Chapter 516 - We Are Magicians (2/2)

Vance spread out his hands, indicating that it could not be helped. “Sacrifice of some kind is always inevitable in one’s search for ultimate knowledge. This is the last time I’ll sully my hands with such foulness. Oh, I definitely won’t be able to sleep well with the shrieks of agony still ringing in my ears.”

Link patted Vance’s shoulder, unable to come up with any words of consolation for him.

Though the process was barbaric, their experiments had achieved results. Vance had more or less grasped from where each race drew their power. Such information was priceless to them.

When they returned to Ferde, Vance produced five copies of his results to everyone involved.

When Eliard received his copy, his hand trembled a bit. He was able to vividly smell the stench of blood from the experiments they had conducted. Eliard then raised his head to look at the others.

Link’s face was dark and solemn, while Vance looked exhausted from the experiments. Both Alloa, the Maiden of Truth, and Eleanor’s faces were expressionless as if they were already accustomed to such horrors.

Eliard then sensed that there was a stark difference between his worldview and the others. Before, he had seen the world in either black or white. The two color’s purities remained intact even with the insinuation of a few grey areas.

Now, he finally understood that the world consisted simply of shades of grey. There was no such thing as a purely black-and-white world.

For instance, in the hearts of the people of Ferde, their lord, Link, was honorable and intelligent beyond compare. He was a messiah-like existence almost akin to the reincarnation of light itself.

But this time, he was the first to suggest using the strengths and powers of the other races for their benefit. Before, Link had wanted to end the lives of 70,000 people in Orida Fortress of the north, regardless of whether those people were good or evil. Link’s hands were certainly stained with more blood than anyone else in the world.

On the other hand, who would have known that Vance, who usually disputed with him over magical problems as a fellow, mild-mannered scholar, would be willing to dissect countless corpses and even live bodies in his zeal to develop Battle Art?

Judging from their unfazed expressions, Eliard was sure that both Alloa and Eleanor had done their fair share of unspeakable things in the past.

Link looked at Eliard, who remained silent. He then said, “Is there something wrong? You seem shocked.”

Eliard shook his head. “No, I just realized that there’s no line between light and darkness.”

Though he was still a bit shocked, as a Level-7 Magician, he managed to calm himself down and prevent himself from losing composure.

“That’s not usually the case. To some people, absolute light exists. I’ve seen it with my own eyes in Orida Fortress. But…” Link remembered the pope and cardinal who had been willing to incinerate their souls back in Orida Fortress. Such individuals would sacrifice anything for the light.

Eliard raised his brows upon hearing this and waited for Link to continue.

Link fell silent for a while. He then continued, “But… we’re Magicians. To us, the eternal conflict between light and darkness holds little to no meaning. Religion and morality are better left to saints who have long removed themselves from worldly concerns. What we do has concrete value. Our ultimate goal is to change the very nature of the world.”

Before, Link had not given this much thought. As he grew in power and accrued even more experience in the world, his convictions had fortified. To quote a saying from earth, “Be unscrupulous in your methods, and never lose yourself.”

Beside Eliard, Vance spoke out, “We need to be diligent in our efforts to reshape this world. There will be times when we’ll be forced to shake off the shackles of morality in order to achieve our goals.”

Eleanor added, “Link took the words right out of my mouth.”

Alloa the Maiden of Truth then said solemnly, “This is the reason why I left the Dark Elves and sided with Link. He sees through everything more than anyone else.”

To all of them, piety, morality and the values of mortal men were nothing more than impediments. A Magician should not concern himself or herself with the struggle between light and darkness, but rather with an object’s practicality and whether it can be used to fulfill their objectives.

Though Link usually presented a noble exterior to the outside world, it was usually for the purpose of gathering support for his actions.

Hearing their words, Eliard looked at his compatriots around him in awe.

He suddenly had a clearer understanding of things.

Slaughter, cruelty, generosity, greed—all these things were simply a means to an end. These tools would only be used when needed and discarded when they had served their purposes. Most people usually made the mistake of confusing means and ends and ended up losing themselves in the process.

Heaving a long sigh, Eliard sensed that the path ahead of him had become even clearer. There were others like him walking the same path, and they were all doing a great service to the human race.

“I understand.” Eliard nodded.

Link then shuffled the papers in his hands and said to the others, “Alright then, let’s get started.”