chapter 88

Frey decided to head straight to Riki’s hut.

There were no other events planned anyway.

When Snow got up as if she was going to go with him, he could not help but ask.

“Is it okay for the Queen to just leave the village?”

“Huh?”

“You have to protect the Great Forest.”

He didn’t know if she could just leave the forest like that.

Frey thought his question was quite reasonable, but the gaze that Snow shot him at that moment made him think something was wrong.

“Sometimes you say some very old-fashioned things. Does the Queen have to stay in the village all the time?”

“…true. High Elves also seem to have gained a high degree of flexibility.”

It was clear that he should no longer hold any preconceived notions he had because of his past knowledge.

As Frey tried to reflect on this, Snow tilted her head slightly.

“Huh? What are you talking about? If the Elders knew what I wanted to do, they’d definitely try to stop me.”

“What?”

“The important thing is to stay hidden.”

Taking the mask from her pocket, Snow gave a short laugh.

“Don’t worry. I always leave a doppelganger in Mother when I leave. I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve never been caught. I’m an expert at this. Huhu!”

“…”

It certainly didn’t seem like something one should boast about, but Frey did not say anything as it was difficult to enter or leave the Great Forest without an Elf to guide you.

‘It would be troublesome to get a guide.’

It couldn’t be helped. After all, he couldn’t ask for Syax to take him to see Riki.

Ivan couldn’t accompany him as he was still absorbing mana in the basement below Hruhiral.

Before they left, Frey turned to Snow and said.

“It’s going to take us a long time to go back and forth. So shall we use Warp?”

“Huh?”

Snow looked at him with a confused expression on her face.

“That would be more efficient… but is that possible?”

“It won’t be too hard since it’s just the two of us. I memorised the coordinates of Riki’s cabin.”

When they’d gone to Riki’s cabin the first time, he’d immediately memorised the coordinates because he was sure that there would come a time in the future when he would need it.

When using the Warp spell, there would be a mana trace, so it would be too conspicuous if he did it in the city.

If something went wrong, it was possible for pursuers from the Blake family to notice it. However, in the Great Forest, where the mana density was quite high, the traces of the mana would disappear after a few hours.

In the first place, it would be strange if they were able to enter such a place.

Snow shot Frey a disbelieving stare.

‘Is it possible to cast Warp on your own?’

Of course, theoretically, it was possible.

Frey seemed to be a 7 star Wizard whose mana control and capacity was nothing to scoff at.

However, there were no Warp Stones there.

Using Warp without a Warp Stone was not simply memorizing coordinates as Frey had said. It also required at least a dozen Wizards just to perform the necessary complex calculations and adjustments.

‘It would take weeks to do all of that alone.’

In any case, she had no reason to refuse if the Warp was really possible.

“Then I’ll owe you one. However, if we do it near the village, it may attract attention, so we should do it after we get out of the Great Forest.”

Frey nodded since he agreed with her opinion.

They were able to leave the forest within half a day by using the same shortcut that Syax had shown him when they arrived.

However, the time they took was reduced by half because they moved with haste.

Frey then found a large clearing and immediately began drawing the magic circle for Warp on the ground.

Snow couldn’t take her eyes off Frey who moved his hands without hesitation.

“I’ve finished drawing the circle, so you can come in.”

“Is there a magic circle at Riki’s hut too?”

“No.”

He responded immediately.

Frey observed the magic circle on the ground for a moment while explaining.

“The reason why both departure and arrival points are drawn is because you can save a lot of mana by doing most of the calculations and creating the magic circles beforehand. Of course, this also means the Warp points are fixed.”

“Then, wouldn’t it be difficult without the other magic circle?”

“Not necessarily. On the other hand, if you complete all the calculations before casting the spell, have the required quantity of mana and accurately pinpoint the target coordinates, there would be no problems.”

Frey laughed, and his robes fluttered as his mana was unleashed.

“In other words, it’s no problem for me.”

* * *

As the Warp ended, Snow looked down at her hand.

“The stability is ridiculous.”

The floating feeling, motion sickness and dizziness that were usual characteristic of a Warp were hardly felt.

It was, in part, because the number of people moving was low, but this result was not possible if the controlling Wizard wasn’t skilled.

Snow looked closely at Frey’s face.

Despite using the immensely complex and taxing Warp spell, he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

‘There’s so much I want to know.’

The amount of questions she had about Frey only grew.

However.

‘There are things that take priority.’

She looked at the little shabby hut in the middle of a clearing.

The moment her gaze turned to it, the door of the hut opened, as if it was waiting for them.

Cree-

It was basically a sign for them to enter.

Frey and Snow entered the cabin.

It was the same unique space that he’d witnessed during his first visit. Even Riki was sitting in the same place.

“You came quickly. Warp. It’s a really useful spell.”

There was a cup of tea in front of him, including ones for Frey and Snow.

Steam rose from them, and it seemed they had just been brewed.

“Would you like a cup of tea?”

Frey, of course, had no intention of drinking it.

“Oydin wasn’t Nozdog’s Apostle.”

Even though he said that with a sharp tone, Riki’s expression didn’t change.

“I didn’t know that such a shortcut was possible.”

“…is that all you have to say? Ivan and I fought in vain because of you.”

“Do you want me to apologise?”

“I don’t want anything from a guy like you who has a stiff neck. However, you need to acknowledge the fact that you gave us wrong information. To maintain a smooth, cooperative relationship in the future.”

The atmosphere became heavy.

Frey and Riki glared at each other while Snow gulped inwardly.

‘This guy…’

He was not backing down at all even though he was facing a Demigod.

This was something that Snow could not help but be shocked at.

This silver-haired man was a transcendent being who ranked within the top 5 among all the Demigods.

Even a Wizard who had reached the highest level, a Knight who had seen the peak of sword arts or a Magic Warrior who had sharpened their martial arts to the limit would not be able to break free from the shackles of mortality to face him.

Even though she knew that he wouldn’t kill her, the innate fear that an animal felt in the presence of a true predator could not be ignored.

However, it wasn’t that Frey was not afraid of Demigods.

The difference was the fact that even while knowing their strength, possibly better than anyone else, he refused to back down.

“You’re right. I understand what you’re saying, and I’m sorry for giving you false information.’

“…!”

Riki’s honest apology changed not only Snow but also Frey’s impression of him.

What Frey had just done could be considered a gamble with his life. To see if the man before him had truly betrayed the Demigods.

Although it was just a minor provocation, the fact that the other person was a Demigod made what he’d done very dangerous.

But Frey had still willingly made that choice.

If Riki was not sincere, then it would be much more dangerous for him to continue this alliance.

Riki continued speaking in a calm manner.

“It’s not enough to just give a verbal apology, so I will also give you something that will help you.”

“Something that will help?”

“If you kill an Apostle, you get a crystal. The Circle seems to have learned of this already.”

“That’s right.”

Frey already knew how amazing these crystals truly were.

The mana contained within one of them was comparable to the Frozen River that he’d taken before. If he was able to get a hold of two more, he would be able to reach 8 stars immediately.

Riki took something from his pocket.

“That’s…”

“It’s a crystal. However, I didn’t get this from an Apostle. This is the crystal I got after killing Indra.”

“…!”

Looking at Frey’s shocked expression, Riki continued.

“This is only the leftover, but it should still be of great help to a human.”

Leftovers.

Although Riki said that, Frey knew that this crystal was not something to look down upon.

When he’d hunted Demigods in the past, there were also spoils. No, he couldn’t call them spoils.

With the knowledge and technology available at the time, they would not have dared to try to digest anything obtained from the Demigods.

Instead, their lives would be in danger if they weren’t handled properly.

However, the crystal that Riki had brought out was different.

‘That’s more than enough for a human.’

Moreover, it was several times larger than the crystal he had obtained from Lukes.

It couldn’t be said that the crystal’s capacity was in direct proportion to its size, but he was certain that if he refined it, he would be able to reach 8 stars.

‘8 stars.’

Frey shuddered inwardly at the weight of those words.

‘If I were to reach 8 stars and Ivan completely absorbs the fruit. As well as a few 7 star Wizards and strong Knights to support me…’

It would be possible for them to kill one of the weaker Demigods.

Of course, he couldn’t be sure, but there was no doubt that their chances would, at the very least, increase exponentially.

It might’ve been impossible for any other Wizard, even when they reached 8 stars.

But Frey had experience. He’d fought against Demigods numerous times before and had slain many of them.

The experience he had was literally worth its weight in gold.

“If you take this, you will be able to go up one level.”

Riki seemed to know that too.

He looked at Frey with a deep gaze before speaking.

“Frey, you should participate in the Demigod meeting in three months.”

“What was that?”

“Riki, what are you talking about?”

It was completely unexpected.

Frey’s expression changed, and so did Snow’s, even though she expected it.

Unlike them, however, Riki kept talking in the same tone.

“The other four Apocalypses, as well as Lord, will be attending this meeting together with their Apostles. Although they will use all kinds of methods to hide their identities… it is still an opportunity we can’t afford to miss.”

“I agree, but isn’t it too dangerous? Besides, Frey isn’t an Apostle. Won’t Lord be able to see that?”

“He can see whether someone is an Apostle or not. However, there are ways to bypass Lord’s scanning. Just like how I didn’t notice Oydin was just bait. Demigods aren’t omniscient.”

Snow didn’t understand what Riki was talking about,

Frey’s expression became a bit strange.

“…you’re suggesting that I become an Apostle?”

“That’s right.”

“…!”

It wasn’t something that he hadn’t thought of before.

Frey had thought something similar while looking at Snow.

How would he react if another Demigod like Riki offered to make him their Apostle?

“I refuse.”

Frey was certain.

Inwardly, he was quite surprised.

At the time, he’d thought that he’d at least consider the matter, but unexpectedly, there was no hesitation in his words.

“Why?”

“No matter how powerful it might be, I have no intention of ever using divine power. I’m a Wizard.”

Right.

That was the reason.

Frey did not intend to throw away magic.

Magical studies, which had accompanied him since birth, was already deeply imprinted into his consciousness.

It was not an exaggeration to call it his foundation.

If he were to fight the Demigods after giving up his magic power, he was certain that his sanity would be destroyed in no time.

4,000 years.

He was able to stay sane throughout all the time he spent in the Abyss, which felt like it lasted for an eternity, all because of Magical Science.

“Right. There’s no Demigod who wouldn’t understand that.”

What was that supposed to mean?

Before Frey could even begin to ponder what those words meant, Riki continued speaking.

“Frey, absorb Indra’s lightning crystal. You will be able to control both divine power and mana.”

“That’s impossible.”

The two powers were completely incompatible.

However, Riki’s expression remained confident.

“No. It’s possible.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because.”

Riki’s eyes turned to look at Frey’s grey hair.

A color that was rare in the Kastkau Empire. No, a color that was rare even in the entire continent.

“Because you have the blood of the Blake family.” (TL: oooooh)