The Hundred Reigns 252: The Workshop of Horrors (11) (Patreon)

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“The faith goes to the original manuscript,” Magda answered. 

“What makes you think so?” Simon asked. Since she had experience with both mana and miasma-related experiments, he had decided to discuss his findings with her over breakfast. “Is there a precedent?” 

“There is. Are you familiar with those stories about legendary weapons? Swords in the stone only a true king may wield, that sort of thing?” 

Simon immediately caught on. “Is it the people’s belief that gives them power?”

“Partly. Sometimes there is no original artifact and you get strange item-shaped eidolons embodying the legends, but otherwise the believers’ mana mostly flows into the object in question. I’ve heard they can even self-repair over time.” Magda finished sipping her tea. “Your idea about miasmic Libromancy would also fit this pattern. A lot of weapons or objects associated with terrible tragedies catch spontaneous curses.”

Simon pondered her words. “No wonder why Libromancy has been lost. Not only do you need the right Class to use the spells, but also a famous manuscript that gets the Worldsoul’s attention.”

“I’m sure the long-lost Librarian Class has Perks that helped it work around those limitations,” Magda theorized. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they could use reprints as a substitute for the original manuscripts.”

Simon suspected as much too. Elios Magnos’ Thoughts on Mortality—which was clearly based on the philosophy text of the same name—was constantly active, whereas his experiments with miasmic Libromancy showed that the effect ended once the book finished skipping through its contents. His ancestor could likely automatically recast the spells or cast them without the original medium. 

Simon was almost certain he could use his Abyssal Chronicle as a Libromancy spell’s focus, but channeling miasma through it had yielded little results. He suspected he simply hadn’t reached the required Tier to cast the damn thing yet. And Elios Magnos almost certainly kept Mardok’s own chronicle in his personal library…

“Do you know any potential Libromancy manuscripts?” Simon asked. “I would assume foundational religious texts like the Church of the Light’s Scriptures of Pharis would count.”

“It depends on the threshold required to turn a book into a magical item blessed by the Worldsoul,” Magda replied. “Highly influential scientific texts like The Chaotic Manifesto, The Origin of Life, and The World Before the End are famous, but haven’t sold much. By contrast, novels like Commerce Emperor and The Clockstopper have been reprinted hundreds of thousands of times. Some first editions are held in our capital’s national library.”

“Or in Endymion’s Lighthouse and Cocagne’s own archives.” The last two were currently unavailable to Simon for now, but he could dedicate another reign to look into them. 

Otherwise, Devil Forgemaster provided plenty of ideas on how to create miasmic Grimoires, but they ranged from writing a sixty-six page book created from the hide of skinned virgins to writing down a compendium of curses and coating the pages in plagues. 

Simon had noticed two common patterns in the crafting process: one, each book’s creation was completely unique; and second, it always involved fear, pain, tragedy, curses, or sinister subject matters. The Dark would only bless books that would spread it in turn. 

However, creating Grimoires felt more… flexible than brewing potions or forging cursed rings of power. The effect of Libromancy spells appeared to be related to their subject matter, yet creating a hypothetical book of flayed virgins meant he could write whatever he wanted inside. Would the gruesome atrocity fuel different effects based on what Simon inscribed inside?

Not that he would actually try something so gruesome, but it suggested that Simon might be able to create his own custom Libromancy spells without having to rely on Adaptive Spellcasting. He could craft a Grimoire, use his Abyssal Chronicle to copy it, and then gain a new ability he could use anywhere. 

Coating a book’s pages in poison wouldn’t technically hurt anyone, and I can brew many of those… Simon guessed he could try to craft one such Grimoire and test his theory. My new Perk also lets me create something called Skillbooks and enchanted tattoos… I must confirm what they can do.  

“We could visit Gulliver after the Planetary Exposition,” Magda suggested. “We’ll have a lot more free time afterwards.”

“I look forward to it.” Simon had hoped to go there to investigate both the Champion project and native Musan eidolons he could bind. “What are your plans for today?”

“I was actually going to suggest we go to the Blackmill together. The Circus of the Moon is performing there.” Magda smiled uneasily. “I would feel more comfortable if I had someone come with me.”

Simon welcomed a chance for levity. Shabram had confirmed that Euphemia had both secured Anna’s marriage to Thalas to acquire Maublanc’s assistance and agreed to surrender Belzemine to the Oracle as part of a treaty with the White Unicorn; a deal which would also involve granting Satine the rank of tributary vicequeen of Magvolia alongside autonomy. Both pieces of news annoyed Simon to his core. He was losing two more loved ones for the sake of preserving his anonymity, and the Oracle would use Belzemine for her moon plan; whatever that meant for his retainer. 

Simon could only hope that Illusea would soon let the nations of the world in about her plan to escape Brimir and the danger of the Zodiac Parade. Otherwise, all these peace negotiations would have only been an elaborate con. 

“Have you talked to Jym about it?” Simon asked. 

“Why bother?” she asked with a sigh. “I already know he’ll say no.”

That’s not a good sign. Simon stared at his friend for a moment before reaching a decision. The fact that she was considering bringing another man—even just a friend—to a place usually reserved for couples without asking her husband first raised alarm bells. “I’ll talk to him. He’ll come.”

“You think so?” Magda looked doubtful. “Will you come with us if you convince him by some miracle?”

“Yes, I’ll bring a date.”

“A date?” Magda beamed with joy. “You’ve finally found someone?”

“You’ll find out in time,” Simon teased her as he climbed down the stairs to the laboratory below. 

As usual, he found Coil working on a device resembling a metal tower with a ring on top of it. Lightning crackled from its surface and caused flashes to surge across the room. 

“On time,” Jym said the moment Simon showed up. The light of his experiments reflected on his goggles. “The voltage is almost right.”

“Take the day off and go to the circus with your wife.”

“I cannot,” Jym replied without looking up from his metal device. “That would delay my work—”

“Do it, or I’ll confiscate your tools.”

Coil froze, and the lightning coursing out of the tower died out on its own. He turned to face his apprentice and removed his goggles to better stare at him. “Explain.”

“Don’t force me to confiscate your tools, Jym.” To illustrate his point, Simon grabbed the metal tower and stocked it in his Inventory, much to Coil’s shock. “I can store any object in an extradimensional space that even your unparalleled genius cannot access.”

“This will put us back months,” Coil complained, his voice brimming with distress. 

“Hence your choice. Either you factor one day off each week for Magda’s sake and work it into your schedule, or you’ll stop working altogether.” Simon crossed his arms. “Magda is going through a lot with everything, and she needs her husband by her side to feel supported. Your marriage is heading to a breaking point soon if you don’t do anything.”

Coil scowled. “I… I do not understand what I have to do.”

“Think of it like maintenance.” Simon guessed the best way to help Coil visualize the situation was by likening it to engineering. “Relationships are no different than bridges. You need to take care of them from time to time with affection, or they collapse under their own weight.”

“But I do not enjoy social activities.”

“Doesn’t matter, so long as she enjoys them. Magda works herself to the bone so you can focus on your work, and all she wants in return is proof that you’ll be here for her when she needs it.” Simon matched Coil’s unblinking gaze. “Expanding your horizons might give you more ideas and insight. I didn’t even know I was interested in operas or tinkering until I actually tried it. Besides, you said you wanted Magda to be happy.”

“I do.” Coil considered it for a moment before swiftly working it into his schedule. “One day a week for couple maintenance.”

“That will be a start.” And now for my own date….

“Velvet,” Simon contacted his minion through telepathy. “I need you.”

—---

Simon never thought he’d enjoy an activity as much as opera, but the Circus of the Moon’s show captured his full attention. 

The troupe was apparently rather famous in Muse, and he could see why. Not only was the ringmaster, a certain Peter Wonder, a certified show-stealer, but they hosted quite the collection of entertainers. Professional fire-breathers and contortionists, spellcasters specialized in fireworks, and animal shows including a rare white winged elephant imported from Uyo and even a trained manticore… Simon found it ten times more entertaining than all of Gourmand’s ghastly performances. 

Maybe I could run one of these troupes one day, or fund one, Simon thought as he watched the manticore jump through summoned rings of fire over the stage. A few onlookers took pictures of the show with their pictoboxes. A monster show… now that would draw crowds.  

“I didn’t know you were seeing each other,” Magda whispered to Velvet as they watched the spectacle from VIP stands—or in Jym Coil’s case, suffered through it in silence. “How long has this been going on?”

“A few weeks,” Velvet lied. She was a much better actress than her sister, and capable of hiding her distaste well enough. “Obviously we couldn’t show up in public until our respective companies buried the hatchet. Imagine the scandal.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t say a word, Simon,” Magda chastised him. “You love your secrets, don’t you?”

“I like to keep a private life,” Simon replied, his hands clapping once the manticore leaped through three fire rings at once. “We’re taking things slow for now.”

Simon would rather have brought Shabram and Aegio to the spectacle—he was sure his half-brother would have enjoyed a circus—but his spymistress had duties back home and appearing with ‘Elsa Nightingale‘ wouldn’t raise any suspicions. He had things to discuss with her too on the subject of the Cobweb, and this was as good a time as any. 

He considered the date a success so far. While the spectacle clearly bored Coil, his wife was delighted he had chosen to accompany her in spite of his dislike and kept her arms wrapped around his own through the entire show. Simon’s gut told him he might have just saved their marriage, assuming Jym stuck to his promise of dedicating more time to Magda.

“I like the show,” Velvet whispered in his ear before adding through telepathy, “but you’re dead wrong if you think this will ease me on the slavery bit.”

“Glad to hear that,” Simon replied out loud before playing her game. “Would you rather be wasting time torturing innocent people in your larder?”

Velvet barely suppressed a sneer of disdain. “There are no innocents in that place.”

Simon was vaguely curious about where that hatred came from, but he didn’t care enough to push the subject. “How are things going on with Valravn and Louis?”

“The prince has agreed to cooperate with our organization in order to recover the Lion, though he voices his disinterest in merging with it,” Velvet replied, a thin smile on her lips. “He and Vouivre get along splendidly.”

“Charming.” Simon guessed Louis could relate to a cold-blooded predator in human form. “What’s their plan?”

“We managed to set up a secret Attic door in the royal castle after replacing a doorknob during routine maintenance,” Velvet replied. Simon recognized this as the trick they used to infiltrate Frightwall. “We intend to steal the crystal while Queen Remedia is occupied as a signatory to the Illusea-Endymion peace treaty.”

“Won’t King Filip be staying home to defend the castle?”

Velvet smiled thinly. “How long do you think the Ranger will last against our Warrior?”

“A minute, at best,” Simon conceded. The fact that the Cobweb would wait until Remedia was out of the castle did soothe his worries about intervening. She had mentioned during their affair that the castle had safeguards in place to prevent it from crashing onto the capital below should something go wrong with its floating magic. He would just have to ensure Verdis and Norbelle would follow Remedia to Endymion, and then he could wash his hands off the entire affair. “Proceed as ordered.”

His passivity surprised Velvet. “Is it wise to let Valravn and his allies gather so much power?”

“I don’t want them to interfere with my own operation here.” Valravn, Louis, or Vouivre could all individually disrupt his activities in Muse beyond repair. Keeping them busy on the other side of the world suited him well. “No amount of demonic power will save them when I am ready to move. Do you have anything else to report?”

“Yes, my sister has also been tasked with stealing books on the lost kish civilization in the royal library.”

Vouivre clearly hadn’t given up on eventually retaking Telluria. This presented a welcome opportunity. “I’ll have a list of other manuscripts for her to borrow…”

Cheers from the crowd caused Simon to focus back on the stage. Peter Wonder had taken the stage again, his colorful clothes a match for the light of the manalith projectors. 

“My friends, a round of applause for the biggest surprise of the night! A most wonderful guest, introduced to me by a dear friend from Lore!” Wonder tipped his hat at an empty space at the center stage. “The last of the kish singers!”

Simon’s eyes widened in shock a second before a flash of light overtook the cabaret. Eole suddenly teleported into the middle of the stage next to a golden harp, dressed in her Songstress outfit. 

The crowd went wild, with Simon himself nearly bolting out of his seat in surprise. Besides the fact that he hadn’t expected this of all things, he immediately recognized the teleportation effect as Alcyone’s Fast Travel. The Adventurer simply vanished back too fast for most spectators to notice after dropping off Eole. 

“Now, this is a surprise,” Velvet mused. “A kish… I know a few people who will be happy to hear of this.”

Simon suppressed a scowl. The circus hosted thousands of spectators among Lampwick’s elites. He couldn’t erase all of their memories of the event. The news would spread and soon reach Vouivre’s ears, one way or another.  

What was she doing here?! He told her to stay in the Sanctuary!

“Thank you, everyone,” Eole addressed the crowd in perfect Musan. She must have practiced a lot in the last few months. “This song is dedicated to my shifter brothers and sisters, who still suffer in bondage in Telluria. If it touches your heart, please petition your government to sanction Endymion’s slavery practices.”

“Lady Eole will be performing at the Planetary Exposition, but you will have the privilege of witnessing her exclusive premiere!” Peter Wonder boasted. “Half the profits will be dedicated to abolitionist organizations across our fair country! Fight for freedom with your wallet, only at the Circus of the Moon!”

The crowd clapped loudly before growing silent as Eole began to sing, with Simon sinking in his chair in the shadows. 

—--------

Simon had hoped to clear his mind, yet he returned to his underground laboratory more worried than ever. 

Eole hadn’t recognized him due to his disguise, which saved him a lot of trouble, but her presence in Muse complicated matters. Simon beat himself up mentally for not seeing it coming. Of course she would try to advocate for her abolitionist cause in free countries like Muse and Lore after meeting Alcyone. 

It wasn’t even a bad idea. Endymion would have to make concessions to sign its peace treaty with the White Unicorn, so encouraging economic sanctions until Euphemia freed the slaves in Telluria made sense. It might push the Republic of Muse into genuine action. 

She might also be using the opportunity to recruit allies to defend the Sanctuary against Nodens. Simon had warned her about the threat and Alcyone should have confirmed the danger the Goatfish represented. Maybe they hoped to recruit the Crafter to devise a better seal or a weapon against the Painbringer. 

However, it wouldn’t be long before Vouivre learned of a living kish’s presence in Muse, and she would stop at nothing to capture Eole. Simon would need to carefully monitor the situation through his agents in the Cobweb and ensure he could resolve it without drawing attention to himself. 

At least their operation in Cocagne should occupy them in the short-term. He should still have a free hand until the upcoming Planetary Exposition. 

“Is Your Majesty ready to proceed with the test?” Agrat inquired as Simon finished placing the device on a table facing a stone wall. A crystal ball sat on a pedestal to serve as their first picture’s subject. “You seem… distracted.”

“There’s nothing better than work to focus on,” Simon replied. The miasmic pictobox incorporating Lotan’s crystal was thrice the size of a normal one, and so heavy it needed physical support for proper framing. It was black, its very steel tainted and transmuted into a crustacean-like substance from the captive Zodiac’s influence. “Are the bindings secure?”

“I transferred the book’s spells and reinforced them with a rune script of my own devising. However, I cannot say what effect it will have, or what impact the Isolator’s essence will have on the final result.”

“True, the effect might change depending on the crystal we use…” Simon would run more tests with other Zodiac Fiends in future reigns. “We will begin with inanimate subjects, and then move on to living ones.”

Simon looked through the pictobox’s camera at the crystal ball. The divination device would gather sensory information from the test and help them gather helpful data. Agrat herself watched from behind her master with her notebook out and analysis spells ready to cast. 

“One, two…” Simon pressed the button. “Three.”

Darkness poured out of the pictobox.

A black flash of negative, miasmic light erupted from the device like a wave. The crystal ball shattered instantly alongside its pedestal, and a cubical shadow stained the wall behind them. The stone had darkened as if it had been burned.

“Well…” Simon muttered as he waited for the pictobox to finish developing its picture. They had decided to use purely miasmic sheets for this initial test. “Somehow, I’m not surprised.”

“The miasmic radiation expelled from this pictobox is truly intense,” Agrat informed him. “This would almost certainly harm any non-demonic living subject.”

“Then we’ll run the next test on an…” Simon’s words trailed out of his mouth when he saw the developed picture. “Imp…”

Something was staring at him from within the frame. 

It was almost entirely monochrome and devoid of color, a mix of shades and even darker shadows depicting a landscape unlike the laboratory. A seemingly endless, thunderous sky filled with poisonous clouds stretched across a sunless horizon. A steely platform surged out of a toxic nimbus, like the top of a colossal machine. 

Some kind of golem lurked at the summit.

It occupied the center of the picture as if Simon had used it as the subject. It was huge and quadrupedal, with four bulky legs carrying a massive, black armored frame. A massive mechanical torso sprung out of its back like a centaur, except that one was bulky and only vaguely humanoid; skullish forms were incorporated into its black metal hide, as if skeletons had been melted into it during the forging process. The creature’s arms ended in enormous clusters of mana cannons and its face was a crimson glass eye with a miasma crystal for a pupil. Its stinger tail ending in a barrel pointed straight at the onlooker. 

What is this? Simon wondered as he studied the picture. The details were so vivid it drew his third Dark Visionary eye in, his senses drawn to its depths. This background… it resembles the hellscapes I keep seeing whenever I summon my Dark Eidolon…

“Your Majesty,” Agrat said behind him, sounding astonished, “your thumb.”

Simon looked down at his finger holding the frame. 

His thumb caused ripples on the picture where he touched it, as if it were made of water.

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