203
Physiognomy
“···Brother? It’s been a while.”
I let out a small moan at the familiar voice.
There was one more guy in the group room of the fancy bakery where I was supposed to meet the five rich men.
Her silver hair, which swayed like silk, seemed like a luxurious fabric. It was the first time I had seen her beauty, but her voice was familiar. And her clear, white eyes…
‘The second eldest son.’
When I looked at his five sons, he averted his gaze with a prickly expression.
It seemed like it was a bit tricky, but seeing the traces left here and there, it seemed like it was right.
‘It seems that you thought the source of the rumor was the five eldest sons.’
It was one of the expected trends.
Although they acted in the name of justice, I found the Devil Candies to be cautious. That hesitation did not help much with what was about to happen.
But now that word of the rebellion had spread, it was as if fire had fallen on the brothers.
I heard that the noble union of the second son and the religious order of the fourth son were making moves toward the imperial family, so if they heard the rumor, they wouldn’t be able to stay still.
‘It’s unexpected that you came right away. Are you impatient?’
I looked up and down at the second. For a woman, she was tall and had long limbs. She wore a tight-fitting dress, and there was no sign of a weapon anywhere.
“Huh? Are you ignoring me? My little brother?”
Her face was beautiful, but her smile was extremely cold because of her three hundred eyes.
A reddish aura rose behind the second child, who was grumbling softly.
‘This time it’s fire.’
I clicked my tongue slightly at the sight of my strength being shown. It was probably confidence, but it was also a stupid thing I would never do.
I gauged the presence and heat she gave off.
It was a little tingly though-.
‘It’s worth doing.’
I’ve roughly figured it out.
Knock knock. I reorganized my plans again.
The most important thing was to tie the devil candies together.
Since they were the center of the pack I was dealing with, I had to make sure they didn’t make any noise.
After making a decision, I took out the sword I had been saving.
“Huh.”
The second one snorted. The fiery aura behind her grew larger and expanded its presence.
The sweet smell became so strong that it made me dizzy. The pressure that grew stronger made my palms sweat.
However, I had already met the master of the sword.
Compared to that, the second one was somewhat lacking.
No, it was quite lacking.
As I pulled out the sword, which was so splendid that it could not be described as a famous sword, the room became brightly lit. As expected of a famous sword, it seemed to also have a flashlight function.
The sword truly showed off its presence.
“You··· That···.”
The second one opened his eyes wide and fumbled. His gaze was fixed on the imperial emblem drawn on the sword.
‘You seem to know.’
I held him still and stared at the second.
“Ha… Where did you pick up the sword master’s belongings? That’s why you’re stretching it out?”
That was somewhat true.
However, it wasn’t picked up, it was pulled out.
When the second one snorted, I ran forward without hesitation.
The erosion that had become familiar quickly picked up speed.
“What is this···.”
Perhaps unexpectedly, her reaction was somewhat slow.
That was a fatal mistake.
An eroded fist struck her mouth.
At the same time, flames burned and heated up the space.
‘The mat is nice.’
I clicked my tongue and extended my fist toward the fire again.
It was quite hot.
***
‘It’s more difficult than I thought.’
I wiped my face, breathing heavily.
The charred shell fell to the floor in a heap.
Clearly, even though it was a battle that started with a winning streak, it still took quite a bit of effort.
“···Don’t you know what conversation is?”
The five elders, who had become contemplative, asked in a suppressed voice.
His face was covered in sweat. It seemed like he had blocked out the noise, since it was quiet outside despite all the chaos he had caused.
Then I looked at the second eldest son.
The three hundred eyes were still grim.
Those weren’t the eyes for sitting around and having a lively conversation.
“You have fists, why don’t you talk?”
I grumbled and put my sword to her neck.
“She is the woman the Grand Duke cherishes the most. If she disappears, the Grand Cause will be disrupted. The Grand Duke’s noble alliance is currently the greatest power…”
The five elders spoke hurriedly. They seemed worried that I might cut my throat.
“Really? Should I put her head in a box with the imperial emblem and present it to the Grand Duke?”
The five elders let out a long sigh. He must have felt it too. That was the fastest way.
“···Who are you?”
The second eldest son frowned and asked. His composure was not that of someone with a sword to his neck.
I thought about it for a moment and then chuckled.
“The third eldest son.”
It was inherited in the medieval style.
As I slightly exerted strength in my hand, a long stream of black blood flowed from the guy’s snow-white neck.
“Then shall we talk now?”
“Isn’t this position a bit uncomfortable?”
Even though his head was stepped on and a sword was placed against his neck, his voice was still relaxed.
“Can you live only doing what’s comfortable? Please bear with it for a bit. … So, what are you dissatisfied with, Sister?”
I squatted down and looked at Sambaek-an and asked.
“That rumor leaves us with no choice. If a rebellion breaks out, the royal bastards will somehow find a connection and tie down the noble alliance.”
The second eldest son answered in a much calmer voice.
That was right.
That was my intention too.
“Then the rebellion must succeed.”
The second eldest son moved his mouth, but no sound came out. It seemed to be a rough curse.
“Well, since we’re in similar situations, let’s work hard together.”
I smiled and held out my hand.
The second child, who had been glaring at me, suddenly changed his expression and snorted.
Then the fire flared up more fiercely than before.
There was a brief pause, but I took back my sword and stepped back.
When the flames died down, she was smiling brightly.
‘There were hidden numbers.’
It was a bit easier than the scent it gave off…
It didn’t really matter to me since it was the same for me.
“Then let’s hear what my brother thinks.”
The second child, who had become clean-cut before anyone knew it, asked in his usual soft voice.
I brought the table and chairs that were still intact among the broken and burned ones.
Then she took out a glass bottle containing flowers from somewhere and placed it on the table.
A more or less plausible assortment has been put together.
The woman sitting across from me crossed her long legs and placed them on the table.
The second one raised the corners of his mouth while wiggling his long, gray legs.
I opened my mouth and looked at him.
“Can you please move your feet away from the table?”
I couldn’t stand this.
The second one made a similar expression as when he got punched.
***
‘It ended easily.’
I muttered, shaking off my numb hands.
Even if it was a mistake, it could have been turned into a gift to the Grand Duke, but it was still a bit disappointing that someone as strong as her was missing.
Even though her reaction was strange, it was clear that she would cooperate with the rebellion.
As she said, I had erased their choices, so it was obvious what they would do.
“···Many people will die.”
At that time, the five elders said something obvious.
I looked into the bastard’s straight eyes and thought for a moment.
The problem was too big to handle alone. In any case, I needed someone to lean on.
The fifth eldest son was handsome, but he was a great partner as long as he didn’t eat cake.
Most people with strong pride never betray others until the end.
What he said was correct. As many people as spread rumors would flock to the capital.
Are there only a few people who hold a grudge against the empire? Even the farmers in the countryside could come running, bringing up tax issues.
Because the empire had a deformed structure, they had a common enemy.
Everyone will flock to the rumor that this is the last chance.
However, it just resulted in more bones.
When undertaking something this big, it’s important to set absolute priorities.
As the incident broke out, the situation continued to change rapidly, like a typhoon.
Setting priorities allowed me to make quick decisions in urgent situations. It was my secret to survival.
“Then we must succeed so that their deaths were not in vain.”
I answered, shaking my hands lightly.
His face slightly distorted. Discontent was written all over his face. That’s why it was difficult to work with someone with eyes like that.
“You bragged about it being a great undertaking. But your resolve is weaker than I thought.”
He said it with a little annoyance.
The bastard took a small step back. In the silence that followed, I tapped the handle of my sword.
“···i get it.”
The five elders took a deep breath and nodded.
“But we must find a way to minimize the damage. Otherwise, we will be no different from the Empire.”
He’s talking nonsense again.
I had prepared a plan for that, but when you said it so rudely, I started to feel a needless resentment.
“Yeah, he’s a really nice devil.”
“···The brothers’ meeting will be held soon.”
The frowning man held out a fancy ring.
I took him and rolled him in my hands.
“You play the king of demons there.”
The five elders, whose faces were slightly brighter, spoke in a firm voice.
I nodded at those straight eyes and thought of a great joke.
“So, am I the one who will become king?”
“···What does that mean? Anyway, since the second eldest son seems to be raising his hand, it will be easier than expected······.”
Anyway, he was a boring guy.
***
Knock knock.
‘···You really came.’
I clicked my tongue and got up from my seat.
Since I’ve been getting less sleep since coming to the capital, I was already up.
Now, I carefully opened the door, controlling the familiar movement of my arms.
“It’s a good morning for worship.”
At the door stood the abbot, dressed in more splendid attire than before.
“I see you got promoted?”
“Ah, I wore it because the Pope asked me to. My title remains the same. Anyway, let’s get started.”
The abbot who came inside began to pray as usual. The erosion gradually subsided in the hazy light.
‘···The speed is getting slower and slower.’
I looked at the falling shell with sunken eyes.
The abbot’s strange prayers might calm him down now, but later he might have to listen to those prayers all day.
In that case, I thought it would be better to just live like this. I wonder what would happen if I called it a big locust.
The abbot stood up after finishing his prayer.
“Then let’s go to church. This is something we promised before, so don’t even think about making excuses.”
The abbot spoke with a more stern expression than usual. He seemed to be worried that I would avoid him, but I had no intention of refusing.
There was a need to look into the religious sect.
“No. I just wanted to go to church, so my body felt itchy.”
“Oh my goodness. Are you really the Honorary Vice-Abbot Aaron? Have you been eaten by the devil? If so… First, let’s worship. Then I’ll heal you.”
The abbot’s useless words were passed over lightly.
There were quite a few people wandering around even though the sun hadn’t risen yet. The capital had a strange atmosphere overall.
It was quiet, but somehow felt like water before it boiled. It seemed like the talk of rebellion was starting to really take off.
The main school was located in the northern district of the capital.
Originally it was not located in the capital, but there is a story that the empire forced it to have its headquarters in the capital.
There was also a theory that the location of the main church was naturally moved as money flowed into the capital.
When I arrived at the main school, I put more weight on the latter.
I knew that the main campus was in the capital, but I had no reason to visit, so this was my first time seeing it in person.
“I guess the donation is salty.”
“···You have to be careful with what you say here.”
The abbot spoke firmly.
I nodded to him.
Priests and monks were moving busily. Most of them were fat men, and most of them were backing away or making excuses when they saw the abbot.
The abbot took the monk’s habit from one side and handed it to me. It was just a large piece of cloth, so I just covered it up.
However, because it was small, it stopped vaguely in the middle of the thigh. It had a charming appearance.
I followed the abbot and mingled with the monks, looking around. There were quite a few armed men walking around.
“Are there really that many guys with swords?”
“What’s with the sword…? Let’s call it a referee meeting. There are definitely more people than usual. Is something going on?”
Judging from the abbot’s response, it seemed like the religious order was also thinking of taking action.
It was unknown whether it was the royal family or the rebels.
“By the way, what did the Pope ask you to do?”
Suddenly, I remembered what the abbot had said earlier about the Pope. If he had the personality of an abbot, it wouldn’t be empty words or empty boasts.
“···The service is starting.”
The abbot coughed awkwardly and changed the subject.
“Is this how it is between us? I’m really disappointed.”
The abbot gave a nod.
How much did he whine?
“The Pope is not in good condition.”
The abbot replied, wrinkling his nose.
***
‘If the Pope dies, the religious order will be shaken… The timing is not good.’
I wiggled my fingers at random variables.
“Then let’s begin!”
At that time, the experiment began.
My thoughts were broken by that, and I looked around the room.
No, it was too big a space to be called a room. Moreover, that large room was full of wizards.
There were sixteen of them.
It seemed like the reserve leader was not sparing any support.
Although he got more brains, he only got more stupid words.
Thanks to Kua Ba Rou, it was fun to watch.
After coming to Matap, Kuabarou’s face became like that of a professor, and the reaction was quite good.
“If your body breaks down because of overflowing mana, how about switching bodies? There was even an experiment where they switched the heads of old monsters…”
“If your body breaks down, you can change it? Then you have to change your head first! Your head is such a piece of crap!”
Kkwobarou continued to spew harsh words at the wizards.
“Then, let’s connect the mana extractor like we did to the demons to make it a bit easier…”
“Can’t you see what’s stuck in your eyes? You need to change your eyes!”
The funny thing was that even though Kuo Bao Rou reacted so harshly, the guys didn’t give in and continued to express their opinions.
While Kuobarou was taking a sip of water, they started whispering among themselves.
“Then how about replacing body parts with monsters like the Warlock’s Chimera! Trolls or gargoyles with high mana resistance······.”
“Let’s transplant werewolf fur! It’s so fluffy! Werewolves are the best!”
Soon, the werewolf and troll factions split into an argument.
“Werewolf fur is extremely resistant to mana. Sure, it’s not as resistant as troll skin, but it’s more transplantable!”
“It’s definitely performance. The skin of a troll with high magic resistance is right!”
A tense debate continued without an inch of compromise.
Eventually, a moderate group emerged that suggested grafting werewolf fur onto the skin of a troll.
‘Those crazy guys···.’
The madmen came up with werewolf fur and troll skin.
The werewolf’s fur was dull and the troll’s skin was covered in mold, perhaps because it had passed its expiration date.
Even if the transplant was successful, the management was such that there were likely to be problems afterwards.
At that moment, Kuobarou frowned.
“If you transplant hair from another species, it all falls out. In some cases, skin diseases can occur. Don’t they even conduct such experiments on the White Tower these days? It’s really depressing.”
Kuobarou hurled harsh curses again. This time, his voice was a bit louder, causing the men to flinch slightly.
Of course, just a little bit.
‘A story about a dwarf.’
It seemed like a story about a bald dwarf. After all, they plucked out the dwarf’s head and transplanted it onto his beard.
‘But wasn’t that the first time he did it?’
When he was given the job of the dwarf, it was clearly Kuabarou who was delighted, saying it was a new experiment. How could he pick on him and say that he had never done it before?
The madmen became sullen at Kuobarou’s firm words.
The most regrettable of them all is-.
“It seems like it’ll be warm···.”
It was Park Head caressing the werewolf’s fur. Kanna, who was standing next to him, shook her head and patted Park Head’s shoulder.
“If the quantity is the problem, why don’t you just pull out more? Like the mana collector on the magic tower.”
“Oh, my goodness! Don’t these guys even know the limits of mana collectors these days? Eventually, their hearts will burst from the accumulated fatigue.”
Everyone was left speechless by Kuo Bao Rou’s sharp words.
It felt more like he was worried that he wouldn’t be able to study more about the one who was loved by Mana, rather than feeling sorry for Park Dae-gari.
“···It’s going to explode?! My heart?!”
Park Dae-gari let out a long scream. Kanna patted his shoulder again.
I shook my head at the sight of everyone else snoring.
‘You failed again today.’
It’s been several days since I’ve been on a roll…
Kuobarou, whose eyes met mine, averted his gaze with a prickly expression.
At that moment, the guy on the edge raised his hand. He was the guy who had been quiet the whole time.
“Then I’ll rip out your heart!”
‘That’s why the wizard children···.’
I sighed softly and shook my head.
Anyway, there was no limit to the wizards.
“Pluck out the heart···.”
Kuobarou muttered softly.
I expected the next shout from Kua Bao Rou.
However, the reaction was different from what I expected.
“Great! Taking out the heart! What a change of perspective!”
Kuo Bao Rou clapped his hands loudly.
“There was such a way!”
“If you take out the heart and store it separately···!”
The other guys followed suit, and things heated up in an instant.
Suddenly, the atmosphere turned into a party, and Park Dae-gari and Kanna’s bucket looked at me in a hurry.
“hey.”
I stroked the hilt of the knife and called out to Kua Ba Rou.
“Ahem… That’s it for today. Everyone, submit a twenty-page report on today’s meeting.”
Kuobarou desperately avoided my gaze and waved his hands.
***
“It’s definitely an experiment that happened before······. Ah, here it is.”
Guo Baorou, who had been waving his hands in the air, nodded. Then, a book that had flown in from somewhere landed in Guo Baorou’s hand.
“Once upon a time, a high-ranking noble’s daughter had such thoughts. Why did she have to relieve herself? She couldn’t forgive such things coming out of her noble and beautiful body.”
Kuo Bao Rou pushed the book towards me. I took it with the other hand that was holding the hilt of the knife.
“So I called the wizards and ordered them. The foul excrement coming out of my noble body must be a curse, so cure it. At that time, many wizards were born slaves. They had to do whatever it took to survive.”
As the bastard said, the book contained quite an ignorant and primitive story written in sophisticated language.
“Everyone was desperate because failure meant death. The wizard was inspired by a space-shrinking magic tool. He used a space-shrinking spell on Young-ae’s internal organs.”
The paper had a picture of a woman touching her belly and smiling. If you didn’t know it, it was a warm smile, but after hearing the explanation, it was quite bizarre.
“So, did it work?”
“It says it was successful for several days.”
“For how many days?”
“Do you know why wizards don’t tattoo magic circles on their bodies?”
Kuobarou changed the subject to another topic.
It was a story I had heard before.
“Because the magic circle explodes easily. Like a magic tool.”
“That’s right. In fact, it’s not uncommon for magical tools to malfunction. It’s dangerous to engrave something onto a fixed object, so what about engraving something onto a constantly changing human body?”
Kuobarou snapped his fingers. Then the book turned to the next page – and there was a rather ugly picture drawn on it.
“It’s bound to explode. The magic circle is very sensitive.”
“···So what do you plan to do with Vivian?”
I asked, closing the book.
“The red tower boasts the greatest destructive power, the green tower boasts control, and the blue tower boasts sharpness. I don’t know what the gray towers do… Then what do you think the white towers are?”
Guobarou asked with a professorial expression. When I didn’t answer, he continued.
“We are the best when it comes to magical theory. That is why the White Tower has been in charge of the royal family’s education until recently.”
“You said it was stolen?”
“Ahem… So what I’m saying is, if we can’t do it, no one can.”
Kuobarou coughed and put on a serious expression.
“I’m thinking of carving a magic circle around Vivian’s heart.”
I scratched the ball and thought back to the guy’s words.
The magic circle is sensitive and bursts.
I will carve a magic circle into Park Daegari’s body.
Park’s head is going to explode.
It was a perfect modern syllogism.
“So you’re going to blow Vivian up?”
“No, I’m engraving a magic circle···.”
“They say that if you carve a magic circle, it will explode.”
“To prevent him, the best experts···.”
I looked into the bastard’s eyes for a moment.
A wrinkled face and bloodshot eyes.
It was a pretty desperate face.
Things didn’t seem to be going well.
“What are the possibilities?”
“If you do it ten times, you will succeed twice.”
The probability was higher than expected.
“What if I don’t?”
“······It won’t last more than half a year.”
It wasn’t something I could allow.
“···I will do it!”
Park Dae-gari, who was standing next to me, shouted.
“I promised my mother that I would live a long life!”
I smiled bitterly because the face of that old man looked familiar.
“···If we start preparing now, it will end just in time before the coronation ceremony you mentioned.”
Kuo Bao Rou, with a somewhat uneasy expression on his face, spoke in a tired voice.
I looked at it for a moment and then nodded. In the silence that followed, I looked at the magic circle the guy had drawn and remembered the supplies.
“Oh, do you have that fire-breathing magic tool?”
“You mean Dragon’s Breath? It’s a mid-level magic tool, so it’s a bit expensive, but it’s easy to make, so it’ll probably be piled up.”
“I’d like to borrow some of that. If possible, a lot.”
Kuobarou narrowed his eyes and stared at me.
It was a face that no one would want to lend out.
“···Two would be possible.”
“Only two?”
“······Why is that necessary? It’s a magic tool that focuses only on flames, so it’s only efficient, but it’s also dangerous. That’s why I can borrow three at most.”
In the meantime, one more was added.
I scratched my beard as I looked at the guy with a sour look on his face.
“So you’re saying that if I become the owner of the magic tower, I can lend you a lot?”
Although he didn’t answer, the nervous twitching of his eyebrows was enough of an answer.
Caw-.
At that moment, a crow’s cry was heard from somewhere.
“In my opinion, you have the face to become a magician.”
I joked, but the guy didn’t laugh.
It seemed like he still didn’t understand.
***
‘hmm···.’
I fiddled with the paper in my hand.
It was information on the candidates for succession to the White Tower that I had asked the crow for.
That guy named Babayar who was watching Kanna was really annoying.
Since wizards were all screwed up, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful. This was the information he had requested from the crow.
After thinking for a moment, I unfolded the paper.
The first one was the guy who was a candidate for the top position.
[Babat, fifty-four years old, master of four attributes, continues to live in the Tower of Magic, suspected of being involved in the disappearance of children who had come in as assistants. The parents of the other party also disappeared, and he was found not guilty···.]
There was a detailed explanation of the bastard’s suspicions. The following content reeked strongly of a hitman.
Below that, there was a long list of information about other candidates. They all had their own shady aspects.
Of course, in the Middle Ages, where the law was ambiguous, who would have risen to such a position and been honest? In a way, it was natural.
However, my heart became much lighter.
I kept reading.
Kua Bao Rou’s turn was five.
Contrary to what he said, there were four in front of him.
‘anyhow······.’
I clicked my tongue and looked at the folded part, wondering.
This was where the information about Kua Ba Rou was written.
Once I opened it and read it, there was no turning back.
I thought about it for a moment, but since he was stuck with Kanna, I had to know for sure.
I read the Kua Ba Rou part slowly.
[Swallows, forty-eight years old, handles three attributes. Has a strong passion for magic, to the point of fanaticism. The wizards around him shiver and avoid him. He escalates to the level of killing his parents. Was once caught with a book of magic in his hands while naked. This only made him even more shunned by wizards···. And often since then······.]
I reread the last part with frowning eyes.
No matter how many times I read it, it was the same.
‘···A magic book and a bungabunga?’
I jumped up screaming at the horrifying thought.
