects his senses with each of the crystals circling around him. And when his senses have sunk so completely into astrology as to constitute a universe, a ray of haze emerges from his shadow. But Aurangzebul, who was fully focused on astrology, didn’t notice the haze.

＊＊＊

The haze dissipated into the air and eventually returned to Doom’s place. He, too, had closed his eyes and was in a meditative state. When the haze returned, Doom also took a deep breath.

「Fuu…」

「How is it…?」

Ossyria looks in on Doom. Doom and Ossyria have less trouble communicating these days. Ossyria is smart and has a clear intention, so she is about to be elevated to the point where she can no longer be called an evil spirit. Osiria, too cruel to be called “darkness,” was approaching what might be called a higher spirit of death.

「The master said something that bothered me. Spell bind or something. Do you know?」

「No…」

「I never thought we were brainwashed. As for me, I don’t care if we are brainwashed or not, because we are allowed to do whatever we want. Well, I’m not comfortable being used in a good way, so let’s check it out, shall we?」

「If you put it that way.」

Ossyria shakes her head. Seeing her reaction, Doom patted Osiria on the head, but his hand was bent in the wrong direction by Ossyria. Doom puts his arm back on with a slightly sad look on his face.

「Is this what the world calls a Yandere… but is it my imagination that I feel there is no Dere part at all…?」

「?」

「All the girls I like give me a hard time… I’ve got a rough road ahead of me, too.」

Doom sighs and walks away. Ossyria followed a short distance behind him. Doom was busy developing his various abilities, including his recent training. He had just planted a part of himself in Aurangzebul’s shadow and transformed it into an ear to listen to him. There are no signs of life whatsoever, and no one believes Doom has that ability. That’s why he was able to eavesdrop on the conversation. Doom isn’t as dumb as everyone else thinks. No, it would have been more correct to say that he was growing rapidly.

Doom chuckles.

「Even if I was told not to play with such interesting people after seeing them now… I wouldn’t put up with that, would I? I especially want to play with Lisa-chan at all costs, and I know Ossyria and the other girls do too.」

Before he know it, Man-Eater, Insomnia, and Libido are walking behind Doom.

「Now that I have learned that it is more fun to save the fun for later, what should I do now… For now, I need to learn more about the world. Gathering information is the basis for everything. But if I don’t do the darkening as well, Hidden and others will become suspicious.」

Silently, they all nodded. And when he saw that they had disappeared, Doom smiled with satisfaction.

「Fufu, it’s going to be fun from now on… The human world is an interesting place. I can’t wait to see what happens next. Fufufufufu, ahahahahaha!」

Doom then disappears with the evil spirits, smiling broadly.

End Of Act I

Continue to Act II