"When I heard they planned to purge this place, I attacked their base. I couldn’t kill all of them, but I killed their leader and found some information."
Merlin opened his mouth, reached inside, and pulled out a scroll.
He handed it to Isaac.
Isaac took it and opened it.
His brows tightened.
"They know you plan to take the children and escape to the elven territory. Since they can’t enter the elven territory, they plan to ambush you on the way."
The elven territory lay in the eastern part of the kingdom, deep inside the Forest of Journey’s End.
The Forest of Journey’s End might sound like a mythical peaceful forest, but it was completely opposite.
The entire forest, covering the north and east of the kingdom, was made of White Parasitic Trees.
Entering that forest brought guaranteed death.
Hence it was called, ’Forest of Journey’s End’.
End in its name meant ’death.’
There were some myths that said the name of the forest came from the hero and his party who ended their journey in that forest, but the common consensus was that everyone who entered the forest died, thus it was called Forest of Journey’s End.
The only safe place inside the forest was the elven territory. White Parasitic Trees surrounded it from all sides, so no one could enter or attack it.
Isaac planned to use a secret path to enter the forest.
The Human King’s forces learned about his plan. They decided to ambush him before he reached the forest.
"So you came back to help me evacuate the children?" Isaac asked as he looked up from the scroll.
"Yes."
"If you came to learn the safe path through the forest, give up. That path can only handle a small group. Even now, we are pushing the limit by taking all the children. Besides, the elves do not accept outsiders. Convincing them to take the children will already take effort. You cannot use this path to help the citizens escape the purge."
"It’s fine. I already know that."
Merlin stared at the white ceiling. He had a blank expression.
"I will help you evacuate the children through a different route. Then I will return to the nobles. The princess has a plan to evacuate the citizens through the Sea of Brilliance. I will help them after this."
Isaac did not reply right away.
Merlin turned his head, and gave a cheeky smile.
"Are you worried about me?"
Isaac remained silent.
He simply peeled the apple, cut it, put it beside Merlin’s bed, helped Merlin sit up, and left the room.
Just as he was about to close the door behind him, Merlin’s voice entered his ears, "If I die, will you take revenge for me, Isaac?"
Isaac stopped.
He stared at the protagonist.
Him dying?
The overpowered protagonist who was the reincarnation of a Magic God?
If someone asked him before, he would say they were an idiot. Merlin could never lose, let alone die.
But after years of war, seeing Merlin return injured, and more haggard each time, Isaac wasn’t sure anymore.
Perhaps, if Merlin lived selfishly, he would survive the war.
But not like this. Not while he was trying to help so many people.
"I guess your silence answers enough." Merlin chuckled. His eyes dimmed, as if he had been hurt. But he quickly hid that and said with a cheeky smile, "If you were to die, I would definitely take revenge. I’m a good guy, you know? I will take your money thou—"
Isaac closed the door and left.
Merlin recovered after a few days of rest.
Today, everyone gathered their essentials and moved into the basement of the orphanage.
Isaac opened a hidden passage in the basement and started down the stairs that appeared.
The stairs led to a large underground tunnel.
Isaac had built many secret tunnels while digging for InstantSpeak’s Communication Technology.
Some tunnels connected to old tunnels the academy had built during the war with the Third Disaster Army. Others linked to large natural caverns.
These natural caverns formed in two ways.
Underground monster species carved some of them. Others were dried-up Veins of the World.
These massive empty tunnels formed a hidden ecosystem beneath the land. Many monster species lived there.
Isaac had cleared many of them while building his own secret tunnels.
"Follow me," Merlin said.
Isaac, the children, and the orphanage staff followed him. Some children were still infants, so the caretakers carried them.
They moved through several tunnels and reached one that opened into a larger cavern. A river flowed through it, filling half the space.
The river held clear green liquid mixed with glowing white strands.
It was a Mana River.
"Who wants to see a magic trick?" Merlin asked.
"Me! Me!"
The children raised their hands, jumping in excitement.
"Then..."
Merlin opened his mouth and pulled out a piece of paper.
"Do you like boats or cranes?" he asked.
"Cranes! They are beautiful!"
"Cranes!"
"Cranes, Uncle Merlin!"
The children shouted together.
Merlin folded the paper into a crane and tossed it onto the Mana River.
The paper crane grew larger and larger until it turned into a crane-like ship. It floated on the river.
"Wow!"
"Uncle Merlin is the best!"
"Crane! Crane!"
The children cheered.
After they calmed down, the adults helped them board the ship. It had a wide space in the center where they could stand, just like a normal ship.
Merlin looked at Isaac proudly.
"I designed that ship, knowing we might need it one day. It can move as fast as dire horses with no G-force. It can also float on mana river. You should know the liquified mana rivers have low density and nothing can float on them. Everything sinks. But I—"
"Why is the mana river’s level so low? The Low Tide is still thirty years away," Isaac said, cutting him off.
The corner of Merlin’s lips twitched.
He had just presented a huge invention, and Isaac was ignoring it.
He clicked his tongue and spoke, "I don’t know. Low Tides are appearing on all Mana Rivers. Well, it’s good for us. If the entire tunnel was filled with Mana River, we couldn’t use the Paper Ship."
Isaac nodded.
They boarded the ship and sailed.
Isaac’s original path would have taken six months.
With the Paper Ship and the Low Tide, they reduced the journey to one month.
The journey was not easy.
The Mana Rivers did not always flow in the direction they wanted to go.
When that happened, they got off the ship.
Merlin shrank it and stored it, and they continued on foot through empty tunnels.
Sometimes, no empty tunnels or tunnels with rivers were present.
In those cases, they moved along the surface.
After reaching the surface, they went to the nearest entrance of a secret tunnel Isaac had built, then returned underground.
They repeated this process for weeks.
Traveling on the surface was dangerous, but the children always felt happy when they came out.
They especially loved watching the sunrise with Merlin.
The group finally reached the entrance of the Forest of Journey’s End.
Giant White Parasitic Trees stood ahead of them, while a normal green forest stretched behind.
They did not know where the underground tunnels or Mana Rivers led from this point, so they had to continue on the surface.
Still, Isaac knew the path from here, so it was a simple journey.
It should have been a simple journey.
If not for the Knight of Death who was waiting for them at the entrance of the Forest of Journey’s End.
The adults tensed, recognizing the Knight of Death.
One of the caretakers began to cry.
The children started crying too, affected by the caretaker.
Merlin and Isaac stepped forward.
...
Merlin’s POV
"We meet again, Sir Merlin, Sir Isaac," said the Knight of Death. He jumped down from the boulder he was sitting on and walked towards them.
His gaze swept across the children, the caretakers, Isaac, then rested on Merlin.
"Everyone said Sir Merlin had run away, knowing the war was lost. But I knew he would never do that," the Knight of Death smiled.
"Move," Merlin said, his expression frighteningly calm. His mana began to churn.
But inwardly, Merlin was filled with anxious thoughts.
He couldn’t fight while protecting the children. Just the aftermath of the battle would kill them.
"Since you have proved me correct, I must thank you, Sir Merlin. To show my thanks, how about we have a Sacred Duel?" the Knight of Death asked, ignoring Merlin’s command.
Merlin’s brows furrowed.
He couldn’t understand the goal of the Knight of Death.
"What do you mean?" Merlin asked.
"The Sacred Duel will be simple. If you win, I will allow you to take everyone to the Forest of Journey’s End. If I win, I will kill everyone here.
"Of course, the chances of your victory are almost zero.
"So, if you accept the duel, I will allow the people here—with the sole exception of you—to enter the Forest of Journey’s End.
"This way, you will not have to worry about losing and failing to protect these children," the Knight of Death said.
Merlin gritted his teeth.
The Knight of Death was mocking him. he was saying Merlin had no chances of victory. Besides, there was no guarantee that he didn’t have an accomplice in the forest.
Still...
’This is the only chance to protect the children,’ Merlin thought.
...
Isaac’s POV
Isaac felt like his head had been hit by a hammer.
The words of the Sacred Duel spoken by the Knight of Death brought back memories.
[Ending ’Loser of the Sacred Duel’ reached.]
That was the screen Isaac saw when he started this life.
But he never lost the Sacred Duel in his last life.
Until now, he thought that leaving the duel had been counted as losing.
But...
’The ending is not mine.’
’It’s Merlin’s.’
In his last life, he knew that an unknown knight would bring children to the elven forest, and leave.
He knew that Merlin would disappear in the war half-through.
He had seen the screen [Ending ’Loser of the Sacred Duel’ reached.] every time the time was turned back.
He was now able to connect the dots.
’Merlin always rescued children.’
’He always encountered Knight of Death here.’
’And he was always killed in the Sacred Duel that started to protect them.’
’He didn’t disappear half-way through the war. He was killed in an unknown region, and nobody found about it.’
Isaac’s throat constricted.
He always thought of Merlin as overpowered. He always insulted the protagonist as self-righteous, and narcissist.
But in the end, Merlin was always dying in an unknown place. Dying to protect children he barely knew for a few months. Dying alone.
He never got anything in return.
No one mourned him. No one remembered him.
No one thanked him.
Rather than a war hero, he would be known as a coward in the future. Someone who ran away half-through the war to protect himself.
"Merlin, you—"
"Okay," Merlin cut off Isaac, nodding to the Knight of Death.
"Then, you should send these people away," said the Knight of Death.
Merlin nodded.
He turned back to look at everyone.
Some of the adults had started crying. They could tell what was happening. Merlin was sacrificing himself.
The protagonist let out a mock-offended expression.
"Hey, what’s up with you guys’ expression? I will win, okay? I’m strong! Don’t you know what the people call me? The Mage of Miracles!"
The children cried louder, as if they could see though his lies.
"W-wait, why are you guys crying?"
Merlin moved around, trying to calm the children.
"D-Don’t go. Don’t go."
A little girl grabbed his leg. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
Merlin smiled and crouched down.
"I am not going anywhere. So, stop crying."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"T-Then, you will watch the sunrise with us tomorrow too?"
Merlin laughed at the innocent request.
"Of course, I will."
"Promise?"
"Yes, I promise. Now, can you promise me something too? I want our strong Lily to guide everyone through the forest with Uncle Isaac. Can you promise me you will do that?"
"Yes, promise!"
The girl smiled brightly, finally no longer crying.
Merlin ushered everyone to start moving, saying he would follow them soon.
The adults moved after saying goodbye to him. The children made promise to watch the next sunrise with him.
Finally, as everyone moved, only Isaac remained rooted on the spot.
"You need to go with them. Only you know the path through the forest," Merlin said.