Book 1 Chapter 858
858.
Karl stroked his chin, looking at himself in the mirror.
“Don’t you think future me has become quite handsome?”
At his words, Chelsea furrowed her brows.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“No. I’m quite satisfied with my future appearance.”
Chelsea snorted, crossing her arms, as she watched Karl smile brightly.
“Even so, it’s still you.”
At Chelsea’s somewhat sharp reaction, Karl looked at her with pitying eyes.
“Chelsea. There’s no need to react so disapprovingly just because your future appearance isn't what you wanted…”
“I like how I look!”
Chelsea yelled, flaring up.
Karl, whose hair was neatly slicked back, was a bit taller compared to his original appearance.
His body was also so well-built that one would believe him to be a seasoned warrior rather than a mage.
His face exuded a sense of experience.
Chelsea was different too.
Her height, to begin with, was distinctly different from her original appearance, where she was teased as a ‘little kid’ by her rivals.
Her long, slender limbs gave her good proportions.
Her face, too, was no longer that of a prim girl, but a beautiful woman who would draw admiration from anyone who saw her.
However, one particular part had not grown.
Seeing Karl continue to send pitying glances, Chelsea choked up and delivered a dropkick towards him.
Crash-!
“Cough?!”
In an instant, Karl was thrown horribly, like a tree branch caught in a storm.
Chelsea watched him, crossed her arms, and put on a pathetic expression.
“I just kicked you lightly like usual, why did you fly so far?”
“Is what you usually do light?! And what do you mean ‘usual’! You put a lot of power into it!”
Karl said, flaring up.
At his words, Chelsea tilted her head.
Then she held out her palm upwards and cast a spell.
“Wind.”
Kwagagagagagagak-!
It was just a light wind magic, but it raged like a storm.
“Uwaaaaaaaack?!”
Karl, caught in the wind, screamed and grabbed a nearby rock.
Chelsea, who had been silently looking down at her palm, clenched her fist, and the magic disappeared.
“Wow. What is going on? My magic power has increased tremendously?”
It was as if they had truly arrived in the future.
Karl, who had been clinging to the rock, struggled to stand up, watching the surprised Chelsea.
“Magic power increased? By how much?”
“It was a spell I cast intending to create a light breeze, but if it has this much power… it’s literally tremendous.”
At Chelsea’s words, Karl made a puzzled expression and let out his own magic power.
“Ooooh!”
Karl’s face showed excitement.
“Why?”
“My magic power has increased tremendously too!”
Karl, clenching his fists, emitted magic power.
“I can do anything! I can’t believe my magic power is this strong!”
Karl showed a genuinely happy expression.
Karl's strengths were his keen insight to quickly grasp the battlefield and discern enemy weaknesses.
And based on his analysis of enemy attacks, he would formulate tactics that maximized his allies' strengths.
Literally, an amazing ability as a support commander.
Indeed, Karl had proven his worth on the battlefield many times.
The gods themselves acknowledged him as a human worthy of the title of hero, so there was no doubt about his abilities.
Karl was well aware of his own abilities.
Even so, as a mage, he couldn't help but envy his classmates who could profusely cast large-scale magic.
In such a situation, gaining an unimaginable amount of magic power, he couldn’t help but be excited.
Watching the joyous Karl, Chelsea wore a slightly pitiful expression.
‘It has increased… but it doesn’t seem to have increased that much.’
It was at most enough magic power to cast one grand spell.
Chelsea, who allowed the genuinely happy Karl to enjoy his joy for a while, began to assess the current situation.
‘By the way, what exactly is this situation?’
An unidentified bright light.
It was certain that they had been exposed to Fairy King Shilrod's magic.
‘Fairy Kiya said it wasn’t within the range where the magic was cast yet?’
Nevertheless, they had been caught in the Fairy King's magic.
‘There's usually only one case where a spell’s range suddenly expands.’
When the magic goes out of control.
Considering that the caster is a mage who has lived for 5,000 years, it was perplexing.
A slight unease settled on Chelsea's face.
But she soon took a deep breath and maintained her composure.
‘Fairies were particularly good at illusion magic, wasn't that right?’
Leo’s sworn servant, Kirian, also often played tricks on Lumen students with illusion magic.
Chelsea and Karl, suddenly appearing in their future forms.
‘Then this must be an illusion showing our future selves. Usually, such illusions show what one desires.’
That’s why Chelsea and Karl had become adults.
‘…Is this really what I desire?’
Chelsea subtly stroked her chest and shook off the thought.
‘Anyway, this is illusion magic.’
Chelsea aspires to be a Battle Mage.
And the Rwalin family is a group with a different philosophy than the Magic Tower.
If the mages of the Magic Tower are scholars, then the mages of the Rwalin family are warriors.
Compared to the Magic Tower, they are a group of mages who research how to efficiently defeat enemies rather than focus on magical research.
But even so, the essence of a mage as a seeker of truth remains unchanged.
While not as much as the Magic Tower mages, Rwalin also produced many excellent magic researchers, and Chelsea, under that influence, always had top test scores at Lumen.
Her depth of understanding in magical formulas was remarkably profound for a young mage.
Even from Chelsea's perspective, the principles of this magic were unimaginable.
A truly realistic illusion magic.
It was as if they had entered the world of heroes.
‘Moreover, they are sharing the same illusion.’
Unlike typical illusion magic where individuals usually fall into their own illusions, Karl and Chelsea were sharing the same illusion.
‘Then that means others are also in this illusion, right?’
Having thought that far, Chelsea let out a hum-! and crossed her arms.
‘Then, is Leo Oppa also in his future form?’
Chelsea, whose thoughts had momentarily drifted in another direction, shook her head vigorously.
‘Perhaps Leo Oppa and Lady Melina are also in this illusion. First, joining up with another party, no matter who it is, is the priority.’
Having thought that far, Chelsea spoke to the delighted Karl.
“Karl. Can you tell me where on the continent we are?”
At her words, Karl, who had been delighting for a while, nodded.
Then he opened a subspace, reached in, and took out a world map and a crystal ball that looked precisely cut in half.
“Whoa.”
Karl, who had flattened the surroundings with magic, spread the map and placed the flat side of the half-moon crystal ball on it.
Then he moved his body to allow the sunlight to shine well.
The crystal ball, collecting sunlight, pointed to a spot on the map.
“It’s the eastern part of the continent.”
“Eastern part?”
Chelsea tilted her head.
Their party had been in the Forest of Illusions in the north-central part of the continent.
But now they were in the eastern part.
“Isn’t it too far? Are the others also around here?”
“Let me check. Let’s see…”
Karl took out three small vials from his subspace.
Each contained a small amount of red liquid.
The vials were labeled with the names Lil, Shia, and Eliza, respectively.
Karl removed the cap of a vial and dripped the liquid onto the crystal ball.
Drip-!
The liquid seeped into the crystal ball, which then pointed to the southern part of the continent.
“Huh? Lil senior is in the south?”
Karl, with a slightly perplexed expression, then dropped the blood of Chen Shia and Eliza.
And looking at the direction the map pointed, he became even more suspicious.
“Eliza and Shia are in the northern part of the continent… more precisely, in the Helgin family territory.”
“Was this why you secretly drew our blood before we left?”
Chelsea wore a curious expression.
“Is it a new invention?”
“That’s right. I was inspired by astrology. Blood contains a person’s information. With this crystal made through alchemy, I can find a person’s location. It’s not possible to be perfectly accurate, but I can get a rough location.”
“That’s amazing! Do you have Leo Oppa’s blood too? Let’s try to find him if you do.”
“Unfortunately, its effect disappears after a day from being drawn.”
“That’s a shame.”
Even so, it remained a remarkable item.
“Can you pinpoint locations like this in a small area too?”
“Currently, it’s not possible. It only works on a continental scale. Well, if I interpret Dweno-nim’s alchemy texts and develop it further in various ways, it might be possible.”
It was when Chelsea exclaimed "Oh-ho?" at Karl's words.
Suddenly, a black shadow loomed over the sky.
Kwagagagagagagagak-!
Along with it, a gust of wind swept through.
“What is it?”
“Lady Melina?”
Karl was flustered, and Chelsea's eyes widened.
The sudden gust of wind was the result of a gigantic being flying at high speed.
And that gigantic being was none other than a dragon.
Its overall appearance was that of a silver dragon with silver scales.
But various parts of its body were covered in black scales like patterns, making for a very unique appearance.
Chelsea knew a dragon whose true form was like that.
It was Melina, who had inherited Lysinas’s magic power and thus possessed some characteristics of a black dragon.
Melina, who had rapidly passed over Chelsea and Karl, suddenly changed direction in the sky.
And then flew towards where Chelsea and Karl were.
“What? Did she spot us while passing by so quickly?”
Karl said in surprise, and Chelsea nodded.
“What do you take Lady Melina for? She is the strongest hero in existence!”
Not just a hero, but the queen of the Dragon race, the strongest race.
It wouldn’t be difficult for her to sense their presence.
Melina, who had flown in front of the two, returned to the form of a small girl with a bright light.
Thud-!
Melina, who landed on the ground, had a puzzled expression.
“Chelsea? Karl? Why are the two of you, who should be in the Arhi Kingdom and Helgin territory, here?”
“Huh? It’s been ages since vacation ended?”
Karl tilted his head at Melina's words.
At that, Melina paused.
“Everyone. What are your ages, if I may ask?”
At her words, Karl and Chelsea realized the incongruity and fell silent.
“The age of eternal youth.”
Karl gave a thumbs-up.
He slyly acted like his usual self.
This was similar to how one acted in the world of heroes.
The first principle of conquering the world of heroes.
It was to block outside information as much as possible.
This was an action he took because this illusion felt similar to the world of heroes.
At Karl's words, Melina's eyes widened.
“My goodness! How did the two of you enter this illusion?”
“Oh? Is it really Lady Melina?”
At Melina’s attitude, the two realized she was real and not an illusion, showing surprised expressions.
Karl explained the situation.
“I see. That’s amazing, Karl. To quickly form a party and come to assist with just that information.”
“Haha. Well, it’s what I have to do.”
Karl gave a slightly shy smile, looking at the genuinely admiring Melina.
“Lady Melina, what exactly is this illusion magic?”
Chelsea asked with a puzzled face, and Melina replied.
“According to Lord Leo, he said this illusion magic warps space-time.”
“It warps space-time?”
“Yes. It shows the desired illusion depending on the person.”
“Then why are we sharing the same illusion?”
“Hmm. I haven’t fully grasped the magic either, so it’s just a guess, but… perhaps it’s because we are looking towards the future?”
“The future?”
“Yes. As space-time is warped, one can see illusions of the past or the present. However, I’ve been caught in this magic several times, but I’ve never once seen the past or the present. I’ve only seen illusions of the future.”
Melina gave Chelsea and Karl a moment to process their thoughts, then continued.
“Lord Leo said it was because I wish for the future.”
“Ah, I sort of understand.”
“I don’t understand.”
Chelsea nodded, and Karl scratched his head vigorously.
“To break this illusion, we must find the ‘key’ hidden within the illusion. Only then can we enter Fairyland.”
At that, Karl asked with a puzzled expression.
“Are you searching for that key, Lady Melina?”
At the question, Melina hesitated.
“Why?”
“Actually, this illusion magic is different from any illusion magic I’ve experienced so far.”
“Excuse me?”
“When I was caught in illusion magic, I didn’t properly realize it was illusion magic. It was like having a sweet dream.”
“But you are aware of it now, aren’t you?”
“Yes. That means there’s something wrong with the illusion magic itself.”
At her words, Chelsea and Karl's faces turned serious.
From the circumstances, the magic was going out of control.
It was proof that something was wrong with the caster’s body.
“Crucially.”
“Crucially?”
“Originally, Lord Leo never fell under this magic. But it seems he might be under the spell now.”
Melina had been in the Arhi Kingdom.
But no matter how much she searched, Leo was not within the Arhi Kingdom.
This was the first time this had happened while encountering Shilrod’s illusion.
Melina took out a necklace with a red gem from her pocket.
“This is an item Lord Leo entrusted to me. It's an item that can tell me Lord Leo’s location.”
As Melina traveled all over the continent, she needed to know Leo's precise location, so this item was created.
“So you were on your way in the direction this necklace pointed.”
Melina nodded at Chelsea’s words.
“Then let’s hurry and go find Leo Oppa.”
Melina nodded at Chelsea’s words.
And returned to her dragon form.
-Both of you, get on.
At that, Chelsea and Karl climbed onto Melina’s back.
Whoosh-!
Melina soared into the sky.
When they were high in the sky, Karl asked.
“By the way, Lady Melina. You said this illusion shows one of the possibilities that might happen in the future, right?”
-Yes, that’s right.
“…”
Karl sent a pitying glance at Chelsea.
At that glance, Chelsea smiled brightly, then grabbed Karl by the collar and lifted him.
“You want to dive from here?”
“Hey, hey! If I fall from here, I’ll die!”
“I know. You’ll die.”
“Sister Chelsea! I was wrong! Please save me!”
Karl's desperate scream echoed through the sky.