The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 208

208

“Come here, Setsnen!”

A sudden chaos shook my brain.

Thanks to Rain’s shout as he chased after the assassin, Rem barely regained his senses and quickly supported Miria, helping her up.

“What’s wrong, Gosle? Were you cut too?”

“No, it’s just…”

Miria gasped for breath.

Old man Biram knelt beside the little one’s head, holding his hand, while Aki stood blankly, unsure of what to do.

Rem leaned Miria against the wall and rushed to the fallen child.

“What is it? Just how dangerous of a guy are you being chased by?”

In the momentary tragedy, some citizens screamed and ran away.

The commotion spread throughout the city, but because everyone had fled, this epicenter of the tragedy was eerily quiet.

Then, the little one, with only his upper body remaining, clutching his chest and coughing up blood, suddenly grabbed Rem’s wrist.

“My, request, redo the request…”

Rem felt two kinds of confusion there.

First, the little one’s hand was bigger and tougher than it appeared.

And second, his pronunciation was quite accurate and his tone was archaic, unlike before.

“My real name is… Biram of the Solond Kingdom’s Royal Guard… This person… Prince Ovin… must, must be taken back to the kingdom… before the kingdom collapses…”

Prince of Solond?

What was he suddenly saying? I couldn’t follow the story.

“Then the royal family… will give you… enormous rewards…”

Suddenly, something like a heat haze rose above the bodies of the old man and the little one.

Hallucination?

No, this is…?

Then, unbelievably, the positions of the two were switched.

‘It’s not just the position.’

Clearly, it was the little one, Ovin, whose upper body had been severed. But somehow, Biram’s upper body was now the one that was cut off.

“The Solond Kingdom Royal Guard’s forbidden art.”

“Forbidden art, forbidden art, forbidden art.”

Then Valenci ডিস appeared from the right alley. There was no time or reason to welcome the healer’s appearance.

Modern medicine using magic cannot regenerate missing body parts.

For the same reason, in cases like this where the upper body is severed, there’s nothing that can be done to save them. No matter what.

“The moment the target is in mortal danger, it automatically switches their positions with illusion. A technique to die in their place, so to speak.”

His tone was somewhat mischievous.

Even as he said that, Valenci ডিস chanted a sacred language and placed his hand, enveloped in a mystical light, on Biram’s forehead.

Then Biram’s breathing became easier. It eased the pain of the dying process.

“Please don’t cry, Your Highness…”

When Biram placed his hand on Ovin’s head, tears streamed down the young prince’s eyes.

“This old and insignificant life… it was an honor to serve someone as kind and gentle as Your Highness, even at the very end…”

Rem couldn’t help but doubt his eyes.

The prince was holding the old guard’s hand and shedding tears, but he didn’t make a single sobbing sound.

He was biting his lower lip with all his might to control his grief.

‘At an age when he doesn’t even look ten years old.’

How many battlefields had he overcome, how much pain of severed ties had he endured until now?

“…”

In Aki’s mind, as she stared blankly at this tragedy, the blood, the tears, Miria’s voice was revived.

– People, you know, die someday. And when they die, you know?

For a moment, the overlapping of Biram and Ovin with Rain and herself was probably just a hallucination.

– You can never see them again.

It’s not real.

It’s just an illusion without substance.

But, but it should be, a tear faintly welled up in one eye of the young dragon. Even though she hadn’t fully understood everything about death.

– Come here, Aki.

* * *

Jeoseosweran Yeon: Lightning Style.

The speed of the chains descending from the sky with thunder, truly, was light speed.

Its power might be inferior to the chains constructed with flames, but the key point of Lightning Style should be its speed.

“…!”

The assassin’s movements, as he kicked off the railing and leaped to the other rooftop, were momentarily halted.

‘As expected.’

But with a hair’s breadth difference, with movements close to art, he evaded it and continued his sprint.

‘I didn’t think I’d catch him in the first place.’

The goal from the start was to control his movement. A mage’s feet can’t chase a swordsman’s feet.

He runs.

He escapes the narrow alley, jumps over fences, and crosses the bustling marketplace of Orbenheim to the southeast.

‘I’m not falling behind.’

The assassin, leaping between rooftops with tiles and planks loudly shattering, is still within sight.

In a normal situation, the swordsman would have shaken off the mage long ago.

But with the chains of Jeoseosweran Yeon spread like a net throughout the city, it’s different now.

‘Amazing, Setsnen.’

The casting speed of the spell was several times faster than I had calculated; I almost let out an exclamation inappropriate for the situation.

Is this the power of the Yellow Dragon? The power of the absolute life form that controls lightning?

I heard Setsnen’s whining, layered in my soul as a Yeouiju [a mythical wish-fulfilling orb].

[Aruuu…]

A bucket that had contained fish is kicked by my foot. Scattering droplets of water, the angry owner’s shout.

“Hey, hey you!”

Seresia’s clothes fluttered madly.

Colliding with passersby who were blankly looking up at the spectacle of lightning striking from the clear sky without any warning.

It’s becoming quite a violent and chaotic chase, but it’s going according to plan for now.

‘If we continue like this, instead of the city gate, the towering city walls will block the way.’

Then, I gather the chains that had been deployed over a wide area into one and grab him.

‘Just like this.’

The assassin, whose path was guided by the chains, stopping in front of that rooftop, which the chains didn’t block, can be seen.

What rose desperately in front of him was the city’s wall.

No matter how great a swordsman he is, he needs a running start to jump over that wall.

“Got him.”

The image of concentrating the vast amount of magical power dispersed around into one point, in other words, countless chains, wraps around the assassin who is suspended in the air.

Just before the chains, rushing in with dazzling light from all directions, were about to pierce and seal his body.

Suddenly, he turned to look at me.

At the same time, he gripped the hilt of his greatsword and took a stance to draw it.

A mysterious phosphorescence blooming as it covered the massive blade, two strikes of speed that the eye couldn’t follow were made.

‘I wasn’t mistaken.’

I had to press down on my chest with my fist, which had begun to violently fluctuate at that moment.

‘It’s Space-Time Severance.’

Following the trajectory of that strike, dimensions, cracks spread through space-time.

And the next moment, it shattered like a pane of glass.

Cutting off the chains of lightning belonging to that dimension as if it were a lie.

‘And that sword is…’

The aftershock of the shattered space-time raged, violently shaking Seresia’s clothes.

‘Extreme Divinity Sword, Shurping.’

The assassin landed easily on the city wall, and then leaped beyond it again, disappearing from sight.

‘The Holy Sword that Rista used.’

Gazing blankly at the empty space where he had disappeared, I took several deep breaths… the throbbing gradually subsided, but the chaos did not.

‘Shurping, why are you…?’

In the hands of someone other than Rista, using Rista’s swordsmanship?

The questions didn’t end there.

In the first place, even if that’s the Holy Sword, only a Fayer Queria [a specific lineage or individual capable of wielding holy power] can wield its power…?

Did they resurrect Rista like the Slayers…?

No, it’s impossible. Karenden said that my companions didn’t sink into the abyss.

And Rista’s body should be sealed in the Holy Mausoleum under the Papal Palace. But what if, just in case.

“Abut!”

It was Aki’s voice that ended that ominous delusion.

[Aru!]

Before Setsnen, in Yeouiju state, could even respond happily, Aki rushed over and hugged me tightly.

The force was so strong that I lost my balance and almost fell onto the sidewalk.

I wondered if she was playing around without knowing the situation, but the atmosphere was somehow unusual.

“Why is this kid suddenly like this?”

As I patted the top of her head, which was burning red in the last twilight, Aki finally lifted her face with all her might.

“Abat, don’t die!”

“What?”

“You mustn’t die!”

Not knowing what was going on, I looked into Aki’s clear eyes for a moment, and then gave a smile that was both happy and lonely, and sad.

– Be sure to come back alive, Rin.

– Rin, Master!

– You’re coming back, right? You’re coming back, right?

I’m sorry, Aki.

I’ve decided not to make such promises to anyone anymore. Especially not to you, who will live forever.

Aki in my arms, and the power of Setsnen equipped on both hands, felt heavier than usual.

* * *

“There’s no reason to help. No value either.”

I joined Valenci ডিস in the forest on the outskirts of the city, after the curtain of night had fallen.

After being interrogated by the Red Witch, who leads the city guard with Rem and Miria.

Rem testified that the assassin killed the little one, and the old man, who was with him, was captured by a certain black magician (Valenci ডিস) and disappeared.

“No reason to help?”

That’s because Biram’s death wouldn’t be in vain then. The enemies would think Prince Ovin was dead for a while.

“The Dawn Brigade is currently in control of the Solond Kingdom.”

“What’s the Dawn Brigade?”

Miria, who hadn’t been in good condition earlier but had suddenly recovered, asked.

“The second pillar of the Black Church, the elite group led by Elamas. In Elven, it’s called Katpirim [meaning ‘Dawn Brigade’].”

A moment of silence fell.

A silence so low and deep that you could hear the breath of predators waking up and crying in the night forest.

“As you can tell from the name, all the members of the brigade are elves. Is there any reason to deliberately enter the tiger’s den?”

Elven warriors, who were the first descendants and helped the gods fight the old kings during the Gods’ War, far surpassed humanity in physical and mental abilities.

As if they were born to fight.

They, who can handle the miracles of the gods in various ways, have a small population, but their influence on both continents is enormous.

‘But it’s strange.’

Can elves wield the Holy Sword?

Elves should be using the Holy Spear, which can be said to be a knockoff of the Holy Sword.

But how can there be a swordsman using Shurping?

“What do you mean by no value?”

Bart asked.

Valenci ডিস pointed to Ovin, whose eyes were bloodshot with tears.

“The Solond Kingdom, located in the north-central part of the Adrion Continent, operates a system similar to slavery. They divide the ranks of their citizens from birth in a bizarre way called the bone-rank system.”

“…!”

“And when the kingdom was in crisis, the prince was the first to run away from the kingdom. Abandoning his people.”

“Crisis?”

“It is said that a contagious disease called Soul-Loss Sickness is spreading in the Solond Kingdom right now. And the royal family is neglecting it.”

Anyway, he really was a prince.

That jewel that turned light into sound, I thought I’d heard it somewhere.

It was the treasure of the Archmage Ligwind, passed down to the royal descendants of the Solond Dynasty for generations.

Was that what he meant when he asked for help earlier?

“N-no, no. I, I, had to, find, this.”

Not having spoken the language for very long, the young prince’s Common Tongue pronunciation was even more pathetic than Aki’s.

But his spirit was on a higher level, not collapsing even in the face of his confidant’s death.

What the boy took out was an old bamboo flute, and Rain and Valenci ডিস’s eyes widened for a moment.

‘Could this be…’

‘Ligwind’s Flute?’

Ligwind was the first disciple of the great sage Emissa Page, the first Archmage, and the founder of the Solond Dynasty.

He is also the founder of mages who use music.

And that flute, the one with the name Ligwind elegantly engraved on it… that’s the forgotten treasure of Ligwind mentioned in countless books.

“If, if I have this, I can stop what the Ramesa priest is doing.”

Was that what he left to find?

But certainly, thinking that way, the reason why the Dawn Brigade chased the prince all the way here is clearly explained.

If the prince was really so incompetent and had merely abandoned the kingdom and ran away, would there be any reason to kill him?

“Ramesa Priest?”

According to Prince Ovin’s stuttering explanation, the cause of the Soul-Loss Sickness was due to the machinations of that elven priest (probably Elamas).

By spreading the disease and then curing it, he was undermining the prestige of the royal family and enhancing his own reputation.

The royal family had no power to stand against the priest, so the prince left the kingdom with five guards.

To find Ligwind’s Flute, which could recreate the melodies of the gods that purified the abyss of the old kings.

He finally found the flute, whose location was only passed down to the eldest grandson of the royal family, but in the process, all five guards, including Biram, died.

And now, before it’s too late, he has to hurry back to the kingdom… an impossible task for the prince alone.

“I’m against it, Rain Ludwig. Don’t forget the purpose of your journey. And is the prince’s intention really good? Or is it for his throne?”

Valenci ডিস shook his head, expressing his disapproval, while Bart, who had been lost in thought for a moment, nodded.

“I want to help. Can’t we just stop by on the way?”

“It’s not that simple. Accompanying the prince means being attacked by the brigade throughout the journey.”

“I’m against it too. This is… um, I’d like to help if I could, but it smells too dangerous. Dangerous enough that we don’t have to get involved.”

Surprisingly, Rem agreed with Valenci ডিস’s opinion, not Bart’s.

The assassin’s skills he had seen earlier seemed extremely dangerous. And that was just a member, not even a captain.

It would be fine if I were alone, but now I even have Aki to protect.

“I think it’s right to help.”

Miria placed her hand in favor.

That’s what Long Uncle would have wanted. That’s how he would have wanted us to use our power.

‘And for some reason… I feel like I have to go there.’

Soon, all eyes were on Rain, the last voter and the final decision-maker.

‘If he’s telling us all this after just meeting us, does that mean the situation is really hopeless?’

Does this child have to endure all the hardships created by the Black Church alone?

Suddenly, his childhood, his own figure shivering in the cold in the alleys of the slums, came to mind, and a hot heat rose from his chest.

Black Yang Rin.

‘Are you telling me to go to Solond?’

If that is your will….

Rain, who was stroking the head of the sleeping Setsnen and calculating something, finally opened his mouth.

“I don’t think there’s any need to help either. Because there’s a real purpose to the journey. I’m someone who made a promise with my life on the line.”

The prince’s eyes were stained with despair.

Bart and Miria showed slightly embarrassed expressions. I thought you would definitely say you’d help….

Rain boldly ignored the gazes of the three and gave Aki an irresponsible smile.

“Right, Aki?”

Aki blankly met his eyes.

Usually, just looking into each other’s eyes would make her feel good, but today was different.

It was a look that asked if she naturally agreed with his opinion, but Aki paused for a moment and walked towards the prince.

“First. Like a Dragon, martial arts must be used to protect the powerless and weak!”

“…?”

“Second. Like a Dragon, martial arts must be used to illuminate the dark places of the world!”

Shouting with such force that the forest shook unexpectedly, was the mindset of a Cheonhwa Sect [a martial arts sect] disciple learned from Celine.

The master’s teachings that one must train their body and mind to reach the level of a dragon.

How loud that shout was, Setsnen, who had been sleeping in her arms, squinted and looked at Aki’s face.

“Third. And you must have the heart of a Dragon in your chest!”

Aki, having finished shouting, looked straight at Rain with eyes as dazzling and clear as a torch illuminating the last winter of the world.

“Abba, want to help.”

At that moment, the silence that fell on the darkness of the forest, was it expressing awe at the noble will of the absolute life form?

“Want, want, want.”

At that moment, the expressions on the faces of the companions looking at Aki were each different.

‘Was that guy deliberately testing Aki?’

And at that moment, Rain, feeling a warm and poignant pain somewhere in Aki’s growth, had to turn away.

“Hmm, even if I consider all the possibilities, it’s right not to help, but I can’t help it since Aki said that.”

Valenci ডিস sighed, and Rem shook his head as if he was dumbfounded.

“You were going to do that from the start, but you’re talking nonsense.”

Originally, even if the prince wasn’t involved, he was thinking of visiting the Solond Kingdom alone to find out the identity of the swordsman of Shurping.

Something felt ominous.

I don’t know why, but I felt like I had to find out his identity.

But the reason he gave Aki the choice was because he wanted to know how she was viewing this situation with her tender heart.

The best possible answer came out, but this is like… the same as when I reached the realm of 5-star magic after agonizing….

– You’re really amazing, Rin!

I think Headmistress was making a similar expression when I solved the first math problem she gave me.

Ah, so that’s how you felt back then.

The smile that stretched to both ears just wouldn’t calm down. Is this what you call a proud feeling?

“Abat.”

“Abat, Abat, Abat.”

I put my hand on Aki’s head as she smiled happily at my decision and ran over. Setsnen smiled along even though she didn’t know why.

“Aru.”

I felt like Alakish, layered in my soul under the name of Yeouiju, was smiling.

“Okay, then shall we go? To Solond.”