[It might have been an something close to brainwashing.]
At Residue's words, Lukas lifted his head.
“Brainwashing?”
[‘Apocalypse' is called by many names, isn't it? Annihilation, extinction, or deletion… If it's a completely ignorant human, they wouldn't feel more fear than necessary. They perceive it as no different from death, much like a baby doesn't understand the dangers of a blade.]
“……”
[The ones who are most afraid, Lukas, are those ‘who vaguely understand.' Those who only half understand what apocalypse is, and fill the other half with fears of their own making. And from what I can ascertain, most of those in the Magic Planet are of that type.]
Residue's point was clear.
Lukas nodded and said,
“So, the point is, there's no explanation other than brainwashing for such people to be calm in the face of apocalypse?”
[Do you think differently?]“……”
Instead of replying to the retort, he looked down at the spring water. Lukas had returned to the location of the ‘Spring of Wisdom' after leaving the village.
Staring at the surface of the water dancing with starlight, the gaze of the village chief ‘Sellun' whom he had just been conversing with came to mind.
There was no madness in his eyes… There was no sense of discord that one would expect from someone brainwashed or mentally manipulated.
Just clear and gentle eyes.
Did he understand and accept the ultimate fate of extinction?
‘No.'
That couldn't be it.
Even Diablo couldn't overcome that fear. And most of those in the Magic Planet, they wouldn't have higher mental strength than him.
“I almost agree, but I have a feeling there's something more hidden.”
[Hmm.]
“All the people in the village, they each possessed different magics.”
[Different magics?]
Residue seemed puzzled.
“Yes. Naturally, the magics of each universe differ. The composition of mana existing in the atmosphere is the same, but how much one can absorb into their body, which part of the body it will be stored, how it will be retrieved after storage, and how it will be deployed after retrieval… The methods are myriad across universes.”
[…….]
“Maybe if I had witnessed these during my inexperienced times, I might have been influenced too.”
[What does that have to do with their mental states?]
“It's not that they use different magics because they are from different universes. Suppose there are a million wizards in the Magic Planet, there would be a million different magics, each governed by different laws.”
[Hmm……?]
Residue still seemed to not understand.
In fact, Lukas's doubts were still at the stage of speculation and hypothesis, and he had no intention of elaborating further.
“Arrogance, then.”
That seemed like a hint that could lead somewhere.
[It’s a concept that’s difficult for me to understand.]
“Really? ‘Ruler' and ‘arrogance', those words go well together.”
[Hmph. You still lack understanding of what a ‘Ruler' is.]
Lukas chuckled.
“Anyway, if my predictions are correct, there's no need to look around the Magic Planet any further.”
Wherever he went, he would see similar scenes.
Ultimately, among the numerous wizards in the Magic Planet, only one held the answer to Lukas's questions.
* * *
The day dawned.
In other words, a day had passed.
Lukas said, looking down at the Spring of Wisdom.
“Is it recharged?”
[Yes. It seems usable.]
“It doesn't look any different on the outside.”
[Using Omniscience, you'll see something a bit different. Anyway, have you decided what to look at?]
Of course, he had.
Lukas nodded and said,
“I need to see through Pale's perspective once more. I'm concerned about what comes after that.”
[A sound decision.]
He walked up to the spring and, just like last time, submerged his palm. Along with the splashing sound, he felt the cold touch.
He brought Pale's face to mind.
‘…….’
However, the change like yesterday did not occur.
Just as before, the ripples didn't spread, nor did a faint light appear.
While feeling puzzled, Lukas focused more and thought of Pale again.
‘…….’
Still, with no change, Lukas's expression shifted.
“Residue, didn't you say the charging was complete?”
[It definitely is. There’s nothing wrong with the spring.]
Lukas frowned at the significant remark.
“Then, is there a problem with me?”
[That’s not it either. Hmm…….]
After a moment of thought, Residue spoke.
[Perhaps ‘a subject once seen' cannot be seen again. That is, if you haven't already forgotten the face of the Blue Knight.]
“…Hmm.”
It's a plausible inference. The plan has gotten a bit tangled, but what can be done? Getting annoyed won’t improve the situation.
If Pale is blocked, who should he think of?
The Red Knight? The Sun God?
…No, the situation likely has already concluded. Time-wise, it wouldn’t be strange if Pale had already left the snowfields and arrived at Demonsio. Of course, she said that convincing the Red Knight would take a lot of time…
‘…….’
Sedi Trowman,
Should he think of her?
[About this spring,]
Residue then said.
[Maybe it should be asked in a more vague form.]
“Vague form?”
[Yes. Like asking the spring, ‘Who should I be looking at right now?’]
Lukas was momentarily speechless.
“Are you serious? For that to work, this spring would need to know everything about me, right?”
It means it would provide an outcome even Lukas himself doesn’t know. Naturally, he couldn’t consider this small spring capable of such a feat.
[Try it anyway. There’s nothing to lose.]
…Residue’s suggestion was decisive.
Lukas reached his hand out to the spring again and thought.
Not the person I want to see, but the person I need to see right now.
Woong-
Residue's hypothesis was correct.
Ripples began to form on the spring, and just like before, a faint light flickered.
Lukas narrowed his eyes and focused on the shapes forming on the surface.
Who will appear?
* * *
It's a place with a massive typhoon swirling. It seems to be the surface of a planet where life cannot exist. The sky is filled with black clouds, hiding everything.
Quarrrrung!
Just then, lightning struck, and its scale was colossal, comparable to a continent.
Someone was walking there.
The person was cloaked in a brown robe, and due to the raging storm and the hood over their head, their face was not visible. The visibility was too cluttered in many senses.
However, Lukas did not grow impatient and heightened his concentration.
If the purpose of the ‘spring' is to teach something, the image wouldn’t end here.
Suddenly, the figure stopped walking. And the moment they turned around, the pitch-black sky split in two, revealing a massive entity.
It appeared to be a monster made of dark clouds. It was vast enough to completely cover the sky, emitting a dominating presence that was overwhelming just by sight.
Golden eyes now focused this way.
Koooo-
The monster slammed its fist down.
Though it seemed slow at first, the fist was moving at an incredible speed.
Perhaps this is what an ant watching a meteor fall feels like.
But the cloaked figure wasn’t perturbed. With no sign of fear, they calmly stared directly at the fist larger than a mountain.
And as the fist nearly reached them, they slowly spread their palm. Suddenly, a slight breeze stirred and lifted their robe.
The slight reveal of the body's contours allowed Lukas to realize that the figure was a woman, and that she had only one arm.
Quang!
An invisible barrier blocked the monster's fist.
[A wizard, then.]
Residue commented in a nonchalant voice, identifying one aspect of the woman’s identity.
The monster's fist could not penetrate the barrier. The woman then clenched her outstretched palm tightly.
“──.”
Her dry lips moved slightly, muttering something.
At the sound of her voice, Lukas's eyebrows twitched.
Pit.
A crimson light shot out and pierced through the dark cloud monster.
“──!”
The monster screamed thunderously as it flailed, indicating the tremors of an imminent death that anyone could recognize.
The body of the monster slowly disintegrated, leaving no trace as it vanished.
The fierce wind pressure swirled around, and the pitch-black sky suddenly cleared.
The hood was lifted by the wind pressure, revealing the woman’s face.
“…….”
She had an expressionless face, cold enough to form frost. She was wearing a pitch-black eye patch, and her contrasting white hair made her stand out more. Her only eye was also the same color as the eye patch, somber and sunken.
[Who is that woman?]
“…….”
While Lukas knew several women with white hair, the features of this woman did not match anyone he knew.
…Of course.
Because she wasn't originally white-haired.
Many things had changed, but her voice was the same.
“My, apprentice.”
[What?]
The vision ended.
However, the image of the white-haired woman did not easily fade from Lukas's mind.
─What on earth happened to Min Ha-rin.
* * *
He spent a whole day in thought, but no convincing conclusion emerged.
Min Ha-rin.
The girl who once had black hair and warm eyes, now perfectly matched her moniker of ‘Ice Flower' with her appearance.
Lukas regretted not investigating her more deeply when he was in the Three Thousand Worlds. Of course, regret is always too late, no matter how early.
‘…One week.’
He recalled the timeline mentioned by The Beginning Wizard and summarized.
So, are there five more chances to use the spring?
‘What else should I look at?’
It was a headache-inducing situation.
Every time he used the spring, he seemed to gather more questions than answers.
When he saw the cooperation between the Red Knight and the Sun God, Residue had mentioned the possibility that this spring itself could be a deception. It was half in jest, but now Lukas was entertaining a similar thought.
Seeing the drastically changed appearance of Min Ha-rin compelled him to think that way.
[At this rate, if a day passes, a precious opportunity will fly away.]
“…There’s still time to spare, no need to fuss.”
Lukas said this as he dipped his hand into the spring water again.
“I’ve thought of something good.”
[Oh?]
And then he thought of the entity he wanted to see now.
Ripple-
The water rippled and the surface began to reflect the figure of someone.
A man with dark blond hair, who was sporting a refreshing and bright smile.
However, the surrounding atmosphere was contrary to his demeanor. Was there a war going on? He seemed to be rescuing people in a dreadful scene.
Residue also knew who this blond man was.
[Isn’t this ‘Fake’ Lukas Trowman. The one we saw in the Three Thousand Worlds.]
“Yes.”
[Of course, you were curious about this man’s identity, but… why do you want to see him now, of all times?]
“You’re wrong. The person I wanted to see isn’t the fake Lukas Trowman.”
[Then…….]
Lukas looked at the man impersonating him and said,
“I was thinking of The Beginning Wizard.”
*****
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