…Meanwhile, while a major incident was unfolding at the World Tree, the Cult Leader of the Dark Mage Cult, Hui-Ryeon, was also watching the World Tree from a distant cliff.
"This is my first time seeing the World Tree…"
The boy spoke with a somber expression. Was his gloom due to the sight of the World Tree, or was it sorrow for the countless dark mages who had perished thus far?
He was draped in an oversized black robe, larger than his own frame, and wore a mask resembling a respirator. His appearance was strikingly conspicuous, yet there wasn't a single soul nearby.
An invisible cognitive disruption field deployed by Hui-Ryeon prevented anyone from approaching the cliff.
As Hui-Ryeon silently observed the World Tree, a gray hue rippled nearby. He immediately turned his gaze toward it.
"You've arrived."
The figure which approached without a sound was Fawn Prevernal Moon.
Handing Hui-Ryeon a gray sphere, Fawn Prevernal Moon said, "I can't believe I had to personally intervene. How pathetic."
Hui-Ryeon accepted the sphere with a smile.
"Thank you. Now that the World Tree has returned to neutrality, our plans will proceed much more smoothly."
"It's something that should have been dealt with long ago. And how long do you plan to cling to this ridiculous title of Cult Leader of the Dark Mage Cult?"
At those words, Hui-Ryeon raised his head.
How long had it been since he last looked directly into Fawn Prevernal Moon's gray eyes?
"Don't worry, Father."
He gave Fawn Prevernal Moon a confident smile.
"The lifespan of the Dark Mage King has already reached its limit. I will soon ascend to the throne."
"You're weak."
"Is that so?"
"In another world, you took the Dark Mage King's head yourself and claimed the throne."
"The version of me in that world must be powerful but foolish."
"You'll see for yourself soon enough."
"Indeed. Among your countless sons, I am confident that I am both the smartest and the strongest."
As Hui-Ryeon spoke and lowered his head, Fawn Prevernal Moon silently stared at him before turning away and walking into the air, vanishing.
Even after Fawn Prevernal Moon disappeared, Hui-Ryeon kept his head bowed for a long time. Only after an extended moment did he finally lift it.
"I'll soon be able to meet your expectations, Father."
***
The events in the Waning Moon Plains had been both sweet and enjoyable.
At first, the objective was simply to farm EXP.
Since his growth had stagnated for a while, Baek Yu-Seol, who possessed extraordinary strength disproportionate to his level, gained incredible stats. During that process, he also experienced several enlightenments.
To the point where, if the Baek Yu-Seol from a week ago were to duel his current self, it felt certain the current version would not lose. His growth had been astounding.
And that wasn't all.
Wandering around with Jeliel had been refreshing for both the eyes and the heart. It was truly a win-win situation.
"You look unnecessarily happy..."
Flame spotted Baek Yu-Seol leisurely enjoying coffee in the dormitory lounge and scrunched her face in irritation as she spoke.
"I had some good experiences, that's all."
"Is that so?"
The dormitory lounge was open to both men and women and was designed as a courtesy for students using the small reading room on the fourth floor.
Of course, most students who used the lounge didn't actually visit the reading room.
Flame plopped down beside Baek Yu-Seol and asked, "So, you went to the Waning Moon Plains?"
"I had a lot of fun there."
"With Jeliel?"
"Ahem. What I meant was that I searched through every Persona Gate I could find."
"Sure you did. You were all over the news again, weren't you?"
"Hmm. My bad. Originally, it was supposed to be discovered by the Mage Association, but I beat them to it."
"So you do have some conscience?"
"I expressed my thanks in my heart."
"That's not conscience at all."
"Really?"
As Baek Yu-Seol smirked and spoke, Flame frowned slightly and flipped over the newspaper tucked under his arm.
There, in bold text, was something surprising: Baek Yu-Seol had credited all his achievements to the Mage Association and gifted the ownership rights of all related research papers to them.
"If you were going to do that, then why...?"
"I needed the reputation."
Sipping his instant coffee from a paper cup, Baek Yu-Seol answered calmly, and Flame nodded in understanding.
That's right.
Baek Yu-Seol didn't actually need wealth or fame.
While many people spend their entire lives chasing those things, he had experienced countless lives and must have enjoyed them more than enough by now.
What he needed wasn't real wealth or fame… it was the salvation of the world.
And to achieve that, what he needed was reputation.
A reputation strong enough that people would believe in and follow him.
Flame stared blankly at the ceiling. Lately, every word Baek Yu-Seol said seemed to carry deeper meaning, leaving her constantly reflecting.
"Then… after everything is over, what will you…?"
Flame hesitated, about to ask what Baek Yu-Seol planned to do after everything was finished, but before she could finish, someone rushed into the lounge.
"Cadet Baek Yu-Seol! So, here you are!"
"Huh? What is it?"
"Go to the principal's office immediately! Hurry!"
"...What?"
What could possibly be so urgent for them to call him like this? Though unsure, Baek Yu-Seol crushed the paper cup and tossed it into the trash before standing up.
'Why is it that whenever something good happens, something bad always follows…?'
He wondered what incident had occurred this time as he hurriedly followed the frantic staff member.
***
"...What? Scarlet?"
With a slightly baffled expression, Baek Yu-Seol asked again, and Elthman Elwin nodded calmly.
"Yes, she's missing."
"Wait, that's a bit strange, isn't it…?"
"I know what you're thinking."
Baek Yu-Seol had been called to none other than the principal's office at Stella Academy.
There, he received unexpected news… Scarlet had suddenly gone missing.
"Maybe she just… went for a walk somewhere? She does that often, doesn't she?"
"Yes, she has strayed from her usual routine before. And even so, I trusted you and left the Witch Queen alone."
"This time too…"
"Would you look at this?"
Elthman pulled out a long object wrapped in fine cloth from his desk. Carefully unwrapping it, he revealed a broomstick made from high-quality wood.
"This is… Scarlet's staff."
"Her staff? That's an innovative way to describe it."
"…Is it?"
"Yes! We usually just call it a witch's broomstick. But whether it's a staff or a broomstick, it's all the same. Witches use it to cast magic."
"That… doesn't seem particularly relevant right now."
Baek Yu-Seol reached out, brushing his hand over the broomstick. He noticed a strange, recently carved inscription on it:
[Find me.]
"This is…?"
"It was carved very recently. Most likely, just before Scarlet disappeared."
"So, you're saying Scarlet left this final message on her broomstick before she vanished?"
'…What is this?'
Baek Yu-Seol felt a pang of worry, fearing that Scarlet might have grown tired of her life at Stella and decided to run away.
It wasn't an unfounded concern. Scarlet, who had lived a life of ultimate freedom, might have found being tied down at Stella suffocating.
But then—
'It's not that she ran away... but that something happened to her?'
Baek Yu-Seol tightly closed his eyes, attempting to organize his thoughts.
In that moment, a message appeared before him.
[… Synchronization complete.]
[Combining Baek Yu-Seol's trait '???' with the item Sentient Spec.']
Even though his eyes were shut, the message popped up, and information related to Scarlet began to automatically surface in his mind.
…Despite the fact that he wasn't even wearing the Sentient Spec.
However, Baek Yu-Seol didn't dwell on that detail and opened his eyes.
Countless messages were still floating in the air. In the past, it would have taken him ages to read through them all, but now, it felt as if there was an automatic reading function. The information flowed into his mind instantly.
Even so, the situation remained bleak.
'…Nothing.'
Despite the fact that millions of players had played this game, there was no record of Scarlet's disappearance.
Perhaps it wasn't surprising.
Scarlet was often portrayed in Aether World Online as a transcendent being. Whenever she suddenly appeared in an event, she either solved everything or disrupted everything completely, acting as a massive wildcard.
But that was it. No player had ever been able to approach her as a heroine or even attempt to engage with her storyline.
That's because her appearances were brief, marked by an explosive presence, only for her to vanish shortly afterward.
Still, since the game had been running for over a decade, there was a fair amount of information about Scarlet carved into the lore.
[The Scarlet roaming the world is an avatar.]
[The avatar was created over a very long time, so Scarlet does not take its destruction lightly.]
[Her true body is sealed in the deepest place somewhere in the world.]
[No one has ever found the Witch Queen's true body, and no one ever will.]
[She is sealed in a space that no one can reach.]
Based on the various pieces of information, Baek Yu-Seol deduced that Scarlet's avatar had been defeated by someone and that she wouldn't be able to emerge into the outside world for a while.
If so, then—
'Who could it have been?'
Who would have had the audacity to attack the Witch Queen and actually succeed in defeating her projection body?
Suddenly, he remembered something Scarlet had said to him right before he left for the Waning Moon Plains to resolve the Persona Gate crisis.
'If I tell you not to go, will you stay?'
She had expressed her unease, urging him not to go to the Waning Moon Plains.
The Witch Queen's instincts, she said, made her feel uneasy.
But even after hearing her warning, Baek Yu-Seol had ignored her and rushed to the Waning Moon Plains. The potential benefits he could gain there were too significant to pass up.
Back then, Scarlet had said.
'Fine. I'll handle it myself.'
At the memory of her words, Baek Yu-Seol suddenly jolted upright, as if struck by lightning.
"Hmm, did you figure something out…?"
Elthman Elwin began to ask but stopped mid-sentence.
"You…"
Baek Yu-Seol's expression was deeply twisted.
It was an expression that seemed torn between holding back tears and suppressing anger. Elthman had seen it before… on himself, reflected in a mirror.
"…This is my fault."
Baek Yu-Seol spoke after rising from his seat.
"I'll have to take a leave of absence."
A bold declaration from a mere second-year cadet as he announced his leave directly to the principal.
It was a move that might have seemed incredibly audacious, but Elthman didn't seem bothered. Instead, he immediately nodded.
"Very well. From now on, you won't need to attend class, nor will you need to worry about grades in any subject. Furthermore… If you need any support, just let me know. I'll grant you access to every first-class warp hole in the world and provide you with a private, high-speed airship."
"Thank you for your generosity."
Baek Yu-Seol bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle to Elthman Elwin before leaving the principal's office.
'This is my fault.'
His eyes burned with determination.
'So, I must find her.'