The guard discovered me and aimed the spear he was holding at me. Between the forked spearhead, resembling a fountain pen nib, a small lightning bolt crackled threateningly.
"Who goes there! Identify yourself!"
"I'm a guest of the Lord of the Thunder Council. You've seen me before, right? I came here with him yesterday."
Ignoring the fearsome lightning right before my eyes, I walked forward calmly, showing my face. It was worth coming here with the Lord of the Thunder Council yesterday. The guard remembered my face and lowered his spear.
"My apologies. What business do you have?"
"What business? Didn't you hear me just now? I said I'm going to end the feud with the Thunder God."
I asked back as if he should know. Flustered by the sudden situation, the guard stuttered.
"W-Well, of course. But the Lord of the Thunder Council moved via the elevator. Since he must head to the top of the Lightning Rod Tower."
"Ah, really? I must have been mistaken. I thought I had to use the stairs to get to the top."
Unfamiliar with Claudia, I got confused about the directions. I should have taken the elevator with the Lord of the Thunder Council to the top of the Lightning Rod Tower, but thinking I had to walk up the stairs, I came through the entrance. It was a common mistake made by outsiders who had never experienced an elevator. The guard combined the given information and understood my situation... Or rather, I had guided him to do so.
"I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with the way. Could you tell me where the stairs are?"
"If you wait, the elevator will come back down."
"The stairs will be fine. I'm already late, so I need to hurry. There won't be much difference between the stairs and the elevator anyway."
Of course, that's a lie. Stairs are humanity's worst invention, and walking up them is little different from torturing oneself. If one were going up, the elevator is unconditionally the right choice.
It's just that I'm not going up.
"If you're a master of Qigong, stairs won't be a problem. It's over there."
"Thank you."
Without any suspicion, the guard pointed out the stairs entrance to me. I nodded in greeting and headed for the stairs right in front of him. Behind me, the loyal guard snapped a salute and shouted.
"We're counting on you! For Claudia's long-cherished wish!"
"Don't worry. It'll be over within today."
Waving my hand slightly, I disappeared calmly into the stairway... and promptly leapt down the stairs.
The underground is literally beneath the ground. Beneath the skin of the earth, things that cannot proudly reveal themselves in the light hold their breath. Humans hide things beneath it that must not touch the sunlight. Things they don't want to reveal. Things that don't need to come out often for some fresh air.
The Lightning Rod Tower is the same. Even in a structure that drains the power of lightning into the ground, there are things one doesn't want to show.
The entrance to the underground was closed with a thick iron door. Just in case, I gave it a slight push, but it didn't budge. Naturally. It would be troublesome if the hidden things suddenly stepped outside, or if someone came looking for them. No lock was visible. This basement, accessible only to the Lord of the Thunder Council and the Thunder Guardians, was designed to open only when lightning power was channeled into it. No matter how great a thief I am, as long as I'm an ordinary human, there was no way to open this door... before I met the Golden Mirror, that is.
Spade 8.
I placed the card against it. *Click*, I heard a sound of it sticking.
The Demon God's inherent magic expanded the horizon of perception. Things simply dismissed as gods. The great principles nature rightfully follows. Humanity approached that knowledge. Just as carving a branch into a spear or splitting a stone to make an axe, humans who learned the principles became able to split and use that power. Earth Mother Cultists used Earth Arts, druids used the power of nature, and alchemists used alchemy like tools.
However, that was merely using them as tools. Compared to the mystery itself, it was far too insignificant. No matter how sharply one carves wood, can they understand the wisdom melted into its tree rings? No matter how finely one grinds a rock, can they realize the value of the gemstones forged by the earth? True mystery is hidden behind utility. This idol is to recall the forgotten mystery.
I gently push the card to the side. Since I only placed it there, if I remove the card, the original steel door should remain as it was. That is the common sense we expect. However, upon removing the card... at the point of contact, there was another card. Stuck flat as if embedded in the door.
"This is why it feels like I've become a real magician."
There's no reason to use magic when no one is watching. This isn't a trick; the part that touched the card has actually turned into a card. The delusional belief of the ancient alchemists was true. The root of all things is one, and thus, if one leaps over the barrier of existence, it can transform into another substance. Everything contains the potential to become gold, and likewise, to become scrap iron... Unfortunately, it seems turning into iron is easier than turning into gold.
"Ta-da... Ugh, I'm losing steam. Doing magic with no one watching is this hollow."
I lamented and removed the card stuck to the wall. Behind it was the exact same Spade 8. When I lightly peeled it off with my finger, there was another card. *Patter.* Cards made of thin iron fell like rain, and after I cleared the cards until there were no more, my fingers scraped the empty air. Looking down at the floor, countless cards, equal to the thickness of the door, were strewn about.
"For some reason, my abilities seem to be getting more and more specialized for thievery. It's convenient, though."
I reached my hand in, unlocked it, and pushed the iron door. The resistance that felt like it would never open vanished somewhere, and the door opened easily.
"Knock knock. Coming in~."
Passing through the iron door, a short, dark corridor appeared. Across from it, I could see a door that looked easier to open than the previous one. Before just passing through, just in case, I threw one of the created cards.
*Crackle*, a current sparked. The card bounced once in place, and instead of rolling, it slapped flat against the corridor floor. It was clearly an unnatural movement.
"As expected, lightning is flowing through it. I can't let my guard down."
If it were a person, I could have read their mind with telepathy and responded in advance. I grumbled and took out the Spade 10. I inserted it into my bio-terminal like a clothing tag, and took a step forward. It felt a bit tingly, but it soon passed. A momentary flash like lightning fades away in the face of the Earth. The current flowed along the Akashic Records and was sucked into my Spade 10, dissipating.
Having breached the corridor, I pushed the second door. It was noticeably lighter than the first thick steel one. As the door opened, the scene Claudia wanted to hide appeared before my eyes.
Countless beds stood in neat rows. Divided by partitions and much smaller than standard beds, it gave a cramped feeling. Incongruously, several devices hung over the beds, making it feel suffocating. Along with that came the sound of crying. The crying of infants, impossible to ignore, pierced my ears sharply.
The noise writhed like crazy. The children's thoughts, lacking clear language and more primitive than a beast's, flooded my telepathy. Turbid thoughts of whether it was pain, deprivation, or just dissatisfaction. I could read them, but I couldn't understand them. Because they themselves didn't know what it was. Because they hadn't learned yet. This isn't easy. I feel like I might regress to infancy myself.
"H-Huh? You can't come in here!"
'All the other Thunder trainees are outside right now...!'
It was then. The child I saw at the top of the Lightning Rod Tower last time spotted me and came running over briskly. Was he called a Thunder trainee? He was a young child who hadn't even become a Guardian yet, but he was the oldest one here at least.
"Hello. You're Jerry, right?"
"Y-Yes, hello... But how did you get here? You can't approach this place unless you can wield the power of lightning!"
"Really? It felt a bit ticklish, so I guess that was the power of lightning."
"Y-You broke through with force? T-Then, an intruder?"
Jerry raised his arms with a look of vigilance. The power of thunder hovered around him, albeit faintly. Even if I'm an ordinary human, I'm a sturdy adult male. Breaking a child's arm is as easy as breaking a child's arm. Of course, being an ordinary human, I wouldn't use force against a child.
"You know. I'm the Lord of the Thunder Council's guest. I just got lost."
"If you got lost, how did you end up here...?"
"If I had found my way properly, I would have gone to the right place. I got lost, so I ended up here."
"I guess so...?"
He bought that. Anyway, taking advantage of the moment Jerry let his guard down a little, I looked around and spoke.
"Anyway, isn't this inside the Lightning Rod Tower? They said they're hunting the Thunder God up there, don't you need to take shelter?"
"It's fine. It's safe as long as you're inside the Lightning Rod Tower."
"Ah, so that's why these kids are here instead of at home? To be safe from the lightning strikes?"
"These kids are..."
Jerry hesitated, wondering whether he should say it or not. It wasn't exactly a top secret, but it wasn't something to go around talking about publicly either. After a brief moment of thought, Jerry decided it was better to tell me than to be misunderstood for no reason, and opened his mouth.
"They're abandoned children."
"By whom? The Lord of the Thunder Council?"
"N-No way! The Lord of the Thunder Council is the one who took them in!"
Figured him out. He's the model student type. In cases like this, it's better to intentionally guess wrong and make him say it himself rather than asking directly. Reading his thoughts would be the easiest, but it's too chaotic right now.
"The Lord of the Thunder Council made it so that all children born in Yeolguk can live in Claudia! But the vile jackals abuse that rule, just making babies, shoving them out, and getting Claudia residency. As if it were some object!"
"Aha. So if you have a child, you earn the right to stay in Claudia?"
"Yes. And then, they often live not caring about the child. They also throw them out quite often."
Once he said this much, there was no need to guide him further. His own emotions acted as a fuse, further heightening his feelings. Jerry was now spilling everything without being asked.
"...Especially if the child has a disability."
I see. The emotion underlying this crying was pain. No wonder my head felt dizzy. In Yeolguk, out of three children born, one dies, another is born with a disability, and only the last is born at least outwardly normal. This is because if the crops created by the Golden Mirror form a body alongside other 'normal' crops, the balance is disrupted. The infants gathered here right now all have disabilities. I don't know if their parents abandoned them knowing of their disabilities, or if they had no choice but to leave them here.
"We feed and care for these children... The children who overcome their disabilities and grow up safely become Thunder trainees. If they overcome their disabilities, they gain some resistance to the power of thunder."
Because the more the body is filled with the Golden Mirror's crops, the more conductive it is to lightning. I put on a sympathetic expression and said.
"That means quite a lot of children die."
"...It can't be helped. It's harsh. We can only hope that the gods take these children to a better place..."
Jerry closed his eyes and put his hands together. As if he'd forgotten saying the Celestial God was bad yesterday. Faced with an unavoidable tragedy, humans can do nothing but wish. Faith sprouts in places like this. Because they hope their wishes won't just disappear like this. Because they hope it will lead to some result somewhere. Faith inevitably takes root in tragedy. It sprouts and blooms from the debris of a heart that cares for humanity, shattered against reality.
"You're wrong."
"Huh?"
...However, sometimes, or quite frequently, faith creates tragedy in order to survive itself. The faith that humans would have created ends up dominating humans in return.
"Gods won't take these children to a better place. Never."
"W-What?"
"This place isn't a good place for these children from the start, yet they were called here. It's not a joke, so what do you expect them to do after letting them die in agony?"
Humans can be dominated. Since humans are originally beasts, if something superior appears, they will put on shackles and become livestock. However, that target cannot be faith. Faith is a tool, just as a tool cannot grasp and wield a human.
"Jerry. Where did these children come from?"
"W-Where, you say... From Yeolguk..."
"Why are they suffering?"
"Because of the Golden Mirror's crops, they developed disabilities."
"By whose summons did they come?"
"The Lord of the Thunder Council..."
Realizing too late that he was being led on, Jerry stopped mid-sentence and shrieked.
"Y-You're trying to frame the Lord of the Thunder Council right now! Aren't you!"
"No. She probably didn't realize it either. She must be maintaining this system unintentionally, or without thinking about it."
I know because I read her thoughts. The Lord of the Thunder Council herself acts only out of good will... or rather, a sense of duty. That sense of duty was learned growing up here like Jerry. If one eats the crops directly refined by the Golden Mirror and forms a body, the body becomes robust, but weak to external interference. Just like a homunculus. Without mastering Qigong or awakening an inherent magic, even brushing against the Golden Mirror turns one into material. If one eats the crops produced in Claudia, they are no different from any other ordinary human. Still, approaching the Golden Mirror is equally dangerous. The rampaging Golden Mirror is a dangerous entity to anyone.
However, if both exist side by side. If the two achieve a balance enough to mix with each other and roam around Yeolguk. The tragedy of Yeolguk will continue until one side ends.
"A precisely manipulated cause and effect is balancing out. All of this must be a part of it."
"Ah, ugh..."
Jerry covered his ears and groaned. As if he wanted to pretend he didn't hear my words. But in the brief moment Jerry neglected his care, the uncomfortable infants cried out even louder. The crying spread to the other babies like an epidemic. To living beings that carry on their lineage, the cries of the next generation have the power to call out to the previous one. The grating dissonance drags everyone in. Where in the world is hell. This right here is hell.
"Now then, where was that place here."
Normally, I would stop my steps here. I would lament the innate tragedy of Yeolguk and shed tears.
But I walked through the screaming infants and reached the opposite wall. It looked like there was nothing there, but I had read from the Lord of the Thunder Council's memories that there was a secret room beyond this.
I drew the Spade 8 and scratched the groove between the walls. A ray of light flashed for a moment, and the wall changed into hundreds of cards that fluttered down. Countless cards spun like startled butterflies and fell to the ground, and through the gaps of the scattered wall, an empty space was revealed.
It was the secret room of the first Lord of the Thunder Council that I had read from the Lord of the Thunder Council's memories.
The wall turned into cards fluttered down, and a narrow, dark room revealed itself.
In the first Lord of the Thunder Council's secret space, a small bookshelf and a desk connected to it stood solitary. The bookshelf was packed with all sorts of books, looking well-worn as if frequently taken out and read. On the desk lay a single notebook, and above it, a lightning lamp illuminated the notebook. The notebook containing the Lord of the Thunder Council's secrets. I had already grasped the contents to some extent while reading the Lord of the Thunder Council's thoughts, but I had only read 'the notebook as read by the Lord of the Thunder Council'. Humans process and accept information based on their own knowledge, so if I wanted to know the truth, I needed to read the notebook directly.
Just what kind of secret did the first Lord of the Thunder Council hold. If my guess is correct... I turned the first page of the notebook. And.
"-A today no different from yesterday guarantees a tomorrow that will continue indefinitely."
They didn't even try to hide it. This makes it certain. The first Lord of the Thunder Council. The place that created Claudia is the Sacred Court.
"-The Golden Mirror kneaded the world created by the Creator. Because of that cursed Demon God, the world lost its solidity. One thing can change into something else, and the iron promise that bound everything together was torn to shreds. A today like yesterday is unacceptable. The irreversible changes created by that Demon God will turn humans into something else."
"-However, the current Golden Mirror, while fearsome, is a monster that has lost its reason. If we stand on this hill and watch over it, fending off the changes it creates. We can still persist eternally."
"-We will reclaim the lost order."
Eternity, order. Anyone can see it's the Sacred Court. Since there's no place to study theology nearby, it seems the Lord of the Thunder Council doesn't know, though.