novelraw Page 513
Page 513
Their slow pace stopped near the white pagoda in the center.
"...Did I keep you waiting...?"
"No, I rarely have the opportunity to visit tourist attractions like this."
Olga Marie pressed down her silver hair, pulled one leg back diagonally, and bowed to the old man in respect.
"Is everything going as you hoped?"
The girl stared at Rufreus, her eyes filled with questions and curiosity.
She noticed the old man's adornments—dazzling gemstones set in his rings and jewelry, each one enormous and radiant, as if it wanted to devour everything.
Strangely, despite the stunning beauty of these gems, they do not appear vulgar or ostentatious in the slightest.
On the contrary, they give off a chilling feeling, more like the aura of burial goods for the deceased than mere decorations.
She knew perfectly well that those gems were anything but ordinary.
As the ruler of the Spirit Summoning Department, Rufreus clearly possesses powerful magic related to death, souls, and magic.
Upon closer inspection, these gems appear to be powerful magical artifacts. Each one contains magic capable of altering the course of events, and the power of this magic far surpasses the vast amount of undead magic recently recovered from the castle.
With just these ornaments on his body, Rufreus was like an impregnable fortress, and anyone who tried to challenge him would probably find it difficult to withstand.
As she observed, Rufreus smiled slightly, his eyes thoughtful amidst the deep wrinkles of his face. His smile lacked any warmth, instead appearing cold and profound.
“…Well,” he said casually, his tone carrying a hint of helpless indifference.
His narrowed eyes held a thoughtful expression, as if he were recalling something from the distant past.
"In the end... this kind of thing is just like a territorial dispute... it depends on... how much theoretical basis Tramberg had for this meeting... how much preparatory work he had done..."
His words revealed a sense of fatalism, as if everything was already predetermined, just as the outcome of a war was written before it even began.
"In any case...we people must always maintain order...maintain order in this magical world."
Rufreus's tone contained neither anger nor pity, but only a calm sense of responsibility, as if it were an inescapable mission.
His gaze seemed to travel through time, returning to those distant past events.
For him, this was not merely a duty or obligation, but a teaching etched deep into his soul.
He had heard this phrase countless times; over the long years, it lingered in his ears like an unsolved mystery.
For his own purpose—a mystery that may never be solved—he must maintain order in the magical world and protect this realm filled with ancient magic.
When he revealed that yellowish, mocking smile, the girl could even feel a chill rise from within.
The old man's smile was not only a sign of contempt for the new generation of magicians, but also a deep weariness and disappointment with the world.
"How much do the new generation of...magicians know about these things?"
.........
After maintaining a safe distance from the anatomy bureau, Matouchi took out a small metal piece from his pocket; the surface of the metal reflected a faint luster in the sunlight.
The paper-thin metal sheet blended almost seamlessly into its surroundings, as if it had never existed.
Yvette's gaze sharpened as she looked at the metal plate, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes. "Was this hidden inside Karl's corpse?"
She remembered that Matou Ike had carefully examined Karl's body, but what exactly did he discover?
Matou Ike didn't answer directly, but simply nodded and pointed to the engravings on it.
“Yes, Karl created the metal cage during the battle. He probably used the same magic to create this metal piece inside his body as he was dying. After all, magic is most effective inside one's own body.”
Yvette looked down at the tiny metal piece, its surface engraved with a string of blurry letters and numbers, the writing so faint that it was almost impossible to make out without getting close.
"However, this..."
Her doubts did not dissipate.
Matou Ike's eyes darkened slightly as he slowly replied, "Yes, this is the address." He didn't explain further, but simply handed her the metal plate.
Yvette examined the markings carefully, frowning in thought.
"Address?" she repeated softly.
The UK address system uses a seven-digit postcode to identify the exact location of each building.
She paused briefly, then asked, "How did you know this was the address?"
“Before coming to London, I had learned about this postal code system,” Matou Ike’s voice remained calm. “This string of numbers points to a location.”
She immediately realized what this meant. "Are we going there?"
Matouchi remained silent for a moment, his gaze deep.
“Shouldn’t we inform Miss Ryori about this? After all…” Yvette paused slightly, but she clearly understood what he meant.
Matou Ike shrugged slightly, then shifted his gaze. "The Department of Law and Politics may not be trustworthy."
Soon after, following the instructions on the metal plate, they took a taxi to Regent's Park in North London.
As the car sped up, the bustling city of London gradually receded into the distance, and the scenery outside the window changed accordingly.
They soon arrived near Belces Park, where they got out of the car.
The environment here is completely different from that in central London.
Unlike the bustling city center, this is a tranquil suburban residential area. The red brick houses stand side by side, neat and uniform, like rows of Russian dolls, maintaining an ancient and unspoken beauty.
The streets were almost deserted, with only a few pedestrians hurrying by occasionally, but most of the time, the surroundings were quiet, as if the whole world had been swallowed up by this tranquility.
The winter sun shines obliquely on the earth, illuminating the ancient buildings and giving them a warm glow.
Even in the cold winter, a peaceful atmosphere permeates the place. Sunlight filters through the sparse clouds, scattering across the branches of the forsythia, their yellow blossoms a gentle gift from nature.
The tranquil and peaceful atmosphere gives one the illusion that this scenery will never change, as if the cycle of the seasons has stood still here for decades.
The crooked branches of the forsythia extend from within the walls of the surrounding houses, their lovely yellow flowers adding color to the scene—a sight that must be familiar every year.
Along the way, Matouchi remained silent, his steps resolute and swift. Before him lay a scene woven from brick houses, walls, winter sunlight, and drooping blossoms. Yvette followed silently, and soon she began to notice the number of pedestrians on the road gradually decreasing.
This was completely different from the situation yesterday when Lord Euryphus appeared. At that time, the world around us seemed to shift due to some force, and people vanished into thin air. Now, the pedestrians hadn't disappeared, but were decreasing one by one, as if being pushed aside by some invisible barrier.
Yvette's heart skipped a beat; she realized this was a very familiar barrier—a barrier used in modern magic specifically to disrupt or isolate crowds. She had seen a similar situation a few minutes ago, but this barrier was clearly more subtle.
A few minutes later, the two arrived at the end of a path surrounded by brick buildings and stopped in front of an old wooden house.
"Is this the address Kalger left?" Yvette asked in a low voice.
Matouchi didn't answer, but simply pushed open the door without hesitation. The scene behind the door was just as ordinary as its exterior.
The furniture inside was old and in disrepair; the surfaces of the sofas, tables, and wardrobes were covered in dust, and piles of discarded gossip magazines were scattered around, creating a quiet and stale atmosphere.
However, Yvette noticed a clear staircase leading down to the ground floor. She exchanged a glance with Matou Ike, nodded, and then they went down the stairs together.
In the darkness underground, the air was filled with a rich aroma of alcohol.
Yvette's nose tingled slightly from the aroma of the wine, and her mind went blank for a moment.
She took cautious steps forward, the stone steps beneath her feet were badly worn, slippery and uneven, making each step fraught with danger.
The stairs were unexpectedly long, and it seemed that as time went on, the sound of footsteps grew increasingly muffled.
Finally, the two arrived downstairs, and Matou Ike pushed open the heavy door first.
As soon as the door opened, Yvette rushed inside, assuming a stance ready to draw her sword at any moment, and surveyed her surroundings.
The room was empty. In the dim space, barrels of wine were piled up to one side, and several freshly opened bottles of wine were scattered on the ground.
Besides these, there was a bunch of seemingly randomly placed magic experiment equipment—a geometrically twisted metal scale, a silver pentagram, an alloy clock designed according to the seven planets, some specimens of obviously unnatural creatures, and some fuzzy dried matter…
It's immediately obvious that it's a magic experiment tool.
"...Could this be Hartres's workshop?"
Matou Ike murmured, and a flame appeared from his fingertips.
The sparks from the fingertips shot up dramatically in an instant, illuminating the complex shapes made of numerous sheets of paper and thin strings hanging on the wall deep in the space.
“Affinity diagram…” Matou Ike looked at the shape and murmured.
An "affinity diagram" is a diagram showing the relationships between different elements in a role, organization, or system. It typically illustrates the connections and interactions between the elements.
In the realm of magic, especially in modern magic, it is often used as a deconstruction of techniques.
Next to the amicable map was a parchment map.
In that composition depicting London at an angle, a colossal dragon, seemingly about to devour the entire planet, is about to dive deeper.
Even Yvette could understand that this was most likely a map depicting the Spirit Tomb of Albion.
"Tsk, was it intentional?" Matou Ike twitched the corner of his mouth.
"What do you mean by 'intentionally'?" Yvette asked, puzzled.
"The owner of this workshop should have had ample time to dispose of these things before we discovered them... This means he deliberately left them here. It's like saying, 'If you can solve it, then try.'"
If you can solve it, then give it a try.
But it also feels like once you untie it, you're finished.
However, since such a clear message was left behind, deciphering it shouldn't be too difficult.
Matouchi faces the friendly picture and takes out a notebook and pen from Yvette.
That action looked like something that was trying to be implanted into someone's brain.
Chapter 570 Hartres and the Boy (4k)
After a while, Matouike finally put down his pen and let out a low murmur.
This was the result of his long period of reading and repeated contemplation. As his pen flew across the paper, he gradually organized the vast amount of knowledge surging in his mind into a coherent whole.
"These are all the sealing techniques listed here..." he muttered to himself.
Matou Ike did not recognize this type of technique out of thin air, but rather benefited from her understanding of Aozaki Touko.
Aozaki Touko was once a sealed being, an identity that was both an unparalleled honor and a catastrophe.
The magic that seals the seals is often not something that can be learned through regular academic study; it carries some kind of unspeakable secret.
To preserve these powerful magic spells, the Mage's Association issues special orders to ensure their permanent preservation and prevent unauthorized access by outsiders.