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Chapter 191: I Overdid the Role of an Adopted Daughter

Viola turned towards the direction of the sound.

“Have you grown a lot?”

She couldn’t tell how long it had been since she had endured in the ‘Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors.’ One thing was certain: she was much more mature than the Selbin Viola remembered.

The child, who had once looked so little, was now taller than Viola.

As soon as she appeared, she rushed to embrace Viola, rubbing her cheek against hers.

“Sister, why have you gotten shorter?”

“You’ve just grown taller.”

Viola quickly pushed Selbin away. The situation wasn’t really suitable for a joyful reunion.

“Have you heard about your power?”

“My power?”

“Yeah, the power that devours magic.”

“Ah!”

Salmon Duke probably used that power to attack the 6th Magic Tower. “I know.”

“Then use that power.”

Selbin’s face turned red. “But that won’t make me look pretty.”

She almost said, “I want to look pretty in front of my sister,” but instead let out a deep sigh. “It seems the situation isn’t looking good.”

Selbin’s body began to swell. The Brandy household’s unique power, ‘Lava Giantization’, was in effect.

Her body grew tremendously, and her skin turned red. An immense heat radiated from her reddened skin.

“What can I do?”

“You need to devour the annihilation.”

Selbin swallowed hard. Then a volcanic eruption-like sound occurred above her head, and lava exploded forth.

“You look incredibly powerful.”

“Yeah.”

If Selbin devoured annihilation beyond her capacity, she would disappear. “It’s something only you can do.”

“I’m glad you said that, sister.”

A breeze blew in. Selbin wasn’t the only one who had arrived here.

“Viola.”

Jeremy, who had grown as tall as Tundra, appeared. His beauty shone brightly even in the darkness. “I promised to be your friend.”

Jeremy sensed that now wasn’t the time for leisurely greetings.

This space itself was the ‘enemy.’ “I want to keep that promise.”

He glanced around. He noticed that Tundra’s body had become slightly transparent.

“What can I do to help you?”

It was fortunate that Selbin and Jeremy had shown up. An unexpected event even for Viola.

‘I’m the protagonist, after all.’

Protagonists are always followed by miraculous events and luck. That was like the first law of novels.

And as a protagonist, one must not miss such opportunities. Viola decided not to let this chance slip by. She took off her ring and handed it to Jeremy.

“I have a favor to ask, Jeremy.”

“Anything.”

“Take this ring to Winter Castle.”

Originally, Viola intended to lull the ‘Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors’ along with Tundra. Then the heat wind would naturally dissipate. She thought that would resolve everything. “Tell them I was too arrogant.”

She believed that Tundra and she could handle it together. But it wasn’t so. ‘I also need my father’s power, Jin An…

Perhaps I might need help from others as well. The certain thing was,

‘Tundra and I cannot do this alone.’

By now, the 6th Magic Tower must have been settled, and the ‘Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors’ had lost its power, so the followers of the heat wind must be faltering as well. Many people might come to help. “Tell them to help me, to stand by my side.”

Jeremy, stuck in the ‘Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors,’ didn’t quite understand what that meant. But he held Viola’s words in his heart. Jeremy nodded.

The ring would be a token of Viola.

“I’m going to Winter Castle. Please hold on for a bit.”

Fortunately, this world was still open, and what Jeremy had especially honed focus on in the ‘Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors’ was ‘speed’ and ‘stamina.’ With pure strength and swordsmanship alone, he didn’t have confidence in defeating Tundra.

In an instant, Jeremy’s body vanished.

“Please hold on. I’ll be back soon.”

He decided to give it his all. The ‘Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors’ began to fade, and only a gust of wind remained where Jeremy had just passed. That wind headed towards Winter Castle.

*

Queen Harmona of the elves had a dream.

In the center of Karenna’s river stood a large stone monument.

In her dream, Harmona approached the monument and began to read the inscriptions.

[Instead of resentment, hatred, and revenge.

There is a child born out of forgiveness, love, and grace.

Making what’s incompatible compatible.

Transforming what is disharmonious into harmony.]

The same phrases she had seen before were written there. In her dream, she was once again sure.

‘It’s a revelation.’

This was a message from the gods delivered through her dreams. Previously, the divine message had been too vague to be seen.

[The miracle mana contained within the child… truly…]

It was the same now. However, letters began to form from the previously vague sections. [The miracle mana within the child and the pleas from those asking for help will meet, and the true will of God will descend upon that place.]

Harmona immediately headed towards Winter Castle. She already knew who the ‘child’ mentioned in the revelation was.

The child currently being raised by Elcina, Benato, was indeed that child.

In haste, Harmona arrived at Winter Castle and immediately sought out Duke Heron.

“I’ve deciphered the latter part of the revelation.”

Duke Heron, half-mad, regained his senses at Harmona’s entrance. “Speak.”

“It stated that the miracle mana and the pleas from those asking for help will meet and the true will of God shall descend.”

Just then, Elcina came looking for Heron. “If it’s about miracle mana, I believe I could be of assistance.”

For the past year, the clumsy Elcina of the Magic Tower and the former miracle cleric Elbato had been working hard on the ‘clergy training’ project. And they had achieved substantial results. They had actually succeeded in training some clerics. Naturally, many temples were in outrage.

Artificially created clerics are false clerics.

We can never accept them as clerics. The opposition from the temple factions was so intense that Elcina and Elbato couldn’t reveal the clerics they had trained.

Elcina looked at Heron and said,

“Princess Viola taught me.

The miracle child is Benato.”

That was the key. “We couldn’t awaken people as clerics solely with our theories.”

The miracle child had triggered the miracles. “Those who came into contact with Benato were able to awaken as clerics.”

Thus, many clerics were born. Numerous clerics who had barely started training for less than a year.

While they couldn’t yet wield the same powerful authority as the clerics of the temple, they were undoubtedly drawing on the power of God. “So the ‘miracle mana’ mentioned in the revelation might refer to the power of the many clerics we have created.

And… asking for help means.” At that moment, Heron felt something fast racing towards Winter Castle. ‘What’s that?’

It wasn’t a monster. However, its presence and speed surpassed that of the great monster ‘Karlan’ defined by swift speed. In an instant, it passed through the gates of Winter Castle and entered the Duke’s Mansion. The main forces of Winter Castle were currently ‘exploring the place where the eye shines,’ and there was no one capable of stopping Jeremy.

Bang!

The door swung open.

Jeremy rushed in and knelt on one knee.

“I asked for help.”

He presented the ring. Vitality began to shine in Heron’s eyes.

He stood up. “Lead the way.”

* Jeremy was taken aback.

‘I gave up a lot to focus on speed.

And I’m receiving help from spirits.

At least in terms of speed, I was confident I wouldn’t be outdone by Heron.

‘I was just a frog in a well.’

Heron was faster than Jeremy. “What are you doing not coming faster?”

The surrounding world rushed by at a staggering speed, but it didn’t seem to satisfy Heron. Jeremy slowed down a bit.

“I need to leave a marker.”

Heron was anxious but no longer pressed Jeremy. His daughter had asked for help.

It seemed many people were needed.

For that, a marker was necessary. A sign that even the clueless Kaiser could find.

“As long as we can recognize the path.”

Heron took out his specialized weapon, ‘Cold,’ and swung it towards the air. Suddenly, a massive path appeared in the place where the snow had stopped falling.

A gargantuan valley formed in an instant, one that was hard to believe had been made by humans.

“Let’s go.”

After that, a group began to follow in the footsteps of Heron and Jeremy. Among them were Duke Salmon Brandy and Aselda of the Magic Tower.

Aselda laughed lightly.

“They say Heron is in the central continent and Aselda is in the western continent.”

That was incorrect. “Is Heron this strong? He’s not even in the same league as me?”

Just from the traces, one could tell. Heron was a martial artist several ranks above him.

Salmon chuckled.

“I don’t remember him being this strong when he fought me.”

The Heron in Salmon’s memory was several times weaker than the current one. It seemed he had achieved tremendous results in recent years.

Zeno caught up with them.

“You can’t explain this with mere martial achievements.”

Zeno was with Hixson and Kaiser. While Zeno raced without making a sound, Hixson and Kaiser leaped like dinosaurs.

Hixson said, “It’s not because he’s a martial artist that he’s strong. He’s strong because he’s a father.”

Among them, Kaiser was the strongest in strength but weakest in stamina. Zeno subtly tripped his leg.

Caught off guard, Kaiser went down with a loud crash!

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Please wait here. More allies will come. Escort them back here together.”

They quickly disappeared. Kaiser shook off his body as he stood up.

“I’m not stopping because I’m tired.”

No one was there to hear him, yet he explained, “I’m remaining here because I have to escort.”

* Meanwhile, Viola, trapped in the ‘darkness’, began to feel her limits. Selbin, possessing such a strong physique, also seemed to be fading.

“Selbin, pull yourself together.”

“Yes, sister.”

Selbin was responding well, but it seemed she too was reaching her limits. Then the voice of Bahakarun echoed.

“Is there nothing more to show?”

There was a sense of regret in Bahakarun’s voice, which had never revealed emotion until now. This time, he seemed to have been somewhat hopeful that he might be annihilated.

Viola looked down at her body.

‘My body will disappear too.’

It was right before vanishing. Flickering like a dying light bulb.

“I did my best.”

She had resolved not to give up, but her heart grew increasingly weak. The power of ‘annihilation’ gnawed not only at her body but her mind as well. But then, Viola’s eyes turned a deep crimson. Another voice seeped from her body. “What does it feel like to kill something you can’t kill?”

Viola smirked bitterly. “I miss the fragrant smell of blood.”

Seizing the moment when Viola’s spirit faltered, the true ‘Viola’ from the original story revealed herself.