novelraw Chapter 115 : Chapter 115
Chapter 115 : Chapter 115
Chapter 115: Fire and Water (5)
When was it again.
It was when I was recovering.
We had a conversation like that.
“What's a 5th Rank's weakness?”
It was because I had been bedridden after fighting a 5th Rank mage.
What should I do if it were me?
Ellen couldn't help but be seized by such a question.
She would continue to venture into the Boundary, and I would be by her side.
“Weakness? Carelessness.”
“Besides that.”
“Besides that? Time?”
Cassion often called me a madman.
It was just that I was particularly fast; projection normally takes time. Manifestation, even more so.
“I already know that.”
“Ah. Something you don't know. Hmm. The Origin manifests.”
“What?”
“That is the weakness. And the strength.”
What is he talking about.
As Ellen crumpled her face, I continued to speak.
“Magic begins from the Origin, passes through the vessel that is the mage, and is then realized in the world. That process is a careful one. Because the vessel must not break.”
I explained that was why projection and manifestation were powerful.
Because the Origin that has seeped out into the world no longer needs to look after the well-being of the vessel.
“Of course, if it goes too far, it will break, but to put it simply, the limits are expanded.”
“So?”
“……Let's start from the beginning. Rank. It's complicated to explain, but the continent explains it for convenience with power and range. If magic is confined only to the body, it's 1st Rank; if it leaves the body, 2nd Rank, and so on.”
The continent explains Rank by the range and power of magic, and the precision regarding it.
Because the farther the distance, the weaker the mage's will becomes, and the same magic requires more mana.
“The distance here refers not to the distance from the mage, but the distance from the Origin. I repeat, magic begins from the Origin.”
What constitutes magic is the mage's will and mana, but in the end, the core is the Origin.
“The Origin being manifested means that magic no longer begins from the mage that is me.”
That is why manifestation becomes both a strength and a weakness.
“So the magic gets stronger, but the mage themselves gets weaker?”
Because the Origin that should be in the heart has popped outside.
“Exactly.”
I used the 5th Rank from the Ivory Tower that I had killed as an example.
Psina's Origin was the Brush.
The fearsome thing is that brush, not Psina.
“Of course, there is no mage who is not conscious of that. Usually, they prepare countermeasures. Or they stick close to their Origin.”
Psina was both.
She held the brush tightly, and as if that wasn't enough, she had created several defensive strokes around her.
“The countermeasures are usually not that great. In my case, it's the sword. Ah, now there's the steel ring too.”
Compared to an Origin, no countermeasure was ever great.
“Isn't that too flimsy?”
“It's fine if it's flimsy. The Sun is a concept of such a large scale.”
There is no place the Sun cannot shine.
As long as my Rank and mana were sufficient, I was mostly safe.
“There are some Origins with a low risk for manifestation. I'm one of those cases.”
“…….”
“Still, a weakness is a weakness. It is an undeniable fact that the mage that is me is exposed.”
Mage. Origin. Origin. Mage.
Ellen muttered quietly.
“That's right. Either cut down the manifested Origin, or avoid the Origin and kill the mage. It's usually one of the two.”
An image of a mage with a manifested Origin was drawn in Ellen's mind.
The Origin has manifested, and the mage is separate.
Magic is realized from the Origin.
The magic has become stronger, but the mage has become relatively weaker.
To be precise, their response becomes slower.
Because a distance has been created from the Origin.
“They would usually aim for the Origin, right?”
Starting with the strong one.
Ellen was sure of it.
“……It's the latter, usually.”
At that, I spat out with a pathetic look.
Saying that's how it is in the North.
“The former is almost impossible. Because an Origin is a very abstract existence.”
Even if it's manifested, the true form of an Origin is ambiguous.
I added that usually, even if you cut it, it wouldn't be cut.
“Of course, if you strike a manifested Origin, it affects the mage who is the vessel, but…… before that, you have to consider whether you can even cut it.”
“You can't cut it?”
“If an Origin were a being that could be struck so easily, the Otherworld would not have revered it.”
When explaining something, I tended to speak as objectively as possible.
I would inform of the common perception, and then add my own perception to it.
“The Origin is very solid. Or it's not in a form that can be cut.”
“Then should I aim for the mage? If a situation like that comes up.”
“No. Aim for the Origin.”
Ellen furrowed her brow.
“You said cutting the Origin is impossible.”
“I said it's almost impossible. You'll be an exception.”
There are times when I am not objective.
When it comes to Ellen and Elaine, I often become lenient.
“How would you know that?”
“It's a secret.”
I just smiled.
Looking back on it now, it was extremely suspicious.
* * *
She understood that it was suspicious.
And that it was her role to find out that secret.
But she didn't know how to cut the Origin.
‘How am I supposed to cut it.’
Do as I wish?
‘I have to be able to do it.’
Her ears were ringing. A brutal roar ceaselessly pounded her eardrums. It was as if a flood had occurred, and she was standing in the middle of a river.
It was a rare experience in the North.
She had never experienced it, but compared to this, a flood would be nothing.
Because this was magic.
‘What kind of water is this…….’
The concept of an Origin was familiar, but one should not forget that it was ultimately a mysterious thing.
It was in the same context as my Sun dripping flames. In reality, all the sun shows from the sky is light, isn't it?
It was called a river, but in reality, it was magic.
Where the blade split the current, countless streams of water splashed between them. The impact was like being hit by a mace. Each droplet was sharper than a dagger, mincing Ellen's entire body.
However, Ellen was holding on.
And she was seeing. She could avoid it, and she was confident she could respond.
It was thanks to her talent. Innate Strength. Ellen was aware that the power she was born with was effective even against a 5th Rank mage.
It was a fact that had been proven to some extent through the mage of the Lake she had met on the path of the deep sea someday.
Lake and River.
She would have to look into the details to know for sure, but discussing only the concepts, there wasn't that big of a difference.
‘A Star?’
Contrary to that grand name, Ellen thought it might be surprisingly manageable.
That possibility felt good.
Just half a year ago, she had almost died to a tattered magical beast. The meeting with Harad was worthy of being called a fortuitous encounter. Thanks to him, wasn't she gaining practical experience?
One awakens on the line of death. That theoretical teaching of Mores Palaz was truly a fact.
The river was heavy, the streams were painful, and the droplets were sharp, but…… it was manageable to hold the sword that was splitting the river's current. The velocity was the same. It was fast, but not to the point where she couldn't react.
Ellen was constantly feeling herself moving forward.
‘It doesn't seem like he's at full power, though.’
That was why it was annoying.
‘……I want to fight.’
I want to test how far my sword can go against a 5th Rank mage.
She couldn't move from this spot.
It was because the man who looked like a knight had collapsed.
He was lying behind Ellen, companionably with the woman.
To fight, she had to move.
And in doing so, she had to chase after the Origin or the mage.
……If she did that, the man and woman would be swept away by the river.
They would die even if it were a normal river, but this river was even the magic spewing from a manifested Origin.
To fight, she had to move those two to a safe place.
“Tsk.”
It was impossible for Ellen alone.
All she could do was block the river.
‘What is that man doing.’
There was no news from Harad.
Did something happen? Ellen raised her head.
To the right. High ground, red rock. Harad was there. It was the place where the rock was carved like a coral reef, the place Ellen had jumped down from.
……There, Harad and Aroshu were looking at each other and laughing.
‘Are you kidding me?’
Ellen's face crumpled completely.
While someone was going through hell.
It was then that Harad moved.
He suddenly struck Aroshu across the face.
He even snatched him as he was about to fall backward and choked him.
“……?”
Ellen held her breath like someone who had just witnessed a murder.
Harad threw the limp Aroshu to the ground like trash. He did not burn him with fire. Fortunately, it seemed he hadn't killed him.
It was then that their eyes met.
Harad smiled at Ellen. However, to her eyes, he looked angry.
Flames rose, devouring the coral-like rock.
It was a signal fire for Aquins, who was hiding somewhere.
The river stopped.
Ellen acted quickly.
* * *
As if time had stopped, the sight of the river, the kind one might see during a flood, coming to a halt was certainly a spectacle.
The sight of that river flowing in reverse was even more so.
‘I thought he would attack immediately.’
Aquins came down to catch the fire.
I thought he would attack right away if I showed him the fire.
What Aquins chose was to gather his power.
He must have felt the need to regroup.
‘Is he being cautious. Or does he have no other choice.’
Personally, I judged it to be the former.
The Aquins of my past life was a bastard who valued his own life the most.
Before long, the river had vanished without a trace, revealing the ruined rocky area.
Aquins was not in sight. But he must be watching from somewhere.
‘I could probably find him.’
But why bother?
I waited until Ellen arrived.
“What are you doing just standing there?”
It took Ellen quite a while.
She must have moved the collapsed man and woman to a safe place.
When the river stopped, Ellen had taken care of those two first.
“I'm waiting.”
“It seemed like he used a lot of magic, isn't now the chance?”
“It could be, but it could also not be.”
Aroshu had said that Aquins was one who had just become a Star, but I was still assuming the Aquins of my past life.
For that bastard, magic of that scale was not such a big deal.
“What a mage welcomes and fears the most is the unknown.”
In the Otherworld, revealing one's Origin was a matter of course, but not on the continent.
On the battlefield, it was even more so.
The more one hid, the better.
That was the reason I was not moving first.
I was skilled at hiding my Rank and Origin.
Because doing so was my daily life.
Is it the fire I've been looking for? If so, what kind of fire is it?
That thought would prevent Aquins from leaving, and from attacking rashly.
“What happened with Aroshu?”
Ellen pointed at Aroshu, who was collapsed beside her.
I pushed him aside and hid him behind a rock.
“We couldn't bridge our difference of opinion.”
“What opinion?”
“He told me to abandon you.”
At that, the corners of Ellen's eyes curved thinly.
“So you couldn't hold back and hit him? Like you did with Tyrell Aquins?”
“Exactly. I couldn't stand it.”
“…….”
The corners of Ellen's eyes froze as if hardened.
Instead, the corners of her mouth twitched.
“But why didn't you kill him? You killed him back then.”
“The river is the priority. There are also things I still want to ask.”
There was no reason to waste my strength unnecessarily.
A fistfight between mages serves as an excellent surprise attack.
Because it's hard to predict that the opponent will use their fists instead of magic.
It was then. I turned my gaze. Water was approaching, moving like a snake.
The water crawled up to the bottom of the cliff and then raised its head like a snake. A person was standing on top of it.
It was a middle-aged man with a greasy look.
“So it's you.”
His voice was greasy too.
I felt a sense of welcome. It was the same face and voice as in my past life.
‘It's the same as back then…… not quite.’
There was one difference.
“You're the fire that lit the signal fire.”
“Nice to meet you, Avery Aquins. I am Harad.”
Aquins of the River. Avery's eyebrow twitched.
His gaze briefly flowed to Ellen. He must have seen her block the river with her sword.
“How does a continental bumpkin who consorts with insects know me.”
Just like Aroshu, Avery also ignored the aura.
It was a habit of the Otherworld.
“An elder from the Otherworld told me.”
“How dare you mock a Sage. You treacherous one.”
He must be the elder Aroshu had mentioned.
‘So he was a famous person.’
Sage was a term that referred to a 6th Rank mage.
“My apologies, seeing you I couldn't help myself.”
“…….”
“Your mouth is quite polite now.”
Avery Aquins's brow furrowed.
I couldn't say more.
The restriction of regression was warning me. However, I was already satisfied. Avery. Ellen had heard that name for the first time just now.
“If you surrender, I will not kill you.”
Avery said as if doing a great favor.
I laughed. They were words the Avery of my past life would never have said, even if he died.
No, if it were that bastard, he wouldn't have engaged in conversation like this in the first place.
He would have fled the scene.
“Was he this kind of person.”
The Avery before my eyes was 15 years younger than that Star of my past life.
He was that much less antiquated, and that much less cowardly.
Merit was more important than his own life.
No. That's wrong. I predict that the scale was level.
“You're scared.”
That is why he offered surrender.
“Your complexion is pale.”
Avery, who was using the water as land, matched my eye level, but the distance was subtly far.
It was proof that he was conscious of Ellen's sword.
It was probably because he had already been nicked by a sword.
“Was the man a Sword Master?”
“…….”
The young Avery was naive.
I was keenly reminded of the value of regression.
Serzila wasn't the only one who was frustrating. The Otherworld was the same.
Gullen.
Just as that future Great Warrior was weak now, the people of the Otherworld also had their moments of weakness.
“A Star getting done in by a mere Sword Master, what a disgrace.”
The Aquins of my past life was not such a Star.
That bastard was a very mature river, and never gave a knight an inch of distance.
A river is an Origin that, if you do not know its true nature, has no end no matter how much you cut it.
“I thought it couldn't be, but it was true.”
But the Avery before me had been hit.
Perhaps, if the woman hadn't been there, he might have died.
The man had been protecting the woman against the river.
It was just as Aroshu had said.
“You were a fool, Avery Aquins.”
So, I had to kill him now.
Before that fool becomes less of a fool.