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Chapter 50 – Part 1

 

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TRANSLATOR: Kousei

EDITOR: Ryunakama

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「It looks like we’re in for a rough welcome」

「If they’ve gone to the trouble of showing themselves, they likely have some demands for us. If we compare it to our past experiences, it’s 90% probable that they do.」

In response to Professor Edward, who had a whip gripped in his hand so that he was ready to swing it at any time, Selina reluctantly asked him a question.

「Um, what is the remaining 10%?」

Although she asked him that, she seemed like she didn’t want to hear the answer, and the reason for that is perhaps because she already has an idea of what Professor Edward’s answer would be, and knew it would be an unwelcome one.

Professor Edward responded with a fearless smile. His smile alone was enough to convince Selina that her bad feeling was right on the mark.

「Of course, the remaining 10% is that they will attack with the intent to kill us.」

「Ah, right. Ugh, so the bad feeling I had was correct…」

「Don’t worry Selina-kun. With this group of people, even if there are more enemies hiding somewhere, we should be able to take them all on without dying」

「Even if you say that so cheerfully, your words are still disturbing, Professor Edward.」

At that moment, faint magic power was emitted from the red-haired youth outside, as he used a type of magic to make his voice heard across the distance, his words creating vibrations of sound in the air.

「Welcome to Sky City Solania. I saw the battle between you and the chimera. I wanted to pay my respects and meet you all face to face.
Can I have you come out of there? I don’t want to have to be too violent.」

「He says he doesn’t want to be violent, but his voice gives away that he wouldn’t hesitate to do it.」

The words he spoke were the complete opposite of what he really meant, which made Professor Edward smile bitterly, and Miss Eliza, whose complexion hasn’t changed in the slightest, agreed.

Although this situation was starting to look desolate and bleak, in a way, for these two, this was just another regular occurrence for them, as they’ve experienced similar situations many times before.

「You sound like you’re talking from experience, Professor.」

「This isn’t something that any of you would want to hear, but it can’t be helped. In the worst case scenario, this building looks like it could fall and crush us, so we should go outside.」

The fortress grounds are surrounded by a metallic space, and when you look up at the sky, you can see the sky is cut up into squares, and fills the darkness of night as if just painted on.

White lights illuminated the wall, floor and ceiling at equal intervals, and apparently, the lights were directly embedded into the building material, which makes the view look as bright as daytime.

Although, we can all still move without problems in the darkness of the night anyway.

「Let me introduce myself again. My name is Zadbar. I am the ruler of the Sky City Solania.」

「I’m Edward. I teach archeology at the Galois Magic Academy. I am here to investigate Solania together with my assistants, the students of the school, and my colleague.
By the way, you said that you are the one who governs Solania, but this is the first time I’ve heard that there was a surviving Celestial Being in Solania.
Do you hold the right to governing Solania just because you are a surviving Celestial? Or are you saying that you are qualified to rule because you took control of Solania’s city functions?」

Professor Edward’s question wouldn’t fix the current situation, but it was still something worth confirming.

If a Celestial Being who had been sleeping in an unknown underground space in Solania had awakened, and was now claiming control of the city, then from that survivor’s point of view, we are nothing more than grave robbers.

Zadbar didn’t bat an eyelid and simply opened his mouth. He was a young man who didn’t feel any emotional fluctuation, it was as if we were talking with a doll.

「As a matter of fact, I control, rule and reign over everything in Solania.」

「So you claim to be the ruler and owner of Solania. I was thinking that if you really are a survivor of the Celestial Beings, then there would have been no other choice than for us to retreat.」

Here, as Professor Edward stops speaking for a moment, a faint color of suspicion flashed through Zadbar’s eyes.

Except for Professor Edward, who had a somewhat provocative smile on his face, everyone else could feel that war was about to start.

「But you made a mistake; you are too famous. You should have changed your face as well, instead of just taking on an alias. You are one of the great disciples of the Great Sorcerer Bastrell, Zagurs of the Red Death.
At the age of ten, you became a priest, and in the following year, you killed your entire clan and disappeared into the darkness of the world. When you reappeared as a disciple of Bastrell, you sacrificed the lives of a thousand and one humans in a black magic ritual, and became a sinner who took on the second name of Red Death.
There are wanted posters for criminals circulating throughout various countries’ military forces and magic guilds. Even I would know the name and face of scum like you.
I’m also aware of the fact that your mentor Bastrell has been leading the Mage Society called Overgene, which has been focusing on collecting the Celestial Beings’ technology and relics in recent years.」

The name of the Great Sorcerer Bastrell is a name that is not only known by students of Magic Academy. Anyone who has studied magic will have heard about the legends of his horror at least once.

He is a Great Sorcerer whose existence can be confirmed up to at least 200 years back, and he is so powerful, he can be counted as one of the most powerful and well known mages in the world. They have committed countless crimes, from the smuggling of forbidden drugs, magic potions and tools, to the abduction, assassination, brainwashing, and experimentation of important people.

He is a villain who has continued to use his power, which is said to surpass even 10,000 mages, only for his own desires, and has brought disaster to countless people.

It can even be said that he has enough strength, financial power, and influence comparable to the magic societies which contain many talented mages under their umbrella.

Bastrell and his magic society, Overgene, are an existence that makes both the upper class of every country and any righteous mage shudder in terror.

Zagurs, going by Zadbar now, had his true identity as Zagurs revealed by Professor Edward, and then his expressionless, iron mask-like face changed into a smile, as a small laugh spilled out from the back of his throat.

Killing intent that seemed to distort space began to rise everywhere around them, as Professor Edward’s statement had finally snapped the thread of tension in the air, which had been stretched to its limit until now.

「Kukuku, I see, I must have rampaged too much with my teacher. Then, let me end my boring act here. Allow me to introduce myself again.
I am Zagurs, a disciple of the great Bastrell, a seeker of the truth of magic… I have taken control of Solania at the command of my teacher.」

「I have heard that your magic society is an extremely talented group, regardless of right or wrong, but I didn’t think you were capable of taking control of Solania. Apparently the gods have made a mistake in giving your group such talent」

「This is all only possible due to my teacher’s guidance. Even so, I thought I would have the boring job of eliminating some rats who had visited Solania, but it seems I’ve been unexpectedly blessed with the fortunate opportunity to meet a Celestial-Dragon and a Dragon-God, and even a brethren, although not fully awakened yet.

In response to Zagur’s joyful smile directed at her, Vaje implicitly showed her discomfort towards his attitude by taking one step forward, and then another, with a shimmering heat haze rising around her.

Liu Yu also reacted to the filthy malice directed toward her by Zagurs, creating countless droplets of water around her, ready to rain down at any moment, with the ability to pierce even steel.

「Hah, if you think it’s fortunate to face me in battle, then your brain must be rotten.」

「Unusually, I agree with Vaje. I get a very bad feeling from you. It’s as if I’m standing before my sworn enemy, the Sea Demons.」

「That is disheartening, to be treated the same as those lowly Sea Demons. But you are existences which even those of us in Overgene rarely ever see.
I’ve had enough of dissecting average dragons and demi-dragons. You will be useful to me and my teacher, in many ways. I will take possession of you, by any means possible.
How about it? Vaje and Liu Yu, was it? If you two follow me obediently, I will spare you two and that woman, Christina, over there. My magic society would welcome her, as a show of friendship to a fellow superhuman.
I promise all the others will have a painless death. Ah, but I could also let them live as materials for my experiments. That is the biggest compromise I can make, would you consider it?」

Faster than Professor Edward could speak any words of refusal, Vaje moved with a ferocious smile on her face. Well, I knew she would.

「”Lowly people” such as you should know your place. You are absurd!」

It was already common knowledge among everyone here that Vaje would be the first to explode and enter battle in situations like this, so Professor Edward and Miss Eliza, who had been in front earlier, moved aside for Vaje as she rushed forward surrounded by crimson flame.

Christina, Professor Edward, Miss Eliza and I took up spots to the left and right behind Vaje, while Selina and Liu Yu got into battle formation behind us, ready to help us with support magic.

As for Lenia, before I knew it, she had taken big strides forward to stand next to Vaje.
She took a single glance back at me and made a snort-like gesture. Could it be that she felt a sense of rivalry with Vaje?

As Vaje and Lenia approached, the space around Zagurs further wavered, and an immeasurable killing intent gathered to attack the two of them.

「You can’t escape from my eyes with that low-level concealment magic!」

With a swing of Vaje’s right arm, flames hot enough to melt iron burst forth, and mowed across an empty spot in space, which revealed a hidden chimera that had no shadow or shape until then, and it instantly turned into charcoal.

「That would only work on ordinary people. That was a naive idea」

It seems Lenia also knew exactly where the chimera-like presences were hiding, as she unleashed murderous and destructive intent outwards in all directions, scattering the forcibly shredded corpses of the chimeras in the air.

「You were threatening us from the start, all the while pretending to negotiate.」

Selina kept her eyes open as the curse of the magic snake ignited within her body. Her anger could clearly be heard in her voice, but I answered with my back still turned to her. For now, there’s still plenty of time to at least talk.

「He was clearly looking down on us, and had no intention on ever negotiating. Let’s make him regret not having settled things peacefully with us.」

「Yes!」

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