Chapter 118

Riamon and Erucel bickered as they climbed the stairs.

“When are you going to get a clue? You’re still barking up the wrong tree and talking about being the leader.”

“Q-Quiet. How was I supposed to solve that difficult problem? You didn’t figure it out either, so don’t talk.”

The puzzle presented by Lace, dressed as a professor, was this: figure out which senior professor falsely accused and suspended him.

Riamon clicked his tongue at Lace’s bizarre antics.

“Honestly, that guy is like a lingering thought. I don’t understand why he’s so obsessed with his memories from when he was alive.”

“They say ghosts can’t pass on unless they resolve their grudges.”

“Aren’t those things artificially made? If you’re dead, you’re dead. When you think about it, they’re just memories; it’s not like they’re the same person.”

Edina, who had been quietly listening behind them, sighed deeply.

Hearing her, Erucel quickly turned his head and smiled sheepishly.

“Hahaha. We solved the problem thanks to Edina. If it weren’t for you, we’d still be struggling, especially with Riamon only causing trouble beside us.”

Edina responded with half-open eyes, “Riamon was just grumbling a lot, but he still did what needed to be done. But you, you just kept naming unrelated professors. When the ghost said he’d leave if we got the next answer wrong, do you know how terrified I was?”

Erucel coughed awkwardly.

“Ahem. Well, it was because he didn’t have enough patience.”

Having solved the issue somehow, they stepped into the hallway.

There, a man stood, gazing out the window with trembling eyes.

Riamon scratched his head.

“Isn’t that guy one of Luon’s cronies?”

“Yes, that’s Kurel. The big boss often brought him along.”

“But why’s he standing there with that blank expression?”

With a curious look, Riamon approached the window.

Outside, nothing but black dust was swirling in the air.

“Whatever’s going on, are you just going to stand there doing nothing?”

Even though Riamon spoke to him, Kurel continued staring out the window.

“…Such absurd power.”

Kurel’s eyes looked vacant, as if he had lost all will to fight.

Riamon tilted his head and asked, “Huh?”

Finally, Kurel turned his head.

“If you saw what I just did, you’d understand what I mean.”

Curiosity piqued, they wanted to know more, but it wasn’t something that needed to be rushed.

“We don’t have time for this. Why don’t you draw your sword already? Oh, and if you’re thinking of surrendering, forget it. You’ll only get scolded by the boss.” ɽ

As Riamon smirked, Kurel scoffed.

“Do you think Luon forced me into this? You know nothing. Luon told us we could leave anytime if we didn’t want to stay. Of course, I intend to follow him to the end.”

Sling—

Kurel drew his sword.

Riamon glanced at Erucel.

“Is it just me, or does this guy seem off? He’s always had a blank expression, but is that normal for him?”

“I don’t know. All I know about him is that he’s Luon’s loyal dog.”

Kurel popped a pill into his mouth.

“I’ve talked enough. Let’s begin.”

As he swallowed the pill, his skin began to harden like stone. Gentle flames flickered from the cracks.

Riamon drew his greatsword.

‘It looks similar to the pills the Roaming Band instructors used to take.’

He resembled a flaming stone turtle, minus the shell.

Riamon glanced at the poised Erucel and the staff-wielding Edina.

“You two just stay back and watch.”

Erucel raised an eyebrow and asked, “What?”

“You’ll get hurt if you stay too close. Edina, save your mana.”

With that, Riamon charged swiftly.

As he entered Kurel’s range, the greatsword swung vertically with a powerful motion.

Whoosh—

Kurel blocked it instantly, but it was too much to handle against the aura-infused sword.

Clang!

Kurel’s knee buckled.

Without missing a beat, Riamon followed up with consecutive strikes.

Each time, Kurel, unable to withstand the force, was pushed further back.

“Ugh.”

In an instant, nine rounds of clashes passed.

Riamon’s eyes gleamed as he swung his greatsword vertically.

Kurel hastily raised his sword to block.

Screech—

He tried to deflect the greatsword at an angle, but unfortunately…

Crack—

The blade fractured and scattered like broken glass.

Riamon’s greatsword finally pierced through Kurel’s abdomen.

Thud!

Riamon, without sparing a glance at Kurel, who was now bleeding from the mouth, pulled his sword from his belly.

“We’ve already wasted enough time. Let’s hurry up, kill that guy Luon, and get some rest.”

Saying this to Erucel and Edina, he walked past Kurel, whose body was trembling.

But then, Kurel’s laughter made him stop in his tracks.

“Heh heh heh.”

“You’re not dead yet? I thought I pierced your heart, but it looks like that pill you took is working really well.”

Just as Riamon was about to deliver a finishing blow to Kurel’s head, Kurel coughed up a mouthful of blood and spoke.

“Cough, there’s no… need for a finishing blow. I know better than anyone… that I’ll die soon.”

“Is that so?”

“But… did you just say… you’re going to kill Luon? Cough. How… foolish. If Luon dies, it won’t be because of you. It wouldn’t even be considered murder, it’d be…”

Kurel fell silent, his eyes wide open, motionless.

Seeing the dullness in his now lifeless eyes, Riamon confirmed that he was indeed dead.

He slung his greatsword over his back and resumed his path.

Yet, feeling a bit uneasy, he glanced back at Kurel’s corpse.

‘This guy. He didn’t even seem to have the will to fight, so why did he bother drawing his sword?’

The flaming stone turtle is a monster that breathes fire.

For him not to use it… it wasn’t that he didn’t know how, or couldn’t.

Even when his sword broke, he didn’t seem surprised, only pitiful.

“That guy gave me a really bad vibe…”

Riamon muttered, then climbed the stairs with Erucel and Edina.

***

In the courtyard of the citadel, there stood an old tree.

The older the life, the more the wandering mana settles and accumulates, filling the area with energy.

Leaning against this ancient tree, Felia opened the Crimson Magic Book.

The task at hand was to create a new body and erase the memories.

After all, the host body was someone else’s body.

Living with the memories of Felia from her past life couldn’t be called a true human life.

Holding onto something resembling memories from a past life would only lead to confusion about her identity.

Having resolved herself, Felia took a deep breath.

“Hoo.”

The host’s body provided sufficient materials.

With the blood, bones, and flesh of an adult woman, it was more than enough to create the body of a young maiden.

To truly live a human life, it would be right to start again as a newborn, but a body that couldn’t walk on two feet without memory was too harsh a condition for survival.

A reasonable compromise was necessary.

‘After I create the body, I’ll erase the memories.’

She tightly gripped her bucket list in her left hand.

[Name myself Alena.]

[Take a boat to travel and sightsee the neighboring country.]

[Wait for a charming man by the fountain.]

[Become a teacher and instruct children.]

These were not the desires of Felia from her past life but of her current lingering consciousness.

If reborn, she might discard these wishes as trivial.

But if, by any chance, these became her goals, that would be romantic in itself.

The alignment of her present and future self’s wishes—while it wouldn’t matter after losing her memories—still brought her a small sense of joy.

‘The new me will surely be clever, too. Becoming a teacher shouldn’t take long.’

With her eyes closed, Felia held her staff and began drawing magical formulas.

The process would take some time, giving her plenty of moments to bid farewell to the memories that would soon disappear.

Though her real memories were limited to starting as a pigeon and everything up until now, most of them involved her time with Luon…

“…It wasn’t so bad after all.”

She recalled his expression in the Purple Forest.

After Hersel left, Luon’s face likely mirrored how she had once viewed herself from another’s perspective.

Just like when she felt jealousy toward a friend who received a headband from their teacher, Felia’s face must have shown something similar during her life.

It was probably the same when she showed anger.

That night when they were camped out in the labyrinth, she had bluntly confirmed her suspicions to Luon, who sat atop a high tree.

-Seeing how you react to that man Hersel, it seems you were jealous back then. Didn’t you feel a surge of emotion when you saw him coming to rescue that short man with his comrades?

At that time, Luon’s eyes had trembled for sure.

Just as a mentor had been a source of stimulation for the living Felia, it was now clear that Hersel played that role for Luon.

Felia let out a deep sigh, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

She couldn’t help but admit it.

‘Perhaps I ended up empathizing with him…’

She likely realized this even when he sealed that old man, Arkandric.

The ‘Binding Stone’ that slowed movements, and the ‘Iron Prisoner’ that trapped its target, were all things the wretched Felia of the past prepared to make her mentor hers.

She failed, but Luon succeeded.

Even though she was not the real Felia, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of vicarious satisfaction.

Since she inherited all her memories, it’s only natural that she felt this strongly.

Emotions aren’t something you can suppress with reason.

Felia chuckled to herself, recalling those days.

‘Ah, yes. Back then, I unknowingly stared at Luon’s sleeping face for 30 minutes. Would he be angry if he knew I secretly stroked his peacefully sleeping face?’

No, if it’s Luon, he wouldn’t care about something like that.

He’d just respond in his usual nonchalant tone, as if nothing happened, with a simple, “Did you?”

‘Yes, that’s exactly how Luon would react. Luon would…?’

Suddenly, a desire emerged, causing the smile on her face to fade.

If not now, there might never be another chance to meet him again.

Because Luon…

Felia bit her lip and opened her eyes.

She intended to see him one last time before they went their separate ways.

But then, she was startled, her shoulders jerking involuntarily.

“Huh?!”

She found herself face-to-face with an old woman, whose piercing gaze was like a sharp blade.

“Damn it, I wanted to kill you quietly,” the old woman said, gripping her sword as if ready to strike Felia’s neck.

The old woman’s aura was undeniably ominous.

Beside her stood an undead figure, holding a staff that gleamed with white light.

“Oh, what a missed opportunity. Truly unfortunate, Lady Bellen,” Felia muttered.

It was undoubtedly purification magic meant to separate her from the host body.

However, Felia was more concerned about the sword the old woman wielded, keeping her eyes fixed on it.

The blade, shimmering with a haze, was dyed a crimson hue.

Kuooo—

Something about it felt wrong.

It gave off an unsettling sense, as though getting hit in her current state would lead to her complete obliteration.

An unnatural force, beyond mere aura, was embedded in the sword.

‘Is this some new kind of power that didn’t exist in the past?’

The knights’ skills must have evolved tremendously compared to before.

Blindly engaging her would be foolish.

Felia quickly swung her staff.

“Uh-oh? Lady Bellen, my body…”

Poof!

The undead disintegrated into ash.

Since she was the caster, it was extremely easy for her to erase it.

‘Good. Now the old woman won’t attack recklessly.’ n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The old woman had likely intended to use the undead to drain the lingering thoughts through purification magic before dealing with her.

She probably didn’t want to kill this host body.

Now that this was no longer possible, possessing Reden’s body itself became a shield.

Yet, for some reason, the old woman’s gaze was more terrifying and chilling than ever.

“Do you think I can’t kill you just because I don’t have purification magic?”

The old woman’s indifferent tone made Felia uneasy.

“…Don’t bluff. If you kill me, Reden dies too.”

“Don’t be mistaken. I simply didn’t want to leave burn marks on that body.”

A shadow fell across Felia’s face.

The old woman began approaching her.

***

I was a little worried about Bellen.

She seemed fairly exhausted after fighting the Bone Dragon that shouldn’t have existed, and she even had blood on the corners of her mouth.

Of course, it was just a ‘little’ worry.

Bellen had the “Flame Spirit Sword,” a technique that delivered excruciating burning pain to ghost-type monsters like Specters.

It was a blade imbued with high-level flames that could affect spiritual beings.

Since lingering thoughts like Felia’s were similar in nature to Specters, it was a perfect counter to her.

Grrr…

Well, she’d be fine on her own, so I’d better focus on my own situation.

As I hid in the classroom, I quickly sliced through the neck of an approaching undead that had caught my scent.

Slash!

I needed to get to the 12th floor, but there were far too many of them for me to get through alone.

It seemed my hesitation bothered Donatan, as he muttered,

‘How long are you going to stay hidden here?’

‘Just wait. They’ll all disappear soon enough.’

‘Disappear?’

No sooner had he finished speaking than a woman’s ear-piercing scream echoed through the halls.

“Kyaaaahhhh!”

At the same time, the undead that had filled the hallway crumbled into dust.

Bellen had disrupted Felia’s spell.

As I stepped out of the classroom and headed for the 12th floor, I had to endure the constant screams that followed.

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