Chapter 108 : Forest of Secrets (4)

Chapter 108: Forest of Secrets (4)

Windy May and Yeriel were heading at full speed toward the epicenter where the pillar of fire had erupted.

Due to the region’s unique properties, the Forest of Secrets was a place where the intricate manipulation of mana was difficult.

That was precisely why the two were moving on foot, without using high-level magic.

Messing up here would only make things more complicated.

"How much further until the heart?"

"At this pace, we’ll be there soon, Sister."

Yeriel, running with Windy May on his shoulders, answered in a polite tone.

"Just a bit more and we’ll even be able to see the sacred tomb."

"…I made the wrong call."

Windy May muttered in a regretful tone.

"I should have come in person instead of sending a duplicate. Then I could have reached the heart in a single breath."

"It couldn’t be helped, could it."

Yeriel let out a small sigh.

To be honest, he wasn’t supposed to be here at all.

After all, he was in the middle of carrying out a covert order from the Imperial Family.

Normally, the title of Archmage allowed one to reject or sidestep such commands at will, but…

The situation had become so tangled and complicated that even he had no choice but to frown and silently obey.

Perhaps it was in that moment—amid such circumstances—that a foreboding premonition had struck.

He had pushed himself to create a duplicate and sent it to the academy.

Then, having received a rescue request from Cecilia and Lian, he’d rushed here like this.

‘…Honestly, what luck.’

That was Yeriel’s honest impression.

Even if she was only a duplicate and not in her full form, it was still that Windy May.

Someone like her could wrap up this situation in an instant.

His role in this situation was likely nothing more than a human carriage transporting her.

That was why Yeriel, without complaint, squeezed out every ounce of strength to run with her on his shoulders toward the center.

"More importantly, who do you think is the culprit?"

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

Yeriel shook his head.

"There are too many suspects to count."

"I had narrowed it down to about four."

“Had narrowed it down… then now?”

"One."

Windy May shrugged.

"Yul Runberg. It seems to be that man."

"…Hah."

Yeriel let out a sigh.

He had at least hoped it wasn’t him.

"Why do you think he did it?"

"There are many reasons. But if we go with the most common one—it’d be revenge, wouldn’t it?"

Windy May answered.

"His homeland was destroyed by the Empire when he was a child. It would be more strange if he held no grudge."

"…I thought he had long cleansed and refined that hatred."

"Human emotions may fade, but they rarely disappear without a trace."

She glanced sidelong at Yeriel and added,

"…Especially you, Yeriel, would know that well, wouldn’t you?"

Yeriel didn’t reply.

Nor did Windy May expect him to.

"Could he be after the Philosopher’s Stone?"

"That’d account for about 80% of it."

"He must’ve poured unimaginable patience and effort into building his reputation and coming this far… to throw it all away so suddenly like this…"

Yeriel briefly tried to measure the Philosopher’s Stone that would be resting in the sacred tomb.

There was no doubt—it was an incredible object.

But…

If asked whether the Philosopher’s Stone was worth throwing away everything Yul Runberg had built until now to commit such an abrupt act, the answer wasn’t so clear.

After all, the Philosopher’s Stone was something that could be created—given enough manpower and time.

And Yul Runberg was a man who possessed the power to mobilize both.

"Is it really worth that much?"

"If it were an ordinary one, maybe not. But one crafted in the land of the Demons—yes, that’s worth it."

Windy May briefly looked up at the sky.

"He definitely consumed a portion of Tobrida’s corpse. If so, he’d have wanted to grow that power even further… and when it comes to strengthening an Artifact, there’s no method more crude yet effective than jamming in a Philosopher’s Stone."

"Ah… don’t tell me…"

"Always a step behind, aren’t you? Yes, that 'don’t tell me'."

Windy May narrowed her eyes.

She was still looking up at the night sky.

"Someone must have succeeded in holding down the corpse of one of the Eight Demon Lords in that way."

Her voice was filled with unmistakable certainty.

“And whether Yul Runberg was tipped off, or he heard it through the grapevine… he must’ve learned about it through some channel and then acted. Otherwise, someone who’s lived so meticulously for decades wouldn’t move so suddenly with such certainty.”

Yeriel felt as if his vision went dim for a moment.

The attack incident, which was now almost certainly led by Yul Runberg, was already enough to split one’s head in confusion.

Now, the corpse of one of the Eight Demon Lords was involved—and worse, more and more things were being dragged into this mess.

‘…If I had known, I wouldn’t have accepted the position of Headmaster at the academy.’

Swallowing his belated regret, he let out a deep sigh.

“…I think this is far beyond something we can handle on our own.”

“Yes, but honestly, wasn’t it like that from the very beginning?”

Windy May snorted and muttered.

“Starting from the incident on Entrance Day… the forced, half-baked administration of the academy, the pressure and interference from all directions… and the ruckus from the Magic Tower, too.”

She added in a voice full of annoyance.

Yeriel involuntarily nodded.

“This incident is probably also connected in no small part.”

“The Imperial Family, the nobles, the Holy Sun Church, and even the Demons… every potential suspect just gives me a headache.”

“Exactly. Like you said, this is far beyond what we can manage on our own.”

Windy May murmured quietly.

“So let’s start with what we can do right now.”

“Yes, Sister.”

She was right.

First, they needed to rescue the students who were in danger.

Yeriel once again pushed his legs to run harder.

‘But that pillar of fire…’

Now that they were this close, he could sense the mana tangled within it.

Within that fiery pillar, he could distinctly feel Airos’s aura mixed in.

‘…I just hope nothing’s wrong.’

Yeriel knew better than anyone the bad blood between Tobrida of the Mirage and the ancient dragon Airos.

That’s why all he could do was pray—pray that nothing had gone wrong, and that Airos had retained his sanity.

“By the way, Yeriel.”

“Yes, Sister.”

“Two major incidents have occurred in such a short span… and the culprits of both turned out to be professors from the academy. What do you make of that?”

Yeriel fell silent.

After a moment, Windy May called his name again.

“Yeriel.”

“…Sister, if I may offer a not-quite excuse—”

“That’s not it.”

Windy May said.

“Stop.”

“Yes.”

Following her command, Yeriel immediately came to a halt.

Windy May stepped down from his shoulders and stared silently in one direction.

“Now that everything’s been exposed, why don’t you come out?”

At her words, someone pushed aside the bushes and revealed themselves.

It was a woman and a young man.

The woman looked as though she embodied the very extremes of the words ‘charm’ and ‘maturity’—the kind that most men could conjure in their minds.

Her green hair flowed loose, and her ears, while pointier than a human’s, were blunter than an elf’s.

The young man standing beside her was also the type to be described as beautiful—almost ethereal.

His eyes were gloomy and deeply sunken, which only added to his mysterious atmosphere.

And when Windy May and Yeriel saw them, each reacted in polar opposite ways.

“Wow.”

“Oh dear, heavens…”

Their past selves.

Windy May’s eyes sparkled, while Yeriel tightly shut his own.

“……Hmm.”

“Tsk.”

The woman glanced around briefly, then sighed lazily, as though she had lost interest.

The young man, on the other hand, was glaring intensely—almost excessively—at everything around him, especially at Windy May and Yeriel, as if on high alert.

A short moment of silent standoff passed.

“…Right, I think I’ve got a good grasp of the situation.”

Windy May Maddown, in her pre-curse appearance.

And Yeriel Poas, in his youth.

Looking at these nostalgic forms, Windy May murmured,

“I heard something like this once when I went to train in the Garusol region.”

“Garusol?”

“Yes. Supposedly, there’s a kind of sorcery that calls forth different versions of oneself from various memories like this… It’s an abandoned spell, or so I heard. Never thought I’d experience it firsthand.”

Windy May murmured with an oddly excited look on her face.

Yeriel, standing beside her, still looked deeply uncomfortable.

“Whatever it is, can we just resolve it quickly? Should I drop a meteor?”

“Don’t say something so reckless.”

Windy May smacked the back of his hand with a sharp slap.

Yeriel flinched at the unexpectedly stinging blow.

“This isn’t something you break by force. Right, I remember… It’s a spell that can be undone by affirming which self is the real one.”

“Sounds like it was designed for training purposes.”

Yeriel nodded as if he understood enough.

Windy May also nodded.

“That’s what I heard. I don’t know the exact details, but still… it was a good experience, at least.”

Once their conversation had mostly wrapped up, the Windy May Maddown on the other side, wearing a bored expression, murmured,

“So… what do we do now?”

“We have to prove which of us is the real one.”

Windy May replied.

The other Windy May Maddown tilted her head.

“Is that really necessary?”

She waved her hand lazily, as if to say it was too much of a hassle.

“Anyone can tell you’re the real one.”

“…Oh? You're admitting it that easily? I was actually kind of prepared for a bit of a debate.”

“I am you, and you are me. It’s obvious at a glance.”

The Windy May Maddown mumbled blankly.

“Anyway, I vaguely remember taking down Winter Essence and Summer Essence, but after that… not much.”

“A lot’s happened since then.”

Windy May spoke.

“If I had to name the most important thing… I’ve taken on disciples. Three of them.”

At those words, the woman who had worn a face full of apathy widened her eyes.

Then, her eyes curved into a soft smile.

“That’s… a nice thing to hear.”

With that, she scattered into the wind.

Windy May looked somehow drained.

“Well then, Yeriel, you should take care of yours quickly too. With this kind of sorcery, if you don’t confront it after recognition and just try to run away, it returns several times more bothersome.”

“I’m well aware, Sister.”

Yeriel stepped forward with a face full of visible reluctance.

The beautiful young man who looked exactly like his younger self stared at him warily.

“Right, you understand the situation by now, don’t you?”

“…What are you talking about.”

Yeriel replied in a displeased tone.

“Isn’t it a bit much to speak informally when I’m clearly older than you?”

“You toss informal speech at me first and expect honorifics in return?”

Faced with such a prickly response, Yeriel closed his mouth as if he had expected this.

Windy May was struggling to hold back her laughter.

“…We don’t have time for this. We’re very busy right now. So I’d like you to just accept it and disappear.”

“…You’re saying I’m the fake. That I was created by sorcery.”

“Exactly. Fortunately, your ears don’t seem to be broken.”

“Unlike someone with a pitifully old and decrepit body.”

A vein throbbed visibly on Yeriel’s forehead.

To think that at his age, someone other than his sister could still evoke such a feeling as rage.

As he thought that, the Yeriel Poas on the opposite side quietly asked while staring at him,

“Just one question, old man.”

“…What, you arrogant punk.”

“What became of my secret wish?”

Yeriel fell silent.

Windy May, too, was trembling slightly, as if she could no longer hold back.

“…What secret wish?”

“Don’t play dumb. If you’re really me, there’s no way you would forget that!”

With that, black mana surged out of the younger Yeriel Poas with a boom!

Yeriel felt dizzy just from looking at it.

“Revenge! Revenge against this entire world!”

“…Stop.”

“Don’t tell me—you pathetic, toothless geezer—don’t tell me you forgot your secret wish!”

“Just shut up already, you lunatic!”

Finally unable to hold back, Yeriel shouted.

And Windy May behind him couldn’t contain herself either.

“Ahahaha! Ahahahahaha!”

As she burst into laughter, Yeriel closed his eyes and muttered, as if resigned to fate.

“…Secret wish or whatever, I’m the real one and you’re the fake. Do you accept that?”

“What if I don’t?”

“Then you’ll have to die with me.”

So saying, Yeriel looked at the younger Yeriel Poas with a faint expression.

In response, the younger him raised black mana in both hands, flashing a combative smile.

“You want to fight? Fine. Come at me. I’ll even let you take the first—”

“Your first love.”

The words made the younger man flinch.

“If I tell you who your first love was, even you’ll have no choice but to accept I’m the real one.”

“…What nonsense.”

As he said, it was nonsense.

But Yeriel was sure—nothing would be more effective.

And indeed, for a very brief moment, didn’t his eyes flick toward Windy May, who was still snorting and laughing behind?

Catching that, Yeriel let out a soft scoff, as if nothing mattered anymore.

“It’s too late to pretend now, you arrogant brat. You and I both know who our first love was…”

Yeriel trailed off.

Because by then, the other had long vanished like he was fleeing.

“So who was it?”

“You don’t need to know, Sister.”

Yeriel replied curtly to Windy May, who had now stopped laughing.

Windy May pouted slightly and looked around again.

“…Anyway, the sorcery seems to have been lifted. I can’t feel any lingering mana.”

“Yes, it seems so. We can move again now.”

With those words, Windy May murmured quietly.

“We’d better hurry.”

She was looking in the direction of the sacred tomb.

“Thankfully, I can still faintly feel everyone’s presence… but you never know when things will blow up.”

“I’ll pick up the pace.”

“Thanks, I’m counting on you.”

With that, Windy May once again climbed onto Yeriel’s shoulders.

It was to conserve even a little mana in preparation for what was soon to come.

“If we fail, I won’t be able to face my disciples… or my teacher either.”

She murmured again, gazing at the sky.

The stars in the night sky.

One particularly large star among them was trembling.