The request for a meeting sent to Wald was finally approved.
Even though Noelle had still looked like her usual unreliable, deadbeat self when Esper entrusted her with delivering the request, it did involve something serious, so Esper had no intention of questioning Noelle's efficiency.
In other words, Wald was indeed extremely busy, and it had taken quite some time for him to squeeze out a moment to meet with the Hero.
“After all, Teacher is busy with mental work. There's no need to be surprised if you see him multitasking several things at once after entering his office.”
Noelle's earnest advice still rang in her ears, but she had failed to mention a few noteworthy details.
For instance, why the corridor on the top floor of the Mage Tower was exceptionally long.
Esper stepped on the dark gray stone tiles. Her footsteps were completely absorbed by the dense runic arrays on both walls, leaving only the faint metallic friction of the Holy Sword occasionally brushing against her belt.
She stopped in front of an unmarked black wooden door. Taking a deep breath, she was just about to raise her hand when the door swung open on its own.
“...Mages really are amazing.”
Esper muttered under her breath and stepped inside.
Wald's office felt more like a miniature library to her.
The four walls were packed with books from floor to ceiling, so much so that even the short ladder leaning against a bookshelf had an open, dusty ancient tome resting on it.
He sat behind the only desk that hadn't been overtaken by piles of books. Dozens of floating magical screens hovered before him, and his fingers were editing documents and adding annotations at a speed barely visible to the naked eye.
“Lord Chief, excuse the intrusion.”
“Mhm. Miss Hero, please take a seat.”
Esper sat in the chair opposite him.
She straightened her back, placed her hands on her knees, and spoke with the etiquette befitting a formal diplomatic occasion.
...However, this was her first time requesting someone's assistance so solemnly, making her choice of words a bit awkward.
“I have a question I would like to ask you. It is very important to me. Please answer me seriously and do not brush me off.”
Wald's movements didn't pause for even a single second.
“Please, speak.”
“It's about the Demon King's curse. Do you have any leads on it?”
On the magical screens before Wald, the writing that was being rapidly edited suddenly paused for an instant.
Then, several miniature sheep-horned girls suddenly jumped out onto the screens, carried them off to the side, and began to process the work diligently.
Were they familiars? Huh? Wait, were those sheepkin...?
Fina seemed to have mentioned before... that his wife was a noble lady of the sheep race?
Esper couldn't help but stare at these tiny figures for a moment longer.
Then, Wald's voice sounded, drawing Esper's thoughts back.
“You care about her deeply.”
“Ah? Wait, what? Is that what we're here to discuss?”
“I am merely observing and reflecting. Truly, the human heart is the most fickle and unpredictable thing.”
“...Let's not talk about that.”
Wald pushed up his glasses.
“As for the Demon King's curse, I can only answer that I have no leads. I cannot analyze something without detailed information and data.”
“...What?”
“In other words, I cannot use my Authority to analyze the Demon King's curse. Normally, anything that can be analyzed will manifest in the Root Language. However, in the face of 『Wisdom』, this Demon King's curse is like something that cannot be observed.”
He stated calmly.
“As for common-sense scholarly speculations, I naturally have them. But none of those speculations can be proven. Since the Hero has come to ask in person, I believe there is no need to report these unsubstantiated theories to you.”
Esper's eyes twitched.
She held back the urge to say, “Where does a guy like you even touch upon wisdom?”
Although she understood that this problem wouldn't be solved so easily, she still couldn't help but feel disappointed...
But even though Esper didn't speak her thoughts, the expression on her face had already betrayed everything.
Wald pushed up his glasses.
“...Can you trace the origin of Rafina's bloodline and surname then?”
“Neither in demon history nor human history does the surname 'Thun' exist. Therefore, I cannot trace the origin of the Demon King's surname.”
“...Oh.”
“However, regarding the origin of her bloodline, I do have a well-founded speculation. If you wish to know, I can tell you.”
Esper blinked in confusion, then reflexively blurted out her thoughts.
“Huh? Your super wisdom is actually useful?”
Wald ignored her sarcasm and simply snapped his fingers with his right hand.
“The Demon King, Rafina. Her horns resemble a demon's but differ from them; her eyes resemble a vampire's but differ from them; her tail resembles a succubus's but is arrow-shaped rather than heart-shaped.”
“...And?”
“In history, there has existed a demon individual whose physical description matches hers.”
An orange light emerged in the air, condensing into a blurry figure of a girl. Her face was indistinct and her body flickered, with only her long hair and a pair of small horns on her head being prominent.
“The Ancestor of Demons, Lilith.”
“...What?”
Esper froze, then stood up and reflexively argued.
“That's not right. Isn't the Ancestor of Demons a pure-blooded demon?”
“In the official historical records preserved by the world, there is no record of the Ancestor of Demons' race. The accounts of the Ancestor of Demons being a pure-blooded demon originate from the heroic tales of the Demon Realm, rather than genuinely credible records.”
Esper's expression deflated like a popped balloon.
“Then, how do you know?”
“It is from the records left behind by the world.”
Wald pointed at Lilith's projection and began a very, very long discourse and lore explanation.
“The world possesses memory. Whenever an event of sufficient magnitude to affect it occurs, the details of that event are recorded within the source of the world. In other words, they leave a mark on the inner side of the world, remembered and repeatedly chewed over by the world itself. What is born thereafter is the Root Language that lingers in this world—the very essence of Authority.”
“The Root Language...”
“Yes. Behind every Authority is a passage of text. The earliest Authorities, born from the Creator's Authority of 『Creation』, existed with Greek as their medium. Authorities born from man-made concepts, on the other hand, exist with various languages independent of Greek as their medium.”
His fingertip tapped lightly on the desk.
“But besides these two categories of Authority, there exists a third kind. This is the one I just mentioned, recorded by the world itself. With no text to carry it, nor any language to speak of itself, it is simply recorded by the world's will—an Authority originating from the deepest roots. This category of Authority usually cannot be analyzed or reinterpreted. Even the successors themselves are often left puzzled by the very existence of the Authority.”
He raised his head, and a line of orange characters emerged in his right pupil.
『σοφία』
“And the position bearing the heavy burden of deciphering the Root Language was arranged as far back as when the Human Ancestor forged the world. High Priests, High Hierophants, Grand Shamans, Archbishops, or the current Grand Mages. In short, it is us—the inheritors of 『Wisdom』. Those who can understand the world, chosen as the world's scribes, recording and interpreting the Root Language.”
He placed his hand on the desk and slowly swept it across.
Several lines of orange light lit up on the desk, each word glowing with an ancient, quiet luster.
“Before me, there were six generations of successors. Including myself, there are seven successors in total. With over a thousand years of accumulated knowledge, we have ultimately deciphered four Authorities.”
He tapped the glowing words one by one.
“『Initial Construction』. The earliest memory of the world. Back then, the Human Ancestor and the Creator decided to create the world, filling every corner of sight with the 'sky' and 'earth.' That was the starting point of creation, and the very first chapter recorded here.”
“『Myriad Phenomena』. The memory of the Six Ancestors and the Creator forging the world together. Endless miracles descended upon the world, though at the time, no one knew what lay behind them.”
“『Theft of Fire』. The memory of when the Human Ancestor stole the 'fire' and sealed away the Creator. The world no longer huddled beneath the Creator's wings, yet it reclaimed its Authority and regained the power to change itself.”
His hand stopped on the final word.
“『Black Tide』. The sum of all calamities and pain in this world, and the deepest, most painful scar etched upon the world.”
Wald's fingertip lingered on that word for a long time.
“Memories after this point can no longer be deciphered. Because the 『Black Tide』 cannot be fully deciphered, and until it is, the world will reject our further inquiries.”
“...Why can it not be fully deciphered?”
“Yes. According to my speculation, it is due to the nature of the Authority being the concept of the Abyss itself. The world's memory is blurry, and even the records are full of fragments, making it impossible to restore its original form. Thus, regarding the history of the world, probing up to the 『Black Tide』 is the absolute limit of my capabilities. And within these fragmented memories, I saw a girl.”
Wald said calmly.
“A girl who merged with the Black Tide, sacrificing her everything to the Abyss, solely to fulfill her long-cherished desire for vengeance.”
The Ancestor of Demons, Lilith.
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