Damn Reincarnation-Novel

Chapter 219: A Signature (3)

For Eugene, he had spent these past few months with a singular focus on studying magic, even more than when he had first started learning magic. He re-read the magic books kept within the Red Tower of Magic, even though he had already finished reading all of them a long time ago, while also working his way through Akron once again from the first floor to the top floor. He had even cajoled and threatened Melkith into lending him the rarer magic books that were kept in the White Tower of Magic.

Seeing as he was so focussed on this, it was only natural that rumors would start to spread. In fact, even if Eugene hadn’t been so enthusiastic in his pursuit of magic, rumors would still have no choice but to start flying. It was because the name Eugene Lionheart was just that famous.

Aside from being associated with the Lionheart clan, Eugene was the master of Akasha and the successor of the Wise Sienna. With someone like Eugene already beginning to research his Signature and preparing to rise to the ranks of an Archwizard, it was only natural and inevitable that Eugene would become Aroth’s eye of the storm.

The next person to come looking for Eugene was Hiridus Euzeland, the Blue Tower Master. Since he was worried that, as someone who was not a member of the Red Tower of Magic, it would be rude of him to give advice and instruction to Lovellian’s disciple, he had only come looking for Eugene after first seeking permission from Lovellian. Like Trempel, Hiridus had heard the news that Eugene was conceiving his own Signature and had come to give advice from an Archwizard’s point of view.

The Green Tower Master, Jeneric Osman, hadn’t come looking for Eugene. Perhaps it was because he had yet to shake off the humiliation and rage from losing that duel he had had with Eugene back then? From what Eugene had heard, it appeared that Jeneric had been cooped up on the top floor of the Green Tower of Magic ever since the day their duel had ended.

It didn’t really matter much to Eugene. He didn’t know what kind of advice the Green Tower Master might be able to give from his perspective, but Eugene had already listened to advice from three Tower Masters and the Head of the Court Wizards Division.

Also, he had already seen the Green Tower Master’s Signature, Yggdrasil, and thanks to comprehending the previous level of the spell, the Divine Tree, through Akasha, Eugene was even able to cast the spell himself.

“If possible, you shouldn’t visit Merdein Square,” Melkith advised him. “You also shouldn’t go to any of the stores in town that have green letters or patterns on their signs.”

“Why not?” Eugene asked.

Melkith scoffed, “Are you really that ignorant? Merdein Square is the front yard of the Green Tower of Magic. The stores with green letters or patterns on their signboards are stores that support the Green Tower of Magic. So naturally, those stores are filled with wizards from the Green Tower of Magic.”

Eugene argued back, “And why should I be so afraid as to avoid them?”

“I’m not saying this because I am worried about you. No, I’m just worried about the wizards from the Green Tower of Magic who’ll pointlessly pick a fight with you and get beaten up. It’s already a pity and a shame that their Tower Master got beaten up and humiliated in public, but if they also get beaten up, they might just explode from the overwhelming shame and commit suicide.”

Eugene didn’t ignore this advice that Melkith gave while clicking her tongue in feigned concern. In any case, Eugene didn’t have any reason to go to Merdein Square or to any of the taverns, restaurants, or shops selling magical items in the city.

But for this reason, it was convenient for Eugene that Kristina and Anise had accompanied him here. As long as Kristina was in charge of Mer, who had been begging him to be allowed to go to the restaurants in the city whenever they had free time, Eugene could comfortably concentrate on his ideas for a Signature.

But then there was the Black Tower Master.

Balzac Ludbeth had sent several letters to the Red Tower of Magic and Eugene. While congratulating him on starting on climbing to the half-step before becoming an Archwizard, his letter had also offered to provide whatever help Eugene needed if he wanted advice on designing his own Signature.

However, the Red Tower Master, Lovellian, had a deep hatred for black wizards, and Eugene was no different in this regard. While the world may have changed drastically over the past three hundred years, and the position of black wizards had shifted drastically, to Eugene, black wizards were just black wizards.

Of course, having recently returned from visiting the Holy Empire, he could perhaps acknowledge the fact that the black wizards these days might actually be pretty decent guys…. Eugene had even had the thought that Aroth’s Black Tower of Magic, in particular, might be an extremely humane and sensible magic research facility compared to what he had seen in Yuras.

Even so, black wizards were still black wizards. The fact that he wasn’t cursing in their faces or trying to blindly kill them was already proof that Eugene was holding back a lot and that he had managed to adapt to this era in his own way.

“You’ve finally made time for me,” Balzac greeted Eugene with a smile.

In the end, Eugene had still agreed to meet with the Black Tower Master. It was Lovellian, not Eugene, who had first given in to Balzac’s fervent requests. While Lovellian might not like Balzac, he did respect the man. He might still hate all black wizards, but Lovellian had to admit that Balzac himself and the Black Tower of Magic that the man controlled hadn’t caused any large problems.

A fellow Tower Master and Archwizard, whose name would undoubtedly leave its mark in the continent’s history, was sending them a letter every few days so even Lovellian could no longer ignore him. So Lovellian subtly entreated Eugene to meet with the Black Tower Master, and Eugene also pretended to give in and accepted Balzac’s invitation.

“I was also curious about the Black Tower of Magic,” Eugene replied as he looked up at the Black Tower of Magic.

The Black Tower of Magic was located in a place that was considered remote, even if it was still within the Capital City of Pentagon, and like its name, the tower appeared pitch-black, as if it had been carved out of obsidian. The square beneath the tower was also packed with black roses that were in full bloom, and the atmosphere of this whole place felt somber and dreary.

“Those roses.” Eugene pointed out. “Did you intentionally design them that color and plant them there?”

Balzac readily admitted, “Yes, we did.”

Eugene gave his opinion, “Why did you do something like that? Aesthetically speaking, I don’t think it looks all that good.”

“Honestly, they were planted to give off that impression,” Balzac confessed. “This goes for me as well, but the wizards belonging to the Black Tower of Magic don’t often attract friendly gazes from their surroundings, so instead of having to deal with such unfriendly looks, we would much rather avoid them altogether. So if we planted a lot of roses in that ominous color, people wouldn’t come here as it would just ruin their mood… or at least that’s what we thought.”

Balzac looked around their surroundings with a grin.

The square beneath the Black Tower of Magic was extremely crowded. Most of the people here were lovers having fun on dates. Although a flower garden with a variety of colors was common, a flower garden filled with nothing but black roses was rare in this world. As a result, the Black Square had inevitably become famous as a dating spot for lovers living in Aroth.

Balzac shrugged, “Although we couldn’t have expected this to happen, I don’t think it’s all that bad. It’s also quite enjoyable to look down on the black rose gardens from the tower.”

Could it be that he really hadn’t predicted this? Eugene shot a glance at Balzac’s grin, then looked up at the Black Tower of Magic once more. The only thing different was the color; the shape of the Black Tower of Magic wasn’t that much different from the Red Tower of Magic or any of the other Towers of Magic.

“Although I don’t know what you might be expecting, the inside of the Black Tower of Magic won’t be that much different from the Red Tower of Magic,” Balzac revealed. “Naturally, that also means you won’t find things like human corpses lying around.”

Eugene responded, “According to the rumors, the land that the Black Tower of Magic was built on was once a cemetery long ago. Even now, it's said that unidentified corpses of those who died or went missing in the back alleys of the city are piled up in the basement of the Black Tower of Magic.”

“Aroth is a developed country. As such a country, our security is exceptional, and magic has infiltrated our lives to such an extent that most daily activities are dependent on magic. How many unidentified corpses could there really be in a country like this?” Balzac asked rhetorically.

“Did I put you in a bad mood?”

“I’ve heard of such misunderstandings so many times that I’m fine with it. In fact, I’m actually happy to hear that your suspicions are only the traditional ones, Sir Eugene.”

Balzac chuckled as he opened the doors to the Black Tower of Magic. As Eugene followed him in, he sharpened his senses but didn’t smell the scent of rotting corpses like he’d been expecting. Just like Balzac had said, the scene inside the Black Tower of Magic wasn’t that much different from the Red Tower of Magic.

Balzac smirked, “I admit that necromancy is the most typical example of black magic, but necromancy isn’t all there is to black magic.”

Balzac knew that Eugene had been looking for the smell of corpses. While maintaining a relaxed smile, he led Eugene forward.

“Also, I don’t really like necromancy myself,” Balzac continued speaking. “After all, the only thing that necromancy can do is raise the corpses of the deceased or summon souls and manipulate them, but isn’t that such a crude use of magic?”

“It seems like your dislike doesn’t stem from moral reasons,” Eugene said accusatively as he stared holes into Balzac’s back.

Balzac was silenced by this statement for a few moments, but he soon burst into laughter and nodded.

The Black Tower of Magic also had an elevator that was driven by magic. Balzac got into the elevator first and pressed the button for the top floor, while Eugene boarded the elevator just a step behind him.

“I might say this, but I don’t look down on necromancy,” Balzac added. “While it doesn’t suit my tastes in certain ways, necromancy is also an impressive field of magic. For example, Amelia Merwin, who is currently one of the Three Mages of Incarceration like me, also happens to be a necromancer with extremely formidable abilities.

The moment Amelia Merwin’s name was mentioned, Eugene’s lips twitched in disgust.

That name was carved in a place deep within Eugene’s heart. Amelia had trampled on Hamel’s grave with her dirty feet and had even turned Hamel’s corpse into a Death Knight.

At that time, Eugene wasn’t strong enough to kill Amelia. But what about now? Honestly speaking, he couldn’t be sure of that. The presence that Amelia had given off in that underground tomb was so strong that even someone like Eugene had no choice but to be cautious.

“Black Tower Master, if you were to fight with Amelia Merwin, who would win?” Eugene suddenly asked.

The elevator arrived at the top floor. Once again, Balzac took the first step off the elevator. While walking down the black carpeted hallway and leading Eugene to their destination, at this sudden question, Balzac turned to look back at Eugene.

“You really are asking me quite the unexpected question,” Balzac observed.

“Isn’t this the sort of question everyone likes to ask and think about?” Eugene argued back.

Balzac conceded, “That might be the case, but they wouldn’t ask the person directly involved.”

“Heh, if someone were to ask me something like that, I would just feel happy and give them an honest reply,” Eugene encouraged.

“If your answer was that you would have the upper hand, then, of course, that would be the case. But if we were to fight, I would lose to Amelia Merwin,” Balzac admitted with a wry smile as he turned to face forward again.

Eugene fired off more questions, “Would you really lose? You’re the Black Tower Master, an Archwizard of the Eighth Circle, aren’t you? I’ve even heard that before you became a black wizard, you were a genius wizard who had already been selected as the next Master of the Blue Tower of Magic?”

“A genius wizard, you say. Do you really think there is a wizard among the current Tower Masters who wasn’t called something like that before they became Tower Masters? In the world of wizards, the word genius holds very little weight,” Balzac stated deprecatingly.

Both the question and the topic that Eugene had brought up were quite offensive. Perhaps deep down in his chest, annoyance and anger were stirring, but Balzac didn’t show any sign of it.

Balzac continued, “Just like me, Amelia Merwin is also a genius. On top of that, she and I are fundamentally different.”

“What’s the difference between you?” Eugene inquired.

Balzac explained, “Edmond Codreth and I were originally wizards, and we signed contracts with the Demon King of Incarceration for our personal goals. Most, no, almost all black wizards are created that way. They were all originally wizards, but they didn’t think they’d be able to succeed in their goals as wizards, so they would sign a contract with demonfolk… in order to pursue magic beyond all ordinary magic, they turn their gazes to becoming a black wizard.”

Balzac's office lay at the end of the corridor decked in black on the top floor of the Black Tower of Magic. The door was just a clean black door without any fancy trimmings. Without Balzac even reaching out to open it, the door opened by itself and welcomed Balzac and Eugene in.

“Long ago, when you told me that you were going to the desert Sir Eugene, I warned you about Amelia Merwin,” Balzac reminded him.

There was no way that Eugene wouldn’t understand what this meant. Demonic Power was an ominous power that originally only belonged to demonfolk and demonic beasts. For humans to freely use demonic power, a contract with a demonfolk was essential.

However, in extremely rare cases among humans… a very small number of people would learn how to control demonic power all by themselves. Even three hundred years ago, there were a few such cases.

Eugene was well aware of what these black wizards who were reborn this way could become. Such people would become the masters of a terrible and heinous fate. Although they were human, they did things no human would do, and even though they were born as humans, they essentially became something like a demonfolk.

“As far as I’m aware, in this current era and in all of Helmuth, no one else was able to master demonic power and learn black magic all on their own like Amelia Merwin did. In other words, Amelia Merwin and I are different in terms of our capabilities in black magic. That is why the Demon King of Incarceration gives Amelia Merwin special treatment and offers her a lot of freedom,” Balzac finally explained.

Eugene had always thought of Amelia as someone very important, but this meant that she was an even bigger deal than he had first thought. Yet instead of panicking, hearing such news actually calmed Eugene’s racing heart. If Amelia Merwin was just that strong and special, then there was no need for him to rush. He just needed to kill her once he was confident that he had made all the necessary preparations.

“I hope that you don’t think my room is too humble. It’s because I just don’t like things that are too messy and disorderly,” Balzac said as he casually changed the topic.

Just like he had said, Balzac’s office was so humble that it was hard to believe that this was the office of a Tower Master.

No, rather than humble, it would be better to describe it as empty. Other than a large desk and chair, as well as a couch to receive guests… there were no bookshelves or magic tools of unknown purposes that should have been common in a room like this.

“I think it’s rather neat and tidy,” Eugene complimented.

“Please don’t just stand there and take a seat. What would you like to drink?” Balzac offered.

“Just tea is fine. It doesn’t matter what kind.”

After hearing Eugene’s reply, Balzac flicked his finger. Then, something like a small puppet rose up from the shadow beneath the sofa.

A few moments later, the shadow puppet climbed onto the table, took out a large teapot and cups from inside its body, and started setting them down on the table.

“It’s just an ordinary familiar,” Balzac assured him.

“Does it really make the tea in its own body?” Eugene asked in disbelief.

Balzac laughed, “Of course not. The shadows in the Black Tower of Magic are all connected. Once I’ve sent an order to the kitchens downstairs, the food or drinks are sent back up through the shadows.”

Although he listened to this explanation, Eugene still didn’t want to drink the tea that had emerged from the shadow puppet’s body. As such, Eugene just placed the teacup in front of him and stared silently at Balzac.

Even with the blatant stare weighing down on him, Balzac leisurely asked with his teacup hanging off his finger, “How is the conception of your Signature going?”

“The conception is done, and now I’m building up the formula,” Eugene reported.

“It might not be easy to connect all the fundamental formulas of your Signature, but that step is actually the most enjoyable part of concocting your own Signature,” Balzac informed him.

The creation of a spell was like solving a formula with a predetermined answer. One could either disassemble the formulas of other spells and insert them into one’s own as needed, or one could start by creating the formula from scratch all by themself. Whichever way they chose, it would be a success once the answer they eventually came to was able to trigger a phenomenon.

If it was a spell deserving the title of a Signature, then the answer that one decided upon should be able to trigger an unbelievable and seemingly impossible fantasy. Though Eugene had already decided on how the phenomenon would manifest and what actually would happen… creating a formula that satisfied the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of how such a spell manifests was a task complicated enough to make his head explode.

However, like Balzac had said, it was true that the stage Eugene was currently in was the most enjoyable for a wizard. Right now, he needed to accumulate all types of spell formulas and try to connect various different spells together. By doing so, the magic formula of the initial spell would inevitably be complex and lengthy, but once the form of the spell had been established to a certain extent, the work of shaving it down could begin. He would need to filter out the unnecessary formulas and smooth the whole thing out so that the desired phenomenon could still occur even without that part.

“Asking about the form of your Signature and its formula would be going beyond my station, so I won’t do that,” Balzac assured him. “But could I at least ask what its name might be?”

“Its name…,” Eugene hesitated.

“What’s the matter?” Balzac asked in concern.

Eugene finally admitted, “I still haven’t decided yet.”

This was a lie. It had already been decided, but Eugene felt embarrassed about revealing the name before it was completed. Also, as with most such creation processes, the result he was imagining would be forced to change little by little as he compromised with reality.

In Eugene’s opinion, the name that he had decided on now was made with the assumption that it would resemble what he had imagined when he first conceived his Signature, but what if he was forced to compromise the looks midway? What if he had to change courses because something wasn’t working? Then the name he had decided on wouldn’t suit the inevitable outcome, so if Eugene told someone his Signature’s name in advance, wouldn’t it be very embarrassing later on?

Such thoughts were why he had yet to tell the name to even Lovellian and Melkith. But he had unintentionally ended up revealing the name to Mer, and as soon as Mer had heard it, she had clapped her hands and said…..

“...What is the name of your Signature, Black Tower Master?” Eugene asked eventually.

“It’s Blind,” Balzac easily revealed.

The name was simple and sounded nice.

Eugene guessed, “Does it cover up people’s eyes?”

“It’s similar, but I can’t really go into details. Though if you were willing to tell me about the Signature that you’re currently conceiving, Sir Eugene, I’d also be happy to tell you what kind of spell Blind is,” Balzac offered in exchange.

“My Signature hasn’t been completed yet, but Black Tower Master, your Blind must already be completed, right? So wouldn’t you lose out if we were to exchange information with each other?” Eugene asked cautiously.

Balzac dismissed his concerns, “That doesn’t matter. Even if you know what my Signature is, it’s still hard to deal with it. Although that’s pretty much the case with all the other Archwizards’ Signatures as well.”

Balzac might be saying this in a casual tone as if he was only joking, but his words were full of the pride of an Archwizard. Eugene was curious to see just what could make Balzac show such confidence in his Signature, but he still didn’t want to reveal his own unfinished Signature to Balzac, who was contracted to the Demon King of Incarceration.

“First, let’s start with this,” Balzac said as he raised his hand.

At his gesture, the shadow cast on the floor wriggled and rose up.

Eugene stared at the old notebooks and other books the shadow had strewn across Balzac’s desk. All of the books appeared to have been personally hand-written instead of printed.

“What are all these?” Eugene asked.

“They’re from before I became a black wizard,” Balzac revealed. “This is the research material that I used for the Signature that I came up with when I was selected as the next Tower Master for the Blue Tower of Magic.”

Balzac said this casually as if it wasn’t significant, but if he was telling the truth, then those old notes held an astronomical value.

Balzac may not have been an Archwizard of the Eighth Circle at that time, but those were still the research notes of a top-level wizard on the verge of becoming an Archwizard who had devoted his life to reaching his ideal magic. If this was placed in Aroth’s black market as an auction item, it was obvious that an absurd amount of money would start moving.

“Are you really going to give this to me?” Eugene asked in shock.

“Since it’s all research that I’ve since discarded, it doesn’t matter to me. Also, Sir Eugene, it’s not like you would have any intention of trying to imitate the Signature that I designed from this research material, right?” Balzac pushed the research notes over to Eugene with a smile. “I’m giving this research to you because I hope it will help you learn the tricks of building, refining, and finally honing your own spells.”

Eugene confessed, “This is so generous it actually feels burdensome. Would you at least be willing to accept some money?”

“Allow me to decline. In any case, I don’t have any disciples, and at my current level, it’s actually embarrassing to look at these research materials from my past. Ah, please don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not ashamed because they’re lacking in quality. It’s just…,” Balzac pushed up his glasses and stared at the research notes. Behind his glasses, Balzac’s dark blue eyes wrinkled in a frown as he continued, “It’s embarrassing to look back on those days when I was so innocent and overzealous. That’s why I can’t just leave these research notes in the library of the Black Tower of Magic. Since the black wizards in this tower truly respect me, I don’t want to show them my shameful past.”

Eugene raised a brow, “Are you saying you’re alright with showing it to me?”

“After all, you dislike me, don't you, Sir Eugene? So instead, I hope these research notes will make you reconsider your opinion of me, even if it’s just a little,” Balzac said hopefully.

“I do currently suspect that you might be one of the few honest people among all the black wizards. Another thing that I’m sure of is that you are the one who’s been the friendliest to me among all the black wizards I’ve met, Black Tower Master,” Eugene stated confidently.

This was the truth. The black wizards he had seen in his previous life had all either tried to kill Hamel or run away in fear, and the same went for those that Eugene had met in this life as well.

However, Balzac hadn’t tried to kill Eugene, nor did he seem to want to.

Balzac seemed to be showing the same sort of favor that the other Tower Masters, except for the Green Tower Master, had shown to a talented young junior. But it was difficult for Eugene to tell whether Balzac’s kindness was genuine or whether it was meant to lure him into becoming a black wizard.

Was that really the truth or a lie? The moment Eugene started seriously considering that question, Balzac spoke up once more.

Balzac confessed, “I asked for a meeting like this because there’s something else that I need to speak to you about, Sir Eugene.”

“I knew that would be the case,” Eugene said with a nod.

Balzac raised an eyebrow, “Hm?”

“Hasn’t that always been the case up until now?” Eugene responded. “When I was about to leave Aroth, you warned me about Amelia Merwin being in Nahama, and you even handed me a personal letter to give to her in order to save my life. Also, when I last came to Aroth for the hearing, you warned me that the Rakshasa Princess would come looking for me.”

After quietly listening to these words from Eugene, Balzac burst into laughter, “Now that you mention that, it really does seem that way. In fact, I would prefer if I could meet with you for a casual matter, but Sir Eugene, since it seems that you wouldn’t appreciate it…. However, since I’ve forcefully insisted on meeting with you whenever I feel it's necessary, it seems that things have just turned out this way.”

Eugene hesitated, “Um… Black Tower Master, you’re not married, are you?”

Balzac immediately straightened unnaturally and forcefully insisted, “Please don’t come to any strange misunderstandings.”

As such, Eugene swallowed the words he was about to say and shrugged. “So, is there something you would like to warn me about this time as well, Black Tower Master? Does it seem like the Rakshasa Princess is planning a return?”

“I don’t know what the Rakshasa Princess has been up to since she last turned her back on Helmuth,” Balzac admitted as he took a sip from the teacup that he hadn’t even touched so far and then set the cup down. “First of all, I would like to ask you a question. I heard there was an internal conflict at the Lionheart’s Black Lion Castle a while back. What exactly did Eward Lionheart try to do?”

“Haven’t you already heard the rumors?” Eugene asked.

Balzac answered, “I’ve heard that he instigated a rebellion and committed a serious crime. Something about performing a sinister ritual. I was quite amused to hear what people have guessed Eward Lionheart was getting up to. Rumor has it that Eward Lionheart was attempting to commit treason in order to become the Patriarch, but… haha! He surely must have had some other purpose, but I couldn’t figure out what that was.”

Eugene scratched his head, “It’s a bit difficult for me to tell you that.”

“The evil ritual that Eward Lionheart attempted to perform must have been black magic, correct? If that’s the case, I might be able to provide some more clues from a black wizard’s point of view,” Balzac offered.

This was a pretty tempting proposition. They had already managed to figure out what Eward had been attempting to do back then. The diary he had written because he was full of the desire to show off his crimes was packed with details about what Eward had been going through and why he did what he did.

It was all for the Remnants of the Demon Kings that resided within the Demonic Spear and the Annihilation Hammer. Those ominous existences had transformed into a Spirit of Darkness and had enticed Eward, who had the blood of the main family, into performing an evil ritual. If the ritual had been successful, those Remnants would have been reborn into a new body and become the Spirit King of Darkness, and if it wasn’t at that time, it could even have become a new Demon King.

That was what they had managed to figure out from the perspective offered by the Red Tower Master and the White Tower Master. Eugene still had a perfect recollection of what the magic circle had looked like back then, so he was a little curious to see what the Black Tower Master could decipher from it.

But Eugene was only a little curious. He had no intention of truly enlightening Balzac. If it was a black wizard like Balzac, he might be able to perfectly reproduce the spell once he was taught its complete formula.

…There was also the matter of Hector Lionheart.

While Hector wasn’t strong enough for Eugene to be unduly concerned about him, he was quite curious about how Hector had managed to escape from that spot without dying.

“So you wanted to meet with me to ask about that?” Eugene confirmed.

“There’s also another reason. And, of course, I’m not talking about the research materials,” Balzac said jokingly as he lowered his glasses and smiled. “Helmuth has begun to pay attention to you, Sir Eugene.”

“...Huh?” Eugene belatedly responded.

“To be more precise, apart from Duke Raizakia of the Dragon Demon Castle, it’s the other Dukes who are interested in you,” Balzac clarified.

The Blade of Incarceration and the Queen of the Night Demons.