Book 17 Chapter 22

The Old Rulers,

Ancient Madness Calling the Sea Wind (3)

Due to Fride's blatant assault on the 'Blue Bloods,' uniquely in the long history, past and future, the gates of <Teranidonia> were opened to outsiders.

That was something only Fride could do.

Fride, the Priestess of the Fire Dragon!

The youngest witch and priestess in history, and a being favored by the Fire Dragon Bel'dakidun!

To show how great a figure Fride was, the only one to break the record for the youngest witch in history was 'Tureina, the Priestess of Ashtray,' who later became her disciple and successor.

Of course, even Tureina had the limitation of not enjoying the title of the youngest priestess in history nor the honor of being personally tutored by the Fire Dragon.

"Dean…"

On the first day of her arrival in <Terbenople>, Rin stopped by the post office to buy stationery.

At that time, turmoil was in full swing, so the postal system could not function normally unless it was a city of considerable size.

As paper prices soared, she crumpled and tore the already expensive stationery multiple times, picked up her quill, put it down…

"Ugh, I'm going crazy."

"Gyung-gyung!"

"Why write out all your feelings? You tiny creature, shut up."

"Gyoo-yung…"

She was at a loss as to how to express her current feelings.

Was this the kind of letter she wanted to write?

"Will I ever become someone who can get angry for others, like Fride?"

"Maybe I have a social disorder. Such a thing might never happen in my life."

"Gyu-ung?"

"Right, if my wavering heart is detected in the letter, the Dean might worry for nothing. Let's just write as usual."

Instead of doing something unbefitting, let's focus on becoming the [Strongest Mage], just like when we first embarked on this journey.

[Dean, today I'm boarding a ship sailing from the Acrad Continent to the Adrion Continent. It seems like I'll be fighting often now. I'll do my best.]

However, for some reason, the usual lively energy didn't seem to be conveyed in the letter.

Still, I guess this is enough.

Rin mailed the letter before the post office closed and then joined her companions.

"Kya-hat, refreshing! This is what a priestess does! This will add a few more pages to my biography that will be compiled later!"

"Kya-hat, kya-hat, kya-hat."

At the [Orca's Butt] pub located on the harbor street, Fride was clinking beer mugs with Keis and shouting.

"Surely you're not trying to hide your embarrassment like that?"

Rin sat in the empty seat her companions had left for her and narrowed her eyes.

"Embarrassed? Not at all, you punk! I'm proud! Not embarrassed in the slightest!"

"Hmph."

"And you, shall I guess where you just came from? You just sent a letter, didn't you? You try to act like an adult, but you're still a child, sending letters. Pyu-pyu-pyut!"

"Shut up."

"What, what, what, are *you* trying to hide your embarrassment like that?"

Just then, the pub owner approached with a chuckle, and laid out a wooden board on the table.

It was a game board! Four pieces and two dice were placed on the square board. And even dedicated currency to use in the game!

"This is a game called 'Land Grab,' brave heroes. You roll the dice and can buy or sell the land you land on. If someone else lands there, they have to pay a toll."

"Simple and good, isn't it?"

"It is, as long as it's not for gambling. People who live by the sea are all rough with their mouths and hands, so we resolve disputes with this. How about the hero party also resolve their fights with this instead of quarreling?"

Fride sneered.

"We'll have to establish some discipline with this. Hey, Rin. The loser of this has to be the winner's minion for a month, okay? If they tell you to crawl on the ground, you crawl; if they tell you to die, you die."

"That's what I want."

"Wait, I want to play too!"

Reesta chose a piece and shouted cheerfully.

"This is a head-on match between the two of us, why are you butting in?"

"Read the room."

Fride and Rin simultaneously gave her a sideways glance! What bullying! But Reesta tilted her head innocently!

"What, is this a fight? Were you two trying to fight just now?"

She was smiling brightly, but sharp blades flashed in her eyes! Fride and Rin almost simultaneously tried to play it cool in the face of mortal fear!

"No? We were just joking around, that's all."

"Guess we can't even joke around."

"Alright, Reesta, let's play together."

But hostility towards each other remained in their gazes, an expression of their will to absolutely crush the other in this match!

"Alright, then, shall we roll the dice?"

Fride rolled two dice onto the board.

If the dice show the same number, it's called a double chance, and you get to roll the dice one more time.

The first die stops spinning! The number, 5! The second die also stops spinning! The number, 4! But then Pipi suddenly appeared!

"Pipi, I misstepped my wing, Pipit!"

Just when it seemed Pipi would fall, it subtly nudged the second die, changing its face to 5! What insane aerial acrobatics!

"Are you messing around?!"

Rin slammed the table with her fist, but Fride whistled.

"This is what you call a natural disaster. And what's the big deal? Thanks to the dice, Pipi didn't get hurt, did it?"

"?"

"Hmph, you're not implying that Pipi should have fallen and gotten hurt without touching the dice, are you? You're really trash."

"???"

"Trash, trash, Rin is Swallow Tribe trash."

"Rin, it's just a game, after all. You shouldn't harbor such bad feelings. It's a relief that Pipi didn't get hurt, above all else. What's the harm in losing a game?"

Reesta, whose heart was so pure that she was sometimes no different from a fool, even joined in! Rin gritted her teeth so hard that 17 cracks seemed to appear on her molars, and composed herself.

"Well, fine, if you decided you couldn't beat me without resorting to such methods, then so be it."

Next up was Reesta!

Reesta's dice showed 3 and 1!

Even though her piece only moved four spaces, Reesta was excited! Playing such a game with her companions was enjoyable.

"Then it's my turn now."

Next, it was Rin's turn!

The first die was 6!

The second die seemed to stop at 2… but then, 'tto-rok, tto-rok,' it unnaturally rolled to both sides and only stopped after showing 6!

"Pipi, arrest that cheating bastard!"

As Fride, with narrowed eyes, shouted, Pipi grabbed Rin's left arm, which she had been hiding behind her back, and pulled it above her head.

"Aww, you useless Sbal, why aren't you blocking it?!"

Sbal felt betrayed by Rin, who had relied on telekinesis instead of his own strength, and remained silent!

On the exposed left hand, an Osarius rosary was deployed! Traces of magic, from using telekinetic spells, even remained!

Fride shot up, enraged!

"How dare you openly cheat like this! Hey, you punk, where do you use beast-man magic like that? Do you really want to beat me that badly?"

"[Strongest Mage] characteristic: Must not lose in any match."

"What a cowardly excuse! Just go and die! They say the sea in front of <Terbenople> is warm and nice today. Seems perfect for jumping in, doesn't it?"

At that, Reesta made a terribly sad and bewildered expression.

"Fride, you're not telling a party member to die, are you?"

"!"

"That's too much. Should I tell Fride to 'Attention!' and then preach not to do that?"

"!!!"

"That's not it. There are so many people watching! Hoo-hoo-hoo!"

This time, Reesta took Rin's side!

This truly was a natural disaster.

One that no one could avoid, and facing it meant death! Fride, stiff all over, urgently replied.

"No, no. It's just a joke. Kya-hahahahahat."

Rin decided to use this moment, where Reesta had taken her side, to overcome the predicament.

"So what are we doing here? I thought we were supposed to set sail as soon as possible."

It was a change of subject!

Then Reesta, who had been urging Fride to roll the dice, suddenly replied with a serious expression.

"We're waiting for the speedboat to be ready."

"A speedboat?"

"If Naga is attacking <Karsiko>, no one knows what dangers might be lurking. So we decided not to get help from sailors when crossing the sea."

"Then who's going to row?"

"Rin will generate telekinetic force and wind, so what's there to worry about?"

"Did you perhaps entrust me with magic or magical power…? I almost said. Don't worry."

Rin hastily retracted her comment before blades could form in Reesta's eyes! A master of psychological warfare!

"Priestess, the ship you ordered is ready."

Just then, the city's administrator entered the pub and bowed his head.

It's as if the statement that Fride is one of the republic's two top figures has become clearly palpable since arriving in this city.

"Alright then, shall we depart! To the Green City, <Karsiko>!"

The night sea view of <Terbenople> was truly… 'exotic' isn't a strong enough word. 'Otherworldly' would be a more fitting description.

This was thanks to Teritos's bridge.

The light emitted by the bridge, more brilliant than any lighthouse in this world, illuminated the entire night sea brightly and warmly, making it as bright as day.

"Good grief, I was going to leave secretly at night because it would be too much of a burden…"

Under that blue light, truly countless people filled the entire city area, from the harbor district to where the sea could be seen, and were waiting.

Was that all?

Even in the dead of night, rescue ships continuously entering the harbor were packed with refugees. All of them sick, injured, and having lost their families.

"It's the hero…"

"Hero…"

"Hero, please…"

All of them knelt, beat the ground, and wailed. No one shouted to end the turmoil or defeat the enemy; they simply cried like that.

"Rin, I will never forget this sight."

Reesta, who had boarded the speedboat first, waved energetically to all those people and said.

"Five years, maybe ten… I don't know how many years it will take, but I wish this city would be smiling on the day we return here. I will fight with such a dream in my heart."

If only she had known that this was the last day and moment she could be with Reesta on the Acrad Continent… Could she have reacted differently then?

She couldn't say anything.

In front of Reesta's grand dream, her own dream of becoming the [Strongest Mage] somehow seemed so trivial. It was her first time experiencing such a feeling.

"Maybe I won't be able to see that scenery."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a hero."

"Is that the reason?"

"So, Rin, please watch. Watch how this city changes."

Reesta, with a significant smile that Rin at the time couldn't understand… a smile that only someone with a predetermined, limited lifespan could make.

And as everyone knows…

It was not the 11th Grand Mage Rin, but Reesta Alte Shirpen, who returned to this harbor and could witness the scene where weeping vanished from the entire city, replaced by joy and peace.