The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 28



Only Krnovel

Episode 28

The carnivorous insects slowly approached and ate the goblin that had been reduced to ashes. Only the faint remains of the Nak indicated that the goblin had been there.

Quilbian said, looking at the cleaned restaurant floor.

“It’s good that we’ve dealt with one, but is this okay? If another ascetic finds this bastard, it’ll be a problem.”

“He’s an errand boy, not a kennel manager. If a few of those disappear, no one above will say anything. As long as he does what he’s told to do.”

“aha.”

It seemed that the ascetic goblins could not be removed at will, but the others could be caught.

“There seem to be quite a few of these guys in the West.”

“Some are created out of necessity, and some are born naturally, so you could say there are quite a few.”

Quilbian looked at Altera.

Knowledge about goblins comes out smoothly.

“Don’t even think about asking why I know. I’m tired now.”

“I don’t want to do that. I know that asking won’t give me an answer. But what are we going to do if you leave?”

Thanks to Altera’s designation as a material, I was able to gain some free time. If he moved west, he would lose the time to practice magic.

“I should go and ask for permission.”

“Then we’ll wait without making a fuss. But if we don’t hear from you after a week, then we’ll take action on our own.”

“Do whatever you want. Twella will tell you the answer anyway.”

It was Alteria who smiled faintly. Looking at his pale face, my mouth became bitter.

I’m in a state where I can’t trust ‘me’.

I couldn’t even imagine what that would feel like.

“I know it won’t help, but try to cheer up anyway. Smile a little. When you smile when you get hit, it hurts less.”

At those words, Altera raised the corners of her lips. A small smile appeared on her face at the comical expression.

“You guys should laugh too.”

Altera took a step forward.

“Go back to the dorm. I’ll come and see you in the evening.”

“Yes, see you later.”

After Altera disappeared, Drich said as he cleaned up the place.

“But can you trust Twella?”

“what?”

“Twella, I mean. I haven’t seen with my own eyes what kind of power she has. It seems like you worship her like a god, but she… … can I really trust her?”

“I understand you’re anxious, but let’s not bring up the poor kid.”

I walked out of the restaurant with tears in my eyes.

Drich followed behind and grabbed her shoulder.

“It’s time to make a cool-headed judgment.”

“What the hell?”

Drich’s eyes became thin.

“Don’t let your personality consume you. At least the Quilbian I know isn’t someone who gets swayed by emotions. He’s a person who knows what’s right and what’s wrong.”

“What you saw was me being possessed by a goblin, and what I am now is the real me.”

“You can’t necessarily say that.”

Quillvian let out a long sigh.

I knew what Drich was worried about. I had noticed the creeping ominousness for a long time, but I deliberately ignored it.

Because it’s Twella.

Because she saved me.

Because she’s a woman I want to protect.

“You’re worried that Twella might fall to the goblin, right?”

“okay.”

“Would you be friends with a monster that sucks people apart?”

“Friends don’t do that. But they can bend to survive.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“Yes, I know. I can trust you because I know you well. But Twella is different. Have you ever heard what kind of life she’s had outside?”

“No, but I can trust you.”

“Betrayal grows from trust. A person will do anything for his own life.”

“So what are you trying to say? There’s nothing left to be gained by doubting him.”

“I know. There’s nothing we can do right now. But we have to think about it. Just as we have to consider the possibility that the teacher might turn his back on us, we can’t rule out the possibility that Twella might sell us out.”

The veins on my temples throbbed at the mention of selling. The reason I didn’t raise my clenched fist was thanks to my reason, who was screaming at the top of her lungs.

Listen to what Drich has to say, things don’t always go as planned, you know that, blah blah blah.

I clapped my fist and slapped his cheek. My cheek, not Drich’s.

Drich flinched at the sound of the clap.

“Twella knows the future. This is not a lie.”

“Can you be sure?”

“I’ve already checked several times. Do you remember that day? The day I almost had an accident.”

“The outer wall of the building collapsed and almost got crushed?”

“Yes. Twella knew exactly what would happen to you. And… …she knew what I would do.”

That day, Twella said.

Never move.

But Quilbian moved.

“I just realized it now, but he was trying all by himself.”

“Trying? What?”

“I guess he was trying to figure out whether or not he could change that damned fate.”

If I had listened to Twella and stayed still that day, would anything have changed?

“The more I think about it, the more it makes me feel like a dog. The fact that the accident happened, that I ignored Twella’s words and moved, and that you’re safe, it was all decided, right?”

“Quil.”

“No. I said that some major events are set in stone, but the lives of the surplus are not set in stone. That’s why I’m yelling here right now!”

He expressed the frustration that seemed to be squeezing his soul in his voice.

The cadets who were cleaning nearby glanced at him, but soon lost interest and continued cleaning.

“Drich. Was it fate that I just screamed like an idiot, or not?”

“… … Okay, calm down.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. It was really fucking shit.

“Twella leads fate, the teacher blindly believes in fate, and you believe in fate. What a fucking fate.”

After kicking the ground with a cool kick, I looked up at the sky.

The fate that was so fresh that I could barely hear it reminded me of the devout believers I had met outside.

A man who gathered the neighborhood gang and preached to them, mentioning the name of God that was difficult to pronounce.

You must live according to God’s will. If you go against God’s will, only death awaits you. God knows everything and His eyes are all over the sky.

The god he spoke of seemed like another form of fate.

Quillvian raised his middle finger towards the sky.

“What does that mean?”

Drich asked.

“This? It’s a good wish to live a long time, until you shit on the wall.”

“That’s a double swear word. Who are you swearing at?”

“To god, fate, the future, and all that shit.”

Phew, I spat and started walking.

*

“He’s not here.”

Drich hung the burning lamp on the wall.

“I have to leave today, so I guess there are things to prepare. I’ll come back when I have time, so let’s do what we were doing.”

What I was doing.

Quillvien sat on the floor, holding the scattered amulets in his hands. Drih sat down on the chair.

“I told you, I got the hang of it.”

Drich grabbed the amulet.

I saw Nak move. He was making a seal with his left hand, something I had never seen before.

The amulet that Drich was holding began to turn completely black. Black energy began to flow out from the corners of the amulet that had turned black.

The astrologically felt energy gradually expanded its area and soon took on a certain shape.

“hammer?”

“It’s a long sword, but you can call it a hammer.”

Drich swung the black hammer in his hand with all his might.

Phew, with a rather heavy sound, the talismans that had been stuck to the floor began to flutter.

Quillvian examined the hammer carefully through the eyes of the dwarf. A tightly packed Nak was holding Mana back.

“No matter how much I think about it, I guess I don’t have any talent for releasing things.”

The purpose of magic was to release the ‘force’ that had been embodied by inducing phenomena.

Creating fireworks, calling out the wind, and implementing some function into a talisman were all emissions.

Throwing out the evil that is inside the body.

But Drich omitted the release. He guided Nak and swung it while gathering a lot of it in the amulet.

Every time the hammer cut through the air, I saw Nak and faint mana scattering.

“How long can you keep that up?”

“About 4 minutes?”

“It would be perfect if we made a surprise attack and cracked his head open.”

“If you practice, it will get longer and longer. I think this is perfect for me.”

“Still, learn the basics. You never know when or how they might be used.”

Quilbian pointed to a book of magic that was set aside under the desk. The book contained magic not for the convenience of daily life, but for hunting.

If you practice and get used to it, it will definitely help you.

“I guess I should do it. But I like this better.”

“But why a hammer? Something like a sword or a spear would be better.”

You could only use something like a hammer if you got right up to the goblin’s nose, but it was too dangerous to engage in close combat with a monster that could split a person’s skull with bare hands.

A sword or spear can measure distances, so it would be safer than a hammer.

“That doesn’t work as I intended. I guess this is the only thing I’m familiar with. What did you say? The world of the mind? It seems to be full of hammers.”

Quillvian chuckled.

“Why does the hammer look familiar?”

“Where did you tell me to come to see you after we escaped from here?”

“Nata 3rd city. Pien Production Association… … Ah.”

“Just because it’s Buten doesn’t mean you can just play around.”

“But isn’t this a life that suits a pen better than a tool?”

“It is a country of emerging technicians. It is a place where technicians are treated well. The technical department is also in charge of one axis of the royal family.”

“I also have the skill to feed pigs well. Will you treat me well for that too?”

“No way.”

The familiar is manifested.

Quillvian tilted his head.

“Then why am I… … .”

He held the talisman and operated the Nak. He moved only the Nak without forming a seal, and blue lightning flashed from the tip of the talisman.

Blue lightning growing like horns and fixed to the corners of the amulet.

“Do you like lightning?”

Drich asked, as if he found it ridiculous.

“How could I like it? I hated rainy days the most. The pig smells worse, the feed gets damp and becomes difficult to manage. And most of all, this lightning… … .”

Quilbian ended his speech by clicking his tongue. It was a memory that would only ruin his appetite if he tried to recall it.

The quick-witted Drihi didn’t ask what was going on.

But I was secretly curious, so I glanced at him from time to time, but when our eyes met, he pretended not to know. It was so much easier to just ask him outright.

“It’s sold.”

He said, recalling memories from his childhood.

“It’s sold?”

“I mean, I was sold. It was a day when the rain was pouring down. I took my father, no, that man, by the hand and went to the farm owner’s house. I waited outside in the rain without knowing what was going on. Then lightning struck like a savage. Very blue and loud lightning.”

A great deal that lets you save money while saving money.

The resentment didn’t last long. He could have been branded a slave and had his life ruined, but he was handed over to a pretty good landlord.

He was rough around the edges and his kicks were harsh, but he was very thorough in counting money and he served meals on time. He could read and write to some extent.

Time passed so quickly that I could laugh it off, thinking of it as the author’s last conscience, once a father.

“You may not know this, but children are money. Raise them well and use them as labor, or sell them.”

“… … .”

“Hey, if you heard the joke, laugh a little. It’s embarrassing.”

Quilbian glared at the lightning that emerged from the amulet.

“If I can use this thing I hate to tame that monster, that would be nice.”

Is there any way to use it usefully like Drich? I gathered all the Nak that was floating around in my body and transferred it into a talisman.

The lightning seemed to grow and grow, then quickly went out.

“… … I guess I’ll have to do it with magic.”

As he said that, he looked at his watch.

“But when is this guy coming?”

“well.”

It was Drich who shrugged his shoulders.

And that night.

Altera did not appear.

(Continued in next episode)