7. Jealousy is my strength (2)
There have been some news that have hit the continent recently.
Most of them were stories related to the Dark Church. After thousands of years of silence, the power of the evil god who revealed its claws was terrifying, and traitors were hiding in the heads of each continent.
Even the demons and evil spirits appear one after another.
No one doubted that the old peace had now collapsed.
The Dark Church led by Delphirem has returned. And this meant that a war on the fate of mankind was imminent.
It was a conclusion that had no choice but to cast a shadow on the faces of the common people. Nevertheless, the reason why the confusion was minimal was because Nanse called for a hero.
The ‘morning stars’ led by ‘Ian Perkus’.
Their performance was inflated and refined by combining with the people’s hope for hope. Even the somewhat embarrassing praise was nothing more than casual praise for them.
The heroic story that can be said to be the culmination was ‘Mountain Court’.
A knight’s bloody battle to save an innocent lover was a staple of epics. In addition, the strength of the saint who can destroy a mountain in one blow and the story of the saintess who personally proved the existence of a heavenly god deeply moved many church members.
The hero who fought against the evil spirit protects us.
Heaven has not abandoned mankind yet.
It is needless to say how comforting these two facts were.
For a while, the rich men of the continent asserted that the Court on the Mount would be the only topic of conversation. It was a big event that would normally be talked about for years.
In fact, creative works dealing with the later stories of Ian and the saint were circulating in the market.
However, the waterway of the times that began to flow without hesitation no longer stops.
As another rumor spread, the continent went beyond turmoil and fell into silence.
The eyes of the whole continent were focused on each and every move of a certain person. Even among countless celebrities, there were only a handful of people who could have this kind of influence.
Absolutes who say that one existence determines the existence of a nation.
One of the only three Masters was moving that heavy stride.
“It’s a warm day today.”
It was a word he threw while exhaling cigarette smoke.
The boring tone revealed the woman’s heart. At first glance, she looked like a girl in her mid-teens, but smoking a pipe was not something she had done once or twice.
His bright green eyes, as if they had been stripped of starlight, were stained with dark fatigue. Even his gait was leisurely, so he was a person whose appearance and behavior did not match.
At least it wasn’t the way a child would see it.
Rather, it should be said that it exudes the feeling of a pessimist who has mastered the world.
Dozens of people gathered around the girl. But none of them responded to the girl’s self-talk.
All of them were dressed in elegant clothing. Even though it was clear that he was of noble birth, he seemed to have difficulty even daring to talk to the girl.
It was worth it.
Because the true identity of this girl was not at a level where her identity was put on the line.
The Great Witch of the Southern Ten Kingdoms.
She was one of only three masters on the continent, and a woman called the godmother of the ten southern kingdoms.
“It’s a warm day… Are you insane elderly? The empire went into an uproar over this abnormal weather!”
Of course, there was at least one person among them who would not pay attention to the Archwitch.
The middle-aged man who grumbled and criticized was gray-haired. Judging from her sturdy physique, she was a swordsman who seemed older than the Archwitch.
However, he was always using honorific titles for the Archwitch.
Imperial swordsmith.
He was also a strong man who reached Master, but he knew how to respect the elders.
There was a gap of hundreds of years between the Archwitch and the swordsmith. Even the swordsman, who was once called the mad dog of the empire, had no choice but to be polite.
Although the Archwitch did not seem to welcome the next generation.
“Heh, ‘elderly’… You’re still just a mouthful It seems like just yesterday that you guys went wild and raged all over the continent.”
“Isn’t that already decades ago… … .”
“I still have fond memories of that day. He came all the way to the Great Forest with only one sword. But shall we stick together? Ha, I don’t even know the subject.”
Kkeueung, the swordsman groaned with his arms crossed.
He said it was decades ago, but he also seemed to have a clear memory of that day. The person who sensed the suspicious current was an old man who was walking side by side with the swordsman.
“So how did it go?”
“Uh huh.”
The swordsman slightly lowered his tone at the old man’s question.
However, neither the Archwitch nor the old man seemed to care. On the contrary, the Archwitch put on a faint smile as if she was having fun.
“Of course I got kicked out because I was in a mess. No matter how much I’m in the middle of a confrontation, am I going to be defeated by a kid who’s not even a master?”
“ha ha ha! My uncle had a time like that too.”
The swordsman made a somewhat unfair look on his face, but soon swallowed a faint silence and raised his hands.
It meant surrender.
It was such a friendly atmosphere.
Nevertheless, the reason why this procession felt stiff was because everyone except for the three who had a conversation was moving stiffly and nervously.
That’s right, those three were people from another world, so it was inevitable.
The great witch, the swordsman, and even the person in charge of the youngest among them were emperors of the empire.
There was no chin that anyone could add a word to.
In the end, the person who brought up the next topic was also a swordsman.
“… … So, what wind do you have?”
A silence fell, where not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
Dozens of people were listening with bated breath to the single question the swordsman threw.
Even though the Archwitch just exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke.
“what are you talking about?”
“Isn’t there a reason why I suddenly left the Great Forest? In the past hundreds of years, except when there was a major incident in the Southern Ten Kingdoms, it was said that they had never been away from the barrier… … .”
“Don’t worry too much.”
With an infinitely calm voice, the Archwitch abbreviated the swordsmith’s question.
“It’s about that barrier, even if I’m away, I’ll be fine for a few years. Choosing disciples is more important than that.”
“The ‘disciple’… … .”
Heh, swallowing a laugh, the swordsman shook his head.
It was something I had heard before.
However, there was another part where the swordsmith was truly questionable.
“That’s why, I am asking why you are suddenly choosing students from the academy. Didn’t you snatch the kids who were hiding in the Great Forest in the first place?”
“… … Heh, I like it.”
Then, the Archwitch bit her tongue and said, “Bee.”
The skill of provoking the swordsman with both eyes closed was like that of a young girl. In the end, the swordsman had no choice but to grumble inside that this old man couldn’t live up to his age.
The next person who raised the topic was the emperor.
“Are those rumors true?”
“What rumors? Are the Imperial Family taught to always use ellipses when asking questions?”
“The rumor that you are going to pass on the ‘vision’ to your new apprentice.”
Static again.
Now I could even hear the sound of swallowing dry saliva.
‘Vision’ was the most core technology possessed by each organization or unmanned. What kind of power would the vision conveyed by the Master, who said there were only three of them on the continent, have?
It wouldn’t be strange if he reached the level of high expert at once, depending on how hard he tried.
The mouth of the Archwitch, who had turned her gaze to the side and acted on the other side, opened after a while.
“… … Yes, that’s right.”
In an instant, the atmosphere of the party heated up.
Everyone tried to stay silent, but they couldn’t hide their excitement. Although they were already too late to enter the academy, some of their acquaintances and family members were attending the academy.
What if you could become the Archwitch’s apprentice?
It was the family’s honor, and furthermore, they could share the archwitch’s vision.
Even the emperor showed subtle expectations.
“ha ha ha! I’m looking forward to it. It was good that I deliberately decided to follow him to the academy.”
“Hmm, that’s right. Why the hell are you going to the academy?”
At the Archwitch’s question, the Emperor only smiled meaningfully.
“My daughter is currently attending school there. Ira inherited dragon blood… I don’t know if you can become a disciple.”
“Ohhh, ‘dragon’s blood’.”
Rarely, in the eyes of the great witch, the difference was young.
It meant that I was interested. The emperor smiled warmly, perhaps because he was willing to take that interest.
“Two of my children are going to the academy first. ‘Viltheon’ and ‘Iris’… They both seem to want Shien to become their disciple and pass on the vision.”
“You are very blatant. I can’t hide it anymore.”
Hum, snorting, the Archwitch took another sip of cigarette smoke.
Contrary to what he said, he didn’t show any displeasure. Because it was an obvious story anyway.
By collecting the archwitch’s visions, the empire can become even stronger.
Maybe even have two masters.
It was the dream of every leader. In addition, if two people are fighting over the next imperial power, they will want to do whatever it takes to get in the eyes of their father.
It was an asaripan.
The Archwitch clicked her tongue and let out a plain sentiment, thinking that even a short outing would cause such a commotion.
“That kid named ‘Shien’ must be having a hard time.”
To think that the next imperial authority would be caught in the middle of a competition.
Even the Archwitch, who had lived for hundreds of years, was sympathetic.
But the Emperor’s purpose was still one more.
“And, one more young knight to meet… … .”
“Sir, have you heard of ‘Ian Percus’?”
The person who dared to cut off the emperor’s words was the swordsman.
It was a disrespect that even the imperial family, let alone the nobles, could not imagine, but the emperor just shook his head with a wry smile.
Who will stop the swordsman?
Even excitement was detected in the voice of the swordsman.
“He stands out among the young knights recently, hahahahaha… It’s not something to brag about, but it seems like you’re proud of the future of the empire. One shot, no, two shots… … !”
“… … yes.”
But the next moment.
The mouth of the swordsman, who continued to speak with excitement, was tightly shut.
It was because the expression on the face of the Archwitch, who answered while exhaling cigarette smoke, was unreasonable.
A gloomy smile formed on the lips of the woman who had been calm until now.
“‘Ian Percus’… Of course, I heard, because I got a call from a Celestial from the Holy Land a while ago.”
‘Heaven of the Holy Land’.
It was an anchovy, but the Master Set, who reigned as the noble strongmen of the continent, had unexpectedly frequent exchanges. We used to deliberately use nicknames to demean each other.
It was the title of a ‘saint’.
However, the reason why the swordsman still couldn’t open his mouth was because the saint couldn’t come up with a reason to contact the archwitch.
A sudden question was thrown at the swordsman who was standing so far away.
“Have you ever conveyed a vision?”
“No, what… A strong candidate has appeared, but I am still thinking about it.”
“me too.”
Receiving the words of the swordsman who answered bewildered, the Archwitch smiled even more grimly.
“But what would you do if there was a vision going around that I never conveyed?”
“Yeah, of course George… Hmmm, we need to look into the situation.”
“So it is.”
Whoa, he said, and the smoke from the cigarettes scattered in the air.
It was something that no one except the Archwitch could understand. Even so, the Archwitch was alone with a bleak smile.
“So, he came.”
intentionally here.
If it’s short, it’s short, if it’s long, it’s the end of a long journey.
The hazy scenery of the building began to reflect in the archwitch’s green eyes.
It was an academy.
*
And in the middle of that academy.
Ian was reading the letter with a serious expression on his face.
With a girl wearing a cone hat on the other side.
The girl asked, sucking the cold drink out of the ice cup.
“So our juniors… … .”
There was that dainty little piece of newspaper. Judging from the state of preservation, it seemed that someone had deliberately cut and pasted it.
The subtitle was bold and intense.
‘Shock! Elsie Rainella, ‘declaration of pet dog’ to the second son of the Viscount?! The black hand of Ian Percus, who is aiming for the flower of the academy!’
A drop of sweat trickled down the man’s forehead.
Smiling brightly, the girl asked Ian again.
“What is this… hem?!”
Another present and future were intersecting like that.
It wasn’t a very nice atmosphere, though.