The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 263: Chapter 258 — Two Metals

It was not long after Lumi left when a knock came from the door. Opening it, Zephyrion met a hooded figure standing on the other side. His head was lowered, and his gaze darted nervously down the hallway as though afraid of being caught.

”Hurry... let me in.”

Zephyrion stepped out of the way, and the figure hastily entered. The moment he was inside, he released a breath of relief, then lowered his hood. It was none other than Kaelith.

”Were you followed?” Zephyrion asked.

”What?” Kaelith glared at him. ”Of course not! Who the hell do you take me for?”

Zephyrion simply stared.

Almost instantly, Kaelith’s glare faltered. His gaze shifted away before cautiously drifting back to Zephyrion’s face. Then, in a quieter voice, he added;

”I-I mean, no. I wasn’t followed.”

After their ’talk’ the night of his capture, Maegorian had spent the entire night lecturing Kaelith, cautioning him to be more careful around Zephyrion. A devil child, the inheritance had called him. Kaelith had been reluctant to listen at first, even arguing against it, but eventually, he had succumbed.

Somehow, after that night, he had truly realized just how frightening Zephyrion was, and it was all because of one simple fact; he could still stand in this room.

Even after everything Kaelith had done to him, Zephyrion still wanted to use him. He hadn’t taken revenge, hadn’t even bothered trying to get back at him. Somehow, that frightened Kaelith more than if he had.

It meant Zephyrion had never truly considered him an opponent.

He had simply chosen what benefited him over dealing with Kaelith, something Kaelith was certain he could never have done. But that realization had inevitably led to another thought.

If he had been of no use, what would Zephyrion have done to him?

That night, Kaelith had remembered what Zephyrion had done to the sanguines during that last test and immediately shuddered.

Without even realizing it, he had silently agreed with his inheritance.

Zephyrion nodded and gestured towards the seat. Then, he sat across from him on the bed.

”Summon the inheritance.”

Kaelith quickly nodded and briefly closed his eyes. When they opened again, they glowed with a blackish light. A moment later, the ethereal figure of the aged Maegorian materialized before him.

”Brat, can’t say I’m happy to see that demonic face of yours.”

Maegorian glared at him, his hostility clear even without the words. However, Zephyrion didn’t miss the hint of wariness buried beneath it.

Maegorian glanced back, subtly nodding in approval when he saw Kaelith keeping his distance, then swept his gaze around the room, frowning in obvious distaste. Eventually, his attention settled back on Zephyrion.

”So, what’s this about?” he asked, then, as though suddenly remembering something important, his expression turned serious. ”And don’t forget your promise. Maegorian doesn’t do anything sexual. Now, don’t misunderstand me, I had more than my fair share of women back in my day. Beautiful women, too. The problem here is you. I unfortunately do not swing that way, so if that’s why you called me here—”

Zephyrion manipulated the metal pin on his chest, reverting it back into a rod that hovered before Maegorian. Fortunately, it was enough to put an end to the inheritance’s rambling.

”I need you to tell me what is wrong with it.”

Maegorian narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased at being interrupted. A moment later, he huffed and turned his attention to the rod, giving it a cursory glance.

His eyes widened almost immediately.

”This... what the hell is this...?”

”A rod.”

Maegorian’s brows twitched. ”I can see that, brat! I’m dead, not blind! I’m asking what kind of rod this is. These runes... there are layers upon layers of them, and they’re ridiculously complex. Yet the thing looks like something you picked up off the side of a road...”

Maegorian began hovering around the rod, examining it from every angle. His earlier hostility seemed to vanish entirely, replaced by undisguised intrigue.

”You don’t have to burden yourself with that information,” Zephyrion said, his expression unchanged. ”Just tell me what is wrong with it. Why is it dormant?”

Kaelith scoffed.

”Maybe it just doesn’t like you.”

Zephyrion slowly turned his gaze towards him. At the exact same moment, Maegorian did the same. Kaelith stiffened beneath their combined stares. After several uncomfortable seconds, he cleared his throat and quietly looked away.

Satisfied, both of them returned their attention to the rod.

Maegorian didn’t bother asking any more questions, having understood Zephyrion’s response for what it was; he had no intention of revealing anything about the rod. And considering Maegorian couldn’t imagine any way to trick or force the child devil into talking, he decided not to bother.

Silence settled over the room, broken only by Maegorian’s occasional muttering as he continued circling the rod. Zephyrion listened carefully to every word.

”These runes... intricate. Very intricate. Layers upon layers, and somehow none of them interfere with each other. Remarkable... Whoever made this knew exactly what they were doing.” As Maegorian leaned closer, studying the rod more intently, he suddenly paused. ”But... wait. This metal... there’s something inside it. Something...”

His expression turned thoughtful as he considered something, then he abruptly turned to Kaelith.

”Touch it.”

Instinctively, Kaelith glanced at Zephyrion, who gave a slight nod of approval. As merely a fragment, Maegorian had next to no influence on the outside world. To truly examine the rod, he needed to do so through Kaelith.

Regardless, Zephyrion didn’t particularly care about Kaelith touching it. Unless he told them what the rod was, neither of them would ever find out. Not even Maegorian, a legend of the past, could hope to get past Demorian’s defenses.

Legends surpassed legends. It was simply how these things went.

Still, Zephyrion hoped he could find something. Even if Maegorian couldn’t see through the rod’s true workings, perhaps whatever was wrong with it was closer to the surface, something he could actually detect.

With permission granted, Kaelith reached out and touched the rod. Maegorian immediately shut his eyes.

Several moments passed before they snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them.

’He found something.’

Zephyrion kept his expression unchanged, suppressing the eagerness that threatened to show. He couldn’t afford to let either of them know just how important this was to him.

Still, he asked;

”Well?”

Maegorian didn’t immediately answer. He stared at the rod, the intrigue on his face gradually giving way to wariness.

”This rod... there’s something familiar about the metal. I know this feeling.” His eyes slowly narrowed. ”Calamity metal.”

’Calamity metal?’

Zephyrion straightened without even realizing it.

”What the hell is calamity metal?”

Maegorian remained silent for a moment, his attention still fixed on the rod. Then, in a solemn tone, he asked;

”How much do you know about Ferravry’s metal?”

Zephyrion shook his head, signifying that he knew nothing.

It was true. Ferravry had always been known as the guardian of the Ferran Empire, a calamity beast of immense power, but the exact nature of his abilities had never actually been recorded in history, at least not in any of the books Zephyrion had read.

Whether that was out of respect for the beast, or for some other reason, he did not know.

Maegorian sighed, as though he had expected the answer. ”Of course you don’t. Alright, listen carefully, brat. I’m only explaining this once.”

Zephyrion silently nodded.

”Ferravry’s metal is what we used to call calamity metal, and there’s a damn good reason for the name. It’s what made that monster such a nightmare on the battlefield. You see, calamity metal doesn’t behave like ordinary metal. It’s... alive. Sentient, even, depending on how loosely you use the word.

”No one ever figured out exactly how Ferravry did it, whether it was some strange rune art or simply something the bastard was born with, but every piece of his metal carries a portion of his will. Cut it off, break it apart, scatter the pieces across a battlefield, it doesn’t matter. Each piece is still, in some sense, alive.”

Maegorian gestured towards the rod.

”And living things grow. Calamity metal just happens to have a rather unpleasant way of doing it. It eats other metals. Steel, iron, gold, whatever you put near it, the damn thing consumes it and uses it to grow. Give it enough metal and, theoretically, it can keep growing without end. Now imagine fighting that on a battlefield.”

”How does that relate to the rod?”

”I’m getting there, brat. Gods, do children these days have no patience?” Maegorian scoffed, clearly annoyed at being rushed. A moment later, he continued;

”This rod contains two different metals. One belongs to someone incredibly powerful. Who, I haven’t the faintest idea. The other...” He narrowed his eyes at the rod. ”Is calamity metal.”

Zephyrion’s gaze sharpened slightly.

”You wanted to know what was wrong with your precious rod? There you have it. The calamity metal inside it feels... incomplete. Injured, more accurately. Whatever happened to it left it in a severely weakened state, and right now, it’s feeding off the energy within the other metal to slowly restore itself.”

’So that’s why it went dormant? Because of the calamity metal?’

Still, that begged another question. How the hell had Ferravry’s metal found its way into the rod in the first place?