Chapter 2 — 봄의 안배

Part 2, Episode 5

Spring’s Arrangement

A place gone past chaos into utter bedlam.

No—worse. A slaughterhouse.

The “real” Elric was hiding alone under a concealment spell some distance away.

With a dumbfounded look, Elric watched the fake Elrics butcher one another.

What on earth am I even supposed to call this…? Have we really come to this now?

In truth, when the Arrangement opened, the “real” Elric had slipped back under a stealth technique, just in case.

And that gut feeling proved right.

No one else—Elrics themselves—had kicked off a battle royale.

How many of me are there?

Elric sensed other fake Elrics who’d had the same thought and were lying low.

Four or five of them had vanished with concealment magic and were biding their time.

The problem is, I don’t even know if the me here is the real one. Maybe I’m just playing the weasel.

Even the real Elric couldn’t be sure he was real.

From what the fakes were saying, their thoughts, minds, and memories all appeared intact.

What is this trial trying to test…?

Why the massacre?

Is the trial over once you survive the brawl?

Is the Arrangement’s purpose to feed on fake Elrics so I can rack up combat experience?

No. That’s not it.

There’s no way mere survival is the test.

To die and be born again…

Why so many Elrics had to show up for this trial.

Why it devolved into killing and being killed.

After a moment’s thought, Elric muttered under his breath.

If not that… then maybe every last one of these is me.

A one-off trial.

Whatever happens, the Arrangement ends.

And to complete it successfully—what must be done?

Elric posed the question to himself and thought it through.

Death.

And birth.

They seem opposed, but they’re bound together.

When winter gives way to spring, ice melts and brooks run.

The water flows into paddies and coaxes sprouts from the crops.

Frogs and snakes wake from hibernation.

Leaves push out on brittle twigs.

Green starts to gather.

White fades into green, slowly dyeing over.

Everything that was dead becomes nourishment…

And new life is born.

Which leaves one way forward.

…Damn it.

Elric clenched his teeth before he knew it.

He looked out over the clearing where the “other” Elrics were gathered.

They were still fighting even now.

And in that slaughter, he saw green and trees budding, nourished by Elrics—and he was sure.

Death means the birth of new life.

Use the Elrics who die here as a foundation to awaken a new Elric.

That was the point of this trial.

Elric summoned an ice blade.

He tightened his grip on the hilt.

If this is wrong, I’m screwed…

If his reading missed the mark, there’d be hell to pay.

But Elric, without a flicker of hesitation, squeezed the blade in his hand.

Then—

Schlk—

“Gah.”

He drove the sword straight into his own throat.

Agony surged, ready to sear his nerves to ash.

In that instant, the mana within him roiled, straining to stop it.

But that only sharpened the pain.

Schlk. Schlk. Schlk.

Fuck… this hurts like hell.

To die quickly, Elric kept hacking down at his own neck.

It wasn’t fear of death—it was the pain that had him snarling.

His consciousness dimmed by degrees.

Just before he closed his eyes for the last time, he heard another sound, faint as a dream.

Schlk—

Schlk. Schlk. Schlk.

It was the same sound the real Elric had made.

The Elrics in hiding had all reached the same conclusion.

* * *

“Hah!”

Elric shot a breath and opened his eyes.

Still dazed, he tried to take stock.

“What? It’s not over yet?”

The same place as before he died.

The terrain had shifted a bit from the Elrics’ remaining fights, but it was definitely the Mureungdowon.

Elric had no idea what was going on, but he forced himself to focus and watch his surroundings.

Then—

Whooosh—

“Urgh.”

A flood of memories slammed into his skull.

The Elric who died mysteriously.

The Elric who took his own life.

The Elric who died miserably after a desperate fight.

…

In an instant, the memories and thoughts of more than twenty Elrics settled into a corner of his mind.

Finally grasping the situation, Elric murmured blankly,

“As I thought… they were all me.”

Just as he’d guessed, none of the Elrics were fake—they were all real.

Arseus approached the mentally exhausted Elric, who had just experienced too many deaths in too short a time.

“Astonishing. Given the scope of the achievement, I thought it would take you a few months at least. I didn’t expect you to finish this quickly.”

He appeared, clapping, genuine admiration on his face.

When Arseus had pushed Elric into the Arrangement, he’d figured the boy would wander for quite a while before returning.

Not because he thought Elric was stupid.

On the contrary, it was precisely because Elric’s accomplishments were exceptional.

The sharper the mind, the stronger the ego.

And the stronger the ego, the harder it is to let yourself go.

In fact, of all after the Progenitor, the one with the keenest mind—

Among the Four Seasons, the tactician with the brightest brain—he himself—had been like that.

But Elric?

He agonized intensely for a short while, then chose swiftly, and killed himself without flinching.

Perhaps… that cold-blooded decisiveness is exactly what a clan head—no, the one who must usher in a new age—needs most.

Arseus recalled what the Progenitor had said the “Child of Prophecy” would one day have to do, then let the thought go.

This wasn’t something to say to the Elric standing here.

“In any case, you passed the trial… so it’s time I taught you the basics of magic.”

“Come on, do you have to show off how Merbinger you are even now?”

Still mentally groggy, Elric looked at Arseus with something like resentment as the man moved to start a lesson at once.

Arseus let out a hearty laugh, clearly pleased.

“And you think you’re any different? You’re a Merbinger too, Elric. Give it time; you’ll end up like this yourself.”

Elric flailed at the nonsense.

“What kind of bullshit are you so earnestly spouting, Ancestor? I am never growing into that.”

“Sure, sure. We’ll see. For now, take this.”

Arseus smirked, as if to say “we’ll see about that,” and held out his hand.

But his open palm held nothing.

“Huh? Take what…?”

Elric frowned in confusion—then a bright halo of light forced him to squint.

The baby Gem Dragon perched on Arseus’s shoulder was shrouded in radiance and began to change.

Shrinking and shrinking, the Gem Dragon became a tiny seed that came to rest in Arseus’s hand.

“What’s… this?”

A hard seed.

Elric accepted it and stared dumbly at Arseus.

“Swallow it as is.”

Elric’s brow knit before he could stop himself.

Swallow it…? Damn it, if I eat this, am I in for another disaster?

He shot Arseus a suspicious look.

Unbothered, Arseus gestured for him to hurry up and eat.

“The trial is over. You can take it safely.”

“Sigh…”

Elric wavered countless times in the span of heartbeats.

What can you do—if he says eat, you eat.

With a resigned breath, he gulped the seed down.

…?

For a moment after swallowing, nothing happened.

A moment later—

Fwaa—

His whole body felt as fresh as a walk through a forest.

Then the energy pooled on the back of his left hand.

It flared and took form as a glowing mark engraved into his skin.

A single leaf on a twig just peeking out.

A new seal, etched onto Elric’s hand.

At the same time, all his fatigue vanished, replaced by a coursing vitality.

“It’s the Seal of the New Bud. It banishes weariness and continuously infuses the body with vigor.”

“Wow, this is… incredible.”

He wasn’t just being polite.

It felt like waking from a deep, perfect sleep.

A ridiculous boon that kept him in peak condition.

For now it only replenished vitality, but—

as it grew more proficient, he had a feeling he’d end up tireless.

A strong mind rides a strong body.

Obvious, maybe—but better stamina means sharper judgment.

“And one more thing: though the trial is over, the Arrangement isn’t completely finished yet.”

At Arseus’s words, Elric’s face crumpled, his good mood from the seal evaporating.

“What are you plotting now?”

Seeing Elric’s wariness, Arseus gave a small, amused snort.

“You’ve misunderstood. It doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck meeting me over and over.”

He unfurled his mana and continued his explanation. A soft white halo rose around him, buoyant.

“Watch closely.”

Arseus swept his hand through the air.

The ruined Mureungdowon began to return to its original state.

Once.

Greenery thickened again, and trees began to grow.

“The only seal that symbolizes ‘Spring’ is the Seal of the New Bud.”

Twice.

The corpses of the dead Elrics rotted into compost, the earth grew rich, a great tree rose, and a forest gathered around it.

“Just as you raise a sprout into living vegetation, you must raise the Seal of the New Bud the same way.”

Thrice.

At last, blossoms burst everywhere, a sweet fragrance drifting on the air.

“Bloom, bear fruit, and grow into a great tree—that is how it becomes the complete ‘Vernal Seal.’”

Three gestures, and the Mureungdowon stood whole again.

This is… insane.

Honestly, anyone can pour out magic that pulverizes.

But magic that borders on re-creation like this…

Hyper-recovery.

Complete restoration.

That’s what it felt like.

Elric stared at Arseus, dazed.

“As the Seal of the New Bud evolves, vitality becomes regeneration. In time, even severed limbs will grow back—frightening hyperregeneration.”

Elric could hardly believe he’d gained such a broken ability.

Part of him was already thinking where to use it.

Could I apply this to my retinue? At this level, even if they died…

If the Seal of the New Bud could resurrect fallen followers, Elric would command an immortal army.

Whatever the case, he was itching to test the seal’s power.

“You’re enjoying this quite a bit.”

“Of course I am. I just got an absurd power.”

While Elric was happily spinning futures, Arseus poured cold water on him.

“A sprout that begins to grow in the world of the unconscious tends to resemble its owner.”

“…Huh?”

“Just what it sounds like. Children mirror their parents. Your sprout will have your exact temperament.”

Elric grew increasingly uneasy.

Arseus still wore a warm smile.

And beneath it, something chilling.

“Why the anxiety? Didn’t you just say you were different from us?”

“Isn’t it obvious? My sprout will be very sweet and very obedient.”

“If you say so, then so be it.”

“B-but… what was your sprout like, Arseus?”

“A right pain in the ass. So finicky and so sensitive that if I slacked off even a little, it wouldn’t have been strange if it dropped dead any time.”

“Dead?”

“Yes.”

“…And if it dies?”

“What do you think? It’s just over.”

Watching Arseus shrug, Elric felt anger boil up inside.

“…Damn it.”

Of course.

Nothing the ancestors left in an Arrangement ever came easy.

The Mage Who Devoured Talent