CHAPTER 146

'In the arrangement, he looked like a middle-aged man... but here, he looks like an old man.'

Elric gave a bitter smile as he looked at Otto Han.

In his memory, Otto Han had always appeared dignified on the outside, but with a mischievous streak on the inside.

But now, as he looked at him, he had the unmistakable appearance of a strict scholar.

Though his eyes were tightly shut, he seemed like the type who would open them at any moment, pick up a book, and start reading. If something didn't satisfy him, he'd likely throw a fit and look at the world with disdain.

Even with age, Otto Han was still Otto Han. Elric thought to himself that he, too, wanted to age with such grace.

'Wait. Just how long has he been like this?'

Suddenly curious, Elric began calculating exactly when Otto Han had ruled the Melvinger family.

But then—

『Ha.』

Mephisto, who had been silent until now, let out a small chuckle. Elric turned his head, wondering why, only to see Mephisto burst into laughter.

『Hahaha!』

Mephisto laughed uncontrollably, completely oblivious to Elric's puzzled gaze.

Elric couldn't bring himself to interrupt.

There was something odd in Mephisto's laughter— a mix of relief and bitterness.

『Otto Han, Otto Han!』

There was a hint of madness in Mephisto's eyes as he looked down at Otto Han.

『I had hoped, just in case... but in the end, you were human after all! I thought you would torment us forever. You, who always acted like you'd be here forever, who was so monstrous—you were just human!』

Mephisto seemed to be experiencing a whirlwind of emotions as he gazed at his old nemesis, who had once stood in their way.

『But that makes it even more frustrating. How tragic. I vowed over and over that when I rose again, I would take revenge on you and your followers with my own hands for making me kneel. But in the end, all those vows were futile, empty promises. Hah. Hahaha.』

Elric remembered how, when he first met Mephisto at the Dragon's Nest, the demon had told him:

He had had several chances to be resurrected, but he had waited, holding back, hoping for the right vessel.

Perhaps that was because he wanted to settle the score after his defeat at the hands of Otto Han and others?

Though the Demon God and the four Great Demon Kings had risen with tremendous power, nearly swallowing the entire continent, they had been unable to overcome the wall formed by Otto Han and the Four Great Vassals.

Wanting to overcome that was, perhaps, a natural reaction.

『This isn't fair. This isn't fair! If you, of all people, are allowed to rest so easily, what am I supposed to do with the grudge, the screams, and the bitterness that remain in my heart?!』

If Mephisto still had his full strength, the dungeon would likely have been flooded with demonic energy in an instant.

Or perhaps it would have simply collapsed.

But when Mephisto reached out toward Otto Han, his hand passed right through him, touching nothing but air.

This only added fuel to Mephisto's rage. His anger boiled even hotter.

『Say something! Answer me!』

Elric watched Mephisto for a while before slowly approaching Otto Han.

Though Mephisto still fumed, he stepped back when Elric came closer, yet his eyes remained filled with madness.

So, this is the "Winter" of the Melvinger family.

Swallowing it wrongly could lead to a nasty outcome.

Meanwhile, Yu's spiritual form, perhaps because it hadn't clashed much with Melvinger in life, seemed curiously intrigued by Otto Han.

Still, it must have sensed the dense mana within Otto Han's remains.

Normally, Yu would be salivating at the sight of such a large source of energy, but now, it showed no such greed.

That likely meant Otto Han was dangerous, even harmful, to Yu.

This only made Elric even more curious.

What secret was Otto Han holding?

What exactly was the Seal of Winter?

And…

'What is the secret of our family?'

Elric reached out his hand toward Otto Han, hoping that coming here would grant him answers to these questions and mysteries.

In that moment—

Crack!

Crash—

Before his fingers could touch Otto Han, his remains crumbled into dust and scattered into the air.

As the wind blew, the remains were carried toward Elric's fingertips. At that moment, the Seal of Winter shone brilliantly, and his magical amulet trembled violently.

'My mana core is dissolving fast…!'

But that wasn't what shocked Elric the most.

Despite not interfering with the flow of mana, the energy was drawing its own path within him, circulating on its own.

Instinctively, Elric tried to stop it, but the mana wouldn't budge.

Instead, it forged a new path on its own.

It felt as if something invisible was actively guiding the mana.

It didn't take long for Elric to realize this was the work of Otto Han's lingering will.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The mana continued to flow, redirecting itself into channels Elric had never tapped into before.

The astonishing thing was that this new mana flow didn't conflict with the existing circulation paths Elric had established through his Magic Martial Arts.

In fact, it complemented the weak points, improving areas even Augustine hadn't addressed.

The mana pathways had grown so intricate and dense that calling it a 'pathway' no longer seemed fitting.

Elric began to think it needed a new name entirely.

Circuit.

The moment that thought crossed his mind—

Flash!

Elric's vision flipped.

"…Where am I?"

When Elric opened his eyes again, he realized he had entered the mind realm, just like when he had accessed the arrangement.

But unlike the previous times, there was no background—just an endless field of pure white.

"This is the other shore."

[T/L: 피안(彼岸) is "the other shore" or "the far shore." In Buddhist contexts, it symbolizes the state of enlightenment or liberation from the cycle of suffering and rebirth (samsara).]

A familiar voice called out, and Elric turned toward it.

Otto Han was sitting there, smiling at him.

He was seated in the same rocking chair Elric had seen in the room.

His glasses sat on eyes now deeply lined with wrinkles, making him look as though he had aged from his fifties to his seventies in a single moment.

"The other shore, you say…?"

"It is where we have reached, and where you will one day arrive as well."

"…?"

"You don't need to understand it yet. It's not that important for now."

Elric simply nodded as he continued to look at Otto Han.

"You must have many questions."

"Yes."

"I'm sure you do. There must be many things that don't make sense with the knowledge you've had until now. I can't answer all your questions, but since you've come this far, I'll reward you by answering a few."

Otto Han clapped his hands lightly.

Clap!

And the world of pure white that surrounded them inverted once more.

Elric found himself looking down at a vast landscape.

It was a familiar sight.

A wide horizon.

A lone cliff standing tall.

And… a figure standing atop it, shrouded in a robe.

It was impossible to tell if they were male or female, old or young. But a deep smile played across their lips, and the insignia on their back was unmistakable.

It was the same man from the dream, the one who commanded dragons and giants!

'The Progenitor!'

The doubts Elric had harbored in his mind suddenly crystallized into certainty.

It was him. It had to be. Only the Progenitor of the Melvinger family could carry such an air of confidence and majesty.

Moreover, unlike the last dream, there were now four men and women standing beside him. One of them had a familiar face.

Otto Han.

To be precise, a younger Otto Han.

He looked much younger than the others.

And it showed in his demeanor, as he seemed to be filled with complaints.

His lips were pouting in frustration.

"You could've at least let me finish my game. I had only a few rounds left of it, and—!"

Smack!

Before he could finish his sentence, a woman with long, flowing red hair struck the back of his head with a smoking pipe.

"Argh!"

"Quit your yapping, you're louder than a sparrow. Can't you just stay quiet for once? It's distracting."

"What's it to you if I want to talk—Aaaagh! You hit me again!"

Smack! Smack! Smack!

"Ow!"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop! I'll stop, alright?!"

Every time young Otto Han resisted, the woman kept smacking him in the back of the head with the pipe.

No matter how much he tried to dodge, the pipe always found its mark, and eventually, Otto Han had no choice but to raise his hands in surrender, crying out in frustration.

But—

Thwack!

This time, the woman hit him even harder than before. The sound was so loud that even the others flinched, wondering if his skull had cracked.

"Wh-What was that for?!"

"Your head was so shiny, it was just begging to be hit."

"…!"

Otto Han's face turned bright red as he opened his mouth to yell, but the woman glared back at him as if daring him to try. He quickly tucked his tail between his legs.

'To think there was someone who could handle Otto Han like that, even in his younger days….'

Elric felt as if he were witnessing a whole new world.

Seeing someone who had tormented him so much now getting a taste of his own medicine, Elric couldn't help but wonder if the things Otto Han had once taught him had originated from this time.

Elric thought he might know who the red-haired woman was.

A woman with intelligent eyes and an arrogant expression.

The only female among the Four Great Vassals, known for her overwhelming mana and destructive capabilities.

Christina Melvinger.

Elric had a strong suspicion that among the Four Great Vassals, who were said to represent the four seasons, she was 'Summer.'

Her personality was extremely domineering, and the air around her was so hot that it made the atmosphere ripple several times.

With the smoking pipe in her mouth, she squinted her eyes.

Huff—

A cloud of smoke billowed out, gradually dissipating.

"…It's coming."

A middle-aged man with a very plump body, but with warm eyes that reminded one of 'spring', muttered in a small voice.

At that moment—

Rumble!

The once-blue sky instantly darkened, turning a menacing black.

And beneath it.

Unlike the Progenitor and the Four Great Vassals, who stood at the edge of the cliff, five fearsome beings appeared.

Two of them were people Elric knew well.

The young man who had breathed life into General Winter.

The Demon God.

And next to him stood Mephisto.

The Demon God and the Four Great Demon Kings had appeared.

It was as if a mirror had been placed in the center.

Both sides, though opposite in number and nature, were about to clash in a cataclysmic war.

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