Chapter 257 – Dream (2)
Spiritual-type magic is a system that applies magic to the innate consciousness of a living being, capable of strengthening, weakening, or even inflicting damage directly on the mind itself.
Unlike elemental magic, which emphasizes destruction regardless of whether the target is living or non-living, its purpose is different.
Spiritual magic is highly versatile, but only when used against lifeforms.
Even against abnormal species with grotesque bodies and regenerative abilities, its unseen power is strong enough to silence them with a single spell.
Especially within the field of black magic, many dangerous spiritual-type spells exist.
'A high-ranking black mage can control people with ease, after all.'
Verden had encountered various kinds of spiritual magic until now.
From an academy professor-turned-mage met in a duel hosted by the duchy's agency, to black mages belonging to the Glory of the Dead.
Of course, not one of them had ever been able to touch Verden's mind.
Still, if he were to recall and name the most powerful wielder of spiritual-type power he had ever faced in the past…
'It would be the Soul Tree.'
That immense tree he faced during the Trial of the Ark, the Soul Tree.
Though it was not magic per se, the power it wielded was truly tremendous.
It had screamed out a horrific wail in an attempt to silence the entire city. The sheer scale of it was an experience Verden could count on one hand.
'It didn't work on me, but still.'
Verden compared the Soul Tree to the witch's magic.
It wasn't exactly the same type, making the comparison vague, but, judging by overall might, Silis stood above.
She affected the entirety of the capital, and even went as far as manifesting the spiritual realm into reality itself.
All around, a crowd devoid of consciousness.
He couldn't say for certain, but from his analysis, they seemed not to be physical bodies, but a kind of spiritual forms.
Even if killed, they likely wouldn't truly die. Instead, their minds would suffer damage equivalent to death.
All of this was the twilight world.
No doubt the effect of Silis's magic.
'But…'
Verden clenched and opened his hand.
He checked his senses multiple times, but unlike the others, he had not become a spirit body. He still retained his true physical form.
Whether it was because he had intruded midway, or simply because his mental strength was too great, he could not tell.
The magic was so peculiar that unless he dissected it piece by piece, it was impossible to pierce through its principle at first glance.
'Well, regardless.'
He raised his head and looked up at the sky.
At the farthest point from where he stood, beyond several floating islands, the highest island of all could be seen.
Given the very nature of the spiritual realm, it was obvious that the most important thing would lie at the deepest level. Surely, Silis would be there, on that fixed island at the summit.
His destination was set.
Channeling his magic power, he gradually rose higher.
As he ascended toward the peak, he passed by other floating islands.
Some of them had become brutal battlefields.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang! Kwang!
On the islands formed east of Capital Retia,the airship fleets of the Marquisate and the Royal Family of Estiria clashed, tearing each other apart.
At a glance, it looked like a stalemate, but looking closer, it was clear the former held the advantage.
After all, between an army fully prepared and one ambushed, the loser was obvious.
'Those airships too, are they individually manifested within the spiritual realm?'
Most likely.
Just as the capital had been split this way.
If the Marquisate's soldiers were to die there, he wondered what would happen to their spirits, but he deliberately turned his thoughts away.
Before long, he reached the summit.
Verden's eyes turned toward a nearby island. He saw familiar faces.
'…Marquis Esperanza.'
Marquis Esperanza, Edmon, Melzard, and the Red Conviction Knight Order.
They were locked in combat with the Royal Family's palace guards and court magicians. A fierce battlefield where sword aura and magic raged.
The dispersal of forces was clearly meant to annihilate each one separately.
Wherever he looked, the Marquisate forces held the upper hand.
Tap, tap.
Verden landed lightly at his destination.
Looking around, he saw the island fixed at the peak was composed of Eznoren Castle, the royal palace at the heart of the capital.
Though he had never entered, he had seen it from afar before, so its appearance was familiar to him.
But this scenery was starkly different from then.
"Ugh… urk…"
At the castle gates and along the road leading inside,hundreds of people hung from ropes suspended in the air, nooses around their necks.
***
"A street decorated with humans…"
It was an utterly grotesque and chilling sight.
More so than even the Gluttony's transplant hosts, those who had grafted onto themselves the bodies of abnormal species or humans. If Galliark were to see this, he would surely be horrified and curse aloud.
Verden watched them slowly.
Each one was dressed neatly, adorned in fine clothes. They seemed to be members of the royal palace or nobles of the kingdom.
Moreover, among them were Geul, Nelita, Dario, and Tolav, members of the First Prince's secret social hall.
All of them lacked any will to resist.
Their minds had been completely subjugated. Their hollow eyes spilled only faint, broken voices.
As if they were doomed to an eternal hanging.
'So it can be used this way as well.'
The ropes strangled their necks just enough not to kill.
Since they were spiritual bodies, even fainting was impossible. It was mental torture steeped in malice. Surely, they were Silis's targets for revenge.
Which meant Silis herself lay just beyond.
Step, step.
Without hesitation, Verden walked into Eznoren.
The deeper he went, the colder the air grew. Weak cries echoed, but he paid them no mind.
At last, he arrived at the royal garden within the castle.
The fountain poured not water, but blood.
All around, higher-ranked nobles hung. And directly above the fountain, an old man wearing a crown and the First Prince, Valrgna, hung symmetrically, nooses tight around their necks.
Their faces were twisted in agony.
No two suffered more than they.
And at the center stood Silis.
She had been blankly watching the scenery she had wrought. Suddenly sensing a presence, she turned her head sharply.
Her eyes filled with shock at the unexpected figure.
"A-Asher…?"
Her response was deeply flustered.
To her, Verden gave a calm greeting.
"This is the first time we meet in person, Princess Silis."
***
Her breathing grew ragged on its own.
No matter how she tried to calm herself, she couldn't. The appearance of a single mage was that unexpected to Silis.
'I clearly sealed Roafra.'
How long had she prepared to imprison Grond?
And yet, not only had he escaped, but he even managed to intrude into this world she had crafted with utmost care.
Was he capable of spatial teleportation alone?
Or perhaps he possessed some artifact tied to space. Whatever the case, what mattered most was that a massive variable had entered the stage.
'…Was it impossible to stop him from the start?'
Silis bit the inside of her cheek lightly.
She had long studied Leonil, and thus succeeded in eliminating him.
But the man before her was filled with mystery. An opponent she could not dare presume upon.
Nervously, Silis swallowed hard.
No, she could not afford to remain shaken.
First, she had to gauge his intent. Then, use every moment to stall and prepare the proper countermeasures.
Having organized her thoughts, Silis parted her lips.
"To think you would escape Roafra, and arrive here in so short a time… I measured your abilities highly, but it seems even that was an underestimation."
"That goes for both of us, I suppose."
The witch's magic, I didn't realize it could be this powerful.
At some point, Verden had dropped formal speech.
Courtesy was nothing more than a façade anyway, and Silis herself had been the one to exclude variables, unilaterally sealing him away in Roafra.
He could understand her motives, but there was no reason to treat her as before.
"..."
Silis reflexively clenched her hand.
Her tone carried a hint of irritation.
And yet, the presence with which it came felt natural.
At least to him, the title of princess of a kingdom seemed meaningless. Breathing out lightly, she cautiously asked,
"So, what business brings you here? Retribution for being sealed without warning… or are you here to interfere with my revenge?"
"Neither."
Especially not the latter.
"Then why…"
"I came because I have something to ask. But along the way, other questions arose. Would you be willing to answer them?"
Silis had no choice.
She had no means to stop him now. Perhaps that was why his words sounded like a threat.
"…Fine. Then… let's hear it."
Permission granted.
Verden asked with a calm expression.
"First, is this world a spiritual realm you constructed?"
"Yes, that's right. As you can see, it's magic that manifests the spiritual realm into reality."
The witch's magic,
Those caught in the twilight dream were transformed into spirit bodies.
Because of that, even if they were killed or injured, no harm would come to their actual flesh, but the damage suffered here was converted into mental shock.
Depending on each individual's mental strength, it varied, but generally, the moment one died in this place, the mind could not withstand it and collapsed.
"And those who become spirit bodies lose their resistance against the witch's magic. To deal with someone as strong as Leonil, it was an indispensable step."
In reality, there was no way she could handle Leonil.
And if any noble were to escape the capital and raise a force against her, it would be extremely dangerous. To prevent that, she had to trap the entire capital.
"I see. But neither you nor I seem to have become spirit bodies."
"I'm the one who constructed the spiritual realm. And as for you… thanks to that immense mental strength, you exist outside this world and retain a separate physical form."
Measuring the strength of the mind was ambiguous.
A swordsman who could split a boulder with a single stroke could still be weak within, while a powerless boy might possess an indomitable will.
From the witch's memory, however, mental strength was chiefly formed by two factors—'innate nature' and 'life lived'. Thus, Silis couldn't help but find it strange.
'Asher, just what is he?'
What kind of mental strength had he been born with, what experiences had he lived through, that he could resist magic even Leonil fell prey to?
The question puzzled her, and at the same time, instilled fear.
"Hm, mental strength…"
Verden nodded, as though he'd understood well enough.
Then, while surveying his surroundings, he continued questioning.
"Since Leonil is still nowhere to be seen, it seems your plan succeeded. Looks like you're close to completing your revenge. So, how do you feel? Relieved?"
"Ha, of course. To those who lived on so filthily, I finally let them feel, even if only slightly, the pain and resentment that I, and everyone else, had to endure."
Her father, the king of Estiria, who ordered her mother, Remien, dissected.
The First Prince Valrgna and Duke Dosramd, who helped in annihilating the Ducal House of Rubinelian.
And those who, not content with mocking Silis, who had become a doll, went on to sully her mother and house with vile slander.
None of them had ever imagined Silis would be listening, remembering everything. Nor had they imagined the result that would come of it.
"Not all of them, but at least the main instigators are now in my grasp. I could interfere with their minds and control their actions, but… if I weaken them slowly like this, and finally collapse their minds, recovery becomes impossible. They become dolls. Just as I once lived."
Silis laughed cruelly.
"I am satisfied now. Standing at the very end of my revenge, I feel no trace of emptiness. Did you expect such a reaction from me?"
"No, I'm simply curious why you left the citizens untouched."
The last time they spoke, Silis had confessed her hatred for the citizens too.
For trampling upon countless deaths, including her mother's, while basking in ignorant peace.
Silis steadied her breath once before answering.
"That was solely for the sake of Marquis Esperanza's efficiency. He wanted them spared. So, right before the plan, I judged there was no need to touch them immediately."
"Then, will you hang them later?"
"That's none of your concern. Did you break through the seal and come here just to ask that?"
Of course not.
That had only been doubts that arose along the way. The real question remained.
Verden asked quietly,
"Princess Silis, what will you do after your revenge is complete?"
"Well, I…"
Thud.
Silis's words were cut off.
***
For over twenty long years, she had lived only for bloody revenge.
A time of endurance so long it dulled her mind, but at last, today bore fruit. She had achieved the dream she so desperately sought.
Her rotten, festering heart,at last, could release its long-held resentment.
The scars carved deep within would not vanish, but she truly felt joy, and relief. For she now held in her hand the lives of scum unworthy even of being called beasts.
'But after that…?'
Silis blanked out.
She had never once thought that far.
Before casting Leonil into the nightmare, she had no guarantee of success. How could she spare the thought for what came after?
She may have briefly imagined, but it had only ever been a hazy dream of the future. To Silis, it was too far, too absurd to consider.
But now?
Having reached the end of revenge, what lay beyond awaited her.
Having fulfilled her life's goal, what was she to do?
Should she rule the Kingdom of Estiria in place of the king and prince she had toppled? Should she destroy the kingdom, as it should have been?
Should she leave the kingdom and hide away with others? Or, having ended it all, should she end her own life?
Nothing was decided.
"I… I…"
Her mind went blank.
Silis's eyes trembled faintly.
"I mean, I…"
No words would follow.
Even when she tried to force them, no sound came.
Verden waited in silence.
He had never thought she would answer easily. With plenty of time, he could wait.
The silence stretched.
Silis opened her mouth several times, finally about to speak.
That moment—
───!
A great tremor swept through the twilight world.
Silis raised her head to the sky, Verden's vigilance instantly sharpened.
Both reacted to the sudden anomaly. Soon, in the garden of Eznoren where they stood, a change took place.
Crack, crack, craaack.
Above their heads, a part of the spiritual realm shattered.
Beyond the broken, glass-like space, a middle-aged man appeared.
"Princess Silis, quite the threatening move you made."
"Leonil…?"
Disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes, clothes in tatters.
He was not in his normal state, but there was no doubt—this was the Leonil Silis knew.
But there was something else to note.
His radiant staff and his right arm, the two of them were connected by countless strands of blue, vein-like cords.
And then—
Thump, thump, thump.
From the blue crystal embedded at the tip of Leonil's staff, came a familiar heartbeat.
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