episode_0052

The city where the pure-blooded vampires gather, Ainblad.

In the distance, the towering demon castle Kutranux could be faintly seen, with impressive roads made of purple marble.

I was walking alongside Queen Ludmilla, who ruled over Ainblad.

From her horn-like protrusions, I could feel a strong magical energy emanating.

With each step she took, a blue aura seemed to radiate, showcasing the immense amount of magic she possessed.

Shari, who had summoned Ludmilla, was perched on my head, behaving quietly.

I wonder if Shari had lived here before.

As a ghost returning to her homeland, how must she be feeling now?

I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Although it was a fairly large city, with a demon king not far away, it was surprising to see a queen ruling here.

I had only known of the demon king as the ruler of the vampires, but once again, I realized how much I didn’t know about the vampires.

The vampires who seemed to be guards bowed respectfully when they saw her.

Then, they gave me sharp glares as I followed behind her.

It felt as if the entire city was hostile towards me.

Is this what it feels like to be despised by the world?

Perhaps it’s natural for humans to react this way towards vampires.

The Karia tribe I saw underground seemed to be more understanding.

I didn’t expect them to continue attacking even after seeing Shari’s presence, but they did.

The room I entered with Ludmilla was adorned with floating purple marbles.

Overall, it felt expensive and luxurious, but more like a wizard’s room than a queen’s residence.

“It’s extremely rare for a deceased vampire to become a ghost and remain in the world. And it’s even rarer for a human to visit here with that ghost. So, don’t misunderstand, human. I am only postponing your execution.”

Queen Ludmilla said to me.

In her words of postponing the execution, I felt sincerity rather than arrogance or threat.

Her presence was so imposing that I would believe she could turn me into dust if she wanted to, even if she were the demon king.

” I just wanted to allow this child to meet her mother.”

Ludmilla’s gaze shifted towards me.

Shari was clinging to my head at the moment.

” Humans are a despicable and cruel race. I spared your life because I was curious about the child’s trust and loyalty to you.”

So Shari had saved my life several times.

Although the reason I came here in the first place was provided by Shari.

Even as a human, I couldn’t help but agree that humans are a despicable and cruel race.

It’s ironic that the saying “humans are the scariest” came to mind.

But hearing that from a vampire rather than a human made me feel strange.

“Anyway, if you find Shari’s mother, I will return immediately. I have no other intentions.”

“I understand what you want. But even so, humans cannot roam freely in Ainblad.”

“Then…”

“I will have someone find the child’s mother. Until then, you will…”

Suddenly, Ludmilla’s eyes began to shine.

As she gestured, several large translucent purple cubes appeared in the air.

And in the blink of an eye, they flew towards me and enclosed me.

“…Huh?”

Clank. Clank.

In the blink of an eye, I found myself trapped in a large, translucent cube.

Ludmilla looked at me trapped in the purple cube and said, “Behave yourself in this magic prison.”

I was trapped in the Maseok Prison by Ludmilla’s magic, and I was transferred to a warehouse-like place.

The walls of the Maseok Prison looked like purple glass, but they were actually very sturdy, contrary to appearances.

I couldn’t believe I, a mere human, was locked up in a place like this.

Queen Ludmilla seemed intent on keeping me here until she found Shari’s mother.

She possessed the power to turn me into dust with a mere thought, so I should consider myself fortunate in this situation.

It wasn’t hard to understand the animosity the demons here held towards humans.

But if I said I wasn’t anxious about being trapped in the Maseok Prison, it would be a lie.

Shari fell from my head and looked at me apologetically.

“You don’t need to apologize. It was my decision to help you find your mother.”

Shari could have easily broken through the walls of the Maseok Prison and left my side, but she chose to stay.

She seemed to feel a sense of responsibility for my current predicament.

“Well, since we’re already in this situation, I hope we find your mother soon.”

I forced a smile and spoke to Shari.

Once we find Shari’s mother, will she really set me free?

I had some concerns, but there was nothing I could do besides waiting.

“Ludmilla Queen’s Maseok Prison was a crystallization of powerful magic in itself.

Physically and magically impenetrable, Yunoa felt powerless in this formidable prison.

But Yunoa didn’t know that the Maseok Prison also held the potential to be used as a catalyst for magic conversion.”

Sitting inside the Maseok Prison, endlessly waiting, the narration uttered words that caught my attention.

The possibility of using this prison as a catalyst for magic conversion?

I didn’t fully understand the meaning of the words, but now that I had heard them, I couldn’t just sit still.

Since there was nothing else to do inside, maybe I should do some research.

I closed my eyes and tried to sense the surrounding magic like I did when converting magic.

There were many magic stones nearby, so there was a lot of magic in the area.

Especially the Maseok Prison I was trapped in was indeed a crystallization of magic, as the narration had said.

“Really amazing.”

Although it was an enormous amount of magic, the feeling was slightly different.

The magic I had accumulated in my body before was more of a bluish hue.

It wasn’t a precise way to express magic in colors, but it was true.

If I had to describe it in colors, it felt like a deeper, more intense red magic.

But I still didn’t understand what it meant to use it as a catalyst for magic conversion.

I concentrated my mind and tried to directly absorb the unfamiliar magic in this place.

“Hmm…”

As usual, I gathered the surrounding magic, filled my body with it, and repeated the process of releasing it.

But the magic flowing in the Maseok Prison that trapped me didn’t budge as if it belonged to a different world.

The feeling of accumulating magic through magic conversion remained unchanged.

Even though there was a different type of magic around me, only the type of magic I usually absorbed moved according to my will.

It would be nice if they could explain it more clearly.

The narration sometimes gave out pieces of information with missing screws.

I focused my mind again and tried to feel the surrounding magic as intricately as possible.

If the magic I usually used was blue, then the powerful magic flowing in the Maseok Prison was red.

No matter how hard I try, my will cannot reach the foreign magic.

Then what if I move the blue magic that my will can reach and send it towards the alien magic in the opposite direction?

I immediately put my thoughts into action and tried to let the blue magic flow towards the walls of the magic prison instead of absorbing it into my body.

But it wasn’t easy.

The magic in the air was not entirely mine until it entered my body.

It was difficult to move the magic in the air to flow where I wanted it to go without passing through my body.

“But this is kind of fun, isn’t it?”

I had plenty of time anyway.

It felt like I had found a good toy to pass the time inside this magic prison.

Unlike the traditional methods of magic conversion and utilizing the magic within the body, I was moving the magic in the air as it is.

It required a high level of concentration, but surprisingly, it felt like practice as I continued.

The narration clearly stated that the powerful magic flowing in this magic prison could serve as a catalyst for magic conversion.

So I decided to wait and continue researching until Queen Ludmilla finds Shari’s mother.

Even if I couldn’t find a way to utilize the magic flowing in the magic prison, it didn’t matter.

Practicing the ability to manipulate magic itself wouldn’t hurt.

* * *

I was completely absorbed in practicing magic control inside Queen Ludmilla’s magic prison, not realizing how time was passing.

As a result, I finally discovered a way to use the powerful magic flowing in the magic prison as a catalyst for magic conversion.

For convenience, I’ll refer to the magic I can move with my will as blue magic, and the magic flowing in the magic prison as red magic.

The blue magic floating in the air could be absorbed into my body or moved elsewhere with just my concentration.

While I couldn’t directly control the red magic in the magic prison, by moving the blue magic to make the red magic flow through the walls of the magic prison quickly, the nature of the magic changed.

The magic that had changed in nature felt much more powerful than when it was blue magic.

Moreover, I could still control that magic with my will.

It felt like a mix of the powerful but immovable red magic and the weak but movable blue magic.

“So this is what it means to be a catalyst for magic conversion….”

Being able to significantly enhance my power by passing the magic I used through the walls of the magic prison.

Of course, this process was not easy.

The amplification effect of magic only worked on the magic in the air that hadn’t passed through my body.

Even if I passed the magic through the walls of the magic prison, there was no change in the magic that had already entered my body.

I moved as much blue magic around me as possible to amplify the power through the walls of the magic prison.

It was a task that required intense concentration to the point of sweating and feeling pain in my temples, but it was worth it.

I slowly drew in the amplified magic into my body.

It felt like executing the process of magic conversion with a much higher concentration of magic than I had ever done before.

I could feel a new color of magic filling my body.

Magic conversion involved filling the body with magic once and then emptying it, repeating the process.

It was like using the body as a filter to strain out and accumulate only the magic that could be stored in the body forever.

How well could this new magic settle in my body?

As I continued to repeat the reinforced magic conversion using the magic prison, it was at that moment.

Suddenly, the door of the warehouse creaked open, and two fierce-looking demons entered the magic prison where I was trapped.

“The Queen is calling for you.”

The demon who was moving the prison spoke gruffly.

“Did Rudmila find Shari’s mother?”

Oh, wait a moment.

Please let me stay imprisoned for just one more day.