Chapter 58: The Tiger is Dead (5)

Magic is a power with infinite potential.

It can ignite fire in the void, where there is nothing, and also make water flow.

Beyond these basic things, it has influenced human civilization to a greater or lesser extent.

[Even if mana existed, without magic it would not have been possible to develop to this point.]

[Magic is the true power of humanity.]

[Magic, together with mana, is the greatest gift the gods have granted to humanity.]

That is what scholars say in unison.

But magic is difficult.

Not only difficult, but something only geniuses can learn.

And even that is not enough.

Even among geniuses, there are higher levels.

The Magic Tower, an institution that only geniuses among geniuses can enter.

Known as the cradle and paradise of magic, and a place that venerates the god of magic, Aragorn.

The leader of that Magic Tower is considered the greatest mage in history.

So much so that the world reveres him as the “King of Mages.”

Considering the weight carried by the word “king,” the Magic Tower itself is practically a kingdom.

That is why even the Kingdom of Iris, where the tower is located, cannot help but act cautiously toward it.

And the reason why the Mesia Empire also cannot treat it lightly is precisely because of the existence of the Magic Tower.

And that mage, the leader of the Magic Tower and called the King of Mages, was currently.

“Hmm~ hmm~”

He was drinking coffee while quietly humming.

His hair had turned completely white with age, and his beard, also white, was as thick as a dwarf’s.

But surprisingly, his face had few wrinkles, closer to that of a middle-aged man than an old one.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

In front of the mage, a heart much larger than a human head was beating violently.

It was quite a grotesque scene, but the mage did not care at all.

“Hehe, what an adorable thing. It beats so strongly.”

On the contrary, he observed it with an almost perverted gaze.

Even the heart, as if instinctively sensing something unsettling, stopped for a moment.

But immediately, as if it had been an illusion, it resumed beating regularly.

‘It has the same structure as a dragon’s heart… is this really possible?’

A dragon’s heart is, literally, the heart of a “dragon,” the creature considered the most powerful of all.

It contains an amount of mana close to infinite, and if someone manages to consume it, they will never suffer from a lack of mana again in their entire life.

However, the heart itself possesses a will, which makes processing it extremely difficult.

If handled poorly, it can cause a massive explosion and devastate the surroundings.

This knowledge was also unknown until recently.

Until this King of Mages defeated a dragon.

And he did it alone.

‘How can a tiger contain a dragon’s heart?’

The mage stared intently at the beating heart.

Not even using all the knowledge accumulated over decades could he resolve that doubt.

A dragon’s heart can only be contained by a dragon.

But today, that knowledge was shattered.

Even if the amount of mana it contained was much smaller, a dragon’s heart is still a dragon’s heart.

The mage observed it closely, then slowly extended his hand.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

“My.”

The moment he touched it, the heart began to beat as if it were about to explode.

The mage lightly snapped his fingers.

Wiiiing—

Then a cube-shaped barrier appeared around the heart.

Shortly after, the heart emitted a blue flash and exploded.

Boom!

The explosion was contained within the cube.

However, the cubic barrier suffered no damage.

The mage waved his hand and the barrier disappeared.

“It is sensitive to external mana. That is also a characteristic of a dragon’s heart. Then…”

The mage began experimenting with the tiger’s heart.

Triggering explosions by sending mana without touching it.

Calming it just before it exploded using specific methods.

Even stopping its beating for a moment.

The more the experiments progressed, the more his eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.

“What kind of place is the Forest of the Four Seasons?”

The mage murmured as he stroked his beard.

Even he, revered as the “King of Mages,” feared that forest.

No matter how strong humanity had become, it was still insignificant before the greatness of nature.

And the King of Mages was no exception.

He had set foot there once in the past, but since then he had not approached it again.

‘And yet, Grills can use the gallery there. His very existence is strange.’

At first, it was just curiosity.

A gallery he began exploring out of boredom.

But the more he explored it, the more he realized something.

The world is vast, and it is full of beings worse than beasts.

For him, the gallery was the perfect place to conduct a kind of “social experiment.”

And when he began trading with Grills, he gained access to all kinds of strange and valuable flora and fauna.

For the King of Mages, who seeks all the knowledge in the world, Grills had become an indispensable existence.

‘Dragons usually inhabit deep mountain ranges rich in mana. The Forest of the Four Seasons is even more extreme. If a tiger can contain a dragon’s heart, it wouldn’t be strange to say its species has completely changed.’

His thoughts chained one after another.

The King of Mages formed a plausible hypothesis using all his knowledge.

‘Did it evolve as a spirit beast? Or did it adapt over generations? Then, did dragons also evolve from other species to be able to contain so much mana? Or did some species change form as they adapted? Was the dragon’s heart not exclusive to dragons?’

The doubts began to tangle like a ball of yarn.

Even for the King of Mages, they were overwhelming hypotheses.

The very notion of common sense was shattering and scattering across his mind.

What kind of place was the Forest of the Four Seasons, really?

The King of Mages felt even more curiosity.

‘I don’t have enough samples. That tiger could have been a mutation. To confirm it, I need to support Grills without reservation.’

There was already the case of the golden poisonous frog.

Normally, those frogs are the size of a small fist.

But the first one Grills caught was the size of a small or medium dog.

And the ones he has been capturing recently are much larger than a fist.

‘And not to mention the common crab—it was the size of a building. Is the Forest of the Four Seasons a place that accelerates evolution?’

Being a mage and also an academic, his investigative curiosity burned even more.

‘I am still not sure. If this really is a dragon’s heart, I will have to check whether it also reacts to blood.’

Exceptions that defy common sense are cases that researchers not only enjoy, but love.

It was natural. He had found material for a thesis.

In fact, a smile formed on the King of Mages’ lips.

Then, the King of Mages began to walk toward somewhere.

The place he arrived at was a large freezer.

A place where he stored various experimental materials and specimens.

Clack—

As if it had no locking system, the King of Mages opened the door effortlessly.

As soon as he opened it, an intense cold began to seep out.

“The dragon’s blood is here.”

“……”

Inside the freezer, preserved in cold, there were animal hearts, blood, and a human skull.

Of course, it was not a normal skull.

In its empty eye sockets, a green light shone.

As if they were eyes, that green light stared directly at the King of Mages.

Normally, skeletons cannot speak, but there are always exceptions.

The skull spoke with a dying voice.

[Kill me.]

“Later.”

The mage responded coldly, closing the freezer door again.

The mage returned with a container filled with dragon blood.

Screams could be heard from the freezer, but he completely ignored them.

Swish— swish—

The King of Mages stirred the dragon blood with his index finger.

The frozen blood, hard as stone, began to melt little by little.

It didn’t take long before it returned to its original state.

Slurp—

The King of Mages sucked the blood from his finger with satisfaction.

As if he were eating crumbs that had stuck to him while eating something.

“Now, if I pour this…”

The King of Mages expected that, just as he predicted, the heart would absorb the blood and—

Boom!

Strengthen.

But that did not happen.

It simply exploded.

It was not an explosion.

It burst. Completely.

“……”

The King of Mages did not even think about removing the pieces of heart stuck to his face.

Because the situation was completely beyond his expectations.

Even so, it was not that he gained nothing.

Calmly, he removed the remnants of cardiac tissue from his face.

‘Even if the structure is the same, if the species is different, it causes a violent rejection reaction.’

Thus, he accumulated a new valuable “data point.”

The price, however, was quite disastrous.

The King of Mages, Kadir, looked at the heart with a calm expression.

The heart, which had previously been larger than a human head, was now completely destroyed.

Only the scattered fragments indicated what had happened.

“Ha… by Aragorn…”

He let out an empty laugh.

No matter how powerful he was, even he could not turn back time.

The valuable research material that Grills had given him had been lost in an instant.

What should he do now?

Kadir began to think quickly.

‘Lie.’

What lie?

Say that it exploded as soon as it arrived?

If that had been the case, he would have had to report it immediately in the gallery.

Rejected.

‘Tell the truth.’

With Grills’ personality, he might forgive him.

But then, the chances of obtaining future rare specimens would decrease drastically.

Also rejected.

‘Say that I bought it and give him something else in return.’

In reality, that was the best option.

Kadir reflected deeply.

Something equivalent to a degraded dragon heart.

What could it be?

The conditions were complicated.

First, it had to help Grills’ survival.

With those requirements, not even Kadir could decide easily.

‘…First I’ll have to clean.’

Sighing, he began cleaning his destroyed laboratory.

With a certain guilt toward Grills.

Even though he was the King of Mages, he still had a bit of conscience left.

‘If I handle this well, I might be able to obtain even better specimens.’

The problem was that this “conscience” was quite twisted.

***

After giving the saber-toothed tiger’s heart to AllFather, I went to gather another adult mandrake.

I didn’t have a shield and the shoes were uncomfortable, but collecting it was not difficult.

I didn’t encounter any dangerous beasts along the way, and the gathering was simple.

The only thing left was to make the exchange with DwarfPassingBy.

I would give him the appetizer later.

[DwarfPassingBy: Tomorrow you absolutely have to give it to me, okay? If not, I’ll end up looking like a liar.]

[WildGrills: And what happens if you look like a liar?]

[DwarfPassingBy: They’ll take away my infused liquor. That cannot happen.]

[WildGrills: You should stop drinking;;]

[DwarfPassingBy: Do you want me to die? Not a chance haha]

Yeah…

The mistake was mine for telling a dwarf to stop drinking alcohol.

Anyway, by making the trade with the dwarf, I was able to get the shoes.

The shape of the shoes was generally similar to the military boots I used in the army.

The difference was the color.

As he said they were made with the highest quality leather, even the shine was different.

‘Are they comfortable and good?’

They weren’t as heavy as I expected and were comfortable.

I was very satisfied.

Being a dwarf, and on top of that a craftsman, the reliability was also high.

‘I’ll choose the other shoes based only on their performance.’

I had already grown attached to these.

Taking advantage of having new shoes, I entered the gallery to post a message of thanks to the dwarf.

[Grills! Look at this~!]

“Huh?”

It’s not strange to see my name every time I enter the gallery.

But because of the way of speaking and the nickname, I couldn’t ignore it.

Title) Grills! Look at this~!

DemonPrincess

(Photo of Chayu uniforms lined up)

I carefully picked long-sleeved uniforms~!

Choose one you like from here~!

Personally, I recommend the one from 3 years ago~!

It’s red and looks super cool~!

ㄴWow;;; is this a real fan for real?

ㄴIsn’t that uniform from 50 years ago? Lol

ㄴIt must be because demons live long, but… why does she have so many? Haha

ㄴLooks like she just eats and watches football;;

ㄴWildGrills) Thank you very much. I don’t have anything to repay you with, is it really okay?

ㄴDemonPrincess) I’d be sadder to lose a Chayu fan! So don’t worry and accept it~!

ㄴWildGrills) Thank you very much. I’m sending a trade request.

ㄴDemonPrincess) Yes~! While we trade, I’d like to talk about football~! That’s enough for me~!

ㄴWildGrills) I don’t know much, but I’ll listen carefully.

ㄴ“don’t know much” he says hahaha

ㄴSince when do you need culture to kick a ball? Lol

ㄴDon’t say that to a demon, you’ll get punched

While making the trade, I thought about how I could help DemonPrincess.

I had started getting interested in football because of a friend, but only to that extent.

I never supported any particular team.

If I supported Chayu, it was more because of DemonPrincess than real attachment.

[DemonPrincess: I’ve already registered the uniform~! By the way, are you okay?]

[WildGrills: Thanks to the uniform I wasn’t hurt as much. I couldn’t avoid the bite, but it blocked the claws.]

[DemonPrincess: Excellent~! In two days there’s a Chayu match, cheer hard~!]

[WildGrills: Of course. I want to repay everything you’ve helped me with.]

[DemonPrincess: Hehe, then think about how to improve football~. Before being a Chayu fan, I’m a fan of football, and before that, a fan of sports~!]

She really liked sports.

Well, in a world with little entertainment, sports must be like a drug.

I kept thinking while the trade continued, and blurted out an idea without thinking too much.

[WildGrills: There’s no World Cup here, right?]

[DemonPrincess: World Cup~?]

[WildGrills: Yes. A tournament between countries, not teams. It was the biggest where I lived.]

[DemonPrincess: How curious~. There are competitions between races, but between countries is new. Since there are few countries, would it be popular~?]

As DemonPrincess said, in this world there are few countries.

Races tend to group together more.

But if we talk about territories, the story changes.

Even if there are few countries, there are many territories.

Within a large country, there are countless domains.

[WildGrills: Then it can be done by territories. Not by clubs, but by place of origin.]

[DemonPrincess: Origin instead of headquarters~?]

[WildGrills: Yes. In my world it was done like that every 4 years. Representing your country was an honor.]

[DemonPrincess: Oooh! Every 4 years? That’s new~! Did they give titles if you won~?]

In my country they gave military exemption, but I decided not to say it.

It was too specific and not worth explaining.

[WildGrills: No. In my world status didn’t matter much. Instead of titles, they put stars on the uniform as a symbol of victory. It would be like putting stars over Chayu’s logo.]

[DemonPrincess: I got an idea! I got an idea! Thank you so much~! This can be applied not only to football, but to all sports~!]

Although the World Cup and the Olympics are different, I didn’t think it was necessary to explain.

Nor did I think this would work so well as a reward.

I just mentioned the idea casually.

[WildGrills: I’m running out of time. Thanks for the uniforms. I’ll definitely repay you.]

[DemonPrincess: Thank you for the inspiration~. If this isn’t enough, help me buy Chayu haha~]

[WildGrills: You can buy Chayu too?]

[DemonPrincess: If you have enough money, yes~]

[WildGrills: Not even with an adult mandrake?]

[DemonPrincess: You’d need many~]

[WildGrills: If I find something expensive I don’t need, I’ll give it to you. Buy it with that.]

[DemonPrincess: Just saying that is enough for me to be grateful~]

Well, I was serious.

If it wasn’t food or equipment, I could use it for trading.

After everything she had given me, I wanted to repay her even if it was with money.

“Huh? She gave me all of this?”

But DemonPrincess’s gift exceeded my expectations.

She didn’t give me one of the uniforms from the photo.

She gave me all of them.

The clothes piled up all at once, leaving me surprised.

But there was something even stranger.

‘Who would wear something so small?’

There were uniforms that looked like they were for children.

And speaking of children.

“Ah.”

I understood instantly.