The first item on the Bercht Conference’s agenda was the appearance of a demon—in other words, the demon I had killed on the Magic Tower site. Dzekdan first demanded my testimony.
“The Mountain of Darkness has long been a region that has not been fully purified. Anything could well have been there, and on that day, there was a demon, so I killed it.”
I said only that and caught my breath. The young head of the Bran family, “Essensil,” added to my vague explanation.
“The fact that a demon appeared in the imperial capital carries a far more serious meaning. Not only that, but recently, on the northern frontier—in other words, the Deadlands—magical beasts have been swarming. We will need to issue directives to each school or cooperate with the cathedral and dispatch mages to suspicious areas.”
Her hair shone a mysterious green. She was a named character, the principled head of a trustworthy family.
Right now, I had no strength to interpret or judge anyone’s message, so I decided to agree with the messenger.
“You are correct.”
At that, Essensil’s eyes widened in surprise.
Well, Deculein had been the type to point things out first, even when someone was saying something correct.
The other mages did not go out of their way to criticize this agenda item either.
—First, once the cathedral selects the suspicious areas, mages from each school of magic shall be chosen and dispatched.
It was the first item to pass.
“The ‘Linnel School,’ which follows destruction magic, has shown the greatest enthusiasm for the extermination of demons, so…”
There were quite a few items on the agenda.
Which school would be dispatched, what would be done about the mine where magical beasts had appeared, how the magical laws regarding dungeons and demon hunting would be revised, and so on…
For nearly four hours, the round table talked without pause.
During that time, I said nothing. I left all three of my rights of motion untouched.
—We shall recess for a moment.
After a full five hours, I was finally able to leave the round table.
I stepped outside to clear my head, and near the exit, a small, neat figure with brown hair was stamping his feet beside an elder.
It was Allen.
“…Ah, Professor!”
Allen cried out loudly and ran over.
“Are you, are you all right? I’m sorry I’m late! They said I couldn’t, couldn’t participate during the meeting, so I was waiting, waiting. I’m sorry…”
Seeing him flustered like that, I shook my head.
“It’s fine.”
In truth, it was not fine. I had no idea how many times I had experienced mana exhaustion today. An ordinary mage would have come down with a fever or already died.
The side effects of exhaustion still lingered, and over the five-hour meeting, I had recovered only 「300」 mana.
“I, I heard that you, Professor, saved me…”
“I told you not to cry.”
Allen bowed his head, struggling not to shed tears.
“…Hic!”
—However, I.
I could no longer look at this child with pure eyes.
That guileless face felt, if anything, unfamiliar.
“From now on, just stand quietly by my side.”
“Yes? Ah… yes, yessir…”
Even so, I could not expose him here.
If my thoughts were correct, I had to keep this child close instead.
I could not reveal even the slightest sign.
…So that I could survive.
* * *
A thirty-minute break.
The family heads returned to their respective waiting rooms. They exchanged opinions with one another and seemed ready to make deals if necessary, but I simply stayed with Allen.
I did nothing.
After the break ended.
When I returned to the round table and sat with Allen at my side.
Dzekdan announced the next item on the agenda.
—What stance shall the magical community take toward the Redborn?
In that instant, the atmosphere around the round table changed completely.
No one had even been granted the right to speak, yet fierce debate broke out from the very start.
The Redborn were indeed the “Achilles’ heel” of the magical community.
“The Redborn are a race like cockroaches. They lay eggs among themselves, multiply endlessly, and eat away at society.”
“Betaine” of Beorad spat out a crude denunciation.
Essensil responded in a slightly uncomfortable tone.
“However, is there not no way to distinguish the Redborn from other races?”
“Then we invent one. The clue will lie in the Blood Mill. If the empire’s great Magic Towers gather, what could we not accomplish?”
Betaine was vehement. Ihelm, who had been watching his mood, seemed about to say something, but Betaine immediately continued.
“Furthermore, for some reason, the Redborn recognize one another and gather together. The Redborn have a ‘leader’ who unites them.”
The Redborn were a special clan. Their numbers were few, but many among them had developed talents of their own.
Among those talents, there must certainly be someone who gathered and led the Redborn in a safe region.
Betaine had pierced straight to the heart of it, but…
The leader of the Redborn must never die.
For, in the setting, he was a saint closer to Buddha or Jesus.
“That leader must be hiding underground, gathering and controlling the Redborn. Does it not disgust you to think what those bastards might be plotting underground? That in itself would be treason!”
“Betaine, that is merely conjecture.”
“Because they were treated that way sixty years ago, countless mages died!”
At Essensil’s objection, Betaine shouted as though he were coughing up blood. Essensil said nothing further.
Just as the seething round table was about to calm for a moment.
Gilteon, who had been watching me since earlier, finally spoke.
“What does Deculein of Yukline think?”
Everyone’s gazes focused on me.
Yukline.
Since ancient times, masters of exorcism who had stood at the forefront of demon extermination.
It was a position overflowing with influence and responsibility.
“…”
As a modern person, I knew these kinds of incidents well. But even setting that knowledge aside, it was right to postpone the oppression of the Redborn as much as possible.
Only then, because this world’s “common enemy” was not the Redborn, would the difficulty of the future main quest become far easier.
“In ancient times, the Redborn were enemies.”
I continued calmly.
“However, if you examine the records one by one… it all began from misunderstandings.”
“Misunderstandings?”
Betaine cut in. I glared at him and continued.
“At first, it was a misunderstanding. In the ‘Rodran Witch’ incident 237 years ago, Rodran, who was accused of being a witch, was in fact innocent.”
I brought up a specific incident.
“That incident became the trigger for widespread oppression, and the Redborn bled. Naturally, the Redborn resisted, and that resistance also called for blood, and blood called for more blood, until a temporary ceasefire was reached.”
I had seen it in the setting sheet. I had also read documents with similar content.
The broad outline had already been organized in my mind.
“The sixty years ago you mentioned. From around that time, it was politics. A mana stone mine had been discovered in Redborn land.”
In this world, mana stone mines held a position far more important than that of oil and natural gas combined in the modern world.
“Hah, politics?! What do you mean, politics!”
Betaine pounded the round table.
Since it was a story that ran through the middle and late stages, I knew much about it, but persuasion was another matter entirely.
“They are clearly a bloodline born with demonic energy! Yukline, who exterminates demons, should know that!”
Betaine shouted as though having a fit. I shook my head.
“Yukline’s tradition is hunting demons, not killing Redborn.”
“The Redborn are demons!”
That cry rang through the round table.
That leap in logic, which would someday lead to a massacre.
“…”
After Betaine’s outcry, silence fell over the round table.
A particularly long silence settled in the space where all kinds of words and spit had been flying.
In the stillness, the tension only continued to grow…
Looking at Betaine, I said,
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
To brand a race as demons was no different from turning that race into the enemy of all mankind.
Neither Betaine nor anyone else answered.
“Do not carelessly decide that humans are demons. For the human who says so may become a demon himself.”
With that, I concluded my statement.
The family heads looked at me with rather unexpected eyes.
Soon, Dzekdan’s voice rose.
—Betaine, lower the intensity of your remarks. It does not seem we will reach a conclusion like this, so today’s meeting shall end here.
* * *
The first meeting ended without reaching a clear conclusion. It was no great matter. In any case, I had been prepared for three nights and four days from the moment I came.
Sylvia went down to the “Rosary Lodgings” of the Fourth Building. Night had already fallen dark, and Sylvia was alone in the guest room of Building Four.
At this lodging, one person to one room was customary.
“…”
Sylvia looked at the paper she had received from the lodging’s elder.
——[ Night Rules of the Bercht Fourth Building Rosary Hotel ]——
All of these rules apply only at night.
1. If you are walking through the corridor and discover an open door, you must never enter the room or look inside.
2. If someone knocks on your door from outside the guest room, do not respond under any circumstances. You must not give any answer.
3. From time to time, a corpse may be found in the bathroom. Do not panic; simply close the door.
4. The Rosary Hotel is a one-story building. Even if stairs appear, you must not go down or up them.
5. Once you have lain down on the bed, please refrain from walking until morning afterward. At some point, you may be moved to another space.
6. Do not make noise in the corridor under any circumstances. You must not use magic either.
————————
After reading it all, Sylvia blinked. They were pointlessly frightening rules, but her father had already told her the precautions so many times her ears had calluses.
To begin with, she was not some childish kid who would go exploring for no reason. She was so tired that she planned to sleep right away.
Sylvia lay down on the bed. Her hawk, “Speedy,” also stood beside her bed.
“Good night.”
Sylvia said that to Speedy and closed her eyes.
Before long, she fell into a quiet sleep…
…
…She woke because she was thirsty. Looking at the clock, it seemed she had slept for about three hours. Speedy was watching her as she tossed and turned in bed.
She felt reassured.
“Sleep comfortably.”
At that, Speedy closed his eyes. Sylvia rose with satisfaction and took the water and cup from the shelf.
After drinking a glass of water, she turned around.
She was in the corridor.
Not the guest room, but a corridor whose end could not be seen.
“…”
Goosebumps rose over her. Her back prickled, and a chill crept around her neck.
Belatedly, rule five of the night rules came to mind.
[ ５. Once you have lain down on the bed, please refrain from walking until morning afterward. At some point, you may be moved to another space. ]
Sylvia looked at her feet.
She was barefoot.
The floor was cold.
Whoooooosh…
A wind blew from somewhere.
Sylvia looked around. Not far away, there were stairs.
However, she must not use the stairs.
[ ４. The Rosary Hotel is a one-story building. Even if stairs appear, you must not go down or up them. ]
Stay calm.
For now, only a little wind is blowing. Nothing will happen.
As she walked on like that, step by step, a guest room with its door open appeared. Sylvia flinched.
[ １. If you are walking through the corridor and discover an open door, you must never enter the room or look inside. ]
Sylvia kept walking without even glancing at it.
She walked amid tension so great her heart felt ready to burst.
She walked and walked like that.
Then she stood before a closed door.
Knock, knock—
She knocked on the door.
No matter how long she waited, it did not open.
Whoooooooosh…
Again, a wind blew from somewhere.
Sylvia walked a little farther and stood before another door.
Knock, knock—
She knocked on the door.
It did not open for her.
She grabbed the doorknob and shook it, but it would not open.
With no other choice, she went to the next door.
Knock, knock—
Then the next door.
Knock, knock—
Sylvia moved busily, knocking on doors.
Perhaps the people inside these rooms thought she was a ghost.
No, they certainly would think that.
Kieeeeeieuuue…
The wind that had been circling the corridor was slowly turning into some terrible scream, or perhaps a ripping shriek.
Sylvia hated scary things. Naturally, more force went into the hand knocking on the door.
Knock, knock—! Knock, knock—!
However, no one opened the door.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr…
Slowly, that sound grew clearer.
Knock, knock—!
It was the final knock.
Kaaaaaaaah…
The moment a cold breath flowed into her ear.
Bang!
The door opened.
The bizarre sensation, as though her ears were freezing over, vanished at once.
Thud.
All the strength left her body, and she sank to the floor.
“……”
The warmth of the room shone over her. Gasping for breath, Sylvia slowly lifted her head.
“Sylvia.”
The person calling her name like that was Deculein.
“Did you lose your way?”
He glanced at her as if it were nothing important, then opened the door wide.
“Come in.”
“……”
Sylvia hesitated.
Whoooooosh—
A bleak wind blew down the corridor. There was no need to hesitate. She stepped inside, fidgeting.
“……Thank you.”
Sylvia bowed her head and looked around the room. As expected, the head of the household’s room was spacious and cozy.
“Sit.”
Deculein sat in the rocking chair near the fireplace, and Sylvia sat on the small chair beside the bed.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“When I got up from the bed, I was suddenly in the hallway.”
Deculein picked up the book on the table. His eyes remained on the page as he spoke to Sylvia.
“The mana density in Bercht’s air rises to anywhere from dozens to hundreds of times that of the plains. Because of that, phenomena that cannot be explained naturally are always occurring, and mana takes on form and ego. They are what people call ghosts, and this hotel has a great many of them. You should have read the ‘rules’ properly.”
That was why only Deculein could have opened the door for her—and why he had.
He was immune to nearly every form of mental interference.
“Ah.”
Sylvia nodded. Then, moving her lips silently, she looked around.
She was extremely conscious of his reaction.
After working her lips for a while, Sylvia asked,
“Why were you late today?”
Deculein answered while reading his book.
“You don’t need to know.”
“……”
Sylvia fidgeted with her fingers, then asked,
“Do you like books?”
Deculein answered while reading his book.
“They’re a second-best option.”
He had never particularly liked books. However, given Deculein’s personality, reading was the most comfortable hobby for him. One could call it a “good disposition that did not need to be overcome.”
“……”
Sylvia fell silent again. After staring only at the fire in the hearth, she suddenly rubbed her palms together and manifested a spell.
“It’s 「Smoldering Fire」.”
She showed it to Deculein as if boasting. The soundless, colorless 「Smoldering Fire」 clung to the fireplace and strengthened the embers.
Deculein glanced at the spell and said,
“You implemented it well.”
“I can add color to it too.”
When she added two lines, the 「Smoldering Fire」 turned entirely blue. Deculein nodded with satisfaction.
“You did even better.”
Sylvia glanced at his face, then manifested another spell. This time, it was a cloud.
“It’s 「Thundercloud」.”
“You implemented it well.”
“I can make it bigger too.”
The thundercloud swelled until it covered half the ceiling.
Deculein replied,
“You did even better.”
“……”
Sylvia manifested yet another spell. It was leaves sprouting like blades.
“It’s 「Metallic Greenery」.”
“You implemented it well.”
“If I combine it with destructive magic, the leaves fly out and attack the enemy.”
“You learned well.”
Sylvia displayed one thing after another that she had learned from Deculein’s classes.
Since Deculein had only given her praise, at first she thought he was answering halfheartedly.
But when Sylvia showed him spells that were still immature—
“The flow of the circuit is strange. You’ve misunderstood one part of it. Again. Spread out the circuit.”
“The harmony of the attributes is not smooth. For fire and water to be in harmony, neither side can hold the advantage. They must be exactly matched.”
He corrected them sincerely. With that advice, Sylvia was able to firmly set several of her spells in order, but… suddenly, greed arose in her.
“Then what is my weakness?”
“You must figure that out yourself.”
Sylvia pouted.
“You told Epherene.”
Deculein shook his head.
“Epherene learned it herself.”
Before she knew it, Sylvia had clenched her fist. Deculein was still looking at his book, but his pupils paused for a moment.
“Do not be impatient.”
Sylvia’s shoulders trembled.
“Sylvia, you have time. Time is on your side, and your growth will come according to the effort you put in.”
The improvement of mana. The development of magic.
Even without the help of the system, with only her own talent, Sylvia would become a more perfect mage than anyone else in this world.
“……In this world, your talent ranks among the top three.”
Deculein spoke based on the system. This much was a future almost close to “destiny.”
His words were so filled with certainty that Sylvia’s face went a little blank, and she only nodded.
It was then.
“Shh.”
Deculein suddenly raised a finger.
“Stay still.”
The sharp piece of iron lying at the bedside moved. Almost at the same time—some bizarre shape broke through the ceiling and appeared.
It was a ghost.
A cruel, grotesquely distorted face of mana. In that instant, Sylvia felt an immense terror, but it lasted only a moment.
Deculein’s magic tore the ghost apart in every direction and pierced through it.
Having ended the situation immediately, he muttered calmly,
“It must have come because I opened the door.”
“……”
Sylvia stroked her chest and looked at Deculein. To be precise, she looked at the piece of iron lying on Deculein’s table.
“Did you kill the ghost with that?”
“Yes.”
“That’s amazing.”
At Sylvia’s pure admiration, Deculein ended up laughing.
“There is nothing to be amazed by. It is a weapon and magic specialized solely for killing.”
The 「Main Quest」 did not give him time to grow evenly.
That was why Deculein’s magic was specialized. It focused entirely on combat, and concentrated only on lethality.
Even so, he had lost to Veron.
“What is useful in this world, Sylvia, is the talent of a mage like you. Magic was not created to kill people, was it?”
“……”
Only then did Sylvia understand Deculein at the round table today. She now understood clearly from his words why he had not driven Jeokgwe into a corner.
“Now stop asking questions and sleep.”
Sylvia looked at Deculein with her large eyes and asked back,
“Should we take turns keeping watch?”
“Unnecessary. The flow of time will be peculiar.”
“I know. Mana phenomena are—”
“Nights in the highlands are long. They should be at least ten hours, but no one knows whether those ten hours will become two hours, twelve hours, or even twenty-four hours. It changes depending on the mana of that day, so don’t make me say more. Sleep.”
“……”
Deculein’s tone was firm, but kind.
Was he treating her now as Iliade’s assistant, or as a student attending his lectures at the Mage Tower? Or perhaps merely as an idiot who had failed to follow even the rules?
She was confused.
So she lay down on the bed.
Rustle…… Rustle…… The sound of pages turning.
The warmth of the fire crackling and burning.
As she listened, sleep gently descended over her. It was comfortable.
With drowsy eyes, Sylvia looked out the window.
In the darkness, a shooting star was falling.
It was beautiful.