Chapter 153 – The Temple of Nygard

Nistrond, the staff that invites winter.
At first, I thought he was metaphor like some poets.
My heart, which I learned a lot during my school days, is a lake, a metaphor like this.
However, when I asked directly, an unexpected answer came back.

“Does the wand call winter? Rune mages seem to be very emotional. I’m going to write a poem while naming the wand.”
“It’s not an emotional name. Nistrond really can bring winter to this land. Have you ever visited the seaside of a port city? A beach where you can enjoy bathing in the sea because the temperature is warm all year round.”

If it is a beach in a port city, I have visited it.
I was about to nod my head in silence until I realized something startling. I don’t know what it means to bring winter, but maybe I’ve experienced something similar on the beach in a port city.

‘That beach was in the summer mood. It’s October, so it’s chilly, but it wasn’t cold at all.’

Not only did I visit the beach, but I also enjoyed playing in the water with my lovers. It was as if the season had stopped at summer in that place. Not only the temperature of the air, but also the temperature of the seawater was regulated.

‘Could it be that the quarter staff changed the season?’

After listening to Lawrence, I came to a shocking conclusion.

“I’ve been to the beach. It’s cold elsewhere, but there’s a summer vibe there. Are you saying the quarter staff are adjusting the temperature on the beach?”
“You’ve come to the right conclusion. A special instance of the quarterstaff possesses heat or cold that is powerful enough to manipulate the climate. The cold that Nistrond possesses is strong enough to bring winter to an area. It depends on your ability. The more you grow as a mage, the more you will be able to draw on Nistrond’s power.”
“Wow, that’s great.”

Just hearing the history of the magic wand made my heart tremble with excitement.
A wand that can summon winter anytime, anywhere?
On a hot summer day, this can’t be the best walking stick in the world. It’s a bit snobbish, but it’s an air conditioner in the form of a walking stick.
If you freeze water with cold air, ice is born. It means that apart from making money selling ice, I can share shaved ice with my lovers.

– Shaved ice?! Where the hell did you get this from?
– It was made with magic.
– Mongma-nim is the best!! Live together forever!!

For a moment, I imagined making shaved ice with a magic wand and handing it out to lovers. They were eating the shaved ice with happy expressions in their mouths. Just imagining it made me hungry.

“It’s great. It’s great. I want to be tried right away.”
“I will guide you to where Nistrond awaits. Follow me.”

Swoop.
Meanwhile, Lawrence, who had been sitting upright on the temple floor, stood up. Contrary to what he said he was of an age where he would soon die, Lawrence walked forward briskly.

“Can we go with you as well as Mr. Luke? I’m also curious about what the wand that calls winter is.”
“You may follow. But when the Trial of Nistrond begins, you’d better retreat. You could get hurt if you don’t.”

That trials can hurt people?
I was in a position to be tried, so my heart skipped a beat when I heard those words. It seems that it is not a written test that can be passed by solving problems, just like when you are on Earth in the 21st century.
It had a more dangerous side to it.

“What kind of ordeal is it that scares you? Can I die?”
“…I’ll explain it to you when I arrive. I want you to go through the ordeal yourself. There’s always a chance to quit midway, so don’t be too intimidated.”

If there is a chance to quit, that’s fine. Because I was a man who was able to measure at least one angle of escape with certainty.
After a while we followed Lawrence to Nistrond.

The third basement floor of the temple.
The entrance to the third floor was strictly guarded by wizards with quarter staffs. Looking at the entrance to the third floor, I saw the name of the floor hanging on the wall.

-Quarter staff storage.

It was a place managed by quarter staff who had not yet been assigned an owner. When I went inside, I saw a white corridor and several rooms connected to the walls, just like the laboratory building in the movie.

“This is Nistrond’s storage room. It’s so rough that it has stronger protection magic than other wands. I’ll open the door now.”

Lawrence ordered the wizards working in the archives to open the door. When I went inside, there was a room that was pure white like the color of the hallway, and there was a quarter staff who would give me an ordeal.

A long rod reaching 180 cm.
It is a seal made of wood, and the outer surface is pure white like snow.

‘They said his name was Nistrond.’

Nistrond stood upright with the tip of the staff driven into the ground like a legendary holy sword. The part embedded in the ground was covered with thick ice. It’s a staff without feet, but it seemed to be fixing the standing state with ice.
It was a strange look, but there was something more worrying than that.
It was the temperature in the room comparable to that of a freezer.

Wheein-!

“Chu, it’s cold…”
“Isn’t the cold wind blowing? Where the hell is the wind blowing?”

The room is cold.
The cold wind blew like it was really winter.
Bella, the weakest of the group, shuddered even though she was wearing a coat. Since he is an office worker with no superhuman physical abilities, he must have no choice.
I quickly realized that it was the Nystronds that were causing the temperature to drop and the cold air to rise in the room. The closer I got to him, the more intense the chill penetrated my body.

“This is the quarter staff who will give me an ordeal. Does this staff explain what the ordeal is about?”
“I will tell you the details of the ordeal. How to pass the ordeal is very simple.”

Lawrence extended her finger and pointed at Nice Trond.

“Take out the Nistrond from the ice. It doesn’t matter if you take it out physically or magically. If you can take it out and hold it in your hand, you’ve passed the test.”
“I’ll try it.”

At first, I thought it was just an ordeal.
However, as soon as he approached and grabbed Nistrond in his hand, something changed.

Whii-i-!
A strong cold wind blew towards me. A cold chill seeped into her bones, as if she had been naked in the cold wind blowing in the middle of winter. The moment I closed my eyes tightly because of the wind, I couldn’t help but be surprised to see in front of my eyes.

“Bo, is the stick covered with ice?”

Nistrond, which I held in my hand.
The long rod was covered in ice in the blink of an eye. The temperature of the ice was very low, so my hand holding the stick was stuck. A cold and chilly energy penetrated into the palm of my hand, causing my arm to tremble.

“Nistrond is putting you through a trial. You must overcome the cold and obtain the staff to be recognized by him as worthy to become its master. Lift the staff with only your strength and magic. Of course, you will be tested. It is forbidden to have outsiders help or bring in outside items.”

In short, Nistrond himself made me freeze. If he had a proper ego, he was a pretty clever guy. It’s because I purposely put ice on my body the moment I approached and grabbed it.
With the thought of making your hands freeze.

“I can feel your malice. I can feel your malice that you’re going to make fun of me going through the ordeal.”
“Nice Trond is a mischievous man. He enjoys playing pranks on mages. He will have a hard time taming him.”

That was the end of Lawrence’s explanation.
Nistrond’s ordeal was in earnest. He simply can’t pick him up by force alone. I used magic to quickly melt my hand clinging to the rod.

“Fire.”

Basic Magic Fire!
In the old days, it was a magic that only lit a spark from one finger.
However, now that spell proficiency has risen, it is possible to raise fire from all fingers.

Roaring!
All five fingers clinging to the rod fired flames all at once. After melting the ice with the rolling flames, I quickly withdrew my hand. However, even with the fire magic, it seemed dangerous to touch Nistrond with your own hands.

Damn-! The ice that wrapped around the pole became thicker. The melted part of the fire was restored in an instant. I don’t dare to touch it with my bare hands.

“Liquid.”

I summoned a water whip and hit the frozen stick. Crack! He broke the ice and wrapped the water whip around the stick. In that state, I applied strength to pull the bar stuck in the frozen ground.

“Aaaaap-!”

As crazy as it may sound, I struggled with a pole stuck in ice. I pulled the water whip with all my might while sweating all over my body. But in the end, I realized only one thing.

I can’t pull out the stick with only my strength.

‘How do I get that guy out?’

It seemed that there would be a chance if magic was used as much firepower as possible.
It was when I was racking my brain and thinking of a way.

“Then I’ll go now. I hope you pass the ordeal safely.”

Lawrence was about to leave her room, asking questions.

“Is there such a thing as a time limit? Like how long if you can’t pass the trial, you’ll be eliminated, or something like that.”
“There is no limit. If you want, you can live in the temple for the rest of your life and undergo trials. A mage with the qualities of a rune mage is precious. The staff at the archives will feed you.”

It sounds good that there is no time limit.
But to me, the phrase “For the rest of my life” Sounded creepy to me.

“How many days does it usually take to pass the ordeal? I wonder how long it took for other rune mages.”
“On average, it takes a month. Even a talented wizard would have to spend at least 15 days.”
“Bo, it’s 15 days!”

A minimum of 15 days and a maximum of a month!
It wouldn’t matter if I was alone, but now I was an adventurer in charge of an escort quest. The quest was obviously a failure if he left Bella, the target of escort, for a long time.

“Hey, Bella-san…?”

I caught her sneaky glance at Bella.
Bella also heard Lawrence’s words and put her hand on her chin, looking troubled.

“They say you have to stay here for 15 days to pass the ordeal?”
“It’s become a headache. I was thinking of going back to the port city tomorrow because I have to investigate the riotous fishmen.”

If Bella gives the order to withdraw, she will do as she is told.
After returning to Yoensu, I had to hit a roundabout back to the temple by myself.
Fortunately, however, Bella took my circumstances into account.

“We’ll go back to the port city around tomorrow evening. Mr. Luke, stay here and solve the ordeal. The wizard belonging to the guild is growing, so of course you have to watch it.”

They say you can stay at the temple and solve the ordeal!
I shouted at Bella with a thrilled expression.

“I’ll bury the bones in the Galarhorn! Thank you!”
“Don’t just say thank you, listen to my request later.”
“Are you asking…?”

It was when I was wondering what kind of request it was.
Bella came up to me and whispered in my ear.
At the same time as her voice tickled her ears, the distance grew so close that Bella and I barely touched each other.

“Let’s have a meal together later.”

Meal?
Hey, is this a date promise?
It was when I was panicking.

“Can this be?”
“Could it be something?”
“Oh, no. Of course I’m going in the direction I’m going with my lovers.”

Bella spoke to me in a whisper as she let her smile go.
A soft smile appeared on her always expressionless face.

“Can’t we go alone?”

My heart trembled at that word.