Not long after, the pursuit force chased the remnants of the Marigold Principality into the lands of the Magic Federation.
The Empire and the six principalities were the victors. They overcame the economic collapse brought about by alchemy with a currency war, and tore the Marigold Principality to shreds to swallow it whole.
However, a ruined economy cannot be solved by war alone. Other means were needed to restore trust. Around the time the Saintess of Gold blessed true gold, and the Saintess of Contract selected seven merchant guilds to bestow the Baptism of Contract, the remaining six principalities did what they did best.
"The alchemists have fled to the northern lands. The Marigold Principality seeks to rise again from that land. Kill them all!"
The Magic Federation was still a nation of refugees. They were brutally trampled and slaughtered before the armies of the principalities. Some mages resisted heroically, but those were only individual victories. Rather, it only served to increase the size of the armies coming after them.
The armies of the six principalities spread wide and marched. It was an even larger force than the one that had brought down the Marigold Principality.
"They are jackals. There is no justice in them. They only think of plundering and taking. Just as they destroyed my country, they will ruin this place too."
The Gold Archduke scoffed at them and gave the command.
"Now. Principia. Let us show them magic."
Even if an individual's movements are unpredictable, an army's movements are easy to predict. Principia calculated the army's speed and summoned a meteor.
And exactly two days later, the meteor fell over the army. Those who dared to invade the land of mages experienced a meteor falling on their heads....
"What is the meaning of this, Principia!"
Having received the report, the Gold Archduke burst through the door. At his fierce momentum, Principia asked.
"Was there a problem with the impact coordinates?"
"The coordinates are not the problem. The power is the issue! Seventeen. Only seventeen died?!"
Then Principia reacted with surprise.
"Huh? How did as many as seventeen die? I purposely chose a size that would burn up before reaching the ground."
"They died of fright! That is the problem. Why didn't you drop a bigger one? You should have crushed that entire army!"
"Isn't this enough? If they're not fools, they'll know what magic did this. Won't they flee in fear, knowing something bigger will drop next time?"
Instead of the calmly answering Principia, the Gold Archduke turned his head to Rene, who happened to be standing before him. Before Rene could even greet him, the Gold Archduke strode over and shouted at her.
"It's you! You who seduced Principia with such nonsensical reasoning!"
"Just a moment, Your Highness the Gold Archduke. She merely offered an opinion and I accepted it. Because I thought it was rational."
"Rational? Principia. If you truly thought of your homeland, you should have immediately eradicated them! If the army flees, they will return with a larger force, and if they continue marching, we will face them from even closer! Either way, we are in danger! The only path is to annihilate them swiftly and quickly!"
The Gold Archduke, who had lost his nation and his power, had bloodshot eyes. He vented his fierce fury and roared.
"This is war, Principia! It is a fight to the death! They have already killed countless people. Now it is their turn to die! I will not tolerate disobedience!"
Principia, who was weary of quarreling with people, weakly acquiesced to the Gold Archduke's words.
"...Sigh. I understand. If they come closer, I will swiftly annihilate them. When that happens, I'll have no choice either."
This country still had no proper military force or political system. The only power was the single powerful unique magic that Principia possessed. Since Principia had been a renowned scholar even during the principality era, the Gold Archduke could not treat him carelessly.
Instead, the Gold Archduke sought someone else he could treat carelessly.
"And the Bishop. For the crime of hindering military operations. I will bury you here."
The Gold Archduke drew his sword, and clear killing intent could be felt from him. The terrified Rene stepped back, but the sword was too close.
"Just a moment. Your Highness the Gold Archduke."
However, the Demon God did not stand idly by.
The Gold Archduke slumped to the floor. He struggled to hold on, but before the Demon God, he couldn't even kneel. The principle crushed him.
In this world, the Gold Archduke was not a lord. He was a carpet laid on the floor, or the scorched residue stuck to a pot. Blood rushed to his head. Every organ in his body felt as if it would leave his body and fall to the ground. He let out painful groans with his entire body pressed against the cold floor.
"Oops, excuse me. I was in such a hurry to stop it that I went too far."
A flustered voice was heard, and that immense power vanished as if washed away. The Gold Archduke made gagging sounds as if dying.
Principia expressed slight regret before speaking.
"Bishop Rene is our patron and the Chairwoman of Babel. If you harm her, the entire academy will turn their backs on us. That would be a greater loss. Your Highness, please judge wisely."
The Gold Archduke could not say a word.
Sadly, the state of the war progressed just as the Gold Archduke had predicted.
The allied army of the principalities spurred on even faster. It seemed they thought running faster would allow them to dodge the meteors. Principia had no choice but to drop a couple of meteors, annihilating two armies, but the casualties were at a thoroughly human level. They speculated that Principia's magic was something similar to an outstanding siege weapon.
"Do they really not know? If I drop something a little bigger from here, they'll all die?"
Is madness the product of foolishness? Or is it a characteristic that exists regardless of reason? Even the rational Principia felt anxious at the consecutive reports.
"I even sent a warning on Bishop Rene's behalf."
"...In war, most of it is bluff. They must have dismissed the Professor's letter as such."
"How can they see something falling on their heads and still think it's a bluff?"
Scratching his head in displeasure, an assistant arrived with news just in time.
"Professor! The western village has been attacked!"
"...Again?"
"Thanks to Teacher Pascal blocking the army with wind magic, I was able to bring all the surviving refugees, but... I couldn't save the village that had already been attacked."
"The village was attacked? How many survived?"
"No one. They were all hunted. I did take revenge, but the dead are already...."
It was an era of hunting alchemists. Mages were treated the same as alchemists, and were hunted simply for knowing about magic.
The assistant clenched his fists in resentment. But Principia's expression was different. Frowning, he finally relaxed his face as if he had found the answer.
"Hmm. I found the answer."
"You found the answer?"
"Yes. It was my mistake trying to understand madness. I dragged out this annoying business for too long. To unravel the secret of aether, I can't waste any more time."
The dreaded thing had happened. The madness of war made the rational Demon God give up on them. Principia selected a few points on a round map. Meteors so large he had refrained from using them. Stars of destruction that would recreate a portion of the great extinction....
Rene was also an outstanding scholar, having interacted with Principia for a long time. She knew what would happen if those stars fell.
"Professor Principia. You mustn't. That is...."
"If you don't know, you'll find out by getting hit, and if you do know, you won't feel aggrieved even if you get hit. It's logically perfect. Assistant, let's prepare."
"Yes, Professor!"
Principia, accompanied by his assistant, brushed past Rene.
After that, precisely dropped meteors annihilated several armies. The destructive power was still within a purely 'common-sense' line, and that wasn't because Principia hesitated.
"Because we can't ruin the Federation's land. Who would want that?"
Getting hit by a rock out of nowhere would make one angry, but if the person next to you dies from it, you have to think differently. Gradually, the army came to their senses too.
This frozen land is hard to live in without the power of magic. Let alone if sorcerers who can control all kinds of natural phenomena become hostile to them? Life itself turns into suffering.
The mages were smart, and quickly learned how to fight the army. Rather than fighting Qi Practitioners face-to-face, they repeatedly harassed them from afar and retreated. Skin-cutting cold blocked their path, and strong winds slowed their march.
Gradually, morale dropped, and soldiers suffered from food and cold problems.
But the army did not back down. Instead, news came that they had reorganized their forces and were sending additional troops. A full-scale war. The six principalities, eager to devour each other, had even unified their command structure to form a coalition army.
"A coalition army of the six principalities? The Empire wouldn't just stand by and watch that.... Ah."
The Empire instigated it. Principia quickly realized the truth with his brilliant mind.
The Empire. The most powerful nation on this continent. The very hegemony of the world, which even the six principalities combined could not defeat.
Why? He didn't know the exact reason. The Empire might have needed war, or it might be coveting the magic of the Magic Federation. Perhaps it was complex.
But one thing was certain. The Empire was an enemy of the Magic Federation.
"Then. Let's drop that thing we decided not to use because it was too big onto the Empire's homeland. Assistant. Prepare."
"Yes!"
The moment Principia recognized it as an 'obstacle'. Such a thing lost all meaning.
"Yes! Principia. That's it!"
An omnidirectional meteor fall targeting the capitals of the Empire and the six principalities. The Gold Archduke was ecstatic at the news.
"This is war! It's killing each other. Bestow the same despair upon the enemies who took everything from me, and still covet what little remains!"
Was Principia's plan truly influenced by the Gold Archduke? Or was it merely a 'rational' judgment?
Who knows. However, it was unacceptable to Rene, a devout clergywoman.
"Professor. Innocent people will die and be injured."
"They are already being hurt a lot."
"They will die without even knowing what went wrong, or why they must die."
"I'm trying to let them know."
"Those who are going to die won't have the chance to know."
"Living until now was their chance."
Principia's answer was colder than ice.
He had always been that kind of person. He avoided quarrels because he found them annoying, but he was a person armed with cold logic and reason. The war and violence that unilaterally came to him changed his way of responding.
From eliminating disputes by yielding to the opponent's demands.
To eliminating disputes by eliminating the opponent.
However, Principia was not moved by coldness alone. Rene knew this. Establishing Babel, helping sorcerers, creating magic, and defeating enemies—all of that was also kindness and warmth.
"There are countless people in the imperial palace and the capital. Teachers who educate, students who study hard, growing children. Tens of thousands of innocent and potential people are densely packed there."
Principia scratched his head as if annoyed. Now, words begging for compassion could not persuade Principia. Because the same logic had not been applied to the people of the Magic Federation.
This too was the original sin of the Empire, and of humanity. But.
"Perhaps, one of them might solve the Professor's error."
"...Did you know?"
Principia showed a little interest at Rene's words.
"The trajectory of the falling meteors. It has always slightly deviated from the Professor's calculations. The margin of error is not large, but it always existed. There is an error in the Professor's theory."
This was a fact known only to Principia and his assistant.
If the newly born 'Saintess of Heaven' hadn't overheard their conversation and tipped her off, and if Rene hadn't desperately investigated under the Saintess's blessing, she would never have discovered it.
Of course, even if someone tipped her off, it wasn't something just anyone could understand. Unless one was a scholar as outstanding as Rene, they wouldn't even know what it was or what it meant.
"That is why you are searching for the existence of aether, Professor. The substance of grace that fills the whole world. The pure energy aura that allows light and space to exist. Once that is discovered, everything will be solved."
"...If only I could find aether, the problem would end."
"As long as you cannot find aether. The Professor's theory is imperfect."
Rene's words were double-edged. She wasn't simply pointing out the theory. She was implying that the rational judgment Principia would make at the end of his calculations might itself be wrong.
Principia sighed.
"I really can't beat you. Bishop Rene only picks fights she can't lose.... So what do you want?"
Finally, Principia's attitude changed. Feeling a faint sense of accomplishment, Rene spoke.
"Please change the location where the meteors will fall. Not the imperial palace and the capitals, but the empty grounds nearby."
"Empty grounds? Will they realize even without a meteor falling on their heads?"
"The Saintess is also watching over this matter. If a meteor falls at that location, it will be conveyed to the entire continent as a revelation to stop the war. Even if it falls on empty ground, its power and damage will be tremendous, so it will serve as a sufficient example."
"The Saintess? She's finally moving now?"
"The Saintess has been working around the clock to deal with the aftermath of the Demon God. And this is quite a burden for her as well. Since it amounts to standing by while a meteor falls in the middle of the Empire."
"Hah."
Having witnessed the madness of war firsthand, Principia didn't seem to trust it much. But his goal was simply to end the war. He was someone who would readily change methods as long as they were feasible.
Rene earnestly continued her persuasion.
"The same phenomenon can appear differently depending on the observer. But it's not that one side is necessarily the correct answer. The Professor's method may not be wrong... but I also believe my method is not wrong."
It was done. The Demon God changed his mind. Now, the Demon God of Universal Gravitation would not commit that massive and terrible sin. He would enjoy glory beside the Celestial God.
And Rene would become a saint and lie by his side. That would be enough. Rene could be satisfied with that....
"I knew this would happen."
Cold metal pierced through.
Rene's consciousness faded. Behind her as she fell bleeding, a group of knights walked in. The Gold Archduke and his guard knights. And even the Captain of the Royal Guard who had reached the Master realm.
"You're trying to back out now? That won't do. Principia. The stars of disaster must fall on the imperial palace and the six capitals as they are."
"What is the meaning of this...!"
The enraged Principia briefly glanced at Rene. Perhaps to ensure the power of the Demon God would spare her. However, that calculation required a bit of time, and the Master who had touched upon the Principle slashed his sword in an instant.
The law of universal gravitation applied equally to all things. The head separated from the neck in a way never seen before in human history, as if the body was unnecessary.
"Principia. I was never a good student. But I was still your student."
Roll, roll. The head, engulfed in shock, rolled across the ground. Splattering blood, dyeing the floor red, the head rolled right in front of Rene's eyes.
"I may not understand the principle, but I know well enough how to use the weapon. You change the trajectory of the falling stars. If you don't touch them, those stars will fall straight onto the imperial palace."
The madness of war had already consumed the Gold Archduke. Principia's omnipotent power intoxicated the Gold Archduke. The Gold Archduke laughed madly before his former teacher, the benefactor who had taken him in when he fled.
"This is my judgment! Take it, Empire!"
I thought I would be by the Celestial God's side. I thought I would receive the judgment of history. Was it because it was too late? Should I not have tried to stop it?
However, Rene still couldn't let the stars fall. Even as she lay dying, she desperately hoped to prevent at least that.
So that...
"Professor. The coordinates you mentioned last time.... Professor!"
The assistant rushing in urgently in shock was the last thing she saw. Rene's memory ended there.