Ch.493Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

In the northern part of the Kiyen Empire, there is a city named after the emperor.

Novo-Nikolayevsk.

It was the largest city and provincial capital in the frozen eastern route, as well as territory where the imperial family resided.

‘……’

The image of the fortress appeared in my drifting consciousness.

Though my body was in the desert, my mind was directed toward Novo-Nikolayevsk.

The strange sensation of my soul separating from my body continued.

A familiar voice resonated within my mind.

‘Child. What brings you here seeking answers? To this cold wasteland, and all alone at that.’

Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

‘Speed’ is a concept that permeates modern magic.

This is especially true for combat-related magic like killing and subduing. In a fight, the one who subdues the opponent first wins. Naturally, speed is essential.

Military magic goes without saying. All techniques used by the military are created with the sole purpose of leading to victory in war.

In modern magical warfare, the importance of speed is emphasized more heavily than other elements, and swiftness is the first consideration.

Why has this climate taken root?

Interpretations vary among scholars.

The greatest academics of the Magic Tower support the theory of ‘pursuit of convenience.’ The theory suggests that academic development and user demands led to the simplification of magic.

Highly developed magical studies led to the birth of diverse spells.

Ancient mages who cultivated magic independently used spells limited to one field, but modern mages who received systematic education and training could handle a wide range of spells across different fields.

Ancient mages who delved deep into a single well went through complex procedures to cast more powerful spells. However, for modern mages who explored multiple wells, these ‘procedures’ were not just complex but cumbersome.

Thus emerged the theory of pursuing convenience.

Unlike ancient mages who willingly endured complex procedures to enhance magical power, modern mages prefer to omit cumbersome procedures even if it means reducing power somewhat.

Since advanced magical studies gave birth to diverse and more powerful spells, modern magic remained far stronger than ancient magic even with intentionally reduced power.

This aligned with mages’ desire for convenience, leading to simplification.

Swift and precise, delivering many attacks in a short time. If you can’t subdue an opponent with one strike, you can do it with two or three.

Military doctrine developers from powerful nations focus on ‘speed’ itself. They view that changes in modern warfare and weapon development created a sense of crisis among mages, and magic was naturally modified as mages adapted to the ever-changing nature of war.

Fire support has traditionally been considered the unique domain of artillery. Artillery has played such an important role in various wars that warfare without it is now unthinkable.

There was once optimistic speculation that magic could replace artillery.

At the end of the Church-Tower War, newly emerged ‘killing magic’ was evaluated as an inexpensive weapon of mass destruction that reduced war costs while boasting powerful effects.

In the time it took numerous soldiers to move artillery, load charges and shells, and calculate coordinates, a mage could cast long-range killing magic and complete position changes.

It was no wonder generals’ jaws dropped and artillery commanders’ eyes bulged.

However, just as advanced magical studies gave birth to powerful spells, scientific progress brought changes to weapon systems and warfare patterns.

The gap between artillery and magic widened, and in firepower battles, artillery held absolute superiority over mages. The same was true technically.

Gone are the days when armies were helplessly defeated by magic fired from distances beyond telescope range.

Highly developed surveillance systems can detect not only drastic magical fluctuations but also subtle flows of magical power.

In modern full-scale warfare, the confrontation between artillery and mages looks like this:

1. When enemy corps mages prepare for long-range bombardment, friendly surveillance equipment deployed on the battlefield activates.

2. Just as naval sonar operators identify enemy ship types from acoustic shadows, army mages determine the type and power of enemy magic, as well as the enemy mage’s position.

3. The FDC (Fire Direction Center) calls out the specifications. While the turret rotates to align with the azimuth, the auto-loader pushes up charges and shells.

4. With the battery commander’s order, the self-propelled howitzer company fires high-explosive shells in unison. The unit that fired quickly changes position.

5. Shortly after, a rain of shells falls on the enemy mages who are about to complete their spells.

Modern artillery can provide fire support that is vastly swifter, more accurate, and more powerful than mages, which has shifted mages’ battlefield role from full-scale warfare to local conflicts.

Battlefields where artillery struggles to operate are places where mages can thrive. This is why mages have been active in local conflicts for decades.

However, with the emergence of new threats, the situation changed completely.

It began with frequent local conflicts between Kiyen and Abas centered around uninhabited border regions.

The cold relationship between the two countries erupted into military confrontation over natural resources in the uninhabited zone.

Both sides pushed small forces into the uninhabited area to avoid full-scale war. Among them, mages were the core force.

When engagements occurred beyond artillery range, mages flew in from the air and invaded the battlefield, and damage from enemy mages snowballed.

After much deliberation, both armies deployed new soldiers to the battlefield.

Snipers.

Records from that time remain vividly preserved in handwritten accounts and reports.

The records contain such intensity and desperation that those who later studied military history named it “The Battle of Snipers and Mages.”

When an Abas army mage aimed magic at a hill, bullets from Kiyen army snipers flew from the opposite ridge.

When a Kiyen battalion mined natural resources in the uninhabited zone, Abas army snipers climbed trees and shot mages focused on their work.

Trackers who found mages would signal, and snipers would eliminate enemy mages to support the main force’s advance.

In ruined urban areas, soldiers dashed across roads while snipers kept enemy mages in check.

Sniper teams bypassing defensive lines assassinated commanders and mages.

Shots fired from abandoned armored vehicles killed marching mages.

Snipers heading to the battlefield were ordered to kill mages first.

Trading one bullet for a mage’s life was always a profitable exchange.

Killing a mage who could perform communication magic was more urgent than killing a radio operator, and sometimes enemy mages were prioritized over enemy commanders.

Conversely, mages became desperate to find snipers.

Dead mages were friends and comrades who had studied together at academies and universities.

Fire and ice rained down on areas suspected of harboring snipers, and sometimes ridges were swept away by magic that erupted like seizures.

From this period onward, various spells emerged, and the overall casting speed of military magic increased.

To succeed in operations, magic had to be cast faster than snipers could shoot.

Distortion, deception, protection, and anti-tracking spells were developed. Swiftness became a core element of modern military magic.

Thus, views on the swiftness of magic varied among scholars.

No one knew the correct answer, but one thing was clear: various factors influenced the development of magic.

However, when this question was posed to the world’s greatest mage, the answer was somewhat deflating.

“Survival.”

“Survival?”

“Yes. Survival.”

The Northern Archduchess, Alexandra Petrovna, calmly continued.

Sitting in a rocking chair turning pages of a book, the Archduchess resembled a professor immersed in academia.

“That’s why swiftness became the foundation of modern magic.”

“Uh, hmm…”

The disciple could only offer an awkward smile for this reason.

The way she spoke as if everything were obvious reminded her of professors she’d met at Cambridge. She sensed the aura of conflict studies professors in the Archduchess.

“Hmm…”

Well, it made sense. Upon reflection, it wasn’t strange at all.

For someone who had mastered scholarship, ordinary theories wouldn’t even provoke interest. And the title of Archmage was only given to those who had mastered magic.

Considering that even renowned figures in the magical world, including historical Tower Masters and Oracle elders, hadn’t received the title of Archmage, Alexandra Petrovna was essentially a veteran of magical studies. It was natural for such a person to give a deflating answer to her disciple’s question.

Though the answer wasn’t as enlightening as expected, she could somewhat accept it.

But not having fully resolved her doubts, Camilla still tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

Just then, their eyes met as the mentor glanced at the liquor bottle on the side table. The mentor read the question in her disciple’s eyes. The Archduchess, about to raise her glass, closed her book and began to smile gently.

“It seems my child’s question remains unanswered.”

“No! That’s not it…”

“It’s alright. Go ahead and speak.”

Under the Archduchess’s benevolent smile, Camilla pondered. How should she explain?

After organizing her thoughts, she finally spoke with a voice almost like a groan.

“Actually… I went to Mauritania, as you know.”

“Yes. And?”

“I fought with a witch doctor there…”

“What?”

Alexandra Petrovna’s eyes widened like moons, demonstrating how surprised she was.

The reason the Archmage, who had weathered countless battles, clutched her startled heart was quite simple. Anyone would react similarly upon hearing that their late-in-life disciple had gone out and quarreled with ruffians.

Having regained her composure, the mentor calmed her startled heart, saying it was fortunate the disciple hadn’t returned injured.

Wondering what had happened to cause a fight with ruffians, the Archduchess inquired about the situation.

“A Mauritanian witch doctor. What kind of person was he?”

“He worked in the private sector. Not a soldier or police officer… it was a personal dispute…”

“Private sector? Oh my!”

The Archduchess jumped up.

For reference, she was an adventurer who had traveled extensively to treat her nephew (Nicholas VI) who suffered from dementia, and had visited the Mauritanian continent several times. Someone like her would certainly know what kind of people “witch doctors working in the private sector” were.

Warlords, rebels, terrorist organizations, gangs, cartels, and so on. The destinations of mages who couldn’t enter ivory towers were obvious. The Archduchess had no choice but to severely reprimand Camilla.

After thoroughly scolding her disciple…

“Hiing…”

Having been thoroughly chastised while trying to express herself indirectly, Camilla began her explanation. Skipping the preamble, she went straight to the point.

Alexandra Petrovna heard many stories.

About how she remembered the advice and attacked beyond the scope of witchcraft, about the mysterious spells the witch doctor cast, about the strange experience of feeling as if all the world’s magical power revolved around her.

When her disciple described how her final strike spread into blue flames, the mentor couldn’t help but genuinely admire her.

“Your growth has far exceeded my expectations.”

The Archduchess stroked her worthy disciple’s head with a warm gaze. Beaming brightly, Camilla responded with a pleasant smile before moving on to her conclusion.

“But there’s something I wanted to ask.”

“Speak. I hope you can resolve all your curiosities today.”

“When the witch doctor used his spells… he recited something like incantations. But when I use magic, I don’t recite incantations. Neither do you, Professor.”

“So that’s what you were curious about. The purpose of incantations.”

“Yes.”

As if receiving an interesting question for once, the Archduchess’s smile deepened. She took Camilla to the inner courtyard of the fortress where she had practiced magic in her childhood.

“You asked about the purpose of incantations. And why mages don’t recite them.”

“Yes.”

“The truth is, child, incantations do exist in magic. To be precise, they are essential in ancient magic.”

As Camilla tilted her head at the puzzling answer…

-Flámmĭdus.

Flames captivated her blue eyes. Camilla watched the extended index finger with sparkling eyes of wonder.

Alexandra Petrovna brought the burning flame close and blew on it with a “hoo-” The disturbed flame disappeared.

“Flammidus. An ancient spell that raises flames. It’s the root of modern elemental and spirit magic. It’s also the first thing the wandering mage I took as my master taught me when I was young.”

In ancient times when heresy inquisitions were rampant, magical studies themselves didn’t exist.

Therefore, ancient magic was in a raw, undifferentiated state, and it was common for one spell to be the origin and source of several modern spells.

After extinguishing the spark on her finger, the Archmage put her hand in her pocket.

“As you can see, ancient magic had different incantations for each spell. Chants, spells, commands, blessings… Ancient mages collectively called them ‘activation words.'”

“Oho…”

Observing the magic with interested eyes, Camilla asked the Archduchess.

“Do modern spells also have incantations or activation words? You said they existed in ancient magic.”

“No. Activation words disappeared in modern times.”

Can you guess why?

The Archduchess asked, and Camilla pondered. While deeply immersed in thought, suddenly, as if a light bulb turned on, her blue eyes widened brightly.

“…Ah!”

Exclaiming in realization, Camilla tapped her palm and shouted.

“Swiftness!”

“Correct.”

The Archduchess nodded with a pleased smile.

“Magic in olden times was more complex and abstruse than now. Primitive witchcraft required witch doctors to offer sacrifices themselves, and ancient alchemy required far more materials to obtain quality results. In fact, not just witchcraft and alchemy, but all forms of magic were like this.”

She compared complex and abstruse elements to impurities.

Ancient magic was like crude iron full of impurities, while modern magic was like steel with all impurities removed.

“As time passed, magic evolved toward swiftness by removing impurities. That’s the development history of modern magic. Now let me ask again. What is the source of that swiftness?”

“Survival?”

“Correct. That’s it.”

The development of modern magic originated from war.

During the Church-Tower War, mages prioritized swiftness in their resistance against the Church.

Protective barriers deployed faster than a holy knight’s sword.

Curses fired before an inquisitor’s divine arts.

Complex alchemical poisons far surpassing a healing priest’s blessings, and so on.

All were the result of a struggle for survival.

The Archmage, who had been active in the Church-Tower War, explained.

“You must attack first and kill the opponent to survive. That’s the eternal premise of fighting throughout history. That’s why activation words disappeared. Death often arrived before the completion of an incantation.”

Alexandra Petrovna looked into the distance with her hands in her pockets.

As if tracing old memories, her blue eyes behind the mysteriously flowing silver hair were immersed in lingering emotions.

“We pursued swiftness to survive. We didn’t consider peace or efficiency at all. My survival came first, and those who killed their opponents first survived. That’s true of all wars… Does that answer your question?”

Then, she posed a new question.

Are activation words truly useless? Are they merely outdated and forgotten in the flow of time and waves of change?

The Archmage, who had dominated an era, nodded silently. It was a heavy nod.

“What other use would they have? Magical power responds to the user’s call even without activation words. So it’s inevitable that they are forgotten and disappear.”

She made a request.

The Archmage, who had been gazing at distant mountains, shifted her gaze immediately afterward.

“You want to learn ancient magic? But why? Isn’t your magic powerful enough?”

“What? You think reciting activation words looks cool? Hmph. What a troublesome disciple I have. Thinking about style instead of focusing on improvement. What a wicked mindset.”

“Don’t cling to me. Have you ever seen a disciple in this world who grabs their master’s trouser leg and persists? Just for a moment- let go of my pants and let’s talk!”

“…Fine. Your stubbornness is tougher than a troll’s bladder. What sin did I commit in my past life to take on such a troublesome disciple in my old age… I’d rather die than suffer like this.”

In the end, the master surrendered to her disciple’s groundless insistence.

Archduchess Alexandra Petrovna, with her trouser leg turned up, sighed deeply with concern. Her face seemed to have aged a decade.

With slumped shoulders, gazing at distant mountains, she closed her eyes weakly and murmured.

“…This too shall be an experience. Very well, I’ll teach you as you wish.”

Her mysterious silver hair flutters against the north wind. The silver hair that once burned sacred sites and plunged the Papal States into terror now waves like a flag.

Her shoes scrape the snow. Though she abandoned her habit of insisting on military boots long ago, the footprints she leaves in the snow still carry echoes of steel and blood.

She took her stance.

The mage who once commanded numerous comrades on the battlefield and dominated an era concentrates her mind.

Magical power swirls. As if the whole world revolves around one person, a storm blows in the fortress courtyard.

In the eye of the storm where snow flurries rage.

Her half-open eyes gleam with a piercingly cold light.

“Watch and learn well.”

*

In a slum where black smoke rises. A massive vortex exists in the ashen sky.

A typhoon is coming. A strong wind blows as if it will devour everything, sweep away the whole world.

Francesca, holding down her violet hair that flutters violently, raised her head. Her two violet-like eyes begin to read the magical power flowing in the atmosphere.

The magical power in the area turns crimson red. The air swirling red becomes waves that stir the sky in all directions.

With just one person as the center…

“……”

Despite her clothes flapping as if about to tear, she remained focused. She concentrated her mind and felt the magical power.

She accepts the surrounding magical power with inhaled breath. She releases filtered impurities with exhaled breath. It feels as if everything revolves around her, like planets orbiting the sun.

The whole world is responding.

To will.

To wind.

To call.

When her closed eyes opened.

In a world washed clean of all impurities, only a massive tree and a human existed.

Under the sky where ashen vortices rise.

Her lips begin to move.

“Majestic and peaceful sea. With the terrifying power to swallow shipwrecks and the warmth to embrace all things. Life’s furnace that raises waves.”

Gently opening her eyes and extending her hand.

A single line is drawn, and a whirlwind rises.

Like a fluttering flag, the sleeve that softly embraces her arm waves.

“Dark and silent night sky. With a round moon halo that whitens the snow-covered forest and a whale slowly moving westward. Stars shining beyond the deep curtain.”

As language flows, magical power rejoices.

Praise buried and abandoned in the waves of history and sands of time.

Forgotten by all, remaining only in someone’s memories.

In that gentle rise and fall, magical power dances and rejoices.

“When the sail is raised, neither fierce gusts nor surging waves are feared. And in the night sky without a trace of moonlight, stars shine unchangingly.”

The majestic and peaceful sea becomes a cradle embracing the boatman, and the dark and silent night sky guides the lonely radiance.

And finally.

“When the whale that journeyed to the western night sea returns.”

The reclining boatman falls into contemplation, and the sleepless lonely radiance embarks on a journey with companions.

“Life will awaken in brilliant light. Therefore-“

Do not grieve. Even if the radiance disappears before your eyes.

Knowing that the whale that departed westward will surely return.

“We proceed with the never-setting smile of eternity.”

To the majestic and peaceful sea, to the dark and silent sky.

Among the slowly dying stars.

Our journey continues endlessly.

…Activation.

“-Pallida Flamma.”

*

A flash of light cut through the sky, and the tree burned palely.

In the dark and silent desert.

The slowly dying pale flame burned the tree.

It was a majestic and peaceful sight.