novelraw Chapter 70
Chapter 70
Ch.70 You see…
“Fireball!”
“Fire Well!”
Hans and I poured magic into the lake, but compared to the lake’s sheer size, the amount melting was negligible.
Because fire magic is inherently weak against water—the flames were extinguished by the water produced as the ice melted.
“Haa… haa…”
I’d used too much magic; my head spun dizzily.
“Hans! I can’t go on—I’ll collapse from magic exhaustion if I keep this up.”
“Alright, let’s take a short break.”
Hans sounded exhausted too; fatigue was unmistakable in his voice.
Clearly, this brute-force approach wasn’t working. I’d have to use Kirke’s Staff.
The divine power that grants infinite magic and mastery over all magic.
Hans must’ve been able to cast Stella Frost only because of Kirke’s Staff—
There’s no way he’s a Grand Mage.
‘But… why isn’t he using it now?’
Honestly, I couldn’t understand why we were suffering like this.
With Kirke’s Staff, a few Flares would melt the entire lake effortlessly.
Why wasn’t he using it? Surely he didn’t actually believe the two of us could melt this massive lake by hand?
I wanted to confront him about it, but it wasn’t easy.
Because revealing that I knew about the divine power would be problematic.
He might realize I’d approached him solely because of that power.
It’s a secret even the Church keeps hidden from all but its highest-ranking clergy.
If Hans found out I knew, he’d grow suspicious—
And since I hadn’t fully drawn him into our organization yet, bringing it up now might just provoke resistance.
Frustrated, I sighed deeply.
“Haa…”
What should I do?
I couldn’t just give up on the power that commands the sea.
We’d come all the way to the Arctic through hardship, and with Kirke’s Staff, the Trident of the Sea God was practically within reach…
Yet Hans kept stalling, making me increasingly anxious.
***
Flames spread across the frozen lake.
We’d tried surrounding it with massive walls of fire, but results were poor.
First, the lake was absurdly vast; second, we had no idea how deep it went.
Selena and I had spent days relentlessly casting spells, yet it felt like it would take an eternity.
True, a significant amount of ice had melted—but the sheer volume remaining was the real problem.
And Selena, who’d been helping me, now looked thoroughly fed up.
Honestly, it was understandable—even for someone close to me, being forced into this insane, backbreaking labor for days on end would make anyone angry.
Time was running out, too. If we didn’t leave soon, we’d be in serious danger.
It seemed I had no choice but to use Kirke’s Staff.
Though casting large-scale magic with it came with severe side effects—often requiring a full day of recovery—I couldn’t afford to delay any longer.
If we wasted more time, our ship might depart without us.
Resolving myself, I pulled Kirke’s Staff from my spatial bag.
Its black shaft and large, deep crimson gem gleamed faintly.
Given the lake’s size, I’d probably need something like Meteor or Flare to melt it all.
But I worried Meteor’s impact might damage or displace the Trident of the Sea God.
On the other hand, what if Flare wasn’t enough?
Just then, I felt an odd gaze on me and turned my head.
Was it my imagination? Selena stood with her arms crossed, staring intently at me.
Her goggles hid her eyes, but I could’ve sworn her gaze prickled like needles.
“Don’t tell me… you’ve had a way to melt it all at once this whole time, and just didn’t use it?”
So it wasn’t my imagination!
“Well… using this leaves me feeling awful for days.”
It was true—my head would pound as if splitting open, and I’d feel mentally foggy even the next day.
“Hm~? Really?”
Selena let out a strange, skeptical hum.
Why was she acting like that?
Watching her emit this weird aura, I suddenly realized—
Oh no!
I’d made a huge mistake.
Stella Frost is a spell only Grand Mages can cast.
Selena might find it suspicious that I used it—
Because I’m definitely not a Grand Mage.
That spell only worked thanks to Kirke’s Staff.
If she thought I’d been pretending to be a Grand Mage, she’d be furious!
I had to explain—fast.
Otherwise, who knew what ‘special ingredients’ might end up in my dinner?
Panicked, I blurted out,
“Yeah, but whenever I cast high-tier magic, the side effects last a long time! That’s why I hesitated until now. Sorry!”
I apologized sincerely, hoping for mercy—but Selena gave no reaction.
Her mask and goggles hid all expression, leaving me completely in the dark.
At this rate, I might end up eating rotten penguin meat for dinner.
“Whatever. Just melt the ice already.”
At her curt tone, I nodded quickly.
“Right, got it.”
Deciding on the spell, I shouted the incantation:
“Flare!”
A brilliant light erupted from the center of the lake, accompanied by a wave of scorching heat.
Then—
Kwooooom!
Light so intense it overwhelmed the world flooded my vision—I had to turn away.
When the radiance finally faded…
My legs gave out.
Thud.
“Haa… haa…”
Thump. Thump.
“Hans, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
Hearing Selena’s concerned voice, I croaked weakly,
“I told you… using this… haa… haa… gives me long-lasting side effects.”
Cold sweat poured down my forehead; even breathing felt like a struggle.
I was going to die.
Forcing my head up to look at the lake…
“Hah… damn it.”
Only a large pool of water had formed where the Flare detonated—the rest of the ice remained stubbornly frozen.
It was nowhere near fully melted.
Thud.
And then I lost consciousness.
***
Thud.
Hans buried his face in the snow.
His condition looked serious.
“Hans? Hey, are you alright?”
I turned him over and removed his goggles and mask—his face was drenched in cold sweat.
Cold sweat in this freezing weather? Must be the side effect of using Kirke’s Staff.
No time to waste.
I propped him up, stripped off his outer coat, and gently laid him inside the tent.
“Ugh…”
A pained groan escaped his lips.
“So the side effects are real, then?”
Now it made sense why Hans hadn’t used Kirke’s Staff recently—
Actually, even why he couldn’t use it against the Guardian from the start.
If the backlash was this severe—enough to knock you unconscious—you couldn’t just use it recklessly.
“But what do I do now? Just leave him and go?”
Should I try using Kirke’s Staff myself?
We’d come all this way; leaving without the Trident of the Sea God made no sense.
While Hans slept…
If I melted some ice, and we took turns… maybe we could retrieve it in time?
With that thought, I stepped outside and quietly picked up the black staff lying in the snow.
The staff said to grant mastery over all magic.
As I ran my fingers over its rigid surface, I fell deep in thought.
But seeing Hans collapse like that… it clearly demanded a price.
Unlike other powers, this one felt different.
According to the Prophecy Scroll, it’s a divine artifact containing the omnipotent power of a god—so why would it require a cost?
The texts claimed it was power without price…
Could it be demanding my lifespan? Or… something else?
I wouldn’t know unless I tried.
Gripping the staff firmly, I aimed it at the lake.
“Flare.”
Instantly, an immense torrent of magic surged through the staff and into my body.
W-what is this?
Like a breached dam, magic flooded in endlessly—yet moved with perfect order, as if composing its own incantations.
It felt… as if it had a will of its own.
Impossible… How can magic—something lifeless—move like this?
A chill ran down my spine at this eerie phenomenon.
Is this truly the power of a god? The omnipotent authority of divinity?
The magic swirled rhythmically within me, then flowed back into the staff.
Though it lasted only a moment, the bizarre, unbelievable sight left me stunned.
Soon, a crimson orb shot forth from the staff—
Magic coalesced into a brilliant sphere of light.
And then—
Kwooooom!
Blinding radiance and searing heat pierced through my mask, scorching my skin.
What? Why is this so much stronger?
Compared to Hans’s Flare, this one was several times larger—and the wind felt far hotter.
I shut my eyes and ducked my head, waiting for the blazing storm to pass.
Is it over?
As the heat faded and the cold returned, I lifted my gaze toward the lake…
“H-holy crap.”
The entire lake was completely melted.
What? Why is it so powerful?
I’d only cast it to help Hans—but I never imagined a single Flare could melt such a vast expanse of ice.
This was several times stronger than the Flare I’d seen Hans use.
And yet… my body felt perfectly fine.
Hans collapsed after just one cast—what’s going on?
“How strange…”
I stared at Kirke’s Staff in my hand.
Was there something different between Hans and me? What could it be?
It’s a divine artifact, transcending worldly laws and common sense—no wonder it’s so incomprehensible.
The lake now brimmed with water.
Somewhere beneath lay the Trident of the Sea God.
I’d let Hans retrieve it once he woke up.
No way was I diving into that freezing Arctic water myself.
“Hmph. I’ve done enough—now it’s his turn to fetch it.”
With that, I started preparing dinner for Hans.
***
“Ugh… my head…”
I clutched my aching forehead and sat up—then heard a gentle voice.
“You’re awake? Want some water?”
“Yeah… cold water, please.”
Pressing my throbbing head, I sank into thought.
What now? It’ll probably take a few more Flares to melt it all.
I’d hoped one clean Flare would do the trick, but the lake was just too big.
I now realized Flare alone wouldn’t cut it.
But Meteor would be overkill…
“Here’s your water. What’s got you so deep in thought?”
I took the water Selena offered.
“Just… it seems harder to melt than I expected.”
My mind was tangled—between the urgency to rejoin the others and the fear that lingering longer would make Selena suspicious.
She might already be wondering.
So far, I’d played dumb and she’d let it slide—but if I dragged this out further, she’d surely press me relentlessly.
“The lake? It’s already completely melted.”
“What?”
Confused, I shot upright.
“Hans, let’s eat and go!”
Stepping outside the tent, I was met with a scene utterly unlike the one I remembered before passing out.
“How did it melt?”
Had I seen it wrong before collapsing?
This situation left me utterly bewildered.
“What happened?”
Just then, Selena emerged from the tent.
“What’s wrong?”
“The lake wasn’t fully melted before I passed out! How did this happen?”
At my question, Selena gave a mysterious smile.
“Well, you see…”
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