Chapter 32
Chapter 32
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Mage Lumi
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“No wind is blowing.”
“Because the master of this world has left.”
It had been quite some time since Einer departed. The space she had maintained couldn't possibly remain intact without her. The relentless frigid winds that had howled endlessly were gone, leaving only an eerie silence to haunt the now masterless world.
“Where do you plan to go this time?”
At Durel's question, she cast her gaze toward the distant sky.
“North.”
“North?”
“I need to head north and find the school known as Blazing Saturation.”
“Blazing Saturation... you mean?”
Turning to Durel at his echoing question, she noted his familiarity. He hadn't known of the Golden Wind School, yet he recognized Blazing Saturation. It hit her then—during her conversation with Einer, this boy had been unconscious.
“You know something about it?”
“Yes, a little. It's affiliated with the Academy, after all.”
“I see...?”
“It's a new school that seized a major position in the Academy through overwhelming firepower and immense capital. I heard they appeared out of nowhere about twenty years ago.”
“Anything else?”
“That's all I know. Even though they're in the same Academy, we didn't have much exchange with them... But why are you suddenly looking for that school?”
“Well... I'll explain on the way.”
I explained the history tied to the Golden Wind School as Durel and I traveled by sled. The tale of Twilight's Breath and the three schools that branched off from it.
It wasn't a complicated story, so it didn't take long to tell.
“So that's the conversation that happened while I was out cold...”
“Do you know anything? About Twilight's Breath or the Frost Breath School?”
“I'm sorry, but they're all new names to me. It seems the other schools, aside from Blazing Saturation, operated quietly without ties to the Academy.”
It was the answer I'd expected. Raymond and Einer both seemed disinterested in the wider world. Einer had built her own realm atop the pristine snowfields. Without some extraordinary event, she might never have left this place until her dying day.
“I'll study up more.”
Was my disappointment showing on my face? Durel, who'd been watching my expression, bowed his head with a sullen look. No matter how mature he acted, he was still just a boy who'd barely passed ten years old.
It wasn't the attitude an adult should show. Shaking my head, I gave a light smile.
“Even I, whom you call master, know very little. Probably more than you, in fact. You're not lacking.”
Just after escaping that windless world, fierce gusts battered our bodies once more. Not magic, but the raw force of nature itself. Amid the swirling white snowflakes, a massive golem stepped forward with vigorous might.
Thud-!
Pristine snowfields could sometimes disorient a person's sense of direction. Whenever that happened, the Eye of Lethe in the sky offered guidance. Through its ancient gaze, said to be left by the gods from primordial times, one could discern the cardinal directions.
“The Eye of Lethe always looks southwest. Knowing that makes it easy to figure out east and north. We head this way.”
Nonstop travel over long distances was a huge advantage. Even while Durel and I slept, the giant golem pressed onward toward our set course. We encountered monsters along the way, and Eilsnor warriors who mistook the golem for one, but we handled them without major issues.
“Lord Karoan! Please be careful! This is a dangerous place!”
“Shut up! Just follow quietly!”
The attendant Philip sighed as he watched his young master gallop off on horseback. He hadn't been like this as a child. Losing his mother to an accident and being spoiled rotten afterward had ruined him. The heir to a noble house had become a reckless wastrel who couldn't tell heaven from earth.
Karoan steadied his blurry vision and let the cool wind carry his body. The liquor he'd snuck along the way had dulled his senses terribly. He could barely tell if he was gripping the reins or not, forcing him to glance down constantly to check.
'Got it.'
He knew this place was dangerous. But if he didn't gallop, he couldn't bear it. Karoan suppressed his frustration and burst into frivolous laughter at the exhilarating speed.
“If you go any farther, it'll really be trouble!”
Karoan didn't stop laughing. This freedom of sneaking out was a rare treat, once or twice a year. His father must have known about it beforehand. The fact that he'd been allowed to leave meant tacit permission.
As always, he planned to head home after a few days once the frustration eased.
“Ha...”
As Karoan opened his mouth for another hearty laugh, the world seemed to flip upside down. His horse flew through the air, limbs flailing wildly. In the spinning chaos, his eyes met the gaze of another.
'What the hell...'
In that brief instant, the alcohol clouding his mind evaporated. But his body's sensations remained numb. Flailing in midair, Karoan slammed into the ground the next moment, tumbling several times.
“Argh...!”
“Lord Karoan...!”
The attendant's voice echoed from afar. What burst from Karoan's mouth wasn't a scream of pain. It was a mix of terror, panic, and a grunt to rise—raw emotion spilling out.
Even in the dire moment, his limbs refused commands. To make matters worse, the sword he'd brought had flown off somewhere.
Karoan's eyes locked onto the massive creature bursting from the earth. The ground upheaved to reveal a gigantic lizard about three meters long.
'Krazruk?'
Black stone-like scales along its back gleamed in the moonlight. No one was there to explain why such a beast had appeared outside its habitat.
The Krazruk's enormous maw lunged to swallow Karoan whole.
Shrieeek-!
A streak of light flashed in swiftly, pummeling the Krazruk's body repeatedly.
Clang-!
'A sword...?'
The flying iron sword didn't pierce the Krazruk, but it bought enough time to escape. Karoan scrambled away on all fours, spewing panicked curses.
-Gyaack!
Relief at surviving mingled with puzzlement that the beast no longer pursued. Karoan naturally glanced back.
And there, he spotted two children exuding an otherworldly aura.
There was no other way to describe it. Even as the massive Krazruk charged them, danger felt absent.
As the distance closed and the giant lizard's jaws gaped wide— a sword's form materialized from empty air, shooting toward the Krazruk at blinding speed.
Clang-!
'Sword... magic?'
No ordinary swordsman could wield a blade like that. Though his scholarly knowledge was shallow, Karoan recognized magic at once.
“M-Mage...!”
The barrage of speeding swords slowed the Krazruk. Then, the girl standing quietly beside the boy took a large step forward.
In that instant, an overwhelming presence emanated from her tiny frame.
Her cloak billowed, eyes aglow. Winds swirled around her, erasing the presence of everything else.
Immediately after, gales erupted from beneath her feet, entwining the Krazruk's body in blinding white light.
Crackle-
Time froze for the Krazruk. Karoan stared at the plummeting white frost, collapsing to the ground.
“I'm sorry... This is my fault for being inadequate...”
“It was just a bad matchup. Don't blame yourself.”
Frowning, she looked up at the massive lizard. Frozen mid-charge, it looked vividly lifelike. Covered in rock-hard scales, it simply had poor synergy with Durel's magic.
'Not bad...'
First time using Frost Breath in real combat. It had unexpected potency. Combined with Golden Wind magic, its power doubled. The Golden Wind's fierce gusts amplified the biting cold.
As she was about to smile in satisfaction at her creation, two pale-faced men hurried over from a distance and bowed deeply before us.
“Thank you so much for saving us!”
“Thank you...!”
She'd half-expected them to bolt without thanks, but fortunately, they weren't that shameless. Still, words alone felt insufficient.
'They look loaded...'
Their clothes weren't ordinary. Gaudy, overdone decorations adorned every inch. Lucky break. People dressed like that could provide what we needed.
Speed had dropped right after leaving Eilsnor. Without a nonstop snow sled, that was inevitable. The golem worked for travel, but its thudding jolts made sleep impossible en route.
'Something like how Durel did it...?'
Recalling Durel's past demeanor, she spoke.
“A person's life isn't cheap. Do you agree?”
“...Y-Yes. Of course.”
“Absolutely, mage.”
“We saved such lives.”
A brief silence fell. Crackle- The wind shook the giant lizard's body, cracks echoing from within.
“We don't haggle over lives. However...”
As she trailed off, the massive body shattered, white frost scattering everywhere.
Thud-
“...Those who know their worth will offer proper gratitude. That's all we can believe.”