Chapter 207
Chapter 207
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Hourglass
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"Hourglass..."
It was filled with mysterious silver sand that resembled the stars in the night sky.
The young mage took an interest in this enigmatic artifact and soon realized the power it contained.
Event Observation.
It would occasionally attempt to show events from time periods beyond the present.
And those events usually took the form of desires.
As if tempting its owner.
"This language... I've never heard of it before?"
The first fragment of an event the hourglass showed the young mage was related to an ancient, forgotten ruin.
If the young mage merely wished for it, she could fully observe the event, locate the ruin, and delve into its ancient mysteries.
"Eh, not interested."
However, the young mage did not succumb to the temptation.
Already hailed as great at a young age, she was forging her own path.
"Ancient mysteries? They're nothing compared to the mysteries I pursue."
The young mage's arrogant pride was far too noble to yield to such base temptations.
"What happens if I surrender to this power and observe an event?"
The young mage instinctively knew.
Accepting the hourglass's unnatural power would demand a price.
Thus, the young mage tried to withdraw her interest from the hourglass.
That was when the hourglass showed her a different kind of event.
"This is..."
It was the beginning of a certain tragedy that would unfold in the future.
Fully observing that event would allow her to prevent the tragedy before it happened.
An accomplishment even the power she pursued could not achieve.
A utterly hollow accomplishment.
Preventing a tragedy after it occurred would make her a hero.
But erasing the tragedy entirely—who would recognize such a deed?
"Show me."
Even so.
The young mage yielded to the temptation.
She observed the future event and thereby made the tragedy undone.
Those unknowingly saved from the tragedy offered her no thanks, as was natural.
Yet she continued her observations, erasing countless tragedies from existence.
The young mage's secret observations and interventions spanned many long years.
Until she had grown into the great mage revered by all mages.
Then one day.
Her observations came to an end.
The sand that had gathered at the top had all flowed to the bottom.
"This is..."
The hourglass no longer showed her any events.
Instead, it began demanding payment for all the observations she had conducted.
Remier regretted her youthful folly for the rest of her life.
The folly of thinking, even knowing the hourglass would demand payment for event observations, that she could easily pay it.
No matter how intense the 'stimulus' she encountered, the reverse flow of sand was negligible.
As if to say the price for observing the future was that heavy.
Reverse it once, twice, yet the upper part of the hourglass showed no sign of filling.
Every time Remier gazed at such an hourglass, she dreamed of a moment like this.
"Look at this."
Saaaaah.
A moment when the sand reversed with tremendous momentum, like now.
However.
Even though the long-awaited moment had arrived, Remier's expression was not bright.
"It's reversing so refreshingly. Isn't this good for you?"
"I'm not happy at all, since I have zero clue."
As she had told Palag, she had no inkling whatsoever about the cause of the reversal.
What Remier had to pay for future observations was equivalent 'observations'.
Each time she observed objects, events, or phenomena that influenced the future, the sand reversed—
and the momentum of that reversal was proportional to the scale of the observation.
An object with the power to turn a vagrant into a ruler.
A massive event that altered the fates of many.
A mysterious phenomenon no one had yet unraveled.
Remier had conducted countless such observations until now.
Some were shocking even from Tower Master Remier's perspective—
but none compared to this current reversal.
"Does this make sense? Observing something massive without even knowing it!?"
Having confirmed the reversal, Remier sought to identify its cause.
To purely enjoy the joy of this unprecedented reversal!
But no matter how she thought, no reason came to mind!
Thus, she came to Palag seeking counsel.
"So, Palag. Any ideas?"
"..."
Palag looked at the companion he had been conversing with before Remier arrived.
It was Master Meltas.
The two old men, deep in discussion over a 'shared interest', exchanged meaningful glances at Remier's question.
"You two, hiding something from me?"
The gray-haired girl frowned at their demeanor.
"Let me say this first, Remier. We've never hidden it from you. We even held it out for you to examine closely. Right, Master Meltas?"
"Exactly, Lord Palag."
The two old men waggled their eyebrows at each other.
As Remier recoiled in disgust, Palag continued.
"Remier. Tell me your schedule today."
"No, really, nothing special? All I did was hang around with Rishir."
"That's it!"
"That's exactly it."
"?"
Remier stared at them like they were senile old fools.
"I haven't said anything yet. What do you mean 'that's it'?"
"No, you've already said plenty."
"Tower Master. The answer to what you seek lies with Rishir."
"...Ah, I get it. I know what you two are on about."
Already?
Understanding 'that' verbally before even witnessing it directly?
The two old men looked at Remier in surprise.
The gray-haired girl sighed and continued.
"Let me be clear. This has nothing to do with that guy."
"Oh? On what basis?"
"You're talking about that mysterious spirit named Ferrin, right? Sorry, but the reversal from observing it happened yesterday. This reversal is something else entirely."
"I see... So it stops at that realization..."
"Well, unavoidable..."
"This is frustrating. Annoying too. Spit it out already, what you know."
As Remier snapped irritably, Palag pondered briefly before speaking.
"Describe in detail what happened while wandering with Rishir. Down to the trivial bits."
"..."
Remier grumbled but followed his instruction.
Rishir acting oddly while contacting his sister.
Rishir dining with an acquaintance named Eron who visited him.
Finally, napping with the young spirit.
As Palag said, she spilled every trivial detail.
"Remier. Today, you observed a living human descending as a guardian star, and dying as one."
"?"
"And you observed a high demon turning into a young spirit by a power inexplicable by any known law or principle."
"..."
Remier's expression turned grave instantly.
"Palag. You really—"
Have gone senile or mad?
The voice emanated from her expression without words.
Seeing her reaction, Palag burst into laughter.
"Yes! That's the normal reaction. Especially for an intellectual like you! Here's some advice: Don't be too pessimistic, Remier. Even Meltas or I in your shoes wouldn't have reacted much differently. Everyone starts out that way."
"Heh heh. Watching you, Tower Master, reminds me of my first meeting with Rishir."
"Oh, right, I haven't heard that story yet?"
"Truth be told, when I first saw Rishir, I thought he was a con artist!"
"What!? A con artist!?"
"Embarrassing, I know."
"Still better than me. I thought he was a high priest in disguise!"
Hahaha!
Kekeke!
"..."
Remier felt like she might lose her mind amid their private revelry and hastily excused herself.
"Ah, you're back?"
When Remier returned to Rishir after parting with the two old men.
He had already woken from his nap with the spirit.
Having bathed, he was dressed and toweling his wet hair.
Despite the nap, fatigue showed on his face.
Gauging Remier's mood, Rishir spoke.
"I did my usual training after waking, but... should I have waited for Lady Remier?"
"No. What I'm doing is observation, not interference. Speaking of, training. What magic did you practice?"
"Some masters were curious, so I showed them Yakjin while training."
"Yakjin? Never heard of it... Your unique magic?"
"Yes."
"Creating unique magic at your age. Impressive."
That was Remier's entire impression.
She saw no reason to be surprised that a genius like Rishir had created his unique magic a bit faster than others.
After all, Remier herself had created hers around the same age.
"Must have been tough."
"Pardon? Ah."
Remier noted the blood trickling from Rishir's nose.
Rishir smiled wryly and wiped it with the towel.
"Sorry. Embarrassing sight."
Remier looked at him with surprise.
To be so disheveled from mere magic training.
She thought he had some youthful inexperience like his peers.
"Don't mind it. If you don't overdo it in your youth, when will you?"
As she spoke, Remier pulled out the reversing hourglass.
Unique magic training itself was trivial—
but with Rishir as the subject, perhaps it counted as a minor observation.
Suddenly, the previous intense reversal flashed in her mind—
but Remier shook it off.
Unexplained fortune. An anomaly.
No fool would base judgments on that.
'This much...'
Expecting a faint flow, Remier checked the hourglass.
Saaaaah!
The sand surged upward like a reverse waterfall.
"...!"
Remier startled and scanned the room.
"Lady Remier?"
Rishir spoke as she peered out the window.
"Rishir! Anything strange around here? Any hunch—"
"Uh... not really?"
Same as before.
Remier failed to find the cause of this intense reversal.
The next day afternoon.
Remier sat alone in her office, staring gravely at the object on her desk.
Saaaaah!
The hourglass reversing vigorously without tiring.
She had forgotten her original purpose: 'finding a reward for Rishir'.
Inevitably so—
observing Rishir's utterly mundane daily life triggered reversals constantly.
"Why on earth..."
The amount of sand reversed in the past few days exceeded what she had managed wandering the continent for years.
The once seemingly unfillable void in the upper part was noticeably shrinking.
At this rate, it might fill soon?
Such thoughts arose.
Then.
-Remier.
A voice called from within the hourglass.
"..."
Remier reflexively grimaced.
The superior-subordinate relationship forged by her youthful mistake.
Its masters were summoning her.
The gray-haired girl sighed deeply, unbefitting her appearance.
As she prepared to answer the call.
Knock knock.
-Tower Master.
Now a voice from outside called the Tower Master.
"Meltas? What is it?"
-Can you spare time now?
As Remier was about to reply to Meltas.
-Remier...
The voice from the hourglass grew stronger.
The Fate Guardians urged her presence.
To Remier, bound by their constraints, nothing was more important.
"No. Come back later."
Remier had no choice but to dismiss Meltas.
-Understood? It's just that Rishir hopes for your attendance—
"...Rishir?"
Remier's attention, chained by the hourglass, was freed by those three syllables.
"Rishir is looking for me? For what?"
-Rishir is about to demonstrate his vision before the masters, and hopes you'll witness it and offer advice!
"...Ah, that Yakjin thing?"
-No! Today it's the application: magic swordsmanship!
"Wh-what swordsmanship?"
Mage?
Magic swordsmanship?
At that violent connotation, Remier rose as if entranced.
-Wandering Star Remier—...!
She ignored the voice that would usually suppress her easily.