Ch. 269 - Field Training (1)

Chapter 269: Field Training (1)

The grand altar for the purification ritual in Morfran Forest was said to be located in the very forest where Duke Isaac Morph went berserk ten years ago.

'So unnecessarily grandiose.'

To perform the purification ritual, one had to wear ceremonial robes. These special robes covered the entire body and were made by the Holy Federation. They were enchanted to provide excellent protection against dark mana.

Twelve ritualists, six shield mages, two archmages, and three psychic mages followed Hong Bi-Yeon. They all had serious expressions.

The path to the grand altar was paved with white marble. The Holy Federation's narrow-minded belief that anything painted white would appear pure appeared quite laughable to her.

'Blue looks much cleaner.'

Hong Bi-Yeon, who had a particular fondness for blue, didn’t care much for the white robes with red stripes. Red and white were her least favorite colors.

'Anyway...'

Hong Bi-Yeon glanced sideways.

Like her, Sayeran Orkan was dressed in ceremonial robes. She was walking with a pale complexion.

'What are you thinking?'

Her expression was always as lifeless as a doll's. However, having seen Sayeran frequently, Hong Bi-Yeon could somewhat discern the subtle changes in her expression.

Sayeran Orkan was in a particularly bad mood now.

Though Hong Bi-Yeon had no reason to care about Sayeran’s mood, the fact that she was blatantly showing her displeasure suggested that she found the situation quite distasteful.

'What does it matter?'

Knowing there was no point in paying attention to Sayeran, Hong Bi-Yeon turned back and spoke to Terriban.

"High Priest, I have a question."

Forcing herself to be polite made her feel nauseous.

"Yes, please. Go ahead, Princess."

"I understand that I need to activate the royal family's Flame Spirit Array. But I don't understand why. The Flame Spirit Array is specialized in blocking instead of sealing."

Terriban squinted his eyes slightly as he replied to Hong Bi-Yeon.

"I see... That’s right. You are still lacking one condition necessary to perform the ritual."

"... What do you mean?"

When Terriban stopped walking, the mages who were following behind froze in place like statues.

Hong Bi-Yeon tensed her body and slowly scanned them.

"Princess, to participate in the purification ritual of Morfran Forest, there is one requirement. This was decreed by Her Majesty the Queen, and there are no exceptions for the royal family."

As he said this, Terriban nodded, and two mages in white robes appeared from behind, carrying a large, thin wooden box.

Sayeran’s face visibly hardened at the sight. Hong Bi-Yeon could anticipate what would happen next but she didn't bother to speak out.

Clack!

Terriban opened the lid of the box and took out a scroll, and unrolled it with a flourish.

"This is a 'Binding Spell.' No matter what you see, hear, or feel inside, you must never disclose it to the outside world."

"... I see."

This was as expected.

She already knew that all nobles participating in the purification ritual in Morfran Forest were forcibly bound by a restriction.

"Give it to me; I'll do it myself."

That restriction scroll was crafted with royal magic. If there was any trickery involved, it would be quickly apparent.

Hong Bi-Yeon carefully analyzed the binding scroll.

'The legacy of Adolevit.'

It was undoubtedly the magic of Queen Hong Se-ryu.

Regardless of whether it came from Terriban, the former chief mage, royal magic could not be tampered with.

And, most decisively...

‘Who said they could impose this on me?’

She had prepared for this moment by practicing modifying the formulas of royal magic circles. 

Although it was a scroll created by Hong Se-eyu, a class 8 mage, Hong Bi-Yeon, with her monstrous intellect, could alter a part of the magical formula even if it was four levels above her.

For sensitive magic like a binding spell, even a slight distortion would fundamentally twist its nature.

Embedding such magic into her body could have unknown side effects. Still, believing that direct bloodline magic wouldn't pose a fatal threat, Hong Bi-Yeon decided to take a bold step.

As she infused mana into it, the scroll ignited in flames. Soon, a red magic circle formed in the air.

It swiftly enveloped Hong Bi-Yeon’s body and was absorbed in just a second.

Since a mere class 4 novice mage couldn't manipulate anything in this situation, Terriban nodded in satisfaction.

However...

The chief mage didn't know.

Hong Bi-Yeon briefly skimmed through the scroll and grasped the essence of the magic, reversed it, and in that split second, she transformed the magic and nullified it.

But perhaps the recoil was too much; Hong Bi-Yeon was unable to withstand the shock. She staggered and stepped back.

“Are you okay, Princess?”

“Yes...”

When Terriban approached with the intention to support her, Hong Bi-Yeon quickly raised her hand and waved it. No matter how difficult it was, she had no intention of collapsing in front of that old man, nor did she want to be supported by him.

Although the whole world seemed to be spinning, and a sense of helplessness overwhelmed her body, she endured it with sheer willpower.

It was truly a superhuman mental strength.

“... Let's go.”

If she were an ordinary mage, she would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago, but despite the intense recoil, Hong Bi-Yeon forced herself to keep going, her body drenched in cold sweat.

Watching her, Sayeran seemed to sense something was amiss and spoke up.

“High Priest. The magic activation is...”

“Yes, my lady.”

Then, looking at Hong Bi-Yeon’s state again, she shook her head.

“No, it's nothing.”

“Hmm? I understand. By the way, Princess, it seems the recoil from the restriction is quite severe. This situation is unusual... If you're not feeling well, we can delay it a little.”

“No. It’s fine to do it right now.”

It appeared like she was being stubborn, but there was no other choice. She would rather die than be pitied by someone like Terriban.

She took a deep breath.

Focus. More focus.

‘Meditate.’

As mana permeated her body, her mind gradually became clear and pure. Walking while meditating was by no means easy, but it was possible for Hong Bi-Yeon.

Repetition and memorization.

The things she was most confident in.

The headache started to fade.

Her weak leg muscles recovered some strength, and the cold sweat evaporated due to the mana, restoring her complexion, bringing life back to her blushing cheeks.

She was unaware.

Before she entered Stella Academy, she had never realized how beneficial meditation could be.

‘... How did I come to know about it?’

Hong Bi-Yeon suddenly wandered through her memories.

Early summer vacation.

With Flame and Eisel.

Despite their different personalities, origins, and attributes, they gathered to uncover the past of Baek Yu-Seol and set off on a journey.

One night while camping in the forest.

As they gathered around, each blankly staring at the campfire, Eisel alone was meditating in a corner with her eyes closed, and Hong Bi-Yeon asked her.

‘Why are you doing that?’

At first, she thought it was foolish.

But after hearing the answer, she couldn't help but change her mind.

‘Meditation? Oh, um... Baek Yu-Seol taught me to do it. I've been doing it ever since.’

It was from then on.

Hong Bi-Yeon began to attempt meditation without even realizing it.

Even without taking separate meditation classes, she secretly searched for meditation textbooks and tried it alone in the dormitory. As a result, she could feel the overwhelming flood of mana surging within her body.

Even though she was already born with ocean-like mana, the meditation added an infinite synergy.

By the time they reached the Great Altar, she had somewhat recovered her composure. She was in a state adequate to use the Fire Spirit Array.

Standing in the center of the Great Altar, Hong Bi-Yeon took a deep breath.

It was fundamental to rehearse the ritual at least once, but they didn't even give her that opportunity. It was obvious they were trying to openly humiliate her... But it didn’t matter.

She was confident she could manage it perfectly from the beginning without any practice.

‘... But what is this?’

Standing on the Great Altar, Hong Bi-Yeon realized that the altar itself was shaped like a huge box.

Around it, there were five layers of shielding barriers set up to suppress something, and outside of those, an additional large barrier was erected.

‘Is this really for purification?’

The purification ritual began silently without any signal. Priest Terriban stood opposite Hong Bi-Yeon, opened the law book, and began inscribing runes in the air one by one. 

At the twelve cardinal points, mages raised their arms high and lifted the magic circle into the sky.

At that time, Hong Bi-Yeon began twirling her staff.

"Flame, arise."

Whoosh!

Flames ignited and engulfed the altar.

It was the crystallization of pure, unrefined flame. Hong Bi-Yeon skillfully wielded her staff, controlling the flames.

"Protect us."

Soon, a massive red barrier spread out in the form of a dome.

Typically, it was known that shield magic couldn’t be created in a perfect curved shape. However... A very few, highly advanced ultimate barriers could break even that notion, forming a perfect sphere.

The Flame Spirit Array was one of the top ten barrier techniques in the world.

It was created by the ancestor Adolevit in the distant past, it couldn’t be replicated with modern magic... but a talented mage of direct descent could reproduce it.

"Oh..."

The purification priests, including Terriban, looked at Hong Bi-Yeon with slightly surprised eyes. 

Direct-line magic was not something that could be accomplished at the mere age of seventeen. Yet she just received the restriction and executed it without any problems.

They had deliberately set her up to fail, but she succeeded nonetheless.

Some aristocratic mages turned their heads with visibly uncomfortable expressions. If Hong Bi-Yeon had failed, they could have protected Princess Hong Si-hwa's secret, but she had succeeded against all odds.

In contrast, Terriban looked at her with the pure curiosity of a mage, unconcerned by the situation.

‘Is this what a true Adolevit is?’

Terriban narrowed his eyes and looked at her.

Behind her, a red spirit-like thing was flickering, and it was clearly visible in his eyes.

‘Disgusting woman…’

Unaware of how he was looking at her, Hong Bi-Yeon continued to concentrate on the magic, cold sweat pouring down her face.

She had questions.

‘Why are they using such a great spell? For what purpose?’

What is the ritual for?

Is it really to purify dark magic? If so, why is there a need to erect such an ultimate barrier?

“Hup!”

After shaking away countless doubts, Hong Bi-Yeon struck her staff on the ground with a thud! 

At that moment, the dome-shaped magic circle surrounded the altar, and the ground began to split open.

‘Ugh?!’

For a moment, she nearly lost her balance, but she managed to steady herself.

Rumble...!!

And then.

The massive altar split in half, revealing what was inside.

“Ah...”

Hong Bi-Yeon unconsciously let out a sigh. After looking at her, Terriban curled his lips into a smile and spoke.

“Princess, how does it feel?”

A cold chill permeated the air.

As she endured the biting cold which aimed to freeze her to the bone, Hong Bi-Yeon stared down at the being sealed beneath the altar.

“This can't be...”

Isaac Morph.

Ten years ago, he went berserk after being tainted with dark magic but was known to have been subdued by Hong Si-hwa Adolevit. His body... was sealed beneath the altar.

As if he was still alive, his body exuded a chilling coldness.

However, it wasn’t what surprised Hong Bi-Yeon. If a dark mage left behind such a powerful aura even after death, it would undoubtedly be 'dark magic power.'  

But this bone-chilling cold... it was unmistakably blue mana.  

In other words, it meant that he had returned to being human after death.  

"Why...?"  

"Why, you ask? I knew you would have such a question."  

Terriban took a step closer to Hong Bi-Yeon as he spoke.  

"It’s for Princess Hong Si-hwa."  

"What...?"  

"To protect the Princess, we made this choice: to seal Isaac Morph, who keeps trying to awaken every year, and put him back to slumber."  

"Such madness...!"  

"Madness? Perhaps so."  

The old man let out a shrill laugh.  

"But what can we do? No matter what insane actions we've taken, there is nothing you can do, Princess. Except to finish the sealing process instead of the busy Princess Hong Si-hwa."  

Hong Bi-Yeon quickly turned her head and met the eyes of Sayeran Orkan.  

Eyes cold as ice.  

Yes. She must have known from the beginning about the secret buried here.  

This is...  

Suddenly, everything felt repulsive.  

A wave of nausea surged from within, but she managed to suppress it with effort.  

But, but...  

She couldn't endure it.  

‘Is this Adolevit...?’

Despite being her rival, her sister, who shared her bloodline, had committed such a horrific act... And the Queen of Adolevit had kept this fact a secret.  

Unable to believe or tolerate this, Hong Bi-Yeon could not hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.  

"Oh dear, it seems the Princess is quite shocked. Sayeran, guide the Princess downstairs..."  

"No, no. I'm fine."  

Hong Bi-Yeon bit her lips tightly and glared at Terriban with bloodshot eyes.  

"I will... see the ritual through to the end."  

"... Is that so?"  

Terriban looked at Hong Bi-Yeon with cold eyes and nodded to the mages.  

"If that is truly the Princess's wish, I will not stop you."  

She closed her eyes tightly and cooled her head.  

Stay focused. It's not over yet.  

Hong Bi-Yeon felt the 'Compass of Memories' hidden in her bosom and steeled her resolve. Simply discovering that Isaac Morph's body was slumbering here was not enough.  

‘I will go back in time... And uncover all the truths.’

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