Chapter 62

EP.62 Ancient Lich, Skeval (2)

Change always comes suddenly.

The routine of any day can be shattered in an instant.

Aphria Academy.

The cradle of learning, located in the capital, is experiencing an unexpected turmoil. It all began with a student fainting.

During an exam, a student collapsed, spitting blood. Then, they vanished without a trace. It is clear that some kind of spell was involved in the process.

- I don't understand.

- The method is different. The system is different.

However, no one knows what the spell was.

- ...We can't track it.

Despite being a gathering of first-rate mages, none of the mages at Aphria Academy can provide an answer to the student's disappearance.

Time passes.

Without knowing anything, time alone continues to flow.

- Dean Aaron!

- Dean!

The chaos caused by the disappearance of one student is already overwhelming, but the incident does not end there.

- ...Five students from the department...!

- This way too! Students are having seizures during class...!

Several more students collapsed.

They did not disappear. Instead, they had seizures.

- ...This is...

A few professors who examined the students' conditions provided an answer. The voices of the professors who spoke were faintly trembling.

- It's the symptoms of mana poisoning.

Even after saying it, they couldn't believe it.

The faculty members express their doubts.

- What the hell is this...!

Mana poisoning in the heart of the capital?

It's hard to understand this phenomenon. Unimaginable events are happening one after another.

- Huh?

And then.

- Look over there!

The nearby forest, the Harmain Forest, began to be covered by a black curtain, pushing the chaos to its peak.

- What kind of barrier is that?

- A barrier! We have a professor of barrier interpretation! Professor Rempel, what is that?

The black barrier is terrifying just to look at. The students step back. The professors also hesitate to approach it rashly.

However, the problem won't be solved just by not approaching it.

Creak, creak.

The barrier grows in size.

It expands. It begins to surge towards Aphria like waves. The speed is alarming.

“...A, Ahaha.”

Seeing the approaching black wave, one professor burst into laughter. The laughter sounds like that of a madman.

“Everyone, run.”

Rempel, the professor in charge of barrier analysis, burst into laughter as he looked at the barrier.

‘Why is this here?’

Rempel realized it immediately the moment he saw the barrier.

What kind of barrier it was.

What it meant for it to appear here.

He couldn't help but know.

“Hurry, run.”

Rempel turned around.

He looked at the professors with trembling eyes.

“That’s...”

Anyone who has delved into the study of barriers would recognize this one. It was a symbol of the greatest enigma.

“That’s the barrier of the ancient lich, Skeval.”

Skeval.

The professors' faces turned pale at the name. No mage is unaware of the weight it carries.

One of the Four Kings of the Demon King's army.

One of the four calamities that burned the kingdom in the past.

‘Why is such a being here in Aphria?’

There is no one to answer this question.

The chaos only grows. Amidst the chaos, Professor Rempel spoke.

“Move, we need to get as far away as possible. We need to move the students...”

Even as he said this, Professor Rempel didn’t think he could escape.

Creak, creak.

The barrier is approaching much faster. No matter how fast they run, it seems impossible to escape from this barrier.

“Hurry...”

Rempel’s voice grew weaker.

The sound of “run” was buried in the chaos and couldn’t be heard.

Rempel looked at the barrier helplessly.

The black wave enveloped Aphria.

And then.

“...Ah?”

Because Rempel had been watching the barrier until the end, he noticed the sudden change.

On the roof of Aphria.

A light flashed there.

Flash!

The flash was instantaneous.

The roof began to crack with a creaking sound. Something was rising from it.

‘...Mana?’

The mana on the roof was in turmoil.

It was different in quality from the surging black wave. The structure itself was different. Radiant mana was gathering.

The surging mana obscured the view.

The figure standing on the roof was hidden by the rising light.

The only thing visible was one thing.

The color of the rising mana was ash-gray.

Crush.

Eventually, the ash-gray and the black wave collided.

BOOM!

With a thunderous roar, the shockwave shook Aphria. The wind made the trees sway. The ground trembled.

“Ugh!”

“What’s that...!”

The professors who were running stumbled.

Some fell. They looked at the origin of the shockwave while lying on the ground.

Crack, crack!

Their gaze stopped at the research building of Aphria.

The roof of the research building, which would be the first to touch the barrier.

“...”

Some stopped, and some sat on the ground, staring blankly at the place.

The barrier approaching Aphria had stopped.

The black wave seemed to be frozen in time, poised to engulf the research building.

Tick, tick.

Eventually, cracks appeared in the barrier.

Crack, crack!

The barrier collapsed weakly.

At its center was a large hole.

Thud.

Someone jumped into it.

Due to the hood, neither the figure nor the face was visible. However, the emblem on the robe was clearly visible even from a distance.

It was originally an emblem symbolizing the Ash-Gray Tower.

Now, it symbolizes one person.

There is someone who recognizes this emblem.

“...Laniel.”

Someone called out the name.

“The Ash-Gray Mage, Laniel.”

2.

Crack, crack!

“Ugh...!”

As soon as she returned from the other dimension to reality, Resti stumbled. She managed to stand by grabbing a nearby tree.

It was partly due to overusing mana, but there was a bigger problem.

‘I can’t breathe...!’

She couldn’t catch her breath.

It was difficult to breathe.

‘Here...’

Resti looked around with trembling eyes. She was in the middle of a forest. Where was this forest? Why was it so difficult to breathe here?

Suddenly, a tree caught her eye.

The bark was unique.

It was smooth without any cracks.

The moment she saw it, Resti realized where she was and why it was difficult to breathe.

‘...Harmain Forest!’

A place saturated with mana.

Resti coughed and sat down. She leaned against the tree and struggled to lift her head.

The ancient lich, Skeval, had already left.

In his place were bone fragments.

“Ugh!”

The bone fragments on the ground emitted a foul odor.

Instinctively repulsed by it, Resti felt nauseous.

Already struggling to breathe, the miasma emanating from the bone fragments made it even harder.

“Ugh.”

Her mind began to cloud.

Due to the saturated mana, everything around her seemed distorted. Her senses were confused, and her eyes were bloodshot.

Thud.

She even began to hear hallucinations.

Thud, thud.

Footsteps echoed in her ears.

Even though no one should be in such a place, the footsteps were getting closer.

Thud.

The footsteps stopped.

Resti looked at where the sound stopped. Something was visible through her blurred vision.

Everything was distorted and warped, but the figure in her vision was clear.

Ash-gray hair fluttered.

Narrow, blue eyes were visible.

“...”

She silently took off the robe she had been wearing and draped it over Resti’s shoulders.

“...Ah.”

Immediately, Resti’s breathing improved.

Although it was still difficult to stand and her senses were still confused, at least she could breathe. Resti called out the name of the person standing in front of her.

“...Professor Lania?”

Lania von Trias.

She bent her knees and met Resti’s eyes. While maintaining eye contact, she slowly raised her arm.

Thud.

Then, she placed her hand on Resti’s head.

The mana that spread from her hand expelled the miasma remaining in Resti’s body.

“Good job.”

A short sentence.

With those words, Resti felt the tension in her body ease.

Thud, thud.

Lania brushed off her knees and stood up. Before moving, she glanced at Resti.

Then, she asked.

“Did you see where he went?”

In response to the question, Resti slowly raised her hand and pointed in a certain direction. The direction Skeval had gone.

She didn’t know why.

The opponent was none other than the ancient lich, Skeval.

No matter how talented this professor was, Skeval was on a different level. He was a nightmare for mages.

‘The Ash-Gray Mage, Laniel.’

Only a legendary mage like him could be a match for such a formidable opponent.

‘Definitely...’

Yet, without a hint of doubt, she pointed in the direction Skeval had gone.

“Thank you.”

A faint smile.

Then, she continued on her way.

“...”

Resti silently watched her retreating back.

Even in the shaking forest, she was vividly clear.

3.

The ancient lich, Skeval, reflects on his life.

A life that has spanned several centuries is long.

Most memories have faded, but there are certainly memories that have not faded over the long years.

Such is the case with his knowledge of magic.

Skeval has devoted several centuries to the study of magic.

He spent