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Episode 38
Retrograde (1)
It’s still vivid when I close my eyes.
2 years ago.
At that time, the first screening test was held.
“please…….”
Even though one contestant died, no one came to help.
“Ugh, please, save me… … .”
Even the manager who was there watched with cold eyes as a life was lost.
“Save me… … .”
Crunch──!
Two years ago, that time.
Rebecca Duncan still remembers vividly.
【 Rebecca Duncan, 25 years old, female 】
-From the “Dolores School” of illusion magic.
-… .
-Result: Disqualified
-Reason: Kill the administrator
Rebecca Duncan, who passed the first test with the shortest time, kills the administrator of the selection test.
-Disqualification according to Article 3, Paragraph 3.
【 Rebecca Duncan, 26 years old, female 】
-From the “Dolores School” of illusion magic.
-Disqualified for killing an administrator in an exam a year ago.
-… .
-… .
-Result: Disqualified
-Reason: Killing half of the applicants
All of the deceased candidates were in the same group as ‘Sharon Shacklebolt’ in the first test last year. It is considered a revenge killing.
-Disqualification according to Article 3, Paragraph 6.
* * *
“Dirty? My mouth?”
“Then should we say that the mouth of a murderous maniac who killed countless wizards is clean?”
Rebecca Duncan burst into laughter after hearing the answer.
“A murderous maniac? That’s a shame.”
“… … .”
“I don’t know about other people, but you shouldn’t call me that. I took revenge on Sharon for you.”
The sharp eyes filled with murderous intent flashed terrifyingly.
Garon Theobald growled as he looked at Rebecca Duncan.
“That’s not revenge.”
“……what?”
“This massacre was carried out under the guise of revenge, and it only tarnished my granddaughter’s honor.”
Rebecca Duncan looked dumbfounded.
“under.”
It was still vivid when I closed my eyes.
Two years ago, on the day the first screening test was held, a life was dying, and no one came to help.
That day, the memories of that time.
“They left Sharon to die. You know, even though there were plenty of people who could have helped her, no one stepped forward and just watched.”
“… … .”
“They killed Sharon, sir. I just got my revenge by killing those bastards.”
Hearing those words, Garon Theobald muttered in a low voice.
“Revenge, revenge… … .”
plural.
Rebecca Duncan justified her murder in the name of revenge.
“… …Stop talking nonsense.”
Two years ago, the elder of the five great towers who had assumed the role of administrator lost his life.
A year ago, dozens of veteran wizards from each school died.
The revenge of one wizard brought great chaos to the entire magical world.
From that day on, Rebecca Duncan was given the nickname “The Murderer.”
As time passed, her notoriety began to spread more and more widely.
A psychopath who killed the administrator who supervised the exam, a madman who slaughtered the successors who would lead the magic world, and a villain who thinks of the exam room as a place of slaughter.
and…….
“… … My granddaughter’s death is considered the culprit that gave birth to that “homicidal maniac.”
Sharon’s death simply became the cornerstone of this sad tragedy.
“Your actions are not helping Sharon at all. They are only damaging her reputation.”
“… … .”
“So today, I will cleanse my granddaughter’s name by killing you with my own hands.”
Garon Theobald stared at Rebecca Duncan with downcast eyes.
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There was a small laugh. Rebecca answered quietly.
“How many times do I have to tell you, sir? They helped Sharon die. I’m just trying to make them pay for it.”
Ugh─.
yet again.
Garon Theobald ground his teeth.
“What did you hear from me? You are still tarnishing my granddaughter’s honor… … .”
“It’s even stranger to try to talk about honor in this situation. The inspiration’s only granddaughter is dead. What’s the big deal about honor?”
“… … We’re not communicating.”
silence.
The two wizards looked at each other.
“Sometimes… … no, I always wondered. How could someone like you be my granddaughter’s best friend?”
“Me too. How did someone as innocent and kind as Sharon come from someone as inspirational?”
“What the hell are you… … .”
“inspiration.”
Rebecca Duncan looked up, interrupting.
Her face was revealed through the light of the dark ruins.
The smile that had been hanging on his lips had already completely disappeared.
In a cold voice, she muttered.
“Why is your tongue so long?”
“… … .”
“A wizard must speak with magic. That’s what the inspiration said every time he met Sharon.”
Wiggle.
Garon Theobald’s brow furrowed.
Hwaaaaak─!
The very next moment.
His magical powers began to run wild and out of control.
As if to represent his emotions, white, violent particles swarmed everywhere.
“This is your final warning. If you bring up my granddaughter again… … .”
“Sharon.”
The air has settled.
As the concentration of magical power grew thicker, it became difficult to breathe.
A heavy pressure ached every part of my body, as if I had been sucked into the deep sea.
“Sharon Shacklebolt.”
nevertheless.
Rebecca Duncan said,
“My best friend and my grandfather’s only granddaughter.”
“… … .”
“Sharon, Shacklebolt.”
Garon Theobald clenched his fists.
He was gripping it so tightly that red blood was seeping out of his palm.
okay.
There was no need for further conversation.
As Garon Theobald once said, wizards must communicate with magic.
Woof──.
The condensed magical power burst out in an instant.
Wind attribute, “Tempest Field”.
A heavy curtain of wind, like a battering ram, struck the space where Rebecca Duncan had been seated.
Kwaaaaaaaang───!
Debris flew everywhere and the pillars of the ruins collapsed.
But that’s it.
Rebecca Duncan’s last words were not heard.
‘… …was it a clone?’
As the dust cloud finally cleared, visibility was improved.
No bodies were visible beneath the deep hole dug into the ground.
He had been dealing with a doppelganger of Rebecca Duncan all along.
‘You’re using some interesting tricks… … .’
Realizing this fact, Garon Theobald quickly spread his magical power around him to determine his opponent’s location.
Masses of magical power spread out in all directions.
Information that was invisible to his eyes was transmitted to his brain.
From the overall structure of the alley to the small cracks behind the pillars, all that information was engraved into his cognitive realm, one by one… … .
‘for a moment.’
at that time.
Sharp spirit.
A very sharp foreboding was felt at the back of his neck.
‘Defense… … .’
Crunch──.
“… … ?”
But the very next moment.
A blade of magical power pierced through his neck before he could even deploy his defensive magic.
“what…….”
Something happened so suddenly that it sent shivers down my spine.
This was a speed that transcended the boundaries of perception.
The heart is the death.
A state where you can kill people with willpower alone. A stage where casting becomes meaningless. A fantasy realm that all wizards dream of.
‘how……?’
It felt like someone was forcibly choking me.
I could smell a strong scent of blood coming from my esophagus and my stomach started churning.
Time slows down.
The world has been turned upside down.
“ah…….”
Only then did Garon Theobald come to his senses.
Having crossed the line between life and death hundreds of times on the battlefield, he had already experienced this phenomenon countless times.
okay.
This is it.
‘……death.’
death.
Eternal rest.
The feeling of death slowly encroaching upon my whole body, always dipping my toes in it.
In that blurry vision, my eyes turned red. The world turned red. The entire ruins were dyed red.
Crunch!
like that.
In an instant, the body of Garon Theobald, which had become a headless corpse, rolled helplessly across the floor of the ruins──
───Once again, the world has been turned upside down.
“… … .”
“… … .”
silence.
still.
silence.
A peaceful historic site alley.
There was no sign of battle anywhere.
Garon Theobald looked around with a confused expression.
“her.”
For a moment, his eyes widened.
The pillar he had broken a moment ago was intact.
“inspiration.”
“… … .”
A thin voice in my ear.
The voice of the one who had tarnished the granddaughter’s honor flowed very softly.
Garon Theobald tried to ignore his trembling body and turned his gaze to the side.
Before he knew it, he saw the face of the wizard walking right next to him.
“It’s a little disappointing.”
“… … .”
“How come you come out of hallucinations slower than Riley? She came out of it in one second, but it took you two seconds.”
Jet-black hair that reaches down to his waist.
And dreamy purple eyes.
Rebecca Duncan.
She opened her mouth slowly.
“By the way… … .”
“… … .”
“… … Inspiration, you just saw death?”
silence.
Silence fell.
Garon Theobald tried to open his mouth.
But his mouth wouldn’t open. He couldn’t make a sound.
A feeling of oppression consumed his body.
His pupils shook wildly between his wide eyes, and cold sweat ran down his spine.
‘The death just now… … .’
The concept of reality and illusion has become blurred.
A terrible feeling of discomfort.
Even though he knew that the scene just now was a hallucination, his body did not listen to him.
The body remembered.
The fear of death.
The overwhelming power that Rebecca Duncan possessed in the world of illusion.
“Phew… … .”
I sighed.
I closed my eyes and barely managed to shake off the memories of what had happened in the imaginary world.
“… … You’re talking nonsense.”
Becky burst out laughing when she heard the words he had squeezed out.
“Would you only do the tricks that your grandfather tells you to do? At least I didn’t start a fight like your grandfather did.”
She continued speaking with a smile.
“That fight, it was the inspiration that started it.”
“… … .”
“You were trying to lure me, right? You thought I would definitely show up if a fight of that magnitude broke out, so you intentionally exposed the core’s magical power, right?”
Garon Theobald gritted his teeth.
“okay.”
He opened the fight, explaining to his teammates that it was to wipe out those hyena-like guys, but… … .
After all, the main reason he started the fight was to lure Rebecca Duncan.
“I thought the Rebecca Duncan I knew would definitely get involved in that fight. There’s no wizard more aggressive than you.”
“Well, I was going to go too. I just couldn’t go because Riley stopped me.”
“Since you didn’t come, I ended up coming to find you myself.”
Rebecca Duncan applauded and cheered.
“What great inspiration! So you fought against all those applicants just to catch me?”
“… … .”
“You must have killed dozens of people. Seeing you call me a murderer on that subject, I guess you’re really contradictory, old man.”
Ugh─.
Before he knew it, blood was flowing from Garon Theobald’s mouth.
It was a wound caused by biting my lips too hard.
It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this emotional.
You need to stay calm.
Composure is probably the basic quality of a wizard.
Oddly enough, that wasn’t being followed very well today.
“Did you ask if I saw death?”
Boom, boom─.
Blood flowed from his lips and fell to the floor.
I had the illusion that the magic of white light was being dyed dark red.
“I saw it. I saw it.”
“… … .”
“But the death I saw was yours.”
Rebecca Duncan only smiled.
“Inspiration, you know what?”
“… … .”
“There’s something my mother once told me?”
Rebecca Duncan whispered quietly.
Somehow, even though her voice was clearly small, I could hear what she was saying clearly.
“90% of the Simmanis die in the mountains. They fall off cliffs while trying to dig up medicinal herbs or something like that.”
“… … .”
“It’s the same.”
She continued speaking.
“They say that warriors who fight with swords die by having their throats cut off by the sword, and alchemists die in accidents while creating forbidden potions?”
Rebecca Duncan’s mother was a renowned potion maker within the Empire.
Anyone working in the magical world would know her name.
Garon Theobald also heard of her fame.
And this is also her sad end.
“Do you know what my mother’s last words were when she was attacked by bandits and died while delivering goods?”
“… … .”
“Becky, he said he wanted you to have a magical end.”
She laughed.
“Yes, that’s right. The herb-picking shaman dies in the mountains.”
“… … .”
“A swordsman who fights with a sword loses his life to the sword, and an alchemist loses his life to medicine.”
And the wizard.
The wizard.
“So I’ll look forward to it.”
“… … .”
“Be sure to show me.”
The wizard dies while walking the path of magic.
Whether the magic circuit burns out and you die, or the magic flows back from your mana heart and you die, or you are killed by someone else’s magic.
A true wizard always dies while walking the path of magic.
“Please show me the death that you saw.”
“… … .”
“I don’t regret the 27 years of my life spent on the road to enlightenment.”
Garon Theobald looked up. Through the dark alley, he could vaguely see Rebecca Duncan’s face.
She was smiling.
He was smiling very brightly.
It’s an expression that you wouldn’t think was that of a person about to face a life-or-death battle…
Woof─.
… .
… … .
… … … .
“……ah.”
That was when.
Suddenly, there was silence for two seconds.
After that momentary gap.
For a moment, Garon Theobald’s eyes wavered.
“… … .”
For some reason, his aura, which had been radiating blind murderous intent, had changed slightly.
Swish.
Garon Theobald looked up at Rebecca Duncan.
“you…….”
As if he was seeing something.
He continued speaking in a trembling voice.
“You… … .”
The reason Rebecca Duncan has been learning the magic of the “illusion series”.
Why she had shown herself such hallucinations. Why she had been so obsessed with death. Why she had been so obsessed with revenge.
All of that.
All of that.
“… … You are seriously crazy.”
“… … .”
okay.
Rebecca Duncan was smiling.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
And that smile was the kind of expression only someone who was purely magical could have.
