Chapter 161
First Light (2)
-Roderick Astheria! Come out obediently and answer the great emperor's command!
On the day of the Astheria clan's extinction.
Those who belatedly learned that Roderick had successfully created the half-dragons gathered all the knights from the entire continent to capture him.
More than a thousand knights, 20 from each kingdom, surrounded the Astheria family.
The Astherias did not back down.
In order to protect their family, 13 half-dragons fought against the knights.
As a result, 9 died and 4 survived.
One was missing in an unknown state of life or death, and three were captured with serious injuries.
And at the center of it all, Roderick Astheria committed suicide.
They had a choice.
Either they would clear their crimes by agreeing to serve as imperial knights, or they would be sent to the continental trial.
Upon hearing that, Gorgan and Saul chose to become imperial knights.
Although it seemed opportunistic, it was enough to turn them away after hearing all of Roderick's misdeeds.
Still, Phoebe did not betray Roderick.
She said this:
-All that remains for you who took away my light is death.
To Phoebe, Roderick was her first light.
With that light gone, nothing remained for Phoebe, and the meaning of life was solely to burn her hatred.
Phoebe refused to eat or drink anything they provided until the trial.
She went madly rampaging to break the sturdy imperial prison.
Due to not eating anything for ten days, she was exhausted and transported to the trial.
The trial began to determine her punishment.
Although her body was weak, Phoebe's mind was clear.
That's why she remembered all the words exchanged during the trial.
-The murders committed cannot be forgiven, but not even thinking of seeking forgiveness! Such a venomous thing must be killed!
-It's the blood of a black dragon! We don't know when it will bare its fangs again!
-She seems like a good toy, can I take her with me when we kill her?
The majority opinion was that she should be executed.
Drip- Drip-.
Phoebe burned the remaining life she had with hatred.
A king, who made eye contact with Phoebe, shouted in shock.
-Look! She cannot be called a human! She's like a demon wearing a human disguise! A demon created by that devilish man!
Whatever they were babbling about didn't matter.
But she couldn't stand them insulting her family.
Phoebe squeezed out her remaining strength to break the iron bars and tried to grab the man's throat.
-Although she committed heavy sins, she was just a child deceived by the devil's trick. So, let us take care of her.
That's when it happened.
Someone defended Phoebe and offered her a lifeline of salvation.
Phoebe, who was grinding her teeth, raised her head.
An old man with a white beard and a man with gray hair and golden eyes were staring at her, the focus of everyone's attention.
They were the owners of the Silence Tower, Jude Roton and Reed Adeleheights Roton.
At Jude's request, Phoebe was escorted to the Silence Tower.
Phoebe's life continued in a cell, just like in prison.
Let's die like this.
That's how she can join her family.
Phoebe thought so, even her mind becoming hazy.
However, unlike the imperial prison where she hadn't seen anyone for days, someone entered the cell.
-Eat.
He showed her the food he had carefully placed on the plate.
There were also a fork and a spoon.
Phoebe knew who he was.
He was the man standing next to the old man.
Gray hair and golden eyes.
She didn't like the way his distinct facial features looked down at her expressionlessly.
It wasn't contempt or pity.
It seemed like her anger would explode as he approached her with such a face, like someone who knew nothing.
Clatter-Clatter-
The sound of the shackles rubbing against each other echoed as she moved.
Reed, who had been still, looked at the shackles.
-I apologize, you're a human, not a beast.
Reed acknowledged his mistake and unlocked the filled handcuffs.
The moment her arms were freed, Phoebe made the biggest mistake she would regret every time she looked back on the past.
She dug her nails into the throat of the man who showed her kindness.
***
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Reed recalled his time with Phoebe.
'She tried to kill me like that.'
She had dug her nails deep into his throat, but it wasn't fatal.
She didn't touch any vital blood vessels or the trachea, and she stopped her fingers as soon as she pierced them.
Although she was exhausted, she was a superhuman.
If she had just moved her fingers a little more, it wouldn't have been a big deal to bring Reed to the brink of death.
Reed knew.
She was blinded by anger, but at that moment, she realized she made a mistake.
'So, I have no reason to hate her.'
It was the most eerie memory, but Reed just lived as if he had forgotten it.
Leaving the past behind and moving forward to the future.
With that in mind, he forgave all of Phoebe's actions.
However, Phoebe probably couldn't do the same, unlike Reed.
That's why this moment felt uncomfortable and strange.
"Can I like her......?"
If they were a man and woman in love, this situation would have been thrilling enough.
However, since she was Phoebe, he was more worried than thrilled.
The fact that the incident that made her utter those unspoken words happened to her.
'And what should I answer?'
It wasn't that he had no goodwill towards Phoebe.
She was beautiful, and her occasional smile and clumsy appearance stimulated his protective instincts.
She was the one who followed Rosaria the most and was dedicated enough to make difficult choices to protect the tower.
'But just saying yes and accepting it unconditionally...'
There is a rule for magicians.
One spouse only.
They value lineage and are sensitive to intellectual property, so they created an unspoken rule not to have multiple wives.
'I'm not sure how Dolores will react...'
Dolores pretended to be cool, but in reality, she was a very jealous person.
Especially, she didn't like talking about other women.
The person she loved the most had cruelly abandoned her, and Reed, the person involved, had to understand the obsession that resulted from the backlash.
'It's better to talk to Phoebe a bit more first.'
He had to listen to Phoebe's thoughts on what she wanted to do before moving on to the next step.
'Even if she tries to avoid me, I have to hold onto her and settle things right there.'
"......I didn't think I'd have the luxury of such idle thoughts."
Reed let out a sigh as he belatedly recalled the important guest coming to the Silence Tower today.
A master of spatial magic, Helios Glin Zelonia, is coming.
He created a tower that floats in the sky and was the only tower that used mana from space instead of mana from the ground.
If asked to name the strongest magician, it would be Helios.
"Greetings, Tower Master of the Sky Chamber Tower."
"You must know why I'm here, right?"
Of course.
Didn't he notify them three days ago that he would come for this moment?
'Although it was a courtesy, he probably gave enough time to make excuses.'
Using someone else's magic is a serious crime.
A tower owner would have to retire in such a case.
The fact that Helios gave enough time in a situation ripe for criticism meant that he was showing some goodwill towards Reed.
Helios tried to solve the issue fairly and mercifully.
"Tell me."
"Yes."
Reed confessed everything, from the stone's acquisition route and purpose to its usage.
Upon hearing that, Helios was convinced.
Although it might be useful for other magicians, it would be useless for him, who could move things with just a flick of his finger.
"......So, I'd like you to permit me to use the abilities of this magic stone."
"Very well."
Reed was surprised to see him nod willingly.
'Why is he so cool? I thought I'd have to persuade him two or three more times.'
Was it because his contribution to this case was so significant that he had no choice but to acknowledge it?
In that case, there would be no reason for him to come all the way to the Silence Tower to talk.
Reed didn't think so carelessly.
"I don't think you came here just because of the teleport magic."
That was just a pretext, and the important matter was something else.
Helios nodded his head.
"Of course, I wanted to hear the story as well. It's just not the main reason."
"What story did you come to tell?"
"I'd like you to make a weapon."
"A weapon, you say?"
Helios made an unexpected request.
Reed could tell that he wasn't just asking for a simple weapon like a bolt gun.
"I want to create a weapon that can challenge the power of a god."
At Helios' radical remark, Reed couldn't help but flinch slightly.
"I can make it, but the problem is, I can't gather what I don't have."
"What do you mean?"
"In other words, there's no such thing as magic that can draw high efficiency with a small amount of mana."
There are many spells that require a vast amount of mana.
However, they are not used because their effects are too low compared to the mana consumed.
Magicians calculate and optimize those inefficient spells to create more efficient spells.
Reed had already given up on that kind of work.
He was only researching how to use machines more efficiently, and the tower was busy enough.
"Of course, I'm not asking you to create non-existent magic. There was a spell that we've been researching in the Sky Tower for a long time."
"Are you talking about a magic that challenges the power of a god?"
No one knew that such magic had been studied at the Sky Chamber Tower.
"This is something even our tower's people don't know. I've been researching it personally since my college days. You're the first one to hear this story."
"I see."
"What do you think? I'll lend you my magic, can you make a weapon?"
Reed pondered Helios' proposal.
'A weapon... Why does he want to turn magic into a weapon?'
Helios is a capable archmage.
Why would such a capable archmage not use magic directly and instead weaponize it?
While thinking, Reed finally found the answer.
"Fine. But there's a condition."
"Tell me, I know it's not a charity you're doing."
Helios responded as if he would accept any condition.
"Give me the magic that challenges the power of a god."
However, he couldn't imagine that Reed would cross the line.
"...What?"
Helios raised his eyebrows.
It would be surprising to see him, who is always expressionless, make such a face, but Reed didn't even flinch.
'This is a reasonable request.'
His face conveyed that message.
Whether fooled by such audacity or giving him a chance to speak, Helios nodded.
"Tell me."
"In order to use that magic, one has to bear a tremendous amount of mana and risk. There's no doubt that the reason you asked me is because you cannot eliminate that risk. It must be a kind of magic that can only be activated by risking one's life."
"That's right."
Helios readily admitted it.
He was as cool as when he approved the teleport magic stone.
"If one manifests this magic with a human body, they will be destroyed. I've dedicated over 100 years to trying to eliminate that cost, but no conclusion has been reached."
There was no solution, even though he tried to find possibilities.
That's why he wanted to complete this magic through an alternative.
'I thought it would be somewhat unreasonable, but...'
He never expected to be asked to hand over the magic.
Helios couldn't tolerate that much.
Before Helios could say anything, Reed opened his mouth again.
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