Chapter 142: Words in the Letter (1)
I climbed the island’s lighthouse and looked around the entire lake. It was snowing; a mystical pure white paint splattered over the dark green. Primienne followed me in a hurry.
“If your reasoning is correct, it would be amazing.”
My thoughts were simple: this book interfered with reality.
“Is that possible?”
“It’s not impossible.”
Of course, this book alone couldn’t, but if countless people had read its contents, the story could become an origin and manifest as a magic equivalent to a miracle.
“Then the male wizard ‘Damian’ who was fishing here will be you. It’s the lead role, so congratulations.”
The only problem was the book’s ending.
[…She told the wizard everything she knew. And then, she pierced his heart with her blade.]
The end of Volume 1. It was almost a trailer for Volume 2, so the ending didn’t even go into much detail.
“Who ‘she’ might be is also a key factor.”
Here, ‘she’ was the main character. She had no name and was referred to only by identifying p.r.o.nouns. Also, I didn’t know who this wizard she stabbed was.
“Primienne. Have you ever thought that this book was strangely popular?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Even Her bored Majesty has read this book.”
How a book of fewer than 150 pages became a bestseller. In terms of aesthetic sense, the book itself was not lacking, but to have been so widely read so quickly, it required more…
—I can feel the magic in this book.
What Sophien told me when she gave me this book was right. There was literal magic in the sentences on the page. It was that power that captivated the readers.
“This is the first time such a thing has happened.”
The story holds the magic, and the magic makes people read the story. With more people reading it, it gained a type of existential power and eventually could interfere with reality. It was a cycle of amplification.
“Is it a demon’s work?”
“No. If that were the case, my blood would have reacted.”
It wasn’t a demon. But who, why, and for what purpose remained unknown. At least, until now.
“I wonder what will happen.”
“Forget that. Watch the sh.o.r.es of the lake from here.”
“Yes.”
It was then a boat appeared from the other side of the lake. I looked out, and Primienne recited the contents of the book.
“…Damian looked out at the lake from the lighthouse. A boat carrying a wizard was approaching.”
Two people dismounted the moored boat: Epherene and Drent.
“It was two wizards. Among them, the more foolish of the two stumbled.”
─Ouch!
Epherene fell to the sh.o.r.e of the lake.
─Ugh… ptooey!
The girl spat out sand as she stood back up.
“So, they were both characters. One of them could be stabbed in the heart.”
“It’s not Drent.”
“Could you give me the reason why you think so?”
“Because he is not a Named.”
“…Does that mean that he’s not an outstanding enough wizard to be the main character?”
“Something like that.”
If this were a sudden event, the target would be Named. Therefore, the strong candidates were the mentors who came here, including Epherene or me.
“Shall I tell everyone about this?”
I shook my head.
“You don’t have to.”
“Why?”
“Because a mere story cannot control me. I’ll deal with it myself.”
“…You are very confident. Do you know where ‘she’ is?”
“It’s in here.”
I tapped the cover of the book. I didn’t know who ‘she’ was yet, but in time, she would crash-land on the island. I stood.
“Where are you going?”
“‘To her.”
“Well. If there is a sword in your heart, please let me know.”
“Okay.”
As soon as I left the lighthouse, I spread the wood steel around me.
* * *
…Sylvia crash-landed on the island inside the lake. Her whole body was drenched in sweat, and her mana had bottomed out. From her island around the Floating Island to the realm of Yukline, she had flown thousands of kilometers.
“…”
Sylvia shuffled over and sat down on a nearby boulder.
“…Haah.”
It would take some time to replenish her mana once used to the end, but her stamina was still sufficient. Sylvia, who didn’t neglect exercising, had physical abilities close to that of an average knight. She had a physique too good to be a wizard.
“…”
But as her sweat was drying off, her body became cold. Snowflakes began to fall around her.
“…”
Sylvia made a small fire with the drops of mana she had left. She basked in the warmth and waited for her mana to recover. A half-day would be enough. She would stay quiet until then and go to find Deculein when she was in perfect condition.
“…?”
However.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a gust of snow blew past, blowing out her fire and sending Sylvia panicking.
“Ah.”
She had no time to sigh. Immediately the blizzard hit her, and the ground was buried in snow in mere moments.
“…”
Sylvia tried to move away, but snow piled up around her. From her feet to her ankles, from her ankles to her knees, and from her knees to her waist…
In the end, she became a snowman. Her body was so cold that it felt warm.
‘Let me rest a little.’
‘I’ll rest a bit.’
‘And I’ll keep going…’
Stomp- Stomp-
Someone who was watching her moved closer. His long legs strode through the barrier-like snow so he could embrace the blonde wizard buried inside. He manifested a spell on the spot, crafting a cozy dwelling out of the snow and dirt.
* * *
…15 minutes ago. It was snowing on the lake, the white flakes sinking under the water’s surface.
“Wow…”
Epherene forgot that she had just almost drowned and continued walking blankly, observing the scenery. It had been summer at the lake, it felt like summer, but it was now snowing. Thanks to that, it looked like a whole new world.
“This is your dorm.”
“…Yes?”
The attendants of Yukline stopped her. Epherene and Drent were taken aback for a moment.
“There’s… nothing?”
The place the attendant pointed to was an empty field in the middle of a snowy forest, it was bare ground. There were no dorms, no buildings.
“Follow me, Drent.”
“Oh, okay.”
She was confused, but there must be something there. Drent glanced at Epherene and immediately followed the attendant.
“…What is this?”
Epherene left alone, first made a chair. However, the snow was gradually growing thicker. It was rapidly becoming more annoying than pretty.
“Ah, ptooey.”
A large snowflake entered her mouth, and the frost blocked her vision.
“I can’t anymore.”
Epherene made a small earthen house. It was crude, but she liked it.
“Hmmmm.”
A little over three square feet of s.p.a.ce, with a small door. At that moment-
- Ah, ah. Ah, Ah.
A voice echoed through the chilled air of Lake Island. Epherene knew who it was as soon as she heard them.
—Are you a little confused? My name is Yeriel from Yukline.
Yeriel, Deculein’s younger sister and the acting lord of Yukline.
—This is the first program of our training.
It was a nice tone to listen to. It was a bit of a cliché expression, but it was smooth, like the sound of a jade marble rolling. Epherene, who became very close with Yeriel, put her hand to her chin and listened.
—As you know, several famous mentors are waiting for you. Bercht’s Elder Lukhkara, Imperial Palace Wizard Ihelm, Professor Louina, Etheric Gindalf, Etheric Rose Rio, Head Professor Deculein… there is one of them in each of the eight cla.s.ses.
Hearing it like this, the team a.s.sembled felt even fancier and more outlandish. Each stood out in their fields.
—But the island itself in this lake will help you too. This island has everything to help wizards. Everything from the blades of gra.s.s, the fish, the dew, and the mysterious snow is now falling.
“Oh~, we are supposed to use nature.”
Epherene smiled a little.
—So, first of all, stay in nature for a day or so. Nature is the source of magic, after all.
“Yes, ~.”
—Yukline always supports the path of magic. May you all be blessed with mana more eternal than the sea and brighter than the sun.
That message from Yeriel announced the start of training.
“Then~.”
Jumping up, Epherene opened the door of her earthen house and walked out.
Whoooooooooooooooosh!
“Ugh!”
A wild gust of wind whipped past Epherene’s hair. It kicked up snow into her face.
“Peh!”
Epherene immediately closed the door.
“W-What is that?”
She wiped the snow off her face.
“All of a sudden, there is a blizzard… no, isn’t it an avalanche?”
An avalanche was falling from the sky.
* * *
Sylvia opened her eyes. The warmth of the burning fireplace drove off the chill, and the ground below her felt soft. It felt like she was lying in bed, but she was surprised to realize she was lying in bed. A gentle and soft atmosphere inside a cozy s.p.a.ce. In it, Sylvia slowly looked around.
“…”
Someone was sitting in a chair by the bed and reading a book t.i.tled Blue Eyes. Sylvia stared distantly at the book cover.
“Are you awake?”
The voice. The voice. The voice.
That terse voice was enough. Sylvia suddenly raised her torso, glaring at him. Deculein. She instantly warmed up the mana within her body. No, she was about to.
“Ugh.”
As the circuit was cut off, her pain intensified, and her skin began glowing a faint purple.
“It’s mana exhaustion. It must be because you forced yourself to come here from an island that is too far away.”
“…”
How did he know? Was this person watching her too? To that question, Deculein answered.
“It was in this book.”
He pointed to the t.i.tle.
“Your book is interfering with reality, Sylvia. What kind of wish did you make while writing this?”
Sylvia didn’t say anything. Was it hope, was it a wish, or was it a grudge? Regardless, it had been a blazing fire. She spoke softly.
“I know everything.”
“What.”
“You killed my mother.”
“…”
Receiving no answer, Sylvia turned to him. Deculein nodded belatedly.
“Yes.”
He felt the memories of that day. From the moment of killing Sierra, the torrent of emotions that rushed into Deculein’s heart was as clear as his own. This transference of the mind continued more clearly as he talked with Sylvia.
“It was because of that demon’s letter.”
She had already heard most of the truth from Idnik, and she did her research with the magic of Wind, so it didn’t matter if Deculein kept his mouth shut. She had a lot to say herself.
“As the letter swept across the continent, Yukline and Carla came out.”
“…”
“One of the victims-“
Deculein interrupted.
“Was my fiancée.”
Those words touched his heart; the emotions engraved in his body trembled and fluctuated. The woman named Yuli, the only thing in common between Deculein and Kim Woojin.
“Someone delivered the demon’s letter to my woman, and she died.”
“…”
Sylvia showed no emotion, just clenched and stretched out her hands repeatedly.
“Don’t worry. It wasn’t your mother.”
Sylvia shook her head.
“I’m not worried about that.”
“…”
She looked into Deculein’s eyes. His indifferent expression and cold gaze were the same as before. That hurt a lot, and it was also very weird.
‘I hate him, but why?’
Why did it hurt without knowing why? Sylvia hid that question at the bottom of her mind.
“I know what happened that day.”
“…”
“The one who did it. Who wrote the letter to your fiancée.”
Deculein looked at Sylvia, meeting her gaze. She pondered for a moment. This truth could hurt him.
“I see.”
…No, she wanted to hurt him. She had to hurt him. Why think so hard about it?
“You already know, don’t you?”
Sylvia asked. As always, with no fluctuation in her tone or pacing, with a voice so monotone it might be mistaken as self-talk.
“…”
Deculein nodded. She guessed that meant it was fine. Sylvia closed her eyes slowly, then opened them again.
“Decalane and Kagan Luna.”