Chapter 271: Crossroads (12)
Room of Memories.
At the center of that place—now reduced to something no different from ruins, with not even a trace of its former appearance left—Windy May Maddown quietly closed her eyes.
“……”
In truth, Windy May Maddown was someone who received both contempt and respect from mages.
The reason she was despised was simple.
She was a Half-Elf—and worse, a Half-Elf who had given herself her own name.
That meant she had not been acknowledged by her parents… in other words, she was no different from a bastard child.
Moreover, the Elves did not merely dislike such beings—they practically hated them.
Half of her bloodline loathed and despised her.
And the other half was not much different.
Yet the reason she was respected was equally simple.
Of course, one reason was that she was one of the five Archmages who existed in the present age…
But more than that, she was practically a bearer of the legitimate magical lineage.
Windy May Maddown.
She was the disciple of Archmage Edas.
And Edas himself had been a disciple of Arpentia, and had even studied under Talia Poas.
Above all, Edas had openly declared that Windy May was his foremost disciple and the one who would inherit all of his achievements.
In other words, it would not be an exaggeration to say that she carried one of the most legitimate lineages of all.
Perhaps because of that—
The Room of Memories was, in many ways, a special place to Windy May.
It was the place her mentor and benefactor Edas had always said was the most important of Arpentia and Talia’s legacies, and therefore something that his foremost disciple, Windy May, must inherit and protect.
…Along with the truth related to it.
All of it.
“……”
Perhaps because of that.
Standing in the center of the shattered Room of Memories, even though there was no longer any reason for her to remain there, Windy May stayed behind and conducted a brief farewell ceremony in her own way.
Beside her lay the corpse of Urkubar, killed by someone unknown, covered with a cloth.
“……”
It was then that Berenistella suddenly appeared before her.
And the moment Windy May saw her, she realized the overwhelming strength emanating from her.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“……”
Berenistella said nothing in response to Windy May’s gratitude.
“So… are you the mastermind?”
Windy May nodded slightly as she added,
“…Right. Now I understand. The one who followed along claiming to be the coordinator of the demons. So it was you. I never imagined you had been hiding such power all this time.”
At Windy May’s murmur, Berenistella shook her head.
“That cannot be.”
She looked straight at Windy May and said,
“Even for this concubine, this matter was nothing more than an unforeseen accident.”
“Hm, I suppose so.”
At Berenistella’s denial, Windy May nodded readily.
“For ordinary people, it might look like you came to pick up a few crumbs. But someone like you wouldn’t need to go through the trouble of stirring up something this bothersome.”
“Indeed. You see clearly.”
“Yes, exactly. Someone like you wouldn’t bother with fallen crumbs—you’d simply take the whole table, and no one would be able to stop you.”
After gazing at her quietly for a moment, Windy May asked,
“Then perhaps you came for my head?”
“Hmm?”
Berenistella looked at her as if puzzled.
“This concubine… for you? Why would that be?”
“In your eyes when you look at me, I can feel it—faint, but there is anger and hostility… and strangely enough, envy and jealousy. The first I could understand, but the latter… I have no idea why.”
“……”
At Windy May’s words, Berenistella showed no reaction.
Though she had been quite startled, she managed her expression immediately.
‘…Why?’
Now that she thought about it, she truly did feel such emotions toward her.
For the moment, Berenistella buried that question deep within her chest.
Meanwhile, Windy May tilted her head and murmured,
“But even if I think about it that way, I don’t think my head is valuable enough.”
“……The head of an Archmage has no value? I doubt the people of the world would think so.”
“At least not to someone like you.”
Windy May nodded.
“To you—the last remaining Eight Demon Lord.”
She continued,
“The Fox of the Fallen Nation. The enchantress who bewitched humans. The lingering tail of a ruined kingdom.”
“…That will do. Close your mouth before you go any further. Being called names as others please is not particularly pleasant to hear.”
“If you didn’t come to kill me, then… did you come to seduce me?”
“……”
Berenistella fell silent for a moment.
“You are one who inherits the lineage of that little girl Arpentia, yet strangely your personality reminds me of Talia.”
She sighed and murmured,
“My head and heart are already troubled because of earlier matters. And strictly speaking, this concubine is nothing more than an uninvited guest. Therefore, I shall overlook the fact that you have mocked and insulted me this time.”
“Then why have you appeared here, at this moment?”
“I came simply to speak.”
Berenistella said,
“About the Room of Memories… with you, who inherited the title of its administrator.”
“Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly a place fit to receive guests right now.”
“I do not expect hospitality. All this concubine desires is conversation.”
She looked at Windy May.
“But I will say this in advance—I cannot accept a refusal.”
“…And if I insisted anyway?”
“Then I would take your head, as you said earlier. Even if it holds no value.”
“……”
Windy May showed not the slightest disturbance.
Seeing that, Berenistella easily realized that even if she truly killed her, Windy May would not so much as blink.
“Hm.”
In the end, she let out a small sigh.
“I will say this beforehand—if you remain silent like this, this concubine will simply continue waiting until you open your mouth.”
“……”
“…Even if someone else comes here, that will not change.”
At the mention of Lian—the one she had spoken to through the Crystal Sphere just moments ago—Windy May’s expression wavered slightly.
At that moment—
Watching her, Berenistella felt that indescribable emotion again.
‘…What is this?’
Trying to hide the unexplainable discomfort and impatience, Berenistella coughed lightly.
Meanwhile, Windy May finally nodded slowly, as if she had no choice.
“If it’s something I can answer.”
“What is the purpose of the Room of Memories?”
“That is a question I cannot answer.”
“I thought as much.”
It was not a question asked with the expectation of an answer in the first place.
Berenistella murmured calmly,
“After all, it would be troublesome for you to openly say that it was created for human sacrifice.”
“……”
Windy May’s fingers twitched slightly.
Pretending not to notice, Berenistella continued,
“Talia and Arpentia. Though the two created it, this space was flawed from the beginning in many ways. It is extremely unhealthy and inefficient. Methods for summoning beings of the past to enjoy their knowledge have existed before. There is no way the two of them did not know that.”
She continued in a calm voice.
“Arpentia intended it for a later resurrection… then what did Talia desire?”
“……”
“And the number of tanks—five. That too is quite noteworthy.”
Berenistella murmured,
“Three is the minimum number required to create balance. That is why the three founders, including Talia, were the most active. Of course, four would have been the most stable… but there was no suitable person to take the final position. At the time this was created, most of them had died or departed. In the end, Arpentia substituted herself, but could that truly function properly?”
As she spoke, she gazed quietly at the shattered tanks and the unidentified liquid flowing across the floor.
“So this is how Ether was contained. Clever. By meeting beings of the future like this, you gathered the strength needed to bind the beings of the past. Normally, a being trapped in memories of the past could never interact and contemplate together with a being from the future… yet you used such a loophole. Truly cunning.”
In other words, they had used a workaround to separate their past selves and keep them existing independently until now.
Berenistella narrowed her eyes as she continued,
“It appears three are full, while one has barely obtained a little. But the last one is completely empty. Who is the remaining one? And the number five itself carries deep meaning. In Ancient Magic, such numbers hold great significance—and no one was more versed in Ancient Magic than Talia.”
Especially her, at the time this was created…
As Berenistella muttered this, Windy May finally answered.
“…Five represents circulation. Quite different from four, which represents stability.”
“Thank you for answering.”
After a brief silence, Berenistella quietly added,
“…Windy May Maddown.”
“?”
Windy May looked at her in slight surprise.
Berenistella turned her head away as if nothing had happened.
‘…Still, she is that child’s mentor.’
When she had seen her before, she had been watching over and caring for Lian in many ways.
If that was the case, then it was only proper to express gratitude.
Thus Berenistella had spoken her name with respect.
“I’m surprised. I didn’t expect you to call me that.”
“Does it displease you?”
“No, not really. Being respected by one of the Eight Demon Lords.”
“…Anyway, to state the conclusion.”
As if trying to change the topic, Berenistella continued,
“Ancient rituals and magic… when traced back to their origins, all eventually converge into rites and sacrifices. People prayed through rituals by offering sacrifices to divine beings… yes, human sacrifices.”
Berenistella whispered again,
“Talia created this place so that she herself could become the human sacrifice.”
“……”
Windy May remained silent.
A silence that signified agreement.
“At least the three of them, including her, must have shared the same thought. Meeting those who came here allowed them to accumulate strength, knowledge, time… everything. All to strengthen their existence and raise their value as sacrifices.”
Suddenly, she murmured in admiration,
“…Truly the embodiment of a hero. To offer even one’s life after death. How could ordinary people ever comprehend such resolve?”
“And so.”
Windy May raised a hand and interrupted Berenistella.
“Why did you come all the way here to tell me this?”
She added quietly,
“Once I’ve learned this much, I can’t simply let you leave.”
“Do you wish to die?”
“Sometimes you have to stand against someone even when you know you cannot win.”
“In that case, stop. At least this concubine… yes, I agree with Talia’s intention.”
Berenistella nodded.
“The Evil Dragon… surely this room was created to prepare for that. To ensure things would be properly concluded even after they were gone.”
But—
She whispered quietly.
“Three and one. Valen Zeisho has lost the qualifications to become a sacrifice.”
Then…
“…Who is the remaining sacrifice?”
Berenistella’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“This concubine came here today to learn that.”