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Great Sage 28 – The Queen of Darkness and the Valley of Death Part 1
July 13, 2022Zathael
Hera begins to absorb my mana as she hugs me.
My distorted memories begin to settle but at the same time my physical strength is drained.
“You’re always pushing yourself….. Darling is an idiot”
“Did I release the restraints on my mana again”
Hera looks me over with a sad face,
“About half is it, well if it’s like that then it’ll calm down soon”
It seems like shes trying to smile.
I can’t tell if she’s about to cry or laugh but, looking at the legendary witch’s complex face…..
I lose consciousness.
×　×　×　×　×
Within my dream, I have the self awareness that I am dreaming.
I am hanging on a branch over a clear spring, concealing my breath like a hunter aiming for it’s prey.
That’s right, near the hermitage where me and Master lived there was a beautiful abundant spring but the people of the nearby village were too scared to come close.
In the past, it was said that there lived a fairy there that was so beautiful that men would fall in love at first sight and never leave the forest, and women would go insane with jealousy.
――Although the origin of the rumour is Master.
It was a time after I had left the Infinite Book Corridor and was learning practical skills in the forest.
In order to build physical strength even while reading, I would do pushups and squats at the same time, as well as catching mouse type monsters that appear around the hallways….. which I learnt later were S class monsters known as whickars. I was told to organise the shelves and would carry thousands of books up and down the stairs, providing me with a foundation of physical strength.
That’s why I could walk freely even in the most dangerous forest of the continent and the times when my Master was bathing became my only moments of healing.
At that time, I was desperately trying to peek at the spring without Master noticing.
Her wet curly reddish brown hair tangles with her pure white skin.
Her physique retained some childishness and gave a sense of vigor. Above her slim waist, is her chest like an unripe white peach, full of youth.
“Beautiful”
As I whisper in my head, the branch I hang to snaps.
“Uwaa, awawawa!”
I cry as I fall into the spring alongside the branch, causing Master to look this way…..
She shakes her head in disappointment.
――Then proceeds to beat me up while still naked.
Various spots that I shouldn’t see are visible at point blank range, it’s wonderful but at the same time after a while it’ll be bad for my health.
When my consciousness returns, I crawl out of the spring to find Master waiting for me in a dress, her arms crossed with a pout on her face.
“I know that you’ve been peeking but this daily routine has gone so far it’s turned from depressing to impressive”
I prostrate myself before her.
“So you noticed”
“Who do you think I am”
Now that she mentions it….. it’s said that if she felt like it, she would be able to distinguish the sounds of an insect flying at the outskirts of the forest.
“I thought it was strange from the beginning, around that spring is the territory of the [Country Ruining Monkeys], what did you do? They’ve destroyed countless countries in the past and the sight of them is enough to cause even the empire’s courageous knight order to retreat”
“I befriended the monkeys. At first I disputed with them and they even attacked me in a pack but now they show me spots for peeking. Today I got this fruit from them”
I pull an apple like fruit out of my pocket,
“So you’ve become their boss is it…..”
Master lets out a defeated sigh.
“Then what about the assignment I left you”
“Yes I did it all in the morning, the medicinal herbs have all been collected. However those cliffs are dangerous. I lost my footing countless times…..”
I look to the basket of medicinal herbs I left lying by the base of a nearby tree and Master’s gaze turns that way too,
“That’s not the kind of place you can go so quickly, I’ve never heard of a human who could scale those ghost forming cliffs”
She looks inside the basket and shakes her head slightly.
“I’ve thought about this recently but you make some unreasonable requests”
“Hmm, I thought it would take a few months for you to return but….. Well I did intend to check on you eventually”
Master walks up to me,
“But why did you do something like that”
She looks at me curiously.
“My apologies. Even though I knew I shouldn’t, I lost to Master’s beauty”
Master’s delicate bisque doll like face turns open mouthed like an idiot.
“Was it a an extraordinary genius or a complete fool that I accepted as my disciple….. I can no longer tell”
So she says
“Please don’t abandon me”
I prostrate myself once again and press my head on the ground,
“Hmmm, it’s not a matter about peeking. Or to put it more simply, look up”
Master points to the centre of the pure blue sky,
“No matter if the sun shines down upon you with not a single cloud in the sky”
Then she points at my feet.
“A shadow will always appear at your feet. This is the principle of the world”
I tilt my head,
“If people do not know hatred or bitterness, they cannot know love. It’s the same as not being able to understand warmth without knowing the cold. There is two sides to everything, and those sides balance to give them form. Both emotions and the way in which things are made”
She reaches her hand to my cheek as she speaks,
“In the Infinite Book Corridor you would repeatedly try to peek up my skirt without seeking to improve yourself, after leaving into the forest you come everyday to spy on me bathing….. Hmm I was so pleased with the fast development of my disciple that I completely forgot. That reminds me, we’ve been together for so long now but you haven’t tried to push me down once”
Master gazes into my eyes and makes a sad smile.
“I knew that there was something missing but it seems that it could be fatal. How about I try change the method of teaching”
As if remembering something, Master suddenly stands up.
“You’re not abandoning me”
I confirm once more,
“What kind of fool deserts a man they are fond of”
She responds with a sad expression and turns away with a snort.
“Then let’s head to the valley of death”
Master takes my hand and leaps…..
We’re so high the trees of the forest look like specks,
“Hold on tight”
Her monkey ears and tail, that are usually hidden, pop out.
“Come, Kintou!”1
Her chant causes clouds to gather at her feet forming flying magic that easily passes the sound barrier.
“Ugyaaa Master! What are you doing”
In order to not fall off, I cling tightly to Master’s thin waist until we finally land on the ground….. but the blood in my body was strangely unbalanced and my trigeminal nerve is pounding.2
While feeling nauseous and flustered,
“You should have read about it in the Infinite Book Library right, this is the valley of death where the legendary witch, [The Queen of Darkness] lives, you’re going to go talk to them”
Master kicks me and I fall into the valley.
“There must be a limit to how unreasonable you can be!”
I let out a cry of protest but…..
My voice is swallowed by the valley and, to this day, I still don’t know if it reached her.
Translator’s Notes:
1: Once again a reference to Sun Wukong, Kinto’un is the name of his magical flying cloud.
2: The trigeminal nerve is the part of the nervous system responsible for sending pain, touch and temperature sensations from your face to your brain.
I forgot to mention but last chapter was the end of act 3 and this chapter marks the beginning of act 4: Even then, the Great Sage Wishes for a Modest Happiness.
Edit: Forgot to put Great Sage in the title so the chapter wasn’t updated automatically in novelupdates, my bad.