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Chapter 95: Interlude 2 – Ashen Flames

Inside the magic-powered carriage heading back to the Hero School.

The hum of the mana stone-driven engine filled the silence, heavy as thunder. It was an awkward, tense quiet between us.

“...”

Professor Elisha, gripping the steering wheel, kept her face turned slightly toward the window, as if trying to avoid meeting my gaze.

Watching her flushed cheeks and ears from the passenger seat, I sighed deeply and spoke up.

“How long do you plan on avoiding me?”

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

Her voice was flustered, but she still kept her eyes fixed on the unchanging scenery outside the window for the last three hours.

“If you keep that up, you’ll get into an accident.”

“Hmph. That’s not something for an unlicensed driver like you to worry about.”

“I told you, I know how to drive.”

“Come back when you’ve got a license, and then I’ll acknowledge it.”

Perhaps the casual conversation had eased the tension a little.

Elisha finally glanced my way.

“Ugh…!”

The moment our eyes met, she hurriedly turned her head away again.

I sighed, running a finger over my lips, which still lingered with a soft sensation.

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

“…Got it.”

“No, actually, don’t forget it.”

“…”

Do you want me to forget it or not?

“Ugh. I’m losing my mind. What was I even thinking…?”

Professor Elisha groaned, resting her forehead on the steering wheel and sighing repeatedly.

“I need some air.”

As if deciding this situation couldn’t continue, she stopped the car.

She stepped outside, pulling a cigarette from her coat pocket and placing it between her lips.

Before she could pull out a lighter, I snapped my fingers lightly.

Fwoosh.

A flame ignited at my fingertips.

The ‘Primordial Flame’ was originally meant to burn stigmas, so it was conceptually different from ordinary fire.

But with some adjustment, I could use it just like a regular flame.

“…That flame.”

Professor Elisha narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the fire dancing on my fingers.

“That’s the power that had been lying dormant within you, isn’t it? Is that why you’ve been growing so rapidly lately—because you’ve learned to control it?”

“…You knew?”

I looked at her in surprise.

I was aware she had noticed my Blessing of Revival, but I hadn’t expected her to know about the Primordial Flame.

“I don’t know its exact nature. I just sensed that some enormous power had been sleeping inside you.”

“That’s…”

I hesitated, unsure whether I should tell her about the Primordial Flame.

But she shook her head gently, continuing.

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

“…Thank you.”

“But there is one thing I want to ask.”

Elisha lit her cigarette from the flame at my fingertips and took a deep drag.

“The gray aura mixed with flames you used to defeat that monster… what exactly is that?”

The “Ashen Flame Sword” I had awakened didn’t just give me a new technique.

I’d also noticed that when I channeled my full power, the aura created was different, blending with the flames.

‘It’s not like the flame aura I had before.’

In the past, my aura had been surrounded by shimmering flames.

Now, the aura and flames were fused, burning together as one.

“I’m not sure how to explain it.”

It was a technique I’d only recently learned.

I didn’t fully understand its power or effects yet, so there was no way I could explain it to her.

“Hmm. Does it have a name, at least?”

“A name…?”

I hadn’t officially named it, but as soon as she asked, one word popped into my head.

“Ashen Flame.”

A delicate flame in the ashes.

Though it seemed ironic to call the ancient fire that burned the Tree of Creation "delicate," the appearance of it fit the name perfectly.

“Ashen Flame… yes, it’s fitting.”

Elisha blew out a long stream of smoke.

“It wasn’t a technique you used during the midterm evaluations. Did you learn it recently?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmmm.”

Elisha stubbed out her cigarette and narrowed her eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, not wrong exactly.”

Shaking her head, she continued.

“It just feels slightly unstable, as if something is off-balance.”

“Well, I just learned it recently.”

The ‘Ashen Flame Sword’ I used by channeling that energy into my blade was a new technique I’d only tried for the first time.

“The fire within me isn’t easy to control. Maybe it’s because the flames are much stronger than my own power, and that throws everything off-balance.”

“…”

Elisha fell into deep thought at my words, then slowly shook her head.

“No, it’s the opposite.”

“What?”

“The flames are not so strong that they’re causing an imbalance. It’s that the power you possess is too strong, and that’s why it’s out of balance.”

“…What are you talking about?”

Confused by her unexpected comment, I made a dumbfounded face.

Elisha moved closer to me, pulling my neck toward her and pressing her lips to mine.

Unlike last night, there was no thrill or excitement in the kiss.

Her purple eyes gleamed with a strange light.

“I knew it.”

She touched her lips and nodded.

“Last night, I wasn’t sure, but now I’m certain.”

“About what?”

“There are two.”

She held up two fingers.

“Two great powers slumbering inside you, Candidate Dale. Not just one.”

“…”

Two powers inside me?

What in the world was she talking about?

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

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

Is she seriously saying I have something stronger than the Primordial Flame inside me?

‘That’s impossible…’

If I had such power, would I have been called a ‘minor hero’ in my past life?

“As I said, I’m not exactly sure. All I know is that ‘something like that exists.’”

“... …”

“You don’t need to worry about it for now. Whether it’s weak or strong, neither power is something you can handle properly at the moment, Dale.”

Professor Elisha said this as she got back into the magic-powered vehicle.

I followed her and got into the car, trying to clear my confused mind.

“Hm, but I am curious.”

Professor Elisha turned to look at me, her eyes gleaming.

“I wonder what kind of being you’ll become when you can fully control both of those powers.”

Her violet eyes scanned me from top to bottom.

“You might even become a monster capable of easily tearing apart that ‘Demon God.’”

“... …”

“Heheh, just kidding.”

She grinned playfully, shrugging her shoulders.

“Well then, let’s get moving.”

With the roar of the engine, the magic-powered vehicle began to move.

* * *

It was late in the evening when we finally arrived at the Hero Academy.

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

‘Not just one, but two, huh?’

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

Whoosh!

I opened my palm and conjured the ‘Ember.’

A flame, mixed with gray aura, flickered on my palm.

I could feel a dizzying power from the burning ember.

‘It consumes a lot of mana, but it’s certainly powerful.’

Based on the insight I gained from Yurina, I had fused the Primordial Flame with my own mana, creating a new force.

The ‘Ashen Sword’ I wielded with this power had surprised even me with its devastating strength.

‘It’s still a bit awkward to use, though.’

Over thousands of years, I had developed the habit of conserving my mana.

But now, I had to gather every last bit of my mana, bringing it to a boiling point to unleash this force.

It was like a penny-pincher who meticulously kept track of every gold coin walking into a luxury store and buying up everything in sight.

While it felt good, part of me wondered, “Is this really okay?”

‘I’ll have to get used to it.’

After experiencing the power of the Ashen Sword firsthand, I couldn’t keep clinging to the old method of conserving magic.

‘But what was Professor Elisha talking about?’

She said there was another power inside me, besides the Primordial Flame.

In all the countless lifetimes I had lived, I had never considered such a thing.

‘There’s no way I have another power…’

Suddenly, the scene I had witnessed in the world of my inner consciousness flashed through my mind.

The Primordial Flame, which seemed almost ‘terrified,’ hastily collapsed the world of my mind to avoid my hand.

The reversal of the predator-prey relationship.

“…Ah.”

And then, another question emerged.

‘Why was my Stigma unharmed?’

According to legend, the Primordial Flame has the power to burn away the Stigma.

The ‘Stigma’ here refers to not only the mana within it but also the blessings tied to it.

‘It’s not an unfounded legend.’

The Primordial Flame had indeed burned the Distortion Blessing used by the Archbishop of Dreams.

It had also incinerated the poison created by the Archbishop of Beasts.

But why?

‘Why didn’t it burn away my Revival Blessing?’

When I accepted the Primordial Flame in my past life, I thought the mark would be consumed by the flame, and I would meet my end.

Yet, the mark on my left chest remained intact.

More than that, it even sealed the Primordial Flame within.

“One, not two.”

Professor Elisha’s words echoed in my mind.

‘One, not two.’

If that’s the case, what exactly is this second power, the one that swallowed even the Primordial Flame?

“… …”

Lost in unanswered questions, the night outside my window grew darker and deeper.