LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 121
Thud.
The staff struck the ground, producing a dull sound.
Its smooth white body and the gorgeous decorations adorned with various gemstones were so striking that even someone without an aesthetic sense would inadvertently admire it.
It was an object that could be believed to be a work of art.
For an ordinary person, the fear of even a speck of dust touching it or a scratch occurring would prompt one to carefully keep it safe, but the man wielding the staff was not concerned about such things.
In fact, he looked up at the sky with a complex expression, as if saying, “What’s the big deal?” while repeatedly tapping the staff’s end against the ground.
A clear sky.
An absolutely pristine sky greeted the man without a single cloud.
It was a day that could be described as perfect, but the weather was the least of the man’s concerns.
Rain or thunder, even a raging storm… the man’s attitude wouldn’t have changed.
That was only natural.
At that moment, what reflected in the man’s eyes was not the weather.
“Edel, I have acted according to your will.”
Sometimes colliding, sometimes intertwining, sometimes flowing leisurely, the flow of mana was the most fundamental current that composed this world.
Even a magician who explored mysteries and imitated miracles couldn’t easily see the flow of mana with the naked eye.
Let alone perceiving it with such detail, the man’s accomplishment spoke volumes about his attained level.
However, a man standing at such a high realm could not hide his troubled mind.
“I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing. Sometimes I wonder if I’m misreading your intentions.”
In fact, Edel had never directly conveyed her wishes to the man.
So what he had done was read the flow of energy in the world and acted on his own assumption of the divine will.
Until now, he had believed it to be Edel’s will without a doubt.
But now, anxiety surged like waves in his heart.
“Much will be burnt. And much will collapse.”
While it appeared at first glance to flow erratically, the mana that had always been directed toward one side was now flowing elsewhere.
Toward somewhere high in the sky.
“And the empire I am part of will receive the greatest damage from that disaster.”
The fact that the man proceeded with this despite knowing it was not due to any grievances against the empire.
He had simply realized that something more important existed than the empire.
No matter how much he cherished the room he lived in, it wouldn’t matter if the house itself collapsed.
Knowing this, the man, who was even willing to make an unpleasant pact and send a girl away from her nest, did what he could do.
However, he couldn’t erase the turmoil seeded in his heart.
Muttering as if speaking to Edel, the man suddenly narrowed his eyes.
He felt a group of people approaching through his widely spread intuition.
“…Tsk, pests.”
Even if he didn’t step forward, they would be blocked from entering by the barrier he had erected.
But he found the very fact that someone was approaching irksome.
“How dare a mere foreigner who got lucky challenge me.”
To challenge the barrier he had created was tantamount to defying his magic.
He didn’t take kindly to that at all.
Thud.
Boom!
As he slammed down the staff, a thunderous sound struck the ground.
After a bolt from the blue, the presence he had felt vanished without a trace.
“Ah, I didn’t need to go this far for such trivial matters…”
The man grumbled, shedding his somber tone.
“It’s unfortunate that even when I show kindness, no one acknowledges it. This little brat doesn’t realize the effort I’ve put in for her.”
He could only hope she wouldn’t rush at him with a sword as soon as she opened her eyes.
The man looked down at the girl lying at his feet.
Her blood-soaked lips and her pale complexion made her appear dead, but a subtle rise and fall of her small chest indicated that she was still alive.
“Hey, couldn’t you raise your daughter to be more docile? She’s a complete wildling. You have no idea how frightening it was that she came at me to kill every time we met.”
Flinch.
“…!”
The man, who had been grumbling at the headstone, jolted at the sudden movement.
The pink-haired girl’s fingertips stirred.
Though it was just a momentary gesture, the man did not miss it.
“…Already showing signs of waking up, a wildling is still a wildling. Well, that’s why she must have been chosen by Lady Edel.”
Aside from his admiration, the man’s urgency began to build.
In the distance, bringing people from across the sea to Raxia was no easy feat, even for a man who stood as the pinnacle among existing magicians.
He had prepared to cast spells here for a long time, used numerous catalysts, ensured the target was in a weakened state and unconscious, and there were no magical barriers preventing the spell from being cast…
Among other requirements piled up, it was only possible because of those factors. If any one of them was missing, it would have been impossible.
And since he couldn’t perform such absurd feats with just a clone, he had come here in person.
If the girl, who was grumbling that he should fight boldly instead of sending only a clone, were to see this, she would surely cheer.
Knowing this all too well, he hurried to prepare to descend the mountain.
“…”
Before exiting the barrier, the man took one last look back.
“He wouldn’t recklessly cause a ruckus, given how dearly he adored his father.”
He seemed quite attached to this place, so even in the heat of loss, he would instinctively hold back.
The likelihood was low, but the man hoped for that minuscule possibility.
“Just letting someone who wants to kill me go free, what a long life I lead.”
The man clicked his tongue as he summoned mana.
The completed magic circle emitted light in an instant.
“…Oh. I almost forgot.”
…Nothing happened.
The magical processing he had performed to bring the girl here hit him late.
“Ah, must I suffer through such trouble at my age?”
The man began to lead his heavy feet down from the mountain.
It was a rather unremarkable exit for one called the sage of the empire.
*
“Is it… over…?”
Da-eun, who had been sprawled out, regained her senses.
The magical energy that had bound her body had unexpectedly vanished as if washed away.
Not only that, but the dot damage that had been steadily draining her health since stepping into Raxia, as well as the debuff known as “mana poisoning” that had lowered her abilities, also disappeared cleanly.
Finally free to breathe, Da-eun staggered to her feet.
Indeed, just as Da-eun had thought, the fierce swirling black currents were nowhere to be seen.
“I succeeded…!”
If Kana had failed, the mana would certainly still be present, so it must have meant that success had been achieved.
Color flushed Da-eun’s face.
But that joy was short-lived.
She felt unease as she observed the people surrounding the site where the ascension ritual had taken place.
Why were they standing around when they should be celebrating the success?
“Selin?”
In the quiet stillness, upon spotting familiar blonde hair, Da-eun approached her.
“…”
“Selin?”
“…Ah, Joanie.”
“…What’s wrong?”
Selin, typically warm in demeanor and glad to respond, now had a dazed expression as if lost in thought.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s… it’s just that…”
Selin struggled to find her words, tripping over them.
Eventually unable to hold back, Da-eun pushed through the crowd, firmly believing that a little girl was at the end of this throng.
No matter how harrowing the fight within the thick mana had been, she could at least give her a hug and thank her for her hard work.
“Excuse me, uh, coming through…!”
As Da-eun steadily nudged through the crowd, she finally began to see a clearing.
The rough scars left on the dirt floor testified to the intense battle.
“…!”
Looking at the circular patterns left behind, Da-eun felt goosebumps spread across her skin.
Had she insisted on going in together instead of listening to Kana earlier, she would have surely become nothing but minced meat by now.
Though in reality, she would have resurrected at the spawn point before that…
Regardless, it was certain that she would have met an ending that was not particularly favorable.
Now, the destination was just ahead.
“Whoa…!”
As Da-eun squeezed through the last bit of space, she was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of liberation and swayed.
Before her nose could touch the ground, a hand caught her.
Gently, but firmly, Justina gripped Da-eun’s arm and straightened her up.
“Watch yourself.”
“Phew, thank you…”
Thanks to Justina, Da-eun narrowly avoided making a mess of herself, wiping the blood streaming from her nose.
Then, she suddenly realized that the ground she had almost fallen onto was a different color from the surroundings.
A deep black hue, akin to asphalt.
Feeling something off, Da-eun caught a whiff of a metallic scent.
“Is that blood?”
The very scent she had inhaled countless times as a child was rising from the earth.
Justina spoke.
“The ascension ritual was a success. Just as she said, the mana that engulfed Raxia has completely vanished.”
So that was the meaning behind freedom from the mission.
“What an unbelievable feat.”
Finding it hard to believe, Justina checked multiple times, but now she had no choice but to accept it.
The air wrapped around her was as clean as it had been ages ago when the power of purification was still present.
However, Justina’s feelings didn’t resonate much with Da-eun.
What was truly important to her lay elsewhere.
“Kana, where is she?”
“…”
“No, it can’t be…”
Invisible figure.
The opaque black liquid that saturated the surroundings.
A lack of responsive answers.
With nothing but anxiety-inducing factors in sight, Da-eun’s eyes trembled slightly.
“A-ah…”
Thud!
Da-eun’s knees hit the ground.
The viscous liquid soaked her knees, and the reek of blood assaulted her senses.
It was no coincidence that the image of the pink-haired girl flitted past her vision.
Death was familiar.
Since starting Silia Online, the number of times Da-eun had faced death exceeded two hands.
“Kana!”
But being nonchalant about her own death didn’t mean she could be the same towards someone else’s.
Especially if that someone was someone she cherished deeply.
“Kana…”
Unlike her, who could resurrect, Kana wouldn’t come back.
So they could never meet again.
The moment Da-eun realized that, tears welled in her eyes.
Like a dam breaking, turbulent waves surged in her ordinarily sturdy heart…
“Wait! I feel like there’s some misunderstanding here. I never said that unruly child was dead.”
“…Eh?”
Da-eun stopped dead in her tracks at Justina’s words.
“…You mean she isn’t dead?”
“Is that what you wanted?”
“No! That can’t be true!”
Da-eun exclaimed, startled and shaken.
Then, as she began to cautiously observe Justina’s expression, the desired intent became too obvious for the latter not to chuckle.
“Why don’t we move to another location? This doesn’t seem like a fitting place for a long conversation.”