Chapter 82
Kira, who was resting in Devosi Castle, opened her door at the sound of a commotion outside.
"What's all this noise?"
The first face that came to mind was Ian's.
Ian had warned her beforehand that there might be trouble, to be prepared just in case.
What Ian was looking for was a wizard hiding in the castle.
The reason for the disturbance outside could be a confrontation between Ian and the wizard.
"That, that is..."
The guard stammered, unsure of the situation.
"Ian has... kidnapped the second young master..."
"What?"
"I'll find out more!"
Kira was baffled by the absurd response.
What's happening? Ian kidnapped someone?
She thought the guard was mistaken.
But it was true.
"Lady Serena."
"Have you heard? Ian has caused trouble."
No, why is this true?
However, Kira nodded at the Baroness's following words.
"Surely, it must be about finding the wizard."
"Then, shouldn't notifying us be the next step..."
"It must be the wizard's trickery. The situation is urgent; let's follow Ian's lead."
Lady Serena assessed the situation shrewdly.
Knowing that Ian was after the wizard, she decided to act alongside him.
"Let's stabilize the castle first and then assist Ian."
"Yes, my lady!"
Lady Serena quickly took control.
No one in Devosi Castle could stop her.
With the Baron incapacitated and Lady Catherine in a coma, Lady Serena was as authoritative as the king.
"Don't make a fuss!"
"But, my lady...! The second young master...!"
"Karton will be saved by the wizard here."
Kira stepped forward confidently.
Priests, knights, and vassals alike nodded in agreement.
Galadin exclaimed.
"If Lady Kira is taking charge, we can rest easy!"
"Indeed! Please save the second young master, Lady Kira!"
Kira! Kira!
Everyone shouted her name.
Amidst the chaos, Lady Serena whispered.
"I'll take responsibility for the castle. Please take care of Ian, wizard."
"...Leave it to me."
Lady Serena trusted Kira.
Being a wizard endorsed by everyone, she felt safe entrusting Ian's life to her.
"The one in league with the wizard might target you, Kira. Please be careful."
While Lady Serena calmed the knights, Kira, along with a trustworthy retainer, followed Ian's trail.
"We believe in you, Kira!"
"Kira! Please save the second young master!"
"Please take care of Ian, Wizard."
Atop a horse, Kira clenched her teeth.
'...No. I'm not the person you think I am.'
She wasn't a wizard.
She was just a fake pretending to be one.
She wanted to run away right then.
Even if she found Ian, there was nothing Kira could do.
...
But Kira did not stop.
Wizard Ian was someone who affirmed her.
The only one who knew her true nature, covered in lies.
Fake magic. Shallow lies. Deception.
Even knowing all this, he acknowledged and understood her.
And now, to abandon Ian and run away?
What about after running away? What future awaited?
Life as an eternal fugitive and a perpetual liar.
Kira had started lying to save someone she loved.
But now, to abandon someone dear to her to preserve a lie, that was unthinkable.
"Wizard! Over there!"
The retainer shouted, clearly panicking.
Kira took off her hood and stared blankly ahead.
A giant pillar of fire was erupting.
"My God..."
"What on earth..."
How tall was it? 10 meters? 20 meters?
It was clearly visible even from afar, flames so vast the size was hard to estimate.
It wasn't just fire; it was appropriate to call it an explosion.
"...Ian!"
Kira turned her horse towards the exploding flames.
But the horse refused Kira's command.
Kira abandoned the horse and ran alone towards the pillar of fire.
"Wizard!"
She heard someone calling her from behind, but she ignored it.
Kira was protected by the mystery of fire, a fact proven by Ian.
Kira had played with dangerous fireworks several times before but had never been burned.
Maybe, she could be safe this time too.
She believed in that possibility.
"Ian!!!"
What she saw as she ran was a huge curtain of fire.
Waves of heat that seemed to burn everything.
Beyond the flickering flames, Kira spotted Ian's silhouette.
Without a moment's hesitation, she threw herself through the flames.
Just to buy Ian some time to escape.
As soon as Kira saw Ian, she crashed into him, pushing him away.
Ian sat down, staring blankly at Kira.
'Run away. Ian.'
Kira wanted to say it.
But she couldn't breathe because of the billowing flames.
Kira's body blazed up like a torch.
...
The protection of the flames...didn't work.
Kira understood.
It was enough of a vile act that she had exploited the mystery of fire until now.
Even if it turned its back on her now, she had no right to feel wronged.
Amidst the burning flames, Kira laughed.
Wow. This is exactly like when my dad died, isn't it?
Kira Laventa. The daughter of Laventa.
The pagan jester Laventa had died trying to protect Kira from thieves.
Surrounded by the burning flames, Kira quietly closed her eyes.
Almighty God. Did my dad go to a good place? No, since he didn't believe in You, he must be in hell.
Then, I want to go to hell too.
Dad alone in hell... would be too lonely.
Since I've lived a life full of lies, I naturally belong in hell, right?
Kira quietly and indifferently prepared for death.
Her life had been riddled with lies.
Yet, to die engulfed in flames wrought by magic. Isn't death somewhat honest?
'Live, Ian. You're not meant to die here.'
With her last strength, Kira prayed to God.
Even at the end.
Thank you for letting me know a man like Ian.
Without Ian, I would have been just an empty woman.
The fire burned.
From ancient times, fire was a means of burnt offering to the gods.
Therefore, God answered.
[Commendable, Kira. I understand your faith. But Kira, it's not your time to die yet either.]
'...?'
Kira was startled.
Did she just hear a voice...?
Kira listened carefully.
The voice she heard was no illusion.
Someone was really calling her.
"...Kira!"
'Huh?'
"Wake up! Kira!"
Kira opened her eyes.
There.
A wizard, enveloped in fire, stood before her.
"It's not over yet! It's just the beginning! Focus and listen to the voice of the fire!"
"...Ian?"
Wizard Ian lifted Kira to her feet, holding her close.
"You are a wizard! Kira Laventa!"
"...!"
Ian shouted.
At the same time, Kira's heart pounded as if it would burst.
She found herself tightly holding onto Ian's hand.
[Good! You half-burnt pieces of wood!]
Kira heard a voice loud enough to deafen her.
It was the mystery of fire.
The mystery of fire was shouting in a voice so immense it seemed to engulf the world.
[Who will burn with me first!!!]
First, Ian invested all his points in fire magic.
[Your fire magic ability has increased!]
[LV UP!]
[LV UP!]
[Skill: Fire Magic – Lv 3]
[You're a pretty decent fire wizard]
For a moment, Ian considered how to escape the approaching flames.
But all options seemed hopeless.
The mystery of the wind?
Did he plan to fan the 20-meter tall pillar of fire?
Dig into the earth with the mystery of the earth?
Was he aspiring to be clay-baked Ian someday?
Damn it, Ian had no choice but to acknowledge Larabel's ability to foresee the future.
This was the ultimate trap prepared to kill Ian.
A trap prepared by a space-time wizard who peeked into the future.
Normally, one would definitely die.
But Larabel was a crappy space-time wizard.
Her foresight has been wrong several times already.
There was no rule saying she couldn't be wrong this time too.
Above all, Ian had a secret weapon that defied the common sense of people from other worlds.
That was the status window.
Ian decided to go all in, investing all his points into fire magic, and confront the situation head-on with his enhanced fire magic.
"[Fire!]"
[YEEESSSS!]
A colossal shout that seemed to tear the eardrums rang out.
Being in the middle of a wave of fire, the presence of the mystery was immense.
An overwhelming will that transcended human cognition pressed down on Ian's mind.
'Argh!'
Ian's body swelled as if inflating upon contact with the giant will.
His boiling blood coursed through his body and spurted out of his nose.
Ian, bleeding from his nose, looked at the mystery of fire.
Just by speaking and affirming the will.
He already felt like he was going to lose his mind.
'...No!'
But he couldn't collapse.
If he lost consciousness here, the body of a wizard who had lost his will would be consumed by the flames.
The mystery of fire paused its arson for a moment to converse with Ian.
[We don't have time! Hurry! We need to burn more!]
"[Fire, just listen to me for a moment...]"
[Fire! Flames! Arson! Bring more to burn! No, bring everything!!!]
This f*cking lunatic!
Ian continued to convey his will to the mystery of fire, but the mystery was only focused on arson.
He could understand.
From the moment it ignited, the fire needed to burn as much as possible until it was extinguished.
But the fact that it was about to burn Ian too was not at all welcome!
'...Master! How on earth did you become friends with such a crazy bastard?!'
Ian suddenly found Eredith, who specialized in fire magic, incredibly impressive.
What, did you set your house on fire to get close to it?!
Suddenly, Ian remembered Eredith's teachings.
"What the mystery of fire likes... is arson."
"Arson?"
"Yes. Actually, the mystery of fire is very easy to befriend. You just need to stay by its side until it extinguishes."
"...?"
"A fire's life is from the moment it ignites to the moment it extinguishes. If you stay with it until it extinguishes..."
"I get it. We become lifelong companions, right?"
"Exactly! Just watching the fire and playing with it by its side is enough to befriend the mystery of fire. However, the problem is..."
If you lack aptitude, the flames will burn the wizard before that.
That's what master said.
Fire wizards enter the pit of fire themselves to elevate their level.
There, they wait for the fire to extinguish, building a bond with the flames.
If they safely complete the ritual, they become capable of wielding stronger fire magic...
But if they miscalculate the amount of wood or ignite too strong a fire, the fire wizard burns before that.
Thus, the ultimate fate of all fire wizards... is to become flames themselves...!
'I'm going insane!'
In the end, Ian had to endure within the 20-meter tall pillar of fire until the flames tired out.
Moving and losing concentration meant instant death.
"Talk to the fire, convey your presence and will! If you break off in the middle, you'll burn up immediately!"
Ian recalled Eredith's teachings.
Transmitting his will to the mystery was very easy for Ian, being a Maronius master and a level 3 fire wizard.
But what about presence?
This was the realm of innate talent.
It was about attracting the mystery's attention, a part Ian couldn't overcome with effort.
But fortunately, Ian had a rising star of fire magic, attracting the mystery's attention, by his side.
"Kira! Wake up! Kira!"
Ian forcibly woke the collapsing Kira.
With Ian's willful cry, the heat enveloping Kira disappeared completely.
"...Ian?"
"It's not over yet! It's just the beginning! Focus and listen to the voice of the fire!"
Ian shouted.
"You are a wizard! Kira Laventa!"
Whether a fake or a fraud, that didn't matter.
Kira had a talent for fire magic.
Ian needed Kira's presence.
[Good! You half-burnt pieces of wood! Who will burn with me first!!!]
The mystery of fire felt the presence and will of the wizard, becoming even more spirited and boisterous.
Ian hurriedly shouted.
"Kira! I'll recite to you the secrets of fire magic that my master taught me!"
"What, what?!"
"Just listen! First! Feel the presence of the flames and push yourself into it! Ultimately, be prepared to even let your body become fuel!"
"Okay!"
Kira stored the intricacies of fire magic, the secrets Ian told her, in her mind.
As Kira, naturally talented in fire magic, actively made herself known, the burden on Ian significantly decreased.
'To become fuel myself.'
That was a very easy mindset for Kira.
After all, she had jumped into a pit of fire, prepared to burn herself to save Ian.
[HAHAHAHAHA! Look! My beloved logs! This is the true nature of the world!]
Giant flames swirled.
Ian, with the language of Maronius, and Kira, with her natural ability to attract the fire's attention, conversed with the fire, watching it burn away.
The fire continued to show interest in the two wizards, ensuring they weren't burnt to death.
It would be too wasteful to lose friends who played with fire together like this.
Surprisingly, amid the chaos, Ian felt his understanding of fire magic skyrocket.
Thinking about it, this wasn't much different from the training method Eredith taught Ian.
Eredith had also thrown Ian into a pit of fire to teach him fire magic.
This was just like that time!
[LV UP!]
[Skill: Fire Magic – Lv 4]
[You are quite an excellent fire wizard!]
'No...'
Ian smiled bitterly as he saw fire magic reach the highest level among all the magics he had collected.
Now, instead of being called summoner Ian, he should be referred to as fire wizard Ian.
Larabel burst into manic laughter as she watched Ian enveloped in flames.
"Hahahaha! Yes! Burn! Burn into nothing but ashes!"
She used a scroll filled with flames, meticulously prepared by a wizard of the ancient Golden Empire.
Larabel knew Ian was a competent wizard.
But he's a dark wizard, right?
What can he possibly do with such pathetic mysteries of darkness?
As Larabel's laughter echoed,
Belenka dropped her sword.
"Ian..."
Then, the werewolf stopped attacking.
"Do you surrender, lady?"
"..."
Belenka was speechless.
Ian... the versatile wizard Ian...
To die so futilely...
"I don't know what relationship you have with him, but on behalf of my master, I apologize."
"Is that supposed to be comforting? Chihuahua?"
Belenka hated the Chihuahua... werewolf.
Can't you see the severity of the situation?
She would have killed him long ago if she could.
That's when it happened.
"Don't be too disheartened. Knight of Baekguk."
"...?"
Someone passed by Belenka.
A man she had never seen before.
"Who..."
The man, with a stoic expression, ignored Belenka and immediately approached Larabel.
Larabel, who had been laughing for a while, noticed the man a bit late.
And she was shocked.
"You... you!"
The man took off his hood.
Silver hair cascaded down.
"It's been a while, Larabel."
"Gerard!"
Wizard Gerard.
Larabel knew Gerard.
They had once faced each other at a conference of space-time wizards.
"How...! There was no future where you appear!"
As Larabel screamed,
Gerard answered bluntly.
"I came after changing the future."
"...What?"
"Meaning, I've moved to and sought out a timeline where Larabel and Gerard meet."
"!!!"
Larabel was a space-time wizard. She can predict and choose futures.
However, predicting the future was not her magic alone.
Gerard was also a space-time wizard.
And a far superior one compared to Larabel.
"How...! There shouldn't have been such a branch...!"
"Larabel."
Gerard looked at Larabel with cold eyes.
"Did you think the scales of time would tip only in your favor?"