novelraw Chapter 103 : Eye of Kabbalah (3)
Chapter 103 : Eye of Kabbalah (3)
Chapter 103: Eye of Kabbalah (3)
“Now, come a little closer, Eugene Carter.”
Ephraim Robinson slowly pulled me by the shoulder.
“The great Eye of Kabbalah will tell you itself what price you must pay.”
I naturally complied, showing a faint smile.
‘…Been a while, you damn eyeball.’
It would have been nice if they could locate the Reincarnation Stone with only their intelligence network.
But things never flowed that easily.
Even considering that, this encounter was far too fast.
My gaze remained fixed on the bizarre sculpture before me.
The Eye of Kabbalah.
Even among the highest-class artifacts—of which there were fewer than a hundred across the world—this was an especially rare one.
Including Ain Kabbalah, it cross-referenced every piece of information held by all forces connected to black magic and every memory within the user, then told the user the information about the object/person they desired most.
It compiled information starting from the moment the reading began, though it also revealed a considerable portion of events that would occur in the future.
In the case of future-sight, its accuracy was entirely random, so one needed to account for that.
Anyway, because it possessed such overwhelming efficacy, the price it demanded was likewise immense.
If something was given, something was taken in return—such was the rule.
Not all artifacts abided by such equivalence, but most artifacts tied to black magic could not escape this law.
Especially the Eye of Kabbalah—it was the representative artifact whose demanded price outweighed the value of the information it provided.
Because he knew that all too well, Ephraim didn’t bother asking for any additional conditions.
Every privilege came with its price—that was the essence of black magic.
“If you’re ready, imagine what you want and pour in your mana. Ten minutes should do.”
“Yeah.”
Answering Ephraim half-heartedly, I pressed my gaze against the Eye of Kabbalah.
“Hoo….”
Let’s see what it planned to take in return.
Just once.
Five minutes passed as I slowly infused mana into the artifact as Ephraim had instructed.
Around that point, the creature’s twitching pupil began to give off meaningful light.
At the same time, my consciousness rapidly faded.
Before long, all my senses became submerged.
And when I opened my eyes again, I stood in an empty void.
“It has been a long time since I beheld your countenance, thou.”
The sole exception was the young girl beside me.
She seemed three years older than before, but her characteristically cold smile remained unchanged.
“…….”
Seeing no great shift in my expression, she tilted her head as though surprised.
Her long, loose black hair swayed back and forth.
“I thought this was thy first time entering thine own consciousness… but it seems thou hast experienced something similar?”
“No, it’s my first time.”
It merely felt familiar because of the scene I’d experienced in MAGA.
A fact that had to remain hidden.
“It seems thou wilt soon be entirely freed from the Incurable Curse.”
“That’s how it’ll be. How it must be.”
“Hmm… then it seems this body’s relationship with thee ends here?”
“…Why?”
Clina tilted her head again, as though that were the surprising part.
“Why, thou askest…? Thou hast no reason to focus on thy relationship with me anymore.”
“Because I won’t need to go through the bothersome process of removing the limiter?”
She didn’t openly agree, but that was exactly what she meant.
I carefully patted her head, as she seemed strangely downcast.
“Was the contract between a human and an evil spirit something so easy to undo?”
“…If both sides agreed, it wouldn’t be difficult.”
“…Do you want to be free of me?”
“…Not particularly.”
This time, Clina lowered her head deeply, answering in a shy whisper.
“Not particularly… I don’t want to be free.”
The bashful, shrinking voice was a bonus.
“A contract holds meaning only when both sides have use for each other. If this body becomes worthless to thee, then there is no reason to maintain—”
“Thinking your usefulness amounts to only that much is disappointing.”
With that, I bent down and met her eyes.
Gripping her shoulders firmly, I continued decisively.
“I meant what I said back then.”
“A coalition between human and evil spirit… is that what thou meanest?”
“Yeah.”
“…Is that truly possible?”
“I have no intention of calling it impossible when I haven't even tried.”
“…Even if it were possible, thou wouldst not withstand the current demonic horde.”
Now it was my turn to fall silent.
I had watched the world end countless times.
In a few loops, we had achieved miraculous survival, but the price was unmistakable.
There had never been an ending where everyone walked away happy.
Up until now, that was.
“I know not what reason compelled thee to choose such a perilous path.”
“…….”
“Though brief, this body hath always observed thee from within. I know, to the point of exhaustion, how earnest thou art in this endeavor.”
But… no.
“Alone, thou canst not do it. Thou shalt never withstand them. The demonic horde is a force of that magnitude.”
“…Probably.”
“Abandon notions of salvation or peace for now, and protect thyself more. Otherwise… thou shalt regret it.”
At that heartfelt advice, I smiled brightly.
“I never expected to receive comfort from you of all people. Thanks.”
But sorry.
“I’m the kind of man who has to shove something into my mouth myself to know whether it’s dung or bean paste.”
“Thou…”
“If you’re curious, then hold on tight. I’ll show you clearly which side ends up destroyed.”
It was both an answer to Clina and a vow to myself.
I soothed her once more as she struggled to find the right words, then rose to my feet.
It was about time for the voice of Kabbalah to reach me.
* * *
― A greedy one has come.
A deep, heavy voice reverberated through the void.
And yet, it carried a strangely mocking tone.
His tone was solemn, yet for some reason, it grated on my nerves.
As I continued to remain silent, that voice flowed into my mind once more.
― What is it that you wish to see? You, who cannot even realize what it is you truly desire.
“……”
Yeah, that’s definitely irritating.
Folding my arms, I stated what I wanted.
“Where is the place where the Reincarnation Stone is kept?”
A keyword he must have already known.
― Is that truly what you desire?
Tch, so damn talkative.
“Quit stalling and grant my request. It’s not like you’re showing it to me for free.”
Yet, his answer again defied my expectations.
― This eye is looking at another sight — the vision of the future you truly desire.
“……”
― Francia Brida, Rubia Magnus, Michel Bernhardt, Edel Ribenia, Karen Rosefield.
― A future where you overcame the coming hell together with all of them.
“Haah… this bastard.”
He was practically shouting top-secret information all over town.
I let out a string of sighs and snorted.
“What’s the point of seeing it? It’s not like the future’s something you can guarantee a hundred percent.”
― Uncertainty applies just as much to the location of the Reincarnation Stone.
“I’ll be the judge of that. Now shut up and show me before I decide to scrap this deal altogether.”
― Are you certain you’d be fine with that? You speak words your heart does not believe, Eugene Carter.
“It’s amusing, hearing that from someone who’s clinging to existence by feeding off memories and desires — you, the Great Mage Kabbalah.”
In the distant past, the Great Mage Kabbalah, owner of this eye, had sought to create an autonomous dominion alongside five hundred thousand black magicians.
Their attempt was thwarted by intervention from the surrounding nations and a plague that swept the region.
During that process, he created numerous bizarre artifacts that modern knowledge could not possibly comprehend.
Over twenty grimoires, five sets of armor, three weapons, and even two irregular artifacts.
The principles and methods of their creation remained completely unknown — MAGA’s representative Lost Technologies.
Among them was this very Eye of Kabbalah.
But only I, who had dissected even the developer data, knew the truth.
“Doomed by an incurable disease, you used the vast mana of your hundreds of thousands of followers to anchor your deep consciousness within an artifact. The medium was your left eyeball.”
He fell silent, struck speechless by the string of truths no one should have known.
“But such a distorted artifact could never possess eternal life. To maintain your consciousness, you require a unique form of sustenance — pure human memories and desires.”
― You… what in the world are you?
“You can look that up through your own followers.”
To drive the nail in, I spread my arms wide and said,
“You think sustenance of that purity is easy to find in this era? Be satisfied and let it go while I’m still speaking nicely.”
Perhaps my proposal worked, for he began to comply with my request without further words.
As proof, the void before me rippled, and from nothingness, the ground began to bloom — countless structures scattering into their rightful places.
Once the city fully materialized, my vision rapidly narrowed inward, as if being sucked into it.
From the panoramic view of the distant city, I was drawn inward — over towering walls, past spires and sanctuaries — until the grandest cathedral seized my gaze.
The enormous symbol of the Inquisition embedded on its front was an unmistakable addition.
Then, the scene completely shifted, and before I realized it, we were standing inside an underground cavern.
The walls of the branching tunnels spreading like spiderwebs were built from human bones.
After winding through that endless passage, passing several iron gates and barriers, a narrow chamber finally greeted us.
Among the dozens of rare mana stones displayed inside, the ominous red-orange glow of the Reincarnation Stone stood out the most.
After the image focused on the stone for about thirty seconds, everything reverted back to the same empty void as before.
At the same time, my consciousness began to blur again.
“Kh….”
“My lord!”
Behind Clina’s hurried grasp of my arm came his final, ominous words.
― As the price for observation, I shall hasten a moment you will never welcome.
― Next time, I hope you will offer me that honest desire of yours, Eugene Carter.
And my consciousness returned to the outside world once more.
“……”
I thought I’d still be inside the space of the Eye of Kabbalah, but instead, I found myself laid out in the same study as before.
My sharpened senses felt duller than usual.
Whether ten minutes or an hour had passed, I couldn’t tell at all.
Still, the places I had just witnessed were burned vividly into my mind.
‘…To think it would be there.’
The expression “darkness beneath the lamp” was made for situations like this.
As I nodded to myself and struggled to rise—
“You wake quickly, Eugene Carter.”
I saw Ephraim and his subordinates approaching from across the room.
Barely getting up, I sat myself down on the chair beside me.
Ephraim began laying the items he’d brought one by one onto the table.
“Even if you’re leaving soon, you still have to settle the bill, don’t you?”
A sly smile curled across his lips.