CHAPTER 86

'Did my grandfather also visit the Temple of the Flowers?'

As Elric left the palace, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Since his grandfather had passed away before Elric was even born, he had never seen him.

But Elric knew better than anyone what kind of person he was, what kind of character he had, and what path he walked.

An idol.

To him, his grandfather was that kind of person.

But would such an idol walk the same path?

As Elric, he couldn't help but feel excited at the thought.

Of course, whether his grandfather really went to the Temple of the Flowers is unknown.

Perhaps he had a research purpose in the Black Snowfield, where no one could come out once they entered.

But still.

'He must have come, surely.'

Elric somehow felt that the path he was going to take would be the same as the one his grandfather took forty years ago.

There's no evidence, but isn't everything like that in these circumstances?

Above all.

'My intuition tells me so.'

It was a bit ridiculous for a magician who should pursue the mysteries of the world and seek reason and rationality to rely on "intuition," but still.

Elric was confident that his intuition had never been wrong.

'How is the path my grandfather walked?'

He was too curious.

That's why.

Elric decided that from now on, he would go and see that path with his own eyes.

* * *

"Did you say General Winter? When on earth will this sandstorm and cold wind stop?"

Sean narrowed his eyes as he looked at the sandstorm blanketing the sky of the city.

Anthromorph was always protected by the barrier created by the stones erected at its borders. The beastmen could comfortably establish their territory there, as it kept at bay all sorts of creatures pouring in from the Black Snowfield and even natural disasters.

However, it was frustrating for the party who had to go outside the barrier from now on.

It not only obscured their vision but also brought freezing cold winds, making it challenging to pass through.

Next to him, Karl nodded in agreement.

"Ugh, I know, right! It's incredible how those Fury tribesmen managed to invade through this wind."

"Yeah."

"Huh? Isn't there magic for that?"

"There is so much magic in the world, how can you know it all?"

"Oh, come on, young master. You don't make such cruel jokes carelessly."

"What are you talking about?"

"...You were joking, right?"

"What?"

"Wow! Don't tell me you're asking me to find my own way through that mess over there?"

Karl gestured towards the city outskirts with a horrified expression.

In fact, the other party members were magicians or skilled fighters, so they could protect themselves somehow, but for him, a mere coachman, it was terrifying.

Just coming to this city on the outskirts of the Black Snowfield had been difficult enough, he thought he was going to die. Where on earth is he supposed to go!

Then Karl realized that Sean was holding back his laughter and yelled in embarrassment.

"Young master! I told you not to do that! You're making people uncomfortable...! Even if you look like everyone else, please don't look like Young Master Elric!"

This time, Sean's face stiffened.

"Hey. Isn't that too much? I may be a bit like him, but not as much as Elric."

"There's not much difference these days, is there?"

"Take it back."

"I can't."

"What's wrong with me, you bastards?"

When Sean and Karl were engaged in a small spat, Elric appeared with an incredulous expression.

"Do you ask because you don't know?"

"Do you ask because you don't know?"

Elric was taken aback by their questions, which seemed to imply the obvious.

"What! Hey, Karl! You're always polite to your young master, but you keep picking on me lately? I'm supposed to be your young master's best friend, after all!"

"I didn't know about that."

"Ha. I guess I've been mistaken all this time."

"You didn't know?"

"You didn't know until now?"

"Shut up, you guys!"

Even when Elric scolded them, Sean and Karl just snickered.

How much trouble had they gone through because of Elric? Naturally, such words wouldn't resonate with them.

"I found a way to pass through that, but if it's not needed, then I guess there's nothing to be done...!"

"Oh my! Dust just settled on young master Elric's shoes. Why didn't you tell me? Do you even know what Karl is known for? Karl of cleanliness! Am I not the epitome of cleanliness? Stay still!"

Karl took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and began to clean Elric's shoes vigorously while blowing on it.

For a moment, Elric thought, 'Should I just kick him?' but soon extended his left foot as well, nonchalantly.

"The front part of the left shoe seems a bit worn out."

"Oh, no! It would be a big problem if it were torn like this! I don't want you to stay like this. Let's get into the carriage and rest comfortably. I'll mend your shoes properly!"

"But don't you have to drive the carriage?"

"Oh. Am I supposed to drive the carriage? The horse will do it. Don't worry."

Sean looked at Elric and Karl who were getting along well and shook his head as if he couldn't stop them.

Then he asked Elric, "What do you mean by 'pass through'? The Fury tribesmen seem to be receiving large-scale protection. Are you planning to visit some temple or something?"

"No. We're going to block the wind."

"Block... what?"

Sean looked at Elric with a face that seemed to ask, "What nonsense is this?" But within Elric's wide-opened eyes, it was clear.

Amidst the indiscriminate blowing of the sandstorm, countless grains appeared as if they were drawn between them.

Among them, there were some that appeared particularly dense.

'If I just mimic that protection, it should work, right?'

The protection that had shielded the Fury army from the sandstorm, artificially sweep the sandstorm away.

Elric was able to watch it continuously throughout the three days of the invasion, and thanks to this, he not only had the entire process in his head, but also understood the principles.

Of course, even with such understanding, replicating large-scale magic exactly wouldn't be possible. However, extracting and utilizing the necessary parts wasn't particularly difficult.

"There, the king is coming. Let's depart quickly."

A new journey had begun.

* * *

In a community where there is no light at all.

There, a pair of eyes slowly opened, shining faintly.

[Now you're bothering me for something like that?]

The voice resonated so loudly that it seemed as though the community might collapse entirely.

Six Direction Sound Transmission!

[T/L: A technique where sound is heard uniformly from all directions (front, back, left, right, up, down), making it impossible to discern from which direction the sound originates.]

It was an art where one could project their voice into the air with mere willpower, originating from the East.

Moreover, the intensity contained within it was overwhelming.

Barasen, the captain of the invading forces of Anthromorph, had to press his head even closer to the ground.

"I will accept my punishment. But please understand that at the time, this was the best choice."

For a moment, Barasen felt the back of his head heating up.

That probably means that their lord is glaring at them.

And Barasen had no doubt that his sincere loyalty would be recognized without any filter.

After all, his lord possessed extraordinary abilities, and could see through the innermost thoughts of those beneath him and foresee the future.

As expected...

[...Melvinger again?]

Krrrr...

A boiling sound, reminiscent of an animal growling, emanated.

[Whether then or now, those born from that bloodline persistently continue to trouble me.]

Barasen pressed his head even deeper.

Externally, he was known simply as the head of the Spirit Fox Tribe, and as the leader of the Fury, he is known only as an ambitious person who rebelled against the hegemony of the Tiger family.

But in reality, Barasen knew that his master was a Fox Sage, who had cultivated his arts for centuries.

It was by sheer chance that he had come to oppose the Melvinger Family of his time, resulting in his downfall.

It is said that Tiger King Yul, who was leading the beastmen at the time, had intervened to save him, but the wounds he suffered at that time had not yet healed.

And now, Melvinger had blocked his path twice more.

Once, forty years ago.

And now...!

When his lord mentioned Melvinger, it was only natural to think of confronting them.

"I cannot ascertain whether that young man is truly Melvinger or not. But I do know that your misfortune was brought upon by him."

Recently, there had been reports of cities under the Fury's jurisdiction starting to entertain different thoughts upon hearing news of Anthromorph.

Of course, efforts had been made to deal with such places separately.

Barasen knew well that such developments were never positive.

No matter how sturdy the tower, if one axis wobbled, it could collapse completely.

"So please grant me the opportunity to punish him."

[Is there a way?]

"I've just received word that he has left the vicinity of Anthromorph, according to the 'eyes' we planted there."

[Left? Where to?]

"We're still tracking him, but I speculate it might be the Temple of the Flowers."

[He is following the path his ancestor took, I see.]

"That seems to be the case."

[So, how do you plan to capture him?]

Barasen, who had been prostrating himself, slowly lifted his head. With a cunning smile reminiscent of a mouse, fitting for his tribe heritage, he spoke.

"I plan to burn down the entire temple."

[The Temple of the Flowers is a Pantheon. Acting rashly could only bring arrows back at us.]

Barasen focused on the fact that his lord only expressed concern without outright forbidding the plan.

"By nature, flowers burn very well in fire. Moreover, it's currently winter because of General Winter, a season not favorable for flowers to bloom. Wouldn't burning it down once enrich the soil?"

[That's sophistry.]

"Then I shall proceed accordingly."

[Normally, I would certainly take back the 'tail,' but I'll give one last chance.]

"I am grateful for your mercy."

Barasen bowed his head and cautiously withdrew.

Then, his lord, the Blood Wolf King, slowly rose to his feet after confirming that Barasen had completely retreated.

Boom!

The Blood Wolf King's stature was so immense that the cave, which was large enough to accommodate hundreds of people, was shaking.

Then his gaze turned to the other side.

A figure that Barasen hadn't noticed emerged slowly from the shadows. It was a demon with a pale complexion and horns protruding from the left temple.

[That side seems to be taken care of. Let's finish our conversation.]

"As you wish."

At the faint laughter of the demon, the Blood Wolf King narrowed his eyes.

[You need Ice Crystal?]

* * *

True to Elric's boast, the carriage faced no significant difficulties crossing through the Sandstorm of the General Winter.

Karl wondered how this kind of magic was possible.

"I'm usually pretty good, right?"

He shook his head with an expression of disgust at Elric's condescending attitude.

But it was true that they were able to go comfortably thanks to that, so he didn't say anything else.

Thanks to General Winter, the number of monsters appearing has also become extremely low.

'But what's the relationship between those two? I've heard they met in Lacente, but could they be more than just acquaintances?'

Karl chuckled as he watched Elric and Isabelle converse.

Although rumors about Isabelle, a scentless flower, were widespread, her beauty was undeniable. If she and Elric hit it off, it would be quite interesting in its own way.

However, it seemed that the Blue Lion was engaged in a serious conversation with them.

Curious about what they were discussing, Karl glanced over and was surprised by what he heard.

"Hey, have you ever thought about learning swordsmanship?"

[T/L: You can read ahead chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]