Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 176
>Chapter Title: Could the Wyvern Be a Good Omen?
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Aster returned to his room and let out a chuckle the moment he shut the door.
To be precise, he'd spent the entire conversation struggling to keep his twitching lips in check.
So.
‘Spirits are trapped?’
Not just one or two, either.
According to Mysern's guess, there were at least hundreds—maybe even thousands upon thousands.
But what did that matter?
Think about it.
When people go fishing, they call the best spots "prime" and say they're "half water, half fish."
Even a total beginner can haul them in at a place like that. And the key was exactly this.
‘Meaning, loads of fish.’
On top of that, the spirits were pure?
Extremely pure.
How pure? ...Yeah. Pure enough that they'd follow you for life after a tiny bit of kindness. Believe it?
People often say you repay evil deeds in kind and words, but spirits repay favors in kind and words.
In other words, kin... well, anyway.
Hundreds or thousands of such spirits?
"Heh, heh heh."
Countless spirits reaching out for a handshake.
A tower piled high by thousands of spirits working together.
Isn't the image alone awesome?
Zero labor costs, no food expenses.
All you need is a plot of land to build the tower.
‘Strictly speaking, moonstones are just treats, so they don't count.’
...Of course, that's the ideal scenario.
"Even snagging one is pure profit."
But this was just a side benefit, at best.
So, what was the real reward?
- If you help me with this... I'll hand over part of my spirit magic tome. It's not knowledge passed down from my master, but insights I compiled in my later years, so it should still be useful.
A spirit magic tome penned by the Gale Wind Spirit Mage himself!
‘Ah, you couldn't buy this for any price.’
As expected of the man acknowledged by Grand Duke Muspellun?
‘Talk about generous spirit.’
And that's not all?
Get a little closer this time, and who knows? He might do more later.
He seemed lonely living alone, so he could donate that fortune to the tower. Or hell, we could just house him there.
Gather bored white-haired seniors in the tower, serve them as the junior—surely they'd lend a hand.
Even without that, meeting Senior Mysern was auspicious in every way.
"Could the wyvern be a good omen?"
How else could fortune roll in like this, vines and all?
And it wasn't even hard.
Back during the Hamern Great Forest incident, Senior Rihim's condition was so dire he had no choice but to step up himself. But Senior Mysern now? Not the case.
Sure, he might not be at his peak compared to his prime, but his power was still formidable.
Meaning, I could be the trainer for a performing bear...
Only one issue nagging at him.
Aster lay on the bed, lost in thought.
So, Senior Mysern had said...
- For some reason, the spirits have marked you as their savior. They say you can free them.
...Something about that felt ominous.
But the thought didn't linger.
Aster shook it off soon enough.
"The die has been cast."
All that's left is how it lands.
No point overthinking now. It was already decided, so just do it.
Success meant countless slaves. Failure? Not even considering it.
Justice always triumphs.
Why?
‘The winner defines justice.’
That was it.
* * *
After breakfast.
Having set his mind, I met Senior Mysern in the parlor and got to work.
Time was short.
"The Fairy Dance carries the spirits' strong thoughts. It was manageable when I was young, but now it's a bit taxing."
Oh, and by the way, only Senior Mysern could hear the thoughts accompanying this Fairy Dance.
He'd asked around other spirit mages, but he was the only one who'd heard them.
‘Makes sense he'd see it as a sacred mission.’
Anyway, before setting out, we pooled our heads to pinpoint where Amera's spirits were trapped.
Truth be told, I didn't contribute much.
Senior Mysern had already narrowed it down.
Or "narrowed" it? More like a hypothesis.
"As you know, famed families and top mages scoured every inch of Amera. Magical tracking, every method imaginable—they spared nothing."
Senior Mysern was no exception.
At one point, he'd unleashed the wind spirit... Purri or whatever... to sweep the entire Amera region.
"But we couldn't pinpoint it. Amera was clean. So here's my theory."
The spirits' prison must have wards blocking magical and spiritual detection.
That led to a problem.
I glanced at the parlor entrance and spoke.
"So in the end, we have to leg it out there?"
"No, not at all. Thanks to mages combing every inch for ages, the surface is off-limits now."
"Then..."
Senior Mysern pointed at the floor.
"I'm thinking underground."
"Underground..."
"Not just any underground. Think about how the Fairy Dance rises. The answer is lakes."
"Lakes?"
Senior Mysern nodded.
He pulled out a map of the Amera region from his robes like he'd prepared it, covered in dense notes.
Which years the Fairy Dance occurred, which lakes it rose from.
How long each lasted, which lakes had none.
"It was grueling. I bet no famed family matched my investigation. I tapped imperial connections."
Anyway, he spread the map and continued.
"What we need to watch is the lake where the Fairy Dance has never occurred once. Here, look."
He pointed to lakes marked in red—scattered big and small ones.
"These lakes have something in common."
"A commonality..."
"Waterways. They're cut off. More precisely, they don't connect to the 'other' lakes."
He traced each red-marked lake as he spoke.
In summary:
"My guess is the spirits are trapped somewhere in the underground waterways linking these lakes."
Hold on.
I cut in with a question.
"You're saying the red marks are isolated lakes?"
"Exactly."
But that was odd.
"This one has a record of the Dance rising."
Nor was it just that one.
Some of the red-marked lakes had past records of the Dance.
Meaning his data contradicted his theory.
So why?
Senior Mysern didn't answer right away.
He just leaned back leisurely, a faint smile on his lips, wetting them with tea.
He looked oddly proud, and soon his mouth opened.
"I've been waiting for that question."
"...?"
"Mages always trip on this. They try to grasp everything through numbers and records."
Suddenly?
"You know? Nature is always in motion. It lives and breathes. Mountains erode to plains, deserts turn to forests over eons."
And it's not just nature that lives and breathes.
‘Like pens.’
Though theirs just turn barren without fertility.
Anyway, Senior Mysern's point was this.
"Eiki told me."
"Eiki?"
"Oh, the water spirit. Anyway, Eiki said those lakes were connected by waterways long ago. The others too. Want to see this one?"
The lake he pointed to had no Fairy Dance record. But it was marked green.
"No record, yet green. Know why?"
No clue.
Senior Mysern explained right after.
"Its waterway was closed in the past, but it's open now. Mark my words, the Dance will rise there soon. ...Assuming we fail to free the spirits this time, that is."
He beamed through the explanation, only to deflate at the end.
A scene that showed how dead serious he was—and how much he loved those spirits.
‘I’ll take good care of your precious spirits.’
Just snag one. One.
Anyway, his predicted spot: underground waterways.
"So, how do we get there..."
"Worried with me here? Just a matter of time."
"Hmm."
"Why?"
I let out a groan, and Senior Mysern asked.
My troubled look must've shown—I couldn't help it.
"I'm kinda captive in Blandoga right now."
"...You seemed to be enjoying the luxuries."
"That's the point."
Meaning, I couldn't be gone long.
At the academy, I could've made excuses. But vanishing from here? Instant uproar.
Senior Mysern spoke as if it was no issue.
"I'll scout solo for that. Join when I pinpoint it."
"Riiight... I see."
"You look pleased?"
"Oh yes."
"Oh yes?"
"Misunderstanding."
Truth was, oh yes indeed.
He was taking the most annoying part solo.
Not cheering here meant one of two things.
A hardcore masochist who loves self-sacrifice, or a perfectionist who can't trust others.
Either way, not me—so totally "oh yes" worthy.
But then a sudden issue popped up.
"By the way, you okay with that?"
"With what?"
"Teaching Damian spirit magic? Got the time?"
"Well..."
Senior Mysern clammed up.
I got it.
Teaching Damian spirit magic was near impossible.
His own foot stung?
He made excuses.
"...His talent isn't bad."
Yeah, sure.
Problem was, that's where it ended.
Talent? What good if spirits won't contract and just flee.
Senior Mysern sat with a clouded face, brushed back his fallen hair, and sighed.
"What if the kid doesn't even want to learn? I doubt he's interested."
Yesterday, he'd told Damian: "Think till the first lesson and let me know."
I knew his intent.
To advanced mages, spirit magic wasn't that appealing.
Better focus on regular magic than split attention.
‘So he proposed without a plan...’
Honestly, nothing to say there.
Why?
- But, is spirit magic fun? Seems boring. Just a hassle.
Damian asked during last night's night fishing.
So I answered.
- It'll be fun.
- Why?
- Think: a friend only you can see. Not imaginary. Fun already, right?
- Hmm, maybe?
- Useful for anything. Why not ask to be his disciple? Proper training'd be fun.
I admit it.
Told him to eat shit.
His attitude coming to "capture" me(?) was too cheeky.
"Ahem. Isn't class soon?"
"Yeah."
First lesson for Senior Mysern and Damian approaching.
I slipped out quietly.
"Good luck."
"...Thanks."
Who knows.
Damian might contract a spirit awesomely, saving face.
"If it's bugging you, just teach him your direct secret arts? Even if no contract, it'd save face."
"...To a non-disciple?"
Tsk.
Tried to get him to spill some capital, but defenses solid.
Not easy, huh.