The meaning of those words was by no means simple.
It was in fact the first step into the realm of Archmages and they were guaranteed to be given at least the title of Earl in any country on the continent.
The Kastkau Empire which was also called the Magic Empire listed the names of every 7 star wizard on a stone tablet in the Imperial Palace. An action that was considered by the wizards to be one of the highest honors.
Frey walked into his room.
Then he scattered frozen crystals that he had made whenever he had free time, around the room.
These were made with Adeliaâs advice and the effect was excellent.
Cold air immediately spread across the room as if it was winter.
Frey waited for a while and then sat when it was cold enough that he could see his own breath.
Then he took the elixir made from Torkuntaâs heart and drank it in one gulp.
Freyâs face immediately turned red.
ââŠâ
It felt like he had swallowed a ball of fire.
The sensation of it going down his throat was as clear as if he was holding it in his hand.
The first thing that had a reaction was the Frozen River that had been stored in his mana room.
Saaah.
Fire and Ice.
Similarly to when he was on the Drake Mountain, the two energies began clashing again and again.
However this time, the Frozen River was gently enveloping Torkuntaâs power.
ââŠâ
Frey couldnât help but give a small smile. It was different from the last time.
At that time he could not control the power of the Frozen River and he had only been able to use Torkuntaâs unrefined power.
However the cold energy was now stable and Torkuntaâs heart had been refined to make it easier to digest.
As Adelia had warned him, the refinement had greatly boosted the ME, but that wasnât much of a problem.
He was rather pleased.
Kooo.
Frey sank into meditation and time passed slowly.
And by the time Mikel came to visit him, he had already made the power of Torkuntaâs heart his own.
In other words, Frey was now a 7 star wizard.
* * *
Holbridge.
This was the name of a small village that was located not far away from Uthiano.
Mikel seemed to think that there was a high possibility that the Apostle was there. And the moment that Frey set foot in the village, he was sure that Mikelâs assumptions were correct.
âDivine power. Just feeling it makes me nauseous.â
He felt so disgusted that he had goosebumps.
More importantly, the village was too quiet. Even though it was still the middle of the day, somehow the village carried a dark feeling.
âItâs a really small village. There are fewer than 500 residents here and because they are basically self-sufficient, they rarely interact with other villages.â
âThe perfect place for the Apostle to play some tricks.â
âExactly.â
At Liamsonâs words, Mikel gave a nod.
Then Camilleâs ears pricked.
Several young and middle-aged men were approaching them.
A middle-aged man at the front looked at Mikelâs robes before bowing his head.
âAre you a wizard from the Magic Tower?â
âThatâs right. And you are?â
âI am the mayor of Holbridge, Allard.â
Allard answered him with a fearful expression on his face.
ââŠmay I ask why Sir Wizard has come to our village?â
âHave any strangers come to this village recently?â
âStrangers you sayâŠ?â
Allard tilted his head to one side and seemed as if he was trying to recall to the best of his ability.
Soon he shook his head.
âAt least, not to my knowledge.â
ââŠâ
âAre there any dangerous criminals hiding around here?â
âWell. There is a possibility.â
Allard seemed like he wanted to assure them, but it was dangerous to conclude that it couldnât happen.
Allard began to look more frightened.
Then Frey stepped forward.
âI only want to ask you one thing.â
âP-, please ask.â
âWhere are all the villagers?â
âYes?â
Allard had a puzzled expression on his face.
Frey simply turned his indifferent gaze to the village.
âI canât feel the presence of any villagers. Itâs as if the village is deserted with no one in it. It seems like there is no one but the five of you.â
âAhâŠtoday isâŠthey have work to do. In the forest nearbyâŠâ
âAll of the villagers?â
Allard broke into cold sweat.
âNot all of them. SomeâŠâ
âLiamson, check it out.â
âGot it.â
Liamsonâs figure disappeared.
Mikel watched this scene in astonishment.
This was because a Dark Elf, who were known for being a warlike and prideful race, had followed Freyâs orders as though he was a loyal subordinate.
After a while, Liamson returned.
âThere is no one in the village. AndâŠâ
He looked at Allard without any expression on his face.
âThere were large pools of blood.â
ââŠK, kuoh!â (TL: it should be a roar, but I canât exactly put âr-, roarâ now can I?)
Allardâs expression changed instantly.
Then a change began to take place.
His back became hunched, the nails on his curled fingers began elongating and his mouth ripped all the way to his ears.
He became a monster that looked like a wolf. (TL: werewolves everywhere crying out in protest rn)
It wasnât just Allard, but also the men who were beside him that also began to transform.
âTh-, the Demigodâs creatures!â
Mikel shouted and used a spell.
âFlame Wall!â
A wall of fire rose up in front of him.
âKieeek!â
But the monsters easily broke through the wall and pounced at Mikel.
âOh my God!â
He didnât expect them to break through a 4 star spell so easily.
Mikelâs entire body stiffened.
He was a wizard who didnât have much practical experience.
But Frey had already finished casting his spell by then.
âWind cutter.â
Pah pah pat.
Blades made of invisible wind tore the bodies of the monsters into pieces in an instant.
The easily crossed flame wall was immediately overshadowed.
Most of the monstersâ blood and body parts fell into a puddle. Only Allard was left.
He stared at Frey with an unbelievable expression.
âI-, impossible. A creature who directly received his powerâŠd-, died from just a simple wind cutterâŠâ
Bam.
Thud!
âUghâŠâ
Liamson overpowered Allard and Frey walked up to him before speaking in a cold voice.
âTell me everything you know.â
âI, I donât know anything.â
ââŠâ
Of course, he didnât expect him to open his mouth so easily since he was a Demigod Fanatic.
Therefore Frey decided to use the most efficient method of torture.
Fire.
âUh, uhâŠwh-, what are you doing?â
Crackle. (TL: sfxâŠmy baneâŠ)
When a small flame appeared in Freyâs hand, Allard began shaking his head with a horrified expression on his face.
âSt-, stop!â
âLiamson, hold his left eye open.â
Liamson did as he said and forced Allardâs left eye open and as he did that, Freyâs flame began shrinking until it would be able to fit in his eye.
Allardâs already pale face paled even further.
âCan a wizard from the empire do something like this?!â
âThereâs no law that says I canât. In my eyes, youâve already become livestock. Donât expect to be treated like a human being.â
Just as Freyâs flame was about to reach Allard.
âStop.â
It was Camilleâs voice.
Frey simply threw her a glance.
Instead, it was Liamson who got angry.
âYouâre not going to talk about morality and ethics here, are you teacher?â
âOf course not. Itâs just that there is a simpler and easier way.â
After saying that, she began muttering in a low voice.
Frey recognized the language even though he did not understand her words.
âAncient Elvish?â
Shiiik-
Something bizarre then appeared from Camilleâs shadow.
It was a creature with a round body and a single eye.
Only then did Liamson realise what she meant.
âAhâŠ! I see. Youâre thinking about stealing the information using the spirits of Darkness.â
âIs that a spirit of Darkness?â
âThatâs right. Itâs a Dark Gorun, a high class spirit.â
The Dark Gorun rolled its eye around.
Then Camille spoke in a calm voice.
âTake control of that manâs mind.â
ââŠâ
The Dark Gorun spoke in a weird voice before transforming into steam and being sucked into Allardâs head.
âHu-, huiiiik!â
Allard shook, his eyes closed and drool began pouring from his mouth.
He was like a man with a damaged brain.
Mikel couldnât help but ask anxiously.
âWhat if he dies?â
âI can control that much. It might look like itâs going wrong but itâs fine.â
ââŠâ
As he saw this, Mikel got the feeling that even if he had to die, he shouldnât get captured by a Dark Elf.
After a while, Allard, who looked completely muddleheaded, spoke quietly.
âWordsâŠdo itâŠâ
Camille glanced and Frey, hinting for him to ask his questions.
âWhere are the villagers?â
âAll are deâŠad.â
Mikel shivered.
Camille and Liamson on the other hand did not show any emotion.
âWhy did you kill them?â
âThe offeringâŠwe needed to.â
âWhat offering?â
ââŠcreate the creaturesâŠto liberate the power of the ApostleâŠâ
âLiberate? What are you liberating?â
âUh, uhhâŠâ
Allard began to shake and Camilla cried out in haste.
âGet back!â
At that moment, Allardâs body swelled.
His eyeballs popped out like they were about to fall out of his head and a strange sound could be heard from inside his body.
Boom!
Allardâs body exploded, his flesh, bones and blood scattering everywhere.
Frey didnât receive any damage as he activated the spell in his Typhoon Earrings.
Camille approached with a stiff face.
âHis mind was already being controlled. He was supposed to explode right before revealing any important information.â
âThatâs cruel. Heâs treating his own men as expendable.â
âThe situation is not good.â
Mikel approached with a stiff face.
He pointed at the monsters on the ground and continued.
âThere are also grades among Apostles. Weak ones canât create creatures, and theyâre not too hard to deal with. If he can make creatures of this level then the power of this Apostle is considerable. ThisâŠthis problem is out of our league.â
âSo? Do you intend to withdraw?â
âIn the first place, this was only for reconnaissance. First, letâs head back to the tower and wait for Honor Lukes to return.â
âWe have to continue.â
For a moment, Mikel and Freyâs gazes clashed in midair, neither of them appearing like they would back down.
Finally it was Mikel who opened his mouth.
âWhy?â
âThe Apostle is already aware of our approach now. We donât know when Honor Lukes is returning and there is no guarantee that the Apostle would still be here when he gets back. Which means you might lose him.â
âIs there any other reason?â
âHe wouldnât have time to come up with a contingency plan to deal with us right now. These flimsy creatures and the empty village are proof. When you return the next time you can be assured that he would have prepared effective countermeasures to welcome you.â
ââŠyou donât know anything.â
Mikel shook his head.
âIâve heard your reasons. We can say that they are not wrong and that there are benefits to going now, however the disadvantage of not having Honor Lucas still outweighs them.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âHeâs a 7 star wizard. You need at least one Archmage to fight an Apostle head on. Itâs not a recommendation, itâs a requirement. Just like a knight uses a sword and a wizard uses a staff.â
âI can fill the space for Honor Lukes.â
âHa.â
A looked of coldness flashed across Mikelâs face.
âI admit that you have great talents and accomplishments for your young age, but arrogance will only lead you to an early grave.â
âIâm not being arrogant.â
âDo you really want me to get angry?â
ââŠâ
Frey simply stared at Mikel and at that moment Mikel felt a shiver for some reason.
âWh-, what was that?â
He had an indescribable feeling.
Then Frey held out one palm.
As Mikel looked at it in confusion, flames appeared over his hand.
Crackle.
âWhat are you doing?â
Frey didnât answer.
Instead, he held out his other palm, and on this one, cold air began to form.
Crack.
As Mikelâs expression became strange, Frey slowly began combining the flames and the cold air together.
âWhat!?â
Mikel was startled.
The fusion of two opposing elements!
That was crazy.
It was a suicidal act and it wouldnât be strange if it caused an explosion.
It was then that Mikel tried to stop him.
âWhat are you doing!?⊠Huh?â
The two elements merged together smoothly.
A small storm of fire and ice had been created above Freyâs palm.
Mikelâs expression hardened like a stone.
âPerfect fusion of opposing elementsâŠth-, thatâs only possible after reaching at least 7 starsâŠâ
Shuk.
ââŠI.â
The storm disappeared from Freyâs hand and he spoke in his usual indifferent tone.