Ch. 220 - End of Summer (1)

Chapter 220: End of Summer (1)

[Episode.10] 

[The Truth of Morph] 

[Since a perfect story was completed, Constellation Project promises additional rewards.]

… One main episode, that he didn’t even know started, was completed. 

The system message from the Constellation Project felt distant amidst his dazed consciousness.

The Truth of Morph.

When was that episode about again?

He could hardly remember. 

"Sigh..."

[The skill 'Breath of the Spirit' is deactivated and Spirit Corruption increases significantly..]

[Overuse of the item 'Wheel of Dawn' has caused a strain on your body.]

Baek Yu-Seol had heard the phrase, ‘All the muscles in your body scream.’ He didn't understand it before, but now he got it.

This wasn’t just screaming but rather begging to be saved.

He hastily drank potions of all kinds, but the pain did not subside.

‘I’m really going to die...’

He leaned back, slowly taking a breath. He had hidden far away in the dense branches of a tall tree, far from the battlefield, so he judged that his appearance wouldn't be visible and even took off his mask.

Thud, thud, thud!

The sound of horse hooves echoed loudly from afar. The magic warrior squad was arriving one after another, unaware that the incident had already ended. 

The sight of the magic warriors as they arrived and surveyed the situation with dismayed expressions caught his eyes. Their gazes drifted around the fallen White Tiger Fire Spirit and Isaac Morph.

How should they digest the situation?

It was hard to believe that a Danger Level 9 dark mage had appeared, let alone that Grand Duke Isaac Morph, the guardian of the continent, had betrayed the magical world to become a dark mage.

However, soon enough.

The mages united and began to shout in unison.

"Grand Duke Isaac Morph has turned into a dark mage!”

“But Princess Hong Si-Hwa has successfully repelled him!”

“Oh! Look at her! What a heroic achievement!"

“I can't believe it. Grand Duke Isaac Morph betrayed the magical world…?”

The mages surrounding Hong Si-Hwa praised her achievements.

In reality, they all knew. 

They could infer why Isaac Morph turned into a dark mage just by looking at the circumstances.

The unsealing of White Tiger Fire Spirit.

To defeat it... He chose a noble sacrifice himself.

But what did such 'truth' matter?

The living must survive. 

Therefore, with the head of the Morph family, one of the two great houses, dead, it was wise to side with Adolevit.

That last sight made Baek Yu-Seol close his eyes. 

Hong Si-Hwa Adolevit would acknowledge the praises of the mages while concealing the existence of the White Tiger Fire Spirit.

Because revealing it would only increase those who speculate about the truth.

The achievement of defeating the White Tiger Fire Spirit was also great, but she chose to forgo it to cleanly eliminate any rumors. She was a wise and ruthless woman.

"Ugh..."

Baek Yu-Seol’s whole body creaked as if it were a machine forced to operate with mismatched parts. He would probably need to recuperate here for a while…

More importantly, there was one problem. 

‘...How do I get back now?’

The day he returned to the past, 10 years ago.

Silver Autumn Moon engraved the path back to the original timeline in his mind. 

Actually, there was nothing for him to do… Just wait.

'When the time comes, I will open the path for you to return. Until then, do not interfere with the past timeline and wait quietly!'

In the end, he made an enormous interference in the past timeline... but if his prediction was correct, the future would not have changed at all.

… Probably, that’s the case.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

It was about time for Silver Autumn Moon to send down the rope of salvation, but there was no news.

Time had passed considerably. With no signs, anxiety began to creep up.

If something went wrong due to his actions and the connection with the modern Silver Autumn Moon was severed?

So if the future Silver Autumn Moon didn’t even remember his existence?

“... How do I go back?”

Suddenly, the future seemed bleak.

————

Shhhh~!!

The monsoon on Waning Moon Plains continued all summer. 

This year, the severity was said to be particularly bad, causing the trade routes to be completely blocked, leaving merchants only with worry in their pockets.

The Starcloud Trading Company was also going through a tough time this summer. 

With the head merchant Melian missing for a long period, and Jeliel putting aside all her work to find him, how could the company operate properly?

In the first half of the year, students from Stella had announced a series of new magic concepts, making it difficult for Starcloud to jump into the fast-paced economic market, causing significant confusion.

Thud! Thud! 

Listening to the sound of rain hitting the window, Jeliel was lost in thought. 

"You haven't been able to concentrate lately."

It had been a week since Melian was safely rescued, and fortunately, he had no major health issues and promptly returned to his duties. 

He had been running around so much to catch up on the backlog of work that dark circles appeared under Melian’s eyes, who was always known for maintaining a neat appearance. 

"… I'm sorry, father." 

"It's alright. It happens."

Melian drank his coffee and looked at his daughter with worry. Even after his return, she had shown hardly any sign of happiness. 

Though she had never been an always cheerful girl, she had never displayed such a level of gloom.

Come to think of it, recently, he had received a call from Hae Seong-Wol, the Master of the Full Moon Tower. He had thought it was to inquire about his well-being, but Hae Seong-Wol was particularly curious about Jeliel’s condition.

"Jeliel." 

"... Yes. Please speak, father."

He took a deep breath. He had never been nervous dealing with world-class figures, but as a father dealing with his daughter, every word was spoken with utmost cautiousness.

"Is it because of that boy?"

He had heard the full story from Hae Seong-Wol. His disappearance was due to Jeliel’s mistake, and she had tried her best to rectify it but failed. 

Then, miraculously, the boy named Baek Yu-Seol appeared and saved him.

But... Unfortunately, the boy disappeared into the rift of space-time as a prize for saving him, and even Hae Seong-Wol said he couldn't find him again.

"No father. It's not that so don't worry." 

She forced a smile, shaking her head in a way that made it obvious she was lying. 

"… I see. Got it." 

Melian tried to hide his bitter expression and left the office. Though he was worried about his daughter, the workload left him no room to focus on other things.

Click! 

Shhhh! Thud! Thud! 

Now, the only sound in the empty office with Jeliel alone was the rain hammering against the window.

Jeliel sighed deeply as she scribbled on a document with an alchemically created quill that naturally seeped ink. 

Nothing was catching her attention. It felt like there was a hole in her chest where her heart should be, leaving her feeling empty.

Drip... 

"Oh..."

As the ink smeared on the letter she was writing, Jeliel quickly replaced the paper.

"Sigh..." 

She couldn't even understand herself anymore. 

Had there ever been a time when she had so little motivation for life? 

Why does a person live? 

As a high elf, she would live for hundreds of years more, but could such a meaningless life hold any significance?

Feeling that she couldn't go on like this, she stood up and stepped onto the balcony.

The roof shielded her from the heavy rain, but the cold droplets of rain splashing on her face couldn't be stopped.

Perhaps it was fortunate that she could clear her mind this way.

She leaned blankly against the balcony railing, staring at the infinite green horizon of Waning Moon Plains in the distance.

It was a truly beautiful place. 

… She hadn't known before.

The 'beautiful scenery' mentioned by everyone else.

But for some reason, she could now deeply appreciate the beauty of the scenery just like others.

Things she hadn't noticed before began to come into view.

Beautiful, ugly, exciting, sad, joyful.

These are the emotions felt in the lives of ordinary people.

Now that she could finally feel all these emotions... Why did she only feel powerlessness and despair?

‘...Nothing will change, no matter what I do.’

Jeliel shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned to go back into the office. 

But something... Something felt off.

'Huh?'

The wind that had been blowing her hair around had stopped.

'What's going on...?'

The strange shift in her emotions—fear preceding curiosity—felt very odd. 

With effort, Jeliel turned her head back to look at the balcony again.

… What’s this?

Raindrops were suspended in mid-air.

… Millions of them.

The downpour that had been drenching Waning Moon Plains had stopped. 

The lightning strike roaring from the sky was now frozen like a painting.

It was as if time had stopped...

To make sure if it was real, Jeliel squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again. 

At the edge of the horizon, an old man was hovering there. 

With a white lightning bolt splitting the sky behind him, he quietly watched Jeliel.

Splish!

The old man walked toward Jeliel while stepping on the suspended raindrops.

Step by step.

As the distance between them decreased... Ironically, Jeliel felt a certain emotion welling up in her chest. Even before fear.

She could tell. 

It was hope.

...

Finally, the old man reached the balcony and looked down at Jeliel. 

The mysterious figure, whose beard waved despite the lack of wind, pierced her eyes with his gaze and then spoke abruptly.

"In this area... You are the one most closely connected to Baek Yu-Seol."

"... Is that so?"

At the mention of that name, Jeliel’s heart pounded even more fiercely.

"Do you want to bring him back?"

"Yes."

"If you fail, you might have to offer your heart as the price. Is that still okay?"

It didn't take even a second.

The time it took for Jeliel to nod her head up and down.

"I'm exaggerating."

"... What?"

"You don't need to risk your life. I just wanted to know how earnest you are."

He turned and looked out at the distant horizon. Thinking that it was always a beautiful view, he parted his lips to speak to Jeliel.

"What you need to do is simple. Just earnestly... wish for him. I'm not connected to that boy by fate, so I can't do it myself. That's why I must ask you. Can you do it?"

If that was all, it was no problem at all. 

Because... It was something she had been doing all along.

"... I can do it."

As Jeliel firmly nodded, the old man smiled with satisfaction.

… Shhhh!!

Then, as if his presence had been a dream, he scattered into the air and the rain began to fall again.

Staring blankly at the spot where the old man had vanished, Jeliel, as if possessed, gathered her things and dashed out of the office.

Flap…

In the now empty, silent office, only a few sheets of paper fluttered, dancing with the wind and rain.

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