Look out for an announcement in the coming week!
I was curious. After you were separated from time, what did you do, and what did you live for? What value did you hold onto, and what meaning did you not lose sight of? Your mental strength must’ve been infinitely insufficient, and it must have been hard for you.
…Wizards were the most exclusive profession on the continent. A family’s magic was allowed only to the clan, and was never shown to outsiders. The expensive copyright system prevented the inflow of commoners and insisted on false equality. And yet, they act as if they were the chosen ones. Those who were chosen had this brilliant talent.
“What did you say… just now?”
However, a teacher/disciple relationship certainly existed for them as well. One wizard becomes the teacher, and the other becomes the disciple. Compared to the practices of the magic world, this behavior was quite different. A teacher and a disciple would not be of the same blood. Nevertheless, this relationship was accepted as a very certain custom.
A wizard who was successful to some extent was always looking for talent to become their pupil, and if they found one, they would teach them without hesitation. Even if in the distant future the relationship broke down, the master wouldn’t regret their choice to have accepted a disciple. The disciple wouldn’t be ashamed of the teachings given to them.
That is why the title of the disciple who killed their master wasn’t rare, and that is why it wasn’t uncommon for a disciple to proudly inherit their teacher’s school afterward.
Then. Was I thinking of this girl that way?
“…Believe? In me?”
She was too great a talent to be someone’s disciple. It was a vessel that was too large to be left as a descendant of Deculein. This girl must be a chosen wizard since she resulted from such a brilliant talent.
“Yes.”
Pride. The Epherene I taught — although not yet perfect — was enough to inspire pride. She would become a wizard superior to any other.
“Since when?”
Since when did you believe? Epherene asked in a trembling voice. As stupid as the question was, my answer was simple.
“From the moment I saw you.”
“…Eh?”
“I never doubted you.”
I’ve always believed in Epherene, and I trusted her potential and talent. From the very beginning to the end, my beliefs wouldn’t change.
“So, your faith is my faith.”
“…!”
Epherene’s lips trembled, and her nose turned red as it began to run with snot. It was dirty. However, I didn’t have the energy to be bothered anymore. 100% pure dark energy coursed through my veins, and the body of the common person would’ve already melted.
Soon, my senses and thoughts would accelerate, and my personality would change violently.
“…Don’t do that. Your body… must be hurting.”
She grabbed my sleeve as if she knew what I was going to do. I looked back without a word. Facing the killers, I put Epherene behind me.
Mayev clenched his teeth. The muscles in his neck bulged.
“Etheric Deculein. Are you going to give up your position?”
I stared at them with a deep smile.
“My position is not granted by your Floating Island. It’s rather the opposite. I believe I have told you before.”
“…There is no magician who will betray Floating Island and survive.”
“It remains to be seen.”
I clenched my fists, and my feet dug into the ground.
“It’s just unprecedented, but it’s not impossible.”
The magic of the killers floated in the air. And next-
* * *
Epherene’s time extended. It was only one or two seconds, stretching out endlessly.
Deculein was swift. His feet crushed the ground below him.
Stomp, Stomp, Stomp.
Would a giant sound like that running? His steps cut off the mountain road and broke the cliff. Amid his rampage, some killers triggered magic on themselves.
The space at the edge of the cliff was sharply curved as the very air turned into a weapon. At the same time, Epherene’s blood boiled. Ignoring human resistance and heating body fluids was a killing magic that escaped humanity.
…Deculein was right. Alone, she couldn’t deal with these seventeen. She couldn’t beat them yet. If she had been alone, Epherene would be the only one dead.
Click—
Epherene dispelled their magic. Precisely, she turned back the time on their spells to disperse their mana. However, there was one killer who dug himself in.
Mayev. The most venomous and most persistent wild dog of the Floating Island. Ignoring Deculein, leaving him to his comrades, he clung to Epherene and attempted close combat.
“…”
Epherene calmly turned back Mayev’s time as he reached her. The reset was instant, and suddenly he was still far away.
“—!”
Still, Mayev ran. Without even the slightest doubt, he rushed like a rhinoceros.
“…It’s no use.”
Epherene turned back his time again. But Mayev didn’t give up.
“—!”
“Go back.”
He rewound right before Epherene’s nose.
“—!”
“Go back.”
Rewinding, rewinding, and rewinding are two steps away. However, Mayev’s venom grew thicker as it was repeated.
“…Why.”
Amid that meaninglessness, Epherene gritted her teeth and asked. The murderous intent Mayev was emitting right now, the incomprehensible tenacity, gave Epherene a certain question and, at the same time, an opportunity for enlightenment.
“Why?”
The most basic virtue of a wizard is doubt.
“─!”
Therefore, Epherene doubted his wordless screams of hatred, resentment, and malice. She questioned the killing aura that came out of his two eyes to freeze her heart. What on earth made him like this? Did they think she would destroy the world?
“I said I won’t.”
Epherene said. And then, Mayev turned back again.
…She tried to make him return.
“—!”
Mana exploded through his body. His skin was discolored black, and his appearance changed to that of a wild beast in a very bizarre spell of self-modification. With that, he survived Epherene’s time. He broke it down.
“!”
Crossing a step that seemed impossible to narrow, Mayev grabbed Epherene’s neck. He slammed her to the floor.
Bang–!
“…Ugh!”
She hurriedly covered herself with mana armor, but her airway was already cut-off. She unleashed mana to push Mayev away.
Gwoooh-.
Gravity amplified a hundred times over pushed on Mayev’s body. However, he lost his reason, blinded by madness, he endured even as the increased weight crushed him.
Booom-!
Epherene was thrown to the ground.
“Ugh!”
He grabbed her neck and slammed it down again.
Booom-!
The shock raged across her mana armor. She felt like the back of her head, and her back had been torn open. Mayev lifted Epherene again.
And…
“Aaaaah—!”
A scream. Neither Mayev’s nor Epherene’s, just the sound of terrible pain.
“…”
Caught by her neck and thrown into the ground again, Epherene stared up into the sky for a moment. Through a haze, she could see Deculein covered in a purple mist as he hunted down the killers.
—Craaaaash!
As his fist collided with one’s stomach, they exploded in a burst of red like a tomato. Then moving to the second killer, Deculein grabbed his head and pulled it out.
Splaaaash-!
The splash of blood hung in the air. The moment he killed two like that, Deculein disappeared. In a flash, he appeared before the eyes of the third killer.
Craack—!
Deculein’s arm pierced through his chest. The fourth received a broken back. The fifth succeeded in counterattacking.
—Swiish.
He forged a magic sword and put it through Deculein’s shoulder.
Craaaack-!
The magic sword gnawed at Deculein like a living creature, but his response was intuitive and efficient. He focused on attacking the caster.
Craaaash-!
He threw a punch and smashed the fifth killer’s face. Fragments of teeth and his skull popped out.
…In this way, Deculein was destroying the killers by himself. The bloody villain was cutting down the best force from the Floating Island. Seventeen to twelve, twelve to eight, eight to five. As he slew them before the enemy could try to counterattack or as he endured their counterattacks, killing with his hands, killing with his legs, killing and killing repeatedly…
Was it one second? Or two? In less than three, the mountain had been stained red with a sea of blood.
Deculein stood still amid that carnage and looked back to Epherene, who was being held by Mayev. And then…
Rumble—!
He grabbed Mayev and disappeared into the distance…
…
…The serene mountain range.
“Cough.”
Epherene slowly raised her torso. It had been a long time since she felt so helpless. Was it because it was a space where most of the time, her energy, was sealed? Still, to think that of seventeen killers, she couldn’t beat just one…
“Pathetic.”
Epherene shook her head and put her shaky legs below her. Standing, she looked for Deculein’s traces. His footprints are engraved in the ground.
“…Professor.”
It was as if a great earthquake had occurred, but Epherene slowly followed in his footsteps.
“Professor…”
She called him with a hoarse voice as she walked through the scorched grass.
“…Professor.”
The edge of the cliff face. Deculein was standing there and looking down, undoubtedly to where Mayev lay at the base of the mountain. His outfit was still neat.
“Um…”
Epherene put her hands to her chest.
“Prof-“
His head turned back. His blood vessels had turned purple, but he smiled.
“Epherene.”
Her heart pounded.
“…Yes.”
Epherene approached him. One step, then two, slowly but steadily. Fortunately, the barrier of time hadn’t yet been broken. This great magic that trapped her was almost gone so she couldn’t waste that time.
“…”
But as she saw him up close, no words came out. Was it because she had a sore throat, or was it because her body hurt, or because her heart was about to explode? Was it because of the indescribable guilt and shame she felt?
“Epherene.”
Deculein called to her first.
“…Yes?”
She answered quietly. He looked down and met her eyes.
“Trust yourself.”
Why did it sound like they would never meet again?
“…Can I?”
Because she was lacking, she depended on him. Because she wasn’t good enough, she leaned on him.
“You can.”
…But now.
“Because I believe in you.”
The person she once hated the most. The person she trusted, depended on, and leaned on the most. The one who took all of her feelings told her to trust herself.
“…”
Epherene looked up at him. Now exhausted, his eyes slowly closed, and his body collapsed.
“Ah…”
She grabbed him as if waiting for her moment. She drew him in and hugged him tightly so that he could lean on her anyway. So that he could depend on her even a little.
“…Professor.”
His clothes and body were drenched in dark energy.
“It’s bitter.”
It tasted too bitter. It was so bitter that she felt like crying.
“…And.”
Epherene bit her lip. With Deculein in her arms, she looked around the mountain.
What remained of the Floating Island’s historic defeat, the slaughter of seventeen of their killers, lay here and there.
“It was because of this.”
Epherene felt she knew why he was collapsing, why the Floating Island betrayed him, why all his achievements and theories were denied, and ultimately what led to his downfall.
“It was because of me.”
Because he disobeyed the will of the Floating Island to save her.
“…”
Epherene closed her eyes as warm tears rolled down her cheeks.
─Tick.
The second hand sounded in her ear. The time barrier was breaking.
“I-“
“Hmm! This is so moving!”
Epherene opened her eyes again. Adrienne of the Eternal rank, the noble archmage, was floating above them.
“But what will you do?! There’s still one challenge left, me!”
She glanced between Epherene and Deculein; her eyes narrowed like a cat’s.
“This! It’s truly an unforgivable mortal sin! Therefore!”
Then she smiled cheerfully.
“I can’t send you back that easily! Hehe!”
She looked undeniably happy as if she’d been waiting for this moment. As if she had found a good rival to deal with.
“…Yeah.”
Epherene nodded. The opponent was Adrienne, who was stronger than Mayev, but she was strangely full of confidence.
“Oho?!”
What Epherene lacked so far, even though she knew it was lacking, was self-confidence. Now that she found it today, her fear was feeble.
“Chairman. The Professor will only be safe if I don’t let you act.”
“…Huhu. Really?”
Adrienne’s expression became serious as Epherene laid Deculein down carefully, so that dirt wouldn’t get on him.
“Rest comfortably… teacher.”
She pressed her lips to Deculein’s forehead.
…Smack.
That small, shy sound was engulfed by Adrienne’s mana and shattered.
