Volume IV

Chapter 3. The Truth the World Tried to Hide

“Kai!”

“It’s been a while, Master.”

A few days later, a dramatic reunion took place in the Crown Princess’s Palace.

Kai, who had been away for quite some time, returned to the imperial palace.

Officially, Kai was a pet wolf gifted by Lucian. During his absence from the palace to fulfill Adelia’s request, it was said he had gone to another region for treatment due to illness.

Happy to see Kai after several months, Adelia stroked his fluffy fur.

“Have you been well?”

“Of course. Though I worked hard investigating what you asked for, the journey was enjoyable.”

“That’s good. I actually needed you. Some things happened while you were gone.”

“Things?”

“It’s a long story……”

Adelia sat on the bed and told him various stories. Kai also jumped up and settled on the bed.

Adelia told him everything from the story about another transmigrator, the saintess, to the story of the King of Silentium who attacked the merchant guild.

Unlike others with whom she had to selectively share information, Kai was completely on her side.

After hearing Adelia’s story, Kai stretched his body and nodded.

“Originally, this power had many names. White magic, holy power, divine power. It varied by era and by the master who received the power.”

“So this power is indeed superior to holy power and magic?”

“Of course. This power is closest to the divine. Holy power and magic are all powers derived from this.”

“I thought as much.”

Adelia raised the corners of her mouth while opening and closing her empty hand.

Having a secret that could turn the world upside down brought a sense of superiority. Though she wouldn’t reveal it knowing it would cause chaos in the world, it felt good.

Adelia turned her gaze from her hand with a satisfied expression and leaned against Kai’s soft fur while stroking him.

“Now tell me your story. Not about the journey, but the information you gathered.”

“There wasn’t much useful information. But I did find one thing.”

“Don’t keep me in suspense, tell me.”

Adelia pressed Kai’s front paws while urging him to continue the conversation. Kai blew out a breath and gently moved his front paws away.

“Master, have you ever heard of dark magic?”

“Dark magic? I’ve seen it mentioned briefly in books. But isn’t it just a legend? There are hardly any records of it being a real power.”

Dark magic was just a few lines she had found in ancient texts she read long ago. So thinking it wouldn’t be a threat, she had lived as if it didn’t exist.

But Kai shook his head very firmly.

“No, this power exists.”

“It exists?”

“Not only does it exist, but it’s also very dangerous.”

“Tell me more.”

The playfulness disappeared from Adelia’s face.

The moment she heard the words dark magic from Kai’s mouth, she imagined the worst scenario.

The most terrifying thought was that the power wielded by the King of Silentium might be dark magic.

Though she hoped it would end as just an imagination, her uneasy feelings were usually right.

As Adelia gulped, Kai continued speaking.

“White magic is influenced by the sun because it’s divine power, closest to god. Dark magic, conversely, is influenced by the darkest things. Dark magic is created by gathering humans’ negative emotions.”

“Sounds gloomy just hearing about it.”

Adelia shuddered. Something made from gathering human negative emotions couldn’t possibly be good. Moreover, humans tended to harbor negative emotions much more than positive ones. If dark magic was a powerful force, it couldn’t be good news.

“Though God created humans, humans are actually beings most opposite to God. That’s why dark magic created from human emotions is the power furthest from God. The reason white magic and holy swords exist is to punish evil, right? Dark magic is part of that evil.”

“……”

“And according to records, there used to be three divine powers to punish evil. White magic, the holy sword, and the holy bow. There are stories that the holy bow was corrupted by dark magic and disappeared. If all three powers meant to stop evil become corrupted, destruction will probably come to the world.”

As Kai’s explanation continued, Adelia’s expression rapidly darkened.

The corruption of white magic had happened in the original story. The King of Silentium who possessed white magic was closer to evil than good. His actions couldn’t be considered good.

His words and actions after obtaining white magic were completely different from what he said to the Guardian of Light, so it could be considered corruption.

In the end, though everything seemed to work out well in the original story while saving the princess, in reality, it was one step closer to the world’s destruction.

“… Why didn’t you know about this?”

“Just because I’m the Guardian of Light doesn’t mean I know everything. If I did, I would be God.”

Kai blew out a snort.

Though the Guardian of Light possessed various knowledge, it was limited to white magic.

Perhaps they knew about the holy bow very long ago, but God might have erased those memories when it became corrupted.

When the Guardian of Light was born, they only gained knowledge about white magic. The rest was learned over the long years, but there weren’t many masters like Adelia who allowed such long outings.

Naturally, this was almost the first chance to learn about things like dark magic.

After hearing Kai’s words, Adelia gritted her teeth.

“How does one obtain this dark magic?”

“I don’t know. Dark magic is made from human negative emotions, right? How much negative power would be needed to oppose divine power? With so few cases, there are bound to be few records.”

“Is there a way to find out?”

“Dark magic is a power that steals life force. Places reeking of death’s power, like plagues, would likely be related to dark magic.”

“Plague…. No wonder the smell of death was so strong then.”

Adelia muttered quietly.

The day she confirmed the one attacking the merchant guild was the King of Silentium. There was such a terrible smell of death it stung her nose.

She thought it was a common plague in the slums, but that wasn’t it.

This confirmed that the King of Silentium was a dark mage.

Hearing Adelia’s quiet muttering, Kai jumped up from his spot.

“Wait wait. Master, what do you mean? Don’t tell me you met a dark mage?”

“Probably? I think the King of Silentium I mentioned is a dark mage. Last time, there was a very strong smell of death where his traces remained. Since there was no mention of anything else, and it wasn’t a plague, I’m almost certain.”

She had people check if it might be traces of plague, but they said there wasn’t even any sign of illness, let alone plague.

As what she had suspected became reality, her mouth went dry and she felt like her whole body was burning up.

Just taking white magic from the hidden mastermind wouldn’t be enough.

“Ha…… Isn’t this getting more complicated than the original story?”

Adelia sighed deeply while running her hand through her hair. Her head throbbed.

The actions she took to survive and for the happiness of the original story had brought bigger consequences than expected.

Should she be happy that the possibility of corruption was reduced since both the holy sword and white magic were on their side? Or should she be sad that a power they had no information about had interfered with the original story?

“How powerful is dark magic? Surely it’s not above white magic?”

“It can’t possibly surpass divine power. But they’re probably comparable. Though it can’t beat white magic, it can probably block it to some extent. They’re completely opposite powers after all.”

“That’s the most welcome news I’ve heard.”

If white magic was stronger, at least the situation was better than the original story. Since they had both white magic and the holy sword, at least they wouldn’t die at the hands of the hidden mastermind.

Adelia was naturally thinking she would handle the hidden mastermind herself. She felt she had to take responsibility until the end for the future that changed because of her.

“With the holy sword too, we won’t lose. Just as white mages have strong defense and recovery, there are records that dark mages also have recovery, so having the holy sword would be advantageous.”

“What? It would be troublesome if they can self-heal.”

Adelia dropped her head in disgust at the mention of healing.

The ability to heal meant she needed to end it in one strike.