Chapter Fifty: Deceit Is So Often The Spice Of Life!
1207 Words
A Few Hours Earlier
The Royal Mage Tower: 2:00 P.m
The archmage’s office felt musty, filled to the brim with books. Some opened, others abandoned, while the rest collecting dust on the numerous shelves surrounding the octagonal walls. Those not in the aforementioned areas acted as dish holders for the innumerable empty bowls collecting mould in each periodically littered chairless desk.
Regarding him a hermit would be an understatement, but luckily he had planned for the meeting ahead, seeing as he aired out the room.
“Do you not have someone stationed to clean here?”
“I do. However, I only allow others in my space when I am not in the middle of work or a project. By gods, people are so noisy,” He answered as he moved a game piece on the board.
Well, such is the fate of most geniuses. They preferred to drown in their obsessions, leaving little room for tolerance of those around them.
The game we played was draughts, and we were both at a stalemate, perhaps because we were trying too much to peer into each other's minds.
“So can you, or can you not?” I crossed my leg on the old worn-out couch, “or should I be asking if you will or will not?”
“‘will I or won’t I not’? What?” the archmage stressed, this time his hawk-sharp gaze trained at me rather than the board, “Help the Empress end her own life?”
Archmage Hein was not what one would term as a simple man. Unlike most grand mages his age, he rejected the idea of having a disciple, claiming that they were more work than he was willing to put in. However, that was before travelling to the Slums in Dru and coming across a scrappy and sharp-witted Vincrest. His now only disciple and currently the tower’s vice.
In any case, I could not find myself cowering under his gaze. Hein was the disciple of the greatest dark wizard to go down in Cursix history as a temple heretic, in other words, a villain. He was a friend of mine, long, long ago, however, not long enough for me to cease associating the withered old man before me with an image from his childhood of him crying for his mother’s teat.
Still, I was the only one unshifted by time’s curse.
“There is no need to turn my wisdom into crude phrases, I told you. This is for the greater good,” I replied, capturing his piece on the board.
“Your majesty, I have grandchildren your age. You are asking me to-,”
“I doubt it, Grandmaster Hein. I doubt that you have anything my age.”
“So I was right, you are not the real Azalea? Though subtle, your mana differs!”
“ ‘Though subtle?’ I have nearly quadruple the mana she used to have!”
“So, what are you? A demon, a ghost contract? What? I know that she was struggling before your…‘miraculous awakening?’.” He said.
“Trade secret, my information is not part of the agreement. However, I shall address the many unheeded letters in my office regarding your wish to study the dark arcane. I will also accept your resignation requests with double the amount requested for pension.”
“s**t…!” He cursed, “Regardless of who you are, I still see you as a child. I witnessed Azalea growing up!”
“I can assure you a trip to memory lane will not aid in altering my decision.” I responded, “I will find another magician if you do not perform the ritual, after which you will have gained nothing.”
“I know how you think, Grandmaster. I know your kind. Knowledge means more to you than human lives. I mean, I am not judging you. In fact, this deal bodes very well with your current mindset. You do not care about Azalea. Perhaps you are a little curious about me, but still, will you not learn of my nature if you keep at your pursuit of knowledge?”
Through cryptology, I am certain that I can reveal some shadows of my nature as well. However, cryptology was beyond dark, and towards primordial magic, in other words, the magic of the gods, meaning that even the temple was keeping its contents heavily guarded. Hein was heavily scrutinised because of his master. Thus he did not have the time nor space to delve into anything ‘illegal’ or ‘uncommon’.
So to satisfy his craving for the unknown, he had instead sought out to expand on the known, only to find out that everything was closely guarded and as fragile as he feared. Thus, the Grandmaster wished to either retire or disappear, where he could follow all the road maps to their endless destinations. Rather than fear, as he was a public figure, that his movements were being tracked.
“f**k….fuck do you even know that the signum will function correctly? I have never used such magic before? I beg you to reconsider.”
“I thought we agreed that I will guide you? I am very familiar with the spell.”
“For goodness sake!! At least tell me its nature.” The mage insisted.
“Easy, the spell is a part curse, so, like a curse, it is based on a timer system. For example, you will turn into a toad in said period of time or whatever if certain conditions have not been met. In my case, however, rather than one turning into a toad, they spontaneously combust.”
“WHAT!?”
“The signum is, of course, a binding one, so I will need you to bind me to someone of my choosing, such that in three and a half years, if one of us is not dead, one of the bound gets to..you know.”
“Spontaneously combust?”
“More or less,” I replied.
“At random?”
“Not at random. I thought we agreed on a three years timer?”
“That is not what I-”
“Well, three and a half,” I interrupted, “if one of us dies, then the mark should unbind itself,”
“God damn it!” the mage cursed, “that is not what I mean!! My question is at random, one of the bounded dies?”
“Yes.” I said, then sighed, “This is where the trick comes in. Both the bonded have to agree to the binding for the spell to have its effects.”
“What?? Who in their right mind would ever agree to something so…so..twisted and unfair?!”
*
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Throne Room
Hein Gilbert Present Time
The spell was cast entirely on both the ‘Empress’ and the pink-haired woman who according to the Empress, was destined to inherit her position.
The ceremony had gone smoothly. All moves planned by the ‘Empress’ had come to pass, eerily so.
- Writer
