Chapter 224: Chapter 224 - Lesser Evil?
I didn’t expect that simultaneous multithreading would be this simple.
Well, at least it is in the case of maintaining a connection and casting a spell at the same time. They are two different things, and the maintaining of a connection is sustained without much of my direct conscious input.
I will test the multicasting later. I have a feeling that having two conscious commands at the same time will be trickier than having a conscious and a subconscious one. But I think that I got the gist of the basics.
Anyway, now I have to check that aria I developed last time I was here. I wrote it down in my notebook, which is safely stored in my pocket subspace.
Hehe. Spatial storage is amazing.
It’s been a long time, so of course I wouldn’t remember it all. It was a fairly complex spell, with several components that were novel to me. And I had never used anything like that before.
And I won’t even be using the same aria. I will have to rework that aria to send us there instead of recovering someone there.
At least I have the pink orb as a pointer to the target dimension. And the target subject is my soul and the attached soul.
It’s quite hard to make it work. Not a simple spell, by any means. At least, I have Lovelace here to help me tinker with it.
:::
"At last!"
Huh, this was exhausting.
"Hmm... this looks good. Your insights never cease to amaze me."
"You’re quite amazing as well, Lovvy. I don’t think that I would’ve been able to pull it off all by myself."
"Nah, I’m sure you would have. At max it would have taken you longer to figure it out. But you would get there in the end."
"Heh. It wouldn’t be in just an afternoon. I’m very sure about that. Now, let’s do a last hand-tracing test on it."
In a computer program, the worst that can happen when your code is buggy is for it to crash and the app to freeze. Or if it’s a low-level code, it could freeze the whole system, like a Blue Screen Of Death.
But in magic, the ’crashing’ of an app can mean the whole thing literally blowing off on your face. And when you deal with something like interdimensional travel, there’s no way to predict the consequences.
As the facts regarding my own death remind me all the time.
I guess that one of the reasons that the System was so immediately adopted by magicians is that when it does the chanting for you, there’s no way you would make mistakes in the formula.
It’s a foolproof method. Which is great... for fools.
So, hand-tracing is the way to go. Using paper to keep track of the variables and simulate the execution of the code step-by-step. It helps identify all the biggest flaws in logic, like infinite loops.
What happens when you have a ’while(true)’ without a ’break’ in magic? Well, I don’t want to learn. That’s why all the hidden army troops have been thoroughly training in debugging their arias on paper.
It’s good to encourage the development of new magic. But safety comes first.
:::
We went through all the words of the aria, one by one, together, twice.
"I’m too tired. Let’s do this tomorrow?"
"Agreed. It’s late night already, and I can see the weariness in your eyes. Let’s portal back home and return here tomorrow morning, fully rested."
To be honest, I didn’t think that we would be able to pull it all in just one day.
Last time, it took us days to reach the bottom of the dungeon.
This time, we reached it in a couple of hours, then tested the casting of spells while connecting souls before lunch. Then developed an aria in the afternoon, had dinner, and did the debugging throughout the evening.
Yeah, it would be surprising to not be tired after all that. But I’m feeling really proud of this accomplishment.
:::
"It’s so nice for Ingela and Yawarete to have double-checked the aria as well last night."
I woke up early this morning to find that the two girls had pulled an all-nighter checking, rechecking, and checking again my aria.
They had some suggestions to improve the mana efficiency of the aria, but overall they didn’t find any glaring bug that would cause something similar to the summoning that killed me and so many others.
"Though they shouldn’t have pulled an all-nighter on that. I’ll give them an earful later. You girls made that fuss about me handling my health better, so they should know better than that."
"They were just worried about us, Aurea. No need to get so worked up about it."
"I know, but still. Limits. Anyway, let’s begin?"
"I’m ready when you are."
Her smile is so cute I can’t help but pull her to me and kiss her.
Obviously, kissing is not a requirement for connecting souls, nor will it help in any way. But It won’t hinder either, so there’s no reason not to.
I close my eyes and begin to silently chant the aria in my head. Even though it’s my first time casting this specific one, I’ve been practicing magic for so long that I’ve become quite adept at memorizing new arias.
When I finish the aria, still holding Lovelace in my arms, I feel the world turning upside down. It’s like I just entered an inverted elevator.
For an instant, I panic and open my eyes.
"My, my... it took you long enough. Don’t you think?"
"You!"
"Julia..."
Yes, the goddess Juno, also known as Julia, is right in front of us.
It seems that my spell was successful, but she was already in the space of the System, waiting for us.
She’s not alone. Her angels are at their sides. Behind them, I can see the ’shadow’ that Lovelace told me about.
"What are you doing here?"
I can feel the pain and anguish in Lovelace’s voice. We’re still embraced, of course, but I release her so we can take a more battle-ready stance.
"Oh, what’s with that look, Cailleach? I was waiting for you, of course. It’s been so long..."
"What do you want?"
This time I’m the one asking the question, as I take a step to shield Lovelace from her.
"Don’t worry, you two lovedoves. I don’t want to fight you. Though if it’s a fight you want, I’m prepared for it. Yet, I don’t think that fighting is in the best interests of any of us."
I feel Lovelace’s hand taking mine, pulling me back to her side. Though I’m ready to shield her against anything, it seems that she wants to confront this head-on. Alright.
"If you don’t want to fight, then why come here?"
"Because I know what you intend to do here. You figured out how to stop the System, right, Cailleach?"
Lovelace’s wry smile and nod confirm the goddess’ words. I had some suspicions that that’s the reason she wanted to come here but didn’t say anything.
"Well. I am here to dissuade you from doing it."
"What? Do you think that you can convince us that maintaining that poison that chokes our planet is a good thing? Did you hit your head or something?"
Yeah, that was me. Lovelace is at my side, keeping her cool, while I’m the one getting all worked up.
But damn, I want to kick that smug smile out of her face so hard... And make her choke on that laugh of hers.
"Hahahaha. No, I don’t think that that’s possible. But you are aware of the latest developments in the war in the southwest, right? About how the dragonkin are getting stronger and advancing?"
Yes, we’ve heard about it. From Mother herself, actually. And that the dragonkin’s increase in strength is somewhat related to the approach of that divine being from interstellar space.
We don’t say a word, but she doesn’t need any to know our answer.
"Well, what do you think will happen if you suddenly turn off the System? Do you think that Calem and Castro will manage to stop the dragonkin’s armies? Or do you think that they will be content with my countries and will leave yours unscathed?"
Ugh... I have no answer to that.
"You can see it, right? Not even you are so stupid as to not understand it. Destroying the System now is killing all of Mankind. Yourself included. Are you ready to commit that collective suicide? Hm?"
If the army in the west, with two summoned heroes and the direct blessing of the goddess, is having a hard time even when they have the System, then things will go really bad without it.
That is a truth I can’t deny, no matter how much I hate it.
We’re planning on contacting the dragonkin and making an accord so we can cleanse the world and open up new land for all. But those negotiations would go down the drain if they were on a winning spree.
They have millennia-old grudges to get revenge for. And their cause is just and rightful.
"If you give your word that you won’t destroy the System, I’ll leave this place for you. But if you still plan on destroying it, then I’ll have no choice but to crush you. So, may I have your answer?"