Chapter 211

The Abyss.

Frey finally faced the place that made him the most uncomfortable after a long time.

Despite the fact that this was the place he’d spent more time in than the real world and the mental world combined, he didn’t feel used to it.

This was because he didn’t miss the Abyss at all.

‘It feels strange.’

His body was moving around in a space where such a thing should not have been allowed. That fact alone was enough to make him feel strange.

‘No. It’s because I’m using my soul body now.’

Frey’s body was still on the continent. The form that was currently in Hell was his soul in his image.

Even though it was out of his body, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that it had formed a new body as he’d left some insurance.

Of course, that didn’t mean he left his real body without any protection.

Frey looked around.

He didn’t need to go looking for Iris. He was probably the one with the best understanding of the Abyss with the exception of Lord.

He could see where she was.

“Iris.”

His voice rang out in the pitch black space.

He didn’t receive an answer, so Frey called out to her once more.

“Iris.”

He was sure she could hear him.

Iris seemed to have been deeply assimilated with the power of space. There was no way she hadn’t noticed Frey’s arrival.

Nevertheless, he still didn’t receive an answer. Perhaps it was because she had no intention of talking to him.

Frey bowed his head. Then he muttered in a low voice.

“…The Abyss. It’s a terrible place that can’t be described with just the word solitude. At first, it feels like only your body was restrained, and your mind is basically trapped in a barrel. But it doesn’t take long before you realise that that’s actually not a good thing.”

It was a horrific punishment.

The Abyss could be called the space of madness.

Even if a sage with deep mental training was trapped in this place, he would not be able to last very long before he went crazy.

And even if you were frustrated, there was nothing you could do. You couldn’t break your neck, scream out of frustration, or move in any way.

It was a world where nothing could be seen, heard, or touched. Only thinking was allowed.

Lord hadn’t locked Frey in the Abyss for no reason. He did it because he felt being locked in the Abyss was even crueler a fate than death.

And it truly was.

“Is this the atonement you wanted?”

[…!]

He could feel the space fluctuate slightly. Iris had obviously had a reaction.

As expected, she was listening to his voice.

However, Frey wasn’t happy even though his predictions were correct.

Rather, his heart became heavy.

“There must have been a reason. Killing Schweiser, separating Lucid and Kasajin, and standing beside Lord…. However, you’ll never tell the story behind it. Especially to me.”

Never.

Frey could finally see the reason.

Some of the questions he had about Iris’ actions had been answered.

“You don’t want to be forgiven.”

Frey recalled what Iris had said just before she left the last time.

‘You want to forgive me?’

At that time, Iris had gotten angry. She was still smiling faintly, but he knew she had been angry at that moment.

She didn’t want Frey’s forgiveness.

So she kept her distance and hid her reasons.

“You thought that I’d forgive you after hearing everything.”

That is what Iris believed.

If someone else had thought that, he would’ve been upset. Nothing felt worse than having someone come to a conclusion before he himself could make a judgement.

But Iris was different.

She had the right to guess his thoughts and make conclusions.

“…I’ll respect your choice.”

He wanted to know what happened.

He wanted to know the inside story behind her choices.

Wasn’t that natural?

Iris was one of Lukas’ closest friends, a friendship that was supposed to be eternal.

He wanted to hear her reasons, comfort her, and forgive her for what she’d done. But if Iris didn’t want that, then Frey wouldn’t either.

He felt that the deeper the relationship, the more thorough the respect one should give to the other.

“However, there are some things that you have misunderstood. Don’t run away. You can’t atone for your crimes here in the Abyss. I know your value. It is counterproductive and irrational to let you rot in a place like this.”

Frey’s voice became serious.

“Iris, if you truly intend to take responsibility for what you have done, follow me.”

It was a very clear voice.

He once again felt a shift in the space. This was proof that Iris’ mind was reacting.

“That way, I will produce the best result. I’m putting everything on the line. But it’s hard on my own. I need help. Your help. So walk beside me from now on. That will be your atonement.”

[…that.]

Iris spoke for the first time. But it wasn’t with her mouth.

It was Telepathy, something close to a thought.

Her cracked voice rang out in his head.

[That is not an atonement for me. That’s not even a punishment.]

“What?”

[And I’m not trapped here either. I can leave any time I want. I’m just waiting for the right time.]

“…are you saying you can get out of the Abyss on your own?”

Frey asked back because he couldn’t understand her words, but he didn’t receive an answer.

But somehow, he felt that she was smiling bitterly.

[I don’t like writing very much.]

It was something that was completely unrelated to the current situation. But Frey continued to listen to her voice without interrupting her.

[Still, when leaving something behind, there’s nothing better than text on paper. I also made a diary. I wrote a little… no. I only used it from time to time but it became a lot because I kept using it. Ahaha. Isn’t that natural? After all, I used it for 4,000 years.]

“…”

[Read it when the time comes.]

“…where is it?”

[It’s not time yet. I haven’t finished using it.]

He heard Iris’ laughter.

[It’s okay. Everything will be fine. I don’t know about anything else, but at least I am very thorough. You don’t have to do anything. You’ve already worked hard enough. We all know that. That Lukas did far more than we expected.]

That was Iris’ mistake.

Frey knew just how important his duty was. And what would happen if he stopped now.

The rest that Frey was allowed to have was over. 4,000 years was more than enough.

How could he possibly rest more?

“No. This is just the beginning.”

Iris laughed again.

Unlike before, this laugh was truly cheerful.

[…I knew you’d say that. But please don’t disregard my sincerity.]

“…”

[Please make the world a better place.]

Shuk.

Frey felt his body being pushed back by an intangible power.

It wasn’t a forceful feeling. Instead, it was soft. As though someone was softly gesturing to him.

However, Frey’s expression hardened.

This was the same thing he felt when he left the Abyss in the past.

Suddenly, Lord’s words appeared in his mind again.

‘Do you really think that? That you were able to successfully find and attack a flaw in the Abyss and escape?’

No way.

Frey opened his mouth and shouted desperately.

“Iris! Was I able to escape the Abyss because of your…”

[As long as it was you.]

Iris’ whisper interrupted Frey’s words.

[I believed that you’d be able to make it through. That you’d come back, that your mind wouldn’t break, and that you wouldn’t give up. And it turned out that I was right.]

“…Iris.”

[I was really happy to see you again.]

* * *

Hitume Ikar.

It had been quite a long time since they’d started walking through the Dark Forest.

Ivan’s expression crumpled.

“He’s not coming.”

He was talking about Dro.

He looked back. Anastasia also turned slightly to follow his gaze.

“No matter how late he is. He wouldn’t get lost.”

“Dammit. It’s really bothering me. Should I go get him?”

“No.”

Anastasia shook her head.

“I don’t think it would be wise to go back there.”

“Why not?”

“I have a bad feeling about it.”

“…”

Although the statement lacked any logical basis, Frey agreed with Anastasia.

This was because he had a lot of confidence in his own senses.

‘It has saved my life many times.’

Ivan scratched the back of his neck subconsciously.

Since they’d left Dro alone, he felt an ominous feeling as though someone was licking the back of his neck.

Something troublesome would happen if he turned back.

Ivan’s instincts were telling him that.

“I’ve been wondering, why don’t we just destroy the forest and leave?”

At first, it might have seemed like an ignorant statement, but Anastasia could no longer deny it. She also felt that they’d spent too much time in the forest.

“Now that I think about. We haven’t felt the traces of any assassins in a long time.”

Just as she muttered this to herself, they felt someone approaching them from behind.

Ivan turned his head around, frowning.

“Are you only returning now? You really took your time…”

He was speechless. It was an unexpected face.

It was none other than a gray-haired young man who showed up. It was Frey.

Ivan was pleased.

“Frey! Ha. You’re finally here. Did you manage to get onto the island?”

Now that Frey was there, he would no longer have to be trapped in this depressing forest.

A man like him would use some kind of magic that Ivan had never seen before to destroy the barrier without a trace.

However, Anastasia didn’t look pleased at the reunion.

“…I don’t think that’s Frey.”

“What?”

“As expected of the Great Sage. You have good eyes.”

“Huh?”

Ivan narrowed his eyes when Frey spoke in a tone he’d never heard him use before.

It was the same for the others. Jekid, who was silently watching from the side, put his hand on his sword’s hilt.

“Who are you?”

Frey gave a nice smile.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Grey Trowman.”

“…Grey… Trowman?”

Ivan muttered the name slowly while tilting his head.

“How is that… possible? Are you supposed to be Frey’s descendant? No. You look too much alike.”

It wouldn’t have been strange for him to have any descendants as he was over 4,000 years old, but everything else was strange other than that.

“Descendant? That’s impossible.”

Anastasia denied that with a stern expression.

“How can you be so sure?”

“That stone head would not have gotten a woman without me knowing it. He would have preferred to memorise another magic formula instead.”

Ivan’s expression also became serious when he heard that.

“If that’s the case, don’t tell me that even at this age, Frey is…”

“Right. He is the Great Mage in the truest sense.”

Ivan was shocked.

“Oh… Oh, my God. For 4,000 years… H-, he’s a lot stronger than I thought.” (TL: I’m dying! This was exactly my reaction!!!)

Anastasia made a sad expression as she spoke.

“That’s the fate of a 9 star Wizard. It’s like being mentally castrated.”

“And you were physically castrated. No wonder you two are best friends.”

“You bastard.”

Just as blood vessels were about to burst on Anastasia’s forehead. Someone appeared beside Frey, no, Grey.

“What the hell are you guys talking about?”

It was the Great Medium.

She looked at Ivan and Anastasia with a ridiculous expression.

Ivan’s expression was a bit bitter as he spoke.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m controlling this man right now.”

Anastasia turned to look at Grey again.

“…I think it’s Frey’s body. But he has a different core. What happened?”

The Great Medium nodded.

“Don’t misunderstand. This is what he asked me to do.”

“Asked?”

“Yeah. He had a favor to ask you, including that other one.”

The Great Medium’s expression became serious as she said those words.