Chapter 179

The snow had stopped.

The blizzard, which seemed destined to last forever, came to an end.

Even more astonishing was what followed.

Drip, drip…

The ground began to thaw, and sprouts emerged.

Snow, over five meters deep, melted away in an instant. Life quickly took root in the soil, transforming the barren, frozen wasteland into a lush green landscape.

It was the color of life, a herald of spring's arrival.

[-Kya-ha-ha!]

The vibrant sprouts spread wider with every peal of the girl's delicate laughter.

Creeeeak…!

With a low rumble, vines erupted from the ground, covering the ruins of the floating fortress. They enveloped the remains of the fallen mages, breaking them down into nutrients.

Where the dead mages had fallen, small trees and massive trunks sprouted in succession. Soon, an area stretching 30 kilometers from the ruins was transformed into a land brimming with spring's vitality.

The air was filled with the scent of blooming flowers and the energy of life.

Whoosh…

A faint green glow covered the land, and sunlight began to peek through the sky.

Though the light was still soft and weak, it gradually grew stronger.

[Laughter echoed.]

[Kya-ha-ha!]

[Ah-ha-ha!]

This was no ordinary being.

A Fairy of Spring, a creature among the highest order of fae, who governed seasons and wielded the power of life itself, had descended.

How could winter hope to persist in her presence?

Even winter had no choice but to retreat quietly.

RUMBLE!

And it wasn’t just the ruins of the fortress or the corpses of mages that were being broken down by the sunlight radiating from the fairy.

Even magic itself was being dismantled.

Magic, while undeniably a mysterious force in this world, paled in comparison to the power of the fae.

Even if magic could conjure natural disasters, no human could ever hope to defeat nature itself.

Just as no mortal could overcome the will of nature, no magic could withstand the fairy’s authority.

Hisssss…

The labyrinth, constructed from thousands of overlapping spells to seal the knight, melted away like snow in the sun.

As long as the fairy willed it, and as long as her anger toward mages burned, it was possible that magic itself might vanish entirely from this land.

“Why does the sunlight feel so welcoming…?”

Whoo…

The knight, who had been desperately plotting his escape from the labyrinth, basked in the warmth and light that now enveloped him.

It was the same sunlight he had always known, but today it felt profoundly different—special, even sacred.

Gone was the biting cold wind; in its place was a warm breeze carrying the scent of life and fresh grass.

It was the smell of spring, a heartbeat of renewal.

As he enjoyed the refreshing vitality of spring, Ihan noticed a gaze fixed on him. He chuckled softly.

“At last, you’ve lost that smug grin.”

“…….”

“How does it feel? Being toyed with by the people you dismissed as insects?”

“……You’re more cunning than you look for a warrior.”

Normally, Ihan might have snapped back with, “What’s wrong with how I look?”

But not today.

Today, Ihan was in too good a mood.

So instead—

“I’m not clever. You’re just an arrogant, delusional idiot who thinks he’s a god.”

“…….”

He struck with nothing but blunt truths.

Turr seemed momentarily at a loss for words.

“…When did it begin?”

Creak…

Even as vines, feeding on his magic, climbed up his body, Turr remained calm and asked his question.

Anyone else might have responded with confusion, but Ihan wasn’t just anyone. He immediately understood what Turr meant.

And so, he replied:

“From the start.”

“…….”

“Before we even came to the Empire, the plan was already in motion. Honestly, we threw it together in an hour and weren’t sure it’d work. Who’d have thought it’d turn out so well? In hindsight, it was a low-odds gamble—about 50/50.”

“…….”

Ihan answered with deliberate clarity, almost as if mocking him.

“Did you know? The only reason the odds were even that good was because of that golden-haired beast you raised. That guy sure can’t keep his mouth shut.”

“…Ah, Huey, that child…”

Turr’s eyes flickered as he finally understood everything.

*****

"We… we kidnapped a fairy! T-ten years ago!"

The golden-haired mage, who had introduced himself as the Tower Master’s apprentice, revealed countless secrets to Ihan under torture.

From the Disappearance of 10,000 People to the Incident of the Winter Fairy, he confessed to things that could shake the entire Empire to its core.

It wasn’t surprising that the Magic Tower had a hand in all these events. After all, mages committing mage-like atrocities was hardly shocking.

But then the mage dropped a revelation that even left Ihan stunned.

“W-what did you kidnap?”

“A… a fairy. The Fairy of Spring…”

“……”

Even Ihan, hardened as he was, was momentarily shaken.

“You kidnapped the Fairy of Spring? You lot?”

The notion was absurd.

The Fairy of Spring wasn’t just any being—it was a creature of a completely different caliber. Revered for its dominion over seasons and its powers of renewal, the Fairy of Spring was still worshiped as a god in some places.

That mere mages could abduct such a being, let alone keep it sealed for over a decade, was both shocking and nearly impossible to believe.

Even knowing of the existence of an archmage, Ihan couldn’t fathom how such a feat could have been achieved.

It was only after hours of grueling cross-examination, using techniques that tested even the limits of his endurance, that the truth came to light.

“Our master discovered that fairies love pure-hearted children… so he held the lives of 10,000 children hostage to seal the fairy.”

“...You monsters. Worse than beasts!”

“P-please! Stop this! Stop the torture! Aaargh!”

“No matter how much I peel back, it just gets worse!”

Every new piece of information was more horrifying than the last.

How could such beings continue to breathe without being a crime against the world itself?

But despite the horror of it all, this revelation gave Ihan the foundation for a plan.

“We’re going to rescue the fairy.”

“…Are you out of your mind?”

“I’m perfectly sane. The moment we free the fairy, nothing the mages do will matter. Even if the Fairy of Spring’s powers are only half as miraculous as the legends say, we’ll be unstoppable.”

“…I can’t argue with that. But it’s impossible with just the two of us.”

Raq had initially opposed the plan. It was far too unrealistic.

Even they couldn’t be certain they could take on the Magic Tower alone.

“Then we’ll just find allies.”

“?”

“Blacky, Taechang… no, Nervous and Chick should do nicely.”

“…You’re insane, you reckless brute.”

“What? I trust them.”

Though Raq cursed at the suggestion of involving the cadets, Ihan stood firm.

The cadets were special. They possessed talents even he couldn’t ignore. If anyone could rise to the occasion, it was them.

And they had proven him right.

“See that? My cadets are this good.”

“Of course they’d succeed. That girl is exceptional.”

“For someone who didn’t trust them, you’re quick to praise.”

“Watch your mouth!”

“Heh!”

The two knights bickered.

Not long ago, they hadn’t even had the strength to speak, yet now they had the energy to squabble.

It wasn’t just the success of the operation that brought them relief—it was the cadets’ performance that filled them with pride.

Sure, Ihan had calculated that Blacky’s involvement would guarantee success, but seeing the results firsthand always felt different from theory.

For Ihan, the most gratifying part wasn’t his plan’s success but witnessing the cadets’ determination and growth.

“Ha! It was a mistake to grant that child so much authority. I kept him around because of his talent, but who knew it would backfire like this? Hahaha!”

The monster’s voice interrupted their satisfaction, and their faces soured once more.

Turr was laughing.

By now, the magic in the area was being converted into nutrients for the land, courtesy of the Fairy of Spring.

Even mages imbued with magic were being transformed into plants, their bodies absorbed into the earth.

Creak…

Turr, too, wasn’t immune. Vines crawled up his body, binding him as he began to take on the appearance of a willow tree.

But despite his predicament, he remained unnervingly composed.

Did he have some hidden countermeasure against the fairy’s power?

He couldn’t.

The fairy’s mystique was so overwhelming that even Aura Users, who stood at the pinnacle of mortal power, were compelled to bow their heads in awe.

Even if Turr had lived a thousand years instead of four hundred, he couldn’t possibly hope to defeat a fairy.

Fairies were not meant to be beaten; they were beings mortals could only hope to be acknowledged by.

For mages unacknowledged by a fairy, today marked their extinction.

That was already a certainty.

And yet, Turr said:

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not so stupid that I don’t realize this is my loss. You’re right—I was too arrogant. And this situation is hilarious, isn’t it? To think I was outmaneuvered by those I thought beneath me. Ah, I really am a fool. I should’ve killed you right away instead of playing around.”

“Shut up.”

“I know. It’s far too late for regrets.”

Turr chuckled, his expression unreadable as his eyes darted around.

The sight made the knights uneasy, and they tightened their grips on their weapons.

The monster’s next move was unpredictable.

“…Tell me, was I truly so weak?”

“?”

“Don’t overthink it. It’s a simple question. Was I, as I am, weaker than an Aura User? Is that why I lost to you?”

“…Is this really what you’re asking right now?”

It was madness.

Even in the face of death, Turr prioritized his curiosity.

It was beyond grotesque—it was repulsive.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Though, to be fair, he had always been repulsive.

“If you don’t answer, I’ll cast a spell toward the nearest city. Even with my magic being drained, I can still destroy one city.”

“…You monstrous freak.”

They knew he wasn’t bluffing.

As much as they despised him, they couldn’t deny his power.

To refuse to acknowledge it would have been just as foolish.

“…You’re strong. In fact, no, I can say with certainty: I’ll never encounter another mage as horrifying as you in my lifetime.”

“Ooh!”

Ihan finally spoke, silencing Raq. When it came to evaluating a mage, Ihan’s judgment was bound to be more precise.

“As for your question about Aura Users, it’s the same. The difference between you and those old masters isn’t all that significant. Frankly, in terms of the breadth of magic and sheer power, you might even surpass them.”

“Then…”

“But you’re weak. Compared to those old masters, you’re overwhelmingly weak.”

“...?”

Turr furrowed his brow, unable to comprehend. How could one be both strong and weak at the same time?

Ihan’s next words cut straight to the heart of the matter.

“Your magic is strong. But you, Turr the man, are not.”

“……”

“It’s not about how strong your magic or swordsmanship is. What matters is the strength of the person wielding it.”

No swordsmanship or martial art in the world is inherently the strongest.

The strongest swordsmanship of an era is simply the one wielded by the strongest swordsman.

Strength is relative, and being ‘strong’ cannot be universally defined.

In that sense, Aura Users were undeniably strong.

They were people who had survived hundreds, even thousands, of grueling battles, proving themselves through sheer determination and resilience.

But Turr?

“You’re not. You’re just a mage who’s lived a bit too long.”

A child with overwhelming power but no understanding of battle or struggle.

A spoiled brat who treated the world as his playground.

Ihan’s verdict was merciless.

“We haven’t lived our lives ‘half-heartedly’ enough to lose to someone like you.

“We fought relentlessly, as long as our hearts kept beating.”

And with that, Ihan declared:

“You’re weak because you, as a person, are weak. That’s all there is to it.

“So now… die.”

Turr stared, dazed.

It wasn’t the weight of Ihan’s words that struck him.

It was a strange sense of familiarity.

‘…Master?’

A memory resurfaced—one he hadn’t thought of in centuries.

"Turr, remember this: You possess the talent to upend the world. In fact, there may be few, if any, mages who can surpass you. That’s how extraordinary your talent is.

“But, Turr, while you may achieve greatness as a mage, you’ll never find greatness on the battlefield.

“You’re not grounded enough for that, and your nature is… too alien.

“Whatever you do, avoid fighting knights.

“Especially the knights of Pendragon.

“As long as the will of the great King of Knights lingers, Pendragon will always produce heroes stronger than you."

“……”

It was an old scolding, a harsh piece of advice from his master when Turr was first taken under his wing.

But now, centuries later, Turr understood.

‘Master, you really were a fine teacher, weren’t you?’

He laughed.

For the first time in four hundred years, Turr realized something:

His master wasn’t incompetent. He was an exceptional teacher.

He didn’t know why, but the realization made him laugh uncontrollably.

‘Ah, I’ve always been like this, haven’t I?’

Born flawed.

Blessed with overwhelming magic but cursed with insatiable greed—a madman destined to take everything.

That was who Turr was.

Crrrrack!

“Haha!”

“You don’t plan on going quietly, do you?”

“Dying quietly just isn’t my style. I mean, I’m already doomed. The fairy’s wrath will send my soul to an eternity of torment in hell. Why not go out with a bang?”

“……”

“Oh, and if you don’t stop me, a city will go up in flames. Like I said earlier, I still… have enough power for that.”

Turr ripped himself free of the vines binding him.

His lower half had already turned into a tree, leaving only his upper body.

But even like this, he used telekinesis to hurl himself toward the knights, determined to cause as much destruction as he could.

Clang!

Boom!

The two knights raised their weapons—sword and spear—without hesitation.

“I’ll finish him.”

“No, I will!”

Neither wanted to miss the chance to deliver the final blow.

BOOOOM!

When the battle was over, the three young knights who emerged from the Magic Tower witnessed a scene that would stay with them forever.

A bloodied Ihan stood, gasping for breath, his sword buried in Turr’s neck and heart.

Beside him, Raq stood, his body trembling and scorched, showing the toll of his overexertion. His armor was cracked, his hands bloodied, and his breathing ragged, but his eyes still burned with resolve.