Counterattack – Part 01
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Translator: Kell | Editor: Ryunakama
Interlude: End of Work
Leaning back in his chair, Argentum smiled to himself as he thought of the Murky Darkness witch, the Beastfallen, and his student.
I was able to observe something nice in the end. It’s been almost a hundred years since I was born into this world.
“Or perhaps more than a hundred years had already passed? I don’t remember.”
Ever since he came across the concept of knowledge, he had devoted all his life to observing. He wished to know, to understand. It was a hunger. A craving.
He was willing to do anything, no matter how outrageous, in order to observe. To compensate for the reduced population of the island caused by the dragon attacks, he triggered storms to lure in ships like some evil sorcerer of old.
But now, that hunger and craving had vanished, replaced by extreme satisfaction. Ever since he started observing Magic, every day had been a thrilling day. He couldn’t keep up with the series of new events. Documenting them all frustrated him even.
Today he reached a stopping point. With the arrival of the “administrator,” the Witch of the Murky Darkness, the kingdom would be at a standstill for a while.
What would happen after was forseeable. No. There was no such thing as a flawless prediction. Maybe something so surprising might happen, one that even he couldn’t imagine.
“Oh, how I wish I could have seen that.”
Argentum exhaled. His was the voice of someone who spoke of dreams that would never be fulfilled.
A silver blade flashed, and Argentum’s head flew. The severed head rolled on the floor, staring blankly at its decapitated body.
He knew this would happen.
The countless information that Argentum observed all pointed to this day. Even if the beast warrior spared him, he was still destined to die today.
Behind the decapitated body, the silhouette of a man stirred. He had bright, jade-green hair, and he wore a jet-black priest’s attire. His hand held a scythe, the kind farmers used to reap wheat.
Fresh blood dripped from the scythe. Argentum knew it belonged to him.
An adjudicator from the infamous Dea Ignis. Executors dispatched by the Church to kill witches and sorcerers.
“Argentum the sorcerer. The sins you have committed are far too grave. Propagating unholy witchcraft on the island, brainwashing the people, leading them, and taking the life of the virtuous priest living in the church. You will atone for your transgressions…” Argentum thought his voice held a tone of gentleness. “…with your life.”
The man took a swing of his scythe, and it immediately transformed into an ordinary staff.
That is an interesting contraption, the sorcerer thought. Even on the verge of death, he was glad to have seen something unusual.
The adjudicator turned his back to Argentum, no longer interested in his corpse, then lit up a cloth in the fireplace and dropped it on the floor. Before the scorching flames could reach Argentum’s body, the adjudicator solemnly strode of the room.
Argentum’s mind, however, was calm and satisfied.
Perhaps I no longer have any regrets.
He encountered Magic, observed it for years, and today met its creator. He had learned everything he wanted to know, seen everything he wished to see. He had written down everything that needed to be documented. Even the fires of hell would not be able to burn them down.
Argentum had completed all the work he had assigned to himself.
If he closed his eyes, he would surely see a limitless future. The many pasts that he had observed would converge and become a single, clear path.
I’m taking a nap…
He felt comfortable as his consciousness slowly faded. The flames were pleasantly warm.
I don’t think I’ve had a good sleep in a long time. I’m certain I’ll have a good dream.
Slowly closing his eyes, Argentum began to dream, a dream from which he would never wake up from. Was his dream a prophecy of the future? Or perhaps…
After leaving Argentum’s lair, we did not return to Nordis, and instead headed for the neighboring kingdom of Altaria.
“The ritual will take place in Altaria,” the princess said. “Summoning the dragon in Nordis where the citizens are is far from the best option.”
We had decided to leave Argentum alone. Our goal now was to retrieve the copies of the Grimoire of Zero, kill the dragon, and leave the island safely. For that, the success of the Dragon Slaying Festival was necessary. So for the time being, we decided to watch how things played out rather than make a fuss about the copies.
The Magic Corps left for Altaria last night, and they were already preparing for the ritual at Altaria’s royal castle.
Raul explained Altaria’s geography and history to me on the way. “Altaria is located at the foot of the mountain where the dragon lives. On Black Dragon Island, the closer you get to the mountain where the dragon lives, the richer the soil becomes and the easier it is for plants to grow, so the people who washed up on this island a long time ago started growing fields there.”
“Okay, sure, crops grow there, but would you normally cultivate fields at the foot of a mountain where a dragon lives?”
“At first, no one believed that a dragon lived on island. You know, dragons rarely show themselves.”
It was said dragons woke up only once every hundred years, and even when it did, it would go into a deep slumber again after a short meal.
This meant that the people who washed up on the island built a village which eventually became a kingdom over the course of a century. It was only then that they realized the existence of the dragon.
“Apparently it appeared with the lava from the fire-breathing mountain and devoured half of the people living near the royal castle. Unlike other animals, humans were gathered in one place, which made them an easy target. But the people of Altaria were originally exiled criminals, and they didn’t have the technology to build a ship. They had no choice but to stay on the island.”
They couldn’t get off the island, and no matter where they went, the dragon would follow. As a result, the Holy Dragon Festival was created to coexist with the creature.
“The festival is held once every hundred years. They offer as many sacrifices as possible, and as indication of non-resistance, they also offer one virgin to the altar. I learned all that from an old book.”
“A nation that endured by offering sacrifices to a dragon?” Zero muttered. “That explains the name Altaria, from altar.”
I looked at the princess walking in front of us. “So the princess’s plan is to lure the dragon by playing the role of the virgin, show nonresistance, then kill it.”
“That is our best option.”
“That again… Will this really work?”
“If it doesn’t work, that’s it. There’s nothing else we can do.”
“You’ve got a lot of guts…”
I was beyond impressed. I was shocked. Argentum asked us to protect the princess, but I had no idea what Zero’s plans were.
At any rate, I couldn’t do anything against the dragon. Just remembering the creature I saw on the ship made me feel like I’d die three times.
“I see the castle!” Raul exclaimed, pointing to a hill beyond the main road. At the top of the gentle slope lay a city with red roofs, a cylindrical tower sticking out from it.
“Wow… That castle is ancient,” I said.
“Oh. You can tell just by looking at the tower?”
“Pretty much.”
Castles were said to have started as towers built on top of a heap of earth. You could almost guess when it was built from the shape of the castle keep alone.
“If it’s plain and simple, it’s usually old. If it’s rectangular, it’s even older.”
“That’s a rather loose criteria.”
As time went on, the towers became the living quarters of the royal family, more houses were built around the towers for the soldiers to live in, and castles became bigger and more complex.
In recent times, there were even castles built solely to show-off, with a lot of money spent on places that had no defensive significance.
In this respect, cathedrals were similar. The Church shared the same mentality with people of power, building huge, flashy, expensive buildings as a show of their authority.
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