Chapter 159: Time. (1) (1/2)
[Main Quest: Time]
The branches of the main quest varied. An independent quest may lead to the main quest, or the main quest may lead to an independent quest. However, the main quest was related to the central framework of the story at any cost.
“…”
I looked around. The darkness lay thick as the fog around me, and the road crunched like ice under my feet.
“Hmm.”
I checked my physical condition first. I had suffered quite a couple of injuries since I fell. If it weren’t for Iron Man, my body would have been crushed.
“So annoying.”
I used Duct Tape around my injuries to treat them. The bleeding stopped immediately, and the pain in my bones quickly subsided. There was no healing as versatile in use as Duct Tape. That was satisfying for me, as recovery magic had nearly gone extinct in this era.
Next, I took out the map I received from the soldier before coming here. This meant it was originally an ordinary map, and it was modeled after the northern area, not this crevasse. However, my [Midas’ Hand] granted magical efficiency to the category of the map itself. In addition, in places like this right now – an area surging with mana – my available mana meaningfully increased.
If I mobilize my staff’s mana to add to that…
[Manifesting Midas’ Hand Level 5.]
The miracle of consuming five thousand mana with Deculein’s body was readily possible. Level 5, that was, [Midas’ Hand] with 5 thousand mana, exerted a wholly different power level from Level 4. It was a characteristic of this world. Symbolic numbers in units of 5 such as 5, 10, 15, 20, and so on actually classified stages.
Keeeeeee—!
I looked at the map. The dark areas were marked in detail, and a red line guided my way. I walked exactly as the map suggested.
Rustle- rustle-
Each step crackled as ice shattered underfoot.
“…?”
Just like that, when I was walking using Iron Man to fend off the cold and the dark, I found a source of light rising ahead of me. It came from blue and radiant crystal water.
“Is it this one?”
Suddenly, I recalled a familiar scenario. A memory that had been asleep somewhere in my mind unfolded as I approached. I wasn’t sure if the main quest itself, but the progression of the sanctuary story of ‘Time’ played a very important role.
First of all, Time was the sanctuary created by Archmage Demakan when he left the world. It was a gift that Demakan left for the next generation, created by him, his nephew Murkan, his uncle Rohakan, and his disciple Idnik.
“…”
I touched the crystal water. The members of Time were recorded on the glimmering blue surface of the tree-like stream. One by one, I looked through the names.
[Demakan]
[Murkan]
[Rohakan]
[Idnik]
[Dzekdan]
They were all familiar and famous names. But as my eyes went further down, I saw a name that made me flustered. Engraved crookedly, it stood out like a sore thumb.
[Epherene Luna]
“…Epherene Luna?”
A name that was hard to understand. Not only was it not productive to dismiss it as someone’s prank, but this bad handwriting wasn’t easy to copy. But also, the fact that Epherene arrived here before me was…
—Professor?
A voice rippled out. My eyes opened wide for a moment. It was Epherene’s voice, but the version of her from the future.
“You…”
—Are you the Professor?
“…”
I looked around to find empty air. But Epherene continued to speak.
—Are you going to answer me?
“…I am.”
A sincere sigh of relief followed.
—Whew… that’s good to hear, seriously…
I couldn’t see her face, but I could imagine it. Her hands placed on her chest, going whew— whew—.
—Are you curious? About what’s going on?
“Yes. As a wizard.”
—Hehe. Yes… ta-da! I planted fragments of the remaining Kaidezite here after breaking up Locralen.
Her words came in fragments, but I roughly understood what she meant. It would be a scenario where the future Epherene was freed from Locralen and the future Deculein and fortunately returned without sustaining any mental damage. She planted the Kaidezite in Time’s crystal water, and it materialized randomly.
“But, I don’t see you.”
—Yes. I couldn’t repeat the abuse of Locralen. But with the Professor… no, but because of my desire to have a conversation with you at least once, I planted the Kaidezite in this crystal and created this one-dimensional Space-Time Sharing. I think my lifespan has been reduced by ten years doing this.
I shook my head. This kid said it like a joke, but it was probably the truth. Even for an Archmage, this kind of magic would cost at least that much.
“How did you know I was coming?”
Epherene answered right away.
—Because you told me. You, Professor.
I stood still and looked over.
—I waited because the Professor told me.
In a hollow void that no one could see, her lost voice spoke like a song.
—That’s all.
*****
Clippity-clop clippity-clop—
At dawn in the North, where there are still stars in the sky, Epherene and Sophien were running.
Clippity-clop clippity-clop—
No, a horse carrying two people was galloping. The Emperor’s Horse, having been given the wonderful name Teragon in the rune language, moved forward with consideration for the two women on his back. Because of that, Epherene, who normally suffered from severe motion sickness, wasn’t nauseous at all.
“I think it’s here.”
The horse slowed when Epherene pointed out a place.
“Is this it?”
“I think so.”
The shooting star would fall around this area, according to the document.
“Good.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please wait for a while.”
Epherene made two rocking chairs to see the sky clearly, then a screen fence because she didn’t like the cold.
“I think we can sit down and wait.”
“You can drop the formality.”
“…Yees~, Your Majesty.”
Epherene copied a servant’s way of speaking that she once saw in a play. Sophien found it cute at first, but now it had become bothersome.
“Oh, that’s right.”
Sophien sat in the chair as Epherene dug out the ground. Then, she planted a seed in it; it was from a tree that blocked the cold.
“It’s done!”
Now, she could roughly see how much time had passed with this. If they went to the future, this seed would become a tree.
“That’s good thinking.”
“Thank you!”
Epherene bowed her head and sat next to Sophien. Then, she began to count inside her head.
One…
Two…
Three…
Four…
Five…
She counted slowly until ten, then… a star glistened in the distance.
“Oh! I think that’s it!”
“I can see it.
Perfect timing. Overflowing mana swept across the sky, and its ray of light glared in Epherene’s eyes.
Schwaaaa—!
Mana from the stars spread all over the world and the sky. Epherene closed her eyes slowly and entrusted herself to the sensation that rose to cover her.
“…Huph!”
She opened her eyes again.
“Oh…”
Chirp chirp— chirp chirp—
The sound of birds chirping and the sun was blinding her. She arrived in the future, Epherene was sure. It appeared to be that way.
“Hmm. That’s interesting.”
“…!”
There was another voice aside from hers. Epherene looked around to find Sophien; her arms spread wide.
“How is it? I followed you.”
“Wow… I thought only I had gone through!”
“Hahaha. Luna.”
“Yes?”
Sophien laughed loudly and pointed behind her.
“First of all, look over there.”
Epherene looked back to see the tree had grown.
“Wow! The tree-“
“No, not the tree. The object that’s been placed beside it.”
“…?”
Epherene lowered her gaze, now noticing a wand lay near the roots of the tree. Looking at its magic, she could tell that it used Preservation and Cleanliness, making it obvious who prepared the object.
“Hehehe~, that Professor!”
Epherene ran quickly to grab the wand, causing a piece of paper to flutter off.
“?”
It was a note. Maybe a letter from the future Deculein left for her.
[Epherene, the comet that has sent you back to the past before, is a twin. It will probably come by again on the 9th of January so that you can go back then.]
Whiiiiiiiing…
A wind blew past. Epherene grabbed at her messy hair and continued reading.
[Also, you probably won’t be able to meet me from now on, so don’t try to look for me. It would be nice if you could take my gift and go back.]
What do you mean go back?
‘I won’t go back until I see your face.’
For the moment, Epherene took a closer look at the wand.
“…What is this?”
The stick of the wand had some peculiar characters, almost like hieroglyphics. Sophien broke her contemplation.
“Time is on your side, so always cultivate yourself and be devoted.”
“Yes?”
She grinned when Epherene turned around to look at her.
“It’s rune language written there. Thanks to that, that wand is now no different than an artifact.”
“…Oh.”
“It seems that Deculein has left you with a good gift.”
Sophien looked at Epherene’s wand with her hands clasped behind her back. Epherene almost instinctively hid it. The Emperor burst into laughter again at her innocent reaction.
“Hahaha. Of course, Luna. It seems that Deculein isn’t here. No, it seems that he won’t meet you.”