SWNOVELXO Chapter 257. α (6)
The war is over.
An even-numbered year has come.
If you had to pick a major event that happened around this time, indeed, it’s the end of the war.
– Wait, the end of the war?
It might sound sudden, but the main character of this story didn’t earn the title of “War God” for nothing.
– Are you saying we really won? Did all those pale-skinned ones just… die?
– Yes, indeed. Grandpa.
– Oh my.
– Let’s return to Hometown Upper Levels…. You don’t have to dip your body in this cold water anymore.
With blue blood.
A young graduate of the nurturing facility.
This young Alphauri was developing a spell to quickly end the bothersome war.
It was a magic that pulled things out, like the way he usually used telekinesis.
Let’s reiterate: the Beta Species had lived in a harsh environment on a satellite.
Thus, their bodies were overall optimized to survive even in areas with scarce mana.
– The hero from the depths of that distant star has finally defeated the troops of that vile satellite. We won!
– Amazing! Incredible!
Even a small amount of mana was enough to circulate throughout their whole body.
The Beta Species had extremely delicate mana pathways developed like a spider’s web.
But what happens when you suddenly take away all their fuel?
Unlike the Alphauri, the Beta Species couldn’t handle the shock of having their mana completely drained to zero.
There had to always be mana flowing through their thin pathways.
With them hollow and only pressure applied, their pathways would soon tear and twist.
– By the way, how did Mage Nari manage to kill all those germs?
– I heard it in the village. It was said that…
– Whoa!
– She developed an incredible spell that burned away the mana inside the Beta Species. So the enemies couldn’t even make a sound and all fell down!
It was something devised by a Deep Sea Person from the middle age.
This was none other than the basis for “Mana Burn”.
He had, as a minor, laid the groundwork for a spell that would be used for ages to come.
– ◎◎◎◎◎! (Aaaah!)
At this moment, it was framed with a wide range.
And the spell was set up only under the premise of stealing mana from many beings.
But anyway.
The young green mage directly experimented with the spell he had conceived on the battlefield.
And when, as expected, it was validated that this was extremely effective against the Beta Species…
– Charge, charge!
He announced the Mana Burn to the world.
From the start language to the tiniest particle of the deployment phrase.
It was originally intended for that purpose.
In a kind manner, he completed this satellite species-killing magic through dozens of simplifications, making it easy enough for even completely inexperienced mages to understand.
Now they wouldn’t have to rely on a genius to handle battlefield situations.
– With this magic created by the war hero, we can swiftly crush those tough bugs!
Efforts never betray anyone, anywhere in the universe.
723161.
11619.
81.
The enemies dwindled thanks to the efforts of the entire army.
0.
And soon, the rude invaders fled the vast ocean planet in an instant.
This means they faced a dreadful death as their souls tore from their bodies.
Of course, it seems some Beta Species remained back on their hometown.
– Those who couldn’t properly handle mana or the old and weak who wouldn’t be helpful in a fight couldn’t endure the spatial transfer and were left behind on the satellite.
– The weak and the elderly, huh?
– From our perspective, they are practically a group destined for extinction.
– They’re not soldiers, after all.
– Ugh~ How can you even hit what you can’t see? My eyes are so blurry I can barely tell where the hell that satellite is, let alone retake the mainland!
– By the way, you’ve earned the title of war hero, so shouldn’t you at least maintain some decorum?
– Huh?
– I mean, your language—
– …
– Nevermind. That was unintentional. Just gather your mana, will you?
The Alphauri decided not to hunt down those weaklings individually.
More accurately, they still had no way to interfere with the Beta Species.
As someone once said, for marine beings that primarily used sound waves, the silence of outer space was fatal.
Moreover, their satellite was a land where resource depletion had already progressed significantly. There was no place for people to live anyway.
The intellectuals of Alphauri estimated the probability of the Beta Species left on the mainland exterminating themselves at about 95%.
Thus, the nation officially declared.
– War’s over, war’s over!
It was truly an infinitely perfect victory.
[Day 1 of the Victory Ceremony]
In the major residential area of the middle layer of the ocean.
The brightly shining upper levels.
And the ice layers the size of continents, among others.
Now that they had reclaimed the home of the Alphauri, there was no need to devote themselves to confrontational research.
– Freedom!
– Ah, what a struggle.
– …That fellow is truly a genius. He made the technology to end the Great War.
But at that moment.
The participants of the Mana Burn research on the whale raised some worries.
Mainly about the young one who had led them.
– With such a strong mage coming from the lowly deep-sea layer, would the leaders leave him be even after the war’s end?
– Hmm.
– Now that there are no battlefields needing that mage.
– Certainly.
– We participated in developing Mana Burn, but since we poured out all the information as-is, what danger could there be…?
But the scholar himself had no worries at all.
– Everyone, stop your nonsense and grab the whale saddle tightly.
Even in a pack of wolves, there’s always a leader. Surely there can’t be no ruler in such an advanced civilization.
In the country of the eastern sea he belonged to, there was a supreme leader comparable to a king.
Thus, the war hero was summoned by the leader and arrived at the vast victory ceremony.
At this time, he boldly demanded more than anyone else at the ceremony.
With how much he contributed to solving this incident.
– Additional to that, I should receive about three treasures from the leader.
– Gasp!
– Goodness.
Surely, not getting some astonishing treasures that could make your heart leap out seems a bad deal.
Even though the war brought out information related to magic, some noble families still had power, and citizens were still afraid of the power class.
But.
The green Deep Sea Person didn’t care about that stuff.
At that time, he was too powerful to bother with the difficulties of bowing down to others.
– Honestly, don’t I deserve at least that much reward? I often heard tales of incredible magic books hidden in the leader’s treasure from when I was young.
– …
– So just let me read it for a moment. I don’t need gold or weapons; I just need the books.
Not even fazed in front of the white monsters that crossed space.
Now, begging the royal family for the treasures?
– ‘Was the author truly insane?’
It was then that everyone began to think this way.
Despite the quietly flowing atmosphere of fear. The ruler of the sea planet spoke gently.
– Let it be done.
For pure-blood aristocrats who ruled for thousands of years, Deep Sea Persons were almost like untouchables.
Yet, to hand over the king’s personal magic book to such a lower class?
From the perspective of the nobles, this was like abruptly giving a position to a lowly butcher.
– What did you say?
– That can’t be!
– To open the treasure where the magic book is hidden to such a creature!
– You know how dangerous the magic can be sleeping there!
The ruling class that survived the Great War reacted with thunderous resistance.
But the king remained silent, and the young green one made a threat.
– Hey, you guys. If you keep chattering uselessly, I might just read the magic book and burn it afterward.
– What!
– B-burning it? How dare you use such a word!
– Don’t provoke my patience. Besides, who’s talking about taking the whole treasure? I’m just going to study quietly. And once my curiosity is satisfied, I’ll return the books to their place, alright?
– Shut up! How dare you, a lowly one…
– Huh? Not listening? Then shall I sweep you out like the Beta Species instead?
Kaboom.
The Senate fell silent.
The arrogant mage, right before the nation’s ruler, threatened without hesitation.
And the king of the nation quietly sat on his throne, as if supporting every action of that mage.
– If the rewards for the soldier who fiercely protected the planet seem so insufficient, then just die! You low-intelligence beings! I too find the gas contained in your bladders quite a waste!
The atmosphere crackled with a fierce pressure. The sheer force of a man’s massive magic power.
– Besides, I have patriotism too. How can you think I’d just abandon my country to escape after only looking at books? I keep my loyalty and will continue living in this nation. So, in return, give me knowledge!
Soon after, all the citizens watching this scene thought:
Maybe this was a natural phenomenon.
For generations, the rulers of this planet maintained their system by monopolizing mysterious phenomena.
Now, magic was no longer the exclusive domain of the elite.
Before their eyes stood an overwhelmingly talented mage, almost akin to a god.
So what could the simple rulers, who had kept the crowd subdued by force, do in this change of perspective?
They were just treated the same way they had dealt with others all along.
As was said earlier, a genius like that could very well harm the authorities of this victory ceremony and brazenly live in the next country.
This vast ocean planet wasn’t solely home to their nation.
– ‘Even so, I thought a top ruler would try to intervene some way. But I guess having reached that position, he’s got some sense after all.’
The war hero smiled confidently.
Most of the leading class at this victory ceremony were those who had survived the fight against the Beta Species.
Yet, even among those mages, no one dared to step up against the monster in front of them.
Soon, the suffocating atmosphere filled the room.
After a moment, their reply came back.
– …We agree.
– To the warrior of reversal… the keys to the treasure.
– That’s not a bad trade.
– Shameful, but.
– For the sake of peace…
– We all agree with the hero’s wish.
The green youth got the rewards he wished for.
And for six months, he obtained knowledge from the treasures granted to him.
Six full months to completely digest all of it.
After a year of quiet living akin to house arrest.
Finally, standing before the exit of the third treasure, he encountered a fellow countryman he had never seen before…
*
[Alphauri. Academic Hall]
Academic Hall.
Originally, this place functioned as a type of power maintenance device in ancient times.
The heads of the ruling class used to gather here, tightly managing knowledge to prevent its leak outside.
But after the Great War with the Beta Species.
The atmosphere here had drastically changed.
Throughout the establishment of the nurturing facility, most of the fundamentals of magic studies were leaked out.
During the early stages of planetary defense, the only ones with the technical means to handle magic (the nobles) had fallen one after another.
Eventually, the only pure-blood ruling class left was a handful.
This minority could hardly manage the normal operation of the institution.
Thus, the Academic Hall greeted the era of peace with a determination to sincerely engage in academic research and threw open its rusted doors.
Regardless of background. Now, any competent mage in the country could become one of them.
– Hero of the Great War!
And when one talks about “competence” in this era, it’s impossible not to mention that individual.
– I am genuinely delighted to have the honor of receiving a guest like you.
– Huh?
– I’ve been waiting for your exit. I am a messenger from the Academic Hall in the middle layer. May I have a moment of your time?
Of course, the list of invitees selected by the Academic Hall included the name of the hero who led the Great War to victory.
However, since this individual had been holed up in the king’s treasure, he had met the scholar’s envoy slightly late.
– Academic Hall?
But then, an awkward atmosphere suddenly flowed.
– Yes, yes. To be more precise, I come from the newly restored Academic Hall from last year…
Swish.
A slender Alphauri suddenly stretches its neck out like a snail, scrutinizing something.
What it held in its tentacle was a slate material depicting the face.
But after checking a few times, the content remained unchanged.
[⊙୨]
On the slate received from the Academic Hall, it was clearly written that the century’s genius had resilient skin, long arms, and one red eye.
– …
The man in front has three eyes…
– I’m sorry, but are you really the war hero?
To be precise, what functioned like eyes were the distinctive sensory orbs of the Alphauri, which had two newly appeared near its gelatinous body.
But anyway, that’s not what matters right now.
Ding!
The messenger from the Academic Hall tilted his long neck sideways.
However, the green mage who had just emerged from the treasure continued the conversation as if he had anticipated it.
– Calm down. I’m eleven this year. It’s normal for my appearance to change in a year.
– Gasp!
– You didn’t know my age?
– Eleven?!
– Besides, being a Deep Sea type, I’ll probably keep growing steadily.
Soon, calm voices echoed through the seabed.