CH 58

༺ Prologue – Interlude ༻

Right as Isaac passed the trial.

In the north, at the Whiteclark family mansion.

A woman with short, pink hair, Keridna Whiteclark, was screaming. Her voice rang throughout the large family mansion.

“Sister! Sister Aichel!! Help me, it’s urgent!”

The life of an academy student named Isaac was at stake, and she was the only one who knew about it.

Keridna couldn’t bear the thought.

Believing that Aichel might be able to save Isaac, Keridna continued to search through the large mansion with the help of the maids for over 20 minutes.

It was crazy that no one knew where Aichel was.

Where the hell is my sister hiding?

Keridna reached her office. Although she had already checked and passed by it earlier, something might have changed. Keridna knocked on the office door.

“Sister Aichel!! Help! Someone is about to die!!”

“Who?”

“Aaaah!!”

When a calm voice appeared from behind her, Keridna turned around to look at the owner of the voice, startled.

The woman she had been searching for stood there with a friendly smile.

It was Aichel Whiteclark, a mature beauty with neatly braided pink hair wearing her dress uniform.

“Uh, Sis. I didn’t feel your presence…? What movement technique did you use to walk here again?”

“I just walked here normally. You were just too distracted to notice.”

“Ugh…!”

Aichel opened the door, revealing a bland office furnished with only the bare essentials.

However, a White Dragon emblem behind the desk that symbolized the Whiteclark family was lavishly decorated.

“Uhm, more importantly…! Someone is dying right now…! Huh? He’s awake?”

Keridna closed her eyes to confirm that Isaac was still unconscious. 

A strange scene unfolded before her as she activated [Sight Synchronization]. While it was a relief that Isaac seemed to have awoken, there was something peculiar about the situation.

“Uh…?”

Keridna was speechless as her eyes fell upon the figure of the White Dragon. It was the unmistakable symbol of the Whiteclark family, the mythical White Dragon.

Even more surprisingly, Isaac had extended his arm towards it, signing an 8-star Familiar Contract Circle.

Keridna doubted her eyes. It was an unbelievable sight.

「Plunder (Neutral Element, ★4)」

“Wha!”

Suddenly, Aichel placed her hand on Keridna’s eyelids and casted a spell. Taken back by the unexpected action, Keridna let out a startled scream. 

The neutral spell that allowed the user to steal the magic another person was using, [Plunder].

It was generally impractical, as the caster had to have a deep understanding of the magic being stolen.

Aichel, being exceptionally familiar with the Whiteclark family’s magic, [Sight Synchronization], had a deep understanding of it. She could, as a result, steal it as effortlessly as breathing.

Aichel closed her eyes and observed Isaac’s vision, which she had stolen from Keridna, with her own eyes.

“Uh, sister!!”

“…”

Aichel extended her arm at the approaching Keridna. Seeing the serious expression on her face, Keridna had no choice but to swallow her breath and remain still.

“This is…”

Her sister had always playfully teased others with a friendly smile in a carefree manner.

However, this was the first time Keridna had ever seen her have a serious expression.

Reflected in Aichel’s vision was a large white dragon, an intimidating scythe dripping with immense mana, and a menacing demon.

Soon, [Ice Sovereign’s Majesty] was triggered, and Isaac’s body glowed.

──────Pop!!

“Argh!!”

With the sound of something popping, a large amount of blood started streaming from Aichel’s closed eyes.

Covering her eyes, Aichel collapsed with a piercing scream. It was due to the backlash of [Ice Sovereign’s Majesty] rejecting [Sight Synchronization].

“Sister!!”

Keridna tried to catch her, but…

Aichel once again extended her arms, blocking her sister’s approach.

“Hu, I’m fine… It’s alright…”

She covered her eyes with her free hand. Thanks to her always-active, high-leveled [Basic Protection Magic], her eyeballs had avoided popping. However, she would suffer from the aftereffects for quite some time.

Aichel spoke while trembling and breathing heavily in pain.

“Little sister. What… what absurd monster did you provoke…?”

“S-Sister…?”

Keridna’s entire body trembled uncontrollably from fear. 

“I-I’m sorry…! I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m…!”

“I’m not scolding you.”

Suddenly, the corners of Aichel’s lips curved upward.

Keridna was caught off guard by that reaction.

“I’m praising you…”

Even as tears of blood streamed down her face, Aichel’s eyes widened with joy.

An ear-to-ear smile stretched across her face, her eyes gleaming with a red hue.

For the first time in her life, Keridna felt that her sister was creepy.

* * *

[Congratulations! You’ve defeated [Heinkel the Hoarder (Lv 155)] and gained EXP!]

[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 63!]

[You have gained 6 stat points!]

[You have obtained the loot [Heavenly Bundle]!]

[The aura of [Heavenly Bundle] permeates you…]

[Congratulations! You have acquired the unique skill [Clairvoyance]!]

It felt like I was being bombarded by all sorts of things.

As I adjusted to the frigid chill that flowed into my body from the Frostscythe, I felt heavily dazed. My mind wasn’t working properly, either.

At the same time, when I laid my eyes on Hilde, I remembered the Great Witch of Heaven’s Wrath who had given me the 8-star Familiar Contract Circle.

So, I casually blurted out for her to become my familiar… I didn’t think she would actually be willing. 

I even calmly dealt with Heinkel the Hoarder.

‘Why did he come out here…?’

Only after adapting to the chill of the Frostscythe, and gradually regaining clarity did I realize how confusing the current situation was.

Heinkel the Hoarder played a pivotal role akin to a catalyst in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, during the second-semester arc of the first year.

He was a demon known for his rebellious and self-righteous attitude, acting independently while ignoring the orders of the Evil God Nephid. His unpredictable nature made him an unexpected variable in many stories. 

The second semester hadn’t started yet, but he had already appeared and been defeated by me.

I had also obtained the [Clairvoyance] skill.

Frostscythe, 8-star familiar, and even [Clairvoyance]…

‘What a fortunate turn of events.’

It felt like a buy one get one free type of deal.

Moreover… Hilde had called me ‘Ice Sovereign’. After thinking for a bit, I could roughly guess the reason.

The 9-star passive skill I obtained from [Fictional Hell], [Ice Sovereign]. Hilde must have sensed that and mistaken me for her master from a thousand years ago. 

Does she think I’m the reincarnation of the Ice Sovereign?

It seemed as though the Frost Dragon had a grandmotherly side and believed in reincarnation.

‘So in the end, she misunderstood me and became my familiar?’

You have truly seen my fate, oh Great Witch of Heaven’s Wrath.

To be honest, I was looking forward to forming a contract with an 8-star familiar in a dramatic and grand manner.

An endgame familiar, no less.

However, I didn’t think it would look like this.

‘I’m sorry, Hilde.’

I am not the Ice Sovereign… and I am certainly not their reincarnation.

As I was about to tell her that, a heavy feeling weighed upon my heart. I couldn’t fathom the magnitude of betrayal and shock she would feel. After all, she had spent a thousand years yearning for the Ice Sovereign’s return.

Since I had made a familiar contract with her already, I hoped Hilde would at least assist me until we dealt with the Evil God. After that, I wouldn’t mind ending the contract.

‘Until I defeat the Evil God… should I pretend to be the reincarnation of the Ice Sovereign?’

Or maybe it was better to be honest and admit the truth.

After racking my brain for a while, I decided to take a break and think about it tomorrow. I was just too exhausted today.

I chose to abandon my winter clothes completely. They were deep within the trial’s cavern, and I didn’t want to explore the darkness just to find it.

Placing my hand on the magic circle, I infused a small amount of mana and successfully returned to Ayla Forest. Now that Hilde was contracted to me, I had gained the authority to access the trial’s cave. The thought of this filled me with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. 

“Ah.”

As soon as I exited Ayla Forest, my legs gave out, and I fell to the ground.

I felt weak. Despite the disappearance of the chill that had frozen my body after gaining control of the Frostscythe, the damage still remained.

My body still had traces of the freezing cold that almost took my life. It was so bad I couldn’t even dismiss it with empty words. While I had managed to freeze all the bleeding from the cuts on my skin, the sharp pain coursing through my body was unavoidable.

「Ice Generation (Ice Element, ★1)」

I created a sheet of ice on the ground and laid on it. It was painful enough without having grass touching my wounds.

I silently gazed at the night sky, the celestial garden of shimmering stars imprinting itself on my eyes. They were tranquil, gentle, and faintly radiant.

Despite the complications that arose, it was an undeniably high-risk, high-reward venture that yielded tremendous gains. Every bit of pain and every wound I suffered all felt gloriously worthwhile.

“Really. It hurts like hell.”

I laugh silently in pain.

It was an unforgettable night.

……

[Status]

Name: Isaac

Lv: 63

Gender: Male

Year: 1st

Title: Freshman

Mana: 3200/3200

– Mana Recovery Speed (C)

– Stamina (B-)

– Strength (B-)

– Intelligence (C+)

– Willpower (A+)

Potential ❰❰Details❱❱

[Combat Skills]

Elemental Series 1: Ice

– Elemental Firepower (B-)

– Elemental Efficiency (B-)

– Elemental Synergy (B-)

Elemental Series 2 (Locked)

[Owned Skills]

Owned Skills ❰❰Details❱❱

Skill Tree ❰❰Details❱❱

[Unique Attributes]

– Hunter

[Familiars]

Eden (Lv: 55)

Grade: ★3

Race: Magic Beast

Element: Rock

Friendship: 70

Synchronization: 35

Summoning Mana Consumption: 50

Skill Tree ❰❰Details❱❱

Frost Dragon Hilde (Lv: 180)

Grade: ★8

Race: Magic Beast

Element: Ice

Friendship: 5

Synchronization: 0

Summoning Mana Consumption: 20000

Skill Tree ❰❰Details❱❱

‘I need to check on my progress.’

After passing the Trial of Frost, I received treatment in the academy’s infirmary. When asked about what happened, I vaguely mentioned getting injured during training.

When I returned to the dormitory, I fell into a deep sleep. I was so tired.

Morning. Doris Hall, Low-Ranking Dormitory.

Leaning against the window with a cool morning breeze flowing through, I gazed at my status screen while trying to organize my thoughts.

I invested my 6 newly acquired stat points into [Learning Efficiency], which improved my skill mastery and knowledge acquisition rate.

I should be able to raise my [Elemental Firepower] from B- to B grade soon. Thanks to my Grade A [Magic Training Efficiency], my growth was quite impressive.

For reference, many students in Märchen Academy already had high potential in [Magic Training Efficiency]. It was a prestigious institution known for attracting naturally gifted individuals in magic, after all.

Moreover, those students were working hard to improve themselves.

On the other hand, I had only recently achieved Grade A [Magic Training Efficiency].

It was only due to the system feature in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ that I was able to achieve rapid growth through defeating demons.

Naturally, I lagged behind other top-tier characters and Ian, who were innately talented.

Even so, as I progressed through the grades, Isaac Coin would skyrocket. In the first semester alone, I had raised my level by 43, while others might’ve only raised it by a few.

Anyways.

‘I still have a long way to go before I can use Hilde…’

Even though I made a contract with Frost Dragon Hilde.

Without [Hunter] active, I lack the necessary mana to summon her.

My maximum mana capacity was 3200. However, summoning Hilde required an astonishing 20000 mana. The difference between the two was over six times.

Even if I summoned Hilde, the amount of mana required to maintain the summoning would be staggering. It was unrealistic to summon Hilde with [Hunter] inactive.

Well, the fact that I obtained an endgame familiar like Hilde was already a remarkable achievement. It could only be acquired in the later parts of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, but I managed to acquire it early on.

If there’s anything I should be concerned about, it was…

‘I don’t know how to deal with her…’

There was no way I could sit still without talking to Hilde. Moreover, she would likely be in a state of panic. She could probably sense that my mana was incredibly small.

However, I was unable to summon her now, so that was impossible…

There was a way to decrease the necessary mana by reducing the size of the familiar and the amount of mana it could tap into. However, even with that method, I still could not summon Hilde with my current level.

In other words, it was hard for me to even talk to Hilde right now. I had to figure out a solution to this problem.

The simplification of the skill list in the status window seems to be because the number of acquired skills had increased. Now, I needed to press [Owned Skills <<Details>>] to view my skills in detail.

[Owned Skills]

Active

– (★1) Ice Generation (B-) / (★5) Black Ice (B-)

– (★2) Ice Curtain (B-)

– (★1) Cold Divergence (B+)

– (★1) Basic Protection Magic (D+)

– (★4) Frostfire (C+)

– (★4) Ice Wall (C+)

– (★5) Frost Explosion (C-)

– (★2) Snow Pellets (C)

– (★7) Divine Authority – White Night (E) – (Locked)

– (★7) Divine Authority – Everlasting Night (E) – (Locked)

– (★7) Ice Sovereign’s Majesty (E) – (Locked)

– (★7) Absolute Zero (E) – (Locked)

– (★7) Clairvoyance (E)

Passive

– (★7) Psychological Insight

– (★5) Demon Detection

– (★9) Ice Sovereign

– (★7) Flash Freeze – (Locked)

The locked skills were conditional skills. I would be able to use them again once I summoned Hilde’s Frostscythe.

This level of accomplishment at the end of the first-semester was remarkable. I felt pride and excitement rushing over me at the thought that I had completely disregarded the conventional teachings of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.

“Huff… ugh.”

But my mood quickly dropped. It was because of the Frostscythe.

In conclusion, I couldn’t use the Frostscythe with my current body. As soon as the [Hunter] state was released, my mana circuit overloaded from merely holding the scythe. It felt like my blood flow was accelerating, causing my blood vessels to expand and burst.

Not only was I unable to use the Frostscythe’s magic properly, even swinging it would cause my body to freeze.

In fact, wielding it against anything that wasn’t a demon would be equivalent to suicide. It showed just how weak I was.

As expected of an ultimate weapon.

‘Should I give [Clairvoyance] a try?’

There was a strange mana lingering in my right eye. I let the mana flow.

「Clairvoyance (Neutral Element, ★7)」

I felt a peculiar sensation as if another me was created, one that was unrestricted by space and time. I could manipulate this clone with my mind and move it around.

As if I had mastered teleportation, my clone moved rapidly, causing my vision to change with it swiftly. Struggling to focus my eyes caused me to feel dizzy, so I tightly closed them.

The view currently captured by my right eye was of the distant hydrangea garden. It was a weird sensation.

‘Ooh, this is amazing. What’s the limit to it?’

As I continued moving quickly, my vision started darkening. After going a little further, I felt a violent pain in my right eye, with a headache attached as a bonus.

“Ugh…!”

I released [Clairvoyance] and closed my right eye. It hurt like hell… I wondered if this was how it would feel to undergo surgery without anesthesia.

With [Clairvoyance] being Grade E, the name ‘Clairvoyance’ seemed ridiculous, as I couldn’t see very far away.

Indeed, it was an undoubtedly useful and powerful skill, so I should be happy to steadily increase its proficiency over time. However, using it to monitor Alice… seemed to be quite challenging. I didn’t want to experience the Extra Bad Ending No.11, [Sudden Death].

As the pain subsided, I took a breath and lowered the hand that held my eye. Reflected in the mirror was my right eye, which had returned from silver to its original color.

‘I just need to keep training [Clairvoyance]… As for the second-semester scenario, hmm.’

I managed to take out both Leafa the Illusive and Heinkel the Hoarder, who were supposed to appear in the second-semester, early on.

As a result, I had no idea how the second-semester would play out. 

In the original scenario, during the [Four Constellations] arc in the second-semester of the first year, Amy Holloway would use her bloodline ability, [Heart Color Discernment], to see through Leafa’s hidden intentions. Through her actions, Leafa was revealed as a demon, leading to the [Fictional Hell] arc…

‘I’m not sure what’s going to happen.’

The Four Constellations would fight among themselves to win over Ian Fairytale, the light element prodigy, but that was none of my business.

The biggest problem was Heinkel’s absence. He played the role of the joker, creating variables in the first-year second-semester scenario. He would manipulate the situation by pushing Ian into a corner or by letting him escape.

It was unknown how the story would play out from now on. However, what I needed to do wasn’t much different from before, killing demons and preventing bad endings.

I might need to help Ian reach the minimum threshold to progress the scenario, but that was

a problem for after summer vacation when Ian returned.

I waved my arm to turn off my status screen and stared out the window.

Throughout the trial, I felt the Evil God’s mana through my skin and realized something new.

Clearly, I needed to continue training and getting stronger to defeat her, but that wouldn’t be enough.

‘I’ll end up falling behind despite trying to get stronger, so what should I do?’

If I wanted to immediately defeat the servant of the Evil God, Angra Mainyu, I would need to be at least level 200 or possess the light element. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to withstand Angra Mainyu’s crimson mana, and I die.

However, it was safe to say that no human had reached level 200. In the end, the only one capable of defeating Angra Mainyu was Ian, whose light mana could block their magic.

Unfortunately, Ian Faintingtale was an SSS-Class Master Fainter with terrible control, which made it much more realistic for me to defeat Angra Mainyu by reaching level 200. Or I could somehow try to recruit a level 200 companion and ask for their assistance.

But there was also the Apocalypse Dragon Azhi Dahāka and the Black Flame Legion that must be stopped.

Of course, gathering power was always in the back of my mind, but… it seemed I needed more power than I had expected.

‘Looks like I have one more task.’

It looked like I needed to attract several powerful allies that were stronger than the current Dorothy before the Evil God’s resurrection.

That will also be a long-term task… 

“Hi!”

“Woah, you scared me!”

Outside the window, a female student suddenly appeared from below.

Seeing a witch hat and purple hair startled me, reminding me of a horror movie ghost. I backed away in surprise.

I thought my heart stopped there for a moment…

“Nyahaha! The President is so funny!”

I’m weak to this sort of thing…

I took a deep breath to calm my emotions and looked at Dorothy Heartnova, floating in the air with starlight mana on her feet. “Oops” she said, adjusting her posture and sitting on the windowsill, her legs stretched into my room.

She was dressed in casual attire that showed off her fair shoulders. It was nice to see in the morning.

“Senior, this is the men’s dormitory. You shouldn’t be here…”

“Don’t worry, I already have the maximum penalty! There’s nothing more to lose!

She answered cheerfully while puffing air. It didn’t sound like something to be proud of.

“What are you doing today, President? Let’s hang out.”

“I have to practice magic. There’s no time to play.”

Dorothy widened her eyes and glared at me.

“Training Freak.”

“Are you going to scold me?”

“If you don’t want me to, let me disturb you.”

“Now you openly admit that you’re going to disturb me… You usually pretend not to.”

“President, this big sis is so sad. This so-called fan of mine doesn’t even want to play with me when I want to.”

“Ugh, it’s because I can’t. Seriously…”

“Ah, you’re back to talking casually again.”

“…?”

As a faint smile appeared on her face, I was left speechless.

‘What is it?’

Did I ever talk to her like this? There were a few times when I did, maybe subtly… once?

I couldn’t fully remember all the conversations I had with Dorothy.

There were probably times when I naturally and effortlessly spoke my mind with her as if the words flowed like water. And, in all likelihood, I wouldn’t even be conscious of it happening.

‘Did she care about such a thing?’

[Dorothy Heartnova]

Psychology: [★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆]

Her psychology wasn’t readable, as usual.

“I’m just kidding. We shouldn’t disturb our diligent President, of course!” 

“But did you need anything? Coming to greet me in the morning and all.”

“I just felt like doing it today, for some reason.”

Dorothy smiled brightly. It was a meaningful smile.

“Nihihi, I’m off for now. See you later~”

“Oh… sure.”

Dorothy wrapped herself in starlight mana and entered a state of weightlessness, floating away into the distance.

I felt strangely… uncomfortable. It felt like her words contained multiple emotions.

For a moment, I scratched my head and reflected on my conversation with her.

…Suddenly, an absurd thought came to mind. It didn’t make sense for Dorothy to have memories of the trial.

I shook my head and changed into my gym clothes before leaving the dormitory.

A cluster of fluffy clouds drifted quietly in the sky. They didn’t look like rain clouds this time.