Hermit Wizard

1. 1. 1. 1. Savior or Destroyer (15)

How long did I fly in the dark?

Mana detected the party down there. It was located quite far from the place where the magic circle was originally intended to be installed. Since that place was also the center of the night, they weren’t in a proper mental state.

-Tugh!

I got down to the ground and looked around briefly. The will resonated in my mind before I figured out the whole situation.

[… Min-joon?]

Mental waves were delivered by aiming precisely at me in the dark.

[Although it was arranged for emergency use, I can’t believe that the spell was successful.]

What was it talking about at that moment? It was a spell it taught me.

“Did you think it was going to fail?”

[I still remember that there is no successful case in the world where I was… It’s not even a well-known god in the first place because the attributes that match the name are hidden and forgotten. By the way, was your opponent such a powerful dragon?]

“Yeah. It was too dangerous to confront head-on. It says it’s a Dragon Emperor?”

That was why I had no choice but to use that spell.

“But Parvache? It seems that you’re not affected by the spell, huh?

[Right.]

Parvache stretched out toward its palms made of plastic. Even though it might not be visible, it expressed its will while holding its face down as if it was looking down.

[Then what should I do? I’ve been here alone until you came, but I’m powerless to intervene. Even though it’s a faint memory, I chanted as many spells as the stars in the sky, but I can’t cast any spell on my own.]

There was an unusually strong feeling mixed with its will.

“… So, it’s starting today?”

I said so, but it was too late. Yeah, that moment was coming.

Parvache shook its head and said.

[Rather, I think he needs treatment quickly.]

I fired Mana toward the side it was pointing to. Having grasped the shape, I opened my eyes wide.

“What happened to Garam?”

Judging from the shape of the wound, it was serious. The intestines protrude terribly, and the metal that was dissolved in the body flowed down.

Parvache spoke with a self-helpful will.

[I was waking up alone here, but I couldn’t use my hand. Without a handful of Mana, it is impossible to create simple healing magic. This doll’s body is powerless. It is impossible to bring the magical medicine out of the container… If you were a little late, this Maek would’ve died.]

Urgently, I took out the Elixir from my backpack, ran to Garam, and used recovery magic. Slowly, the wound on Maek’s abdomen began to heal. His cracked skin and muscles stuck, and the bleeding stopped.

Knowing that Maek’s breathing had stabilized, I took a closer look at the situation.

“… There was a battle.”

There was an alien and animal that appeared to be his livestock next to the party. It seemed that Hwang Soo-rim was trying to protect them, looking at her formation.

Everyone, regardless of species, stopped acting and spaced out. The effect of self-surrender was applied since it was the source of magic and the night’s center. If it were an area other than the center, it would have ended as dark as night.

In the end, only Parvache and I were fine from that influence. I asked the initial question again.

“Why are you fine? Is it because you’re the authority of me, the caster?”

[No, I don’t think so.]

Parvache was silent for a moment.

[I don’t think the power of this spell itself is strong enough for me to forget myself. Except for the outer self, I have to erase so many sleeping egos if I add all of them together. Since the egos who have not yet broken the spell’s power and who are waiting for the next turn are divided and handled, it seems that the impact on each is limited.]

“The sleeping ego is also subject to this spell? Is the principle weakened by sharing the shock?”

[I think so.]

“By the way, what the hell happened here?”

Parvache briefly explained to me.

“Then, first of all, that monster… Red Hiel? Yeah. Can you burn that?”

If the magic of Rufeidos disappeared as it is, the attack was likely to resume. I couldn’t leave it just like that.

I walked slowly in front of the monster. I was trying to put my hand on its body and say a spell.

“You can’t use the Blue Flower of Reinapros.”

I tried to melt it with a high temperature at once, but it could lead to God’s wrath if I did that in that area. Even if it was a magical light, it would cut off and eat the darkness.

So, although it was annoying, I decided to grind that giant creature altogether.

“The Tornado of Dryflos!”

The vibrations of the air that started in my hand spread throughout Hiel’s body. A vortex was created by an intangible blade that cut the wind. The giant creature’s skin and flesh began to be chopped in an instant as if it had been ground whole in a blender.

After a little time, what laid in front of my eyes was a sea of ​​stinking flesh and gut paste.

[… Min-joon.]

It was Parvache’s disapproval will.

“… Ah, I only put the shield on me. I forgot.”

I looked around and thought it was too late. I created the wall in front of me with magic to prevent the flesh from spattering, but I forgot to protect the other party as well.

As a result, the bodies of Hwang Soo-rim, Garam, and the other parties were full of body fluids and pieces of flesh mixed with green, yellowish-brown, and red fluids. To the point where I couldn’t see their original face.

“… It can’t be helped.”

First of all, the important thing was to identify the Dragon Emperor’s soul quickly.

[I have a request. Is it possible to take care of all of the Red Hiel’s semen in that Tobogai’s stomach?]

“It’s possible, but why? Because it is impossible to burn it now? Then why don’t we just send this Tobogai far away?”

Parvache hesitated for a moment to say what it was thinking. I could feel it turning its head to Hwang Soo-rim and Garam in the dark. Parvache must’ve moved habitually, assuming that they were on that side.

[… I think it would be better to keep it alive. Please…]

What was wrong with it all of a sudden?

I nodded and approached Tobogai’s body, and then I used some magic to scrape the semen out of it and blow it away instead of burning it. It took a lot of work, but it wasn’t impossible.

After finishing the work, I checked that Tobogai kept breathing, and I was ready to go.

“The Chain of Thermios!”

I bound the body of the filth covered Maek, who was losing his consciousness with magic. After carrying Parvache in my backpack, I flew back into the air. It was time to go back to where the Dragon Emperor’s body was and identify it.

***

-Wheeing!

The return flight wasn’t long either. Since I was the spell’s caster, the self-surrender effect wasn’t applied to me, and no side effect degraded my senses. While moving under Mana’s guidance, Parvache said in my backpack.

[By the time I saw you again, I thought I would move on to the next one. Thanks to the unexpected, we were reunited before that.]

As I was soaring through the dark, I kept silent for a while and then replied.

“Are you really sure it’s soon?”

[Yes.]

Parvache’s will stopped for a while. I felt like it was thinking about something, and then it opened its mind again.

[Min-joon.]

Its mental waves were mixed with deep emotions. It seemed like Parvache was very confused a while ago, starting with a self-help feeling that was rarely seen.

That was understandable.

What would it be like to feel like when the current self disappeared and a new self with the same memory appeared? Since the soul was the same, it wasn’t possible to become a different being. However, wasn’t it a kind of death that the consciousness system that determined the way of thinking and personality disappeared completely?

Yes, there were times when I fell into such worries and cried. In my adolescent days, there was a time when I felt sorry for Parvache, so I cried secretly, thinking about it.

[… I wondered whether I should talk about this or not. I didn’t do it when we separated, but now that I’ve seen you again, I’ve changed my mind. Is it because being alone for a long time in the dark reminds me of a time that I don’t want to remember? Yeah, that could be the reason.]

“… What is it about?”

Parvache continued its will.

[I was watching them fight while you weren’t there. I keep comparing them with you. If it were you, you wouldn’t have been in danger like that in the first place. If it were you, you wouldn’t have been giving that excuse.]

“Then?”

[Then suddenly, I felt uncomfortable. That thought was so natural that it was rather awkward. It was really easy to be convinced that you would be able to use your hands much more firmly… In the end, I was just judging your change as efficient.]

Wasn’t that obvious? What’s that?

[Do you know what the first thought I had in front of a Maek that could already be dead, even though I couldn’t see anything in the dark? Without this Maek, it is difficult to identify the soul. That was just that, but what I’m really afraid of is that you’re likely to think the same thing even if you were in my situation.]

I didn’t answer.

[I deserve to be like this. I have a long experience of so much cruelty. There was a time when I was left alone in the dark with incomplete memories, and I had to endure the prison of time and became dull and wore out, but you’re not. You don’t have to be like me. No matter how much survival is the top priority, there is no need to forcibly give up what you can enjoy. It may be because I am very confused right now that I only realize this fact now.]

Parvache, who had been rambling like that, suddenly said.

[Min-joon. The memories of childhood that you lost, I hope you will get them back.]

I was confused.

“Why are you suddenly saying that?”

[… Would you like to find a way? I don’t know if the next ego will give you the same advice after keeping my memory intact. They have the same memories, but their judgments can be different. The next ego will only cherish this feeling that I’m feeling right now as a memory that it happened. Nevertheless, Min-joon, I give you advice. Somehow you have to get that memory back.]

I shook my head while flying in the sky.

“It’s impossible. Yodmo has already confirmed. It is impossible to recrystallize the memory that’s been digested.”

[They are the best race to deal with memories. At the right price, it may find a way. For example, Yodmo knows all the details of your childhood memories that it digested. Even if it is not your original memory, is there a way to make a fake memory with almost the same contents and transplant it back to you?]

“… Why should we go that far? I don’t know if it’s possible, and I don’t know what price Yodmo will be asking for.”

[I think you paid enough for the price through the unknown black memory.]

“However, there’s no reason for…”

Parvache interrupted me and asked.

[Min-joon, think about it. When was the last time you felt happy?]

I couldn’t respond at that moment. As I searched my memory, Parvache continued.

[These days, when was your most joyful moment?]

After all, I couldn’t open my mouth. Parvache’s will continued.

[One of the important factors that determined the mental structure of human-type creatures was empathy. It was an emotional connection between their people, but Min-joon… ever since you handed over your memory to Yodmo, you…]

“… Stop it. I know what you’re talking about.”

For a moment, there was a silence between the two of us.

[To be honest, I haven’t recommended this until now… because of my judgment, the way you stay like, right now can increase the chances of survival.]

It continued.

[For example, you will not hesitate at all to deal with the Tobogai by throwing it away because that’s the simpler and more efficient way to avoid danger. I thought that not being caught up in an affection has such strengths.]

I tilted my head. Contrary to what he said currently, Parvache just asked me to did a sophisticated magical treatment of the giant animal, a complicated task close to surgery, instead of just killing it.

Was it because there was a change in Parvache’s mind?

It hesitated and continued its mental wave.

[But now that the last moment as the current ego is just around the corner, I can’t let go of the thought that something is wrong. Yeah… this is more of an emotion than a rational judgment. Perhaps I have sinned against you by implicitly urging you to stay like this until now. Such feelings suddenly dominate me today.]

Emotion. I repeated the word inside.

[Please, think about it. Remember my advice.]

I didn’t respond.

As time went by, I felt that Parvache’s mental world, connected to my spirit, changed. He was getting weaker. It wasn’t really far.

***

Arriving in front of the enchanted Dragon Emperor, I set a safe distance and took the magic of Rufeidos.

As the magic stopped, the dark surroundings regained their original daytime scenery.

The sky brightened. Mrs. Pearl looked around frightenedly and Maru, which had been drooping, also got the strength back to its body.

At the same time, the consciousness of Dragon Emperor and Garam returned. The first thing the two who regained consciousness took was to scream. Simultaneously, the sound and the content of the will were, unfortunately, very similar.

“… My body, Ugh! Come on. What is all this dirt? And where is this?”

=My body! What happened to my body?! My wings… my legs… my tail! Aaaarhhhhh!=

Garam frowned in astonishment when he found the filth that covered his body. I noticed that his voice was full of energy. His body must’ve completely recovered, but why was his skin so pale and looked so weak?

Also…

-Gwaaaaaaarrrgggg!

The dragon, struggling in pain and screaming, trembled in fear. Every time it rolled, the woods fell, and the ground shook. The pouring blood flowed into a river.

After losing his consciousness for a while and regaining it back, his limb was cut off. Even the noblest dragon’s mind would be confused. It eventually failed to counter me as soon as the magic disappeared.

Maru, who saw the scene, rang the air and spoke.

“Dragon… hurt!”

Instead of responding to that, I focused on my work.

“It is now!”

There was no God’s will to see the Channel’s light and be angry, and there was no way for the Demons to lose their will due to the spell.

I opened the door on my chest and poured liquid demons on the dragon’s body. The powerful stream pushed out by the deep seawater pressure swept the cut surface where the dragon’s feet were located.

-Flaaaaash!

=Keaaaaarrghh!=

Wow, that was a lot faster than waiting for it to open its mouth and aiming at it. If that was the case…

-Flaaaaassh!

Liquid demons were absorbed through the cut surface of the dragon’s body, plenty along the cut veins.

As time passed, the dragon, which lost its Mana, finally lost its consciousness and fell. That time, the mental barrier must’ve weakened because it wasn’t in a state of confusion but lost consciousness in its entirety.

Mrs. Pearl muttered with a dazed face.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

It was enough to explain the situation later.

“Hey! Garam!”

I called the Maek. He broke a dream of drowning and was about to wipe himself off without any energy.

“Look at that dragon. What do you think? Can you see the soul?!”

Even after washing up, Garam, who was sitting down on the floor and vomiting due to the smell of his body, barely raised his head. His gaze reached into the Dragon Emperor’s body, who had turned into a log in the distance.

“… What the hell is that look? Ah, it’s ugly.”

“I’m in a hurry, quick. How many souls?”

Garam still said in a weak voice.

“It is one. One very powerful soul, but I don’t think it’s like a Truth-Seeker.”

“… What a bummer. Fuck.”

I really had to change the method. It couldn’t last long like that.

“Still, how am I supposed to clean this up?”

The Dragon Emperor was dangerous. It was trapped and was waiting for me. It knew what I was doing, but instead of intervening, it waited quietly.

How the hell did it find out? It was fortunate if Gramiel told it about me, but there might be ways to observe other dragons in methods I didn’t know.

“… I have to call Yodmo.”

The obese Summoner seemed to be predatory again today. Thinking so, I opened the Channel on my chest.

-Gwoooong!

A blue door opened in front of a fainted dragon and a grungy vomiting Maek, then a familiar black beast appeared. It was… uh. None of them were gone. The beast was still plump. Was it still full even though it took only 10% of the unknown memories?

I frowned at a different look than I expected. I anticipated it to be hungry.

Yodmo, who had come into that world completely over time, opened its mouth as soon as it saw the sight in front of it.

=Oh my God! Dragon?! You crazy bastard!=

I answered awkwardly.

“… Long time no see.”