287. The Key of the Nine Thousand Realms (3)
“Tired,” Fernandez muttered, pressing his stiff eyes and tilting his head back. At that moment, a nosebleed trickled down. He frowned and quickly grabbed a tissue. The blood droplets turned to ash and scattered before they could even soak into the fabric.
“How much time do I have left?”
“Five years, by my calculations.”
“How long can I maintain my physical functions?”
“…Three years. Maybe. Or even shorter.”
Pressing his nose to stop the bleeding, he gazed out the window at the shimmering blue horizon. Faijashi’s voice whispered in his ear.
“Is there any way to extend my lifespan?”
“No.”
At Fernandez’s firm reply, Faijashi fell silent. Well, there is. And both of them knew the method. But the reason they didn’t attempt it was…
“Father! Father!!”
That voice still echoed in his ears. Even if he died. Even if he crumbled to dust. No matter what, he would die as a human. If he had to find a way, it wouldn’t be by extending his lifespan and tainting his soul with impurities.
There was only one means he sought. As it had always been.
Victory. That alone was his goal.
“By the way, this spear…”
Faijashi tried to lighten the mood. Fernandez, who had been resting while gazing out the window, turned his head back toward the table.
The room was cluttered with various experimental materials scattered everywhere. On the table lay the White Mane Spear, entwined with a magical formation made from ground magic stones. Measuring tools and observation devices were meticulously examining even the smallest circuit board of the spear.
A week. That’s how long he had spent in this workshop personally arranged by Queen Leia. Borrowing the finest experimental materials once owned by Malerun, this workshop was equipped with better infrastructure than any he had ever owned in his lifetime.
With a workshop of this caliber, creating ordinary relics would be a breeze. Especially with Fernandez as the user, even highly intricate and powerful relics could be crafted.
But the ancient relic before him was in a league of its own.
“Yeah. I can’t figure it out at all.”
Fernandez clicked his tongue and shook his hand. The power and mechanism of this relic were deceptively simple. Magic, or life force—especially spiritual energy—when infused, proportionally enhanced the user’s physical functions.
In short, it granted superhuman physical performance when magic was poured into it. Fernandez could easily create relics with such mechanisms, and they weren’t particularly rare.
But the purity was extraordinary. The grade of a relic could be simply expressed by its “consumption efficiency.” For example, how much input is needed to produce a certain output. That’s the measure of a relic’s grade.
Take the common magic lamps on the streets. The total amount of magic consumed per hour versus the amount of light produced—that consumption efficiency determines the relic’s grade.
“Magic lamps are too low-grade to even be considered relics.”
But if you go further, there are magical devices that can emit light at the level of relics…
“Like Ramkish’s Signal Fire.”
Though not a high-grade relic, Ramkish’s Signal Fire requires an absurdly small amount of magic relative to the light it emits. Quantifying magic is tricky, but let’s say it takes 10 units of magic to produce 8 units of light.
Higher-grade relics might achieve a 9:10 magic efficiency. Some legendary relics in the Material World are so efficient that they require even more precise measurements.
But this spear… the White Mane Spear…
“It converts consumed magic directly into power.”
Not a single drop of magic is wasted as it flows through the circuit board. Every bit of magic flows through the magic circuit and is output as pure power. It’s a relic with absurd performance, something that shouldn’t exist—literally like “magic.”
Even the most skilled mage’s body, engraved with a magic circuit, couldn’t achieve this level of output. Naturally occurring magical phenomena can’t avoid some leakage. Magic inherently diffuses, so no matter how high one’s control is, a leak-free magic circuit is impossible.
Yet, this spear does it. How such a thing is possible is beyond imagination. Calmly. That’s why he hadn’t left this workshop for a week. Sure, there was the curiosity of a mage, but more than that, it was the first time he had ever handled a relic of this caliber.
“The magic circuit’s composition is incredibly simple.”
It’s a clean, uncomplicated formula. In terms of complexity, it’s something you could find even in low-grade relics.
“But the purity is astonishing.”
Looking at the circuit, which was crafted with a stubborn simplicity rather than intricate detail, Fernandez began to feel a sense of awe. Who could have created such a relic? Given that it was from the era of the Celestial War, it’s possible it wasn’t made by mortal hands.
And that would mean…
“Even relics made by the power of gods can be destroyed.”
During the Celestial War, relics were undoubtedly graded. There were powerful, intricate relics and lesser, low-grade ones. Relics crafted directly by gods—like the Keyblade Fernandez often used as a weapon—would be of the highest grade. This White Mane Spear likely falls into that category.
Other relics from the Celestial War era, with circuit boards too intricate for him to decipher, would also fall into this category. They were relics crafted by gods that had survived to this day.
If even the circuits of such relics could be destroyed…
“The death of a god. Probably when the Serpent Kings of the Elven Triarchy crossed the gates of the Elven Temple of the Gods and killed their deity.”
“But Faijashi, the death of a god doesn’t necessarily mean the death of their creations.”
If that were the case, the elves should have perished the moment their gods died. Or, the Gaimerin Dagger owned by Leia should have been destroyed.
In the Gaimerin Dagger, there was a presence—not McLaren, but perhaps the power of some other being. Likely the elven god of the sea.
It’s the power of a being who died during the Celestial War. If his power still remains and functions as a relic, then that hypothesis should be discarded.
“Regardless of the death of the gods, it means an event occurred that could destroy the relics of the gods.”
Then why did some relics retain their power while others were destroyed? Among the artifacts from the Celestial War era in the Treasure Vault, there was no commonality except that they were created by divine beings.
Numerous hypotheses piled up, and just as many were discarded. There was simply too little information. The Celestial War was an event from an ancient era over a thousand years ago. A time before civilized society was established, when humans were merely tribal societies… No records remain.
Perhaps the Elves might have some information left. That’s what I thought, but at the time, the Elves’ stronghold was inland, and the Serpent King’s Flagship was merely a refugee ship. Naturally, in that chaotic period, they wouldn’t have thought to bring along historical records or artifact-making secrets.
“I’m dying. Maybe we really should go search for undiscovered dungeons in some remote mountains.”
-No. If there are dungeons somewhere that remained undiscovered even until the brink of the apocalypse, there’s no way we could find them now.
“I know, Faijashi. I was just saying.”
Humans, Hell, and the Celestial Realm alike, in the face of the Great War of the Apocalypse, had to use every card they had, and if necessary, anything at all. It was a war of such intensity that even then, if there were dungeons that remained unknown, it would be impossible to find them now.
Moreover, time was never on his side. There was no time to stop and rest entangled in fatigue. Time was his most precious consumable resource.
Fernandez stretched and cracked his neck. He pulled out a folder from under the scattered experimental notes and spread it out in front of him.
“Let’s begin.”
-Alright. Starting from War Game Scenario #113.
“You’re already that far? Impressive.”
He chuckled and flipped through the pages. The folder was filled with tiny, cramped writing, and as he flipped through, a blank page appeared. Adding a small footnote, Fernandez picked up his pen.
“There might still be an apocalypse we haven’t thought of yet.”
Whenever experiments hit a wall or fatigue became unbearable, Fernandez and Faijashi would put their heads together and brainstorm.
If the apocalypse were to happen, what method would destroy the world? What being, in what way, would bring about the end of the world?
For a villain who had witnessed the process of the world’s destruction firsthand and even played a part in it, it was quite an enjoyable hobby.
* * *
More than half a month after Fernandez left, the underground waterways of Paltennoia were completely purified. While no one opposed the idea of cleaning the underground waterways, only one man among the personnel assigned to the purification task was truly sincere.
And it was essentially the achievement of that one man. Zephis stretched his stiff shoulders and took down the heart of the last creation of a heretic, dark mage, or demon.
“This seems to be the last one.”
“Congratulations!!”
Everiz shouted, not missing Zephis’s mutterings. Zephis looked at her with a somewhat awkward expression, then glanced at the soot and filth covering her face and clothes with a sympathetic gaze.
For a noble lady who, at best, handled documents in the deepest recesses of the Imperial Palace and spent most of her time in luxury and adornment, these must have been grueling days.
Yet, Everiz followed Zephis without complaint. She was of no help in combat. Of course, the heaviest weapon she could wield was no more than a dagger by Zephis’s standards.
But she carried all sorts of relics on her back, handing them to Zephis whenever he needed them. Since the underground waterways were dark, someone had to hold a torch, and with Everiz taking on the dirty work, Zephis could focus solely on tracking and judging heretics.
To say she wasn’t helpful would be a lie. Her assistance went beyond the material, greatly impacting the mental aspect as well.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s all for the city’s citizens, after all!”
Everiz laughed cheerfully. Her fatigue couldn’t compare to Zephis’s. Zephis was a Diemonica, but she was an untrained civilian. Even she laughed, chatted, and joked with such energy that Zephis couldn’t let himself collapse from exhaustion.
Perhaps, she served as a milestone for Zephis. After being excommunicated, unable to act as a priest, and no longer able to expect the Church’s protection, now a wanderer without a home. She was almost the only civilian who showed him kindness.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“Can I speak honestly?”
“…? Of course, I meant for you to speak honestly.”
Walking ahead, searching for the entrance to the waterway, Zephis was puzzled by Everiz’s hesitation. It was just a casual conversation on the way back after completing the mission, so he didn’t understand her silence.
“I’m thinking of proposing…”
“Proposing? You’re a noblewoman, so in terms of marriage, it might even be considered late. That’s a fine thing.”
Zephis felt a brief regret. Since he was no longer a priest, he couldn’t bless the marriage of this kind and cheerful noblewoman. Unable to perform the sacraments, there was nothing he could do for her.
Well, even if he wasn’t a priest, he could at least congratulate her. Zephis smiled faintly and gripped the door handle of the waterway.
“I’m not an old maid!”
“Hmm… Generally, a woman of marriageable age. It’s certainly not too late. But congratulations.”
“Aren’t you curious who it is?”
“Of course, since you’re marrying someone as outstanding and dignified as yourself, your spouse must also be a devoted man.”
“Aren’t you curious?”
“…Alright. I’m curious. Who is it?”
Zephis found Everiz unusually clingy today. It was his long-honed sense as an Inquisition Officer. He could feel the peculiar aura of someone hiding something.
Of course, it’s understandable. It could be the shyness of a bride-to-be or the childish desire to boast about a wonderful lover. Whatever it is, it’s a delightful matter.
Zephis’s experience wasn’t so lacking as to unnecessarily hurt a young person’s pride. He was an Inquisition Officer, but also a priest. The most important virtue of a priest was counseling the faithful, so Zephis decided to approach her with the demeanor of a counseling priest.
“It’s you!”
He nodded at her with a pleased expression, about to reply, ‘That’s an outstanding young man,’ when he let go of the door handle.
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