Chapter 114: The Man Who Drives People Crazy (1)

Former Tower Master of the Blue Mage Tower.

Pallarg, the Frozen Breath.

An Archmage who had reached the realm of the 8th tier, he held deep interest in the talent of the young mage Moria.

It was the kind of interest an old man might feel for a bold youth,

The kind of interest a master feels for a promising disciple,

And the kind of interest a scholar feels for a fascinating subject of study.

In truth, among the many emotions Pallarg had for Moria, the one that took up the greatest portion was the curiosity of a scholar.

That greedy curiosity, which sometimes manifested as strictness and sometimes as suspicion, was the very force that had brought Pallarg to his current position.

And that curiosity now turned toward Moria.

A talent unlike any he had encountered before.

What was its source?

And where did it end?

That curiosity lingered in Pallarg’s mind ever since he first encountered Moria, constantly stimulating him.

Then came the duel, where Moria skillfully displayed multi-attribute magic against a 6th tier mage.

The stimulation brought by his curiosity became too strong to ignore.

He hadn’t expected it to be this much.

Within Pallarg, the presence of Moria loomed even larger.

And as a result, so did the curiosity she evoked.

Thus the anticipated ecstasy of fulfilling that curiosity became immense as well.

But Moria didn’t stop there.

Her mana suddenly surged.

And with it, she wielded fragments of Ideation.

Pallarg’s interest and curiosity entered the realm of madness.

At that moment, the retired Tower Master made up his mind.

He would return.

He would make that mysterious being his disciple.

And he would understand her completely.

It was a fanatic desire, a burning passion.

The heart of the old, withered mage began to beat violently again.

He wanted to stop the duel right there and then.

Understanding Moria’s existence seemed more important than anything else.

And so, while enduring with superhuman patience, holding back from interrupting the duel,

“Hoho?”

Someone snatched Pallarg’s interest away from Moria, who had completely filled his mind.

Risir.

He too had unleashed a fragment of Ideation, following Moria.

It was more than enough to pique Pallarg’s curiosity.

Handling fragments of Ideation at the 6th tier was by no means ordinary.

But the timing was unfortunate.

Just before that, a 5th tier Moria had displayed those very same fragments.

Talent is a relative concept.

Compared to Moria, Risir’s talent seemed ordinary.

Pallarg could easily gauge its source, its scope, and its essence.

He had seen plenty of half-baked geniuses in his time.

So Risir, as he appeared, was far too unremarkable to spark the retired Tower Master’s curiosity.

…That was, until he suddenly pretended to be a swordsman.

But it wasn’t the same as Moria’s imitation.

No… this wasn’t imitation at all.

His constitution… changed?

The naturally shifting Blue Breath didn’t burden his body, it awakened another facet of him.

And the strike it produced…

Pallarg, who had seen countless blades from the strongest of swordsmen, found it formidable.

Talent is a relative concept.

And before he knew it, Moria had vanished from Pallarg’s mind completely.

Risir.

His presence now ignited Pallarg’s curiosity anew.

“What in the world is that…”

Pallarg didn’t even dare to examine this new curiosity closely.

How was he supposed to understand something like that?

For the first time, the insatiable curiosity of an Archmage—one that had never once held itself back—bowed its head.

The banquet hall sizzled with heat from the intense duel.

The attendees who had witnessed the clash between Moria and Risir could barely contain their excitement.

Most of them didn’t possess the knowledge to understand the duel in full, but that didn’t matter.

“He won… against a mage beloved by Mastien and the Frozen Breath!”

They didn’t know how powerful Moria truly was, but they knew she had the favor of a high noble and an Archmage.

That alone was enough.

For the upper class of the city, what mattered more than actual skill was title and status.

And so, to them, Risir had become the genius who surpassed someone recognized by a high noble and an Archmage.

Their logic was strange, but it had brought them to a proper conclusion, and their focus was now fixed on Risir.

The crowd that had surrounded the entire dueling space began to gradually converge on him.

The protagonist of this dazzling banquet had been decided.

Most attendees now glimmered with hopes of exchanging a word with him.

“Lord Risir! Congratulations on your victory!”

A woman nearby spoke up.

She was the young lady of an old and prestigious Bondalles family, one who had once tried to approach Risir behind the mansion, only to be blocked by Rona.

Now that she stepped forward, those beneath her in Bondalles’s noble hierarchy began to retreat with careful eyes.

On the other hand, those equal or above her in status began openly showing their interest in Risir.

Just as a proper crowd was about to form around him—

“Wait!”

Risir called out urgently.

And just as he wished, the sound and motion that had filled the banquet hall froze all at once.

An abrupt silence fell.

“What’s this? Trying to bask in omnipotence or something?”

Rona, the person with the deepest understanding of Risir in the room, muttered with a serious face.

The others, Henya and the three powerful figures, looked at him questioningly at first, but then all nodded in agreement: “Well, if it’s Risir, maybe…”

But contrary to their expectations(?), Risir’s sudden behavior had a surprisingly serious reason.

“…”

Right now, his mind was more chaotic than the crowded banquet hall.

The insights he had gained from the duel were whirling through him like a vortex.

Risir wanted to focus on them.

And then, something astounding happened.

“Uhh—”

“L-Lord Risir?!”

Muttering to himself, Risir left the banquet hall.

The protagonist of the banquet had just abandoned the event.

“This is nuts…”

Rona chuckled dryly.

So many people dream of that role, yet can’t even imagine attaining it.

He just needed to shake a few hands and he’d be a social star. And he just… walked out?

Rona glanced around in disbelief.

“Huh?”

She was met with an unexpected sight.

She recognized the people standing nearby.

They were middle-aged merchants—associates of Goose, head of the Golden Barley Guild—people who moved vast amounts of capital and were extremely selective about their relationships.

They had always kept a cold distance from even Rona, despite her popularity in high society, because they found her background and goals too ambiguous.

“Is he really just walking out?”

“…Reminds me of that saying. A true swordsman does not value worldly things—he lives only for the blade and his honor.”

“A true swordsman? But isn’t he a mage?”

“?”

“?”

“Swordsman or mage, what does it matter? What’s certain is that his skill shocked both the Frozen Breath and Mastien. Look at their faces.”

“Incredible. If even those two are that surprised—”

“I heard he’s close to Lady Henya?”

“If Lady Henya vouches for him, his background must be solid.”

“I’d like to establish some connection for the future, but what a shame.”

“Can’t we arrange a private meeting with him?”

“If he’s at this banquet, he must be a friend of Goose. Let’s ask him.”

“What was that man’s name again?”

Those choosy merchants were now showing full interest in someone whose name they barely knew.

And the fierce young ladies of high society—

“Aah… that back view… so dignified…”

“Such graceful looks… He must be a noble, right?”

“How can he be so different from all the others?”

“Right? I’m sick of those smooth-talking braggarts… but him however—”

“Ah… I shouldn’t… I already have Leon in my heart…”

Rona recalled the trouble she had gotten into in the past, trying to fix rumors that spread when she got on these ladies’ bad side.

Normally, they would never tolerate someone disrespecting a banquet by leaving early.

But now, they were gushing about Risir.

So, his abrupt exit wasn’t an issue at all.

The banquet resumed as if nothing had happened.

Those who had been utterly absorbed by Risir regained their composure and returned to enjoying the party.

“Did Lord Risir just—”

“Oh my, really? He’s from the Gray Mage Tower? Then we’ll surely meet again in Bondalles—”

“Oh! Come to think of it, wasn’t that the name of the one who solved the merchant blockade up north?”

This was how they chose to enjoy the banquet now.

Extraordinary feats, followed by extraordinary behavior, had completely won over the hearts of the fussy upper class.

Risir.

It was the moment his name—once barely whispered in some parts of Bondalles—finally rose to the surface.

I returned straight to my room, replaying the duel from just moments ago in my mind.

I reached out to my companions, who had likely seen and felt the same things I had during that duel.

“Clana, are you there?”

—I am.

“Dan’Galeon, are you there?”

—At your service, My Mastah!

“Verdande…tu you here?”

—Heree… nappy time…

“Ah, right. Sleep. Sleep as much as you want. It’s your age, after all.”

Except for Verdandes, who was preoccupied, Dan’Galeon and Clana manifested before me in elemental form.

“Did you see the duel just now?”

“Of course! I, the Blinding Radiance Dan’Galeon, etch your every move into my soul!”

“There’s not much more entertaining than watching others panic at your madness.”

“Then you both must have seen what happened to Moria at the end of the duel.”

Clana nodded.

“What did you see?”

“I can’t say for sure… but it looked like she gained power in exchange for her life force.”

Snap!

I snapped my fingers and looked at Dan’Galeon.

The gray-white flame blob wriggled and gave its answer.

“I, too, believe that vermin abandoned her life force to acquire power!”

Just as they said.

I, too, felt that Moria had traded her life force for a boost in power.

The sudden onset of aging in her body and the spike in mana couldn’t be explained any other way.

“Dan’Galeon, just to be sure, was that black magic?”

“There were no traces of black magic emanating from her!”

Of course.

If that power had stemmed from black magic, it would’ve been blocked and neutralized by my own power long ago.

Therefore, it was more reasonable to assume that this ability to gain strength by sacrificing life force was unique to Moria.

What had me restless as I recalled that ability wasn’t fear, it was something else entirely.

“Clana. Dan’Galeon. Do you think it’s possible to replicate that ability through magic or sword techniques?”

A new sensation awakened within me during that duel.

That sensation told me—

If I play it right—

“To force the body into overdrive and draw out power… I’ve heard some folks can do that.”

“Augmentation magic that affects the essence of living beings!!! Extremely rare, but it does exist!”

Whether they had seen my thoughts or shared my excitement, both of their voices rose, just like mine.

“You’re not seriously—”

Clana, still in her elemental form, looked at me incredulously.

“You’re thinking of stealing that too, aren’t you?”

“…”

Yes.

That new sensation born in the heat of battle…

It told me that, if I did it right, I might be able to replicate Moria’s ability.

That power, whether you call it berserk mode or enhancement.

That girl… something was off. If I’d left her unchecked, just how far could that power have escalated?

My heart began pounding at the thought that I might be able to make that mysterious, powerful force my own.

“My Mastah!!! I, Dan’Galeon, shall mobilize everything I possess to support you!!!”

“…Sounds fun.”

It seemed the two of them, both mage and swordswoman in their own right, shared similar thoughts to mine.

“…”

“…”

“…”

We exchanged glances for a brief moment.

Then we immediately put our heads together, pooling our strength and ideas.

To replicate the power Moria had shown…

…How much time had passed?

Knock knock.

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

The sound of knocking made all three of us flinch.

Looking outside the window, I saw that dawn had already broken.

Sunlight poured in through the glass, bathing the three of us in its glow.

We basked in it and looked at one another.

Smiles rose on our faces all at once.

We’d done it.

We’d successfully identified the first clue to Moria’s ability: enhancement.

Now, all that remained was to develop that clue into a complete form.

My whole body was itching to start right away.

But we had exhausted so much focus and energy over the course of the night.

Not just me, Dan’Galeon and Clana too.

We decided to call it for now and revisit it later.

Clana and Dan’Galeon returned to my inner world, and I headed to the door to greet the visitor.

A rigid posture.

An atmosphere sharp enough to cut paper.

A woman with glasses stood there.

“I bring a message from Lord Drey.”

True to her businesslike appearance, she got straight to the point.

“Following yesterday’s duel with Lord Risir, something suspicious was discovered about Moria. We launched an immediate investigation.”

“Oh, that enhancement th—”

“As a result, we discovered that Moria is actually a high priestess of a heretical cult, who had been concealing her identity.”

“…What?”

According to what she said, what happened to Moria at the end of the duel wasn’t enhancement.

It was simply the return of a hidden power that had been sealed away.

“Wait, what?”

—Hmm?

—Huh.

The three of us were thrown into confusion.

Then…

What was the enhancement we recreated?