Ch.102Face to Face. (2)

‘Mola mola-like bastard.’

Olivia clicked her tongue and rummaged through her spatial storage. What she pulled out was a potion with a strong strawberry scent. It was the same kind she had used on her disciples. Olivia removed the cap and approached Kiel.

Then, she shoved the bottle straight into his mouth.

“…!”

Despite Kiel’s struggles against the liquid flooding his throat, Olivia paid no attention. A knight of Kiel’s caliber wouldn’t die just because his throat was blocked momentarily.

‘But I can’t exactly feed him gently either.’

That would make the scene look strange, wouldn’t it? Esthie and the King of Martial Arts would be back soon, and she didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings.

Olivia casually checked Kiel’s status window.

[Kiel Rothschild]

– Level: 87

– Affinity: -100

– Occupation: Sword Master

– Regressor, Seeker of Sword, Wandering Swordsman.

‘At least his level has increased quite a bit.’

It seemed like just over half a year had passed, yet he had already gained 4 levels. His growth rate was so fast that one might mistake him for a user rather than an NPC.

“…Cough!”

Kiel coughed up black, dead blood. His internal organs, which had been severely shaken, were gradually finding their proper places. Left alone like this, he would recover within the day.

“You are a cursed person.”

While staring at Kiel’s face, Olivia heard a voice. It was the shaman who had been assisting the King of Martial Arts. Around him were shamans who had collapsed from exhaustion.

It wasn’t mutual destruction… They had simply collapsed from exhaustion after cleaning up after the King of Martial Arts. Though “cleaning up” might sound simple, it involved restoring an entire mountain. Their exhaustion was only natural.

“…Cursed?”

“I am Rokpa, serving the King of Martial Arts. Though humble, I am also a shaman who has awakened the Clear Mirror.”

For a shaman, reaching the Clear Mirror stage was by no means a low achievement. At this level, one could faintly read another’s fate to divine good and bad fortune, and gain proficiency in handling souls and curses.

“I didn’t ask who you were.”

“Haha.”

Rokpa let out a laugh. Olivia narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

‘…I’ve never seen him before. Who is he?’

She should certainly remember a shaman who directly served the King of Martial Arts, but no matter how she looked at him, his face was unfamiliar.

Not knowing a shaman who had achieved the Clear Mirror stage bothered her, but what disturbed Olivia more was Rokpa’s mention of a curse.

“What do you mean by curse?”

“Your stare is frightening.”

“Do I look like I’m joking right now?”

Tsutsutsuts!

A sharp frost spread out from Olivia. The frost instantly grabbed Rokpa’s ankles.

Nature itself moved in response to Olivia’s mana. Rokpa’s eyes widened.

He could tell without looking. The mana Olivia carried within her body was beyond measurement even for someone like him who had reached the Clear Mirror stage.

Until now, there were only two people Rokpa couldn’t measure: his master and Olivia.

“…I apologize. I’m sorry for disturbing your mood.”

Realizing that Olivia could kill him if she wished, Rokpa bowed his head respectfully. Unlike other stubborn shamans, he knew how to compromise with the world.

‘Well, she’s much stronger than I expected.’

It was something Rokpa had heard about five years ago, before leaving his master. Shamans living in the Moon’s Magical Realm occasionally ventured outside to kidnap children they liked to raise as disciples, and Rokpa was one such case.

Among them, Rokpa’s master was particularly unusual.

While most shamans only took one disciple, Rokpa’s master had at least ten. Rokpa never met them directly, but he could tell from occasionally seeing them communicate through crystal balls.

When sending disciples down the mountain, his master always said this:

Don’t go to the North.

The Great Witch is there.

“…The Great Witch?”

Hearing Rokpa’s words, Olivia’s gaze sharpened.

The only “witch” in the North was herself.

And only two outsiders knew this fact: Kiel and the Night Raven.

“…Who is your master?”

“I cannot say. Please don’t misunderstand. Since I was kidnapped by my master, an oath has been engraved on my soul…”

Meaning he would die if he spoke.

When Olivia took a step closer, Rokpa frantically waved his hands.

“Even if you try to read my thoughts with magic, it’s useless. I don’t know my master’s appearance or voice. From the day I was kidnapped until now, my master hasn’t revealed even a fragment of identity to me, a disciple.”

“…”

Olivia closed her mouth.

‘…What are you up to?’

That question wasn’t directed at Rokpa. It was aimed at the mysterious figure known as his master.

Even if Olivia couldn’t remember every NPC in Lactea, she remembered all the strong ones above a certain level.

But this was the first time she’d encountered such a case.

Neither the shaman called Rokpa nor his so-called master.

“Blue lightning in your eyes, hair white as snow… It’s just as my master described. You’re much more beautiful than I imagined.”

“Cut the crap… When did you hear about this?”

“The prophecy, you mean?”

“Yeah.”

“I heard it five years ago.”

With the current Imperial year being 987, five years ago would be 982.

That’s not just before regression; it’s long before the tutorial.

So that means they knew about Olivia’s existence since then, which makes no sense at all.

“And you expect me to believe such nonsense?”

“Am I wrong? Then why are your clothes like that…”

Olivia’s attire was undeniably reminiscent of a witch.

“Never mind that. What about the curse?”

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t remember killing a shaman named Rokpa in the extermination timeline. Of course, she couldn’t remember everyone she had killed, but there was definitive evidence.

The fact that Rokpa’s affinity wasn’t displayed as negative was that evidence.

Shamans were one of the few oddities who didn’t view witches negatively.

Yet despite this, he mentioned a curse.

“Tell me. What curse exactly do I…”

“Huk!”

Rokpa’s body trembled as he lowered his head. When he raised it again moments later, his eyes had rolled back, showing only the whites.

[Come to the Moon’s Magical Realm.]

Rokpa’s mouth was wide open but not moving. However, it was clear that someone else had taken possession of his body. It must be his so-called master.

[You have five years. If you don’t come to the Moon’s Magical Realm within five years, your curse will become irreversible.]

Olivia gave a contemptuous smile. The reason people were hostile to her was because her affinity had been shattered due to the karma from the extermination timeline, not because of any curse.

There couldn’t possibly be a curse.

Olivia stared directly at the whites of Rokpa’s eyes.

“Let’s say there is one. Who are you?”

[You will naturally find out when you come to the Moon’s Magical Realm. Remember. Five years.]

With those words, Rokpa closed his mouth. After a moment, he frowned and massaged his jaw.

“…Ugh. Damn master. I’ve told you so many times that possession dislocates my jaw.”

Feeling the fierce gaze right in front of him, Rokpa hurriedly made excuses.

“I don’t know anything. I don’t know what my master said. I’m just a messenger.”

“Was it also your master who told you to mention curses and whatnot to me?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

Olivia fell silent. She didn’t know the level of this so-called master, but if they could foresee decades into the future, they were certainly no ordinary person.

Suddenly, she felt uneasy. What if there really was a curse she didn’t know about?

‘…Damn it.’

If their intention was to disturb her mind, she wanted to tell them they had succeeded.

“Did your master also order you to become the King of Martial Arts’ secretary?”

“Hahaha…”

That meant yes.

‘Damn shamans.’

To magicians, disciples were successors who would continue their research and inherit everything.

But to shamans, disciples were nothing more than obedient puppets. What’s more surprising is that the disciples themselves accepted this as normal.

“Then I’ll be taking my leave now. It was nice meeting you, Great Witch of the North.”

Rokpa sent a crow flying in the direction of the King of Martial Arts. A note was tied to the crow’s foot. It was a note saying he would no longer serve the King of Martial Arts. Rokpa smiled and said:

“You’re much kinder than what I heard from my master. Please, continue to keep your sanity as you are now.”

“Hey, what do you mean by…!”

With those words, Rokpa transformed into falling leaves and disappeared. Olivia frantically tried to block Rokpa’s movement by manipulating mana, but it was already too late.

‘…Damn shaman.’

Since shamanism and magic are fundamentally different, even someone like Olivia couldn’t instantly block shamanic power.

Five years. That bastard Rokpa had lived as the King of Martial Arts’ secretary for five years just to deliver a few words.

It showed just how crazy shamans could be.

‘Damn, I have to go to the Moon’s Magical Realm?’

The Sun and Moon Magical Realms are on a completely different level of difficulty from other magical realms. Even meeting the conditions to enter is extremely challenging.

Olivia bit her lower lip hard. Five years might seem sufficient, but considering Aria’s interference and the training of her disciples, it wasn’t necessarily enough.

To go to the Moon’s Magical Realm, keys are needed.

Three keys in total. And these keys are located in three different magical realms.

The closest one is…

With the sound of flowing water, Esthie rose up riding a stream.

“You’re really something else. Humans never know when to be satisfied.”

“I haven’t yet faced a proper sea!”

“You bastard. Even I can’t control the sea. Showing you waves should have been enough.”

Watching Esthie and the King of Martial Arts bickering, Olivia cleared her throat. The closest magical realm she could access now was the Metal Magical Realm.

And the Metal Magical Realm is located in the deepest part of the Atilla Mountain Range.

‘My magic is too conspicuous.’

One would need to dig deep into the earth to reach the entrance of the magical realm, which was impossible for Olivia. To dig that deep, she would certainly need to use grand magic, which she couldn’t hide.

There was only one person who could dig all the way to the magical realm in one go without catching Aria’s attention.

“Ashe Balthar. Help me out.”

The King of Martial Arts pretended not to hear. He merely picked his ear with his large finger.

“I’ll let you fight me.”

“…Tsk. I hear a dog barking. Do you think I, the great one, would bother with a cowardly magician like you?”

“What about a dragon then?”

“…Dragon?”

The King of Martial Arts’ eyes changed. His lips twitched with fighting spirit.

He had never faced a dragon before.

“That changes things a bit.”

The King of Martial Arts grinned, showing his teeth.