Chapter 140 - I Will Give You Light
"Irina, is this the right way?"
"Yeah, the coordinates on the magic circle definitely pointed here."
The day after the Slave Market quest ended, I was heading to the spot where we'd helped the slaves escape, with Irina by my side.
"The stars are really bright tonight."
"Yeah?"
Truth be told, it wasn't even the next full day. The date had changed, but it was still just a few hours after the quest wrapped up—early dawn, really.
"You tired, Frey?"
As we walked slowly along the dark road shrouded in night, Irina spoke up.
"...Nah, not tired at all."
"Hold on, just wait a sec."
She seemed worried for no reason, so I smiled lightly, but Irina started rummaging in her pocket.
Shooo...
"H-how's it feel?"
"...Oh."
She pulled out a scroll from her bosom and tore it gently. Suddenly, my body felt much lighter.
"What kind of magic is this?"
"Th-this one's... it infuses the target with wind to boost movement speed. I was worried regular wind might irritate the skin or cause a rash, so I used ancient rune script instead..."
Intrigued, I asked her about it, and her eyes lit up as she launched into an explanation of the magic.
"Yeah, yeah, got it."
"...Ah, uh-huh."
She looked so cute doing it that I nodded along enthusiastically, but after a while, Irina cut herself off and started glancing at me nervously.
"S-sorry. My habit kicked in again."
I tilted my head at her, and she spoke up with a really deflated expression.
"It was boring, right...? Sorry..."
Where was the rough, battle-crazed Irina from the previous loops? How did this shrinking violet pop up instead? If the Demon King's army she'd mercilessly slaughtered back then saw her peeking at me like this, they'd probably die laughing.
"So, where'd you get this magic scroll? I haven't seen this spell before."
Pushing those thoughts aside, I tossed her a question. For reference, Irina loves magic questions more than anything. Not that many people ask, thanks to her personality.
"I-I made it myself."
"What?"
Her answer was beyond anything I'd imagined.
"It's a spell I designed myself, so I made it into a scroll."
Crafting a scroll this intricate is tough enough, but inventing a brand-new spell and sealing it in? Even knowing she'd become a grand mage in the future, this talent was astonishing.
"Impressive as always, Irina."
"N-no, it's nothing..."
"The seams on the magic circle are perfectly sealed, the mana density is flawless, and it's even got damage protection. 'Nothing,' huh."
I showed off a bit of my scroll knowledge, and she stared at me before speaking in a trembling voice.
"Y-you know scroll analysis too...?"
"Huh? Yeah, I know it..."
"It's such a niche field—I thought no one to talk about it with, but you know it, Frey... That's amazing..."
She caressed the scroll in her hands as she said it, then cleared her throat awkwardly and tucked it away.
"........."
An awkward silence fell.
"Mana hasn't recovered yet, so you're carrying scrolls loaded with spells?"
"Huh? Y-yeah. That's right."
"Whoa... You've got a ton. Enough to take down mid-tier monsters, even a dragon?"
I joked to break the ice, but Irina just nodded seriously after staring at me.
"Yeah, I designed and made them to handle something like a dragon from the start."
"...A dragon, like?"
In the previous loop's empire, there was a running joke-cum-urban legend: whenever Irina got pissed and vanished somewhere, ice dragons from the western continent started disappearing one by one.
"I can infuse black magic into the scrolls to some extent now, so the variations are pretty diverse."
"...Holy shit."
From the sound of it, that wasn't a joke or legend—it was real.
"A few more months, and you'll be unstoppable. Stronger than last loop, even?"
I hyped her up, but her expression darkened slightly.
"Th-there it is. We're here."
I was pondering what to say next when she pointed somewhere.
"That's the secret spot the Cloud Kingdom prepared?"
"...Yeah. No doubt."
A rundown shack stood where she pointed.
"Space expansion magic, intruder exclusion spells, fortress barriers... They really went all out."
Irina scanned it once and nodded approvingly. For someone as picky about magic as her to say that, they must've snuck in every kingdom mage and poured magic into it for days.
"Alright, Irina, wait here."
I offered a silent prayer for those overworked mages and pulled out my Deception Robe from my pocket, draping it over myself.
"...How does that robe even work?"
Once my form was concealed, Irina asked with eyes full of curiosity.
"Not magic, that's for sure. Feels more like a divine power thing."
I gave her the truth—she was obsessed with my cloak—and headed for the shack, leaving her smacking her lips in disappointment.
"...Come back safe, Frey."
She saw me off with an unusually soft smile.
......
Creeeak...
"...Oh."
I pushed open the shack door and stepped inside to find a surprisingly vast space. Embedding space-warping magic like this in a ramshackle hut required high-level spells, and they'd pulled it off in just hours after my briefing.
The Cloud Kingdom might be the poorest now, but it was packed with hidden gems, no doubt.
Munch munch... Nom nom...
Gulp gulp...
As I entered, I heard frantic eating sounds from somewhere.
"Starve! Urgh..."
"Cough! Cough!"
Turns out, the escaped slaves from the market were huddled on the floor, wolfing down rations.
"Eat slower... They said it's safe here..."
Even with utensils provided, they shoveled food by hand—it looked filthy at a glance.
"Gotta eat while you can... Can't trust these people either. Who knows when they'll sell us out."
"Yeah, if we're getting sold anyway... Might as well stuff ourselves."
But hearing their venom-filled eyes and words made me ashamed of that snap judgment.
Abducted without knowing why, tricked into it, sold by parents—different stories, same pathetic misery. Their meal reeked of a desperation no noble or rich person like me could ever grasp.
"...Sigh."
I watched them a moment, sighed, then approached the kingdom soldiers clustered at the far end.
"...Who are you?"
"Don't come closer."
Tense soldiers leveled spears at me.
"...Here to see the princess."
"Excuse me, who might you be?"
"Tell her the ally has arrived. She'll understand."
I passed info Aishi would recognize and waited. Soon, an inner door opened.
"Y-you!"
"Doing well, Princess?"
Out stepped Aishi Winter Cloud of the Cloud Kingdom, as expected. I'd heard she escaped fine, but seeing no injuries with my own eyes was a relief.
"To think you'd actually pull off the plan... Honestly, I had zero expectations... How in the world...?"
"Without the space teleport magic you prepped, I couldn't have managed this."
"Don't flatter me. Me and every kingdom mage worked on it nonstop, but we couldn't complete the space magic. How'd you do it?"
I scratched my head at her question.
"One of my allies has a real knack for magic."
"Talent alone doesn't revive lost space magic only a few demons can wield. What method did you use...?"
According to Aishi, Irina pulled off another miracle. Serena bowed to her in magic research, so maybe it was inevitable.
"Anyway, I'll take the slaves from here."
I snapped my fingers, and Moonlight family assassins waiting outside swarmed in.
"......!"
"Don't worry, my subordinates."
Serena's elite force was so formidable, slaves and soldiers alike panicked. Wish I could have private troops, but my line of work made it a pipe dream.
"...Um, before we part, can I make a proposal?"
As I headed to the prepared platform, licking my lips, Aishi spoke softly, gauging my reaction.
"Ever thought of coming to our kingdom?"
"...Pardon?"
"We need someone like you."
It was an unexpected recruitment pitch.
"Sorry, but..."
"Join us, and you'd be hailed a hero."
I meant to refuse, but her follow-up shook me.
"I don't know why you hide your identity for these deeds, but you must have your reasons."
"That's..."
"You resent the empire and Frey, so I can guess."
Did she read my eyes? No, robe hides them.
"So... if you're tired, come to our kingdom."
She sensed my fleeting hesitation and pushed harder.
"I'll give you the highest position I can. No, the king himself will honor you."
"...Hmm."
"Our kingdom's lacking, but... we can make at least one person happy. So..."
"I'm good."
I listened quietly, then smiled softly.
"Why?"
"...I've got things I have to do."
Aishi bowed her head silently.
"What if... an eternal curse hung over you forever?"
"...Pardon?"
Worried I'd hurt her feelings, wondering how to comfort her, she suddenly said something odd.
"Since childhood... what if some creepy entity whispered horrifying things in your ear?"
"...A voice?"
"You follow it out of desperation, hurt everyone, and start fearing yourself—what would you do?"
I first thought she meant her Frozen Heart Curse. But a 'voice'? Another curse on her?
Curious, I checked her info, but nothing suspicious popped up. What the hell?
"Then one day, chatting with a benefactor... the voice just stops. Like a lie."
".....?"
"A voice that never stopped since childhood."
Aishi stared at me intently and continued.
"Will you be in the empire next year too?"
"...Yes."
"Good. I'm coming to the empire next year for Sunrise Academy."
She smiled brightly and pulled something from her bosom.
"Take this."
"This is...?"
"A token from our kingdom's treasure—made of unfreezing ice."
I took the chill-emitting token hesitantly, and she smiled.
"No clue what magic you used, but I can't identify you. Need a way to verify."
"...Meaning?"
"When I enroll at the academy next year, come find me."
With that, she led her soldiers to the prepped portal and added,
"By then, I'll have grown so much you'll have no choice but to join."
"...Ever thought of mining?"
"Pardon?"
As she vanished into space teleport with her meaningful words, I decided on a parting gift and murmured,
"Rumor has it there's treasure buried underground in the Cloud Kingdom."
"Wh-what...?"
"Lots of eyes on it. Be careful."
"What do you—!"
She tried to press me as she and her soldiers faded in faint light.
"...Whew."
I stared at where she'd vanished, silent for a moment, then scratched my head and climbed the platform.
"Everyone, listen up."
A string of bewildering events left me a bit dazed, but...
"I'll tell you what happens next."
I had to sort things out.
"Choose for yourselves."
These pitiful souls I'd wanted to save since past loops, denied their light.
"Leave, or stay and join me."
Their time to receive light had come.
......
Meanwhile, at that moment.
"Hah... Hahhh..."
Ruby, who had bolted from the Slave Market, slumped in a quiet alley after running far.
"Damn it, why the hell..."
After heaving ragged breaths for a while, she staggered to her feet.
"...Oh my, are you alright?"
".....?"
A voice from in front of her stopped her cold, confusion spreading across her face.
"You look unwell."
Serena smiled down at her.