Chapter 47: Thunderbird Subjugation (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47: Thunderbird Subjugation (5)
It was a well-known tale.
Hansel and Gretel were born to a poor family living deep in the woods. Their parents, no longer able to care for them, abandoned the young siblings in the forest.
The clever young girl, Gretel, dropped pebbles along the path, allowing her and Hansel to find their way back home.
However, they were abandoned a second time.
Without any stones prepared, they left a trail of breadcrumbs to mark their path. Unfortunately, the forest birds ate the crumbs, leaving them lost and unable to return home.
Driven by hunger, the siblings wandered through the woods in search of food. Unexpectedly, they discovered a house made of sweets and began to gorge themselves, only to encounter the hooked-nosed witch who lived inside.
The witch took the abandoned Hansel and Gretel in. She cared for them with all her heart, but her true intentions were—
The first episode of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, 「Behind the Scenes – Hansel and Gretel」.
In the game, the classic fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel took a dark, twisted turn.
One day, Hansel began to grow fat. The witch checked his condition every day by grabbing his wrist. Suddenly, Hansel’s body began to swell abnormally. It wasn't just Hansel; children from other regions had also begun to experience grotesque swelling.
It was the activation of the Evil Dragon’s Sacrificial Seal.
Hansel and Gretel’s parents had allowed a high-ranking noble to engrave the Evil Dragon’s Sacrificial Seal onto their children, one after the other, in exchange for a single piece of meat.
The seal had been carved into parts of their eyes and brains.
By the time the witch discovered Hansel and Gretel, it was already too late to save Hansel. Fortunately, she reached Gretel just in time. The witch managed to replace the sections of her eye and brain where the seal had been engraved, preventing her from becoming a sacrifice for the Evil Dragon.
This was the secret behind Gretel’s superhuman eyesight and her ability to remember everything she saw. It was all thanks to the research of the Candy House Witch, who had experimented on her own body to find a cure.
The witch knew that the Evil Dragon Orchis would eventually appear and had tried to save the children in advance. She had built her house out of sweets specifically to attract the children who had been victimized by the Evil Dragon.
Eventually, the sky turned blood-red.
A massive black dragon, composed of countless decaying human corpses, burst through the clouds. It was the Evil Dragon Orchis, a catastrophe capable of wiping nations off the map.
The witch summoned her 8-star familiar, Thunderbird Galia, to confront the Evil Dragon and ultimately emerged victorious…
Unfortunately, the Curse of the Evil Dragon fell upon the Thunderbird.
The Candy House Witch was falsely accused of using children as sacrifices to summon the Evil Dragon and was executed by the Empire in front of her own home.
Gretel tearfully embraced the witch before the gathered military forces. With her final breath, the witch entrusted the Thunderbird to Gretel.
Gretel’s heart shattered in that moment.
Eventually, the truth came to light, and the high-ranking noble—the true culprit behind the summoning of the Evil Dragon Orchis—was captured and executed by the royal family. However, the kingdom still recorded the Candy House Witch, the woman who should have been hailed as a hero, as a villain in the annals of history.
There was no better scapegoat than the Candy House Witch, who had no political ties or protection.
She was initially accused of murdering many children. Although it was a false charge, the cruel experimental lab where she had used her own body as a test subject became the perfect "evidence" for her crimes.
Thus, the Candy House Witch was labeled the “Great Witch of Heaven’s Wrath,” and every grotesque evil deed imaginable was attributed to her, making her an enemy of the people.
Only the Eltania family, who had received grace from the Candy House Witch, denied her infamy. They took Gretel in as their own, honoring the witch’s final request.
And they gave the child, who was struggling to survive her past, a new name—Luce Eltania.
*
The barrier, wreathed in purple lightning, dissolved into shimmering powder and scattered into the sky.
On the altar at the top floor of Carly Hall—a structure so severely damaged it no longer resembled a building—Luce’s body began to plummet as the Thunderbird’s barrier vanished.
Thud—
A man caught her.
Luce couldn’t muster an ounce of strength. Her mana had been completely drained by the Thunderbird, and even her life force felt depleted. She slowly opened her eyes, but her vision was so blurry she couldn't make out his face.
However, she could tell a man was holding her in a princess carry.
‘Who…?’
No words came out. Her lips wouldn't move.
Through her hazy vision, Luce could barely discern the color of the man’s clothes and the broad outline of his shoulders. Navy blue clothes, and a faint chill of ice mana.
‘Greung… It must be you.’
No one else came to mind—a navy-clad ice user who could break through the Thunderbird and the demons. His physique looked different from what Luce remembered, as if his disguise had been compromised.
But this physique… feels oddly familiar.
—“Don’t elementalize your mana; instead, let it flow freely for the time being. Remember this sensation.”
—“…I’m going to release it now.”
—“Not yet!”
—“Puhahaha! Ahahahahahaha! Hahahahaha! Oh, that’s so funny…! My stomach hurts…”
The memory of practicing elemental flower crafts surfaced. The memory of holding the hand of her silver-blue haired friend overlapped with the present.
Greung’s touch on her arms and legs felt identical to that memory. She wasn't certain because of the fabric of his clothes, but the size of the hand supporting her was too similar to that man’s.
Luce’s pupils trembled slightly.
‘I…saac…?’
Drained of all mana, Luce had no strength left to speak. Soon, her stamina reached its limit, and her consciousness faded into the distance.
[Guu, guuu, guuk…!]
The moment I left the Midheaven Realm, I realized just how much I had pushed my body.
With the last of my strength, I caught Luce as she fell from the altar. I hastily erased the traces of my magic with Defrost, knowing I would soon be unable to move.
I laid the unconscious Luce on the ground as the blue powder scattered. Then, I summoned Eden and had her lean against the altar.
I ordered Eden to take me and flee. It was possible; Eden could grow in size by incorporating nearby rocks into his body.
Eden, now a size fitting for a golem, scooped me up and ran. He shouted at me urgently, his voice thick with worry.
The side effects of the [Ice Sovereign] and the battle against the Thunderbird had rendered my body useless. The pain was excruciating, as if I were being struck by a hammer over every inch of my skin, tormenting me relentlessly.
However, I didn't even have the strength to writhe or cry out.
“Eden… let me down… here…”
I didn’t know exactly where I was. My vision had blurred into a smear of colors.
I was sure we had traveled quite a distance. My senses told me we were behind Carly Hall, at the base of the hill—likely just before entering the forest on the outskirts of the old Märchen Academy grounds.
The air was filled with the vibrant scent of trees and grass. Fortunately, it seemed we had found an inconspicuous spot.
Eden laid me down on the grass. His voice was full of choking sobs. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.
When I could still see, the last sight I captured shimmered like a mirage. Was it the beauty of the landscape? Perhaps it was the sight of the Thunderbird’s barrier lifting and the Lightning Harpies vanishing. Or maybe it was the purple powder being etched into the night sky like starlight.
As I drifted through those memories, I desperately clung to my fading consciousness, reminding myself why I had fled.
The Great Witch of Heaven’s Wrath.
She had looked into my fate and given me an 8-star contract circle as a gift, saying it was what I needed most. In other words, I wouldn't die here. That was why I had fled, trying to avoid being noticed by the subjugation party.
Suddenly, I recalled everything that had happened since I arrived in this world. I had possessed Isaac, realized the protagonist’s skills were abysmal, and diligently worked to prevent a bad ending during the first semester.
As I looked back on the past, it seemed like a futile way to meet my end—dying like this.
An extra of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, Isaac.
I was not the protagonist of this world; Ian Fairytale was. All the hardships in this world existed to mold him into a hero.
What difference does that make?
No matter what, from my perspective, I was the protagonist. Even if my life seemed bleak, unsuccessful, or full of failure, I firmly believed that I was the protagonist of my own story.
Even if Isaac was just an extra when I played the game as Ian.
If I live in this reality as Isaac, then I am the protagonist.
Ian Fairytale overcame every trial and tribulation in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱. So I, too, had been trying to overcome every obstacle in my path, following his example.
So, will I die meaninglessly? Will I give up so easily?
My specialty was gritting my teeth and relentlessly pursuing my goals. I would never give up.
“…”
Only the sound of air escaping my lungs seeped through my lips. I was running out of strength. Slowly, my eyes closed. The temptation to be freed from this agony by slipping into darkness welled up within me.
My head was spinning. Still, I refused to let my will extinguish.
In my hazy vision, a pitch-black darkness finally descended.
「Tree of Radiance (Plant Element, ★7)」
A gentle energy suddenly enveloped me. It felt as if new life was coursing through my veins.
I snapped my eyes open. The sight of the barrier turning into purple powder, illuminating the night sky, greeted me. My vision had returned.
I turned my head toward Carly Hall atop the hill.
A gigantic tree, emitting a soft green glow, had cast a faint light over the old Märchen Academy grounds. Countless fireflies spread out in every direction, leaving no corner untouched.
The pain faded. Slowly, I pushed myself up.
Eden sobbed, shrank back to his usual size, and snuggled into my arms.
[Kyu…! Kyuuu…!]
[Eden]
Psychology: [Feeling happy and relieved that you’ve come back to life.]
The radiant tree stretched high above Carly Hall.
I knew exactly what that tree was. It was Kaya Astrea’s plant magic, the [Tree of Radiance], which wasn't supposed to appear until the second year of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱. It indiscriminately healed all living creatures within its radius.
‘Why is that already…?’
The soft green fireflies from the [Tree of Radiance] drifted over, infusing vitality into the plants around me. Amidst those fireflies, I began to piece together the situation.
❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, 「Act 3, Chapter 3, End of Semester Evaluation」 immediately led into 「Act 3, Chapter 4, Thunderbird Subjugation」. In other words, the variables from the evaluation carried over to the subjugation.
What was the most significant variable?
Luce’s inexplicable massacre, the massive battle, and the gift I gave to Kaya.
Because of Luce, the top students’ search for Fell Cards was delayed. They struggled with mana perception and exploration because they were too busy escaping from the monster that was Luce. Moreover, because of the large-scale battle, the second and third seats, along with other A-class and top B-class students, had to remain at the exam site until Vera the Summoner appeared.
As a result, most of the honor students joined the subjugation party, unlike in the game. It was obvious they would have helped Dorothy and Ian chip away at the Thunderbird’s HP. That must be why its health dropped faster than I expected.
If they hadn't been there, I would have had to fight a Thunderbird with 30-40% more HP. I wouldn't have survived that battle.
The same went for Kaya.
In the original game, Kaya couldn't join the subjugation party. She would have passed the exam quickly once her mana perception improved after finding her third Fell Card. However, because Luce became a variable, Kaya stayed at the exam site until Vera appeared.
Kaya participated in the Thunderbird Subjugation and likely felt a surge of anger as she watched the casualties mount. It was inevitable, given her personality. She would have desperately wanted to help instead of just relying on Dorothy.
The gift I gave her, the Armana Wand, was Kaya’s ultimate weapon. It was impossible to obtain this early in the game due to the astronomical cost. But I had acquired it for her.
As a result, the Armana Wand significantly boosted her sensitivity to plant mana. Kaya’s desire to help had manifested as this tree of warm light.
‘It’s so beautiful, really…’
The [Tree of Radiance]. A spell that healed all living creatures within a wide radius. It was one of the most powerful healing spells in existence, capable of mending fatal wounds in an instant.
Moreover, it was a plant-element spell. To use it, one had to receive the blessing of Sylphia, the Emerald Fairy, and perfectly resonate with plant mana. It was a feat an ordinary person couldn't achieve in a hundred years of trying.
A gentle green light bathed the grounds of the old academy. As I unexpectedly regained my health, a sense of bewilderment washed over me.
The only thing I could do was laugh.
It felt as if that tree was the physical manifestation of my journey through my first semester. An emotion I couldn't put into words welled up inside me.
I quietly gazed at the Tree of Radiance. The combination of the purple powder from the Thunderbird’s barrier and the giant radiant tree standing in the silence was breathtaking. I couldn't take my eyes off it.
“…”
But I couldn't stay lost in admiration forever. I needed to remove my Magic Cloak of Disguise, just in case.
“Hua!”
I pulled off the cloak and stuffed it into my magic pouch. Although the Tree of Radiance had healed my wounds, my stamina was still low. Even taking off the cloak was a chore.
I decided to bask in the light of the tree until I had enough strength to return to the dormitory. It was like Isaac’s version of photosynthesis.
Eden came to my side and nudged my arm. Such a cute little guy. I pulled him onto my lap and hugged him.
That was when it happened.
“President, what are you doing here?”
A familiar voice echoed in my ears. For some reason, a strange sensation rose in my chest. When I turned toward the voice, I saw a female student wearing a witch’s hat. She was looking at me with a questioning gaze, her hands resting on her knees.
Was it because I had nearly died? I couldn't help but smile the moment I saw her. I fought back the tears and forced a grin.
I took a deep breath to steady myself and locked eyes with the beautiful, purple-haired student.
“Senior, you’re late. Aren’t you a bit slow on the rescue?” I joked, deliberately putting on a tired expression. “Seriously, a bunch of electric bird-demons suddenly appeared… I barely escaped, you know.”
“Your expression seems a little too relaxed for that,” Dorothy Heartnova replied.
“It’s because I’m looking at you, Senior.”
“Nihihi! That’s the spirit, my #1 fan!”
Dorothy sat down next to me with a huff and hugged her knees. She stared at the Tree of Radiance, which was still scattering jade-colored mana.
“Everything’s resolved. The giant electric chicken was healed by that tree magic and isn't our enemy anymore. All the lightning demons have vanished. Your stalker friend is safe, too. No one died.”
“I was wondering what was happening, but it sounds like it was a huge deal…”
“Yeah, it was a massive deal~ I’m completely exhausted. Trying to protect people, doing this and that…” Dorothy grumbled playfully, then suddenly smiled and placed a hand on her chest. “So, give your big sis a chance to be comforted by our President~ Consider it an honor.”
Her cheeky words were so charming I couldn't help but chuckle.
“You’ve worked hard, Senior.”
“Oh yeah!”
“You’re really strong and cool, Senior.”
“Uh-huh!”
“Even if you were a little late to save me.”
“Uh, ah…” Dorothy’s face flushed, and she broke into a cold sweat.
“Well… it seems our President had a hard time, too.” She sneakily glanced at me, quickly changing the subject. I played along.
“Yes, I had to take the exams and then run from demons… it was awful. I should’ve just gone straight to the dorms. Instead, I got into this mess because I wanted to tour the old building.”
As I relaxed, the lies flowed effortlessly. However, Dorothy’s eyes—which seemed to hold the entire universe within them—held a meaningful glint. It was as if she knew something I didn't.
Is it just my imagination?
[Dorothy Heartnova]
Psychology: [★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆]
I still couldn't read her mind with [Psychology]. I decided to stop trying.
“Yep, you’ve worked hard,” Dorothy replied with a gentle smile and a soothing voice.
A moment of silence passed between us.
“Senior.”
“Yes, President?”
“I ran a lot today, and my body doesn't want to move anymore. Could you help me get back to the dorms?”
“Nihihi! Leave it to your big sis!” Dorothy laughed innocently, placing her hand on her chest again.
In the first semester of my freshman year, I had managed to prevent every bad ending and survive. I felt more relieved than happy.
For a while, Dorothy and I sat side by side, admiring the Tree of Radiance. It wasn't a sight you saw every day, so we figured we might as well enjoy it while we could.
In that moment, I was grateful that you, the one I love, were by my side.
❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ 「Act 3, Chapter 4, Thunderbird Subjugation」.
The curtain falls.