NOVEL WEB Chapter 161
As I stood in the plaza, a stream of purple magic flowed from Anela. Baek So-yul looked around in a daze. It was the first day, and since there were procedures to follow, I nodded and followed her here when she asked if I would tag along.
“Why? It’s probably not that different.”
Sure, the cityscape wasn’t wrong. But the presence of a castle, combined with the red city dyed in purple, created an even more mysterious vibe.
Mystical… Honestly, if I had to be more straightforward, living in a place like this would probably make me depressed. I kept wondering if it was really necessary to color the city’s scenery to match the square. At this point, I might get lost on the streets…
Maybe my confusion showed on my face, as Anela covered her mouth and chuckled.
“You can’t help it. Did you know? Magic is affected by colors.”
“……?”
“That’s why the Purple Square, which deals with purple magic, has to be dyed purple. It’s way more efficient. Do you get what I’m saying?”
“……Yeah.”
Baek So-yul nodded with a somewhat complicated expression, and Anela nodded back in agreement.
“Of course. It wouldn’t make sense for coloring to affect magic like some kind of child’s play. You’re quite clever, So-yul. Just ignore all those nonsense remarks from now on. I can’t help but cringe whenever I hear them.”
Seeing Baek So-yul look dazed, Anela tilted her head curiously.
“Why?”
“……It’s nothing.”
The purple mage, once looking weary and on the verge of tears, suddenly morphed into an unpredictable being… like a bipolar person. Maybe everyone was already suffering from some kind of ailment. Just as I was pondering about moving to a different square, Anela cleared her throat and tugged at Baek So-yul’s arm.
“Alright, now… “
As Anela walked along the familiar path, she placed her palm on her forehead. What appeared in their view was a collapsed building, debris blocking the way. What on earth had happened? For some strange reason, Baek So-yul felt an inexplicable familiarity.
“……?”
“Ah~ looks like we need to turn back.”
Sticking her tongue out and apologizing, Baek So-yul’s gaze was glued to the ruins.
Five empty chairs surrounded a table. Yet, only two figures, a woman and an old man, were seated. Just the Masters of Indigo and Red Squares had taken their places.
Aster shook his head as he glanced at the three empty seats. He figured the Master of All Things wouldn’t show up today or tomorrow, so he could deal with that. But it never crossed his mind that not only the Master of Yellow Square but also the Butterfly of Covenant would be absent.
“Have you heard anything?”
“No, but didn’t you hear the rumors?”
“……”
The notion that they might not be coming, but rather couldn’t come, lingered in the air. It had already been over 30 minutes since they were supposed to show up. Could this really be true?
No matter what, it seemed absurd to hold a meeting with just the two of them. Just when it looked like the gathering might fall apart, the Purple Butterfly flew in and quickly transformed into the appearance of a woman. Seeing her sit down silently caused Aster to chuckle.
“You made it.”
With an expressionless face, she just nodded in silence. At first glance, she looked no different from usual. However, the Master of Winter casually struck up a conversation with her.
“By the way, I heard there was an incident at the Purple Square. Have you managed to resolve it?”
His words seemed casual, yet they hit the mark. No matter how much they tried to keep the events within the square a secret, they couldn’t silence everyone. Naturally, the news would leak out.
It wasn’t a trivial matter; it was a fight between Marang and the Square Mages. Such events wouldn’t easily go unheard. The surprised one was actually the Winter Master, upon seeing the barely-concealed frown on the Butterfly’s face. That expression spoke volumes about the rumors being true.
It was the Butterfly of Covenant who had lost that battle.
The unbelievable idea that the Master of the Square had been defeated in her own square. Knowing what kind of being the Butterfly was, the shock was magnified.
Silence fell right at that moment, and Aster decided it was a good time to dive into the main topic.
“Let’s get to the point. The reason I gathered you all here is due to the Plague and Disease.”
“Has there been any movement?”
“No. In fact, I’m hoping for just that.”
“……”
“This is truly our chance to end the Plague and Disease. I sincerely hope you all will cooperate.”
“Do you truly believe those words?”
Winter’s Master should have known better. The words had already been conveyed through Dorothy and Hong Yu-ri. Whatever hopes he instilled in his successor, he already knew coming in. There had been some unknown presence – most likely Marang – who claimed he would help defeat both the Plague and Disease.
Yeah. The absurd notion of working with monsters to kill monsters.
But now that they had come this far, they couldn’t simply brush it off as nonsense.
There were actual precedents. People in the square already knew about the events in Neverland.
Moreover, the rumors surrounding the Butterfly of Covenant and Marang. If that was true, that meant Marang hadn’t killed her despite having the chance. That indicated a level of intelligence capable of considering cooperation.
And Marang was still hiding somewhere in the square. The fact that they hadn’t been able to find him suggested someone was helping him. Also, bringing it up now was tantamount to admitting to some connection with Marang.
As those thoughts crossed his mind, the Winter Master’s expression hardened.
“Was it you? The one hiding Marang?”
His voice turned frosty, as if he might start casting spells if admitted. Blizzards don’t obscure people. Despite the sudden change in atmosphere, Aster remained unfazed.
“Of course not.”
“……”
“You know I have no reason to do that, right? Maybe her, but not me.”
Gazing at the empty seats, Aster’s eyes were filled with inscrutable emotions. The Square Masters were no fools. They recognized there was something suspicious about her, perhaps countless suspicions at that. There was even a chance that she wasn’t stopping the Plague and Disease despite having the power to do so.
Decades ago, when she first introduced magic to humanity, they had witnessed miracles. There was hope that humanity might escape extinction, but it revealed itself to be an illusion.
While it was true she had stopped many monsters, impossibilities still loomed.
The black tiger of purple could not be defeated. The calamity of the sea forced humanity to give up on the ocean. And the Neverland that appeared over a decade ago still remained unconquered.
At first, she actively participated.
But she couldn’t stop it completely. Even so, the Plague and Disease annihilated Europe.
As time passed, mages learned more and the square formed a system. As that happened, her involvement dwindled. In fact, now the Master of All Things hardly took action at all.
That’s why everyone had to have their doubts.
Even after time had passed, becoming known as the Square Master, she still appeared to have no limitations.
As they mastered magic and increased their power, the more incomprehensible it became. Could it really be that she was unable to stop the Plague and Disease?
Or perhaps, she simply allowed it to persist. It felt as if she was merely controlling the speed of humanity’s demise.
Even so, despite their suspicions, they dared not voice these questions.
Out of fear. They worried that if they were to admit it, everything might come crashing down.
Thus, this would be an opportunity to gauge her intentions.
Whether it was true or not.
—Was humanity merely dancing in the grasp of the inexplicable? What might be reflected in her eyes?
“And so, I hope you all will cooperate. In any case, this is a chance to draw the line. Plus, the tasks at hand won’t change.”
They still needed to hurt and repel the Plague and Disease with magic.
This time, they would simply use a bit more magic, and more effectively. If they could separate the Plague and Disease, Marang would certainly bite at the wounded Plague.
If that could happen, it would be a fantastic opportunity to put an end to the bothersome Plague and Disease, and even if things didn’t go as planned, they wouldn’t have anything to lose.
The three came to the same conclusion, and Aster’s deep eyes observed the two of them.
Before the Winter Master, who had closed his eyes, and the still expressionless Butterfly of Covenant could voice their thoughts, a young man with a turban rushed in, causing Aster to chuckle again.
“Couldn’t you have come a little sooner?”
“I apologize. I just finished up the matter at hand.”
Finally, the Masters of the squares, with the exception of the Master of All Things, gathered in one place.
***
A week later, while descending to the ground for supplies, the Floating Island. Hong Yu-ri, hiding with Shadow, brought out Alpha as they gazed toward humanity’s frontline— a barbed wire and fence line. They were looking far away at the hastily constructed stronghold.
The stench of war, mingled with blood and gunpowder, stung their noses. From a distance, the horrific scene was evident. The land they walked on was discolored and stained by them.
The deafening explosions made their ears ring. They were utilizing every possible means to hold them off, but the horde was drawing nearer. And beyond that, the Wolf’s eyes were locked on the scene.
In the endless swarm, something that had directly received countless Great Magic lay seemingly asleep, but in a moment, its eyes flared.
Having sensed the gaze directed at it. Through the countless obstacles, they were now staring at each other across a great distance.
The first to avert their gaze was the Plague, their eyes closed.
Not out of fear, but because the Plague regarded its observer—the Wolf—as trivial. No matter how one thought about it, it didn’t seem like a threat to it at all.
Of course, the Plague lacked intelligence. They functioned purely on instinct, yet that instinct exceeded ordinary intelligence. The Wolf realized it was being underestimated but held no ill feelings towards it.
No, it rather hoped for just that. To be remembered only as a weak presence that could be ignored.
—Only then could it bite down on its neck.
“Are you satisfied now?”
Of course, Hong Yu-ri couldn’t see the Plague. To her, only gray smoke and the horde were visible beyond the barbed wire. The Wolf saw what she couldn’t.
“—Yeah.”
But the fact that the Wolf had seen something was evident. The crimson eyes were upon it as the Wolf glanced around.
The Plague saw, and the Wolf read the Plague. It could only describe it as a monster, but the odds weren’t zero. Thus, the Wolf sighed.
Having confirmed that it lacked the capacity to reach the Master of All Things, who was beyond the Plague’s recognition.
And the Disease remained unfound. Where it was and what it was doing were mysteries.
…Even after using detection, they couldn’t find it. This meant it lay outside the range the Wolf could sense or possessed skills that could completely ignore detection. Perhaps it had skills that rivaled or exceeded its invisibility. That was a source of unease, but in reality, since they anticipated it showing up together, it wasn’t a significant issue.
Right. The Plague would soon make its move. The madness reflected in its gaze spoke of that truth. The Wolf quietly awaited that moment, when it could finally sink its teeth into its neck and consume it completely.