Chapter 18 Black Mana

 

“Whew… …… is this him? …… I don’t sense any kind of mana from him that resembles the “sacred arts”. It is hard to believe that he could recognize the “Divine Child’s Light. …… But more importantly, is he really a mage? You don’t have a lot of mana. ……”

(Hey, hey. I can see your black mana, can’t I? What is this? I’ve sensed mana before, but I’ve never visualized it in such a weird way. ……?)

Al saw black manna on a middle-aged man in priestly garb with a big belly and greasy sweat.

　The mana is slightly directional, or perhaps it gradually undulates toward me. To say the least, it is unpleasant. Since I am a prisoner of war, I hold still and do not move, but if I were not a …… prisoner of war, if the other party were not a bishop, he’d give a good beating, saying, ‘That’s disgusting.’

“Bishop. Is it true?”

“Hmph. It is …… Admirable that you can’t even discern this level of mana. I will say it again and again. It is impossible for this man to handle the sacred arts. Therefore, it must be a total fraud that he saw the “Light of the Divine Child”!

It seems that Vera’s superior, an elderly man, and this fat, sweaty bishop don’t get along very well……. Leaving their exchange aside, Al pondered, “Now what should I do?

“I’d like to ask you a few questions. ……”

“What is it ……?”

“No, this chain that’s wrapped around me, does it react only to …… my mana? Or does it react when touched by outside mana?”

Al plops his right hand down and indicates the “binding chain” hanging from his wrist.

“I’ll just say that it reacts to whichever mana is ……. (Even if he felt the presence, …… why can this person recognize the appearance of the inactive ‘binding chain’ so clearly?)”

Unspeakable anxiety and wariness toward Al builds up inside Vera.

One of the strengths of her “binding chains” is that they are essentially invisible unless activated. However, Al clearly recognizes the inert “binding chain,” including its shape.

“If so, I’ll borrow it for bit?”

Saying so, Al lightly throws the “binding chain” at the feet of the bishop, who is still sarcastic with his superior. He throws it at the black mana that is wriggling around. However, the people around him do not see the black mana, let alone the “binding chain,” so they only see Al’s light wave of his hand.

Clink! Clink!

The moment it touched the black mana, there was a clattering sound and the “binding chain” materialized. The black mana is then transformed into a chains, which is then tied to the bishop.

“Huh?”

“What?”

Vera quickly controls the magic and stops it. …… This is clearly a reaction to a hostile or harmful person. The Binding Chain has been given the property of reacting with regard to mana activity and harmful intent, in addition to any manipulation by the magician.

In other words, if the opponent activates his mana and is relative to him with harmful intent, he can be tracked and captured semi-automatically.

Naturally, both the superior man and his colleagues, the two shadows, are aware of the nature of such “binding chains,” and the next step is to be more vigilant toward the bishop.

“Damn it! …… What are you doing? You dare to cast magic on me, a bishop! Mister Victor! This is a serious matter!”

Under Vera’s control, the ” binding chain” stopped quite a bit earlier, but to a bishop who does not routinely engage in fighting, it must have seemed a paper-thin distance away. The reaction was slow at all, but he turned his head backward, which caused his big buttocks to hit the ground as hard as his belly. In fact, it seems that he was even a little incontinent.

“Vera! You’re sure that was a reaction to the ‘binding chain’?”

“……! Ha, yes! It’s an automatic reaction!”

“Bu-ho!!?”

It is a place of constant battle in the capital. Even Bishop Bernard, who cannot fight, is wary of them and keeps a certain distance from them. Although they could not kill or injure him, they could not leave him alone either. The shadows of the royal family have that much trust in Vera’s sensing ability and in the properties given to the “binding chain.

The bishop senses a bad vibe from the surrounding people’s unexpected wariness, and he becomes silent.

“Albert! What have you done?”

The first man yells at him.

“No, sir. I saw some sickening black mana coming out of the bishop’s body, and it seemed to be heading this way,…… and I didn’t like it,…… but that’s all?”

Al, on the other hand, is quite calm. The sight of him makes the first man …… called Victor even more irritated.

Al, not caring about their frustration, is checking on the bishop. Now he can see him even more clearly.

The right hand of the bishop, who is sitting down with his back to the floor. The old ring with little ornamentation clamped on his whip-smacking finger. It is too simple a piece for a snob like Bishop Bernard to wear.

It is the source of black mana. It is an item with magical significance.

(Now, I wonder how …… I came to be able to see such things. …… I’m sure it’s not an original predisposition or anything like that. If it was, I would have seen it through Deacon Franz. …… Well, it remains unclear if he was really using necromancy. ……)

Al does not tend to focus his gaze on any one point. As a result of adjusting to battles in the great forest, he often tries to look at the overall picture as if he were staring at a bonanza. The downside, though, is that he really just seems to be in a daze.

Even now, he is keeping his eyes on the bishop’s ring, but his gaze is not fixed on it.

However, even Vera, who is skilled in sensing, notices, albeit belatedly, that Al is observing the bishop, and by the reaction of the “binding chain” just now. To the strange black mana. The thing that Al is probably seeing.

“Mr. Victor! There is some kind of strange mana being emitted from the bishop!”

“Uh, the ring on his right hand. The one on his index finger.”

“……! Yes, indeed, it is”

Unlike Al, Vera, as an extension of her sensing ability, was originally able to visualize and capture mana. As Al pointed out, she sees the black mana that seems to cling to the bishop’s ring.

“Victor, please step back a little. I don’t know what will happen. It seems that the bishop’s ring is the source of the mana. I don’t know the details, but at least it is neither from the goddess nor related to the “sacred art. I think …… we should ask for the help of someone who is skilled in exorcism …….”

Vera’s eyes no longer fully capture the bizarre mana.

She had never seen or sensed anything so embodied, but she judged this to be mana similar to witchcraft. We need the cooperation of a high priest …… who is a master of the sacred arts.

“You call this a witchcraft exorcism?You call this a witchcraft exorcism? I am breaking the law! you are beyond rude!”

Seeing his desperate appearance, everyone thought.

“Ah, he’s doing something wrong.”

****

As expected, Bishop Bernard’s ring was identified as a thing related to witchcraft.

However, its source and the magician are unknown. Bishop Bernard was also lured with money, and the ring was handed down to him by someone else. He was aware that it was an item containing magic, but he had not been informed of its technique.

Naturally, the bishop, who also handles the “sacred art,” had already confirmed that no harm would come to him and that he would not normally be detected by others.

And the contents of the key spells were simple and clear.

“Possess those related to the Oracle’s divine child.“

A technique to make that disgusting black mana carry those related to the Oracle’s Divine Child. Curse.

But the key question is, what is done after possession? Did you want the black manna to do something to you? …… and others remain unclear.

It is a high level of witchcraft and its composition is complex and bizarre. On this occasion, the power of the bishop, who was able to rush immediately to the site, who was able to exorcise the spell, was unable to trace the formula to the end. In the middle of the analysis, he touched the self-destructive formula, and both the spell art and the ring crumbled and disappeared as sand.

Naturally, Bishop Bernard’s position was immediately suspended, and he was slowly interrogated by the Inquisitorial Inquisitors, a group of men in the dark who were one step ahead of the Inquisition. Although the name of the interrogation is an interrogation, the reality is death by torture. It is only a rumor, but the church’s dark circles have even mastered “necromancy,” and if you are targeted by them, you will be held in this world as a spirit of the dead and suffer eternal torment, even after death. …… Rumors only.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the bishop who came to exorcise the sorcerer saw something like “a residue of the light of the Divine Child” in Al, and the sorcery was aimed at Al. So it was determined that he was probably not an interloper who was given information about the Divine Child.

However, it remains annotated as …… only at this time. He is still a target for observation by the royal shadow.

“……,Those you who are associated with Falconer. I do not like you in any way. However, there is nothing to be done about it at this time. You must keep quiet at the academy at best. Remember that Yoel and the others are not the only royal shadows who have infiltrated the academy.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind. I have said it many times, but I am not a man who will ever be an enemy to the ” Oracle of the Divine Child” or to this kingdom. Rather, I want to use my power for the good of this kingdom.”

Al’s words are not false. True words from the heart.

However, not only Vera, but also Victor, his superior, felt uneasy about him. Something was different. The boy’s words were right, but somewhere there was a breakdown in his behavior.

‘ (No, I’m just being hypersensitive to the Falconer family name. Besides, it is true that they are reputed to be the shield of the kingdom and the five southern families, protecting the kingdom and its people from the demons of the Great Forest. Call them lunatics or Berserkers, but they are certainly the ones who shed their blood for the kingdom. What is there to be worried about?)

Victor also sees a sinister shadow behind Al in his vision. These are things that his own mind, swept up in rumors, has shown him. He tells himself that …… and forces himself to keep a lid on it. I don’t know if that decision is correct.

“Well, of course, I won’t say anything else about the “Oracle’s Divine Child” or whatever. If you had a “plan” to connect them with His Highness, I would stay away from both of them in the first place.”

“…… Oh. That’s fine. I hope we don’t see each other like this again.”

We parted ways with a reminder.

****

Just like when I arrived, I was blindfolded and rocked in the carriage.

It took some time, but we arrived at the dormitory before daylight.

“This is goodbye, Mr. Albert. As you know, if we meet at the institute, it will be our first meeting.”

“Yes, I understand. I haven’t met you today, and I haven’t heard of any royal shadows. As for Bishop Bernard, I do not even know of his existence. I will never mention the “Oracle of the Gods. I stay away from them as much as possible, including His Highness. ……I understand well, of course.”

We parted ways with Joel and the others with obvious confirmation.

But they are convinced it’s each other. This is not the end.

Yoel and the others will continue to be on the lookout for Al. Vera, in particular, does not intend on letting him off the hook. In fact, it is safe to say that they fear him.

As for Al, if the protagonists in this world have the grand title of “Divine Son of the Oracle,” he is considering using the shadow of the royal family to learn about their stories progress, and the progress of events.

If they were “ordinary boys and girls from frontier noble families,” which was the original game setting, Al would have tried to contact them himself. ……

If there is an entity other than oneself that systematically marks the protagonists, there is no need to move on one’s own. On the contrary, he believes that he should be able to obtain far more reliable information than he can.

“Well, take care.”

“Yes. And Mister Albert.”

At the signal of Rauno, who has become the coachman, the coach quietly leaves. The carriage does not disturb the silence of the night, partly because of the improvements made by the magical tools.

(The Divine Child of the Oracle. …… Was it because of the presence of the protagonists and the light that I could see that strange black mana? I can’t think of any other reason.

The protagonists are recognized as special in this world. And are there forces that don’t think that’s a good thing? Am I on some kind of mission to be the protector of the protagonists, goddesses, the world, etc……. or something? …… Well, I’ll do what I want. I’ll leave the goddesses and the world to the protagonists. I’ll work as a mage on the battlefield.)

For some reason, the more determined Al becomes, the more ominous the shadow of bad luck looms over him.