◈ Episode 224. If an Explanation Is Needed (2)
Rank 63.
Demon King, Andras.
The owl-headed demon opened his beak.
“You dare call this sovereign a mongrel of the Demon Realm.”
An unmistakable insult.
However, Andras’s reaction was unlike his usual self.
Unbefitting of one who reveled in destruction, he merely looked at the being before him with interest.
It was only natural.
For the one facing him was a great evil, Gluttony of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Gluttony sneered.
“You who call yourself a Demon King.”
“!”
It was not Andras who was startled.
The demon legion commanders under Andras flinched.
As if insulting him as a mongrel of the Demon Realm was not enough, he had even profaned the throne.
No matter how great an evil he was, wasn’t this going too far?
Yet Andras did not grow angry this time either.
He simply spoke in a dry voice.
“That is indeed an accurate statement.”
“……!!!”
He acknowledged such outrageous words?
The demon legion commanders looked bewildered.
In contrast, the corners of Gluttony’s mouth rose toward the sky.
“You know your place, then? You are a mongrel. You were not born from evil itself, as I and my foolish brothers were, nor were you born with immense power like the Demon Kings of the Ten Thrones. In other words, you are a half-baked existence.”
Andras remained silent. ‘As expected, a great evil is still a great evil.’ After Akshan’s revival.
Andras had keenly felt his own limits.
Now that the Arcana Continent had been driven to the brink of annihilation.
The Demon Kings, himself included, had been unable to do anything about a mere Akshan, a single final survivor. In the midst of that, Gluttony had come to him.
“However, I shall tell you how to overcome that mongrel blood.”
With an offer that was irresistibly tempting.
Gluttony.
As he himself had said, he was a great evil.
Evil born from evil, evil itself.
Even if Andras could see through the inner thoughts of the other Demon Kings to some extent.
It was no easy task to see through that pure evil.
Andras asked in return.
“Do you think I will trust your words?”
Gluttony laughed.
“Whether you believe them or not is your freedom. But I can guarantee that hearing them will do you no harm. That lowly blood of the Demon Realm can be overcome if you devour a deeper evil.”
“……A deeper evil.”
Though the thinness and thickness of the blood flowing through them differed.
The same demonic blood flowed in their veins, so he could understand what he meant.
Were they not beings who gained power from negative energy?
Andras’s beak parted.
“What a ridiculous tale, great evil.”
“Ridiculous?”
“This sovereign has killed and killed everything on this continent. I have piled mountains with corpses and made rivers with blood. Those who resisted me were torn apart and thrown to beasts as feed, while those who pathetically survived were trampled upon before being killed.”
“Oh?”
“And you say there is an evil deed that I have not committed?”
Gluttony, as expected, laughed.
“Of course.”
“What is it?”
“Have you not yet unearthed it?”
“……Unearthed?”
“That ‘past.’”
Even Gluttony, who had been grinning from beginning to end, changed complexion the moment he mentioned the “past.”
Andras could sense it instinctively.
Truly.
In that “past.”
Something extraordinary was buried.
And so he spoke.
“I see. That past is the reason you came to me.”
“Correct. I intend to use you as bait to unearth the past.”
“Bait.”
“It means I will throw you in to dig up the past. If you can face the past and survive…… perhaps you may be reborn as a true Demon King. As you know, a seat has just become vacant, has it not?”
A vacant seat. He must be referring to Gamigin’s place.
“Do you think I will accept such an offer?”
Gluttony shrugged.
“Do you know why a mongrel is a mongrel?”
“?”
“Because it is common, crude, and overflowing.”
How befitting of pure evil.
He understood the temperament of demons all too well.
It felt as though Andras were dancing on the palm of his hand.
However, it was also an offer he could not refuse.
Before long, Andras answered.
“I will accept your offer.”
“Perhaps because you are an owl, even a birdbrain has its uses.”
“So what is this past that this sovereign must unearth?”
If it was such a grand past.
He thought there would surely be some complicated story entangled within it.
But no.
Gluttony merely spat out “one word.”
“Claudi. That alone will be enough.”
“……?”
“That single word will make the world convulse.”*
Crystal Hall.
Befitting a space of the Magic Tower, its structure was extremely fantastical.
From the outside, it simply looked like a splendid circular space.
Yet beyond the doors connected to its reverse side existed a special space.
A waiting area.
Simply put, it was a waiting room for the next presenter.
Of course, if it had been an ordinary waiting room.
“Not bad.”
Such a reaction would not have come from Granfel’s mouth.
He would not have made a fuss over a special structure either.
Below my feet.
The dizzying view of Crystal Hall stretched out.
It was clearly a waiting room I had entered by opening a door attached to Crystal Hall.
And yet I was watching Crystal Hall as if looking down from the ceiling! ‘I could just be purely impressed, you know.’ If this was an occupational disease, then so be it.
“It is not illusion magic.”
The process of exploration, interference, and manifestation dug into my mind.
“However, it is exceedingly familiar to me.”
Of course it would be familiar.
Because it was magic with an interference process similar to a projector.
To put it in Arcana terms……
I suppose it could be called the Magic Tower version of [Demon Eye’s Telescope]. ‘Though it only works in Crystal Hall.’
It was not called Crystal Hall for nothing.
A space built from “magic crystals,” which were among the more precious types of mana stones. The magic crystals on all sides amplified mana, making this kind of extravagant magic manifestation possible. ‘At any rate…….’
My turn was slowly approaching.
Wasn’t I looking down on Crystal Hall from above?
Thanks to that, the anticipation filling the hall felt as though it were touching my skin.
Was I nervous, you ask?
As if that were possible.
If anything, I was shamelessly enjoying it!
『Reversal Magic』 While preparing for the presentation announcing the founding of a new school, I realized once again. The thickness of Granfel’s iron mask was so great that it was impossible to even estimate.
“I believe that all of you will be fully capable of understanding.”
The meaning contained in that one sentence was clear.
Even if you fail to understand.
It is not my fault.
It is your fault for failing to understand. ‘You are just overflowing with pride, our dear Lord Granfel……!’
I looked down at Crystal Hall once more.
After learning of Granfel’s intentions, seeing the expectant mages.
There was no way my heart could be at ease. ‘It won’t be long before that anticipation turns into terror.’
With what words and actions today.
What kind of turmoil would he bring to the Magic Tower?
Even I could not guess.
Still, I had to do my best as far as I could.
In that sense, I had worked hard to package it.
To make it look as plausible as possible. ‘Actually…….’
This, too, suited my aptitude.
You know, packaging something that was nothing special.
Wasn’t that Granfel’s specialty?
Physical training no different from hard labor?
A noble challenge against one’s limits.
Teabag green tea?
The most perfect tea in the world.
Simple web surfing?
This, too, is an inquiry into the bizarre. ‘……Now that I list them out, it is seriously embarrassing.’
Still, let’s consider it fortunate.
Thanks to this packaging skill.
At least I no longer had to worry about failing to fill the presentation time.
Clap, clap, clap—
The sound of applause reached me.
The presentation of Curtain Reble, the senior of Frost Magic, had ended, and at last.
My turn had come.
I stood confidently.
Tap—
With my usual posture, I headed toward Crystal Hall.
Toward the lectern.
Of course, the Dawn Jacket was draped over my shoulders as always.
Normally, it would have been an outfit that made me complain of self-loathing, but……. ‘I don’t have the leisure to worry about that.’
Right now, the only thought in my head was that I had to successfully finish the presentation on Reversal Magic.
First, I looked around Crystal Hall once.
From Yugwid to Bangrit.
All the elders and senior mages were in attendance. ‘……That stretching is annoying.’
Streeetch—
As soon as I appeared, I saw the Tower Master stretching his cat body.
Since everyone had gathered, there was no need to drag things out.
I went straight to the main point.
Wooong—
As I drew up mana, the magic crystals decorating Crystal Hall responded and glittered. The mana that passed through the magic crystals scattered into the air as though unfurling a gigantic drawing paper. ‘Now that I look at it, it’s kind of like a system window too.’
Soon, particles of mana engraved letters in the air.
There was not even a need to move a finger.
Simply repeating the letters in my head was enough.
The word that appeared in the air like that.
『Reversal Magic』
Murmuring began to rise from all over.
Our Granfel might be somewhat prickly, but he was not eccentric.
In other words, he was not a person with a broken personality who would shout at them for being noisy.
“……Reversal Magic? What’s that?”
Not only the players.
“Reversal Magic……. Do you perhaps know something about it, Miss Cle?!”
“Pardon? Why are you asking me……?”
Skilled mages as well.
“S-Senior Bangrit, do you perhaps know what it is?”
“No. This is my first time hearing of it too……!”
“How about you remain silent and focus, Senior Bensch William?”
“Hrk.”
All the senior mages, including Matisse and Bensch.
“My, this is something I hadn’t anticipated.”
Even the elder mage, Yugwid.
None of them seemed able to easily guess.
It was an expected reaction.
At present, the only ones in Crystal Hall who knew about Reversal Magic.
Were me, Marcelo, and that sly cat.
I opened my mouth.
“Reversal Magic. Its founder is I.”
A fastball from the very first sentence.
I was the one who had thrown the words, but even so, it was such an honest fastball that I had to wonder if there could be a straighter one. However, the same words can differ depending on who says them and how.
Amid the pouring focus, I continued speaking.
“Reversal Magic. Its principle is truly simple. Exploration, interference, manifestation. The structure of magic is merely arranged in reverse order. That is right. The target of Reversal Magic’s exploration is magic that has already been manifested, and by interfering in reverse with its interference process, it reverses it back to its original state.”
Far from diminishing, the murmuring grew even louder.
“……Chief Lee seems to be explaining it very easily, but.”
“Is such a manifestation truly possible?”
“No, that isn’t a matter of magical manifestation ability!”
Yes, it was not a matter of manifestation ability.
While packaging it plausibly and gilding it over.
I had come to realize it as well. ‘Just how absurdly monstrous Granfel’s talent is.’
As the founder of Reversal Magic, I will assert this.
No matter how kindly I explain Reversal Magic, and even if someone understands its structure thanks to that, there will not be a single person capable of manifesting Reversal Magic in actual combat.
To put it in one sentence.
Reversal Magic was magic meant only for Granfel.
Because I knew that fact, I said calmly.
“I do not expect you to be able to manifest it.”
Somehow, the nuance made it sound like I was provoking them, but I was being sincere.
“It is enough for you to understand it.”
Even after I said that much.
The atmosphere did not calm easily.
As the saying goes, the more one knows, the more one sees.
The more versed they were in magical knowledge.
The more they could not help but be shocked by Reversal Magic. ‘That is also why Granfel has grown generous.’
That benevolence of Granfel’s sometimes manifests in strange directions. There was no way our benevolent Lord Granfel would ignore the audience that had fallen into shock and terror from the introduction alone.
And so, I ended up declaring it.
“Nevertheless, do not be concerned.”
“……?”
“Until all of you understand Reversal Magic.”
“……!”
“The regular conference will not end.”
Wait a second.
A class that doesn’t end until they understand……?
Do you really think that is for the sake of the audience, Granfel?
I realized anew.
Granfel, you must never take up a profession that teaches others.
Even the National Association of Professors would be unable to hide their astonishment.
You just made a horrifying declaration!
‘More importantly.’
What am I supposed to do……?
Damn this fate.
I barely avoided death by shame, only to find death by overwork waiting.
However, that was a misunderstanding.
Suddenly, a voice was heard.
“……What is this?”
Then, the vibration of smartphones echoed through Crystal Hall—
Because they could see as much as they knew.
The players probably could not focus on my explanation of Reversal Magic.
Because they could not understand what I was saying. ‘I keep the words I have spoken. I do.’
I had said I would generously understand.
So I would understand checking a smartphone notification during the conference.
However, the conversation I heard was somehow unusual.
“It says it’s an emergency update?”
“……A-Demon King? Out of nowhere?!”
“No, wait. It’s not a rift, but an added region?”
Emergency update.
Demon King.
Not a rift, but an added region.
So that was why all the vibrations had rung out at once.
Even so, up to that point.
My thoughts could follow.
What kind of race were demons?
Akshan’s revival.
I had not expected the effect of Gamigin’s defeat to last forever.
But at the words that followed, I realized.
Avoid death by shame, my ass……!
“They say the Demon King is looking for someone?”
“Looking for someone? A player? Or an Arcanian?”
“Wait, I’m sure it was…….”
One word dug into my eardrums.
“Claudi! It said Claudi!”
My mind went blank.
Claaauuudiii?!
My name…….
No, why is that name coming out there!!