The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 40

Rebirth of the Hero Party’s Archmage – 40

Episode 40

After finishing the written exam on the last day, I returned to the dormitory under the afternoon sun. The sky still held three suns high.

I’d heard that the scores would be released on Monday after grading was completed over the weekend. That meant a perfect holiday from now until then.

If the exam had proceeded according to the original schedule, the holiday would have been later, but since it was moved up a week, this was a welcome change.

“Oh, as expected. It increased, it increased.”

As soon as I returned, I checked Rin’s diary. It confirmed my pleasant hypothesis.

Socrafres.

– Can inherit the progress of ‘Unique Magic’ research from the surrounding environment.

– Progress 40.0% => 40.8%.

Yeah, fighting strong enemies raises the progress. A very satisfactory result. Though, it’s strange to think that unique magic increases just from fighting.

‘I should pack this too…….’

I packed the diary with a few pieces of clothing. I was planning a short 2-night, 3-day trip—a so-called power-up trip.

– Rin, after the expedition, would you like to come to our shrine in the Red Mountains?

That was a story from 300 years ago.

Friede had said that to me on the day I consumed nearly 50 magic potions and fought for almost four days.

– There’s a very efficacious elixir called Dragon’s Breath. I’ll give it to you. Your magic power will increase tremendously.

– Is it okay for Friede to give something like that away as she pleases?

– What do you think of me? I’m Friede, the priestess who serves the Fire Dragon Bel’dakidun. I’ll give you the full tour of the Red Mountains, so just come.

That’s why I’m visiting the Fire Dragon’s shrine, even though all the Red Dragons are now gone.

Well, it’s a bit concerning that I’ve been dormant for 300 years with the Main Subordinate System [referring to his magical abilities and connections].

Still, Friede might have prepared the elixir, convinced that I would return. If there’s no elixir, I can just consider it physical training.

‘In this state, I feel uneasy about going to the black market…….’

I feel uneasy because I can’t use the Mental Barrier, a key skill, and I can’t use Bel Curious [likely a magical artifact or ability] to my heart’s content.

“With this, the preparations are all done.”

I put the bundle on my back and carefully looked around the room. I hoped I hadn’t forgotten anything.

“Then, shall we go check?”

Friede, did you prepare the gift you promised or not?

* * *

The Red Mountains are a mountain range representing the south, serving as the boundary between the Holy Human Empire and the Dragonkin Republic, a sacred mountain.

The Fire Dragon Bel’dakidun stayed there with his legion for nearly a thousand years, so the entire mountain range is imbued with efficacious magic. To this day, it is considered a sacred place by many believers, magicians, and witches.

After the legion left, the central-north and north areas of the mountain range became imperial territory, and the central-south to south areas went to the Republic.

The peak representing the Republic is the Mythical Fire Peak, where the Fire Dragon once resided. Even now, priestesses reside here with witches who preside over rituals, conveying the teachings of the dragon.

‘The place I’m going is not here…….’

It’s the Snowy Fire Peak, where the priestess resided and prepared for the rituals before the legion left for the South Pole. In short, it’s where Friede was.

“Hey, young man.”

I was carving into the rock, climbing the Thousand Steps that directly connect from the foot of the mountain to the shrine of Mythical Fire Peak, sweating profusely, when I heard a voice from behind.

“……Hmm?”

Wiping away sweat and turning around, I saw a middle-aged man sitting on the side of the stairs, unpacking a bundle and eating oatmeal biscuits.

“Where are you going in such a hurry this early in the morning?”

He was dressed as a traveler, but the muscles all over his body were quite sturdy, giving the feeling that he was not an ordinary pilgrim.

“From what I see, you don’t seem to be a young man going to worship at Mythical Fire Peak. Is your purpose to rob another shrine?”

“……?”

“There’s no need to be so wary. Coming to rob the Red Mountains at such a young age, you must have a pitiful story, so I’ll tell you one thing.”

I hadn’t said anything, but he was proceeding with the story on his own, so I decided to listen silently.

“Don’t go to Snowy Fire Peak, no matter what. It’s been abandoned for nearly 300 years, but no grave robber who went there has survived.”

“……Why? You said it’s been abandoned.”

“How would I know? They say a demon raised by the priestess guards that place.”

“A priestess? A demon? Does that make sense?”

“That’s just the title. I once closed my eyes and went only to the entrance, and I almost died. If I had gone further, I would have definitely died.”

Are Friede’s successor priestesses all psychos?

Something was funny, so I chuckled.

Touraine, that guy, is suspected of dabbling in black magic, and the current priestess raises a demon? No, from the beginning, Friede wasn’t normal.

Perhaps mistaking that pure laughter, the middle-aged man sighed deeply.

“It seems my story has rather fueled your get-rich-quick ambitions. I know that the voices of old men don’t reach the youthful spirit, but it’s better to think about it again.”

A summoned beast? Or a monster?

Whatever it is, it’s necessary to be wary. The priestess is the most outstanding figure in the Republic, not just in position but also in skill.

“Thank you for the story. Thanks to you, I won’t be ambushed.”

I lightly thanked him with a smirk and climbed the stairs again.

Around the time my calves started to cramp, a winding mountain path opened up next to the Thousand Steps. It’s the road leading to Snowy Fire Peak.

Holding up one of the lamps illuminating the Thousand Steps, I stepped onto the mountain path, illuminating my feet.

The mountain at night was quiet yet bustling. Insects chirped endlessly, and eerie cries of mountain beasts or monsters could be heard.

“…….”

I shouldn’t get lost in memories.

When I do things like this adventure, echoes of memories surface. The first time I met Friede was also on a night like this.

– This little guy is our party’s mage?

– Yeah, yeah. Isn’t he cute?

– No? Our Pipi is cuter?

How many hours did I walk, laughing and becoming depressed alone while reminiscing about the past?

The gentle uphill climb ended, and the view opened up, revealing a temple built of red volcanic rock, showing its ancient appearance.

Could it be that even the temple built by the dragons could not overcome the flow of time? The flagstones of the road were cracked, the garden was overgrown with weeds, and the once-splendid stained glass was broken and unsightly.

‘I’ve come this far without a plan…… I feel like I really don’t have a plan at all.’

Where should I go?

Should I go inside the temple first? If I go to the priestess’s bedroom, something might come out.

No, let’s take out Ludien [likely a magical artifact or familiar] first and have it detect.

– They say a demon raised by the priestess is guarding that place.

Was it just a rumor? I can’t see that kind of guy anywhere. I don’t feel any presence either.

Still, just in case, I carefully looked around repeatedly, and after a long time, I jumped over the temple’s main gate, which was entangled with vines.

An eerie silence filled the old sanctuary. This silence, which seemed like it would break at any moment, was somehow creepy.

Creak…….

It was the moment I stepped on a branch.

A graceful three-story pagoda was built on the top of the temple, and suddenly, phosphorescence flickered from the top of that three-story pagoda.

“……?!”

Intense hostility.

No sooner had I straightened up than something at the top spread its wings wide to both sides.

Then, flames swirled, forming huge wings and a beak…… soon scattering sparks and soaring high into the night sky.

“That can’t be…….”

That moment, a dizzying thrill shook my head. A dazzling fantasy flashed in my mind…… reason desperately suppressed it.

Whirr, whirr, whirr───!

The flames dived down like an arrow. If I hadn’t rolled forward, my whole body would have been burned. Because that’s that creature.

‘There’s no way. How could that be…….’

The flames that brushed over Rain’s head immediately entered a gliding state and soared back into the sky.

– Rin, say hello. This is Friede. And this is Pipi. Friede raises her like her own daughter.

Taking advantage of that gap, Rain ran along the temple’s moss-covered corridor.

Just then, light was dazzlingly reflected on the stained glass of the shrine…… and before the heat rushed in, Rain once again lay flat on the floor.

Quarrrrrr────!

Intense heat swept over my head. A few strands of hair were burned, and I smelled a burnt smell.

Was it because of that smell?

I remembered that the first time we met, the guy who landed on my head suddenly spewed fire, and my hair was burned, so I smelled like this.

– Ahahahahahaha! Pipi landed a hit! Our party’s mascot is me, Pipi! That’s what it is!

Friede laughed so much at that time…… that guy’s prank was the background for Friede and I to become close in an instant.

‘But…… no, this is impossible. 300 years have passed since then.’

The steps that were running recklessly towards the temple’s main gate stopped without me realizing it. Anyway, there are no eyes to see or ears to hear.

If…….

Really, if…….

Maybe, even if it’s really…….

It took a tremendous amount of strength just to make my Adam’s apple move. The voice that barely burst out cracked weakly in a high pitch.

“Pipi…… is that you?!”

The flames were circling in the sky, looking for an opportunity to instantly kill the intruder.

“Pipi, it’s me! Rin!”

When the flames flapped its wings, the afterimages of fire scattered beautifully in all directions like stars…… leaving a long streak of light and starting to descend.

“It’s Rin───!”

The cry that I had never been able to say since I was reincarnated…… the cry that had no one to say it to…… with a voice mixed with sorrow, doubt, and joy.

“……?”

The advance of the flames, which had been diving down with a creepy heat, stopped for a moment. Right in front of my eyes. The flames tilted its slender beak.

“Rin? Rin? Rin?”

It was an awkward echo as if trying to imitate that voice for the first time in a long time, but soon it started calling that name well.

“Yeah, it’s me…… we even had a mascot competition and stuff…….”

Pipi was a sun parakeet that Friede brought to the party.

It is a species so rare throughout the continent that you can’t get it even if you give gold and silver treasures, and it is famous for having intelligence comparable to that of a human child.

Is it just intelligence? Some people worship the sun parakeet as a legendary creature because of its mysterious qualities of freely manipulating flames as a beast.

“Not Rin. Looks different. Pipi knows friend.”

The sun parakeet seemed to be angry at being deceived and began to spew flames several times more intensely than before.

I might have burned to death as it is.

If I hadn’t put a semi-circular barrier on my body with water magic at that moment……. Water and fire collided, and steam rose thickly.

‘It’s really Pipi……?’

Is this emotion that is swirling hotly in my heart now confusion? No, this is…… isn’t this the emotion of joy?

“Pipi, I look different, but it’s me. It’s me!”

I shouted at Pipi, who was recklessly trampling the barrier of water in the rage of impersonating a friend.

How can I share memories with this guy? Something that can let you know that it’s me in an instant…….

At that moment, something flashed in my mind like lightning. Everyone in the party was smiling brightly.

“Look at this, don’t you remember?”

The magic circle shattered from Rain’s palm, and the water curtain that formed the barrier scattered into countless water droplets and danced like snowflakes.

It was a magic that Pipi liked.

It was a magic that Pipi danced to. It was a magic that Pipi liked, so Friede liked it, Rista liked it, Kies liked it, and Rin liked it.

A fragment of memories that is not written in any book, that was trivial but more brilliant than anything else in our time.

“…….”

Perhaps glimpsing the same memories from that magic, Pipi, who had been circling in the air warily, suddenly landed on the ground and stared blankly at the water droplets.

“Rin? Rin? Rin?”

“Yeah, it’s me…… it’s Rin.”

In an instant, the flames that had made Pipi’s body larger than an eagle disappeared with a whoosh.

Without the flames, it’s just a cute parrot with golden fur. A crown that spreads up, down, left, and right like a sunflower, and a head that blooms cutely like a flower in the middle.

Pipi flew onto Rain’s shoulder. Wagging its head back and forth as if excited.

“Rin, scaredy-cat magician Rin, Pipi’s friend.”

In an instant, the vision was blurred.

The feathers that used to be glossy 300 years ago were tattered hideously, and the beak and claws were broken and worn by the storm, but it was Pipi.

It was that Pipi who had accompanied me to the end of the earth, even when it snowed or rained.

“You, how…… until now…….”

The strength in my legs gave way and I collapsed. A sound that was neither a cry nor a laugh continued to leak from my vocal cords.

This was not just a reunion.

Pipi was an existence that sublimated the echoes that I thought would never be reached again into memories. It was like a link that held onto the past that I could no longer grasp.

“Rin said he’d come again. Rin came.”

Pipi was shaking its head and butt, going up and down Rain’s head and shoulders as if it was more excited than ever.

“You idiot…… why me…… even though it’s been 300 years…….”

Tears were constantly flowing from the boy’s eyes, but the smile on his lips was born from joy.

“Wait for Rin, Friede said. Pipi waited. Until friend comes. Always. Because friend.”