Chapter 103
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: The Genius's Final Step
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Kang Seol and Mirei managed to shake off the Shadow Hunters' pursuit while the black mist bought them time.
"Ugh…."
"Mirei, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just… just need a little rest, and it'll be better."
Mirei pulled a cigarette from her pocket and put it in her mouth. Soon, it lit up, and thick smoke billowed from her lips.
"Haha… what a sorry sight."
"Is that a painkiller?"
"How'd you know?"
In Pandea, there were painkillers in cigarette form. You burned herbs and inhaled their essence into your body.
'She carries painkillers around all the time?'
Kang Seol eyed her suspiciously, and Mirei shrugged.
"My body's not doing so great."
"…Is that what you meant by not having much time?"
- Hmm… what should I do? I'm someone who doesn't have much time left. Can't you find someone else?
Those were the words she'd said to Kang Seol when they first met.
"You remember that?"
"Answer me. Don't hide anything from me anymore."
"…Got it. Yeah, that's right. I don't have much longer to live."
"How much time do you have left?"
"Who knows? Could be over a year if I'm lucky, or I could drop dead tomorrow. Isn't that how life goes?"
Mirei grinned broadly as she exhaled smoke.
"Feeling better now. Shall we get moving? The hideout's not far. We can talk while we walk. You know I'm a busy person."
She staggered to her feet as she spoke.
"Won't the hideout get found by them?"
"Eh, even if they do, it'll take time. They track mainly by the scent and feel of Shadow Summoners, but I've got special wards on the hideout."
"I see. And one more thing—the reason summoning was impossible in front of the Shadow Hunters…."
"You've never run into Shadow Hunters before, have you? They're trained solely to hunt Shadow Summoners. No surprise they have some weird ability like that. It wouldn't work on someone like Gregory, but it's fatal for the rest of us."
Just as she said, the experience of her trusted summon refusing to budge from the shadow space was a nightmare unlike any other.
'But… if I can't call my summons, how do I drive off Malacus?'
Even if he gained enlightenment from this adventure, what then? Could he really take down or shake off Malacus?
Kang Seol grew grave at the dire situation.
"Don't worry too much. If this experiment works…."
"Mirei, I can't trust you anymore."
"……."
"You've hidden too much. Your name, your pursuers, even the fact that you're a shadow."
"Sorry."
"My feelings haven't changed, but I need to know all the circumstances now."
Mirei scratched her head vigorously.
"What do you want to know?"
Kang Seol replied.
"Everything."
Mirei's hideout came into view ahead.
"What illness you're suffering from, why the Shadow Hunters are after you, why you parted ways with Gregory. And…."
Kang Seol's golden eyes met Mirei's.
"Why you became a shadow."
Mirei's lips trembled.
Gregory was a grumpy, heartless man.
"You idiot! Give it up already!"
"No way! No! You idiot, Gregory!"
Gregory was an idiot.
"How dare you talk to your master like that!"
"I don't need this crap you're teaching me!"
"Ha!"
Mirei hated Gregory.
She couldn't understand why people revered him as a legendary figure.
But no matter what he meant to her deep down, Gregory was a legendary Shadow Summoner.
He had delved obsessively into the obscure art of shadow summoning at a young age.
Shadow summoning—an academic pursuit dismissed as the delusions of past summoners.
Gregory gathered those scattered fragments one by one and fused them with his own theories, systematizing it into a true discipline.
That was the origin of the unprecedented profession: Shadow Summoner.
Gregory took on several disciples, but his favorite was one in particular.
That disciple's name was Mirei.
His third disciple—the eccentric act of taking in an orphan from a small tribe still too young to be weaned drew criticism from others.
But Gregory saw it differently.
'This child… she's a genius.'
Mirei was a genius.
Her brilliant intellect absorbed knowledge as if she could grasp the essence of shadow summoning in an instant.
Gregory marveled at her.
'One day, she'll surpass even me—Mirei will be greater.'
But Gregory overlooked her true nature.
He later learned that "Mirei" meant "gentle flower." She was gentle, just like her name.
She loved all life and wished well for it.
The problem was that her personality hindered advancing in shadow summoning.
"Mirei, shadows are tools. No—even calling them tools is dangerous. They're beasts. You muzzle them and teach them absolute submission."
"No, shadows can be friends."
"Foolish thinking… I know the true power of shadows. They're terrifying beings. Showing them any weakness under the pretense of caring for them is reckless. One day, they'll tear you apart."
They always argued like this.
Gregory wanted her to obediently focus on his teachings. He even planned to pass everything on to her someday.
But she refused.
"Gregory, you're the smartest person I know. Smarter than me, smarter than anyone. But on this one thing, I'm right. Shadows aren't simple beings that submit to power. We're not their masters—we need to understand them more."
"You fool… Shadows are the dead. You, the living, have to bear all their lingering regrets. Think you can handle that? You'll just be tossed around by them!"
"I'll stake my entire life to prove I'm right. And Gregory, you're just a coward too scared to approach shadows."
"One day, you'll understand what I meant, Mirei."
That was the end of their bond.
Their views on shadow summoning fundamentally differed from the ground up.
And so, Mirei left Gregory's side.
Afterward, she wandered the world. But once out from under his wing, many evildoers who bore grudges against him targeted her.
The Shadow Hunters became one of her main enemies.
"Haa… haa…."
Each battle was grueling, but she never neglected her research.
"Genius Mirei's seventy-seventh record… Coexistence with shadows must go beyond mere assimilation. Assimilation is just the summoner holding the reins and wielding the shadow—it's a limit that can't advance without mutual understanding."
Much time passed.
For Gregory, and for Mirei.
Countless fake identities, countless fake faces—she lived pretending to be someone else.
But she held onto one truth.
"Tired, Sodin?"
Sodin was the shadow who'd been with her for ages. Mirei was always kind to him, just like her name.
"…I'm fine."
"Tell me if it hurts."
"I'm okay, but… how are you, Mirei?"
"Me? Haha… I'm fit as a fiddle."
Sodin always felt sorry for her.
Her research hadn't progressed in ages. As her shadow, he blamed himself.
"Mirei, your ideas might be right. However…."
"Stop."
"The lack of progress is because I'm not strong enough. Another shadow…."
"Drop it. That's not the issue."
Mirei truly believed that. And with enough time, perfect coexistence with shadows was possible.
But there was one thing she hadn't anticipated.
That her time was running out.
"Cough…."
"Mirei! It's that witch!"
The pursuit was relentless.
Especially the pack that included the Shadow Hunter Malacus.
In the end, she was pierced by his arrow and swept into the river.
"Haha… who would've thought. Genius Mirei making… cough… such a mistake."
Boarding the carriage carelessly had been her error.
Malacus had discovered her identity. She fought fiercely, but couldn't dodge the arrow.
She barely shook him off with her wits, but her condition was dire. She'd lost too much blood.
Her consciousness faded. Blood kept pouring from her chest.
"Heh… what number was it… Sodin, remember?"
"…The 299th."
"Right. Geni—us Mirei's 299th record… Uh… can't think. Why can't I think of anything? Sodin, dying's weird. It hurts but doesn't. Was it like this for you?"
"…It was for me too."
"Good… glad you're here… Ah… oh? I get it now. Yeah, that was the problem!"
"What are you saying, Mirei?"
"I figured out why we can't become one. Cough… no, can't… can't die now, I just figured it out. Gotta prove it to Gregory…."
"Mirei!"
On the brink of death, Mirei realized it.
That she was right. And what it took to become one with a shadow.
The way for summoner and shadow to move beyond mere submission and truly accept each other.
"The summoner… has to experience death too. That was… the only difference between shadow and summoner. Understanding that makes it possible. But how? Ugh… how? Not enough time, no…."
Mirei's glassy eyes grew dimmer.
Death was at hand.
That was when Sodin spoke.
"Mirei."
"Put me in a temporary coma… Ah, that's it."
"Mirei."
"Sodin… cold. Are you always cold? Sorry, didn't know. Bag has bla—blankets…."
"Mirei, listen to me."
Thud.
Sodin knelt before her. With fading vision, Mirei asked.
"Will my end be like Gregory said? Disappointed I couldn't grant your wish, Sodin? Gonna eat me now?"
"No, I swear it won't be like that. Mirei."
"Good…."
Sodin looked at her with resolve.
"You're a gentle person."
"Hehe… yeah, thanks."
Whoosh.
Sodin took her hand.
Strength was draining from it. Sodin's hand was cold, without warmth—but hers would soon be the same.
Then, Sodin spoke.
"I'll buy you some time."
"What… what do you mean?"
Thump.
Sodin pressed his forehead to the ground.
"You can't die yet. You always said it—leave one great final step. Prove Gregory wrong. Bring all shadows from death to life."
"……."
"I'll give you my body. It won't last long, but it'll give you time to shout it to the world."
"No, Sodin. Nooo… don't! Don't do it!"
"If I'd been stronger, I could've protected you… Sorry I'm so weak."
Whooooosh—!
Sodin's black energy slowly unraveled, enveloping Mirei.
It felt like a new skin being overlaid.
Even as consciousness slipped away, she heard Sodin's final words.
"Mirei, my wish was you. For you to achieve what you want. Farewell, my friend…."
Mirei's cigarette puffed smoke. It pushed away her memories.
Sodin's face, voice, all the recollections.
"The living and the dead accepting each other. Easy to say, but can it really happen? Right? That's what you think?"
"…Now it all makes sense."
"You know, Gregory's summons are powerful, but they all hate him. He binds them with restrictions to control them."
Kang Seol listened quietly to Mirei.
"Is that right? I don't think so. That's why I'm going to try. Right to the end—my final great step."
Mirei looked at Kang Seol's face.
There wasn't a trace of playfulness on hers.
"Through you. Now choose. You can turn back now. Then we're strangers who never met, and you'll be safe if you stay far away."
"What's the other option?"
"Help me see this research through to the end. You'll experience death in the process. What do you say?"
Now that he knew everything, it was down to Kang Seol's choice.
After a brief moment of thought, he opened his mouth to answer.