The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 157

157

A sad dream. A dream where the sky-blue-haired girl, buried in the tomb of memories, waved her hand in a friendly greeting.

“Sa-bu, Sa-bu!”

The steps heading that way involuntarily stopped. It was because another voice was heard from the opposite side of the intersection.

“Ah-buut!”

My lifelong benefactor, Alakish, was holding Akirea and looking at me, his face etched with sorrowful grief.

Akhi.

Yes, Akhi.

I desperately called her name, but no voice came out… Instead, the consciousness that had been submerged at the bottom of the dream rapidly rose to the surface.

“Hmm, the recovery is certainly fast, probably because the soul of a True Dragon is dwelling within.”

With difficulty, I lifted my eyelids and heard such a voice.

“No, in this case, it would be more accurate to say that you should have died, but you survived.”

“I…”

“You won’t be able to move even if you want to. There are needles stuck all over your body right now. Think of it as treatment for what you suffered from the Song of Creation.”

It was under a light so dazzling it stung my eyes. I tried to look around with my drowsy eyes, but I couldn’t move anything except my pupils.

Roughly, I could tell that I was lying on a surgical table and that one-span-long needles were densely stuck all over my body. Strangely, there was no pain.

And I saw a woman sitting on a backless chair, a pipe in her mouth. For a moment, I gasped and almost shouted Toureina’s name, but upon closer inspection, it was different.

“The power of the Song of Creation binds everything about the target, conceptually. Even simple forces like the power to move muscles or circulate magic, and even basic metabolic abilities like the heartbeat that circulates blood.”

The pure white robe she wore, along with Friede’s jet-black robe, was a color only allowed to shamans.

“I’m restoring that right now, so it’s best if you stay still.”

The shaman, wearing a pure white conical hat and robe, had a pipe also carved from sacred wood, which was white, and her face was etched with countless wrinkles, the marks of a long life.

“Originally, once a human body is bound there, they die without exception, and even if they miraculously survive, they are guaranteed to be in a vegetative state, but to wake up in half a day… Amazing.”

Moreover, she wore a sacred scroll, a Poem, the symbol of a shaman, on her waist, and three scrolls of proclamation, signifying the Three Disasters Witch, on the opposite side.

“The power granted by the soul of the True Dragon is truly great. Is this what they call super regeneration?”

“Where is this… Who are you…?”

“This place is safe from Toureina’s eyes thanks to my barrier, and I am Juliana. The alias given to me by a human I once followed as a teacher is ‘Star Cluster Witch’.”

Juliana…

Toureina’s last disciple…

Even my vocal cords were paralyzed; it required considerable effort to exhale and move my tongue to make a sound.

“Did you save me…?”

“No, I didn’t save you. Strictly speaking, it’s my junior disciple, but in this case, should I call them a defector? Since you know each other well, they said they would greet you in person later.”

“Defector…?”

“Thank them when you meet them later. If that person had intervened just a little later, your companions and the Sun Parrot would have died. Hmm, more important than that is the current situation, and what circumstances you’re in.”

Juliana gently exhaled the cigarette smoke she had deeply inhaled onto my face.

Then, I felt like wet wool was filling my head, and suddenly everything in the world disappeared and turned pure white.

And I… my body moved normally. The needles that had been stuck all over my body were gone, and there were no problems with my voice.

“This is inside a hallucination world. I had no choice but to bring you here to make the explanation easier.”

It was then that I felt something was missing. As if a part of my soul had left…

Akhi.

I soon realized the identity of that sensation, and my breathing became frantic, close to panic.

“Akhi, where is Akhi─”

“─Safe, for now. To answer the impatience on your face right now, you first need to know what the current situation is.”

Juliana lightly shook her pipe half a turn, and the pure white space wriggled and soon turned into a blurry image.

No, the image blurred for a moment because of my tears.

In the image that formed there was the shadow of the past that I had missed so much. Perhaps it was a part of Juliana’s memory, the sight of Toureina teaching magic to a young girl.

“This is the Toureina you know, right? Just like in the books: kind, compassionate, and a witch among witches who selflessly cares for the hungry and sick. She was also my teacher.”

“…”

“But this is just Toureina’s public persona. Behind that goodwill lurks an evil obsession. This is Toureina’s true nature.”

With those words, the image that changed… was so unbearable to look at.

In the midst of a brutal massacre, a path of blood, that person was there. On top of all sorts of forbidden research drawn with blood, that person was there. That person who smiled so purely…

As I blankly watched those images without even closing my eyes, Juliana said.

“This is the real Toureina. I don’t know exactly, but one thing is certain: Toureina started moving for a single purpose at some point.”

“A single purpose?”

“The resurrection of Archmage Lynn.”

Although I didn’t show it, the pain of being stabbed in the heart was so severe that I was breathless.

I tried to laugh it off.

I tried to tell her not to be ridiculous.

But I couldn’t deny that the moment I acknowledged that assumption as ‘true,’ several mysteries were immediately solved.

– The vessel created to receive Lynn’s soul is me!

Libeni, who had the appearance of me when I was forcibly cross-dressed by Friede, and Libadin, who used my face and my Jeseoseuranyeon [likely a unique magical artifact or technique].

“…”

But it doesn’t make sense. Think about it, right? There’s no way Toureina could have become such an evil person. And if she had, Yoshhar would have told me…

– I cannot answer that question. Because your soul is not yet mature enough to face the truth.

In the midst of the terrible logic that swirled in my head in the moment my heart beat once, I could only blankly shut my mouth.

“Whether that point was after Friede’s death or before… the timing doesn’t matter. However, it’s certain that Toureina joined hands with the Abyss.”

“How can you be so sure? It could be a fake Toureina. Yes, it’s reverse magic. Reverse engineering? By imitating her face with that─”

“─Before Toureina was consumed by the Abyss, the Light Dragon rejected the thawing plan of Juyeoso Gyeodae Ban [likely a specific magical plan or ritual] that Toureina presented.”

Yes, it’s a lie. There’s no way Toureina would have touched the Abyss.

It’s Zernyx. That guy impersonating Zernyx is pretending to be Juliana and deceiving me right now.

As if it didn’t matter what my expression was, Juliana continued her explanation in a low, subdued voice.

“Toureina believed that if she added a newly developed spell to Juyeoso Gyeodae Ban, which was an incomplete spell, Lynn’s ice would melt.”

“…!”

“But the Light Dragon refused that proposal, or rather, that plea. The reason was that the soul had already left that body, or something like that?”

My soul.

I could feel my heart racing.

“Dragons don’t lie. Toureina, who knew that better than anyone, couldn’t believe those words. Maybe she didn’t want to believe them.”

A giggling voice echoed wildly in my ears.

– When I told her I would teach her how to wake up that frozen brat, she rolled her eyes and learned black magic…

I was driven to the point where I couldn’t even swallow, let alone breathe.

“Toureina thought that if the Light Dragon wouldn’t help, she would borrow the power of the Abyss to revive Lynn. Fate is often ridiculous. Trying to save a teacher who died fighting the Abyss by joining hands with the Abyss?”

“…”

“The Lord of Time controls time. The same goes for its vassals. Toureina tried to awaken the Lord of Time sealed in the Holy See and turn Lynn’s body back to before it froze. That’s the whole story of the Black Spot incident that led to the downfall of the Yellow Dragon Corps.”

I don’t believe it. I can’t believe it.

It can’t be.

What did I teach that person, what kind of life did Friede, Rista, and Kies show that person.

“The Abyss feeds on the negative energy in human hearts, the sadness and longing that come from affection. It subtly coaxes them into corruption.”

“Stop…”

“Toureina probably knows that well too. So she probably thinks she’s using the Abyss instead. But what will be the consequences?”

The image that formed this time was the Red Mountains.

The mountain villages were devastated without a single person, crows were flying around, the forests that beautifully colored the mountains were all withered, and the lake rotted and turned into a swamp.

There was death everywhere, and there was disaster everywhere.

“Toureina is spreading disaster in the world. She’s ruining the world for her own desires.”

“No, no…”

“I couldn’t believe it until I saw it myself. Using the spells that used to heal the sick to create homunculi, and ordering them to massacre for her own purposes.”

Shut your mouth.

I almost shouted that.

“While watching such a dualistic life, I realized a clear truth.”

That person is your teacher.

How can you condemn her so resolutely? Without even suspecting it’s a fake? The possibility of her body being taken over?

“What is Toureina’s goal in life? The destruction of the world? If that were the case, I could hate her outright.”

“Stop it…”

“It’s a pitifully pathetic love. Toureina’s life has been nothing more than the manifestation of her desire to meet Lynn again.”

Unpleasant sweat broke out on my back, and no thought was possible in my head due to hyperventilation.

What I saw and heard was the bloody carnage that Juliana had projected into the hallucination world. The bamboo hat-wearing shaman, Toureina, walking in the middle of it.

Gradually, my consciousness became vague, and when I came to my senses, I was screaming like crazy.

“How can you expect me to believe such words! It’s impossible, Toureina, what kind of person is Toureina! Everyone, everyone said she lived a life respected by all, a great person! I, the book, from the book─”

“─The truth is always hard to believe.”

“Shut up! This, this brainwashing! Do you think I’ll fall for it! Bell, Bell Curie… Bell Curious!”

“Calm down, the main point I’m trying to make is from now─”

“─Don’t come near me, go away! I don’t believe such sophistry! Do you think I’ll believe it! Zernyx, you damn bastard! Such, such cowardly tricks, I, I…!”

Even though it was a hallucination world, I couldn’t breathe, so I finally fell to the ground and repeatedly gasped for breath before losing consciousness.

In my dream, I smelled old books.

On the day I saved the Red City in the rotation, I had fallen asleep while reading an ancient book I had wanted to read in the Grand Library of the Holy City, where the southern moonlight coldly shone.

At that time, the bamboo hat that had been covering my face was suddenly lifted, and I saw the shy smile of a blue-haired brat.

– Sa-bu, please sleep in bed.

Sad and faint memories of summer days, sandwiched between the arduous, rough, and difficult journeys.

Perhaps because of the voice in that memory… or perhaps because of the smile… the surface of my consciousness calmly subsided as if I were lying on a cozy blanket.

The wildly raging heart became peaceful, and my mind became clear. The intense pain soon became a quiet sadness that soaked my soul.

When I opened my eyes again, the needles that had been stuck all over my body had disappeared, and Ceresia was covering my body like a blanket instead.

It didn’t take much effort to turn my head. Juliana, sitting in the chair at the head of my bed, smoking her pipe, was clearly recognized.

“How much time has passed?”

Perhaps surprised that I spoke in a calmer voice than before, Juliana blinked for a moment and answered, puffing out a hazy cloud of cigarette smoke.

“That person brought you guys here at dawn, and now it’s dusk. About half a day has passed.”

I had faced that person in at midnight… Did she use space-time magic or something?

“What you said earlier… it’s all true, right.”

“I should apologize first. I don’t usually talk about Toureina’s story so directly. Until it’s time to accept the truth.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s dangerous. Because they can’t accept it. To magicians and witches, Toureina is like an idol. But I had to do it. There’s not much time left, for me or for you.”

The shock to me was not so much from disillusionment as it was from something deeper and sadder… but there was no need to say that.

Instead, I groaned at the severe pain running through my body and got up. Then I rolled off the sickbed, but crawled forward on my elbows.

“You can’t beat Toureina going with that body. As a result, you can’t save the True Dragon’s remains either. This is a sanctuary in the foothills of the Red Mountains. It’s close to the location of the ritual.”

There were two precious things to find. One is Toureina, and the other is Akhi. The child that my benefactor entrusted to me, believing in me.

“The ritual begins on the day of the new moon. As much as they have to be sacrificed as sacrifices, the True Dragon’s remains will be safe until then. Above all, to stop a ritual that is cast on a wide area, you need reinforcements. You can’t do anything going alone.”

“I have to go, right now…”

“I thought magicians were rational beings, are you going to throw away all chances of winning by being swept away by emotions?”

It was truly pathetic to be hearing such words from a disciple’s disciple, but I couldn’t stay still.

I couldn’t, stay still.

That Akhi starts crying 15 seconds after being separated from me, how much is she crying now? Is she safe? Is she hurt anywhere? Is she sleeping well? What about food? Is she starving?

“I’ll tell you the main point I was going to make earlier. I was an orphan. I was dying in a crumbling village. That’s when Toureina found me. She said this: ‘Come here, aren’t you hungry?’ Then she gave me food and healed my wounds.”

I felt a strange wariness in that statement, and at the same time, I felt a familiar sensation that made my chest ache, and I stopped moving.

Come here, aren’t you hungry?

This line… was so similar to what I had said when I first met Toureina.

“And she said she would teach me magic. If I learned magic, I would have value as a person, and I would be able to live proudly wherever I went.”

“…”

“Toureina had the skill and kindness to teach magic more easily than anyone else. And she also had the magical power to legitimately change the injustices of this land. She actually helped and healed many people.”

I’m glad, I thought.

I was relieved that what was written in the book wasn’t a lie. I was relieved that her life wasn’t all a lie.

Juliana helped me up and laid me back on the sickbed. Numerous silver needles were placed on a silver tray on the bedside table.

“Toureina taught me magic and gave me true freedom. She gave me the ability to buy rice cakes, not just giving me rice cakes.”

“Earlier, you said you realized the truth and were disillusioned…”

“The ‘Golden Children’ or the Magic League Special Task Force want to say that. But who, who owes their life or their family’s life to Toureina, can say that?”

It is also true that Toureina committed countless evil deeds, but it is also true that she performed more good deeds than anyone else who has ever existed in this world.

“After realizing the truth, I tried to kill Toureina. There were times when she would get drunk and fall down once or twice a year. I wanted to give my teacher peace with my own hands before she destroyed the world.”

“…But why did you fail?”

“Women, unlike men, are emotional animals. That’s why only women can become witches.”

Juliana took out a paper scroll that she had been carefully holding in her arms and handed it to me. I took it without much thought and unfolded it, then stopped for a moment.

My hands and eyes trembled.

An unbearable pain ran through my soul, as if scraping my heart with a thick, sharp chisel. I rolled up the paper again and blankly raised my head.

“Toureina was asleep on her desk. While writing that letter. The moment I saw the contents, I couldn’t do anything. At that time, Toureina noticed my presence and woke up, and I ran away. I accidentally took that with me back then.”

Toureina’s letter…

The moment I saw the beautiful handwriting that said, ‘To my teacher,’ I felt my body freeze.

“I don’t want to say that Toureina’s evil deeds should be forgiven. I just want you to give her a little consideration.”

“…?”

“If she is caught by the Holy See or the Special Task Force, Toureina will be subjected to terrible torture and then burned at the stake.”

Right now, Toureina’s existence is close to a legendary echo.

The Holy See and the Special Task Force are also chasing Toureina, but they are not ruling out the possibility that it is a fake.

The Yellow Dragon Corps doesn’t seem to be telling the truth either… but the moment Toureina is caught, everything will come to the surface.

“I don’t want that. It’s right to punish her, but I think she should be given a death that is appropriate for the good deeds she has done.”

“…You are a shaman and this is a republic, why are you asking for my opinion?”

“The Water Dragon gave a revelation in a dream. To entrust the judgment to you. So I did my part.”

“Yeriserica?”

“Yes. Rest as much as possible until your body stabilizes, and I’ll see you at the strategy meeting tomorrow morning. There’s still one day left until the new moon.”

Juliana put her hand on my shoulder, put strength into that hand, and then left the room.

Except for the ominous crow cries mixed in the moderately cold night air, it was a beautiful night with the moon and stars in the clear sky.

Before unfolding the reality in my hand, the weight of this reality that I had to accept, I had to take a deep breath over and over again.

‘Toureina, you idiot, what on earth are you doing…?’

Feeling the pain of a cold blade piercing my heart, I was finally able to unfold the letter when the moon in the east was hanging in the mid-sky.