Chapter 82. The Immortal Great Mage (2)
Evan and Gaiard followed the mage souls after hearing about a place called the ‘Ether Research Society.’
“To be honest, I never imagined there’d actually be a group seriously studying ether,” I said.
“Sa here. I definitely didn’t expect to make contact this way,” Gaiard replied.
Both of us had dismissed ether as a fanciful, baseless concept.
We thought it was just nonsense to draw the attention of scholars.
But reality completely overturned our expectations.
The mages firmly believed in the existence of ether,
and that conviction beca even more apparent as we entered the Society’s stronghold.
The Ether Research Society wasn’t just about blind faith; it was a group dedicated to uncovering the truth of ether through systematic research and profound theories.
Inside a secretive building deep within the Citadel, countless intricate magical runes were ticulously carved.
The mages here continued their research based on vast archives accumulated over centuries.
“This way, please,” a mage guided.
As we descended a corridor densely inscribed with magical runes, a massive auditorium unfolded before us.
No wonder we couldn’t find any mages. They’re all holed up here, never coming out.
In the center of the auditorium, nurous mage souls stood with arms outstretched, passionately shouting.
“Ether will lead us to the path of eternity!”
“The one key to breaking the endless cycle of resurrection and death—let us begin today by praising ether!”
“Ether!”
Seeing this, Gaiard whispered to in a low voice.
“How about we leave now?”
I crossed my arms and replied nonchalantly.
“No, we’ve co to the right place. If anyone can find Ernst, it’s these fanatics.”
“I suppose…”
“This way, please!”
Urged by the mage’s guidance, we stepped into the auditorium, feeling an oddly fervent atmosphere, exchanging awkward smiles.
“I’ve co up with a new hypothesis about ether…”
“Oh! That sounds promising. I was thinking yesterday…”
The mages didn’t even flinch at the presence of Reaper-like beings like us.
They were wholly absorbed in presenting and debating their theories,
seemingly indifferent to the changes around them.
“Now, allow us to introduce the head of our Society!”
The leader of this bizarre, almost deranged Society was nothing like we expected.
Instead of a seasoned mage with a flowing white beard who seed to have mastered all knowledge,
a young girl stood there.
Wearing a robe that dragged on the floor and a pointed hat, she looked every bit like a witch.
“No way… a witch?”
“A witch is really the head?”
Mages and witches.
Both used mana as a common resource, but their thods of wielding magic were distinctly different.
This difference made it hard to judge which was superior,
but historically, mages dominated in numbers, naturally relegating witches to the sidelines.
And yet, she holds the position of head among all these mages? Is her skill that exceptional?
We stood dumbfounded, watching the young girl engage in serious discussions with the Society’s mages.
“Head, we have so people to introduce.”
“Oh, excuse for a mont. Bell! Who…”
The youthful witch flashed a bright smile the mont she saw us.
“Why are the guests wearing Reaper masks?”
No one had ever seen through the true nature hidden behind our Reaper masks.
But this young witch, with a single glance, seed to grasp our essence to so extent.
Realizing there was no need to keep up the disguise, I removed my mask.
“I’m Evan Lafard. If it’s not rude, may I ask your na?”
As I removed my mask, the mage souls who brought us gasped in unison.
The witch, however, remained calm, as if she had known all along.
“That’s fascinating. You’re not dead, so how did you get here?”
“We’ll talk about that later.”
“Sounds like it’ll be an interesting story. Maybe as interesting as ether.”
Though she was a small girl, I didn’t underestimate her.
The depth of her soul exuded a gravitas and experience surpassing even the most venerable sages.
“I’m Lilith,” she said.
“Lilith? You an the Calamity Witch Lilith?”
Unlike Gaiard, who was indifferent to human history, I had studied the continent’s history to so extent.
It was knowledge I’d forced myself to learn to cultivate my qualities as a commander.
That’s why I knew about major events on the continent,
and one that stood out was related to ‘Calamity Witch Lilith.’
“Are you really the one who waged war against the Northern Mage Alliance?”
“Uh… yeah, that’s . But could you keep it down? So of the people I fought back then are here in the Society,”
Lilith averted her gaze, trailing off as if embarrassed.
“And, you don’t have to look at like that. I’m older than you think.”
“What? How old are you…”
The witch whispered her age so only Gaiard and I could hear.
Hearing it, we stared at each other in shock.
“No way…”
“Are your parents vampires?”
Lilith, amused by our reactions, flashed a playful smile and burst into laughter.
Then she asked why we had co.
“By the way, what brings such unique guests here? You’re neither souls nor Reapers.”
Bell, the mage soul who brought us, answered for us.
“They ca to learn about Ernst. Since we didn’t live in his era, we thought it best to ask Society mbers who did.”
“Oh! Ernst? I’ve heard a lot about his fa!” Lilith exclaid cheerfully.
“They say he was an incredible mage. I’m sure soone here knows him well.”
Lilith shouted loudly enough for everyone in the auditorium to hear.
“Attention, please! Is there anyone here who knows Ernst Romarn well?”
A silence fell, and all eyes turned to Lilith.
“No one?”
Breaking the silence, a few souls approached slowly, half a beat late.
“I know Ernst well. I lived in his era.”
“ too! Though I’m not from the Lisen Kingdom. Oh, now that I think about it, there’s a mber from the Lisen Kingdom who was Ernst’s friend…”
As one mage soul turned to point at soone,
another soul tried to slip out of the auditorium unnoticed.
Is that him?
Just as I moved to act, Gaiard shot forward without a word.
“Gaiard?”
In an instant, Gaiard blocked the soul’s path, glaring down with blazing eyes.
“You!”
He seized the soul by the throat, gripping with enough force to snap it.
“Gah!”
The soul writhed in pain, struggling desperately.
As the surrounding souls panicked, I rushed over to restrain Gaiard.
“Are you insane? What are you doing?!”
Breathing heavily, Gaiard roared.
“This bastard tried to kill ! Get out of my way!”
It hit then.
Knowing Ernst well ant living in his era and being a mage of similar caliber.
And most such mages had been mobilized to kill Gaiard.
Damn, I was careless. I should’ve left Gaiard behind.
But the deed was done, and I had to handle it.
“Put your personal grudges aside and focus on the mission! He’s already dead! And if you misuse the Reaper’s power, you’ll die too!”
“That bastard…”
Fortunately, Gaiard still had so reason left and settled for throwing the soul down.
Taking advantage of the mont, I helped the fallen mage soul up, keeping distance from Gaiard.
“Go cool off outside. If you stay, they’ll all run. That’s an order.”
With no choice, I issued a command through the Blood Oath.
Gaiard, swallowing his anger, had no option but to leave.
“Damn it!”
He smashed a wall and stord up the stairs.
Once the situation cald, I spoke bluntly to the soul who caused it.
“For him to react like that, you must really know Ernst well. Pretty close, huh?”
“Gah!”
“If you don’t answer my questions, I won’t stop Gaiard next ti.”
I was serious.
I had no intention of defending a random mage soul in front of Gaiard.
“What… what do you want?”
“Simple. Just tell about Ernst.”
“What about him?”
“You probably don’t know, but Ernst is here right now. Not dead like you, but alive.”
At that, the mages began murmuring.
Lilith asked on their behalf.
“Is that really possible?”
“It’s what the ruler of this place told . And he wants Ernst found.”
“So even a god can’t find Ernst right now?”
The mages grew louder in their chatter.
“Yes, he’s been evading a god’s eyes for centuries through dinsional travel. That’s why the god is using us to find him.”
“My goodness…”
“But I don’t know where to start. I want to know why he ca here and how he’s avoiding the god’s gaze.”
“Dinsional travel and evading a god? What an extraordinary human,” Lilith marveled.
Separately, the soul of Ernst’s colleague shook his head in disbelief.
“That’s insane… He actually thought it was possible?”
“You know sothing, don’t you?”
His reaction confird he knew sothing.
“It’s not certain, but if he’s here, it’s definitely because of that reason.”
“Tell . Anything. We’re looking for even the smallest clue.”
“Ernst… he had a daughter. But she passed away early.”
That single sentence was enough for to piece together the backstory.
“No way…”
“You’re probably right. I heard Ernst couldn’t accept his daughter’s death and kept researching. There were rumors he dabbled in dark magic and died, but to think he’s here.”
He was crazier than I thought.
To step into the afterlife itself to bring back his dead daughter.
Unlike , Lilith held him in high regard.
“What an incredible person!”
The other mages felt the sa.
“Wait, is it even possible to co to the afterlife on your own? How did he construct the spell?”
“Maybe with ether…”
The mages were curious about Ernst’s magic, and I aid to exploit their scholarly tendencies.
“So, do you know how Ernst has been able to evade a god’s eyes all this ti?”
“I don’t know. Honestly. We were close, but his magical skill was leagues above mine. Frankly, he was exceptionally talented.”
“Of course. He’s the greatest mage in history.”
I didn’t say this with any ulterior motive.
It was just my genuine thought, born of frustration.
But that careless remark scratched the pride of every mage in the auditorium.
“Take that back.”
“Ernst, the greatest? I don’t agree!”
From that mont, the Society’s focus shifted from ether research to studying Ernst’s whereabouts.
Guess I should report this to Hel.
***
After visiting the Society,
I imdiately explained to Hel the motive behind Ernst’s actions.
Hearing it, Hel looked more troubled than intrigued.
“This is a problem. If that audacious mage is really trying to et his daughter…”
Upon checking, it turned out Ernst’s daughter, for so unknown sin, had already sunk into the Black Sea.
I couldn’t fathom how he planned to find her soul, which wasn’t even in the Citadel, but since Hel, the god of this place, called it a problem, I was curious about the reason.
“Is there so danger I’m unaware of?”
“I told you before, didn’t I? I can’t interfere in other worlds’ affairs. That applies to my siblings too. We never cross the boundary between the sea’s upper and lower realms.”
“I think I recall sothing like that when I t your sibling.”
“But for a re human, not even , to trespass into the lower realm and retrieve a soul?”
Hel’s warning that followed was chilling.
“If my sibling learns of this, they’ll surely wage a war that could bring an apocalypse, crossing the Coast of the Dead into the world you ca from.”
“Couldn’t you talk it out with your sibling to avoid war? If they understand…”
“No, my sibling would never do that. They’re silent now because nothing has happened, but they’re the god of apocalypse and destruction.”
The god of apocalypse and destruction.
That being resided deep within the Black Sea.
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