Ch.246246. My Master

“Haha.”

In the underground prison of Greyford.

In the very same prison where Deus Verdi had once been incarcerated, two Black Mages were conversing, completely oblivious to the atmosphere.

“If I’d known I was going to get caught like this, I would have spent all my saved money before coming here. Damn it.”

As Blood Mage Pelestan laughed heartily while leaning against the prison wall, Luanes, sitting against the opposite wall, sighed and replied.

“Pelestan, you could escape.”

“Hmm?”

“Since you’re a Blood Mage, you should be able to move through blood. Leave me behind and escape.”

“Ha, you’re saying something ridiculous.”

Pelestan smacked his lips as if craving tobacco. If there was one inconvenience about being in prison, it was simply that he couldn’t smoke.

“With Dante’s leader here, where would I go?”

“If you were that loyal, you shouldn’t have betrayed me.”

A bitter smile crossed Luanes’ face.

Though he said that, Luanes was secretly grateful that Pelestan had stopped him from going berserk.

Not returning to being the Continental Slaughterer, Heralhazard.

He was genuinely relieved that he could die as Luanes Luden Griffin.

“That’s what loyalty and friendship are.”

Although he had been with Pelestan since his youth and had various memories with him.

Still, they were Black Mages.

He never expected that a tender emotion like friendship would exist between them.

Like cleaning a room that had been dusty for a very long time, they confirmed their friendship and shared meaningless laughter.

“Can that man achieve the salvation of the continent?”

Pelestan’s question weighed heavily on Luanes’ heart.

Is it really possible?

To be honest, Luanes still harbored the thought that it was impossible.

Like an absolute, immutable truth, Luanes had judged that there was no way to save the continent except through his own method.

When he reflected on himself, it was to the point where he wondered why he could be so certain.

Luanes thought, “as if strangely natural,” that only the annihilation of souls could save the continent.

But.

“I hope he succeeds.”

Quite sincerely, Luanes was hoping for Deus’s success.

Not a logical or rational judgment. He was truly hoping for his success with emotional sincerity.

He wanted the slaughter to end with Heralhazard. Though he had done it out of necessity, he had no desire to slaughter even the dead.

“Then perhaps I too can enter the peace he offers?”

The man who had lived for 200 years to save the continent. He was a little excited at the possibility that the end of his long journey might be approaching.

Hearing those words, Pelestan’s tongue stung with bitterness.

“I truly hope you can.”

He could only support the death of his old friend.

“Is there anything you’d like written on your tombstone?”

Pelestan shrugged, and Luanes began to ponder at his words.

For someone contemplating words for his tombstone, he looked quite happy.

“Here you are.”

It was a massive man.

The fact that the Mage Inquisitors who had been guarding the two Black Mages were sprawled around, as if they had been beaten down, was enough to show that he was no ordinary powerful figure.

“…!”

Even Luanes and Pelestan hadn’t noticed his approach.

Golden hair reaching down to his heels. A giant physique that seemed like his head would touch the ceiling, along with thick hands.

Crack! Crack!

The lightning flowing throughout his body roared fiercely like a beast protecting its master.

“Luanes Luden Griffin.”

Before the two could react.

The master of lightning, which could be described as divine, corrected himself.

“No, Heralhazard.”

“…!”

“Luanes!”

Pelestan shouted urgently, but he was hit by the electric shock emanating from the man’s body and slammed against the wall.

In agony that prevented him from even screaming, all he could do was bite his lip until it bled, trying not to lose consciousness.

“Follow your destiny.”

“Kuh, aaaaargh!”

The moment those words reached him, Luanes began to writhe in pain.

Kneeling on the prison floor, Luanes expressed his agony, but.

For some reason, the man in front of him.

It felt like he was reminding him of the reason for his existence.

“For the salvation of the continent. For the flow of destiny set for us.”

The crow mask that was suddenly in Luanes’ hands, which were now covering his face.

The black staff, filled with ominousness, rising subtly from the floor.

“Kill the outsider.”

The twisted destiny (main story) began to writhe, trying to return to its original trajectory.

* * *

The situation was progressing smoothly.

I had successfully transferred the mana from Luanes’ magic stone to the middle stone, and now I just needed to move it to the final foundation stone.

I too, for a new world for souls.

If I were to name it, I had completed all preparations for creating the Land of Rest.

The Lemegeton created by Learic and the magic shown by Griffin’s demon for containing souls.

They had been quite helpful.

‘The end stone, which will serve as the massive power source to contain souls, has already been completed long ago.’

The mana contained in Luanes’ magic stone was split into three: the foundation stone, the middle stone, and the end stone.

Among them, the most crucial and massive mana was in the end stone.

I planned to make it into a pseudo-Lemegeton.

But a method much larger in quantity than the Lemegeton made by Learic, and more favorable to souls.

Once a certain amount of souls are contained, instead of using power from the magic stone, it would create a sustainable place that would last forever by taking a tiny amount of mana from each soul.

Since there are many souls, even a small amount gathered would form a massive cluster.

Then, if I place it in the General Store, which is in a different dimension from the continent, it would be complete, but.

“Easier said than done.”

I sigh and press my throbbing temples. It was truly just easy to say, but naturally, an extremely detailed and complex process was taking place.

“Heheh, hehe, hehehehe.”

“…Is she on drugs or something?”

In the corner of the laboratory.

Professor Per was calculating formulas while making strange noises. She was in the process of checking the magical formulas I had calculated, making bizarre sounds.

It was quite a vast amount, so it was inevitable that it would take time and cause headaches.

I too felt like my brain was getting twisted every time I reviewed it.

Even when Archmage Rockpellican or Erika did it, they had dark circles under their eyes for several days.

“Don’t disturb her.”

“I think she needs to be taken to a hospital?”

Findenai, standing beside me with arms crossed, watching Professor Per. It’s no wonder she’s concerned, as the professor is continuously emitting gloomy groans, quite different from her usual self.

“I told her she didn’t have to do this.”

Of course, I would appreciate her help, but having experienced it myself, I knew how arduous the task was and tried to dissuade her.

But Professor Per insisted on helping me, saying she wanted to be of assistance somehow.

“Phew, I’m never becoming a Mage in my next life.”

[You probably couldn’t anyway.]

Findenai, expressing her disgust, headed outside to smoke.

Looking at the time, it was still 4 PM. It’s a bit early for dinner, but seeing Professor Per’s condition, it seemed like she might skip dinner, so I thought I should get something from the kitchen.

As I followed Findenai out of the laboratory.

“Master!”

Findenai’s voice urgently calling me from the top of the stairs. I quickly raised my head, hurriedly climbed the stairs, and went outside.

“What is that now.”

“……”

Findenai and I simultaneously look up at the sky. It’s a time when the sun should still be brightly illuminating Greyford.

However, a massive white cloud had inserted itself between the earth and the sun.

Normally, it should have cast a shadow, bringing darkness to Greyford.

But as if declaring itself a special entity, the cloud was emitting a brilliant light.

[Holy power.]

Stella thought the same as me.

That cloud was entirely composed of massive and dense holy power, the authority of a god.

The fortress-like massive cloud gradually took control of Greyford’s airspace, as if about to wage an invasion war.

“Master was right? You said there would be a big fight.”

Findenai speaks calmly with an unlit cigarette in her mouth.

As she said, I had already informed the royal family and Greyford about such an offensive.

In fact, it would have been strange not to expect it.

From what I heard from Aria, Romulus and the other gods are entities that lead the game to its ending.

Beings who strive to bring the story to its programmed conclusion.

But I had twisted one of the most important branching points of the story, Luanes’ soul annihilation event.

What they call destiny had completely changed.

There was no way the gods would remain idle.

“Findenai, get ready.”

“I’ll get my axe.”

While Findenai returned to the laboratory where Baekseol was, I turned to look at the other two who were with me.

The Dark Spiritmaster and Stella.

“I think you know without me having to say it.”

At my words, both of them smiled bitterly but didn’t back down. Rather, they waited, hoping I would speak clearly and definitively.

They were strong women.

It was harder than I thought to voice that we didn’t have much time left.

My throat felt blocked, and I was several times more reluctant to speak than when I left Jenny and Hanso in the Mongma War.

“The time for us to part has now approached.”

I bid farewell, shaking off all lingering attachments.

“I didn’t intend to say goodbye. Because all the time we’ve spent together has been heading towards this farewell.”

It was a sloped path.

The rolling ball would inevitably fall at the end.

Our meeting and time together were always rolling towards farewell.

In the end, all the time we spent together meant goodbye.

“However, it seems like I won’t have another chance if not now.”

But when it actually came before my eyes, it wasn’t so easy to cut it off and say it’s the end.

“Stella, thank you for helping me even after you had entered rest. If it weren’t for you, I would have died long ago.”

[You saved me from the demons targeting my soul. It’s only natural.]

There were demons eyeing her soul, but since I, who had executed half of the great demons, was protecting Stella, the demons could no longer covet her.

“I learned a lot from you. You truly gave many teachings to me, who has shallow emotions.”

[……]

“You don’t need to worry about the demons anymore. Rest peacefully and finish your remaining rest.”

[Thank you.]

Stella gently closed her eyes with a serene smile. She was trying hard to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.

“Dark Spiritmaster, I learned a lot from you too.”

[That’s not all, is it?]

I nod with a hollow laugh at her mischievous joke, shrugging her shoulders.

“To list everything I’ve received, time is severely lacking.”

[That’s enough.]

Was it an answer she liked?

The Dark Spiritmaster becomes slightly awkward with her hands behind her back.

[I also learned a lot from you.]

The emotion welling up from my chest was shouting that I didn’t want to send them away.

I could now clearly understand how painful it is to part with someone.

My mana flows out carefully. Their entire bodies are colored more vividly, leaving a clear trace on this continent for the last time.

With outstretched hands, I gently and softly caress their hands.

“It’s warm.”

Of course, there was no tactile sensation.

Therefore, I couldn’t feel their warmth.

But it was warm.

Truly, they were women with warm hands.

“I learned a lot and received a lot. Your teachings truly awakened me, who was so foolish.”

Before I knew it.

Tears were flowing from both their eyes.

Nevertheless, they were clearly meeting my gaze, not wanting to miss even a moment.

“Thank you.”

My vision was blurry.

“To my infinitely beautiful.”

Before I knew it.

“And to my devoted teachers who gave me teachings even in the moment of farewell.”

Something thick and round trickled down my cheek.

“Just, thank you.”

A drop containing wishes that couldn’t be put into words.

That which represented my emotions.

“Simply, thank you.”

It was tears.