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Chapter 246: The Witch (14)
Chapter 246: The Witch (14)
The night sky had a shade of purple instead of black, making it less dark and frightening than one might think.
Under the purple sky, in the heart of Arcanium, which floated high above, Kaen looked at the massive shards of glass and spoke softly.
"It's a success."
Soon after, cracks like spiderwebs began to form in the illusion world, and it slowly started to fragment and dissipate.
“Wow! That’s really impressive. Right, Grace? As an illusion mage, you must appreciate how amazing that idea is.”
"... Don't talk to me. I'm exhausted."
Grace lay sprawled on the rooftop of a building, struggling to catch her breath. Next to her, Eisel lay almost unconscious, utterly drained of mana and barely able to open her eyes.
"But, well... It’s impressive. Those kids."
Eisel couldn't hear her due to exhaustion, and Edna had leaped into the illusion world so she couldn't hear either. But Grace expressed pure admiration.
“You need to overlay your illusion onto that shield.”
The girl named Edna had suggested a highly unique idea.
It was something that most people wouldn’t have considered, or even if they had, they would have dismissed it as nearly impossible to attempt.
Normally, you can't cast illusion magic on an object. Most people would think that and give up, but the girl chose to find a way around the impossible.
“Use the Atrax Core.”
“What? How do you know about that...?”
Manwol Tower possessed many artifacts, including legendary items believed to be completely lost to history. The Atrax Core was one of them.
In modern times, there were no mages capable of using it, and its very existence was shrouded in secrecy. The fact that a seventeen-year-old girl mentioned it so familiarly was quite shocking.
“We don't have time to explain. We're going to use the Atrax Core to overlay mana onto reality.”
“But doing that will…”
“Yes, it will contaminate all the mana in the air. But we don't worry about that because the space we’re overlaying mana on is the illusion shield, not Arcanium.”
At that moment, Grace instantly understood Edna’s intention.
Her illusion magic couldn't be cast on objects.
But the Atrax Core was a unique artifact that could imbue objects with a semblance of life, giving them a will. Normally, this was a completely useless function, but for Grace, it worked differently.
“You're planning to cast an illusion on the illusion shield itself to pull it into reality...?”
“Exactly.”
She broke into a cold sweat as she considered it. Casting an illusion on such a massive shield might not only make her faint but could also kill her.
But that wasn’t something she needed to worry about.
“I'll help you.”
This time, Eisel stepped in, starting to draw a magic circle on the ground.
There was no need to ask what she was doing. The moment Grace saw it, she understood.
It was a reconstruction of illusion magic for Grace. When a mage draws a magic circle, they bear the entire burden themselves.
Every line, dot, pattern, and rune in the magic circle.
However, Eisel chose a highly unique method and chose 'mana stones' as the medium.
Of course, anyone could use mana stones as a medium. It was the most basic method for setting up installation-type magic circles.
Everyday devices, from fluorescent lights to fans to air conditioners, all used mana stones.
But that was only for supplying consistent, low-output mana like a battery. It was not suitable for actual combat magic, which required power generation.
Such an auxiliary measure wouldn’t help in actual combat and could even cause the mana stones to shatter upon activation, posing a risk to the caster.
That was the typical thought process.
“All the buildings in Arcanium are planned and designed accordingly.”
That was until Grace heard Eisel’s calm statement.
'No way.'
Grace immediately looked up at the sky over Arcanium.
Buildings rose to the same height at regular intervals. Some were 50 stories tall, some 70, and others 79.
All different heights, but when expanded across the entire Arcanium, they adhered strictly to a uniform height pattern forming a perfect circle.
“We’re going to use the buildings of Arcanium to create a massive three-dimensional magic circle.”
And now, back to the present.
Crash~!!!
The illusion shield crumbled, proving that the collaboration between the two girls was a success.
“Amazing... Truly.”
Even Metra, who rarely gave compliments, was impressed, and Kaen couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Hnng...”
Grace struggled to stand and leaned against the building’s railing.
“The witch... The witch...”
All the suffering up to now had been to find the witch. Despite her pale complexion, she strained to look down at the ground, but Kaen shook his head.
“We’re too late.”
And then, she saw it.
Thud!!
Baek Yu-Seol’s sword pierced the witch’s heart.
“... Ah.”
Watching the witch collapse lifelessly, Grace sighed in frustration.
“Ah~ my fate... So this is how it ends...”
After all the suffering, she didn’t even get to meet the witch before she died.
“It can’t be helped.”
“Yeah. Kaen is right. If Baek Yu-Seol killed the witch, there must have been a good reason.”
A little later, Baek Yu-Seol also collapsed from exhaustion, and Edna ran over to catch him.
Soon, Arcanium’s magical warriors broke through the barrier and entered.
Watching them, Metra whistled.
“Whistle~ This is quite something again. Is that... The corpse of a witch hunter?”
“A witch hunter?”
“Ah! Kaen can’t see it. When a witch hunter dies, they leave traces of mana instead of a corpse.”
Another witch hunter’s corpse.
“Was it the witch who killed them?”
“Who knows. Anyway, witch hunters are dangerous to the world, so it’s better if they’re gone. Whether Baek Yu-Seol killed them or the witch did, it doesn’t matter.”
He wasn’t wrong. Witches were harmful to the world, but witch hunters were even more dangerous.
The story of a witch hunter who destroyed an entire kingdom’s capital to catch a single witch was still famous, and the hatred and anger towards them were as intense as the negative feelings towards witches.
“It’s a shame Grace didn’t get to meet the witch, but at least we confirmed both the witch and the witch hunter are dead. The world will be chaotic for a while. A witch, thought to be extinct, suddenly attacks Arcanium.”
Regardless of Metra’s chatter, Kaen watched the fallen Baek Yu-Seol and turned to look at the unconscious Eisel. free𝑤ebnovel.com
These two girls knew too much. They were dangerous. In normal circumstances, if Kaen were his usual self, and if the girls were ordinary people...
He might have chosen to kill them without hesitation.
But these girls were special.
Tower Lord and Metra specifically instructed not to interfere with them... Because they were 'destined.'
"We're leaving."
"Huh, already? I'm exhausted..."
Grace complained, but Kaen paid her no attention. He walked lightly and disappeared into the air.
"Sigh, my fate. Suffering like this because I chose the wrong partner..."
She glanced regretfully at the spot where Baek Yu-Seol had collapsed, then shook her head to clear her thoughts.
It was disappointing not to have met and talked to the witch directly... But discovering that witches still existed was a significant enough finding.
"Well, what's done is done."
Smiling brightly, Grace followed Kaen and disappeared into the air.
"Ugh..."
Left behind was only Eisel. She was utterly exhausted and alone.
———-
The space was dark, damp, yet somehow warm.
It was filled with green fireflies, and through the open sky, a full moon, larger than Earth's, greeted him.
The path of the Milky Way stretched to the ends of the world, beautifully illuminating the flower garden.
In this space filled with light and mystery, there was a sense of warmth and happiness, and in the midst of it all, stood a woman.
“Come to me…”
She beckoned to him.
More radiant than the moonlight, more sparkling than the Milky Way, her name was...
‘Celestia.'
What?
The moment Baek Yu-Seol recognized her, the colors of the world suddenly reversed.
No.
To be precise, the world... Turned black.
A withered flower garden.
A dead sky.
A garden painted black.
And Celestia was wrapped in black energy and writhed in agony.
“Come to me…”
Suddenly, he snapped back to reality.
"Hah!"
Gasping, he clutched his chest and ran his hands through his hair, feeling the warmth from the sunlight.
The sudden movement caused his muscles to spasm.
Holding his aching head, he sat quietly until the door opened with a clunk, and a nurse walked in.
"Oh, you're awake."
Apologetically, she made a regretful expression for not knocking, then asked him to wait a moment before heading somewhere.
'I'm in a hospital.'
For some reason, from the moment he woke up, the headache made it hard to think.
It felt like there was a gaping hole in his chest.
Or perhaps something was stiflingly blocked.
‘Celestia...'
Was her turning black in my dream just a dream, or was it happening now?
Baek Yu-Seok grew anxious.
'Do I need to go immediately...?'
As his anxiety grew, cold sweat ran down his face, and his heart began to pound.
Just then, the door opened again, and someone entered. Baek Yu-Seol thought it was a doctor, but the voice was familiar.
"Commoner, you don't look well."
… It was Princess Hong Bi-Yeon.
Barely lifting his head to meet her eyes, her smiling face softened slightly.
"Did something happen to you?"
"No, nothing happened."
"... Then it's fine."
She placed a fruit basket on the desk, likely a hospital visit gift. It was impractical and common, but she approached Baek Yu-Seol.
"I heard you hunted the witch."
"... I suppose I did?"
They did win in the end, so in any case, it was a successful hunt.
If Edna hadn't helped at the end, he would have been trapped in that hellish world forever, writhing in agony and endless despair...
"Commoner."
"Huh? Oh."
She suddenly approached him, grabbed his chin, and lifted it.
Then she stared into his eyes from a distance close enough to allow him to feel her breath. Her red eyes were filled with something like dissatisfaction and reflected his haggard appearance.
'Ah...'
Even if he had just woken up, did he really look that disheveled? Could his appearance be explained away with a simple excuse? That how he just woke up….
After a moment, Hong Bi-Yeon let go of his chin and took a few steps back.
"You've done something extraordinary again this time. I don't know what you've been through, but shake it off quickly."
With that, she left the hospital room, and he was left alone, staring blankly at the white-painted wall.
'What have I been through?'
Nothing major had happened. No one died, and no one was seriously injured. He also came out without any physical wounds.
But somehow...
It felt like his heart had been wounded.
He didn't know why.
'Is it because I witnessed despair?'
For the first time in his life, he faced a completely bleak situation with no way forward. This had never happened before. He felt lost, despaired, and ready to give up.
After all, Baek Yu-Seol was just an ordinary person. Unable to use magic, negative feelings like depression, anxiety, and despair began to rise within him.
'Did someone like me really try to save the world?'
Just as those useless thoughts crept in...
Smack!
Baek Yu-Seol slapped his cheek.
This was... a habit. From his school days on Earth.
When he had lost everything and could no longer even dream.
He made a promise to himself.
‘Look at the world positively.’
At that time, he was already in a desperate situation with no hope in sight... But if he let his thoughts turn negative, he felt like he would truly be unable to do anything.
Baek Yu-Seol steeled his mind, his will, and his resolve.
‘But how am I now?’
‘Isn't my mental state more battered than back then? Even with the blessing of Yeonhong Chunsamweol…’
… Wait.
Something seems off.
All the negative and positive emotions vanished in an instant.
As if they were emotions that had been implanted.
He tried to think as calmly as possible.
'With the blessing of Yeonhong Chunsamweol, why am I feeling this way?'
In the final battle with the witch, he gave up and despaired at the last moment, ready to submit to the witch.
‘Was that really me?’
Even before he had the blessing of Yeonhong Chunsamweol, he had never once given up.
Yes, it was a remarkable blessing... But he could also pride himself on having a strong mental fortitude.
Adding the ironclad armor of Yeonhong Chunsamweol on top of that.
'What is this?'
A strange feeling lingered as if his mind had turned hollow and his emotions were constantly being shaken.
He immediately opened his status window and checked the skill page, but there were no issues with the Blessing of Yeonhong Chunsamweol.
Something...
Something was trying to invade his mind again, but by closing his eyes tightly and focusing, he managed to block it out.
'There's a problem.'
He was sure of it.
This wasn’t a problem with him.
The issue lay with either Celestia, who was mentally connected to him, or Yeonhong Chunsamweol, or Florin.
One of them was having a problem.
This wasn't part of the original storyline, but he could think calmly without panicking. He could consider the possibilities and causes enough.
'An ordinary person?'
He kept trying to belittle himself as an ordinary person, but that was wrong.
He... was the only player who had seen the end of Aether World Online, so among ordinary people, he was the most extraordinary.
He could have at least that much pride.
'I need to check it myself.'
After all the commotion with the witch, no one would mind if he missed a few days of classes.
He immediately got out of bed, changed into his Stella Academy uniform, and left the hospital room.
‘If something doesn't feel right, I'll just find out and solve it myself.’
With that thought, he swung open the door to the hospital room.
"... What?"
As soon as he opened the door, he found himself face-to-face with someone standing there.
Stella's Head Knight Commander, Arien.
He glanced at Baek Yu-Seol with cold eyes, but he had one question that came to mind before anything else.
"What are you doing here...?"
If he came for a visit, he could have at least knocked.
What was he doing standing here awkwardly?
Arien remained silent for a long time before finally opening his mouth to speak.
“I was going to. I just didn’t find the right moment.”
“… I see.”
Anyway, he was an odd one.
“Let’s have a word.”
Arien said as he entered the room, leaving Baek Yu-Seol no choice but to follow him back inside.
There was urgent buisness to attend to, but the aftermath of the previous incident was also important.
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