“A misfit from an ephemeral world? Well, that...sounds rather weak...”
“Annoyingly so.”
“While it’s become standard for us to only fight battles we know we’ll win, the Silverwater Ranking Skirmish is different from outright war. At the rate we’re going, people will start to call the castle lords of Balandias cowards, and we won’t even be able to deny it.”
Each of the castle demons launched their complaints, one after the other.
“There’s no telling when a threat may arrive from another world. The Immovable King may have no enemies in our current territorial waters, but he thinks of himself too highly. We should be using this time to hold more Silverwater Ranking Skirmishes with the depths, not with the shallows!”
“And there’s no point in trying to advise him. Our ruler climbed to his post through political machinations. He’d never make more work for himself.”
“A truly Immovable King.”
“Hey. Watch your words, or it’s your head that will fly—and everyone else in your family’s too.”
“I know you agree. We can only keep waiting for so long.”
“But you need to calm down! The wings we entrusted our hope to will definitely soar in Balandias’s skies. Have faith.”
Hmm. It seemed the Immovable King wasn’t a very good king. Those who stood above the rest were destined to be hated—even I was called a tyrant. But if his direct subordinates—those who fought and died on the battlefield for him—were thinking this, he wouldn’t last long.
The conversation shifted.
“How did the survey of the Enigmatic Woodlands go?”
“Did they discover anything?”
“No. All the other schools are investigating as well, but no one has found anything.”
“There’s no way those deep woods could have just vanished overnight. And whoever did it damaged it in a way that left it beyond repair. The Two-Law Usurper was quiet for so long before he went and pulled this off... What does he stand to gain by practically destroying his own roost?”
“There is one thing that bothers me though.”
“What’s up?”
“The Holy Sword World Hyphoria. Their Private Institution of Hunting is the only school that’s shown zero interest in investigating what’s left of the Enigmatic Woodlands. Almost as though they know something...”
“I see. We can’t let them get the jump on us. Compared to the Two-Law Usurper, tomorrow’s skirmish with the misfits of the Demon King Academy is a trivial matter. Continue investigating, but be careful not to dig too deep. Don’t forget that the opponent is one of the Inviolable Waters.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Tigrisfort Academy students passed us and left. The forest had simply been flattened from a fight, so their search was all in vain. Oh well.
But I did have my promise to Loncruz to fulfill, so maybe it was better for them to assume something had happened. I should put on a show as the Two-Law Usurper sometime soon.
“Let’s go,” I said.
We resumed walking up the stairs, climbing to the fifth floor. Before us was a pure white door, and unlike on all the other floors, the wall was entirely white.
“This spot feels different...” Misa mumbled.
“We can take a look.”
Misa reached for the door with a hand of mist. Just then, the Two-Law Blade trembled.
“Wait,” I said. She looked at me. “It’s the magic power of a god.”
I glared at the door with mauve Magic Eyes. There was divine magic covering the entire room—one that couldn’t be seen without getting this close. It felt similar to Equis.
“There’s a god protecting this room. If we enter now, they may notice us.”
“Even with Titegenne?” Misa asked.
“We’re deep inside an enemy castle. Safer to assume it wouldn’t hold up.”
“Oh my. How inconvenient. If we want to learn anything about Farris, we need to go in.”
Shin silently looked up at the ceiling.
“Hmm. Good idea,” I said to Shin. Then I turned back to Misa. “As long as we don’t enter the room, we should have some time before they notice us.”
“Got it,” Misa said. She leaped up and entered the ceiling through a tiny crack. Led by her magic, we turned into mist and leaped up after her. As mist, we drifted inside the ceiling until we found another crack leading into the room. I stared at it with my Magic Eyes without entering it.
The inside of the room was pure white, with five paintings hung on the wall. Each one was of a castle. All five were beautiful, tranquil, and brimming with love. There was a strong magic power sealed within the frames, as though the soul of the artists themselves had been trapped inside. But it wasn’t the magic of the god. There was no sign of a god in the room, only the paintings.
“There’s only paintings in here,” Misa said, sounding confused.
“So it seems.”
But there definitely was a god here—the chief god of Balandias, in most likelihood. They would have shown themselves as soon as we stepped into the room. It seemed like they were protecting the paintings, but what was so valuable about them that they needed the chief god to personally stand guard?
Just then, the door to the room opened. Footsteps approached, followed by the sight of Farris. He immediately made his way over to where the five paintings were displayed. The space beside the paintings distorted as magic power gathered in a bright flash of light. A large silver tiger appeared, staring at Farris with glinting Divine Eyes.
“Good day to you, Royal Tiger Maytilen, Chief God of Balandias,” Farris said.
“Here to see the paintings again?” the tiger asked.
“Yes.”
“An eccentric one, aren’t you?”
The Royal Tiger curled up into a ball. Farris seemed to be familiar with his chief god’s behavior, as he ignored her in favor of staring at the pictures.
“If you want the paintings so much, just accept my offer already,” Maytilen said.
“I’m not suited to be a ruler.”
“What are you saying?” Maytilen replied, unfurling to look at Farris directly. “I am the will of Balandias, and what I say goes. My Divine Eyes can see how beloved your creation magic is by all in the Silvercastle World. If you become the ruler, Farris, you will be able to construct an unshakable castle in Balandias. Not a cardboard castle, but a truly immovable castle.”
The Royal Tiger praised Farris enthusiastically.
“The time is not right for such a thing. A large and sturdy castle needs an unshakable foundation—a powerful light that can lead the people. Balandias does not have that now,” Farris replied.
“That light is you, Farris. As ruler, you could bring prosperity to Balandias. You could look at these paintings as much as you wanted.”
“I don’t have what it takes, Chief God Maytilen. A king is a repulsive yet beautiful existence. Someone who can embody both good and evil with a smile, who can devote themselves to always moving forwards. I patiently wait for the day that person is born.”
But the Royal Tiger just shook her head at his words.
“You’re asking for the impossible, Farris. Since the very beginning of Balandias I’ve replaced countless rulers, but none have ever been as worthy as you. You are strong and beautiful. You are the silver castle that rises in Balandias itself. You are the wings that I have been seeking all this time.”
Farris closed his eyes as though to disagree. “I am not beautiful.”
“How can you still not understand me? No one has ever denied my selection before. If you’d just agree, Kaltinas would never again push you around. If you simply wished for it, Balandias would already be within the Holy Six Academies. Should I just tell him that?”
Farris stared at his chief god calmly. “Chief God Maytilen. I’m sure you know already, but please do not mention a word of this to the Immovable King.”
“Oh, I know, I know. I was just kidding. He’s too jealous. Your life would be at risk.”
Maytilen curled up like a cat again. Farris’s gaze returned to the five paintings.
“What is it that makes you so unhappy? I’m already offering you everything. All honor and envy will be yours. Everything in Balandias—its paintings, its castles, its wealth—will belong to you. When you are ruler, everyone will smile, thoroughly captivated by your beauty. Wouldn’t you want something so wonderful?”
Farris continued staring at the paintings without responding.
“Nothing to say?”
He remained quiet.
Maytilen sighed and gave up. Just as she closed her eyes, Farris mumbled.
“None of that would be beautiful.”