479 – A Story from Afar, The Magician of the Military Country
From Noble mtl dot com
The fallen comet. The worst genius born from the military country’s ideology.
Despite the grandiose titles and descriptions given, Erzebut felt a deep unease.
The reason is simple. It’s because I heard the name Lankart for the first time.
“Never heard that name before. Is it someone famous from a certain region? Unfortunately, I don’t bother remembering even insignificant people like informants.”
To call Erzebut, a historical genius born in a militaristic nation with about 30 years of history, a mere fledgling magician compared to the human figures he encountered is like comparing a drop of blood to authority, a law derived from history. Not even in Erzebut’s consideration as the representative of his region. There’s no reason for Erzebut to remember novice magicians like those occasionally mentioned in history books.
Rather than getting angry at being ignored, Lankart seemed more puzzled.
“Insignificant? Are you talking about me?”
“Of course. Magicians may believe they are special… still, just one of the many magicians trampled underfoot. It’s quite pathetic for someone who thinks highly of himself.”
Proud, but Elder deserves that attitude. Erzebut mocked the self-important magician, but Lankart grinned and retorted.
“But you, in the end, submit to the trends and follow the ‘Right Hand,’ don’t you?”
Right Hand?
Erzebut chuckled at the unfamiliar title he heard for the first time in his life. As he said, Erzebut was right-handed. You could tell just by looking at the hand holding the fan. However, what the magician referred to as the Right Hand didn’t necessarily mean the hand most frequently used. Erzebut asked.
“What does ‘Right Hand’ mean?”
“The mainstream. Trends. Atmosphere. Or power. It doesn’t matter what you think. In the end, you’re a person who ‘follows.’ Whether you were born Right-Handed or made that way, it doesn’t matter.”
It was an incomprehensible utterance. Well, magicians delve into their own mental worlds to an extreme degree. Erzebut neither understood nor needed to understand such eccentric thoughts. With determination to kill him, Erzebut reached out his right hand. The hand holding the crimson fan touched the realm of unique magic.
At that moment, Erzebut vaguely recalled the past.
She was a noble of a past kingdom. Nobles should properly learn manners and posture. Parents who had children even hired tutors and rigorously educated them on etiquette.
“Erzebut, you’re truly perfect.”
“There’s nothing to teach me.”
“If my children could follow even half of you…”
Erzebut was the model student among model students. Everyone praised and envied her. Among them were left-handed individuals.
“Hey! How many times do I have to tell you not to use the wrong hand!”
“I guess I should tie my hands completely!”
The inferior students who clumsily handled their right hands, the hand they should primarily use, and therefore couldn’t keep up with the lessons. Misfits from the start.
It’s not like I can live as a left-handed person just because my left hand is more skillful. If I use my left hand at the dining table, I’ll clash with right-handed people, and it will be difficult for me to write and read.
Above all, being different from others is a significant reason for exclusion. Instead of living like that, it’s better to fix myself and present myself to the world.
One by one, the left-handed people disappeared, and the newly created right-handed people took their place. Erzgebirge sympathized and scorned those who stood at the starting point after a long time and effort. Far ahead of them.
Erzgebirge was a born right-handed person. Always a right-handed person. Instead of going against the mainstream, she took the lead and took advantage of it, proudly embracing that fact.
“In a world you don’t understand, the world turns to the right.”
Suddenly, the voice of a magician echoed in her ears as she recalled the past.
“Even the universe seen by a mediocre sage. The sapling that grew the tree of evil. Or simply the human figure that uses the right hand. I just make sure the right side is chosen, and everything turns there. Why is that? Is it because it’s superior? No, that’s not true. Left and right are only different in direction, they are completely the same.”
“In the realm of livestock…”
Within Lankart’s unique magic, blood and wind were swirling. Erzgebirge shot out her vitality as if to devour it in a whirlpool. The vitality that rose from the tangent tried to devour Lankart by rising against the unique magic.
“But, even though they should be equal, why did the left disappear and only the right remain? The reason is simple.”
Whether Elder aimed for his life or vitality tried to swallow his body, Lankart continued his explanation without concern.
“It’s because there are more right-handed people.”
Erzgebirge’s new form was embedded in the wall of the windmill. The circulation of blood that drew a circle broke through one side of the windmill and collapsed with a crash.
The windmill lost its support and collapsed. The gears twisted, and a massive machinery fell over Lankart’s head.
Even in the midst of that, Lankart remained calm.
“Right-handed people and left-handed people clash and vanish. As they pair up and disappear one by one over a long period of time, only right-handed people remain in the end. Why? Because there are more of them. It’s a phenomenon of deficit survival. Even the magnificent nature eventually passes down only the rules of the surviving ones.”
Thunk, thunk, thunk. Even the falling debris barely grazed Lankart’s body. The whirlpool surrounding him protected Lankart from all sorts of attacks, from above and below. Lankart leisurely clenched his right hand and looked down at Erzgebirge.
“My unique magic, the world of right-handed people, destroys and eliminates all left sides according to those rules. The whirlpool is just the result. In the world of right-handed people, I am a god. You, who have hitched a ride on the flow, can’t even touch the hem of my clothes.”
Erzebut was a coward who followed the trend and clung to the strong, according to Lancart and his unique magic. Lancart and his golem were laughing heartily at the painfully obvious fact. Erzebut, whose pride was hurt by this harsh truth, shouted again, his blood boiling.
“Just trembling with one golem! Even if you’re soaked in blood from head to toe, can you still babble the same way?”
Erzebut folded the paper noisily and twisted it with both hands. Blood flowed out of the twisted paper like a dry towel. He intended to fill the space with his blood if his power couldn’t reach it.
Lancart licked his lips as he saw the increasing bloodlust.
“Tsk. I kindly explained it as an Elder… You’re backward in both time and effort to understand. That’s why commoners can’t do it. Even if they’re Elders, they’re still commoners. No, worse. Commoners who haven’t died or disappeared.”
There are only two ways to deal with a magician who has established their own absolute ideology. Surprise attack or overwhelming power.
Historically, magicians have been assassinated by surprise attacks, but Elders were few beings who could kill magicians with overwhelming power. Erzebut, who was overflowing with bloodlust, was the easiest Elder to kill a magician, except for Baldamir and Muri.
The problem was that the opponent was not an ordinary magician.
“You fail, commoner.”
Lancart, who had been standing still, took a step and walked towards Erzebut with light yet heavy steps.
Lancart’s golem centered around him. He was the core of the whirlwind and the eye of the typhoon. The eye of the typhoon, as heavy and imposing as his dignity, was directed at Erzebut.
Thankfully, you approached the topic of magicians first. Erzebut reached out his hand towards the approaching Lancart. Erzebut, too, was a bloodsucker who had mastered the art of blood manipulation. He could easily crush a weak magician like Lancart the moment he touched him.
If he could reach him, that is.
Thud. Erzebut’s arm was bent in a circle. The whirlwind in the storm’s eye was even more powerful.
“There’s no point in talking to losers who are backward in time. Go and call your ancestors. While you’re here, you might as well see the face of the newborn demon.”
“You…!”
All the power directed towards Lancart missed him completely. On the other hand, if Lancart moved towards something, he could deflect it. The same applied even if that something was an Elder.
Lancart didn’t directly hit Erzebut. He just pretended to throw her with an invisible arm.
He didn’t even have a chin, but his golem turned the illusion into reality. The whirlwind wrapped around his arm swept the ground.
“The Giant’s Right Arm.”
Erzebuth and her blood surged as they were hit by the whirlwind, shooting up into the air as if being launched rather than flying. Due to the whirlwind reaching its peak, Erzebuth was thrown violently without any chance to respond.
In an instant, Erzebuth disappeared and now appeared like a red cloud. Rankart watched Erzebuth disappear into the distance from within the ruins of a windmill.
“It will take a while for her to return. Now, shall we have a conversation, just the two of us?”
Even though Rankart had just defeated Elder with a single blow, he turned his body without any particular enthusiasm.
“Where is Huey?”