Chapter 132

Desire never ends.

Satisfaction? That’s just a mirage made up by philosophers and sages.

Is there even such a thing as satisfaction in this world?

The more you eat, the more you want to eat… You just can’t because your stomach is full.

But is that really satisfaction?

No matter how much treasure you hoard and fill warehouses with, it’s still just one measly warehouse.

Even if you increase the number of warehouses or their size, satisfaction never comes.

So when exactly are we supposed to feel satisfied?

It doesn’t exist.

That kind of thing doesn’t exist.

This is what “desire has no end” means.

And it can’t be categorized into just one type.

Material desire, desire for fame, desire for power – they’re all different.

Appetite, sexual desire, desire for sleep – completely separate things.

Time is limited but there’s so much to enjoy… No matter how much you indulge, you’re always thirsty and hungry.

Well, maybe you feel like your stomach will burst, but that’s probably an illusion too.

To begin with, isn’t being full wrong somehow?

How dare it get in the way of our enjoyment?

What an outrageous insult…

Ultimately, it’s this wretched flesh that’s the problem.

As time passes, it just gets old and heavy.

Why does gout, which not even slaves or commoners suffer from, hate us so much?

Something’s wrong here…

Weren’t we born with everything?

Then why isn’t our country as powerful as that empire?

Why do we have to care about other countries’ opinions?

Why do we have to listen to the teachings of gods we don’t even know?

The opinions of the commoners? The wishes of the citizens?

They’re mine to own! Should I listen to my possessions? Are you serious?

To begin with,

It’s wrong for them to have any desires at all.

Isn’t their greatest honor to sing and work for me until they die? And they want more? That’s a very mistaken way of thinking.

That’s not worthy of being a citizen.

Let alone those who neither sing nor work while living in our territory… What’s the difference between them and rats and tramps?

Ah, though the latter are admittedly tougher.

“They aren’t citizens. But if they aren’t slaves either, how should we deal with them?”

Late afternoon.

Normally, at this hour, we wouldn’t even approach the royal palace unless there was a party.

But now, various nobles and mages were gathered in the audience chamber.

There, the child sitting on the throne with a crown.

An old man resting his hand on the right shoulder of the chubby child.

At the cry of the regent, the only marquis of magic in all of Faceulan, everyone present responded in unison.

“Therefore, our ancestors deemed this forbidden, but today we seek your opinions to lift this prohibition.”

Forbidden.

Mages are curious creatures.

Because of this, they sometimes commit inhumane acts without hesitation.

For which they’ve often been disgraced.

“We shall achieve great reforms. Those who do not transform into proper workers will have their citizenship revoked and be demoted to slaves.”

Then…

“To officially recognize their use as experimental subjects.”

Intense responses followed.

Researching corpses and experimenting on live bodies are entirely different matters.

Even smuggling is usually done quietly, but getting caught still results in immediate execution!

But now, the regent was saying he’d lift that prohibition. How could we not welcome it?

“I seek your opinions.”

With that statement from the regent, many officials raised their hands to voice their opinions.

However, none of them discussed or mentioned the treatment of the poor.

Everything proceeded smoothly.

The puppet king expressed satisfaction with the regent’s proposal before indicating he wanted to leave, finding it bothersome.

After all, his main concern right now was deciding which palace maid to spend the night with.

‘This young one is already indulging in lust.’

The regent gave him a look of disdain, though he knew the boy was easy to handle, making his feelings somewhat complicated.

Our country has changed too much because of the Demon King’s army.

The splendor of the court and nobility is like a sandcastle that could crumble at any moment.

A nation that sells its future for short-term gains…

‘This country is doomed.’

So all that’s left are our school and family.

More than half of those here would sell important information to another country in a heartbeat.

Even the regent himself… surely the others are no different.

Staying on a sinking ship until death is the height of foolishness!

Ultimately, this Faceulan is just a giant resource bank.

A massive resource called a nation.

Using it to gather wealth, establish and develop magical theories and techniques.

A stepping stone for fame.

Another stepping stone for transferring power and authority.

Those who were supposed to coexist with this nation and territory chose to feed off it parasitically.

Sucking out all the nutrients and fattening themselves up.

So what happens when this country falls?

We’ll just leave, that’s all.

Yeah.

If I’m doing it, aren’t the others doing it too?

Still, even that has its limits.

A snake’s head is still just a snake.

Compared to a dragon, it’s nothing but a tiny creature.

Even without being a dragon, there are countless things that can hunt and kill snakes one-sidedly.

Faceulan is, in this sense, a minor country even in the eastern continent.

Other countries don’t covet our territory and authority because we lack magical power, but excluding that, this country has the most pitiful strength compared to neighboring countries.

We don’t even have proper allies.

They don’t guard against Faceulan because they clearly see through our situation through old treaties.

Even if we had power, invading would mean governance doesn’t function properly and administration has been tangled for a long time.

Occupation? Plunder?

Even that can’t be done properly because everything is a mess.

Even if we made a big decision, what then? Would they just sit there and take it?

Most countries have complex blood ties and alliances.

Without carefully analyzing these, we might easily become prey to a coalition of multiple nations.

‘Pointless.’

It can’t be done in this country.

In the age changed by nine warriors, the dark age in the eastern continent will likely continue for a while.

Unless a ruler who merges surrounding areas appears.

But such a person won’t appear easily.

And if they do, appearing from an enemy country, it would be a disaster.

‘So pointless.’

Thus, let’s just enjoy and live comfortably.

The regent initially intended to be satisfied with that.

…But it keeps coming back.

The resolve and aspirations I thought of when I first entered the path of magic… They keep coming back.

‘Boring.’

Even in this narrow well.

Look at those jackals salivating, trying to get a taste despite despising this insignificant position of regent.

“So there are no objections?”

A formal agreement was reached.

As the king’s representative, the regent agreed to modify some of the taboos established by the first High Mage according to their wishes on this day.

It’s not my intention.

It’s everyone’s intention.

The will of all the citizens.

“Skipping complicated procedures. From this moment, under the name of the High Mage, everything is permitted.”

In that sense,

I am always one step ahead.

That’s why I became the regent and am called the Marquis of Magic, even if it’s just a nice title.

You guys are still tied to this tiny world.

But I, from the beginning, didn’t even notice such things.

The world I wish to enjoy is far beyond this narrow continent.

“Then, as an example…”

Let me show you a trick.

“Thank you all for gathering here so conveniently.”

As the audience chamber doors closed,

A violet barrier surrounded the entire room.

“What is this trickery?”

“Isn’t this joke going too far?”

Fools who baselessly believe they’ll enjoy wealth and immortality.

But none of them truly believe it.

They just want to believe.

That’s why mages who believe in magic are so enthusiastic about other religions.

Especially Irene’s Doctrine.

Repent, pray, reflect, and you’ll be saved – what a ridiculous doctrine misleading people.

Damn heretical sect.

Oh? Repentance absolves sins and grants salvation?

Ah, then whether good or evil, we can use them as test subjects and kill them if we don’t like them, and repent earnestly afterward, right?

Very good!

So I’ll sell this entire country to the devil!

And I’ll repent more sincerely than anyone else, so please don’t forget me when I beg.

Wouldn’t an omnipotent and great being grant such mercy?

Isn’t that right?

That Irene, claiming to be the child of heaven or something, died a grandiose death!

If you truly are a resurrected, omnipotent, and benevolent sage,

Come and speak to me.

…

……

What.

I wasn’t expecting anything anyway.

====

When the violet barrier disappeared,

An eerie silence filled the audience chamber, permeated with the smell of blood.

The faint sounds heard within were the groans and shallow breaths of dying men.

There, lying pitifully on the cold, blood-soaked floor of the audience chamber was Baylante,

The young head and master of Faceulan’s 13th generation magic noble family, whose life was nearing its end like the other corpses around him.

‘Too soft.’

This was an incredible and crucial event that couldn’t be overlooked or skipped.

It was excellent prey.

Some who received advance notice of this event decided not to attend, but even that was just powerless resistance.

They understood that.

Rather than opposing and getting beaten down, they cast a powerless abstention vote.

None of those present, including myself, were altruistic or willing to help others.

Baylante was no exception.

‘Pointless.’

All I did was desperately try to cling to life in this damn country.

What is this?

‘…Father.’

Didn’t you say not to hate your younger brother?

Maybe he could be my future and legacy?

‘Our house will decline from this point.’

It’s meaningless.

Everything I struggled for turns to bubbles.

This country will fall too.

I don’t know what the regent was thinking when he did this crazy act…

But it’s definitely something significant.

And as his death approached, he could vaguely glimpse the fruits of the regent’s efforts.

A massive door appeared above the audience chamber.

A shape that shouldn’t exist in reality.

Huge, yet it seemed like it was made by compressing and embedding countless bones of all kinds of life forms, forming a grotesque structure.

It’s so large it fills the ceiling.

‘Devil…’

Once,

Demons were the teachers of mages.

Next came daemons and demon kings.

Then dragons, dragon-people, elves, and similar races.

And after that…

It was us.

But when we sensed our limits, returning to our old teachers and masters is quite normal.

The only difference is,

The regent’s decisiveness in treating it not as a taboo but as one of the options?

That must be what made him what he is now.

If he succeeds in achieving his intentions here,

In a way, it could also be seen as another successful myth of magic.

‘Pointless.’

In the end, we all become empty-handed corpses that rot away into sand and dust.

What difference is there between me and trash?

‘Father.’

…

‘Rey.’

Though he was hateful and despicable,

Strangely, I feel a bit nostalgic for my younger brother now.

Just a little.

…

“Karma, huh.”

Though the audience chamber was already empty,

For a brief moment, pitch blackness arrived.

Darkness covered everything with strange and ominous energy.

It was so thick,

Like emptiness and void,

Like the abyss, soundlessly, tracelessly,

Covering everything without a doubt.

Like wind seeping into a sealed space,

Or naturally fading away.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

Everything will eventually return to the earth.

[!– Slider main container –]

---