Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 317

Episode 317 Captains

Long, pure white hair that reaches down to below the waist.

A woman wearing a dark dress in contrast with hers, her eyes covered with a gray cloth, moved through the space through the moving line.

Unlike other people, his steps are unhindered even when his view is blocked.

Through the long corridor, we arrived at our destination, the Exodium venue.

A large circular table with an empty center and six seats spaced precisely apart greeted her.

“You are the second, sir.”

There was no need to move my head.

Because the presence and form of the other person was clearly felt.

“You’re usually the last to arrive at meetings, but you’re the earliest this year, Explorer.”

Explorer, Regret.

She took up a seat, smiled and shrugged.

“Don’t you have days like this sometimes? The human mind is something that is hard to grasp in the first place. Even if you are the observer.”

“But it’s not hard to guess. The fact that you, who always makes a fuss about boring meetings by singing, is being so quiet means that there must be something that can sufficiently offset the boredom. And it just so happens that one of the topics of this meeting is something that would be just that.”

“You still try to figure out other people’s intentions.”

“Because that’s my duty. If you look into the minds of countless people, you’ll become like me. If you’re really curious, try switching roles.”

“That’s impossible because of my lack of ability. The owner of the ark wouldn’t even allow it in the first place. And to just stay in the ark all day and watch the world… Ugh, that’s absolutely unacceptable.”

Regret cringed and swept his arms.

Explorer, exploring the unknown that no one has ever reached is her duty as a captain. She finds such adventures to be the joy of her life.

But I can't go outside and have to stay in the Ark.

No matter how good the facilities were, it was meaningless.

For Regret, who basically acted out of curiosity, it was no different from being locked in a prison with only one window.

Regret was disgusted.

“I hate being held prisoner. I like freedom.”

“Can you please stop calling me a prisoner when I’m perfectly fine? And I like being free too. I just don’t have the wanderlust you do.”

The enraged onlooker abruptly turned his head.

It was a gesture of not wanting to look at the other person, but it was still detected the same.

It was a remnant of a time when my eyes were still fine.

“Okay, I understand, so stop being angry. I brought you the finest tea from the Arnak Empire. Would you like some?”

"……thank you."

The two continued their small talk.

After a while, when the clock struck the hour, the people who had made appointments began to show up at the venue one by one.

“I’m a little late because of a recent ordeal… I thought the Explorers would have arrived first. It’s a bit hurtful.”

Reddish blonde hair, slicked back without a single strand out of place.

A man in neat uniform with a monocle adorning his right eye, the Coordinator.

“…….”

A full body armor made of metal and leather.

A being that does not reveal even a part of its body, including its head, hands, and even hair, a subjugator.

“I’m sorry. I tried to come as early as possible, but I ended up being the last one. Anyway, it’s been a year, and I’m glad everyone looks healthy.”

A thick cloak decorated with demon fur.

A young man with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing blue armor, the Watcher.

With this, everyone took their seats.

Regret crossed his arms.

“I’m here first, so it’s my job to open the event. Then I’ll call out the names in order.”

Explorer of the unknown.

The world's watcher.

The regulator of balance.

The conqueror of misfortune.

The Watcher of the North.

One seat left is vacant.

“The following five people. The attendance of the members has been confirmed.”

These are strong people who have challenged and overcome numerous trials.

He is recognized as a talent who will lead humanity, and is the successor who inherited the title of captain from the previous generation.

The greatest power of such an ark was gathered together.

“Then let’s start the meeting.”

* * *

The ark does not reign over the world.

However, it only refers to the group itself, and the individual desires or dreams of the captain and candidates do not apply.

Even if one of the captains were to found a nation, it would be the same.

If the actual act does not have a negative impact on the human species in the future or requires the abandonment of the humanity that one ought to possess… … then it is permissible as long as one does not neglect one’s duty.

However, it is impossible to borrow the power of the ark due to personal reasons.

For that reason, the topics of the Ark Conference are limited.

The duties that each captain must fulfill.

And to cultivate talents that will lead humanity.

The purpose is only for them.

As is customary, the role of the observer is to preside over the meeting.

She turned her head towards the front of the table and spoke for the first time.

“Let’s start with the special matters first. There are two related agenda items.”

first.

“An ancient bloodline that was extinct on the Eastern Continent has been discovered. To be exact, in the Kingdom of Estyria last year.”

“If it’s the Kingdom of Estiria… are you talking about a witch?”

Regret expressed his doubts.

Other people's reactions were similar.

About 28 years ago, Gluttony disguised himself as a prime minister of the Estyrian royal family.

There was an incident where they persuaded the king using war as an excuse and forcibly injected the fourth queen with the witch's memories, awakening the sleeping bloodline.

Gluttony performed brutal biological experiments using the witch's body tissue.

The number of people sacrificed simply as test subjects is in the tens of thousands, and the number of Gluttony wizards killed while participating in the war against the Republic is much higher.

“As you all know, the previous watchers sensed this, and the exterminators here personally stepped in and wiped out all the Gluttony hiding in the kingdom.”

“…….”

The punitive man answered in silence.

“And I judged that the witch’s memories were completely erased due to the queen’s death. But those memories were passed on to her child.”

The watcher tilted his head.

“It’s not like the memory suddenly came back… so I guess it must have been transferred 28 years ago when the queen died. But why is it being observed now?”

“Even the viewer has limitations.”

You can see the world, but you can't contain it all.

And there are regions and entities that cannot be observed due to limitations in ability.

Pinpointing a specific point and obtaining meaningful information without any external assistance was harder than finding a needle in a haystack, even with luck.

If the witch hadn't released her power by using [Witch's Crown], it would never have been noticed.

“So, you want to accept me as a member or candidate for the ark?”

“I’m thinking about it deeply. Although my mind is still at the baseline… because it’s a royal family that was once swayed by Gluttony. I think it’s necessary to examine it more closely than the second prince of the Duchy of Liviant who was accepted as a member of the Ark. Anyway, I’ve conveyed it, so I’ll move on. Coordinator.”

“Let me tell you the second peculiarity.”

The coordinator adjusted his monocle.

“Originally, a natural ordeal was supposed to occur in the city-state federation, the Kylians. However, that possibility has now completely disappeared. In other words, it has become impossible to predict.”

“Did someone intervene?”

“Maybe. But it’s definitely not Gluttony. So that’s all.”

The ordeal is over.

So there is no room for the ark to intervene.

Humanity must not only be protected.

That will cause the species to weaken and eventually lead to extinction. Even if hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of people die.

Immediate salvation inevitably leads to future despair.

It is not permitted to lead the incident.

Because the ark must remain an observer but also maintain the position of a helper.

Regret whetted his appetite.

“What, is that the end? This is boring.”

“……You’re the only one who seeks fun in meetings, Explorer. So, do you bring information that satisfies that fun?”

“Hot, of course. I discovered something really great this time.”

“What’s so great?”

“Yeah, what that means is…….”

The captains each reacted differently.

There must be a reason why the explorer is so confident. Only the punitive man remained motionless with his arms folded.

“It's a secret.”

"what?"

She shrugged.

“To be honest, it’s still a bit ambiguous. So there’s no need to fulfill the obligation to explain in detail at the meeting. If you’re really curious, stop the boring meeting for a moment and start with the exchange.”

“Was that the purpose?”

“Honestly, aren’t you guys curious too?”

Explorer, Regrit spread his arms.

“These are the new candidates. One has mastered a newly developed type of magic, and the other has returned alive from the tomb of the Dark Lord. In a trial that even the captain, let alone the candidates, could not overcome.”

Her gaze lingered on the vacant space for a moment.

The place where the owner disappeared seven years ago was still cold.

The observer nodded.

“The wizard Asher. He is a strange man in many ways. You can’t even tell where he came from, and you can’t even read his mind……”

There are only a limited number of beings whose inner self cannot be examined by the observer.

Broadly speaking, it includes those who have acquired the level of transcendence or a heteromorphic species.

Of course, there are exceptions, but even taking that into account, Asher was different from before in some way.

Observation is completely ineffective.

I haven't been able to see even a glimpse of the spirit since I heard from the listener from the principality.

All we had to do was use the ancient artifacts in the Ark to pinpoint the location.

The coordinator added.

“Besides, the owner of the library said that he couldn’t completely see through that power.”

“He…….”

The watcher expressed his astonishment.

Because up until now, there have been very few cases where the librarian's eyes have not been seen.

Regret chuckled.

“Did you hear? So, I was thinking that maybe we should bring forward the schedule and start with the exchange battle. What do you all think?”

The mood was positive.

An unprecedented candidate who killed Gluttony's Tooth despite not being part of the Ark. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in him.

Even the punitive force, which barely makes a sound, reacts weakly.

At that moment, the observer said:

“Excuse me, I am the chair of the meeting. Why are you suddenly trying to change the order of things?”

“If we don’t start with the exchange, we won’t have a meeting.”

“…….”

Regret was resolute.

The meeting was adjourned for a moment by unanimous consent.

* * *

New candidate waiting room.

The Academy wizard tried to keep the conversation going smoothly, even if it was awkward. He had already emptied six glasses of drink.

Although his polite speech often became slurred due to his excessive talking, Verden consistently pretended not to notice.

“By the way, I heard that you subjugated the Gluttony executives. Who exactly were they? I’ve never seen them before.”

“They are terrible people.”

Verden explained briefly.

Gluttony's brutal experiments, grafters who gained powers by grafting bodies from other species, and the twisted ideology of pursuing evolution through eating.

The wizard was horrified by the stark truth.

“Ah, you even capture people alive and experiment on them…? How can that happen? Oh, no, how can that happen?”

The world is wide and diverse.

Common sense and nonsense are prevalent everywhere, so there is nothing that cannot happen.

The magic circle of the reverse sky that is the foundation of Verden, the Ark made up of a giant sky island, and the existence of Gluttony who conducts biological experiments.

'I think that's enough for the answer.'

Now it was Verden's turn.

“I heard you’ve mastered a new type of magic. If you don’t mind, could you tell me what it is? I’ve never heard of it before.”

“Oh, of course. It was being done in secret, but it’s almost finished. It will be made known to the world as soon as it becomes certain. The professor hasn’t prepared the paper yet… Ugh!”

The wizard, who had belatedly shut his mouth, continued speaking.

“That, that is! To put it simply, it is called ‘summoning magic’.”

“Summoning…? Are you talking about black magic that deals with the undead?”

“The ending is similar, but the content is completely different. To put it simply….”

The wizard rummaged through his space bag.

Then he took out an unfamiliar object and showed it to Verden.

The structure had a brass-colored metal plate at the bottom, and a transparent membrane above it to separate the inside and outside.

'There's no magic stone in it. It's probably used to channel magical power and concentrate it inside.'

It's clearly a magical item.

Even with Verden's knowledge, it was unfamiliar, so it was difficult to completely grasp its identity.

“This is a magic item called a ‘Dispenser.’ It is a special tool for using summoning magic. It works by infusing magic power into it and manipulating it, and then projecting the image you have in mind as it is, and then materializing it as spatial magic.”

“……Space magic?”

“Well, not to brag, but I have an aptitude for space properties…… haha.”

The wizard scratched his head in embarrassment.

There are very few magicians who can manipulate the ultimate attribute called space.

Even if you don't get the related books or the magic difficulty is very high, it's generally something you can't even try unless you're born with the talent.

But, it can be used by academy students.

'Is there anything that can't happen?'

That was also directed at Verden.

“Can you show me?”

“Um, sorry, but that’s difficult. The magical power consumed is so great that if I use it now, the exchange battle will become much more difficult… Please understand.”

Summoning magic, not black magic.

I knew it would require spatial properties… … It was a new type of magic, and it was more than I had expected.

'What kind of magic is it?'

I can't help but be excited.

It's just a shame that the Ark Conference is still far from over.

It was at that time.

“……!”

Swirling magic.

Immediately after detection, a magic circle appeared in the corner of the waiting room. A purple light flashed brightly, illuminating the two people.

“Huh? Space travel? I clearly said it would take quite some time for the meeting to end…….”

Verden heard that too.

But that didn't matter at all.

The Demon King stood up from his seat, straightening his robes and getting ready.

“Let’s go.”

The captain and the magic.

Verden was ambitious.