Chapter 19: Quick Stop & The Pains of Humanity's Strongest Mage

A/N :

" " : Dialogue,

' ' : Thought,

[ ] : System, Akasha, Minerva,

"Italicized text" : Telepathy,

{ }: Parallel Wills,

« » : Artificial Intelligence,

< >: Majutsu/Conjuring usage.(Using MA energy for skills, spells, etc.)

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Location: Renxandt Empire

Shiraori POV

5 weeks have passed since Dante and I woke up from our evolution. And now that I think about our current state and situation, we're doing far better than we would have in the other timeline.

For one, due to Minerva, I am already quite used to my humanoid body so I've been able to get into using the Breath of the Cosmos skill that Dante taught me. While I haven't been able to get it to max level. I have already gotten it beyond LV 50, so I'm generating Cosmic Energy, which has made minimizing the damage of my energy based spells a bit difficult, but not impossible.

Some other skills of note that Dante taught me are the Acero, Cero, Bala and Blut Herz skills as well as his movement technique. Without Minerva, I would probably not even be able to learn one of these skills within half a year, let alone learn all of them within a month, granted Dante was using that training skill of his. Seriously, that thing is so broken, please don't nerf. And as for how we trained such destructive skills, we simply used one of the pocket dimensions that he made.

We've also trained up the vamps, so as they are right now, they could very possibly fight and beat Rend, the fire dragon that Mom almost killed that I finished off. So while they're not at Araba's or the puppets' levels of power, they can at least hold their own.

Moving past our activities in the past weeks. We've gotten through most of the Renxandt Empire without incident and now we're at a city not far from a steep mountain range known as the Mystic Mountains.

Now one would think; 'You're moving around in what is clearly a futuristic APC, in a world like this. How the hell have you moved through God knows how many cities without incident or suspicion?'. And to that I say; "We've got Dante."

Since the entire thing is made of his nanomachines, he can alter it's form at any point in time. Not to mention, he could just cast a few notice-me-not enchantments on it and we could go anywhere without being bothered, regardless of how strange what we do or look like is to others.

So yeah, no problems getting into cities. But that isn't important right now. What is important is what I'm detecting within the city, elves. Not just any elves, multiple adult elves with Heresy and Space Magic and a baby elf with a much older soul. 'Found you, Oka-sensei.' I think to myself and look at Sophia who is oblivious to much of the turmoil that is likely to go down within the next 30 hours.

So far, nothing big has happened, but when those pointy ears are involved, chaos is the only outcome. I've dealt with them enough times to understand that fact. We split up, with me, Sael and Dante together, Ariel going with Fiel, Ael and Riel and Sophia and Merazophis being with Aela, Raela and Ella while Siel, Fael and Fel were back at the APC. Dante locates an inn and we walk to it.

As we enter the inn, an adventurer tries falling into me but I just stop him and push him away. "Oy, missy. Don't you think you should apologize to our friend here? You could have injured him." His companion says to me, clearly drunk, but before I can say anything, Dante grabs both their heads and knocks them together, causing them to pass out, then he throws them out of he inn.

"Normally I'd get angry at someone doing something like that to my customers, but since it's those idiots, I'll let it slide." I hear a stern female voice say. "No worries, I was doing them a favor." Dante replies. I turn to see the woman who had spoken, and I see a large, well-built older lady.

"I hope that they didn't ruin your image of adventurers. Not all of them are so boorish. But I'd suggest you be careful." She says, her voice calmer, then she continues. "Especially lately, when so many adventurers from abroad are coming to town. There might be some shady folks slipping in with the crowd, so be careful that you don't get mixed up in anything dangerous." She says as she guides us inside.

"Why would so many adventurers from out of town come here?" I ask her, just to be sure that what I had inferred from the situation was factual. "It seems that an ogre's appeared close to town and even beaten some adventurers who went after it. So now other adventurers are gathering from nearby towns and villages to fight it. Real scary stuff." She says, confirming our fears. It seems that we'll have to save one of my former classmates from adventurers.

Elsewhere

Ronandt POV

As we head to Buirimus' house, a heavy silence permeates the carriage as it rocks on the rough road. Despite the beautiful scenery of the imperial capital, the mood in here is dark and melancholic. But as we are headed to meet the widow of a colleague, it's understandable.

Seated across from me, is Tiva, the man formerly responsible for leading the planned assault on Sariella. After the attack on Keren County failed due to the actions of the Nightmare of the labyrinth, plans were put into play to attack Sariella with an allied force and he was put at the helm of command of the troops of the Renxandt Empire.

Strangely enough, a few months ago, reports of multiple sightings of Greater Taratects protecting the citizens Sariella sprung up. This had caused the Empire to have to revise the plan for an invasion of Sariella. However, this wasn't going to be the only obstacle that the Empire would face.

As if that weren't enough, a few weeks ago, reports of multiple sightings of spider monsters that look eerily similar to the Nightmare near Sariella started flooding in. Those reports also happened to inform others of something that caused the Empire and all of its allies to reconsider attacking Sariella, the spider monsters were explicitly helping and protecting the citizens of Sariella, while the Greater Taratects were seen returning to the labyrinth. And due to their forms, skills and nature that was noticed to be similar to the Nightmare, these spiders were given the collective moniker of the Nightmare's Vestige.

As a result of this, the planned invasion is no longer possible. Instead, we are returning home. But unfortunately, this was nowhere near the end of the problems that the Empire would face. As a matter of fact, Tiva is currently in charge of investigating this particular issue, kidnapping.

The abduction of children was happening not just in the empire, but all over the world. At first, people suspected someone was abducting children to sell as slaves. But as the scope became larger, the theory changed. People began suspecting that a large enough organization was abducting these children for some greater or more elaborate purpose.

In order to crush this organization and rescue the kidnapped children, Tiva led an imperial army to chase after the kidnappers, but unfortunately, the search has been less than fruitful. They had located a hideout of the organization, but the only people they could capture were hired thugs. There was no sign of the higher-ups or leads to the headquarters or goal of the organization. The only thing we got out of the investigation was that the organization is quite formidable.

Right now, we are headed to a family that has been victimized by the kidnappers. A mother whose baby was kidnapped about 6 months ago and unfortunately, we do not have good news regarding her child. The news we carry is quite grim, but it is not the child's death that we must report to her.

"Sir Ronandt, I believe it's best you do not accompany me inside." Tiva says, breaking the silence in the carriage. He had said the same thing more times than I could be bothered to count before we entered the carriage, but my answer to his request remains the same even now. "Tiva, I will not repeat myself again. It is my responsibility to deliver this news." I tell him sharply, silencing his protests.

The carriage continues moving through a quiet aristocratic neighborhood and eventually stops in front of a mansion that is rather small for a noble's home. That in itself isn't unusual, but the appearance and state of the mansion makes it's difference from the others quite clear. With the garden in ruins, and other parts starting to deteriorate from being neglected. The state of the grounds seems to produce a dark and melancholic atmosphere, even in the middle of the day.

A butler stands in front of the deteriorating house, waiting for us, a listless look in his eyes. "Welcome. Thank you for coming." He says, bowing respectfully. Tiva and I bow briefly and follow him inside, which has at least received minimal care, lacking furnishings but having been cleaned quite well. Yet, the dreary, bleak atmosphere remains.

The butler eventually brings us to the parlor, where the master of the house is waiting. "Thank you for coming today." The lady who we've come to see says while bowing her head to us, with practiced movements. Her appearance however, is like that of the mansion, slowly but surely deteriorating. She seems to have aged several years in a few months, her skin having lost its lustre, her body starting to look malnourished. For someone who used to be seen as a very beautiful woman, even by the capital's standards, she is now a shadow of her former self. Having seen her at her best, I am shocked at her current state, hesitant to tell her such grim news. Now, I understand why Tiva was trying to keep me from coming here.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Sir Ronandt." "Quite." Normally I would have said that she's looking well, but knowing her pain, I cannot bring myself to lie to her so blatantly. She seems to have noticed that we're here with bad news, as her complexion just grew a shade paler.

"I shall get straight to the point. *Breathe* Buirimus is dead." I tell her and she freezes up for some time before her eyes begin to waver and tears fall, then she begins sobbing with a muffled voice. Tiva and I remain silent and watch over her as she mourns her deceased husband.

As she weeps, I think back on my memories of Buirimus. I didn't interact with him all that much, as we only met a few times as a result of the both of us being influential people in the empire. We were more than mere acquaintances but not close enough to be called friends. There was no interaction of note between us until the incident with the Nightmare in the Great Elroe Labyrinth, with us ending up fighting for our lives, only to be spared but somehow cursed, if it can be called that.

Buirimus had somehow had his ability to control magic energy broken down to an abysmal level, while I was found to be sick with many of my organs gaining some debilitating but non-lethal illness. As things are now, I can't tell when I would end up coughing out blood or receiving a headache that would cause me to faint. So far, I've been able to mitigate the illnesses slightly with recovery magic, but I know that I don't have all that long in this world.

That day in the labyrinth was over a year ago. We had led an expedition of elite troops into the labyrinth to locate a mysterious monster within. It had been said to emit a dreadful aura while still showing a surprising level of intelligence, so the summoner Buirimus was sent in the hopes that he could possibly tame the monster, while I was there in case the monster was far too evil that destruction was the only option. But anyone that knows of that expedition knows that it ended disastrously. Buirimus and I were the only survivors.

I was overconfident in my power, thinking that there was no monster that could even be slightly stronger than I, even when I knew that legendary monsters exist, monsters known as beings too powerful for any human to possibly face. My hubris brought tragedy upon us that day. Despite knowing that dwelling on such thoughts would change nothing, I couldn't help but think of it.

Now while I still felt regret over what had happened, the events that occurred afterwards made me feel indebted to Buirimus. The higher-ups of the Empire and decided to place the blame for our terrible loss on him alone. That great being, currently known as the Nightmare of the Labyrinth, had ventured out of the labyrinth and wreaked havoc. Rumors spread that it had left the labyrinth because we had provoked it. While I don't know the reason it left , I do know that it was unfortunate timing for us. It destroyed an Ohts fortress shortly after leaving the labyrinth, then settled in Sariella—Ohts' sworn enemy—for a while and actively helped them.

Ohts being an ally of the Empire, would not have ignored any actions of the Empire that harmed them, so someone had to take the blame, and the blame fell to Buirimus. He and I were the only survivors and none of the higher ranked officers were willing to shoulder the blame. This would have meant that both of us would be blamed, but due to me being the empire's leading court mage, meaning I was the strongest mage in the empire, I was spared from the blame.

The title of strongest human mage holds no value to me now, but it still has great importance to the empire, especially since the prestige of the empire had lowered after the conflict with demons had subsided. They use my name to and power to intimidate other nations, meanwhile nobles and governmental officials grow corrupt and impertinent. The previous sword-king whose skills had earned him the reputation of a god has disappeared and the current one doesn't measure up to him. All this discord was causing the other nations to lose faith in the strength of the empire, so they altered the story of the expedition, making it so that I was not involved in it.

However, this didn't mean that I was spared any punishment whatsoever. It just meant that my punishment was lessened while Buirimus carried the majority of the burden. I was merely given a sentence of house arrest while Buirimus was sent away to the Mystic Mountains, which was by far a much crueler fate.

The Mystic Mountains is a cruel and unforgiving mountain range on the border with an extremely steep incline, while being populated by countless powerful monsters, making it to be a place that is seen to be almost as dangerous as the Great Elroe Labyrinth. Being stationed there is nothing short of a death sentence.

Despite this danger, Buirimus accepted the sentence without clamor or protest, even when he knew his wife had just given birth to their first child. I remember the words he said to me while we were in the Great Elroe Labyrinth. "This is quite the stroke of bad luck. I've just learned that my child has been born, yet I must be in this dark cavern without even seeing their face." He said those words to me with a crooked smile and bitterness in his words, yet the optimism in his eyes eclipsed that as they blazed with excitement to meet his child at any cost.

Even when we had faced the great being's attack along with that man's curse, I have no doubt that he was thinking that he refused to die before seeing his newborn child's face. And he survived, only to be sent away to face certain death once more, despite the fact that his power had been forcibly diminished. This meant that he was denied the chance to meet his child before leaving, and even if he was able to return from his dangerous posting, he would still carry the blame of being the one officially responsible for a failed expedition, not that there was ever a guarantee that he would return.

And there's his wife, who only knew that her husband returned in a broken state, only to be sent to certain death without even the slightest chance for a reunion. The heartache she feels must be immeasurable, and part of the blame for that lies with me as I allowed the leadership to place the blame on Buirimus while I live free of consequences.

In deference to the guilt I felt, I vowed to support the wife he had left behind, even while living on borrowed time. But despite my efforts, she declined my offer with a pained smile and red eyes. I had assumed in my egotism that my status would be of great import to her, that she would blame me for Buirimus' travails, but I didn't matter in her eyes.

Between this and my fateful encounter with that great being, I had become painfully aware that I had thought far too highly of myself. I was insignificant to her, as her concern for her husband and child left no room for her to care for my words. I was called humanity's strongest mage, but I now understand that in many people's lives and to truly strong beings, I was nothing more than a passing trifle.

Despite her refusal, I still made efforts to aid her as I would not feel at ease if I let things be. I used my connections to find ways to increase aid to the troops at the Mystic Mountains, hoping to reduce the burden on Buirimus as much as possible and leaving the rest to him.

But while he was away, tragedy struck once more with his own child being a victim of the kidnappings. Tiva had led a special operation to try and track down the kidnappers, but there has been no progress, even to this day.

"I apologize that you had to see me in such a state." Buirimus' wife says, still shaking as she pulls herself together to apologize. Tiva and I quickly assure her that she has nothing to apologize for. After her streak of ill fortune and tragedy, only for this terrible news to come to her while she's practically at her breaking point, I could only try to imagine how pained she feels.

"What... happened to him?" She asks, steadying herself. "We don't know the details yet. But when I went to check on him, I found that his entire troop had been wiped out." I say, remembering the scene at his post.

Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I have been demoted to a station, a fortress in the north that is relatively close to the Mystic Mountains, so I was able to receive information about Buirimus' squadron there. When I learned that their regular communications had suddenly ceased, I quickly went to investigate alone, only to find utter destruction. Buirimus was highly skilled, so despite the curse he was under, there weren't many monsters that could wipe out his troop so easily, however, around that time, word had begun to spread of a powerful ogre that had killed several adventurers. Surely this was no coincidence.

"Though it's not certain, we believe that the cause was a unique ogre that appeared around the same time. It's been decided that I will soon lead a special force to find and eliminate the ogre. Though it may be of little comfort, I will be sure to avenge your husband." "And I will do everything in my power to bring your child back to you as I possibly can." Tiva and I promise her and she bows her head in thanks.

As we sat in the carriage on our way back from the mansion, Tiva stared out the window and wondered if Buirimus' wife would be alright to which I simply responded that I didn't know and it all depends on his work in finding her child. "You must now face this with all your strength." I tell him and he nods heavily.

Of course, I never thought that he was handling the investigation halfheartedly, after all he also has a personal stake in this. He swears to bring back the children with an edge in his voice, his personal rage seeping into his declaration.

You see, Tiva had a son who had a wife, and they had given him a grandchild, who was born around the same time as Buirimus' child, and this brought him joy beyond compare. But tragedy struck, as his son and his family were found dead in in their wrecked carriage. At first it was thought to be an accident, only to be found later that it was a murder engineered by someone whose methods strongly resemble the modus operandi of the kidnapping organization.

The reason they had targeted Tiva's grandchild and accidentally killed his son and his daughter in-law is still to be known. All that was known for sure was that Tiva had lost his son, daughter in-law and grandchild as a result of their actions, giving him a strong reason to hunt down the kidnapping organization. I'm sure he feels just as strongly about it as Buirimus' wife.

"I shall assist you to the best of my abilities." I tell him, my voice momentarily shaking. I understand now more than ever that I cannot just sit in silence with this organization running rampant. I feel that if they are left alone, it might lead to something disastrous.

"..Even after your demotion?" He asks me with a deadpan look. 'Why, you little...!' I scowl at the low blow. I was merely giving training to Julius, my first apprentice. "Humph! To send me away for such a ridiculous reason." I say in mild protest. "No, I think it's a natural punishment for nearly killing a hero. In fact, you should be glad that you weren't executed." He says, matter of factly.

"It was just a trifling amount of training! Saying I nearly killed him is an outright exaggeration!" I say, remembering that Julius had asked me to train him so I did, only for his homeland and the so-called Word of God religion to object to my methods. Unfortunately, the Renxandt Empire agreed, so I was banished to a far-off northern post for doing nothing wrong.

"No, that could hardly be called training. By anyone else's standards, that was torture, understand? You must realize, Sir Ronandt, that your idea of common sense and normalcy does not match the rest if the world." He says, as if reprimanding me. Such a ridiculous judgement. I just hit him with the smallest amount of magic to help him build up resistance. Punishing me for helping him is nonsensical.

"Very well, then. I shall do whatever I can. Starting with avenging Buirimus' death." I say with my thoughts on the ogre that killed Buirimus. 'I might be on borrowed time, but I'll put it to the best use I could possibly do.'

Chapter End.