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Episode 42
Retrograde (5)
Riley said to me a while ago.
He said he wanted to learn ancient magic.
But as I said back then, it took a lot of effort to learn ancient magic.
Ancient runes.
Youngchangsik.
Prayer.
A variation of the mana circuit.
etc.
… .
… … .
Ancient magic was something that could only be performed by those who literally devoted their entire lives to “ancient magic.”
Moreover, now that the ancient magic system has declined, it is nearly impossible to find this type of magician.
“ᛰᚦᚧ᛫᛬᛭ᛮᛯ, ᚥᚦ᛬᛭ᚧᚨᚩ, ᚥ… … .”
[… … .]
But by pure coincidence.
That rare species, which is hard to find in this day and age, was now right before our eyes.
Woof, woof──.
In a slow world.
“Accident Acceleration” is still activated.
Only about five seconds had passed since Garon Theobald had suggested Riley surrender.
Riley was still pretending to consider surrender.
But this also has its limitations.
Any further delay is dangerous.
In fact, Garon Theobald’s face was becoming increasingly suspicious.
“Jaaaaaneeeegaaaa, haangboookeul… … .”
He opened his mouth.
Because of the acceleration of the accident, his words came very slowly.
I looked at Garon Theobald’s face.
I could see the muscles between his eyebrows twitching slightly.
That’s the expression he makes when something bothers him.
As expected from a veteran wizard, he must have noticed that Riley was playing tricks.
Now we have about two seconds left.
If this “thought acceleration” continues any longer, Riley’s brain will become overloaded.
So, we had to find a solution as quickly as possible.
[… … .]
I looked at Olivia silently, thinking about that.
Mumble, mumble─.
Lips moving in unison.
I once analyzed the ancient runes she was reciting.
-So the Great Mother of Magic commands… … .
There was nothing wrong with the words she said.
Pronunciation, sentence structure, etc.
It seemed like all of the ancient magical rituals used in times of war had been passed down intact.
[her…….]
Exclamations came out naturally.
I think I understand why Olivia was so confident in her ancient magical skills.
Since the establishment of the modern magic system, this is the first time I have seen a magician who uses the “Ancient Runes” so well.
It was impossible to do so without completely interpreting the historical data passed down through generations of the guild.
I could guess how much effort and devotion she had put into ancient magic.
While other wizards might have dismissed the act as a waste of time, I knew how difficult it was.
but…….
There appeared to be just one fatal flaw.
[… … not enough.]
In her spirit world, the prayer to “start” magic was broken.
Because that crucial key was missing, no matter how many spells I recited, the magic would not unfold and I would just keep marking time.
Of all things.
To make matters worse, the most important passage was lost.
[… … .]
It happened often.
Artifacts related to ancient magic have endured the ravages of time.
It was natural that some prayers and chanting rituals would be swept away and disappear in the flow of time.
The power of time was that strong.
A powerful kingdom that achieved wealth and military strength.
There are also magnificent statues erected in the system.
A beautiful landscape that was popular in an era.
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Everything disappears into dust before the flow of time and is forgotten.
This was just a natural thing.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that this was the natural order of the world created by God.
[… … .]
but.
There was only one being that survived the storms of that time.
There was only one being who went against the laws of the world created by God.
Even when the walls of a mighty kingdom crumble.
When the magnificent statues erected in the system rot and crumble, and the beautiful mountains and rivers that dominated an era wear away and disappear.
He endured those eons of time steadfastly.
There was just one being.
That being is the axis of the magic way and the teacher of the great magicians who brought glory to the empire.
Alone and lonely, tenaciously enduring for thousands and tens of thousands of years.
It was a single book of magic.
[… … .]
okay.
I am that grimoire.
-And so the great mother of magic commands, burn, flame… … .
And that prayer that Olivia was reciting was also a prayer that I personally created thousands of years ago.
[Riley.]
“… … .”
[It’s now.]
No further explanation was needed.
As soon as I finished speaking, Riley took action.
One mind and one body.
Once the power of binding was established, my thoughts soon became Riley’s thoughts.
Hwaaaa …
The confinement of time has subsided. The world that had been flowing slowly has begun to return to its original state.
In that normalized time, Riley gave Olivia “telepathy.”
-Ms. Olivia.
As I conversed with him, skilled telepathy was now easily developed even without the help of the power of binding.
-Please don’t stop reciting the mantra you are currently reciting and listen carefully to what I am saying.
Shudder.
Olivia shivered as she heard Riley’s voice.
Fortunately, she didn’t break the spell during that time.
– I’m sure Ms. Olivia knows for herself that there are key passages missing from that funeral.
There is no way I don’t know.
Anyone as fascinated with ancient magic as Olivia would have instinctively recognized that fact.
It’s just that I didn’t have the courage to find that phrase that was lost over time.
-Let me tell you that passage.
But what if we could retrieve that lost passage?
“… … !”
Olivia’s eyes lit up. She looked at Riley in disbelief.
-Please don’t ask me how I know that phrase. It’s a bit difficult for me to tell you since it’s a secret.
but.
-If you keep that promise, I will give you the last phrase that is the key to “Ignition”.
Gulp.
I could see the saliva dripping down Olivia’s throat.
-how is it.
-Would you like to try it?
A chance to put an end to the development that I have been pursuing my entire life. A chance to prove the reality that others have dismissed as an illusion.
Of course, she has no reason to refuse this offer.
Olivia nodded quietly.
-great.
-Then let’s give it a try, Olivia.
Swish─.
Riley looked back.
I saw the enemy we had to deal with.
Garon Edward von Theobald.
High-ranking wizard, greatest shield in the empire, living legend, hero who single-handedly swept away hundreds of demons, etc.
He also has dozens of other nicknames… … .
-Let’s break it down once.
Riley, Olivia, and me.
The three of us like this.
-Let’s give it a try among ourselves.
As soon as the telepathy ended, Riley relayed the key phrase to Olivia.
Hwaruk─.
A starting word that ignites ancient magic.
Of course, since it was Riley’s first time trying the ancient runes, her pronunciation wasn’t perfect.
“─────.”
But Olivia understood what he meant.
A talent limited to ancient magic.
Even though she only heard two syllables, she began to fill in the rest of the phrase on her own.
That’s what ancient runes were like.
Buttoning the first button is the hardest part.
If you get the starting point wrong, the entire technique in the back will be distorted.
But if you just get off to a good start.
There were no problems after that.
Mumble mumble-.
The last piece that had been forgotten was put in place.
Olivia began to recite the poem without hesitation.
“… … .”
5 seconds.
From the time Garon Theobald offered surrender, it took exactly five seconds.
Kuuung─!
As the words flowed out of Olivia’s mouth, a strong flow of magical power occurred.
I felt a sense of heaviness, as if everything around me was being crushed by an overwhelming magical force.
Kugugugugugu─!
It felt like an earthquake had occurred.
The flow of air changed with the resonance of magical power. The entire ruins shook and dust began to pour down from the ceiling.
“What the heck… … .”
Garon Theobald, who felt that, frowned for a moment.
It must be the first time he has felt such pressure.
That would be the case, since since the introduction of the “Modern Magic System”, there hasn’t been a single spell that shows this kind of flow of magical power.
Garon Theobald, sensing something strange, asked us in a trembling voice.
“Right now… … . What on earth are you trying to do?”
“well.”
Riley answered with a grin.
“I think you’ll have to ask my teammate over there.”
Garon Theobald glances behind us.
He found Olivia reciting the spell and his eyes widened.
“no way…….”
He knew it too.
The fact that Olivia is a member of the “Blaze Arcane School”, which studies ancient magic.
“No way. That guy… … . uses ancient magic?”
Riley didn’t answer, just smiled.
“How on earth… … .”
“That is not important now, Sir Theobald.”
Riley cut him off.
It didn’t matter how we recreated the ancient magic.
What was important right now was something else.
“You have to stop that casting.”
because.
“I guarantee you that if you don’t get past me before Miss Olivia completes her casting, Sir Theobald will die.”
This was no ordinary battle.
Time attack.
While Riley had previously been the one who had to break through time, now the roles have completely changed.
Retrograde.
The tables are turned.
From now on, it was not us, but Garon Theobald who would be running out of time.
“This too… … .”
Garon Theobald growled.
“Is this also part of the revenge you spoke of?”
“yes.”
He muttered.
“… … You really are a tiring person.”
“I agree.”
Kwaaaaang──!
As soon as the conversation ended, Garon Theobald cornered Riley.
Attacks imbued with wind mana flew fiercely to knock her down.
Casting and dispelling were repeated in the midst of a saturation of magical power.
Riley used her mana affinity to read his spells ahead of time, disrupting his magic moment by moment.
I quickly took advantage of the gap and continued reciting the following verses:
And Riley, who heard what I said, relayed it to Olivia.
“ᚧ᛫᛬᛭ᛮᛰᚦᛯ᛬᛭, ᚥᚦᚧᚨᚩ… … .”
As Olivia’s chanting continued, the magical power in the air grew stronger and stronger.
The strong light was accompanied by heat.
A huge magic circle was drawn behind his back. A magnificent flow of magical power began to stir from within it.
My hearing and vision became paralyzed.
I couldn’t hear anything because of the flow of magical power that was churning like lava.
Because of the strong light coming from the magic circle, nothing could be seen.
My sense of touch has become dull due to the resonance of magical power.
Sense of smell too.
Taste buds too.
All five senses crumbled before the overwhelming magical power.
A space as dark as pitch.
We were looking at this world only using “Mana Affinity”.
In a world where nothing is visible except the flow of magical power, Riley and Garon Theobald engage in a mad battle.
I didn’t think I would lose.
No matter how high-ranking the opponent was, in a situation like this where all senses were removed, Riley was able to fight him on equal terms.
Because her mana affinity was so great that she could do it better than anyone else.
Gooooo──!
Olivia’s magic circle was gradually increasing in size.
I stared at the sight and recited the verses without stopping.
[ᛮᛰ, ᚦᛯᚧ᛫᛬ᚧᛢᚩ, ᚥℐᚨᚧᚨᚩ… … .]
-ᛮᛰ, ᚦᛯᚧ᛫᛬ᚧᛢᚩ, ᚥℐᚨᚧᚨᚩ… … .
okay.
In the face of the flow of time, the legend that I and my disciples created was forgotten.
The legend became a tale.
The tale became a fairy tale.
The fairy tale has turned into an illusion.
Ancient magic that has been reduced to a mere joke.
But now.
This moment is different.
Time flows backwards.
Go back to the past. And so, the world line is turned upside down.
Retrograde.
The illusion became a fairy tale again.
The fairy tale has become a folktale again.
The tale became legend again.
There were no more fools chasing illusions.
Ancient magic.
A system so powerful that it was forgotten by people.
A single spell split the ocean in half, a single spell destroyed a mountain, and a single spell turned the battlefield upside down──.
“Therefore, the Great Mother of the Demons commands… … .”
The forgotten legend.
The overwhelming firepower that swallows everything up was once the very reason for the existence of magic.
“… … Burn, flame.”
Kwaaaaaaaang───!
With Olivia’s final cry, as if everything had been poured out.
It has come again before our eyes.
