“Alright, let the music play! Faster, faster!”
As Jaan bounced on his shoulders and stood up, the imperial orchestra, about to start their string performance, froze in confusion. They’d played at countless prestigious banquets before, but never encountered anything like this. This wasn’t a ball—just how much faster did he want the tempo?
Jaan strode among the musicians, shouting to speed up. The conductor glanced back, silently pleading for help.
Acorella just shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “Handle it yourself.” What a crazy old man. He was clearly in his own world, chugging fine wine by the bowlful and shouting, “This is the true taste of the Western lands!” while running wild.
“Now I get why they smashed the shield before the main gate.”
“Why’s that?”
“Try walking up to it yourself. Would you think that’s the Eastern Archmage? They’d probably just chase you off as some crazy old geezer who wandered in from nowhere.”
“Fair point.”
“My head hurts, seriously.”
Acorella muttered, pressing her fingers to her temples. Jaan returned to his seat, flicking back the hem of his robe. Then, without ceremony, he mixed the drinks as he pleased and downed it in one gulp, letting out a satisfied exclamation.
“Ha! Whether in the East or West, the emperor’s palace is a heavenly realm. No need to envy immortals—this is why everyone scrambles so hard. Where crows gather, herons, come join us! If a boat sinks, we’ll feast on the scraps and have a grand time!”
No one really understood what he was saying, but it was clear he was thoroughly enjoying himself. The problem was, it all sounded like nonsense. Jaan tore into his meat, then beckoned to Acorella, who stood a little apart.
“Won’t you join us?”
“Well, if that’s the Eastern way of hospitality, then yes.”
Acorella sat opposite Jaan, raising her glass. The old man poured wine until it overflowed, grinning and urging her to drink.
“You’re the head of the Magic Department, right?”
“Acorella. Do you remember? You seem quite tipsy already.”
“No matter how old I am, I don’t forget what just happened.”
Strange. He looked no older than his mid-thirties—how old was he really? Acorella drained her glass in one go and wiped her mouth. The mages around them gasped, while Jaan chewed his food with a curious “Hmm?”
“You seem to know your drink!”
“I taste all sorts of strange things—that’s my job. Anyway, I think it’s time to get to the point.”
“The point?”
Acorella took a breath and bowed her head slightly.
“First, I think it’s only right to apologize. As you suspected, we did use the artifact.”
She admitted that thanks to it, they were able to create the new “Conjunction” spell. Jaan didn’t seem particularly interested in the magical significance.
Acorella continued.
“However, at the time, we believed the artifact belonged to someone else. We couldn’t even trace how it entered Gaia.”
“Hmm. It’s good you’re honest, but it all sounds like excuses to me.”
With a clink, Jaan refilled her glass, silently inviting her to continue.
“If you need anything to recreate the artifact, the Magic Department will fully support you.”
“Hmm.”
Jaan seemed to be thinking, then smiled openly.
“Isn’t that a good thing for you?”
“Excuse me?”
“The artifact was my essence. Recreating it will take time and effort, but that’s not the point. Let’s talk profit and loss first.”
He pointed at Acorella and the mages with his fingers, which gleamed from the food grease.
“Let’s see… You get to observe the level Eastern magic has reached under the pretense of helping me. That’s a golden opportunity to advance Western magic. But me? I lose the artifact and have to give free lessons. Doesn’t that sound like I’m the only one losing out? Or is it just me?”
Well, the old man wasn’t drunk after all. Acorella’s eyes narrowed. She wanted to argue, but it was true.
They were sincere about helping recreate the artifact, but she couldn’t say they had no ulterior motives. Research spanning East and West—that was thrilling. Including mages in the delegation to the East was part of that plan.
Jaan tugged at the skin under his eyes as if he knew everything.
“Ha! I see right through you lot!”
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
Acorella forced a polite smile. Her trembling lips betrayed her, but the mages pretended not to notice, appreciating the effort.
“So, what kind of compensation do you want?”
“Compensation, huh… hmm.”
“If you haven’t thought it through, we can postpone and discuss it later. There’s a mountain of things to talk about—Eunrang, Hohun, and Yeonmok.”
Acorella gestured, and Hale brought her some documents. Jaan stared at Hale, clicking his tongue in displeasure.
“Since you came after these three, I take it you want authority over their fate as well.”
“Why make it so complicated? Just say it straight.”
Acorella handed over the papers and explained.
“First, the estimated damage caused by Yeonmok, who ran off with the artifact. Using forbidden magic, he damaged the ‘Mage’s Forest’ in Luswena. It’s a historic magical site, so putting a number on the damage is almost meaningless, but this is just for reference.”
“Luswena? That’s the neighboring country, right?”
“They were defeated and became a vassal of Bariel. Plus, some mages from there are here.”
“See them over there?” Acorella nodded, but Jaan just sipped his drink, uninterested.
“There’s more detail on Eunrang and Hohun.”
It included threats against Minister Raiven and Bariel officials, property damage, and even the cost of meals they freeloaded at the palace.
“Pay up?”
‘So you can read the common language, huh?’
Acorella was surprised and couldn’t answer immediately.
“No, how could we treat honored guests like that? This is just Bariel’s way of showing consideration for you.”
“So, because I owe them, they want to let the artifact issue slide? That’s how I hear it.”
“That’s another misunderstanding.”
They didn’t know Jaan’s goals or temperament. So they subtly warned him to keep things reasonable. “You may be the Eastern Archmage, but this is Gaia.”
“But,” Jaan said, suddenly tossing the papers aside, “there’s something else.”
He seemed deep in thought.
“No matter how I look at it, there aren’t enough people.”
“Huh?”
“When using the artifact, surely three people shared the pill? But here, I only sense power from one. Where are the others?”
Jaan fixed his gaze on Hale. Of the three orbs in the box, Hale had taken two, and Ian had taken the last one…
“They’re dead.”
Acorella said calmly.
“They were executed long ago for treason.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Good timing. I wanted to ask. There was a note about side effects in the box. Eunrang and Hohun seemed unaware. Can you explain?”
Hale showed no symptoms yet, but they needed to know.
Jaan motioned Hale closer and lightly tapped his brow.
“Do you know this? Magic resonates with the soul.”
“I do.”
“Good. You’re at least that sharp.”
Jaan draped an arm over Hale’s shoulder and took a sip of his drink.
“I don’t know about the West, but the East has entered an age of chaos. The emperor’s a fool, and monsters that feed on screams are endless. I thought we’d need magic of a higher dimension to quell this chaos.”
That’s what the artifact made possible.
The reason Eunrang, Hohun, and Yeonmok—who’d lost their minds from harsh training—coveted it was simple: it made getting stronger easy. Hale had guessed as much from the inscriptions on the artifact.
“But where’s the power without a price? Right?”
Creating new magic circles for future generations isn’t just sacrifice. It’s borrowing the power of souls to wield higher powers.
“You said it’s called ‘Conjunction’? It will self-destruct within a hundred years and become unusable.”
“…Why?”
“Because if used indefinitely, the target’s soul will erode.”
“…?!”
Acorella and Hale’s eyes widened in shock. What was that? Soul erosion? Did they hear right?
Jaan punched the air and added,
“So we have to settle this within the allowed time. Monsters or not, we’ll grind them to dust if we have to…”
“Wait! So the side effect is soul erosion? Please explain what that means in detail.”
“It’s exactly as it says. Soul annihilation. No next life. Huh, did the Western regions even have the concept of reincarnation?”
“Hey, you! Damn it!”
Bang!
As Akorella suddenly jumped up, about to overturn the table, Hale hurriedly stopped her. Zaan chuckled without a hint of surprise.
“You can’t just take it easy.”
“You sure like it raw! It’s spoiled!”
“If it was really spoiled, you wouldn’t be eating it, right?”
“Damn—!”
“The greater the difference in the subjects’ levels, the steeper the slope. That means the soul’s erosion happens faster. Hey, you idiots just standing there—go fetch some ink and brushes.”
Akorella shouted, half translating and half scolding.
“Paper and pens, too!”
“Y-yes, yes!”
Zaan pushed all the plates to one side of the table and grabbed a pen. Though his expression showed the taste wasn’t quite right, he handled it with surprising skill.
“The box said something like this.”
“Is that right? It’s a bit fuzzy.”
Hale nodded slightly, confirming it matched his memory. Akorella snatched the paper and read it aloud, then suddenly shouted.
“Why is the recovery condition left blank?!”
“Because I said so, you little pony.”
Zaan laughed, flopping back onto the floor.
“Hey, hey, bring more drinks! Why is the emperor so busy he can’t even show his face?”
“Heyyyyy!”
“Minister, wait! Just a moment!”
The mages rushed in, pulling Akorella away. After apologizing to Zaan, they left. Even with the door closed, the noise outside grew louder.
Lying down, Zaan turned his head sharply and muttered softly.
“So why are you lying? There’s no damn death.”
He rested his foot on his knee, tapping his toes. The smile had long since vanished, replaced by a deep, serious gaze.
‘Increasing one’s magic level means gaining stronger power. If some beast like a dog or cow uses it, disaster will strike. Judging by the energy that just flew in, this isn’t some ordinary person…’
Zaan was curious. Were these Westerners who used the relic truly good by his standards? If not, he’d have to kill everyone involved to prevent catastrophe before he could leave.
“Ah, it tastes good. Yeah.”
As if nothing had happened, his eyes shifted, he wiped his nose, and casually grabbed another bite.