The Guardian of the Core
The guardian protecting the core was formidable. Whether it was because hundreds of evil spirits had merged into one, or because it was burning its own soul to fight, it displayed power on par with—or even surpassing—a living, breathing Aura Master. It unleashed a Soul Blade, similar to an Aura Blade, stretching over ten meters, and its movements were insanely agile, perhaps because it had no weight as a ghost. For most swordsmen, lacking weight would be a fatal weakness, but not for this evil spirit—not when its blade carried the authority to sever anything.
‘This is fun.’
Kyle grinned as he watched the evil spirit swing its sword at him. Enemies surrounded him on all sides. Even the ground beneath his feet was part of the evil spirit, hindering his movements. The moment he was obstructed, the guardian’s blade would come flying toward his body. To fight in such conditions required creative combat in a new dimension. He kicked off the ground, created platforms of aura in midair, stepped on the ceiling, and unleashed a three-dimensional aerial swordsmanship where up and down no longer existed. After several minutes of dueling, Kyle succeeded in defeating the guardian and severing the core.
—……I will never, ever forget this.
“Oh, coming again? Come back stronger next time.”
Leaving the guardian behind as it cursed him and vanished, Kyle slashed through the collapsing walls of the pocket dimension and escaped back to reality. The situation outside was quite dire as well. The moment he cut the core, the colossal evil spirit had begun to topple forward. In other words, Kyle was plummeting from dozens of meters in the air.
“Damn it—”
He crashed into the ground moments later. Having braced his entire body with aura for the impact, Kyle slowly opened his eyes when he realized the shock never came. The Great Witch’s pitch-black curse had wrapped around him, shielding him from the fall. He turned his head toward the witch who had protected him. She wore the faintest of smiles. When he gave her a thumbs-up, she cautiously returned the gesture. Only Sera, standing beside her, tilted her head in confusion, clearly having no idea what was going on.
—You, how did youuuu!
Having successfully bound every last evil spirit in the Great Witch’s Forest, the Great Witch returned to her cabin with a satisfied expression. Kyle and Sera asked the beaming witch what she planned to do next.
“Great Witch, what will you do now?”
“Hmm. Well. The curse binding me has been lifted, so I think I’ll go traveling.”
“Traveling……?”
“Yes. Traveling.”
Ignoring Sera, who was having a fit at the mention of a witch’s journey, Kyle cautiously voiced his concern to the Great Witch.
“I heard you’re wanted. If you have nowhere to go, come to the academy. They’d welcome a master-level mage anytime.”
“It’s fine. I don’t feel like belonging anywhere just yet. And even if I am wanted…… no one knows my face, do they?”
“Ah, that’s true.”
When they had first met the Great Witch, neither of them had known she was Liselotte. Considering she was wanted across the entire continent, it was rather strange—though perhaps only natural. While she was wanted, her face wasn’t known, so the wanted posters had been drawn entirely from people’s imaginations. Unless Liselotte herself went around shouting that she was the Great Witch, no one would recognize her as such.
“Here, take this.”
“Hm?”
Upon hearing she would be traveling, Kyle pulled a pouch from his robes and tossed it to her. It was filled with cash. Staring at the money pouch, the Great Witch looked at Kyle as if asking what it was. He shrugged nonchalantly.
“You need money to travel. That’s enough for an ordinary person to live on for a whole month. Don’t get ripped off—spend it wisely.”
“Oh my, thank you.”
After tucking the pouch into her pocket dimension, Liselotte began rummaging through her cabin, as if she couldn’t just accept the gift without giving something in return. A moment later, she pulled out two transparent, radiant orbs. Sera’s eyes widened in shock at the sight.
“Th-that’s—!”
“Do you know what these are?”
“O-of course…! The essence that raises your level just by eating it…!”
“Since I made them myself, I doubt anyone else would recognize them.”
“—Ah.”
Realizing she had blurted out game knowledge, Sera clamped her mouth shut. The Great Witch didn’t seem particularly bothered and simply held the two orbs out to them.
“Here, I’ll give these to you.”
“A-are you sure we can take them?”
“Of course. Thanks to you two, I can finally leave this tiresome forest.”
“Th-then, while we’re at it, could you watch over me while I eat one right now?”
“Go ahead.”
At Liselotte’s words, Sera immediately swallowed one orb and sat down to meditate. Watching her, the Great Witch chuckled softly before turning to Kyle and approaching him.
“I have one more gift for you.”
“Huh? For me?”
“Yes. Here.”
Kyle tilted his head at the pitch-black scrap of paper she handed him. It was a slip infused with Liselotte’s mana. As he stared at it, wondering what it was, she gently took his hand and smiled.
“With this, I can find you anytime. If you ever have something to say to me, just pour aura into it.”
“Like a Vibr card?”
“Vibr…… what?”
“It’s a thing. Anyway, never mind that.”
Kyle looked at Liselotte carefully. Her hair was a deep purple bordering on black. Her face was gaunt from centuries of suffering, her limbs stick-thin, her body almost sickly. Even if he were the type of man to chase after women, he would have hesitated at her appearance. But Kyle wasn’t that kind of person. With a busty, beautiful fiancée waiting for him, he had no intention of having an affair with the Great Witch.
“I, uh, have a fiancée.”
“What? Ahaha—! Did you think I was trying to seduce you?”
“Weren’t you?”
“How old do you think the difference is……? I’m old enough that having a grandson your age wouldn’t be strange.”
At those words, Kyle realized he had been rude. Of course she wouldn’t try to seduce someone hundreds of years younger than her. Bowing his head slightly, he tucked the slip of paper into his robes and offered his thanks.
“Then this is purely out of goodwill. I’ll accept it gratefully.”
“Yes. Call me if you’re in danger. Just as you saved me, I’ll save you too.”
“I don’t know how often I’ll be in danger, but… understood.”
As Kyle tucked the slip away, a thought occurred to him and he asked, “Those orbs you gave us earlier—does eating them guarantee a level increase no matter who consumes them?”
“Not quite. They only work up to 3-star mages. If a 4-star mage eats one, their mana will increase slightly, but they won’t become a master.”
“Right, if eating a lot could make someone a master, Sera would’ve taken both.”
However, Kyle had learned something important. A 3-star mage could aim for a level increase by consuming one. And conveniently, there was a mage in his circle struggling at the 3-star level.
‘……Her birthday’s coming up soon.’
He had found a good birthday gift. Thinking this, Kyle waited for Sera to wake up.
“Whoa, whoaaa— whoaaaaaaaah!”
When Sera opened her eyes, she displayed an astonishing level of growth. The 2-star mage had become a 4-star mage after consuming just one essence. Of course, that was only in terms of mana. Whether she could actually defeat a 4-star mage in combat was another matter entirely—she would have to shake her head at that. She might have a fifty-fifty chance against a 3-star mage at best.
‘Impressive, in both good ways and bad……’
The essence Sera had consumed was extracted from the grudges of millions of evil spirits. In other words, it had taken the lives of millions to create just one 4-star mage. Considering that even a 4-star mage couldn’t defeat thousands—let alone millions—no matter how much they struggled, the efficiency was abysmally low, bordering on worthless.
Standing at the threshold of the Expert wall, Sera’s nose shot into the air. Swelling with pride, she began ordering Kyle around.
“Kyle! Now, next is—”
“Ah, I’m planning to head back home now.”
“……Huh?”
“Yuri’s birthday is coming up soon. I’ve got her gift ready, and I need to make up with her. Time to go back.”
“……Wh-what about our opportunity?”
“Eh, isn’t this enough?”
Sera, once a 2-star mage, had become a 4-star mage on the level of an Expert. The Great Witch, who had been driven mad and turned into an enemy, was now sane and a reliable ally. Where else could they find a greater opportunity than this? Unable to argue, Sera let out a sigh and nodded.
“……Well, the only thing left to claim is something I can do on my own anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
She pouted, her displeasure written all over her face, but Kyle paid it no mind and climbed into the carriage. He was going home. Thinking of the people he hadn’t seen in a long time, he smiled faintly.
‘The tutor is dead.’