< 144. Come, Spring (9) >
#144
“Nice to meet you all. “I am Lorhorn, the lord of the Twilight Tower.”
Lorhorn grinned. For a self-introduction by an unprecedented archmage in history, it was quite frugal.
Erzsebet began to hiccup, and Asher and Itargand froze. Ronan looked down at him quietly without showing any reaction.
‘···I can’t believe I get to see this guy here.’
However, contrary to his calm expression, his heart was racing as if it would tear his skin and jump out. I never thought I would see Lorhorn this close in my lifetime.
Lorhorn.
Like other celebrities, Lorhorn also had many names. Bards and wizards in the same industry called him grandiose names that made people tingle, such as the lamp that illuminates ignorance, the creator of light, and the master of the five elements, but most people just called him the simple and clear name ‘Grand Wizard.’ I preferred the title. To begin with, he was the only wizard living in the modern era who had reached the 9th circle, so he could not be confused with anyone else.
Ronan was also a familiar figure. He remembered seeing it twice, even from afar. On one occasion, while he was wandering the continent, he happened to witness rain falling on a drought-stricken village, and on another occasion, he was seen attending a general meeting of the Imperial Army before the final battle.
‘That was the last time.’
Ronan, remembering the past, twisted his lips. Lorhorn was joined by one of the two giants who descended with Ahayute.
To be precise, I heard that he used his soul as a medium to seal it forever. Screams and exclamations could be heard sporadically from beyond the fortress.
“Three, oh my…! “Rhodolan is floating in the air right now?!”
“What on earth is this…!”
His power was such that it would not be a waste to call him omnipotent. It was hard to believe that such a strong wizard could not kill a single giant and was destroyed altogether. Even if that entity was stronger than Ahayute. I felt the seriousness of the apocalypse once again.
‘Anyway… why is it like this?’
Ronan tilted his head. It seemed clear that the child in front of her was Lor Horn, but there was a significant difference in her appearance from what she had previously known.
The silence continued for about a minute. Ergébet, who had barely stopped hiccups, opened her mouth.
“Oh, Lorhorn…? “Is this Mr. Lorhorn that I know?”
“hmm. That’s probably right. “Why are you doing that?”
“No, that… I know a little more… So…”
Erzsebet stuttered and touched her chin. Coincidentally, Ronan was also curious about the same thing. Lor Horn nodded her head in understanding.
“Ah, I see. So what you’re saying is…”
Perfect! Lorhorn snapped his fingers in the air. Suddenly, he started growing taller. Time was etched into her smooth skin, and frost covered her once black hair.
The top of Lorhorn’s head, which had jumped over Erzsebet in an instant, stopped at a place that was almost indistinguishable from Ronan’s. It was fortunate that the clothes stretched along with the body. He said, stroking his beard that had fallen down to his chest.
“I guess you’re asking why it’s not like this?”
“Yes, yes…! that’s right.”
Erzsebet, who was dumbfounded for a moment, shook her head. It was a look Ronan was familiar with. Suddenly, I remembered giggling with my comrades in the punitive forces, saying that that old man could wipe his behind with his beard.
“Haha, it’s an image that is favorably used in public settings. His appearance is quite fitting for the grandiose nickname of Archmage. “Would you like to see this beard?”
Lorhorn grabbed the middle of his beard and shook it playfully. When I saw that his tone of voice naturally changed to become like that of an old man, it seemed like he had made a plan and set the scene. Ronan, who suddenly felt something different, tilted his head towards her.
“hmm? “It seems a bit different from a typical polymorph.”
“Hoo, did you even recognize that?”
“yes. “I can’t explain it in detail, but I would say it feels more natural…”
“You have a good sense of vision. Yes, at some point I was able to feel the time flowing through my body. “I don’t want to see this because it hurts my knees, so I guess I’ll have to go back.”
He snapped his fingers again and returned to his childlike appearance. Lorhorn explained that the degree of aging of the body can be freely controlled. Ronan laughed at the sound that sounded like nonsense.
“her.”
It was overwhelmingly superior compatibility with Secret, who was cursed and whose age changed at will. Asher’s eyes, who had been very frightened, opened wide.
“···Time can be manipulated?”
“yes. “But only for myself.”
“Huh, how is that possible? clearly “
“Haha, looking at your inquisitive nature, you are a natural wizard. “What’s your name?”
“ah···! “I mean, it’s Asher!”
Asher then bowed in half and said hello. His curiosity seemed to overcome his fear. Lorhorn began to look Asher up and down.
“Yes, Asher. “You are Ijin… so why do you think the Winter Witch coveted you?”
“Yes, yes?”
“I don’t know what I’m looking at. “I didn’t think that in the next few hundred years, there would be someone who would surpass that Kratyr child…”
His eyes and voice were serious. Asher crossed his hands without even knowing what the situation was. Because Lorhorn did not continue talking, the strange confrontation continued for a long time. Ronan, unable to bear it any longer, opened her mouth.
“Well, sorry to interrupt, but what happens to that kid?”
Ronan raised his thumb and pointed at Evelyn. The sight of her sitting against the wall, just breathing out, looked like a wooden doll with threads boiled down.
There was no focus in the wide-open eyes. Lorhorn walked up to her and touched her forehead. After concentrating for a moment, he nodded.
“It’ll be okay. The shock must have been considerable since the soul was bonded with the highest-ranking spirit for a year. “He’s already a pretty good wizard, so if he focuses on recovery, he’ll get better soon.”
“···Highest Spirit?”
“Oh, you didn’t know. Jinne Lee, so the Winter Witch was originally a spirit. It’s also very high class. Although a long time has passed and little information remains…”
Lorhorn told us that the Winter Witch was the highest-ranking spirit, comparable to Hyran or Edelbahce. The group’s eyes widened.
‘That’s why it was so damn wrong. Damn it.’
Somehow I thought it was too strong. Never would I have thought that he would be compared to Hailan, the Prince of Wind. Ronan, who had seen Hyran in person in the world of images, knew his majesty better than anyone else. Lorhorn continued.
“If my bond with Mr. Asher had progressed further, it wouldn’t have ended as easily as it did now. “That’s a good thing.”
“What on earth is your relationship?”
“Hmm… it’s difficult to say anything since we all think differently. “I see myself as a bulwark of Jinn’s honor, but she sees me as nothing more than her evil prison guard.”
Lorhorn was fiddling with the pendant that had absorbed the Winter Witch. Inside her transparent icosahedron, a snowstorm the size of a fingernail was raging. Ronan shrugged his eyebrows.
“Fortress?”
“yes. A bastion that prevents something ugly like today from happening. “She has completely lost her dignity since she fell in love.”
Lorhorn explained that his role was to help her regain her status as a great spirit. The witch became corrupted after becoming obsessed with someone.
It is said that the disembodied witch tried to seduce him by possessing the bodies of women with outstanding magical talent, but often failed. Considering that he seduced a transcendent being, a spirit, he did not seem to be an attractive person. Ronan said.
“That’s right, do you know who this girl likes?”
“no. Jinne Lee doesn’t say that much either. “Other than the occasional remark about how nice your white hair and scarlet eyes are… come to think of it, your eyes are scarlet too, right?”
Lorhorn shrugged his eyebrows. Ronan didn’t answer. He knew of only two people who had the same impression as Lorhorn had described. One was Iril, and the other was the f*cking traitor who stabbed the Savior in the back.
‘Is it that bastard too?’
For a moment, I thought that the witch’s love might be that bastard. However, when that happens, another question arises.
The witch clearly referred to the people who trapped Evelyn in the ice as ‘strange monsters.’ If it was the Grover she loved, there was no way she wouldn’t know about Nebula Clazier.
‘That’s difficult.’
Ronan frowned. Furthermore, he must have seen the robber carving his sword marks into the ice, but he didn’t say anything about it. Then Lorhorn turned his head behind her, as if he sensed something about her.
“Well, I guess I should go soon. “I’ve been away for too long.”
It seemed like there was urgent business. Well, if you were in that position, it would be difficult to have free time even for 72 hours a day. He looked at Ronan, Asher, and Erzebet in turns, then opened his mouth.
“Now that I think about it, they are all students at Phileon Academy. Kratir, how is he?”
“I was so busy that I couldn’t even notice. “It will get better from now on, though.”
“I’m worried that I’ll have to be able to touch time before my life ends.”
Lorhorn laughed bitterly. He said that among his disciples, only Kratir is alive. Lorhorn shook hands with each person and offered them a well-wishes. It was the moment when he held Asher’s small hand.
“Asher. “Would you like to explore the truth with me?”
“···yes?”
“The world still hides many secrets. From a macro perspective, it is no exaggeration to say that we are all blind and deaf. If you have any intention, please come to the Twilight Magic Tower after you graduate.”
After speaking, Lorhorn smiled. It felt like something amazing had just passed by. Asher opened his mouth like a goldfish, but could not find anything to say.
“W-What is that…Lorhorn?”
“Don’t neglect learning at Phileon. There is no better place for learning. “Okay then, I’ll just go back.”
match! Lorhorn clapped his hands. Whoa! A strong wind suddenly blew and swept the surrounding area. His body was blown away by the wind like mist and disappeared.
“You were so flashy until your exit.”
Ronan laughed as if he was shocked. Everything that happened just a moment ago felt like a dream. I also wondered if the existence of Lorhorn itself was an illusion.
However, Lodolan, who was still floating, was letting them know that the place they were standing in was not a dream. Ronan, who was quietly looking at the horizon, lifted Evelyn up and carried her on his back. Now that she had caught the witch and recovered Asher, there was nothing left to do.
“Then, let’s go back soon.”
The party returned to Phileon without saying goodbye. Itargand gave them a ride. Asher, who saw Itargand’s body for the first time in his right mind, opened his mouth in shock.
“Big, big…!”
“I can’t believe I’m just this surprised. “I will faint when I see Navardose in person.”
Even though he said that, Ronan didn’t really feel it. He, too, had to live and see. He never thought he would ride on the back of that red dragon. If he had told this to his past life self, he would never have believed it. Itargand said.
“When you arrive, keep your promise, Ronan. “It teaches you how to become strong.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
The flight lasted about two hours. The sunlight pouring down on her head was warm. The dark clouds that had been covering the sky had already disappeared. Ronan muttered quietly.
“It’s spring.”
I could see an island in the distance. The green light green color was spreading like paint all over the land where spring had returned. It was the color of the ground revealed by the melting snow.
