CHAPTER 110

"Elric...? Elric!"

Ralph urgently called out Elric's name as he suddenly began running off outside.

But Elric seemed not to hear him and had already disappeared into the distance.

"Damn it! I don't know what's going on, but... Everyone get ready immediately! We're following Elric!"

At Ralph's command, the royal guard quickly began chasing after Elric.

***

Elric ran with all his strength, turning his back on Ralph's voice, squeezing every last bit of mana he had.

He quickly pulled out the stone tablet from inside his coat.

He needed to check how the arrangement was progressing.

And then.

[All restrictions have been lifted.]

[Graduation from the arrangement.]

Elric had to grimace.

The arrangement… was about to end.

The God of Camellias, who was still sitting on his right shoulder, tilted her head in confusion.

[Hasn't it all ended anyway? There's no need to rush like this.]

The mission within the arrangement was simply to 'make the camellia flower bloom within 100 days.'

And during that process, he was to learn the method of stealing the power of General Winter.

Luckily, Elric had successfully stolen the Seal of Winter Wind from General Winter. Not only that, but he had also learned how to combine it with the Seal of Brutal Cold to make it even more powerful.

But that wasn't all.

He had even gone far beyond what the God of Camellias and Otto Han had anticipated by mastering the Body Strengthening Art.

This alone was a much greater achievement than Otto Han had intended, so there was no need to cling to the arrangement any longer.

However,

Elric's face still showed signs of urgency.

An urgency that told him he absolutely couldn't let the arrangement end like this….

"I haven't said my farewell yet."

[Farewell…?]

A surprising statement.

The eyes of the God of Camellias widened slightly.

"Yes."

[Why are you so intent on saying farewell? After all, they are illusions… mere shadows. Once you leave this place, they will disappear like fleeting illusions, leaving nothing behind.]

"I know."

[But why?]

"I just want to. Does there really need to be a reason?"

[…!]

"Even people who aren't that close say their farewells when they part. And you want me to leave without saying anything to Tiger King Yul? I absolutely can't do that."

[….]

Elric had an exceptionally sharp memory, recalling many events from his early childhood.

Retainers who coldly turned their backs.

Vassal families who ignored his sister's cries for help.

Wolves in disguise, aiming for the little wealth his family had left.

Though Elric had never shown it to his sister, Heize, the wounds he suffered as a child were deep, too deep to heal easily.

Among them were people he once called "older brother" or "uncle," people he trusted and relied on.

Elric's more cynical nature and his refusal to forget any humiliation may not have been just family traits, but rather the result of the trauma he endured back then.

There were always plenty of people around him, ready to take advantage the moment he let his guard down.

But on the other hand, Elric was relatively soft towards those who opened their hearts to him.

His sister had been that way, Sean had been that way, and recently, Augustine and Gility had been that way.

And Tiger King Yul had been that way, too.

-I trust anyone I've once called 'brother' to the end. Even if they're hiding something. Why would a brother need a reason to help another brother?

He couldn't repay the person who had called him "brother" so freely, but at the very least, he wanted to say his farewell.

Even if, in the end, no one would remember the illusion he became.

[…This is why, I feel such disdain when I think of Melvinger, yet in the end, I can't truly leave.]

As the God of Camellias muttered to herself with a bitter smile.

Thud!

Elric had finally reached the territory of General Winter.

Hahaha...!

The mind realm, where the entire arrangement had taken place, was beginning to crumble, little by little. Like shattered glass, cracks spread across the entire world, visible only to Elric.

And beneath those cracks.

"...You came?"

Tiger King Yul was sitting, completely frozen.

Elric could see the numerous large and small wounds scattered all over his body. The layers of frost and shards of ice clinging to those wounds were clear signs of the intense battle he had fought. He was so frozen that even with each breath, pieces of ice would fall from him.

Without even turning his head to look, Tiger King Yul instinctively knew it was Elric.

Because of that, Elric could only swallow dryly.

Why did this man trust him so much?

He didn't think he had done anything to earn Tiger King Yul's favor like this.

Is this really what he meant by "brother"?

Because of this, Elric couldn't ask if Tiger King Yul was alright, if he was injured, or anything like that. He couldn't even bring up the farewell he had planned during the journey here.

"General Winter…?"

Instead, he simply asked how the battle had turned out.

This, surely, was what Tiger King Yul would want to talk about most, what he would be most proud of.

And, as expected.

"Ha! Hahaha! Isn't it obvious?"

Tiger King Yul let out a hearty laugh, finally turning his head toward Elric with a broad grin.

"I won, of course."

"..."

"You didn't seriously think I would lose, did you?"

Elric couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Of course."

Really, just how far does this man's confidence reach?

Elric suddenly felt the urge to learn that kind of behavior.

Others might think it's annoying or view it as arrogance.

But somehow, when Tiger King Yul acted that way, it didn't seem like that at all.

-I want to be like that.

That was the only thought that came to mind.

"How could I think otherwise?"

"Right? Hahaha! The word 'defeat' simply doesn't exist in my vocabulary. Even though I might not look so great right now, I still smashed that icy bitch and drove her away. So, it's safe to say I won."

In the original timeline, General Winter must have retreated from here, too.

Elric thought about that.

And at the same time, he had another thought.

The fierce battle between Tiger King Yul and General Winter—he wished he could have seen it with his own eyes.

But it was a shame that such an opportunity never came.

Just then.

"You've come to say your farewell, haven't you?"

Elric's eyes widened in surprise at Tiger King Yul's unexpected words.

How… Did he know?

"What's wrong? Surprised that I guessed so accurately?"

Elric understood.

This wasn't a random guess.

It was a certainty.

Tiger King Yul knew exactly what "leaving" truly meant.

"Did you… know?"

"No, I didn't know."

"Then?"

"I just suddenly realized."

A sly grin spread across Tiger King Yul's lips.

"I accepted you as a 'brother,' but I was still curious. It seemed like there was a deeper reason for you wanting to learn Body Strengthening Art, but I didn't feel right asking."

"..."

"Well, I figured you'd tell me eventually, so I didn't press the matter. But while I was fighting with General Winter, I suddenly started seeing that."

Tiger King Yul pointed directly at the cracks covering the world.

Elric's eyes trembled.

"As you know, I'm not just good—I'm exceptional, right? There's always been a wall that I couldn't quite grasp, but once I leaped over it, I started seeing things that had been hidden. And I understood. Not just that but things about you, too."

Only then did Elric realize that the halo surrounding Tiger King Yul was shining much brighter than before.

That was proof he had surpassed the realm of creation, breaking past the 4-chain to reach the level of a superhuman, beyond mortal limits…!

Because of this, Tiger King Yul must have realized that the world surrounding him was 'fake.'

"The chieftain…!"

"Stop. Don't say anything. I'm not interested in what happens after or anything about me. I'm just me. What else matters?"

Tiger King Yul's eyes curved into a sharp smile.

"All that matters is focusing on this moment. Don't you agree?"

"…Yes, you're right."

"Good. Then, before we say our farewells, let me ask you one thing."

"Yes. Ask me anything. I'll answer everything."

"No, just one question is enough. Your full name. What is it? I've only called you by your first name."

Elric took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled as he spoke in a heavy tone.

"Elric. Elric Melvinger."

"Melvinger… So that's it. Haha!"

Indeed.

Tiger King Yul slapped his knee with a small laugh, as if he had heard the name before.

And with that, as if it was all he needed, he stood up.

"My brother, Elric Melvinger. As we promised before entering here, you survived and saved my brothers, so in return, I'll show you something fun. This is my farewell gift to you."

Crack, crack!

Shhh-

With each twist of his joints, the ice frozen around Tiger King Yul's body began to fall off in chunks.

"This is what allowed me to drive off that General Winter just now."

And with that... Tiger King Yul began demonstrating the maneuver on the spot.

Step by step. Movement by movement. Very slowly, ensuring that Elric wouldn't miss a single detail, so that he could remember it all.

To not miss a single part of this farewell gift, Elric opened both his Mind's Eye and all of his senses wide, following closely and memorizing every move Tiger King Yul made.

***

"…If fate allows, we'll meet again someday."

With those final words.

Fwoosh!

The mind realm crumbled completely in a burst of light.

.

.

When Elric opened his eyes again.

"Your expression doesn't look too good."

He saw Otto Han burst out in laughter while looking at him.

Elric ran his hand over his face. What kind of expression was he making right now? He couldn't tell.

"You've gained a lot. Far more than Lady Camellia and I expected."

"Yes. But this arrangement still ended in 'failure' for me."

At Elric's grumbling words, Otto Han smiled, his eyes crinkling.

"Why do you think that? You learned how to steal from General Winter, and you obtained the original Body Strengthening Art from Tiger King Yul, something you desired so much."

"What good is that? In the end, I couldn't capture General Winter."

If there was one regret Elric had, it was that he hadn't completely found a way to deal with General Winter.

Even Tiger King Yul couldn't defeat General Winter; he could only drive her away. That too was only a miracle achieved when his enlightenment dramatically elevated his abilities at the last moment.

'When General Winter comes back next time, she'll be even more solid and stronger. She was always learning something.'

That was the most terrifying thing about General Winter.

She couldn't die.

She regenerated, and every time she did, she returned stronger, having corrected her weaknesses based on her past defeat.

'She's... a monster.'

General Winter wasn't like a typical demon with reason or intelligence. But Elric could still sense an unwavering hatred for all living things in her.

An enigma driven to freeze and destroy all life.

Couldn't it be seen that way?

"Is there no way to retry the arrangement?"

So Elric stared at Otto Han as he asked this. The God of Camellias, perched on his shoulder, turned around with wide, surprised eyes.

"Heh heh. Seems like you're not satisfied with the outcome."

"I really want to defeat General Winter somehow. Please give me another chance. I know I can do it if I have just a little more time."

And, if possible, he wanted to catch a glimpse of Tiger King Yul from afar again.

But Elric kept that thought to himself.

Otto Han seemed pleased with the competitive fire in Elric's eyes.

However, Otto Han shook his head calmly.

"No. You can't."

"Why do you say that? I can…!"

"No, you can't. Even in the original timeline, Tiger King Yul eventually failed. How could you possibly stop her in just 100 days?"

Elric couldn't argue further. His face stiffened.

"Tiger King Yul... failed?"

"Yes. Despite uniting the beastmen tribes, who were scattered and in disarray in the face of the threat from General Winter, and fighting back, he ultimately failed in the end. Why do you think the beastmen were so desperate to cross the great wall during Tiger King Yul's reign?"

"…!"

"It's a part of history that's not well known to us humans. The Empire only remembers Tiger King Yul as an enemy who threatened their existence. But the real danger lay beyond that."

"…."

Elric was so stunned that he couldn't say anything.

Tiger King Yul had been recognized as having surpassed even the Superior level of the 5-chain later in life. He was still remembered as a hero by the beastmen.

And above all, Elric felt he knew Tiger King Yul better than anyone else after spending time with him during the arrangement.

But to think that he had been defeated.

It was unimaginable.

"Of course, Tiger King Yul continued to find ways to reduce the damage caused by General Winter. The barrier stones you've seen, and the Blessing of the Tail, were byproducts of his efforts. In his final days, he even managed to push General Winter back to the Second Spring, though at great cost."

The longer Otto Han spoke, the more Elric had to bite his lips in silence.

"But due to the aftereffects of that battle, Tiger King Yul had to close his eyes forever. And as you know, the downfall of the Tiger King family followed soon after."

Elric glanced at the God of Camellias.

[….]

Even she remained silent at this moment.

"Why do you think the Ark was built? It was because the General Winter could not be stopped, even a thousand years ago, or four hundred years ago. The Curse of the Demon God… it's that terrifying."

The Curse of the Demon God.

Elric recalled the face of the Demon God, who had breathed life into the remnants left by the God of Camellias.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Otto Han continued.

"The reason I went to such lengths to leave behind the events of Tiger King Yul's era in the arrangement, even after my death, and the reason Usdun, your grandfather, painstakingly updated the necessary data here, was all because of you, Elric Melvinger."

For a moment, Elric involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath.

My grandfather had a hand in creating this arrangement?

For me?

—He said that one day, someone like his grandson would come here, steal the 'winter' that blankets the Black Snowfield, and bring 'spring' in its place.

Elric suddenly recalled what the God of Camellias had said about his grandfather.

"Ensuring that you could learn how to 'steal' from General Winter using the data left in this arrangement, so that you could stand against her when she rises again—that was our true goal."

Otto Han's eyes gleamed intensely.

"The problems you couldn't solve here, you'll have to face and resolve in the real world. That is your task."

[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]