Chapter 418. Central Magic Tower (2)
The silence that appeared after The Arm Spitter's words lasted only a moment.
[You are spouting absolute nonsense, The Arm Spitter. You don't actually think we're going to believe something like that, do you?]
Burning Tree began to openly show his hostility towards The Arm Spitter.
No matter how much they had to protect Star Eater, The Arm Spitter's claim simply made no sense.
The Divine Bloods present frowned upon hearing such nonsense.
Because of that...
Although Burning Tree and the other Divine Bloods moved to prepare for battle,
[...I suppose you have underestimated me too much.]
The Arm Spitter, however, remained unperturbed.
[I did not underestimate you. I only spoke the truth.]
[I'm warning you, The Arm Spitter. That kind of ridiculous lie only manages to anger me.]
Warned Burning Tree.
[It is natural that you do not believe it. I couldn't believe it at first either.]
[...What?]
Even after the warning, The Arm Spitter's tranquility left Burning Tree bewildered.
[...You don't mean to say that Star Eater can actually distribute divinity.]
[That is correct. It sounds like a joke, but it isn't.]
[Is that... really true?]
[Yes.]
Seeing how the being's hundreds of tentacles swayed while calmly nodding, Burning Tree looked at the other Divine Bloods who were with him.
Everyone had the same expression: doubtful, confused.
But the bewilderment was short-lived. Burning Tree regained his composure.
[Don't tell me you saw it with your own eyes.]
[No. I did not see it.]
[...Then how can you be so sure?]
At the incredulous question, The Arm Spitter replied:
[Because I heard it from The One Who Stands Tall.]
[If you are referring to the one who—]
[Yes, that one. The one who follows The One Who Gazes into the Abyss...]
[And what exactly was it that you heard?]
Then The Arm Spitter calmly related the story he had heard from the "ascended one."
After some time...
[In short, there is no reason to accept Decayed's request just to enter his faction.]
When he finished speaking, a slight agitation began among the Divine Bloods.
It was true.
If Star Eater could really snatch abilities from the Divine Bloods and give them to others, joining a faction ceased to be an important issue.
Because of that...
The agitation lasted only a short while.
[Hmph... in the end, it is nothing more than "just words."]
Commented Burning Tree, having recovered his mettle.
[Why would you lie? That ascended one would have no reason to say something false.]
[And why wouldn't he lie? He is one of the most faithful subordinates of The One Who Gazes into the Abyss.]
[Even so, he would have no motive to lie to me.]
[...]
At the response, Burning Tree fell silent.
Thinking about it properly... that logic didn't sound that strange either.
After all, The One Who Stands Tall belonged to the same group as the ascended one.
[...There is a possibility that you are the one lying.]
[And why do you ask me that? You should ask The Piercing Eye.]
At those words, Burning Tree turned his gaze toward the being he had brought with him: The Piercing Eye.
A Divine Blood capable of discerning the authenticity of others' intentions.
The being's countless pupils were fixed on The Arm Spitter, without a margin for error.
Finally, he said:
[...It is not a lie.]
With a somewhat confused expression, he spoke slowly.
[...What...?]
Burning Tree's jaw dropped without him being able to help it.
It was incomprehensible. Even so, holding his head with one hand, he forced himself to think.
"Does Star Eater really possess such an absurd ability?"
The Piercing Eye's verification proved that it wasn't a lie, but it was still hard to believe.
That ability was too irrational.
After a long moment of reflection, Burning Tree declared:
[...Even so, I find it hard to believe what you say.]
[Is that what you think?]
[Yes. You yourself might be believing falsehoods. So we are going to verify it.]
He made his decision.
##Meanwhile with Heinkel, Alon, and Penia
"...Does that mean you found a method to use magic without using magic properly speaking?"
[Well, strictly speaking, it isn't "found." It is more of a deduction.]
"I suppose it makes sense... after all, I cannot use your power directly."
Heinkel added that while gesturing for Penia and Alon to take a seat in the library.
Once she organized her thoughts, she began to explain:
[First of all, what I am going to say is only a hypothesis.]
"...I'm listening."
Heinkel hesitated for a moment.
[As you know, we already managed to substitute the act of reciting Phrases with magic. It can even be used in combat.]
"True."
[Which means it has already been proven that a Phrase can be activated through an alternative method.
What is really important is that it is not the "pronunciation" that matters, but the intention.]
Heinkel looked directly at Alon.
[And yet, you failed when trying to use a Phrase with pure thought. Why do you think that happened?]
Alon thought for an instant and shook his head.
"I really have no idea."
[Why?]
"If there were at least a clue, we could move forward, but... I haven't even achieved it a single time."
After Alon learned to activate Phrases through magic, he tried to use them only with intention alongside Penia.
But he didn't succeed a single time.
He didn't even find a starting point.
To that comment, Heinkel replied:
[To get straight to the point: I believe your approach is wrong.]
"...Really?"
[Yes. But the problem is that you don't have the "previous fundamentals."]
"Previous fundamentals...?"
Heinkel nodded.
[Alon, what do you think about when you recite a Phrase?]
"...What do I think about?"
[Yes.]
When Alon tried to answer—
[It's okay, you don't have to say it.]
"Eh?"
[Your expression already gave me the answer.]
Alon was left confused, so Heinkel continued:
[I'll get to the point: you fail because you are ignorant... but not in a bad way.]
"Ignorant...?"
[Don't take it the wrong way. The thing is that you didn't need that knowledge... until now.]
She cleared her voice and proceeded:
[You are special.
You can use Phrases and Sentences without obtaining the mental images that other wizards need, and you can activate them just by saying them.
That is a blessing. But—]
—she murmured in a low voice.
[-Right now, that blessing is a poison.]
"...A poison?"
[Yes. Thanks to that ease, you use magic "too comfortably."]
Alon opened his eyes, and Penia murmured something as if she had understood:
"...Lack of motivation?"
[Correct.]
Heinkel nodded.
[To use magic, a formula is needed.
The same applies to Phrases and Sentences.
But you—]
"...Can use it just by memorizing it... so you don't have the internal motivation to convert intention into a functional method."
[Exactly. Your blessing became an obstacle.]
Heinkel added:
[It is just a theory, but if it is true that pure intention is enough to activate the Phrases, then your difficulty has only that explanation.]
"So, to use pure intention as a method..."
[You would have to study Phrases and Sentences from scratch.
It is a killer amount of study, but it is what it is.]
Alon listened in silence.
And his decision did not take long.
"...I will try."
[Good. And don't worry, to verify if it works, you don't need to study everything thoroughly; a little will suffice.]
While Alon nodded, Heinkel seemed to remember something:
[Ah, and if you can, I have a favor to ask you.]
"What favor?"
[I heard rumors... about the cat you carry with you.]
"...Blackie?"
[Yes, him. They say he can transform into a Divine Blood. Could you show me?]
"...It's not difficult, but... why all of a sudden?"
[Curiosity. I am intrigued by what Special Creatures really are. Can't you?]
Alon denied.
"No, it's fine. But it will be difficult here. He gets very big."
[Then let's go outside.]
"Agreed."
The group left the library and arrived at a wide clearing.
Alon verified that Heinkel was observing from near the Magic Tower.
"Blackie."
[Kyuu?]
"Please."
Blackie jumped to the ground.
[Kyuu~!]
With that adorable sound, his body began to transform immediately.
Huge legs emerged from his back and lifted him towards the sky.
His body expanded in an instant, and dozens of eyes emerged from the abyssal darkness that formed him.
Finally, the being known as Poison Eater, the calamity of Colony, revealed himself in his complete form.
[Oh.]
Heinkel let out a sigh of wonder.
And at the same time, in the forest on the opposite side of the Tower...
Guided by The Piercing Eye to the location of Star Eater,
the Divine Bloods who had used The Arm Spitter's ability to open a dark hole toward Alon's area, observed.
[That is...]
[Poison Eater?]
[...No. It is not Poison Eater. You just saw it.
The small cat accompanying Star Eater transformed into that.]
[And that ability... although weaker, is definitely that of Poison Eater.]
[Then, that means—]
As they observed Blackie's gigantic body...
[-That the power of Star Eater... is real?]
They began to feed a dangerous and deep confusion.
