Book 2: Chapter 371
“…”
The Great Medium looked at Lukas’ expression.
She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. One thing was clear, and that was the fact that he was still calm, at least outwardly.
But in the next moment, she realised that wasn’t actually the case.
“There are people other than Peran and Torkunta that remember me.”
The voice that came out seemed to be composed. However, with the amount of attention she had focused on him at that moment, it was easy to pick up the slight quiver.
The Great Medium nodded as she pretended like she didn’t notice, and Lukas continued.
“Diablo and Lucid.”
“…the Elder Lich is an integral part of this story. In fact, it might be safe to say that he is the key. It might be hard for you to accept, but the beginning of all of these errors stemmed from his curiosity.”
“The beginning of all of these errors?”
“I also didn’t remember you at the beginning.”
The Great Medium’s emotionless voice became surprisingly cold.
“One day, I suddenly realised something was wrong, but it was only after I accessed the void records that I learned about ‘Lukas Trowman’… Do you understand? You didn’t come to my mind, I looked you up. Do you know what that means?”
“…it was information that you came across, not memories.”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
If that was the case then the Great Medium couldn’t be considered Lukas’ acquaintance. Instead, as she said, she was more like someone who read about ‘the life of Lukas Trowman’ in a history book.
Perhaps even in a face to face situation like this, she only had a strange feeling like she was having a conversation with a historical figure.
Even though they had once been comrades that had fought an enemy together.
“The same is probably true for Peran and Torkunta. They too, with a bit of luck and chance, were able to remember you to an extent… Maybe there are others who also had strange feelings.”
The Great Medium lifted two fingers.
“And that’s because two factors intertwined.”
“What are the two factors you’re talking about?”
“As I mentioned before, one of them is Diablo. Shortly after you disappeared, he was able to find clues ‘about the world’ all over the continent.”
“Clues about the world…?”
“Don’t you know? You were able to become Frey Blake because of a clue.”
…The box.
The Great Medium was talking about the black box.
“After that, Diablo learned of the void record’s existence, and he succeeded in approaching it. And that was when he became the first person in this universe to learn about you.”
“…!”
The Great Medium’s words took him by surprise.
In other words, in this universe, the first being who learned about Lukas Trowman’s existence was none other than Diablo.
“…you are weak now. The external force you had as an Absolute is no longer there. That means that you no longer have the ability to resist the power of disappearance. If Diablo hadn’t remembered you, you would have disappeared as soon as you returned to this universe, without even realising it.” (TL: Can anyone think of a better word than ‘disappearance’? Maybe amnesia?)(PR:Obliviate! lol)
“…then the reason some people barely remember me…”
“…is because Diablo remembers you.”
He understood what she meant.
The Great Medium had said that the thin threads that connected him to this world, which stemmed from Diablo, were the reason Lukas hadn’t disappeared.
“Diablo has the potential to become an Absolute.”
The Great Medium looked at the man who had been an Absolute in the past and spoke.
“Of course, the difference between having the potential and actually becoming one is like the difference between heaven and earth. But one thing is important here. Albeit slightly, Diablo has the ability to resist the power of disappearance.”
“Then what would happen if Diablo died?”
At this point, the Great Medium fell silent again.
Lukas wasn’t sure if she was giving him more time to prepare or if she herself needed to prepare.
“Then the power of disappearance would come upon you once again. And without the Absolute’s external force, you will not be able to stop it.”
“…that means.”
“Right.”
The Great Medium’s eyes met Lukas’.
“This time, you would disappear for real.”
“…”
Silence.
A heavy and long silence.
Lukas didn’t know what to think.
But there was something that he needed to ask the Great Medium before all of that.
“…why are you telling me all of this?”
“…”
“You could have hidden this all from me. If you had, then I would have killed Diablo without thinking about anything, and I would have disappeared without knowing anything. So I need an answer. Why did you tell me?”
The Great Medium was staring at the floor. Unlike before, it felt like she was intentionally avoiding Lukas’ gaze.
“…because… I felt that you at least had the right to know.”
“…”
“At this point, I am probably the only one who knows the long journey you took as a human being. Diablo wouldn’t have looked that deeply into it, but I did… I have great respect for you, and everything you have done.”
There was clear respect in the voice that softly flowed out. But it didn’t feel real to Lukas at that moment.
“So I wanted to respect you now. I know it’s selfish. But no matter how cruel it is, I wanted you to have this choice.”
Lukas let out a laugh.
“Whether to fight and disappear or remain silent and watch the continent suffer through this crisis?”
The voice that came out was so sharp that he had trouble believing it was his own.
The Great Medium didn’t seem to notice it. However, she spoke in a much quieter voice.
“…or, there is a third option.”
“…”
Lukas knew what the third option was.
—To fight on Diablo’s side. It was against his cause, but it was a reasonable choice to defend himself.
And it wasn’t impossible.
Diablo would probably not have any unwillingness towards Lukas joining his side. In fact, he would probably welcome him with open arms.
And then what would happen?
With Lukas’ knowledge and guidance, it might be possible for Diablo to reach 10 stars. The levels of the other hundreds of Wizards, including Cairo, would also rise exponentially.
If the powerful undead army, including Lucid, was added, then there was probably no force on the continent that could stop them.
Even if the Circle were to unite once again, it still would not be enough.
…The Great Medium.
This woman would never stop Lukas from making a choice. Even if he decided to stand on Diablo’s side and betray his current comrades, she would not say a word.
“…it’s because you know.”
Lukas spoke.
“You know what choice I will make, so why did you show me these options?”
“…”
“Did you think that Lukas Trowman wouldn’t mind saving the people on this continent even though he had been completely forgotten? Did you think he would make another heroic sacrifice with a smile?”
He could feel the heat gradually rising in his voice.
He knew this was a childish outburst. Nevertheless, Lukas couldn’t help but let out his emotions now.
If he endured even this, he really couldn’t tell what would happen to him later.
“If that was the case, Great Medium, then you were very wrong this time… I am weak now. Both physically and mentally. I’m weaker than when I fought the DemiG.o.ds as the Great Mage 4,000 years ago, and I’m much weaker than when I was Frey Blake. I… Now, I…”
It took some courage to say the last words that were hanging on his tongue.
“…don’t want to sacrifice myself.”
He didn’t want to.
He’d come back.
Regardless of the process or form, Lukas had returned to his home universe.
The moment he’d realised that, he had thought with all his heart that he was lucky to be alive, even if it was shameless.
Although he was different, and everything was different from how it was in the past, he thought that he might be able to live like a human again.
He wanted to talk with his past comrades, make jokes, and go on trips with his friends when the weather was good.
Lukas, Lukas Trowman…
“…I want to stop being happy now.”
“…”
The Great Medium didn’t say anything.
He wasn’t sure what kind of expression she was making or what kind of gaze she was looking at him with.
All Lukas, who had lowered his head, could see was the blanket covered by his shadow.
“I’m sure you need some time to think.”
With those words, he heard the Great Medium get up from her seat.
She opened the door but paused before she stepped out of the room.
And said.
“…I’ll wait.”
Click.
The door closed, leaving a silent room.
Lukas didn’t open his mouth anymore.
* * *
Lukas remained at a loss until Peran returned that evening.
He concealed his turmoil. He didn’t want Peran to see something like that.
“Fortunately, everything worked out.”
“Lady Iris and Lady Anastasia are both active in the treatment. Haha. They said that Lady Snow will soon be completely cured.”
The way he rambled on reminded him of an excited child. Even his eyes were glittering with hope.
Lukas couldn’t help but stare blankly at him for a moment.
“It was all thanks to you, Lukas.”
“…huh?”
“You said that it would be possible to heal Lady Snow. Sorry, but to be honest, I didn’t quite believe you.”
“…”
“I thought you were just saying that to comfort me. But you weren’t,”
It was a pleasant mistake. Peran added in a laughing voice.
“You gave me hope, Lukas. Thank you so much.”
Lukas closed his mouth.
…Peran Jun.
The possessor of a talent that far surpa.s.sed his own. There were no flaws in his personality, and he had the charisma and charm to lead people.
‘However.’
It wasn’t enough.
That alone wasn’t enough.
Lukas wasn’t sure what he was thinking. And yet, his mouth seemed to move of its own volition.
“Peran.”
“Mm?”
“Can we defeat Diablo?”
“…what do you mean?”
“You saw for yourself how strong Diablo is. The Sword King that he revived is also amazing. That’s not all. Diablo is probably hiding more trump cards as well.”
Lukas continued without giving Peran a chance to speak.
“Even if Snow is cured and joins you, it will be difficult to defeat Diablo.”
“It might be.”
Peran nodded weakly.
“As you said, our victory is not guaranteed. However, I see hope.”
“…hope?”
“Lady Iris has gone to convince the Grand Master. I don’t think he will turn down our request. So I believe this could be an opportunity.”
Peran’s eyes lit up as if he was daydreaming.
“It’s an opportunity for everyone to understand that just because you are right, it doesn’t mean everyone else is wrong.”
Those words struck Lukas heavily.
“You’ve had this thought since they decided to subjugate Diablo.”
“Haha. Sorry. Was I too excited?”
“…”
Lukas looked Peran in the eyes.
Honest eyes. As soon as he saw them, Lukas recalled a scene.
A scene of five heroes fighting a b.l.o.o.d.y battle against a divine being. It looked tiring and painful, but at the same time, they emitted a blinding glow.
And that glow was now emanating from Peran.
If that was the case, then I…
“…”
“What’s wrong? Lukas.”
“…nothing.”
As time pa.s.sed, the scene began to change.
New figures began replacing the old ones.
Ivan, Anastasia, Snow, Nix.
And in the centre of them was Peran with his arms outstretched.
‘Succession.’
The moment he had that thought, a smile subconsciously spread across his lips.
It felt like a tangled thread in his mind had unravelled.
Right. He’d already lived a long time.
As he felt a refreshing but at the same time depressing wind, Lukas called his friend’s name.
“Peran.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s defeat Diablo. Certainly.”
Peran’s face instantly became even brighter.
“Definitely.”
As he looked at that expression, Lukas had a thought.
If it was Peran, it might be possible.
To create a new Great Mage who would succeed Lukas Trowman.