Mages explore the hidden rules of the world.
According to myth, long ago, Arus was born with light, and thus darkness appeared, and his name was Omeros. The order of the beginning began to be established from that time.
Light and darkness are inextricably linked. Therefore, wherever there is a source of light, shadows naturally arise, and because light conceives fire, darkness conceives water.
Thus, in places overflowing with light and heat, water disappears, while fire tends to vanish in dark and cold places. These principles maintained a very precise relationship.
The only one who knows all this is the Heavenly Deity Arus.
The reason and wisdom he symbolizes meant this: ‘Omniscience’ was the only way to achieve ‘Omnipotence.’
However, wisdom was not solely the privilege of the Heavenly Deity.
When Omeros crafted the bodies of all living beings, Arus gradually shared pieces of his secret wisdom. Among them were beings who received the Heavenly Deity’s grace in particular abundance.
They were dragons, and soon, the dragons began to explore the truth themselves. By the time the dragons disappeared thousands of years later, humanity had inherited fragments of that secret truth.
That was the beginning of magic.
With this background, the thirst for knowledge of mages had a terrifying aspect. All unexplained phenomena were their research subjects, and countless times they would stop at nothing to solve a mystery.
Thus, the people revered yet feared mages.
They were knowledgeable individuals who understood everything, but on the other hand, they were well aware that they were monsters who would abandon humanity for knowledge.
However, there are times when one must willingly step into the mouth of a monster.
Especially with problems related to magic, there was no option but to consult a mage. My lengthy speech left Senior Elsi with a look of disbelief, and the image of the Imperial Princess appearing through the crystal ball showed clear signs of embarrassment.
“My lord… You can’t be doubting me, can you?”
“I, I agree! Sir Ian, I am a benign mage. Have you ever heard of a pet biting its owner? I can confidently say there is no mage further from conspiracy than I!”
No, the very concept of ‘pet’ is unfamiliar.
That thought almost made it to my throat, but I felt the need to clear up the misunderstanding first.
“No, no. I’m not saying Senior Elsi or Your Highness is like that. I’m suggesting that someone could possibly be.”
For example, a mage who sought forbidden knowledge and ended up involved with the Dark Cult.
It was such a realistic hypothesis that Senior Elsi’s expression stiffened slightly. It was common for even mages not to trust their own kind.
After a moment, a faint hum escaped Senior Elsi, who had been hesitating.
“Well, it’s possible, but…”
“So what could they receive in return?”
Unlike Senior Elsi, who was still trying to maintain the mage’s honor, the Imperial Princess’s inference was unabashed. In fact, her gray eyes sparkled with interest.
“A new system of magic that was practically used long ago? Forbidden knowledge that humans shouldn’t touch? Or perhaps a compilation of reactions involving dark elements that were only rumored…”
“Your Highness, please stop there.”
It was a lifeless rebuke from Senior Elsi. Only then did the Imperial Princess snap back to reality, beginning to fidget anxiously.
It seemed she had a sense that her last remark had crossed a dangerous line. I wished she had realized it a moment sooner.
With a sigh, I tried to uplift Senior Elsi.
“Indeed, the only person I can trust is Senior Elsi…”
“The idea of dark element reactions is pure fantasy. It’s been researched for thousands of years without yielding a clear conclusion, hasn’t it? It would make more sense if assistance were sought in studying the reactions between light elements and electricity.”
Senior Elsi indeed betrayed my expectations.
I realized the truth: there was no trustworthy mage in this world.
Still, we were not merely a group with the duty to save humanity against Delphrium. Yet one of our members was bargaining with the Dark Cult!
It was dizzying.
Regardless, the two were absorbed in their respective arguments.
“No, that’s not true?! There’s no evidence that dark element reactions don’t exist! Denying the existence of dark elements leads to too many unexplained problems.”
“That may seem the case when gathered together, but when separated, it can certainly be explained within individual theories, can’t it? The very existence of dark elements is ambiguous. It’s actually more plausible to view darkness as the absence of light elements.”
“Are you insulting our Delos School right now?!”
As time passed, the debate between the two mages grew fiercer. To me, it felt like a pointless dispute, yet Senior Elsi and the Imperial Princess looked more earnest than ever.
The Imperial Princess was even raising her voice in excitement. She seemed so worked up that her enunciation faltered at the end.
Senior Elsi wore a sardonic smile. It seemed she wanted to appear composed, but she couldn’t hide the tremor at the corner of her mouth.
“Insult? Would you kindly stop twisting objective facts? Then again, revolutions in theory aren’t likely to happen in an old gathering like the Delos School.”
“Have you said all you have to say?! The Delos School is recognized as a mainstream school by the Imperial Court!”
“Enough, enough.”
The atmosphere was heating up, and I had no choice but to restrain the Imperial Princess. Yet she couldn’t suppress her rage, and it had been a long time since I’d seen her like that.
It reminded me of the first time I met her.
Where had that sharp and seemingly sinister girl gone? I felt the need to return to the core of the issue.
“Everyone, please calm down, and let’s talk about our situation first. Is there a magic capable of instantaneously subduing a skilled knight? Also, the ‘flash’ should happen before the gaze of the target.”
The new topic weighed heavily on the mages’ lips.
Resolving the question was almost a duty for researchers. Soon, a new discussion began.
“If it were a magic that could subdue a knight instantly, what distance would be appropriate?”
“No matter the distance, subduing a knight right in front of them would be difficult. It would have to be instantaneous magic that doesn’t even require a chant.”
“Even so, there’s a limit to the power of instantaneous magic. Is it possible to subdue a skilled knight in a single stroke?”
“Certainly, if the mage is vastly superior, it should be possible. Although, even excluding the possibility of ‘magic,’ that stands true.”
The conclusion rolled off my tongue.
“In the end, what’s important is the type of magic. What kind of magic would give the feeling of a ‘flash’?”
“We won’t know unless we experiment.”
It was a clear yet foundational reply.
After all, there was no way the experience of the target would be known by the one casting. In particular, the description that it would give a ‘flash’ in front of their eyes was not something noteworthy.
From that, there was only one answer to conclude.
“……We must experiment.”
Silence fell at my somewhat reluctant voice. Running an experiment wasn’t difficult, but the issue lay with the test subject.
Not many would want to experience their vision going white at the moment of a ‘flash.’ Of course, I was no different; I couldn’t bring myself to volunteer.
It seemed Senior Elsi understood my thoughts well. With a kindly smile, she suggested an alternative.
“Should we bring a few orphans?”
“Is there a problem with your character?”
To my incredulous question, the Imperial Princess offered another proposal.
“Then, how about Lady Airen?”
At this point, I could endure no longer. In the end, I had to raise my hands and concede.
“Alright, fine. I’ll do it.”
Senior Elsi and the Imperial Princess tilted their heads, seemingly not understanding why I would step forward.
After all, there was no point in trying to persuade them. I urged the hesitant Senior Elsi.
“Let’s adjust the power just enough to faint. This is your area of expertise, Senior Elsi.”
More accurately, it was the skill she used when tormenting students at the Academy. Senior Elsi didn’t seem to want to deny it.
There was just one troubling aspect.
“No matter what, how could I do that to my lord…?”
“I’m counting on you.”
At my firm demeanor, Senior Elsi let out a reluctant groan. As she discreetly looked away, the Imperial Princess began to gather her resolve.
“…No regrets, right?”
Thus began a series of trials.
The first spell, electric shock.
I felt as if needles were popping out along my veins, and before I knew it, I had fainted.
It was a blinding shock that turned my view completely white.
Next came the second spell, a flood of light.
As the floor bubbled with light, my muscles involuntarily contracted. As I collapsed to the ground, my memories vanished.
It was a painful experience that left my vision white.
And thereafter, fainting, fainting, fainting.
Just as I began to grow accustomed to the jolting pain, I could only scream out.
“No, whatever I undergo, it all results in my vision turning white!”
“Seems to be a typical symptom accompanying electric shock, I guess?”
A faint moan escaped my lips. At this rate, the experiment was becoming meaningless. Senior Elsi was an electric mage, and aside from a few communal spells, her magical characteristics were aligned with the princess.
Naturally, any spell employed would yield similar results.
So, did we need to find a new mage? Just as I was sinking into despair, I heard Senior Elsi say.
“Sir Ian, Lady Airen or Miss Haster could have suffered electric shock as well.”
“That’s certainly possible. However, that would leave us with too few clues. There are just too many mages in the world who use electric magic.”
“Well, I don’t know.”
The Imperial Princess pondered, tapping her lips with her finger. The color of her face, with her eyes closed, clearly displayed her deep thought.
“We should consider this again. The masked figure was sighted three times in total, but there are only two reports of the ‘flash’ occurring. Because I, on that day, went unnoticed.”
“Does that change anything?”
“Yes.”
With that, the Imperial Princess confidently raised her finger. It seemed she had arrived at some kind of conclusion.
“It’s simple to become a masked figure. Anyone can be a masked figure as long as they wear a mask, right? Therefore, the masked figure seen in the Northern Region and the one seen at Percus Manor and the Holy Kingdom could be different individuals.”
“But even if that’s the case…”
“Though there are many mages who can deal with your Highness, there’s an exceedingly rare number of mages skilled enough to subdue a knight in a single blow. It’s unlikely there would be such individuals readily available. Thus, the pool of candidates narrows considerably.”
The deductions made by the Imperial Princess were persuasive. Before long, I found myself thinking along with her words.
Yes, talented mages are indeed rare. Even excluding Celin, Lady Airen was an expert-level warrior. To subdue her, one would need at least equivalent strength.
A mage capable of infiltrating Percus Manor and the Orphanage, possessing superior skills, and wielding electric magic.
Cold sweat began to bead down my back.
I had a hunch about what the Imperial Princess was about to say.
I urgently tried to dissuade her.
“Your Highness, we can discuss the rest later…”
“Raymond Rainelle.”
But before I could finish, the Imperial Princess smiled and wore a proud expression.
With that, I could only cover my face with both hands.
“No matter how I think about it, it must be him. We must follow their trace before they catch on…”
“Hey.”
A chilling and cold voice echoed, it was not the tone one would use for the Emperor’s bloodline.
The source of that resonance was obvious. While the Imperial Princess stood frozen with a startled expression, I subtly turned my gaze.
It was Senior Elsi.
Her blue eyes, resembling blue sapphires, contained the coldness of the polar region. Her extremely expressionless face merely testified that Senior Elsi’s anger had reached its limit.
It was over. I had no choice but to shake my head.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Ultimately, the Imperial Princess began to tremble in response to the growing tension.
Being ignorant was a crime.
