Apostle of the Void

Chapter 60: Wintering (11)

It had been a fortnight since dealing with Witch Merry.

By now, it was mid-February.

Winter was coming to an end.

The villagers didn’t seem overly concerned about Merry.

They said she was the type to vanish suddenly and then reappear.

Arzen didn’t say a word about her identity or the reason behind it.

No one would believe him anyway.

Instead, he decided to focus on his purpose for coming to this village: the final stage of the logging process.

‘Hmm, the branches are mostly cleared, but the stumps are the problem...’

If he intended to create a vineyard, he would need to uproot all of them.

‘Only Barolus can pull out the stumps completely... but his power still weighs heavily on me.’

Not to mention, Barolus was ultimately a distant relative.

More often than not, he would crush the stumps rather than remove them.

‘Continuing with Re Taripo would leave roots behind, making it a mess...’

He thought about this as the logging process neared completion.

However...

The moment a worker bee landed on his shoulder, his concerns transformed into excitement and anticipation.

‘Wha, what? The universal key?!’

The power of the Void had awakened anew after consuming Merry.

He still didn’t know what conditions were needed to meet the universal key’s requirements, but it was a good thing overall.

For the entire day, Arzen neglected logging, sitting back against a stump, swallowing his saliva as he pondered the scriptures.

‘Doubling the Void beings that seem to be stunted in growth?’

It was then that he realized he was trying to strengthen Kaz to Arcturus.

He noticed two keyholes on the underside of the lock.

‘Ah, does that mean the unlocking of power doesn’t rely on just one key?’

If that were the case, what could he prioritize next...?

No, he decided to leave it up to the Void’s judgment this time as well.

The Re Taripo bestowed by Lord Rodenkal was the answer.

Therefore, he felt that following Rodenkal\'s will again would lead him to the correct path.

Shhhhhhhh...!

The scriptures of the Void indicated precisely the next page after Barolus in the scriptures.

‘So, strengthening Barolus, huh?’

Kaz to Arcturus had also been growing in output limits and abilities alongside its enhancement.

There was no reason not to apply this to Barolus as well.

After a moment\'s hesitation, Arzen decided to respect Rodenkal\'s choice.

Drrrrrrr... Clang!

New power took residence within the Apostle’s body through the universal key.

It was fully permitted to manifest this new authority upon the land.

At its core, inquiry is about respect.

Curiosity stems from the respect and fascination one holds for another.

The inquiry toward the “Night of Oblivion” should also align with this definition.

If it does not, be mindful and heed the warning, for the “Night of Aberration” will soon devour you.

Rea Barolus.

The Void within your soul.

Illuminate that gap with the light of enlightenment and embark on the journey with this power.

Arzen felt his body, his mind, no, his entire soul, uplifted.

“It’s different.”

He truly felt sorry for Evakta, Re Taripo, but… it was just so palpably clear.

“At this moment, the very specifications of the power inscribed in my soul... it’s so overwhelming that it feels like I can’t breathe... completely different.”

Anticipation.

Perhaps it was a shout mixed with respect.

It drew obedience from beyond the dimension of the Void.

“Rea Barolus!”

The dimensional rift from which Barolus emerged was several times wider than before.

From both ends!

The demon’s hands appeared, drawing existence itself into aberration.

“With one hand, the possibilities are limited, but with both hands, the range of what can be done becomes limitless.”

The power of the demon, reborn as Rea Barolus, was also swirling with boundless potential.

“To uproot the tree in one fell swoop...!”

The demon’s hands seized the stump that Arzen had just been leaning against, without a moment’s hesitation.

The roots buried deep in the ground were pulled up all at once.

The earth cracked open, and dust rose thickly into the air.

“Truly the ultimate strength, the pinnacle of might, the supreme power...!”

What kind of power would he demonstrate on the day he could pull that out completely?

“What can I say? Even that S-rank monster, the Hydra, was torn to shreds!”

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Ha, ha... huh?"

\'What’s this? Why am I so sleepy?\'

“Oh no... this lethargy, this drowsiness... so familiar...”

\'Ah, I get it, yes...\'

\'This is...\'

\'Exactly like when I casted Unmeasurable Love...\'

“Crazy... it’s the type that knocks you out with just one use... what was I expecting?”

Arzen collapsed onto the dusty ground and fell asleep.

***

“It’s still late winter, and you’ll catch a cold sleeping anywhere like that.”

As Arzen blew his nose, Eren admonished him.

“I have an overwhelming secret remedy. I was only pretending to catch a measly cold to prove it won’t stop my logging.”

Eren sighed.

“I’ve brought some herbs good for colds. Using ginseng, turmeric, and ginger will warm you up and strengthen your immune system to help you recover quickly.”

“Ugh, it’s disgusting.”

“Just kidding. It’s poison. You seem like you want to die, so I thought I’d let you die comfortably.”

“You crazy!”

“I was joking.”

“Really? I believe you?”

“Bitter things are good for your health. I’ll make turmeric porridge tomorrow because of you, Arzen. Eat something else quickly to recover. Well then.”

Eren and Arzen had always been close, but after the Merry incident, they grew even closer, appearing almost like siblings to the villagers.

They often teased, chatted, and laughed at each other over trivial matters.

Villagers commented that it was the first time they’d seen Eren laugh so much.

However, spring was coming.

Arzen had intended to survive the winter and then leave from the very beginning.

“Settling down somewhere is only a thought for after I become an existence that poses no threat to life in this world...”

In other words, he resolved to think about it only after reaching the Diamond rank.

Arzen aimed to complete the logging to fulfill his winter training goals.

Achieving a final success was important.

“With Rea Barolus’s release, the manifestation time and energy consumption of Barolus have significantly improved... at this rate, by the time spring comes, I’ll be able to uproot everything!”

If he just mindlessly used Rea Barolus to uproot roots and faint for about ten days?

The process of removing the largest obstacle, the big tree, would be completed.

“Using Rea Barolus requires the limits of my power with each use. This will also serve as power training!”

By then, Eren would also participate in the logging.

She wouldn’t be helping with the logging, but rather waiting beside Arzen under the pretense of “today’s learned spell training.”

Then, when Arzen fainted after using Rea Barolus, she would cover him with a blanket and cast warmth spells.

“...”

Eren sat beside the sleeping Arzen, gazing intently at his face.

A faint smile lingered on the girl’s lips.

Before long, Tom and Dave arrived with a cart to take away the logged trees.

“Eren!”

“Is Arzen asleep again?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t help but think he’s amazing. To finish something that no villager would even dare to attempt, and all within this winter.”

Arzen was indeed an outstanding child.

Even though the requests for the Festival of Shelters had ended, he was still giving his all until the very last moment.

This had created a greater fondness for him throughout the entire village.

Tom handed over five packed lunches.

The villagers had requested them to be brought.

“Thank you.”

Eren accepted them on behalf of Arzen.

Such ingredients were a great help in enriching the meals at the table.

“Spring will soon arrive, and the brewery will open again. Why don’t you show Arzen around before he leaves? Just one last time.”

***

February was coming to an end.

It was around the time when the villagers began to take turns cleaning the brewery and dusting off the place.

“Our village, Marind, gets incredibly busy from summer to autumn, especially during the grape festival season.”

Normally, the brewery maintained a strict rule against allowing outsiders in due to its brewing secrets, but Arzen’s case was different.

Eren showed Arzen around the interior.

“Hmm, a grape festival...”

The grape festival was a celebration held together with the neighboring village of Lechol.

Each village would nominate a cute, beautiful, or tall representative to compete in a dance battle.

As twilight descended and the evening glow awakened brilliantly.

When both heaven and earth were covered in the light of dusk.

It was a festival to eat and drink grapes and wine together.

“What’s this?”

“These are the labels commemorating the winners from each year.”

On the glass shelf were wine bottles, each with a different label design.

“And this one is a picture from when the Flame Lord Akirea won in our village during his childhood.”

There was an adorably cute child smiling in the arms of a man, a being so rare that it seemed almost unbelievable.

Given the context, it must be Yonghyeon.

Arzen squinted his eyes.

“No matter how I look at it, isn’t this a lie? I saw a wyvern in Karshiko before coming here.”

“Really?”

Eren’s eyes widened for the first time.

She looked envious.

In the eyes of witches, dragons were objects of admiration.

“Just looking into its eyes almost made me wet myself. But this Akirea here is a true dragon. Even if it was as a baby, does this make sense?”

“Yes, that was a joke.”

“I knew it!”

“Actually, it’s true.”

“Damn you!”

“It’s real. The sales of this wine haven’t been surpassed since then. Even now, if we released a commemorative edition with that label, it would sell out instantly.”

As Eren carefully placed the wine bottle back on the shelf, he said.

“In short, our village will be much busier starting from spring. It would be a lot easier if you were with us, Arzen.”

It felt like Eren was intentionally moving slowly with that gesture.

To avoid making eye contact.

In that moment, Arzen was reminded of his farewell with Ulman and Lok in Karshiko.

“Pfft, looks like you’re completely enamored by my charm. But I’m a public resource, a being that cannot stay in one place.”

He had no desire for a melodramatic farewell.

From his parting with Sia’s party and Ronnie, he realized that all good farewells should happen quickly.

Then it would truly feel like they might run into each other again by chance someday.

Parting with Lok or Ulman hadn’t been a pleasant experience.

“Haha.”

Eren turned away, smiling.

It was the first time he saw her smile so openly.

“I was actually joking too.”

Arzen chuckled, feeling a bittersweet sense of humor.

“Yeah, this works.”

On the day they finished the brewery tour, Arzen sat on a stump he had left near the summit in preparation for his last day.

He had cleared the forest neatly, and his view was now unobstructed.

“In spring, the villagers of Marind will plant grapevines here.”

He sat alone on that stump for a long time.

Exhaling white vapor, he gazed up at the moonlight in the night sky, rhythmically swinging his legs.

It was a truly strange feeling to have such a clear trace of what he had done throughout the winter.

After sitting there all night, he returned to the cabin at dawn when the twilight began to thicken.

Somehow, the witch was already waiting in front of the cabin.

“Are you leaving?”

She didn’t shout as usual.

Arzen nodded.

“Yes, I’ll take the first boat today.”

The witch stepped a bit closer.

She set her staff down and gently touched Arzen’s cold cheeks with both hands.

Her hands were truly warm.

“O Parent of Light, bless this child\'s journey, may there be no worries or sorrows, and grant joy that he can bear tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that. Durciel.”

“….”

“Wherever you go, make sure to eat plenty. So you can grow tall. And be sure to chew well to avoid any trouble.”

Inside the bag the witch handed Arzen were rice ball lunchboxes enough for three meals a day and a paper bag.

The bag contained a request form.

Not only was there a signature confirming the completion of the request, but the back was filled with a lengthy note.

Arzen’s deeds in the village were written out in the witch’s meticulous handwriting.

As he read further, his eyes began to sting, and he stopped.

“Seriously, I did these things just for my own sake. Why go through the trouble of writing something like this?”

“It’s for my own sake as well.”

“You don’t need to describe the majesty of Arzen like this. It actually takes away from the charm.”

“Arzen, I will not forget what you’ve done for me.”

There was something in the witch’s tone.

It felt like she knew even the things Arzen hadn’t told anyone.

However, Arzen chose not to dwell on it.

“Take care. Please send my regards to Eren and the villagers.”

“Alright, go on. Thank you.”

“I’ll stop by whenever I have time.”

As Arzen left the cabin and walked down the slope, he pulled out the lunchbox.

He had been awake all night, and he was hungry.

It felt as if the lunchbox had just been made by the witch herself, as the grains of rice still held warmth.

With just a light seasoning of salt and minced meat placed in the center, it was simple but very satisfying.

Even if it hadn’t tasted good, it would have still felt good.

To set out on a new adventure with such a warm send-off from someone was truly a blessing.