Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 258 But Then Again
According to Winter's account, Merlin died at the hands of the Time Traveler at the end of the Second Era.

His heart was pierced by an enchanted spear, his head was severed, and without the protection of his guardian, the Garlog dynasty came to an end amidst successive wars, which perfectly conformed to the laws of civilization decay proposed by the servants of the gods.

The time travelers went to great lengths to get rid of Merlin.

They used almost every means at their disposal to weaken Merlin—poisoning, cursing, setting traps—but until they found the cursed spear, Merlin continued his undefeated record and was hailed as "invincible" by many.

After accomplishing these tasks, the time travelers vanished into the annals of history, and there have been no further sightings of them since.

Ethan consulted some materials about the Galog Dynasty. The problems at the end of the Second Era were the same as those of any declining dynasty: the contradictions caused by class differences and the gap between the rich and the poor were irreconcilable, and the harsh taxes made the residents of the kingdom suffer.

If we set aside the legend of "Merlin's Death," the Second Age was not destroyed by a calamity from the heavens, but rather by a war that started from the bottom up and from the outside in. In the war that later ended the Second Age, the followers of the Middle Gods played a decisive role.

Why are you so interested in Merlin?

Winter was somewhat puzzled.

In her view, the legend of Merlin must have been embellished with many mythological elements, and now that more than a thousand years have passed since the Second Age, the truth is impossible to verify.

But everyone was certain that Merlin was dead.

"Teacher, don't you think the descriptions of Merlin are rather subtle?"

"Myths and legends are all like this."

Winter didn't find this strange. She squinted and rested her head on Ethan's face. After reading with Ethan all day, her eyelids drooped.

There are many more exciting activities at the academy, such as magic duels or magic broom racing, which are all much more interesting than staying in the library.

"Merlin lived for 400 years, almost as long as the Garg Kingdom itself. That's how he's described in the books. But in reality, he only appeared when the kingdom faced great upheaval, and then disappeared without a trace." Ethan paused, then offered his hypothesis: "Perhaps Merlin didn't live that long at all. If the magic network could travel through time, he only needed that function to reach important moments in the Garg Kingdom's history to leave people with the impression that he lived for 400 years."

Ethan felt that he had actually achieved this unintentionally—at least in the eyes of Saint Mary, he had lived from the Third Age to this day, but in reality, this was only his third year in this world.

"His abilities are very similar to those of the Time Travelers, and he may even be a traitor among them, which is why they are relentlessly hunting Merlin down."

"You are the first person to put forward this view."

"In any case, using the magic network will make you a target for time travelers."

"Are you afraid?"

Suddenly, Leng Dong asked, "Speaking of which, why are you so interested in the Magic Network? Is it just because 'my future self' left you a note?"

This was a soul-searching question that left Ethan speechless for a moment.

The magic network did indeed pique his interest greatly, but it wasn't necessarily related to the hint about the "future winter."

After witnessing Mekka-Delin's exploration of the Magic Network, he was almost certain that the Magic Network was related to his time travel. So what about Merlin? He might also be a "time traveler," just arriving in an era earlier than his.

Ethan's intuition told him that even if he didn't go looking for trouble with the time travelers, they would eventually come knocking on his door as his understanding of the world deepened. It was clear from the way they dealt with Merlin that they were not the type to follow fair and square duels.

Once they're targeted by time travelers, they become like leeches that you can't shake off.

Everyone you meet could be a time traveler in disguise, and every cup of tea you drink and every piece of bread you eat could be poisoned.

Worst of all, even if the time travelers do nothing, they will make people live in a state of constant fear and suspicion.

Ethan could easily imagine Merlin's later life.

“We can use this in reverse.”

After a moment of contemplation, Ethan said, "Time travelers are the group that understands the magic network best."

I like this!

The cat on his shoulder perked up immediately, its eyes sparkling. "If we leave the time travelers alone, they'll become a threat to the Academy and the Empire sooner or later. So they should issue you a hunting license and wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

"It doesn't necessarily have to be hunting."

Ethan felt that Winter's belligerence was ingrained in her bones and would be difficult to change; whenever a conflict arose, her eyes would shine like searchlights.

"Didn't Professor Franky mention before that the time travelers he encountered understood human languages ​​and could communicate with humans? Maybe we can find an opportunity to sit down and talk with them, and share our knowledge about the magic network."

This is an idealized result.

Ethan believes that the Time Travelers' pursuit of those who touch the magic network is merely a symptom of their actions, and there must be some unknown motives behind it.

"That is, you didn't kill those two time travelers."

The cat said quietly that she preferred hunting and interrogation to sitting down and talking.

"That was an accident, it was never my intention."

Considering that it was the time traveler wielding the scythe who first used "Dragon Ascent" on him, Ethan felt that this perfectly fit the scenario of self-defense.

"No matter what you plan to do, we must first find the time traveler lurking in the academy."

Winter is eager to get started.

This is much more interesting than staying cooped up in the library flipping through books. She's a cat, born to catch "mice." "Come with me, I'll take you somewhere!"

Leaving the library, her steps became much lighter. Holding Ethan's arm, she wandered through the deserted campus, covering almost half of the campus. At each place, they received clues from the flowers, plants, and trees, until these clues led them to an abandoned storage room.

"O traveler from afar, please tell me your purpose."

The door posed a question to them.

Winter answered fluently, "I have come at your invitation, bringing news of the wind."

Ethan thought Rowena was right. Winter was indeed a deeply hidden chuunibyou girl. It was hard to imagine how unrestrained she was when she was studying at the academy. Moreover, thinking about it carefully, although he always called Winter Teacher, Winter was far from being a professor. She might even be a few years younger than him.

A very suitable age gap...wait, what is he thinking?
"Welcome back, Lord Winter! Lord Winter is incredibly intelligent!"

The flattering praise brought Ethan back to reality; the door made that sound as it opened.

Behind the old wooden door wasn't a dark storage room, but a garden. Winter's cheeks flushed with excitement as she eagerly introduced her secret base to Ethan. "This is the Mole Club's activity room, a club I founded when I was in school. The club's activities include developing various magical items, exploring the academy's forbidden areas, and using minor spells to challenge the academy's professors!"

"The college actually approved your application for this kind of club?"

"The application failed, of course, so I secretly formed the Mole Club. The activity room was set up for the members of the Mole Club when I returned to the academy as a professor." It was a simple spatial teleportation spell. Theoretically, when they passed through that old gate, they were no longer in the academy, so even if the professors in the academy were completely lost, they would not be able to find the activity room. "The manor was provided by a kind member; it is their family's property."

Who wouldn't love a place with an elegant and comfortable environment that also serves high-end black tea and a variety of aristocratic snacks?

The Mole Club was quiet today; under Professor Franky's personal leadership, the members could only stay in their dormitories.

Regular, scheduled ward rounds are a Achilles' heel for every member.

Winter led Ethan inside, expertly taking out a high-end tea bag from the cabinet and brewing a cup of black tea for herself and Ethan.

"Please add more sugar, thank you."

An unfamiliar voice interrupted this heartwarming scene, and a few flashes of electricity crackled through the air. When Winter came to her senses, the young man with slicked-back hair appeared on the sofa, arms crossed and legs crossed, looking quite satisfied with the manor's environment.

The young man with slicked-back hair closed his eyes and sighed, "This black tea really does taste better with more sugar."

"Wait a minute, let me introduce you. This is Senior Electric Element!"

Ethan noticed the change in Winter's expression.

First, she stared wide-eyed in disbelief, then the flames in her eyes burned brighter and brighter. Ethan felt that if he didn't step in to mediate, the kettle in her hand would probably be smashed on the electric element's head in the next second.

Given the natural law that water conducts electricity, who knows what might happen in this manor in a little while?

After undergoing the three trials of the festival, Ethan discovered that his elemental magic had also changed accordingly.

Winter could now directly see the wind elemental, and she asked him a crucial question—before she could see the wind elemental, was it always holding Ethan's hand?

After receiving a hesitant response, Winter immediately breathed on it.

Does this wind elemental have some serious illness in its legs and feet?

Why can't you even walk properly and have to hold someone else's hand to move?

So came the subsequent precautions: speak politely from now on and refrain from touching Ethan inappropriately.

"Teacher, what kind of person is he in your eyes?"

Ethan couldn't explain the changes in the elemental spirits' appearances either. Winter had once explained to him that what he saw in the meditation space was a projection of his subconscious, and that the elemental spirits' appearances were all the result of his imagination. But now, these imaginations were being projected into reality, and he was almost certain that Winter and what he saw were the same literary girl.

"A thug with a weird hairstyle, he looks really smug."

A scathing critique, unsparing in the face of winter.

It's confirmed that the electric element they saw was the same image, the same senior student.

"Don't put it so harshly. I just have more social experience than other students."

The young man with the slicked-back hair said, "Also, this isn't a weird hairstyle, it's called a slicked-back hairstyle, it's very popular!"

"What are you doing here?"

Winter's eyes were filled with vigilance. She had just seen off the blue-haired girl, but a strangely dressed elemental spirit had immediately appeared. He didn't look like a decent person. She had a feeling that this so-called senior would pull Ethan aside to discuss some inappropriate topics when they were alone.

"Now that you've heard about your junior's troubles, it would be a bit unreasonable for you, as a senior, not to lend a hand, would it? Don't underestimate my intelligence network; you're looking for someone, aren't you?"

On this issue, there is no one more reliable than his senior. "No matter how flawless their outward disguise is, it cannot conceal their inner thoughts and ideas."

Upon hearing this, Ethan proactively brewed a cup of hot tea for the Electric Element, adding five large sugar cubes to it.

The young man with the slicked-back hair picked up his teacup with satisfaction. "Look, this is the proper attitude for asking someone to do something. It's actually quite easy. You just need to find a way to make him reveal thoughts that are different from those of humans, and I can help you find him in the crowd."

"As expected of my senior!"

Ethan then asked, "By the way, where's Senior Ice Element? Isn't she with you?"

"Don't mention it."

The moment this name is mentioned, the element of electricity changes its expression.

The brief encounter left a deep impression on Ethan with the Ice Element Senior's manic smile. Coupled with her face, which was exactly the same as Winter's, he always felt that Winter might also be a deeply hidden yandere.

"After leaving the library, she went to find Sincarlo."

"Looking for Sincarlo? What does she want with Sincarlo?"

"do not know."

The young man with the slicked-back hair shuddered, still shaken. "I saw her smiling like she was about to kill someone when she left, so I'd better not mention her."

"Alright, then I'll leave the academy matters to you, senior."

"Wait a minute."

The young man with the slicked-back hair stopped drinking his tea. "I said I could help you, but I don't think I mentioned payment yet, did I?"

"Don't push your luck, you street thug!"

Winter glared at the young man with the slicked-back hair, "We can find the person without you!"

"Teacher, don't rush, let's hear what the senior has to say first."

Ethan was also curious about the elemental spirits' requirements, as he couldn't think of any natural elements that might have any needs.

Give him money?
Or help him build a power plant?

"Great! The reward is simple: you two kiss in front of me."

?

What kind of request is this?
Upon hearing this, before Winter could speak, Ethan stepped forward righteously, "Senior, as the saying goes, there are rules to follow and things not to do. My teacher and I..."

"But then again, many hands make light work."

The voice from behind interrupted Ethan, even changing the way he addressed the electric element: "Since you've spoken, senior, there's nothing we can do about it."

(End of this chapter)