/

Chapter 192




Frey took the scroll and left the Jun family residence.
He then headed to a place called ‘Kusman’, one of the cities in the Kastkau Empire. In truth, it was a small town not quite large enough to be called a city, but Frey didn’t care about that.
“…”
After he arrived in this quiet city surrounded by darkness, Frey stood in place, as though he’d been nailed to the spot.
When he thought about the people staying there and what he was about to tell them, he somehow couldn’t muster the determination to walk forward.
But he couldn’t delay it. It was still early dawn, but there were many things that had to be done.
Therefore, he looked for traces of mana.
The ones he was looking for were evading the Imperial family’s pursuit. And as he expected, it took him a moment to find a faint trace in front of the entrance to an alley.
It was a messy, narrow place.
It was an illusion.
Frey walked forward, slowly walking through the barrier placed there.
He immediately found himself in an area brightly lit by lanterns, and he was covered by a warm feeling as the faint scent of chemicals drifted past his nose.
It looked like a Wizard’s workshop.
“…Rounder Frey?”
A surprised voice called out to him.
It was Honor Gisellan, who had been standing at the side. He stared at Frey with wide eyes, obviously not expecting his arrival.
“Why are you here?”
Eizek was also there.
Frey held back a sigh.
Then, with a heavy expression, he said.
“I’m sorry.”
* * *
It was with a heavy heart that Frey left Kusman.
They didn’t blame him. Maybe they didn’t have the energy to.
They simply sat and cried.
Frey didn’t comfort them.
He didn’t think he deserved to do that.
Instead, he handed Beniang’s body over to them and left.
“…I was irresponsible.”
With a thought, he headed over to the Amakan Desert. There, he found a young girl on the desolate sandy ground.
She was laying on her back, looking up at the sky.
“Dawn in the desert is very cold.”
Frey nodded.
“You must have been cold.”
“A little, but it was faint.”
The girl rolled her eyes slightly before turning to Frey.
“I thought you didn’t come back because you forgot.”
“There were a few urgent matters I had to deal with.”
“Did you resolve them?”
“…most of them.”
The moment she heard that, her expression changed.
“What happened?”
“…”
Frey didn’t answer.
Anastasia rose up from the ground with a strange expression. Her limbs that had been cut off had regenerated a while ago.
“Who died?”
Those words caused a bitter chuckle to come out of Frey. He’d chosen the wrong person to pretend to.
This girl in front of him was probably the person who had the best understanding of Frey in the world.
He nodded slowly and said.
“Beniang died.”
Beniang Argento. The Circle Master of the Trowman Rings who had carried on the Great Mage Lukas Trowman’s legacy.
Anastasia didn’t know much about her, except for what she’d heard from Frey.
“It might feel new now. But this isn’t the first time we’ve been through this.”
Frey didn’t know how many comrades they had lost since the start of the war, because he knew it was foolish to keep count.
“Beniang was special to you.”
Frey nodded again.
“Right. She could have become my disciple.”
Had things worked out a little better, she would have. It was only then that Frey realised the biggest feeling was feeling at that moment—a sense of loss.
“It wasn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself, Lukas.”
As she said this, Anastasia closed her eyes.
“You don’t have to bear the sadness. Never forget their sacrifice. But there is something more important than that.”
“…never getting used to it.”
“Right.”
Never growing accustomed towards the death of your comrades. To live a human, you had to always feel angry, sad and regretful towards their deaths.
You had to continue fighting passionately and living every day.
“Bury it in your chest and stand up. As always.”
It was a rough form of consolation. But Frey felt a faint tightness in his chest at those seemingly insignificant words.
In truth, Anastasia’s words were more like advice than comfort. This had happened a lot in the past, and although he didn’t want to think about it, it would probably happen in the future as well.
‘You wouldn’t be able to prevent it every time. Don’t get used to blaming yourself.’
Too much self-criticism would wear away at one’s resolve, and one would eventually begin fearing the struggle.
Frey knew this.
However, there were times when one needed to hear someone else say something, even if it was something one already knew. And it was even better if that person was a close friend, for example, one’s lifelong friend.
After managing to turn the mood around, Anastasia opened her mouth and said in a cheerful voice.
“That’s enough of the cheesy stuff. What are we going to do now?”
“Go to Hitume Ikar.”
“Hitume Ikar?”
“Before that…”
Frey told Anastasia what he’d learned from Dro. When she heard everything, she nodded and said.
“Hmm. So this is a good opportunity. That’s why we have to head to that island country. To get rid of Ananta’s Apostle.”
“But it’s a bit difficult to enter the country. It is very closed off.”
“They have a national isolation policy?”
That wasn’t exactly the case, but it was pretty similar. So Frey nodded before unfurling the scroll he received from Shepard.
“What’s that?”
“Ways to enter the country.”
There were a total of three methods listed in the scroll.
The first was to obtain an entry permit.
After reading the process for this method, Anastasia frowned and said.
“We can’t do this one.”
“Right. The screening process is too demanding, and it takes a very long time.”
Even the fastest case still required a month. Naturally, Frey did not have that much time at his disposal.
So they quickly skipped past that method and checked the next one.
The second was to be invited as guests by the royalty or nobles of Hitume Ikar.
‘This is the method Jekid used.’
Since the Lucid Swords had a branch in Hitume Ikar, they naturally had members from there as well.
“Do you have any acquaintances who could help us?”
“I don’t. Hmm… no. Wait a minute.”
The Orc Shaman from Paragon suddenly appeared in Frey’s mind. The sorcery she’d displayed at that time had left an impression on him.
‘However, Paragon is also busy at the moment.’
They wouldn’t have the time to lend a hand.
It was also not a confirmation that she was from Hitume Ikar simply because she could use sorcery, so that method was also put aside.
This meant that there was only one method left.
Anastasia’s eyes naturally turned to the last part of the scroll.
“Obtain permission from the Great Medium.”
Anastasia grinned.
“Wouldn’t this one be easy since we’re all comrades?”
The Great Mage couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the Great Sage’s words.
“That was a terrible joke.”
“Huhu. Don’t be a stick in the mud! It was quite funny.”
When he heard this answer, Frey felt like he suffered a bit of a loss. So he thought about something that could ruin her mood and said.
“I don’t think I should be saying this now, but it seems your tone is becoming more and more feminine.”
The effect was exactly as he hoped.
Anastasia’s face became extremely pale.
* * *
Hitume Ikar was a religious country.
They worshiped a god named ‘Dauns’ who was said to be the god of creation who controlled fate, mysticism and life.
Of course, this was a bit of a troubling factor for Frey, who always associated the word ‘god’ with the Demigods.
More importantly, Frey was an atheist. However, the Great Medium was said to be guided by god and followed his will.
So he would have to respect her beliefs to an extent.
“I’ll go with you.”
It was Ivan who spoke.
Frey glanced at him.
He had given his answer immediately after Frey informed the group about the trip to meet the Great Medium.
“Did you receive some clues from the three treasures?”
“Right. It’s fine since I can do it anywhere. I think it would be better to get some fresh air now.”
Frey then turned to look at Snow.
“What about you?”
“I will focus on my training for the time being.”
“Me too.”
Nix cautiously agreed with her opinion.
Frey didn’t intend to force them. Rather, he would have refused if they really did choose to go.
It would be better for those two to absorb Agni’s crystal as fast as possible and focus on mastering their divine power.
The next person Frey turned to was Isaka.
“I think I’ll stop by the Blake family residence.”
“Why there?”
“Didn’t you say Heinz was looking over the family on his own? I’m worried.”
Frey frowned at the unexpectedly fatherly words. But the words that followed were even more unbelievable.
“Heinz is smart, but he has no experience and is too inflexible in his thinking. So I will help him. I think we need to improve our awkward relationship.”
Aside from a slightly strange feeling, Isaka’s judgement was actually quite good.
The man in front of him had been Leyrin’s puppet, but he’d also been the head of a great noble family for decades.
He wasn’t sure how Heinz would respond to Isaka, but his guidance was certainly necessary in order for the family to progress smoothly.
Moreover, it was more reliable to make use of experience rather than intelligence or knowledge when it came to evading the Imperial family’s pursuit.
“Then it’s decided.”
The people heading to Hitume Ikar were Frey, Anastasia, Ivan, and Dro.
“…”
Nora simply watched from the side without saying a word. Perhaps it was because of her mood, but her empty sleeve seemed to look even more empty.
Ivan’s eyes turned to her.
“At your age, it’s best to retire. Think of this as a good opportunity, Master.”
“Even if I just have one arm, I can still smash your skull.”
“…why did you have to say that…”
When she heard Ivan’s soft complaint, Nora smiled.
“Thank you, Ivan. Really.”
“Please leave everything to me.”
Anastasia opened a map.
Then, with her slender, white finger, she pointed to an island in the east.
“This is Hitume Ikar…. By the way, how exactly are we going to meet the Great Medium? Don’t we need a permit to even enter the country?”
“The Great Medium doesn’t live on the island.”
Anastasia’s expression became a bit strange.
“She lives outside? …On the continent?”
“No. She lives on an island called ‘Lesha’ located between Hitume Ikar and the continent. It is said that that’s where the Great Medium has always lived.”
Snow tilted her head.
“Isn’t she the leader of the country? Why would she stay in such a place?”
“Because the title ‘Great Medium’ has a more symbolic meaning. She has neither power nor influence. I heard that she had special abilities, but I don’t know how she is treated by the country.”
At Isaka’s explanation, Snow nodded.
She seemed to understand that the Great Medium was a concept similar to the Elven Queen.
“Do you need to prepare anything to meet her?”
“Not really.”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard that anyone with hostile intentions would not even be able to find the Island. And only those that the Great Medium wants to meet will find the path.”
“Sounds like a legend.”
“Hmph. The more unbelievable the rumors, the less the truth is worth.”
Ivan snorted loudly, and Frey agreed with him.
Isaka shook his head.
“The Great Medium has lived for over 200 years. Nevertheless, she remains so young and beautiful that everyone who saw her could only compliment her. It’s possible that she’s not human.”
Anastasia laughed at those words.
“200 years. Compared to us, she’s still a newborn. Isn’t that right, Lukas?”
….
….
At that moment, it was as if time had come to a stop.
“Aht!”
Anastasia hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands.
However, it was impossible for her to take back the words that had already been said.
Everyone there knew. Despite having the appearance of a young girl, Anastasia was one of the heroes from 4,000 years ago, the Great Sage.
That was why her words couldn’t be dismissed as a slip of the tongue.
“By Lukas… do you mean Lukas Trowman?”
“Why would the name of the Great Mage suddenly pop up?”
“No. Wait a minute…. No way…”
As everyone turned their eyes to Frey, Anastasia said.
“…uh. Sorry.”
Frey covered his face with his palm.
* * *
Frey sighed and looked around.
Fortunately, the only people in the room were those whom he trusted.
It was a bit uncomfortable to have Isaka there as the man had once been an enemy, but it couldn’t be denied that he’d risked his life in the battle against Agni. He couldn’t hold a bias against him forever.
“It’s as that idiot said.”
Anastasia scratched her cheek sheepishly at Frey’s harsh words. Nevertheless, she was aware of her mistake.
After a while, Nora spoke carefully.
“Then…”
“Right.”
“…”
At first, there was silence again after he answered the unasked question.
Of course, this was a natural reaction. After all, this wasn’t something easy to accept.
Or at least that’s what Frey thought.
“I knew you were hiding a secret…”
“No way, you’re really the Great Mage.”
“I see. Now I understand your absolutely ridiculous growth rate.”
Unexpectedly, it seemed that everyone accepted it quite easily.
Frey felt that he should have briefly explained what happened so that they’d understand.
“4,000 years ago, I was defeated in a fight against Lord and was trapped in the Abyss.”