novelraw Chapter 139 : Chapter 139
Chapter 139 : Chapter 139
Chapter 139. The Mirror
Through the Heart-Piercing Eyes, Serena heard Yohan’s true intentions.
Yohan wanted peace.
He was fighting alone to prevent the destruction that would one day come.
The exact form of that destruction remained shrouded in the unknown, but at the very least, Serena now understood that Yohan was not an evil fiend seeking the extinction of humanity.
———The Thirteenth Apostle of the End is, in fact, a guardian of the world.
In the end, that conclusion held true.
Serena was utterly bewildered.
Within the span of a few days, everything she believed to be common sense had collapsed.
The Watcher of the Abyss, who held the kingdom’s political sphere in his grasp, was a half-demon, an Apostle of the End, and someone who desired world peace.
And now, that half-demon was Serena’s fiancé.
She felt as though she were dreaming.
With a slightly dazed expression, Serena looked at Yohan.
Yohan let out a small chuckle.
“You look exhausted. Why do you not return home and get some rest?”
Serena had not slept at all the previous night.
Though exhaustion would have been natural, her mind was strangely clear.
The shock had been so great that sleep had fled from her entirely.
She spoke.
“…Even if I go back now, I do not think I will be able to sleep.”
She would remain buried in her thoughts without closing her eyes even once.
Yohan considered briefly, then said,
“Then would you like to come with me to see Serin?”
Serena looked at him in disbelief.
“To see my sister? How?”
There was no physical way to interact with Serin.
Magic was absolutely required.
Yohan was someone connected to a great mage.
He shrugged.
“Well, it will be exactly what you are imagining.”
“Do not tell me…”
Yohan stood up.
“You will have to grow accustomed to all manner of demonic phenomena forbidden by the Order—magic, rituals, and the like. As long as you are with me, such taboos will become part of your daily life. Come.”
He extended his hand.
After hesitating for a long moment, Serena took Yohan’s hand.
In truth, she wanted to see her sister as well.
The two headed straight for Lumina’s workshop.
***
Serena’s eyes widened.
The very space surrounding her felt mystical.
This was clearly indoors, yet no ceiling could be seen.
It was so high that its full height could not be discerned by the naked eye.
The bookshelves scattered throughout the vast interior were equally bizarre.
Each shelf was larger than most fortresses.
Even so, they seemed unable to contain the sheer volume of books, with countless forbidden tomes strewn across the floor.
This was the workshop of the great mage Lumina.
The birthplace of spatial magic. A place utterly unknown to ordinary humans.
Overcome with awe, Serena looked around.
She felt as though her reason might drift away.
As she was overwhelmed by the sight before her, a languid voice drifted down from somewhere above.
“Oh, seeing you in person, you really are beautiful. The nickname ‘Golden One’ was not an exaggeration.”
From the lofty air above, a white figure descended slowly.
It was like watching snow fall.
Yohan spoke to Serena.
“Greet her. This is Lumina, the White Mage.”
Serena’s reason snapped back instantly.
“…So it is you. I suspected as much.”
Not long ago, the great mage Lumina had committed a horrifying crime.
She had attempted to summon the great demon Muel by offering the royal capital as a sacrifice.
Of course, her plan had failed.
The Thirteenth Apostle of the End had stopped her crime.
Lumina had been placed upon the execution platform.
Burned at the stake, she was said to have lost her life.
And yet, here she was.
In retrospect, the entire sequence of events had been nothing more than a staged performance.
Lumina had survived openly and was now standing beside Yohan—the Thirteenth Apostle of the End.
In other words, Yohan had deceived the entirety of the royal capital.
That was what Serena believed.
Yohan did not deny it outright.
He said,
“What you are assuming is not entirely incorrect. There may be some differences in detail, but I will not bother correcting you. The general context is close enough.”
The summoning ritual incident involving Muel had not been a fully premeditated fabrication from the start.
Chance had played a significant role, and Yohan had merely layered those coincidences together.
In the end, Yohan had gained considerable benefit.
It would be accurate to say that he had made excellent use of a fortunate opportunity.
Lumina scowled.
“Serena, was it? With such shallow understanding, could you please refrain from making assumptions or judgments about me? It puts me in a rather foul mood.”
Lumina’s temperament had always been sharp.
Ilea appeared from somewhere and let out a quiet sigh.
“Lady Lumina, please do not be rude. She is now the Apostle’s spouse.”
At the sight of Ilea, confusion flooded Serena’s face.
“Lady Staviana?”
Ilea smiled with her eyes.
“It seems I should introduce myself properly. My name is Ilea. I am the last witch remaining in this world.”
Today, Serena was confronting the world’s dark underbelly.
Demons, witches, and heretics were wearing human faces while manipulating the kingdom’s political sphere.
A hollow laugh escaped Serena.
“…This truly has been a shocking day.”
Yohan’s expression remained calm.
“If you are already exhausted, that will be a problem. We have not even reached the main point yet.”
Serena replied with a resigned expression.
“What else is left?”
“Please wait a moment. Lumina, is it ready?”
Yohan turned his gaze to Lumina.
Lumina nodded.
“It is done. You may enter whenever you wish.”
As a master of spatial magic, she had spent several days dismantling and analyzing Serin’s mirror world.
Already, numerous results had been achieved.
One of them was freedom of entry.
Through Lumina’s magic, anyone could now freely enter and exit the mirror world.
A satisfied expression crossed Yohan’s face.
“As expected of a great mage. Well done.”
Lumina replied with deliberate arrogance.
“This much is trivial. Who do you think I am?”
Ilea looked at her with pity.
“I am not sure how to put it, but… regardless of your abilities, Lady Lumina, you are difficult to respect.”
Lumina bristled.
“What did you say?! You brat whose blood has not even dried—”
Yohan cleared his throat.
Before the situation worsened, he stopped her.
“That is enough. Guide us to the mirror.”
Lumina trembled with irritation, then sharply turned away.
Without another word, she flew off somewhere at great speed.
Ilea sighed.
“She will bring the entrance. Please wait a moment.”
As she said, Lumina soon reappeared.
Descending slowly from the air with her was a white crack.
The crack was an entrance connected to Mapheltan’s Cursed Scripture.
Since only Apostles could approach the Cursed Scripture, Lumina had created a separate medium to bypass that prohibition.
The result hovered before Yohan’s eyes.
Yohan stepped toward the crack.
“Can it be used immediately?”
Lumina replied with a sulky expression.
“Yes. Just place your hand on it.”
Yohan nodded, then looked at Serena.
“My lady, shall we? Serin is waiting.”
Serena swallowed hard.
If that crack truly was the entrance to the mirror world, she would finally meet Serin.
For the first time in her life, she would stand in the same space as her sister.
Anticipation and excitement surged alongside anxiety and fear.
She could not help but hesitate.
Seeing this, Lumina shouted impatiently.
“Hurry up! Experience my masterpiece firsthand!”
Ilea spoke gently.
“It is safe, so please do not worry. Yohan and I will go with you.”
Yohan took Serena’s hand and led her forward.
Watching their joined hands, Ilea formed a subtle smile.
There was something cold about that expression.
After clearing his throat, Yohan stepped into the crack.
Yohan, Serena, and Ilea were instantly transferred into the mirror world.
***
Utter darkness surrounded them.
Nothing could be seen.
Yohan spoke.
“It is too dark.”
At the same moment, a cluster of blue light shot upward into the air.
The surroundings brightened slightly.
Ilea had cast a spell.
She smiled with her eyes and looked at Yohan.
“We arrived safely, yet you are still holding on.”
To be precise, she was staring at Yohan’s hand.
Serena quietly released it.
“Is… is this my sister’s world?”
Ilea nodded.
“At the end of the passage, beyond that glow, Serin is there. Please, go.”
At the edge of the dark space, a faint dawnlike light seeped through.
That was Serin’s room.
Yohan had been there once before.
He said,
“Serin will be waiting for you as well. Go quickly.”
Yohan did not wish to intrude on the sisters’ reunion.
He had matters of his own to attend to.
Serena swallowed and took a step forward.
Her pace gradually quickened.
Before long, she was running toward the light.
Serena vanished completely from sight.
Ilea turned to Yohan.
“Well, the nuisance is gone. Let us do our work.”
Within the mirror world, which Lumina had recalibrated, they planned to conduct several experiments.
The first was transferring to another mirror.
Yohan spoke.
“We must first locate the mirror in Lord Miyatro’s castle. I marked it previously.”
Immediately, a blue glow created by Ilea began racing through the air at high speed.
Countless mirrors hanging throughout the space flashed and flickered as the light passed.
Yohan frowned.
His eyes hurt.
“I think I found it. Shall we confirm?”
Before her words had even finished, Ilea and Yohan slowly rose into the air.
In an instant, they approached a particular mirror.
A blue band was draped around its edge.
Yohan said,
“This is the one.”
Ilea immediately drew up her mana.
Complex formulas appeared from her hand and seeped into the mirror.
At the same time, the mirror flared brightly.
Upon its surface, a young man appeared.
As always, he was seated at a desk, reviewing countless documents.
It was Raguel.
Yohan smiled faintly and placed his hand against the mirror.
***
For nearly a month, Raguel had been buried in work.
He had not left his office.
Even sleep and meals were taken there.
Though his body, transformed into that of a High Elf, did not feel fatigue, his mind was another matter.
He felt as though he might collapse from sheer exhaustion.
“How does Yohan live like this every single day?”
Yohan did not sleep.
Human by day and demon by night, he continued to act without rest.
It should have worn him down, yet he never once complained and always kept moving.
Raguel found himself developing an unearned sense of respect for him.
By contrast, he himself still felt weak.
As Raguel let out a deep sigh, Zalkarin, who was organizing documents beside him, clicked his tongue.
“If a sparrow tries to follow a crane, it will tear its legs. Raguel, work within your limits. If you compare yourself to the Great End, you will not live out your natural lifespan.”
For once, Zalkarin was making sense.
Raguel nodded slowly.
“The real Yohan is…”
Before he could finish, a familiar voice spoke from somewhere.
“Is he not truly remarkable?”
Zalkarin and Raguel both whipped their heads around.
In one corner of the office, Yohan stood with his back against the wall.
Raguel sprang to his feet.
Zalkarin toppled backward onto the floor.
Their eyes shook violently.
“Y, Yohan…?”
“O, Great End! Have you now transcended even time and space?”