A Conjurer's Passion

A strange and enigmatic feeling of distress clouded the Pope's consciousness for a second. A jolting presentiment that seemed to have been recorded throughout the Ancient Era was finally beginning to emerge into the current world. It wasn't a rare feeling, but a familiar one. Almost as if he knew that this would come eventually.

"Your Holiness, are you alright?" Seeing the perplexed Pope, Cardinal Rawkin quickly heads over to the throne of the malevolent Yddra to inquire about it.

"It has begun..." The Pope instilled a strange phrase.

"What has begun?" Cardinal Rawkin asked.

"The fate of this world is already sealed..." The fate of this world? Sealed? What does he mean by that? "Cardinal Rawkin and to all followers of our God, Yddra. Gather our people and have them pray and ask for forgiveness..."

The Cardinal narrowed his eyes, realizing the deep meaning behind the Pope's words. He ordered the Bishops and they soon began their preparation.

A faint yet deep aura of omnipresence shrouded the whole church, plunging them into the partial realm of divinity. If the premonition of their Pope came true, who would they ask for help? The God of Light's power was still within their hands yet they couldn't discern the anxiety that was welling up from their soul.

And if the records were actually true, how will they fend off the Devil?

"It hasn't been that long but this is the ninth one, right?" Cardinal Rawkin asked.

The two stared at the large seamless sculpture of their God. Behind the divine structure was a gloomy atmosphere, constantly devouring what was once the peaceful sky. The white and fluffy clouds that looked like cotton now turned into a gloaming stream of shadows filling up the leftover rays.

"The ninth one... I doubt that it will be the same as the last time." The Pope made a contemplative face.

"Are you worried about its growth?"

"It's not just about its growth, I'm also worried about the scale of destruction that it will drop after we extinguish it. I'm afraid that we won't be able to minimize the casualties this time..." He answered.

The Pope's tone was serious but the Cardinal didn't seem to believe him for some reason. As the representative of the Church of Yddra with the highest authority similar to that of a Saint, the Pope's word should be regarded as absolute but a tinge of opposition was forming in Rawkin's mind. It was obvious from his expression.

Noticing this, the Pope turned to him. "What is it? Speak what's in your mind, Cardinal Rawkin..."

The Cardinal widened his eyes for a moment, startled by the mere observation of His Holiness and his skills of discerning meanings through expressions. He then cleared his throat and expressed his opinion.

"Forgive my insolence for stating this but perhaps Your Holiness' worries are exaggerated?" The Pope eyed him.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm confident that our people and those who revere our God (Yddra) would be able to vanquish it without any casualty." He bowed.

"And your basis for that?"

"I heard that the King has formed an offensive strike battalion called the Royal Mages Corps that consists of ten thousand Sorcerers and Highmages. If such a group exists, if we pair them alongside the church's own brigade, we may be able to avoid such calamity in a short period of time."

A strike package with over ten thousand Highmages and Sorcerers. If it is viewed outside, it looked like hope for all humans. Highmages and Sorcerers are usually well-regarded within the Kingdom because of their talent in Divine Arts. They could use advanced-tier spells that can incinerate even the most ferocious monsters outside.

If they all come together and cast their powerful spells, victory should be guaranteed.

And yet despite this overwhelming news, the Pope didn't react to it that much which made the Cardinal feel uneasy.

"W-What do you think of it, Your Holiness?" He asked.

"It's not bad a precaution. But do you really think humanity stands a chance against the Devil of the Abyss?"

"—!"

"If it is a normal beast, our brigade and the Royal Mages Corps might be able to exterminate it with ease but a Calamity Invoker that transcends the previous eruption should be regarded as more dangerous. Your naivety suggests that powerful mages clustered together have a chance against it, was it not?"

"Yes... I believe so," He nodded.

"I'm not going to reprimand you from stating your opinion, But try to remember this, Cardinal Rawkin: Even with the power of the Six Apostles, they were not able to stop the cataclysm from happening. You should probably revisit that chapter..."

As the Pope leave the throne, his cold reminders pierced Rawkin's chest like he has been assassinated. His grasp on authorities caused the birth of his fear. The exuberant confidence that he had earlier was nowhere to be found. That's how dark their situation is.

Ten thousand powerful mages? Good enough to slay the Devil? That's a foolish assumption born from overconfidence.

It was then that the Cardinal realized...

"This might be our final resting place..."

* * *

"It can't be..." At first, she refused to believe it.

There are rare occurrences where a Descendant of the Cursed King could use Divine Arts albeit faint and not that effective. But what greeted her upon entering the room wasn't a low discharge of divine power. It is a full-scale magic spell that shredded their furniture instantly.

A compressed gale generated a decent amount of force and Rin unconsciously fired it within the room.

"Rin, what did you do?" She asked.

Nervous, Rin immediately explained what happened. "Mother... I just said the words in this book aloud and then..." He stared at the small destruction that he caused followed by a panning gaze at his hand.

Rin asked himself: How did I do it?

Auelina approached him slowly and looked at the book that he was holding. "This is..."

"I'm so sorry. I found this in the drawer and cleaned it, then I tried reading it..."

"A grimoire..."

"Huh?"

Auelina grabbed the book and skimmed through the pages as if she was caressing it gently. A Grimoire is a textbook of magic holding information about the Divine Arts and their archetypes. The production of grimoires existed centuries ago and they're commonly found in Arcane libraries from the academy.

Most of them are lost and the historians and other Archmages didn't bother searching for the rest of them. As long as they have one copy, they could produce another one and use it as a base reference for the other types.

If it is not obvious by now, Mages who graduated from the Academy need to memorize the grimoire before they could take part in the Royal Mages Corps. Sorcerers inside the Kingdom wouldn't be able to protect it without knowing the book itself. That's why it is important for the Eliads to study grimoires.

"Listen to me, Rin... I know that you still have a lot of questions regarding this book but I want you to forget this right now." Auelina knelt down and patted Rin's head.

"W-Why?"

"If the Eliads discovered that you have a potential affinity to wield Divine Arts, they will instantly execute you."

"—!"

An instant execution. It was mentioned that execution is part of the precautionary system that the Eliads have established throughout the Kingdom in order to imprison the Damniants. If they ever find out that Rin has the ability to use Divine Arts despite being a Damniant, they will resort to automatic violence and lock or execute him immediately.

"That's why you must hide your powers. Don't touch this book anymore, okay?"

Rin nodded. The sheer punishment that he will have to face if they find out was already obvious to him yet for some reason, he couldn't take it as an explanation.

"Even with the use of magic... Do they still forbid us from wielding it? Why would they do that? I thought Divine Arts are supposed to be a gift... A blessing from the gods. Why would they kill us if we can use it?" Rin asked.

Auelina made a conflicted face as Rin turned to her. She may choose to hide the truth and create another excuse but leaving Rin in the dark might incite his thirst to leak.

"It's because of our lineage..." She lowered her gaze. "The Eliads fear us because our ancestors did something bad in the past. You're aware of this, right?"

"Yes..." He nodded.

"Divine Arts is a powerful catalyst—a conjurer of all unnatural phenomenons in this world. The Eliads think that only those who follow the God of Light and the Saints have the right to use Divine Arts. For us Descendants of the Cursed King, we don't have the right to use it even though the general rule applies to every human in this world."

Even the oppression managed to reach the highlighted law that came from the divine. The Descendants of the Cursed King is just a derogatory title—an excuse to strip them of their rights as a human. Divine Arts were gifted to everyone in the world. It didn't choose anyone. Yddra didn't specify the people who can use it.

And yet the current system now throws that general rule because of their wicked minds. A precaution. A warning. A shield. Protection. Insurance. So many excuses to back up their severe oppression just because they fear their race.

Should Rin be happy because he discovered that he can use it? Or should he be worried that he might have stumbled upon a deadly path that may end his life despite it being respected around the world?

"I understand, Mother..."

"Hmm?" Rin patted Auelina's head and smiled at her.

"I won't use it in public and keep it a secret. I promise you that I will not cause any trouble..." He reassured her but Auelina was still worried.

He didn't specifically say that he is not going to use it anymore. She assumed that Rin will still try to study Divine Arts through the book but covertly as possible.

The risk is beyond what they could handle. If it came to it, she will have to defend Rin with her life.

* * *

A special carriage was on its way to the Town of Fier carrying the head of one of the most prestigious houses in the Kingdom.

He is a Marquess, a leading nobleman to the hereditary rank. It is rare for some nobles to visit the land of the Damniants itself as they are not lenient in soiling their luxurious attire and breathing the same air as them. It is already considered disgust whenever they see the pile of sandstone coming into their view.

But perhaps this Marquis isn't as discriminatory as he is?

"Lord Briant, was it really okay to leave your state and come into this filthy place?" A butler on the opposite side of him asked.

"Hmph. It would be rude for a businessman to not be present in matters regarding negotiations, isn't it? Even if the land is as filthy as we expected it to be, we shall disclose proper attending etiquette and they shall rejoice that a famous noble like me is visiting them." He scoffed while looking outside.

"Oho! I see. So that's why you chose to come here personally. As expected of you, My Lord!" The butler praised his Lord's gracefulness despite it being presumptuous and arrogant.

"Well, considering that these worms have enough value for us, I must make sure that they are in great hands. Remember this, we must get that promotion as soon as possible. I want to be equal with our fellow Dukes." He added.

"I understand!"

As the imminent storm was approaching the haven, the Marquis made a wicked expression. He was thirsty not just for power and wealth but also for something else. A devious scheme, something that will be advantageous for him. And also his craving for pleasure...

As for how the Damniants would be able to handle his disparaging attitude, we won't be able to know until he gets there.

* * *

Although Rin promised that he wouldn't use it outside as it risks the chances of him getting caught, he still couldn't help but read the book and study how Divine Arts work.

This was a one-in-a-million chance for him. As someone who is curious about magic, Rin didn't have any sort of limitation and he wanted to test it for himself as soon as possible.

After grabbing the Grimoire, he immediately left the house and rushed through his favorite spot near the lake. Rin thought that the weather was strange lately. The world was full of boundless bliss yesterday but now it was shrouded by a gloomy atmosphere as if there was a storm brewing just outside the land.

"Oh well, whatever... Let's see if I can test this again."

Once again, he opened the seal and marched through the first page. He noticed that there were a lot of symbols on the top of the page and beneath it was information about it. He then proceeded to the spells section where a lot of words can be seen.

"Okay, let's try this spell next..."

He held his arm upward with his palm facing towards the sky while his eyes are on the book.

"Wisest judicator of the azure realm, Heed thy chosen's decree. Bless us with your pristine wisdom and fulfill our order! Stuerous! (Waterball)"

Small streams of glowing liquid flowed through his arm accompanied by specks of bubbles forming up a large waterball on his palm. Rin could feel something welling up inside his body as he discharged magical power. He gritted his teeth for a moment and a small spike of pain rushed in, rendering him vulnerable.

Upon the completion of the waterball, he aimed right through the lake and fired it. The force was so strong that it made him slip and fell on his bum. The ball burst forth and exploded into the center of the lake, causing a small whirlpool followed by subtle ripples that pushes the gravel into the grass.

"Haha! I did it!"

The result was satisfying and Rin could feel that his body was breaking and yet the elation and that euphoric feeling of success overwhelmed it.

What was once a pipe dream for him is now happening in reality. He couldn't be any happier than achieving this despite it being risky.

However...

"That's a clean execution of casting a spell. Your pronunciation is on point and you phrased it clearly. That's the Beginner-class Waterball spell, right?"

Rin stood up in surprise and turned behind him.

There, he saw a beautiful princess-like girl clapping while being accompanied by her maid. She was astonished by how Rin managed to cast a spell perfectly and stared at him with a smile.

"No way... I'm in trouble." He was beginning to feel uneasy.

His mother has just told him to keep this a secret and yet here he is, showing off his ability and getting discovered by a noble.

How would he escape from this predicament?