Chapter 34: Visit (5)

“Cough!”

The wandering knight, Elim, spat out a gush of black blood.

Mixed with the black blood were chunks of innards.

Sizzle! The chunks didn’t hold their shape for long, melting away.

Poison.

A potent poison that even a knight at the upper Expert level couldn’t resist.

With bloodshot eyes that seemed to melt, Elim looked at the Oracle and muttered weakly.

“Why… you…?”

The Oracle of the Starry Sky didn’t answer.

As always, she simply gazed endlessly at the starry sky.

Exactly as the occasional eyewitness accounts described.

But this scene of carnage was far from normal.

Surely… she wasn’t supposed to be like this… I heard…

There was no one on this continent who didn’t know of the Oracle of the Starry Sky.

She was everywhere, yet nowhere.

Appearing and disappearing mysteriously, she showed up wherever people needed help.

There was a famous anecdote about her.

One day, a band of bandits attacked a village.

It was a tiny village, not even marked on maps, destined for annihilation.

Then, the Oracle of the Starry Sky appeared out of nowhere, saved the village, reformed the bandits, and left just as suddenly.

Exactly three days later.

In a small territory.

The Oracle saved a lord who was about to hang himself.

The astonishing part? 

The distance from the tiny village would take at least a month to travel.

This incident made the Oracle of the Starry Sky famous.

Her words, passed down through the lord, were still quoted to this day.

“The stars still shine upon you.”

No other information was known.

Was the Oracle of the Starry Sky human?

Unknown.

Was she a wizard?

Unknown.

Where she came from, what group she belonged to, her birthplace.

Not a single detail was revealed—she was mystery incarnate.

The one certain thing was that she was close to good.

Of course, not everyone liked the Oracle.

The empire disliked her for undermining the uniqueness of the nobility,

and the Knight Kingdom dismissed her as wielding unholy power, no different from black magic or sorcery.

So, they didn’t welcome her visit.

An uninvited guest.

Treated more like a criminal than a foreigner.

Elim was different.

Having lived as a wandering knight for a long time, exposed to many cultures, he respected the Oracle.

But…

Today, for the first time, he regretted his choice.

“The stars… are too bright tonight.”

The Oracle, who appeared suddenly.

It was hard to believe she had parted with a smile not long ago, given how brutally she slaughtered them.

He couldn’t even tell what kind of power she used.

Her glowing white body seemed to absorb the corpses, gaining new “power.”

“Witch…”

She was closer to a witch than an oracle.

Elim muttered with a fading voice.

At that moment.

Through his dimming consciousness, the Oracle’s faint voice seeped in.

“I told you I wouldn’t do things like this.”

[Yes, you did. That was our “contract.”]

A voice similar to the Oracle’s, but higher in tone, whispered.

[But you saw it too, didn’t you? The “constellation” that mediates our contract won’t appear in the night sky tonight.]

[Today, yes, it’s a day without a contract between us. That’s the “fate” decided. You know it, don’t you? Maybe even better than I do.]

The constellation wasn’t visible?

He struggled to lift his head.

The night sky was adorned with countless stars, stretching endlessly.

What was she talking about…?

And the voice—he could hear it, but not really.

Was she talking to a ghost?

Or conversing as if she were two people…?

“Oh, right.”

The Oracle slowly turned her head.

“No one should know about this.”

Creak, her head turned with a grating sound.

Her eyes met Elim’s.

Two eyes.

No, four eyes?

Her face wasn’t one. 

Or was it? 

No, it looked like four eyes.

His mind was unraveling.

His brain, seeing something incomprehensible, was forcibly breaking down. 

What should have been one face split into two, forcibly scattering his thoughts…

Bang!

Elim’s head exploded.

His body vanished without even realizing it was dead.

The Oracle slowly withdrew her outstretched hand.

Her face was hidden under the hood, but her sorrow was palpable.

[Hehe. That’s right. This is fate.]

“…I only sent him off peacefully.”

[Yes, because the unworthy go mad when they see “us.” But you did kill him, didn’t you?]

The Oracle shook her head, as if unwilling to hear it.

[Don’t forget. “You” are not alone. It’s always “us.”]

Whoosh!

Unable to withstand the final whisper, the Oracle turned her head.

There was no one there.

[Hahaha…]

She slowly clutched her head.

The voice echoing in her mind showed no sign of fading.

She slowly raised her head.

The stars were especially bright tonight.

But Elim hadn’t seen what was unfolding.

The embroidered constellations.

Red.

Closer to demons than gods.

So powerful that their malice was almost pure.

The constellations, like demons, grinned wickedly at her…

[We are “witches.”]

“…Shut up, witch.”

The Oracle shook her head.

With sad eyes, she looked at the mountain of corpses.

This carnage was, after all, her doing.

“I’m sorry…”

Light poured from the night sky.

Starlight enveloped the corpses, erasing them and the blood, restoring everything to its original state.

Fifth-tier celestial magic, [Restoration].

A magic that restores the landscape exactly as the heavens remember it.

The Oracle gazed at the scenery for a moment.

Then quietly left.

Whoooosh—

Only a cold wind blew where the Oracle had stood.

As if nothing had happened.

***

An empty room in the Alkart Ducal Mansion.

Evan and Osera had moved there to learn magic.

It was time to receive the promised Space Magic.

…Or so it was supposed to be.

“Lady, why are you following us?”

“I-I’m not following!”

Egis, who had trailed them, denied it with a guilty expression.

It didn’t mean much with Lapis around, though.

“Ah! You’re scared Evan will go off to the Tower of Space-Time!”

“Shh, shh!”

Egis hurriedly covered Lapis’s mouth.

Lapis’s eyes turned cold.

“Don’t touch my body without permission.”

“Uh, right… Sorry. Do you like candy?”

“I like carrots.”

“Oh, really? How about this? A carrot enhanced with alchemy.”

“Yuck. It’s gross. The ones Evan makes are tasty.”

Egis, bickering, sent Evan a pleading look.

Please don’t go to the Tower of Space-Time!

She was visibly anxious, unsure when he might change his mind.

Honestly, it felt good.

To think I’m being treated like such a talent.

He knew it was a misunderstanding, but it still felt nice.

If it got exposed, it’d be a big problem, though.

“Esteemed one, do you know how to use magic?”

Evan shook his head.

It’s not that he didn’t know any magic.

[Analysis Sight].

A magic every alchemist must learn.

Wizards couldn’t learn it, so it wasn’t considered proper magic.

“Do you know how to handle mana?”

“I can manage it to some extent.”

“That’s a relief. Space Magic is hard to use without basic knowledge of magic.”

Osera kindly taught him the basics of magic.

It wasn’t bad.

To imbue magic into golems, he’d need to understand magic anyway.

“Magic is about imagination and will. Have you ever, as a child, imagined controlling fire freely?”

He’d imagined setting things on fire.

He hadn’t wet the bed, though, despite what they say.

“I don’t remember.”

“That’s okay. You can start now.”

Osera added.

“Of course, imagination alone doesn’t do everything. It depends on your innate elemental affinity. That’s why we conduct an ‘Elemental Compatibility Test.’”

Osera smiled faintly.

“But magic is fine even without compatibility. Anyone born on this land, living in this time, can handle space.”

Clap!

When Osera clapped her hands, a crack appeared in the air.

Oh…

This feels like something from an anime.

Osera slipped her hand into the crack.

“This is my subspace. You find and dominate the ‘gap’ in the space we occupy and store things inside. Living people can’t enter. They’d die.”

“I see.”

“It’ll feel strange at first. Imagine there’s another space in the air, touch it, and use your mana. Then follow my incantation.”

Another space…

Evan reached into the air.

Imagine something’s there and touch it?

If I just mimic what I saw in the game, that should work, right?

He had a good reference for imagination.

Virtual reality games.

With just one piece of equipment, you could display a status window or items in the air.

If he imagined that and channeled his mana?

“It might be hard at first, but you’ll get the hang of it…”

“I got it.”

“Huh?”

Swoosh.

His hand vanished into the air.

Not just gone—it slipped in.

Like an invisible backpack appeared in the air?

Oh, there’s actually a gap.

He couldn’t see it, but he could feel it vaguely.

It really felt like a small bag, an inventory, in the air.

The space inside the gap was about that size.

With more skill, it’d get bigger, right?

Good thing it’s not that hard.

His head ached slightly, though.

Probably a side effect of using Space Magic?

Evan quietly withdrew his hand.

Osera’s expression showed clear surprise.

“You… really succeeded on the first try?”

“I got lucky.”

“…?”

Humility above all.

He was careful not to sound arrogant.

Not because he was scared, but because caution never hurts.

Nope. 

Definitely not scared.

“Well, yes, some people do succeed on their first try.”

“I see.”

“Would you like to try another magic while we’re at it…?”

“No, thank you.”

Evan politely declined.

Other magic?

Why bother?

He could learn it later.

Osera’s lips trembled again.

Oh?

At that moment, a small light flickered from Evan’s ring.

The magic storage ring.

It automatically recognized the magic, and the incantation was smoothly engraved.

He tried it briefly, and it activated perfectly.

Oh, it works.

It only used a third of his mana.

No headache either.

This is amazing.

The limit of three uses a day was a shame.

He could use it more if he ignored the side effects.

Evan nodded slightly, satisfied.

“Thanks to you, I gained a great magic. Thank you.”

“Oh, y-yes.”

Osera nodded awkwardly.

Did she sense some kind of crisis?

Egis suddenly poked her head in.

“Me, me! I’ll teach you Magic Enchantment. You don’t know [Magic Enchantment] yet, right?”

“Huh? Yes, I’m still lacking.”

“It’s normal for beginners. Here’s how it works…”

Magic Enchantment was a form of alchemy but also fell under magic.

It was mainly used for crafting artifacts.

If used well?

It could be applied to golems too.

Oh!

A staff engraved with the subspace incantation.

When he slipped his hand in, it connected to the subspace Evan had opened earlier.

Nice.

“Thank you.”

“This isn’t supposed to be so easy…”

Veterans make it look easy.

Evan swallowed those words.

Osera, with a reluctant look, quietly asked.

“You really don’t plan to join the tower, do you?”

“I appreciate the offer, but my stance hasn’t changed.”

Honestly, he could do all this.

Especially as a modern person, flooded with information from all kinds of media.

Being the only modern person in this world was a drawback, in a way.

“I see. It’s a shame, but I’ll have to be content with this brief exchange.”

Osera stood up.

“Are you leaving right away?”

“Time, once passed, can’t be undone… I plan to return and finish my work.”

Osera bowed politely with a nod.

“When you go to meet the Oracle… don’t go alone. It’s dangerous. At least build up your strength first.”

Isn’t that obvious?

It’s scary.

No, not scary—annoying.

Definitely not scared.

The place was the Demisia Kingdom.

A country full of sword-obsessed muscleheads.

They rejected not only magic but also sorcery and black magic.

Alchemy?

Naturally included.

A dangerous place for an alchemist.

He’d have to prepare thoroughly.

“It was short, but enjoyable.”

Osera vanished gracefully.

“Lady, you’re not leaving?”

“Huh? I’ve got plenty of time to spare.”

***

Evan prepared for his journey.

Honestly! He didn’t want to go.

It was too dangerous.

But.

If I miss this chance, I might never meet her.

A chance to have his fortune told, read his fate, and meet his favorite character.

Missing this would be foolish.

He had no choice but to prepare, even if reluctantly.

“I’ll come with you!”

“Aren’t you busy?”

“Me? I’m free. It’s a closed-off group, so there’s not much to do.”

Couldn’t she just go?

He wanted to say it but couldn’t.

Well… she’d probably cover her own expenses.

Then came a piece of news.

Evan doubted his ears.

“What… did you say?”

“The drug manufacturing facility… got destroyed?”

“The facility supplying most of the world’s drugs was smashed by an unknown group.”

For the glory.

Words left at the destroyed site.

Speculation pointed to a new cult.

A new cult?

Was there such a thing…?

Something was going wrong, Evan felt.

As expected.

Glory.

For him.

A combination of keywords.

As if openly daring someone to figure it out, Lapis grinned.

You did it well, Frey.

She looked utterly satisfied.

All of this, for Evan.