The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 61



Only Krnovel

Episode 61

Two cups full of coffee.

I took a sip of the sloshing dark brown water. Bitter, sour, and slightly sweet.

Quilbian smiled bitterly.

I couldn’t tell if it was tasty or not.

“Would you like some too?”

He offered the glass to the falcon who was watching from the side. The falcon responded by taking a step back.

I shrugged my shoulders and looked up.

There is a golden glow on the roof.

I bent my knees and then straightened them with all my might.

The body shot up. The coffee in the cup dented and then rose up along the surface of the cup.

He landed on the rooftop, holding onto the coffee that was trying to escape by gently twisting his wrist.

“sleep.”

He held out a coffee cup.

Winte accepted the glass and said a word.

“I didn’t even drink, but the glass is a mess.”

“Just try it. It’s been a while since I had it, so I need to get a feel for it.”

Hoho, Winte tilted his glass as he blew a breeze.

Quilbian opened his mouth wide and poured in the coffee. The boiling water filled his mouth, but he only felt warm.

“All the culture I had when I was little has disappeared.”

Winte clicked his tongue.

“Even culture is useful when you have someone to drink with. What good is culture when you’re alone? Drink quickly. Someone who doesn’t mind drinking the water.”

“Coffee is meant to be enjoyed for its aroma and taste. If you’re going to pour it over like that, you should drink water instead.”

“You are very picky.”

I sat down next to Winte.

“excuse me…….”

Before I could even open my mouth, there was a thud. Winte had placed his coffee cup on the saucer.

Where did that come from? I never prepared coasters or anything like that.

“There was a café called Algwin. It was a tea house with a long history, even by human standards, and had been passed down for four generations.”

It was a topic that really didn’t interest me. I thought it would be more interesting to watch how ant antennae move.

But I couldn’t stop talking, so I decided to keep my mouth shut and listen.

“Algwin’s fame spread to other cities, and many people headed there to learn Algwin’s skills.”

“Oh, you want me to go there and learn too?”

Winte continued talking without even responding.

“After a few years, cafes started to appear one after another in the neighborhood. They all opened shops after learning Algwin’s techniques. When I visited the place again, Algwin had closed. I had no choice but to go to the cafe across the street.”

“So?”

“The owner of the place served me coffee with a very confident look on his face. He said it was the best coffee in the world. I drank coffee with curiosity after such a long time.”

Winte let go of his hand.

The glass fell to the floor along with the coaster. Before it hit the floor, Quilbian reached out and lightly tapped the coaster and glass.

The cup and saucer that were spinning in the air came into Quilbian’s hands. He carefully placed them aside so as not to break them.

“It tasted horrible. It made me angry. It’s been a long time since a human made me so angry.”

“So you said something?”

“They broke the store. They completely destroyed it. That was a two-point coffee. And the coffee you just had.”

Quillvian sensed the air around him shaking violently.

My body slowly lifted. It felt like an invisible giant hand was pulling me from the sky.

It was a familiar feeling.

Quillvian chuckled.

“That’s right.”

“It wasn’t like this before, so why has it become so bad? 1 point. The coffee you just served was the worst coffee I’ve ever had in my entire history.”

The body was thrown out.

The air was torn apart, making his ears dizzy. Quilbian opened his eyes and looked at the living quarters moving away.

Quagagagagak!

It fell down, scraping the ground. Quilbian’s body, which had been rolling, breaking rocks and knocking down trees, came to a stop when it crashed into the stream.

Quilbian coughed slightly and stood up.

Did it fly about 5km?

I shook off the dirt stuck to my head and stamped hard on the ground. I ran while swinging my arms vigorously and soon I was in front of the dormitory.

thud.

I jumped up to the rooftop.

Winte’s golden hair was shining brightly like a sizzling azalea.

“I didn’t intend to kill you, but I didn’t want you to be okay either.”

“I told you, I’m not human.”

“It’s sturdier than I thought.”

I sat down next to Winte again.

“Coffee, can you re-boil it for me?”

“No. For the sake of my hard-working mouth, I need to rest for a while.”

“Don’t be like that, just drink it. I’ll do well when I practice again.”

It turned out well since I had nothing to do.

I should buy some coffee for the man who is close to God.

The routine of just looking at the sky has changed.

Quilbian poured himself some coffee mechanically.

I didn’t care if it was day or night. The gentleman on the rooftop probably didn’t care about the time anyway.

The days kept changing.

I continued making coffee, vaguely aware of the passage of time.

*

Quilbian stared blankly at the diagonal lines carved into the room.

The left wall was now half-filled with diagonal lines.

Quilbian scratched the wall with his fingernails, even though he knew that counting the days was pointless.

Swish.

Again, a diagonal line is engraved.

I left the room of the unknown cadet.

The things that need to be done today remain the same.

It’s about making coffee leisurely.

*

“I guess you don’t see them these days.”

Winte opened his mouth.

Quilbian gazed at Winte’s golden face from afar.

“why?”

“I thought about it for a moment. How many years has it been since this gentleman spoke?”

“It is 872 days based on human counting.”

“You’ve been keeping quiet for over two years.”

Quilbian sipped his coffee with a grin. The fragrant aroma was quite satisfying.

“I have to answer.”

“What is it?”

“Are you upset?”

“I tried it once too. But what are they?”

“What you always see.”

Aha, Quillvian looked around and shrugged.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“It’s strange.”

“why?”

“Because you’re half out of your mind. You’re still crazy, but you can’t see them? It’s strange, really strange.”

“It’s better if you can’t see it. Well, I do miss it a little when I’m alone. I still think of it sometimes.”

“okay?”

Winte stood up from his chair.

It was amazing.

Winte is standing up!

“Are you going to go get coffee beans again?”

“No. I think the deadline has come, so I should finish it.”

“Am I going to die?”

“If you want to die, I can help you. It might take some time, though.”

“Not right now, but I’ll help you later.”

Quilbian also stood up, stretching.

“Try anything. Just see how that promise ends.”

“It’s not me.”

“yes?”

“It’s not me. You have to do it.”

Winte pointed his finger at Quilbian’s eyes.

“Take it off. You can take it off now.”

“What?”

“Eyes. An old curse that sticks there.”

I had completely forgotten about it.

That I was blind.

The watch that my sixth sense brought me was so convenient that I forgot the concept of ‘seeing with the naked eye.’

Originally, eyes were supposed to be invisible when the eyelids were down. Quilbian found the world that allowed him to see with his eyes closed, if he had the will to do so, and laughed.

“Yes, that happened.”

I raised both hands.

I focused the leisurely flowing Nak on my fingers.

I felt my eyes, conscious of an invisible presence.

A lump that had never been felt before is palpable. It feels smooth. It is about 3cm thick.

A strange curse that even makes its mass felt.

He slowly closed his fingers, digging between his skin and the curse.

A pain as if my fingernails were being ripped off came over me. It was to the point where I thought it was not a curse, but rather my flesh being dug into.

pain.

A feeling of longing.

I clenched my fists, secretly enjoying it.

Kyaaaaah!

A strange sound was heard. Quilbian exerted his strength in his hand and forcefully pulled off the curse that had stuck to him.

“Is it okay?”

He asked with his eyes closed.

“You’ll know when you open your eyes.”

Winte said.

I feel nervous for no reason. Quilbian took a deep breath and lifted his eyelids.

Beautiful colors, clearly distinct from the visuals brought by the sixth sense, struck my retina.

It’s chilly. And it’s hot.

Quilbian wiped away the tears flowing down his face with the back of his hand and stood at the edge of the rooftop.

Green waves spread out as far as the eye can see.

Was it so ecstatic to look straight ahead?

The eagle that had been playing in the sky landed next to him and folded its wings. Quilbian checked the eagle’s face.

“From my perspective, it looks more handsome. The feathers are more colorful.”

He chuckled and stroked the falcon, then turned his gaze to Winte.

A blank-faced man was looking at Quilbian.

The moment he saw the face, Quilbian sensed ‘time’ for the first time in a long time.

Everything moves slowly.

A certain emotion that I had forgotten for a while rose up from the tips of my toes, gnawing at my flesh little by little.

Quilbian had to ponder for a long time what that feeling was.

“Haha, fuck.”

The name of the emotion was disgust.

I put strength into my feet. My body moved in an instant.

He swung his fist at Winte’s face. A translucent wall blocked his fist.

He lowered his posture and stretched out his legs.

Fight!

This time I was blocked by a wall again.

Even when he struck with his elbow or knee, the translucent membrane only faintly rustled.

I waved my hands and feet around even though I knew it was useless.

The emotions that burst out took over my body.

Winte sat down and leisurely sipped his coffee.

The sun set and rose again.

Quillian looked down at his hand. All the skin had been peeled off, exposing only fat and bone.

The condition of the knees and shins was similar.

He wiped his face with his bloody hands.

And sat next to Winte.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah, well. I guess so.”

“The promise I made is now over. From now on, I will act solely on my own will.”

Winte leaned down and tapped Quilbian’s hand with his index finger.

New flesh grew from the torn skin. Misaligned joints were put back into place.

“I know that if I rest for a few days, I’ll be back to normal. But I need to fix it because I won’t be able to make coffee properly if I keep that condition.”

“Why are you so obsessed with coffee?”

“Because it’s one of my few pleasures. I don’t put anything else in my mouth.”

“You don’t eat. Even though you ate that disgusting porridge quickly.”

“It wasn’t me who ate it. It was my mind that ate it.”

Quilbian let Winte’s incomprehensible words slip through one ear.

The hatred and anger that had filled Jeongsu-ri had long since disappeared.

The human being known as Quilbian is now unable to hold on to his emotions for long. Is this what it is like for all worn-out humans?

No.

I’m not human anymore?

Phew, the laughter of my soulmate flowed out again.

Let’s laugh. It’s good to laugh.

“There is no coffee anymore.”

“That’s difficult.”

“why?”

“Your coffee has improved.”

“is it so?”

Winte crossed his arms. He had a serious expression on his face that I had never seen before, and after a while he opened his mouth.

“second.”

“yes?”

“Second best coffee maker. Rejoice. You have become a human being whose name is engraved in my long history.”

“This is something I really like. What a mess.”

He spat out the blood-tinged saliva and looked back at Winte’s face.

It had been so long that I had forgotten everything, but as soon as I looked at that face, my brain squeezed out memories from the past.

A face you can never forget.

“Altara.”

Quilbian spoke the name that had been revived from the other side of oblivion.

Winte, who had been expressionless, smiled brightly.

“That’s one of my roles.”

As expected, an unknown word came back.

(Continued in next episode)