Chapter 94: Fate (3)
In the back alley of the island, where darkness began to fall.
Evan looked at his gauntlet.
The divine artifact, Astraphe.
The mark that Evan received from the great being was shining with a different light than before.
A huge change had occurred in Astraphe since Evan passed the trial given by the great being.
Evan let out a heavy sigh as he looked at Astraphe, which had turned into a dark color.
“…Ah.”
The appearance of Astraphe, which glowed from his arm, looked more intense than ever.
And that was not the only change that happened to Evan.
After losing his divine power and inheriting the power of God, he had been constantly using the power of lightning.
There was also some kind of change in the power of lightning that he wielded.
The blue flash that always wrapped around Evan’s hand was now filled with black darkness.
Black lightning that gave a creepy feeling just by looking at it.
The black lightning that spread every time he used his power made him realize that he had become much stronger than before.
Sparks of black color caught Evan’s eye as Eutenia, who was next to him, turned the page and spoke to him.
“It looks like you passed the trial safely.”
Trial.
As soon as he heard Eutenia’s words, a brief memory came back to Evan’s mind.
In a dark space where lightning struck, he had to keep swinging his lightning.
Cutting off the falling lightning with Astraphe’s lightning.
That was the trial given to Evan.
Cutting off the lightning was not an easy task.
The falling thunderbolts were far beyond the speed that human eyes could measure.
Moreover, it was frequent that the lightning and the lightning would cancel each other out when they collided.
“It seems so. It took me quite a while to get out though.”
That’s why Evan had to create black lightning with his own hands in there.
A thunderbolt that was heavier and stronger than the existing lightning.
Only with that could he cut off the falling lightning completely.
And soon he succeeded in creating black lightning.
It seemed to Evan that it took him quite a while to succeed, though.
Maybe it was because he was alone in a dark space, but it was hard to gauge the concept of time.
“It didn’t take longer than I expected.”
“How long did it take?”
“About half a day at most?”
Half a day, huh?
Evan nodded at Eutenia’s words.
If she said so, maybe he got out faster than he thought.
The result he got in half a day was quite satisfying, too.
Besides, the ability he gained by changing Astraphe was not only black lightning.
He also gained an ability that would be helpful someday, even if he didn’t have a chance to use it right now.
“What was my state like while I was in the trial?”
While he was doing the trial, he was also curious about what his condition was like.
Evan asked Eutenia about his appearance for half a day.
Eutenia smiled faintly and answered Evan’s question.
“You were sitting in your seat with a blank expression.”
“That doesn’t sound very pleasant.”
“It’s okay. I was watching over you so that you wouldn’t die from a surprise attack.”
“…That’s not what I meant.”
Evan tried to say something to Eutenia, but soon gave up and adjusted Astraphe’s position.
There were many things that didn’t communicate well with people like Eutenia, who were important figures in the order.
It was either because of the environment they grew up in or because their original personalities were twisted.
But when he talked to them, Evan felt like he was getting influenced by their tendencies too.
What was changing Evan more than God’s power was human influence.
They say that your position makes you who you are.
Living as God’s apostle made him feel like he was becoming a human being worthy of that role.
“What are you thinking about?”
As Evan thought about that, Eutenia, who held the bookshelf, asked him.
It wasn’t something to talk about in front of her.
Evan shook his head right away.
And then he changed the topic to the plan.
“It’s nothing. Anyway, what are you going to do about the plan?”
“I couldn’t hear much about Elbon around here. Most of them seem to disguise themselves or send out their disciples.”
“Did you hear anything about his recent whereabouts?”
“They said he caused a commotion at a bar about a week ago… but after that, no one has seen him. Maybe he’s being careful.”
Evan pondered over the information about his target.
It would be better if he could meet Elbon outside if possible, but if that was difficult, he would have to lure Elbon out or enter the tower.
According to the information he heard from the informant, Elbon was very fond of his disciple.
He even gave his surname to his disciple, who was from a commoner background.
If he contacted Elbon while holding his disciple, he might get some kind of reaction.
Evan made a decision and told Eutenia.
“Let’s go with catching his disciple who goes out. That seems better.”
“Is that so?”
“Even if something goes wrong with the plan, the disciple can at least substitute for Elbon’s role to some extent.”
Enia Claude was Elbon’s disciple.
As a disciple of the sage, she must have inherited a lot of knowledge from her master.
She might not be as experienced as her master, but she had some skills of her own.
She could be used as a substitute for Elbon depending on the situation.
That was what it meant.
If that was impossible, then he would have to look for another alchemist.
Eutenia, who heard the plan from Evan, turned the page and replied.
“That’s the plan, huh? I got it.”
“I’ll leave the handling of the disciple to you. I’m counting on you.”
Of course, it was Eutenia’s role to deal with the mage.
Eutenia accepted her role without a word.
“Most of them are my responsibility. I’ll be busy for a while.”
“That’s why the great one uses you as the first apostle.”
“I don’t mind such praise.”
“Then let’s proceed with the plan as it is.”
Evan finished his conversation with Eutenia and took out a cigarette from his pocket.
He didn’t have this habit from the beginning.
It was a habit he acquired after joining the order.
He put the cigarette in his mouth and moved his gauntlet to grab the end of it.
Then he raised his magic and moved the power of the artifact.
“——Astraphe.”
Crackle.
A short spark and smoke rose from Evan’s cigarette.
***
Almost ten days had passed since the commotion at the bar.
Enia’s master was annoyed by the interrogation at the tower and avoided going out, and the priest who had been talking to him was also punished at the temple.
It was because he had a quarrel with the sage while he was drunk.
Both the sage and the cleric were now stuck in their own places and didn’t come out.
That made Enia have to go out alone for a while.
The herb shop that she and her master often visited was also a destination for Enia alone this time.
She had a hard time choosing herbs while feeling her master’s absence until she left the store.
“Thank you again today. Please send my regards to the sage.”
“I’ll be going now!”
Enia barely organized the herbs she had chosen and paid the gold and left the store.
In Enia’s hand was a basket filled with herbs.
Being a mage didn’t mean that he was free from carrying things.
No matter how great a mage he was, if he didn’t have a magic tool that could store space, he had to carry it himself.
Enia walked with a basket full of contents in her hand toward the tower.
The basket in her hand felt heavier than usual today.
“Why did you have to fight in such a place, master.”
If her master had been there, he would have given her a scolding and put an energizing potion in her mouth.
He was her master who had no experience in combat but had amazing skills in alchemy.
Enia also drank his potions every day and stayed up all night to learn more from him.
That’s why she tried hard to learn more from Elbon under him.
Enia continued to express her regret for her master as she checked that there was no one around.
“I told you not to do that, but you didn’t listen to me. It’s true that all geniuses are weirdos.”
It was always Enia’s job to stop Elbon’s mouth.
But she couldn’t completely stop him, and she had to listen to most of his stories by herself.
He would be such a nice person if he just kept his mouth quiet and had a gentle personality.
Enia made such an empty thought as she turned around the corner of the street.
It was a corner that Enia and Elbon often used because it was easy to get into the tower.
It was also a place where there were no problems with security because it was located in the back of the market.
“Master is really… But why is there no one here today?”
As she turned around the corner, Enia felt a sense of incongruity and looked around.
Usually, there were quite a lot of people behind the market too.
It was because there were vendors who laid out their mats on the street and merchants who solicited customers.
But today, for some reason, it was empty.
As Enia tilted her head and walked forward, she heard a voice from the roof of the corner where she was walking.
“Hello?”
Enia turned her head toward the voice she heard.
On the roof where a sweet voice rose, there was a girl in a robe sitting there.
In the girl’s hand was a large book that looked expensive.
It was an unfamiliar face that wasn’t in Enia’s memory.
She greeted Enia suddenly.
Enia accepted the greeting with a bewildered voice.
“Uh… hello?”
“Are you Enia Claude? I’m looking for the disciple of the sage Elbon Claude.”
“I am Enia, but… why are you looking for me?”
The girl in front of her seemed to be looking for Enia.
And she knew that Enia was her master’s disciple.
It was a suspicious story to anyone’s eyes.
Enia had no choice but to question the girl who looked friendly.
Enia put down the basket she was holding in one hand.
And she moved her hand to the wand on her waist, ready to respond at any time.
She looked at the girl who was smiling and made a logical deduction.
“If you need to talk to him, you can go to him directly.”
“It would be troublesome if I go without an appointment.”
“Then I’ll report to him first, and then make an appointment later——.”
“That would be a bit difficult. You have to come with us.”
As Enia tried to say the next word.
The girl interrupted Enia’s words.
Thud.
Enia ripped the wand from her belt and pointed it at the girl.
A bright light flickered at the tip of the wand aimed at the opponent.
Enia, who had prepared the magic wand, frowned and spoke in a sharp tone.
“You should watch your mouth.”
“You seem confident.”
“You must think I’m easy because I learned alchemy, but I also graduated from the combat magic course. You better run if you don’t want to get hurt.”
If she couldn’t avoid a clash, she had to fight.
Enia, who had made that decision, glanced around.
She checked if there was anyone else hiding nearby.
Between the alleys. On the rooftops. And at the corner of the street.
Enia’s eyes scanned and passed over the places where people could be.
Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone around.
Enia, who was relieved, looked back at the girl who was still holding the magic wand.
Right after that.
Swoosh.
The page of the book that the girl was holding turned over.
“It would be boring to just take you away, so let’s test your skills first.”
That was the signal that marked the beginning of everything.
Shadows burst out from all directions along with the sound of the page turning.
The shadows that flowed out in an instant blurred like covering the eyes.
The shadows that covered the floor continued to multiply and began to draw grass and trees.
A world of shadows filled with darkness and gloom.
In it, the girl looked down at Enia with a haughty face.
“…”
Enia blinked her eyes several times at the sight she faced for the first time.
But all she could see was gloom.
Darkness. Shadows. Light. And darkness again.
The world was covered in black and white.
Only two people stood in it.
The girl who did not lose her colors and Enia who lost all her light.
Enia’s eyes looked at her own palm that had faded in color.
“Ah–.”
Thump.
With that memory as the last, Enia’s vision went dark.
