Aroth’s Black Tower Master, Balzac Ludbeth — this name brought forth a memory of black-rimmed glasses, short hair with a neat parting, a thin face, and sharp eyes. After having met him so many times, Eugene could easily recall Balzac Ludbeth’s face.
Although they had exchanged several conversations, Eugene still didn’t have a clear understanding of what “kind” of a person Balzac was.
Eugene himself knew the reason for this.
Three hundred years had indeed passed since Hamel died. While it was only natural for the world to have changed, it still seemed like there had been far too many changes.
However, Eugene was still the same Hamel as ever. However, from the moment he was born, he had known that he was Hamel, and even though he had lived up until now as Eugene, he couldn’t completely shake off the remnants of the time when he had lived as Hamel.
Even though the Helmuth he had personally visited had become quite comfortable, no, a very comfortable empire for humans to live in; for Eugene, Helmuth was still and always would be that same hellish Devildom. Likewise, the Demon King of Incarceration might currently be viewed as a sage who enacted wise policies for the benefit of the continent and all humans, but to Eugene, the Demon King of Incarceration was still that same terrible Demon King who swatted humans like insects; and the same went for the demonfolk.
Then there were the black wizards. In this current era, black magic had been recognized as just another school of magic, and black wizards were now a respected class of wizards. However, to Eugene, black wizards were still just the pawns of the Demon King and his demonfolk, traitorous bastards who had betrayed their fellow human beings.
The times really had changed completely. Eugene had also tried to compromise to some extent with all of these changes. However, Eugene could still only view Balzac through the tinted lenses of his identity as a black wizard.
In the end, he didn’t know what kind of person Balzac was because of his own prejudice against black wizards. Until now, Balzac had never once shown any ill will towards Eugene. Instead, he would always try to provide help to Eugene. Balzac would warn Eugene of any dangers and had even given Eugene advice on the creation of his Signature that Balzac hadn’t even offered to his own disciples.
Yet even with all that, Eugene still couldn’t accept that there were innocent intentions behind Balzac’s assistance. There had to be a reason behind all of Balzac’s actions. Having been so kind, wasn’t Balzac inevitably planning some kind of betrayal?
“I knew that bastard would do something like this,” Eugene snarled.
As expected, all black wizards were sons of bitches that you couldn’t show any trust.
After staring at Eugene, who had immediately burst into rage, Mer clutched at her stomach and laughed, “As expected from the disciple of just such a master, you also show the same extreme hatred of black wizards!”
Eugene scowled, “From the very beginning, I was suspicious of Balzac Ludbeth. After all, he obviously kept trying to get close to me by pretending to be friendly; he kept telling me things and providing me with help. I was curious as to the reason why he did so, and now I know.”
“What are you saying?” Melkith asked.
“That bastard was kind to me because he wanted me to take it easy on him when I’m eventually forced to beat him up,” Eugene accused.
This firm response left Melkith flabbergasted.
For a few moments, Melkith stared at Eugene, her eyes blinking in disbelief, then she coughed and nodded as she said, “...Ahem, well, that might be the case. However, I have to point out it’s still not certain that Balzac is the ringleader behind all this.”
Eugene argued back, “Aren’t black wizards capable of casting black magic on such a scale rare? And you’ve already said that Balzac is missing from Aroth, right?”
“Um… while it was definitely a sudden affair, he did apply for an official leave from the Black Tower of Magic,” Melkith corrected while trying to ignore the stinging pangs of her conscience.
Originally, the Tower Masters were the sort of personage who wouldn’t lightly leave the Tower of Magic that they governed. Although it wasn’t very inconvenient if they had to do so, they were still expected to give notice to the Tower of Magic and the royal court whenever they needed to go to a place outside of Aroth.
However, Melkith had never done so. She felt it was a pain to fill out a leave request, and she was just going somewhere she wanted to go, so why even bother making a report?
The same went for today as well. Melkith had just arrived at the Lionheart estate without giving any word to the White Tower of Magic or Aroth’s royal court.
However, compared to Melkith acting on her own whims, it still gave off a very different feeling when Balzac decided to go off on his own. During the decades since he had risen to the seat of the Black Tower Master, Balzac was someone who had never once seen fit to leave Aroth.
“What did he put down on his leave request?” Eugene inquired.
Melkith took a moment to recall, “Hm…. I think he said that he wanted to take leave to go on a short trip. It doesn’t look like he specified his destination.”
“As Lady Melkith may well know, I’ve been suspicious of Balzac Ludbeth from the very beginning. He was always pretending to be a very kind person, so I couldn’t prove anything even though he is a black wizard. Balzac always seemed like an out-of-place existence when compared to other black wizards. He even said that he signed a contract with the Demon King out of practical interests,” Eugene revealed.
Since ages past, most people who wore a friendly smile and said things that sounded nice and seemed to make sense had been scammers.
Ivatar, who had been listening silently, slowly spoke up, “...I haven’t heard much about this guy named Balzac, but I do know that among the various forms of support that Helmuth has sent to the Kochilla Tribe, it has included wizards and demonic beasts. The wizards of Helmuth have served in the role of shamans for the Kochilla Tribe and have trained the younger generation of the tribe’s shamans. The demonic beasts have also provided other services to the Kochilla Tribe.”
“That means there’ll be other black wizards apart from Balzac,” Eugene surmised.
Melkith cocked an eyebrow, “It seems you’re absolutely convinced that Balzac is the ringleader behind all this?”
Eugene shook his head, “Not at all. I can’t be certain of anything yet. It’s just that I’ve been suspicious of that bastard from the very start, so I can’t help but think that it’s very likely.”
In fact, Eugene was more suspicious of Amelia Merwin’s involvement in all of this. Yet why would she leave the desert, a battlefield where she would possess an overwhelming advantage? With just one word from her, she could mobilize Nahama’s entire army and also muster up all the wizards whose dungeons were located within her desert.
‘Still, if at all possible, I’d prefer it if Amelia Merwin was the one behind all this,’ Eugene admitted to himself.
If Amelia had left the desert and was up to something in the Samar Rainforest, that would actually be of great benefit to Eugene. He wasn’t happy with how their first meeting in the desert had turned out, and he’d been waiting for the chance to confront Amelia Merwin ever since. If they happened to run into each other in the Samar Rainforest, Eugene would definitely tear Amelia limb from limb and then slit her throat.
‘Or else… it might just be Edmond Codreth, but there’s too little information when it comes to him,’ Eugene thought regretfully.
Edmond Codreth was the master of Vladmir and the current Staff of Incarceration.
It might not even be one of the Three Mages, but instead, a completely different black wizard. …For example, the black wizard or demonfolk who had instigated Hector’s rebellion.
What Eugene knew for sure was that the Demon King of Incarceration couldn’t be the instigating force behind all of this. As Melkith had said, there was no way that an existence on the level of the Demon King of Incarceration would be involved in something as petty as this.
If it were the Demon King of Incarceration, there would be no need for something like a sacrifice when it came to casting black magic. If he really did require a sacrifice, then he could just start another war.
So what was currently happening within the Samar Rainforest was something that could be confined solely to the Rainforest. Something like a struggle between the native tribes. Such struggles had always been commonplace throughout the history of the Samar Rainforest, and it wasn’t something for the rest of the kingdoms on the continent to get involved in.
“I’ll go with you,” Eugene said with a nod once he finished sorting out his thoughts. “I also happen to have business in Samar.”
Melkith’s ears pricked up, “Business? What kind of business?”
“It’s a secret,” Eugene responded.
“I want to go with you as well,” Melkith whined as she clung to Eugene’s arms.
Her behavior held none of the dignity that the White Tower Master should have.
“I am going with you,” Melkith said firmly. “It sounds like it’ll be fun! I’m also curious about what’s going on in the Rainforest, and more importantly, there’s something that I just can’t forgive.”
“What is it?” Eugene asked.
Melkith passionately shouted, “The Samar Rainforest is like a holy site for all Spirit Summoners! So how dare some black wizard carry out their evil plot within the Rainforest? I, the greatest Spirit Summoner of this era, Melkith El-Hayah, have my eyes set on them!”
“As expected of the Spirit Princess of the White Tower of Magic,” Eugene said sarcastically.
“Kyaaah!” Melkith let out a shriek of fright and threw Eugene’s arm away.
In the face of such a chaotic sight, it was difficult for Ivatar to continue maintaining his composure. That said, he couldn’t bring himself to make a disgusted expression either.
Ivatar had come here without even being sure that he would be able to get any help from Eugene, but weren’t things working out exceptionally well for him? To think that he wouldn’t just get Eugene’s help, but he would even end up receiving assistance from Melkith El-Hayah.
“Thank you,” Ivatar said, getting up from his seat and bowing his head to Eugene. “When this is all over, I will prepare a reward that will be sure to satisfy you. And apart from that, I will also never forget your help.”
“What about me?” Melkith, who had been plugging her ears to try and shake off the embarrassing nickname from her childhood, raised her head. “I’m going to help you as well, you know?”
“I will also prepare a reward for you, White Tower Master,” promised Ivatar.
Melkith nodded proudly, “Mhm, as you should. Also, Eugene! Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“What?” Eugene curtly demanded.
“You were supposed to bring back a souvenir for me from Lehain!” Melkith said with a rarely-seen straight expression.
After staring at Melkith’s sullen face for a few moments, Eugene slid open his cloak and pulled out a large stone.
“I was going to give it to you anyway, but you sure do have an impatient personality,” Eugene grumbled.
This was a Firestone, a stone infused with flames that could rarely be found in Lehain. That alone would be enough to make it a material with a high value, but the Firestone that Eugene pulled out was the highest grade of Firestone that wasn’t easy to buy even if you had the money for it.
“Kyaaah!” Melkith’s eyes shot wide open as she gazed at the bright red colors of the Firestone.
Rubbing the Firestone she had taken from Eugene’s hands against her cheek, she smiled happily.
“It’s hot! Like as if it was just taken out of the fire—!” While shouting this, Melkith pulled on her collar and thrust the Firestone into her cleavage.
Eugene’s face twisted into a scowl at this sight as Tempest shouted inside his head, [Hamel, ask that lunatic why she’s doing that.]
Eugene complied, “Why on earth did you just do that?”
“Do you really not know? It’s to increase my sensitivity toward the catalyst. By transferring its heat to my skin and increasing my own body temperature—”
[Such ridiculous superstitions! Unless Ifrit isn’t in his right mind, there’s no way he would sign a contract with someone who still believes in such folktales,] Tempest exploded.
While ignoring Tempest, who kept roaring in outrage inside his head, Eugene leaped up from his seat.
“There’s no need to leave for the Rainforest immediately, right? Let’s leave in a few days' time,” Eugene proposed.
“Yep, I need some time to prepare as well,” Melkith said as she also stood up.
While smiling brightly at the heat coming from between her breasts, she wrapped both arms around her chest.
“Why don’t you send word to Lovellian as well?” Melkith called out to Eugene just as they were leaving the parlor. “Your master hates black wizards even more than you do. He should fly over right away, especially since you’re caught up in this issue as well.”
Eugene informed her, “I was planning to contact him even if you didn’t remind me.”
Lovellian was also aware that Sienna was currently sealed away due to Raizakia’s curse. While Eugene didn’t expect him to be of much help in killing Raizakia, Lovellian should be able to provide a lot of help when it came to solving the issue in the Samar Rainforest.
“Well then, I’m going to go and sign a contract with Ifrit!” Melkith said cheerfully.
Eugene kindly reminded her, “You can’t be certain you’ll be able to sign a contract with him, right?”
“If it’s me, then I can do it. For some reason, I just have that feeling,” Melkith said before leaping out of the window in the hallway with a confident smile.
Eugene really couldn’t tell why she felt the need to jump out of the window.
* * *
Cyan was at the training grounds.
To think that he hadn’t even considered showing his face, even though his brother had just returned from a trip…. Eugene thought about giving Cyan a punch out of anger, but after seeing Cyan focused on swinging his sword while sweating profusely, Eugene changed his mind.
‘He’s improved a lot.’
There had been a tremendous improvement in Cyan’s skills since the last time Eugene had seen him. His body movements were also impeccable, and his mana control was particularly impressive. He had fully mastered everything that Eugene had taught him a few years ago.
‘In the end, it’s all thanks to my good teaching.’
Eugene felt a sense of pride stir within his chest. He felt like he understood why people decided to raise disciples as they grew older.
Feeling a blatant gaze resting on him, Cyan halted his sword and demanded, “Why do you keep staring at me?”
While taking deep breaths, Cyan spun around to face Eugene.
Seeing Cyan’s cocky appearance, Eugene changed his mind once more. Eugene strode over to Cyan and landed a low kick on Cyan’s thigh.
Cyan let out a cry, “Aaargh!”
Eugene cursed, “You bastard, how dare you not greet your brother on his return!”
“It’s not like it’s been just once or twice that you’ve gone and left the mansion on your own!” Cyan argued.
“No matter what the case might be, if you saw that I’ve returned, you should at least say that you’re glad to see me back!” Eugene lectured.
Cyan felt like he was about to go crazy from frustration. After all, how could Eugene still bear to act so proud when he had left behind such an embarrassing letter about how he was going to find himself? Cyan had thought that Eugene would be too embarrassed to meet his eye, so he had acted out of consideration and just greeted Eugene like he usually would, but now….
“Hand over Geddon’s Shield,” Eugene demanded.
Cyan yelped, “What?”
Eugene repeated himself, “I said, hand over the shield. In any case, you’re not even using it currently.”
“What the hell are you saying after returning home all of a sudden?!” Cyan demanded.
Bam!
Eugene kicked Cyan in the thigh once more. Cyan let out a single cry as he fell before rolling around on the floor.
Eugene growled, “If I say hand it over, then just hand it over!”
Cyan cursed at him, “You crazy bastard, you should at least give me a reason before asking me to hand it over!”
“I need to use it for something,” Eugene explained curtly.
“That’s why I’m asking you; where are you going to use it?!” Cyan screamed.
Eugene didn’t want to make everyone worry by saying something unnecessary, so he had intended to be recklessly forward and rob the shield. However, seeing as how it wasn’t just some ordinary item, Cyan’s resistance was as strong as expected.
In the end, Eugene gave Cyan a rough explanation of why he needed the shield. Without saying anything about Raizakia, Eugene said he needed it to solve a problem that had cropped up in the Samar Rainforest.
“Are you insane?” asked a dumbfounded Cyan. “Why would you get involved in a fight between the natives who live in that forest?”
Eugene shrugged, “A black wizard is up to something, and I’m the Hero, after all.”
After hearing this reply, Cyan was left speechless.
Seeing Cyan’s expression crumple, Eugene continued talking, “Also, it’s not like it doesn't have absolutely anything to do with us.”
Cyan frowned, “What do you mean?”
Eugene explained about the black magic that Eward had cast at the Black Lion Castle and how Hector’s soul had been retrieved by someone. As he listened to the story, Cyan’s face gradually stiffened.
“So what you’re saying is, the black wizard who Hector was contracted to might be reproducing the same black magic that Eward used?” Cyan confirmed once Eugene was finished.
“It’s just a suspicion. Nothing is certain as of yet,” warned Eugene.
Eugene actually thought that this was impossible. Eward was able to do something like that because the Remnants of the Demon Kings were acting together with him.
“Even if it’s just a speculation, that means there’s still a possibility,” Cyan muttered. “Hector was from a collateral bloodline of the Lionhearts, and Eward… was from the main line.”
This was why Eugene hadn’t wanted to say anything. Eugene clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“That’s why I said it’s not like we aren’t completely uninvolved. I’m going to go and check it out, so you don’t have to give it any more thought,” Eugene assured him.
“We need to report this to the Patriarch,” Cyan insisted.
Eugene immediately refused, “If you do that, things will become way too big, you bastard. With the Patriarch’s personality, he will definitely feel a sense of responsibility and mobilize the Lionheart clan’s full power.”
Cyan snorted, “And so what if he does? Isn’t it only natural for him to do so?”
“It’s still uncertain, and it’s something that I’ve decided on my own,” Eugene argued. “Right now, it’s still just my personal problem, so I don’t want to go so far as to mobilize the power of the clan.”
Eugene thought that adding the full power of the clan to their efforts might be a bit too much.
For now, he had already arranged to get the help of two Archwizards of the Eighth Circle, and then there was Eugene himself. There was also an army of the Samar tribes led by the Zoran Tribe. Since the war was something that the tribespeople would be handling in any case, Eugene was determined to target the ringleader and thoroughly destroy any chance of the black magic being successfully cast.
However, if the Lionheart clan’s knightly orders were sent as well, Eugene would no longer be able to do so. When dealing with black magic cast on such a wide range, the knightly orders wouldn’t be able to help but suffer some damage. Eugene didn’t want the Lionheart clan to shed any of their blood in this war.
“Are you being considerate of the Patriarch’s feelings?” Cyan, who had been silent for a few moments, suddenly spoke up.
Cyan’s words had hit the mark.
Eugene admitted the truth, “When that bastard, Eward, went crazy and died, the Patriarch suffered greatly.”
It couldn’t be helped, Eward had still been Gilead’s eldest son.
Eward may have smeared the clan’s name by conspiring to do something that a descendant of the main line should never do and had even actually attempted to overthrow the Lionheart clan. However, no matter what Eward may have thought of his father, Gilead had loved Eward.
The death of his son had caused Gilead much grief. He blamed himself for what Eward had done on the grounds that he had failed to raise his son properly.
The black magic being cast in Samar might or might not have something to do with Eward. However, Eugene didn’t want to force Gilead to face his own son’s death once more by informing him of something that he wasn’t even sure about.
“I’ll lend you Geddon’s Shield,” Cyan said after letting out a long sigh. “But in return, let me go with you as well.”
Eugene cursed, “What did you just say, you bastard?”
“I said that I’m going with you,” Cyan insisted. “Since I think you might be lying, I also want to check things out and see for myself what’s going on in Samar. …If you’re right, then you’re not the only one involved in this matter.”
Cyan had also been in the forest of the Black Lion Castle at that time. After being ambushed by Hector, he was defeated and captured by Eward.
“I am the next Patriarch of the Lionheart clan. If this is an issue that the current Patriarch can’t step forward to deal with, then I’ll check it out in his stead,” Cyan declared.
Eugene warned him, “It might be dangerous.”
Cyan snorted, “So what if it is? Do you not want to take me with you because you think I’ll hold you back like last time? Do what you want because if you don’t take me with you, then I can just go and check it out by myself.”
Cyan was spouting nonsense without any semblance of logic, just one-sided stubbornness. Eugene felt like his own heart was being pricked.
“That’s right, this is how it must have felt,” Eugene muttered as his expression twisted into a scowl.
To think that Eugene would actually end up sympathizing with the feelings that his comrades must have felt back then, three hundred years ago….
He honestly didn’t want to bring Cyan with him. However, he thought that Cyan’s words also had some truth to them, but at the same time, Eugene also felt that he didn’t want to bring Cyan to such a dangerous battlefield.
‘But that’s just my own selfish desire.’
Back in the snowfields, when Cyan and Ciel had been ordered to retreat first after they were attacked by Noir Giabella, Anise had said this to Eugene, who was feeling sympathy for the twins who were suffering from a sense of shame.
—The times do not flow as we wish. The humans that live through these times are weak and light, so they have no choice but to get carried away in this huge flow. That goes especially for those twins, who are Vermouth’s descendants. As long as they still bear the Lionheart name, they have no choice but to stand at the forefront of the upheaval in this era.
—When that time comes, will they walk into the light of fire? Or perhaps… will they eventually decide to abandon everything and run away? Hamel, that isn’t something that you can decide for them. A man’s destiny is something that he must decide for himself.
—If you really do care for your siblings, then don’t treat them like children. Respect their decisions.
There was no real need for Cyan to insist on following them. He could have just left it up to Eugene. However, Cyan had dared to say something like this because he felt a clear sense of responsibility.
“Alright, I get it,” Eugene sighed, unwilling to break Cyan’s spirit.
Within Cyan’s stubbornness and pushy attitude, Eugene saw his own appearance from three hundred years ago.
“That’s good,” Cyan said with a laugh as he started getting up. “If you weren’t willing to bring me with you, I would have reported this matter to the Patriarch.”
“This son of a bitch,” Eugene cursed and landed another low kick on Cyan’s thigh just as the latter got to his feet.
Hamel from three hundred years ago hadn’t been that petty.
Or at least that’s what Eugene sincerely thought.
