Chapter 33
Back in the slums, a white-haired woman drifted through the alleys. She looked around, taking in the crumbling shacks and fading lantern light with an unreadable, almost bored expression.
‘Well… I’m lost.’
Shirayuki sighed to herself in resignation. ‘Not that I should be surprised. It’s been nearly two decades since I last set foot back in Eldreth… or anywhere at all, really.’
She had decided to pay her one and only friend a visit. She genuinely missed Seraphina, but a part of her simply didn’t want to stay cooped up in Ascalon Academy.
When news spread that she had returned to the Empire—and that she intended to work at Ascalon Academy—the reaction had been explosive. A handful of professors welcomed her back with open arms, but far more, both in and out of the academy, looked at her with open hostility.
It reminded her why she had left in the first place, and it was why she went on this little pilgrimage.
Wandering deeper into the slums, numerous street-dwellers watched her with curiosity, while a few pairs of eyes lingered on her with lecherous intent, not expecting a woman like her to be here of all places. Some even tried to approach her, thinking she was an easy target.
“Hey there, beautiful. Ain’t seen you around here before. You lost?” one of them drawled, reaching his grimy hand toward her shoulder.
But his hand passed straight through her, and when he blinked, her figure was gone—vanished as if she had never been there at all. A sudden chill ran down his spine as he wondered if the woman he had seen was even real.
High atop the roof of a nearby building, Shirayuki watched as the man scurried into the darkness. She didn’t bother sparing him another glance. With a fluid motion, she leapt down and continued along the narrow path
‘Some things never change… no matter how many years pass.’
After several more twists and turns through the maze of alleyways, her confidence began to waver. She was starting to wonder if she was even in the right city. Just as Shirayuki was about to give up and head back to the Academy. She saw four ragged figures stumble out of an underground passage, emerging into the dimly lit streets.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she moved closer to get a better look. A young man with blonde hair was gripping a woman’s arm, holding her back as she struggled, clearly trying to return to the underground passage.
Her gaze fell on the panic-stricken face of the woman—there was something unmistakably familiar about her.
‘She looks just like the young girl who always followed Seraphina around like a duckling all those years ago…’
Realization dawned on her
It really is her. What was her name again? Elysia, right?
A faint smile forms on her face. She’s grown into a fine young lady… but what in the world is she doing here?
“L-let me go! I need to get Caelith!” Elysia screamed, still struggling to pry herself free.
“Just stop and listen for a minute!” the blonde haired boy barked. “What do you think you could accomplish by charging back in there?! You’ll only get yourself killed!”
Elysia shook her head violently.
“I don’t care what happens to me—I promised our mom I’d look after Caelith!”
The boy muttered something under his breath before trying to argue back again.
Shirayuki stopped in her tracks as she overheard their conversation.
‘Caelith…? That’s Seraphina’s son, are they in trouble?’
That was all she needed to know. Without another moment of hesitation, she stepped out from the shadows and approached the two.
The blonde-haired boy noticed her first, and he instinctively moved back, positioning himself between her and Elysia as he eyed her with caution.
“Who are you? And what do you want?” he demanded.
Shirayuki lifted a hand in a dismissive wave. “Relax. I’m not here to hurt anyone—I just happened to overhear your conversation.”
Her gaze then shifted to Elysia, and her expression softened into a faint smile.
“Elysia, it’s been a long while. You’ve grown... Last I saw you, you could barely reach my waist.”
Elysia blinked, her brows knitting as a distant memory tugged at her.
“Huh? You—know me?” she murmured. “Wait… you look familiar… no way… Auntie Shira…?”
“Ah, so you do remember me.” Shirayuki’s smile widened just a little, but her tone quickly turned more serious. “Mind telling me what you’re doing in a place like this—”
Elysia suddenly lurched forward, seizing Shirayuki’s hand with both of her own. Tears streamed down her face, her voice breaking as she cried out,
“Please save my little brother!”
Shirayuki stiffened, unsure how to handle the sudden situation in front of her. Still, she gently placed her free hand on Elysia’s shoulder
“H-hey… breathe for a moment,” she said softly. “Calm down and tell me exactly what’s going on.”
Sniff Sniff
Sniffling, Elysia struggled to compose herself. With a few shaky breaths, she began to explain everything to Shirayuki.
“So he’s down there, barely stalling the leader by sacrificing himself,” Shirayuki repeated slowly, her faint smile turned to a frown as her expression hardened.
Elysia nodded weakly. “Y-yes… that’s correct…”
Shirayuki rubbed her temples and let out a sigh, reaching for her scabbard. “Alright. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
“Let me come with you,” the blonde-haired boy said firmly.
Shirayuki turned her attention to him, now knowing his name. “No. You’re staying here. Even if you followed me, you wouldn’t be of much help.”
Her words were blunt, leaving no room for argument, and without a counterargument, Kaelon backed down.
“But… Are you sure you can handle it by yourself?” he muttered, a mix of curiosity and disbelief in his voice.
Shirayuki didn’t bother responding to Kaelon’s question. A faint scoff escaped her, before she exhaled and tightened her grip on the scabbard.
She exhaled, her tone was decisive. “Alright, all of you—just stay here. I’ll be back in a few minutes”
Without another word, she made her way down the stairs, Elysia watching anxiously from above, her hands clasped together.
As Shirayuki descended deeper, the air grew noticeably colder. A narrow corridor stretched ahead, bodies strewn across the floor.
She stepped past them quickly, her gaze flicking over severe damages carved into the walls and flesh alike. ‘So… he and that boy managed all of this?’
Her gaze swept over the familiar sword marks; each cut was clean and deliberate, there was no hesitation behind any of them. The longer she observed, the deeper her frown grew.
‘Just where did you learn this sword art from…’
THM… THM…
She suddenly felt faint vibrations through the ground and quickened her pace toward the source. Reaching the entrance of a large room, she spotted a boy and a hulking man with a scar over his eye clashing fiercely inside.
But she didn’t step in right away. Instead, her instincts held her back, urging her to stay out of sight and watch from the doorway.
Shirayuki felt something was off as she silently observed the two figures clash.
‘Compared to the recording of him fighting Lyra… the current him is nowhere close to that level of skill… it’s as if they’re two completely different people.’
Still, it was impressive. Despite his injuries, he was holding his own against an opponent whose mana core was two levels above his. She watched as the boy weaved through each incoming blow, dodging every attack.
Then his opponent suddenly shifted his stance, unleashing a rapid flurry of strikes before the boy could fully recover. Shirayuki was about to jump in right then and there—
but her eyes widened in shock as she saw him slip past the barrage at the last possible moment and drive a counterattack straight toward the man’s opening.
“!!!”
‘You’ve got to be kidding me… Did this kid actually tap into the transcendence realm? No, it doesn’t seem like it upon closer look.’
Shirayuki finally understood why Thalor held such a high opinion of him—even going so far as to try to convince her to work at Ascalon. How many would even believe that a boy, not yet past his twenties, showed the potential to step into that realm—a place most mages and swordsmen only ever dream of?
Unfortunately, that final attack seemed to have taken everything he had, as Caelith collapsed onto the floor, coughing up a massive amount of blood. The leader loomed over him, muttering words Shirayuki couldn’t make out, before grabbing his hair and cocking his fist back.
Before the killing blow could land, Shirayuki sprang forward, appearing in front of him and catching his fist. With a flick of her wrist, she sent him hurtling across the room, crashing into the far wall.
She caught the boy in her arms, who’s barely clinging onto his consciousness. Setting him down, Shirayuki quickly checked his condition and let out a sigh of relief—aside from some flesh wounds, he had mostly just overexerted his mana core.
As his eyes met hers, she noticed them trembling, a mixture of surprise and something she couldn’t quite place. She didn’t know why he reacted that way, but it was clear her presence had caught him off guard.
Gently placing a hand on his head, she spoke softly,
“You can rest now. I’ll take it from here.”
Slowly, his eyes closed. Shirayuki shifted her attention back to the room, where the man was dusting himself off.
‘Hah… let's just get this over with.’
The man’s eyes narrowed cautiously as he addressed her. “Who are you? Don’t tell me you’re related to that brat.”
Shirayuki tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable. “If you want to put it that way… sure.”
“Hm… now that I’m looking at you, you could probably fetch a decent price at the market,” he sneered. “You shouldn’t have wandered here alone.”
With that, he snatched up a weapon from the floor, his eyes flashing with killing intent. Yet Shirayuki remained utterly unfazed.
“Tch… let’s see how long that expression lasts,” he spat, charging toward her.
He swung his weapon down, a smirk tugging at his lips, thinking that this is way too easy as he noted that she still hadn’t even moved the sword in her hand.
Then her crimson eyes locked onto his, and a cold shiver ran down his spine. His instincts screamed at him to move, but it was too late. His vision began to spin wildly before—
THUD
His head hit the ground, the last thing he saw was his own-decapitated body collapsing before him.
