Chapter 56
Episode 11: Forbidden Tome
After taking down the Calvinhal Fortress, I observed the Kingdom’s heightened defenses and decided to bide my time.
In the meantime, I learned about a sealed dungeon, so I decided to go and see what it was like with Brad-san.
「Celestia-sama, this is the dungeon known as the 【Forbidden Tower】, sealed off by the Kingdom. During the day, security is tight, but at night, entering becomes possible. How would you like to proceed?」
「Can anyone in 【Shadow】 access this dungeon?」
「Only me. Even Roy would struggle here.」
「Then I’ll need to enter with my familiars.」
「If it’s your highest-ranked familiars, there should be no problem.」
「Alright, Brad-san, stay here. I’ll tackle the dungeon with my familiars.」
「Understood. Please take care.」
So, we waited for nightfall, planning to enter the dungeon once security relaxed.
As night descended on the 【Forbidden Tower】, security indeed grew thin. Summoning a familiar from a short distance away, I used it to draw the guards’ attention. I then approached the entrance, dismissed my familiar, and slipped inside.
Once inside, I summoned my highest-ranked familiars: Oni God Roha, Phantom Wolf King Fei, Shell Insect King Beetle, and Dragonian Dora—each an S-ranked monster.
〚Celestia-sama, we shall conquer this dungeon with our power.〛
〚I’ll be counting on you!♪ Any monsters with mana cores are mine to handle, alright?〛
〚Understood.〛
The dungeon journey progressed smoothly thanks to my familiars’ efforts. S-ranked monsters appeared, yet my familiars overpowered them so easily that they seemed like mere underlings… High-ranking familiars are truly this strong… (sweat)
Every monster with a mana core was bound to me as a familiar, and already, I had contracted over fifty of them. I never expected to amass such a force.
We made steady progress and reached the 50th floor within a single day. However, this floor differed entirely from the previous ones: it had a single, straight path stretching endlessly forward, obscuring what lay ahead. With no choice but to press on, I eventually reached a grand door.
Suddenly, the door began to speak.
「Beyond this door lies the 【Forbidden Tome】. Only those with the Eye of Taboo may enter. By awakening the Eye of Taboo, the door shall open.」
The Eye of Taboo… Could it be a Demon eye? Perhaps a sacred eye could qualify as well? I channeled magic into both of my eyes, and in an instant, the door began to emit light, enveloping me completely.
〚Celestia-sama!〛
〚I’m fine. It seems only I can go beyond this door, so please wait here.〛
〚A-as you wish…〛
With that, I was drawn into the light and passed through to the other side of the door.
–
Episode 12: The Sacred and the Demonic…
As the light enveloping me faded, a hologram with a half-black, half-white appearance emerged.
『To think that someone exists with the Eye of Taboo in both eyes…』
「So both the Sacred Eye and the Demon Eye are considered Eyes of Taboo?」
『Indeed. Those destined to become angels receive the Sacred Eye, while those destined to become demons receive the Demon Eye.』
「I have the Demon Eye in my right eye and the Sacred Eye in my left. Does this carry any specific meaning?」
『Every phenomenon has a reason. However, there is no precedent for someone possessing the Eye of Taboo in both eyes, so I cannot provide an answer.』
「What happens to those who possess only one of these eyes?」
『When their power is fully unleashed, the color of their eye changes. For the Sacred Eye, a golden heptagram will appear in the iris, signifying the transformation into an angel. For the Demon Eye, a scarlet heptagram marks the transformation into a demon.』
「Understood. I’ll make both of my eyes shine gold and scarlet. I think this will help me understand the purpose of these gifts.」
『I see. Though the journey will be arduous, I pray you reach its end.』
「Thank you.」
『As a final gift, I grant you access to my 〚World Memory, the Akashic Record〛.』
When the hologram’s words ended, I found myself back outside the door. That hologram was the Forbidden Tome itself, sharing with those who hold an Eye of Taboo the truths of the Sacred and Demon Eyes. I suppose it couldn’t fully explain things since I hold both… (sweat)
〚Celestia-sama, I am so relieved to see you safe.〛
〚Yes, I’m back. There’s nothing more to accomplish in this dungeon, so let’s head home!〛
After saying this, I dismissed my familiars and returned to our base. Once there, I shared with Mom the truths about the Sacred Eye and the Demon Eye as conveyed by the Forbidden Tome.
「I see… So, the Sacred Eye is granted to those who will become angels, and the Demon Eye to those who will become demons.」
「Yes, and since I’ve been given both, I’ll complete the heptagram in each eye.」
「Celestia, this may mean you won’t remain human.」
「If that’s the reason I was born, then I accept it. Mom… even if I become something other than human, will you still let me be your daughter?」
「Even if you become an angel or a demon, Celestia, you will always be my beloved daughter. I support the path you choose to take.」
「Thank you, Mom! I love you so much!」
I decided not to choose between the sacred and the demonic, but to embrace both. I may become something entirely different from an angel or a demon, but following this path will reveal the answers in time.
From this day forward, I resolved to unleash and wield the power of both the Sacred Eye and the Demon Eye.
–
Episode 13: Explosive Magic
After the fall of the Calvinhal Fortress, the kingdom increased its regional military strength, prompting a change in our strategy. Since we have a teleportation magic circle, as long as we set it up, we can travel freely without needing roads. Parallel Thought Butler suggested a plan to leverage this ability.
The idea is to destroy the main roads that the kingdom’s army would likely use. By cutting off their movement instead of reducing their numbers, we limit troop movement and can fight without fearing reinforcements. Plus, funds would be redirected to repair the roads, thus cutting down their military budget.
Mom, Brad-san, and the others agreed, so we decided to go forward with the main road destruction strategy.
We started by destroying the main road connected to our base in Cherimo, and this also served as practice for my Creation Magic, as proposed by Parallel Thought Butler.
This time, I’ll be testing an explosive magic spell called 【Explosive Magic】, which creates a huge blast by first using earth magic to make iron powder, then igniting it with fire magic.
Late at night, Brad-san and I headed out, found a deserted area, and prepared to destroy the road with magic.
「Celestia-sama, there’s no one nearby. Feel free to begin at your convenience.」
「Alright, I’ll use about 70% of my mana for now.〚Explosive Magic〛!」
As I cast the spell, a massive explosion erupted in front of me!
『Boomーーー!』
Not only did the road get obliterated, but a massive crater about 200 meters wide, a kilometer long, and 100 meters deep had formed…
「C-Celestia-sama?」
「Yeah, using 70% of my mana created an insane amount of destruction (sweat).」
「It seems Mistique’s claim that you have the highest mana capacity among humans is accurate (sweat).」
「Well, the road’s destroyed, and repairs will cost a fortune, so it’s fine (laugh).」
「Haha… yes. Since the explosion was so loud, people might come, so let’s head back.」
With the main road destroyed as planned, we returned to the base before anyone could arrive. From now on, I’ll need to hold back a bit on the power of my magic… if I unleashed my full mana, I might be able to blow away an entire town, so I’d better be careful.
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