The Innocent Mage's Spellbinding Nights - Chapter 44
In a voice tinged with regret, Noyad’s gaze drifted past Irina’s shoulder to an empty space, eyes recalling a distant past.
“I am from the San tribe, which is currently known to be extinct.”
“…The San tribe?”
Irina’s eyes widened. While others might not know, as the White Tower Master, she could not be ignorant of that tribe.
‘The representative tribe kidnapped as test subjects by the dark sorcerers!’
The inhabitants of the Latio continent believed that the dark sorcerers had only recently resumed their activities in the last two or three years, but Irina, the White Tower Master, along with the heads of other towers, former tower masters, and a few related individuals, knew the truth.
They had been committing atrocious acts for much longer.
‘That’s why the Yellow Tower closed its doors, and the San tribe was wiped out.’
Originally, there were five magic towers on this continent: the Red Tower in the south, the Blue Tower in the east, the White Tower in the west, the Black Tower in the north, and the Yellow Tower in the center.
However, about eighteen years ago, the Yellow Tower, used by the dark sorcerers, closed its doors, leaving the continent with effectively only four magic towers. The tragedy that occurred at the Yellow Tower was known only to former and current tower masters.
“I was fortunate and unfortunate enough to be away from the village at that time, thus escaping the disaster,” Noyad defined himself.
Although Irina had heard about the disaster that befell the San tribe from the former tower master, how could she possibly understand the feelings of the person involved with just that knowledge? Feeling a deep sense of guilt, Irina lowered her head slightly and remained silent.
“I believe you understand why I requested an oath.”
Being a survivor of an extinct tribe was a dangerous label, especially when the dark sorcerers were rampaging openly as they had in the past two years.
“…Yes.”
“Though it’s not a very reliable story now, a legend has been passed down that our tribe was created from earth and wind blessed by the gods.”
Every group had legends claiming they were special, only varying in symbols.
But the San tribe seemed truly special, as if they were born exactly as the legend described. Among them, many children with unique powers were born.
Thus, when examining their history, one could find that more than one hero-level individual emerged in each generation from among a handful of members.
“…Among them, many excelled in shamanism. Therefore, the shamans of our tribe learned and practiced a wide variety of shamanic techniques.”
Noyad’s hand, which had been slowly turning the pages of the book on the table, stopped at a certain page.
「On Gluttony」
“Gluttony…?”
“A monstrous being created by combining the highest grade flawless crystal with the blood and hearts of those who died of starvation. It was the result of someone’s obsession after losing their entire beloved family to an enemy long ago.”
“Due to its horrific method of creation and absurd power, it was a forbidden spell even within the tribe.”
The book also defined gluttony as the worst existence created by human intellect and emotions, combined with the transcendental energy of this world, warning of its dangers.
「The mouth of Gluttony is not singular. Depending on the shaman’s ability, the first shaman who used this spell reportedly created up to ten mouths.
The tentacles emerging from these mouths can absorb most sword energy and magic as if they were food. This is why many swordsmen and mages have died because of Gluttony.
…Due to its characteristic of devouring anything it touches, there are usually no traces left where Gluttony has descended. The only marks left might be the tracks of the prey being dragged away. Even these disappear over time, making it difficult to prove the existence of Gluttony with physical evidence.」
“Ah….”
Irina understood why Noyad thought Gluttony might have been used in this case.
The incident took place in the back alleys, where there was a high proportion of starving people, and no traces were left at the scene.
“Although flawless crystals are somewhat difficult to obtain, they are much easier to acquire than rare herbs or minerals.”
Moreover, although the book did not provide detailed descriptions, the materials needed to create the monster were relatively easy to obtain. If someone knew the spell, it was one of the most accessible and efficient methods for causing harm, so there was no reason to avoid using it.
“There is only one way to kill this monster, which is based on the hunger and resentment of starving humans. If you can unleash a force that exceeds the monster’s absorption capacity in an instant, those who thrive on greed will perish by it.”
“Exceed the absorption capacity? That means it’s almost impossible to kill unless you are an archmage or a swordmaster!”
Irina’s mouth slightly parted as she read through the contents.
Moreover, there was no guarantee that even a grand mage or sword master could kill it. If the shaman who created Gluttony was on the level of a grand mage, the monster would surely have enormous absorption capacity.
“If Gluttony is truly behind these recent disappearances, in my humble opinion, there is no one in the West who can handle that monster other than you, White Tower Master.”
Noyad spoke with a cautious tone.
Regrettably, Irina’s thoughts were similar. Hesed, known as the White Tower’s greatest talent, had excellent abilities in manipulating magic precisely and his combat sense was outstanding, but the amount of mana he could handle at once was less than hers.
‘Among the other tower masters, Sjord or Loretta wouldn’t be a good match for the monster either.’
