Chapter 194
The mages of the Sky Tower had truly lived with all their might over the past six months.
For one singular purpose:
To cure Arelline’s illness.
Each mage abandoned their separate lines of research and focused solely on a single goal.
They gave everything they had—more than anyone could have expected—pushing themselves beyond limits.
Such unity among mages was unprecedented since the tower’s founding, an extraordinary sight that would be recorded in the annals of the Sky Tower’s history.
“No, it’s not unprecedented. There’s the research of the God of Mages.”
“Ugh, that’s a dark history! We can’t count that!”
“Even these fanatics debate at times like this.”
“Fanatics?”
“Those obsessed with research.”
“Well, of course—we are mages!”
They reviewed every document in the Infinite Library, even taking potions to sustain themselves, desperately searching for a way to cure Arelline. But the more they researched, the deeper their despair grew.
“Di…ffic…ult…”
“There’s no hope through magic…”
“Everyone, that sounds wrong. Let’s say it properly: With current magical knowledge, there’s no chance.”
“Same difference.”
All their posturing about not giving up and finding a cure had amounted to nothing. The grim reality left the mages unable to lift their heads.
Meanwhile, their enemies ran rampant, and starlight grew dimmer by the day, casting the Sky Tower in an ever-deepening gloom.
“Master…?”
Though they didn’t want to lean on anyone, helplessly, they sought any help from the Tower’s Lord and Grand Mage, Mercedes.
“Has he said nothing?”
Whether regarding the traitors running wild or Arelline’s cure, they were desperate for answers.
“Even if we don’t know, doesn’t Master have a chance?”
“Didn’t Master show interest in Miss Arelline?”
“He did seem to care for her a bit.”
“Maybe not?”
The mages, clinging to any hope, murmured quietly, only to be met with a crushing answer.
“Yes. He’s gone again.”
“Damn it.”
Normally, the absence of the Grand Mage wouldn’t matter—but now, it stung painfully.
Despite being half-zombie from nights of research, the mages staggered to their feet, determined to continue.
Because mages never give up, even when there seems to be no way.
“…Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
Hilla frowned as she rifled through the papers.
“Where did the materials I left here go?”
Mehen swallowed dryly.
He could hardly accept what had just happened.
What…?
Why is this person here?
Am I dreaming?
A dream born from desperate longing?
The aura of otherworldly composure typical of elves, combined with the commanding presence of a high mage, made Mercedes feel as though he weren’t a being of this world at all.
Even without the countless stars embroidered on his robe, he would have been unmistakable.
Impossible to miss.
“….”
As Mehen rubbed his eyes in disbelief, Mercedes’ gaze was fixed on the sleeping Arelline.
His eyes narrowed.
The faintly overwhelming aura of Cheyan was undeniable.
‘…So, she has been visited.’
The precarious breath tickled his chest.
How long had it been since he had felt pity?
Even the Grand Mage was unsure if his choice was truly right.
“What did you just—no, take your hands off Arelline!”
Startled, Mehen flinched as he tried to push Mercedes away.
Light emanated from Mercedes’ long fingers, and Arelline’s expression relaxed.
“Don’t you understand?”
His calm, unreadable eyes fixed on Mehen.
“I said I can save this child.”
“…”
Mehen let out a low groan, then an involuntary laugh.
Is this real? After all this, something good finally happens?
“It won’t be easy. I’ve made a decision, and it will be a process that a child cannot endure easily. It will be extremely painful, and success is unlikely. But in this situation, it is the only way.”
Mehen’s face crumpled further.
Of course. That figures.
“What kind of treatment is it?”
“I cannot explain.”
“No…”
“Even if I explained, you wouldn’t understand.”
Mehen wanted to argue but had no words; it was true.
“This treatment cannot be done just anywhere. It will be performed within my domain, and you cannot be present during it. Do you still wish to proceed?”
None of the conditions were ideal, yet somehow, knowing the proposer was the Grand Mage, it felt like a glimmer of hope.
The only option in a situation with no answers.
“And if I refuse and leave her as she is…”
“She will die.”
“…”
“She endures a fate no child’s body should withstand.”
That she had survived this long, when she might already have been dead, was miraculous.
‘So, it was fate that brought us to this moment.’
Mehen furrowed his brow and spoke.
“Why… give me… this opportunity?”
A Grand Mage’s whim?
Despite Mehen’s suspicious gaze, Mercedes spoke calmly.
“Do you believe that a person’s destiny and future are fixed?”
“You mean the doctrine of predestined harmony preached in the temples? That God arranges everything?”
“It may seem laughable, but most beings cannot overcome the circumstances or innate burdens they are given. They are swept along. We call that fate.”
Mercedes closed and reopened his eyes, as if recalling something, his gaze composed.
“Even if a being surpasses its limits, attaining high status—or even becoming immortal—the same applies.”
“The same? How so?”
“The more you know, the more you are entangled. Have you imagined it? An endless, monotonous, wearisome life.”
The life of an immortal, unable to die, is far less appealing than people imagine.
Death gives mortals purpose, but infinite time strips life of meaning.
The world changes, time flows—but immortal time does not.
A life so long and detached from others is often meaningless; countless inevitable separations and losses erode the immortal mind.
“No one can escape this cycle.”
Yet no law is perfect.
The intense will of a great being inevitably exerts influence, and from that, anomalies arise.
Mercedes’ gaze returned to Arelline.
“That is why.”
The future influenced by this anomaly is unpredictable; most anomalies are destined never to flourish.
Even so, he could not turn away from this decision.
‘I have already…’
And he had already tasted failure once.
The cost of defying fate is never light.
But having failed made it impossible to ignore this time.
A young life struggling to survive.
“Do you know how many are working to save this child?”
Not just the mages losing themselves day and night in research.
The Grand Mage could perceive the energies entwined with Arelline’s body and soul: fragments of countless reincarnations, the last blessing of a god, even the stars’ blessing.
As strongly as fate desired her death, blessings and prayers desired her survival.
If gods existed in this world, surely they would want her alive.
“….”
Perhaps because he was a mage, Mehen couldn’t fully follow the abstract, lofty words.
Yet reasons aside, it was enough to sense that this decision was not easy, even for a Grand Mage.
Grasping at any hope, Mehen nodded.
“Can she be saved?”
“Probably.”
“Then, I beg you.”
Mercedes nodded.
“Will you take her now?”
In his voice lingered hesitation. Mercedes regarded Mehen silently.
After some thought, he spoke softly.
“I will give you time for farewell.”
Even the Grand Mage could not guarantee Arelline’s perfect survival; this time was necessary.
With a simple gesture, radiant light enveloped Arelline’s body, and the pallor of her cheeks flushed with life.
“I will return in a week.”
