Chapter 135: Farewell (1) (1/2)
[We hope you guys are enjoying the daily uploads!]
I made my way down using the wood steel as stairs. One step at a time as twenty pieces of steel naturally alternated and became footholds. At first, having Sophien on my back was a bit uncomfortable, but soon I grew used to it. The passenger’s name was Sophien Ekater von Jaegus Gifrein. She was no less than someone from the Imperial family. It was worth giving up my back for that noble bloodline…
I was forced to think like that.
“…”
Sophien didn’t say anything for her part, probably immersed in her thoughts.
“…The temperature.”
Just then, Sophien began to mumble. She pressed a little closer to my back.
“Are you okay?”
“…I can adapt to it.”
Sophien’s potential was the best in the human world, but she was still only a bud. Judging by her peculiar boredom, she was still a long way off from flowering. Even in this Snow Globe, she only ate ice cream and water.
“It is because Your Majesty has been lazy in training.”
“…”
“If you had been more diligent in your magical training, you wouldn’t be—”
“I got it, so just shut up.”
“…Keiron.”
I called Keiron instead of Sophien. He was following us, protecting Sophien’s back.
“Are you okay?”
The amount of Snowflake Obsidian I had was enough to cover only Sophien. Keiron had no choice but to stand on his own.
“I’m okay.”
Keiron replied that way; I believed him too.
“Don’t get lost and follow.”
“אח בשבילך”
Then Sophien chanted a spell, creating a warm fire near Keiron.
“Your Majesty.”
“I will not tolerate failure.”
At the Emperor’s command, Keiron simply nodded. There was an unusual smile on his lips.
* * *
Tick-tock-
The sound of pages being turned and the gentle ticking of the clock. Epherene was reading Sylvia’s novel, and Sylvia was watching her with hawk-like eyes. Idnik, Gindalf, and Rose Rio stared at them from the side, amused.
Gulp-
Sylvia was quite nervous. She didn’t want to show it, but she wrote it for it to be read in the first place.
“…”
Sylvia’s only hobbies were writing and painting. Between them, she had been particularly focused on the novel these days; its working title was Blue Eyes.
She scrutinized every single line on Epherene’s face.
“…”
At some point, Epherene raised her head. Had she read it all? Or was it not fun? With sweat slicking her palms, waiting for her to respond, Epherene opened her mouth.
“Sylvia. You’re good at writing.”
“…”
It was a compliment. It had been a while since her heart started racing like that, but she forced herself to stay calm. Sylvia looked at Epherene with a hard face. She chuckled while fiddling with the manuscript.
“This is fun. Do you have the ?”
“I haven’t finished it yet.”
“Oh? The mysterious vibe makes me want to read the soon.”
Sylvia deliberately tucked her chin in. She tried not to show any emotion on her face.
“Then, are you publishing this?”
At that question, she only nodded.
“Wow~, I’ll buy it later.”
“…Do as you please.”
“Now!”
Gindalf spoke up with a laugh, drawing their attention.
“If the meeting is over, let’s start in earnest. Hey, Carla?”
Carla and Jackal turned around. Epherene was slightly surprised; were they pretending not to see them until now?
“Sorry for the late start. Please, train this girl.”
“…It seems like only four times will do.”
“Okay.”
Nodding, Carla placed her hands in her robe. She took off her hood, revealing her eyes: red and dazzling. The moment she looked into those eyes, Epherene’s consciousness sank into the abyss. She passed out without a word.
“…”
Sylvia looked at Epherene as if it were ridiculous. Then, she called an employee passing by and ordered.
So, three minutes later.
“Ahh!”
Epherene woke up.
“Whoa! What is that?! I almost died!”
Then she grabbed Gindalf by the collar. Gindalf chuckled, and Epherene put her trembling hands down.
“How was it?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was so surprised. But what was it? It was very-“
“It’s mental training. I insisted on Carla helping out, so you only have four chances.”
“Do I have to do this three more times?”
Epherene put her hand to her heart.
Thump-thump-thump-
“Epherene, your mental power is not bad. It’s just that you lack a system.”
Rose Rio jumped in with an explanation.
“The easiest way to build a system is to build yourself a ‘mental guardian’ in your head.”
“A system?”
“Yes. Picture the most honorable thing in your head. It doesn’t have to be human. It can be a doe, a lion, doesn’t even matter if it’s a dragon. If you do it just once, it will fight for you.”
After listening to her blankly, Epherene nodded. Mental guardian – right now, there was only one person that came to mind.
“Yes. I will try.”
“I mean, hey, Sylvia. Would you like to do it too?”
At Rose Rio’s prompting, Sylvia shook her head.
“I’ve had enough.”
“…Really? Well then. Carla?”
“Oh, but wait, I’m not ready yet—”
Epherene concentrated and waved her hand, but Carla wasn’t waiting.
“Yeah.”
“Ugh-!”
“…”
With a nod, Carla again glared at Epherene, plunging her into the depths of the abyss. Meanwhile, Sylvia received her order of food.
“This is the Mana Roasted Chicken.”
The chicken fried with mana powder was the worst food, like chewing a soft stone, but it didn’t matter to her who couldn’t taste things. Rather, it was the best food. If you want to become an Archmage, diet is also important.
“…But you will eat that?”
Rosé Rio looked at Sylvia with astonishment.
“Don’t do that. No matter how important magic is, that kind of food is not for humans to eat.”
“Don’t mind me.”
Sylvia responded in a cold tone. Rose Rio was bewildered by how she looked so different from when she had met her on the Floating Island before.
“Kuhbrrukuuubraaargh-!”
Epherene woke with a strange scream.
Ding-
At that moment, the door of the inn opened, and a new guest stared inside.
“Huh? What’s that? Epherene? Gindalf, too?”
Yeriel of Yukline. She tilted her head as she looked at the famous wizards gathered around Epherene.
* * *