Ch.59Chapter 59 – Three Phoenixes (4)

Wolfram was trying to figure out where she was by observing her surroundings.

Even for someone who had experienced countless things during her life as a magician, this kind of kidnapping and imprisonment was a first for her.

Water dripped from the ceiling, and her arms and legs were tightly bound with shackles. She tried to use magic, but without her staff, it was impossible.

‘I clearly… lost consciousness after encountering that girl named Bing-seol-hwa…’

Her appearance was convincing enough to believe she was Bing-yeon’s sister, and the distinctive features of the North Sea Ice Palace were striking enough for even Wolfram, who knew little about the martial arts world, to notice.

‘…I almost died.’

Wolfram recalled the situation just before she lost consciousness.

Numerous tentacles approaching to devour her and a festival of incomprehensible languages. Waves of chilling sensation as if a knife were slicing through her brain.

Anyone would agree it wasn’t something a human would do. It wasn’t magic or a type of martial art; it felt like something similar to a demon lord rather than a god.

Something wearing human skin. Wolfram, who had sensed a cruelty more vicious than the dark mages of the continent, swallowed hard and looked around for a way to escape.

“……”

Since screaming for help wasn’t an option, she maintained silence, suppressing even the sound of her breathing.

After all, she was in what appeared to be the enemy’s underground headquarters. If someone monitoring the place heard a sound, they might come down, or something even worse might happen.

— Thud, thud, thud.

At that moment, she heard someone approaching. The sound of two people’s footsteps. As soon as she heard it, Wolfram tried to improvise by relaxing her body and pretending to be unconscious, but…

“Hey, this one seems to be awake.”

“…!!!”

Her act didn’t fool the two people who had come down. They had noticed she was conscious and were approaching closer.

“S-stop…! Do you know who I am? I am…”

Wolfram tried to threaten the thugs who were closing the distance toward her.

She thought that if she revealed her identity as the master of the magic tower, which was also called a pillar supporting the world, they would at least refrain from harming her.

“…We know very well. Gold Tower Master, Wolfram Alchemista. A magician and alchemist who researches alchemy that turns stones into gold.”

As if such threats wouldn’t work, the boy who was tapping a white staff on the floor smiled at her.

“If you know my identity, you’d better not lay a hand on me. Unless you want to make an enemy of the entire magic tower!”

At this point, it was all or nothing. She could only hope that if she died here, other members of the magic tower would avenge her.

The being that had kidnapped her was beyond human standards. To defeat such a thing, she had to struggle with all her might.

“Don’t misunderstand, we came here to help you escape.”

Seeing Wolfram frowning, Sieg-hardt extended his hand forward to show he had no intention of harming her. He had come with Kim Hyul to rescue Wolfram, who was being held hostage.

“…What?”

“Yes, because we thought that would be helpful to us.”

The steel restraints crumbled easily into fragments like a splitting apple. Kim Hyul nodded and demonstrated his strength by breaking the shackles that bound her with his bare hands.

“Our families are also being held hostage, so we need to capture that woman Bing-seol-hwa and teach her a lesson.”

Kim Hyul gritted his teeth at the thought of Bing-seol-hwa. At first, he thought she had rescued him from the forest out of goodwill, but when he didn’t follow her order to kill someone, she used his family as leverage.

He had never regretted trusting someone so deeply, feeling such profound betrayal.

“That’s right, to capture the Outer God, we’ll definitely need your help, the magic tower’s, and… that man Bing-yeon’s.”

The same was true for Sieg-hardt.

Bing-seol-hwa, possessed by Shub-Niggurath, had ordered him to kill Verdandi or Azazel, or even Bi-wol, and when he refused to obey, she made all sorts of threats before kidnapping his sister.

Sieg-hardt, the protagonist of “I Need To Kill The Hero,” was blind but could perceive before anyone else that Bing-seol-hwa was being controlled by a strange entity.

Even at the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament, he deliberately missed vital points when pretending to stab Verdandi, preserving her life for this reason.

To test the hope of protecting his family.

“Now all conditions are met. Bing-yeon’s disciples were stronger than we thought, and if we have you as our ally, they won’t easily harm our families.”

“…How can you be so sure?”

Wolfram couldn’t understand the current situation. Even if she had detected that some strange god had possessed the girl named Bing-seol-hwa with her exceptional magical detection abilities,

“I could betray you. I might not care at all that your families are being held hostage.”

She didn’t understand why Kim Hyul and Sieg-hardt were trying to rescue her now. Bing-seol-hwa was clearly an overwhelmingly powerful presence that would make anyone tremble.

She couldn’t understand why they would risk opposing such a person to rescue her.

“…There doesn’t seem to be any mental contamination, that’s fortunate.”

Looking at Wolfram, Kim Hyul nodded with a relieved expression.

He had even considered the possibility that she might have been corrupted by Shub-Niggurath and become a puppet like Kang Si-woo.

“It seems that being a Gold Tower Master level figure, she must have used magic before losing consciousness.”

Sieg-hardt deduced why Wolfram was normal unlike Kang Si-woo.

As a powerful figure who was called a pillar supporting this world and the master of a magic tower, she must have been able to counter the Outer God’s mental attack to some extent.

“That’s right, I used the Gold Tower’s arcane magic just before those strange tentacles tried to devour me. So I’d appreciate if you wouldn’t approach me carelessly either.”

Wolfram nodded, confirming Sieg-hardt’s guess. She was threatening them by pointing as if she could cast magic without her staff.

She was confused about what was happening, why such a strange foreign entity had possessed Bing-seol-hwa, but…

“Well, we’re just doing what we believe is right. Even if we regret it later.”

Kim Hyul smiled and helped Wolfram to her feet. The touch of his firm muscles against her awakened new sensations.

“Hey, you…! What are you doing! You young brat…!”

Wolfram suddenly shouted with a bright red face while in Kim Hyul’s arms. It was her first physical contact with a man in her life.

“You haven’t eaten anything for days, so you probably don’t have the strength to walk. Don’t say anything and just accept the help.”

She noticed the kindness hidden in Kim Hyul’s words despite his rigid tone.

Based on the information she had gathered so far, these were boys whose families were being held hostage by what was called an Outer God, just like her.

“So, are you on the same side as that woman Bing-seol-hwa?”

Wolfram asked, covering her reddened face with her hand. Based on Kim Hyul and Sieg-hardt’s attitudes, she thought they were at least not enemies, but…

“…Or are you perhaps betraying her?”

She asked again just in case. They could be deceiving her and taking her back to that woman Bing-seol-hwa.

“To be more precise, we’re rebels who will betray that person. There’s no reason for us to remain disciples anymore.”

As Sieg-hardt said this, he raised his hand and grasped at the empty air. A black blade formed, a fusion of shadow and flickering light becoming a sword.

“…What?”

Wolfram let out a short gasp.

It was a phenomenon incomprehensible even to her eyes, enough to trigger a magician’s characteristic curiosity.

How exactly was a sword created from empty air like that?

What principles or materials were consumed to create such a phenomenon? What would happen if this were applied to magic?

“Simply put, we’re traitors. We’re on your side.”

While she was staring blankly at Sieg-hardt’s sword, Kim Hyul’s voice sounded as if he were whispering directly into her ear.

“Let’s go outside now. If that woman Bing-seol-hwa finds out that the hostage has escaped, she’ll be furious.”

Sieg-hardt swung his sword toward the ceiling, and an exit to the outside was immediately created.

“Hold on tight. I’ll explain more as we move.”

Kim Hyul lifted Wolfram in his arms and climbed up the slope formed by the collapsed ground above. The sensation of wind and sunlight filtering in was different from the musty underground air.

‘This boy… does he like me? Going so far as to rescue me like this…’

Wolfram’s imagination began to run wild as she was held in his arms.

Having lived as a magician devoted to overnight research, she had almost no contact with men in this way.

Unaware of the misunderstanding building up, Kim Hyul carried her and used his lightness technique to run as quickly as possible toward Bing-yeon’s sect.

* * *

At the moment Kim Hyul dashed away, at the Ice Dragon Fate Sect where Bing-yeon was, three girls were gathered, engaged in lively conversation.

“So you’re saying we need to reach the Transformation Realm as quickly as possible to heal brother?”

“…No matter what anyone says, I’m first.”

“We won’t know until we try! Just like how I might have talent in martial arts!”

Though they were wrapping it in the noble pretense of saving their master, the meaning behind their words was filled with the most sinister desires.