Episode 167: The North #7
“Ugh…”
Yohan opened his eyes.
His entire body ached as if it had been shattered. It felt like his bones had been crushed.
‘My condition is a mess.’
His mana circuits were in tatters, and he wouldn’t be able to use magic unless he got sufficient rest. It was inevitable after using mana manipulation to block the explosion.
‘The headache is no joke either.’
His brain screamed in pain. His vision was blurry. He had pushed himself too hard during the process of the barrier’s destruction and recreation. Because of that, his brow and the bridge of his nose burned. Soon, he would have a nosebleed.
“Phew.”
But he couldn’t afford to rest leisurely. He needed to notify others of his return as soon as possible. Yohan slowly sat up and calmly observed his surroundings.
‘Where am I?’
It was a pure white space with no discernible sky or ground. He couldn’t even tell if it had an end.
“You’re awake.”
A voice rang out. Yohan turned his head toward the direction of the sound.
A woman stood there, her expression completely unreadable.
“…The Celestial Mage.”
“Call me Hedeia.”
Hedeia slowly rose from her seat. She had been sitting in midair—it seemed to be a makeshift chair created with mana.
“…Hedeia, where is this place? Did you bring me here intentionally?”
Yohan asked, his tone laced with thorns.
The Hedeia standing before him—the Celestial Mage—was merely a lingering thought filled with resentment.
Hedeia slowly stepped forward, approaching Yohan.
“Don’t be so wary. Unlike the version of me you encountered before, I still have my personality intact.”
Yohan took a slight step back, his eyebrows drawing together.
“So you’re saying you’re the real Hedeia.”
Hedeia gave a small smile and nodded.
“That’s right. The one outside is merely a remnant driven by resentment. Not a person. More like a replica—a projection that mimics me.”
She continued speaking.
“I was the one who brought you here. If you had stayed there, you would have died. It was an incredibly reckless plan. A suicide mission, really.”
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about. According to my calculations, I could survive.”
“No, you would have died if I hadn’t intervened.”
Hedeia’s voice was firm.
“That magic carried a massive amount of void energy. Even if it was your own mana, taking a direct hit from it and surviving was impossible.”
Yohan couldn’t understand. He had survived battles with the Tower Master. This shouldn’t have been any different.
“You look like you don’t believe me. Fine, let me explain.”
Hedeia spoke slowly, as if giving a lecture.
“You pushed yourself to the limit, pouring all your mana into destroying the snowy mountains. You barely had any mana left. On top of that, the area was filled with dense dark energy. Do you understand now?”
In other words, he didn’t have enough mana left for proper defense, and the environment itself was dangerous.
“A place thick with dark energy is like a forest covered in poison mist. If I hadn’t pulled you out, you would have died before the officers even found you.”
“…I see.”
Yohan accepted the explanation. It had been a foolish mistake. In his haste, he hadn’t accounted for all variables. He should have realized that the conditions were completely different from before.
“Then let me ask you something. Why did you bring me into your Mindscape domain? You didn’t do it just to save me, did you?”
This place was Hedeia’s Mindscape realm. Everything here followed her will—including the flow of mana.
“I had something I wanted to ask you.”
Hedeia took a deep breath before continuing.
“Do you truly feel no sense of betrayal from Francia Fervache and Rudbeckia Freeche?”
“Not at all.”
“Why not? They deceived you.”
She pressed further.
“No matter how earnestly you beckoned them, Francia Fervache restrained you for her own selfish gain. Rudbeckia Freeche also tried to deceive you. Doesn’t that make you angry?”
From a different perspective, it was something to be upset about.
However, Yohan didn’t mind at all.
It had been a bit troublesome, sure. But in the end, two beautiful women had liked him enough to transcend time itself for him. If he thought about it simply, it was practically a reward.
“Well, I don’t feel angry. In fact, it’s a good thing. Even though things got complicated, it all worked out in the end.”
“…I can’t understand you.”
Hedeia shook her head as if baffled, letting out a deep sigh.
“I suppose you wouldn’t understand. Your circumstances were different from mine. It’s only natural that we would reach different conclusions. But I understand your thoughts now.”
She seemed to have reached her own answer.
“There’s no reason to continue this conversation any longer. You should return now. Ah, my lingering thoughts will naturally disappear since the beast of the snowy mountains has been vanquished. That place was the anchor for my regrets. No one will stand in your way anymore.”
Just as Hedeia was about to wave her hand, Yohan hastily spoke.
“Wait, I still have something to ask.”
“What is it?”
Her hand stopped midair.
Yohan quickly pressed on.
“The rift in the North is much stronger than anywhere else. I wonder if it’s because of your presence. Could the emergence of the demonic lairs be related to you?”
This was information he could only obtain now. He had to ask.
“That’s not the case. The rift is a law created by the world itself. It will continue to appear. It can be eliminated, but it cannot be stopped.”
Just like physical laws exist, just like gravity exists, the rifts would continue to manifest.
“Is there no way to stop the rifts from appearing at all…?”
“No. Even I gave up trying to understand them. It was beyond human reach.”
If even an Celestial Mage couldn’t solve it, there was no point in pursuing it further.
“Are your questions finished?”
“One more.”
“Speak.”
“…What will you do now?”
She slowly closed and reopened her eyes before answering.
“I have existed in this realm from the beginning, and I will continue to do so. Always, just as I always have, I will simply observe this world—to seek the answer I could never reach.”
Hedeia still regretted the past and was searching for her answer. It was fitting to call her a mere observer of this world.
“I see.”
“Are you done?”
“Yes.”
“Then it is time to part ways.”
With a flick of her wrist—
Hedeia traced the air with her fingers, and space itself split apart.
“Yohan, I will be watching to see how your story ends.”
***
Yohan emerged from Hedeia’s domain.
The place where the explosion had occurred was now a hollowed-out semicircle, devoid of any trace, leaving behind only emptiness. Even mana had ceased to exist.
‘So this is why Hedeia said he wouldn’t survive.’
Seeing that nothing remained, it was clear this was far stronger than his battle against the Tower Master. Well, considering he had poured In much more power than before, it was only natural.
“Director!!”
A voice rang out. Yohan turned toward the source of the sound. A warrior was shouting from the edge of a cliff-like wall.
“I’m fine, take your time coming down!”
The warrior shouted something else, but the distance was too great for Yohan to hear clearly.
‘It’d be faster if I went up.’
Yohan loosened his body. His condition was far from ideal, but he could still manipulate mana. That should be enough to ascend.
Slowly, his body lifted off the ground. Even with such simple mana control, sweat beaded on his forehead. His brain was steeped in exhaustion. But it wasn’t impossible.
He rose to the top, where warriors were rushing toward him. Seeing that they had brought a carriage, they must have realized his condition wasn’t great.
Soon, the warriors arrived, and Francia ran up to him.
“Yohan!!”
She threw herself at him, burying her face against his chest. Only after hearing his steady heartbeat did she finally feel at ease.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Yohan patted Francia’s head and asked.
“I’m fine. What about you?”
“I’m fine too. I had some unexpected help.”
Even so, Francia didn’t seem convinced. Her trembling eyes scanned Yohan’s body. He was covered in dust and had rolled through the snow, but he wasn’t injured.
“I’m so glad… truly…”
She pressed herself even closer against him. Yohan let out a small laugh and embraced her.
“It’s alright now. Let’s head back. There’s something we need to talk about.”
“Something to talk about?”
“About how you crossed time.”
Her eyes widened.
“How do you…?”
“I saw your memories.”
“…”
At that moment, Francia’s heart pounded violently. A wave of guilt and relief washed over her all at once.
Worried that Yohan might resent her, Francia felt anxious. After all, she had deceived him in a way. Her eyes wavered with uncertainty.
She looked into Yohan’s eyes. Reflected within his deep blue gaze was herself—without any sign of blame or resentment. Her lips trembled.
“You don’t need to worry, Francia. That won’t happen. I don’t feel betrayed or anything like that.”
It was Yohan himself who had given her another chance when she had given up on everything. He had been the one to offer his help.
Francia had only ever truly cared for him.
“So, don’t cry.”
Clear tears rolled down her cheeks. Yohan gently wiped them away with his fingertips.
“Everything will be alright.”
Then, he smiled softly.
Francia swallowed her uneven breaths and returned his smile.
“…Okay.”
***
Fervache Territory
The purification of the demonic lair had been temporarily halted. The mages had exhausted their mana from performing large-scale magic, and Yohan himself needed time to recover.
As a result, Yohan, Francia, and Rudbeckia gathered in the inn’s reception room.
The explanation was kept brief. Yohan recounted how he had met the Celestial Mage in the snow-capped mountains, read Francia’s memories, and learned the truth.
Then, Yohan spoke.
“Rudbeckia, first, I want to apologize to you.”
“…To me?”
“Yes. I ignored you, my wife, and only thought of myself.”
It had been a mistake. Despite having a family and a noble house to protect, he had acted selfishly.
“Oh, but I don’t mind? In fact, I think things turned out for the better. Because of this, I was able to be truly loved by you. I like how things are now.”
Rudbeckia smiled awkwardly. She wasn’t bothered in the slightest. After all, her relationship with Yohan had changed completely from how it had been before the regression.
“And, Francia.”
“Y-yes?”
“Thank you for trusting me.”
Yohan smiled gently.
“For not breaking down, for coming to find me, and for caring about me… I am grateful for it all.”
Francia bit her lip, clenched her fists, and trembled.
“I should be the one thanking you… It was my selfishness…”
Tears streamed down her face.
Of course, she had expected Yohan to say something like this. But hearing it directly was entirely different. A surge of emotions overwhelmed her, as if the guilt she had been carrying was finally dissolving.
“I told you not to cry.”
Yohan chuckled softly as he reached out his hand.
He gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
“I am happy to have met you, Francia, Rudbeckia, and Rudella.”
There was not a single lie in his words.
“So now, just focus on living happily. The wedding is soon, after all.”
How long had she waited for this moment, for these words?
Francia struggled to hold back her emotions. She wanted to burst into tears, but she knew she had to smile.
“…Alright!”
With tears still in her eyes, she smiled brightly.