Chapter 136. Resolve
"...The cash you requested will be prepared within a week."
Hearing Drelf's gloomy voice, Verden stepped out of Dyna Bank.
He had not received the cash immediately.
According to the branch manager, Dyna Bank would load the cash from each branch onto their airship and transport it to Asern.
'So all I have to do is wait, and they'll prepare it on their own.'
It was treatment they might or might not even grant to a high noble. This must be the power of the Esperanza Marquisate.
Verden had no particular greed for the outward show of status, but he was now realizing its convenience.
'With this, one problem is solved.'
The next destination was the Grand Library.
His purpose, a tome containing a 5th-tier imbue spell.
It would be nice if he could purchase it from a nearby bookstore, but unfortunately, magic tomes of high tiers were strictly prohibited from circulation under the name of the magic tower.
Not because they feared magic would leak out.
Even if someone got their hands on a book containing a 5th-tier spell, what would it matter?
Unless one was a mage who had deeply specialized in that field, it would be nothing more than a decorative book or kindling.
The reason the magic tower forbade circulation was singular.
'They simply abhor the idea of high-tier magic wandering the marketplace.'
Among mages, there were many who clung to such pointless pride.
The more skilled the mage, the stronger that tendency.
'Just look at Bohemirn, the tower master of a 7th-tier magus, Balrog Bessias.'
A madman who regarded humans as objects, using and discarding them.
Those who had dabbled in the magic tower's unofficial research with him were no different.
Verden knew better than anyone about such mages.
Arriving at the Grand Library of Rines,
he showed the director Calia's seal pendant, and without difficulty stepped into the restricted section.
A place where rare, expensive, and esoteric tomes were stored, protected by various magical items.
'...There it is.'
As Verden looked around, his eyes fell upon a symbol, two spirals intersected by a straight line.
The emblem of the Helion Magic Tower, representing the Enchantry School, the origin of Raivan Crusoe, leader of the relic exploration Seekers.
He immediately walked over to the shelf.
'Quite a collection.'
Various imbue spell tomes.
There were also some mental-type magic books with rather intriguing titles, but he deliberately left them untouched.
Verden's forte lay in close combat empowered by his heightened senses through the Ring of Rune, his body enhanced by imbue magic, and elemental magic.
'I know the basics of mental-type theory, but I've never studied it deeply.'
Bohemirn Magic Tower never dealt with imbue magic.
Unlike other towers that specialized in one or two elements, they handled all elements, leaving no room to dabble in other branches.
'What I need right now is depth.'
To think that having more magic would be better and learning superficially would only be a waste of time.
Of course, Verden had no limits. If he willed it, he could learn anything.
'But to claim it requires no effort—that is something I can categorically deny.'
Understanding theory and stacking knowledge, learning spells through trial and error.
The Defying the Heavens body that Verden had achieved contained infinite possibilities, but it did not grant genius growth in all fields.
For now, developing his existing abilities was the highest priority.
External elements could be postponed to the far future, which to Verden was a much more rational choice.
As Verden browsed the shelves, his hand stopped.
"Found it."
[5th-tier – Reinforce, Volume 1]
Verden pulled the tome out.
To remove something treated by the magic tower was a clear crime.
Lending them out was impossible to begin with.
Nor did he intend to come back and forth as a resident scholar.
'So I'll finish it here.'
Verden sat in a corner of the library.
His blue eyes scanned the book ceaselessly.
It was not rote memorization of each and every word.
It was grasping the essence the tome sought to convey, interpreting the structure of the 5th-tier spell based on the roots of the imbue branch and his accumulated experience.
Just last year, Verden's tier limit had been the 1st tier.
The worst talent for a mage, one who could never succeed.
Yet no one could match Verden's comprehension of magic.
Even that detestable tower master had judged him a genius, using him for a whole seven years as an experiment to raise the tower's prestige.
Sssrrrak.
The sound of turning pages brushed faintly past his ears.
...Soon, night fell.
The Grand Library operated day and night.
With bright magic stone lamps, it differed little from daylight.
Nor did theft occur. A library directly overseen by the magic tower was no different from a fortress.
And within sat Verden.
His posture and breath had not changed. Only the book before him.
That focus, abandoning food and even suppressing bodily functions, was something Verden had perfected over a lifetime.
Sssrrrak.
Again, the sound of a page turning.
And with each turn, Verden was climbing higher.
***
He spent three days in the library.
Pouring his immense comprehension into absorbing knowledge of new magic.
His vision wavered, his head burned, and his body weakened from not eating.
Inevitably, he spent a day in Rines to sate his hunger and sleep.
Only on the fourth day since arriving at Rines was he able to step out of the city gates again.
In a secluded place, he soared high into the sky.
Piercing the air, reaching above the clouds, Verden gathered magic power more fiercely.
His figure began to shimmer.
A basic 5th-tier spell.
Unlike regular flight, it could not change direction or perform dynamic maneuvers, but in a straight line, it allowed for much faster travel.
It was thanks to this spell that he had reached Rines from Zion Forest earlier than planned.
Though the high-speed flight put considerable strain on the body, it mattered little to Verden.
With control at the level of mastery, he manipulated the surrounding air, perfectly shielding his breath and body from the recoil.
Sunlit scenery flashed by ever faster.
As Verden enjoyed smooth flight, he thought of the funds he had amassed.
His original fortune, the payment for completing Perne's request,
and the 2.5 billion Elk loan he had secured from the bank thanks to Calia.
'This is not the end.'
There were still the items he had entrusted to Perne for disposal, and the proceeds from the magical items of Black Wolf Toreld, which Owl had handled.
Adding everything together, the expected value easily surpassed 3.8 billion, and it might even exceed 4.5 billion, enough to bid safely.
'On top of that, if I borrow money even from Bartol the moneylender, I might be able to aim for something more.'
A debt that an ordinary person could scarcely imagine, yet Verden felt no concern at all.
Money was nothing more than a means to an end, after all, and he had more than enough ability to repay it. Naturally, he had no thought of running away.
The 5th tier Verden had reached.
That was a benchmark.
The realm where, as a mage, one gained enlightenment and the qualification to become a magus.
He was now standing at the true starting point of his revenge.
'I will not hesitate.'
The power plant control room.
He had never forgotten the resolve and murderous intent from the time he committed his very first murder.
The Union.
Glory of the Dead.
The 3rd prince of the Estiria royal family.
All were those who had opposed Verden in the Kingdom of Estiria.
Existences far too great for a mere individual to contend with.
'But it doesn't matter.'
If they interfered with his purpose, if they were like flies constantly in his sight, then he would simply erase them himself, as he had with Gluttony of the principality.
To Verden, who now wielded far greater power than before, there was no hesitation.
Verden pierced through the sky.
At the end of his flight lay the city of Asern.
***
At that same time, the Luas Church's carriages departed from the gates of Rines.
Led by Bishop Neviron, along with Calia's knights, paladins, and priests.
Safely guarded by their escort, inside the carriages were Warrens and the Orb of the Undead, each carried separately.
To purify the Orb of the Undead completely, a mere church was not enough.
It required the noble Sanctuary, the diocese of the Luas Church within the Kingdom, where high priests would devote long years to its purification.
That was Bishop Neviron's judgment.
And Warrens.
Though his life was not in immediate danger, there were no signs of his body recovering.
Thus, together with the transport of the Orb of the Undead, it was decided he would go to the diocese and receive higher-level treatment.
Warrens lay on a comfortable bed.
Though his body was tormented by pain, his heart was light.
'It was truly fortunate that I asked for Lady Calia's cooperation.'
They had subjugated the hideout of Glory of the Dead.
Though no elders or women were found, they did rescue the poor captives.
And they even recovered the Orb of the Undead.
To be honest, he had expected nothing at all. To shake off their pursuit, he had cast away the prohibition itself.
Afterward, when his body recovered, he had intended to go find it himself.
No matter how urgent, he could never be free of responsibility.
If because of him undead had emerged from the cave and caused rampant casualties, Warrens would not even have been able to lift his head.
'His name was Asher, wasn't it.'
The one who recovered the Orb of the Undead.
And the mage who saved his life.
To Warrens, he was truly a benefactor for life. He gave him deep gratitude, even if only in his heart.
Then, the carriage stopped.
It seemed it was time for a rest.
A priest entered the carriage.
"I will examine your body for a moment, Sir Warrens."
"Thank you, priest."
It was an examination carried out several times a day.
Warrens offered his thanks repeatedly to those who cared for him so.
As usual, the priest grasped Warrens' wrist.
At that instant.
"So the traitor was here, huh?"
A delicate voice was heard.
So shocked, Warrens was at a loss for words.
Before him, the priest spun around.
There was no way, there should not have been any possibility, but there she was.
The woman whose back he had once seen from afar.
"Y-you, you, you are... mmmph!"
Viola pinched Warrens' lips.
"Shh. If you make noise and get me caught, all my effort sneaking in here will be for nothing, won't it?"
A sharp curse flowed into his mouth.
Warrens struggled, but he could not resist at all.
"Originally, I was planning to kill everyone here and just retrieve the Orb of the Undead. But do you know what the old man said? he told me to stay hidden in the diocese until the ritual is complete."
Viola pouted, twirling her hair around her finger.
"And when I asked what if the Orb of the Undead gets purified, she said she'd take care of it herself. I mean, I may look young, but I'm a 5th-tier black mage, you know? Isn't that treatment just too unfair?"
"...!"
"Mm, but I suppose it's not something I should be saying to a traitor who sided with the Luas Church. Or wait, wasn't it that you were not a traitor but a DarkWarton black mage? Well, whatever."
Smirk.
Viola flashed a chilling smile.
"They say it will take about two months. In the meantime, I'd like you to serve as my little toy. You made things damned troublesome for me, so don't refuse. Understand?"
Her slender finger flicked Warrens forehead.
Thud.
Warrens lost consciousness, his eyes rolling back. Viola's powerful curse had settled perfectly.
Now, he would remember nothing of this conversation.
And each time he saw Viola again, he would react with horrified shock.
The cursed magic circle engraved deep within his body could not be detected, even if a bishop were to examine him.
Viola of the White Bone.
This was who she was.
Viola stepped out of the carriage, pondering how best to play with her new toy to make these tedious days amusing.
Naturally, none of the other priests noticed.
They were deceived by the priest's shell she wore.
The light of the Luas Church.
And within it, a wicked darkness had slipped in.