Episode 96. first meeting (2)

Dragon, the first intelligence created by Elma, is a race with extreme independence.

They do not communicate with other beings at all except for unavoidable cases for research purposes.

On the other hand, what about Elma’s last child, a human?

Unlike the closed-minded dragons, they have actively accepted other cultures and pursued changes.

As a result of their unique openness, disgusting fertility and infinite greed, they eventually overcame their pitiful past and emerged as the masters of the continent and the core of the world situation.

A dragon who pursues the unchanging truth, and a human who changes every moment and expands its power endlessly.

The two races, as opposed to each other as water and oil, seem to be destined to collide one day.

Ironically, dragons were the race most easily influenced by human changes.

Neither humans nor dragons will believe it, but this is the truth revealed by monitoring dragons who studied anthropology at Laplace.

Most of the objects that were polymorphed and interacted with humans showed excessive immersion in their roles, such as giving a strong identity to their randomly assigned names or believing that they felt human emotions.

Dragons are a race that devotes their lives to the god of truth.

The humanization of dragons was like a fall, for a messenger of God had learned to love and be jealous.

Besides, if you ask if they ended up living happily after throwing off their tribal duties, that wasn’t the case either.

Neither dragons nor humans, they all lost their identities, wandered, went mad, and eventually took their own lives.

human… . To the dragon, they were like poisoned apples, sweet and ruinous.

Especially for Laplace, who no longer contemplates the world and wants to rule it, humans who have the potential to break their spirits are the deadliest enemies of all races.

However, the members of Laplace were already conducting research to bring down the goddess, so they had to find a new member to take on the war against humanity.

At that time, the clan they discovered was Dana.

Even though she was mixed with humans for a long time, she was not impressed by them and only developed a sense of disgust.

Even just a year ago… .

* * *

‘I did accept the meeting.’

As if representing Kegar’s status, the atmosphere in the train became so heavy that it was difficult to speak due to him being silent.

The professors, who had been making a fuss before getting on the train thinking of making connections with Rubedo-level scholars, avoided their seats without saying a word to avoid offending his uncomfortable planting.

Only the servants moved quietly and busily in this uncomfortable air.

Maybe it’s going to rain? The sky outside the window began to darken little by little, and the window glass shook as the wind grew stronger.

Dana was sitting next to me, watching the fast-moving dark clouds, her expression uncharacteristically stiff.

“Professor Dana, why are you like this?”

I looked into Kegar’s eyes and asked a small question, but she only shook her head a little.

Kegar and I silently observed each other while the attendants were busy clearing the table that Dana had created a mess.

His disparately calm expression contrasted with the deadly stare at me as soon as I got on the train, and I felt even more somber.

‘I’m sure you’re looking at me badly… . why?’

Is there any reason why a Rubedo-class scholar would be hostile to me?

There were not one or two people in Kiruna who were dissatisfied with my origins or my words and actions, but it was difficult to think that even within the Imperial Academy, scholars who were among the top 10 were wrinkling their faces like that for just that reason.

Did I get involved in a fight within the Imperial Academy without even knowing it?

‘And… . Even so, why did you ignore the other professors and offer us a seat?’

Numerous hypotheses popped into my head, but I quickly erased them.

Since I don’t know anything about the other person, it seemed good to focus only on figuring out about him for now.

“I am happy to be able to have a conversation like this with two of the most noteworthy professors at the Imperial Academy.”

Without even paying attention to the tidy tea cups brought out by the servants, he rushed ahead.

“It is overrated. Professor Dana wouldn’t know, I-“

“I am not saying this out of politeness. Professor Ian.”

His tone was peculiar. It’s drowsy and dry, as if you haven’t woken up.

Dana, who had been looking at the gloomy window, now narrowed her eyes and looked at him.

“Everyone in the imperial family is unaware of the rumor that the first military professor appointed to Kiruna revitalized the study of deciphering the Bible, which had been stagnant for three years, and raised two unique magic users.”

“… Is that so.”

“Of course, the fact that attention was drawn to the relationship between the professor and Princess Frill probably had an impact.”

As Princess Frill has recently begun to gain fame among students for her passion for studies and de-authority, rumors are spreading among her retainers that I am trying to move her into the imperial family.

“No matter what the professor’s intentions, as long as he exerted an influence that could not be ignored in Kiruna. It means that you are stepping into the power struggle of the imperial family, whether you like it or not.”

Having said that, Kegar placed a black sun-shaped badge on the table.

“I am delivering the first gift the empire received, a message from Princess Seryl, to the two of you.”

shoot ah-

As if he had been waiting for that word, it started to rain at an odd timing.

“If you have no choice but to fall into the mud, how about getting the most advantageous position in it?”

Raindrops hit the window, making the sound of flowing sand.

As the world became increasingly shadowed by rain clouds, his blue eyes shone coolly.

* * *

There was once a time when theology was the king of learning, but now it is the age of magic.

Magicology is the power that leads the empire, and the wisdom that gathers scholars.

Theology students were barely surviving under the glory of magicians, and most of the modern theological research was being conducted at Kiruna, a magic research institute.

However, wizards wanted more intellectual freedom.

They wanted to explore even things belonging to the realm of theology, such as souls, guardian spirits, and divine beasts, from the wizard’s point of view. Although theology has lost its former status, blasphemy is still a crime, churches are inviolable, and saints are treated as semi-gods.

divinity. It is because their curiosity was often restrained by theologians, who are protected under the value that transcends the law and reason.

“It’s anachronistic.”

The first princess, Seryl, who has the most overwhelming support among the candidates for the throne, was clearly aware of the mage’s dissatisfaction.

“Because of this, Princess Seryl made an unconventional decision. The essence of human being is freedom not bound by God. He decided to destroy the sanctity of theology for the sake of limitless freedom of magic.”

“… Would that be possible? Both Elma, the creator god, and the guardian deity of different races leave evidence of their existence in the world through their followers. If you can’t deny the existence of God, how can you destroy its divinity?”

“We have to restore the authority of the gods built up through superstition.”

“Superstition, what the hell-”

“People who lived in the age of theology believed that natural phenomena were an expression of God’s will, but the source of natural phenomena was mana.”

Doo doo doo…

As soon as he finished speaking, heavy rain poured down.

The rain now thickened to break through the windows, and a roaring harbinger of thunder resounded in the sky.

A sudden storm turned the scenery outside the train tracks into a mess.

Branches fluttered in the gale and the train rocked, but he continued talking as if completely detached from all the commotion.

“At one time, the soul Sharp and the theologians had polished so much was, in the end, just mana in the body. Guardian spirits and spirits are just personified lumps of mana.”

bang-!

The thunderbolt turned his eyes white for a moment.

As the train gradually began to slow down, I could see more clearly the scenery outside being overturned by the violent rain and wind.

‘Also… . Something was wrong.’

The animals on the forest road did not run away even in the midst of this calamity, but sat down and howled.

This means that the situation outside the window is absolutely not a normal natural phenomenon. Add to that… .

‘I heard it’s been hardened since before.’

Seeing Dana biting her lip while looking at me alternately at the window, I was somewhat certain of Kegar’s identity.

The storm outside the window must have been an unspoken message he caused to reveal his identity only to Dana, but it was possible because I knew more of his setup than expected.

Only dragons in the world can use all the natural phenomena around Manaro like a choir for themselves.

‘No, there shouldn’t be less than 50 dragons in the world. There are 7 mutants among them?’

‘Another unusual thing is that they all have polymorphs and mix with humans.’

Laplace.

Mutant dragons who hate Elma.

I looked one of them, Kegar, straight in the eye.

“Are you saying that the guardian deities we believe exist are just one of the mana phenomena?”

“That’s right.”

“… Is that mana reductionism?”

To think that what humans are doing by mixing is spreading nonsensical theories to the academic society and the imperial family.

Kegar nodded and pushed the black sun badge on the table towards us.

“This black badge is a gathering of members of the Imperial Academy who study mana reduction theory… . It is the symbol of ‘Eclipse’. I have the support of Princess Seryl and the nobles who support her, and I am responsible for all my ongoing research.”

“… Princess Cheryl seems to want us to join the study group.”

“That’s right. It wouldn’t be such a bad condition for Professor Ian. As I said before, you are in a situation where you have no choice but to get caught up in a battle for power in the imperial family. There would be no safer option than joining Princess Seryl’s forces.”

‘On the contrary, if you refuse this offer… . It must mean that I chose the most dangerous option.’

First Princess Seryl.

I didn’t know much about her as an out-of-school figure, but it seemed clear that she was full of political ambitions.

No matter how much magicians are at the center of the empire, trying to uproot the theology to gain their support.

It is an overly radical decision that was blinded by greed right away and did not consider the aftermath at all.

“I am. I will refuse.”

Is siding with her really a safe choice for me? No, it can’t be.

Having been involved with Kegar, I had a hunch that she and I would collide head-on with me someday.

It would be better to distance yourself early, even if you have some trouble now, than to be tied down by Princess Seryl, saying that you will feel a little more comfortable right away.

“I can’t tell you the details. I’m participating in a research project that the emperor is directly managing, so I don’t have time to worry about other things.”

“I’m not interested either.”

Then, Dana spoke for the first time.

“Even if the hypothesis itself that the soul and god are also one of the effects of mana can be so, I don’t like the idea of undermining the sacredness with it. What if a god is actually a lump of mana? Still, God is God.”

“… .”

As the frantic rain began to subside little by little, Kegar’s frozen expression twisted a little.

But it still rained. Dana glared at the unwavering opponent while breaking into a cold sweat as if competing for strength.

“What if the melody of music is actually just a quiver in the air? Does that value change? I’m saying this because I’ve been around the world longer than you, but the world isn’t that simple. Sometimes you can see things from below that you didn’t know when looking down from above… !”

“… okay.”

“So, in moderation-”

“All right.”

Kegar got up from his seat and lowered his head a little.

“I will definitely deliver the two doctors to the princess. Excuse me.”

As he left without looking back, the sound of the rain that had filled the air all at once stopped.