Chapter 62 – While Away (4)

“This can’t be…” Lehel gasped. “When I searched before, it definitely wasn’t…”

“See?” I smirked. “I told you it would appear soon.”

A massive structure stood alone in the barren desert, like a mirage.

If I had to compare it to something, it resembled a grotesque version of the Nike of Samothrace statue with its last two wings broken off, rather than the ancient Cheomseongdae observatory I’d seen in Gyeongju.

As we approached, its true size became apparent. We now faced the daunting task of scaling the towering rock formations, dozens of meters high.

“Headmaster,” I called, nudging Lehel. Last time, I’d had to climb this cliff without magical assistance. Now we had an excellent shuttle capable of using floating magic.

But Lehel, despite my call, stood transfixed. She’d removed her goggles and was staring at the Sandalphonia Observatory, utterly mesmerized.

“Hey.”

“Huh? What?!”

“Let’s go up. Cast some magic.”

“Oh, right! Just a moment. I’ll leave the luggage here…”

“No need. Bring it all. We won’t need it down here anyway.”

I deactivated <End of Magic>. Soon after, Lehel cast <Float>, and we slowly lifted into the air.

We ascended steadily toward the observatory’s peak, reminiscent of a roller coaster’s slow climb before the first drop.

Gulp.

Lehel swallowed nervously, stealing glances at me. She seemed bursting with questions.

Moments later—

Thud! We landed atop the observatory, gravity reclaiming us. The surface, though uneven, was mostly flat, like an immense stone pillar.

Opposite us, a large iron door barred the entrance to a cave leading inward.

“Let’s go in. Follow me.”

I strode forward, pushing the rusty iron door with both hands. As it creaked open—

“You’ve come, stranger from beyond the stars.”

“You’ve arrived, mortal swallowed by destiny.”

— Have you returned, boy who hasn’t forgotten his oath?

Inside stood a large, round stone table. Three women, hands and feet bound by chains, encircled it. The table bore a celestial map of the Prium Mobile, one of the Three Originals.

The women had identical facial features but differed slightly in appearance.

One had her eyes covered, another’s ears were severed, and the third’s lips moved silently.

The Moirai Sisters.

Ancient astrologers and seers who foretold fate and the future.

Honestly, I’ve always despised this prophetic nonsense. It feels like being a puppet, controlled by someone else’s will.

After being forcibly dragged into this world and compelled to fight the Demon King, the last thing I wanted was to hear about some divine plan or preordained destiny.

“How’ve you been? I brought gifts. Headmaster, empty that backpack.”

“Huh? All of it?”

“We’re not returning it later, are we? Here, one for each. This is jerky, and here’s some ice cream. It’s a bit melted.”

These three, however, were different from the usual frauds or self-proclaimed prophets. They only answered direct questions.

If I decided to destroy everything here, their vague prophecies would hold no weight. A wise approach on their part.

“Delicious, stranger…”

“Sweet, mortal…”

— Thank you, boy…

Watching the three sisters gathered around the sacred stone table, munching on snacks, Lehel couldn’t help but ask me, bewildered:

“Are they really prophets?”

“Yep.”

“Well, I’ll be… What do they even eat here?”

“They probably don’t need to eat. Looks like they’re under some kind of magical seal.”

Even I didn’t fully understand what they were, and neither did Wiblet, who’d told me about this place. They were likely some form of undead… But in a world where dragons exist, I’ve learned to accept such oddities.

Crunch, crunch.

I waited for the sisters to finish their meal. After brushing away crumbs and clearing the table, they turned to face us.

“What brings you here, stranger?”

“What business do you have, mortal?”

— Why have you returned, boy?

“If you’re all going to say the same thing, can’t you just speak once? It’s annoying.”

“Un—”

“Der—”

—stood.

Tch. I clicked my tongue and pulled out the documents I’d taken from Mareile, showing them to the sisters—an eerie statue of the Demon God and the memo left by the Iron Hound.

“Explain this. Don’t leave out any details.”

The sisters examined the paper, holding it up to the light streaming from above. They hummed contemplatively, then began to speak:

“The image of the god is a marker.”

“A marker has a purpose.”

— The marker designates time and space.

“The designated condition brings forth disaster.”

“All disasters were vanquished by mortals.”

— But still, the world’s fractures remain.

“The Grand Duke’s burden is heavy.”

“The Grand Duke’s sins are deep.”

— The Grand Duke’s resentment is profound.

What the hell are they saying? It was hard to understand, but one thing was clear.

“So, I need to hunt down the bastards who made this?”

“Yes.”

“Where are those bastards now?”

The three women, in perfect unison, pointed to a specific location on the celestial map carved into the stone table—one of the Seven Celestial Bodies that never moves in the heavens: Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid.

They indicated the third star, the faintest of them all.

“””Follow Baldur’s Nightmare.”””

It was Phecda.

***

“Thanks for everything. I’ll be back soon~”

As Louis waved goodbye, the Moirai Sisters waved back.

Before we left, they seemed intent on offering a few final words. They pointed at Louis as they spoke:

“Stranger…”

“Mortal…”

— Boy…

“Hm?”

Louis replied with his usual playful, kind demeanor.

“You will take up your sword again.”

“That’s good news. I’ve been looking for one lately.”

“You will be granted the opportunity for rest.”

“Thanks to you sending me to Farencia, I’ve been living pretty well. Maybe… living a quiet life wouldn’t be so bad after all.”

But then…

— The Saintess will seek you out.

“What?”

Upon hearing the last remark, Louis’s expression instantly hardened. His face contorted into something unsettling, and his response sent a shiver down Lehel’s spine.

“That’s terrifying.”

Louis turned and left the cave without another word.

“…”

Lehel, left alone for a moment, soon followed him out.

The Sandalphonia Observatory, one of the Four Great Secret Lands, and the Moirai Sisters who foretold fate were not beings one could easily encounter.

Most mages would have jumped at the chance to explore these mysteries, but Lehel showed no interest.

After living for centuries, she’d grown numb to the idea that the world was full of things she didn’t know.

“Oh, right.”

She suddenly halted, a childhood memory flashing through her mind.

It wasn’t anything significant—just a difficult recollection. Like many mages, Lehel had once wandered the continent in search of her own unique magic.

She had consumed rare elixirs, sought out renowned scholars for guidance, and even ventured into the demonic realm.

Her reluctance to follow Louis here stemmed from her own fruitless search for these very beings in the Sandalphonia Gorge.

Through unbearable heat and an empty canteen, each step had felt like her last. In that extreme suffering, Lehel had screamed endlessly.

She had begged for guidance along the path of magic, for a way out of that endless darkness.

And now, the empire’s legacy had appeared so easily before them. It hadn’t revealed itself back then. Her words now stemmed from pure defiance.

“How impressive. If it was going to show up so quickly, why did you act so high and mighty before?”

Lehel wasn’t the only one who had suffered. The White Knight Wiblet had wandered the desert for forty-seven days, searching amidst the Great War, while the Lavierre defense line crumbled and the capital burned.

With hundreds of lives lost daily, what resolve had driven him onward?

The frail human hands reaching for that thin thread of fate had been so pitifully torn apart.

“Do you regret it? Not finding this place back then?”

“Ha, regret? No. I’m just curious.”

In the end, Lehel had awakened her unique magic without their help. By now, any lingering regret had long since turned bittersweet in her mind.

As Lehel glared at the Moirai Sisters with biting sarcasm, they pointed in the direction Louis had left.

“””He already possesses all the qualifications needed to receive fate’s aid.”””

Without a shred of hesitation, they continued:

“The unfortunate stranger had his entire world stolen from him.”

The reason Louis had been able to come here unhindered.

“The impious mortal lost the right to stop his heart, even in eternal suffering.”

The burden of his karma, the goals he sought to accomplish.

— The pitiful boy sacrificed his entire life to keep his oath.

Because his determination dwarfed even your wishes.

***

Contrary to Louis’s expectations, the convenience store wasn’t busy in his absence.

More accurately, most customers approached the door but quickly turned away.

People instinctively sense the presence of others in places like dark forests or abandoned buildings. It’s the feeling that there’s no sign of life.

Students who peeked into the brightly lit store sensed the eerie emptiness and, assuming no one was inside, left. They probably thought the lazy shopkeeper was slacking off again.

“…”

“…”

However, inside the store, two employees sat side by side.

Neither had spoken a word for five hours.

Grrrrr.

Even the fierce Iron Dogs, capable of tearing apart mid-tier beasts in the Lavierre Mountain Range, were too intimidated to beg for food despite their hunger.

As the sun set and closing time approached, Liv finally addressed Adela, who hadn’t said a word all day, in a cold tone:

“Aren’t you going to work?”

She meant the café’s cleaning and inventory tasks Louis had left behind. Adela, who had seemed helpless when Louis was around, stood up nonchalantly and replied:

“I’ve already finished.”

Her sharp tone suggested Liv should mind her own business. Adela’s indifferent eyes fixed on Liv’s stomach.

“Is seducing the teacher that enjoyable?”

“What?”

“You act so prim and proper, but aren’t you just a pervert?”

Fire ignited in Liv’s eyes. A small tremor ran through the store. A magic weapon materialized in her hand, and the sound of clinking glass bottles filled the air.

“You’re the vulgar one.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your behavior, your attitude—everything about you is far from noble. Can’t even stand on your own without the boss around?”

A scornful smile crept onto Liv’s face. Just as when her father had fought for his life against the Twelve Alliances, neither the soldiers of House Rochear nor the Ice Duke herself had shown up.

“Then again, if the rest of the great houses of the North Sea are like you, it’s no wonder the Lavierre Mountain Range has been breached twice.”

“What did you just say…?”

An insult that degraded her entire family. Even though she didn’t care for her older sister, Adela—who had little left to offer Louis but a marriage proposal—couldn’t ignore such a remark.

Crack. Frost began to form. Simultaneously, her heart grew cold, and an immense amount of pure white mana coursed through her blue hair.

The unique magic that had never awakened, no matter what she’d tried.

A small ice crystal formed in Adela’s hand, soon taking on a long, sharp shape.

<Adela Silvesta de Rochear’s Unique Magic: Small Ice Snow Orchid (소빙설란)>

“Are you mocking the Rochear family…?”

<Ice Spike: “Mermaid Killer”>