Chapter 179 - North Korean rabbit

Episode 179

From Gaspard's perspective, the breaking of the 'Watcher's Eye' seal was an unexpected stroke of luck.

The black serpent had been a useful enough pawn as an experimental subject, and had remained quite serviceable even after that.

He had made good use of it for all sorts of dirty and troublesome tasks.

Therefore, when he felt the binding spell he had placed within the Watcher's Eye sever after it disappeared to the north, Gaspard's feelings were simple.

'Seems it's dead. What a pity.'

Even though he had used it thoroughly, squeezing out every last drop of its usefulness.

If the person in question heard this, they would likely be furious, accusing him of having no conscience for treating them as an experimental subject and then, holding their life as collateral, using them like a slave thereafter.

But the moment the signal from the Watcher's Eye, which had been silent for over three years, revived...

From Gaspard's standpoint, it felt like recovering a forgotten treasure.

Wasn't he already in a difficult position, having lost four-fifths of his magical artifacts, experimental equipment, homunculi, and even spare bodies?

To him in such a state, the 'Watcher's Eye' could only be a most welcome and coveted prize.

The moment Gaspard felt the signal revive, he immediately reached out.

'Good. Shall I seize it right away?'

As he revived the connection to the black serpent's consciousness through the magic engraved on the artifact, Gaspard was surprised by an unexpected situation.

It was because of a woman he saw through the shared vision of the black serpent.

A woman with hair the color of cherry blossom petals, unsuited to the season, flowing down, glowing white.

'The Crown Princess!'

The very woman who had toyed with him using a single drop of the Crown Prince's blood and then struck him from behind.

Thanks to her, he had even lost four spare lives.

It was only right she pay the price for that.

He would also check how she had known about his spare bodies.

'And above all... she will serve as an effective hostage against the Crown Prince.'

Gaspard manipulated the black serpent's body to lunge toward Hilia. The moment he tried to seize her neck—

"You bastard!"

An interference came from the side.

*Kang—!*

A blade enveloped in aura charged toward him.

Aura and magical power collided, creating sparks.

An intense sound of tearing air struck all around.

Even in this desperate situation, Hilia was not frozen in shock and fear.

Pushed back by the shockwave, she rolled across the floor, then immediately raised her head and shouted.

"Lord Müzen! Be careful! That person is practically the Tower Lord himself now!"

"Hoh?"

Gaspard was surprised again.

Since he began manipulating the black serpent's body, the fighting method had completely changed.

If the black serpent's combat style was a mix of hidden weapons, poison, and some magic, Gaspard had no choice but to fight primarily with magic.

It would have been easier to understand if Aaron Müzen, who was now facing him, had realized it himself.

But a woman, who could be considered to have no combat power, noticed before Aaron did?

It made no sense.

'Unless she already knew I could manipulate the black serpent's body...'

This was not the first time he had such an absurd thought in front of this woman.

"Well, I can interrogate her at my leisure."

Gaspard changed his plan.

Originally, he intended to retrieve only the black serpent and the Watcher's Eye.

That alone would be a great help to him in his current state.

But he had to secure that woman, even if it meant overexerting himself.

This was an utterly rational judgment.

* * *

I noticed something was wrong right after the Duke of Teslan staggered slightly while trying to use the magical artifact on his left eye.

Because the look in his eyes was completely different from moments before.

The black serpent had been looking at me with blatant wariness and anxiety. That much was a very ordinary reaction.

But there are few who, just by meeting their gaze, give a chilling sensation that makes all the hairs on your body stand on end.

Only one.

Tower Lord Gaspard.

And I also knew that Gaspard could manipulate the black serpent.

'I'm done for!'

It's a real blessing I brought Aaron along.

If not Aaron, a Sword Master, only Arpad could face Gaspard.

As aura and magic flew about, the Magical Tower became a chaotic mess in an instant.

I rolled across the floor like a plastic bag tumbling in the wind.

That's when it happened.

One object came into my view.

'That's...!'

The eyepatch that had been covering the black serpent's left eye earlier.

'The moment that was removed, the black serpent began to be controlled by the Tower Lord.'

If so, the item I was looking for was highly likely to be inside that.

I threw myself forward without sparing my body.

It was dangerous amidst the aura and magical projectiles flying *whoosh-whoosh* and shattering walls, but there was no choice.

'Protective magical artifact, I'm counting on you!'

More than that, obtaining the final divine relic was crucial.

After rolling like a stone, I finally managed to get the eyepatch in my hand.

Perhaps from overexerting my muscles a bit too much, my lower abdomen stung and ached, but I had no energy to spare for it now.

I took out my protective dagger, cut the eyepatch, shoved my finger into the split seam, and rummaged around frantically.

I felt something hard touch my fingertip. A familiar yet alien sensation of divine power. I pulled it out.

*Click!* With a light sound, an elongated crystal fell.

'Lemmeneia's Needle!'

It was the gem, the divine relic of Lemmeneia, the youngest of the five sister goddesses who created the <Book of Fate>, the goddess of memory and oblivion.

An elongated crystal with clearly visible color gradations from yellow to deep orange.

The moment it touched my hand, it emitted a dazzling light.

Simultaneously, the other goddess's divine relics I possessed also began to emit light.

And.

*Hum—, huum—!*

The resonance began again.

Unlike at the temple site, it was larger, enveloping the surroundings with a rich melody and wavelength.

The warmth emitted by the five lights filled my entire body.

I could feel power overflowing throughout my body.

I confidently rose to my feet. It was completely different from when I was rolling on the floor just moments ago from the aftermath of the clash of powers.

Centered on me, a dazzling light of five colors shone brilliantly along with a strange resonant sound.

As I stretched out my hand, the <Book of Fate> revealed itself in the air.

The light flowing from the five goddesses' divine relics (gems) gathered into the Book of Fate.

When the Book of Fate resonated with four divine relics, it had changed from an old book to a new one.

Now, with all five divine relics assembled, it was clear the Book of Fate would regain even greater power than before.

Beyond all its components changing to be like new, it transformed into a form of pure light.

Soon, the light overflowed like a tidal wave, swallowing not only me but also the black serpent and Aaron.

"—!!!"

* * *

"Kuh-hack!"

A blue fluid gushed violently from Gaspard's mouth.

A situation equivalent to coughing up blood for a normal person.

Bent over, he continued to vomit the blue liquid onto the floor for a long while.

And only after a long time did he barely raise his head.

"...My, if I had been a little later, I would have truly died."

Gaspard currently had no spare body.

Having lost the Magical Tower's infrastructure, the places where he stored his other four spare bodies were also all destroyed.

Even for him, creating a new body in such a situation was impossible.

Gaspard marveled anew.

'Is that the power the true master of fate possesses after obtaining all the divine relics?'

It was tremendous, to the point of being terrifying.

Although divine power and magical power originally repelled each other, just the aftermath of the light created by the awakening of the Book of Fate severed Gaspard's connection with the black serpent.

All of Gaspard's binding spells remaining within the black serpent's body had been burned away.

Thanks to that, Gaspard immediately lost the useful pawn he had been so glad to recover.

But that regret was not in Gaspard's mind now.

The corners of the man's mouth curled upward. His eyes were filled with ecstasy.

He approached a large glass tank in the corner of his hideout.

Inside, a red, amorphous life form was squirming.

It had a shape that seemed a mix of human and lizard, with divine power and magical power shining and chaotically swirling inside.

The last remaining homunculus, and the one closest to his ideal among those he had created.

But this, too, was incomplete.

It had absorbed divine power from within Evangeline's body and was supplemented with Arpad's blood, obtained with great difficulty, but it was not enough.

'Completion rate is roughly 50%...'

For him, hunted and having lost the Magical Tower, the path to completing this was distant.

That would have been the case, had he not learned the fact he confirmed through the black serpent just moments before.

The moment the connection was severed, struck by the powerful divine power of the <Book of Fate>.

He saw it clearly. The 'Watcher's Eye' is a magical artifact that can see through a target as if dissecting it.

Amidst the tidal wave of divine power overflowing from that woman...

A small but distinct, alien crystal of magical power.

Even the experimental subject before him dared not compare to it.

Unlike this unstable thing, patched together with all sorts of deficiencies.

The 'thing' he so desperately desired was within that woman.

"I must obtain it."

With a maddened desire, Gaspard's eyes flashed.

* * *

"Haa..."

It seemed I could barely return to the imperial palace before evening.

I was so fatigued it felt like my whole body would melt.

'When I get back to my room, I'll set everything aside and sleep a little.'

This thought of mine shattered to pieces the moment I stopped by the Ducal House of Delphin.

"You're late."

Because Arpad, who should have been at the imperial palace now, was waiting for me at Delphin.