Solo Swordmaster

#177. won’t you save me

[In short, this fog is the remains of the London battle system created during the Demon War?]

“It’s more like a side effect than a wreck… but it’s something similar, so I’m just going to think that way.”

[Hearing that, I’m more concerned about why it’s more like a side effect.]

“It’s not a big deal, but ghosts sometimes appear in this fog. A few people go missing every day.”

[Isn’t that enough?]

Yu Na-kyung, horrified at Limon’s words, suddenly tilted her head.

[No, wait a minute. The Demon God War broke out right after the end of World War II, right? But the effect of the barrier you created at that time still remains?]

“Yes, and it will remain for a thousand years from now.”

[…Does that make sense?]

“Because magic is a force that becomes stronger the deeper it is, and leaves a huge aftermath as it is heavier.”

Yuna-kyung looked around outside the observatory again.

And he looked tired at the sea of fog still rolling over London.

The fog that completely covered London was so thick and heavy that I wondered if it would be possible to use the 『Climate Change』 skill together with hundreds of players.

But these are just traces of magic used decades ago.

If it wasn’t for Limon who told me this story, I wouldn’t have believed it.

[…It’s a bit different from what I’ve heard. In movies and textbooks, it is said that witches just appeared and put up a barrier and stopped the drinking.]

“Of course.”

[Realistic research is poor?]

“Every country advertises the good side of its country, but it tries to cover up the disadvantages or dangerous points as much as possible.”

[I really want to deny that, but I can’t, so it’s a sad story.]

Limon snorted as he saw Yuna-kyung talking blankly with a shocked face.

After the Demon God War, the only country that took pride in being able to defend against the Demon God and obtained hegemony in Europe was the British Empire.

There was no way they would have let the rumor spread that ‘the demon was stopped, but London was cursed instead’.

Perhaps this absurd change was also part of a policy to curb such rumors.

Dazzled by the theme park-like appearance of London, those like Yuna-kyung will mistakenly misunderstand the real reason why this place is called Mado.

[Anyway, based on what you said, I can understand why the team leader is looking for the 27th lineage of magic.]

Yuna-gyeong muttered.

The 27 witches who hit the showdown in London.

It was clear that the magician of the 27 genealogies of magic inherited from them would be of a different rank from the common magicians rolling around the streets.

It was a problem, however, that all of the magic halls of the 27 genealogy of magic were chain stores.

That’s why Limon frowned.

“…I don’t understand either.”

[yes? What is it?]

“That place is doing business with a signboard of the 27th line of magic.”

[W-wouldn’t that be possible? It’s an era where history and tradition are also used to make money.]

“That’s why I don’t understand. I don’t know if it’s anywhere else, but if it’s something related to magic in London, there’s no way the word these days will work.”

[…?]

“Besides, making money and being a real magician is not a place to do business that way.”

[What do you mean by that again?]

“For example… Huh?”

The moment she opened her mouth to explain to Yuna-kyung, who tilted her head at the words whose meaning was unknown.

Limon raised his eyebrows.

Then he turned his head toward the inside of the clock tower.

It was because a very faint scent of magic, slightly different from the aura from the fog, passed by the tip of my nose.

Take a look inside the clock tower to find the source of the scent with the senses of a sword master.

Limon slowly approached the transparent clock face that doubled as a window, checked the location of the hands, and smiled strangely.

“I wondered where all the real magic halls had gone… Did they hide the entrance in a place like this?”

Why did you leave a door that opens only during the ‘dark hour’ in this place overlooking all the fake magic halls?

If it was intended, it was a very funny prank.

Anyway, Yuna-gyeong put on a puzzled expression as she saw Limon quietly muttering that thanks to that, the effort was reduced.

[Is it a door?]

“Nakyung, doesn’t this clock face look a little strange to you?”

[…Isn’t that weird at all?]

Yuna-kyung was confused at Limon’s question.

That would be the case, because the clock face Limon pointed to was pointing to the time perfectly, and there was nothing strange about it anywhere.

The one who spoke instead of her was Wei Ling, who silently followed Limon.

“The clock face is reversed.”

[What is the opposite? At first glance, it looks like an ordinary watch… Huh?]

Yuna-kyung opened her eyes wide.

It was only then that I realized that the fact that this watch looked ordinary was ‘ideal’.

[Wait a minute? Why is this watch face like this? It looked fine from the outside, so it should look upside down from the inside, right?]

This is inside the clock tower.

If the watch face looks normal from the outside, it should look upside down from the inside.

Even so, why does the clock face look normal both from the outside and from the inside?

To the confused Yuna-kyung, Limon spoke calmly.

“No surprise. It’s just a sign.”

[…a sign?]

“Yes. It is also a key.”

Limon crossed his arms.

Then, looking at the overturned but not overturned clock face, I was lost in thought.

‘Is it Senna who returns the watch face?’

‘No, then the clock will have to run backwards.’

‘It’s the other way around. Right. It’s the genealogy of Eureka that is overturned.’

‘Eureka liked to flip things upside down. If so, the location of the door is…’

Thinking of a short witch with cute freckles, tap your fingers for a while.

Limon glanced at the other side of the clock face.

Then, he approached the full-length mirror that was placed in one corner of the clock tower and flipped it over.

“Turn over and it will be opened to you?”

‘Anyway, this guy’s repertoire hasn’t changed for hundreds of years.’

I laughed at the phrase engraved on the back of the mirror once.

Limon dragged a full-length mirror across from the clock face and adjusted the angle of the mirror so that the clock face was upside down.

And he said it out loud.

“Now let’s go in.”

[Going in, where are you?!]

Yuna-kyung, who was confused and watched what Limon was doing, was frightened.

The moment he took a step forward.

It was because the surface of the full-length mirror swayed like a surface of water where a stone was thrown and naturally accepted Limon’s body.

When Yuna-gyeong, who was sucked in while he was doing it, came to his senses.

Limon and her were already inside the mirror… no, beyond the mirror.

[What is this!?]

Yuna-kyung is horrified to see everything reversed left and right, from the clock face to the structure inside and the view of London from the observatory.

Unlike her, Wei-ling, who calmly followed Limon, looked around and asked quietly.

“Did you mean that it would be difficult to find the 27th lineage of magic?”

“Yeah, from the beginning, they aren’t doing magic tricks to make money.”

Limon said sneeringly.

Wouldn’t it be a street magician who has learned a little magic but puts on a show while selling odds and ends?

It is said that the true view of magic is that you cannot find a person whose destiny does not reach you at all, and even if you find one, you cannot buy a single trifle with money.

[If you are not interested in making money, why are you doing a magician? What’s your hobby?]

“That’s right. To put it bluntly, it’s more of a karma than a hobby.”

[Karma?]

“Yes. A real witch or wizard has no choice but to run a magic hall in order to continue using magic.”

[The more I listen, the

more I don’t understand what you mean?]

That’s what magic is all about.

Speaking casually, Limon walked out of the clock tower.

To the streets of London, covered in the same dense fog as outside the mirror, but much more dreamy.

flutter.

“Are you drinking? He even gave directions, so this generation’s Eureka is quite polite.”

As if waiting for it, it flew in and was a softly shining butterfly.

Limon followed the butterfly, which was strangely bright even in the fog, and moved without hesitation.

Thus, Limon with a relaxed attitude and Yuna-kyung, who was looking around blankly, and Wei-ling, who silently followed her, arrived at a magic hall.

It was none other than the [Orna’s Magic Hall Unraveling] that they stopped by for the last time outside the mirror.

“hmm?”

I’ve only entered through Eureka’s door.

For a moment, I wondered why there was Orna’s view of magic instead of [Reverse Eureka’s view of magic].

Limon said yes and opened the door and went inside.

[Huh?]

And Yuna-kyung lost her temper.

Even the world where the left and right were reversed was enough to make the eyes dizzy, but the scenery inside the magic hall was completely different.

The ceiling and floor are inverted in opposite directions, as if gravity were acting in reverse.

Dozens of doors, large and small, filled all six sides, including the walls on all four sides of the ceiling and floor.

A bird-shaped padlock crackling in a cage and a bunch of keys clicking and crawling on the wall.

The scene that made me feel like I was dreaming rather than reality made Yuna-kyung’s beak wide open.

But it wasn’t the scenery that caught her attention.

It was a woman sitting with her chin upside down on a desk attached to the ceiling, looking down at them.

“Would you like to come?”

A strangely antique black dress that exposed not only arms and shoulders, but also the breastbone.

Dark red hair that was as clear as the darkness and shimmered like a flame.

In addition, the softly curved eyes and the tear point under the left eye.

When Yun Na-kyung and even Wei-ling inadvertently swallow dry saliva when they see the woman who catches the eye and makes the heart pound just by sitting still.

Limon opened his mouth with a hard face.

“…why are you here?”

“You’re too heartless for someone I haven’t met in a long time.”

“It’s okay to talk, so start by answering.”

“I will answer you, so don’t pull out that sword. A delicate witch like me would then be scared and speechless.”

The woman laughed when she saw Limon, who put his hand on the handle of the sword and assumed a posture as if he would pull it out at any moment.

Then, with his chin resting on his clasped hands, he continued to speak languidly.

“The reason I’m here is because I’ve been waiting for you.”

“me? you? why?”

Limon made a suspicious expression.

Meeting her was not surprising. It was expected from the moment I heard Ainsha’s wisdom.

But meeting her here in this way was completely unexpected.

This is because this dark red haired woman hid when Limon persisted in visiting her, and did not appear on her own.

Still, why did you do such an unusual thing?

To Limon, who was openly suspicious, the woman straight-forwardly revealed her business.

“Will you save me, baby?”

“…don’t call me baby, you old hag.”

“It can’t be helped. It’s true that a baby looks like a baby to me.”

If you want to get out of being treated like a baby, come back when you’re over a thousand years old.

Limon couldn’t help but frown as he saw one of the few women older than him in the world who spoke with a wistful smile.