Chapter 18
The Ring of Yphrasia.
One of the few Artifacts that existed in this other world.
The ancient Elves discovered the two fundamental essences within the World Tree.
Sephirot, the source of light that stretched upwards.
And Qliphoth, the root of chaos that grew downwards.
The High Elves crafted the Ring of Yphrasia to balance these two forces.
The essence of the ring was to allow the wearer to absorb the chaos of Qliphoth and sublimate it into the light of Sephirot.
And Rudine’s Heavenly Star of Slaughter.
It was a Fragment of Chaos that had fallen from Qliphoth.
The Heavenly Star of Slaughter, emanating an aura of death, was a trace of the forgotten chaos.
That was precisely why the Ring of Yphrasia was necessary.
It was the only Artifact that could absorb the traces of chaos and purify them into Mind's Eye.
In short.
‘A human charger, so to speak.’
The ring absorbed Rudine’s Heavenly Star of Slaughter and converted it into Mind’s Eye.
Rudine wanted to control her Heavenly Star of Slaughter, and I wanted to replenish my depleted Mind’s Eye.
That was the reason we needed each other.
Of course, it couldn’t be a fundamental cure since it only absorbed the energy, but it was sufficient for control, at least.
‘Do I just wear it?’
I examined the ring resting on my palm.
The thin band, crafted from a branch of the World Tree, emitted a faint blue light.
I slowly put on the ring.
At that moment, a strange vibration spread from my fingertip throughout my entire body.
It felt as if it was resonating with something.
I clenched and unclenched my fist, checking my condition.
There was no visible difference, but my depleted Mind’s Eye was gradually being replenished.
At this rate, I would be back to normal in a day.
“Nice.”
Indeed, it was an item worth the effort of coming all the way here.
It was a huge gain, as it was a Precious Artifact that was essential for using Runes.
Although there was the condition of having to stay near Rudine.
It was a considerable achievement not to have to bother wandering around absorbing other Runes.
‘I should head back soon.’
Since we had spent several days camping on our way here, that day was fast approaching.
The day that no official could avoid…
The day to be evaluated on the state of the managed region and work performance, and to report on the progress so far.
With this, my business here was concluded. All that remained was to return to the office.
“Let’s go back.”
“…Okay.”
****
Rudine, walking behind Luke, recalled the previous events.
Especially his appearance during that strange ritual.
A decaying, twisted giant tree emanating an unusual energy.
Even if she didn’t know what it was, she could tell it wasn't an ordinary tree.
‘…Strange.’
Luke had obliterated a legendary Calamity-ranked Monstrous Beast in the blink of an eye.
It wasn't even a close battle; it was an overwhelming victory. His strength was truly extraordinary.
She didn’t even know what kind of power he wielded.
Everything was a mystery.
Nothing about him was ordinary, and she couldn't grasp anything about him.
At first, she had followed him out of curiosity.
He was the first man who tried to save her.
It was just idle curiosity, but he knew about the Madness she had hidden her entire life.
And now, he had brought her here, saying he would help her control it.
It was the same here.
She couldn’t help but be bewildered by the way he walked around as if he knew every detail of this place.
She hadn’t thought much of his unusual actions until now, but a strange feeling was growing within her as time passed.
‘…Just what is he?’
…She really couldn’t figure him out.
The ritual just now was the same.
He muttered incomprehensible words, the murals glowed, and an unknown voice pierced her ears and resonated in her head.
[O pilgrim, bearer of Yphrasia's Karma. May the grace of life be upon you, the great Sovereign of Demons.]
The content was also incomprehensible.
The only thing she could understand was…
‘…Sovereign of Demons.’
The strange voice echoing in her head definitely addressed Luke as such.
Sovereign of Demons… what a ridiculously grand title.
As far as she knew, only one being was granted such a title.
‘Dragon Race?’
The Dragon Race.
The great race that inherited the will of the forgotten god.
…Really? She had heard that they mingled with humans in human form.
If the strange energy he wielded, which wasn't mana, was actually dragon mana, and the unknown activation words were Linguistic Magic… no, but wasn’t the Dragon Race extinct? Could he be a hybrid?
“……”
“……”
After walking for a while.
As we reached the cliff we had descended from, he suddenly turned around.
“Rudine.”
“…Yeah.”
“Get on my back.”
“……”
Rudine blinked a few times, then obediently got on his back.
****
The mountain path located on the border between the Empire and the Principality of Winphred.
It was the only road connecting Carlyle County to Blackmore, the Empire’s most notorious Magical Boundary.
Two men inside the roughly shaking carriage were lightly conversing.
“This road is in terrible condition.”
“It’s not a place for people to travel in the first place. You understand, right?”
At the wrinkled man’s words, the skinny man chuckled.
He was Kraton, the director of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a pillar of the Empire.
And the person Kraton was conversing with cautiously…
“Tsk, what’s the point of managing this Magical Boundary…”
…was Arda Merdail, a high-ranking minister of the Empire.
“This is a region with a high number of disappearances.”
“No one in their right mind would enter the Magical Boundary on their own volition.”
“Haha, you’re right. But what can we do? We receive so many reports that even the higher-ups are having a headache.”
“Seriously, what’s the point of dispatching just one official…”
The wrinkled man clicked his tongue and muttered.
“We’ll just do what we always do.”
He was right.
They just had to evaluate the state of the managed region and the work performance and receive a report on the progress so far.
“Indeed. There’s no way a Magical Boundary of this scale is being properly managed…”
“Then we can use that as an excuse to pull him out and dispatch the Special Task Force.”
“Hehehe, that’s a good idea. We have a perfect excuse.”
“I’ll contact the Special Forces Commander after this is over. I’m sure he won’t let this pass.”
Derek Baldwin, the Special Forces Commander.
Anyone who was part of the Imperial Family knew that he had his eye on Blackmore.
His obsession with Blackmore was that well-known.
However, the situation had changed with the appearance of Luke Richter.
An unknown man was appointed administrator and was now making a name for himself with the assassination of the Dark Shadow Society Leader.
They were already working on removing him, but his notoriety made it difficult.
If they thoroughly investigated his work performance this time, they would surely find something.
They could use that as an excuse to oust him and turn the situation in their favor again.
“We’ve arrived.”
The coachman opened the carriage door.
The two men got out of the carriage and followed the escorts who had arrived earlier.
But then.
“The road is clean.”
The road, which had been a mess until just now, was neatly maintained after passing the entrance.
It was smooth enough to walk on without any difficulty.
Moreover.
“…Signposts?”
There were signposts along the way.
As if this place was a tourist attraction, they guided the way at every fork in the road.
And.
“What are all these signs…”
All sorts of strange signs were placed at regular intervals along the path.
The contents were also bizarre.
From random messages saying ‘You are not alone’ to warnings about Monstrous Beast appearances, lame jokes, and even provocative phrases asking ‘Can you catch a Monstrous Beast?’
“This is ridiculous.”
“I agree.”
As they continued walking.
“…Wait a moment.”
The escort leading the way stopped.
Following the escort's gaze, they saw several men standing in the distance.
‘There are people here?’
This was the Magical Boundary.
It wasn’t a place for ordinary people to wander around.
“Who are they?”
“I don’t know. Their energy is unusual…”
“They’re not ordinary, are they?”
“No, they’re at least Master level or higher.”
Master level or higher.
They were among the strongest in the Empire.
And there were several of them, not just one.
What were such powerful individuals doing gathered in a Magical Boundary like this?
As they were lost in confusion.
“Are you looking for Lord Luke?”
The men who had approached…
“W-Well…”
“You’re from the Imperial Family?”
“…Yes.”
Asked about the purpose of their visit…
“Follow us.”
“???”
…and started guiding the way.
“Who are you?”
“…We are subordinates.”
“Subordinates of whom?”
“…We serve Lord Luke.”
They were agents of the Arkan Monarch Society's executive branch.
However, the Monarch had personally ordered them to serve Luke Richter for five years, treating him with the same respect as they would the Monarch. That's why they answered through gritted teeth.
But those who didn’t know the circumstances…
“…Huh.”
…were utterly confused.