TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 62
He ran out of the room without a chance to respond.
It was because the Academy Dormitory was where Dorothy lived.
After running and running, Aslan arrived at the Academy Dormitory, which was engulfed in the flames of the Fire Demon.
Some children who had escaped were seen either suffering from burns or crying loudly.
But Dorothy was not among them.
Aslan hurriedly approached someone who looked relatively unharmed and asked.
“Excuse me. Have you seen a girl named Dorothy? She has transparent blue hair!”
“Dorothy, you mean? That failing student?”
He seemed to know Dorothy, but he wore a puzzled expression.
At that moment, a child raised their hand.
“I saw her. Dorothy saved me and that child over there.”
The child, who appeared to be a student, pointed to another child who had fainted, perhaps from inhaling too much smoke.
But Dorothy herself was nowhere to be seen.
“What about Dorothy?”
“She went back inside to save more children…”
Upon hearing this, Aslan rushed into the entrance without anyone stopping him.
He cast protection magic on himself repeatedly and ran through the blazing flames.
Even with protection magic, the heat was intense.
This flame was not ordinary fire.
‘This is magic.’
Who could have done such a thing?
Was there someone who held a grudge against the Academy?
Aslan, who did not attend the Academy, could not know the truth about this.
The only certainty was that he needed to find Dorothy now.
“Dorothy! Dorothy, where are you!”
Dodging the falling debris, Aslan desperately called out for Dorothy.
She was just beginning to use basic magic.
There was no way she could withstand such flames.
After searching the first floor, Aslan soon reached the second and third floors, sensing the temperature of the flames dropping in a certain direction.
Realizing this, Aslan desperately ran towards that direction, squeezing through the gaps.
“Move!”
Aslan blasted away the collapsed debris with magic, and his eyes caught sight of blue hair.
Between the icy strands of hair that were fluttering and frozen at the tips, he glimpsed skin as transparent as blue ice.
The girl, half-made of ice, was desperately suppressing the flame magic circle in front of her with cold air.
And Aslan knew this girl well.
“Dorothy!”
At Aslan’s shout, Dorothy turned her head towards him.
Her eyes, meeting Aslan’s, widened with surprise and confusion.
“Aslan?”
Confused about why he was here, Dorothy was also at a loss upon realizing her own state.
Seeing this, Aslan understood immediately.
Dorothy was not a normal human.
She was, in fact, a Spirit.
Erosion Species instinctively evoke aversion in humans.
Let alone a Spirit.
How were Spirits treated in the Igrit Family?
The atrocities committed by the Spirit contracted to the first Spirit Mage were recorded in history as a major event.
Therefore, Spirits were absolutely forbidden in the Igrit Family.
Dorothy was aware of this fact as well.
As feelings of guilt for deceiving him and various thoughts filled Dorothy’s mind.
Aslan felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
Because Dorothy was safe.
Aslan immediately dashed to Dorothy’s side.
Whether she was a Spirit or not did not matter to Aslan.
She was Dorothy, who had given his life a new meaning.
“Aslan, are you an idiot?! It’s dangerous! Get out now!”
Seeing Aslan, Dorothy exclaimed in a panicked tone.
Regardless of her own state, Dorothy hated seeing Aslan in danger even more.
But Aslan felt the same.
“All I need to do is solve this.”
“Wait, it’s dangerous!”
“Dorothy, I’m from the Igrit Family.”
Aslan approached the magic circle.
Despite the heat scorching his face, he clasped his hands together and spread them open.
Then, magic circles began to appear and glow in his palms, one after another.
“Magic is my specialty.”
It was ridiculous.
That he, who had been tired of magic in the evenings, was now calling himself a specialist in magic.
But right now, he was the only one who could stop this magic circle.
Seeing this, Dorothy’s eyes trembled violently.
His willingness to step forward without hesitation, even after learning she was a Spirit, made her bite her lip hard.
“…Aslan, I’m a Spirit. If people see you with me, you’ll be in big trouble.”
It might not just end with being disowned by the family.
At the very least, the Flame King, who cherished the family deeply, would never leave Aslan alone.
But Aslan’s eyes remained unchanged.
“Yes.”
He simply answered that he wanted to be with her enough to endure all of it, very calmly.
Receiving Aslan’s sincerity, Dorothy clenched her fists tightly.
“The person who caused this arson used a Spirit Seed to start the fire. You can’t extinguish it with regular magic. Of course, Spirits can’t stop it either.”
A new type of magic being created using Spirit Seeds sold in backroom deals.
This magic was a forbidden one that forcibly bloomed and burst the Spirit’s power within the Spirit Seed.
Its power was immense, but it was a Spirit Amplification Magic close to World Erosion that sacrificed Spirits.
Naturally, the Igrit Family was currently investigating those who used such magic.
And the same went for Dorothy.
Dorothy was a unique case among Spirits, being very close to human.
She was a new entity created by the Spirit King’s Forest to adapt to humans in the ever-evolving World Erosion.
Thus, unlike ordinary Spirits who couldn’t understand human thought, she understood humans well.
Regardless of the intended direction of evolution, she, being similar to humans, naturally took an interest in them.
Magic, in particular, was the most fascinating subject for her.
To learn such magic, she enrolled in the Academy under the identity of a young mage who had died for some reason in the Spirit King’s Forest.
And in the process, she realized one thing.
The young mage named Dorothy, whose identity she used, was connected to a group researching Spirit Amplification Magic.
Upon learning of this incident, Dorothy kept an eye on the group’s movements.
When one of them was caught by the Igrit Family’s investigation and carried out the terrorist act, she rushed to stop it.
Only then did Aslan see the burning seed inside the explosion magic circle.
The flame energy emanating from there was indeed an energy that Aslan couldn’t decipher.
“I will suppress the Spirit’s power.”
“And I will dispel the magic.”
Dorothy and Aslan’s eyes met.
Both realized at the same time what they needed to do.
Both of them smiled simultaneously amidst the blazing flames.
And the moment that smile brushed past, Dorothy and Aslan moved.
Dorothy’s cold air forcibly suppressed the spirit’s flames.
Meanwhile, Aslan immediately began to dispel the magic circle.
The foundation of the magic circle was Explosion Magic.
It was also a highly sophisticated magic woven to a considerable level.
The madness of the arsonist, obsessed with magic, was palpable.
From the basic structure of Ether to the ancient Akasha’s Rune Script, the magic circle was a product of extraordinarily high knowledge.
‘Damn, it’s twisted like a madman’s work. Is this the doing of a 5th Circle Mage, a Philosopher?’
He himself was only a 3rd Circle Mage, a Theoricus.
A situation where there was a two-level difference in circles between him and the mage who inscribed the magic circle.
It was a complex magic circle where one could feel the obsession to execute this magic no matter what.
So much so that Aslan felt dizzy just by looking at it.
However, his eyes and hands moved relentlessly without any intention of stopping.
He understood why Dorothy was suppressing this magic.
If this were to explode, not only the Academy Dormitory but the entire area would be obliterated.
Dorothy knew this fact and was desperately suppressing the magic circle.
Therefore, Aslan had to dispel the magic circle even more cautiously.
A situation that required both speed and accuracy.
It was an extreme situation where he had to quickly walk a tightrope, where a single misstep would be the end.
Dorothy’s cold air was still pouring out in real-time.
She was barely holding it back, but she had been struggling since he arrived.
As evidence, Dorothy’s appearance was gradually becoming more like that of a spirit.
The water dripping between the ice clearly showed her limits.
Time was running out.
Cold sweat began to form on Aslan’s forehead.
He felt pathetic for having neglected his magic for so long.
Despite all his boasts, he was struggling to dispel a magic circle.
‘Faster, I need to be faster. More, more precisely.’
Yet, his hands and eyes did not stop.
His mental power, pushed to its limits, forcibly entered a state of hyper-focus to dispel the magic circle.
Crack, thud-
Perhaps because the mana gathered in his eyes was too strong, blood started to trickle from his eyes.
His eyes, not blinking even once, did not stop.
‘Damn it.’
Yet, he acutely felt his own inadequacy.
「Aslan.」
Dorothy’s voice reached his ears.
「You can do it. Because you’re the one who can teach even a fool like me.」
Dorothy, now completely in the form of a spirit, spoke as she further intensified her cold air.
「You’re the greatest mage I know.」
There was someone who believed in him.
That fact alone was enough for Aslan.
Aslan’s red eyes shone brighter than ever.
As if he had learned magic for this very day.
His fingers moved like drawing musical notes within his clear eyes.
Dozens of magic circles began to be dispelled one after another from his fingertips.
The blazing flames grew even stronger, but Aslan’s hands continued to dispel the magic circles.
And the very last one.
At the moment he arrived in front of it.
His index finger touched the magic circle.
Crackle!
At that moment, the magic circle shattered like glass shards.
And with that as the beginning.
Whoosh!
The flames that filled the surroundings vanished instantly.
Crack, thud-
The sound of parts of the burnt building crumbling into ashes quietly spread.
Within it, Aslan was slowly breathing heavily, with blood trickling down his cheeks.
Aslan’s eyes turned to the side.
Was it because he used too much mana for a precise and quick dispel?
No voice came out, and his vision was blurry.
Yet, Dorothy was vividly reflected in his eyes.
Her translucent ice skin, eyes like ice crystals embedded in her skin, and hair like blue light intricately carved from ice.
Below it, a bright smile spread across Dorothy’s face.
「Aslan!」
He protected it.
That was enough.
At the moment Aslan’s consciousness was about to break.
Boom!
The entire dormitory began to shake.
Due to the blazing flames, the building’s pillars finally couldn’t withstand and broke.
As a result, the entire dormitory began to collapse.
This was the corner of the third floor.
It was too far to escape through the window.
Moreover, Aslan was now at his limit, in a state of mana exhaustion.
His fingertips wouldn’t even move properly.
Yet, as Aslan reached out to embrace Dorothy, she hugged him first.
Crash!
At that moment, the dormitory building collapsed, sending black ash and smoke swirling.
Within it, Aslan felt the sensation of falling and let out a groan.
But there was no impact.
Dorothy had frozen the surroundings, barely preventing them from being crushed by the debris of the collapsed building.
However, the real problem came next.
「What, what is that?」
「A monster, it’s a monster!」
「It’s a spirit! There’s a spirit!」
Amidst the chaos, Aslan felt noisy sounds coming from all around.
It was the voices of the children who had evacuated in front of the dormitory and the mages who had come late to extinguish the fire.
From their eyes, various emotions like fear and hostility poured out.
「They’re holding hostages! They’re holding hostages!」
The mages shouted without knowing who had suppressed this explosion.
He wanted to shout that it was a misunderstanding, but no voice came out of Aslan’s mouth.
It was fortunate that he hadn’t coughed up blood.
There was no way he could make a sound.
Aslan’s eyes hurriedly turned to Dorothy.
They had to escape immediately.
If Dorothy stayed here, she would become a target for the mages.
Dorothy knew this well.
But before she could move, the flames surged again.
“Get away from my son!”
With a loud voice, the flames engulfed Dorothy in an instant.
Dorothy, too, was already at her limit, struggling to suppress the Spirit Amplification Magic.
Naturally, there was no way she could avoid those flames.
Aslan and Dorothy’s eyes met.
In that brief moment, Dorothy slowly smiled, and Aslan’s eyes widened.
“No…!”
At the moment that voice barely squeezed out.
[Aslan, thank you.]
With the voice echoing in her mind, Dorothy pushed Aslan away.
And the incoming flames consumed Dorothy.
Dorothy was engulfed and burned away in an instant by the flames.
Because it was a high-level Flame Magic that she could not withstand.
“Ah, aah!”
Aslan, witnessing the scene before his eyes, screamed and vomited blood.
As he tried to rush towards the burning Dorothy, someone grabbed his arm first.
“Aslan! It’s okay. It’s okay now!”
It was none other than his mother, Agatha.
She had come here in haste upon hearing the news of the Academy’s arson while investigating the mages who had broken the taboo.
F fortunately, the culprit was caught.
The arsonist was none other than a professor who worked at the Academy.
With the investigation closing in on him, he had finally unleashed his madness on the Academy Dormitory.
Upon arriving, Agatha saw a spirit seemingly attacking Aslan and judged it to be another spirit prepared by the arsonist.
In an attempt to save Aslan, she immediately burned the spirit with all her might.
However, this meant nothing to Aslan.
Dorothy was burning away.
That was the only thing that mattered to him.
He vividly remembered her smile at the moment she pushed him away.
“Do, rothy…”
Calling out her name, Aslan finally succumbed to mana exhaustion and lost consciousness.
That day was the day Aslan broke.
But now, Aslan had come here to meet Dorothy again.
In the past, he had despaired over not being able to bring Dorothy back and had chosen suicide, which he now found pathetic.
He should have struggled time and time again to revive her.
He had been saved by Dorothy, yet he tried to die because he couldn’t find a way, which filled him with self-loathing.
“So,”
Aslan opened his lips underwater and shouted towards the glowing Spirit King’s Egg.
“Dorothy, let’s meet again.”
He would regret and atone for the days he had given up, time and time again.
With tears held back, Aslan shouted to meet her again.
Because he still hadn’t heard her answer from that day.
At that moment, the entire lake was enveloped in a shower of light.
Within the bright shower of light, the Spirit King’s Egg that Aslan had embraced began to slowly crack.
Finally, as Aslan lifted the egg from his hands, all the light particles gathered towards the Spirit King’s Egg.
Swoosh-
Transparent blue hair fluttered before Aslan’s eyes.
Aslan’s eyes opened wider than ever before.
The girl floating in the water slowly opened her trembling eyes.
Seeing this, Aslan slowly smiled with tears streaming down his face even underwater.
“Dorothy.”
“A, slan?”
Aslan’s arms reached out and embraced her.
With a firm resolve never to lose her again etched deeply in his heart.
Their reunion brought Aslan the hope to live again.
And then, Kraush came to his mind.
The man who was his benefactor was now facing off against his grandfather.
“Dorothy, I’ll explain later.”
They had to leave immediately.
*
Clang!
Amidst the resounding clash of swords.
Kraush was busy moving his eyes.
Because he was desperately deflecting the dozens of flames flying at him with his Sixth Sense and Blunt Sword.
And in front of him stood Adolf, who looked very relaxed.
As befitting his reputation as one of the Ten Strongest Under the Heavens, Adolf was strong.
Kraush never thought he could win from the start.
If Adolf had been serious, Kraush would have been finished long ago.
This situation was possible because he had calculated that Adolf wouldn’t be serious.
‘But still,’
Kraush, while knocking away all the incoming fireballs, took a large step back.
‘That relaxed attitude is infuriating.’
He had planned to stall for time until Aslan could revive Dorothy.
But seeing that face, he felt the need to reconsider.
He now understood why Aslan hated and resented Adolf so much.
If even a brief encounter with him made him feel this way, it was only natural for Aslan, who had to endure it daily.
So he wanted to land a solid hit on him.
[Kraush.]
At that moment, the voice of Crimson Garden reached him.
[The spirit has been revived.]
And that was enough to push Kraush beyond his limits.