[V10C3] The Peace Brought Through Sacrifice
Translated by Jodas 10: A Job for a Con ManThe Wedge Tower was an Ancient Magical Artifact. That shocking revelation shook Hütter to his core, but the mages assembled in the room seemed unfazed by it.
(Huh? I’m the only one who’s this surprised?)
Hütter stole a glance at the face of Otto, who was seated next to him. Otto was frozen stiff with his eyes wide open. He was stunned. Thank goodness. He wasn’t the only one who was surprised by this.
(…Judging by these reactions, something must have happened while I was away that made it obvious that the Wedge Tower was an Ancient Magical Artifact, I guess.)
…With that in mind, a thought struck Hütter out of the blue.
It sounded like the Wedge Tower was an Ancient Magical Artifact for the purpose of making a wall through which Monsters could not pass. And now the Wedge Tower, that very artifact, was under the control of the Monsters.
This was getting pretty bad, wasn’t it? Hütter fearfully spoke up.
“Um… If that’s the case, then what happened to the Western Wall?”
“In exchange for her life, Director Linke used the Ancient Magical Artifact ‘Despina, the Chain of Fools’ to seal the controls for part of ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’s functions.”
So, for the time being, the functions of ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’ that produced the wall were sealed with the wall intact.
Hütter didn’t know the slightest thing about how Ancient Magical Devices functioned, but they said it would last at least three days.
To be more exact, counting today as the first day, their time limit would be somewhere around midnight on the third day.
(…How are we supposed to deal with that? There’s nowhere near enough time to call for backup!)
As Hütter secretly calculated the time it would take, Tia spoke up softly.
“Who’s the contractor?”
Everyone’s gazes focused on Tia.
Tia’s amber eyes stared straight at Abel as she asked:
“Ancient Magical Artifacts have to have a contractor, right? Where’s the contractor for ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower?’”
Now that she said it, it clicked in Hütter’s mind.
(Headmaster Möbius has ‘Ignatius, the Severer,’ so… It has to be Assistant Headmaster Miriam or someone like that, right?)
Miriam used to be contracted to ‘Despina, the Chain of Fools,’ but he’d heard that she handed that off to Library Office Director Linke around the time she became Assistant Headmaster.
Furthermore, unlike Möbius who often went out on long expeditions, Miriam almost always stayed back at the Wedge Tower.
Therefore, Hütter concluded that Miriam had to be ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’s contractor.
However, Abel’s answer was something he’d never envisioned.
“The contractor to ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’ is a girl by the name of Fiene. As we speak, Fiene has fallen into the hands of the Monsters.”
Fiene. Hütter could tell that Tia’s entire body shook the moment she heard that name.
It looked almost like a wild animal when it was overcome with a strong emotion and did that thing where all the fur on its body sprung up into a big fuzzy ball.
Without missing a beat, Sevil spoke up.
“I see. I finally understand… why you had been so desperate to hide that the Wedge Tower was an Ancient Magical Artifact.”
(Huh? Really? Why? Tell me!)
…So Hütter thought, but he did his best to put on a face of total comprehension as he awaited Sevil’s next words.
Sevil folded her arms and leaned back on the chair as she talked.
“The contractor to ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’ is, in effect, a sacrifice, is she not? The contractor’s freedom is severely restricted, and it’s likely that…”
“It’s just as you image. ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’ is an Ancient Magical Device that saps its contractor’s lifespan. All of its contractors are short-lived… They lose their lives before even reaching adulthood.”
This time, Abel’s words sent the room into a frenzy.
It was clear that the others hadn’t been informed of this part of the truth yet.
“What’s the meaning of this, Abel!? Why did you keep quiet about this?!”
Standing up from her seat and raising her voice was Alto, Spiremaster of the Third Spire: Water Bubble.
Spiremaster Lowein of the Second Spire: Golden Needle glared at Abel with a similarly tense expression.
Alto was a user of choral magic. Thanks to that, she was able to project her irate shouting from the depths of her stomach with significant force.
And, despite his advanced age, Lowein was one of the most decorated swordsmen in the Wedge Tower’s history.
Yet, Abel showed no signs of backing down when faced by the two of them, and only continued to speak softly.
“Before we continue, I would like everyone to be aware that neither Spiremaster Lowein nor Spiremaster Alto know anything about the Ancient Magical Artifact ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower.’”
Spiremaster Alto slammed her palm on the table.
“And why didn’t you tell us!? Lowein and I are Spiremasters just like you, aren’t we!?”
“Ordinarily, it is because this is a fact that only the Headmaster and Assistant Headmaster are privy to. It is not because of my position as Spiremaster that I came to know this information.”
As if saying a simple matter of fact, her voice was gentle and calm. Yet somewhere deep inside, Hütter could feel something else.
He could sense two emotions existing in contradiction: self-aggrandizing pride, and self-loathing guilt.
“The only reason I am aware of this truth is because I have been responsible for the care of various contractors from a young age.”
Abel was the youngest among the three Spiremasters, but she had been at the Wedge Tower the longest.
(…Since when, exactly?)
The contractors were all short-lived, losing their lives before reaching adulthood. In that case, Abel must have seen and supported countless young girls just like that as they went to their deaths in the name of ‘peace.’
“Certain Ancient Magical Artifacts have very stringent preferences for their contractors. ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’ is an extreme example of that — it will only accept newborn girls that it can be convinced are its own daughters.”
Suddenly, a clear sense of disgust washed over the room.
Each and every one of them found the idea of offering up newborn babies as sacrifices was repulsive.
And yet…
“It is only thanks to the contractors’ collective sacrifices that we have been able to maintain the peace.”
Abel’s words were heavy and deep, piercing the hearts of all who heard them. Abel’s voice questioned them: ‘Do you think that you, who have enjoyed the Wall’s protection for so long, think you have the right to criticize us?’ Assaulted by feelings of guilt, everyone fell silent. As they did, one person spoke without fear.
“Then why have you hidden this fact? Allow me to take a guess.”
With the poise and arrogance one would expect of the Emperor’s sister, Sevil declared:
“The reason you concealed the truth is because you doubted it yourself. Because you knew people would never agree with your methods. Tell us honestly! Tell us that you were afraid of people talking behind your back!”
With sharp eyes that reminded him of an unsheathed blade, she glared at Abel with a force that felt like it could cut her in two.
Abel closed her eyes, then spoke quietly.
“…I will not deny that. There would certainly be those who condemn us if they knew what we had done.”
“You should never have concealed the existence of Monsters, nor the powers of ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower.’ The whole Empire should have been given the chance to consider an alternative plan.”
Abel lifted her eyelids open and gazed at Sevil.
The skin of her face maintained a gentle smile, but lying behind those old, tired eyelids was a stalwart obstinance.
“Was it not your incapable father and ancestors who had failed to do exactly that?”
Hütter’s heart trembled at her retort.
(Sheesh… What a brutal comeback, and to the Imperial Princess of all people! Scary! This granny’s scary!)
Amidst this chilly atmosphere, someone spoke Abel’s name with a trembling voice.
It was Spiremaster Alto, who had been shouting indignantly at Abel only moments earlier.
“Abel… There’s something I just remembered.”
She usually had no issue speaking her mind, yet she now looked like she was about to throw up as she stared at Abel.
“A long time ago, thirty years ago or so… You had a pregnancy, didn’t you? You never told us who the father was, and you told us it had ended up in a stillbirth… It can’t be…”
Abel was smiling. As Gently as always. With a face that accepted anything and everything.
“‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’ prefers baby girls who are blessed with large mana reserves. In that case, children from families of mages are ideal…”
It wasn’t like you could just find a baby with such mana reserves conveniently lying around somewhere.
With that in mind, the Spiremaster at the time had a thought: Why not just have mages from prominent families give birth to children of their own?
(Spiremaster Abel came from a family of mages, didn’t she…)
“My family had offered me up for precisely that purpose. To the Spiremaster at the time.”
As a caretaker for the contractor to ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower.’
And, when that contractor neared her end, as a means of preparing the next contractor.
(…I think I’m gonna throw up.)
From a very young age, she had conversed with these girls who were destined to be sacrificed. She was forced to bear a child, and then watch that child be torn from her to be used as yet another sacrifice.
…All the while, telling herself that it was all in the name of humanity’s peace.
All of those girls who’d been chosen as contractors to ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower,’ as well as Abel herself, were all casualties in the name of this peace.
And yet, there was one thing Hütter had to say. The continuation to this cruel tale that brings it from the past all the way to the present.
(Spiremaster Abel gave birth around thirty years ago. Since the contractors to ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’ can’t reach adulthood, then no matter how you look at it, Spiremaster Abel’s daughter is no longer alive.)
In all likelihood, this Fiene girl must have become ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’s contractor following the death of Spiremaster Abel’s daughter.
So, who exactly was this Fiene?
“Spiremaster Abel. Will you allow me to ask a question?”
“What is it, Instructor Hütter?”
“The current contractor to ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower,’ Miss Fiene… Would she happen to be thirteen years old?”
Abel hadn’t said much about Fiene, the current contractor.
Yet, once he considered that Abel had treated her own child as a stillbirth, it clicked. Hütter had heard a story just like that before.
Thirteen years ago, just as the Monsters’ large-scale attack was occurring, there was another stillborn child.
“Could this Miss Fiene perhaps…”
Hütter cast a glance at Otto out of the side of his eye. He was shaking, with his mouth hanging half-open.
Feeling a bitter taste at the back of his tongue, Hütter slowly continued.
“…Could she be Otto’s daughter?”
The whole meeting hall froze.
Abel’s response was cruel, and yet gentle.
“That is correct.”