TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 54
Dorothy, a first-year student at Halgram’s prestigious Magic Academy.
With her disappearance, Aslan’s world fell apart.
Lirina vaguely sensed that some incident must have occurred between Aslan and her.
But not being directly involved, she couldn’t grasp why she disappeared.
Then, what about Kraush?
“I know everything.”
On his way back to the Blue Sea Knight Order’s quarters after hearing Lirina’s request,
Kraush was mulling over a story Aslan had told him long ago.
[ Do you really need to go through all this trouble to hear a story you already know? Judging by his demeanor, even if you snatch Lunar Body from him, it seems like he’d just lose it outright. ]
“No, he wouldn’t lose it.”
Kraush lightly shook his head.
During his time with Aslan, Kraush had come to understand one thing about his unique personality.
He was immensely stubborn.
Even if it meant heading in a direction that wasn’t advantageous to him,
his stubbornness would never waver.
So Kraush was certain.
Even on the brink of death, Aslan would ensure the Dial appeared by using Black Hood on the Lunar Body.
After all, the Lunar Body was one of the main reasons for Aslan’s ironclad stubbornness.
“Besides, the Igrit Family isn’t as extreme as Balheim, but they’re still one of the Ten Strongest Under the Heavens.”
Naturally, their security is airtight, with no shortage of magic-related security measures.
So if you recklessly infiltrated, you’d almost certainly get caught.
“You might not care since you’re a crow, but humans are different.”
Hence, the most inconspicuous way was to arrange a formal visit.
That’s where Lirina came in—to sneak into the mansion as one of her acquaintances.
The Igrit Family Mansion was so vast that it wasn’t unusual for maids or staff to occasionally invite acquaintances over, and such visits were overlooked.
“And personally, I don’t plan to sever ties with that guy.”
Aslan Igrit, who was called the Flame Emperor despite possessing the Lunar Body.
He earned that title by forcibly burning away the Lunar Body through self-immolation.
Thus, the Aslan Kraush had encountered was someone whose entire body was covered in burn scars.
Kraush vividly remembered the day they first met, when Aslan’s body was wrapped in bandages, and his fierce eyes glared at him.
‘Eventually, even that glare became tolerable.’
In any case, Aslan had burned far too much in the process.
Burning through his very life force shortened his lifespan, and he passed away at the young age of twenty-four.
In a way, he was the only one among the Skyborne Generation to die of a natural lifespan.
‘The Flame Emperor must exist.’
Though intense in temperament, he was one of the few who could communicate sensibly.
Such a man couldn’t be allowed to die.
‘World Erosion doesn’t occur one at a time.’
Kraush had witnessed the end of the world with his own two eyes.
And he had seen how helplessly the Skyborne Generation was swept away by simultaneous attacks from World Erosion.
He would stop the destruction.
For that, he needed individuals to hold the line against at least one of the World Erosions while he dealt with another.
And Arthur had undoubtedly chosen three women for that role.
Admittedly, their abilities were exceptional.
In fact, no one else had held the line as long as those three until Arthur arrived.
Even Kraush acknowledged that much.
‘But this time, it’s different.’
Kraush had no intention of leaving those three women unchecked.
They had caused too many problems.
He would rather secure a new card to play.
And one of those cards was Aslan Igrit, the Flame Emperor.
If he had been alive during the onset of World Erosion, he would have surely held back at least one of them head-on.
‘I won’t let him end up like that this time.’
He wouldn’t let him die prematurely.
‘If I have to struggle, you’ll struggle too, Aslan.’
With thoughts unclear even to himself—whether he sought to save Aslan or himself—Kraush moved forward.
[ So, how exactly do you plan to find that Dorothy girl? ]
At that moment, Crimson Garden posed a question.
Hearing that, Kraush shrugged.
“There’s no finding her.”
[ Didn’t you just say you’d find her? ]
“I can’t find her. To be precise, Dorothy no longer exists in this world.”
And with that, he dropped a bombshell.
[ What? Then what’s your plan? Call Ebelasque to revive her? ]
“That’s impossible too. In the first place, there wouldn’t even be a corpse left. She was burned to ashes by the hands of the Flame Mistress.”
Following his second bombshell, Crimson Garden looked at him in disbelief.
[ Seriously, what are you planning then? ]
Kraush casually cracked his neck.
“I’m going to bring Dorothy back to life.”
[ Am I the only one who doesn’t understand you right now? ]
“You’ll understand soon enough.”
Kraush lifted his head.
“The Spirit King’s Egg.”
[ …You’ve got to be kidding. ]
Crimson Garden clicked her tongue, clearly displeased by the mention of something that should never be named.
“I’ll steal the Egg and resurrect Dorothy. After all, she’s a Spirit.”
* * *
A Spirit.
What exactly is it?
To put it simply, a Spirit is an Erosion Species.
They emerge from one of the world’s Forbidden Zones.
Specifically, the Spirit King’s Forest.
In that place, Spirits are born, grow, and eventually leave to enter the world.
Dorothy was one such Spirit.
The Spirit King’s Forest wasn’t far from Halgram.
The reason was straightforward.
The Red Magic Tower and Ignis jointly managed the Spirit King’s Forest.
The Flame Magic of the Flame King was perfect for reducing the forest’s size.
Thus, they worked daily to prevent the Spirit King’s Forest from expanding further.
Kraush now stood before the city wall surrounding that very forest.
“There aren’t many people who deliberately make their lives harder like you do.”
At the wall, Kraush turned his head toward the voice.
There stood a woman he had seen before.
A uniform accentuated by a swollen chest.
Fiery red hair accompanying a black star-shaped mark.
She was a member of Sephira who had recently come to Kraush to investigate World Erosion.
“So this is why you brought me all the way here.”
Clicking her tongue in disapproval, Crimson Garden gave Kraush an annoyed look.
“Aren’t you working your teacher too hard?”
“You told me to use what I have when I can. Right now, you’re my only card.”
The Spirit King’s Forest, being a Forbidden Zone, was under harsh surveillance.
It was only natural, as any issues arising in the Spirit King’s Forest had to be dealt with immediately.
As such, entry was restricted to only those who had proper authorization from the higher-ups.
And who could receive such authorization?
None other than the servant of Crimson Garden, a member of Sephira.
On her chest was not the 4th Class badge seen last time, but a 3rd Class badge.
She had been promoted by another rank in the meantime.
At this level, she could freely enter and exit the Forbidden Zone under the guise of investigation.
Crimson Garden seemed to be quite diligent in fostering her servant.
“Are you aiming to become the leader of Sephira?”
“Hmph, I wouldn’t take that position even if you handed it to me. My servant is simply too competent, that’s all.”
With that, she erased the color from her hair.
Then, she pulled a badge from her pocket and tossed it to Kraush.
When Kraush caught the badge, it bore the mark of Sephira’s 4th Class.
It seemed she had brought it to grant Kraush access to the Spirit King’s Forest.
“I’ll let you enter since you want to resolve this issue, but do you really intend to go in? Honestly, I’m against it.”
Crimson Garden displayed an uneasy reaction to the aura emanating from the Spirit King’s Forest.
Did she have a history of causing trouble in the Spirit King’s Forest?
Kraush, though puzzled, responded.
“Yes, to resolve this, I need the egg. Besides, among the Forbidden Zones, the Spirit King’s Forest is relatively safe.”
It was a place Kraush had already experienced firsthand.
From Kraush’s perspective, it wasn’t particularly challenging.
“Ugh, in that case, I don’t want to go in. You go alone.”
“Why are you complaining all of a sudden? I can’t even enter without you in the first place.”
When Kraush pressed her, she finally clicked her tongue.
Then she began striding forward decisively.
“Don’t regret it later.”
Meanwhile, her hair had already returned to its original black color.
Kraush adjusted the badge securely, pulled up the hood of his robe, and followed behind her. Before long, soldiers appeared at the entrance.
Recognizing Crimson Garden’s uniform and badge, the soldiers straightened their postures.
For mere soldiers, a 3rd Class Officer of Sephira was an overwhelmingly high rank.
“This is Mirsys, the 3rd Class Officer of Sephira, as notified in advance. Beside me is the 4th Class Officer, Krad.”
“Yes, we received the notice. We’ll open the gates right away, so please wait a moment.”
The soldiers began moving briskly.
Sephira conducted regular inspections of the Forbidden Zones.
Thus, the soldiers were accustomed to acting swiftly.
Shortly after, the gates of the city wall creaked open.
From within, the characteristic light dust of spirits began to drift out.
While the light dust caused skin diseases upon contact with humans, its appearance was undeniably beautiful.
“Will you be alright without an escort?”
“Yes, the 4th Class Officer handles combat.”
Kraush gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
The soldiers, despite Kraush’s youthful appearance, harbored no doubts.
After all, Sephira specialized in dealing with World Erosion.
“Here, this is a magic respirator to assist with light dust inhalation. Please monitor the remaining charge and time, and recharge the aura as needed.”
Kraush and Crimson Garden skillfully attached the respirators handed to them by the soldiers.
After offering a brief thanks to the soldiers, they proceeded inside the city wall.
Kraush squinted momentarily due to the light entering his eyes through the respirator but soon opened them slowly.
Before him, golden light dust scattered like flower petals.
In addition, enormous trees began to come into view.
This was a Forbidden Zone.
The Spirit King’s Forest.
A place that could be called a paradise for spirits, who were a species of World Erosion.
Perhaps because it was his first time entering a Forbidden Zone in this life, the experience felt extraordinary.
At the same time, he could sense the pervasive World Erosion throughout the entire Forbidden Zone.
‘At this level, just breathing would increase the World Erosion.’
Truly, a Forbidden Zone lived up to its name.
Entering with the knowledge of Extreme Blood Immersion Poison, he felt once again just how dangerous the Forbidden Zone was.
Creak, thud!
In the meantime, the sound of the city wall closing echoed from behind.
With his entire body tightly wrapped, Kraush preemptively surrounded himself with a faint layer of aura and stood beside Crimson Garden.
“Let’s go. I know where the egg is.”
“Kraush.”
As Kraush was about to take a step forward, Crimson Garden abruptly called out.
Crimson Garden was gazing blankly up at the sky.
“I hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but it seems I have no choice.”
Kraush blinked in confusion.
“What are you talking about?”
At that moment, a droning sound began to resonate from above.
As Kraush belatedly raised his head, the edge of the sky, tainted gold by World Erosion, came into view.
Something pitch-black was hurtling rapidly toward their location.
“We’ll talk after we get out of here.”
At that moment, Crimson Garden clapped her hands together.
Instantly, multiple layers of red magic circles appeared beneath her feet, and the two of them were teleported.
The scenery changed in an instant, and Kraush found himself tumbling somewhere within the Spirit King’s Forest.
Crimson Garden had activated her Teleportation Magic.
In the meantime, Crimson Garden clutched her head as if experiencing dizziness.
Her servant Mirsys was one who had honed literature, not martial arts.
As a result, using mana with minimal aura brought about dizziness.
“Ugh, damn it, so what’s going on?”
Meanwhile, Kraush, feeling a wave of spatial nausea, adjusted his respirator and asked.
To abruptly use teleportation—it was uncharacteristic of Crimson Garden.
Crimson Garden, looking back at the golden sky through the trees, finally spoke.
“…Once, I needed something from the Spirit King’s Forest and ordered a servant to take a spirit out.”
“What did you do?”
As Kraush’s expression turned incredulous, she could only look troubled.
“And after my servant completed the task, instead of returning the spirit, they traveled the world with the spirit for quite some time.”
“Hey, wait, Crim…”
But as Kraush listened to her words, his expression began to shift.
“Don’t tell me—that’s the Primordial Spirit Master from ages ago?”
“…”
Crimson Garden remained silent.
The Primordial Spirit Master.
The only spirit master recorded in the world.
And that was Crimson Garden’s servant.