Chapter 515: Metamorphosis (3)

Sienna couldn't go along with Carmen's passionate exclamation and give this magic the name of a spell because this was still just a new type of power, not an actual spell.

However, Sienna did think that there was a need to give this new type of power a name. This power was neither mana nor dark power. It was a power that had been created by combining the two through ancient methods that had been stored in Bloody Mary's memory.

For now, Sienna decided to give it the name Soul Power.

She had tried to repeat the experiment a few more times after that, but nothing like what had happened during the first time around reoccurred. The creation of the soul power itself was a smooth success. Her attempts to control the soul power also went well. However, because of that, the soul power didn't start moving on its own like before.

'What could it have been?' Sienna was lost in thought as she moved the crystal of soul power here and there.

Could it be... that she had gained some sort of enlightenment after becoming overly immersed in the magic? Had she become so absorbed in focus that she entered a state of oneness with the magic and had managed to get a glimpse of what it could be? Or else, had miracles started to pop up around her as she grew closer to becoming the Goddess of Magic?

Sienna came up with all sorts of different ideas, but she couldn't settle on an answer. In the first place, she now felt suspicious about whether or not the soul power truly had been teaching her how to control it. Could it be that she was so immersed in what was happening with the magic that she had fooled herself into thinking that it was moving on its own? But then, what was with that sound of laughter?

'I don't have any clues,' Sienna thought in frustration.

Even after giving it a lot of thought, she still couldn't find a possible answer. So Sienna decided to just give up on that line of thought for now. Instead, she began to experiment with the methods for how to apply the soul power now that she was able to control it quite easily.

The simplest and most intuitive method was to use soul power in place of mana. It wasn't just simple and intuitive; it was also an easy experiment to conduct, and Sienna quickly managed to produce results. The outcome turned out to be even more powerful than expected.

Usually, all low-level circle spells would perform at the same power level, even if someone like Sienna was the one casting them. However, when Sienna used soul power instead of mana to fuel the spell, the absolute power of her Absolute Decree was activated even without her consciously trying to use it.

"Urrrrgh...," Sienna groaned.

But using soul power like this also came with its downsides. Every time she used this powerful force, it left Sienna feeling extremely exhausted because it was still difficult for her to fully control its use. If she managed to gain complete control over her soul power, completely replace the mana within her Eternal Hole with soul power, and grew skilled enough to use this power to activate her Absolute Decree and cast spells with it, then....

'Wouldn't I be able to fight the Demon King of Incarceration?'

When she considered the full potential of soul power, that was the first thought that naturally came to Sienna's mind.

Soul power was indeed powerful.

Mana and dark power had to be mixed together to create soul power. In Sienna's case, she was extracting the needed dark power from Amelia. And most of that dark power actually belonged to the Demon King of Incarceration.

'Amelia has her own reserves of dark power, but the difference in quality is far too extreme,' Sienna noted in disappointment.

So would it be effective to attack the Demon King of Incarceration with soul power that had his own dark power mixed into it? Sienna actually believed that it was possible to do so. Because regardless of the source of the dark power, the moment that it was mixed together with mana to create soul power, it took on completely different properties.

However, in the end, this power was still something that had been sealed away within Bloody Mary. This might indeed be magic from the ancient era, stolen from behind its seal by Sienna... but someone who was potentially connected to the Demon King of Incarceration had to have recorded it within Bloody Mary in the first place, so could this method truly be effective against the Demon King of Incarceration?

'I can't just simply trail behind the others, not this time,' Sienna vowed to herself.

Sienna couldn't forget that day in Babel three hundred years ago.

It was the day that Hamel died. The day when the future that Sienna had dreamt of and longed for was shattered into pieces. At that time, Sienna was depressed and sorrowful, but more than anything else, she was enraged and full of hate. She had held the Demon King of Incarceration responsible for everything that had happened on that day — no, for everything that had gone wrong for her even before then.

If she could just kill the Demon King of Incarceration, then... she had the feeling that something would change. Hamel had already died, but so long as the Demon King of Incarceration was killed, and they somehow managed to recover Hamel's soul, then... Sienna had felt that she might somehow be able to reunite with Hamel.

Regardless of whether such a thing was even possible, at that moment, Sienna wouldn't have been able to continue living without clinging to such an absurd hope.

That was why she had told herself that she would definitely slay the Demon King of Incarceration. She had to do it, no matter what.

However, even after mustering such a firm resolve, their efforts had proved futile and they were left defeated. On that day, in the royal palace of Babel, Sienna had been the least useful of all the companions. None of her spells could even make proper contact with the Demon King of Incarceration.

Anise's light had refused to go out even when smothered by chains, and Molon had continued to advance with a roar even as all of his limbs were held back by the Demon King's chains. However, Sienna's magic couldn't even put up any resistance to the chains of Incarceration. On that day, in the royal palace, Sienna had barely been able to fulfill her role as the party's wizard.

The helplessness and despair she had felt at that time left a lingering trauma in Sienna. The creation of the Eternal Hole and the creation of her Absolute Decree were all for the sake of being able to confront the Demon King of Incarceration in battle.

'Soul power is undeniably strong. However, there is no guarantee that it will definitely be able to counter the Demon King of Incarceration. First of all, I need to gain a deeper understanding of the magic sealed within Bloody Mary....' Sienna quickly lost herself in her planning.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?" Eugene suddenly said from beside her.

Sienna raised her head in surprise and spun towards him, "Wh-what is it?"

"You've barely said anything after what happened back there," Eugene pointed out.

He had already heard from Sienna what had actually happened a few days ago.

Sienna had managed to read the memories sealed within Bloody Mary and had learned how to create soul power by mixing mana and dark power together. Even though she had yet to use soul power in a proper attack, Eugene had already sensed how strong soul power could potentially be. He got the feeling that if Sienna did decide to attack him using soul power, he wouldn't be able to meet her attack without using the Empty Sword or the Moonlight Sword.

"I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do," Sienna finally admitted while pouting her lips in frustration.

For some reason, she felt annoyed at the sight of the back of Amelia's head and the way that the necromancer was just walking along in front of her with a blank look on her face.

"In the end, Bloody Mary has been passed down through a succession of the previous Staffs of Incarceration, hasn't it? And the seal inside the staff was probably done by the Demon King of Incarceration himself. If that's the case, then doesn't that mean I'm just playing right into the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration by studying this magic?" Sienna grumbled as she gathered a bit of mana to the end of her fingertip and shot it at Amelia's head.

Thwack!

Immediately following this crisp sound, Amelia's head snapped forward.

"Then isn't it fine if you just don't study it? There's no need to be so obsessed with the magic sealed within Bloody Mary. Can't you just create a similar magic using different methods?" Eugene suggested, not caring in the slightest that Sienna had suddenly pelted Amelia without any warning.

"However, it feels too wasteful to just leave it like this," Sienna complained. "After all, aside from the fact that it's black magic, it's such a fascinating piece of magic. And besides, this might not truly be black magic."

Eugene raised an eyebrow, "So it's actually ancient magic?"

Sienna paused uncertainly, "Hmm, it feels like there are pieces that look like black magic mixed in here and there, but then again.... In any case, I get the feeling that it wasn't any human who created this spell. That's what bothers me so, so much. Why would the Demon King of Incarceration just leave it sealed like this?"

"He might not even know about it," Eugene offered a guess.

"Are you being serious right now?" Sienna demanded as she shot Eugene a narrow-eyed glare. "It would be absurd for the Demon King of Incarceration to not know about it. He must have deliberately... left it there. But why?"

"Even the Demon King of Incarceration's mother wouldn't be able to tell what that bastard is thinking or what he actually wants. Though I don't know if a bastard like him even had a mother," Eugene scoffed with a calm expression on his face.

But Carmen, who had been walking in front of them, couldn't help but stop in shock at such an irreverent remark. However, in the end, Carmen didn't choose to correct Eugene on his careless remark. This was because, while Eugene's face was, of course, as calm as ever, Carmen found that Sienna and Kristina's expressions were equally unperturbed.

"Does a Demon King even have parents?" Eugene idly wondered.

"Of course, they've had to have parents," Sienna argued. "It's not like they would just pop out of the ground."

Eugene shook his head, "That might be the case with other Demon Kings, but you can't be sure about the Demon King of Incarceration. After all, doesn't it seem like that guy must have died and come back to life after the destruction of the old world?"

Carmen Lionheart initially had high expectations when taking part in this journey.

Their destination was the World Tree, whose very existence was close to legendary. There was also the elven domain, which had always been shrouded in secrecy. Her companions on the journey to this legendary site were the Radiant Eugene Lionheart, the reincarnation of Hamel, the Wise Sienna, and the current Saint, Kristina Rogeris.

She had thought that this would be an adventure that would go down in legend. Carmen had also hoped that through this adventure she would undergo a metamorphosis that would make her even stronger. However, nothing had really happened so far. Their journey had been leisurely, more like a walk in the park than a true adventure, and there hadn't even been any danger.

"Is this the difference between reality and fantasy?" Carmen muttered to herself as she shook her head in disappointment.

Still, she had managed to learn a few things on this journey. Her frequent verbal spars with Eugene had freed up Carmen's situational thinking, and she had also discovered the strong bond that seemed to exist between Sienna and Eugene, with the way those two bickered all day long....

"Whoooaaa...!" Carmen gasped in awe.

Only a few hours ago, Carmen had been thinking and muttering to herself about the difference between reality and fantasy, but now, such disappointing thoughts had completely disappeared from her mind. Instead, emotions such as surprise, joy, and admiration filled her mind after seeing an image that surely belonged in fantasy appear in reality.

"The World Tree!" Carmen shouted excitedly while raising both hands in the air.

The scenery sprawling out in front of her eyes was so fantastic that she couldn't help but be left with the urge to shout like this. The saplings of the World Tree that had been planted at the Lionheart estate were much larger than other ordinary trees, but they couldn't compare to the true World Tree.

The majesty of the World Tree, which was so tall that it seemed to touch the sky, was apparent for all to see. The way the branches were so spread out made it seem as if they were actually holding up the sky. And all the leaves still managed to cover the space between the branches!

Carmen felt her heart flutter as she walked forward.

Beneath the World Tree, she saw a village that looked like it had been left in ruins for hundreds of years.

"And the elves...!" Carmen gasped out in emotion.

Although she had seen many elves in the Lionheart's mansion, the elves living in harmony with the World Tree still felt more mysterious to her.

"It looks a lot better," Eugene muttered as he looked down at the World Tree that stretched all the way up to the sky and the elven village that lay at its roots.

When he had come here with Kirstina just a few years ago, the land had been frozen on the verge of death. Mana had been virtually non-existent, and the branches and leaves of the World Tree had seemed like they would crumble at the slightest touch.

Now, that was no longer the case. The air was filled with mana, and the presence of spirits could also be felt everywhere they went. Although this land had once seemed like a place where nothing could survive, it had now become a place where all life could thrive.

"That's natural; after all, Raizakia's putrid poison has been completely purified, and the elves have all been awoken," Sienna said with a smile. "Eugene, this is the first time you're visiting my hometown with me beside you, isn't it?"

"I wanted to come and pick you up last time, but you told me not to come," Eugene pointed out.

Sienna sniffed, "Who would want to be seen directly after waking up from a slumber that lasted hundreds of years?"

"But it was alright for me to see what you looked like when you were still asleep?" Eugene teased.

Ignoring his jibe, Sienna strode forward. She deliberately drew out Frost as if she wanted to show it off and began skipping towards the elven village.

The elves in the village let out a cry as soon as they spotted Sienna.

"It's Sienna!"

This might be restating the obvious, but the elves were a race with a reputation for being universally beautiful. Without any need to put on makeup or pay any extra attention to what they were wearing, any one of them could have made someone from any other race look ugly just by standing next to them.

"....Ahem," Sienna embarrassedly cleared her throat.

Sienna had grown up amongst this beautiful race of people. Although none of the elves had ever directly told her that she was ugly from a young age, Sienna couldn't help but unfavorably compare her appearance to those around her. After all, no matter where she looked, all she could see were elves, so it was inevitable for her to feel ugly in comparison.

But this was all just an old story from her childhood when she didn't know any better. The current Sienna was well aware of just how beautiful and wise she really was. In particular, she could still clearly recall that first compliment she had received from Hamel three hundred years ago when he had called her pretty, which had given her the firm desire to someday return to her hometown with Hamel beside her.

'Though I wanted it to be for something like our honeymoon,' Sienna thought to herself, feeling just slightly disappointed.

***

A huge lake bordered one side of the World Tree. The elven Elder's home was built on the lakeside.

"If you had sent word in advance, I would surely have prepared a grand banquet to welcome you," the Elder complained.

The Elder had fine wrinkles on his face and even sported a beard, which was uncharacteristic of an elf. His name was Edsillon, and he was currently the oldest living elf in this village, having reached over eight hundred years old.

"Why go so far as to prepare a banquet?" Sienna muttered childishly.

"Didn't you say last time that...." Edsillon's kindly smiling eyes shook slightly as his words trailed off.

He had this reaction because, right at that moment, Sienna had shot him an intense glare. Before she had left for Aroth to meet with Eugene, Sienna had made an embarrassing declaration to Edsillon and the rest of the elves during her departure.

Sienna silently writhed in embarrassment.

At that time, they had all just returned to life after being trapped in a state of near death. Everyone in the village had known that, on a fundamental level, they owed their lives to Sienna. But before they could even begin to convey their gratitude and attempt to repay her for it, Sienna had been forced to leave the elven territory.

They couldn't hold her back for longer. After all, this was the Wise Sienna. The elves may have been in a deep slumber along with Sienna for the past hundreds of years, but even they were aware of how eagerly the world was awaiting her return.

So they had given in and sent her off. However, during the send-off, all of the elves had been shedding tears. Naturally, Sienna had also been crying. While weeping and hugging them one by one, she had spoken confidently in an attempt to reassure them all.

—The next time I return, I will be bringing my husband with me.

But that time hadn't come just yet. In the first place, those words were meant as an expression of her determination to only return after defeating the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. She had never expected that she would actually be returning earlier like this....

While feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over her, Sienna cleared her throat, "Ahem.... How are Signard... and the other elves doing?"

"Your older brother is doing well. His Demonic Disease isn't getting better, but it isn't getting worse either. The same goes for the other elves as well," Edsillon replied.

Sienna smiled, "That's all thanks to the help of the Lionhearts.

Edsillon's expression settled, and he resumed his kind smile.

He turned and bowed his head to Eugene, who was sitting next to Sienna, before asking, "May I have the honor of knowing your name?"

Edsillon had heard a lot about Eugene from Sienna. He knew that Eugene was the one who had slain the Demon-Dragon Raizakia, the culprit responsible for poisoning Sienna, the elves, and even the World Tree.

He was also Hamel's reincarnation and Vermouth's descendant.

"You can just call me Eugene Lionheart," Eugene replied politely.

No matter how irreverent Eugene might usually be, he could not be disrespectful to Edsillon, an Elder who was over eight hundred years old.

"Alright, Sir Eugene Lionheart, my apologies for the late greeting," Edsillon said. "In fact, it would have been more appropriate for me to have visited the Lionhearts in person, or at least sent a representative, but...."

"It's fine," Eugene reassured him.

Eugene was well aware of the elves' current busy situation. Sienna had used magic to reconstruct her body to full health immediately, but the rest of the elves who had woken up from their slumber weren't able to do likewise. Even though the poison affecting them had been purified, they still needed time to recover before they could once again move their bodies with ease.

"It wouldn't have been safe. Although there have been barely any elves being enslaved since the Lionhearts publicly became the guardians of the elves, there are those in this world who become more insistent on doing something the more they are told not to do it," Carmen, who had been sitting in a dignified posture, also spoke up.

She currently felt joyful and excited to be in the presence of an elf who was over eight hundred years old and who, moreover, was the highest authority figure of their entire race.

"We elves will never forget the Lionheart clan's kindness. Our entire race shall always be the Lionheart clan's lifelong allies, and we will be sure to sing the Lionheart's praises for the hundreds and even thousands of years to come," Edsillon promised as he bowed his head towards Carmen.

These words caused Carmen to feel even happier. Almost unable to bear the emotions surging within her, she placed one hand on the lion sigil above her left breast. The radiant light of the lion sigil shone brightly through Carmen's fingers.

***

Their conversation lasted for a long time after that. Edsillon showed such fondness for Eugene that it almost felt burdensome. This was partly because Eugene was the savior of the elven race, but at the same time, it was also because Edsillon was treating Eugene as Sienna's fiance.

When their private chat finally ended, Sienna changed the topic and said, "I've come here in order to seek your advice on some magic."

At these words, Edsillon's eyes lit up in interest, "With how busy you are with all of your affairs outside the forest, I did think that it was strange for you to come and visit us without a reason for doing so... but to think that you would be looking for advice regarding magic. I have to say, I don't believe there's anything that I will even be able to offer you in regards to that."

"But I've heard from Sienna that you're the master who taught her magic," Eugene said with a frown.

"Her master! I'm not a great enough wizard to claim such a title. Furthermore, I wasn't the only one responsible for teaching Sienna magic. It was the previous generations of elders, who have since returned to the embrace of the World Tree... and also...," Edsillon slowly shook his head with a sad smile. "...there were many other elves who... due to the Demon King, demonfolk, and Demonic Disease... were forced to return to the World Tree before their time."

"However, you were the elder responsible for first teaching me magic," Sienna insisted with a somewhat lonely smile.

Nowadays, of all the elves who had once taught Sienna how to use magic, the only one still living was Edsillon.

"You were always such a brilliant and astonishing child," Edsillon said as he closed his eyes in remembrance. "It was as if a child had been born with all the blessings mana and magic could give them. Through rituals that are unique to each tribe, the barbarians living in the forest are able to use certain special powers that they call blessings, but you, you were something different altogether, Sienna. You had those blessings — no — those transcendent protections placed on you from the very beginning."

"Of course I was special," Sienna eagerly listened to these words with a proud smile.

Edillon's eyes reopened as he gazed at Sienna as if he were looking at his own beloved child. "I remember when Signard first brought you back from the forest with him. He was carrying a newborn baby in a basket. Now that baby is all grown up. I remember when I first tried to teach you magic... haha, now that I think about it, I'm sure it was mere child's play to you."

Sienna raised her chin proudly, "You could even consider it to be the most important thing you have ever done in your life, isn't that right, Elder?"

"Haha, I've also had that same thought," Edsillon conceded. "In any case, after I first taught you magic... because of the genius you showed, even then, all of the elves in the forest with any skill in magic came to teach you what they knew. Do you remember that, Sienna? And by the time you left the forest, there wasn't a single wizard among those elves who could claim to be superior to you."

"Ahaha, of course, I remember," Sienna said with a fond smile.

"Since you are already fully aware of that, why come here seeking my advice?" Edsillon asked with a curious light in his eyes.

At this question, Sienna snapped her fingers at Eugene. Without asking her why she had done so, Eugene lifted his cloak and pulled out Akasha.

Edsillon gasped, "Ah, Akasha! It's been so long since I last—"

Sienna also summoned Frost and laid it down next to Akasha.

When he saw Frost, Edsillon's eyes widened into circles, "That's... I don't know what the name of that staff is, but if my eyes aren't mistaken, it seems as if it has also been made with a Dragonheart—"

Before Edsillon had even finished speaking, Sienna also summoned Bloody Mary and placed it next to the other two staffs.

"Haaah...," Edsillon was left not knowing what to say as he looked at the three staffs laid out in front of him.

"I wonder if he would be as taken aback if he saw an actual dragon," Eugene muttered to himself.