I used mind-reading. Though I was still frozen, I could read the visual perceptions of others outside. I illuminated myself through the eyes of others.
The space was frozen in hexagonal crystals. Trapped in the very center, I was frozen unable to even blink. Overcome by a force closer to stasis than freezing, I was trapped without any resistance.
"I trapped him within the thermodynamic scale. As long as Celsius's rule is maintained, he'll be there forever."
In the coldly frozen world, Elsia spoke lowly. The heavy air made her voice all the more distinct. The Celsius family members gave orders to their soldiers with magically amplified voices.
"We blocked the view with refractive crystals. Clean up the surroundings."
"Leave no traces of dark magic."
The released prisoners froze again. Soldiers also approached Father Casas and Hilde who were hiding in the corner. Unlike before, the soldiers advanced with staves forward, taking a cautious stance.
"Watch out for the housekeeper. She's a top-tier qi master."
"If she links with divine power, it'll be troublesome. Remove the priest first."
"Father Casas. You shouldn't have come here."
The soldiers aimed their spears at the retreating Father Casas. Though still at a distance, Father Casas had no choice but to shrink back. Because the fallen Richard was cradled in his arms.
Father Casas embraced the child and shouted.
"I'll be fine! But let this child go!"
When Father Casas shouted, a chuckling laugh was heard from somewhere. Rankin Celsius, who was preparing magic from a protected position behind the soldiers, withdrew his staff and spoke.
"Your request is the wrong way around, Father. The opposite would have been possible."
"The opposite...?!"
"If you, a missionary, quietly withdraw, we won't bother chasing you. You understand what I mean."
Even in the Celsius territory, attacking a missionary is burdensome. It's not impossible, but they wouldn't refuse if they could resolve things smoothly.
However, Father Casas couldn't retreat either once he had already stepped in.
"I'll discipline this child firmly! He won't even think of dark magic again! He'll live quietly out there like a dead mouse!"
"Uncertain."
Father Casas saw Rankin Celsius's cold eyes. He was asking the priest with his eyes—whether choosing a more certain method would be better than such an uncertain one.
At that ruthless, resolute, and above all rational choice, anger surged up in Father Casas.
"What crime does the child have! Is it right for this smart and clever child to miss every opportunity just because he's an outsider! Is it Celsius's way to not allow even a little opportunity!"
Father Casas felt the weight of the child in his arms. Light. The starving child, at the age when he should be filling out the most both physically and mentally, was light enough for Father Casas to lift with one arm.
"If you had given these children just a little attention! This child would have stepped on his own stepping stone and become a mage! He would have contributed to the territory without even looking at dark magic! It's you who abandoned the countless children outside!"
"An awl will always pierce through a pocket."
Even before the missionary's passionate speech, Rankin Celsius was cold as a person made of crystal.
"An awl that can't even pierce such a small pocket, it doesn't matter whether it exists or not. We don't need it."
And the soldiers took one more step forward. Father Casas gripped his cross tightly.
'It would be better to retreat here! If I keep them in check as a missionary, I can save Richard! But...!'
That would be overstepping authority. Father Casas wasn't the type to personally abuse the Holy See's authority. If he were that cunning, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation. Originally, the Holy See also had a hardline stance on dark magic, so they wouldn't entirely take Casas's side.
Father Casas looked at the last remaining hope.
'This housekeeper. Her skill wasn't ordinary. It was comparable to the Holy Sword Knights. She might have some other means!'
Hilde, who actually received that expectation, was only thinking leisurely.
'Father. You got caught because it was all part of the plan, right? I won't step forward, okay? Can I trust you?'
Trust. This side's trust has gone in a strange direction. It doesn't really matter though.
Escape magic is my specialty. Being trapped in ice is a first, but it's nothing special. The important thing is the knack, and having just met a relic, I've awakened that knack.
In the subspace treasure vault, there is a small thermometer placed. A thermometer with mercury contained in flawlessly clear and transparent glass, simple but carefully maintained. Someone who doesn't know might mistake it for a maintenance thermometer. Treasure vaults often keep thermometers or hygrometers to prevent damage.
I guess it was well hidden. That thermometer is Kelvin Celsius's relic. The foundation of the thermodynamic scale that serves as the basis for all relics.
I resonated with the thermometer visible inside the treasure vault.
"Set, Celsius."
The thermometer reacted. The temperature remained the same. However, the scale that reads it moved.
And the crystallized space shattered. A crashing sound of rupture rang out. The fragmented wind swirled like a storm. My body, which had experienced stasis, burst out at an incredible speed, perhaps feeling stifled during that time.
Rolling. Rolling on the snowfield from the impact, I soon hit my head hard against some wall.
Everyone silent. In the silence that descended once again, I loosened my stiffly frozen body. Did the muscles stiffen? It's closer to being frozen.
The magic power that penetrates into my body is tremendous. Thanks to Tyr's demon god, I'm recovering rapidly, but it's quite tricky.
Elsia, who froze me, couldn't hide her astonishment.
"How? You escaped from the treasure vault's binding?"
The power of the relic that trapped me was 'Freeze Preservation.' A relic that looks like a transparent freezer made of ice, its ability is to preserve the objects contained inside. By combining it with a relic possessing the power of 'Ice Phase Fragment,' they created a crystal freezer surrounding me, and with the treasure vault's backup, they performed the tremendous miracle of causing a phase transition instead of freezing.
It's a well-interlocked power. However, being interlocked means that twisting just one part will disrupt the whole.
Kelvin Celsius's relic doesn't measure temperature. Controlling the temperature that will become the freezing point and boiling point to accumulate heat is its true power.
I used the relic to slightly change the standard for crystal formation. As a result, the crystal whose structure collapsed spat me out like food it had wrongly swallowed.
But telling them all this would be...
"Ta-da. It's magic with a simple trick. Try to guess."
To those who don't know, it would be more mysterious than magic. I shrugged and greeted.
"…."
"…."
"Wow! As expected, Father! I believed in you!"
Oh my. The reaction is underwhelming. Only Hilde is responding.
A strange tension flowed from the Celsius family members. They didn't understand how I escaped, and that in itself meant defeat. It was also because Celsius were mages to the bone.
Rankin Celsius said, hiding a faint sense of defeat.
"Demon god...? No, that can't be. Among the demon gods discovered so far, there's never been one that interferes with the thermodynamic scale!"
"That's obvious. The thermodynamic scale isn't that kind of power."
Good. Now my body moves well. I said while loosening my stiff body with stretching.
"It's a great power. I almost crossed the River Styx without being able to resist. Fortunately, I met your ancestor, Kelvin Celsius, there and was able to come back. He was a truly sincere person. I owe him a lot."
"Are you insulting us right now?"
"It's the truth."
That my true feelings didn't reach them. How regrettable. I was going to at least pass on greetings from the ancestor.
Anyway, my escape is a clear truth, and thanks to that, I've attracted everyone's attention. Now it's time to talk properly. I raised my finger to focus everyone's attention.
"I met the first Celsius and had a conversation, realizing a very important truth. It's very core information about the thermodynamic scale."
If you're distant descendants of Kelvin Celsius, I can share what I've found. Listen well. It's a lecture I'm giving for your sake.
"I've seen many demon gods, so I know that the thermodynamic scale isn't compatible with demon gods. You don't even have to go as far as the thermodynamic scale. Most of the rules of other magic noble families aren't related to demon gods. Why is that?"
The great principle that penetrates the world. The固有 magic path is the mental image that an individual has explored and cultivated to the extreme.
When those two interlock, a demon god appears.
In other words, what does this mean?
"Just. It's because it's nothing special. It's not a great and special principle."
The mages who took my words as an insult glared.
Calmly receiving the momentary killing intent, I let out a sigh.
"This thing called a rule, it's called a rule, but it's actually far from the world's principle. It's a magic that digs deep into one phenomenon and processes it to be usable. In other words, it's like a machine? Facility? A device elaborately made using the power of magic."
The rule of the Celsius territory is simple. Beyond the freezing point and boiling point. By applying and applying this simple rule, they created a huge cycle of heat that circulates throughout the territory. Thanks to that, unlike its snow-covered appearance, the territory's temperature was much warmer.
That wasn't a divine authority derived from a great truth, but a small and ordinary heart made with people in mind.
"The reason the Celsius territory became the most livable place? It's not because the ability is great and outstanding. Rather, too outstanding knowledge is far from life. It simply became great because the intention contained within was pure."
Rankin asked back.
"Doesn't that mean Celsius's thermodynamic scale is great?"
"It's different. It's what's contained inside that's great, things like thermodynamic scale or rule are just shells. Tools should be replaceable at any time, isn't that what being human is about?"
No matter how important you think you are, it's from the position of those who wield tools. Wielding tools freely to torment people? Well, yes. It happens often. That too is human instinct.
However, if you forget that it's a tool and worship it. I can remind you.
Who the master is.
"System. Structure. Justice. Morality. Virtue. Civilization. All of these are tools. What's important is their purpose. No matter who determined it, there are no sublime and lofty tools."
I held up a transparent key. It was Elsia's treasure vault key that I quietly borrowed when I melted the ice and jumped out earlier.
Elsia discovered it and made a flustered expression.
"Since when?"
Looks like someone who's never been pickpocketed in their life. This level of trickery isn't even counted as a skill in the back alleys. I spun the key around and said.
"If your faith is superior and greater than humans, it wouldn't be ruined just by someone like me meddling a little, right?"
"Careful...!"
Elsia became frightened seeing the key in my hand. She was worried that I might break or destroy it.
'No. Compose your expression. The essence of the treasure vault is Rene's pocket, and the key is just a means to open it. Even if it's broken, you can always get another one! Right now I need to stop that fellow from doing anything reckless! If the treasure vault goes on a rampage—!'
"It's a meaningless act. That is Celsius's heirloom. You can't even handle it, and if someone who doesn't know its purpose touches it, they'll rather be in danger. If you don't want to freeze and scatter into pieces, even now give a chance to reverse your actions..."
"Open sesame."
The sensation of opening the door of space, I knew from reading thoughts earlier. I approached the nearby ice wall and immediately inserted the key. Then the ice split to both sides and became a large door. I turned the key and the door of the treasure vault opened.
Creak.
There should be nothing behind the ice wall, but space opened and the Celsius treasure vault revealed itself. As the saying goes, this is a passage to the treasure vault. It's connected to the space that opened earlier. From inside the treasure vault, magical power flows out along with a cool chill.
Now Elsia screamed, forgetting even her dignity.
"Kyaa! Stop! A mere commoner shouldn't touch it!"
"Humans resist. Against external attacks, challenges, invasions, variables, they try to protect themselves with homeostasis. It's the essence of life."
The relics placed on the magic circle each keep their appropriate positions. To stably draw and use the power of relics with different abilities, magical power must be flowed in a set order on an elaborately designed magic circle.
The magic circle of the subspace with the relic as its core. This is the foundation that makes up the thermodynamic scale.
I reached out my hand. Like Shey's pocket, the internal space was wide, but my hand reached the desired object regardless of distance.
"Hello, Celsius. From today, the rule will change a little. Try to adapt well to the changed rule. There's no need to feel unfair. Everyone lives like that, right?"
If humans are tested by rules, rules should also be challenged by humans. They must prove their value to me. How useful and practical that tool is.
I quietly moved the relic in the treasure vault. The territory's ancient rule is restructured.
Even though it was such a great rule, changing the rule was as simple as organizing disordered items.