7. Jealousy is my strength (43)
Silence fell again at the top of the bell tower.
Princess Iris’ confession was over, but I couldn’t open my mouth for a while.
No, it might be more appropriate to say that he didn’t even have the heart to comment or point out.
It was truly a madman’s idea. Every vision has its own school, and therefore the way to use magical power and the direction of martial arts pursued were also different.
Of course, it was normal to receive instruction from masters of each school over several years.
Even I have experienced countless failures when learning ‘diffraction’. Although it exceeded that limit in the process of crossing the line of death, normally it would be a skill that could be used after several more years of training.
However, learning the vision at random without careful guidance?
The end was obvious.
ruin.
After hesitating for a while, I made up my mind and decided to pour out my honest impressions.
“Are you crazy, Your Highness? That’s just an absurd theory that has no value… Vision is not a skill that can be learned haphazardly. It takes years to learn properly! “
“Yes. Everyone thought so… Until one day an exception pops up.”
Waves of intense emotion rippled in the eyes of the woman as she stepped forward.
Those eyes staring at me resembled a gourmet who was about to eat delicious food. Feeling burdened, I slightly averted my gaze, but I couldn’t avoid even the breath heating my neck.
Princess Iris’ lips drew a dark line.
“… … Ian Perkus, you.”
I groaned and closed my eyes tightly.
I wanted Princess Iris to show special interest in me.
If it was just to get Shien to become a disciple of the Archwitch, I didn’t have to put in this much effort. To put it bluntly, the first prince, Vilteon, who was said to be in competition with Iris, was a car that did not even show his face to me.
On the other hand, Princess Iris ran into me twice.
And even sending Alpenhauser’s twins, called henchmen, to the academy to make contact with me.
It would have been impossible if I hadn’t been interested.
Actually, the interest of the beautiful woman was willing in some way. However, the fact that the interest is originating from a ridiculous plan is painful to the bone.
I have to get my feet out somehow.
Even as I made this decision, Princess Iris continued to speak excitedly like a child.
“It was like finding a lost treasure in the mud! The possibility that I believed in my heart has become a reality!”
“Your Highness, it’s still too dangerous.”
I said that with the utmost calm.
Princess Iris was looking at me with sparkling eyes. It was a gaze full of interest, but of a different kind.
It is not a human eye.
Rather, it was closer to the eyes looking at the tools or works of art made by craftsmen.
Even so, it was comforting that he was willing to listen to my opinion.
“As you already know, I am a very special case. Of course, regardless of school, I learned several visions in a short period of time. However, after overcoming the risk of death countless times, I was lucky enough to acquire it. Most of them will die in the process… … .”
“does not matter.”
It was a clear answer.
It was also a lively tone that made it impossible to see the cold appearance before. Although the implication of that short answer was so frightening.
“Anyway, you mean it’s possible?”
“Not one out of hundreds may survive.”
“Then you can put in thousands.”
It was a very calm tone.
For a moment, I wondered if my ears were wrong.
A minimum of talent was required to master the vision. Wasn’t I also one of the brilliant students who entered the academy?
Would you replace thousands of talented warriors like this?
A visceral reluctance wriggled in his stomach. Following the emotion that flickered like a black tongue, my mouth erupted with anger.
“Are human lives a joke? How many thousands… thousands! Not even one of them could survive!”
“Ian Perkus… So you said You have to have the eyes of the powerful.”
A cold sneer formed on the lips of Princess Iris, who had regained her composure before she knew it.
No, should I call that cold?
I followed behind Iris with a confused look. The princess approached the railing again and pointed at the scenery on the ground.
“Now look. Those countless dots! Each of those dots is a life… Is life funny? You’re welcome! In order to efficiently deal with so many lives, to choose the best move, you have to have a wide field of vision! By the way, investing thousands of people to make one master?”
While grinding her teeth, Princess Iris leaned against the railing with a nervous look on her face.
It seems like there were a lot of people who made the same point as me.
“any amount! The value of one master is nothing compared to the lives of thousands of people.”
“You are crazy.”
It was a word he uttered while shaking his head.
I decided to turn my back. It was a story that didn’t need to be told any more.
Who would cooperate with such a crazy plan?
There was a reason His Majesty the Emperor didn’t pay much attention. The pinnacle of imperial power would not be comfortable enough to match the nonsense.
It was a structure in which Princess Iris had no choice but to know better than anyone else about the ‘Imperial Family’s Secret Wish’.
Neither the emperor nor the swordsman would have paid any attention.
Thousands of people died, and even the remaining one had no idea how much pain they would have to endure.
No one with sane ethics would agree.
That was just before I climbed the ladder leading to the temple.
“… … To create a master, you need the vision of a master.”
My steps stopped abruptly.
I was just listening to all the nonsense anyway. I was in the mood to listen to something else.
Regardless, Princess Iris was staring at me with cold eyes. I spread my fan and covered my mouth.
“There is an unfathomable gap between the master and the other unmanned. It means that in order to reach a master, you need some realization. It is qualitatively different from the enlightenment of those who have not reached it… … .”
“Is that why you covet the archwitch’s vision?”
“Rumor has it that for those who have mastered the Archwitch’s vision, there is nothing that cannot be sundered and nothing that cannot be hindered. Wouldn’t that be a good first step towards making a ‘made god’?”
“gibberish.”
I was about to leave the bell tower after that one word, but somehow I couldn’t relieve my anger, so I hesitated.
“Then did you mean to use Highness Shien as that tool? Become the Archwitch’s disciple and join her foolish plans?”
“it can not?”
“Let’s not face each other in the future.”
At the same time, I slowly removed my cloak and showed the hatchet on my waist.
“… … If you don’t want to be beaten to death.”
It was the last warning he vomited while scratching his vocal chords.
I strode down the ladder, and Princess Iris’s voice resounded like an echo.
“If you need help, look for the ‘crow’! Because in our hands, there are already more visions than you can imagine… … .”
‘Crow’.
It meant the Imperial Intelligence Service. However, to the point of saying that on purpose, it seemed that there was an organization that Princess Iris was using as a separate limb.
It was a fitting name.
Like the crows gathered in the nests of those who see something shiny, it must mean that they covet visions from all over the continent.
Of course, it was a sound that didn’t even feed me.
Because, the vision of the great witch that Princess Iris wanted so much was already in my hands.
‘Kyeol(結) and Hae(解)’.
He could never hand it over to Princess Iris.
**
Another member of the royal family was waiting for me to shake off Princess Iris.
It was a swordsman wearing a girl’s mask.
As soon as the girl heard me, she immediately screamed.
“No, let’s postpone sparring?!”
“I found the vampire’s stronghold. Of course, public affairs should not come first.”
“Isn’t that enough for that old woman to go alone!”
The swordsman must have been looking forward to fighting with me, so he pointed at the Archwitch with a voice like that.
Coincidentally, the Archwitch was talking to Shien. Shien tried hard to please the Archwitch by mobilizing even the ‘dragon’s eye’, but there was no way she could read the psychology of the strong man who had reached the Master.
In the end, Shien had to please the Archwitch with an awkward smile.
On the other hand, the archwitch’s expression was calm. It was to the point where he couldn’t figure out what the hell he was talking about with the princess.
Hmmm, I asked, swallowing my saliva.
“What are you two talking about?”
“Now, until I turn around… ok, that’s it After listening to it for a while, it seemed like they were talking about ‘dragon’s blood’.”
‘Dragon blood’.
Come to think of it, I remembered hearing that word somewhere else. Somehow, it felt like a corner of my head was tickling.
But there wasn’t much time left to ponder.
It was because the Archwitch, who had just finished talking with the princess, glanced at me. Without saying a word, I approached the Archwitch.
“Did you finish talking to him?”
“It was a story not worth hearing. I just cared about it.”
Despite my callous reaction, the Archwitch only smiled and said, “Heh.”
“yes? The imperial family has been famous for doing a lot of strange things since ancient times… When money and power overflow, it seems that the desire to do so sometimes boils over.”
“No matter what, criticism of the imperial family in front of imperial nobles… … .”
“Tsk tsk, I am the one who said a word in front of the previous emperor. Do you have anything to hold back from now?”
At a loss for words, I had no choice but to scratch my head.
Hey, even the princesses of the world had to respond with their bodies trembling, the great witch. On the one hand, I was able to understand Princess Iris’s feelings for defining ‘Master’ as a dangerous being.
If left like this, she would even burst into tears, so I decided to rescue the poor princess.
“His Highness Shien, may I ask you to take care of Seria?”
“Yes Yes… … ?”
“Because Seria passed out. As you know, isn’t the atmosphere in the academy gloomy lately? I wanted someone I could trust to take care of me… … .”
It didn’t take long for the princess’s face to turn red.
Light gray eyes began to liven up, and then Shien nodded with sparkling eyes.
The fact that he had been asked to do so seemed very happy.
“Yes Yes! Just leave it to us! I will faithfully follow Sir Ian’s instructions… … !”
“No, as far as the instructions are concerned… … .”
“Then let’s go!”
As always, the princess finished her words and ran like that.
He probably didn’t even know that I was considerate of the princess.
I let out a light sigh and glanced at the last remaining person.
“Swordsmith, would you like to follow me?”
“Hey, that’s it!”
It was a flat refusal.
Seeing that, the Archwitch couldn’t hide her laughter.
“You must be upset.”
“You didn’t pout!”
“Ah, are you upset?”
“Well, I didn’t pout!”
If left as it is, the swordsman would burst into anger, so the Archwitch and I had to get out of the temple as if we were being kicked out.
Even in the midst of this, the Archwitch couldn’t stand the laughter that burst out.
“Puh, cu cu cu cu cu cu cu! How can you be so childish at such an old age!”
“It’s terrible.”
“That’s why I deliberately put on the girl’s body. Wouldn’t it be less ugly if it looked good?”
I couldn’t help but exclaim at the archwitch’s words.
Are you looking at the big picture?
Indeed, the depth of insight of the master who has lived for hundreds of years was different.
But who knew.
It didn’t take a few hours until he regretted his decision not to bring a swordsman.
Because the ‘vampire’ was waiting for us.