The Priestess of Time is alive.
Honestly, I wondered if that was even possible.
I distinctly knocked her down and finished the confirmation kill.
Moreover, I heard that they would completely incinerate her corpse at the royal palace.
‘She came back to life by turning back time?’
Since she can stop time, that thought naturally crossed my mind, but I shook my head.
While she doesn’t have all the memories, even she wouldn’t be able to pull off such an impossible miracle.
“For now, I have to go see for myself.”
Thinking about it here wouldn’t yield any answers. Ultimately, it was something I had to confront and confirm directly.
While I was lost in such thoughts, the Grand Witch, who had been watching me intently, cautiously asked,
“Where is The Earliest Apocalypse now?”
“Rin. The child’s name is Rin. Not some silly title.”
She must not be unaware that what she says irks me.
Apologizing, the Grand Witch asked again,
“Alright, where is this Rin?”
“What does it matter if you know?”
I shot back, and the Grand Witch couldn’t hold back any longer, frowning openly.
“Do you realize that what you’re doing is putting the entire continent in danger? Just because she’s a legend in books doesn’t mean you know what kind of threat she poses.”
“Ha.”
I couldn’t help but scoff. Me, unaware of the dangers of the apocalypse?
“No one knows the dangers of the apocalypse better than I do.”
With that, I turned sharply.
I wasn’t planning to waste time. I intended to head over to Sharcarl right away.
“I will too…”
In a hushed voice, Hayun struggled to speak. I thought she had lost consciousness, but it seemed she had awakened. I immediately moved next to Hayun’s bed.
She slowly reached out and grabbed my wrist. The Love Bracelet she had given me matched with my own.
“I’m going too.”
“It’s dangerous. Given your condition, it’s hard for you to even move.”
“No, I’m fine now. So I will go too.”
“…I can’t protect you if you fight Sharcarl. If Kurika comes too, it’s really going to be dangerous.”
“Even so, I can’t back down, Daniel.”
Slowly uncovering herself from the blanket, Hayun sat up. For a moment, she wobbled, but her gaze was fiercer than ever.
“I’ve discarded the name of the Ren family, and I really hate my uncle. But that doesn’t mean I wished for the complete downfall of that family. Our parents’ memories are there too.”
“…”
“I’ll probably have to carry the name of the Ren family again. I’m the only remaining bloodline. Therefore, I need to confirm all the truths.”
I knew she wouldn’t back down. I also knew that she would go alone if I just left her.
“Fine, I get it.”
In the end, I had no choice but to relent. Hayun’s expression brightened noticeably. Just then, a witch walked in.
She brought a tea set and cups on a round wooden tray, and before I knew it, a strange smell quickly filled the hospital room.
The Grand Witch took the cup of tea and handed it to Hayun.
“If you drink this, you’ll adapt to the air here a bit more easily.”
“Thank you.”
Was there such a thing?
It looked hot, but Hayun cleverly sipped it all down, and her expression noticeably brightened, making her look around in surprise.
“I really feel lighter. This is amazing.”
“Fascinating.”
It was tea I didn’t even know about. It seemed the witches had created it themselves; if I had served that to the clients back when I was a Sherpa, work would have been way smoother.
“Well then, having drunk the tea, you have to pay, right?”
“Huh?”
This sly old hag?
Pretending to be generous and then asking for payment?
Hayun’s expression stiffened, and I couldn’t hide my annoyance, but due to her deeply-lined wrinkles from age, her expression didn’t change at all.
“I’m going too.”
“You?”
“Yeah, I need to check what’s happening in the Forest of the Demon Realm, starting with the fight between Kurika and Sharcarl.”
“Hm.”
Honestly, the method itself didn’t sit well with me, but the request wasn’t too bad. After all, Hayun and I were at a disadvantage when it came to magic, so having the Grand Witch join would definitely bolster that area.
“Alright, that’s not a bad suggestion. However, stay by Hayun and protect her. I don’t expect you to kill the magical beasts, but at least that much should be doable.”
“Sure, that’s not an excessive demand.”
Great.
If Hayun ever found herself in danger, I had a last resort that could protect her. This way, I could fight without worry.
“I’ll go too!”
“Stay still.”
Adriana suddenly sat up and shouted, but with a simple gesture from the Grand Witch, she was pressed back down onto the bed by an unseen force.
“Are you trying to move around carelessly when you’re not even fully healed?”
The Grand Witch genuinely worrying about Adriana was a little surprising but also refreshing.
“You care about Adriana quite a bit, huh?”
At first glance, she seemed like someone who wouldn’t care what happened to other witches.
The Grand Witch narrowed her eyes and shot me a glance before turning to head outside the hospital room.
“Since she’ll be the next Grand Witch after me, I have to raise her well, of course.”
Adriana as the Grand Witch?
I was surprised at first, but after a moment of thought, it made sense. With her level of talent, while it might take time, she could definitely aim for the position of Grand Witch.
After giving a simple greeting to an Adriana looking somewhat burdened by the title, Hayun and I stepped outside.
The Grand Witch was already ready to step out, holding a staff brought by the other witches. Since Hayun and I weren’t carrying anything, we left the village immediately.
With me as a former Sherpa and the Grand Witch also present, walking through the Forest of the Demon Realm felt more like a stroll now.
Of course, Hayun often frowned at the bizarre plants and magical beasts, but that couldn’t be helped. This was naturally that kind of place.
“Hm, we’ve come quite a ways, but it seems we’re still far from where Sharcarl is.”
“Huff, huff. I see.”
Hayun wiped her sweat. It was understandable since just walking here could wear her out.
‘Is she not the Grand Witch for nothing?’
The Grand Witch, enhancing her body through mana, didn’t sweat a single drop, nor did she even look slightly out of breath.
This made me feel a bit unfair towards the mages who handled mana.
While some were training their bodies diligently, those mages could strengthen their bodies while using magic more broadly.
But before I could finish my whining, the surrounding mana began to ripple. Although unseen, the Ancient Beasts that had been cautiously watching us began to naturally retreat one by one.
The Grand Witch frowned deeply, leaning on her staff, trying to gather herself.
“This is…?”
“The mana is twisted.”
The mana engulfing the Forest of the Demon Realm began to twist, shake, and mutate. It spread like a disease, aligning itself with the steps of the source of the distortion.
“Did Sharcarl come this far?”
It would take quite a while to reach Sharcarl’s territory. So why in the world had it come out here?
The answer echoed from the opposite side of Sharcarl’s mana.
Awoooooo!
The ominous howl of Kurika signaling combat. His cave was quite far away, but the two beasts had made their way here toward each other.
“It seems Sharcarl and Kurika are about to have a real fight?”
“Hm, this is a bit risky.”
The Grand Witch agreed with my comment and took a step back. Even though she couldn’t use mana now, her presence here was due to her qualification to communicate with Sharcarl.
But it was clear that she didn’t plan to involve herself if he entered into combat.
“For now, stay here with the Grand Witch. I’ll go check the situation.”
“…Alright, be careful.”
Hayun had keenly noticed that this wasn’t the time to interfere recklessly, gripping her sword tightly and scanning the surroundings.
Leaving the two of them behind, I headed toward the place where I could feel Sharcarl and Kurika’s energy.
That place was a rocky area, quite treacherous.
Originally, it was a habitat for giant centipedes living between the rocks, but perhaps due to the two kings’ presence, they had fled hastily, and I couldn’t see any.
“Sharcarl! Why do you turn your back on the world? The calamity sent by the gods has reached our land! You just let the woman of death go free?!”
“That is of no concern to me.”
Sharcarl waved his hand, uninterested in Kurika’s shout.
“Your claim to protect the divine relics and your association with the Priestess who serves the gods, as well as your intrusion into my territory without resolution, matters not to me.”
Thud!
Sharcarl’s staff struck the ground.
The silver flash lingering in the skull glared menacingly at Kurika.
“However, your being led by a ‘weak person’ is different. I have no interest in any so-called greater good.”
Sharcarl’s wrath came from one reason for trying to kill Kurika.
The fact that someone powerful was neck-deep in mediocrity.
Through the memories of Heaven Len, Sharcarl learned about the Priestess of Time. His magic was hardly effective outside of attacking, and even shaping All of Nirva was in that vein.
Thus, Sharcarl came to kill Kurika.
He couldn’t view someone, merely led by the weak, as worthy of holding the throne as the king of the highest position in the Forest of the Demon Realm.
“Come down from your throne, Kurika.”
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