Translated by A Passing Wanderer

Edited by RED

**

Count Timong quickly began drawing a warp magic circle on the floor.

Yes, Ill flee to somewhere far away. No, even further away than that!

Simply using the warp magic alone was still not safe. If that bastard had indeed really decoded the warp runes, then it didnt take a genius to realise that hed chase Timong down even after using the warp itself.

That meant that Timong had to start running on foot the moment he successfully warped somewhere.

Dammit, dammit! And the end goal was right in front of my nose, too!

He finished drawing the magic circle, then injected his demonic energy into it.

For a moment there, the magic seemed to be activating, but then, the demonic energy was suddenly expelled from the circle.

What the?!

That had to be warp interference magic of some kind!

Oh, no! He even brought along a Magician capable of disrupting warp magic?!

Just how thoroughly did the other party prepare for today?!

Count Timong clenched his teeth.

His escape route of using the warp magic had been blocked off now, meaning he had to physically escape from here!

He picked up his bag and hurriedly dashed towards the balcony.

But when he peered over the railing, he was quickly reminded that this place was at the top of the ice castle, probably around 120 metres off the ground.

The winds blowing here were bone-chilling, and snow fell constantly.

Count Timong tightly grasped the railing as cold sweat trickled down his body.

Would I be unscathed if I jumped down from here?

Even with the excellent regenerative ability of a vampire, that idea seemed too dangerous to try. Besides, Timong wasnt even a combat-type vampire, was he?

No, wait! Now isnt the time to hesitate like this!

He grit his teeth, then climbed onto the railing.

But then BANG-!

The loud noise of air exploding suddenly echoed out.

Count Timong reflexively turned his head, and at the same time, something flew towards him, scything viciously through the air.

The blade of wind cleanly severed his leg.

Huh?

He lost his balance.

His bag clattered against the railing and fell towards the bottom of the ice castle. Count Timongs body also fell, but his destination was inside the balcony, instead.

Something rapidly approached him, then grabbed the vampires head with great strength. The huge hand belonged to a man around two and half metres tall, who was radiating bright light from his whole body.

A berserker?

Kasim Derian brutally slammed Count Timongs head on the floor.

Ka-boom-! The balconys floor began crumbling. It tilted to the side rather precariously.

Uwaaaahk?! Count Timong hurriedly shifted his gaze.

What the hell was this? A dead man? Or was he alive?

N-no, a holy undead? Ha, hahah! To think that Id get to witness one up close!

The corners of the vampires lips curled up automatically. Despite his current situation, his inquisitive mind was going out of control.

Even though his head was about to be shattered into bits, he was still a true Alchemist right down to his soul, and the moment he saw a holy undead, his whole being rapidly filled up with genuine happiness.

N-no, wait! Now really isnt the time to be like this!

Yes, he must escape from here, now! His calling in life was to perfect the inter-dimensional warp gate!

Count Timong slammed his palm down on the balconys floor. His five lengthy fingers began darting about in a bizarre fashion, shaving away the floor and drawing a new magic circle.

The circle would bring forth a magic powerful enough to blow away this berserker knight.

But just before Timong could activate it Crunch-!

A holy bullet flew in and blew apart Count Timongs hand.

Uwahk?! The Vampires eyes rolled back to reveal their whites.

A Lich wearing a lengthy robe, Nasus, was standing over yonder, aiming with a musket.

A muskets power is this strong?!

Even when he was subjected to intense pain, an enraptured expression filled Count Timongs face. Impossible miracles were taking place right before his eyes, after all!

This would be the first time in the past three years, ever since he succeeded in opening the warp gate, that he felt as elated as this.

So, you are Count Timong.

He hurriedly shifted his gaze around.

A boy walked past Nasus the Lich and stepped onto the balcony.

Kasim Derian moved next; he lifted up Count Timongs head, and dangled the vampire over the balconys railing.

The vampire was now dangling freely in the empty air, and he got the full view of what was below the balcony itself.

In the far-off distance was the huge pit where the giant was currently sealed away, while directly below him was nothing but frozen ground.

If he was dropped from here, there was some chance of surviving the fall.

Count Timong stared at Allen and smirked insidiously. Oh, are you planning to drop me from here, human?

Youll probably survive the fall anyway, so I wont do that, vampire.

Allen thrust his hand out, and pierced right through Count Timongs back.

Wuuuu-wwwuk?!

Allens fingers tore through the Vampires hide and even crushed the Vampires spine. He then grasped the Vampires heart.

However, youll definitely die if you fell from here after your bodys been purified.

Allen drove his divinity into his hand.

U-uwaaaaahk! Count Timongs internal organs began burning away. Even his skin was melting now.

Alright, Im going to ask you some questions.

Allen pulled out a book with his free hand and showed it to Count Timong.

This novel, where did you find it?

The vampire, clearly suffering from the intense pain of its body burning away, barely managed to shift his gaze.

He stared at the book currently held in Allens hand, the one with yet-to-be-decoded symbols printed on its pages.

Not only had the vampires failed to figure out what kind of material was used to create such a book, they hadnt even decoded the contents of the book itself yet, either.

However, that book was also a reminder, an end product, of Count Timongs very first successful warp gate attempt. As a matter of fact, it was one of the items that the Vampire Count treasured the most.

Timong guffawed to himself. Ah, I see. So, it was this bastard.

He stared at Allen and clicked his tongue. This bastard was the one who decoded my warp circle. That must be the reason why why he wanted to know more about this unidentifiable book.

Well, its pages and bindings were made of high-quality materials that this world couldnt possibly have produced, after all.

I dont know. How should I know?!

Timong believed that only him being able to open the inter-dimensional warp gate, and no one else, was more than enough already.

There was no bloody way that hed tell the truth to this human bastard!

Allen drove divinity into his hand once more.

Count Timong vomited out a mouthful of blood. But the puked-out blood turned into ashes and dissipated almost instantly.

He moaned in pain, but laughter followed soon after. Ahaha! Torture me all you want. You think the firm belief that I held onto for over a thousand years will crumble down that easily?

Timong was the first one to open up the dimensional doorway in the modern era. He was far too absorbed in the sense of superiority, born from knowing that he was one step ahead of every other Alchemist out there!

Im sure youre dying of curiosity now.

Count Timong glared at Allen.

Yes, you must be feeling quite anxious now.

That book is an undeniable proof that the dimensional transfer is indeed possible!

Achieving that is the ultimate aim of all Alchemists, after all!

I shall never tell you how that novel ended up arriving in this world! You hear me? I shall never.

Count Timongs passionate roaring petered out as his eyes grew larger and larger. A sudden chill swept across what remained of his body next.

His brain had begun processing every single word that Allen had spoken so far.

Trickles of cold sweat broke out on Count Timongs skin as he asked the human, How do you know that book is a novel?

It was written in unknown letters.

Of course Timong had tried to translate the book, but he hadnt made any headway during the past three years.

Without a doubt, he was looking at a concise alphabet system, with clear repeating patterns. However, they also seemed far too simplistic as well, so in the end, he determined that these letters were symbols of some kind.

But that didnt mean he could figure out whether this book was a textbook on theology, some sorts of analysis on culture, a dissertation, a novel, or even a collection of art.

Yet this boy in front of his eyes had already determined that this book was a novel. Even though he mustve seen it for the first time today!

You. Whats your real identity?

Just what? What are you?! Count Timong began flailing his only remaining arm. He reached out and grabbed Allens shoulder, before crying out in a desperately pleading voice, Tell me! I wish to know what that thing is!

He had already thrown away his pride of a vampire. He simply had to ask right now.

Ask for the clue. The clue that would lead him towards his dream, his wish!

Please, tell me! The other dimension, y-you know about it, dont you? What kind of a place is the other dimension?! What kind of!

If you answer me, Ill tell you.

Y-yes, Ill tell you anything. Everything!

Count Timong became excited beyond words.

He had finally found his clue.

His years as a human being was seventy. Then as a Vampire, one thousand and two hundred years or so.

His hope, his ardent wish, had been burning in his heart for the past one thousand, two hundred and seventy years in total.

And this boy before his eyes held the answer to his everything!

Of course hed lose his rationale in an instant.

On July 32nd!

Allen flinched a little as his brows shot up high. That date was when he came to possess this body in this world.

Count Timong spoke of the things buried in his mind, For the first time ever, I managed to bore through the space. I managed to open a warp gate that connected to another world. Another world thats not Purgatory, not the Spirit Realm, and also not the Titan Realm!

Count Timong recalled the events of that day.

All sorts of experiments on warp magic were underway on that day as well. In the middle of one of the experiments, the dimensional gate abruptly opened up. It all happened without any warning.

It wasnt as if the vampires used a powerful energy source, nor did they offer up a whole bunch of sacrifices, either.

It was just a regular warp magic circle, yet an interdimensional warp gate capable of breaking through the space-time continuum had suddenly opened up.

No one could tell whether this was a coincidence or an inevitability. Actually, one could say that it was far closer to being a divine miracle, instead.

The warp gate sucked something in, then spat something else out.

A piece of unidentifiable metal, burnt beyond recognition, with some strange wires!

Mixed among the debris was the novel called [A Story of a Ring].

Most of what ended up on this side was too big and they got broken apart, but this one book alone had arrived completely intact. It had passed through the narrow gap between the dimensions somehow.

And finally, one soul, too!

Allens eyes opened wider.

A soul that didnt come from the purgatory, but from another world, instead! We stored away all the unidentified objects, but for the soul itself

That was it.

That soul was none other than

It got deflected away and disappeared somewhere! Either its still wandering around without a place to stay, or was extinguished by now.

Allen himself.

< 139. A Small Clue -2 (Part One and Two) > Fin.