Chapter 155: Epherene’s Time. (3)
The field around them was frozen solid thanks to the [Snowflake Obsidian], shining like a blue jewel as Epherene stared blankly at Deculein.
“Your heart… has stopped?”
It was hard to understand for Epherene; no, it was hard to understand with anyone’s common sense. But, Deculein remained impeccably calm.
“That’s right.”
“…”
A cool wind brushed her neck, causing her skin to prickle. Of course, she had expected this to some extent, thanks to what the future Epherene said, but the shock of hearing it personally was more than she expected. Epherene chewed on her lips but found nothing to say.
“Don’t worry. I’ll live a hundred more years.”
Deculein smirked and put his hand on Epherene’s shoulder.
“Let’s go. There’s nothing good in staying here longer.”
Then, he turned around and walked off. Epherene watched him and followed a moment later.
“Where are you going, Professor?”
“I have a lot to teach you.”
“…What?”
Each word from Deculein was bewildering. Not only his kindness but also the warmth in his tone were very unusual for him.
“You’ll know if you follow me.”
“…Yes.”
Epherene walked side by side with him. He was even considerate in slowing his stride.
“…”
Even that was quite strange. Nevertheless, Epherene began to imagine what would happen shortly as she followed.
*****
Sophien opened her eyes.
Brrr—
Her eyelids were shaking strangely. It meant that she needed more sleep, so she closed them again.
…No. Sophien opened them again. Then, she turned her head. There was a man in the chair next to the sofa she lay upon. Deculein.
“You… what are you doing?”
She was still half-asleep, but Sophien mumbled the words. His answer was short.
“I’m protecting Your Majesty.”
“…”
Deculein was looking at her. In a proper posture like some show of force, but other than that, he wasn’t doing anything. Still, Sophien felt burdened by his gaze.
“…Hmm.”
Tik—Tok—
“Brrrrrr…”
The only sounds were the clock ticking ever onward and the blizzard knocking on the window. Should I sleep more, or not? Sophien was thinking about it but eventually pushed herself up.
“…?”
Then, Deculein’s eyes widened for a brief second as the notification of completion for a quest popped up. He received store currency just from waking her up. Certainly, the Emperor was someone filled with quests.
[Achievement Quest: Emperor’s Cough]
◆Completion of Achievement: Waking up Emperor Sophien.
◆ Store Currency +1
Sophien spoke while Deculein hid his satisfaction.
“Deculein.”
“Yes.”
Sophien looked out the window. A snow-covered landscape greeted her, but she wasn’t used to it. For some reason, she felt as if the whole world had been turned upside down. Feeling ticklish, she belatedly realized this was the first time she had slept in a place other than the Imperial Palace.
“…”
Sophien looked to the ever-calm Deculein again.
“Deculein.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s play Go.”
“Yes.”
Deculein nodded and prepared the board and stones using Psychokinesis. Sophien sat up. She came from the North using the investigation as a pretext, but the truth was, this was her real purpose. This game tests one’s brain and the joy of meeting someone strong in an otherwise sloppy world.
Deculein, this guy, would forever be her opponent in the game of Go…
“I was white last time, so I’ll take the black stones this time.”
“Do as you please.”
Sophien placed the white stones down in front of her.
“Don’t we need a referee?”
“Hey!”
A knight rushed in at Sophien’s call.
“Yes! Kindegel-“
“Be our referee.”
“Be a referee…”
“Just stand there. I’ll count the seconds.”
“Yes!”
Immediately after, Sophien raised her eyebrows and looked at Deculein.
“Start.”
“Yes.”
Tak—
Deculein immediately placed the first piece in the lower right corner. Sophien mirrored him, making her first move in the upper right corner, then Deculein chose the lower left corner. It was an obvious early-stage strategy.
“Professor.”
Sophien spoke after the 8th move.
“Yes.”
Deculein answered as they continued. Up until this point, the situation was divided between the north and the south. Deculein’s black stones claimed the southern position, while Sophien’s white stones dominated north.
“So you’ve been to the Imperial Palace Library.”
But, in the next ten moves, Sophien rushed to Deculein’s position. In an instant, the white stones reached the lower right corner and began their assault.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Then, Deculein advanced to Sophien’s upper right position, not one to avoid conflict. It was a bold move, truly worthy of Deculein’s pride.
“Why?”
“The Imperial Palace contains the history of the continent.”
Already they reached the 24th move. Sophien placed a white stone in the middle of the black stones. It was an aggressive move, but Deculein responded calmly without allowing himself to be intimidated. He blocked the path where Sophien was likely to move.
“What did you want to know about its history?”
Even as he answered the question, their game never stopped. The ferocious battlefield now moved from the right side to the lower-left corner. Sophien’s special force continued to fight fiercely on the 27th, 28th, and 29th attacks.
“Did you want to know about the giant? Or…”
However, the Professor remained unflustered. He responded calmly without distraction. He wouldn’t fall for such a trick. To express his spirit in one word, it was… refined.
“Did you want to know about me?”
‘I want Sophien to be happy.’
Those words remained engraved in Sophien’s head.
“…Your Majesty. There’s no difference between a dream or a memory for me.”
Suddenly, Deculein mentioned something strange. Sophien looked up at him.
“When I dream, I regain my memories from the past.”
Since he was the body of an Iron Man, three hours of sleep a week was enough. However, all the memories that appeared during those three hours came from Deculein’s past. But, one day, he dreamt of a time that had already disappeared.
“But sometimes I have memories of things that I haven’t experienced.”
Sophien placed the 26th white stone. The 52nd move fell with a loud thud. Deculein’s brow wriggled as Sophien smiled.
“Ahaha.”
It was a powerful move, to the point that she was proud of herself for coming up with it. Sophien was shaking, looking as if she were shimmying her shoulders, but her expression remained as cold as usual.
…At that moment.
“In those memories, I was with Your Majesty.”
Tak—
Deculein spoke with the 53rd move, causing Sophien’s body to stiffen. There was no change in the state of the game. The 52nd move raised the white stone’s chance of winning exponentially, and if it continued like so, Sophien’s victory was clear.
“It has been a long time.”
“…”
“I don’t remember much, but Your Majesty was young, and I was alone.”
Sophien hid her expression. This was one of her defense mechanisms. If he brought up the past world into the current world and had regrets from that world that has already passed and left, she would only feel like committing suicide. That past world was already gone.
This Professor…
“…It’s a shitty dream.”
“Is that so?”
“Let’s just play. You’re about to lose.”
Sophien quickly pointed to the board. Deculein answered calmly.
“My chances of winning don’t look very high. Unless Your Majesty makes a mistake.”
“If so, did you say something weird on purpose so I would make a mistake?”
“That’s up to you to decide, Your Majesty.”
“…Arrogant jerk.”
That’s what she said, but Sophien felt quite nervous. Some time ago, Deculein mentioned something to her about a vanished world. The Deculein then wasn’t the Deculein now, but she vowed to remember him. She also wasn’t one to forget her vows…
Boom—!
A roaring explosion shook the tower from outside. The Knight escort shouted.
“Your Majesty—! Quickly-“
“Shut up.”
“…”
“It’s not a big deal. Go outside and have a look.”
“But, Your Majesty-“
“Deculein.”
Sophien continued.
“Will you be able to make sure that this match continues smoothly?”
“If that’s what Your Majesty wants.”
“…”
Nineteen pieces of wood steel rose from behind Deculein.
Gooooong—
The wood steel pursued the source of the attack. The Knight looked at Deculein, nodding.
“…Yes, I understand.”
The 7th strongest in the Empire and the Emperor’s bodyguard. The Head Professor of the Tower, Deculein, was reliable.
“Follow my steel.”
“Yes.”
The Knight raced along after the wood steel.
“…But, are you alright? It seems to be a surprise attack aimed at Your Majesty.”
Sophien smirked.
“It’s fake. Even if it were real, it’d only be those weak guys. It’s just to hide their real intent.”
“If it’s a pretext…”
“It’s obvious. I expected it since I’m here in the North. If some are caught attacking me, they will leave evidence about their background before they die. They want to play with me, those lowly bastards.”
Tak—!
Sophien continued with the 78th move. It was still a tight match, but after the 52nd move, the game was leaning towards her more and more.
“I see.”
“Well. You said that you have a disciple before. I still haven’t seen her. What was her name?”
“Epherene. It’s Epherene Luna.”
Then, Sophien’s brow furrowed.
“Epherene… was given the wrong name. It means drop. Why would you name someone as a drop?”
Epherene meant a drop in the rune language.
“…”
Deculein moved without saying a word.
Tak—!
There was an unusual echo with the 79th move.
“…!”
Sophien watched in shock. She wasn’t aware of it at first, but the more she thought about it, the stronger the meaning of the moves became.
“Oh.”
The black stone cut the front line in half from the center. It was a fatal point that surrounded the white stones on the right while giving up on the left side that had already died. This was comparable to Sophien’s 52nd move, and it was an art-like gamble that even hundreds of her subjects couldn’t come up with even if they worked together.
Such a beautiful picture. Sophien, admiring it vacantly, smiled.
“That’s interesting, Professor Deculein.”
Deculein looked up, meeting her eyes.
“I never thought I’d say this in my life.”
The only fun game in this boring world and the best opponent to push her to the limit with a fantastic play. She didn’t know if it was just a good game or the opponent.
“I’ve never felt this happy before.”
At this moment, this new art on top of the board that they felt together was enough to be called happiness…
*****
One day, two, three, four… Epherene spent time with Deculein. To be exact, the future Deculein. In that time, she had learned a lot from him. Not only expanding her magical thesis but also mana breathing, efficient exercise methods, physical training, and more.
She was growing used to this Deculein, and she could also clearly see her growth and development.
“Follow me. I have something to show you.”
Deculein called to Epherene.
“Today?”
In their simple but tidy cabin, Epherene, who was polishing her fishing rod, tilted her head and looked back. Now, she was even talking back to him.
“Isn’t it too cold today? It’s also night. I thought we were going fishing tomorrow?”
“Come.”
“…Yes.”
Epherene went outside with Deculein. He led her through snowy nature. But, the road was almost frozen, and a piercing wind shook her. Epherene grabbed her hair as it whipped about.
“It’s so cold! It’s windy, too!”
“It’s not far. We’re almost there.”
Step, step-
Epherene struggled to walk. The farther she went, the more she became stuck in the snow until it was up to her knees. She couldn’t even see an inch ahead because it was dark.
“There it is.”
Deculein pointed somewhere, and suddenly she could see a small fire and fence beside two rocking chairs.
“Sit down.”
Deculein sat down first. Epherene staggered into the empty chair beside him.
“Why are we here… it’s freaking cold.”
“Look up.”
Epherene pouted and turned her gaze upward. Then, she was lost for words. Admiration flowed from her wide-open mouth.
“…Wow.”
Above her was a sky full of stars, moon, and clouds. Their spot was like some observation deck where you could stargaze without any interference.
“This view… oh?”
Looking at the stars, she suddenly thought of something. An electric current rushed through her brain, even reaching her fingers.
“Professor!”
Epherene quickly looked back to Deculein.
“You know, wouldn’t I be able to go back and forth?”
“…Back and forth?”
Deculein frowned while Epherene nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes, yes! You said that the comet was the problem. Then, there must be a record of them from the past! This is the future! Then, wouldn’t I be able to come back every time there’s a shooting star?”
Objectively speaking, it was a very quick generalization, and it lacked magical logic. But, Deculein didn’t feel any need to point it out maybe, because it was close to the truth.
“So, you want me to look after you every time you come?”
“What? No! No! I’ll have grown up more next time, of course.”
“…”
Then, Deculein produced a document. Epherene took the paper with wide eyes.
“…Oh?”
[An Investigative Report on Celestial Activities in the North for the Past 10 Years]
“What! You already knew about it?!”
“Hmm.”
Deculein smiled lightly and buried himself in the chair. Epherene grinned with excitement as she calculated the date of the next shooting star.
“Oh! It’s in ten days! There’s also one after a couple of months! I think I could go back and forth two times.”
“Don’t be so sure.”
“But still. If it’s possible, I’ll come back twice!”
“…You don’t have to come back.”
Deculein shook his head.
“I also have somewhere to go.”
“Where?”
He smiled silently. Then, he put his hand on top of Epherene’s head.
“My foolish student doesn’t need to know.”
“…”
Epherene continued to stare at Deculein, realizing all that was different about him. The future Deculein was in a robe, not in a suit just like before, and his smile right now was full of sorrow.
“Uhm…”
Epherene had a lot of questions. Why his heart had stopped, what happened in the future. What happened to Sylvia, and where did Drent and Allen go.
“…Yes. I’m still foolish.”
But she didn’t ask. She thought she shouldn’t.
“Epherene, look at the sky.”
Deculein pointed up. A comet streaked across the distant sky, releasing enormous mana with its glimmering tail.
“Oh?!”
“I saw signs of celestial activity last night. I thought it would be tomorrow, but fortunately, it came early.”
“…”
Epherene looked to Deculein again. She was a bit sad and teary. But soon, she shook her head and forced the words out.
“It’s alright. I can come back soon.”
“Really?”
The future Deculein offered her a bright smile. He patted her on the shoulder like he was proud. Then, as the comet continued to streak across the sky-
Woooooosh—!
The flash of mana sparkled like lightning, coloring the whole world with its radiance.
“…Ugh!”
Immediately after, a shock set her head trembling. Epherene held her temples, stumbling in pain until she-
Tak-
– ran into Deculein’s shoulder.
“It’s alright.”
He glanced down at her. The cold wind vanished, a warmth now surrounding her body. His presence appeared to be filling the area.
“Rest comfortably. When you wake up after a short break, it will be the old days again.”
“Ugh… yeah…”
Epherene slowly closed her eyes. As if the pain had already disappeared, a small smile came to her mouth. Her whole body was warm, like she was lying under a cotton blanket.
…After a while.
When she opened her eyes again just as he said-
—Oh! That’s Epherene!”
Epherene was lying near the lake.
“Epherene! Epherene!”
A cold day and starry dawn.
“Leaf! Leaf!”
“Epherene~!”
Epherene looked blankly to Allen and Drent screaming from afar.