30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue
chapter-177

EP.177

Commonly referred to as the Life Faction, internally known as the Elgaradion School of Magic, and colloquially termed as ‘Dark Wizards’.

While all things in the world possess mana, the amount of mana that a wizard can utilize is merely a handful drifting in the atmosphere, which prompted a shift in thinking.

Extracting mana from inanimate objects like mountains, trees, and rocks is extremely inefficient; thus, the idea arose to draw mana from living beings instead.

Within two centuries, the technology for bio-mana development was established. Before another three hundred years passed, the foundational technology was perfected. Following four wars, the establishment of the school was achieved.

At last, now, if something is alive, regardless of its race, it can be crushed from the root to extract mana, holding the ‘pollution-free, eco-friendly sustainable resource production technology’.

The leader of those formidable individuals opened his mouth with a sunken gaze in a dark chamber.

“We’re not like that, I tell you?!”

Just from hearing it, it sounds like a white-collar criminal speaking to an investigator in a backroom.

For the record, he is indeed an economic offender, and Ivan can be considered a (temporary) (acting) investigator, and the place they are in can be described as a backroom.

Ivan pressed his brow tightly and glared at the grand wizard before him.

“Seriously, it’s just so unfair!”

A complaint laced with unconvincing charm from an elderly man who must be over five hundred years old.

This is the moment when Ivan’s deduction bore fruit—a hypothesis regarding elves being unable to escape the effects of dementia.

Elves have keen hearing, both physically and politically.

It took less than half a day for Ivan’s name to become known within elf society. If a madman wreaks havoc in the middle of the street while being sheltered by the Swordsmanship Faction, it could not go unnoticed.

– Looks like those lunatics are up to their madness again.

This was about the extent of public opinion. Shortly after rumors spread for half a day, when stories circulated that the ‘mad human’ had met with the queen alone, elves hurriedly gathered information.

– Was the queen behind it all?

All elves eventually become trees as they age. From that perspective, the queen was literally a plant-human. She was like an old person waiting in the back room for her day to die.

There are a few things in the world that can be quite disturbing. For instance, resurrecting at a funeral, winning at rock-paper-scissors against a mirror, or plants walking around and starting legislative activities.

The fact that all three are possible in this primitive society is even more terrifying.

Therefore, the elven Privy Councillors and the nobles under them swiftly deployed their information networks. The problem here is that elves are experts in external intelligence.

In the realm of internal intelligence, elves are not particularly impressive. If the targets of their espionage are limited to their own kin, their strengths in ‘surprise attacks (backstabbing)’ and ‘befriending (mind control)’ are ineffective. This has been proven throughout their long history.

As a result, after fumbling and collecting fragmented and possibly unreliable information provided by their fellow kin, the elven Council of Nobles finally found a connection to the recent incident from a few days ago.

– The internal strife within the Alchemy Faction was the queen’s behind-the-scenes machination??

The Privy Councillors are each equivalent to a nation. This holds true both in historical significance and in the realm of influence.

Those individuals may occasionally form alliances, but they are incapable of demonstrating true ‘collaboration’ in the genuine sense. Therefore, elves do not engage in factional infighting. Each faction is responsible for their own academic society.

This means that

– Who are you?

The elves of the Privy Council never trust one another.

– There are those who exploit the aging queen as a shield.

This is cunning maneuvering that seems too efficient, suggesting that they would likely have committed similar acts if given the opportunity.

If that’s the case, then they would also take action if the chance arose.

The queen would not suddenly pick a fight with the council on her own.

Under this commonsensical mindset, the councilors quietly began to hiss at each other.

– Hurry up. Let’s do this together.

They understood clearly that reducing competitors is a fundamental principle of the market, and that the most perfect economic system is monopoly, prompting entrepreneurs to begin to move.

Naturally.

“You’re just about here.”

At this point, Ivan arrived at Iberenden, an island governed by the Life Faction, and he does not share the elven common sense.

He was an extremely rational and sensible person, based on 21st-century standards. In a one-eyed village, the one with two eyes is considered disabled, so he knows that he is viewed with somewhat biased eyes in this world.

Of course, it doesn’t matter.

The disabled must prove themselves, much like a disability certificate. However, the normal do not have to prove they are normal. They just have to act.

Therefore, the only “normal” person in this pre-modern fantasy world disembarked while holding an axe and a pistol.

These tools are most suitable for chopping wood.

*

“…”

Having adequately armed himself, gathered one of the queen’s oversight documents, accompanied by several guards assigned by the queen, and with his party in tow, he finally disembarked at the port of Iberenden.

“Oh, welcome!! You must be tired from your long journey, right?! This is a specialty of our society, and it’s just what you need for fatigue recovery. Oh, it’s safe for humans to eat! We’ve experimented with it!”

The dark wizards were waiting, waving large banners.

“What is… this…?”

Lucia looked around with a confused expression. Numerous elves warmly smiled at them, scattering pollen, launching small fireworks, while a military band sang.

A man at the forefront boldly walked up, shook Ivan’s hand firmly, and shook it a few times. It was too warm to be called a handshake, and too simple to suggest any political stance.

“I’m Wildrick Sunsetdale. Forgive my presumption, but I hold the position of president at the Elgaradion Society.”

“Hmm.”

“You are Sir Ivan Petrovich Yeremov, correct? We have been waiting for you.”

Ivan was someone who rarely became flustered, just like all the members of the Cleanup Unit.

But under the combination of the words ‘elf,’ ‘welcome,’ and ‘crowd,’ even Ivan’s gaze wavered helplessly.

It’s strange for an elf to welcome someone, but it’s even stranger that so many have gathered to form a crowd.

Misinterpreting Ivan’s silence, Wildrick subtly wiped the sweat from his forehead and let go of his hands.

“Hehe, it seems the journey has yet to wear off. Shall we… skip the formalities? For now, how about we have a meal first?”

So, there were formalities.

For reference, Iberenden was only two days away from Kalion’s capital, Ydranhill. There was no way fatigue could build up; the enormous warship moved on its own, making it enough to just rest in the cabin.

Ivan nodded gruffly. A smile finally appeared on Wildrick’s lips. It was so overly artificial that it raised suspicion.

“Alright, everyone disperse! Miller!! Bring the guests to the banquet hall!”

“Yes, Dean!!”

A group of elves approached, carrying the luggage of Ivan and his party, and in a brief moment of confusion, they were escorted to the banquet hall.

*

Even though they had tasted the tea and food first, no poison was detected. Nevertheless, unlike his companions, Ivan did not touch the food any further.

In hostile territory, meals must traditionally be taken in turns. This is to prevent the entire group from being wiped out should some toxin incapacitate the party.

While Ivan stuck to drinking only water, Wildrick approached him again, wiping his cold sweat and whispering.

“Shall we move to a quieter place for a moment?”

“Mm.”

Leaving behind his companions who were enjoying their meal, Ivan walked after Wildrick to an unknown destination. As he quietly visualized the structure of the castle in his mind while walking, the atmosphere soon changed.

The businessman who had acted as if he would give up his guts and liver slowly straightened his back. The expensive magic lanterns embedded in the corridor began to dim.

Light faded from the perfectly clean carpet. The art pieces hanging on the walls transformed from paintings to sculptures, and from sculptures to taxidermied figures.

After walking through such a hallway for a while, they arrived at a small chamber lit by candlelight.

At that point, Ivan was already gripping an axe.

“Please, go in.”

The leader of the dark wizards smiled ominously. Ivan scanned the interior of the chamber without answering. It was a room filled with small taxidermied creatures and intimidating magic tools adorned with brass.

The candles flickered with a green light.

A torture chamber? Or an interrogation room? Whatever it was, it was coming out quite charmingly.

Ivan moved slowly, paying attention to the flow of magic. He was ready to bring down the axe at any moment if the amount of magic shifted even slightly.

Finally, when he arrived at a small but sufficiently luxurious sofa, the leader of the dark wizards greeted him with a dark smile and gestured for him to sit.

“Isn’t it remarkable?”

“…What?”

“This is my treasury. Each piece in this room is historic—ah, pardon me. From your country’s view, they would be ‘mythical’ artifacts. These were personally crafted and collected by my predecessors, that is, the many heads of this society. Yes, this place is the history of our academy.”

Hmm. It’s difficult to follow the story.

The dark wizard, observing Ivan’s expression, soon noticed the axe firmly clutched in his grip and quickly wiped his forehead.

“Uh, um, I meant to say that they are very delicate magical tools. They are originals that cannot be reconstructed. So if possible… I must apologize, but we can provide you with plenty of space to alleviate any destructive hobbies you might have….”

The leader of the dark wizards, in an instant, returned to the humble Wildrick.

“Hehe, how about we have a time to sincerely share our misunderstandings and differences, given that we have neither eyes to see nor ears to hear?”

The queen is in a vegetative state. Kalion’s power lies with the Privy Council, and that fact was already a famous story.

Thus, even though the Privy Council member in front of him was rubbing his hands together and smiling broadly, Ivan had no choice but to remain silent.

It was hard to believe that the queen’s order had instilled fear or respect in this person. They were the kind of people who could easily disregard such pieces of paper.

So, it meant there was another reason…

“As you know, we are all trying to get along well, right? In both material and spiritual ways.”

“…”

“But if you suddenly create factions like this, and then attempt to exert your power on us without giving us any notice, wouldn’t it be a bit… disappointing? Hehe.”

Aha.

It wasn’t the queen but a faction.

The Privy Council members had banded together to form an organization and were purging the opposing faction, he surmised.

The organization had already gained sufficient scale to act under the guise of the queen.

In such a situation, if they were attacked suddenly, they were worried that the school, which had continued for many years, would be uprooted.

Hmm. This isn’t bad.

Ivan quietly interlocked his fingers. He gazed deeply into Wildrick’s eyes without answering for a while.

The best way to extract information from a terrified person is to maintain silence. Fear provokes a great deal of imagination.

Whether it was due to an imaginative mind or not, Wildrick wiped his forehead again and continued speaking.

“We were definitely following Lord Grykencos’ advice. There were a few minor issues, but well… if we don’t raise them, they don’t become issues, so to speak…. Haha.”

“Advice, huh.”

“Yes, yes. Oh, I heard about the Alchemy Faction. Wow, that’s really impressive. You managed to cleanly clear out an entire company. I was so astonished when I heard that. Truly, Lord Grykencos.”

“You’re not mentioning the fact that you tried to manipulate through magical beasts in the Alchemy Faction.”

“Excuse me?”

Wildrick blinked several times, then wiped his forehead again, tilting his head in confusion, blinking again.

He soon spoke in a stammering voice.

“Excuse me? Magical beasts?”

“Mm.”

“The Alchemy Faction? They did that? Oh, what rotten things! The more dirty they are, the worse they get. Is there anyone who works as cleanly as us? It’s really unfair!”

This doesn’t feel like an act.

As Ivan narrowed his eyes, Wildrick clutched his chest and said.

“It’s a misunderstanding! I knew they were messing around with Milestone! But we’re not free to do something to them!”

“Milestone, huh.”

“Oh, yes, hehe. Wow, it truly is Lord Grykencos. It actually works.”

“That?”

“The conversion of divine power through soul cohesion! Using the filtration of Milestone! We can now do everything just like how human— no, human priests do!”

In what seemed to be an attempt to prove his usefulness, he rubbed his hands together and spoke slyly.

“I’m really curious how you knew that… Yes, yes. If you need anything, please feel free to let me know. Please convey that to Lord Grykencos.”

So, the reason all the corporations are now touching the milestone…

It’s not a light attempt like ‘just me,’ but rather…

Does that mean Veolgrin is actively encouraging it?

*

“What happens if the milestone goes out?”

“Um.”

“Well, I guess it’s a bit hard to explain since it has never actually gone out. Simply put, the atmospheric conditions would change, and the amount of mana would decrease, I suppose?”

Elpheira tilted her head with a perplexed look.

“And if we dig a little deeper… hmm.”

“When was the milestone first created?”

“In the mythological era. It’s a really, really old artifact.”

A massive cuboid pillar, with dark green inscriptions densely engraved on every face, radiating overwhelming mana.

It was an artifact that looked like a stake driven into the earth.

Elpheira gestured towards the milestone from a distance and said.

“If you want to delve into legends… yes, according to legend, Kalion was actually said to consist of 42 islands. Of course, these are really old myths that have never been recorded in history. You know, there are things like how founding ancestors among humans are descendants of dragons and sons of bears.”

“…”

“Anyway, according to history, 13 is correct, but according to legend… it says there were 42 islands.”

“Why is that coming up all of a sudden?”

“Because there are 13 milestones.”

One is located in the capital.

The rest are each placed on the islands, totaling twelve.

Thus, the domain of the Kalion archipelago consists of thirteen islands.

And coincidentally, there is one milestone on each island.

“That means the islands without milestones must have sunk beneath the sea, right? Hahaha, it’s a legend, a legend. How many elves have attempted to search the sea bed! If the islands sank, there shouldn’t be a trace left, right?”

Ivan hardened his expression as he listened to Elpheira’s words.

When someone is about to commit ‘something,’ the best way to understand the other’s intentions is to start by inferring what their actions might lead to.

Veolgrin is trying to stop the milestone.

And if the milestone stops, ‘according to the legend,’ Kalion will sink into the sea.

In other words, Veolgrin is attempting to sink Kalion.

And when Kalion sinks…

‘The sea area that moves inland through the northeastern magical beast territory becomes freely open to the magical beasts.’