He appeared dignified, with neatly combed white hair that flowed backward, reminiscent of snow.
The clothing he wore was akin to formal attire. Instead of resembling a magician, he gave off the aura of a high-ranking official or a calm and elegant professor.
However, Elric did not miss the subtle aura of magic emanating from him.
‘He’s powerful.’
It was as if all of nature revolved around him.
Or, more precisely, it seemed as if he harmoniously blended into nature, playfully controlling everything around him.
The wind gently enveloped him, and the leaves seemed to wave in joy at his presence. The sunlight, clouds, humidity, everything caressed him.
Despite being in a world likely crafted from some magical instrument and a world created from imagination, every sensation felt as vivid as reality.
Most likely, all of this harmony was created by the elderly gentleman before him.
“Who are you…?”
“Otto Han Melvinger. Just call me Otto.”
“…!”
Elric’s eyes widened in shock.
“Hehe, judging by your reaction, it seems you know of me.”
Like someone under a spell, Elric slowly nodded.
Otto Han Melvinger.
There was no way he wouldn’t know that name.
Throughout the long history of his family, if one were to list the five most influential heads, Otto would undoubtedly be among them.
He was especially known for compiling and organizing the family’s magic, creating a structured system.
Much of what Elric knew and practiced was because of Otto.
‘That’s why there are so many books in the inheritance.’
Having organized such a vast amount of knowledge, his accomplishments made sense.
Suddenly, a statement from Mephisto echoed in Elric’s mind.
“Are you perhaps the ‘Winter Sage’?”
For the first time, a subtle change appeared in Otto’s gaze as he looked leisurely at Elric.
“Hmm? Where did you hear that nickname? There are very few descendants who would know it.”
“Mephisto mentioned it.”
“Mephisto…? Surely, you don’t mean the Demon King of Original Sin, Mephistopheles?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“How do you know him? He was certainly sealed by Shaynak… Could it be? Hahaha!”
Stopping mid-sentence, Otto burst into surprised laughter.
“Descendant from afar, the demon you consumed… was it Mephistopheles?”
“Yes, it was.”
Elric replied hesitantly, and Otto’s surprise grew even greater.
“Even with the inheritance, if the first demon you consumed was of an officer rank, that would have been extraordinary. But the Demon King of Original Sin? Hehehe. I suppose you got the Dragon King, too?”
“Yes.”
“You truly have the blessings of fate.”
“…?”
“If Mephistopheles had retained even a bit of his power, the inheritance would have been entirely distorted.”
Elric’s expression shifted subtly.
“However, since it all turned out well, we should be grateful. In fact, you’ve eliminated a threat that could have thrown the world into chaos someday. But with this, it seems I might need to adjust the inheritance’s difficulty from what I had initially set! Hahaha!”
Elric snapped back to his senses.
The inheritance.
They were words that he had heard countless times.
“I am the guide assigned to lead and test the distant descendants who will appear someday.”
Was someone as important as Otto Han merely a guide?
Elric tried to ask something, but Otto Han raised his hand to silence him.
“You must have many questions. I understand. It must be overwhelming, exciting, and a bit frustrating. If I had prepared something, I could’ve just left it to the family. You must wonder why I didn’t do that and made such a complicated plan instead.”
“…Yes.”
“But I want to tell you first that we had our reasons too.”
Otto Han’s voice had a deep resonance, so Elric didn’t ask anything about it.
“What we prepared is like a huge wheel. Once it starts rolling, it cannot stop at all. So, we couldn’t just give it to anyone carelessly. No matter how long it took, we had to thoroughly select the right person.”
Did the ‘we’ Otto Han spoke of refer to his family?
Or was there something else?
“Anyway, you’ve passed our test and came here. From now on, it’s entirely your choice. Whether to stop the wheel or to keep it rolling.”
Otto Han stared intently at Elric with eyes as deep as the abyss.
His eyes were asking questions.
Elric had no knowledge about his family’s heritage.
Maybe he would have risked his whole life pursuing it. And it seemed like this would be his last opportunity to escape that kind of life.
However…
“I want to keep it rolling.”
Elric didn’t hesitate.
To revive his family, to continue the will of his great-grandfather and ancestors, and to be known and remembered in this land as an even greater magician than the founder.
That had been Elric’s dream and ambition for a very long time.
“Good. With that kind of spirit, you can surely be our successor.”
Otto Han nodded in satisfaction and stood up.
Suddenly, the world revolving around him changed again.
The garden where a gentle breeze blew just a moment ago turned into a snowfield with a fierce windstorm.
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The harsh wind made it difficult even to stand. There was a bone-chilling cold, a blinding snowstorm, and deep snow where his feet sank like in a swamp.
There were huge icebergs everywhere, and the ground below was flowing with glaciers. It was an environment where it seemed impossible for any human to survive.
Elric quickly activated a heat spell and looked up at Otto Han.
Despite wearing a thin formal suit, he didn’t seem cold at all.
“Where is this?”
“It’s the test site to obtain the first heritage.”
“…!”
Elric’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He’d have to take a test in such an unbelievable place?
Suddenly,
Thump, thump!
Elric felt his heart racing.
The possibility of becoming much stronger excited him.
“You’re smiling. That’s a good attitude for a candidate. Look over there.”
Otto Han, pleased with Elric’s demeanor, pointed in a direction.
Elric turned his gaze.
That place had the fiercest blizzards, even compared to the surrounding snowfields.
However, he couldn’t see what Otto Han was pointing at.
“Look further, look deeper.”
Elric widened his eyes, channeling all his strength and magic into them.
Suddenly, his focus extended, revealing something concealed in the pristine white landscape.
At the edge of the snowy plains, something that was shrouded in the shadows, making its shape indistinguishable, stood glaring in this direction.
But the moment he met its gaze, which was piercing through the shadows,
“…Gasp!“
Without realizing it, Elric staggered back, inhaling sharply.
Chills ran down his spine.
Unlike before, his heart raced for a different reason.
He felt as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.
Fear overcame him.
“What… is that?”
Elric asked, forcefully suppressing his trembling voice.
Then Otto Han replied as if it were nothing significant.
“The Snow Mountain King.”
“…?”
“The first and last King who unified the snowy tribes, gripping the plateau in one hand and ruling over the Behemoth Mountain Range.”
“…!”
“And an ambitious one at that. Starting with the demons, he was expelled so lowly, and he strived to reclaim his place among them.”
Elric recalled what Mephisto had mentioned.
Fate didn’t favor him. He missed the grace of the Demon God.
“But now, consumed by his ambitions, he fell further into corruption, ultimately becoming nothing more than a mere demon.”
Mephisto also mentioned a tomb somewhere on the snowy plateau.
It seemed…
“And,”
…this place was that tomb.
“He’s the first demon you must consume after the Demon Lord of Original Sin.”
Eat.
Swallow.
Consume.
Elric, hearing the words that were previously forced upon him from the book, looked at Otto Han quizzically.
“You mean I should defeat that?”
“No. You need to swallow it.”
“What does that mean…?”
“Didn’t I explain it repeatedly? We prepared a vessel to consume demons.”
Elric, recalling something, rolled up his right sleeve.
The insignia of a wolf that was drawn on the back of his hand.
“The Seal of Original Sin. A symbol of Mephistopheles. One of the notable symbols among the demons.”
“You know of this?”
“How much do you know about the demons?”
Elric shook his head.
“Not much.”
“You were just planning to annihilate everything in sight without analyzing? It seems that you haven’t changed since you consumed the first one.”
This time, Elric nodded with a smirk.
And Otto Han let out a knowing chuckle.
Yet, it felt like scornful laughter to Elric.
“Indeed, it’s understandable. Research on the demons is strictly forbidden, after all. As for the Six Mages, what they’re doing is obvious.”
The Six Mages. They were the six grand academies leading the Magic Tower.
“Even though our main house has been praised for its long-standing magical heritage, do you know why it keeps its distance from the Six Mages of the Magic Tower?”
“… Is it because of the Demons?”
“Correct. Their goal of eradicating the demons is the same, but their methods differ.”
Otto Han continued solemnly,
“Magic originally stems from the primal and dark emotions emitted by various sentient beings and creatures. Fear, depression, resentment… When these emotions merge, they form a ‘Wicked Thought’, which helps you gain self-awareness.”
Wicked Thought. It was a cluster of peculiar and strange thoughts.
Elric recalled both the facts he already knew and the new information.
“Therefore, each demon has its own unique Wicked Thought. From lowly ones to conceptual ones like the Demon King of Original Sin. This Wicked Thought defines their nature, rank, and symbol. The ‘Seal’ is, in essence, the heart where these thoughts are stored. It’s the foundation of demons. In other words, their root.”
“Ah.”
Elric gently touched the wolf seal that Otto Han mentioned as the ‘Seal of the Original Sin’.
So, this might represent Mephisto himself.
“From now on, you will hunt the demons and seize their root Seals. The powers accumulated within these Seals and all the talents of the demons will become yours!”
“…!”
“Now, do you understand why I said you needed to devour the Snow Mountain King?”
“…Yes, somewhat.”
Only then did Elric realize the enormity of the vessel prepared by his family’s ancestors.
To seize the power of Demons!
What other method could be more assured for growth?
Some Demons could even manifest phenomena that could only be described as miracles.
So he was naturally excited.
He also began to understand why the demons feared and hated his family so much.
‘Furthermore, if I can absorb the Seal and become stronger, will my Magic Stone’s melting rate and capacity also increase…?’
Now he finally saw the path to assimilating the Magic Stone.
However, there was an issue.
How could he possibly devour the Snow Mountain King, who seemed so powerful, just by looking at him?
Even if he wasn’t in his prime, it felt like he’d need to be at a Mage’s level to even challenge him.
Then Elric looked at Otto Han, hoping for some hint.
But Otto Han just smiled, suggesting that this was something Elric should figure out on his own.
