Ch.97Black Magic Workshop – 6

“Mana that uses humans as ingredients……”

After hearing my words, Charlotte crossed her arms across her chest and fell into thought.

I never expected Charlotte to be surprised by such a trivial fact anyway. Cutting people’s throats is something she’s done countless times before.

And as I predicted, Charlotte tilted her head.

“Why is that a problem? Hundreds and thousands of humans die every day. And just as many are born anew. What difference would it make if a few more were added as ingredients for black mana? I too once—”

“You killed hundreds every day?”

When I said that with a small laugh, Charlotte momentarily looked dazed.

“I knew you’d respond like that, Charlotte.”

The feeling of surprise didn’t last long before changing into another emotion. The corners of her blood-red eyes curved gently.

It meant that despite my interruption, her mood had actually improved.

“They say lovers grow to resemble each other, and that saying seems entirely true, my dear. Have you somehow reached the point where you can read my mind just as I read yours?”

“I didn’t read your mind. I don’t have that talent. I just thought that’s what you would say, Charlotte.”

“It matters not. The fact that you predicted I would say such things is pleasing in its own way. Doesn’t it mean you understand me to that extent? Well then, since you understand me so well, I believe your reaction to black magic isn’t simply because it uses humans as ingredients. Now answer me. What is the real reason?”

The real reason. Suddenly I recalled a certain girl, then quickly erased her from my mind. Just thinking about it made me want to vomit.

While hiding my agitation as much as possible, I repeated a mantra internally.

The real danger of black magic is that it indiscriminately absorbs humans. The real danger of black magic is that it indiscriminately absorbs humans. The real danger of black magic is that it indiscriminately absorbs humans…

“My dear?”

“Huh?”

Charlotte’s call brought my consciousness back to reality. What was I just doing?

“What are you thinking so deeply about? Surely you don’t have something you need to hide from me?”

It was still a sharp interrogation. I shook my head while trying to hide my face.

“No. How could that be? I was just organizing my thoughts.”

“I fail to understand why you need to organize your thoughts. You should simply share the knowledge in your head without reservation. Do you realize that the more you make excuses, the more suspicious you appear?”

“This is the first time I’m revealing this to you. Even I need some time to organize my thoughts.”

Charlotte’s expression changed subtly once more. She probably focused on the fact that this was the ‘first’ information I was revealing to her.

“Then I suppose it cannot be helped. I shall forgive you with a generous heart. However, there will not be a second time.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll be careful next time.”

Charlotte smiled softly.

“Now tell me the real reason, my dear. I trust you will not try to deflect by emphasizing ‘first time’ again.”

Somehow, she saw through me and let it slide just once.

“As you said, Charlotte, if black mana was simply mana created using humans as ingredients, I wouldn’t care much either. After all, you could overwhelm it with your firepower.”

In terms of total mana quantity and output, Charlotte has an overwhelming advantage unless the entire kingdom’s population is converted into black mana.

The real problem was elsewhere.

“The issue is this: Black mana has consciousness.”

“Consciousness? In mana? What on earth does that mean?”

This time even Charlotte seemed quite surprised, her eyes widening slightly. Charlotte showing such emotion was quite a rare sight.

“No, perhaps ‘consciousness’ isn’t quite right. Rather than consciousness, it’s closer to an instinctual survival drive.”

“You speak increasingly incomprehensible words, my dear. Whether it’s consciousness or survival drive, your explanation still requires further clarification.”

“You’re right. It sounds absurd. But it’s true. Black mana possesses a strong desire to maintain its own form. Remember how I said earlier that black mana cannot occur naturally and must be created using humans as ingredients? What happens when that characteristic combines with the mana’s own survival instinct?”

“It has a desire to maintain itself, and it must use humans as ingredients…”

True to her reputation as one of the greatest geniuses in the kingdom’s history, she seemed to already understand the core of what I was trying to say.

Shadows began to gradually form on her white skin.

“Since black mana has such characteristics, the same would apply to black magic that uses it as a medium. So, how do you think black magic tries to maintain itself?”

“By absorbing humans.”

“Exactly.”

I smiled bitterly.

“Black mana, and black magic cast with it, struggles desperately to avoid dissipating. That desperate struggle naturally includes absorbing humans.”

“Are you saying it specifically targets only humans?”

“No, that’s wrong. I told you, didn’t I? It’s closer to a survival instinct than consciousness. Do you understand what I mean?”

“…Without any discrimination, it absorbs everything around it indiscriminately.”

“Precisely.”

On Charlotte’s face appeared that emotion I had earlier described as extremely rare.

“Black magic has only survival instinct, so it absorbs everything around it to sustain itself. If humans are in that process, they’re converted to black mana, while other things—air, soil, water—become contaminated by the black mana’s unique toxicity. Making it impossible for humans to ever live there again.”

“Contaminating everything so humans can never live there again. That sounds like an expression I’ve heard somewhere before, my dear.”

“You noticed?”

“When you speak so obviously, wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t notice?”

What Charlotte was implying was clear.

The black blood monsters.

She was suggesting that they shared similar characteristics with black magic and black mana.

“Can it be blocked with magic?”

“From a distance, yes. You can either pour out more firepower than the black mana they absorb to annihilate them, or burn all nearby humans so they have nothing to absorb. The standard for ‘nearby’ is at least the area of three or four cities, and the burning must leave not even ashes. But if they get close, it’s over. No magic can stop them.”

“Surely there must be some means to resist the conversion to black mana itself.”

“As you say, Charlotte, there is a way. You can use divine power. But it has to be overwhelmingly strong.”

“Speak more specifically.”

“It would require something on the level of divine possession.”

Charlotte’s expression stiffened slightly. She knew the weight carried by the term “divine possession” and how difficult it was.

Divine possession (降神).

The aspiration and wish of all religious people—to have a deity descend into a human body.

In the long history of this continent, successful divine possessions could be counted on three fingers with one to spare, and despite having lived for quite some time myself, I had directly witnessed divine possession only once.

Even someone like Christine couldn’t guarantee whether she could use divine possession while preserving her life.

If one disregarded their own life, it might be possible, but death would certainly follow.

Not that one might die—one would die.

Since it involved manifesting divine power through a human body, the backlash was so tremendous that it was virtually impossible in conventional religions.

Even the Holy Church in its prime was no match for Christine’s faith alone, so it wasn’t even worth discussing.

Perhaps if the entire kingdom’s population converted to a single religion worshipping one god, and the pope and saint of that religion completely sacrificed their lives, it might be barely possible for a few seconds.

That was essentially saying it was impossible.

“…Is there truly no other way?”

Charlotte’s response noticeably slowed as she realized this.

No matter how genius her mind was or how powerful she was in bringing her thoughts into reality, when faced with a concept that fundamentally shook human common sense, there was no easy solution.

‘Another way.’

It wasn’t entirely nonexistent.

Just that it was as difficult as or even more difficult than divine possession.

“It’s right in front of you.”

“Right in front of me…?”

Charlotte’s gaze turned toward me. Then her eyes soon reflected incredulity.

“You have a talent for twisting impossible statements. I shall personally commend you for that.”

“That’s true.”

The bitter smile on my lips grew wider. Yes, honestly, I had initially tried to commit suicide using black magic.

But it didn’t work.

Even when my body was absorbed by those things, my ultra-regeneration ability restored it to its original state.

Rather, because of that characteristic, I was briefly employed to block black magic, but that was literally just for a moment.

“And one more thing. The amount of black mana doesn’t matter.”

“The amount of mana doesn’t matter? Are you saying there are still more things to be irritated about regarding those things?”

“Whether it’s the size of a fingernail or as large as a building, the speed at which it absorbs surrounding matter is the same.”

Charlotte’s eyebrows curved slightly.

“Explain in detail.”

“I said earlier that what black mana possesses is closer to a survival instinct than consciousness. Do you think they really only absorb enough humans to sustain themselves?”

No. That’s impossible.

“No, that’s impossible. They never stop. They absorb all available humans around them, and any excess black mana is just dispersed into the air. And they repeat this. Until there are no more humans to absorb and they themselves dissipate. That’s why the amount of black mana they possess is meaningless. Regardless of how much or how little mana they have, they’ll absorb everything around them.”

“And you’re saying the absorption speed is the same?”

“Yes. You understand perfectly.”

Charlotte rested her chin on one arm. The other arm remained crossed.

“If you simply use black mana for destruction magic, it’s fine. It will just crash into its target and disappear before it starts craving humans to sustain itself. But anything beyond that is impossible.”

For example, moving the black mana itself. Such a thing would be nothing short of a calamity moving with only the desire for destruction.

“So, Charlotte.”

My eyes looked past Charlotte.

At the woman who was barely breathing in a miserable state, but who probably heard our entire conversation if she hadn’t fainted from the pain.

“Use healing magic. Right now.”