Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Spring, Come Forth (8)
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Evelyn examined the Vajra with admiration sparkling in her eyes.
"This could work...! Lady Erzsebet, could you help me?"
"Help you?"
"Yes. Transferring the soul successfully requires some preparation."
Evelyn explained that separating the witch's soul would demand an enormous amount of mana. From the sound of it, they might need to drag in every mage around, not just Erzsebet. As she laid out the details, she hesitated before speaking up.
"I know we should avoid making a big fuss, but... couldn't we recruit that one over there?"
"Who?"
"The one standing on the cliff..."
Her gaze lingered on a young man. A sodden fur coat draped over the shoulders of the man staring out at the sea. Evelyn let out another gasp of awe.
"I can feel such immense mana even from here... Is he a high elf? No, this is even more than that..."
Indeed, a tremendous surge of mana rippled and poured from the young man's shoulders. Ronan's brow furrowed.
Setting aside Evelyn's misconception, the real question was what he was doing here. Ronan had told him to head back since it could be dangerous, so why was he still hanging around? Ronan strode forward purposefully.
"Wait here. I'll bring him over."
The young man gazed vacantly at the sea. The wreckage of the ship he'd arrived on jutted awkwardly above the surface. Ronan came to stand beside him.
"Still here, huh. Itargand."
"...You."
"It's Ronan, not 'you.' What are you doing out here?"
"Thinking."
Itargand continued without turning his head. The arrogance from before was gone, but this dazed state didn't look any healthier. Ronan tilted his head.
"Thinking about what?"
"I might... be weak, after all."
"Hah."
Ronan let out a reflexive bark of laughter. Not because it was funny, but because it was absurd. Who would've thought he'd hear such self-deprecating words from a dragon's mouth? The shock from Rodolan must have hit him hard.
"What makes you think that?"
"I couldn't melt that ice in the end. Without your help, I wouldn't have beaten the witch. Hell, I would've died in that frozen underground."
"Logical."
"Mother always praised me as strong. But that was a blatant lie. The flames I unleashed at my coming-of-age were just a parlor trick..."
Itargand sighed deeply. His self-esteem had plummeted so far it felt like it'd burrowed into a basement. After a moment's thought, Ronan spoke up.
"Want to get stronger?"
"Yes. But I don't know how."
"I can tell you."
Itargand finally turned his head. From picking fights right off the bat to relentlessly pursuing strength despite already being powerful, he somehow reminded Ronan of Schlieffen. Annoying, but not unlikable. Itargand asked,
"What is it?"
"Nothing special. Just work at it like a human."
"Like a human...? How?"
"Help me out first, and I'll tell you. Come on."
Ronan turned and walked away. Itargand followed with a bewildered expression. Evelyn, realizing belatedly that he was a dragon, went pale as a sheet.
The preparations didn't take long. Itargand's mana reserves were so vast that no one else needed to be recruited.
The ritual took place behind the fortress. The crash of waves echoed up from the sheer cliffs below. Ronan looked around and raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't know this spot existed."
"Took forever to find it. Perfect for secretly performing black magic."
Evelyn smiled. It was so cramped and secluded that no one besides the five of them would stumble upon it. Chalked onto the uneven ground was her magic circle.
Two overlapping circles formed the structure, with Asel and the Vajra at each center. Evelyn knelt at the overlapping section.
Erzsebet and Itargand stood ready to channel mana with hands pressed to her back. Ronan's job was to keep watch. Evelyn took a couple of deep breaths and spoke.
"Alright, let's begin."
The other three nodded. Evelyn's lips parted. A chant flowed out like song, smooth as running water. Erzsebet and Itargand's bodies went rigid. Suddenly, Asel's body floated into the air.
"Urk...!"
"Shit, that startled me."
Ronan grimaced. Asel hovered about a meter off the ground before stopping. Abruptly, his body began twisting violently.
"Gyaargh! Ah, aaaagh...!"
"Damn it, is this really okay?"
Ronan recoiled in horror. It looked just like a patient in the throes of a seizure. His hair color flickered constantly—white turning red, red turning white.
"He's fighting for control."
"Control?"
"Yes. As the witch's soul transfers to the Vajra, Asel's personality rises back to the surface. It's a good sign."
Evelyn replied with her eyes closed. She was absorbing Erzsebet and Itargand's mana at a rapid rate.
"I'll focus a bit more now. Like I said, don't let anything interrupt us...!"
Evelyn warned. With no real knowledge of the process, Ronan could only trust her. Then a voice came from behind.
"Slacking off, huh. 'Good sign,' my ass."
"Huh?"
Ronan whipped his head toward the sound. Nothing there. The voice came again, from the front this time.
"No idea what nonsense you're pulling, but you'd better stop right now."
"Whoa, easy there. Who the hell are you?"
Ronan shrugged as he looked down. A scrawny little kid crouched with his chin propped on his knee.
He looked about ten years old. No presence at all—where had he even come from? Instead of answering, the boy continued indifferently.
"That's a soul-destroying spell."
"...What?"
"The two supplying mana will probably suffer mental damage too. Impressive that the host kid's holding out. Even borrowing dragon mana to suppress it, he's still resisting. Reminds me of my childhood."
Ronan's eyes widened. He didn't fully grasp the sudden turn, but his instincts screamed the boy wasn't lying.
Lifting his head, he saw Asel still writhing. Ronan bit his lip, then snatched Asel out of the air.
"Damn it, stop this now!"
"Kyaaah?!"
Evelyn screamed and collapsed. The two supplying her mana opened their eyes. They panted, looking around dazedly.
"Wh-what just happened?"
"Did I... pass out?"
Reactions far from what you'd expect from a mere mana cutoff. Ronan glared at Evelyn. Her usually kind face twisted savagely.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! We were almost done!"
"You bitch, what were you trying to do to my friends?"
Ronan laid Asel on the ground and drew his sword hilt. He leveled Ramancha at Evelyn's throat with a growl. The boy watching remarked with interest,
"Nice instincts. Most would've smacked my head and called it nonsense."
"Y-you...?"
Evelyn finally noticed the boy and froze solid. Like a field mouse rounding a corner into a viper. The boy glanced between her and Asel, then stood.
"Long-lived spirits can split their souls into vessels. That's the proof right there. She didn't want to fully abandon it."
"Wh-why are you here? How?"
"Picked too good a new vessel. Couldn't ignore it."
Clap! Suddenly, the boy clapped. Shooo... White mist seeped from Asel and Evelyn's noses and mouths. Far more came from Asel.
"Gasp...!"
Ronan and Erzsebet's eyes bulged. Thud. Evelyn, having expelled all the mist, crumpled like a marionette with cut strings. Asel, who'd been lying with eyes rolled back, bolted upright with a scream.
"Hyaargh! G-get away!"
"Asel?!"
Ronan's eyes widened. Asel's stark white hair was rapidly reddening like autumn leaves. Leaning against the wall and catching his breath, he looked up.
"Ro-Ronan...? Erzsebet?"
"You okay, man?"
Asel glanced around, then stared at his hands. Confirming they moved at his will, tears welled in his eyes.
"Guys... I... I'm...!"
"Save the reunion for later."
Asel started to speak, but the boy cut him off, nodding at the mist.
The mist from the two coalesced, taking on a distinct form. Ronan's eyes narrowed to slits.
"That's..."
The mist finished shifting. A beautiful woman in a flowing dress, her body translucent like a spirit.
Ronan instinctively knew she was the Winter Witch. Her eyes snapped open in horror.
"Long time no see. Enjoy your vacation?"
"Got held up with some business. Let's head back."
Clap! The boy clapped again. The witch's form dissolved back into mist. One more clap, and it sucked into the pendant he wore, vanishing.
A faint scream rode the sea wind away. The witch's presence vanished from the world. The four stared at the boy in stunned silence. Itargand spoke first.
"You're... strong."
"Pardon? Well... yeah, something like that."
"Maybe even more than Mother..."
Itargand's breathing grew ragged. The boy tilted his head. After pondering deeply, he chuckled.
"Nah, not quite. Still a ways off from Lady Navardoje."
A chill raced up Ronan's neck. That wasn't a casual guess—it was a precise calculation. Weighing himself and the Mother of Fire on the same scale? Ronan wiped the cold sweat from his hands and asked,
"You. Who the hell are you...?"
"One sec. Let me finish up first."
With that, the boy touched the ground. Whoooosh...! A chant-like sound escaped his lips as a mana pulse spread across all of Rodolan.
Rumble...! A massive roar echoed overhead. Erzsebet looked up in horror.
"M-my God!"
The fortress of screams was repairing itself. The collapsed ceiling shifted, knitting back together. New flesh sprouted across the frozen, shattered reefs.
"Impossible."
Ronan was equally shocked. This was work for three master earth mages like Jarodin, done solo. And it wasn't over.
Rooooar! An earth-shaking boom dwarfing the previous one vibrated the entire island. Asel, in a panic, pointed to the cliff.
"It's-it's rising!"
"What?"
Ronan frowned and rushed to the edge. His eyes nearly popped out. Rodolan was indeed floating into the air.
The nearly melted sea ice, the lined-up ships, the witch's lingering ice spikes—all receding rapidly. The boy said,
"Heard the lower parts were fully flooded. This seems better, right? Even the prisoners can't escape."
No one replied. Rodolan ascended for about ten minutes before halting. Fresher air filled their lungs.
"This is... really..."
Fluffy clouds like sheep drifted by. At this height, they could see farther. A thin smokestack rose faintly on the distant horizon.
The Dawn Spire, invisible before. The boy stroked his chin while admiring the view.
"Transporting the prisoners by ship will be tricky, though. I'll handle it, so don't worry."
All four now gazed at the boy with awe. Ronan suddenly chuckled. At this point, he had to have figured it out.
"What brings the Archmage here?"
"Oho? Sharp as ever."
Few in the world could pull this off so casually. The boy's eyes widened in a grin.
"You heard—Izienne picked too fine a vessel. Came to catch her and check it out."
"The... Archmage...?"
Asel's voice trembled on the verge of fainting. Erzsebet stood petrified, as if under a stone curse. The boy stretched languidly and turned to the group.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Rorhon, Lord of the Twilight Spire."