Lewin let out a resigned sigh as he gazed upon the crumbled wall before him.
He couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly as he questioned the reality of the situation.
“Is this truly unfolding?”
The scene was all too familiar, a haunting reminder of past events.
Inadvertently, he uttered the activation phrase, a phrase ingrained in his memory.
And there was only one interpretation for it.
“So, it was here too?”
Lewin was well aware of the significance of this location, for he had no other option.
“This is my treasure vault.”
Before he assumed the identity of Lewin Dee Dryerf, there were nine names that referred to him, all linked by a single term – Hero.
This refuge was meticulously prepared by the hero for the benefit of future heroes.
The contents within would prove more advantageous for his future self than his current state allowed for.
In his battle against the demon king, he should have harnessed his full power, but an abundance of other weapons and artifacts were also at his disposal.
Additionally, there were items better suited for his future self’s growth than those he presently employed.
Throughout his active years as a hero, he amassed such treasures, concealing them in various locations across the continent. This place was one such secret cache.
“I could never have envisioned this.”
Considerable time had elapsed.
A once-small kingdom had transformed into an empire reigning over the entire continent. The nation’s borders and terrain had undergone alterations due to the aftermath, but stumbling upon a forgotten treasure vault was a revelation he had not anticipated.
“Well, I suppose having less on my plate is a welcome change now?”
He was aware of a nearby warehouse, one of the reasons he had selected Bersha Academy. During the vacation period, he had intended to embark on travels, so the reduction in his responsibilities was a fortuitous turn of events for Lewin.
“Hmm, what’s next…”
Yet, accessing the hero’s treasure vault was no straightforward task.
It was a secure place designed by the previous Lewin, incorporating the expertise of many consultants to deter potential grave robbers.
“Could it be here?”
Thump, thump, thump.
As he traversed the chamber, tapping the walls, Lewin pressed a brick that emitted a hollow sound.
Suddenly, the wall shifted, revealing a concealed stone plate.
<What are your sentiments toward the goddess, Rachel?>
An unexpected inquiry, but one that Lewin had formulated.
“Hmm.”
Among the numerous inquiries, this one posed a challenge.
‘When did I craft this?’
The response was not precise.
Lewin’s views of the goddess had fluctuated across his many lifetimes.
Initially, when he first assumed the role of a hero, he held the goddess in high regard. An orphan raised by a cathedral nun, he possessed a deep affection for the divine. His willingness to offer his life stemmed from being chosen by the supreme deity, revered by all gods.
However, as time passed and his faith wavered due to his recurring deaths, he often found fault with the divine.
And now.
“If this was crafted recently, this would be the response.”
As Lewin infused mana into the stone, he continued, “Enough with the games, accursed goddess. Do you have a conscience?”
His blasphemy was unapologetic, yet it was inevitable.
<You have two chances remaining.>
“I was wrong.”
At the very least, this was not a creation from the 8th or 9th life.
With that in mind, Lewin promptly delivered the subsequent response.
“She’s commendable, but I wish she would choose a different hero now.”
<Confirmed.>
As the words were etched onto the stone plate and began to emit a radiant glow, it swiftly disintegrated.
“It must have been from the 6th or 7th life.”
What had he left behind during that period?
He briefly reminisced about the distant past, yet no memorable items came to mind.
Gold, treasures, renowned weapons and artifacts of their time, as well as an extensive collection of magic stones and potion ingredients, adorned the chamber.
And then…
“This sanctuary was forged by a hero of old, a haven for the future! Those deemed unworthy shall remain imprisoned here!”
A guardian spirit radiating a potent protective aura.
“I don’t recall leaving this behind.”
Everything was accurate, save for the last part.
Therefore, Lewin regarded the entity with an icy stare.
“What is it? Do you wish to battle? I have lived for millennia; do you believe a child like you poses a challenge?”
The spirit, resembling a miniature pugilist, had a certain charm.
Yet, within that form, Lewin experienced an odd sensation.
‘What is this?’
A diminutive girl, palm-sized.
Her magic exuded a pronounced earthy energy.
Lewin, having entered numerous contracts with spirits, recognized the feeling.
However.
“You, what are you?”
Not a spirit.
That was the conclusion drawn by Lewin’s senses.
Similar to a spirit, yet distinct.
“Me?”
In response to Lewin’s query, the little girl introduced herself without reservation.
“I am Ellie. I am a mandrake, an entity that has transcended countless ages!”
***
Mandrake.
Although it outwardly resembled an ordinary plant, its subterranean root assumed a human-like shape—an exceptional spiritual plant coveted by numerous wizards and alchemists.
And in Lewin’s recollection.
‘How many mandrakes did I cultivate?’
The knowledge of planting mandrakes remained vivid.
‘It served as a substitute for the elixir of life.’
It all began when he realized that the elixirs he had diligently stored had deteriorated.
In ancient tales and myths, legendary elixirs were believed to emerge from hidden dungeons dating back millennia.
Reality, however, diverged somewhat.
Regardless of being concocted from legendary ingredients, elixirs were, at their core, consumable sustenance that naturally decayed over time!
Hence, Lewin embarked on cultivating mandrakes and magic stones, crucial components for the elixir of life, within his sanctuary.
‘So, is this the outcome?’
He had heard tales of animals or plants attaining sentience under specific conditions.
Given the legendary status of mandrakes among flora, it seemed plausible for them to ascend to sentience.
“Is this the first time it has occurred?”
Nevertheless, it remained a mere possibility.
Even Lewin, who had experienced ten lifetimes, perceived this as a remote chance, a novel encounter.
“Hah, you speak as though you’ve traversed multiple lives.”
In response to Lewin’s remark, the mandrake, or Ellie, responded with a curt tongue click.
“Well, I’m not certain how you gained entry, but it’s time to depart.”
Ellie waved her hand casually, but Lewin harbored no intention of vacating the premises.
“Why should I?”
“Hah, as I mentioned earlier, this haven was crafted by an ancient hero, for the future hero, a safeguard for humanity, a treasure vault!”
“How do you possess this knowledge?”
“Well, the kids informed me. And I also possess fragments of memories from before I became an entity.”
“What memories?”
“Perhaps the touch of the hero who planted me in the earth for posterity. I can’t recall precisely.”
“Who are these ‘kids’ you speak of?”
“The earth spirits.”
“I see.”
His commitment had been fulfilled.
Although it felt like a swindle since he couldn’t witness the results compared to the magic stones he continuously expended.
Observing the spirits diligently toil where his eyes could not reach, he began to appreciate the value of the magic stones he had bestowed upon the spirit kings.
“And now, at last.”
“What is it?”
Was she exasperated by yet another inquiry?
Despite Ellie’s furrowed brow, Lewin voiced his ultimate revelation.
“I am the one who created this place.”
“What?”
“I am the hero.”
Gazing at Ellie, who fell silent, Lewin tensed.
‘Will she comprehend?’
Following the world’s inception, nine heroes left their indelible marks on human history.
The enigma that these nine shared a single essence remained an enigma.
Only the goddess of creation, her subordinate gods, the eight spirit kings tasked with upholding the world, and the present world’s mightiest entity, the dragon, retained this knowledge.
Hence, Lewin’s curiosity extended to whether the entity also fell within this exclusive circle.
And then…
“You created this place?”
Meeting Lewin’s expectations, Ellie regarded him with a contorted expression that suggested sheer incredulity.
“Have you forgotten?”
“No, do I appear so foolish as to forget what you stated mere seconds ago? Are you discriminating against me because I’m a plant?”
Her voice, though sharp, resonated with a substantial dose of mana.
‘Didn’t they mention that the cry of the Mandrake’s root befuddles the human mind?’
It appeared she could manage that power due to her spiritual nature, but its influence persisted.
“What do you intend?”
“What.”
“You know, about what I mentioned earlier. I created this place.”
“Cease this nonsense.”
“I buried you here to consume you.”
“You’re truly deranged!”
In sheer terror, Ellie screamed and shielded herself from his overt intention to devour her.
“Save me, Mandrake! This pervert child is attempting to consume me!”
“Hey, that’s a misunderstanding waiting to happen. Why label me as a pervert? I merely intended to crush you on a steel plate following an alchemist’s recipe and drink the juice.”
“That’s even more brutal!”
Could a person be this ruthless? But what could one do?
That was how Lewin comprehended the method of consuming a Mandrake!
“Your, your gaze is earnest.”
With a dry swallow, Ellie peered into Lewin’s eyes.
He was serious. Deadly serious, aiming not only for her virtue but her life.
‘Attacking others is wrong.’
These were the teachings of the spirit who had imparted various knowledge to her since she gained self-awareness.
In some ways, the spirit had acted as a parental figure, which urged Ellie to be cautious with her words.
‘First, I must survive.’
She had been instructed not to recklessly harm others but also not to surrender if she ever found herself crushed as a Mandrake.
It was a matter of survival.
She was merely defending herself.
‘Just give him a sound thrashing and drive him away.’
As she steeled herself, mana naturally began to surge.
This place was brimming with mana to an uncanny degree.
There was a reason Ellie, an ordinary Mandrake, had evolved into a spiritual entity.
“Be gone, you pervert!”
When she wished it, mana obeyed.
The mana saturating this place was, in a way, Ellie’s mother.
So she believed that the mana would respond to her desires this time as well.
“Huh?”
Not a trace of mana from the atmosphere, the earth, or the concealed magic stones stirred.
“Why, why is this happening?”
“Why what?”
A wicked grin appeared in Ellie’s perplexed field of vision.
A young child with fiery red hair and piercing blue eyes.
When that child playfully waved his hand with an exceedingly malevolent smile.
“Uh, uh?”
The mana that had always been friendly to Ellie began to converge into his grasp.
“What, what are you doing? Why, the mana here!”
Ellie appeared frantic, but the quantity of mana enveloping Lewin’s hand only grew.
“Why what. I mentioned it before.”
Lewin’s mana might be modest, but his body, honed through rigorous breathing exercises, had an exceptional capacity to absorb mana.
Moreover.
“I am the one who created this place.”
The mana within this space had once been refined through those very breathing exercises.
Whether sealed within magic stones or inscribed into the environment, Lewin vigilantly guarded his treasure trove.
“You, you’re lying?”
Even though a different individual occupied the body, the soul manipulating it remained the same.
Aware of this, the mana in this location naturally responded to the beckoning of its original possessor.
“So, remember what you called me earlier? Pervert? Pervert?”
In response to the owner’s irritation, the mana commenced swirling tumultuously.
Facing the tempest of mana as if it might indeed engulf her, Ellie’s complexion paled.
“Please, spare me.”
“I won’t kill you.”
Perhaps her pitiable plea pricked at Lewin’s conscience.
Ellie’s expression shifted as she heard Lewin’s words.
“Really?”
“I’m merely going to pulverize you a bit and turn you into juice.”
“But that means certain death!”
As Lewin persisted with his words, she wore a mournful countenance and darted away.
Cliche Novel 