Chapter 207.2. Respective Ambitions And The High Priest

-???’s POV-
“…So, you all only see this defeat in terms of money… Skadi-sama, the significance of this defeat goes beyond monetary value.”
A seemingly ordinary man with a plain face interjected. 
Skadi was the name by which the high priest referred to himself.
The man who had been sitting silently until then was Aegir, an Elder Lich who had transformed into a human through the [Transformation] magic.
He appeared pitiful and foolish. 
No matter how much he transformed into a human, he could never regain his senses. 
In exchange for gaining eternal life, Liches suffered a curse-like loss of their five senses. 
He existed merely as a skeleton, forever living in a tasteless and desolate world, unable to feel hunger, desire, sleep, or even body temperature.
Aegir’s reason for joining Nidhogg was to regain his physical body. 
With a face resembling that of a suffering insect, he turned his gaze toward the seat where Skadi, the high priest, sat.
“Skadi-sama, this failure was due to the power of a single girl.” 
“A single girl?” 
Skadi, unperturbed by Aegir’s attitude, except for the use of honorifics, questioned from behind the screen.
“Yes. The holy magic controlled by the girl was not only exceptionally powerful, but she also possessed an almost infinite amount of mana. She had mana on par with mine, or perhaps even more, considering I used necromancy with Crowley’s Box, which consumes an incredible amount of mana.” 
“So, Crowley’s Box proved effective?”
“Yes, indeed. My mana consumption was significantly get reduced. It’s undoubtedly a powerful artifact, performing exactly as we expected.”
Crowley’s Box reduces mana consumption by 90% and doubles the effect of magic while also providing double resistance to magic. 
He had recovered it from the location Ymir had informed her about.
“Hey, hey, isn’t Aegir’s danna mana far more abundant than any of us? Are you kidding me?” 
Hrungnir looked at Aegir with a doubtful expression, but Aegir nodded solemnly.
“Even when her mana seemed running out, she was still lively.”
“Did she use mana recovery potions?”
“No… There was no sign of her using them. Even if she did… it’s strange.”
Aegir slightly tilted his head in confusion at Skadi’s words.
“What do you mean by ‘strange’?”
“There was something odd about the flow of mana. It behaved slightly differently. No, maybe it was just my imagination. Forget it. Perhaps there was a way to replenish her mana.”
“So, unless we uncover that secret, we won’t be able to defeat her, huh? Hah, this Hrungnir will take her down!”
“Very well, do as you please. I have no intention of fighting her. After all, I’m also a holy magician, and our compatibility is abysmal.”
Hrungnir, fueled by Aegir’s words, wore a belligerent smile and immediately rose, ready to set off. 
Seeing this, the high priest let out a sigh.
“Let us accept this failure as it is. And as Ymir said, there were profits. It is foolish to battle with the strong based on personal feelings. This discussion ends here. Everyone, please leave.”
“Hahaha!”
With their intentions in mind, everyone left the room. 
The High Priest instructed the attendants to leave the room too. 
As the attendants exited, the room fell into silence. 
The high priest looked at the papers in front of them and smiled faintly.
“Didn’t you notice, Aegir? You had quite the eye.”
The attached photograph on the papers was of Takanohi Miu.
Softly tracing the photograph, the High Priest whispered.
“Using, magic without borrowing mana… No, she uses true ‘magic’ that doesn’t even use mana. A power from another world that does not adhere to the laws of this world.”
Takano Miu’s magic and martial arts were not something humans used.
Upon seeing the captured images of the battle, the high priest immediately saw through it. 
This was exactly what the High Priest had been seeking.
The individuals sitting behind the screen could not have imagined this. Shinmora cared only about money. 
Aegir desired to regain his original human body. 
Hrungnir only sought battles with the strong. 
And Ymir, acting as the mastermind, worked in the shadows without realizing that the High Priest was aware of their actions.
Everyone was foolish.
“It seems the bomb I planted on Nagamasa worked well.” 
She had secretly placed a [Sacrifice] spell on Genshin Nagamasa during his recovery. 
When the time came, she planned to use the Life Fruit as a sacrifice. But thanks to Ymir’s excellent work, it appeared as an accident involving the Life Fruit.
“I thought it failed when the sacrificial object disappeared as soon as it appeared, but it seems you consumed it.”
Once again, the High Priest gently caressed Takano Miu’s photograph and smiled softly.
“The night dawns… When that time comes, who will the sunlight shine upon… Fufufu. Until the day I create a new world, everyone, please dance like clumsy puppets. I’ll accompany you until then.”
This murmuring went unheard by anyone, and soon the seat of the High Priest returned to silence.