Side Story Chapter 2

“……The Magic Circle of Full Revival”

Camus on this side was skeptical.

“Isn’t it something that can only be attempted by reaching the state of being able to draw at least ten mana rings, which is practically impossible?”

“It’s close to impossible, but it’s not impossible. Just because it’s close to fire doesn’t mean it’s fire, right?”

“Don’t play games with me. I know, because I’ve tried countless times to perfect this formula, but it’s a wall I could never get over on my own.”

“Yeah. I’m with you on that one.”

“……?”

Camus on this side looked puzzled, and Camus on that side spoke up.

“‘Alone’?”

Morg Mu Camus.

How many people had betrayed her so far?

How many people had failed to fulfill her expectations?

Her unparalleled skill, her arrogant temper, and her distrust of others honed through countless heartbreaks.

All of this has led her to distrust others.

…… But what about herself?

Camus on that side spoke in a confident voice.

“I am a magical genius. The strongest Morg.”

“…….”

“You are a magical genius. The strongest Morg.”

“…….”

“What if we joined hands and made up for each other’s shortcomings? Can’t you see what would happen?”

“…….”

Camus on this side remained silent.

She had always kept to herself, even when meditating to check her mana because she didn’t trust others.

Finally, after a long silence, Camus on this side spoke up.

“……Can you really bring them back? All of them.”

“I can’t say for sure, of course. But if there’s even the slightest chance, don’t you think we should try?”

Camus on this side nods in agreement with Camus on that side.

Eventually.

kkwaag-

The two rare magical geniuses joined hands.

The objective: the ‘The Magic Circle of Full Revival’, a forbidden method that no one had ever succeeded in creating.

“Should we do it right now?”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course not.”

Camus on that side slid down to the floor and stood.

Then she turned to face Camus on this side.

Camus on that side took a small, deep breath.

Then she spoke in a low voice.

“Did you know that the Morg started out as a morgue, a mortuary?”

“……!”

“And it was a small family that specialized in that kind of business, keeping only unidentified corpses.”

Camus on that side was rummaging through a long, long memory.

‘Morgue’ was the name of a very old bloodline, dating back to before humans had any concept of family or nation, and the main job of those who carried on the lineage was to collect unidentified corpses and find their relatives.

They were paid to collect bodies that had been mutilated beyond recognition, find their relatives, and hand them over to them.

As a result, they were often in the presence of the dead, and as time passed, those who could communicate with the dead gradually emerged.

Whether they were once a power on par with a nation, whether they had been cut off for decades after the downfall, or whether they were once again called a house of Mage, those with this strange ability continued to emerge.

A nostalgic voice that is no longer there.

A lifelong benefactor to Camus on that side.

The voice of a teacher who had left behind a heavy debt that could never be repaid.

“So, technically, Morg’s origins are very close to death. For from the beginning, Morg was one who spoke to the dead and called upon them.”

” ……You mean that from birth our ancestors were in touch with the Black Magic?”

“Exactly.”

“Hmm.”

Camus on this side listened to Camus on that side in silence.

Finally, she spoke up.

“That’s the first I’ve heard of such a thing in all my time in Morg’s territory. I’ve heard the elders of the Dark Hall say something similar before, but it was in the midst of the war against the demons…… and I didn’t have time to listen.”

“I only heard it from my master, too.”

Camus on that side is referring to High Councilor Snake.

Knowing this, Camus on this side only frowned.

“But why are you telling me that now?”

“The Black Mages of Morg know from birth that all the truth a man can seek and understand in a lifetime is a handful of sand picked up from the beach.”

“Then where is most truth?”

“You’re asking the same question I was back then.”

Camus on that side smirked.

“After death. Beyond the gate.”

“……!”

Camus on this side opened her eyes a little wider.

And Camus on that side met her gaze without wavering.

Only by crossing the threshold of death is a human being completely free and eternal.

One can explore the infinite truth behind it.

Then Camus on this side said.

“So you have turned to the Black Magic path. To familiarize yourself with death.”

“No. It’s the opposite, I first became wary of death.”

“?”

Camus on this side shakes her head again.

Camus on that side smiled bitterly, for she too seemed to be seeing her old self.

“Black Mages are the ones who have the least regard for death.”

“Why is that?”

“Because we must first understand and familiarize ourselves with life before we can understand and familiarize ourselves with death.”

“……!”

Camus on this side listens in silence.

At this age, she had never listened to someone so quietly before.

‘Well, isn’t that what someone else said?’

While this Camus was thinking to herself, that Camus continued to speak.

“Life. Feelings for others. Love. Friendship. Trust. Organic relationship with all that is in the world. Gratitude for being alive. The preciousness of life. You have to understand these things before you can truly understand death. Everything is two-sided.”

“Can’t I just familiarize myself with death first? I think I can.”

“That’s a good question. My master’s answer to that question was…… No, you’ll be angry to hear that. I was a little angry at the time.”

Camus on that side recalled in her mind the answer she had heard from Snake back then.

‘It’s nothing more than a bunch of drunken fools pretending to be black mages.’

If this Camus had heard that, she would have been furious, even more so if it had come from Snake, the man she hated so much.

“Whatever. Contrary to popular belief, true black mages must be able to love and understand living things more deeply than anyone else.”

“……One who loves all things living and sympathizes with all things dying. In a way, a black mage is akin to a sage or saint in the eyes of the world. Are you saying that the opposites are compatible?”

“It’s me, You understand quickly.”

The two Camus talked for a long time.

And in the meantime, Vikir was watching the two women’s questions and answers for a long time.

Finally.

The two Camus sat down in the center of the circle, facing each other.

“In order to perfect the Magic of Full Revival, we must travel to the Abyss of Magic to learn the theories and formulas we lack.”

“That’s where all the truth is kept, the very foundation of this world, so we may be able to find what we need. It will take time.”

Camus on this side has already tried this trick once before and failed.

“I know how to do it, so I won’t fail this time.”

Camus sat cross-legged with a determined look on her face.

And then.

…paaas!

The two Camus began to infuse mana into the magic circle.

deudeudeudeudeudeudeudeudeudeu-

The magic circle began to ignite.

Countless intricate shapes emitted light.

The ingredients are at its center.

35 liters of water, 20 kilograms of carbon, 4 liters of ammonia, 1.5 kilograms of lime, 800 grams of phosphorus, 250 grams of salt, 100 grams of potassium nitrate, 80 grams of sulfur, 7.5 grams of fluorine, 5 grams of iron, 3 grams of silicon, 15 other trace elements, and memories of blood and flesh…… All of this began to emit a strong stench, heat, and smoke.

‘……Wait, stench?

Camus on this side stiffened.

She didn’t know what was wrong, or how it happened, but she knew the result.

“Fail!

Camus on this side had a hunch.

In that instant.

“It’s not a failure!”

Camus on that side shouted sharply.

That brought this side Camus’ mind back into focus, momentarily clouded by confusion and agitation.

Suddenly, something strange began to stir in the center of the magic circle.

……! ……! ……! ……! ……! ……!

Seeing it, Camus on that side gritted her teeth.

“It’s good to see you again!”

All she could think at the time was that ‘that thing’ should not be allowed outside the magic circle.

But the thought was short-lived.

Rather than preventing ‘that thing’ from coming out of the magic circle, rather, we must go inside ‘that thing’.

Camus on that side began to control the mana with all her might.

Sssssssssss……

The Wraith Tree moves.

The enormous amount of negative dimensional mana it had stolen from Seere was flowing through the magic circle under Camus’ careful control.

“You’re saying you can physically suppress this? Are you a monster?”

“Hoho- What are you patting yourself on the back for, you get a share!”

Camus on that side laughed, and Camus on this side gritted her teeth.

ku-gugugugugugugu!

The two Camus control the magic circle.

And then.

…Quack!

The magic circle shattered and mana flowed back.

Instant bursts of light, heat, and wind.

The two Camus, who were exposed to a shock wave that made them lose their senses, experienced death at least for a moment.

Near death. The shattering of everything and the return to nothingness.

Just then.

“Camus!”

A voice held the two women’s consciousness firmly in place.

Vikir. He was giving strength to the two Camus beyond the magic circle.

“……! ……! ……! ……!”

Camus on that side straightened her bent back with all her might.

‘Master, give me strength!’

Recalling Snake’s face, Camus took a deep breath.

Tsutsutsutsutsuts……

The sight in her consciousness is shared by Camus on this side.

In the center of the magic circle, she sees a dark door.

Wide open.

Camus’ body was being sucked through it of its own accord.

Toward the vast abyss beyond, where clouds of stars and gas float.

Like dust.

……Just then.

Flutter!

There was someone blocking the way.

A man stood in the doorway, his black cloak flapping. Morg Snake.

He spoke to Camus without looking back.

‘Go back.’

‘Your journey is not over yet, so go back and tell them it was beautiful.’

Snake stepped boldly toward the doorway beyond, toward the dawn, dew, sunset, and clouds of the abyss.

‘May you be a black mage who can love life.’

And that was it.

……It was like that back then.

But not this time.

“Ulyaaaaaaahh!”

Camus began to release mana with tremendous force.

And then.

Ku-ooooooo!

The darkness rising from the center of the magic circle began to take the shape of a huge door, or rather, a hole.

It sucked in everything around it with incredible power and appetite.

Even the two Camus and Vikir could not escape being pulled into it.

“……!”

“……!”

Vikir and Camus on this side instinctively resist the powerful suction that is sucking them in,

But Camus on that side had a different reaction.

“There’s no need to resist, just let yourself be pulled in, ‘that thing’ is the entrance to the abyss!”

In order to master the Magic of Full Revival, one must go on an expedition into that terrifying hole that evokes the inherent fear of humanity.

‘…… Master!’

Camus gritted her teeth once more.

The path that Snake had traveled so long ago.

An unknown realm of stars and clouds, gas and dust.

‘The Magical Abyss’.

Camus’ final destination has been revealed.