Chapter 176 – My Love, My Eternity (2)

The origins of Terra Ernesten, the greatest wizard on the continent, are not exactly known.
Therefore, all kinds of rumors followed.

Her nobles, who were jealous of her, whispered behind her banquet hall that although she was descended from a prestigious magic family, she was the child of her concubine, so her title was not hereditary.
The wizards who paid her respects sometimes argued that Terra was in fact a descendant of her last remaining dragons and had lived for hundreds of years.
The blacksmiths in the tavern were talking about the Lighthouse of Horus that she had created, a legacy from a distant empire, and that Terra was the only princess of the empire who inherited the blood of the Emperor.
Adventurers wandering through the dungeon in pitch-black darkness said that she was a mysterious being different from humans and a guide from the vast eastern end.

Several hypotheses were floating around among the kingdom’s people, but none of them had clear evidence.
But just one thing.
According to the investigation by the counterintelligence unit Goliath, she was not that mysterious.

We don’t know her exact origins, but at least she doesn’t come from a high-ranking noble family, so much so that she often visits the royal family.
Like the Lord of Reincarnation, she was a woman who did not live a long life but an ordinary one.
The imperial family of the Holy Acetaria Empire has already completely lost its existence.
She herself said she had never been to the East End.

Accordingly, Terra was, on the outside, a wizard with nothing extraordinary about her who distinguished herself with the outbreak of the Great War.
There is only one thing that makes her special.
The only thing is that she is a genius enough to single-handedly retreat the four worst of the Demon King’s army, which had troubled even the Seven Magic Towers of Fenheim and the Five Grand Dukes.
And that very genius was the reason why Erzsebet crossed the hallway of the Akasha Pavilion in socks.

“Huh, huh, huh… !!”

Can humans really move faster than a polar bird?
I thought it was absolutely impossible, but seeing Pi hurriedly following me from afar, it didn’t seem like I was wrong.
After not being able to sleep at all last night, her busy steps were directed to the cafeteria located in the very center of Parencia Academy.
However, where a small three-story building should have been, there was a huge tower so tall that it seemed as if it would pierce the sky.

Chiik——! Clap!!
Hey! Let’s go!!
Cooooo!

The structure with numerous steel supports made of hydraulic pistons, like the legs of a spider, was Terra’s invention and the ‘Lighthouse of Horus’, which the Royal Meteorological Society was desperately looking for.
The metallic sound of rotating mechanical devices constantly rang out from the gigantic fuselage that was revealed after removing the invisibility spell.
After Hergé Bett returned to her dorm last night after the monster wave, she heard from a student who had seen her lighthouse through the window.

— Suddenly the sky brightened, and it appeared in an instant. It looks like the store has been run over… There was no sound of anything breaking.

After taking a deep breath and straightening her hair, she stood in front of the large iron plate that appeared to be her entrance.
And just as she was about to knock gently, the door opened automatically.

“Welcome, Princess Erzsebet.”

The woman who came out already knew her name and identity.
Erzébet, who had had Terra Ernie Sten as the object of her envy and respect ever since she was young, noticed that even that was her magic.

〈 Goyumado: Samramansang (森羅萬象) ⌜Hall of Creation⌟〉

A magical genius who knows all the knowledge in the world.
A monster that has reached a level that no wizard can reach.

One who walks the truth.
One who manipulates light.

There were as many titles to describe Terra as there were stars in the sky, but the only two letters she officially invited to her royal family were ‘Hyeon-an’.
The rest declined, saying it was too much attention.

“Fe, Fe, my name is Erzebet Brunhart, the next heir to the Fenheim royal family… !”
“Okay, would you like to come in and talk? “It seems like all the guests have gathered now.”

It was the first time I felt this nervous since the end of the first semester, when I felt a crisis of rank ordering due to receiving a lower score than P.I.
With firm steps she took her first steps into the lighthouse of Horus.
Without feeling any otherworldly sentiment, what I saw before my eyes was a familiar kiosk surrounded by a cavity.
However, as if no one was inside, the lights on all floors were turned off, creating a gloomy atmosphere.

“This way.”

Following Terra, she boarded the magic elevator commonly used in the magic tower and slowly headed upstairs.
The interior of the lighthouse seen from beyond the elevator was varied.
One floor was a banquet hall with a gorgeous chandelier and luxurious carpets.
Next, a dense forest suddenly appeared.
The appearance inside the lighthouse seen through the grating was very strange.
Above all, its size was much larger than it seemed from the outside.

“It’s a simple catch that uses the refraction of space.”

She swallowed her saliva for no reason at the sight of Terra talking about the transformation of time and space, which was the most difficult to handle among magic, as if she were memorizing the name of the precepts.

Ding!

The place we finally arrived at was the top floor of the lighthouse.
It was a fantastic place filled with luxurious sofas, rare artifacts, and eye-catching magic books.
The languid sunlight of the morning poured down from the open sky, and the panoramic view of Parenzia was clearly visible.

“What? Everyone…”

Many passengers had already arrived at the place, which was created as a study and rest area.
Liv and Caroline, and Darling and Lehel.

“…”
“…”

However, none of their expressions were good.
Liv wandered around as if she had lost her composure even in front of a rare magic book that was hard to find in the academy library, while Caroline just puffed on a cigarette.
Lehel was fiddling with her rosary beads, without any of her usual smile, and Darling was leaning back on the sofa as if he had been greatly shocked.

“What happen… ?”

And a moment later, Erzsebet also sat down in shock.

***

“It’s already in a pretty precarious situation.”

Terra told everyone a brief story about Lewis’s currently collapsed condition and his past.
All of them were cruel and heart-wrenching.

Forced into his childhood, he was one of the first to forget his own name.
Even the hair and marrow of the body are not original, but have been reconstructed using magic.
The soul has no way to return to another dimension, so it is stuck here.
It was also split into three pieces, two of which were torn loosely.

After years of fighting in the demon world, where even a wizard with high mental power cannot survive for long, his mind has been exhausted.
The twelve unique magic spells and minor injuries carved into his body gradually piled up.
It was okay when the saint was next to her.
After running a store, he subsisted solely on his body’s healing abilities and cheap potions, overthrowing the North Sea, killing dragons, and fighting the Archduke.
In addition, there were traces of the magic of the gourmet attack that shook the soul and even attempts to use the third unique magic.

“I guess you could say it wouldn’t be surprising if the heart stopped right now.”
“…”
“…”

At Terra’s words, the eyes of the women present fell to the floor.
Everyone had come to rely on his strength.
In particular, Erzsebet, who almost took care of Luis when problems arose, was at a point where she couldn’t even strengthen her legs properly.
In the silence, where not a single sound of her breathing could be heard, Terra’s eyes turned to the princess’s ink-stained fingertips.

“What’s the situation like?”
“…”
“Princess?”
“Yes!? Yeah, it’s not good. A major battle took place in the western region early yesterday morning. “The movement of demons was observed in the Ravier Mountains, and the Federation urgently convened a meeting.”

That was the reason why I couldn’t sleep at all all night.
The military’s prediction that war would not be possible in winter was spectacularly shattered.
Besides Rochear, there are others who love winter.
No, they prefer not only winter, but also darkness, storms, droughts, and all other extreme situations where human combat power is at its lowest.

The troops of the Holy Kingdom advance, enduring the cold with the holy water and salt of wisdom that have been stored up little by little since the beginning of the year.
And the demons pushing in from Helzeb.
In an urgent situation where she had to deal with two forces at the same time, Erzsebet had no time to rest even for a moment.

“Terra. If you don’t mind…”

Could we ask for a little help for the future of our kingdom?
The reason why Erzsebet, who was unaware of Louis’ condition, rushed to Horus’ lighthouse was to ask for that favor.
In fact, after her magic was observed in Parenzia, the battle was in a brief lull.
Except for Lehel, the other princes had already prepared to go to the front.

“The clue to great magic is always at hand. “That’s what I like.”
“That means… ?”
“If you want to win the war, you need a king.”

In other words, we have to wake up Louis, who is sleeping in this lighthouse.
Ergé Bett nodded her head heavily.
She had no time to delay her any longer than this.

“Before leaving… “Can I go and see him just once?”
“Well, in order to do that…”

Terra’s expression, which had maintained her calm expression, hardened for a moment.
Then she smiled awkwardly and said,

“I guess we should break the ice first.”

***

“Teacher, my teacher…”

Thump thump thump!!

— Adela? Adella!! Open the door!! Right now!!
— Isn’t that why Louis dies!? Since when have you been there!!

Adela quietly closed her eyes and placed her ear against Luis’ chest.
I felt a very faint and slow pulsation through my skin.
I wasn’t the least bit interested in Erzsebet’s cries coming from outside.
She whispered, stroking Louis’ sleeping head.

“Please rest here for a moment.”

The emotionless eyes were as cold as frost, and every time you exhaled, a terrible coldness filled the room.

“Do not worry too much.”

The heartbeat, which was becoming weaker, was producing only small waves, like droplets of water falling into a puddle.
But even that was like an orchestra’s performance compared to the waves of balance felt in Adela’s heart.

“Whether it’s a demon or a holy nation, I will destroy them all…”

Every time he ends a muttering filled with cold anger, the blue light in his eyes turns into beads and falls.
Pure white mana without a single karma exploded and tore through the space.

“Certainly.”

Adela quietly stood up and looked across the horizon where the north wind was blowing.
The Four Leaf Medal on her chest told her where she needed to go.