EP.179

It could be said that it was a sort of instinct honed through many years spent as a soldier on the battlefield.

Ivan glanced at Elpheira, who was aghast at the snow falling from the sky, instinctively assessing the situation.

First, one.

Snow is falling from the sky. This could be considered a common natural phenomenon in midwinter; however, this is Kalion. Therefore, it clearly belongs to the category of unusual climate.

Next, one.

It is the power of the Milestone that manipulates Kalion’s climate.

Again, one.

Each island of Kalion has one Milestone embedded in it, and all the Milestones are interconnected, forming a large-scale magic circle of sorts.

Lastly, one.

The purpose of the Milestone is to create an environment favorable to the Elves. In other words, it relates to the climate and vegetation on a small scale, and may even touch upon mana and fate on a larger scale.

In essence, if something goes wrong with the Milestone, it could also cause problems for the Elves’ mana.

Up to this point, 0.23 seconds passed.

Before the first snowflake touched the sea, Ivan’s thoughts accelerated within the fragmented time.

His gaze chilled. The world was still, as if it had stopped. The distant horizon resembled a still life.

The puzzle was coming together. Fragmented information was connecting in a solid line.

In the dark night, on the monochromatic surface divided between black and white, Ivan slowly calmed the acceleration. The wind began to blow. Time started to flow again.

“There’s no problem with the mana.”

The acceleration of relative time, referred to as the realm of superhumans. This phenomenon is akin to a side effect caused by enhancing the nervous system with mana. In other words, the mana flowing through his body was no different from usual.

“Elpheira.”

“Yes? Yes?”

“Use magic.”

“Huh? Magic?”

“Anything. As quickly as possible.”

At Ivan’s words, Elpheira hurriedly waved her hands. Purple mana lingered at her fingertips and then burst forth with a bang.

“Huh…? Huh?!”

“Is there any other issue besides the magic?”

“It feels… a little difficult to breathe… I’m not sure what’s going on. What, what’s happening?”

Ivan looked up at the sky without answering. Snow was falling. The mana was being cut off. The magic was dissipating.

The Milestone is,

Or rather, the blessing of the Milestone is being withdrawn.

The mythical artifact symbolizing the age of the Elves is fading away.

This concludes the confirmed information.

“The Privy Council has been personally utilizing the Milestone.”

“Really?”

“And the Queen has requested that they provoke the Privy Council by trading the whereabouts of Veolgrin Grykencos.”

“…Her Majesty was aware that the Privy Council was tampering with the Milestone.”

“And Veolgrin said that your father would never leak his plans to the enemy.”

“If Her Majesty wasn’t in cahoots with my father, there’s no way she could have known his whereabouts in the first place.”

Elpheira’s response was immediate. Her eyes were ablaze. A wizard of the Hero Party must remain calm in times of crisis.

“Teaching the Privy Council the ‘other uses’ of the Milestone was—.”

“My father. Veolgrin Grykencos.”

“The Queen and Veolgrin joined forces to incite the Privy Council. And by the time we arrived, they had turned the Council’s attention towards me.”

“Just for a brief moment, to divert the interest of the Queen and the ‘troublesome human’…”

“Elpheira.”

At Ivan’s words, Elpheira nodded with a stern face.

“Let’s redirect our course to Ydranhill.”

“There’s nothing lacking in mana in the air. What’s the reason we can’t use magic?”

At Ivan’s question, Elpheira furrowed her brow for a moment, seemingly calculating something. She soon bit her lip and answered.

“The concentration has changed. It has been manipulated in a way we find hard to adapt to. To describe it… it’s like releasing a tropical saltwater fish into cold freshwater. The fundamental properties of mana… that is, the very assembly process has been twisted.”

“What’s the solution?”

“Time. I don’t know how long it will take. But I will definitely make it work.”

Ivan nodded silently and headed towards the cockpit. There was no need for further elaboration. She was the wizard of the Hero Party.

When encountering incidents related to magic, there is no one else to trust aside from her.

In this Kalion.

“Has the Milestone ceased operation?”

“I’m not sure. It is indeed something we need to check, but it feels strange.”

Elpheira stammered for a moment. She shook her head while scanning the mana in the air.

“It’s more accurate to say the direction has changed. The mana concentration remains the same, but it feels like the water quality has altered. Yes, that sums it up.”

At Elpheira’s words, Ivan shut his eyes tightly.

“It could be the worst-case scenario.”

“Or maybe just a simple functional error… right?”

“That can’t be.”

Although the blessing of Milestone is still in effect, if only the ambient environment has changed.

Assuming that the proposition of this ancient artifact, which provides ‘the most perfect conditions for elves,’ only had the object changed.

“It’s not a particularly welcoming environment for me.”

While not explicitly hostile, this environment—where neither the mana circulation nor the climate can be considered perfect for humans—poses the question:

For whom would it truly be the ‘best conditions’?

*

The phantoms conducting the meeting all vanished simultaneously.

Islyph glanced around the empty round table, his expression souring.

“Is anyone there? It seems there’s an issue with the power system of the projection device!”

“My- My Lord! You must come out for a moment!”

At the sound coming from outside the secret chamber, he sighed deeply and stood up. It seemed there were no decent young elves these days. If the Privy Council’s great assembly was interrupted by such trivial issues, what would happen to his authority in future sessions?

He frowned and opened the door. He soon came to a halt.

“What is all this commotion…?”

“Mana… the mana isn’t flowing!”

Islyph did not panic. He was an elf who had lived too long to be surprised by such matters. Calmly, he glanced around.

The lights in his castle had gone out. Every hall and room was shrouded in darkness.

All the magic lanterns had extinguished. He could see flustered attendants running about, lighting candles. Even the most basic light-producing spells were failing to manifest.

“Is it terrorism…? Who dares to attack my castle?!”

All those capable of such acts in this country were present in the conference room. If not them, then no one in Kalion would dare to launch a terrorist attack on the Privy Councilor’s castle.

He hurriedly dashed out onto the terrace.

“Ha…”

Built into the mountainside, his castle offered a view of his domain from any terrace.

– A harsh wind blew fiercely. Due to the biting cold, he unknowingly tightened his collar.

The territory was shrouded in darkness.

A massive naval base overseeing the eastern sea area of Kalion seemed to be submerged beneath the night sea. Only the intermittently visible silhouettes of workers running around with flickering lanterns could be seen beneath the thick black clouds where not even a star shone.

The magic lanterns illuminating the streets and all facilities, including the government offices, naval base, docks, and warehouses, were extinguished.

“Milestone…?”

He couldn’t help but instinctively recall the last topic that the council had been discussing.

*

Harmon desperately controlled his ragged breathing as he ran toward the palace.

The city was engulfed in chaos. Everyone, including the elves and laborers, spilled into the streets with torches and candles, each causing their own commotion.

The magic had ceased. A terror had struck.

Such sounds could be heard intermittently. However, Harmon paid no heed.

If this was truly a terror attack, then that ‘someone’ could well be referred to as a god.

Unlike other elves, he could read the heavens. As a high astronomer of the Eternal Palace, he had directly witnessed the ominous signs that covered the sky.

What kind of terrorist would bring down an omen over an entire race? Destroying the powerful blessing of Milestone—

“…Milestone…?”

Finally, as the realization struck him, Harmon was left pale and rolling on the floor.

Milestone had ceased?

He crawled along the ground and began to move again. Whenever the high astronomer chose, he had the authority to bypass procedures and directly report to the king.

Although it was an old law that no one cared about anymore, he had to be thankful, at least for this moment, that the astronomer had once been an advisor to the king.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty—!!”

When Harmon finally reached the court, shouting at the guards, he came face to face with the queen who was sipping tea.

“Your Majesty!! We must check Milestone— huff, huff!! We must inspect Milestone!!”

“Catch your breath.”

“The situation is urgent…! Right now, at this very moment—!”

“Ah, dear.”

The queen was smiling warmly. In the court shrouded in darkness, under a small candle held by a trembling attendant.

With a face that was no different than usual, enjoying refreshments as she always did.

“Your Majesty…?”

“Did you say there’s a problem with the milestone?”

“Yes…? Yes!! I can’t think of any other reason. The sky is filled with ill omens! It’s snowing, and winter has come! Magic has stopped, and mana is dissipating!”

“How is that possible?”

“Y-yes?? However, Your Majesty, the current situation—”

“I’ll ask again. How is that possible?”

The Queen quietly set down her teacup and continued speaking.

“The Great Blessing of the milestone is certainly meant to create the most favorable environment for us. Am I wrong?”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And it twists the flow of this world, bestowing always beneficial fates upon the entire Elf race, at least within Kalion. Am I correct?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The sky of Kalion should always be auspicious for the Elves. But right now, the sky is completely—”

“Enough. Sir. Think about it. Isn’t it strange?”

“Yes…?”

The Queen replied with a gentle smile.

“If it were to be more advantageous for our people for the milestone to stop functioning, then the milestone could not possibly extinguish.”

“W-what??”

“Throughout our long history, what has been the reason that no one has dared to extinguish or manipulate the milestone? Because we are frugal?”

The Queen laughed mischievously.

“That cannot be! Do you think the greedy nobles simply left the ancient artifacts that provide infinite mana to rot out of personal ethics?”

“U-uh, because of the law—”

“When have they ever been that law-abiding? Hahaha.”

Hermon felt a chill run down his spine.

The Queen was calmly smiling. In her expression, Hermon could not find the familiar face of the old man who used to grumble for the day of his death.

It felt as if he were speaking to a completely alien being disguised in the form of an Elf.

“The warm temperatures, clear skies, and overflowing mana brought by the blessing of the milestone are all merely secondary effects. The milestone was created for a single purpose.”

Something wrapped in the Queen’s skin spoke joyfully.

“To prosper forever.”