LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 144
– 1 –
Late evening. The training room of Libertus, bathed in moonlight through the magic window.
In that place were not just Libertus, but also her disciple Sonia, the bodyguard and mercenary Xue, and the invited teacher and guest Muir.
“It seems like you’re hitting a wall for the first time, Lady.”
Muir Relix spoke. Her voice was smooth yet chilling, like her azure hair reflecting the moonlight.
“You seem to be enjoying this.”
Libertus shot her a sideways glance.
Muir’s noble manner evoked such an atmosphere, but it was also a reflection of her true nature.
A personality that was definitely not pleasant.
“Did it look that way? My apologies.”
“It’s fine. I’m just as entertained by this as well.”
Despite her personality, Muir couldn’t help but smile whenever she saw this special disciple.
– This is fun!
“That guy.”
‘What I’m enjoying is not the magic, but you.’
A woman of the highest nobility from the Demon World, gently stroking a playful crow while smiling softly.
Every time I looked at her, curiosity bubbled up inside me.
It was my first time teaching a Dungeon Lord as a disciple, and her talent was truly impressive.
Whether it was due to her power as a Dungeon Lord or her own talent, I couldn’t tell yet, but she was certain.
This talent belonged solely to the soul of Libertus.
‘And…’
Aside from such a mage’s curiosity, Libertus was breathtakingly beautiful, so captivating that one might hesitate to approach or touch her.
“May I give you a hint?”
“If you feel it’s necessary.”
Upon hearing Libertus’s response, Muir nodded and raised one hand.
Her azure magical energy began to draw a three-dimensional shape in the air.
“The most important aspects of magic that coordinates with the Spirit Realm, Celestia, are ‘mental strength’ and ’emotion’.”
“Curses, and spirits or phantoms. They all have deep connections.”
“Indeed, you’re wise. The realization of magic relies on emotion, while stability lies in mental strength.”
The shape drawn by the magic wavered like waves, yet the protruding and receding surfaces were sharp.
It was a shape known to Libertus.
‘It resembles a turned graph. But this…’
She quickly realized.
These were merely coordinates representing all spirits or phantoms existing in Celestia.
“By resonating with emotions to summon souls for casting magic, as long as the caster’s mind does not become disordered, they won’t be swept away by the souls.”
“You understand well. And…”
Muir spread one wave over the graph-shaped figure.
The wave shook all its surfaces, disrupting the balance and beginning to create some form.
“This is how the Spirit Realm looks when magic is cast.”
“I’ve seen this before.”
Soon all points converged to a single point, creating a convex sphere that couldn’t be described from any single direction.
“Lady, your mental strength is extraordinarily high. You probably won’t crumble no matter what kind of magic you cast.”
“That sounds nice. But it’s not exactly a compliment.”
– It’s not a bad thing!
At Libertus’s words, Muir expressed her agreement.
The firmness of her mental strength was indeed a tremendous advantage when casting magic based in the Spirit Realm.
Magic utilizing the power of souls would naturally provide feedback to the caster’s soul.
That burden could drive the soul insane, or in severe cases, lead to death.
“In that regard, this soft yet resilient mental strength of yours means you won’t crumble no matter what soul magic you cast. It’s truly remarkably flexible.”
It wasn’t just solid.
It received every shock flexibly and softly, and any wounds that arose healed quickly.
That was the source of Libertus’s mental strength.
“But…”
However, emotions were different.
“Your emotions are sufficiently strong, but they’re not being expressed outwardly. To be precise, they’re not being expressed enough to resonate with the souls of the Spirit Realm.”
The lumpy sphere in Muir’s hand gradually converged, becoming a perfect sphere.
However, that sphere did not move; it merely remained tightly gathered.
It never bounces or explodes.
Just like someone who doesn’t express their emotions outwardly.
“That’s right.”
Libertus simply agreed.
She had felt this fact herself.
While her soul magic was structurally flawless, that was all it was.
She was firmly constructed at the structural level but failed to manifest.
The language the soul speaks is ‘emotion’, but without sufficient emotional expression, the souls could not understand the phenomena she wished for.
“In other words, Lady, you’re essentially aphasic in the eyes of the souls.”
“Aphasia…”
At Muir’s expression, Libertus couldn’t hide the bitter smile that arose.
When she thought of what she had gone through in the past, it made sense that she would be left aphasic.
Such thoughts came to mind.
“You’re stunningly beautiful and magnificent, but since you can’t communicate, the souls will feel frustrated too. They might follow because you create a path through your other magical abilities, though.”
“That may be true.”
Among the magic that has coordinates in the Spirit Realm, fusing it with necromancy or elemental magic to create different phenomena is certainly possible.
Whatever resonance with the Spirit Realm, she’s capable of forcibly stamping and creating a complete phenomenon through her magical talents.
But because of that, she would find it difficult to obtain the complete soul magic she desired.
And she enjoyed magic, found joy in the phenomena.
“… May I take a look inside you, to see the cause?”
“…”
Thus, even though she would normally reject such a statement firmly, she found herself considering it.
Whether it was alright to disturb what might still be asleep within herself.
She wanted to master magic well.
She wanted to have all the magical knowledge available in this world.
That much greed burned within her.
Above all, she already knew that this issue of the heart was something she had to overcome someday.
“Of course, if you still don’t trust me…”
“I’m not foolish enough to not trust someone using it. It’s just…”
She shook her head firmly, then remained still with her gaze fixed to one side like a statue, Libertus.
Then, with a sigh, she uttered a word.
“… It’s just that I’m uncertain.”
– Master, are you lonely?
“No, Mary. There’s no way I would be with you here.”
Seeing her like that, Muir Relix felt her heart swell once more.
This noble woman was wavering.
Though it was faint enough not to be easily noticed.
And a person present here who read that faster and more clearly than Muir was here.
Two of them.
“Master, it’s okay if it doesn’t have to be now.”
“Or should I do it…?”
“Sonia… Xue.”
‘Oh…’
Stepping back a pace, Muir found herself gazing at the scene of the two women who had already approached Libertus’s side.
A wolfman with long white hair and crimson eyes.
A gray-haired sorceress with blue luminescent eyes.
Both of them were watching her closely.
‘This is interesting too.’
As was her habit of placing a hand on her cheek, she assessed the configuration of the three people.
It was evident at a glance.
The two were paying attention to Libertus beyond normal levels.
Two who, if seen ordinarily, would be rivals, were simultaneously surrounding one person.
“Let’s end it here for today. I need to think.”
“Of course, Lady. I will prepare and wait. Whether I am the one to explore your heart, or someone else.”
“Yes. Get some rest.”
“Wishing you a comfortable night.”
As Muir bowed and left, a smile still lingered at her lips.
She had lived a long time compared to the other three present.
Though she felt favor and curiosity towards Libertus, that was merely about a special student.
Given that the direction of affection was inherently different, there was no reason to quarrel with the others.
At least not yet.
– 2 –
“I was rude towards the teacher, Xue.”
From the spot where Muir had left, I feigned a stern look toward Xue.
“But that person… looked at Master suspiciously.”
A slight tremor rippled in Xue’s usually calm eyes.
Not the beastly nature of hers, but an unmistakable vulnerability.
It was merely a performance mixed with a bit of sincerity.
A sigh mixed with my answer slipped out.
“As a teacher, feeling curiosity towards a student is a rather commendable trait, Xue.”
“… I’m sorry.”
“Alright.”
As I drew her in for an honest apology, she naturally leaned her head against my thigh.
Tears didn’t flow.
I didn’t feel surprised.
I knew that she considered Muir a competitor and acted quite coldly.
I was even willing to carry her jealousy with me.
“Sonia.”
“I apologize, Master.”
Next, my gaze shifted to Sonia.
Unlike Xue, she was looking at me with a steadfast gaze.
It was a look that believed there were justifiable reasons behind her feelings, unlike Xue’s emotional reactions.
“Master, that is a dangerous method.”
Sonia had learned curses from me, but her aptitude for pure soul magic was virtually nonexistent.
Though it was rare, there were certainly occasions when such a thing could exist, so it wasn’t something to fret over, but it seemed to weigh on her mind.
Since she had begun to delve deeper into her studies lately.
“Examining one’s heart in a different way… exposing one’s own mind ultimately creates room for being manipulated.”
In the end, she had enough educational background to worry properly about this matter.
“I know that. But make sure to properly apologize later.”
“Yes, understood.”
Sonia nodded in response to me, appearing quite reliable.
Except for the fact that she was eyeing Xue leaning against me.
“Come here.”
“Um…”
“Quickly.”
“Yes.”
As she approached me, Sonia carefully leaned her cheek against my hand.
It was clear she was concerned about Xue next to her, then she tightly closed her eyes as if she had seen something from Xue.
When I poked Xue’s head, she stopped glaring.
‘Though it seems you’re not devoid of jealousy…’
Rather, she still shows me ‘sympathy’.
A very human sympathy.
‘To feel compassion towards someone you should loathe.’
If it were me, I don’t think I could have done it.
I had many people I disliked.
Like her, I wasn’t someone who knew forgiveness.
I despised my father, who pushed me to my limits by being tainted by others’ evil.
I loathed my mother, who was not only weak but also soaked in cultism.
I found my younger sister, who asked to cover up the crimes she committed due to the evils of our father, contemptible.
And beyond that.
The society, country, and world that made our family like that.
‘Everything was filled with hatred.’
Once unleashed, my hatred poured like a waterfall.
That waterfall swept away many things.
Countless lives. Futures. Even possibilities.
The only limitation was to fix the directionality on the criminals.
But within that, there were definitely not only evil people.
‘I had gone too far.’
When the polluted waters piled up to my throat due to that waterfall, I thought I needed to rebuild the levee again.
Yet it would take a long time to rebuild the levee of self-control that had once been broken.
So I was afraid. Of reopening that levee.
‘What lies beneath the torrent of hatred I poured out?’
I even started to fear peering into what lay beneath, inside my own heart.
“You’ll overcome it quickly, Master…”
As if reading my thoughts, Xue gazed into my eyes and spoke.
Looking into her calm, lake-like red eyes, I felt the turmoil in my heart settle.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
With a firm nod, her silver hair swayed gently.
“Not belief or worship…”
As I grasped her hair in my hand, she rubbed her cheek against my palm and continued.
“You are that kind of person, Master. You haven’t crumbled alone. And with us here, you’ll be fine…”
“Many fall in difficult situations.”
“But few look up, trying to crawl back up in such situations.”
Holding one of my hands firmly, Xue slowly continued speaking, a word at a time.
“Everything about you was a tool to protect yourself and your people.”
“A tool to heal the pain of souls…”
With every warm touch that spread, a gentle wave of warmth radiated from within me.
It felt like I was clearing away the troubles that had been weighing me down.
“That’s right, Master.”
Sonia joined in from the side.
“I might not even know myself well… but still, I want to help you as much as I can. Please let me be your strength.”
– Cheer up! Master!
Following Sonia, Mary added a word.
By now, my heart felt considerably lighter.
The others who were not present in this moment would probably feel the same way if they knew of my situation.
“Thank you, all three of you.”
Before I knew it, a small smile had formed on my lips.