Chapter 163: Who are you a disciple of? (3)
mVGPyvIn Fina’s long and exhausting life, there was a time—perhaps the last—when something like life still shone in her eyes.ZAjUW
q8fSel7It was the period after Kalimford’s death.1z7rcU
lUuThe time when, grinding her teeth at the man who failed to keep his promise, she devoted countless years to researching advanced corpse resurrection.hs4u
UvIECThose efforts to reach the rest of death, to put an end to that life once and for all, were—at least to her—the only thing she could consider “valuable.”vPw
7n2However, Kalimford’s confession, which crushed all of that effort as if it meant nothing, forced Fina to blink again and again.GPNP
A7Na“How… how could you do this to me…?”s5APk8B
ba0sTl“I have no excuse. Even if I had a thousand mouths, there would not be enough words. I…”HxdnX
i7I3E“Do you have even the slightest idea of what you did while you were peacefully dead? I… I trusted the promise you made to me without a shred of doubt… do you know how many centuries I sacrificed for that?”Rm8
D0EzVTFina clenched her teeth hard and grabbed Kalimford by the neck.232Zsb
QB6l5gThe body that could barely remain upright on the experimental table was dragged forward, and blood began to spill from his throat.V7s9AL
2O2UWhen Fina brought her face close, hatred and resentment burned in her eyes.FlYe2
7RID7“You were a hero of humanity. A man who never scorned a promise, not even one made to a child found on the street. You swore to live doing what was right under the heavens. And yet… how could you do this to me…?”O3II
yeCD4aZ“I already told you… I had no other choice either. To obtain the help of someone like you, who looks down upon the world and distrusts everyone… there was no other way. If I hadn’t had your power… the damage would have been far greater…”u4A
hz3T“Shut up! I don’t care about that! Damn you…! Damn you…!”CCjZc
qQAdXSmack!7Rnrcm
UgTUsLCrunch!EJ5uZ
pMfKalimford’s body, newly resurrected and weak to the extreme, was sent flying by Fina’s kick.p7EfUKZ
5YoolurHe coughed violently, trying to prop himself up on the floor, but his body would not respond.speY
jIa5Fina kicked him in the chest again and, concentrating mana, released a shockwave that hurled him into the wall.AIbZ2Oz
Sgr9tKalimford slammed into it, rolled across the floor once more, and unbearable pain shot through his chest as his bones shifted.9Vug
2wMBlood began to spill from his mouth.dxWTU
wKdGEven so, amid the pain, Kalimford managed to slowly get back up.xSt6G
en2LWI“Your anger… is justified… Fina… cough… cough… I’m sorry… I have nothing else to say…”lk9
XaP78x“What are you talking about with that look of superiority?”w6BLb7R
8dTB“Vent it all… as much as you want… it’s your right…”j66C4z
TkLi7g3“Ha… right, the noble hero has spoken. Do you think I’m incapable?”eYqPK0
PNvjzRVFrom Fina’s hand sprouted a blade of mana.5y2IM
UEuwLike a sword formed from rose vines, it pierced Kalimford’s shoulder, was withdrawn, and then cut into him again and again.C3qZT
o5bmRBlood splattered onto the hem of her dress.UJVzp7
MMYA red line crossed Fina’s face.1uPNp
r8uziKalimford screamed in pain.KXqe00V
1SlEwBlood continued to gush out.6ndfv
FncFFbFina kicked him, crushed him, immobilized him with mana, engraving pain into every part of his body.MON
o5MBuVBlood covered the floor.tfN2TnD
SViCDSgKalimford’s body was left utterly broken.nKT
1EP“Haah… haah…”obMh
98KnpKAfter a long bout of brutal violence, Fina stopped to catch her breath.Ju9f7Zm
j1aOVBIn the blood-soaked underground laboratory, only the body of the former archmage remained, breathing with difficulty.PY67
3bTmQTBut no matter how much she destroyed his body, her rage and sorrow found no solace.TmZOPW
ALBvEsEverything was futile.qY8
n8KHdThe chains of life still wrapped around her limbs.dysMIEW
Gnlr8h“Fina…”NE3EZ5
llqJ7HZKalimford, covered in blood and on the verge of death, spoke in a barely audible voice.b0u
n7Qj“What more are you going to say now?”2OA
SVVI7YP“I have no right to ask this… it’s selfish and pathetic, I know, but…”l3K
d8HThe legendary archmage, with his withered body, gathered his strength to speak.yMXv
d5o“Let me… live… at least my life…”i0Q
sgh3hUpon hearing those words, Fina’s eyes widened.MbRo
lj3After all this, he was begging for his life?wrqO
ko2okJThe hero who sacrificed himself before Noir, who saved the world with honor, was now pleading for his life, beaten in the corner of an underground laboratory?MXRh7V
9YT1“You can… kill me… that’s fine… but…”2uqP
5lbzWA tear ran down Kalimford’s bloodstained face.i0Sw
WgKrw“I want to see Siern… even if only once…”m11T
TI0***ylqF
gq7BQ8The words stuck in Fina’s throat.7hQGjI
D61l0gHis only daughter.682uzgW
T63r5The child he had left in the care of his friend Melverot when he departed.0WlTPn
ZYQThe daughter he could not protect while saving the world.pMlr
RjFHe wanted to see her one more time.e2oPm
fP2Just once.hYytLy8
j9AkThat was the final wish of the archmage who had abandoned everything.voYVB
S7QParental love.dlW
P7OLove for one’s child is like that.a2LXKb
Ud1yHumans, finite beings, love their children desperately because they know that one day they will disappear.8It
ZMWfE02Death, as an inevitable rest, drives them to protect what they will leave behind.UjtYV
83o3vvhThat was something that would never be granted to Fina.kk1v
IcrHearing that plea, an inescapable truth was carved once more into her heart: Kalimford belonged to a different world than hers.End2Z7J
8epFUhTHe possessed the nobility of humans who struggle within their finitude.qIU
eFMfMShe, on the other hand, had spent centuries fighting without even being able to reach death.qnEqqb
mp9SFWEven though he had been resurrected, his essence had not changed.PGBt2q
tOsnClang!IxhQBM9
xhPThe sword fell from Fina’s hand and rolled across the floor.Qc764da
IuizokShe understood then that the chains of life would never release her.e7H4qh
8BA0npQ“Haah… haah… ugh…”sfmII
JwyFVomit rose in her throat, but did not come out.0rQ
OSh9eFina kicked Kalimford’s face with all her strength one last time.lqf
WX4fwThud!BRAmTt8
0qxnHis head snapped to the side, and several blood-stained teeth flew across the floor.BhLQLH
lYgiAfter striking him once more, Fina breathed heavily and spoke through clenched teeth.v5GSGG1
cDSSrWQ“Get out.”0jHWPeH
sBqPF“Fina…”wia8
sH5d“Disappear right now. Never show yourself before me again. If you do… whether it’s you or that daughter you protect so dearly, I’ll kill you both. I’ll destroy your limbs one by one, tear off your ears, gouge out your eyes, and let you bleed out in agony.”qioqC
SbQ8BQ“Fina… cough… haah…”UAgcd
tnuvE3kKalimford, spitting blood, managed to stand.gYfSa
lTNwuWith a trembling hand, he wiped the blood running down his face and, forcing his weakened body, staggered toward the stairs leading out of the basement.au7
YSgGO“Fina…”eas
7qGfdH“…”6kme3
fgbtW“Thank you…”pa66Ql
ZRXQsT5They were not words one would say to someone who had left you at death’s door, and yet Kalimford bowed respectfully and climbed the steps one by one, bracing himself against the stone wall with blood-covered hands.JxYy
2wke3When the sound of his footsteps faded away—rMS
95CSplash!WqHKir
VS6hA48Fina collapsed to her knees, planting her hands on the floor.edk09
dRl5xShe silently stared at the blood covering her hands and thighs.fX7wcQG
kT5TzyTears began to fall.cEg
HPz“Ugh… ngh… hhk…”Ry0S
FmwC6She bit her lower lip and clutched her trembling chest.oa5pGvo
sP6upWhat had she lived all that for?wfdIf
G8USShe thought she had seen the end of her life, got carried away on her own, rushed alone toward that goal, and after centuries of effort, had obtained nothing.fwLO
4gRKPNothing had changed for hundreds of years.gyPPls
XIPShe was still a foreigner in this world, destined to wander in darkness, surrounded by corpses and blood, seeing only the mark of reincarnation engraved upon her soul.3hWu
mbYAPYDLost.29fvig
VB8Like sailing the open sea without a map.TW3do
DxbdlXLike staring at a completely blank canvas.eB1
ceqLike standing alone on a snow-covered plain.Tzqd
46HNrQThat was Fina’s life.B344AG
NsyyEven the one path she believed to be her escape had crumbled.M8XOIiv
ldmEverything was empty.6e8b51
ybMIt was then, as she tried to stand up unsteadily—8t3
YzdxClack, clatter!cRy6
3lfrGFDSomething fell from the experimental table and rolled into a pool of blood.qXmM
xeiG2SAmid the dark red, she recognized what it was.YnJ
8LDxIThe seal that the baron Ravenclaw had given her when she left his territory.3ezgY
nq6IDA metal plate hanging from a necklace, engraved with the emblem of the Ravenclaw family.1UY
fYbFina’s violet eyes flew open.1WLNf
g9WfzfShe collapsed back onto the bloodstained floor and held the seal with both hands as if it were something precious.fMCNe
Dzo76“…Yes… that’s right…”q8FulC
g58ILooking into those eyes, something was unsettling.EPaEjec
tJFEven within those pupils that seemed to spin endlessly, her reason evoked only a single man.LM9DeU
94fOqDW“Dereck… Dereck, right…?”auG1
Deb7Loss turned into emptiness.gEjtmEp
hclEmptiness became lack.cO5wD
bL0OCFAnd lack blossomed into a new obsession.jOoIhny
JD8The young woman who had writhed in pain and wandering felt, once again, that she had found a new objective within this endless wheel of reincarnation.BGGDbV
1IYgpxPIf even Kalimford had not been capable, then it was enough to find someone who surpassed him.Y6QY
1b8XLzA man who dreamed of reaching seven stars, who possessed a vessel more vast than any mage she had seen thus far.ML6Pu8
9FIlAdA mage with talent for combat magic like Kalimford, and who moreover showed mastery over confusion magic and tracking magic.h9z4C8B
IUOPScA truly colossal vessel.paAiW
kg9WOHe was still weaker than Fina in terms of power, but the magnitude of his potential was something even she acknowledged.m7eDKbT
Pdc“Yes… my disciple… my disciple whom I taught… whom I taught with my own hands… my only disciple… the one who will grant me rest… the one who will make me sleep… my disciple…”o6lMuY
MLgVDA dark, reddish energy began to swirl in Fina’s eyes.xyDu9rK
nQdOmAtAnyone who met that gaze would have swallowed hard and instinctively stepped back.1ng
2Zr“Of everyone I met in this extremely long reincarnation… my disciple was the one who possessed the most brilliant talent…”EVhHps
dW8SClutching the seal tightly as if it were a treasure, Fina smiled amid the rivers of blood still flowing.WOO5
v4olHowever, when she imagined the face of that disciple, now lord of the Ravenclaw territory, something made her heart ache.ViQR64
Niz4UBShe remembered Dereck, brimming with joy at the thought that his former teacher would come to visit him.0LUgAxK
djBFe0Thus, Fina pressed the seal to her chest and lowered her head.UToMZN4
La6“He is my disciple… I won’t give him to anyone… he… is my disciple…”ybMFUO
gIAvIn the dark, bloodstained underground laboratory, the crimson eyes of the six-star necromancer mage stirred only once.UN8FThs
NtTp8***ME8nRR
zh1“…”Tf2K
0WgcHn“Is something wrong, Master?”tqSRu4
GovxUNt“No… I suddenly felt a chill. It’s nothing. Although it does seem that the weather has grown quite cold.”Ao2i
OaejvKatia glanced for a moment toward the plain they had crossed, then shook her head firmly, as if trying to shake off that ominous sensation.BiiP
DCenuAfter that, she turned her gaze back to the land where the academy was being built in the Duplain territory.vec
D6FThe scale of the project was such that simply walking through it would take quite some time.2OJeY
BM27“To raise a construction of this size in such a short period… I had heard that the Duplain family was faltering, but it seems that is already behind them. When the family members are capable, any house can stand back up.”4qE
jwUl“…The one leading this project is not a family member.”65K
h213“…?”aogj
ZYnh“Well, it’s Miss Aiselin who is directing it.”WSbQ
lQw0wLately, whenever practical work came up, Aiselin was always the first to throw herself into it with shining eyes, organizing everything and establishing systems.pFJQ
fsHjjIYIn truth, all Dereck did regarding the construction of the academy was check from time to time whether everything was proceeding smoothly.rl3DxMB
WulKEven he sometimes wondered if it was really fine for things to be that way.RRYuHcD
RrAEvery time he tried to get more involved, Aiselin would panic and stop him, leaving him no way to insist.2tXfmdm
TbTIE‘Dereck, you already have mountains of things to do! You can’t take on practical work too! Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything.’FFe3
0kp1SShe would say that with sparkling eyes, as if afraid someone might take her work away.kZb
87MC2jMeanwhile, Dereck could not help worrying that she might eventually collapse from overwork.ZBD
6tqmr4s“Just as the rumors say, Miss Aiselin truly is versatile and thoughtful.”XadR
WePiDKatia, on the other hand, smiled with clear satisfaction.ELe
QbDNoble ladies often cultivated elegance and education, but they frequently became naive, detached from reality, or excessively arrogant.SqBm
Z1oODiKnowing that Aiselin took charge even of such demanding and complex tasks further enhanced Katia’s good impression of her.LBLt6vm
VMufDereck himself had nothing to object to; even trying to find faults, Aiselin was practically flawless.2qovUp
3aYJ42R“Then Miss Aiselin must be supervising this place. I’ve heard that in Ebelstein’s social circles, simply by walking, she fills the air with a floral fragrance, and that sitting beside her elevates anyone’s prestige. I worry that this old master might end up being a nuisance. Is my attire all right?”4KHpMO
ASrd5r“You don’t need to worry so much, Master. Miss Aiselin doesn’t judge people by such things.”Td9lG3q
OPY“Even so… it’s not easy to approach a treasure of the Rose Hall so casually, as delicate as a flower. If there’s time, I should check my outfit once more…”TfHZmRY
ynyAt that moment—n28
RiKRumble! Rumble!R9lEDb
yDnvA thunderous sound echoed from the construction site.MluBH
1hwRxEDereck, Katia, and Freya all flinched and quickly headed toward the source of the noise.etmBAI
YimjTuRumble… whoosh…18XZjVs
q8Z9NAmid the cloud of dust rising into the sky, fragments of rock could be seen scattered about.98mNSM1
LWHz6GCSeeing that the workers and family members remained calm, it seemed nothing serious had happened.z1f
n2EusnMost likely, during the foundation work, massive blocks of stone had been uncovered and broken apart to secure space.kXFh6S
s7F60sGiven the amount of dust, the scale was considerable, but if the base was broken properly, the work could proceed quickly.I6LJ7T
JjzGDereck was about to let out a sigh of relief when—49B
6UtVT“See? I was right, Mr. Robin! Breaking the lower base with pickaxes and then securing the area with defensive magic is the most efficient method. It’s something I adapted from a book by Mr. Ravens!”RZHT
8mn3r1w“My goodness… Miss Aiselin, I can’t compete with you. I’ve worked in construction for years and I’ve never seen anything like this. Using magic definitely increases efficiency tremendously.”zTEqOM
vW5sEI2“Good, then all that’s left is to excavate the rest with pickaxes and the foundation will be complete. Let’s start from the east side.”bpbbc
QzSjghAmid the dust, a young woman shook out her clothes while exchanging opinions with battle-hardened workers.itXXav
90eq6vShe carried a heavy pickaxe resting on her shoulder and smiled with dazzling freshness.dIz
pB7ZkSeeing her wipe the dust from her cheeks while wearing a frilled dress was strangely surreal.tzHMTs
gU7nUFrom her eyes, full of life, starlight itself seemed to spill out.h812Uf
BTQJLdThen the young woman’s gaze met Dereck’s.IvMB
nzBR“Oh! Dereck! You’re here! As you can see, the foundation of the auditorium is al—”tir
dhCpAiselin, who had greeted him with obvious delight, gradually let her voice trail off as she noticed the guests accompanying him.iMk7
hUVfgAt first, she thought they were ordinary visitors, but the more she examined their appearances, the more familiar they seemed.hNGr
zXbThey were people Dereck had spoken to her about before.BwmuMaf
lSdWgsr“…”cgG
n0VNDClink.JQE
LxxAiselin dropped the pickaxe, her face completely stiff, as if she had lost everything.B8F9p3
ucsT“Ah… u-um… it seems we have guests…”I1k
4ttKlv4Though she had gone pale with nervousness, her reflexive attempt to adopt a composed posture was almost admirable.zFNg0
PngUHowever, at this point, trying to appear elegant no longer made much sense…3mlLIq
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