Chapter 123

It didn’t take long to search through the entire small mansion.

Starting from the tiny, cramped basement, to the kitchen, living room, and the rooms on the second floor.

Even after meticulously combing through everything, the investigation ended quickly.

‘There’s really nothing. Absolutely nothing.’

Dust-covered furniture placed in a few rooms.

A kitchen filled only with old cooking utensils, not a trace of food.

A basement completely empty.

And the largest room in the mansion, which seemed to be the reception room.

Inside that room stood massive bookshelves.

The problem was…

‘There was nothing on the shelves.’

Not a single book.

No — now that I thought about it, there wasn’t even a single sheet of paper anywhere in this mansion.

‘There are traces showing books once existed here. But now… nothing. Did someone erase everything?’

The mansion was suspiciously devoid of anything.

Not a single clue.

It was as if someone had deliberately erased every trace that once existed here.

‘Haa… instead of finding a clue, I’ve only gained more questions.’

I already knew that my family’s ancestor had been subjected to the Record Erasure Sentence.

But until now, I hadn’t truly felt the weight of it — now, I could.

‘No, this isn’t just feeling it. It’s blatant. Too thorough, to the point of malice. You can feel the hostility in how completely everything was erased.’

The only conclusion I could draw was that my ancestors must have incurred someone’s deep grudge.

“…Let’s sort this out for a moment.”

The memory of Peregrie I saw in my dream.

The white-haired man who had been Peregrie’s friend.

The man called the Wanderer of Water had saved the Arium Empire from the Dragon Intezer alongside Peregrie.

But nowhere could I find any record of that man.

‘And the man I saw in that dream didn’t seem noble at all. Maybe he became one after defeating Intezer?’

Even after sorting it all out in my head, there were still too many questions.

I needed more clues.

Right now, I didn’t have nearly enough puzzle pieces to complete the picture.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“Just… reminiscing while looking around the old mansion.”

While I sat on the central staircase of the mansion, lost in thought, Kara came down from the second floor.

When we’d first arrived in Serenus, she had looked terribly pale, but after resting for about an hour, her complexion had improved a lot.

“Did you manage to rest a bit?”

“I did as much as I could. Took a potion and rested — feeling much better now. Though seeing the state of this mansion, I think some repairs are definitely needed.”

“You brought potions with you?”

“For a magician, potions are practically essential. Especially mana recovery potions — every magician should at least know how to make them.”

“Ah, so you drank a mana recovery potion and rested?”

“Correct. Remember when I used a teleportation spell to get us here? Normally, moving that far would drain my mana completely, and I wouldn’t be able to use any magic for the whole day, but…”

Kara casually summoned a magic circle in the palm of her hand.

“Thanks to the potion, I’ve recovered enough mana to use a few simple spells. Like this, for example.”

With a light wave of her hand, all the broken glass windows in the mansion began to repair themselves.

“What kind of spell is that?”

“A simple restoration spell. It only works on non-living objects.”

“Isn’t that part of the time-axis manipulation branch of magic?”

“Exactly. It’s the most basic kind of time-axis magic — low mana cost, but very, very difficult. But who am I?”

“You’re a genius magician.”

“Now you’re answering properly.”

After fixing all the windows with magic,

Kara looked up at the ceiling full of holes and cast another spell.

“The ceiling can be patched with some of the nearby planks. A simple adhesion spell should do… and later, I’ll use a wind spell to ventilate the place.”

Thanks to Kara’s efforts, the Kyrgram Mansion had changed.

From an unlivable ruin to a place where one could at least sleep.

“At least we won’t freeze to death tonight. We can always light the fireplace if it gets cold.”

“Thank you, Teacher. Thanks to you, the house is in much better shape now.”

“If you’re thankful, guide me properly through the Protected Zone this time. I’d rather not get kicked out again.”

“I’ll do my best. Speaking of which… shall we head there now?”

“Excellent idea.”

Kara stood up, eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Wait here a bit. I’ll get ready and come down.”

“Sure. I’ll get ready too.”

Not that I had much to prepare.

All I needed to bring was the Mistcatcher, really.

“…Other races, huh.”

As Kara went upstairs, I looked out the window.

In the distance stretched a vast, dense forest.

I couldn’t see what lay within.

But for some reason… it felt like someone inside that forest was watching me.

To be exact, watching my white hair intently.

“Teacher, are you seriously going dressed like that?”

“What’s wrong with it? It’s my exploration outfit.”

“That’s what’s wrong! You look way too much like an explorer. No one would think you’re a magician.”

“So what? We are going on an exploration.”

“Well… I can’t argue with that.”

I chuckled and continued walking forward.

We stepped over cold ground untouched by sunlight, heading toward the dense Protected Zone.

“You said there’s a massive barrier surrounding the zone, right?”

“Yep. A nearly transparent wall. Look closely and you’ll see it.”

“Yes, I can see it faintly now.”

Just as Kara said, a huge, towering magical barrier surrounded the forest.

“That barrier can’t be broken easily, right?”

“It’s a creation of the mysteries of the other races. For hundreds of years, nothing has ever managed to break it.”

“Then the only way to get through it is…”

“There are four total entry points to the Protected Zone. You can only get in through those.”

“Is that one of them?”

At the forest’s edge stood a stone archway.

A gate built right in front of the barrier.

Beyond it, the barrier was no longer visible.

“Correct. One of the four entry gates into the Protected Zone.”

“Is that the same gate you used last time?”

“Yeah. Though, last time, I barely got five steps inside before being kicked out.”

Recalling that memory, Kara let out a dry laugh and sighed.

“Out of nowhere, harpies swooped down and attacked me. I barely fought them off before centaurs showed up and literally threw me out.”

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say you tried sneaking in multiple times?”

“Four or five, maybe. Every single time, I got caught and thrown out.”

“…That treaty we have with the other races — wouldn’t entering the zone like this count as breaking it…?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already been in there a few steps before and nothing happened.”

“That’s… not exactly reassuring.”

I gave her a doubtful look.

“If something goes wrong, this could be serious. If we break that treaty—”

“Relax. You’ll be fine. Your family manages this Protected Zone, right? And since you’re the only one left in your family now, I’m sure you’ve got the authority.”

“Uh… well…”

Unease crept in, but before I could say more, we arrived at the archway.

And before I could even protest, Kara shoved me through it.

“Don’t worry so much. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility. Of course… since you’re the noble in charge of this zone, you might have to take some responsibility too.”

“…That’s so comforting.”

“Heheh, just trust me.”

With that, Kara followed me through the archway — and into the Protected Zone.

“The atmosphere here feels completely different from outside, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s completely different.”

Just moments ago, we were surrounded by a barren, lifeless, cursed land.

But the moment we passed through that single gate, a land overflowing with life unfolded before us.

“You said it was the mystery of the other races, right? That’s exactly what it feels like.”

As soon as we entered the Protected Zone, an inexplicable, mysterious energy filled the air.

It was a kind of energy I had never felt before.

It truly felt as if the very concept of mystery had taken physical form.

“I told you, I’ve been fascinated by other races since I was little for a reason.”

“Yes, I can see now why you wanted to come here so badly—hm?”

A red dot suddenly appeared.

My Attack Prediction Skill had activated.

The red mark was right above my head.

Swish—

My body moved on instinct.

I drew the Mistcatcher and raised it above my head.

Bang!

Someone struck down at me with a spear.

Someone who had flown in from the sky.

‘…Wings?’

A man with enormous wings on his back.

Neither his hands nor his feet were human—they resembled those of a bird.

Feathers grew from parts of his body as well.

“…Step back.”

I pushed the winged man away.

Then, taking another look at him, I muttered quietly.

“A harpy?”

“No, that’s a Birdman.”

Kara quickly approached my side and explained.

“Harpy’s look a bit different. And more importantly… harpies are all female.”

“I see. Then are those over there harpies?”

Behind the Birdman who had attacked me, two more appeared.

And behind them… five figures who looked like harpies came flying.

Just as Kara said, the harpies had feminine forms.

The main difference between them and the Birdmen was that instead of wings on their backs, their arms were wings.

“They’re the ones who attacked me multiple times before.”

“Please stand behind me, Teacher. And quietly back away… let’s just head back out of the Protected Zone for now.”

“No. Try talking to them first. Last time I came here, they were looking for a human with your name—the Kyrgram surname. They might know who you are.”

“I doubt that. Considering they attacked me on sight—huh?”

The ground began to tremble.

From a distance, the sound of hooves approached.

I looked toward the direction of the noise…

“Centaurs… right?”

“They’re the guards of this forest.”

Half-human, half-horse.

Exactly as they were often depicted in countless stories.

‘Five of them.’

The centaurs galloped toward us and stopped in front of us.

‘Huge.’

Their sheer size radiated intimidation.

I gripped the Mistcatcher, not taking my eyes off the other races.

I couldn’t relax—an attack could come at any moment…

“White-haired human.”

The centaur at the front spoke.

I was startled by his sudden words.

But he continued speaking to me.

“State your name.”

“I’m Gideon Kyrgram.”

“Kyrgram… yes, we knew. From the moment you set foot near this forest, we have been watching you.”

The centaur looked down at me, as though trying to meet my gaze.

So I met his eyes in turn.

And strangely… I saw sorrow in them.

“Let me confirm something.”

“Pardon? What do you—ugh?”

The centaur suddenly swung his sword at me.

Startled by the sudden red mark that appeared, I quickly reacted and blocked the attack with defensive swordsmanship.

“…Yes. You are indeed who we thought.”

Seeing my stance, the centaur smiled and lowered his sword.

“As foretold, the descendant of our old friend has finally appeared before us.”

“Who was that old friend? And what do you mean by prophecy?”

“I wish I could tell you his name with all sincerity. I could speak of that old friend for days… but now, we cannot. We are not allowed to speak of him.”

“Why not?”

“Even the reason itself cannot be spoken.”

“…So there’s a story behind this.”

The reason they couldn’t speak—whatever that was, finding it and breaking through it…

My instincts told me that was the key to the truth.

“Gideon, was it? You came here to see our land?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then follow me. I will guide you. But that human woman beside you…”

The centaur narrowed his eyes at Kara.

“The magician who came here before… she’s with you, isn’t she?”

“Yes, but… would it be difficult for her to come along?”

“If she’s your companion, then it’s fine.”

I glanced at Kara.

She stayed silent, but her eyes shone brighter than ever—with excitement and anticipation.

“We’ll depart now. Ah, but before we do… there’s something we must do first.”

At those words, the leading centaur—and all the others behind him—

Lowered their bodies and bowed their heads toward me.

And not just the centaurs.

The Birdmen and harpies flying above descended gracefully, knelt on one knee, and bowed their heads as well.

“To the heir of our eternal friend and leader… we offer our greetings.”

“…What?”

Caught off guard by their sudden behavior, I could only stare in confusion.

Kara looked just as shocked as I was—clearly, this was something she hadn’t expected either.

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