Volume 2: Chapter 027: Ulysses (Yunosis)’s Second Memory
Author: かっぱ同盟／友麻碧
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3862be/
Translated by Zzonkedd
Edited by Gumihou
(Second Memory)
Approximately 2100 years ago.
Southern Continent, The Holy Nation of Vabilophos
Yunosis: 100’s
It was around the time where I was occupied with teaching White Magic to many disciples at the Royal Kingdom of Fregister when someone from the Southern Continent’s Sanctuary came to me. They must have heard about me somehow and come to visit me. I shall say this now, although I look like this, when it came to teaching White Magic, I could be quite strict.
It was after I developed a connection with the Sanctuary that I began travelling back and forth from the South and East.
“The Black Demon King of the North? Indeed, I know about him. He is someone with incredible mastery over Black Magic and was said to have created a nation of demons. I have not met him, however…”
“Then, what of the Crimson Witch of the West?”
“The Crimson Witch? No, this is my first time hearing about her.”
“… …”
A little while after I was first invited to Vabilophos, the Holy Nation within Maydea in the Southern Continent, an Elder from the Sanctuary informed me about the Demon Kings residing in other continents.
It was my first time hearing about the Crimson Witch, having never set foot on the Western Continent even during my Spirit Research Group days.
“Like yourself and the Black Demon King, she was a witch who never ages. She is said to have the appearance of a beautiful teenage girl. From what we can tell, she is a skilled witch with connections to many Western royal kingdoms. I am sorry to say that of the rumours we have gathered about her… let’s just say there were only horrifying tales with nothing good out of the lot.”
“Is that so…? To think that someone like that could exist. I must meet with her.”
“… …”
“Elder?”
For some reason, the Elder of the Sanctuary averted his gaze from mine. Ah, he appeared to be signalling the people by his side to do something.
The spirits gathered around my feet and lap and started chattering to each other, saying things like ‘such holiness’ and ‘how pompous’.
“White Sage, please take a look at this.”
The person who had been sent away returned with something long and thin wrapped in white cloth.
When the cloth was removed, a light golden sceptre was revealed.
The sceptre was a magnificent piece. [1] Although it was my first time seeing this sceptre, I instinctively knew that the cross at the top end of the staff symbolizes the spirits. Just by looking at it, I could feel the hum of power resonating in the air.
“It is imbued with incredible magic,”
“I wish to bestow this sceptre to you. According to Maydea’s Myth, this is the Spirit King’s Scepter, a sacred treasure of Para Utis. This was kept within the Sanctuary along with several other sacred treasures. Should someone capable of wielding these treasures appear, it is our duty to bestow these to them.”
“The Spirit King’s Sceptre…”
I felt a quiet nostalgia suffusing my person as I beheld the sceptre. In fact, I felt helplessly drawn to it as my hands reached out almost subconsciously. After taking the sceptre into my hands, I asked the elder:
“There is no doubt in my mind that this is a priceless treasure indeed, is it alright for me to have it?”
“Of course. However, there is one matter I wish to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“You recall our talk about the Black Demon King and the Crimson Witch? We received news from members of the Sanctuary who returned from roaming about the world and found that the two Demon Kings had been battling each other. If possible, I would ask the White Sage to discover the reason for their battle and, if possible, stop them before something terrible happened.
“… …”
Oh?
My expression tightened at the news.
At that time, I had no idea whether it was the coiling ancient power coiling within the Sceptre or the thought of meeting these Demon Kings, whose existence may well be similar to mine, [1a] that was filling me with these complicated feelings.
At that time, I had no idea.
What it meant when Demon Kings do battle.
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It was war.
Total war at blinding speeds.
I came to the Northern Continent, specifically to the Kingdom of Yolwe and witnessed the battle between the Black Demon King and the Crimson Witch first-hand.
Although the fighters never did announce their identities, the magic flying above and around the snowy mountain peaks was evidence enough for me to tell that I had found them. Sounds of their great battle could be heard all the way from the village at the foot of the mountain.
I was shocked. This was my first time witnessing a magic battle of this scale.
It was not a fight between two sets of soldiers capable of using magic, but a fight between two individuals. This was why it was easy to tell that this was a battle between two Demon Kings.
The battle was at such a scale that residents of the country had abandoned their homes just because two mages had gotten into a fight. Something that was quite unheard of.
Even so, the evacuees still hung around to watch the battle. Not all of them, but there were enough individuals to form a crowd. How carefree of them.
Further observation showed that although the fight appeared reckless, there seemed to be some sort of rule or discipline to it. Villages and mountainsides were destroyed, but no human lives were taken.
“Oi, oi, you there. Best not to get closer than this.”
I was about to step into the danger zone when people from the crowd stopped me.
“Look, one of the mountains just got blown to bits.”
“What…?”
Indeed, the mountainside had become a casualty of their fight. The sight of that gaping hole carved out of it left me speechless.
They must be a great inconvenience to the residents of this country.
“They don’t really harm ordinary people. Well, there are some idiots who would try to get a closer look and get swept up in the fight… also, it’s not like they would stick around on that mountainside, so this place is not completely safe either. Hm? The Crimson Witch? I heard she came from the Western Continent.”
I learned a lot of things from the residents at the foot of the snowy mountain where the Black Demon King was rumoured to live.
[2] Everyone agreed that the Black Demon King had created a nation for the demons, but no one had ever seen this place yet. However, everyone was sure that the Crimson Witch had been to this nation of demons.I could not find out why the two were fighting, but some of the residents speculated the Crimson Witch coveted the blood of the women in the Black Demon King’s harem. That, or the womanising Black Demon King tried to chat up the Crimson Witch, which angered her and they got into this fight…
There was no way of confirming which of these was correct.
There was no way to tell what was true or what was falsehood unless I met with the actual people involved.
One thing I was able to find out for sure was that the two Demon Kings battled it out with each other once a month.
Apparently, I had come at the right time to witness [1b] the tail end of the battle. Which ended with the destruction of the mountain and the rapid disappearances of the two fighters. The red energy disappeared one way and the black energy shot off northwards.
[1b] “… …”
[1b] “Well, that’s the end boys. Let’s enjoy this month’s peace and quiet.”
[1b] Perhaps I should have attempted to meet with those two while they were fighting.
Now that both of them had dispersed, it would be at least a month before I see either of them again. Thinking that waiting would be too troublesome, I decided to go looking for the Black Demon King in the mountains.
Thus, with the help of the Spirit King’s Sceptre bestowed to me by the Holy Nation, I began my search, climbing higher and higher up the mountains. Even though it felt kind of rude, I did use the Sceptre as a hiking staff.
The mountains were snow-covered and the wind fierce, but with the spirits on my side, I hardly felt the cold.
However, no matter how much I searched, I could not find the ‘demon country’ built by the Black Demon King. When I asked the spirits to help, they just tilted their heads and said ‘Who knows…’
Looks like there exist lands that even the spirits could not know about.
“White Sage, sir? May I say something?”
“What is it, Tarantella?”
“What if, you know, the Black Demon King is in another space? A space where spirits can’t go to.”
“Spatial magic?”
“Yup,”
Tarantella was a sweet and adorable venomous spider spirit and always did enjoy sitting on my shoulder.
“Yuno~!! Prana found it! This is the wall to another space!”
“What’s that?”
Humming Bird Spirit, Prana, had suddenly paused in the air as though she had run into an invisible wall. She kept trying to fly forward, but could not pass through whatever it was.
“So, it looks like the different dimension theory is true.”
“But, White Sage, sir. We can’t do nothing about it. Spatial Magic and Spirit Magic don’t mix.”
“Yuno can’t beat the Black Demon King.”
“White Sage will lose? Will lose? Will lose? Will the White Sage lose?”
The spirits around me started chattering at each other without giving me a thought.
I placed a hand against the unseen wall thoughtfully before sighing.
“You know, I didn’t come here to fight the Black Demon King. I just wanted to talk to him.”
“The Black Demon King is the king of demons! A scary guy~ a scary guy~”
“Goodness, I did hear that he’s a good man, wa~”
“The Great Sage is a good man too!! Kind of unreliable though…”
“… …”
The spirits would say whatever they liked. They were likely the only ones who would talk about me like this now.
I tried various ways to meet with the Black Demon King, but as expected, since the Spirits could not help me access this completely closed-off space, I could only give up and go down the mountain.
[2] The cause of my defeat was likely because I was not a beautiful woman. [2] Maybe I should try meeting the Crimson Witch.
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The Western Continent was a wonderful place with a stable climate.
I found out that the Crimson Witch resided within a forest west of the Grijeen Kingdom and immediately sent for a guide to take me there.
This time, unlike back when I was trying to find the Black Demon King, I reached her residence quickly.
It was a small wooden hut. A very small wooden cabin surrounded by beautiful and quiet wood.
It was rather surprising, considering that I heard that she often threatened the nearby royal families for tribute so that she could live extravagantly. Could this be a meeting place of sorts only? Does she have a more luxurious house somewhere?
“Please be careful, Great White Sage. She is a woman of great evil.”
“Is that so? Very well, I shall be careful.”
The messenger looked a little frightened as we stood in front of the Crimson Witch’s hut. In his arms was a gift from the kingdom.
“The Crimson Witch may drain your blood.”
“You could be eaten.”
“Perhaps only your bones would remain~?”
The spirits started chattering with each other again.
I hissed a soft ‘be quiet’ to them and thankfully they did so. I stepped forward to knock when the door opened by itself.
“Who is it?”
“… …”
My first impression?
Bright red.
Then, breathtaking beauty and sweetness.
The girl, for she had to be a girl of either 16 or 17, with bright red hair and aqua blue eyes. She was dressed in a brilliant red dress that complimented her bright hair.
So, this was the infamous Crimson Witch…
“Nice to meet you, Crimson Witch. I am from the Eastern Continent. And… well, I am known as the White Sage.”
“White Sage… I have heard of you before.”
She stared at me solemnly for a moment before flickering a cold look at the messenger. A sarcastic smile crossed her lips and the messenger trembled.
My original impression of her changed as a sharp streak of magic shot past me.
“Oh my, a messanger from Grijeen? Have you brought something pointless again?”
“I-it is a pleasure to greet the Crimson Witch. I have brought a gift from His Majesty.”
“… …”
Her large eyes narrowed as she received the gift.
“No convicts or slave girls today, eh? Goodness, I happen to have some magic that needed testing. What a shame. Well, I do have some pickles made with those girls you brought me last time. You can take some with you if you want.”
The sinister smile on her face matches well with those frightening words.
The messenger looked scared to death as he shook his head vigorously and declared ‘I shall respectfully take my leave now!’ before running away.
“… …”
“Ah ha ha ha ha… what an idiot.”
She laughed as she glanced over at me, as though sharing a great joke. I had a feeling that she was gauging my reaction, even though I was sure my expression did not change.
“Why did you lie?”
“Lie?”
“You said you made pickles out of girls, but there is nothing in this house that smelled like that. My spirits have pretty good noses and did not pick up anything like it. They happen to like humans a lot too.”
“… …”
Her eyes flickered, was she surprised? However, in the next moment, she was looking at me and the spirits with a grin, saying ‘Well, come on in’ and pulled me into the hut.
That was my first contact with the Crimson Witch.
Life was unexpectedly peaceful [1] with a notoriously ‘evil’ person. The western forest was quiet and tranquil, with no one daring to approach a house resided by a witch. Not willingly at least.
As to whether I had known, even back then, that I would get into an irreparable conflict with this person, I cannot say for sure.
[Gumihou: It’s all in the subtleties! Subtleties!]
[1] Add detail, because ‘It was a splendid thing, like a cross that represented the spirits. Just by seeing it in front of me I could feel the tension in the air.’ doesn’t actually explain anything? [1a] Add detail, because they did not mention what kind of feeling it was. It felt unfinished. [1b] Add detail to make the following sentence understandable. At first, it was ‘luckily I encountered them’, then it was ‘I had to go searching for the Black Demon King’. Like, which is it, boyo? [2] Adjust the details to make the delivery more natural
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