I climbed the island’s lighthouse and looked out over the entire lake.
A lake where snow fell. The pure white paint layered atop the deep green was mysterious.
Primien, who had scurried up behind me, spoke.
“If the Professor’s deduction is correct, this is a fascinating matter.”
My thoughts were simple.
That this book was interfering with reality.
“Is that possible?”
“Not impossible.”
Of course, it would be absurd for a single book alone, but if countless people had read it, the ‘story’ would itself become an origin, and could manifest as magic rivaling a miracle.
“Then the male mage ‘Demian’ who was fishing here must be Professor Deculein. He was main-character class; congratulations.”
However, the problem was the book’s ending.
[ ······She told the mage everything she knew.
And, she plunged a blade into his heart. ]
The end of Volume 1.
An ending that served as a preview leading into Volume 2, so the description was not detailed either.
“‘She’ is also a key factor.”
Here, ‘she’ was the protagonist.
She had no name. Throughout the pages, she was marked only as ‘she.’
Furthermore, we did not know who the ‘mage’ was into whose heart she plunged the blade.
“Primien. Have you never thought that this book is strangely popular?”
“What do you mean?”
“Even His bored Majesty read this entire book.”
How a book of barely over 150 pages had become a bestseller.
Viewed through [Aesthetic Sense], the book itself lacked nothing, but for it to be read so much in such a short time, it clearly needed something more......
—I sense mana from this book. Precisely, from the sentences.
What Sophien had said when giving me this book was right.
There was literal ‘mana’ in these sentences. That power had captivated the readers.
“This is the first time I’ve seen such a phenomenon.”
The story holds mana, that mana makes people read the story, and the story thus read gains existential power, eventually interfering with reality itself.
A cycle of amplification.
Primien asked.
“Could it be the work of a demon?”
“No. If it were, my bloodline would have reacted.”
It is not a demon. But who, why, and for what purpose is still unknown.
For now.
“I wonder how this will turn out.”
“Forget that. You keep watch on the lakeshore here.”
“Yes.”
It was then. A boat appeared on the other side of the lake.
I looked that way, and Primien recited the book’s contents.
“······Demian looked at the lake from the lighthouse. A boat carrying mages was approaching.”
Two people disembarked from the moored boat.
Ifrin and Drent.
“They were two mages. Among them, a certain mage walking stupidly stumbled.”
—Ah!
Ifrin fell flat on her face at the lakeside.
—Ugh······ ptui!
She, having gotten a mouthful of sand, spat repeatedly and rose to her feet.
Primien said.
“They are characters as well. A blade may be plunged into one of their hearts.”
“Not Drent.”
“May I know the basis for that?”
“Because he is not a Named.”
“······You mean he is not a mage outstanding enough to be a lead?”
“Something like that.”
If this was a sudden event, the target would be a Named. Therefore, the likely candidates were the mentors who had come here, including me, or Ifrin.
“Shall I inform everyone of this?”
I shook my head.
“There is no need.”
“Why?”
“Because a mere story cannot control me. I will handle it myself.”
“······You are brimming with confidence. Do you know where ‘she’ is?”
“She is inside this.”
I tapped the book cover.
I still did not know who ‘she’ was, but going by the timing, it must be right after she had crash-landed on the island.
I rose to my feet.
“Where are you going?”
“To ‘her.’”
“Hmm. If a blade plunges into the Professor’s heart, please let me know.”
“I will.”
The moment I stepped out of the lighthouse, I loosened my collar first.
* * *
······Silvia had crash-landed on an island near the lake. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, and her mana was exhausted.
From Nameless Island of the floating isles to the territory of Ukrain. It was because she had flown thousands of kilometers.
“······.”
Silvia walked sluggishly and sat on a random rock.
“······Haa.”
Mana squeezed completely dry needed time to recover, but her stamina was still sufficient.
Silvia, who had not neglected exercise, possessed physical abilities close to the knight average. Her body was too excellent to be called a mage.
“······.”
However, as her sweat dried, her body grew cold cold.
Moreover, snow was falling.
“······.”
Silvia created a small fire with the last drop of her mana. She basked in that warmth and waited for her mana to recover.
Half a day should be enough.
Until then, she would hide her presence, then find Deculein in perfect condition.
“······?”
But.
Whooooooooosh───!
At some point, a gust of wind mixed with snow blew.
The campfire died down, and Silvia panicked.
“Ah.”
There was no time to sigh. Immediately, a blizzard surged in. The ground filled with snow in an instant.
“······.”
Silvia hurriedly moved her legs, but with each step,
with every step, snow piled up.
From feet to ankles, ankles to knees, knees to waist······.
Eventually becoming a snowman, she closed her eyes for a moment.
Her entire body was so cold it felt warm. It seemed like an error of her senses, but she must have run too hard.
So she would rest a little.
After resting moderately.
Let us walk again······.
······.
Thud─ Thud─
The footsteps of someone who had been watching her moved.
Long legs strode over snow piled like a wall, and he picked up the blonde mage buried in it.
He manifested [Creation] on the spot. He made a snug shelter from the snow and earth of this world.
* * *
······15 minutes ago.
Snow fell on the lake. Thick snowflakes sank down softly.
“Wow······.”
Ifrin, having forgotten that she had just fallen into the water, walked blankly and admired the scenery.
The lake was definitely in summer, truly summer itself, yet snow was falling. Thanks to that, it felt like a completely new world.
“Miss Ifrin’s lodgings are here.”
“······Yes?”
Then, the attendants of Ukrain stopped.
Ifrin and Drent were momentarily bewildered.
“There’s nothing······ here, though?”
The place the attendant pointed to was an empty field.
In the middle of a snowing forest.
Bare ground.
Not a single building, lodging or otherwise.
“Mr. Drent, please follow me.”
“Ah, yes.”
It was bewildering, but there must be something.
Drent gave Ifrin a look and followed the attendant for now.
“······What.”
Left alone, Ifrin first created a chair with [Creation]. But the snowfall was gradually growing heavier.
It was reaching the point of being annoying rather than pretty.
“Ah, ptui.”
A large snowflake entered her mouth. Snow dug into her eyes.
“Ugh, this won’t do.”
Ifrin made a small dirt house with [Creation]. It was quite a crude use, but she was somewhat satisfied.
“Hmhmm.”
A space of about three pyeong. She even made a door that opened and closed.
Then.
—Ah. Ah.
A voice rang in the air of the lake island.
Ifrin knew who this person was the moment she heard it.
—Are you a bit bewildered? I am Yeriel of Ukrain.
Yeriel. Deculein’s younger sibling and the acting lord of Ukrain.
—This is the first program of our training.
It was a pleasant tone.
Though a bit cliché, one might say it was like the sound of jade beads rolling.
Ifrin, who had grown quite close to Yeriel, rested her chin on her hand and savored her voice.
—As you know, famous mentors are waiting for you. Elder Lukhara of Bercht, Royal Palace Mage Ihelm, Professor Luina, Ether Gandalf, Ether Rogerio, Chief Professor Deculein, etc······ one for each of the eight branches.
Hearing it like this, the lineup was even more splendid and tremendous.
Each and every one was not merely at the level of having some sway in the industry, but in a position to control it.
—However, this lake island itself will also be of help to you. This island has everything that helps a mage. Leaves, fish, dew, and the mysterious snow falling now as well.
Ah~ so they mean to use nature.
Ifrin smiled slightly.
—So, please stay in nature for about a day first. Because nature is the root of magic.
“Yes~”
—Ukrain always cheers for the path of magic. Blessings of mana more ancient than the sea and more brilliant than the sun.
Yeriel’s magical proclamation announcing the start of the training.
“Now then~”
Ifrin sprang up, opened the dirt house’s door, and stepped out.
Whooooooooosh────!
“Bweeehh!”
A maddening gust of wind tossed Ifrin’s hair. All sorts of snowballs approached and dirtied her face.
“Pwe!”
Ifrin immediately closed the door.
“Wh-what?”
And she brushed the snow off her face.
“When did a blizzard suddenly······ no, is this an avalanche?”
An avalanche was pouring from the sky.
* * *
Silvia opened her eyes.
Crackle─ Crackle─ The warmth of the burning stove was cozy, and her back was soft.
It felt like lying on a bed, and she truly was lying on a bed.
A gentle and soft atmosphere. A snug space.
Within it, Silvia slowly looked around.
“······.”
Someone was sitting in a chair beside the bed, reading a book. Its title was ‘Blue Eye.’ Silvia stared blankly at the book cover.
Eventually, he spoke.
“Awake?”
Voice.
Voice.
Voice.
That short voice alone was enough.
Silvia jerked her upper body up. And glared fiercely.
Deculein.
She immediately tried to warm up the mana inside her body. No, she tried to.
“Kk-ang.”
Tick-! The circuit disconnected and pain surged. Her skin flushed blue.
Deculein spoke calmly.
“Mana exhaustion. It must be because you forced yourself to come here from such a distant island.”
“······”
How did he know? Had this person been monitoring her too?
To that question, Deculein answered.
“It was in this book.”
He pointed to the book ‘Blue Eye.’
“Your book is interfering with reality. Silvia. What wish did you harbor while writing this?”
Silvia said nothing.
Was it a wish, a desire, or perhaps a grudge?
Crackle─ Crackle─
The burning stove fire.
Silvia, who had been blankly staring at the flames and shimmering heat haze, spoke quietly.
“I know everything.”
Deculein echoed with a single word.
“What.”
“That you killed my mother.”
“······.”
Because there was no answer, Silvia turned to look at him.
Deculein nodded belatedly.
“That’s right.”
He felt the memory of that day. The torrent of emotion that had surged in Deculein’s heart at the moment he killed Cielia was vivid, as if it had transferred to him as well.
This ‘transplantation of the heart’ grew more certain as he conversed with this child.
Silvia said.
“It was because of the demon’s letter.”
She had already heard most of the truth from Idnik, and had done her own investigation using the magic called [Wind].
Therefore, it did not matter if Deculein kept his mouth shut.
She had much to say.
“When that letter swept across the continent, Ukrain and Kalla stepped forward.”
“······.”
“One of the victims was—”
Deculein cut off her next words.
“My fiancée.”
Those words touched his heart. The emotions engraved in his body welled up and surged.
The woman named ‘Yuara.’
The only common point between Deculein and Gim Ujin.
“Someone delivered the demon’s letter to my woman, and she died.”
“······.”
Silvia showed no emotion. However, she fidgeted with her fingers. Seeing that, Deculein spoke.
“Don’t worry. Your mother was not the one who did that.”
Then Silvia shook her head.
As if to say he had misunderstood her reaction just now.
“That’s not the kind of worry I had.”
“······.”
She met Deculein’s eyes. His expressionless face, cold gaze were no different from before.
That hurt a lot.
It was also very strange.
I am someone who hates and detests that person, so why.
Why do I hurt without even knowing the reason for the pain······?
Hiding that question in the depths of her heart, Silvia spoke.
“I know. About that day.”
“······.”
“Who did it. Who sent the letter to your fiancée.”
Deculein looked at Silvia. Silvia also looked at Deculein.
She hesitated for a moment.
Because this truth could wound him.
“······I see.”
...No, I want to hurt him.
I have to hurt him.
Why am I having such concerns?
“Don’t you already know?”
Silvia asked thus. With a voice devoid of intonation and pitch as always, a tone where one could not tell if it was a question or a soliloquy.
“······.”
Deculein, who had been watching such a Silvia, nodded.
It must mean ‘it’s okay.’ Silvia firmly closed her eyes then slowly opened them.
And spoke.
“Dikaylen and Keegan Luna.”