Chapter 307: Omen (1)
…It had been six hours since they began searching the academy, and a strange orb was now in Shiron’s hand.
At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary crystal ball. However, its true nature was impossible to discern without further explanation.
Creeeeaaak!
The monsters attacked as soon as they stepped outside.
“What…what is this?!”
Yoru instinctively swung her sword, startled.
‘How did I not sense anything right beyond the door?’
A sudden thought flashed through her mind, but there was no time to dwell on trivialities. The monster she had just split in half was soon followed by another.
“Wasn’t the academy supposed to be safe?”
Yoru fired a series of powerful strikes and looked back, asking.Shiron tossed and caught the crystal orb, responding casually.
“It was safe…until six hours ago. Back when this orb was in its place.”
“Can’t you make the monsters retreat again?”
“I could, but…”
Shiron smiled as he watched Yoru swing her sword.
“It’s tricky, you see. If it’s not placed on the leyline, it loses its effect pretty quickly. Best not to turn it on unless it’s absolutely crucial.”
“Right now…! It feels like…! An absolutely…! Crucial moment…!”
“You look like you’re managing fine, so keep at it.”
“Damn it!”
Yoru swung her sword, not even glancing back anymore. She couldn’t let her pride make her refuse, but every moment felt as dangerous as she could tolerate.
‘Can people really live in a place like this?’
It wasn’t just the academy she was referring to, but the entire world.
She understood that the orb Shiron removed had been blocking the monsters from invading. But now, with the orb gone, the capital was suddenly teeming with them.
For people to survive, many things were needed. With this many monsters around, normal life would be impossible. Where could crops grow, where would water be fetched, and where would livestock be raised?
Yoru now understood the reason for Silleya’s defeat painfully well.
It was strange for the monsters, too. Normally, they would sense Yoru’s powerful presence and avoid her, but these monsters charged without hesitation, as if they feared no death.
[Something feels off here.]
Latera, too, sensed the oddity. Her voice, trembling with exhaustion, echoed in his mind. She seemed to be struggling against the intense magical energy.
[The magic here is thick, and there are too many monsters. This isn’t a place for people to live…]
‘Right, it’d be hard to live here.’
[Haa… I’m suddenly getting sleepy. I’ll take a little nap.]
Without asking more, Latera closed her eyes. She had so many questions, but the thick magical energy made it hard to focus on anything minor.
Shiron pulled out a black scroll from his pocket and counted it.
‘One, two, three… twelve sheets?’
“Seira.”
“Hm? You mean me?”
“No, not you. The future Seira.”
Shiron pointed to Seira, who was wearing an eyepatch.
“How many teleportation scrolls are left?”
“I gave them all to Lucia, so I don’t have any left. My apprentice has the rest.”
“How long would it take to make more?”
“It takes a week to make ten, but the materials aren’t easy to get. Especially given the current situation.”
“Guess we’ll have to conserve them.”
Shiron handed one of the scrolls to Yoru.
“I’ll teleport with Yoru using the scroll. Seira and Future Seira, you two teleport separately.”
“When you say Future Seira, you mean me?”
“It’s hard to distinguish between you and the Seira who came with me. Got a better idea?”
“Hm… how about Teacher or Mentor?”
Future Seira playfully clung to Shiron’s arm, and he grinned, wrapping his arm around her slender waist.
“Sorry, but even the Seira who taught me magic never got called Teacher.”
“…Alright.”
“Then, let’s head to Dawn Castle.”
Shiron unwrapped his arm and tore the scroll. Future Seira, feeling a bit disappointed, prepared the teleportation spell.
Then she let out a small laugh.
“This time, you’re not interrupting.”
“Focus on the teleportation spell.”
“A little chat is fine, right? Seems like you’re very curious.”
Just as Future Seira said, there was something unusual in Seira’s expression. Her brows furrowed and her hand hovered near her waist, tense and guarded.
“Yeah, I do have a lot of questions.”
Seira glared sharply at Future Seira. When she first arrived, she had seemed panicked and disoriented, but her Archmage’s insight shone through even in moments of chaos.
The more she experienced this world, the stranger it seemed.
“This world is strange. And so are you.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Teleportation is not a magic that can be created with something as simple as a scroll. Even if you could contain the magical formula on paper, it would take an entire book, at best.”
“But you saw it, didn’t you? Tear the scroll, and teleportation activates.”
Future Seira laughed as if Seira was being ridiculous, but Seira wasn’t amused.
“The academy is filled with monsters because of that kid. And you don’t feel anything about that?”
“If you’ve got a problem, shouldn’t you say it to the person involved…? I don’t see the point of talking when they’re not around.”
“As an adult, I need to test things carefully on his behalf.”
Future Seira waved her free hand, the one without the staff.
“I’m not your enemy. Just believe that.”
“…So you admit there’s something going on.”
“Can we talk about it later? It’s getting hard to maintain this.”
Future Seira held up her magic-imbued staff with a faint smile. The spell wavered, as if it could collapse at any moment.
“My patience doesn’t last long.”
“I’ll tell you tonight.”
With a flash, light burst from the end of her staff. The academy, now empty of people, was filled only with monsters.
As expected, Dawn Castle welcomed Shiron’s arrival. After all, it wasn’t every day that someone presumed dead came back to life, so a warm reception was only natural.
“Young Master?”
Yuma ran toward Shiron with wide eyes as soon as she saw him.
“Is it truly you, Young Master? I distinctly remember seeing you… pass away…”
“I am Shiron Prient, but also not Shiron Prient.”
“…I see.”
Yuma understood Shiron’s meaning instantly. The Shiron before her looked about ten years younger than the one she knew.
A deep sadness crossed her face, but unlike Seira, she didn’t embrace or kiss him. Instead, she took his hand with a loving smile, as if welcoming home a long-lost son.
“Nevertheless, I’m glad you’ve returned. I’ll do my utmost to make sure you’re comfortable here.”
“I was worried I might be met with hostility. I’m relieved.”
“Impossible. The Young Master is the Young Master, wherever he may be. I can even guess why you’ve come here.”
Yuma looked at Shiron with a subtle gaze. The aura radiating from her was anything but ordinary. The faint sense of divine power made his hand tingle where she held it.
This Shiron Prient was stronger than the Shiron Prient of his thirties. There could only be one reason for his sudden appearance.
“I’ll immediately send out the children to search for the Apostles.”
With those words, Yuma hurried down the hallway. Yoru crossed her arms and gave her a look.
“That was quite a mild reaction. The mage was wailing and weeping, after all.”
“That was pretty warm, I’d say. There was even someone who drew their sword right off the bat.”
“True, there was a woman like that.”
Watching the gathering maids, Yoru recalled someone who wasn’t present here.
Lucia, who once adored Shiron intensely, had ended up hating him fiercely. The mage who used to bicker with Shiron had become a helpless woman who couldn’t live without him. The demon, who once caressed her pregnant belly, had returned to a detached demeanor.
‘So then, what about me?’
Suddenly curious, Yoru patted Shiron on the shoulder.
“Hey, mind if I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“When do I meet myself?”
“Myself? Are you talking about the future you?”
“Yeah. Since I’ve come this far, I’d like to see her.”
Seeing Yoru swallow nervously, Shiron pondered and rubbed his lips thoughtfully.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“…Why not?”
“Because you’ll regret it.”
“Regret? Am I going to end up looking ridiculous?”
“…Not quite.”
Shiron’s repeated frown made Yoru feel uneasy.
‘What’s going on? Didn’t he just hesitate a lot?’
“Well, since we’re here, we might as well meet…”
“No, forget it! Just forget it!”
“What? I thought you wanted to meet.”
“No, it’s fine. I—I’m going to take a bath. Where’s the bathhouse?”
“I can show you the way.”
A nearby maid bowed her head and led Yoru through the castle.
‘The people I’ve met here are all a bit off. Like, almost the opposite.’
Being “the opposite” meant that the person she’d encounter might be someone completely different from herself. Shiron seemed to know what had become of her, but some things were better left unknown.
‘If I’m the opposite of myself now, I could be some weakling without a trace of flair.’
Absolutely not. Yesterday they had treated her like a nobody, and Yoru’s pride was still sky-high.
“Oh, would it be alright if you shared the bath? We have another guest using it at the moment.”
“That’s fine.”
“Here it is. Enjoy.”
The maid bowed and left. Yoru opened the door, feeling the warmth wafting from the room.
Inside the bathhouse.
Yoru noticed two faint silhouettes in the steam. Their wet silver hair, bold figures, and lightly closed violet eyes gazed quietly at each other.
The other guests must have been the two who had teleported earlier.
‘I had a feeling something was odd.’
‘Seems like you can see clearly here.’
Catching a bit of their conversation, Yoru stripped off her clothes and walked toward the bath.
Lucia always insisted she wash first before getting in, but she wasn’t here now. Feeling a faint sense of freedom, she submerged herself fully.
“So, what exactly is this place? Did the others feel this strange sense here too?”
“I told them. But would you believe it if I said they forgot about it right after?”
“…”
But the brief sense of liberation disappeared as quickly as it had come.
The warm water did nothing to dispel the chilly atmosphere.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to share the bath.’
Neither elf paid Yoru any mind as she entered. No, it was more that they couldn’t tear their gaze from each other’s bodies.
‘What are they looking at?’
Following their gaze, Yoru looked at them carefully. They looked identical, so distinguishing the future person should be…
Easier than she thought.
“?”
Yoru’s eyes widened in surprise.
One of the elf’s chests was slightly indented where it should have a peak. But the other elf’s chest had the normal shape in that same area.
That wasn’t the only difference. Their belly buttons seemed a bit off, and the shapes of their earlobes were different. Observing each feature carefully, she realized that Future Seira’s body was somewhat lacking in detail.