Chapter 15: The Path of the King(1)

Not long after the crack incident stabilized, Gunther broke away from the government.

He took the awakened individuals, who were originally guild members, with him, causing a gap in the government personnel.

“There’s… there’s just too much work…”

Dan Ga-yeon muttered as she stirred her soup next to the cafeteria. She looked pitiful.

“The crack issue has been mostly resolved now. It will decrease.”

“Since you’re not on the committee, you can say things like that, right? …Even when the work is finished, new work just gets created.”

“Once again, you’re using honorifics.”

…

“At times like this, please let it slide. It’s tough to talk casually to someone older than me.”

At Dan Ga-yeon’s whining, Comet shrugged his shoulders.

“Doesn’t it feel like we’re getting closer the more we use it?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

Dan Ga-yeon grumbled, finished her meal quickly, and left first. It seemed that even mealtime was a tight schedule.

Comet stopped eating and rested his chin on his hand.

“Is there something weighing on your mind?”

“It’s that Officer Dan doesn’t seem to feel any sense of fulfillment. The situation is getting better, but all that’s happening is stress piling up without any reward.”

“That’s probably because you can’t see the future.”

It seemed that the government was struggling hard to plan for the future.

That would be the case.

The cracks in the multiverse were a mystery, with no cause or solution in sight.

The communication disruptions undermining central authority were something magical, making it impossible to solve with current technology.

Due to monsters blocking the sea routes and airways, overseas trade was nearly impossible.

Fortunately, the fact that there were no monsters flying in the sky above and that the food shortage wasn’t severe was a result of the government’s constant efforts.

Yet, despite that, this country was on a sinking ship.

“If we can find a solution to even one of these issues, even if it doesn’t yield immediate results, Officer Dan would regain her vitality.”

The princess smiled meaningfully.

“I have a way.”

Comet stared blankly at the soul bead that the princess held.

“What is that?”

“In exchange for telling you, give me something I need.”

“I have no idea what you need. You don’t want my body for something like this, do you?”

“Hmph! A handful of blood is enough.”

“My blood?”

Sure.

Comet rolled the soul bead that the princess held.

“This insolent…”

The princess muttered.

“What was your name again?”

“It’s blood and shadow!”

And yet, she’s asking for blood?

Comet thought for a moment, twirling a strand of hair, and then smiled slyly.

“Can I pay later?”

“A commoner has no conscience.”

“Is that so? This is quite a gentle approach for a necromancer dealing with souls.”

Though it seemed impossible, it was also a soul trying to attempt possession.

“But I am of royal blood!”

But it was just a small jellyfish.

Comet nodded slightly and finished his meal. The thought of jellyfish salad briefly crossed his mind.

After clearing his tray and exiting the cafeteria, the princess hesitantly approached him.

“…Since you have a connection with commoners, I’ll allow you to receive it later as a special exception.”

“Oh, Your Highness, you’re so kind. I’m touched.”

“You may praise me more.”

“Shall I? Your Highness, I’m truly touched. You’re very kind.”

As they exchanged words and returned to the room, the princess explained the method.

“Humanity is in dire straits because they are unaware of the existence of blockers and relays and cannot find them due to their pitiful technological capabilities.”

“…What does that mean?”

“A blocker is a device that seizes communication within a certain range. It is advanced technology that confiscates communication itself, whether wireless or wired, as it travels a certain distance.

It can be considered the foundation of magical information warfare.”

“…”

Comet twirled a strand of hair.

“It’s a rather surprising question, Your Highness, but what exactly are you?”

“I told you, I am a princess.”

“Not that, I mean specifically. From which region, which country, which culture, which planet, and which universe do you exist?”

“It’s fortunate that you’ve come to realize my greatness, albeit late. But a commoner wouldn’t understand!”

Comet blinked in surprise and nodded his head.

“Got it. Please continue explaining.”

“The relay is a device that creates and maintains cracks in the multiverse. I don’t know much about the related technology, so it’s difficult for me to explain.”

“Oh…”

“Hmph. What I will tell you is the magic to discover these two devices. Destroying them is something even a civilization at a lower level can accomplish, so I won’t mention that.”

“Magic, huh? That sounds good. Although I have little aptitude for magical power, it’s a problem.”

“It doesn’t matter. First, give me a handful of your blood.”

“Wasn’t it supposed to be later?”

“My magic requires blood or shadows.”

“Since your name means blood and shadow, that makes sense. It doesn’t have to be my blood, does it?”

Comet left Yeouido and walked aimlessly.

As he walked and walked, he discovered an abandoned warehouse and paused. He felt something.

As he approached and listened closely, he could hear the sound of conversation. It sounded like a group of raiders discussing how they had killed someone.

“I’ve found a target to obtain blood.”

He whispered to the princess.

“They are commoners without honor.”

Comet gripped a knife in his hand and quietly opened the warehouse door.

The noise drew the attention of three raiders, who turned around. They were armed with makeshift weapons, and one of them had a pistol, perhaps obtained from a police officer. A pistol, huh.

Comet scratched his cheek.

The raiders approached unsteadily, and when one of them noticed Comet’s identity and shouted, they began to become alert.

Suddenly, a gun was aimed at him, and the trigger was pulled.

The raiders reacted quickly.

However, their thoughts seemed lacking. Running away would have been the better judgment.

Comet watched the movement of the finger pulling the trigger and suddenly moved sharply at the right moment.

The bullet whizzed past him.

Although it missed, the marksmanship was quite good.

In fact, as a necromancer, getting hit by an unenchanted bullet wouldn’t be a big problem.

The loss of a soul would be painful, though.

As Comet dashed past the raiders, he lightly swung his knife.

A delayed fountain of blood erupted.

“I made sure to bleed on purpose; is this okay?”

“It will overflow. I will tell you, so follow my instructions.”

“Sure thing.”

Comet moved as the princess explained.

First, he crouched near the newly formed pool of blood.

He dipped his index finger in the blood and drew a red square on the warehouse floor.

Then he scooped a handful of blood with both hands and sprinkled it over the square.

The droplets of blood falling under the influence of gravity paused and flowed, creating patterns in three-dimensional space.

Comet gasped.

“…Why does this work? It feels like I didn’t do anything.”

“Hmph. It’s because you have talent with blood and shadow. Still, it’s quite impressive to succeed on your first try.”

“Is this how a magic user feels when they see a spiritual energy user…?

I can somewhat understand now.”

Perhaps the magic users regarded the necromancers, who use spiritual energy that they themselves cannot see, with this kind of feeling.

They might be so vigilant because necromancers kill people to gather what they cannot see.

“I have the result, but how do I interpret it?”

“I will interpret it for you. Let’s see…”

“No, I will handle the interpretation; please tell me the theoretical basis.”

“You have many requests. Then I will start with the most basic content. Listen carefully.”

Comet nodded his head.

“The fundamental premise of blood magic is belief. The belief that a handful of blood droplets can change the world.”

“Looking at it broadly, necromancy is also a study about belief, so they’re similar.”

“…Isn’t that a rather rude comparison?”

“What’s wrong with necromancy?”

After that, the princess taught him the basic theories needed for interpretation and interpretation know-how.

“Alright. So, by calculating the vector quantities from the trajectory left by the blood droplets, and then removing the effects of gravity from the results, I can correct them one by one according to the three-dimensional coordinates of the square.

That means I can find out the number, power, and direction of the magic affecting this space, right?”

“There are some theoretical omissions, but that’s correct.”

“It’s magic that’s difficult to use in places where the wind blows or where electromagnetic forces are strong.”

“Then I can block additional variables by using other magics.”

“Oh, I see.”

Comet twisted a strand of hair.

“I understand the number, power, and direction of the magic, but this doesn’t tell me the types.”

“That part depends on the necromancer’s capability.

If you can guess the magic used by the enemy, you can roughly figure out the types through induction, provided you’re at a level like mine.”

“I see.”

Comet nodded and analyzed the results of blood magic.

“It’s a method that has been phased out because it can’t be used in an empire overflowing with magic.

So they likely haven’t prepared a countermeasure.”

“It seems so. Seven have appeared. I don’t understand why there are so many in Seoul.”

“One blocker

for every one relay. Since there are cracks, there are bound to be several relays.”

“Let’s go destroy them.”

“That’s up to you.”