Chapter 98: Lokralen (4)

Chapter 98: Lokralen (4)

One hour before Lokralen was locked in time, just before dawn, an unsettling silence filled the academic conference building, maintained by Rogerio's Silence spell. Epherene, seated with Allen in a conference room on the second floor, cautiously scanned her surroundings.

"Assistant Professor, are you asleep?" Epherene whispered.

Allen, wrapped in a blanket, responded only with soft, irregular breathing—a small reassurance that he hadn’t been locked in time. Epherene slung her backpack, packed with food, over her shoulder. Her mind was more focused on her future self than the fear of being locked in time.

She must be hungry, just like I am, Epherene thought.

"Oh, that's right," Epherene murmured, almost forgetting something important.

Epherene slipped on her special elevator shoes, hoping to trick Kaidezite into confusing her with her future self. As she cautiously stepped into the hallway, she unexpectedly came face-to-face with Professor Relin, who stood in the middle of the corridor, acting as a self-appointed guard to win Deculein's favor.

“You... You... You...”

Epherene stood in shock, but it was Relin who looked truly startled. His eyes widened, and he could only stammer the same syllable over and over. He had been locked in time.

Epherene pressed a hand to her chest, looking up at him and quietly said, "... Professor Relin."

Despite all their past arguments and the rumors she had spread about him, seeing him like this brought a sudden pang of sadness. She gave him a brief nod before quietly making her way down the stairs.

"Oh, he’s asleep."

The receptionist at the first-floor information desk was dozing off. Without hesitation, Epherene headed straight for the underground archives.

"Epherene... Epherene!" Epherene whispered urgently upon reaching the basement. It felt strange calling out her own name. "Epherene! Where are you, Epherene?"

Finding no trace of her older self, Epherene ducked behind a bookshelf. Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind her.

"This can’t be happening!"

Startled, Epherene turned to see Lokralen, the conference president, hastily fleeing the room in a state of panic.

"Why is he in such a rush?" Epherene muttered as she unpacked her meal, eating while replaying her older self's words in her mind. "... She told me not to hate him."

She had been told not to hate Deculein. It was strange—first Gindalf, and now her future self had given the same advice. Epherene couldn't help but wonder why.

"Epherene!" a voice suddenly called out from above, startling her.

Epherene almost jumped in surprise, quickly looking up. Her older self was perched on top of a tall bookshelf, staring down at her.

"You s-scared me!" Epherene exclaimed.

"Hehe, sorry about that. Thanks to you, it’s all done now."

"What is all done?"

"I caught the host," the older Epherene said.

"Really?!" Epherene’s eyes widened with amazement as she spoke.

Older Epherene smiled as she landed softly beside her, saying, "Yes, and it’s all thanks to you."

"Because of me? What did I do?"

"Your shoes! Since we're basically the same person, and with both of us in robes and the same height, it was easy for Kaidezite to get confused. While it was distracted by you, I went out and caught it."

"Ah, I see! Haha, that was my plan all along," Epherene said, proudly displaying her shoes.

The older Epherene chuckled softly and said, "As expected, you really are me. Very smart."

Epherene beamed with pride as she unpacked her backpack.

"Hold on, I brought something for you," Epherene said, pulling out a lunchbox.

Older Epherene's eyes widened in surprise and said, "Wow~"

"Unfortunately, there’s no Roahawk"

"Ah, Roahawk... I’d just managed to forget about it," older Epherene said, licking her lips in disappointment.

Epherene smirked and asked, "Do they still have Roahawk in the future?"

"Of course. It’s become quite the delicacy. My favorite time having it was with the professor."

Epherene’s smile wavered as she asked, "With Professor Deculein?"

"Yes. But it will be a while before you can share a meal with him. The professor has a near-obsession with cleanliness and won’t touch food he can’t eat tidily."

"... I guess so."

I couldn’t picture Deculein holding a Roahawk and tearing into it with his hands. But that wasn’t even the main concern.

"Wait, you and the professor—I mean me, no, aren’t we supposed to be enemies? Can you at least give me a hint about what happened?" Epherene asked cautiously.

Her older self fell silent, her expression turning serious and thoughtful.

After a brief pause, older Epherene gave a faint smile and said, "Yes, he is my enemy."

"Right."

"But... in my world, the professor is no longer there. So, don’t hold too much hatred for him. And if you can, try to keep him around in your world for as long as possible," the older Epherene said.

The words hit Epherene hard, sending a wave of dizziness through her.

The older Epherene quickly steadied her and said, "You’re already feeling lightheaded, aren’t you? You can’t absorb any more than this..."

"Y-yes... and I’m so tired."

"Then get some sleep. I’ll eat the meal you brought."

"Ah... okay," Epherene murmured as her eyelids grew heavy, rubbing them sleepily.

"Rest well. When you wake up, it will all be over."

"Okay... but what will be over...?"

In response to the question, older Epherene offered a faint smile. Without receiving any reply, Epherene soon slipped into a peaceful sleep.

***

In 953, witnesses described the meteor’s fall as two radiant streaks of light, akin to twin forks of lightning striking the earth in unison. The surrounding area was subsequently named Lokralen, after the meteor’s scientific designation.

The Floating Island acquired the rights to Lokralen for an astounding 1 billion elne, a transaction that sparked significant debate within the academic community. Given that Lokralen was terrestrial rather than celestial, concerns arose regarding potential accidents during the Floating Island’s research endeavors.

The Imperial newspaper, The Journal, strongly condemned the purchase, denouncing it as the dark ambition of the Magical Realm. Conference President Jesen went so far as to change his name to Lokralen.

Deculein had spent the entire day deeply absorbed in his investigation. While Rogerio, Kreto, and the other mages who had accompanied him had long since retired for the night, he continued, unfazed by the need for sleep or rest.

The tension and focus coursing through his Iron Man body drove him to meticulously explore every corner of Lokralen. Then, he suddenly stopped.

"... You there," Deculein called out, his gaze fixed on an Addict standing silently in the corner of the third-floor conference room.

The Addict gestured toward himself and asked, "Do you mean me?"

"Yes, you. There are 500 Addicts in Lokralen, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir, that's correct."

"And where might they all be now?"

"During the conference, every one of them is present within this building."

"Not a single one absent?"

"Certainly not. As Addicts of Lokralen, we all convene here for the conference, whether we're working at the hotel, the store, or serving as staff."

Deculein nodded quietly before asking, "Then no one remains outside the conference building at this moment?"

Except for Drent, who collapsed in the hotel.

"Yes, that is correct."

At the Addict’s response, a fleeting thought passed through Deculein’s mind—an idea that wasn’t fully formed but hinted at a possible clue.

"Professor Deculein!" an Addict burst through the door, his voice urgent. "The conference president has been locked in time!"

Click—

A new sound echoed beneath his shoes, the ground now as hard as stone. Deculein had arrived at the lowest level of Lokralen and looked ahead. The large door that Epherene had once described as sealed by a Temporal Rift now stood wide open. Without breaking his upright posture, Deculein stepped inside.

"... You."

The damp underground air, the cold wind howling through the chamber, two meteor fragments embedded in the floor, and the time beast lurking beyond them... Amidst it all stood a resolute figure—the future Archmage.

"So, you were here."

Epherene Luna greeted him with a composed smile and said, "Yes, Professor. It’s good to see you."

***

[Quest Completed: The Archmage’s Request]

◆ One Advanced Attribute Catalog Acquired

Lokralen—the host of Kaidezite was Lokralen. The name itself was the clue. With a name like Lokralen, it was obvious that it would be the host. The real issue, however, was that Kaidezite wasn’t a single entity.

"There were two Kaidezites, then," I said, turning to face the older Epherene.

"Yes, Professor. One targeted Lokralen, and the other came after me. Lokralen was tricky—it kept slipping away, but thanks to him, I succeeded," Epherene said, smiling softly and shrugging her shoulders. "It kept shifting between the past and the future... so I waited for the right moment to strike."

Now, I realized the true meaning behind the Abandonment of Lokralen and what this audacious girl intended to do.

Thud—

I moved forward a step.

Epherene's face grew tense as she shook her head and said, "Please, don’t come any closer."

I ignored her and kept walking, but soon an invisible barrier stopped me in my tracks.

"Carbon Barrier. You invented it, and I perfected it. No one can break through," Epherene said, effortlessly manipulating the space with her carbon magic.

I halted at the nearest point, locked my gaze on her, and asked, "What’s your course of action now?"

"Now that I’ve captured both Kaidezite and Lokralen, I’ll release them. They’ll disperse across Lokralen, consuming their life force—time—until it’s completely drained. It’s the most peaceful resolution."

"... So, that’s the reason you locked everyone in time."

Epherene gave a faint, bitter smile and said, "Yes, exactly."

The reason the death variable, Villain’s Fate, hadn’t activated became clear to me—it wasn’t because of death. The time lock was a form of salvation.

"This is how the Abandonment of Lokralen will be executed."

Due to Lokralen's nature, where past and future converged, evacuating everyone from within had been entirely impossible.

"And the one overseeing it all is me, Archmage Epherene," Epherene concluded.

This place was never intended to host a conference or be entered by humans. It was a catastrophe born from the greed and ambitions by the Magical Realm.

"But if you release them, time will flood Lokralen," I stated.

Kaidezite was a creature that consumed time. If it were unleashed, the outcome was predictable. The knotted and compressed threads of time would unravel instantly, spreading outwards like a burst string. Time would expand in the same way.

"That’s right. Lokralen will be overflowing with time."

"That time could extend for a century, or even two or three."

Epherene shook her head and said, "I've calculated it to be exactly 385 years. Within Lokralen, 385 years will pass, while only 10 seconds will elapse outside."

"You plan to endure all that time alone?"

"Yes," Epherene replied without hesitation. "But there’s no need for concern. Time will flow, but there won’t be any aging. Kaidezite is composed entirely of time. Even if 385 years pass here, it will be no more than 10 seconds outside."

If Kaidezite escaped Lokralen, the entire world would face destruction, with the continent itself becoming the sacrifice. However, if released within Lokralen, time in this space would stretch on for centuries, condemning everyone inside. Unwilling to let anyone else suffer, Epherene had devised her own solution to the problem.

I said, "Only those locked in the past can escape the eternity of time."

Epherene nodded solemnly and said, "Yes. The time lock happens in an instant. Once I’ve endured 385 years, everyone else will be safe. For them, it will be as if no time has passed—they won’t even know they were locked in time."

“They won’t even know they were locked in time.”

That was the crucial point I recognized. She had decided to lock everyone in Lokralen in time—everyone except herself. During those 385 years, they would remain unaware of the passage of time.

"That’s why everyone had to be inside the conference hall. Locking time demands a large amount of temporal energy, so they needed to be close to Kaidezite’s meteor. I used you, Professor, to make it happen. I know you all too well, don’t I~?" Epherene said, even daring to wink at him.

I fixed her with a disbelieving glare and asked, "... And Drent?"

"I’ve already dealt with him. His mind was very weak."

I nodded, channeling mana into my hand, and scratched at Epherene’s Carbon Barrier.

Epherene smiled calmly and said, "It’s pointless. Remember, you may have invented this magic, but I’m the one who perfected it—"

Slosh—

Ripples spread across the barrier, causing Epherene’s eyes to widen in shock.

"You’re rather arrogant. Since I invented it, my Comprehension would naturally be faster," I said with confidence.

As soon as I finished speaking, the barrier began to tremble.

Whoooosh—!

Epherene intensified the barrier with a surge of mana, strengthening it tenfold as she said, "My rank is Ethereal, Professor."

The barrier was impenetrable.

I cautioned Epherene, "Don’t underestimate the burden of centuries. You’ll be enduring time far beyond a human’s lifespan, alone in a desolate place."

Epherene said nothing.

"You won’t be able to stop your mind from shattering. It will wear down, be swept away, and eventually crumble like sand."

"I know," Epherene replied, puffing out her cheeks in a slight pout. "But who could endure that much time without struggle?"

"Someone who’s right in front of you," I said, meeting her gaze.

Her playful squint faded into a blank stare as she murmured, "... Sorry?"

"I’ll take on that burden instead."

"... Wait," Epherene stammered, her eyes widening as she gaped at me.

385 years. I have no idea what I might become in that time, but I feel no fear. Such a vast stretch of time won’t leave even a scratch on my mind. So, it’s better that I endure it, not Epherene.

"I could spend the time for myself to think and grow."

"... You plan to think for 300 years?"

I gave a slight nod in response.

A small smile appeared on her lips as she realized, "Umm... So this is what I went through?"

Tears welled up in Epherene's eyes, and she sniffled softly, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her robe.

I chuckled dryly and said, "You’re crying over this, and you think you can handle 385 years?"

"... No, this isn’t something small to me," Epherene said softly as she deactivated the barrier.

I acknowledged her choice and said, "We’ll switch."

"... Yes, Professor," Epherene said as she stepped forward and hugged me.

It was another unexpected hug, just like before. I tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come.

"Thank you. But it’s fine."

... I shouldn’t have let her get this close.

"Goodbye, my Professor."