Chapter 282
The next day, Zeke left his room with Hixson and Xeros to attend Gutan's society meeting.
As they rode the elevator, Zeke mulled over what he had discovered in the System the previous night.
'To think Richmonde was a Necromancer from Nirvana.'
He had always thought there was something unique about him, but he never would have guessed he came from Nirvana.
Richmonde had probably been hunted and suffered a great deal at the hands of the Church during the Holy Empire era, which was likely why he never spoke much of his time as a human.
'For someone who became a Lich after so much suffering, his personality is remarkably bright, and he hasn't been corrupted by madness.'
Most Liches resented the world and fell into insanity while researching ever more sinister forbidden arts. The fact that Richmonde had maintained his sanity for 500 years after becoming a Lich spoke to his extraordinary mental fortitude.
Just then, Xeros looked at Zeke,
"What are you thinking about so intently?"
Zeke turned to him and spoke,
"Have you ever heard the name Victor Nirvana?"
Xeros was startled by the question,
"Where did you hear that name?"
"I believe I saw it mentioned once in some ancient ruins."
As always, when in doubt, blaming ancient ruins was the best excuse. Xeros, still looking a bit surprised, nodded and answered.
"Though it's not widely known, Victor Nirvana is considered the greatest genius in the history of Nirvana."
"What? The greatest genius?"
"Yes. That's probably why his name was mentioned in ancient ruins. But why are you so surprised?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Please, continue."
"In the past, there were Necromancers in Nirvana, and researching dark magic was freely permitted. You could say it was similar to studying curse-based magic today."
This was the same information Zeke had seen in the System the night before.
"Was Victor Nirvana a Necromancer as well?"
"Yes. His research logs and data were, of course, related to dark magic, so they were all discarded or lost after the era of the Holy Empire. Nevertheless, he influenced Nirvana in many ways."
"What kind of influence?"
"Things like the method for writing research logs, practical measurement methodologies... The foundational thesis format for the Continental Magic Association is based on Victor Nirvana's papers. He was the one who established the modern academic format, adding abstracts and citing sources."
Zeke's jaw dropped as he listened to Xeros's explanation.
'I had no idea Richmonde had such talent.'
He had always thought of him as a creepy and strange Lich who was obsessed with monsters, but he had been a man of far greater talent than Zeke had imagined.
As Zeke was marveling internally, Xeros clicked his tongue and continued.
"Victor Nirvana was a truly precious talent. Even among geniuses, he was different from Doctor West; he was a model Necromancer..."
"Who is this Doctor West?"
When Zeke asked about West, Xeros glanced at Hixson, who shook his head.
Xeros hesitated before answering Zeke,
"Well... that's something of a disgrace to Nirvana, so it's a bit difficult for me to speak about it in detail."
Just as the atmosphere turned awkward, the elevator arrived. Hixson quickly guided Zeke to the society's meeting room.
Inside, quite a few mages had already gathered. Gutan Nirvana welcomed Zeke with his characteristic smile.
"Welcome, Sir Zeke Draker."
After formally introducing Zeke, Gutan had him sit on the podium and began the main discussion. The members of the Combat Magic Society asked various questions.
"So, what is the average speed at which a knight swings their sword?"
Zeke stood up, took Bahamut, and demonstrated by swinging it. The mages in the front were startled as the wind from the blade cut through the air.
"Gasp!"
Gutan, who was standing beside him, commented,
"You see what I mean. Unexpected things happen when you fight a real knight. It's not a simple matter of dodging their sword. The aura of a knight is invisible, but you must never underestimate it."
One of the mages asked about the Aura Blade. Once again, Zeke kindly created one to show them.
VWOOOOONG!
The mages watched in wonder as the Aura Blade surged up from Bahamut.
Zeke tilted his head and asked Gutan,
"Master Gutan, it seems Nirvana doesn't have any knights of the Blue Knight level."
"Hohoho. Sir Zeke, there are no knights here at all."
Zeke recalled the golem guarding the main gate and nodded. "Is there a reason for the complete absence of knights?"
Gutan chuckled,
"Any reasonably skilled knights who come here find they can't adapt to the atmosphere and quit before long. Hohoho."
As a knight himself, Zeke had a good idea of what Gutan meant.
'True. It would be difficult for any but the most thick-skinned knight to last here.'
Zeke demonstrated the Aura Blade, extending its length and raising its height. After getting permission from Gutan, he even cut a desk in half. The mages' eyes gleamed as they watched, nodding in understanding.
"Wow, if a knight came at you with that, you'd be toast."
"Would defensive magic even work against it?"
Just then, Gutan spoke to the mages.
"You must not judge ordinary knights based on Sir Zeke's standard. Sir Zeke is a genius who has reached the level of a Red Knight, which is why he can handle his Aura Blade with such freedom. A typical knight would find it difficult to maintain an Aura Blade for even ten minutes."
One of the greatest distinctions between a Blue Knight and a Red Knight was how long they could sustain their Aura Blade. Red Knights could not only sustain it but also transform its shape or imbue it into their sword strikes to perform long-range attacks.
Even when using the same Aura Blade, the skill of a Blue Knight and a Red Knight showed a clear difference, both qualitatively and quantitatively.
After several hours of demonstrations and a special lecture, Zeke exchanged brief farewells with Gutan and the society members, even signing a few autographs. Once everything was finished, the mages, looking as drained as ghouls again, shuffled back to their respective labs.
'They may look like that, but they're probably all renowned geniuses on the continent.'
As Zeke chuckled to himself, Gutan approached him.
"Sir Zeke, thank you so much for today. I never imagined a Red Knight would personally demonstrate an Aura Blade for us. I was truly moved."
"It was nothing, Master Gutan. I hope that with this, Nirvana and I can continue to maintain a good, friendly relationship."
Gutan smiled,
"Being friends is good, but forming an official relationship would be even better."
He took a letter from his coat and handed it to Zeke.
"What is this?"
"It's a reply for Lady Cali Draker."
Zeke was surprised, as Antonio had been so dismissive that he never expected to receive a formal reply. When he read the letter, the contents were even more astonishing.
<We thank Lady Cali for her amicable letter. Nirvana looks forward to a relationship of friendship with Sir Zeke Draker, and we hope for many more exchanges in the future.>
Nirvana's letter was mentioning Zeke directly.
'By mentioning me instead of Sister Cali, they're signaling their intent to sidestep the power struggle between Abel and my sister, choosing a third option. This also means that Sister Cali can only communicate with Nirvana through me.'
It was a clever choice that skillfully avoided the Draker clan's political strife while showing consideration for Zeke, their new business partner. Zeke tucked the letter into his coat, smiled, and bowed to Gutan.
"Thank you, Master Gutan. I look forward to working with you."
"If there were only knights like you, Sir Zeke, there would be no reason for mages and knights to ever fight. You are always welcome here."
A few hours later, before he had even eaten dinner, Zeke received a newsletter with a massive picture of himself, Gutan, and the members of the Combat Magic Society on the front page.
'Hah. I shouldn't have dismissed the Nirvana clan as just a den of eccentrics. They are fast and decisive in their work.'
Once this newsletter was distributed, the news of the relationship between Zeke and Nirvana would spread across the continent, becoming a topic for gossipmongers everywhere. In effect, he had just gained another external force to keep Abel's faction in check.
'That's the Nirvana situation settled. Now, if I can just track where the Fairy Stones are flowing, I should be able to get on their trail.'
Zeke put down the newsletter and accessed the System again. The name Xeros had mentioned that morning, 'Doctor West', was still bothering him.
'What kind of person is he that the Nirvana mages are so reluctant to even mention his name?'
Zeke searched for 'Doctor West' in the System, but there was no information recorded on the individual.
"Hmm. Is he a figure from after the Holy Empire era?"
Thinking that Richmonde might know, Zeke reached out to him.
— ‘Richmonde.’
Richmonde, who seemed to be busy with something, didn't answer at first. Only after Zeke called him several times did he finally respond.
'Gasp! Master, you called?'
Zeke shook his head, finding it hard to believe that this was the legendary genius of Nirvana. He got straight to the point.
— ’Do you know someone by the name of Doctor West?’
Richmonde's voice was full of confusion.
'Who is that, Master?'
It seemed Richmonde had no idea. Zeke thought about asking more but decided against it.
'It's not a pleasant past. Digging into it further might just reopen old wounds for him.'
Just then, Richmonde's voice came through again.
'Doctor West... You don't mean Harvey the Madman, do you?'
— ‘Harvey the Madman?’
'Yes, Harvey West. He was originally a doctor but later became a Necromancer.'
— ‘What do you know about him?’
'Hmm, he was from a generation much older than mine, and he was kicked out for some... unpleasant business.'
— ‘Kicked out for what?’
'H-He conducted illegal experiments.'
— ’Illegal experiments? At Nirvana?’
At the mention of Nirvana, Richmonde suddenly started to hiccup.
'Hic\! M-Master, you don't mean to say you're at Nirvana right now, do you?'
— ’I am. Why didn't you tell me you were from Nirvana, Victor?’
Hearing his real name, Richmonde's hiccups grew more violent.
'Th-That... I wasn't trying to deceive you, Master. It's just that they aren't very good memories...'
Zeke nodded, understanding.
'Right. Being hunted by the Holy Empire must have been difficult.'
Just then, Richmonde began to complain in a grumbling tone.
'Back then, I was so broke from buying research materials that I had to eat at the Nirvana underground cafeteria every day. The food was awful, it was a terrible time.'
The problem that came out of Richmonde's mouth was completely different from what Zeke had been expecting.
'In my day, Necromancers had so many expenses with practice materials and all that. Do you have any idea how much money it cost? Why do you think I became a Lich? It was to stop having to eat\! And I set up my lab in a dungeon to save on material costs\!'
Zeke stared, dumbfounded by Richmonde's words.
'He became a Lich to save money?'
It was bizarre, but it was clear that he had suffered in his own way.
— ‘I see. A truly tragic past.’
'Isn't it, Master? Haah, I deliberately avoided talking about it because I was afraid I'd get too emotional...'
— ’So, what kind of experiments did Harvey West conduct?’
Sensing the conversation was about to get sidetracked, Zeke cut him off. Richmonde grumbled but answered.
'That lunatic Harvey, at first, he was just digging up corpses from their graves and doing all sorts of things to them. But then, can you believe it, he started experimenting on living people.'
— ’Live human experimentation?’
'Yes. I only heard that he was caught, disciplined, and kicked out of Nirvana for it.'
— ‘You don't know what kind of experiments?’
'It wasn't a pleasant story, so I think the higher-ups buried the details. The atmosphere at Nirvana was also a bit chaotic at the time because of the Church.'
— ’I see. Understood.’
'Ah, Master\! I was meaning to tell you, anyway. I found something deep inside the labyrinth here. From the looks of it, it's ancient...'
Zeke cut off the communication before Richmonde could finish.
'It's probably just some trivial undead-related discovery again.'
He reopened the System window and searched again, this time using the name 'Harvey West.' This time, a list of related data appeared. As Zeke looked through the contents, he was impressed.
"He was just as crazy about research as Richmonde. I can see why Xeros called him a genius."
At the same time, he could also see why his nickname was Harvey the Madman.
'What is this? He stitched together the corpses of the dead to create a new body and then tried to resurrect a person by infusing a soul into it?'
The research papers written by Harvey West were all on the subject of human transmutation, an art that bordered on the forbidden.
As he was reading, Zeke's gaze stopped on a single title.
\<Experimental Report on the Creation of an Immortal\>