229 Prologue 1 Part 3 - Supreme Sorcerer

--"WHY ARE YOU ONLY GIVING US SUCH A SMALL AMOUNT!?"

--"I-I'm just an assistant, sir. I-I a-am only allowed to provide this much to everyone."

--"Fuck! When will they become available for purchase then!?" 

Ersa could hear the commotion in the hall as she walked up the stairs. She just dodged several reporters who wanted to ask her questions about the crystals. Vetis told her that she must keep quiet about anything related to the crystals if Arnold isn't present.

While most of the journalists have good reason for wanting to write stories on the crystals, some of them will obviously have malicious intent. They could also be hired by people of high standing that want to destroy Arnold's plans..

Ersa came to a stop and looked down the balcony of the second floor.

A well-dressed man in a suit was quarrelling with one of the assistants who were handing out pouches with small amounts of the red crystals. These were samples that could not be use for extensive and important experiments. It's like giving a few pieces of bread to a starving person—they're bound to come back for more once they realize how good the bread tastes. 

--"I-I have no idea. I'm only an assistant who follows orders…"

-"Tch! I'll just have to arrange a meeting with sir Arnold then! Surely he cannot dismiss an Earl!" the man grabbed the pouch from the assistant and stomped his way out of the manor.

-"Say, Miss. Will the city lord's land be available for tourism or allow researchers like geologists anytime soon?" another person came up to the assistant.

The woman was holding a small book in one hand and a pen in the other. Another reporter.

-"Miss Ersa says that it's illegal for anyone other than workers and those approved by the city lord, to enter the mountain regions. Any trespassers will be dealt with under the city's laws given the fact that it's not under the jurisdiction of the empire anymore." 

-"What? Why is Lord Arnold so paranoid?"

-"It's a precaution his advisor is taking—"

Ersa chuckled like a schoolgirl who got asked out by her crush.

Seeing the people's interest after her presentation filled her with joy. 

She skipped down the hallway.

She returned to her assigned room after few minutes.

She plopped down on the bed and giggled into a pillow.

'Ahhh I did it, Lord Arnold…' Ersa laid on her back and stared at the ceiling, 'I wonder what he'll say when he hears what I managed to achieve. Will he praise me?'

That would be a first for Ersa since no one has ever praised her for her work in anything. 

Ersa's sighs sounded like a middle-aged man who just got off work.

'…I hope I get to Lord Arnold soon…' 

"—Quite the remarkable performance today, Miss Ersa." Vetis' voice came from the door after Ersa heard a knock. 

"Ah, please come in." Ersa hurriedly fixed herself to look presentable.

The door opened, revealing two figures—Vetis and the powerful vampire lord who rules over a nation of monsters. 

Selia summoned a chair in the middle of the room and sat down on it. She heaved a small relieved sigh and smiled warmly at Ersa.

"I am very pleased with your performance, Ersa. You captured everyone's hearts. Do you think we would've progressed this far if you chose to select an Elite Mage, Vetis?"

"I fear not, Lady Selia. Most likely they would've gotten involved with shady individuals who want nothing but destruction in Whitage city. The crystal trade will now see more reliance on our crystals as opposed to what the governments deem high quality these days." Vetis said that last sentence as if he was spitting on someone's grave. 

"Uhm, what happens now? Is there anything else I should do, Your Majesty?" 

"No, you deserve rest. While I could easily find the Great Rune, you were the one who put in all the hard work in deciphering it."

Ersa's family didn't actually own the Great Rune's diagram. It was a script that she followed. This script was written by none other than Vetis who told her that it was necessary. Apparently the Great Rune was lost throughout time so Selia acquired it through other means. 

To keep this "other means" from the populace, they devised a story of their own. People wouldn't believe them if they said that they found the Great Rune in some dungeon or relic tomb.

Selia mentioned something called a "Star Shop" whatever that could be. This lost relic of divine history belongs to Ersa's family heritage now. When people ask about how magic became accessible to everyone, they'll hear Ersa's name and how she upheld her grandfather's dreams. 

Her name will be sang in legends for eons to come.

This will surely open up many opportunities for her in the future. 

"In any case, this will help me as well since I will be able to create more monsters and Homunculi Knights for my armies. The Racial Creation artifact in my possession comes nowhere close to what your family's rune is capable of. Look after your mental health for now. The influence of great runes on mortal minds is not to be trifled with. Speaking of which, how do you feel?"

"My skin crawls whenever I cast magic… My eyes… it feels like creatures are crawling into them when I imagine which spell I want to cast… And my stomach still churns every night. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday since I'm scared I might throw up in the presence of people." 

The only good thing is that she managed to learn a bunch of Second-Rank spells. Third-Rank is going to be her next goal. At the moment she can only cast one Third-Rank spell.

"It will take a while to get used to it. The symptoms will pass. Just remember my warning."

"Yes, I will remember." 

"Good. That old woman with the magic tower insignia is part of the recruiting council in the Second Magic Tower. How do you suggest we proceed to recruiting her? She's shown interest already but we need a final presentation that will guarantee her loyalty and her determination to spread your and Arnold's names."

Selia stared intently into Ersa's eyes.

"I can answer that—" 

"Zip it, Vetis. I want to know what Ersa thinks."

"…Yes." 

"Eh?" Ersa looked bewildered at Selia.

"What's that look for? You've more than proven yourself to be able to make these kinds of decisions. We need to find ways to appeal to the common folk, not just the big names that could actually make us gold. Fame and trust is also important. How will we help the commoners using our crystals?"

Ersa folded her arms and frowned slightly. 

"I think…"

"Don't be afraid to speak your mind."

Ersa nodded.

"I… I think we should build an institution for the common people where everyone can sign up to receive the power of the Larantheus Great Rune and practice their spells there." 

"And where will we build this centre?"

"On Lord Arnold's land. The very land that provides us the means to make magic accessible to everyone. Uhm, that's if he'll allow us…" 

Selia looked satisfied with the answer. 

"Are you truly willing to share the research you completed on your own?"

Ersa recalled all the sleepless nights she spent deciphering the Great Rune. She recalled the amount of ancient texts she had to translate to be able to understand the formation of lesser runes on the Great Rune. She then had to bind all those lesser runes together to create a working rune then bind all the runes together to finally complete the deciphered Great Rune. 

It all started from a simple medallion that Selia acquired and gave to her. Were it not for its perfect imitation of all lesser runes within the Great Rune then she would've never have come this far. 

If the medallion was given to elite mages and actual professionals then they would've been able to decipher it quicker than Ersa. Despite this, she didn't sought their help. She knows what would've happened if she actually entrusted those people with this task. They would've stolen all the work from Ersa and took the glory and fame.

Ersa took out the medallion. 

It was such a complex little item. The lesser runes and ordinary runes twisted around the metallic surface in a spiral of confusing formations. 

It's the relic that is now a symbol of her and her grandfather's dreams. 

This was what helped her become a magician. 

She gazed at the lesser runes.

While the medallion itself helped create the rune, Ersa was the one who read texts, translated them and applied them to the finished runic formation using an art that was long forgotten. It was all research that her grandfather and other ancestors procured. 

'I did it, grandfather… I finished your research using this…' 

"My grandfather wanted to help people. He would've wanted to share his research with the world."

"Don't think about what he would've done. Think about what you're going to do. You're the one who completed what he started, after all." 

Ersa smiled and put the medallion away.

"Whether noble, king, soldier or farmer or even slave… All those willing to work hard in studying magic will be able to proudly call themselves mages." 

 **

Rubeus pulled his chair back from his desk after the hologram screen vanished.

He looked around his new office which was located in the Juliar Theocracy noble district. 

Never in his life would he have imagined that he'll be given the opportunity to ditch the life he lived as an ordinary wizard brewing potions, writing books and testing magic crystal purity in wet cobblestone rooms to a manor that had both space and royalty fitting for someone of his standing.

Due to his many years of service to all six Magic Towers across the continent, he received a retirement fund that could last many lifetimes. 

Also, his contribution as the master of Freya York was one of the many reasons why he could live a luxurious life now. 

But why was he not satisfied yet?

He now had riches, access to secret magic tomes, unlimited supply of magic catalysts....

What was missing?

"—Did you finish your conference, old man?" the door swung open and a young man's voice called out to Rubeus. 

He wore high quality magic robes and a mask that concealed his face. There were nine magic rings on his fingers, each bearing a symbol of nine letters of the runic alphabet. 

"Yes, the crowd seemed very interested in what Young Ersa showed them."

"It looks like you're happy with the results."

True, Rubeus was smiling even now.

Why wouldn't he? He will soon have his hands on those magic crystals the moment the city lord makes the crystals readily available in large quantities. The sheer amount of experimenting he'll be able to do without worrying that the crystals might end up losing power… His body was trembling just thinking of it.

All it took to secure that supply of crystals was giving his support to that girl's dreams. 

"I am merely happy that talents such as Young Freya still exist today. Young Ersa was able to decipher a great rune using both her genius and all the knowledge that her family collected over the generations."

"That's interesting. I thought great runes are not readily available to the public and have their medallions locked away in the Magic Tower vaults."

"Currently we have four great runes at our disposal. The rest are either being kept hidden by unknown entities or they perished in the relic tombs that remain undiscovered today. Also, it's not right to say that the medallions are the only way to decipher and summon a great rune to the physical world. With enough magical knowledge and a good memory, one can even conjure a great rune without a medallion."

"I know that already, old man. What's the name of the rune that the girl unveiled?"

"Larantheus—Creation Great Rune. Ersa's family had the great rune's medallion in their possession for centuries from what she told me."

The young man sat down on one of the couches and began moving his hand in the air.

Rubeus has seen him do this many times ever since he agreed to take Rubeus as his disciple. It's quite obvious after all this time that the young man can see something that Rubeus cannot. 

This young man, whom the public probably never heard of, is capable of casting all 17 ranks of magic that exists today. Rubeus thought this was impossible until he saw what this young man could truly do. 

It was a hunch but Rubeus thought that this young man—no—this genius of the arcane arts, knows the true secret of arcane's origins. 

"Hmm... It's not on the Star Shop anymore."

"Pardon?"

"The item—the Great Rune—seems to have been purchased. I'm not sure when this happened, though." He waved his hand in the air. 

"…." 

Seeing the clueless expression on Rubeus' face, he decided to explain further.

"The girl you mentioned said that her family have had the rune for generations, right? The one who purchased the rune probably gave it away or lost it. They purchased one a special shop known only to people like me." 

"…Hmm, does this mean she lied? But why?"

"No, I wouldn't say she lied. Like I said, the one who purchased it could've just traded it to her ancestor." He then muttered something else, "But that wouldn't make sense seeing as how the main story was already completed in the base game."

He then shrugged, "There are some holes to the explanation but we should just accept those two for now. Or maybe…" 

The young man's voice grew cold, "—there are others like me in this timeline and Ersa has met them… Should I teleport to the empire and kidnap her to find out more? No, that would be too risky. I have no idea if the ones behind her are on my level. I'm not confident in defeating someone who is a pro at the game unlike me..."

"Master?"

"Hm? Right, let's just accept her explanation. I'm not that interested in the rune. Maybe I would've been interested if I wanted to build an army but someone as strong as me doesn't need an army."

"Hahaha…"

"In any case, I came to give you something before I leave for a while." 

"? May I ask where you are going?" 

"The Mountains of Wails. There are monsters there that I want to fight."

"Pope Augustus will be furious when he finds out that Master is missing…"

"Don't speak that fucker's name in my presence," Rubeus could feel the young man's killing intent, "Were it not for the slave seal he placed on me in my moment of weakness then I would've obliterated this whole kingdom already."

As he said, Pope Augustus placed a slave seal on the young man when he was summoned to this world. It was a slave seal that can only be placed on someone if they have no knowledge of the slave seal which makes it impossible for them to remove the seal on their own, even if they are a powerful mage.

The slave seal falls under the Stealth Seals. Their effectiveness heavily depends on the rumours surrounding their existence and a victim's ignorance. Hearing its name alone isn't enough to resist its effects. You have to know what kind of spell it is and what its abilities are.

If the young man had known that this seal exists then he could've resisted its ability.

Shouldn't a level 100 Sorcerer be familiar with low-rank spells such as the Slave Seal that wasn't even a Second-Rank spell? 

Rubeus found it odd but decided to just accept his "it was just a bug" explanation. Even a rumour would've helped him resist the spell. That's how these spells work—based on ignorance. Oh well, it doesn't matter anymore.

"That fucker… I wonder what he plans on doing with me… Besides using my body for his sick perversions, that is."

'…..'

Rubeus decided to ignore that second point. He'd rather not poke the hornet's nest by being too curious. 

"Is your goal to escape his radius of control?"

The Slave Seal is only effective if the master is in the same city as the slave. 

But questions arise: How big is the city? Does the underground count the area of control aboveground? 

Truth be told, even Rubeus doesn't know. He recalled that one time that his master said that Augustus' control over him was lifted when he travelled to another kingdom on official business.

"Yeah, I hate being cooped up in this fucking city. I want to kill monsters and have some fun. I want to test out my current power on some S-Class weaklings. I'll be gone for a while so take this." He threw a scroll at Rubeus.

"What is this…?"

"A Sixth-Rank spell magic sheet. Study it but don't cast it until you're sure that you can handle the spell."

"Oooohhh! Master you spoil this me too much! I thought I wasn't ready!?"

The young man shrugged, "I'm in a good mood today. Just appreciate what you get because I won't be so nice next time."

True, he isn't this chatty usually. He usually just orders Rubeus around and responds to questions with short and unenergetic answers.

His first lesson was teaching Rubeus how to cast spells while spending only 50% of your mana. The spells aren't even negatively impacted at all. That was something that no one could do in this world, not even Freya.

Since then, Rubeus has become a loyal follower and was eager to learn more from this talented young man. 

"I might visit the Theocracy's border when I come back. Things are heating up between the Inquisitors and the Five High Blood Tribes of the demihumans."

"…Please do not act out of line when you do so, Master. Remember, that is something between the Theocracy and the demihumans to resolve. If you were to kill all the tribes with your magic then a war is inevitable. All paths of peace would be sealed."

"Oh, whatever. Like I should be scared of a bunch of weaklings."

"….."

"Alright fine, I won't start shit when I pay a quick visit to the border."

"…I see. That is a relief."

Will he really? Rubeus doubts that he won't start anything. He's never been introduced to the public before but the few who know him know what kind of troublemaker he is. Of course, they don't voice their thoughts out of fear. The only thing keeping him from destroying this whole kingdom is the seal that the Pope managed to place on him. 

Why this specific scenario? Well, he had explicitly said that he'd do it many times since no one would be able to stop him. While he is considered a threat to all, he's still a useful weapon to use as a trump card.

If the trump card ever loses control or his seal is broken, the [Testaments] will be the last force to stop him. 

A Tenth-Rank teleportation gate appeared in the middle of the room.

To cast such a high rank spell without uttering its name or reciting its chant… This man truly is near the peak of arcane arts' true power. 

"Good luck then… Master Lufulur." 

"I don't need luck," he chuckled, "No human, demon, monster, or dragon lord in this realm is a threat to me." 

He walked through the gate after finishing that arrogant remark.

"Haha, my master is as arrogant as ever I see. I suppose that is part of his charm." Rubeus tidied up his desk and stood up, "It is time for me to relax whilst I wait for Whitage city's lord to return."

None of his more "ambitious" experiments can begin unless he obtains those crystals. As such, he is left to wait for Arnold von Berkley to return to his city. 

Rubeus' attention shifted to something else when he looked at the framed portrait hanging on his office wall.

There was a young girl wearing a school uniform and an old man standing next to her. On the bottom of the framed portrait was a text that read "Freya York Academy Graduation".

It was the portrait from her graduation.

He recalled her teary face the day she received her results. It took her three attempts to finish her studies as a seventh year student. A lot of people had expectations of her, but she failed most of them, which caused her mental health to take a dive. She was so close to giving up but managed to hold on. 

Her hard work and perseverance paid off. 

'I wonder how far little Freya has progressed with gathering members for the Hero Party. Perhaps I should've given her my guidance after all? She ran off with that Justice fellow without even paying a visit to this old man who raised her.'

No, it's already time for her to make her own decisions. He had kept her under his wing ever since he found her as an infant.

Destiny might've led the two to meet. He was but a mere Fifth-Rank magic caster. At the time he was one of the prominent magicians around before he became a wizard. He knew more than most when it comes to arcane arts so he was able to guide Freya from her first day of attending magic school all the way until graduation from Ardark Academy. 

Now she is the chairman of all six Magic Towers and the Archmage, the one who had reached the pinnacle of magic. 

Her achievements are her own, he merely supported her.

If the destined successor to Promethius isn't born in this century then it will be up to her to lead the Hero Party against the demon lords and their king. 

Rubeus will watch her from afar instead of offering a helping hand. 

Sometimes the baby bird must leave the nest and fend for itself.