Pure light magic erupted forth, slamming into the soldiers before Dio.
Divine Smite, a skill theoretically exclusive to Paladins, was now being wielded by Dio, who was clearly not one. However, as a Bard of the Lore College, he possessed a unique ability called "Witness, Remember, Tell"—simply put, copy-paste!
Only the Lore College subclass can copy-paste.
Dio could copy a maximum of three spells, each capped at his current power limit. The Divine Smite he was using had undoubtedly been copied from Aria just moments before.
Copied spells weren't single-use; Dio essentially "learned" them, granting him unlimited use. However, to copy a new spell, he had to forget a previously copied one, maintaining a three-slot limit.
The other two spells Dio had copied were Fireball and Future Walk. As a Bard, not a Wizard, Future Walk offered minimal combat utility. Even casting it on himself wouldn't allow him to learn other spells.
However, Future Walk was Dio's most cherished spell to copy. His reasoning was simple: if he ever found himself in a situation where he needed to play an unfamiliar instrument or sing a song he didn't know, he could simply cast it on himself.
Having copied Future Walk, wouldn't that mean he'd never be unprepared for any performance ever again? The thought was incredibly satisfying.
While it might seem absurd at first glance, this was precisely how a Bard's mind worked.
After dispatching the soldiers before him with Divine Smite, Dio repositioned his bow on the violin strings and began to play—but this time, the music was far from ordinary.
As a peaceful and calming melody spread across the battlefield, every soldier who had been besieging Douglas and Aria suddenly felt as if a hundred-pound weight had materialized on their backs, their movements becoming sluggish and heavy.
This was a Third-Level Bard spell: Sluggish Sound.
In truth, Bards were spellcasters too. They drew magical power from sound itself, using sound as the medium through which their spells manifested.
Just as dragons need only utter a few words of Draconic Tongue to channel their Magic Power and unleash a wide array of spells, Bards operate on a similar principle.
It's worth noting that the Enchantment School, one of the Eight Great Schools of Wizardry, possesses an identical spell called Slow. Wizards reverse-engineered this spell after deconstructing Bard magic.
In fact, nearly half of the Enchantment School's spells were pilfered from Bards. The absurdity lies in the fact that these Wizards often mock Bards as "minor enchanters."
Dio's magic significantly alleviated the pressure on Aria and Douglas. From behind their cover, the White-Bearded Old Mage glanced at Dio, pondering aloud, "Is he from the All Nations Alliance? Only they possess Bards of such caliber."
Cipher couldn't help but feel a surge of disbelief. So, the Old King of the Grand Duchy of Kandela had deluded himself into thinking he was orchestrating some grand, secret scheme, only to find that three of the world's four most powerful nations—the Empire, the Alliance, and the Arcane Federation—had all sent representatives.
Is this some kind of team-building exercise?
The Old Mage gently nodded, and his male student immediately launched a Fireball into the midst of the soldiers. Dio's magical interference prevented them from dodging, and the blast instantly engulfed them, eliminating over a dozen enemies with a single fireball.
The tide of battle was turning in their favor, but at that moment, the Old King, standing atop the hill within the Magic Circle, suddenly burst into maniacal laughter. "It's done! The ritual is complete! I have finally activated this Divine Artifact!"
A stream of blue energy erupted from the center of the Magic Circle, soaring into the heavens. The White-Bearded Old Mage, Feidric, and Dio could all clearly sense the immense magical power contained within—vast as an endless sea.
Even Cipher, Aria, and Douglas, who lacked any Magical Aptitude, felt the tangible force of the condensed magic as a raging wind swept outward in all directions.
"You two, get back here now!" Dio shouted toward Aria and Douglas.
They hesitated for a moment until Cipher yelled, "Retreat!" Only then did they scramble back.
At that moment, the Old King clutched the Hell Book in one hand and roared with laughter. "Come! Witness the power of this Divine Artifact! Be overwhelmed by the demons of Hell!"
As he spoke, the pages of the Hell Book began flipping automatically, one after another, giving off the unmistakable vibe of a final boss unleashing their ultimate skill.
But... one second passed, then two, then five, and nothing happened.
Contrary to legend, Hell wasn't projected into the real world. No portals materialized to summon hordes of demons. Even the fierce winds stirred by the initial surge of magic power gradually subsided.
The soldiers around the Old King, Cipher, and her companions—everyone stood silently, staring at the king, an awkward tension hanging in the air.
Cipher spoke hesitantly, "Uh... is that it?"
This was genuinely unexpected. Truthfully, she had been ready to switch accounts and unleash Mydei to wreak havoc, but why had the Old King suddenly fallen so flat?
Cipher's words struck with devastating force, shattering the Old King's composure instantly. "Why?! Why didn't it work? This makes no sense!"
Only Dio spoke, his voice grave. "No, the Travel Book's effect has already taken hold."
"Cough... cough..." A soldier beside the Old King suddenly removed his helmet, his body wracked by a fit of coughing. Royal Guards were typically young, robust men, but beneath this helmet was the withered face of an elderly man, his skin stretched taut over bone and etched with deep wrinkles.
His cracked lips moved, and his voice rasped like crumbling stone. "What... what's happening?! Cough... cough... Why do I feel so weak all over?"
Unaware of his own transformation, he gasped for breath like a broken bellows before collapsing to the ground.
As if triggered by this first fall, more soldiers began to collapse one after another, like dominoes. Within moments, the entire hilltop was littered with fallen men, leaving only the Old King standing. Panic seized him. "What... what's going on here?!"
Cipher, having overheard Dio's earlier remark, couldn't help but ask, "The Travel Book? What does that mean?"
Dio explained, "That's actually the true name of the Bard Divine Artifact, the Hell Book. Its power isn't to summon Hell or anything like that. Instead, it records the scenes experienced by its user and recreates them as vivid scenarios."
"The legend of the book's previous owner constantly summoning hellscapes and demons to fight their enemies stems from the Hero Party's expedition into the Endless Abyss. The book simply recorded their experiences from that perilous journey, and that's the memory they kept replaying."
Upon hearing this explanation, Cipher immediately understood. Recreating the Hell experience would undoubtedly be more cost-effective and devastating than recreating other scenarios. That's why the Hero Bard had relied so heavily on the "Summon Hell" ability in combat.
However, the Legend of the Demon King and the Hero was extremely famous, and the novel explicitly named the Bard's artifact the Hell Book. Could it be that the novel's portrayal was actually inaccurate?
Dio continued his explanation, "However, each time the Travel Book changes users, it becomes a blank slate, unable to access the previous user's recorded experiences. The new user must create their own entries."
Turning to the Old King, Dio shouted, "So, the moment your messenger mentioned the 'Hell Book,' I knew your plan was doomed to fail. You've never even been to Hell—how could you possibly recreate it?"
"How could this be..." The Old King stared in disbelief before collapsing to the ground, his expression gradually turning vacant.
"So, what's the situation now?" Fei Ye asked.
Dio explained, "It seems the Travel Book didn't record Hell itself, but it did record this Famine the old man created—this disaster—and represented it in an extremely abstract way."
Dio glanced at the corpse of the soldier who had first removed his helmet and died. "Hunger, aging, and death..." he said grimly. "It appears that within a hundred-meter radius of the book, everyone except the user is affected by these effects."
Finally, Dio turned to the Old King. "Close the Travel Book. Whatever your plan is, it's doomed to fail."
"No!!!" the Old King roared, his eyes bloodshot. "I haven't lost yet! Even if things haven't gone exactly as I imagined, this power can still serve my purpose! It will crush the invaders from the Empire and the Alliance!"
Cipher frowned, her expression incredulous. "So... you're saying you did all this—spent five years artificially creating a famine—just to repel invaders and protect your country?"
The Old King rasped, "Yes! What's wrong with that? You're the ones who've gone to such lengths to stop me! If the Empire's iron cavalry tramples the Grand Duchy of Kandela, it will be your fault!"
But the next moment, Dio frowned. "What nonsense are you spouting? An invasion by the Empire might be plausible, but how could the Alliance possibly invade another country?"
In fact, Dio's purpose in visiting Cloudsea City was to represent the All Nations Alliance and invite the Grand Duchy of Kandela to join. However, upon revealing his identity, he was denied an audience and wasn't even allowed into the city's castle.
With nothing else to do, Dio remained in Cloudsea City, investigating the city while idly indulging in his old profession out of sheer boredom.
It was after the warlock's death, with the Old King's plan nearing completion, that he turned his attention to Dio. Using the Hell Book as leverage, the messenger deliberately emphasized that the deal was with Dio personally, not the Alliance he represented, hoping to secure the powerful man's assistance.
Upon hearing Dio's proposal, the Old King chuckled. "Join the Alliance? Become one of your members? What's the difference between that and an invasion? Do you really think a mere invitation is enough to make the Grand Duchy of Kandela surrender outright?"
Dio frowned deeply. "After joining the Alliance, you would indeed lose your title as King, but you would gain the status of a councilor. You would still govern your Grand Duchy just as you always have."
The Old King retorted, "But if I join the Alliance, I'd have to abide by its laws, wouldn't I? No racial discrimination? Humans, elves, and beastmen living in harmony? What a joke! I can't accept that!"
"Oh!" Cipher suddenly understood. The real reason the Old King refused to join the Alliance was simple:
He was a king, the supreme ruler of his people. To suddenly strip him of his royal title and reduce him to a mere councilor—even though he could still govern the Grand Duchy of Kandela—would force him to share power with countless colleagues, perhaps even superiors. His days of absolute authority would vanish, replaced by a need to curry favor with others.
Moreover, he would transition from being the law's creator to its subject. The prohibition against racial discrimination was likely just one of many Alliance laws he couldn't stomach.
And after the Old King's death, his son wouldn't inherit the throne. Instead, the citizens of the Grand Duchy of Kandela would elect a new councilor through a national referendum.
Cipher couldn't help but ask, "If you hate the Alliance so much, why not just surrender and join the Empire?"
After all, the Empire still adhered to a feudal system and promoted human supremacy, which seemed to align closely with the Old King's own beliefs.
Feidric, standing beside Cipher, interjected, "If he actually surrendered, the Empire would execute him the next day and replace him with someone more competent. Surrender and be spared? That's a myth. The Empire only values ability, and the Old King clearly lacks it."
Cipher pieced together the information. The entire situation stemmed from the Old King's fear of an imminent Empire invasion, his dread of being killed by them, and his unwillingness to relinquish his throne or join the Alliance. This elaborate scheme was his desperate attempt to maintain his power.
"You spout such lofty words about defending the nation," Cipher snarled, "but all you really care about is protecting your own royal status!"