Chapter 118

Chapter 118: Shadow Circle

It was precisely the riddle Lucy had cast out.
The Red Circle is an entity forged out of emotions.
For that reason, the core circuit is forever singular, and it cannot be substituted in another manner like the Blue Circle.
Nonetheless, Ferda found himself in an anomalous state where two distinct emotions interfered with a single mana circuit.
“I need to divert that interference… to another circle.”
Ferda, confirming the concept forming within his mind, entered the state immediately.
He concentrated upon the sensation of Shadow Form.
“Focus everything into the shadow.”
Like the enlightenment attained by the master of shapeshifting, who once dreamed of becoming a butterfly.
Deceiving himself into believing this body was never originally a body,
And that the form cast upon the ground was, in truth, his authentic body.
Finally, Ferda became a shadow.
“Construct a circuit like this.”
His shadow body does not rotate a circle.
Consequently, he had to proceed with the cultivation to forge the 1st Circle.
Ferda brought negative emotions to the surface.
The single moment he could regret the most.
It was not difficult to identify.
Because it was the moment Valdrova tore out her own heart.
He embraced everything from that memory through his five senses.
Then he perceived a presence whispering against Ferda’s ear.
— Why do you commit such a foolish act?
That voice had already discerned his intent.
— I am not attempting to harm you. I want to assist you.
Ferda replied to that voice.
— Say whatever you wish, I cannot allow you to act as you please.
— Even if the moment arrives when you cannot protect what you sought to protect?
— Yes.
— Then only regret shall remain once more.
— It does not matter.
Ferda had already forged his resolve.
Even if he lamented his lack of power, he would not allow himself to be ensnared by his past self.
— Understood.
— But do not push yourself too far.
— If you desire power, I shall grant it to you at any moment.
— Always remember.
— I am forever within you.
It was the instant he felt the voice detach.
Something black and viscous began to churn inside his shadow body.
The hand that had been spinning the circle caused it to swirl through the shadow form.
While directing its flow, Ferda concentrated and shaped it as though crafting pottery.
That sequence of processes was no different from walking a path of thorns.
Drawing out negative emotions, yet refusing to be overwhelmed by them.
Concurrently, continually brainwashing himself so that Ferda would not recognize his own physical vessel even once.
The instant he slipped up a single time, Ferda would die.
Even as he felt the sensation gnawing at his mind, he drove himself straight to that threshold.
“There is someone who must find happiness.”
That sense of duty was sufficient for Ferda to endure.
After a moment, Ferda felt the circle, which had been flowing crudely from his body, settle into a fixed form.
Ferda opened his eyes.
What met his sight was his own shadow, elongated by the candle behind him.
And a circle revolving in a shade even deeper and darker than that shadow.
“So that was what it meant.”
It had been ambiguous when he did not comprehend the meaning, but upon realizing it, he grasped that those words were exact.
Two emotions capable of interfering, and two circuits.
Each will operate independently, without mixing, depending on the emotion.
If that circle stirs, it is an emotion to be wary of;
If the original circle stirs, it is an emotion he can proceed with.
Ferda retracted his shadow body and drew it back into his physical frame.
The settled circle ascended alongside it.
Ferda positioned it beneath the original mana circuit that had resided within his danjeon.
Then he felt them lock into place and operate as if assisting each other’s motions, like intermeshed gears.
“The mana increased as well.”
With an auxiliary circle added to his existing 4th Circle, his mana pool reached a volume approaching the 5th Circle.
It was a peculiar phenomenon.
As in mathematics, adding a 1st Circle to a 4th Circle does not inherently mean possessing the mana capacity of a 5th Circle.
One could say at least a 3rd Circle’s worth more would be required to approach the 5th Circle.
A 1st Circle rivaling the weight of a 3rd Circle.
“It means this emotion is that intense.”
That which was forged from Ferda’s regret was an emotion that had once attained the 9th Circle, the domain of Demigods.
“I must not feed this until I reach at least the 5th Circle.”
Nurture the yearning affection, yet suppress the regret.
Simultaneously, govern it so that it may transform into strength for Ferda and achieve equilibrium.
That will by no means be an effortless journey.
However, Ferda felt an internal wave of relief.
Because it is visible and tangible, which signifies he can also regulate it naturally.
At the very least, the situation was far better than when it remained indistinct.
This is the singular power that Ferda alone can possess.
Ferda resolved to name it thus:
“Shadow Circle.”
Amidst a harsh winter that seemed everlasting, sunlight carrying renewed vigor poured down upon the earth.
Green sprouts poked their heads through the warming soil, offering prayers to the grace of the morning sun.
The believers of Althe also gazed upon the green grass and offered brief prayers.
Greetings of gratitude that the season of hardship had passed and Althe’s blessing had reached them.
Spring had arrived.
The refugees who had not stirred from the braziers basked in the sunlight for the first time in ages, and the streets took on vibrant vitality.
Ferda conducted the quarterly balance review with Isabella, the administrator.
— The primary construction of the town has been largely completed.
Primary completion meant that all structures immediately required to form the town had been erected.
Secondary construction entailed building expansion and zoning, while tertiary construction comprised large-scale developments such as the erection of castle walls.
— Were there no setbacks?
— Just as there is a reason to proceed in phases, certain setbacks naturally arose.
Given that they had prioritized the construction of the wall that had been deferred, it was only natural.
— Did we not already plan for ten times the currently accommodateable population when constructing the walls, considering how many would actually arrive?
— That is correct.
— As a result of verifying just now, we are in a situation where we must curb population growth.
Curbing population growth meant they could not take in more refugees.
— Petitions from the nobles have begun reaching the Empire. They claim we are siphoning away refugees.
— An irrefutable fact.
In truth, they were doing precisely that.
They had been welcoming the majority of arriving refugees.
The rationale for refusing refugees was not merely the biting winter frost.
When spring arrives and labor becomes essential, it is a period when even a child’s hand is indispensable.
— Certain nobles are also demanding the return of the refugees.
— Tell them not to speak nonsense.
— Your words are entirely accurate.
Ferda was not a philanthropist.
Gathering penniless people to swell the population was also intended to breathe life into the city.
With large crowds, merchants congregate, and as they assemble, rumors proliferate.
— Would it work to write a letter saying ‘do not speak nonsense’?
— I dare say that is the absolute worst move.
Isabella advised coldly.
— The fact that they submitted petitions means they have already grown into a force that can be deemed a faction. What is required now is to cut off the flow. Sending a letter would merely breach an opening that makes the current more ferocious.
— Then assassination is the solution.
— …Are you serious?
— It is a joke.
Isabella blinked at those words.
She never anticipated the word ‘joke’ emerging from Ferda’s mouth, and no matter how she scrutinized it, it did not feel like a joke.
Ferda could perceive the ‘current’ Isabella referenced.
Given that he had acquired enemies on all fronts, he knew where such accumulated resentment would eventually flow.
‘The Empire.’
The Empire would not look favorably upon the Grand Duke’s domain expanding by leaps and bounds.
The Empire could not remain an idle spectator and would seek to rein in the Grand Duke’s territory through one avenue or another.
Or they could cultivate the foul impression that Ferda was inciting conflicts everywhere to manufacture refugees and absorb them.
— What do you believe is required right now?
— Connections, after all. What political conflicts require are connections.
It was what Ferda was worst at after physical exertion.
— If it comes to connections, is Count Consillus not available?
— Count Consillus is an exceptional figure, but he can only yield limited leverage within the Far East.
Just as a village chief only commands authority in his own neighborhood, elsewhere he is merely a stranger.
Consillus always stated that as well.
It would be advantageous to align with someone capable of wielding substantial influence on the Empire’s side.
To Ferda at that time, it sounded like a distant tale.
He never anticipated he would end up building a settlement right in his own front yard in this manner.
— I checked, and I understand you already attended the Grand Council once. Was there no one you became close with there?
— Someone I grew close with…
He traveled back to that day and recalled the figures he had interacted with.
A neat bald head seemed to shine brightly like the sun.
— There is the Chancellor of Escolea.
— The Chancellor of Escolea lacks the influence to serve as backing.
Rather, it was a dynamic where Ferda had to guide him.
— What about the Magic Tower of Iorga, declared as an ally?
— They hold influence, but their fundamental tenet is non-interference in human politics. They will not mobilize unless demons are involved.
It was only natural.
They simply maintain that humans must resolve human problems.
— We need someone stationed within the Empire if possible. At least someone who can hold them at bay when the Empire attempts to strike at our momentum.
Such an individual.
Where would such a person be found?
It was just as Ferda was pondering that.
The maid, Ruri, who was in the middle of her cleaning duties, arrived.
— A guest from the Empire has arrived.
The person who had traveled along the Imperial Highway was a knight.
He bore the Direct Imperial crest, adorned in silver and gold, appearing as though his entire presence declared that none should dare touch him carelessly.
Yet Ferda, being a knight himself, recognized what duty brought him here.
He deduced it from the owl feather adorning his helm.
‘A messenger.’
One who conveys missives penned by those of imperial lineage.
A high-ranking post that could never be treated lightly.
— I pay my respects to the Consort of the Great Flame! Imperial Knight Aren offers his greetings.
— Welcome to Valdrova Castle. What brings you here?
— I have arrived to deliver an imperial letter.
The knight retrieved a coffer he had kept against his chest.
Inside lay a letter meticulously sealed by its sender.
Had he come to proclaim an imperial decree, it would have been premium parchment rolled upon a golden rod.
Which indicated it had been dispatched for private affairs of the Imperial Household, rather than representing the official decree of the Arken Empire.
‘Dispatching such a missive…’
Was it because he had just been conversing with Isabella? The thought that this might develop into a beneficial connection for Ferda crossed his mind first.
He broke the seal and read the letter’s contents.
— If it is not overly private, may I inquire about the contents?
Since she handled the administrative burdens, he informed her willingly.
— Someone from the Imperial Household is heading here abruptly.
— As soon as tomorrow?
— A week from now.
Imperial time, where every minute and second is precious.
Furthermore, members of the Imperial Household are VVIPs.
From their standpoint, a one-week notice was, in effect, abrupt.
Which member of that imperial bloodline would be arriving?
Ferda glanced at the signature penned at the bottom of the missive.
His slightly expectant mood clicked its tongue the moment he identified the first character.
— It was a letter from the Imperial Princess.
Olivia Arken.
Unlike the Crown Princes who held rights of succession, she could not directly wield political authority.
— It looks fine on the surface, but it is useless.
Isabella’s assessment was accurate.
Yet even if it is useless, what of it?
For the starving Ferda, he needed something to bring to his mouth right now.