Episode 95. Interlude 2 – Ash Fire

Inside the magic carriage returning to Reynaldo Hero School.

The sound of the engine powered by magic stones felt as loud as thunder, and an awkward silence settled inside the carriage.

“……”

Professor Elisha, gripping the steering wheel, slightly turned her head toward the window, seemingly avoiding eye contact with me as she continued driving.

Sitting in the passenger seat, I watched her flushed cheeks and ears, then let out a deep sigh and spoke.

“How long do you plan to keep avoiding me?”

“A-avoid? I have no idea what you’re talking about, Candidate Dale.”

Professor Elisha replied in a flustered voice.

Her gaze remained fixed on the window, where the same scenery had been passing by for the past three hours.

“You might cause an accident.”

“Hmph. A candidate without a license shouldn’t be worrying about that.”

“I know how to drive, you know.”

“I’ll acknowledge it once you get your license.”

Perhaps the tension eased slightly as we chatted.

Professor Elisha’s eyes met mine.

“Eek…!”

As soon as our eyes met, she quickly turned her head away.

I sighed and touched my lips, where the soft sensation still lingered like an echo.

“Forget it. What happened yesterday was an accident.”

“…Understood.”

“No, actually, don’t forget it.”

“……”

So, should I forget it or not?

“Sigh. This is driving me crazy. What was I even thinking…?”

Professor Elisha rested her forehead on the steering wheel and let out a series of sighs.

“I need some fresh air.”

Perhaps realizing this wasn’t working, Professor Elisha stopped the carriage.

Stepping outside, she pulled out a cigarette from her pocket and placed it between her lips.

Before she could take out a lighter, I flicked my fingers lightly.

Whoosh.

A flame ignited at my fingertips.

The ‘Primordial Flame’ was originally a fire that burned holy marks, so conceptually, it was quite different from ordinary fire. However, by adjusting its output, it could be used like regular fire.

“…That fire.”

Professor Elisha narrowed her eyes as she watched the flame burning at my fingertips.

“That’s the power that was dormant within you, Candidate Dale. Is the reason for your recent rapid growth because you’ve learned to control that fire?”

“…You knew about it?”

I looked at Professor Elisha with surprise.

I knew she had noticed the Blessing of Resurrection, but I never expected she would know about the ‘Primordial Flame’ as well.

“I don’t know the exact details. I just knew that some immense power was dormant within you, Candidate Dale.”

“That’s…”

As I hesitated whether to tell her about the Primordial Flame, Professor Elisha lowered her head and continued.

“There’s no need to tell me. You must have your reasons, Candidate Dale.”

“…Thank you.”

“But there’s one thing I want to ask.”

Professor Elisha lit her cigarette with the flame at my fingertips and took a deep puff.

“That gray aura mixed with flames you used to hunt the monsters this time… What exactly is that?”

What I gained from awakening the ‘Ash Fire Sword’ wasn’t just a new sword technique.

By changing the way I created aura—burning magic power at full capacity instead of limiting it—the aura transformed into a unique color, completely different from before.

‘Even though flames appeared when I created aura before, it didn’t feel like this.’

If the aura I used before was like a mirage of flames overlaying the gray aura, this time it felt like the two had merged and burned together as one.

“I’m not sure how to explain it.”

It was a technique I had only awakened a few days ago.

I didn’t fully understand the power and effects of this aura myself, so there was no way I could explain it to her.

“Hmm. Does it have a name?”

“A name…”

I hadn’t given it a name, but.

The moment she asked, one word came to mind.

“Ash Fire.”

A faint flame remaining in the ashes.

Of course, whether the word ‘faint’ was appropriate for the Primordial Flame that had once burned down the Tree of Creation in the distant past was debatable, but based on appearance alone, it was the most fitting name.

“Ash Fire… Indeed, a fitting name.”

Professor Elisha exhaled a long puff of smoke.

“It’s a technique I didn’t see during the mid-term evaluation. Did you recently learn it?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Professor Elisha stubbed out her cigarette and narrowed her eyes.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, not a problem.”

Professor Elisha shook her head and continued.

“But it feels a bit unstable. Like it’s out of balance…”

“Well, I only recently learned it.”

Even the ‘Ash Fire Sword,’ which channels the energy of Ash Fire into the sword, was a technique I had just used for the first time.

“The ‘fire’ within me isn’t something that can be easily controlled. The energy of the fire is so strong compared to my original power that it’s probably causing the imbalance.”

“……”

After pondering my words, Professor Elisha slowly shook her head.

“No, it’s the opposite.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not that the fire’s energy is too strong, causing the imbalance. It’s that your own power is too strong, causing the imbalance.”

“…What do you mean?”

I stared at Professor Elisha with a dumbfounded expression, completely caught off guard by her words.

Professor Elisha stepped closer to me, pulled me by the neck, and pressed her lips against mine.

Unlike last night, this kiss held no excitement or trembling.

Professor Elisha’s chest glowed with a purple light.

“As I thought.”

She nodded as she touched her lips.

“I was unsure yesterday, but now I’m certain.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Two.”

Professor Elisha held up two fingers.

“The immense power dormant within you, Candidate Dale. There’s not just one. There are two.”

“……”

There are two powers dormant within me?

What kind of nonsense is that?

“The fire you used is the ‘weaker’ one. That’s why the balance is off.”

“W-wait a minute. What are you talking about?”

There’s a power within me stronger than the ‘Primordial Flame’?

‘That doesn’t make any sense.’

If I had such power, would I have been called the ‘Last Hero’ in my past life?

“As I said earlier, I don’t know the exact details. All I know is that ‘something like that exists.'”

“……”

“You don’t need to worry about it for now. Whether it’s the weaker one or the stronger one, neither is a power you can fully control yet.”

Professor Elisha said this and got back into the magic carriage.

Still confused, I followed her and got back into the carriage.

“Hmm. By the way, I’m curious.”

Professor Elisha turned to me, her eyes gleaming.

“What kind of existence will you become, Candidate Dale, when you can fully control both of those powers?”

Her purple eyes scanned me up and down.

“Maybe you’ll become a monster capable of tearing apart even the ‘Devil God’ with ease.”

“……”

“*Chuckle*. Just kidding.”

She playfully raised the corner of her mouth and shrugged.

“Well, let’s get going.”

With the roar of the engine, the magic carriage started moving.

* * *

We arrived at Reynaldo Hero School late in the evening.

After saying goodbye to Professor Elisha, I returned to my dorm room and sat on the bed, frowning.

“Not one, but two.”

Professor Elisha’s words echoed in my mind like a lingering sound.

Whoosh!

I opened my palm and ignited ‘Ash Fire.’

A flame mixed with gray aura burned on my palm.

A dizzying power emanated from the burning Ash Fire.

‘It consumes a lot of magic power, but it’s definitely powerful.’

The energy I had created by mixing the Primordial Flame with my existing magic power, based on the realization I gained from Yurina.

The ‘Ash Fire Sword’ I unleashed with this energy was so powerful that even I was surprised.

‘Though it still feels a bit awkward to use.’

After thousands of years of being accustomed to conserving magic power, it felt strange to have to scrape together every last bit of the Holy Mark’s magic power and explode it to use this energy.

It was like a miser who meticulously kept track of every penny suddenly walking into a luxury store and sweeping up everything in sight.

It felt good, but a part of me naturally wondered, ‘Is this really okay?’

‘I’ll get used to it eventually.’

Having experienced the power of Ash Fire firsthand, I couldn’t stubbornly stick to my old ways of conserving magic power.

“By the way, what exactly was Professor Elisha talking about?”

There’s another power within me besides the ‘Primordial Flame’?

In my long past life, I had never even considered such a thing.

‘There’s no way I have such power…’

Suddenly.

A scene from my mental world flashed through my mind.

The Primordial Flame, which had frantically avoided my hand and destroyed the mental world, as if ‘terrified.’

The reversed relationship between predator and prey.

“…Ah.”

And another question arose.

‘Why was my Holy Mark unharmed?’

According to legend, the Primordial Flame has the power to burn Holy Marks.

Here, ‘Holy Mark’ refers to the magic power and blessings contained within the Holy Mark.

‘It’s not an unfounded legend.’

In reality, the Primordial Flame burned the Distortion’s Blessing used by the Grand Archbishop of Dreaming.

It burned the poison created by the power of the Grand Archbishop of Beasts.

But, why.

‘Why couldn’t it burn my Blessing of Resurrection?’

When I accepted the Primordial Flame into my body in my past life, I thought my Holy Mark would be consumed, leading to my death.

But the Holy Mark engraved on my left chest remained unharmed.

Not just unharmed—it even ‘trapped’ the Primordial Flame.

-Not one, but two.

Professor Elisha’s words echoed in my mind.

“Not one… but two.”

Then.

What exactly is this second power that even the Primordial Flame couldn’t overcome?

“……”

Amidst the unanswered questions.

The veil of night outside the window grew thicker and thicker.