Chapter 241
—Even I gotta say, I really created a bizarre masterpiece!
In a secret trading post located in the capital of the Troa Empire, Burtemberg.
Terrarium.
In that complex place, like an ant nest, Bishop Ultreman was communicating with the eccentric magic engineer, Biblios, through a crystal ball.
Biblios chuckled heartily while mentioning his latest incredible creation… or should we say, bizarre work.
—This one is something else…! Honestly, I didn’t want to give it away. I wanted to stash it away where only I know!
“It’s such a well-made staff. I totally understand how you feel.”
—Right! But… I’m a craftsman, after all, so I couldn’t do that. Is this what you call craftsmanship? Hahaha!
Ultreman listened with a smile on his face, clearly amused by Biblios’s words.
Having already assessed the item, Ultreman knew very well about this bizarre creation made by Biblios.
‘Biblios… Given his skills and creativity, I signed a contract with Terrarium, but he was just an unknown magic engineer. Plus, the conditions for accepting orders were ridiculously strict, and he had never produced anything worth proving his worth.’
In the end, there were merely contracts in place, but no customers came looking for him, and no one entrusted him with production.
But lo and behold! Vargan called upon Biblios directly, and Biblios gladly accepted.
Of course, the materials Vargan brought were extremely rare, so it was understandable why Biblios was excited to accept. However, it was hard to accept that Vargan excluded all other reputable magic engineers and called on Biblios.
Those were materials far too precious for someone with no notable experience to handle.
—That guy’s mana…! The mana of the Schugenhartz Family, skilled in curse magic and familiar magic, is the identity of this creation! Ugh! Just thinking about it makes my knees tremble. I still can’t forget the thrill when I completed it!
Biblios wiped away all those concerns and produced a truly bizarre masterpiece.
The base performance was excellent, but especially regarding curse magic and familiar magic, the synergy effect was tremendous.
Considering its amazing performance, it belonged to the category of the best masterpieces.
Yet, it couldn’t be called a masterpiece, as it accrued a fatal flaw that gave it the title of a bizarre work.
That was the kind of weapon that Biblios created.
“Just to clarify, did you deduce that ‘danger’ from examining the mana of the customer, Vargan?”
—Huh? Nah, I didn’t think about that. I just made it as my hands moved!
“So, you mean it’s more like a coincidence?”
—That’s right! I create my children with my heart rather than my head! Does a child’s ‘rebellion’ care whether their adoptive parents can endure it or not? It’s the adoptive parents’ fault if they can’t handle it; my kids are innocent!
Does the child’s ‘rebellion’ even know whether the adoptive parents can endure it or not? If they can’t handle it, it’s their fault; my kids are innocent!
Biblios, having created the weapon, referred to himself as the parent and the weapon’s owner as the adoptive parent, claiming each harbors rebellion, thus posing a danger.
The same goes for the child that Vargan took this time.
Among all the children he had completed so far, this one was the most violent and greedy, but it possessed enough strength to warrant that behavior.
Ultreman imagined how Biblios’s weapon would align with Vargan’s temperament.
A scene where the weapon’s deadly flaw is weakened by achieving only two great milestones in the world.
“…”
He adjusted his slightly crooked hat and spoke softly.
“So that’s why you named it that.”
—Name? Oh, right! That’s why I named it! It’ll probably suck them dry! I wonder when the adoptive parents will bend over!
Biblios couldn’t hide his excitement.
He envisioned the scene where the weapon devours all of its owner’s mana, showcasing nearly cataclysmic power in return.
—Gluttony! I hope the mental strength of the adoptive parents is remarkable! Most would topple over after just one use!
The mad creation of the Magic Engineer Biblios.
The Staff of Gluttony.
A top-grade weapon that was rated as substandard without a Judgment Weapon.
—Ah… I really want to see that child in action. It should be en route to the battlefield by now, right? I’d like to see it through a crystal ball if possible….
“If you pay the necessary fees, it’s certainly possible.”
—How stingy. Can’t you do it for free?
“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. Information about the current battlefield is treated as high-level.”
—This is why I dislike merchants. There’s no sense of warmth. None at all.
Ultreman flashed the typical merchant’s smirk.
Internally, he was excitedly picturing the Staff of Gluttony being transported to the relevant area and its recipient.
Vargan, despite it being related to the Goddess Church.
‘What kind of power will it show with the new weapon? I’ll be watching.’
The eyes of the Terrarium are everywhere in the world.
The ears of the Terrarium are always right there beside it.
*
—Caw! Caw!
The ground trembles and the atmosphere swirls in the battlefield.
A massive boulder stands tall amidst the burning great forest.
A vantage point where the vast scenery of the forest can be seen at a glance.
A sleek black crow, glistening in the sunlight, sits atop the boulder, waiting patiently while preening its feathers with its black beak.
Then, as if sensing something, it abruptly raises its head and opens its beak.
—Caw!
With its wings fully spread, the crow takes flight.
It flutters in a circular pattern around the boulder.
“Hey there, long time no see, Kkamag.”
Then, as if it had always been there, Vargan and Erica appeared.
Kkamag, seeing Vargan after such a long time, rushed up to him, showing affection. Vargan gently stroked Kkamag’s feathers with his finger, delighting in the reunion.
Having enjoyed the reunion to its satisfaction, Kkamag hopped onto Erica’s shoulder.
Vargan took a few more steps forward, standing precariously at the edge, as if he might fall at any moment.
“It feels nice to breathe in this air after so long.”
Vargan momentarily closed his eyes, filling his lungs.
The cold wind brushed past his skin.
The refreshing mountain air tasted delicious as it flowed through his nose and mouth.
The restrictions of the trials had completely vanished, and they were in a world that was not bound by trials, right here and now.
Not in some world of trials, but right here and now.
Vargan’s senses were sharper than ever, taking in the surroundings like it was a vivid picture.
At this moment, Vargan looked down directly at the forest, both with his eyes and his skin.
He could tell.
“What a shame there’s a mixed smell, but I guess I have to be satisfied with this for now.”
Vargan assessed the battlefield and began to leisurely scan the area.
The unit led by Helion and Kello, who were on the move for reconnaissance.
The forces of the Goddess Church that ambushed after luring them in.
‘Given that Ferangis and Trisena’s reinforcements are already here, it seems Yggdrasil took action rather quickly. Did they have it prepared in advance?’
It wasn’t said that the Central Church was just sitting idle.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they were betting their fate on the eradication of Gamigin and the search.
As evidence, there were already four figures within the top ten of the Hero Ranking on this battlefield.
Hero Ranking No. 2, Spirit Summoner Ferangis.
Hero Ranking No. 6, Helion, who was holding two Judgment Weapons for the search.
Hero Ranking No. 7, Trisena, the Magician and sister of Ferangis.
Hero Ranking No. 8, Kello, the one-eyed swordsman.
Excluding Sylvester, the No. 1 in the Hero Ranking who hardly left the Central Church, essentially half of the heroes in the top ten were present on this battlefield.
In terms of strength, it wouldn’t be odd to topple one or two nations.
‘For now, the situation seems to be evenly matched. The heroes took considerable damage early on, but the situation stabilized once reinforcements arrived.’
Using his enhanced senses developed beyond the Ainz species, Vargan quickly grasped the battlefield using mana.
‘There are a total of four Archbishops: Sabnak and Bifrons, Glashalabolas who has consumed the powers of Ami, and… Tsk. That Jephar guy really had to make Alicia and Salecius meet while I was away. He sure knows how to be a bother.’
Vargan clicked his tongue, realizing Alicia had met her older sister.
He had intended to either prevent Alicia and Salecius from meeting or postpone it as much as possible, but the order of events had reversed.
As a result, it didn’t seem that Alicia stopped wielding her sword or was completely out of it, but it would undoubtedly be a significant blow.
What a troublesome situation.
‘Could it be that Salecius can already use Liberation? Jephar… he’s quickly adapting to the changes I’m creating.’
During their last encounter in Dortmund, Salecius, even as an Archbishop, hadn’t been able to use Liberation.
As per the original plan, she would only be able to use it after the tragedy of Academia ended.
That was when she had successfully sealed away her emotions and memories about Alicia.
In other words, the current Salecius could now ‘kill’ Alicia without hesitation.
‘Thanks to Kello and his team confronting Salecius, it seems Alicia can’t be harmed. Alicia is somehow managing to move and fight against the artificial spirit troops….’
Vargan had many thoughts regarding the artificial spirit troops, but he omitted them.
Shifting his gaze to the other Archbishops, he was determining the route he needed to take.
Then.
He locked eyes with one of the Archbishops.
Vargan smiled subtly and whispered softly.
“For now, I’ll go with that one….”
“Vargan.”
At almost the same moment, Erica tugged at the hem of Vargan’s clothes.
She was gathering mana and was on guard towards a certain direction.
Vargan already knew the identity of the approaching figure and shook his head, indicating there was no need to be cautious.
“Hello?”
A winged woman approached quietly.
A winged woman approached quietly.
The blue feathers adorning her body blatantly revealed her Aing species.
She lifted the brim of her hat and greeted with a bright smile.
She glanced at Erica for a moment. When Vargan blinked as if to say it was no big deal, she briefly introduced herself.
“I’m Nikki, the personal delivery person for Vargan from the Terrarium. I’ve come to deliver the custom-made item you requested.”
‘So VVIPs even have personal delivery people, huh? That’s quite a distinction.’
Although they weren’t face-to-face, Vargan couldn’t help but chuckle at the obvious special treatment.
Nikki opened her backpack and took out a staff wrapped in white cloth.
Judging by the bag’s size and how it didn’t match its contents, it seemed to be a magic tool that distorted space inside.
Nikki politely handed the item with both hands. As Vargan took it, he naturally asked.
“Do you need an explanation about the delivery item?”
“No, that’s fine.”
“It’s a highly dangerous item. Are you sure you don’t want to know?”
“Yeah. No need. By the way, are you the delivery person who handed the item over to Biblios?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“So you also saw the expression on Biblios’s face when he handed over the weapon?”
“Yes, I did.”
Vargan skipped the item details, wanting to know what expression Biblios had then.
Recalling the moment, Nikki dug into her memory.
“…He seemed really reluctant to give it, frowning deeply.”
“Good enough. That explanation’s sufficient.”
“Uh?”
“Now, you can leave.”
Nikki tilted her head slightly, but since customer Vargan had asked her to leave, she smiled brightly and bowed.
“Well then, Vargan. The doors of the Terrarium are always open, so I look forward to your next visit.”
With that, Nikki vanished.
So quietly and quickly that to Erica, it seemed like she warped away.
—Chik.
Looking again at the battlefield, Vargan took out the essence of life that was kept inside White.
He transformed into a shadow and changed into a black suit.
Slowly, he began to unwrap the cloth that was covering his weapon. As the cloth spun around, the figure of the staff adorned with azure gemstones gradually revealed itself.
Eventually, as all the cloth fell away, the staff reacted to Vargan’s mana and displayed its jewels.
The staff floated away from Vargan’s hand. It leisurely orbited him like a satellite.
The body was made out of the Yggdrasil trunk, simple in form, but the potential power it contained was extraordinary, evident the moment he held it.
“…….”
Mana bubbled deep inside him.
A source of power more exhilarating and intense than anything he had felt before.
Vargan exhaled deeply as he controlled it. Very slowly, he aimed for full transmission of power throughout his entire body without any loss.
With preparation complete, Vargan drew mana to the outside.
His shimmering mana rose like a mirage, flaunting its weight.
The transparent mana, reminiscent of a giant snake, moved viscously and ominously, causing various effects.
Vargan’s first Unique Spell
Dream of the Butterfly (胡蝶夢).
He manifested a spell that was one of a kind in the world.
