Chapter 133 - War Advances Technology

Vernel was in an excited state.

He had consumed so much coffee and so many stimulants that it seemed as though caffeine, not blood, flowed through his veins.

After wandering around naked like a madman, he finally came to his senses, put on some clothes, and stood before Ferda.

Erika was standing beside him.

"Do you remember when I dissected living Monsters for my research?"

"I do."

"Back then, I discovered something. I identified the neural signal responsible for a Monster’s physical regeneration."

The description of that neural signal had been recorded on well over a hundred pages of paper.

Naturally, Ferda had not even pretended to read them.

"Explain it."

"R-Right, so... instead of thinking of it as contaminated water inside a container, imagine that it’s inside a Monster’s body!"

He desperately tried to explain while gesturing wildly with both his hands and feet.

"Suppose the Monster is injured. Then naturally, it has to repair the wounded area, right?"

"Correct."

"To do that, it sends a signal to the injured area and concentrates its regenerative power there, doesn’t it?"

"Yes."

"Once that signal is sent, the Junk Mana flowing through its blood moves toward the wound. It stops the bleeding and regenerates the tissue. That’s exactly what we’re applying to the water container. If we send an ’injury signal’ to a material designed to imitate living flesh..."

Erika immediately understood and summarized his explanation.

"So according to your theory, the Junk Mana would gather wherever the signal is sent?"

"Exactly!"

Vernel replied in a voice overflowing with delight.

It seemed he was simply overjoyed that someone had actually understood his explanation.

"So that’s how you purify it?"

"Purify it? Hahaha! If that were all, then this Vernel’s excitement would be nothing more than third-rate! It’s far more than simple purification!"

Vernel shouted again, his voice filled with excitement.

"Your Grace! Haven’t we been telling you all this time that we needed Mana Stones? This technology literally condenses masses of Junk Mana into Mana Stones! Compared to extracting materials from Monsters, the amount we can obtain isn’t even comparable!"

Rather than merely purifying the contaminated water, they would also gain the materials needed to produce Mana Stones.

It was like killing two birds with one stone.

"So that’s why it took four days."

"Actually, Headmaster Bernard and I figured this out on the second day."

"You figured it out in only two days?"

"Then why didn’t you report it?"

"Even if we had the theory, we still needed to create something capable of applying it... If we only talked about the theory, no one would’ve believed us."

Ferda nodded.

He had already heard plenty of Vernel’s long-winded theories before.

"So we spent another two days building a practical application! And this... is the result!"

Vernel brought out an object that had been hidden behind the blackboard.

It resembled a weight attached to a chain.

The chain had been treated to function as a conduit for Mana, while the weight itself was covered in complex magical formulas.

Seeing it, Ferda suddenly felt uneasy and asked,

"Can a low-circle Mage activate the Magic Circle?"

"A Third-Circle Mage who knows how to activate Magic Circles is sufficient. I managed it easily myself, so anyone who can simply channel Mana should be able to do it."

Naturally, he had already taken that into consideration.

A Third-Circle Mage was on the same level as the communication mages accompanying noble young ladies and young masters, so there would be no issue.

"So... does it actually work?"

Erika asked as she looked down at the weight.

Even the excited Vernel became calm at that moment.

"We’re about to find out."

No matter how brilliant the theory was, and no matter how perfectly they built a device based on it, there were countless cases where it simply failed to function.

For scholars and inventors alike, it was the most crushing moment.

Now came the time to find out.

***

Isabella collected water flowing from the Land of Demons into a large jar and brought it back to the castle.

It was the first time Ferda had ever seen the water flowing from the Land of Demons.

It carried a faint metallic smell and had a reddish tint, much like rust scraped off iron dissolving into water.

Unlike rusty water, however, this was a deadly liquid that one absolutely must not even touch.

"T-Then... I’ll begin."

Vernel lowered the weighted device into the jar.

Once it reached about halfway down, he began injecting Mana into the chain.

Hummm—

The water vibrated.

It was proof that Mana had flowed through the Magic Circle and activated it.

Everyone watching held their breath.

No one wanted the result of four days of relentless work to end in failure.

A short while later, the murky water gradually began to clear.

At the same time, a mass of crimson crystals condensed around the weight.

Vernel carefully lifted it out.

The red crystals clung to the weight like living flesh, while the water had become astonishingly clear.

People often said appearances could be deceiving, but this time was different.

It looked exactly as clean as it truly was.

"My goodness..."

"So this method really works."

Isabella and Erika couldn’t hide their amazement as they examined the water.

"What do you think?"

"You really did remove the Junk Mana from the water."

"Of course, I couldn’t eliminate every last trace, so a tiny amount of Mana remains... but it’s perfectly safe for human consumption. In fact, it’s less dangerous than drinking ordinary groundwater."

Those words of recognition filled Vernel’s heart with pride.

This wasn’t simply about receiving acknowledgment from the academic world.

What truly mattered was that this praise had come from a Spawn of Iorga, the Aspect of Water.

Ferda also clenched his fist.

This was the right answer.

Not only had they secured a new source of drinking water, but they had also laid the foundation for another leap in the territory’s development.

They say war advances technology.

The path he was walking wasn’t leading toward an escape.

Rather, it was taking him even deeper inside.

He was walking toward the enormous treasure hidden within the labyrinth.

Ferda patted Vernel on the shoulder in recognition of his incredible achievement.

"You’ve done well."

At those words, Vernel staggered violently before collapsing to the floor.

It was the aftereffect of spending four straight days without proper sleep, devoting himself entirely to research and invention.

Erika had more or less guessed that already, yet she deliberately remarked,

"So... once a dog has outlived its usefulness, it’s put down... Is that how it is?"

"...That’s not it."

***

Under the leadership of Iorga’s Spawn, they temporarily diverted water from the source within the Land of Demons.

Since the source lay inside the Land of Demons, it was kept some distance away from Hestia Village, and people fetched water from there instead.

Isabella officially announced that this water would serve as a replacement for the village’s current drinking supply.

"Isn’t water from the Land of Demons dangerous?"

"I heard that drinking contaminated water can turn you into a Monster..."

"But what choice do we have? It doesn’t look like it’s going to rain anytime soon."

"If the Great Water Rulers approve of it, then it should be safe enough to drink."

People were uneasy, but they accepted it because there was no alternative.

Trust in authority also helped the transition proceed smoothly.

The real problem, as expected, was the nobles.

The announcement was made personally by Ferda and Erika.

"You expect us to drink water brought from the Land of Demons?!"

"No matter what, that’s unacceptable! You’re practically asking us to die a slow death!"

True to nobles raised in luxury, they threw a fit and insisted they would continue drinking only groundwater.

Ferda even demonstrated it himself, drinking the purified water right before their eyes.

Although nothing happened to him, it still wasn’t enough to calm the uproar.

"No matter how respected Regent Ferda is, or how legendary an adventurer he may be, this water simply can’t be trusted."

"What if you turn into a Monster after enough time passes? Will you take responsibility for that?"

They were spreading conspiracy theories so shamelessly that it bordered on outright disrespect.

Erika quietly asked through telepathy,

Should I just tell them to go die?

She didn’t say it aloud, but inwardly, Ferda agreed.

These were exactly the sort of people for whom a short, brutal sentence was far more appropriate than a long, intellectual explanation full of academic jargon.

Those proud expressions on their faces would surely disappear within a day.

Just imagining those expressions changing put Ferda in a good mood.

Olivia approached him and asked,

"It really is safe, isn’t it?"

She alternated her gaze between Ferda and Erika.

Erika answered,

"The head of Iorga personally certified it."

"That’s reliable enough for me."

Olivia immediately picked up a glass and drank the water without hesitation.

"Mmm... it tastes very clean."

She smiled brightly, inspiring confidence with that simple gesture.

Only then did the nobles stop behaving like children and finally begin drinking the purified water.

How strange.

When I drank it, they acted as though I was committing suicide.

But the moment Olivia drank it, they’re gulping it down as though it’s delicious.

Ferda glanced toward Erika.

Their eyes met.

As though sharing the same thought, they merely nodded silently to one another.

In any case, the nobles’ drinking water problem had finally been resolved.

The Mana Stone problem has also been solved.

It proved even easier than harvesting Mana Stones from Monster corpses.

The production process had been shortened by two-thirds, allowing Mana Stone production for ammunition to proceed at twice the previous speed.

That alone bought them another month of preparation.

Ferda also decided it was time to properly organize his own abilities.

Four-Star Red Circle and One-Star Shadow Circle.

In terms of total Mana alone, he possessed the equivalent of a Five-Star Mage.

But I’m not actually Five-Star.

Since he couldn’t cast Fifth-Tier magic, it was more accurate to say he simply possessed far more Mana than an ordinary Fourth-Circle Mage.

That alone could serve as a valuable hidden trump card.

Besides, the Shadow Circle simply looks like a shadow.

Rather than glowing blue like ordinary Mana, it was black.

Unless someone examined him with great concentration, they would never realize he possessed another Circle.

More importantly, because Ferda was publicly known as a Red Circle Mage, no one would ever imagine that he maintained a secondary Circle of such a low rank.

I’ll cast lightning with the Red Circle, and Shadow Arts with the Shadow Circle.

Having settled his Mana management strategy, Ferda turned his attention elsewhere.

He needed a means of countering his enemies.

Fortunately, he already possessed such a tool.

Jibeol.

The gift Lucy Phyliaz had given him.

She had named it as punishment rising from the earth rather than punishment descending from the heavens.

On the surface, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary staff.

No one would ever suspect it was a divine artifact given by Lucy Phyliaz.

Come to think of it... didn’t she say it absorbs power if you touch it with a branch struck by lightning?

Ferda took out the branch Ahmad Hashim had given him as a token of friendship.

He pressed the branch against the staff.

Immediately, particles hidden within the World Tree branch visibly flowed into the staff.

Shhh—

The staff absorbed every last trace.

Then something astonishing happened.

All traces of magical power remaining inside the World Tree branch completely vanished, leaving behind nothing more than an ordinary stick.

Even more astonishing, despite absorbing all that power, the staff emitted no detectable Mana whatsoever.

Just to be certain, Ferda infused Mana into it as before to test its power.

Crackle!

There was no doubt.

Its power had increased, and it had become significantly more stable.

It was already stronger than Dark Bolt...

He began to suspect that Reverse Heaven Lightning Bolt might now rival the destructive power of the Fourth-Tier spell, Lightning Spear.

A divine artifact capable of raising a spell’s effective power by an entire tier without any side effects was something beyond price.

Now I have one more weapon at my disposal.

Reverse Heaven Lightning—the one force capable of surpassing darkness itself in sheer destructive power.

Shadow Arts—the perfect means to deceive an enemy and strike from their blind spot.

"Hmm..."

The question was how best to use this tool.

Ferda’s battles had always begun with displays of overwhelming confidence and ended the same way.

Unlike before, however, he now needed the strategy of a true Mage.

At the very least, he needed a finishing blow powerful enough to use against Curved Demon when they finally confronted one another.

Thus, Ferda began his research.

***

One month after the incident.

Centered around the Mother Monster, an enormous army numbering twenty thousand had gathered.

Of course, not every one of them was a deadly Monster.

Half were slow, incomplete creatures like the Melted.

The other half consisted of Monsters and dangerous beast-like creatures.

Among the beast-type Monsters, however, truly massive ones such as bear-like Monsters numbered only around two hundred.

Even so, if they all attacked at once, they would be impossible to stop.

Erika judged that the assembled army was finally ready to move.

Olivia gathered all of her senior officers for the final strategy meeting in preparation for the decisive battle.

Ferda also attended and, while discussing preparations for the siege defense, asked Count Consilus about his situation.

"Count, how are things on your end?"

"There’s nothing to worry about. I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life."

"Any problems with your water supply?"

"No. Thanks to the supplies sent by Blue Eye, we can hold out for another week."

Although it was technically outside assistance, they had more than enough justification for accepting it.

Vernel had shared the technology, and based on that technology, they claimed they were merely providing "a few samples for testing."

Since the supplies were intended for the campaign against the Land of Demons, it was simply the duty of an ally.

"Your Grace."

"What is it?"

"I wanted to tell you in advance. It has been an honor serving under you, even if only for a short time. I only wish we could have met sooner."

Ferda frowned at those sentimental words.

They sounded exactly like the final words of a knight marching off to die, and they irritated him.

"Enough with the pointless talk. If your position collapses, retreat to Hestia immediately."

"If this castle falls, then this is where my bones shall rest. A true knight knows that to save a hundred people, one must kill even a single additional Monster. I shall kill one hundred more... and save ten thousand lives. Therefore, I entrust the people of this Grand Duchy to your protection."

"...Very well."

There was no guarantee the Count would actually die.

Even so, Ferda silently committed those words to memory.

Just then, Isabella burst through the door.

"The Demon army has begun moving!"

So... it’s finally begun.

That was Ferda’s first thought as he rose from his seat.

But Isabella had not yet finished speaking.

"However, they’re not heading in the direction we expected!"

His body froze.

"What do you mean?"

"The thousands of troops aren’t advancing toward us. They’re moving in the opposite direction!"