Chapter 86
A month had passed since his revival, and the Wizard of Iruma had decided that waiting for yet another new moon would be pointless. He was riding the Spider Witch along the dark, mist-shrouded roads of Okutama.
The maze mist magic spread across Okutama had no effect on the Spider Witch, its original wielder.
Carrying the Wizard of Iruma on her back and walking as gently as possible to avoid jostling him, the Spider Witch clicked her mandibles and offered a cautious suggestion.
"Hey, Iruma, are you sure we don't need to hurry? The diversion in the city center probably won't last much longer... Wouldn't it be better to finish things here quickly...?"
"It's fine. This is the right pace. I'd like to hurry, but if you do, Fuyou might become suspicious from the speed of your steps."
"I see. Then I'll maintain this pace and just make my strides a little longer..."
"You really are considerate, Spider Witch. That's a great help."
When the Wizard of Iruma stroked her carapace, the Spider Witch gave a pleased little chirp.
Through a month of covert scheming, the Wizard of Iruma had gathered as much information as he could.
More than half of the zombies the Zombie Witch had secretly sent into the underground areas of Tokyo had been rendered useless by collapses and flooding caused by last year's prolonged rains. Even so, they had gathered a considerable amount of information.
The Wizard of Iruma himself filled in the gaps the zombies had been unable to cover. Taking advantage of having a different face from the one he had in life, he concealed his patchwork appearance with makeup, hid his magical power, and pretended to be a harmless child as he strolled through Tokyo in broad daylight, observing with his own eyes the changes of the past six years.
Infiltration and disguise were specialties of the Wizard of Iruma. Even without using magic, he could fool even the Eye Witch's gaze through nothing but magical control and acting ability.
The more information he gathered, the more clearly the importance of Okutama's phantom wandmaker, 0933, came into focus. He had also learned of the deep and troublesome connection between 0933 and the Blue Witch.
0933 had blatantly favored the Blue Witch's Dragon-Furnace Seven-Layer Carved-Type Blue Magic Wand, Cuanos.
Cuanos was constantly upgraded to the latest model, given exclusive customizations, and loaded with performance enhancements to an absurd degree. It was in an entirely different league from the magicstone wands made for the other witches.
It suggested an intentional adjustment of the balance of power. It was unclear whether it was 0933's or the Blue Witch's intention, but amid repeated technological innovations, the power relationship had consistently been maintained so that the Blue Witch could overturn the situation even if she turned all of Tokyo against her.
Therefore, secretly manipulating things, dismantling Tokyo from the bottom up, and gradually infiltrating it over time would be inefficient. Even if he seized control of everything except the Blue Witch and 0933, it could all be overturned by overwhelming violence.
In the previous coup, the mentally fragile Blue Witch had wept whenever one of her own died, but after being cornered, she had transformed into a cold-blooded Killing Machine. Because of that, the Wizard of Iruma's plans had been torn to shreds.
On the other hand, the lawless combination of 0933 and the Blue Witch would become far less threatening if either one of them could be restrained.
The Blue Witch could not be made into a puppet, nor could she be seduced.
It was said that during the assault on the Arataki Group, the Blue Witch had been kept in check by taking Professor Ohinata, whom she doted on, hostage. The Wizard of Iruma, however, considered the effectiveness of a hostage questionable.
The Blue Witch was an emotional woman who valued those dear to her more highly than the world.
However, when she lost her temper, she destroyed everything, dragging her allies and hostages into it alike. The Wizard of Iruma knew all too well how completely she could transform and how utterly merciless she became—so merciless that it had frightened even him.
When the Blue Witch was truly cornered, she would kill the Wizard of Iruma along with the hostage, even if the hostage were used as a shield.
There was no doubt about it. He had actually been killed that way before.
Therefore, he would seize 0933 first.
If he seized 0933, he could make him produce a super-high-performance magic wand equal to or surpassing Cuanos. Then he could kill the Blue Witch.
Once the Blue Witch was dead, Tokyo would belong to the Wizard of Iruma. Even though puppet magic did not work on her, zombie magic would work if he killed her once and left her brain-dead.
The many excellent people, advanced technologies, and productive capabilities cultivated in Tokyo over six years, combined with zombies made from 0933 and the Blue Witch, would allow him to take Japan before other countries could intervene.
Once he had Japan, he could fight Conrad Williams, the American hero, Glenn Grayling, and Saint Luche.
After defeating America, India—the survival zone that came after Japan and America—would fall as well.
After that, it would be a straight road to world conquest.
Naturally, there was no guarantee that everything would go smoothly.
If you looked only ahead, you would trip over what was at your feet.
Therefore, the Wizard of Iruma devoted all his efforts to securing 0933 first.
The Wizard of Iruma ordered the Zombie Witch to launch an armed uprising under cover of the new moon.
The Zombie Witch had wanted to pull another opportunistic, wait-and-see move and side with whichever faction won, but no faction would tolerate that twice. For one thing, she was already under suspicion because she had once acted to join the winning side. The time had come to make her allegiance clear.
At present, the Zombie Witch had spread four million zombies throughout Tokyo, putting them to work capturing important human figures, securing dynamite factories, stealing magical tools, and seizing universities.
It was an invasion under cover of darkness, but four million zombies were still nothing more than unintelligent walking corpses. They had ordinary strength and dull minds, with no special powers. Before long, the witches and magicians would exterminate them.
But there were four million of them. Even by the shortest estimate, the zombie disturbance would certainly last at least one night.
Even after realizing it was a diversion, they could not afford to ignore a force of that size. If their response was lax, it would simply be a matter of time before the sheer number of zombies conquered Tokyo.
As insurance this time, he had recruited the Witch of Setagaya.
She had become a witch while retaining the sense of invincibility peculiar to adolescence, and despite gaining her power through nothing but luck rather than her own efforts, she was a foolish woman who never doubted that she was one of the chosen.
The Witch of Setagaya was appropriately weak for a second plan, given that she was a fool.
He had succeeded in convincing her, through words rather than puppet magic, of the legitimacy of world conquest and the belief that she ought to obey the Wizard of Iruma above all others. However, the Witch of Setagaya was not as patient as the Zombie Witch. She was somewhat reckless and had a tendency to curry favor with the strong.
It was questionable whether she would function as insurance in the event of the Wizard of Iruma's defeat. Even so, having insurance was far better than having none.
As a countermeasure against the maze mist spread across Okutama, the Wizard of Iruma first took control of the Spider Witch.
Those placed under the Wizard of Iruma's puppet magic could not be identified by humans, but anyone capable of controlling magic could immediately see that they were under some magical influence from the magical mark wrapped around their heart. A puppet made through puppet magic could not be used to deceive a transcendent being.
The Wizard of Iruma had chosen the Spider Witch as his first valuable puppet, someone he could turn into a puppet without arousing suspicion through a complete surprise attack to secure 0933. That decision had brought him greater benefits than expected.
The Spider Witch knew 0933's identity and was on friendly terms with him.
The Spider Witch did not meet 0933 frequently, but she knew not only his real name and identity, but also the details of Okutama's defenses and 0933's officially unreleased new technology, the "incantationless mechanism."
It was also significant that 0933――――Dairi Kenshi――――and Fuyou, his guardian and the daughter of the Flower Witch, liked her. Their relationship was close enough that a sudden visit would not arouse the slightest suspicion.
The Wizard of Iruma openly rode on the Spider Witch's back until they reached the front of Dairi's house somewhere in Okutama. The lights in Dairi's house were out, and everyone was asleep. It was quiet.
Fuyou sensed ground vibrations through the roots she had spread throughout Okutama, finding and killing intruders. If she could not kill them, she would report them to the Blue Witch. Once a report came in, the Blue Witch would rush over immediately with return magic. It was a rational security system.
If the Wizard of Iruma had not taken control of the Spider Witch, and if the Spider Witch had not happened to be on friendly terms with Dairi, breaking through the maze mist and Fuyou's vigilance without arousing suspicion would have been extremely difficult.
"I think we should start with Fuyou. She has an eyeball familiar that connects directly to the Blue Witch... Dairi has one too, but he doesn't have much of a sense of danger, so he won't use it unless something is blatantly dangerous..."
"Yes. Let's start with Fuyou. Can you guide me?"
"Leave it to me. Her roots are spread through the back hill..."
The excellent eight-legged mount, capable of thinking and acting appropriately on its own, offering suggestions, and even seeking confirmation, climbed the steep slope.
It was the dead of night, the hour when even grass and trees slept. Things would have been simple if Fuyou had been asleep too, but unfortunately, she was awake.
Fuyou cheerfully welcomed the Spider Witch who had come to visit her, waving her vines.
"Good evening, Spider-san! I've heard about the zombie uprising. There aren't any zombies in Okutama so far... Wait. Who's the boy riding on your back? And what's that around his stomach... Is that some kind of strange magical mark?"
Fuyou had been described as a young yet intelligent child, but she possessed the intelligence to notice something suspicious immediately, even when dealing with someone familiar. She was far more troublesome than a fool who possessed nothing but strength.
Before her suspicions deepened, the Wizard of Iruma immediately began chanting a spell.
"You're merciful, aren't you? Once life ends――――"
"!? Frozen Javelin!"
She must have been told the incantation for puppet magic by the Flower Witch.
Fuyou's surprise lasted only an instant. She extended thick roots toward the Wizard of Iruma while firing a rapid-fire spell of considerable proficiency with remarkable speed of judgment.
But compared to the original Blue Witch's frozen spear magic, it was lukewarm. The Spider Witch kicked away the roots with her legs, but let the frozen spear magic slip past her. The Wizard of Iruma, however, easily dodged it and completed his incantation.
"――――because it will be set free."
Invisible magical power shot out, wrapped around Fuyou's heart, and squeezed it tight.
Fuyou's magical control could not offer even a moment's resistance, and a sinister magical mark appeared over her heart.
All hostility and agitation vanished cleanly from the Flower Witch's daughter.
Fuyou withdrew the vines and roots she had been preparing for battle, then timidly asked after the Wizard of Iruma's well-being.
"I'm sorry. Are you all right? Does it hurt?"
"What does?"
"I spread a poison harmful to humans while chanting that spell. I've stopped dispersing it now, but doesn't your throat hurt?"
"...I see. An odorless, tasteless poisonous gas to interfere with incantations. It would have worked if I were alive."
The Wizard of Iruma was impressed. They truly were an excellent species. Their physical capabilities without magic were exceptionally high, and they possessed enough intelligence to make good use of their abilities.
Did they have some kind of weakness that had simply not yet been discovered, or was the Flower Witch concealing it effectively?
"Was it your mother's education? Or are you naturally intelligent as a species? I would very much like you Flower folk to reproduce."
"Heehee♡"
"If the Blue Witch comes, try talking to her first. If talking is impossible, fight her and hold her off."
"Got it!"
"Good. Where is the Fire Lizard?"
Tsubaki the Fire Lizard, who had made the reverberatory furnace her base, was sleeping buried in ash.
But when the puppet magic was cast, there was a familiar sensation of the spell fizzling out, and it was nullified. Tsubaki woke with a start after being subjected to the evil magic and literally breathed fire at the intruders.
"Mii! Oori, Oori! Mimimi!"
"Hmm. Spider Witch, restrain Tsubaki."
"Mm..."
The Fire Lizard's desperate cries for help as it spewed flames were futilely muffled by spider silk. Wrapped up tightly in thread, it rolled across the ground like a caterpillar.
"What an interesting monster. Could it be one of the witches' children? If all three have the same properties, perhaps we should dissect one or two later."
"Don't we need to kill it here? It's wrapped in silk, but if it can't be made into a puppet, it could be troublesome if it escapes..."
"It appears to be a juvenile. If it were more dangerous, I would have killed it. But with this level of strength, bringing it back offers greater benefits."
If it was the Blue Witch's child, dissecting it and analyzing its internal structure might make it possible to cast puppet magic on the Blue Witch――――its mother. It was a valuable specimen. It would be a waste to kill it outright.
Apparently hearing the voice of her companion, Sekitan came over, and Fuyou captured it. In the workshop, the Spider Witch restrained Mokutan as well, spitting spider silk through a small window from outside.
Having rendered all the guards helpless, the Wizard of Iruma briskly entered Dairi's house.
Everything had gone extremely well so far, but the danger would increase dramatically if the Blue Witch sensed the diversion and cast return magic. Until he cast puppet magic on Dairi Kenshi and completed their withdrawal from Okutama, he could not let his guard down for a moment.
He crossed the dark hallway and peered into the bedroom. Dairi Kenshi was sleeping completely carefree. A zombie manga sat on the bedside table.
Apparently he had woken once after hearing about the zombie uprising, but then gone back to sleep.
"You're merciful, aren't you? Once life ends, it will be set free."
When the Wizard of Iruma cast puppet magic, one of the world's leading figures fell under the spell with astonishing ease. He gently shook Dairi's shoulder, and Dairi sat up sleepily.
As Dairi narrowed his eyes in puzzlement and tried to see through the darkness, the Wizard of Iruma cast night vision magic on him.
"Ah, I can see something now... Eek!"
"I am the Wizard of Iruma. I am your best friend. You have nothing to fear."
"What? My best friend? Then I'm relieved."
Dairi had been frightened and trembling despite the puppet magic supposedly having imprinted affection on him, but he calmed down when instructed to recognize the Wizard of Iruma as his best friend.
"Good. Dairi, from now on, you will leave Okutama with me and head to a safehouse. At our destination, you will make the highest-quality magic wands. What do you need?"
"Oh. Let's see... A complete set of tools, and a Demon King Gremlin for parts. If we're making a magicstone core, maybe an Octameteorite too? I'd also like to bring the Fire Lizard. And I should tell Hiyori that I'm going out, and..."
"The Blue Witch is your enemy."
"What? She's an enemy? Then I won't contact her."
Dairi Kenshi possessed bodily functions that could be called the next stage of human evolution, but he had no special magical constitution whatsoever. There was no other asset so easy to control and so useful.
His abilities appeared to be an inherited physical trait, so if he were made to father children en masse, they could obtain multiple individuals who inherited those abilities. Once that point was reached, Dairi Kenshi would no longer be a unique asset, and they could dissect him to analyze the secret of his dexterity.
If everything proceeded smoothly for about twenty years, they could begin mass-producing wandmakers equal to Dairi Kenshi.
Having secured Dairi Kenshi safely, the Wizard of Iruma decided that things had progressed quickly enough to leave time for a cover-up.
If Dairi disappeared without leaving any traces, they might realize that he had been kidnapped through puppet magic.
To make it appear that combat had broken out and he had been forcibly kidnapped, Iruma used several spells to destroy part of Dairi's house.
He placed the Monster Scissors in a suitable location, activated them, and drained their magical power.
He also cut open Tsubaki's belly, smeared blood on the healing scroll, and used it, disguising the scene to make it appear as though the scroll had been used to save Tsubaki while she was trying to protect Dairi.
All that remained was to crush one Fire Lizard and scatter the remains as they left. That would make the scene convincing.
If Fuyou could not be uprooted and taken with them, they would cut Fuyou down as well. It would be a waste, but it would make the fierce battle more believable.
Once they secured the Flower Witch later, they could reproduce the Flower Witch's children as many times as they liked. There was no problem.
The Wizard of Iruma simulated how the hypothetical kidnappers had attacked Okutama and managed to abduct Dairi Kenshi, then ransacked the scene based on that simulation. Finally, he stopped by the workshop to collect Mokutan to scatter around the scene.
Dairi turned around after packing the tools into a tool bag and taking a small box containing Gremlin parts from the shelf.
And then.
The Wizard of Iruma looked around the workshop for Mokutan, who should have been restrained and rolled up by the Spider Witch, and his gaze locked with the Octameteorite enshrined on the wall.
A tremendous wave of emotion suddenly washed over the Wizard of Iruma.
An endless hostility unlike anything he had ever felt in his life.
Bottomless contempt.
Hatred as though his guts were boiling.
Unshakeable vigilance.
The emotion that had welled up from nothing, the sensation of it occupying his brain, reminded the Wizard of Iruma of the unpleasant feeling of a spell being carved into his brain when he transformed into a wizard.
"Gah, ah...!"
The Wizard of Iruma groaned as he tried to shake off the fury that was not his own.
The emotion screamed.
It roared for him to crush his mortal enemy.
But the Wizard of Iruma tried to suppress the emotion with reason.
Magicstones were valuable strategic resources. Letting his emotions carry him away and destroying one was insane.
This was an intriguing phenomenon. He must not destroy it. He would control his emotions and recover that magicstone which had produced such an unknown reaction...
Before the Wizard of Iruma, who was suffering from the struggle between reason and emotion, the Octameteorite sent the magical power welling within itself toward the Demon King Gremlin on the worktable.
Magical power flowed into the Demon King Gremlin with artistic precision, forming a complex pattern.
Its internal circuits raced at super high speed.
Receiving the Octameteorite's magical input while violet sparks flew from its missing sections, the Demon King Gremlin fired an unknown magic at the Wizard of Iruma.
A beautiful wave of golden light swelled into a sphere and passed through the Wizard of Iruma's body.
All strength left the Wizard of Iruma's body, and his senses grew dull as though he were paralyzed.
Smoke rose from some of the wands and scrolls in the workshop that the wave of light passed through. All the magical writing melted into a dark, shapeless mess.
Dairi let out a sorrowful scream, but there was no time to pay attention to him.
The Octameteorite did not want to be destroyed, but it directed naked hostility at the Wizard of Iruma.
Its threat level shot upward. It was not something he could hope to secure.
Unfortunately, he had no choice but to destroy it.
"Shatter!"
Not knowing what would happen if he approached, the Wizard of Iruma chanted a spell to destroy the Octameteorite, but astonishingly, no magical power moved.
With his whole body slack, the magical writing collapsing, and the spell failing to activate, the Wizard of Iruma realized that his incantation magic had been sealed.
The Octameteorite once again extended its magical power toward the Demon King Gremlin, feeding it in a complex pattern as it began doing something.
The Wizard of Iruma heard a voice that was not there.
It was in the language of magic. He could not understand its meaning, but he understood its fury and intent.
Someone was shouting, "I will never forgive you."
"Iruma? What's happening? Is this an emergency? I'll break down the wall...!"
The Spider Witch, waiting outside, peered into the workshop through the small window in a panic. She tried to destroy the workshop wall and force her way inside.
However, the wall, reinforced with thick iron plates, would not break easily.
Then a fantastical wave of silver light, swelling into a sphere, swept over the Wizard of Iruma and spread outward.
There was a heavy crashing sound, and the Spider Witch, who had been trying to break through the wall, fell silent.
The Fire Lizard lying on the workshop floor flipped over foaming at the mouth, while the Wizard of Iruma was also struck by severe dizziness and nearly fell.
If he had not resisted instinctively through magical control, the Wizard of Iruma would have lost consciousness as well.
He tried to deal with the situation calmly, but his limbs were convulsing.
He had to destroy the Octameteorite immediately.
A third spell without an incantation would be catastrophic.
He had no brain, yet his head hurt.
His internal organs were not functioning, yet he felt nauseated.
Staggering, the Wizard of Iruma grabbed the hammer lying on the worktable and struck the Octameteorite with a cry of hatred.
"Disappear, Witch of Rubble!"
Struck by the hammer, the Octameteorite shattered with astonishing ease.
The Octameteorite, which had been surging with magical power, fell silent as though all of it had been an illusion.
The Wizard of Iruma was filled with a refreshing sense of satisfaction, as though he had finally disposed of an old enemy he had fought for years.
That satisfaction ebbed away like a receding wave in an instant, and the Wizard of Iruma's usual calm returned to his mind.
However, not everything had returned to normal.
Even when he chanted, the magic did not activate.
The weakness and convulsions continued as well.
While ordering the wide-eyed, weak-kneed Dairi to continue packing, the Wizard of Iruma slid down the wall, sat on the floor, and muttered.
"This is bad."
He could still control magical power. However, he could not use incantation magic. It was a dangerous situation.
The fact that return magic had been sealed was particularly fatal. He could not make an emergency escape if the worst happened.
It was an unforeseen development that had stripped away all the leeway in the Wizard of Iruma's plan, all the spare capacity meant to deal with unexpected situations.
The one fortunate thing was that the Octameteorite had not used dispelling magic, which would have been an instant-death attack against the zombified Wizard of Iruma.
Another was that it was clear the Demon King Gremlin had been unable to activate its magic perfectly because of its missing parts.
If the Demon King Gremlin had been complete, the Wizard of Iruma would certainly have lost consciousness after the second spell.
The sealing of his incantations was an extremely serious problem.
However, he had gained something that outweighed the burden of the wedge driven into him.
He had been able to witness an exemplary demonstration of the advanced magic of a superior magical civilization—twice.
The two spells without incantations that the Octameteorite had cast through the Demon King Gremlin remained burned deeply into the Wizard of Iruma's mind despite the confusion.
It was magic of an extremely high level, far beyond the magical technology of modern humanity.
The Wizard of Iruma laughed.
The unexpected situation had weakened him terribly, but thanks to it, he had learned advanced techniques more than sufficient to make up for his weakness.
With Dairi's help, if he could reverse-engineer how to use the Demon King Gremlin, he could remove the two magical afflictions, regain enough strength to walk, and escape Okutama with the greatest harvest imaginable—one that surpassed even his maximum expectations.
The question was whether he could reverse-engineer the magic before dawn, when the Blue Witch would presumably return.
The Wizard of Iruma called over Dairi, who had finished packing, and immediately began analyzing the Demon King Gremlin and the shattered Octameteorite with Dairi's wisdom and assistance.
A complete analysis was impossible, but there was a good chance they could determine the parts necessary to restore his strength.
It looked like it was going to be a long night.