Magician in Type-Moon

Page 650

The path of a magician is inherently a thorny one that tramples on the flesh and distorts the soul.

Let alone the Golden Princess and the Silver Princess?

The "ultimate beauty" they represent cannot be naturally embodied by ordinary flesh and blood.

Their very existence is the ultimate embodiment of the "path of beauty" of Balyeleta, a "miracle" that can only be born after countless forbidden experiments, countless reconstructions of flesh and blood, and countless meticulous sculptings at the level of the soul.

Behind this "miracle" lies a continuous and profound suffering that is unimaginable and even incomprehensible to ordinary people.

That pain may have transcended the physical realm, penetrating to the very essence of their souls, becoming a part of their very existence, as inescapable as breathing.

Bai Longqing's "cherishing" might be genuine.

But what he cherishes is the final, perfect "work," not the "iron blank" that was repeatedly burned, hammered, and almost shattered during the forging process.

This "cherishing" is not contradictory to inflicting pain itself; in fact, they may be two sides of the same coin.

Given such exquisite skill, any magician would understand the immense pain they would have to endure as a price.

Matou Ike listened in silence.

Indeed, as she said.

Since such an astonishing and almost miraculous level of "completion" has been achieved, no matter how inhuman the suffering endured in the process, most magicians would consider it worthwhile, or even an inevitable price to pay.

All glory and splendor are inevitably built upon countless sacrifices and cruelty.

The Izeruma family is undoubtedly one of the most extreme practitioners of this law.

The Magicians family itself is a cold machine driven by the principle of "getting the greatest results at the lowest cost".

Individual suffering is insignificant compared to the grand goals of a family.

however--

An individual may not willingly sacrifice themselves for the sake of their family's policies, especially when that individual possesses sufficient wisdom, strength, and insight into their own destiny.

As if seeing through the cold law that swept through Matou Ike's heart, the information flow from the Golden Princess Tiades arrived again, her tone suddenly becoming extremely clear and firm, even carrying a cold-blooded resolve belonging to a true magician:

"—Please don't misunderstand." In her heterochromatic eyes, the divine indifference faded slightly, revealing an almost sharp rational light. "We are also magicians. From the moment we were 'created,' we were prepared to dedicate this body to the pursuit of the ultimate 'beauty' and to the glory of Izeruma and Balyeleta."

This awareness was not feigned. Matou Ike could sense from her calm and even flow of information a deep-seated, soul-deep acceptance of the essence of a magician. Pain and sacrifice, for them, were perhaps a destiny they had long accepted.

However, her next sentence completely reversed this fatalistic view:

"However, Father's approach... is inefficient given the current situation—"

She paused slightly, as if searching for the most precise word, before making a more ruthless correction: "No, it's that Father's approach has 'passed' the stage of being efficient."

Inefficient! We've passed the efficient stage!

These two evaluations, spoken by a seemingly perfect "work" that has been "created," point to its "creator" and controller, and are filled with an astonishing subversion and...cold correctness!

“Then,” the Golden Princess’s message flowed with an undeniable logical force, “I believe we have an obligation to ‘defend ourselves.’”

What she said was extremely rare, but not unheard of.

When a study of magic or a family tradition reaches a certain critical point, previously held methodologies may suddenly become completely useless or even harmful.

The old path cannot lead to new heights; forcibly continuing it will only lead to collapse or alienation.

Matou Ike had also heard that some magic families that had stood the test of time for hundreds of years had failed precisely because they misjudged this "opportunity" and stubbornly clung to the old ways, ultimately leading to the collapse and complete extinction of the entire family's magic foundation.

This is a deeper crisis, originating from the "Tao".

“In other words,” Matou Ike’s voice deepened, his eyes sharp as knives.

"The spell that Lord Byron is currently performing... is dangerous enough to threaten your very existence, to the point that you must 'defend yourselves'—and he refuses to listen to your opinions?"

He accurately summarized the core contradiction.

"Yes."

Tiadera gave a clear affirmation. Those two simple words contained so many ignored warnings, so much ineffective communication, and ultimately, a chilling despair.

Then, she delivered the final and heaviest verdict:

"If things continue as they are..."

Her information flow was chillingly steady, as if stating a pre-calculated, immutable physical law: "The Silver Princess and I... one of us will die sooner or later."

It is not failure, not regression, but death.

This is no longer a debate about pain or efficiency, but points directly to the end of existence. Byron's approach, which had already "passed the stage of efficiency," ultimately led to such a cruel binary choice.

This is undoubtedly the greatest irony and tragedy for the twin princesses, who are regarded as the family's most precious treasure and symbolize the ultimate in "beauty".

If one were to commit the blasphemous act of classifying abstract concepts such as "art" or "beauty" into hierarchical categories.

The Golden Princess Tiadera and the unseen Silver Princess Estella undoubtedly reign supreme at the pinnacle of both imagination and reality.

Their existence is worlds apart from any "work" after second place—an overwhelming, almost dimensional gap.

There's a saying, "a loss to humanity," but if anyone knew the truth at this moment, countless people would probably say without hesitation—it would be more "worth it" to let the British Museum, the Louvre, and even all the world's art treasures turn to dust than to lose them. Their value transcends worldly standards.

Matouchi gazed silently at this "moving, living, and collapsing treasure."

He spoke up, proposing what seemed to be the most logical solution:

“But shouldn’t this case… be appealed to Lord Baruyeleta first?” He pointed out the potential, authoritative path that might bypass Lord Byron.

The Golden Princess's message arrived immediately, its calmness bordering on cruelty:

“Lady Inolei…is indeed very ‘gentle’,” she used the word, but stripped away all warmth.

"But first and foremost, she is the leader of the creative magicians." Her analysis is as precise as a scalpel.

“Since Father, as the head of the Izeruma family, has achieved enough ‘merits’ on the path of ‘beauty’ to satisfy her, she will not hesitate to overturn this fact in order to lend us a helping hand.”

As she said.

In the Clock Tower, in the world of magicians, personal morality or emotions are powerless in the face of a magician's stance and the "correctness" of their family.

A person who insists on prioritizing "humanity" over the correctness of magic can never become a monarch, leading countless madmen who pursue the origin.

Similarly, a monarch would never easily allow others to deprive a meritorious subordinate who is producing "results" of their "property" and "research rights." Maintaining this cold, efficient production system is far more important than the comfort of one or two "masterpieces."

“However,” the Golden Princess abruptly changed the subject, her heterochromatic eyes locking onto Matou Ike once more, “you belong to the ‘third party’.”

She imbued the word with special weight, “as long as it is considered 'profitable',”

She used this blatantly transactional term without any hesitation: "They would disregard the intentions of my father and Lord Balyeleta and proceed with their actions—"

She paused slightly, her words revealing an absolute, self-assured confidence: "I believe...we possess that level of value."

Matou Ike did not refute, but slowly nodded, completely agreeing with Tiadera's analysis.

Her judgment was frighteningly accurate. Indeed, even those who are not magicians, as long as they possess desires, would crave them—whether as collectibles, research subjects, or symbols of power.

For magicians, especially those who pursue "creation" and "origins," they themselves are living holy grails, the treasures of creative science, containing immeasurable knowledge and possibilities.

This value is enough to tempt any capable "third party" to take the risk.

However, Matouike's rationality immediately began to outline the reality that would inevitably follow receiving this "generous gift":

“In that case,” his voice carried a cold frankness, “we will inevitably ‘investigate’ your bodies in the end.”

He used the mild term "investigation," but what it represents may be a more thorough and ruthless analysis, experimentation, and exploitation than that of the Izeruma family.

“I really can’t say something like the hypocritical consolation that you will have an ‘easier’ time here than you will stay here.”

What awaits them is likely just a transfer from a sophisticated cage to a laboratory where research methods may be more direct and ruthless. An easy life? Absolutely not.

Princess Tiadea's reaction to this unvarnished and cruel prophecy showed that she had already given it much thought and accepted all the worst possible consequences.

Her information flow remained unwavering, instead conveying a resolute determination:

"...However, it should be possible to make a 'deal'."

Chapter 675 Backdoor (4k)

transaction.

This word, like a cold diamond, cuts through all false promises and useless sympathy, pointing directly to the core exchange of interests. She wasn't begging for protection; she was proposing a deal.

For example, conditions could probably be attached. Her information stream continued, providing a precise analogy, like terrorists exchanging information for legal fees.

She sees herself and her sister as “collaborators” with significant leverage, rather than simply “fugitives.”

They can offer the core secrets of Izeruma and Balyeleta, research data on the path to "beauty," and even the mysteries inherent in their own bodies as a "price."

In exchange for the protection of the Matouchi forces, and... to gain as much of a bottom line and initiative as possible during the inevitable "investigation".

This was not an emotional plea for help, but a rational game. She was keenly aware of her own value and coldly accepted her fate of being used, but demanded that in this exploitation, she obtain the "transaction" qualification to survive.

In Matou Ike's deep eyes, the cold star map began to spin rapidly once more. Assessing risks, calculating benefits, weighing the cost of antagonizing Balyeretta and even parts of the Clock Tower against the immense potential gains from acquiring these "treasures" and the knowledge behind them…

"……I see."

After a moment, he nodded slowly and very slightly.

"I said I would do my best to help."

Matou Ike's voice rang out steadily, repeating the promise he had made earlier, but the temperature in his tone was colder than the moonlight.

There was no sign of him being blinded by "beauty" or "transaction" in his deep eyes, only a cold, calculating look.

He was well aware that, in the face of a behemoth like Baluyeleta and the secrets of its core branch, any carelessness, any substantial weakness that the other side could seize, could lead to instantaneous and utter destruction.

The Inolei monarch's "generous" promise to "do me a favor" now sounds more like a sweet trap.

“But since that’s the case,” he changed his tone, his voice gentle yet undeniably resolute, like a steel blade hidden beneath ice.

“Not only you, but I also need to speak with the Silver Princess—Miss Estella herself.”

He put forward a reasonable and crucial condition. The twin princesses were bound by fate, and any plan must be fully agreed upon by both parties, otherwise, there would be endless troubles.

He further clarified his position, placing this potential "deal" within a larger context: "We also value the 'order' of the magic world."

He imbued the word with heavy weight: "We are indeed different from the faction to which Barjerreta belongs, and may even be in competition with it."

He readily acknowledged the differences, "but precisely because of this," he emphasized, highlighting the core principles.

“We will not take any reckless actions that could trigger a ‘full-scale conflict’ with a monarch of the Clock Tower and his important branches.”

His rejection was clear and unambiguous: the benefits were great, but they had to be kept under control, and all risks had to be assessed, especially the attitude of the Silver Princess and the potential consequences of a full-scale war.