Chapter 541
Otherwise, why would I see a portrait of a girl who looks so much like Kirishima here?
Moreover, there are other corroborating evidence, such as similar portraits and photographs.
They've been around since childhood.
"What's the secret?"
The girl muttered to herself, "Why are there more and more mysteries the more I explore?"
But this was clearly not the only valuable information she needed. She also found several other places that needed further research and verification, so she simply made a note of them and went on to the other rooms.
The palace where the "Overlord" was born.
The prison where Demon King were once imprisoned.
A study room for researching ancient documents.
There are also numerous laboratories researching Snake Magic and cultivating Monster.
Finally, as the cold winter night descended, Thousand Sins climbed to the top of the tower. As expected, the wind and snow at the top were exceptionally strong, the wind howled incessantly, and the icy air, like a torrent, shrouded the sky, blocking out the moonlight tonight.
Thousand Sins originally just wanted to enjoy the view from the top of the tower and clear her mind.
But when she reached the top, she discovered that another person had already been waiting at the top of the tower, gazing at the snow for a long time.
The elegant young woman leaned against the railing, seemingly oblivious to the heavy snowfall, as if lost in thought, gazing at the snow-covered curtain.
The girl's silver-white dress was adorned with various colored gemstones. Although it was so luxurious and ostentatious, it was like stars adorning the night sky. There was no vulgarity or extravagance, only dazzling brilliance.
Thousand Sins never expected to see this person here.
"Dean Roland?"
She used the name she had for the girl.
It was then that the Magic girl noticed him. She turned her head, her beautiful heterochromatic eyes looking at the approaching Thousand Sins with a mixture of curiosity and interest.
The Lord Gemstone, Roland Eldritch.
The head of the Moon Academy, the Grand Duchess of R'lyeh, and also the only student who stayed by the Overlord's side in the past.
Roland, also looking curious, spoke in a light and beautiful voice---
"I didn't expect it to be you, Shiori."
"What are you looking for here? It seems you haven't found the answer you're looking for yet."
On the border of the Kingdom, amidst a vast expanse of snow, atop the Witch's tower, Thousand Sins encountered the person who had been missing for some time and knew the truth.
Volume Four Does This Count as a Magical Girl??: Chapter 59 The Beginning of the Demon King
To the Problem Child of Earth, Roland is a mysterious and strange Great Witch.
She gives the impression of being very easy to talk to, always appearing elegant and gentle, and when you ask her questions, you'll receive patient and appropriate answers.
But her attitude is always ambiguous, making it difficult to understand what she really wants.
However, the Magic girls from R'lyeh all knew just how noble and powerful this Grand Duke of the Kingdom was.
It can be said that, apart from Lilith, the Overlord, Roland is the most talented Magic girl in history.
The youngest Crown Rank in history, a Grand Duke personally appointed by the Queen, and a great Sage whose crown is unparalleled in the Lunar realm.
After realizing that Teacher Haihara was actually Lilith herself, Takanashi finally began to understand some of the strange attitudes she had towards Haibara in the past.
But even now, Takanashi Shiori still doesn't know what the other party's purpose is, or which side they are on.
Putting aside those complicated issues for the moment, with the other person right in front of her, Takanashi Shiori removed her Magic Gear, revealing a lighter apprentice outfit, and looked at Roland again.
She politely bowed.
"Good evening, Dean Roland. Are you here to reminisce about the past or something?"
From this place, one can indeed overlook the entire snowfield and see the distant Black Forest. From the depths of that dark forest, one can often hear the eerie and mournful howls of monsters emanating from its depths.
Those wailing cries were truly chilling.
"Recall?"
The silver-haired girl pronounced the word, revealing her usual aristocratic smile:
"Hmm, I guess so. In the past, I discovered the teacher's secret experiments here. I still remember that scene vividly, but it wasn't a pleasant memory."
What she was talking about seemed to be the Magic research that Lilith, the Overlord, was conducting in private.
Roland, as a student, was the first to discover those experiments.
This made Takanashi Shiori even more curious about the truth of what happened hundreds of years ago.
Meanwhile, Roland, standing before her, seemed to be reminiscing about the past in this abandoned tower from the Witch's past, but Takanashi Shiori still couldn't understand why Roland had disappeared after the School Festival.
"Now that the teacher has been resurrected as the Overlord, aren't you going to meet her?"
Logically, Dean Roland should have been very happy about this.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have done nothing and just watched everything happen.
Hearing this, Roland slowly turned around, his heterochromatic eyes, one of gold and the other of silver, scrutinizing Takanashi Shiori's face. He said, without revealing any change in his expression:
"All of this may pass in an instant, or perhaps it will all come to an end, and then I will naturally have the opportunity to rest in peace with my dear teacher, just as I missed it before."
An elegant and noble young woman clasped her hands together in front of her, lowering them to her abdomen.
Her obscure and mysterious words were naturally beyond Takanashi's comprehension.
The past is increasingly mysterious and perplexing. The Magic girl before us clearly knows the truth behind the veil of history. If we want to penetrate the fog that shrouds the past, there is nothing better than hearing her tell us herself.
Takanashi Shiori patted the snow off her witch's hat and hair, deciding that after this, she would speak her mind.
"Before that, Dean Roland, can you tell me the truth?"
Why did Teacher Haihara instigate a rebellion, when Lilith, who was once beloved, had no Magic girls supporting her and instead became the enemy of all Magic girls?
Although there wasn't much small talk after meeting, it would be impolite to ask questions so directly, but I hope Dean Roland won't mind. Takanashi Shiori really feels that time is very tight.
Well, actually, Roland really wouldn't mind.
Returning to her question, Takanashi had found it strange a long time ago.
This Overlord, so beloved and adored by the people, found that her helpers and henchmen during the rebellion were all Monster she herself had created.
She could easily imagine that some mindless Magic girls who liked the Overlord would support Overlord regardless of their own stance.
But the result was... absolutely nothing.
The Grand Duke Roland before me was also among the Crown Rank Magic Girls who fought against the Overlord back then.
Takanashi Shiori couldn't imagine what kind of feelings the other person had when they went to kill the Overlord.
What would be a bone-chillingly cold winter at the top of the tower is a perfectly normal place for a Magic girl like Roland to chat. After hearing Takanashi's question, she put on a thoughtful expression.
After a while, she smiled.
"Your actual problems are definitely more than these, aren't they? It's a very complicated matter, so why don't we talk about it slowly?"
Roland was still as easy to talk to as ever.
"Um."
Takanashi Shiori nodded.
When it comes to the truth about past wars, she listens patiently and attentively to every single word and phrase.
If you could explain in more detail, that would be even better.
As the dean, Roland was indeed a true teacher.
History, mathematics, art, and Magic —she excels in them all.
This time, she started the conversation with a history lesson question that Takanashi hadn't expected.
--A question.
She took a couple of steps casually, watching Takanashi Shiori with a smile:
"Shiori, as the source of all Magic Power — the Demon King, what is their origin? How were they born?"
The Magic girl's power comes from Magic Crystal.
The essence of Magic Crystal is that they are Crystal Magic Power created by purified Demon King; they are aggregates of desire.
This is common knowledge that all R'lyeh Magic know.
Organizing her thoughts and carefully choosing her words, Takanashi quickly gave her answer.
"Thousands of years ago, Alchemist, in order to satisfy the greedy desires of a mortal king, extracted the ominous power contained within people's desires, attempting to use it to create an omnipotent wishing stone that could grant all wishes."
However, human greed has led to disastrous consequences.
"From the Crystal of desire— the Demon King were born."
"They are the embodiment of Magic Power, the symbol of desire, and are inherently prone to bringing misfortune."
"Alchemist did not bring miracles, but countless disasters and lingering calamities that lasted for thousands of years."
Magic girls, on the other hand, were born from this despair.
They are the natural enemies of Demon King and Monster, warriors who bring miracles and hope.
This is all that Takanashi Shiori has known since she was a child.
Roland did not deny this answer, and his expression remained calm and gentle as he said:
"Mostly correct, but not entirely."
Due to the passage of time, Roland was unaware of the true origin of the Demon King when he was young.
The answer she knew came from her teacher Lilith.
Next, Roland recounted the history she knew—
"In the distant past, long before R'lyeh was even born."
In R'lyeh, some Magic girls refer to Earth as their "homeland."
"A disaster unknown at the time descended upon the entire world, and at one point brought the world to the brink of destruction."
Because, thousands of years ago, Witch were just like any other mortals, living on that blue planet.
Humanity at that time faced a catastrophe that had been forgotten by history.
It's like telling a fairy tale.
Roland spoke slowly and gracefully.
"To avert the disaster, the human king summoned Alchemist to create a secret elixir to combat this misfortune."
"Finally, the result was called a 'Magic Crystal'."
"That first Crystal was the miracle that could purify misfortune."
Every R'lyeh person knows the name of that Crystal.
That Crystal was created even before the Devil King Crystal.
That is the Primordial Light Crystal, now the symbol of the R'lyeh royal family.
However, that Crystal did not become the source of all Magic Power.
"However, this is still not enough."
"The power of that miracle could not be harnessed by the king and Alchemist of that time; it possessed only pure light, hope, and desirelessness, and could not be driven by desire."
"Therefore, faced with imminent disaster, the Alchemist quickly conducted another experiment."
"That is—the experiment to create the Devil King Crystal."
Unlike before, when it was simply about collecting Magic Power.
This time, the Alchemist will create Magic Power Crystal that can be used and manipulated.
They wanted to create an all-powerful stone that could grant any wish.
Therefore, a container capable of containing this fundamental Magic Power is necessary.
This is by no means something that can be created out of thin air, contrary to what is recorded in R'lyeh's textbooks: Alchemist created empty Crystal of Demon King using various materials, and then all the desires of the world resided within them.