In A Noble Magic Academy, The Only Spell I Know Is Scan

The revelation of the true nature of the dark elves made a great reversal in the balance of elven types in the cradle. The dark elves now out numbered the number of normal elves in the cradle. Or at least they would've if there wasn't a continuous influx of normal elves returning to the cradle after dying in the war. It was starting to seem like the entirety of elvenkind was amassing in the cradle and the making of a war was in the air. Not just between the elves and the dark elves but there was even unrest among the dark elves' own ranks from elves who turned but greatly regretted their fate. There was no sense of peace within the cradle and in the middle of it all, the king had up and disappeared.

"And the xenophobia's gotten especially bad." Scabius yawned, "Now it's hard to get anybody from either group to meet the other. Which is great for causing less trouble but now everyone's paranoid about the other race doing something to exterminate the other."

"Even I'm not wanted." Nasturtium scoffed, "Even though I literally can't see the difference."

"How do you know you haven't turned already, Nasturtium?" Scabius smirked.

"Well I'm not allowed into the dark elves' area so I assume not turned."

"And if you were one day?"

"Then I probably turned in my sleep like all the others. Doesn't really matter to me."

"What a carefree life the blind live in our society today. If only we were all blind."

"You're insane."

"..."

"..."

…

"Hyacinth?" Scabius called, "You want to say anything?"

Hyacinth had become abnormally reclusive now. The usually cheerful elf now was sitting in their room, looking depressed and rarely speaking. She never seemed to stop thinking, Scabius and Nasturtium could tell she was perfectly aware of everything. But she had receded into her own thoughts, desperately thinking of some way to unite the elves once more.

"Any guesses on what she's thinking about this time?" Scabius said.

"Mm. Maybe she's feeling sad about not being able to see Lycoris anymore."

"That's true, she hasn't been able to see her since the elves started sectioning themselves off. And Hyacinth does love kids so the fact that she can't see them anymore is probably bumming her out."

The elves waited for a while to see if there would be any reaction from Hyacinth but she remained quiet.

"Man, it sucks having two whole Zinnias now." Scabius sighed, "Not that we've been able to find Zinnia. He's been absent since we asked him to find the king."

"In retrospect, it is kind of silly to expect he'd find the king in a timely manner to resolve the situation. But he's also probably the only one who can find the king to begin with."

Another pause to see if Hyacinth would react.

"So how's Borage?" Nasturtium asked.

"He's been running liaison between both parties of elves, trying to start some sort of peace talk but it's not going well."

"I never expected Borage to start a political campaign."

"Right?! I've thought that too, it's so hilarious."

…

…

"So what do you want for dinner?"

"Neither of us can cook. You know that Scabius."

"I can cook!"

"You don't cook. You 'alchemize' food."

"That's cooking!"

"I've seen you do at least 10 different things that most people wouldn't call 'cooking' while you try to make food. There is a reason we only allowed Hyacinth or Lycoris to make food for us."

"We haven't had a lot of Lycoris' cooking have we? I could go for them again. Lycoris is surprisingly good at cooking for her age."

"That might be because she's the king's-"

"We need to find the king."

Nasturtium and Scabius jumped as Hyacinth finally spoke up, her eyes now narrowed with focus and determination.

"O...kay..." Scabius said, "And how do we do that?"

"We need to find Zinnia."

"And how do we do THAT?" Nasturtium asked.

"Seriously? This is how you call for me?" Zinnia sighed.

"What? It's a lamp that we covered with an outline of your face." Scabius said, "That we projected onto the cradle tree."

"In the middle of broad daylight?"

"I mean what else could we have done?"

"This was highly unnecessary."

"Stop being hard to find then." Nasturtium snorted.

"I don't know how to help with that. You are blind after all, Nasturtium."

"Oh no you didn't." Nasturtium raised her staff to bonk in Zinnia's general direction.

"At least we know you're alright." Borage said as he let out a large yawn.

"You doing alright, big guy?" Scabius asked.

"I'm fine. Just...been doing a whole lot since all this went down."

"You've always been pretty hard working but isn't this a bit much for you?"

"No, it's fine. If there's some way to get people to get along again, I'll do it."

"Well, I think the only one who can do that now is the king. Speaking of which-"

"Did you find him?" Hyacinth asked.

"If I did I would've reported to you sooner." Zinnia sighed.

"So we still don't know where he is?" Nasturtium scoffed, "So much for that."

"No, I'm pretty confident I know where he is."

"Really?!" Hyacinth gasped, "You know where the king is?!"

"More accurately, I've looked everywhere so there's only one place left he could be in."

"And what's that?" Nasturtium said skeptically, "He can't possibly be hidden by the black elves right now and the normal elves haven't seen him. The soldiers in the Tree Cradle haven't been able to find him in there, secret room or not. If you haven't found him by the outskirts of the cradle's field I don't know where he could be."

"Like I said, there's one place we haven't checked." Zinnia said as he turned around and pointed at the Tree Cradle.

"And like I said, we check there already."

"No, not inside there."

"Wait, you don't mean..."

"We climb the Great Tree." Zinnia said nonchalantly,

"Isn't that expressly forbidden?" Scabius asked.

"Yes. But that's the one place remaining in this search."

...

"Fuck it, we ball." Hyacinth stated.

"Hyacinth?!" Borage cried.

"Things have gone to hell already. Why bother with an age old rule like that now?"

"Not what I'd usually expect from you but..." Scabius shrugged, "I'm in."

"I've always wanted to climb the Great Tree actually." Borage said sheepishly.

"Ummm..." Nasturtium spoke up, "So how do I get up there?"

"It's okay, I'll carry you." Borage flexed his muscles.

"Yeah, you've been overworking yourself too hard for me to trust you with your tired body."

"Aw come on, it's not that bad!"

"Also you smell."

"I DO?!"

"I'll carry you." Hyacinth stated, "I can fly with my magic so it's going to be much easier for me."

"Aw man, I wish I could fly." Scabius moaned, "I wonder if I can make some sort of flying potion..."

"Just learn wind magic." Borage said.

"I would if I could. Casting spells gives me a headache. Alchemy is magic enough for me."

"So you're experienced with climbing to find ingredients then?" Zinnia asked.

"Oh yeah."

"Then start climbing."

"Aw man." Scabius growled and he Zinnia and Borage started to attach themselves to the side of the Great Tree, "Just because I can do it doesn't mean I like it..."

The cradle's tree had undergone a few minor changes. In the middle of the chaos, none of the elves probably noticed but flying around it now, it was pretty notable. The crescent that the tree's trunk was twisted into was now spawning branches with leaves. Where once only a few patches of leaves decorated its frame now almost the entire tree was covered in foliage that none of them recognized. Hyacinth in fact had to fly close to the trunk in order to not lose track of the climbing group among the leaves. That didn't stop the girls from floating back down to have a tea break when Hyacinth got tired from carrying Nasturtium. They did bring back a bit of food for the climbers though. Some of the branches were already big enough for them to stop and rest on and have a picnic. Complaints were had and then the climbing resumed. Until the sun was starting to darken into a moon and the royal guards stood triumphant at the very top of the crescent. Their prize, to look across at the very limited space decorated with a false forest and sky. No expanse to witness. Roko would describe it as climbing halfway up a short pringle's can whose inside was pasted with a generic forest and sky texture. It was what would've been an underwhelming prize for Roko but the elves seemed pretty self satisfied. Well the climbers did anyway. The fliers just looked at what was still a very unusual view for them. Well I mean, Hyacinth did. Nasturtium didn't on account of her being blind.

"So what now?" Nasturtium asked, "See the king anywhere?"

"Uhh...not right now." Hyacinth looked around, "There's not a lot of places he could be hiding up here."

"So did we just climb up here for nothing?" Scabius scowled, "What do we do now?"

"Jump." Zinnia said.

"Zinnia, I know things are bad but it's not THAT bad...kinda."

"Look down." Zinnia sighed.

"What if I didn't?"

"What, are you afraid of heights?" Nasturtium scoffed.

"Oh what and you aren't?! Have you SEEN how high we are?!"

"..."

"...Yeah okay, I'll look down."

Looking down, the royal guards spotted a green glowing orb floating in the center of the tree's crescent.

"Huh. Don't think we noticed that before." Borage said.

"That's because it's hidden with spatial magic. An isolated tunnel whose entrance is revealed at the very top of the tree."

"How'd you know this was here?"

"I didn't."

"Oh. Kay."

"So there's presumably a room or something in there?" Borage asked, "Wait, are you saying the king climbs up here every time he wants to get in there?"

"The king can fly you know." Hyacinth said.

"He can?!"

"The king can do everything we can do. You know this." Nasturtium rolled her eyes.

"Yeah but like...even alchemy?!"

"Probably."

"Aw come on!"

"So we just jump?" Borage asked.

"That's the idea." Zinnia replied.

"Hold my hand, Nasturtium. I'll help guide you."

"Alright...I guess I don't want to become a pancake..." Nasturtium sighed as she took Hyacinth's hand.

"You're much cuter when you're obedient." Scabius sneered.

"And you're more palatable when you shut up."

"At least I can climb."

"Says the man scared of heights."

"I'm not scared! I'm just cautious."

"Then jump, coward."

"After you." Scabius said as Zinnia and Borage began their jump, "You know what they say, women and children first."

"I'm older than you."

"Oh I'm sorry, you must be really short then cause I could've sworn you were a child. Maybe if you didn't stay hunched over all the time, I'll-"

And then Nasturtium kicked Scabius in the back sending him falling off the tree as she and Hyacinth soon followed.

The royal guards all quickly fell into the spatial tunnel, falling several meters before they were lifted gently and slowly dropped onto a lone platform inside the green light. A room large enough to serve as a small study but not much more with no normal walls. Just a single room floating inside a misty sphere. And sitting there on a chair in front of them...was their king.

"Afternoon." The king shut the book he was reading and placed it down on a table, "It's nearly nighttime but I think there's still enough daylight to call it afternoon."

"Milord..." Hyacinth frowned, "This is..."

"The new 'core room' you can call it." The king raised his hand and a pattern of the core gem glowed underneath their feet, "After fusing the gem with the tree, it became sub-optimal to continue maintenance in the roots. So this room was created to better facilitate the changes."

A quiet silence then filled the room. With the obvious question out of the way, there now stood a mountain of questions left to unravel and none of them knew where to start nor quite build up the nerve to question their king. Their king simply stood there, smiling pleasantly as if he was unaware of all that had transpired in the past few days.

"Did you...intend to all that you've done?" Hyacinth was the first one to break the silence.

"Yes. Everything's gone as I've designed. With a few ad-libs form the people. Nothing out of expectations. Integration has gone well."

"Integration..." Hyacinth scowled, her emotions bubbling up to the surface.

"We read that the black elves are supposed to serve as a source of energy for the unchanged elves." Nasturtium said, "Is that true?"

"Yes. Instant Revival is a near impossible magical feat without the complex entropy of life mana to supplement it. And that's Revival, not the Reincarnation the old system used. That's also why I had to integrate the gem into the tree. Biological data is best processed using a biological system."

"Was this change necessary?" Scabius asked.

"I would not have done what I did if I did not believe it was necessary."

"Is this how you wanted the black elves to be treated?" Borage asked.

"I disappeared partially to allow the relationship to develop on its own. That it has come to this state is unfortunate but I do not actually care about how the dark elves are treated."

"You don't care?!" Hyacinth cried, "How could you say you don't care?!"

"The treatment of the dark elves is a much less relevant topic once the elves return to the war. The time spent between the two races would ideally be so little that hostility would be hard to nurture."

"You started this system to return elven soldiers to the front line as soon as possible correct?" Nasturtium said, "How quickly do you expect these soldiers to return after they are revived?"

"At most, a day."

"A day?!" Borage cried, "That's insanely fast!"

"Our enemies don't rest, Borage. They overrun us with insurmountable numbers and strange powers. The elves' reincarnation system has brought the world a foothold against them and with this, we may finally start pushing back. We must respond to the sacrifice and dedication of the elves before us in kind."

The elves fell silent. Some looked deeply conflicted while some looked deeply despondent. The king's reasons felt as strong as when he first revealed them in his big speech. There was a charisma to him that made it difficult to not take his words seriously. They wanted to believe him. They, out of all elves, should be the first and last people to trust their king. But it was difficult. There was a hesitation that would not resolve itself.

"But there will be peace." The king said, "I can promise that what awaits after this war is a prize that the elves have long lost in their sacrifices."

The king's gentle promise only caused new pangs of conflict in the elves again. For all except for one elf who had stood there silently the whole time.

"Zinnia." The king addressed the last royal guard, "You've been quiet this entire time. Do you not have any questions for me too?"

Eyes turned to Zinnia who looked at his king with a knowing stoicism. No one knew what he was thinking, what he felt or what he could possibly say to swing things one way or another. So they were surprised by the simplicity of what he did finally say,

"What are you hiding from us?"

The other guards were surprised but the king was not. He looked back at Zinnia with equal calmness but in a second that only Zinnia could see, a pang of subtle guilt flashed across the king's face as he replied,

"The dark elves are elves taken out of the our cyclical system. That means that they will not be revived or even reincarnated after they die."

Hyacinth looked at the king with pure cold shock at this revelation.

"Their lives will not be wasted. Their energies will be pooled together to continue the revival system endlessly. The loss of their support can be supplemented by our allies in the war effort. The problem now is that no new elves can be born. Eventually, if every elf turns into a dark elf and dies, the elven race will become extinct. That's why I've elected to restore our reproductive systems to normal elves."

"Reproductive system?" Nasturtium said, confused.

"Haha. I'm sure you'll find out on your own." The king said, "There are some further changes I'm considering regarding that system but I've yet to commit to anything. Still, I believe it's something that you might appreciate, Hyacinth."

Hyacinth looked down, her mind deep in thought before she looked up at the king and smiled, "Thank you. For telling us."

"...You're welcome."

Hyacinth gave a tired smile again before she suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed on the ground. The rest of the guards seemed alarmed but they knew fully well what was going to happen. And once again, they could only watch as another one of their friends began to turn dark. Borage in particular looked mortified. But watching his friend change, a resolution formed on his face as he turned to his king once more,

"After..." Borage spoke intently, "After this war is over...will things go back to the way they were?"

"...No." The king said, "These changes are irreversible. I don't know how to return things to the way they were."

Borage's hands clenched into tight fists that shuddered with agitation as he processed this answer. And when he accepted the answer his hands relaxed...and he allowed himself to fall to the floor, the second one to begin the transformation into a dark elf.

With two of their friends fallen, the king sighed and turned to Zinnia, "Take them somewhere to rest, won't you Zinnia?"

"...Roger."

Zinnia picked up Hyacinth under his arm and hefted Borage onto his shoulder, taking one more look at everyone else before leaving the hidden space.

Later that night Hyacinth would wake up in a comfortable bed. Like Lycoris, she sat up and looked at her arm to discover what she knew was going to happen.

"...Zinnia?"

"What is it?" Zinnia asked as he strolled into the room.

"Oh, now you show up when we ask." Hyacinth smiled, "Why can't it always be this easy?"

Hyacinth laughed softly. It was an interaction like any other. Hyacinth had not changed one bit beyond the color of her skin. But her smile was much more natural now. Her laughter much more genuine. There wasn't any fear or despair any more.

"I see you haven't uhhh...changed? Turned? Ahhh, there's not really a delicate way to refer to...this..."

"I got the point." Zinnia replied, "And Borage has also joined you on this side as well."

"Ah...I see...what about Scabius and Nasturtium?"

"I last left them with the king. I don't know what has happened to them."

"Are you sure that's safe?"

"I don't think the king will do anything to them. Besides, I think they have more questions to ask."

"That's probably true. I can't see those two easily being tricked by the king either."

"...So what are you going to do now?"

"..." Hyacinth's casual smile was one that Zinnia had seen before. A playful cat like smile that spoke of a plan that she had in mind, "It's time...for a revolution."

"...A revolt? With the dark elves? The elves are marching to war tomorrow. Do you have time to lead a revolt overnight?"

"You wouldn't know this but there has been a revolution brewing among the dark elves in secret. Lead by none other than Lycoris from what I hear. They already have a plan on breaching the tree cradle and either capture the king, destroy the core that some still believe is there and take over the tree cradle."

"They have a plan of action but do they actually have demands to make?"

"Well it is an unripe revolution. It's more emotional than it is logical."

"And you're going to help them?"

"Mmm...yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"A bit of resistance is good and all but I don't want the elves of both sides killing each other."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to introduce a third party." Hyacinth smiled, "One that both parties have no choice but to fight together."

"You don't mean..."

"I'm going to introduce a bit of monsters to the cradle."