Chapter 112: Freya the Magician

「Purchase Stat ‘Magic Power’ for 800pt.」

「Stat ‘Magic Power’ increases by +80.」

「Purchase Stat ‘Holy Power’ for 1,010pt.」

「Stat ‘Holy Power’ increases by +101.」

I was experiencing firsthand why Possessors in this world didn’t gain fame, but instead just endlessly logged out, day after day.

I’d heard that Reputation Points could skyrocket in a short time, but… was it supposed to spike this steeply?

Even after making a huge purchase of stats, the rate didn’t slow; points just kept piling up.

“Finally… I maxed out a stat.”

[Name: Original☆Heavenly Demon★]

[Strength: 50]

[Agility: 50]

[Endurance: 50]

[Magic Power: 545 (+45)]

[Spiritual Power: 45]

[Holy Power: 121]

[Primary Trait: Genius of Mana Resonance]

[Secondary Trait: Cannot Live Without Style!]

[Auxiliary Trait: Everything is Doubled!]

[Hidden Trait: No Violence! (Endurance: 0/1000)]

[Trait: Ghost’s Eye]

[Trait: Spiritualization]

[Skill: Thunder Emperor]

[Skill: Azure Flame]

[Skill: Death God Summon]

[Skill: Celestial]

[Stories about the ‘Guardian Knight Who Defeated the Villain’ are spreading.]

[Stories about the ‘Guardian Knight Who Protected Imenia’ are spreading.]

[Stories about the ‘Magician Who Commands Thunder’ are spreading.]

[Stories about the ‘Destroyer of the Sky Island’ are spreading.]

[Stories about the ‘Messenger of God’ are spreading.]

[Stories about the ‘True Awakened’ are spreading.]

[Stories about the ‘Grand Mage’ are spreading.]

[Stories about the ‘Great Korean’ are spreading.]

Fame in this world spread slowly but steadily, while the fame gained in the outside world had raised a huge amount of Reputation Points in less than a day.

Thanks to that, not only was I able to max out my Magic Power stat, I was able to significantly raise my Holy Power as well.

In other words, I could depart right away.

“But… how are we supposed to get there?”

Originally, the plan was to travel riding the Phantom Steed.

There was simply no better means of transportation.

But now, with the Dragon’s location unknown, Freya’s presence was essential…

Obviously, Freya couldn’t ride the Phantom Steed.

[Wow! My hand just passes right through it!?]

Freya looked amazed, circling around the summoned Phantom Steed, reaching out with curiosity.

But, of course, her hand went right through the Phantom Steed.

A living being couldn’t possibly ride a Phantom Steed, a horse of the spirit realm.

“I do have one idea.”

Watching Freya swing her hands around, even poking her whole body through the steed, Hio murmured quietly.

“Even if I can’t perform proper magic, the Circle’s form is at least established.”

Even if it’s an incomplete Circle, the structure’s there.

Thinking of moving to Tetradia—
“Right.”

Go to Tetradia, use the portal, and head for the southern regions of the Empire, or the capital.

It would be best to go straight to the capital, hear the situation, and—if possible—borrow Eos’s power to move instantly.

Of course, if Freya couldn’t use Tetradia’s portal, all those plans would be for nothing.

“Let’s just go. Freya.”

When Hio dismissed the Phantom Steed, Freya—who had been peeking out with just her face—clicked her tongue and stuck close to Hio’s leg.

So, Hio and Freya headed straight for the Magician’s House, Isidore at their side.

A heavy silence weighed down the party as they made for the 4th basement floor.

Hio had his own worries.

Freya and Isidore each carried their own anxieties as well.

They had failed their thousand-year mission to protect the Dragon.

Not only had they failed to guard it, they had unleashed disaster upon the world, so their hearts were heavy.

“May I ask… once more?”

That’s why Isidore, forcing her reluctant lips to part, asked Hio once again.

“Please stop the Dragon.”

There was, unfortunately, nothing else she could do.

In this situation, her power was just too feeble, so even knowing it was impolite, she had no choice but to keep asking.

How she would repay this debt in the future—

Even if she gave everything, she didn’t know if she could make it up to him, but first, the Dragon had to be stopped.

Freya, too, looked up at Hio with an apologetic gaze.

She was a mere sliver of the Dragon, knowing nothing and possessing no real power.

‘But wasn’t this still her responsibility?’

‘Wasn’t she relying on Hio for everything?’

Hio, feeling their gazes, scratched the back of his head.

“Well… I was the one who summoned the Dragon, so I’ll have to deal with it.”

He knew how absurd that sounded, but answered that way nonetheless.

With chaos looming in the future, the day would surely come when he’d need to borrow Arilleia’s power as well.

“There’ll be a time when I need to ask a favor of you, too.”

“If it’s a Magician’s favor… then I must do everything in my power, whatever it is.”

“Hahaha. You might regret saying that. You don’t know what I’ll ask.”

“It can’t be anything more outrageous than resurrecting or stopping a Dragon.”

“…That’s fair.”

***

After that brief conversation, they arrived at B3.

Using the Pavlenko Family Necklace, they opened the door to B4.

This time, Freya looked anxiously at Hio.

Her anxiety was echoed in the quivering text that appeared.

[Will that portal… recognize me as a Magician?]

Hio had explained it to her.

That portal led to the ancient city, and only Magicians could use it.

So, the little Dragon was afraid.

‘What if the portal didn’t recognize her as a Magician?’

She was at least a fragment of a Dragon; if even that was denied, what would she do?

Those worries filled her.

“If it doesn’t, that just means the thing is broken. It’s not your fault.”

[Really?]

“Of course. The thing’s old, bound to break down eventually, and those old Magicians were a bit stuffy. Don’t worry about it.”

‘Whew… thank goodness!’

Whether she truly believed Hio or not, Freya visibly relaxed.

Hio gave a slight chuckle and headed down to B4.

He placed his hand on the portal and channeled in magic power.

「Detected Magic Power: 4th Circle.」

「The portal is connected to the Ancient City of Tetradia – ‘Wizard’s Tower’.」

「Do you wish to enter the portal?」

***

As the message appeared before his eyes, a pure white light began to fill his vision.

Gripping Freya’s small hand tightly, he spoke with encouragement.

“Don’t be nervous—just slowly move your circle’s magic power.”

With that, Freya closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Hio could see Isidore’s worried face watching over Freya.

He offered Isidore a small, reassuring smile, then returned his gaze to Freya.

He could feel the little one’s tiny magic power wriggling diligently within her small body.

Letting a little of his own magic flow into their joined hands—

“Your Circle is more complete than you think. Even I was fooled at first. Just trust in yourself and focus all your senses on your magic.”

Freya’s expression relaxed noticeably.

If it was Hio’s word on magic, she’d trust it absolutely.

“Before you know it, we’ll be there.”

The light grew ever brighter.

Through it, he could see Freya’s focused expression and, standing modestly behind her, Isidore.

Locking eyes with those noble eyes one last time, Hio also quietly closed his own.

“Now, the symbol of the great Magician, long forgotten. The mysterious land that only Magicians may enter.”

He spoke softly, as if telling an old story, as the warm light washed over them.

“The buildings there were impossibly tall, their grandeur rivaling the gods themselves.”

Freya was completely absorbed, a faint smile on Hio’s lips.

The pure white light surrounded them.

His mind grew distant.

Even with his eyes closed, his vision grew bright.

“The people of old looked up at the highest tower in awe, reverence… and fear.”

Sensing something unfamiliar, Freya slowly opened her eyes.

What she saw was not the B4 chamber, but a new, vast space lined with white tiles.

The walls were all reinforced glass by magic, and beyond them, grotesque and gigantic Abyss Monsters loomed.

Hio’s voice continued, uninterrupted.

“So everyone called it…”

The gloomy sky outside seemed close enough to touch, but inside was white and spotless in stark contrast.

All around were countless tomes on magic.

“The Wizard’s Tower, indeed.”

They had made it to Tetradia, to the Wizard’s Tower.

Woooow! (.00)/

He would have liked to attempt the 5th Circle, having come all the way to the Magic Tower, but there was no time.

Even now, who could know what crisis the continent was facing from the Abyss Gate, or what disaster the released Dragon might be causing?

Attempting the 5th Circle would require far more time than ever before, and that was reason enough to move on.

[Wow! (*)]

Freya, with a trail of exclamation marks above her head, darted about to take everything in.

“Freya. Come here.”

[Yees! (**)]

After calling her, Hio dug into his spatial pouch and took out his old gear.

“This is something I used to use.”

What he pulled out was a large pointed hat, much like the one Hio was currently wearing.

It was the beginner’s magic hat he’d used before getting his official Magician’s equipment set.

“Coming to Tetradia means you’ve been recognized as a Magician, so you’re entitled to it now.”

Of course, it probably didn’t mean much.

Freya would never be able to use normal magic, and such a being couldn’t really be called a Magician.

‘But so what?’

‘If the last remaining Magician in this world was willing to recognize her, who could argue?’

And now, with a hat bigger than her own head perched atop her, with her face almost completely hidden by it—Freya looked absolutely delighted.

[Am I… really being recognized as a Magician??]

‘Her eyes peeking out from under the hat shimmered with unshed tears; how could such a simple word be so difficult to say?’

“Yes.”

‘How long had it been since she’d split from the main soul?’

With a soul so young and unformed, the burden must have been immense.

Upon those tiny shoulders rested the hopes of all Arilleia—the mission of a thousand years, with everyone pinning their hopes on this one small child… ‘how hard must it have been?’

‘How precious, then, was a single word of recognition after such effort?’

Freya forgot to speak, expressing her joy only through gestures as she skipped about in delight.

She tripped once when her view was blocked by the hat, but she showed no intention of taking it off, smiling as she picked herself up.

She straightened her hat, rummaged through the scattered magic books pretending to be a stern Magician, then ran to the glass walls to marvel at the scene beyond.

Then suddenly—

“O?

She froze in place, tilting her head as if something was off.

[Suddenly, I can’t feel the Dragon’s presence!]

Her message to Hio was tinged with urgency.

“Maybe it’s just too far? Tetradia is in the forgotten north of the Empire, after all.”

They had crossed from the Arilleia Island in the western sea all the way to the distant north in an instant; that could explain it.

But Freya shook her head vigorously.

“If we’re in the same world, I should be able to sense the direction at least. We share the same soul. But now, I can’t feel anything at all…”

Now Hio’s expression grew serious as well.

If Freya could always sense the main body’s presence anywhere in the world, there weren’t many reasons for her to suddenly lose that sense.

[As much as he didn’t want to consider it—had the Dragon died…?]

Or—

“If it’s not in the same world as the Dragon.”

Freya had claimed that if they were in the same world, she would always be able to sense its presence.

If that was true, there were only two possibilities: The Dragon had died, or this was a different world.

“First… let’s move.”

His thoughts grew complicated, but for now, they needed to act.

Whatever the case, moving with Freya should give them the answer.

If they returned to Imenia, would she sense the Dragon again, or not?

“Let’s head for Imenia first.”

First, check if she could sense the Dragon’s presence, then find Sylvia or Sirbert and get a sense of the continent’s situation.

And, if possible, get Eos’s help to go straight to where the Dragon might be.

Again, Hio placed his hand on the portal and channeled in magic, gripping Freya’s hand with his other.

「Detected Magic Power: 4th Circle.」

「Total available destinations: 22.」

「Selected: Imenia Magic Academy (1) – Magician’s House.」

「Activating portal.」

With a burst of light, Hio and Freya transferred again.

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in the dark basement level 4 of the Academy. Hio immediately looked at Freya.

“Freya. The Dragon?”

Freya, eyes closed in concentration, suddenly opened them wide and pointed.

[I can feel it! That way!]

He didn’t know where “that way” was.

“So… the Dragon’s not dead, then.”

The Dragon wasn’t dead.

There were only a handful who could kill such a being… so perhaps that was to be expected.

Which meant, of the two possibilities, Hio’s second guess was correct…

He had wondered about this before.

The Empire’s far north, surrounded by high walls.

That forbidden land, Tetradia.

‘Why was it that, even during the game, the map hadn’t been opened?’

Other forbidden places like the Ba’al Forest or the Gran Dina Mountains existed, but not Tetradia.

And more than that—

If it was just in the northern empire, you should be able to reach it on foot.

These towering buildings should be visible from far away.

But none of that was true.

Perhaps the Magic Tower, or the ancient city of Tetradia itself, had been sealed away from this world, carrying its own deep abyss within—cut off, isolated.

「Hio, mister…?』

The sensation of someone carefully tugging his sleeve brought him out of his thoughts.

“Ah, right. Let’s get going.”

Whatever the case, he could think as he moved.

First priority was to assess the situation and respond.

“Let’s go up.”

To move faster, Hio picked Freya up and sprinted up the stairs.

Out of the 4th basement, to the 3rd—

Then, as they headed to the 2nd, a sudden feeling struck him.

“This… feels kind of familiar, doesn’t it?”

‘So it’s not just me.’

[I feel strangely familiar, too!]

It was a strangely familiar, but intensely irritating feeling.

Just like when he’d returned to Arilleia from the outside world, that same unpleasantness was back.

When they finally passed B1 and reached the surface—

“…Sigh.” -Of course.

It was chaos, all over again.