Chapter 152 : Chapter 152

Chapter 152 - Great Sorcery Archives

The clone son, riding a Red-blooded Griffin, landed in the garden of Edwin's mansion in D-District.

Along with the Griffin's size, the wind created by its moving wings caused the leaves in the garden to fall in a flurry.

It looked like an invasion in broad daylight, but unlike last time, he hadn't come in secret today.

“Oh, Fifth Son-nim!”

“Inform Associate Councilor Edwin-nim that the Fifth Son-nim has arrived!”

The people in D-District, at least those working in this mansion, knew the Fifth Son.

The guards informed the mansion's servants, and the servants hurriedly informed their master.

“F-Fifth Son-nim. What brings you all the way here again.”

“There are prying eyes, so let's talk inside.”

“Of course.”

Putting the Griffin in the spatial artifact, the clone son followed Edwin to his study.

The room of a councilor preparing for an election after declaring his candidacy was filled with all sorts of documents.

On a completely empty wooden wall panel, the relationship chart of other councilors and their connections was organized like a spiderweb.

“You're working hard.”

“Indeed. It would be my loss if my head flies off while I'm just playing around, wouldn't it.”

The clone son watched Edwin, who was preparing tea himself, for a moment.

I felt sorry for the hardworking councilor, but there was news I had to deliver.

“The situation has changed.”

“What situation are you talking about?”

“Everything.”

“…Pardon?”

There was a lot to talk about.

From the First Son's declaration of war at yesterday's banquet to the identity of the person right in front of Edwin.

Regarding what would happen next, the main body intended to head to the Ash Mountains to eliminate the root of the conflict.

In the meantime, the First Son would invade Dusk Citadel as he had declared and had no intention of leaving anything alive.

Even though I had only spoken in general terms, Edwin's mouth was agape and unmoving.

“If what you say is true… why did the First Son-nim try to place Hinek in the chairman's seat?”

“Because back then, he didn't know what was at the summit of the Ash Mountains.”

For the First Son, the citadel was probably just a means to procure equipment or funds for his high-grade Undead Private Soldiers.

But he saw the Magic Dragon at the summit of the mountains and felt the difference in class.

He began to crave power and even discovered an undeniable blood relative in the Youngest Son.

Furthermore, his ambition to bring the Five Families under his heel had ignited the fuse of his fighting spirit.

The main body, having realized that far, had let out a hollow laugh, saying he never thought he would be experimenting with his influence in a place like this.

“The First Son intends to use Dusk Citadel as a factory for his Undead Private Soldiers. To defeat the monster at the summit of the mountains.”

“Does that mean he plans to use all the citizens of the citadel as materials…?”

“Most likely.”

“Heo….”

Instinctively putting a hand to his forehead, Edwin collapsed onto the sofa.

The strength in his legs gave out, and he couldn't possibly stand.

The clone son also took the two teacups he had brought and sat opposite him.

“I know your mind is in turmoil, but you need to snap out of it quickly. We have to prepare for the invasion.”

“…How can that be possible? The citadel is right before an election, and the internal strife is more severe than ever.”

The clone son nodded, enjoying the aroma of the tea.

That statement was correct, but it wasn't as if we had nothing to put forward.

“The main body is a genius at killing two birds with one stone.”

Edwin looked up at the clone for a moment, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity at the word ‘main body’.

The being who had introduced himself as a clone of the Youngest Son stood up with his teacup and walked to the outer wall.

The relationship chart of councilors that Edwin had created was in a better state than before.

This was because with the Fourth Son's support, two of the five councilors, including the associate councilor, had raised their hands in his favor.

“There are some obstructive individuals, but their power has weakened significantly.”

“Because those who could have been a force were all wiped out for ‘some’ reason.”

“Right. Then the only thing they can put forward is their original, existing forces. What is the situation with these forces?”

“The families they were using as private soldiers have pulled out, and with the sudden increase in work, there are many complaints. They must be physically tired as well.”

The clone son nodded and conveyed the main body's thoughts.

“Internal strife isn't a difficult condition only for us. It's the same for the opponent, and we even have more councilors on our side.”

Next to the relationship chart was a map of Dusk Citadel.

At the center of the citadel was the administrative district, including Pandemonium Hall, and on the outskirts were districts A-Z.

As Edwin stared blankly at the bloodshot eyes looking at it, his mouth felt dry for some reason.

“…Are you planning to start a civil war?”

The corner of the clone son's mouth lifted.

“We don't even need a civil war. We need a shield anyway. Also, given the First Son's personality, he'll break through here, P-District, which is closest to Pandemonium Hall, first.”

“Yes, yes. On election day, the Chairman-nim will also be in Pandemonium Hall, so P-District will indeed be the fastest route.”

“Then we must concentrate our forces around P-District. More accurately, we must concentrate their forces.”

The Youngest Son's bloodshot eyes scanned the map.

There were various districts between D-District and P-District, but that path was through the districts of allied councilors.

“From here in D-District to near the P-District boundary line, send a lot of empty boxes.”

“…Empty boxes?”

“Yes. Use D-District's forces as an escort, set up a warehouse, and stack the boxes there.”

In an atmosphere like this, where internal strife had become frequent, such boxes were enough to stimulate the imagination.

A situation where boxes of unknown contents were piling up around one's district.

Was there any powerful person who would just watch that happen?

“Unlike us, the councilors near P-District will stack up real firearms, and they will gather forces to counter D-District's elite personnel.”

“Th-then when the First Son-nim invades in the future, their forces will be used too!”

“Not just used, they'll be shattered.”

Facing the Undead Knight Legion at its strongest, it would be a living hell.

The First Son, who had come with a vengeance, would surely not hide his power from the start.

“Also, if we repeat this empty box process from P-District to near Pandemonium Hall, the forces of those councilors will be as good as gone.”

“I understand. Then how do you plan to stop the First Son-nim?”

“The main body has chosen Pandemonium Hall as the stage.”

Pandemonium Hall. The center of Dusk Citadel.

It was definitely not as much as the Pantheon or Eclipse, but it was a land with a decent amount of natural yin energy.

“And he left that to me.”

“Th-this is impertinent of me to say, but isn't a clone's combat power lower than the main body's?”

“Correct. I'm about five times weaker than the main body.”

This was an indicator without Enad and the Six Paths.

But Six Paths or not, the listener's shoulders slumped.

“…That's not a very hopeful figure.”

“My goal isn't to beat the First Son anyway. I just have to hold out until the main body finishes his business in the Ash Mountains and returns.”

For that, there was something he needed.

“I need a medium that can contain a high-grade curse and detonate it at will.”

“How much do you need?”

“As much as possible. Think of it as increasing your chances of survival the more you get.”

“I-I understand.”

“And prepare the Magitech weapons your forces use as well.”

***

The gray Ghost Ship flying over the Pantheon stopped.

The weather in the Pantheon was always murky, but around the Great Sorcery Archives, it was even gloomy.

A book that contained everything from the birth of a single sorcery to its advanced processes and applications was a Demonic Object in itself.

Nevertheless, this was always a place where sorcerers gathered.

Reading sometimes led to debates, and it was also perfect for finding reference books for research.

It was common for sorcerers from recognized families to set up house here as if they were ghosts.

Not as smelly as them, but the Youngest Son, wearing a black robe, disembarked from the Ghost Ship.

The door to the Great Sorcery Archives was an identical stone doorframe on neatly laid stone tiles.

There was no door, only a doorframe, and this was the gate leading to the Great Sorcery Archives.

The Great Sorcery Archives was definitely in the eastern territory, but no one actually knew where it was.

Only the Family Head knew, and family members could only go there through this dimensional gate.

It was the same for the Youngest Son, but it was possible to add a little trick.

“Enad. Suffer for a moment.”

[Suffer what?]

Suuuuk─

I stepped through the dimensional gate.

Huge, castle-wall-like dark brown bookshelves were lined up, and just as many desks were arrayed below.

Only a slight murmur could be heard amidst the lights turned on just enough to read.

“What is this…”

Enad touched the robed body.

I could move the body freely even though the Youngest Son hadn't handed it over.

The magic sword immediately realized the reason.

“…This space isn't normal either.”

To prevent any stray thoughts other than reading as much as possible, the body became closer to a spirit.

The sorcerers in the library could float up if they wanted and freely read the books on the ceiling.

So, separated from the Fifth Son's body and becoming a separate entity─

“This is your first time here.”

“……”

A woman wearing a large pointed hat approached without a sound.

“I am the librarian of the Great Sorcery Archives. I will test you to see if you have the authority to view this knowledge.”

“Ah.”

Enad rubbed his temples.

I’d been had again.

.

.

.

Sorry, Enad.

The bait, used out of habit, had successfully lured the opponent.

Having quietly slipped away as soon as he set foot in the archives, he explored the knowledge, avoiding the librarian's gaze.

“The curse section should be around here.”

The further I went towards the bookshelf I remembered, the more dust had accumulated.

Unlike the quack sorcerers outside Millesdusk, curses didn't hold much attraction for the family's sorcerers.

Even among sorcerers, curses were widely perceived as a secondary weapon, and the Four Sorcery Orders were superior in both power and efficiency.

Furthermore, the Four Sorcery Orders could only be properly learned with a teacher.

Naturally, a gap in class was created with street sorcerers from the start.

“At this rate, I won't even need a hood.”

With almost no people around, I took off the cumbersome hood.

The deeper I went past the bookshelves, the more high-grade curse books began to show their faces one by one.

Among them, there was something I wanted.

A scale large enough to face the huge Magic Dragon.

Power enough to pierce the Magic Dragon's scales, a natural armor.

The Youngest Son walked between the bookshelves, practicing creating a curse and a blood stream in one hand simultaneously.

The completion speed of the blood stream magic circle gradually increased, and I could create several low-grade curses without difficulty.

‘One low-grade curse per second. Not at a level to spam yet.’

Still, it was a very fast rate of development.

Since the body itself was accustomed to blood, the acquisition of related things was also fast.

But breaking the sub-one-second record was difficult─

“Too soft.”

“……”

A voice from the darkness between the bookshelves.

The bloodshot eyes pierced through the darkness, but strangely, nothing could be seen.

It was as if the darkness itself was speaking, and not a single hair of a person was in sight.

Nevertheless, the voice continued.

“A curse is the materialization of the destructive instinct to kill and bring down the opponent, infused into magic power. But the Youngest Son-nim's curse is soft.”

“If it's soft, how was the curse completed?”

“It's because some other instinct is taking its place. In my opinion, it seems to be the survival instinct.”

“…Who are you?”

The voice chuckled from the darkness.

“You need not worry about an old man like me. What's important is that in your current state, it will be difficult for you to reach your desired realm.”

The Youngest Son narrowed his bloodshot eyes.

Was there an NPC like this in the Great Sorcery Archives?

I stared intently in the direction of the voice, but there was still only darkness.

The eyes of a noble of the night could see everything in the dark, after all.

This meant the owner of the voice was hiding his form in some way.

A race specialized in being born in darkness and hiding in darkness.

A stranger who spoke to me while hidden here in the Great Sorcery Archives where no one cared about each other.

“Do vampire bloodlines learn curses these days?”

“……”

For an instant, a red glow the size of a fingernail flashed in the darkness.

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