The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 146

146. The Reincarnation of the Hero Party’s Archmage

Everything began 300 years ago when the young Archmage’s body was trapped in ice.

The boy’s comrades believed in him.

Since he promised to return, they believed he surely would, no matter when that might be.

The hero Rista stayed by the boy’s side until the very end, during his brief reprieve from death.

Kies, the Palace Mage [a title, indicating a mage serving the royal court], raised countless disciples to bless the path when the boy returned.

Priestess Friede devoted herself to ensuring the world’s stability, wanting to show the boy a beautifully transformed world. She even personally took in the boy’s disciple, raising her to be a priestess.

The Sun Parrot Pipi began his centuries-long wait alone on 설화봉 [Seolhwa Peak, likely a fictional location], with no promise of when it would end. However.

“Is waiting the right thing to do? Is it right to just keep waiting like this?”

“Tureina.”

“Master’s way is wrong. Not just Master, but Rista and Kies too! Those two may lack magical wisdom, but how could Master just leave our teacher like that? In that cold frost?”

Tureina, the young Archmage’s first and last disciple, couldn’t believe in that promise. Strictly speaking, she didn’t trust the completion of 주여소계대반(主濾小計袋反) [Juyeosogyedae Ban, likely a complex magical ritual or spell].

That’s why she thought she had to help. Like a mother bird helping her chick hatch from its egg, she had to help him out of that ice…

The abyss approached such a girl.

Darkness, which deceives and violates the hearts of humans collapsing in their mortal fate, swallowed that tender heart over hundreds of years.

* * *

“This is Tureina?”

The old wooden statue stood in the middle of the village, benevolently looking down on the passersby. Even now, many flowers and incense were offered before it.

The skill of the artisan who made it was severely lacking, but the old bamboo hat and the dragon-shaped embossed pipe were so distinctive that one couldn’t help but recognize them.

It was just like the illustration in the book… Pipi seemed to think the same, chirping affectionately as he moved about her shoulders and head.

“It was about 40 years ago, when I was still a vibrant young man. It was when the ‘Yellow Weasel’ epidemic was rampant in the spring. During that terrible epidemic, all the children and old people on the continent were dying.”

“…”

“Villages like ours couldn’t even find a doctor, a witch, or a 황룡 [Hwangnyong, likely a type of healer or powerful individual]. We thought we had no choice but to die… That’s when the priestess personally came to our village.”

Tureina healed all the residents afflicted with the epidemic, using her medical skills honed over hundreds of years. Without asking for any compensation.

I didn’t need to hear the rest of the story. According to the book, Tureina created a spell to completely cure the ‘Yellow Weasel’.

She had her witches spread the spell all over the world, and the epidemic was completely suppressed.

“This is just the least we can do to honor her. Every year, we pray for her soul to rest in peace.”

“Rest in peace, why?”

“Because she had such a sad look on her face back then. So sad that she seemed to have completely lost all emotion.”

“Was she?”

“Yes, I still can’t forget that face. Maybe it’s because she was the saddest person I had ever seen in my life.”

If I could have seen my own expression at that moment, I would have seen a more sorrowful smile than ever before.

“Awoo.”

Aki, who was nestled in my arms, was reaching out to touch Tureina’s statue, as if fascinated by it.

I chuckled and unconsciously stroked Aki’s warm head with my trembling hand.

Aki and Tureina might have been good friends… That kid was just as troublesome as Aki.

‘Don’t you think so too? You were so close to Pipi as well.’

After offering a sad farewell prayer in front of Tureina’s statue, I spoke to the village chief, who was tidying up the flowers and incense at its base.

“Then I’ll be going now, Chief.”

“No, are you leaving already? I wanted to offer you something more. You’ve exterminated all those evil beasts, how can I just let you go like this?”

No, that reward is enough for me.

I looked at the incense rising from Tureina’s statue with a bitter smile.

Tureina, just praying for that mischievous girl’s soul to rest in peace, just remembering and commemorating her, is more than enough…

“It would be a burden. I can’t stay in one place for long. Especially not in such a vulnerable village.”

I had already been treated to lunch and dinner yesterday, and even slept at the chief’s house, so I had stayed for an unusually long time.

On my journey south, I didn’t use any of the empire’s highways, always moving through mountainous and forested areas.

Because 예리세리카 [Yeriserika, likely a character’s name] said that the era of the 심연 [Simyeon, likely meaning ‘abyss’ or ‘deep’]’s eyes watching everything had come, I decided to be as careful as possible.

I hadn’t seen any pursuers since coming down from the central region to the south, but I could feel that the times had definitely changed.

Unsettling rumors were circulating in every village. There were also frequent reports of monsters suddenly attacking villages in packs.

The monsters seemed to be anxious or happy about something… Hmm, if my parents in the central region haven’t said anything, maybe the strange phenomena are concentrated in the south.

“Thank you, mage.”

“May the gods bless your path, mage.”

“Aki, stay healthy and don’t get sick.”

Receiving the heartfelt gratitude of the chief and the villagers (and receiving a lot of dried fish and jerky), I rode my horse out of the village.

As the last rays of sunlight twinkled, I could see the 장미가도(薔薇街道) [Jangmigado, Rose Street, likely a major road] stretching grandly to the southeast in the distance.

If I followed that road, I could return to <델라이텐> [Dellaiteen, likely a city or institution], to my everyday life with those guys… But I can’t do that now that the hundred-year journey has begun.

– The top graduate of <델라이텐> earns the right to view Rin’s corpse. There’s a note left by Rista there.

스칼지 루드윅 [Seukalji Rudeuwig, likely a character’s name] said that.

But according to the 백룡 군단 [Baekryong Gundan, White Dragon Corps, likely a military unit], Rin’s corpse disappeared during the 흑점 사태 [Heukjeom Satae, Black Spot Incident, likely a major event]. So now there’s no reason or time to go to that school.

Let’s put aside any lingering feelings.

Socrafres.

– You can inherit the progress of ‘unique magic’ research from the surrounding environment.

– Progress: 69.8%.

When camping, I checked Rin’s notebook before going to sleep, but there was no good news.

It was 69.8% when I first entered 트라이덴트 포인트 [Teuraideunteu Pointeu, Trident Point, likely a location], and three months have passed since then, but there’s no progress at all.

Is it because I haven’t had a proper fight? Or because I didn’t properly confront 마도성 [Madoseong, Magic Star or Magic Fortress, likely a significant place or entity]?

This isn’t something that can be solved by worrying about it, so I closed the notebook and hugged Aki and Pipi tightly, sharing our body heat as we fell asleep.

The next day, dark clouds hung heavily from dawn, and then it started to rain.

I stuffed Aki into Seresia’s front flap to keep him from getting wet, but he stubbornly poked his head out and looked out at the world where the rain curtain rippled.

“I told you you’d catch a cold if you did that.”

The world was already in early December, but the season was still summer. The rain falling in the south, like in my school days, held a warm temperature.

Was he fascinated by the rain, or did he just like the feeling of warm water washing over his body like Pipi?

Unlike usual, Aki was quietly gazing at the world where the rain was pouring down.

“I told you you’d catch a cold, didn’t I?”

The problem was that it wasn’t just a simple shower, but a monsoon. It drizzled for six days straight as I headed towards the border.

Thanks to that, snot was dangling from Aki’s nostrils, and he was sneezing repeatedly, “Achoo!”

At this rate, I’ll have to change my plans and stop by a city… I turned left at the intersection, turning my horse’s head towards <란드키프> Fortress [Landkeeupeu Fortress, likely a border fortress].

“Sigh, what an ominous rain.”

“Ominous, ominous, ominous.”

“Boo-woo-kki! Boo-woo-kki!”

* * *

Amidst the dark clouds pouring down rain, a flame-like aura flickered on the surface of a shrine built of red stone on a cliff.

This was 신화봉(神火峰) [Sinhwabong, Divine Fire Peak], the largest and highest peak among the 적색산맥 [Jeoksaek Sanmaek, Red Mountain Range] peaks.

It was originally where the Fire Dragon 벨’다키둔 [Bel’dakidun] resided, and until the republic’s theocratic system collapsed, it was a sacred place where priestesses resided and conveyed the dragon’s teachings.

“…”

Under the bamboo hat where the rain was endlessly flowing down, a woman with a bamboo pipe in her mouth looked up at the shrine with empty eyes.

As if proving that the era of dragons was coming to an end, the red dragon that once dominated this peak was nowhere to be seen.

Only the dragon statues weathered by the wind and waves were watching the scene of her and her seven heretical followers walking up to the shrine. It was then.

“““Oh, power of 영(零) [Yeong, Zero or Spirit] that wets the atmosphere, oh, energy of 염(焰) [Yeom, Flame] and 호(浩) [Ho, Vastness] residing in 신산 [Sinsan, Divine Mountain], now, according to our command, be released and dance here!”””

The outline of the pointed hats worn only by witches could be seen in the lightning, and the language of multiple incantations raced through the rain.

The recitation of sacred words added anomalies to the world’s providence.

The valley collapsed, causing large and small rocks to fall, flames erupted from the ground, and the rain that had been scattering in the air became blades and poured down.

“…It can’t be over with just this.”

Amidst the dust of the explosion that was rising thickly, a witch muttered, panting. But she immediately felt chills down her neck.

The 3-star spell chanted simultaneously by twenty witches… was completely blocked by the barrier 펼친 [Pyeolchin, deployed or cast] by a man wearing a 검푸른 [Geompureun, dark blue or blackish-blue] iron mask.

Moreover, there were clearly eight people, but there were only five below. The moment she realized that was her last moment.

“Ugh, ugh───?!”

The necks of three witches were whipped in succession, and their bodies melted into slime by the poison that flowed through the whip.

Before the 흑마녀 [Heukmanyeo, Black Witch] group called 칠흉(七凶) [Chilhyeong, Seven Fiends] appeared on the surface after the 흑점 사태 [Heukjeom Satae, Black Spot Incident], she was a woman who was known as ‘Number 4’ among her colleagues.

Before she could even be shocked, the 흑마녀 [Heukmanyeo, Black Witch] who appeared from behind her took off her clothes, and her body was transformed into a 검푸른 [Geompureun, dark blue or blackish-blue] hairy beast.

She was called ‘Number 5′.

The teeth and claws of that beast tore the witches’ limbs to shreds… and the witches who were chanting to respond to it suddenly stiffened all over, foaming at the mouth and convulsing.

“Isn’t there a pretty girl to take over and enjoy?”

A young man in a 검푸른 [Geompureun, dark blue or blackish-blue] robe appeared with a grinning face, that is, ‘Number 7′, and manipulated the dice lewdly enough to feel obscene.

For those with high magic sensitivity, it would be visible that the young man’s magic was grabbing and violating the witches’ souls with tentacles, not tentacles.

It took less than a minute for all twenty-four witches who were guarding 신화봉 [Sinhwabong, Divine Fire Peak] while 북(北) Republic [Buk Republic, North Republic] ‘s priestess, Juliana, was away to fall.

“It’s over.”

“It’s all over~!”

Amidst the blood, bone fragments, and flesh making puddles while being mixed in the rain, something grabbed the ankle of the woman in the bamboo hat who was crossing that death’s ground.

It was a witch who was painfully spitting out blood, and all the bones and flesh of her lower body were torn off, and her spine was exposed.

The witch barely rolled her tongue, overcoming the last agony of death, in which her consciousness was turning red.

“투…… 투레이나…… 님…… 대체, 대체 어째서…….” [Tu… Tureina… nim… daeche, daeche eojjaeseo… “Tu… Tureina… Lady… Why, why like this…”]

In the shadow of the bamboo hat, the eyes of the priestess, who was a disciple of the old archmage and the legendary priestess, were filled with something that seemed like cynicism or sorrow.

“Because of love.”

Was it the last remaining trace of humanity? The cigarette smoke that Tureina exhaled flowed into the witch’s brain through her respiratory system.

That smoke instantly suppressed all pain, suffering, and sorrow, and led the witch’s soul to death quietly and peacefully.

When the witch died, all the subordinates were gathered below the wide and large stairs of the 신화봉 [Sinhwabong, Divine Fire Peak] shrine, 벨라키오르(Belrakior; 불의 축복) [Bellakior; Bul-ui Chukbok, Belrakior; Blessing of Fire].

“궨 [Gwen], enshrine our teacher at the 폴란티르 [Pollantireu] altar.”

“Yes.”

Originally, the 폴란티르 [Pollantireu] altar was a place to offer sacrifices and pray to the Fire Dragon 벨’다키둔 [Bel’dakidun], and it was an altar where old divinity resided.

Then, a crow of magic flew from somewhere and landed on 궨 [Gwen]’s shoulder. The feathers it scattered soon became strings of letters and spread out in the air.

궨 [Gwen] immediately reported the contents.

“We have found the dragon’s protector.”

“Belita and Ash, go secure the remains of the 진룡 [Jinryong, True Dragon] from now on. It will be a difficult opponent, so be sure to use this when fighting.”

Number 4 and Number 5 politely received the 죽통(sealed with a talisman) [Juktong, bamboo tube] that Tureina threw, and Number 7 grinned and intervened.

“Haha, can’t I go too? Of course, you’ll allow it, right? Our great and kind Tureina master.”

Tureina, who had been staring at Number 7’s impudent and annoying face for a while, clicked her tongue unhappily, turned her body, and stepped onto the stairs.

“Do as you please.”

Now, it’s starting.

It’s finally starting.