The Master of Language - T.M.L Chapter 35 (Part 2):

At that moment, the horse suddenly stumbled forward.

Simultaneously, my body sank downwards and was flung off.

Although I spun dozens of times in the air, at least I avoided the disaster of having my face pierced.

Thud!

Crashing into the middle of a tree, I felt pain resonating through all my bones as I fell downwards. Fortunately, I didn’t lose my staff, so I could use Psychic power.

Tap.

Landing relatively safely, I quickly raised my head to look at the horse.

The horse, collapsed on one side of a rock, had its head twisted, unable to escape death.

Behind, a path made of fire stretched out, but the eagle was nowhere to be seen.

I quickly walked to the horse.

Could it be that it deliberately fell to save me?

No way.

How much could this horse care about me?

Probably, I unconsciously used psychokinesis feeling the threat to my life, causing the horse to stop.

I looked around again.

Indeed, no magical power could be felt anywhere in the sky.

Merlin is definitely not around.

If he had been hiding until now, there’s no reason he wouldn’t appear to kill me.

“A familiar may feel alive, but in reality, it’s you giving it intelligence through Psychic power.”

Was the magic consumption too high due to the distance?

If so, the eagle must have returned to Merlin.

“Why didn’t Merlin come himself and only sent his familiar?”

The last time I saw him, he disappeared leading the nobles along with Duke Balkan.

By now, he should be slowly riding towards Count Stocke’s castle with the nobles.

In that situation, Merlin wouldn’t be able to leave his post. The other nobles would think Duke Balkan ordered Merlin to harm Count Furst.

But Duke Balkan wants Count Furst under his feet.

If that happens, I, who am under the Count, would naturally become his power, so there’s no reason to harm me.

Then this is…

“Merlin’s doing it on his own. What’s his motive? What’s driving him?”

White eyebrows.

The eyes burning with killing intent beneath them.

Merlin was reprimanded by Duke Balkan for the Count and I coming on horseback.

In front of everyone.

It must have been frustrating to lose a psychokinesis battle to a lower-level mage, an apprentice at that, and then to lose face in front of ordinary people.

Humiliation.

Defeat.

All of these affect magical power.

So it won’t end with just this. Didn’t he declare he’d reduce me to ashes himself?

He’ll send his familiar again. He’ll definitely do so to kill me for certain.

I looked around again.

His fire magic is too powerful in this forest-surrounded area. If I’m preoccupied with blocking the fire with Keren’s robe, eventually my head will be torn off by those large talons.

I need to reach the river before the familiar finds me again.

I started to take out my staff towards the dead horse but stopped.

Didn’t I kill this horse?

If so, death magic wouldn’t work.

Let’s try anyway.

“Nameless horse. What is your wish? If you accept my death magic, I’ll grant your wish.”

The transparent pages of the magic book fluttered on their own and stopped at the page with death magic.

I quickly read the incantation and cast the death magic.

The dead horse neighed once, then slowly stood up.

It worked.

I don’t know the exact reason, but there’s no time to ponder.

As I mounted it, the dead horse slowly moved its feet, then began to run quickly at the same speed as before.

We soon reached the river.

A width of about 100m.

A depth reaching about the knees.

It’s far less than the sea, but it’s much more advantageous than fighting in the forest.

I dismounted and looked into the horse’s eyes.

The horse spoke to me through its eyes.

Its wish was to run endlessly one last time.

“Alright. I’ll leave some magical power for you, so run to your heart’s content.”

The horse soon turned its head and began to run off in one direction.

“Ugh.”

I touched below my nose with my hand, and blood was flowing steadily.

My field of vision had narrowed by more than half.

My temples and the back of my neck throbbed.

I’m drained of magic power.

I gritted my teeth and entered the river water. Slowly wading through the water, I stood at about the center.

“Huff. Huff.”

Taking deep breaths, I steadied my breath. Then I slowly raised my staff and dipped it into the river.

I opened the page in the magic book where water magic was inscribed. And slowly began to read the water magic spell. I made my body and mind familiar with water.

After reading it about three times, I felt a powerful magical force from the distant sky.

Looking back, there was indeed a burning eagle.

It possessed even stronger magical power than when I first saw it.

Merlin must have made a firm resolution.

The burning eagle folded its wings. And becoming a streak of comet, it flew towards me at lightning speed.

Phoenix.

I had seen a real phoenix before.

If the flames that Speria’s phoenix emitted then were the sun, the fire enveloping this burning eagle now is merely a campfire.

“Eternal fire, huh? The Phoenix was the embodiment of fire itself. That thing is just wrapped in flames on the outside. It’s a fake phoenix.”

I closed my eyes. And recalled Master Abana’s water magic in my mind.

That powerful stream of water from the lake near the cabin had extinguished the flames of the Phoenix completely before.

‘No matter the situation, never lose your composure, Ran. And keep your shoulders straight.’

I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders.

The magical power inside my body filled the staff.

I raised it high, then struck the water surface.

Intense ripples spread across the water surface, and immediately a stream of water gushed out from inside to outside.

Swoosh-!

The circular water stream twisted like a snake coiling as it rose towards the sky. And in an instant, it engulfed the approaching eagle.

The beak of the burning eagle opened slightly.

[Did you think you could extinguish a phoenix’s fire with mere river water!]

Merlin’s shout pierced through the water and shook my mind.

“Ugh.”

My nose bled again.

The burning eagle continued to advance, completely unaffected by the water stream that engulfed it. The fireball enveloping the eagle didn’t extinguish at all.

Rather, the water slowly began to boil, creating bubbles, and soon steam started to rise in all directions.

I looked at my feet.

The river had already revealed its bottom, with no more water to mobilize.

The eagle extended its talons. It was aiming precisely at my head.

If I stay like this, my head will fly off.

‘That’s why I left a treasure in the robe.’

I brought the tip of my staff to the inside of Keren’s robe.

And I took out the egg that Speria had given me and threw it forward.

“If water doesn’t work, then freezing will.”

The sharp talons touched the ice-attribute egg.

Crack-!

It was instantaneous.

With a sharp crackling sound, the ice rapidly spread from the talons that touched the egg, consuming the eagle’s body.

The burning eagle turned into an ice statue.

Not only that. The steam surrounding the eagle also froze entirely, transforming into a massive ice sculpture.

However, since the momentum didn’t disappear, the frozen eagle still flew towards me.

I swung my staff.

Crash!

Like snow.

Or perhaps like dust.

Merlin’s familiar shattered into pieces and scattered across the surroundings.

Dangun

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