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Chapter 81: His Test (2)

Her memories were buried in very small things.

The corridors she held her hand in tightly to avoid getting lost.

The flowers they grew together in the garden.

The fairy tale book she read to her before she slept.

The stray cat she pestered and nagged for her to adopt.

… Looking back, Sylvia only had eight years of memories.

That was the only time she spent with her mother, after all.

Human memories piled up like grains of sand, the oldest of them sinking at the bottom as countless more piled up on top.

Throughout that process, their weight grew heavier as time flowed. Some were buried under that weight, but some remained at the top like fragments incapable of being brought down. Those were the ones that stabbed one’s soul sharply.

That was the type of memory Sylvia had.

They could never be buried in the sand or swept away, and time never healed them or made them fade.

Since her mother passed away, her heart ceased to change.

However, at some point, Sylvia felt a new existence standing on her sand.

He protected her from Rock Hark, at Bercht, and from the Baron of Ashes.

Perhaps he shared the same sadness as her.

He grew like a stalk in her mind, in a barren and desolate land.

Before Sylvia went to sleep, whenever she shivered from the cold, and the loneliness within her suffocated her, she thought of him.

She knew what that meant.

It was so clear that she could no longer deny it.

But perhaps that was why it was even more painful.

… She slowly opened her eyes, the white ceiling and the flickering of lights immediately came into view. She felt dizzy.

Sylvia remained immobile for quite a long time.

Shrrrrkk—

The sound of a page being turned softly echoed in the room, causing her to move her eyes vacantly towards its source, finding professor Deculein sitting on a chair next to her.

Almost as if he felt her gaze on him, he spoke while reading a book.

“The test is over.”

“…”

His blue eyes met hers. They sparkled like crystals, but they were as cold as ice.

“All your other grades for the semester are perfect, so you should at least earn an A.”

The final exam made up 35% of the students’ grade evaluation, but Sylvia got perfect scores for the remaining 65%.

The difference between her and Epherene before the final exam was 20 points. Even if she scored 0 in the finals, she would only step down from 1st place but would remain among the highest ranks.

“… Professor.”

“With your grade, you’d be able to go up to the Isle of Wizard’s Wealth.”

Deculein repeated what he said before as Sylvia looked at him, her lips shaking.

Coldhearted.

Sylvia didn’t even know that word until now. She had never spoken it.

Now, she felt it with her whole body.

Thump—

He closed his book and got up from his seat. As he was about to leave, she hastily grabbed him.

“… My father said the reason why I shouldn’t be under your command…”

Holding the skirt of her blanket, she continued.

“Is that the Iliades and the Yuklines bear a grudge against each other. They’re old foes who kill and get killed by each other’s hands. Is it because of that?”

Although Deculein’s eyes were as indifferent as always, Sylvia didn’t avoid them.

She felt like she was stabbed in the chest with an ice pick, but she could bear it because of him.

“Sylvia.”

“Yes?”

“I never once thought of you as an Iliade.”

Sylvia’s heart trembled softly. With her expectations rising, she asked for clarification.

“Then what do you think of me?”

“… Sylvia.”

“Yes?” She answered his call.

“Sylvia.”

“Yes?”

“Sylvia.”

“Yes.”

Deculein tilted his head at the odd repetition. Soon, however, he realized his error and changed his words accordingly.

“… The most prominent Archmage candidate, the New Wizard of the Year, the miracle of the magic world, the talent that could reach absolute authority, and a child of Iliade.”

Deculein recited her titles one by one. Those compliments for her would’ve made him tremendously jealous if he was still the old Deculein.

“There’s a lot of phrases out there referring to you, but…”

As Deculein, he didn’t know how she felt towards him right now, but he couldn’t care less about it either. That allowed him to remain indifferent.

“To me, you are just Sylvia.”

However, he had something to say as Kim Woojin.

“You are under my protection and guidance.”

He looked at his hand clad in a leather glove.

It symbolized his closed heart, which remained locked even when touching someone.

“You’re my student.”

She was still young, but that only meant her mind, body, and even her skill as a wizard could still grow further.

“My role is to guide you to the right path.”

She found his words both cold and warm as always. Regardless, whenever she heard them, sprouts grew beautifully in her.

That was why she didn’t want to lose him. Rather, she wanted to keep him in her heart.

Hence, she spoke.

“My father said that you and your family fought against my mother, professor.”

She was expecting him to tell her it was all false.

“That’s a lie, right? It can’t be true.”

But no matter how long she waited…

“Professor.”

No answer came from him.

Drip… drip…

Her hospital room grew so quiet only the raindrops outside could be heard. The frustration in her heart felt like it was about to make her heart stop.

“What my father said was a lie.”

Sylvia forced herself to smile.

“It’s a lie.”

She repeated what he was supposed to say.

“… a lie.”

Unfamiliar emotions filled her soul as she looked out the window.

It was raining hard, but she could still see Deculein’s reflection on the windowpane.

His expression remained indifferent, cold.

Without looking back at him directly, she spoke.

“Get out.”

*****

As the heavy downpour fell outside, I walked down a dark hallway, a flash of light blazing momentarily in the pitch-black sky before I could reach the end of it.

———!

When lightning struck on the other side of the darkness, an individual hidden in the shadows appeared.

“Professor Deculein.”

Underneath his clean middle-aged appearance, beautiful blond hair, and wine-colored eyes, he was a Named madman.

Glitheon.

“I heard my daughter collapsed due to overwork during the exam.”

There was no concern in his voice.

“Was it your fault or my daughter’s?”

His question raised an unknown contempt within me, an emotion both Deculein and Kim Woojin felt and shared.

“What did you tell Sylvia?”

Glitheon’s eyes sharpened, his bloodthirsty pupils glaring at me. However, they soon curved and narrowed, almost as if he was smiling with them.

“Do you, by any chance, remember that day, eight years ago? The day the Iliades and Yuklines went to war.”

My memories of Deculein’s past were still limited. Our families held a grudge against each other, obviously, but I hadn’t found out a way to know the more detailed story behind it.

In the first place, Deculein and Sylvia originally loathed each other.

“You killed Sierra as she was about to leave that day.”

Sierra.

Sylvia’s mother.

I didn’t know what Glitheon meant by ‘that day.’

However, his words, seemingly serving as a fuse, reminded me of a ‘scene.’

The sound of the rain overlapped with Glitheon’s face.

Eight years ago, under a rain close to a storm, the Iliade Family Head said something to Deculein that made him look at his hand, finding his glove soaked in blood.

“I can’t let you ruin Sylvia as well.”

Incomplete memory penetrated my head, but I quickly grasped it all. My ego couldn’t be shaken by something like this.

I passed by him, ignoring his provocations.

“Are you running this time as well, Deculein?”

“…”

I abruptly stopped walking. As heat began to rise in my body, I turned around and approached him.

“Glitheon.”

“You’ve always been like that. Acting aloof and looking down on everyone in the world, but you’re actually more scared than anyone—”

“Glitheon—!”

That outcry of mine stemmed from wrath I didn’t even know existed. I could feel a ball of fire growing in my chest. My roar echoed in the hallway, causing his eyes to widen in surprise, seemingly finding my actions unexpected.

I approached the bastard and looked down on him, his eyes falling on my chin.

“I can clearly see through you.”

“… Through me?”

“Sylvia is not your doll.”

Glitheon was a wizard crazy about his ambitions. To gain the position of Archmage, he prepared different means and methods, and his daughter was only a part of it.

“Did you just say you won’t let Sylvia get ruined?” I rattled and pushed his chest with my finger. He tried to resist, but he couldn’t do anything but take a step back due to my strength provided by [Iron Man].

“That’s my line, Glitheon.”

“What?”

“The ghost of a fucking family.”

“…”

Glitheon’s face grew cold. A sneer left my fangs.

“I won’t let you ruin Sylvia.”

This was, perhaps, a residue of anger derived from Deculein’s personality.

Sylvia didn’t even matter. That child was merely an excuse right now or perhaps a pretext.

But I, on the other hand, genuinely loathed Glitheon.

“You’re the one who killed Sierra, Deculein.”

Glitheon sent me a similar feeling. No, his hatred for me was perfectly identical.

He looked at me with his far-off eyes.

“You used to tremble in the past… You’ve grown a lot.”

“And you’ve gotten smaller, Glitheon.”

At that time, lightning struck once more, illuminating the world and, more importantly, allowing me to see someone’s reflection in the hallway window.

Hiding behind a wall outside Glitheon’s vision, Sylvia stood.

Trembling and hiding in the darkness, she completely hid her presence after the third thunderbolt roared.

*****

On a fresh summer 3 PM afternoon, the sun had begun to set between the beautiful trees surrounding the empire’s [Romelot Square], which was filled with vigor and delight due to the ongoing festival that wrapped up the first half of the year.

University students who had just finished their final exams, workers on vacation, farmers who had finished their tasks, tourists, etc.

All kinds of people gathered in that place to enjoy the games and amenities it had to offer.

“Wow.”

Epherene stood in the middle of it all with a slightly hazy face. For someone who lived in the countryside all their lives like her, the scenery before her seemed like it came straight out of a fantasy book.

“Everything looks delicious…”

Ifi!”

A shout returned her to her senses. Looking behind her, she found the commoners’ club members, Julia, Ferit, and Rondo.

“Juliaa~ Ferit~ Rondo~”

Though she smiled, her expression soon darkened when she remembered an agreement.

“As expected, she’s not coming.”

“Huh? Who are you waiting for?”

“No. It’s nothing…”

Her letter inviting Sylvia to join them was delivered to Ms. Lete at the mansion, but it seemed she didn’t intend to join them.

“Be our guide, Julia.”

“Okay~ there’s going to be a lot of fun things to do today. Is your wallet thick and ready, Ifi?”

“It’s enough.”

They walked all over the lively and delightful square. They laughed, chattered, and enjoyed what the festival had to offer as best as they could.

“Oh?!”

Somewhere along their stroll, Epherene found a potato croquette stand on the side of the road.

3 Elnes.

She bought one right away and took a big bite of it. It was crispy but moist on the inside.

“Oh. This is so good~ Wait! What’s that?!”

She then found dumplings.

2 Elnes.

Swiftly purchasing one and devouring it, the flavor of its meat spread throughout her mouth.

“Oh. This is so good, too~ Huh?! Is that—?!”

A waffle stand.

2 Elnes.

She immediately bought one and bit off a good chunk of it, savoring the strawberry whipped cream on it.

“This is sweet in the most delicious way possible… Huh?! That jerk! It appeared as soon as I felt thirsty!”

Plum drinks.

2 Elnes.

She gulped it down as soon as she paid for it.

Watching her in amazement, Julia asked her a question.

“… Ifi. Why are you buying so many?”

“Huh?”

Epherene found herself in a predicament. She already had her hands full with food, but there was still a lot of other food left to try.

After careful deliberation, she handed what she already bought to the members of the commoners’ club one by one.

“Ah~ I was going to share them with you guys. Let’s eat them together! Have one of each of the croquettes and the dumplings.”

Julia and the other members bitterly smiled when she handed them the food.

—I, Roherk, promise!

A desperate cry broke through the noise of the square as they ate.

Satiating her curiosity, Epherene, along with everyone else, checked out the commotion.

—under the bright sky and on the defiled ground!

On the arch of the ‘Briondel Independence Gate’ stood a man wearing a black velvet robe and a book bound by a chain across his shoulders.

Epherene tilted her head.

“Who’s that guy?”

“I don’t know. It looks like he’s acting.”

The club members didn’t put any significance into it. There was always an event like this at almost every festival.

—I pledge to the God Luanne!

“… Luanne?”

His lines were strange, however.

God Luanne? The imperial religion believed in the God Ranion.

“Who’s Luanne?” Epherene popped a dumpling into her mouth.

Julia shrugged.

“I’m not sure about this, but isn’t that the god the demon-blooded believe in?”

“Are you talking about that clan—”

—divine punishment to the apostles!

Before Epherene could finish her sentence, she heard a noise so loud it could almost be considered environmental pollution.

What was even more surprising was the huge explosion that followed it.

Boooooom—!

Its shockwave caused tremors across heaven and earth as it spread through all directions, but it didn’t stop there.

The detonations continued.

Ahhhhh—!

Hraaarghh—!

Mass chaos and destruction ensued. The buildings caught in the blasts collapsed, causing debris to scatter and fall as they crumbled down to ruins.

The lively festival turned had turned into a fear-filled casualty-prone situation.

“Ifi!”

At Julia’s cry, Epherene immediately created the largest barrier she could make to protect as many civilians as she could, but she soon noticed something strange.

“…?”

There was no impact on the forcefield she made.

Moreover, the whole area had grown silent. She couldn’t even hear any terrified, ripping screams anymore.

“What…”

Looking at the battlefront, Epherene grew speechless for a moment as her eyes widened in confusion.

The whole square… stopped.

The fierce smoke, the crumbling buildings, the explosions rushing like a wave… All of it had stopped, almost as if they were stuck in the air.

Even the falling debris paused right before they could crush a child’s head or squash an adult’s body.

It was as if time itself had stopped.

Not a single projectile fell down.

Even the people under the buildings waiting for their supposedly imminent death doubted the scenery they were looking at, which was so absurd everyone lost the thought of running away.

“…”

Epherene looked around her vicinity, which seemed both realistic and fantastical at the same time.

Everyone in the square did the same, absent-mindedly admiring their dumbfounding reality as if they were dreaming. No one moved, and thanks to that, Epherene could easily survey her surroundings.

“Ah.”

She finally found him.

Amid this mysterious scene, only one man moved.

He was dressed in a suit as always. All eyes fell on him as he walked, each of his steps filled with dominance.

Even if they knew nothing about magic, their instincts were enough for them to know that the caster of this dream-like magic was, of course…

Deculein.

It was as if time and space themselves had succumbed to his will and became his servants.

“How dare you?! This is an abomination—!”

He stretched out his hand to the screaming terrorist, then seemingly vacuumed him towards his palm from the summit of the Independence Gate.

Through [Psychokinesis], he targeted his opponent’s ‘chain’ wrapped around his robe.

“…”

Deculein looked into his eyes, finding no fear in them. No horror. As a human being, he showed no hesitation in front of certain death.

“You.”

“Hehe—” Grinning, he opened his robe, revealing a bomb attached to his waist.

Deculein just looked at it with contempt.

Diiii—

Just before it exploded, his [Psychokineses] interfered with it first, tearing it to pieces from within.

“Hmph. Garbage.”

“You, Deculein—”

“Shut your dirty mouth.”

Kwaaaak—!

A throwing knife penetrated the man’s neck.

“Krrggg….”

At the moment of his death, however, he smiled and self-destructed. Dark magic flowed out from the hole in his neck like smoke, seemingly forming into a mass that was about to swallow Deculein, but before it could, Knight Julie flooded it with sword strikes until it disintegrated.

“Professor, it’s a simultaneous terrorist attack.”

Deculein nodded at Julie’s words. The two seemed like they intended to reduce the casualties as much as possible.

Coming back to her senses, Epherene raised her hand and shouted, “Ah, I’ll also help!”

Julie smiled proudly at her daring shout, but…

“Ah!”

Thwack!

As soon as she took a step forward, her ankle was caught on something.

“Urgh!”

Tumbling down, Epherene looked up as she made a grumbling sound.

“…”

Deculein’s fearsome eyes stared at her, but wrinkles were forming at their edges, which was unusual.

“This isn’t your place to step up, Epherene. Go disappear comfortably.”

The type of attack the jerk had done was called a ‘Dark Energy Bomb.’

That was why the square was full of dark energy and why Deculein didn’t have room to deal with her.

“Are you okay?” Julie helped her up. She, too, was a celebrity that even Epherene knew well.

“Oh, yes. Thank you, Knight Julie. I’m a fan.”

“Don’t think about it too much. The professor is restraining you because it’s dangerous here. You’re also a civilian in this square, hubp—”

Deculein put a gas mask on her face while she was explaining the situation to her. Julie hurriedly took it off and handed it to her.

“… Anyway, take this. Please evacuate, hubp—”

Another gas mask flew in and stuck to her face. She took it off as well and gave it to Julia, who was next to Epherene.

“Yes, yes. I’ll do that. We’ll look after this square.”

“Yes. Please do so, hubp— please.”

Only when he put the third gas mask on her did she leave with Deculein.

“…”

Epherene looked at the two as they walked away, noticing a piece of steel floating next to Deculein…

“Wow…”

Julia’s lips gaped in admiration. She was no different.

Deculein extinguished a terrorist attack like he was conducting an orchestra.

The magic explosions, collapsing buildings, and soaring flames…

All the different variables were controlled and contained at the movement of his hand.

The deadly dark cloud halted in the sky, disallowing it from descending. The smashed buildings’ debris were safely lowered onto the ground, and the intensity of the flames was quickly extinguished.

“Was that the Head Professor of the Empire…”

One of the mesmerized knights asked. They were dispatched a bit too late.

Epherene absent-mindedly admired him as well, but she was brought back to her senses when a large hand landed on her shoulder.

“Oho. Deculein has definitely developed, but I didn’t know it was this much! The quality of his mana looks to have been upgraded at first glance, but… Just as you said, he’s a genius of effort.”

The unidentified robed man smiled as he looked at her. After confirming his identity, her eyes widened in shock.

“Rohaka—”

“Shh. Are you really going to shout out the worst name in the continent?”

Rohakan covered her mouth. As she nodded, she remembered her fault.

“T-th-the letter was delivered through mail, but maybe I should have delivered it myself—”

“Hmm? Oh, that? Mail is enough.”

“I’m sorry. It’s too far to deliver it myself. I also had a test, and—”

“I said it’s fine. For now, follow me. Our top priority is to help prevent casualties.”

“No, I have a lot of things to do—”

She looked at her friends for help, but all of them were busy admiring Deculein.

“Ehe. Follow me. I also have something to give you.”

Rohakan disappeared somewhere with Epherene.

[Active: A terrorist attack chapter out of all days yikes.]