Chapter 179: Till the Heart Beats (6)
by Afuhfuihgs
The snow that was known as ‘eternal’ suddenly stopped.
That alone was surprising, but the even more surprising thing was…
Crack-!
Thud-!
As the snow on the ground melted, ‘sprouts’ started to come up from it.
The snow that used to be around 5 m thick melted in an instant, and the soil was quickly filled with life. As more and more sprouts grew, the frozen ground that had been more terrible than a wasteland was instantly dyed green.
Green, the color of life, as well as a signal that announced the coming of spring.
[Hihihihi!]
Every time the girl’s laughter echoed, the sprouts grew thicker and wider.
Thud-!
Thud-!
With a thud, vines that rose from the ground covered the broken castle in the sky, covering and disintegrating the remains of the dead mages.
In the place where the dead mages’ corpses were, trees, both small and large, grew one by one, and before long, the 30 km land around the castle was transformed into a land of spring, full of the energy of life.
A land filled with the beautiful scent of spring.
Whoosh-!
At some point, the sun started to bestow its light over the green land that was filled with the energy of spring.
Its light was slight, but gradually, it grew stronger and stronger.
[Hihihi~]
[Wow!]
[Ahahaha!]
Even among the Fairies, this being could be said to be on a whole different level.
She was the ‘Spring Fairy’, the one who governed the seasons and the power of life. With such a being descending into the world, how could winter insist on staying?
It had no choice but to retreat without making any fuss.
Rumble-!
With that, the sunlight that the Spring Fairy bestowed disintegrated not only the remains of the castle and the mages, but also their ‘magic’.
Magic.
It was true that magic was also a part of the Mystics that existed in this world, but it was still nothing compared to the power of the Fairy. Humans could cause natural disasters with magic, but what could they do in the face of ‘Nature’ itself?
No magic nor humans could ever overcome [The will of Mother Nature].
Pssss-!
The labyrinth that the Archmage created by pouring tens of thousands of magics in order to seal a certain knight collapsed and melted like snow.
As long as the Fairy ‘willed it’, as long as the ‘anger’ the Fairy had towards mages existed, magic would probably be completely erased from this land.
“…It’s just sunlight, why do I feel so happy to see it?”
The knight, who had been trying hard to figure out how to escape from the labyrinth, felt a strange joy as he was bathed in the warmth of the light shining on him. It was just sunlight, something he had always seen every day, but this particular sunlight felt so special and unique for some reason.
The cold and sharp wind that was attacking his skin was replaced by the warm wind and the fragrance of grass that was permeated with life.
It was the [Smell of Spring] that pulsed with life.
While enjoying the spring air, the knight felt the gaze staring at him and chuckled.
“Your annoying smile disappeared, finally.”
“…”
“So, how does it feel? Being toyed by the people you treated as a bug.”
“…You really do know how to use your head, in contrast to your look.”
If it had been any other day, Lee Han would have gotten angry and quipped, ‘What’s wrong with my looks?!’, but despite the monster’s provocation, he remained calm.
Because he was in a really good mood right now.
Nevertheless…
“It’s not that I’m smart. You were just arrogant and stupid. A crazy bastard who thinks that you’re a real God and lives under that delusion.”
“…”
That didn’t stop him from hurling the guy with facts.
For a moment there, Toure stood there, speechless.
“…Since when?”
Slither-!
Even though the vines that were absorbing his magic power as nutrients were climbing up to his body, Toure still looked calm as he asked Lee Han.
If he was someone ignorant, he’d tilt his head and say, ‘What are you talking about?’ but Lee Han was quite perceptive, so he immediately understood what the guy was trying to ask.
“From the very beginning.”
“…”
“I planned this even before I came to the empire. Honestly, I thought it wouldn’t work since I came up with the plan in just an hour. I really didn’t expect it’d work out this well. In a way, it was a low-probability gamble. It has roughly a 50% success rate? I think.”
“…”
Lee Han gave a long and detailed answer, as if teasing the other person.
“For your information, the reason why it has a 50% success rate to begin with is because of the blond beast you raised. That guy got a light mouth.”
“…That kid… Hyui, huh…?”
Hearing that, everything clicked in Toure’s head.
-T-Ten years ago! W-We kidnapped the Fairy t-ten years ago!
The information that Lee Han obtained from the blonde magic freak, the self-proclaimed successor of the Magic Tower, was countless. Among them was the [10,000 Missing People Incident] and the [Winter Fairy Incident]. To be exact, the hidden details that could shake the entire empire if even the rumors of it were to be let out in the public.
For the Magic Tower to be involved in those incidents wasn’t really something surprising. After all, these were the same heinous things that the regular magic freaks would do.
However, even Lee Han, someone who knew how heinous they could be, was extremely surprised by the new information.
-Y-You kidnapped who?
-T-The Fairy… T-To be exact, the Spring Fairy.
-…
The confession shook him to the core.
-You kidnapped the Spring Fairy?!
That was how unbelievable that sounded. After all, that particular Fairy was none other than the ‘Fairy that Governs Spring’ herself, a Fairy that was on another level compared to the others. People even referred to her as a God due to her power.
It was simply unthinkable that the magic freaks were able to kidnap her in the first place, and yet this guy claimed that they had been locking her for over 10 years. Even if they had Archmages in their rank, Lee Han still couldn’t see how they did it.
Only after five hours of continuous cross-examination while subjecting the blonde magic freak to Twisting the Muscles and Bones that he finally found out how they were able to achieve such a feat.
-M-Master knew that Fairies like children with pure hearts, s-so he took 10,000 children hostage and used them to lure and seal the Fairy.
After hearing that, Lee Han couldn’t help but believe what he was saying.
-You fuckers are even worse than mindless beasts…!
-S-Stop! Please stop this strange torture…! Aaaaaaaaaaaah!
It felt like he was peeling an onion, but worse.
The more he peeled the layer, the more horrible things came out.
It was as if those people live just to commit sins against the world.
Their sins were endless; Lee Han even started to believe so.
However, thanks to the horrible revelation, he was able to devise a plan based on it.
It was none other than…
-We’re gonna rescue the Fairy.
-…Are you insane?
-I came up with this plan because I am sane. If we can save the Fairy, we’re gonna win no matter what the magic freaks do. Even if the Mystic of the Fairy is just half as great as what’s depicted in fairy tales or history books, we wouldn’t lose even if we try to lose.
-…That, I agree with, but it’s impossible for the two of us to do it.
The first time Lake heard the outline of the plan, he opposed it. It was just too unrealistic to achieve. Even if it was them, they still couldn’t guarantee that they could handle the Magic Tower by themselves, let alone rescuing the Fairy on top of it.
However…
-Then all we have to do is find some helpers.
-?
-Blackie, the Status Wind- no, Timid and the Chick should be good enough.
-…You crazy thug.
-What? I’m choosing them because I know I can trust them with this.
Lee Han named three of his cadets to be their helpers, in which Lake immediately cursed at him. In the end, he managed to push through with his suggestion, assuring Lake that they were special, they were people that even he couldn’t ignore, and more importantly, he could trust them with this task.
And as if to repay that trust…
“See? I told you my kids are reliable.”
“…It’s only natural that the young lady is able to do something like this.”
“Look at you. Who was it who cursed at me because you didn’t trust them, huh?!”
“You dare—!”
“Huh? You wanna go?!”
Like that, the two knights started to bicker again. Just a moment ago, they didn’t have the energy to argue, but now they seemed to have enough leeway to do something like this.
The operation was successful, but the most admirable thing here was the fact that the cadets did so well.
Then again, since Blackie took part in this operation, Lee Han knew that they wouldn’t fail no matter what, but there were still chances of mishaps happening.
In all honesty, Lee Han felt more admiration for the efforts of his cadets than for the success of his operation.
But, at that moment…
“Hahaha! I knew it, it was a mistake to give that kid too much authority. I kept him because he was talented, but look at what he did! Hahaha!”
The monster’s voice evaporated their joy, making them frown again.
…His laughter echoed through the space.
All the magic in the area was being transformed into nutrients of the land by the Spring Fairy, and in the case of the mages with magical power, they were turning into plants.
Crackle-!
As if proving that even he couldn’t avoid this, the guy’s whole body was tied by vines, and was slowly being turned into a willow tree, but he looked completely relaxed.
Is there a method that can counter the power of the Fairy?
How could that be?
The Mystic of the Fairy was a great power that even Aura Users found it difficult to resist and they could only bow their heads in front of it. Even if the guy was a mage who had lived for a thousand years, not 400, he still wouldn’t be able to defeat the Fairy.
To humans, a Fairy was not something to be ‘defeated’, but ‘recognized’. If the Fairy didn’t recognize the mages’ ‘existence’, then they’d disappear from the world no matter what.
The same thing should apply to the guy.
And yet, he…
“Ah, don’t worry. I’m not so stupid that I can’t even tell that this is my certain defeat. I just thought that I was indeed too arrogant as you said. Also, this situation itself is just funny. I was made fun of by those who I thought as insignificant. Ah, I really was lacking. I should’ve killed you guys right away instead of playing around.”
“What nonsense…?”
“I know it’s too late to regret it, but, hmm…”
Toure laughed and made an expression that made it hard to figure out what he was thinking. The sight of his eyes rolling around was so unsettling, to the point that the two knights took up their swords and spears, fully prepared to attack him.
“…You know, I’m curious. Was I really that weak?”
“?”
“Don’t overthink it. It’s just a simple question. Were I weaker than the Aura Users? Is that why I lost to you?”
“…You are asking such a question? At a time like this?”
As if proving that he really was a madman, even when he was dying, he was still trying to satisfy his curiosity.
It was to the point that it was disgusting to look at—not that he wasn’t disgusting to begin with.
“If you don’t answer, I’ll shoot my magic in the direction of the city. Even in this state, I still have enough to destroy a city, you know?”
“…You fucking monster.”
They know that statement wasn’t a lie.
Even though he was a hateful enemy, they still acknowledged his strength. Then again, after being pummeled by him so hard, they had to.
So…
“You’re strong. Probably…no, there definitely won’t be any magic freak that’s more horrible than you in this era.”
“Oh!”
Lee Han opened his mouth, and Lake closed his mouth. He gave Lee Han the opportunity to speak since he was the most suitable person around when it came to evaluating mages.
“The same goes for your questions about Aura Users. Honestly, there isn’t much difference between you and the old men of our Kingdom. Rather, if we just look at your magic or the total amount of power, you are leaving them in the dust.”
“Then…”
“But you are weak. Compared to those old men, you are overwhelmingly weak.”
“…?”
It was an incomprehensible statement. The knight clearly said that he was stronger, and yet now he said that he was weaker?
To clear up the mage’s confusion, Lee Han…
“Your ‘magic’ is stronger, but ‘you’ are not.”
“…”
“Having stronger magic or swordsmanship isn’t the point. The ‘person’ using it, is.”
Strongest swordsmanship or martial arts in the world didn’t exist. Only the swordsmanship of the strongest swordsman of the time could be called the strongest swordsmanship in the world.
Therefore, strength was relative, and being strong wasn’t something that could clearly be defined.
In that sense, those who were called Aura Users could be called strong. After all, they were those who had proven themselves by surviving hundreds or thousands of fierce battles.
On the contrary…
“You are not like them. You are just a magic freak who has lived a little longer.”
A strong fool. A brat who didn’t know what a fight was, who treated a fight like it was a game, and took the world for granted.
This was Lee Han’s assessment about him.
“…We didn’t live carelessly enough to lose to you, someone who treats the world like a playground from a safe place. We’ll fight and struggle until our hearts stop beating.”
Then, Lee Han proudly declared.
“You, as a person, are just weak. That’s all. So now…”
-Die.
“…”
Hearing that last remark that was essentially nothing more than a curse, Toure stood there, dumbfounded.
He wasn’t shocked by Lee Han’s explanation, though, he was just a little surprised because he had heard such things before.
Master?
…
-Remember, Toure. You have the talent to turn the world upside down. There are probably only a handful of mages in this world who can surpass you, maybe none at all. That’s how much talent you have. However, even if you reach the pinnacle of a mage, you won’t accomplish much on the battlefield. Your personality and nature are unsuitable for that. If possible, don’t fight any knights, especially the knights of Pendragon. As long as the will of the Great Knight King remains, Pendragon will always produce strong heroes…
“…”
Toure remembered the nagging and curses he heard the first time his master had taken him in back when he was a child.
Looking back…
You were a great master weren’t you, Master…?
Hahaha.
He realized that the master he had killed 400 years ago wasn’t incompetent, but actually a great master, prompting him to burst into laughter without realizing it. He didn’t know why though, he just did.
I see, I see. So I can’t help but be like this until the end, huh?
A being whose nature was ruined from his birth. A madman who always had everything he wanted due to his blessed magic and innate desires.
That was the kind of human Toure was.
Crackle-!
“Hehehe!”
“…You are not going to make it easy, aren’t you?”
“Of course, I don’t want to just die. Since I’ve already incurred the wrath of the Fairy, my soul will suffer in hell for eons. Wouldn’t it be better to just do whatever I want before I go?”
“…”
“Ah, if you don’t stop me, I’ll blow the city away. As I said before, I still…”
─Have that much strength left.
He forcefully freed himself from the vines that were entangling him. His lower body had turned into vines, and only his upper body remained, but he could still use his telekinesis to fly towards the two knights.
It seemed as if he really would do whatever he wanted until the end.
Clang-!
Bang-!
The two knights raised their swords and spears high, not surprised at all at the sight of the rushing monster.
However…
“I’ll cut him down.”
“No, it’s me who’ll do that!”
In the end, both of them wanted to kill him with their own hands.
Boooom-!
Long after the clash, two boys and a girl who escaped from the tower, saw Lee Han, panting while stabbing his sword on his enemy’s neck and heart as well as Lake, who clearly looked like he was in a state of disarray.
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