98 - Chapter 24: The Fool Who Missteps, and Then
The Spirit Tree Seekraym.
Despite being eight hundred years old, it remained robust, and before this giant tree stood a stone altar.
A magic circle was laid out in a radial pattern centered around a coffin-like pedestal, with curved pillars rising inward at the ends. Fritz Lebrun felt a childlike impression that it looked like the carcass of an overturned insect, but he shifted his gaze to the center of the coffin. Several subordinates were bustling back and forth there, calling out to a man who was touching a staff placed atop the coffin.
"How is it?"
"Yes, there are no problems. Everything is proceeding smoothly."
When asked about the progress, he replied with a beaming smile. Internally, Fritz had found him creepy, as he seemed like a gloomy man interested only in research, but seeing him smile like a child made him feel somewhat approachable.
"I see. Has it been seven years to reach this point? It has been long..."
"No, it has been eight hundred years and four years."
"What?"
"No, it is nothing. Fritz-sama was simply lucky. To think that a lost artifact of the Mekshuria Civilization, even if it is an imitation, would flow into the royal family."
"Hmm. Around that time, there was the matter of Shannon Ilmelta. One should always try asking."
Nodding with his arms crossed, Lebrun recalled seven years ago.
Back then, when the previous king was still robust, the Lebrun family had reached a dead end. They had income from their noble territories and pensions, but because their family rank was high, their expenses were also severe. They were not in a financial deficit, but basically, it was a zero-sum game. Despite the boost from magic stone exports, it remained a flat line. Having received advice from his subordinates that they would eventually dwindle at this rate, Fritz had been looking for work.
Specifically, he sought something that provided honor and allowed him to seize the power of other families, aiming to kill three birds with one stone. As a result, the interests of the royal capital's security fell into his lap.
The catalyst was an incident where Rumilia, who was eight years old at the time, entered the treasury accompanied by Shannon and fell under the curse of a magic spear kept within.
It seemed that several treasures sold to them by some cult had been left unused and thrown into the treasury, but the two had slipped past the guards and entered. As a result, the eldest daughter of the Ilmelta family became useless as a woman.
Now, even if it was in the form of collateral damage, when such an incident occurs, issues of responsibility arise. After all, the fact that a duke's daughter had become disabled, regardless of the actual circumstances, sent shockwaves through the nobility. The impact extended even to one of the four great ducal houses entrusted with the security of the royal capital at the time, and because they withdrew as a form of taking responsibility, the interests were left hanging. The Lebrun family snatched them up, using their family rank as a shield.
It was the result of Fritz, who preferred living in the urban royal capital over managing a rustic territory, seeking both a justification and practical benefit, but an unexpected byproduct rolled in. Yes, the management of the treasury.
Because he needed to bring scribes on board and falsify the catalogs, he could not do everything, but he lined his own pockets by embezzling a fair amount. In the midst of that, he encountered a certain lost artifact.
All the plans began to move from there.
"So, is it truly possible to control the Spirit Dragon Albestein?"
At the end of his gaze was a staff about the height of a man, resting upon the coffin. It had no great decorations and looked at first glance like a wooden staff that might be rolling around in some forest, but the fist-sized red jewel connected to the top was strangely eye-catching.
"Yes. Alvis. Naturally, it is not the object itself, but a replica made during the Mekshuria Civilization era, though it is not a hollow shell. The output is considerably lower than the original, and most of its functions have been stripped away, but the magical beast control function remains, and the operation was confirmed during an experiment four years ago."
"Hmm. That was surprising. To think the ritual would fail."
"The influence of our experiment likely interfered with the synchronization with the Spirit Tree. The Rite of Requiem is only possible once one becomes one with the Spirit Tree. Even if consciousness remains, it is as if the limbs are sealed."
Four years ago, while Rumilia was attempting her second ritual, Fritz and his group used Alvis behind the scenes to conduct a connection experiment with the Spirit Dragon Albestein in order to analyze the synchronization pattern. The connection itself was successful, but at that time, the Albestein underground momentarily rampaged... their conclusion was that it was likely something like turning over in its sleep... and they reached the conclusion that it could not be controlled with the current Alvis.
They had not thought the aftermath would cause the ritual itself to fail, but they continued the research, and a few weeks ago, he received a report that the prospect of completion had been reached.
"There is no point in leaving this country to the old royal family forever. If I... no, if We can control the Spirit Dragon Albestein with this, Rumilia is no longer necessary. It is the beginning of a new dynasty."
Magic stone veins are born from a ritual every four years, but if one can control the Spirit Dragon Albestein, which is the source, one should be able to create magic stone veins anytime, anywhere. Having been advised of this by the man, Fritz instructed his subordinates to proceed with the preparations.
And now, he had come to the point just before that dream would be realized.
"Yes, yes. Fritz-sama has the same blood as the royal family flowing through him. If that is the case, it is possible."
"Indeed, indeed. ...Come to think of it, what was your name again?"
"Oh, that is unkind. I have introduced myself several times."
"Was that so? No, my apologies. Despite how much you have served me."
Fritz knew that the man had distinguished himself since the connection experiment four years ago and remembered that he had become a leading expert in the research, but realizing he did not remember his name, Fritz asked again.
"So, what is your name?"
"Albe. In this country, which is tied to Albestein, it is a common enough name to be modeled after that dragon, is it not?"
Fritz nodded vaguely, thinking that commoners were just like that.
Of course, he, who had lived in noble society and knew nothing of the world, would not realize that things in this world do not simply roll around so conveniently. He believed that work was something to be done by subordinates, and that he did not need to understand the progress or content, only to give instructions. He did not realize that a lightweight figurehead or a plan like that would eventually be replaced by something else.
●
"It is finished, isn't it?"
While gazing at the wall of fire that had not yet faded and the soldiers of the Prime Minister's faction being captured one after another, Marianne, still in her live costume, stood beside Geoglyph and watched the place that had become a battlefield from a distance.
"Yeah. Well, let's leave the rest to them."
"...That is unexpected."
"What is?"
"I fully expected Geo to say something like, 'I'll make that vixen regret it,' or 'You damn raccoon, getting me involved in this farce. Prepare for your punishment.'"
"What kind of character have I become in your head...?"
"Eh? A fake-evil chuunibyou or an agitator-type revolutionary wearing the skin of a politician."
"Gunu..."
Since it was half-true, Geoglyph could not say anything back, and after groaning for a while, he sighed.
"Well, that vixen is perfectly fine even though she was made to wear those clothes."
"Rather, she was totally into it. Even though it was a tight, bursting, embarrassing outfit exactly as Geo requested, her base form was good, so it looked nicely plump, and it was actually very popular with the soldiers who have those kinds of fetishes."
"Is that woman invincible? I mean, what is wrong with the fetishes of the men in this world...?"
"Mature women are surprisingly popular in my previous life too, the mature woman ski. No, before that, Countess Radock is still in her mid-twenties, so she is not even a mature woman. If anything, a young-wife-widow-type idol? Look, even a certain manager is a very popular heroine."
Isn't that too many attributes? Geoglyph thought, but when given that representative example, he made a disgusted face and spat out that he should not be compared to the manager, as that was his youth.
"The Prime Minister, for her part, I can understand her feelings to some extent."
"Is that so?"
"This country is not a democracy, which is the ultimate form of blaming others. Therefore, someone must take responsibility with their life."
"You are overthinking things again..."
Marianne looked with exasperated eyes at Geoglyph, who was trying to speak of dangerous ideologies once more.
"But it is a fact, right? Even in my previous life, every time something happened, everyone said in unison that the politics were bad, society was bad, the country was bad. What are they talking about? If the people have sovereignty and shout about their rights, then duties and responsibilities come as a set. You cannot just choose a politician in an election and then say you do not know the rest. If that person messes up, it is the responsibility of the voters who chose them. In that case, the citizens who made the choice are the worst, yet no one ever points that out. In such cases, for example, in an army that values discipline, it is collective responsibility. Then I think the voting rights of specific citizens should be temporarily suspended. If the fool who chose fails, they take a turn off, and so on."
"Well, it is true that voters never apologize or exercise restraint. Everyone just acts oblivious and goes to the next election."
"That is how responsibility is diluted. Especially so that the ruling class is not hurt. Therefore, even if someone has to take responsibility, it ends with merely resigning. Well, if bloodshed or confiscation of private assets were easily permitted, it would lead to a storm of injustice and purges, and people who want to become politicians would physically disappear, so there are parts that are unavoidable."
If it went that far, it would be the birth of a military dictatorship. However, medieval nations were generally like that. And they repeated resistance, rebellion, suppression, and overthrow many times. Though there was authority and history, that was precisely why power converged in areas close to those things.
That said.
"But in an absolute monarchy, it does not work like that. The reaction to absolute power is, in other words, an intense concentration of responsibility. Try giving a lenient judgment like letting the Prime Minister live. The distrust toward Princess Rumilia would become a spark for future dynasties. And the Prime Minister understands that. That is why she made herself a human sacrifice. Incidentally, to let her gain experience as a king."
And Countess Radock also desired that experience. Geoglyph fell silent, thinking it was out of place. Therefore, neither she nor Geoglyph followed the map Gardel had drawn, nor did they teach its contents to Rumilia.
Because the scenario drawn by the old raccoon was entirely for Rumilia alone.
"I wonder what Princess Rumilia will do."
"Who knows. Honestly, we are too involved. Any more than this might become a disadvantage for us, so this is the time to withdraw."
They had reluctantly stuck their noses into another country's family feud, but it was finally time. Now, they just had to achieve their objective and say goodbye to this country.
"Your true feelings?"
"The three girls are more important than the pointless politics of another country."
"You mean Latia, right?"
"You could say that. Would you prioritize this over watching yuri?"
"Well, it is about time that I feel restless if there is not a noisy saint next to me?"
"You say that a lot."
"I just do not spoil her."
Geoglyph gave a wry smile to Marianne, who turned her face away with a huff, and shifted his gaze toward the royal capital.
"Now then, I wonder if Rei found the three girls?"
●
(...That staff, there is no mistake. Is it not a degraded imitation of Alvis?)
Beosteral, who had parted with his guide Io and approached the vicinity of the altar while stealthily hiding, recognized the lost artifact placed there and dug up his memories.
There is a lost artifact said to have been made in the Age of Gods, long before the Mekshuria Civilization, called Alvis. Even the Mekshuria Civilization, said to be the peak of humanity, could not fully analyze it, and it is said that several imitations were made in the same era. The one placed on the altar was an imitation of those imitations made in this era.
Originally, the cult had been searching for Alvis and its imitations to control the resurrected artificial evil god Delgamiride, but in the end, they could not find them, and so they began by attempting to reproduce some functions by creating degraded imitations from the analysis of ancient documents.
That had seen some results, but...
(But, was that not a failure?)
The real Alvis was said to be capable of complete control of waves. In other words, it could manipulate the elements controlled by the waves called magic power in this world at will, exhibiting a god-like omnipotence, namely the nanomachinization of all matter. The imitations made in the Mekshuria Civilization attempted to reproduce this, but the range of use and abilities were too limited.
And the Alvis produced by the Delgamiride cult, which further imitated that, specialized in rearrangement.
The ability to perform rearrangement on the target, regardless of whether it was matter or spirit, however, became a tool for which the purpose was completely unclear, as the randomness meant the direction could not be specified, and the target usually collapsed. If physical rearrangement was performed, the body would undergo atomic collapse and become some kind of mushy meat-like thing, and if it was set to the spirit, the target's will would be destroyed and they would become a doll. The range of effect was also narrow, and it was a tool that could only be used for the destruction or killing of a single entity, leading to the conclusion that weapons or magic would be better.
As a side note, the technology tree grew from there into mental interference and evolved into the beast-controlling orbs used to manipulate earth dragons.
Now, Beosteral, who was hiding in the shadows, contemplated why such a problematic failure was on this altar, and moreover, receiving such respectful treatment.
(This altar is the key to Albestein's seal. Moreover, it is a seal placed by the Great Fairy Cathedra. It must be needlessly strong. It cannot be destroyed by half-hearted means, but if it is a random rearrangement of the seal, the core function itself can be broken, and breaking this place with rearrangement means... )
At this point, the fool finally reached a conclusion.
"...Albestein will awaken?"
"!? A suspicious person! Capture him!!"
He accidentally spoke aloud and was discovered by Fritz's subordinates guarding the area around the altar.
"Tch!!"
Beosteral leaped from the shadows and made a blood sword appear in his right hand.
"It cannot be helped! I do not understand it well, but for the sake of my ally, I shall stop that!!"
Though he was a fool, he could somehow sense that this was disadvantageous for Gardel, and he charged toward the altar while scattering the gathering security soldiers.
●
(Hey now! That vampire, does he intend to interfere at this moment...!?)
Albe clicked his tongue internally at the commotion occurring behind him.
He had been aware of the True Ancestor vampire who had started wandering around the center of this country for the past month, but because he knew its nature, he had deliberately left it alone. Naturally, it had not interfered here, nor had it even monitored him. Despite that, he felt irritation that it would meddle at this important moment.
As if to fuel that irritation, Fritz called out to him.
"H-hey! Are you alright!?"
"That is a True Ancestor, for better or worse! He is likely a subordinate of the Prime Minister! He will not last long! Fritz-sama! The preparations are complete, so quickly activate the lost artifact!!"
"Y-yes!! I just need to drip blood, right!?"
Fortunately, the preparations were finished. As Albe hurried Fritz, he flusteredly took out a dagger and timidly wounded his own index finger to let blood flow. Even at this stage, he is a stingy fellow, Albe thought, and approached Fritz as if spitting the words out, snatching the dagger away.
"That is not enough!"
"W-what!? Do I have to cut more!?"
"No..."
And as if leaning his body into him, their shadows overlapped.
"...The bloodline of Cathedra. I need that life."
Fritz was pierced through the heart by that dagger.
"Ka, ha..."
Clutching his chest, Fritz fell forward into the altar room like a puppet with its strings cut.
Immediately after, the curved stone pillars extending to both ends of the altar became charged with magic power and rushed toward Fritz.
"Hahahaha! It is done! It is finally done!! Man, these four years were long! I did not think they would feel longer than the eight hundred years I was sealed!!"
While gazing at the scene with satisfaction, Albe thought of the past.
Eight hundred years ago, because his consciousness was taken over by Stein's body, which he could not properly handle, he was defeated by the Great Fairy Cathedra, but thanks to that Stein's body, he obtained a conclusion of sealing rather than annihilation, and until four years ago, he had been quietly sealed while watching for an opportunity to revive with a tiger's gaze.
The turning point came four years ago. During the usual seal adjustment ritual, a foreign object mixed in. Yes, that connection experiment. Due to its influence, Albe, who connected with the path to this body that was the practitioner, took over the spirit of this body's owner and began arranging the steps for his own revival.
What was needed was the life of Cathedra's bloodline. Initially, he targeted the previous king, combining it with revenge, but he was noticed halfway through and was forced to kill him. He was lucky to have it processed as a death by illness, but he learned that directly targeting a direct bloodline, the royalty, who had guards and power themselves, would be grueling with this powerless body. Incidentally, he realized that the release of the seal would be most feasible at the timing when it is weakest... in other words, if it were not every four years, it would lack feasibility.
That was when he set his sights on his close relative, Fritz Lebrun. Since the Lebrun family, as dukes, had interbred with the royal family many times, their aptitude was second only to the royal family, and the lightness of head that allowed him to think without any basis that he himself was fit to be king was sufficient to use. Additionally, the fact that the man himself held a plan beyond his station worked in Albe's favor.
"You, ba..."
"Oh, you are still alive. Even though you are stabbed in the heart, you are needlessly energetic. Ah, is it the influence of the formula? Well, you will die eventually, so please be assured. Anyway, thank you very much for your cooperation, Fritz-sama. With this, I can finally revive."
"W-what..."
Albe looked down at Fritz, who was glaring at him with his breath failing, feeling even pleasure.
"What do you mean, did you really think you could control Stein with a human body? I went along with your delusions because it worked as a cover story, but that is obviously impossible. Even I, a fairy species, struggled back then. It was only in the last few decades that I became able to control it completely."
"Who... are you... you, ba..."
"Oh? I believe I introduced myself."
Saying so, he cut off his words and gave a polite but rude bow to his temporary foolish master as a souvenir for the afterlife.
"Albe. A fairy species expelled from the Fairy Realm, the contents of Albe-Stein, and now the ruler of this body. Now, goodbye, Fritz Lebrun. Your level of stupidity was fun to watch from the side."
Immediately after, blood overflowed from every hole in Fritz's body, draining his life, and it stained the altar area with blood. No, it was drawing. With the blood of Cathedra's bloodline, a magic circle for revival.
That eventually converged into Alvis atop the coffin, which had been turned into a forced control terminal, and a giant pillar of light appeared.
The light that shone brightly seemed to be blessing his own revival, and Albe twisted his body and laughed loudly.
"Ahahahahaha!! Eight hundred years sealed by that damn bitch! Four years possessing this body! It took quite some time to get here, but with this, I revive...!"
"I... will... not... let... you...!!"
"Whoa!?"
Immediately after, a blood sword literally flew in from the side, and Albe instinctively shrank his body to evade. It was Beosteral. Thrown by the vampire's monstrous strength, it flew at high speed through the place where Albe had been just a moment ago, and upon reaching the wall of the underground cavity, it did not just pierce it, but blasted it apart.
Turning his gaze, all of Fritz's subordinates had been cut down, and Beosteral stood composed. He was a True Ancestor, even if he had decayed.
"Hey vampire! Why are you siding with humans!? I am a fairy species on the inside, for better or worse! In other words, you and I are related species! And besides, you True Ancestor vampires are supposed to be the natural counter to humans!?"
"I am not siding with humans, you fool! I am merely siding with my ally!!"
He raised his voice in protest, thinking that if he, who was currently in a human body, received such a thing, it would not end well, but the True Ancestor vampire created a blood sword in his right hand again and pointed its tip at Albe.
"I do not know the reason! I do not know the logic! But if I allow that, this country will be destroyed, right!? The country that my ally tried to protect even at the cost of his life! Then that alone is a reason to get in your way!!"
"Curse you! In your position as an Arbiter, you side with humans!?"
"What do I care for a role arbitrarily given by a perished fool of a Creator! My way of living is my own! And I shall reclaim the power stolen by those people and rule this earth! At that time, it would be meaningless if it were being defiled by a mediocrity like you!!"
Not satisfied with just the blood sword in his right hand, he used the blood of the killed subordinates of Fritz to form countless blood stakes, floating them in the air with psychokinesis. Albe, feeling the illusion of being targeted by an entire division with bows, stepped back slightly.
"This guy, could it be that he is the same as me... has he become an irregular!?"
"I do not know, you dunce! Die!!"
"Kuh...! Earthmight!!"
Immediately after Beosteral pointed the blood sword at Albe, countless blood stakes rushed toward him, and he deployed a barrier to protect himself and Alvis behind him. The spherical invisible barrier blocked the approaching blood stakes with a high-pitched sound. However, the blood stakes, thinking they had shattered, regenerated and carried out charges that did not fear self-destruction many times.
Facing the blood stakes that surged like a muddy torrent, Albe gnashed his teeth.
(Bad! With this powerless body...! In the first place, in terms of attributes, a human body is a bad match against a vampire!! Quickly! Quickly to Stein's body...!!)
Because this body was connected to Albestein, the magic power itself was enormous, but the body for outputting it was that of a human. Against a flash flood, a water faucet cannot even stand on the same playing field.
If he fought with the resolve to self-destruct, he could at least reach a stalemate, but now, Albe was also dividing his consciousness to control Alvis. Without this body, which could be called a sub-unit, that would not be possible, and thus he was forced into a purely defensive position.
"Nufahahahaha! Can you stop me with such a thin skin! I shall just push through!!"
And the fool, thinking who knows what, deliberately approached and began to punch Albe's defensive barrier with his fist. For some reason, the impact echoed inside, and Albe stepped back one step, then another, and eventually realized.
That behind him was the pillar of light emitted by Alvis. And the disaster that would occur if he continued to step back.
"Fool! Do not push any further! Do not push!! You! This is why vampire fools with monstrous strength are...!!"
"Fuhahaha! When told not to push, the human heart wants to try pushing!! Here, hyaaa! Hyaaa!!"
He shouted, but the fool interpreted it as, 'Ah, this is just the usual routine!' and this time began to push the defensive barrier with a palm strike.
"N-no! It is not a routine! The awakening process is underway! For the main body of Albestein! If the sub-unit, me, enters, that is one thing, but if an alien like you jumps in, what will happen...!!"
"I do not understand, but OK!!"
"Listen to what people are saying!! If you do not understand, do not move!!"
Perhaps his full-power retort was the problem.
Albe instinctively disrupted the control of the barrier, and Beosteral's palm strike unfortunately hit directly. With a clink, it shattered easily like thin ice. Because there had been no recoil until now, the True Ancestor vampire accidentally stumbled forward and fell onto Albe, and then.
'Ah'
The two, who entered the pillar of light as if entangled, were robbed of their vision and consciousness, and immediately after, from even further below the underground cavity, that thing appeared, opening its jaws. That thing knocked down the Spirit Tree, writhed and destroyed the underground cavity, smashed through the ceiling, and extended toward the surface.
It was a prime example of how, no matter how meticulous a plan a wise person makes, it suddenly collapses the moment a reckless fool gets involved.
Next time, next week.