Edea: Hero Summoning Conspiracy

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Inside the church, Kazuya indulged in the cleric Jorelle's curiosity and told them about the places that he had visited before. Though it was from his previous life, Kazuya mainly talked about the places that were outside the Zweifel kingdom so he was confident that the battle with the Eberbach forces that he had already prevented did not have any changes to the places he talked about.

After sensing the presence of the old man who most likely got tired of waiting for him had disappeared, he smiled at the cleric whose current demeanor was the opposite of the version he was supposed to have met a few years later in the capital.

"(I apologize, Natsu-san. I hadn't been aware of it before but your acquaintance should have used a forbidden spell to take over this cleric's body.)" Kazuya inwardly sighed.

He was no longer a complete newbie regarding magic and magical theories. Kazuya was well informed about different types of magic since he had studied under the tutelage of his predecessor; the hero of magic.

Though it might have been a hypothesis, from what Kazuya had learned today, he was sure of his conclusion. The young man in front of him who was dreaming of adventures, according to the children from the slums, was the adopted son of the merchant who always gave them candy. This cleric's fate must have been decided the moment the old man posing as a merchant had adopted him from a rural place.

"Did you not visit a lot of places with your father when you were young? I heard from the children that he was a merchant who often travelled around." Kazuya connected the topic.

"Not really. My adoptive father took me to the capital after he took me away from one of the orphanages from the southern town of Horbo. Not long after I settled down, I was taken to the church because he had discovered that I had an affinity towards light magic." He explained.

"Oh? He doesn't want you to inherit the family business?" Kazuya inquired.

"I also wanted to follow in his footsteps but he said that I would be able to help more people if I learn healing arts from the church as a cleric. My father is too kind for his own good, I don't know why he chose to be a merchant." Jorelle gave a bitter expression.

A wandering merchant had seemingly adopted a child from his travels and brought him to the capital. Since this child had an affinity with light magic, he was immediately taken in by the church to learn healing arts. This status would instantly label him as 'good' in the eyes of the people.

Kazuya had to admit, the old man's plan was something that he hadn't considered. Never would he have imagined that the old man had the luck to find an orphan who had been compatible with the opposing elements; light and darkness. If Kazuya had never met the two of them, even with his current knowledge, the chances of him being able to find the truth was close to zero.

Once Jorelle's body had been taken over, not only will the old man have a body that was capable of both light and dark magic, he would also have the status of a cleric that had developed a reputation since childhood. He was really lucky to have encountered Jorelle when he was just a child.

"Is that why you go around the slums to heal them in your spare time?" Kazuya continued his inquiries.

Jorelle didn't find this strange, he was glad that Kazuya had finally inquired about something other than magic or skills. He was glad to answer them because this meant that their friendship was moving forward.

"Yeah. Though it was my adoptive father's idea, I don't really mind it since it gives me a lot of practice and I am able to share the kindness that was given to me. I think I would have been like the children in the slums if I hadn't been adopted." Jorelle solemnly spoke.

"(What a foxy old coot!)" Kazuya had to hand it to the old man Gazardiel. He was quite devious.

Had it not been for his knowledge, Kazuya would have been touched by this scheme. The young cleric did not doubt the old man and had complete faith in him. This way, there was no way Gazardiel would encounter any mishap when he used the spell to take over Jorelle's body.

Things would have gone according to his schemes if Kazuya had not learned from Natsu. This was one of the moments that he felt thankful for the knowledge that had been drilled into him by his predecessor.

The thought of transferring bodies may have been easy and convenient for those without knowledge. Taboo magics were taboo for a reason. Not only were they harmful to others, but they were also filled with risks towards the caster.

The concept of immortality may sound wonderful, but the reality is very different from theories or concepts. To those who cannot use magic, it may seem useful and wonderful. As they are unable to perform such spells, they do not understand the concept of casting such advanced spells.

Casting even the simplest spell requires the minimum amount of control. Even the simplest spell can become stronger depending on the degree of control and power imbued into the spell itself. The more advanced the spell, the more power, and control is required.

This is why magicians often take an interest in the field of alchemy. What is known as 'equivalent exchange' is the basis of all alchemy. The same basis can be said to be applied towards magic. For a specific spell to be cast, a required cost needs to be paid or met.

"(Taboo magic… Soul Transference…)" Kazuya thought of the spell's name as he listened to the cleric.

It was a dark magic attribute that a necromancer from Natsu's time had discovered. The closest thing to immortality as one could get. A caster using a necromancer's control over souls to move their own soul into another container.

From what Kazuya was taught, this spell would not only transfer the soul of the caster over to a container that needed to have an affinity towards dark magic, the soul of the person who the caster was transferring to would be 'devoured' by the caster's soul.

It was said to be a very risky procedure because if the person who was supposed to be devoured were to fight against the caster, the spell would have severe repercussions towards the caster. It was a process that not only needed time to complete but also cooperation.

In that sense, Kazuya was worried about how Jorelle viewed the old man. He wondered just how many times an old acquaintance of Natsu had done this procedure as the man who was supposed to be from Natsu's generation, as a human, was supposed to have died long ago.

"(This guy will hate me if I tell him about the old man's plans…)" he inwardly sighed.

Human relations were complicated. This guy had been carefully raised by Gazardiel. There was no way that he would believe Kazuya over the adoptive father that had been kind to him all this time.

"Is something wrong?" Jorelle had noticed the frown that appeared on Kazuya's face all of a sudden.

"It's nothing… I was just thinking about something that I noticed with the people of the slums…" he decided that he needed to approach this issue in another way.

"Noticed?" the cleric was concerned after hearing about the people of the slums.

"Yeah… some of their ailments seem to have been due to some malevolent energies that somehow made it into their bodies. I don't know what caused it but, even if I removed it, if by chance that this was not an isolated event, their health will deteriorate once more if the source isn't found." Kazuya explained.

"Malevolent energy…" Jorelle muttered. As a person who was sensitive towards dark attributes, he couldn't deny Kazuya's words.

"I doubt that there would be any dark magic practitioners stupid enough to practice their dark magics in the capital but… since there were many people, I sensed this from, I think that there should be a specific source for those energies that have been slowly building up in their bodies. Do you have any ideas?" Kazuya turned the question towards the cleric and made Jorelle come up with a solution himself.

"Could it be… no… but… contamination?" he muttered loud enough for Kazuya to hear after mulling over for a few moments.

Jorelle didn't want to think about it but there weren't many he could think of as the cause. His hesitation was mainly caused by the fact that many of the food that the people from the slums bought was from what his father sold them for a discounted price.

"That is one possibility." Kazuya surmised that Jorelle had thought about the possibility of his adoptive father being connected to the matter from the expressions that continued to change.

He didn't feel good about breaking this person's faith towards the parent that raised him but it had to be done. The Gazardiel he knew in the future would not only take over the body of this cleric, but he would also use the dark energies that had been planted over the people of the slums and turn them into his own minions after his identity as a necromancer was revealed.

The children, their parents, and all the other residents of the slums that had been filled with dark energy over the years could not help but lose their lives and turn undead after the necromancer activated the spell he cast to ensure his own escape.

"I apologize, but I think you should know more about this than me so I decided to mention it." Kazuya gave him an apologetic look.

The old man may have grown clever over the centuries but he had also grown complacent and arrogant. Gazardiel may have been cautious and suspicious towards Kazuya but never could he have imagined that this kid was well versed with his profession's skills and arts.

"No… I should be grateful. It seems that I have grown used to continuously treating various people that I have neglected to notice that their recurring symptoms may have been caused by this." Jorelle felt a little guilty after realizing that his reaction gave away his thoughts.

"Who knows? I may just be overthinking about this matter." Kazuya lighted up the mood a little. "As a traveler moving around different places, it became my habit to consider every danger that I may encounter. I originally mentioned this matter to see if you have any opinions about it since I tend to always think pessimistically."

Jorelle appreciated these words. Even though he thought that there could be no way that his adoptive father may have caused this intentionally, the possibility that this matter had been overlooked by him was still possible.

"My father often sells supplies to the people of the slums at a lower price secretly. I will try to look into this matter and ask him where the supplies came from if it is indeed the source."

It was now up to the adoptive father and son to figure out how their relationship would proceed from here. This was the only chance he would, or could give Natsu's old acquaintance.

The taboo spell of transference was not without consequences. As one would transfer over to a completely different body, one would be immobilized and weakened for a certain amount of time. This was only one of the few consequences known for invoking the spell as even a child would need to learn to control their own body before they are adept in functioning properly.

"(Though I can already assume what your decision will be… it will be your move now, Old fox.)" Kazuya turned to Jorelle and thought of something.

"Hey, do you trust me?"

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