A red, oval-shaped barrier stretched from Isaac Morfran’s body up to the distant sky. As Hong Biyeon formed the Fire Spirit Formation, she simultaneously activated the **Compass of Memory** she kept close to her heart.

No mana leaked out.

No one noticed.

*Dual casting.*

Casting two spells simultaneously might still be too much for a fourth-class mage, but her concentration was exceptional.

Thinking of Angel, who could use *Hyper-Perception* at only a third-class level, it didn’t seem so strange that Hong Biyeon had already mastered dual casting. Their talents and determination soared without limits.

*Buzz!*

The Compass of Memory spun, pointing through different times: one year and four months ago, nine years and seven months ago, seventy-one years ago, thirty-four years ago, three years and six months ago.

The times pointed in a jumble.

She hadn’t yet fully controlled the compass.

Those moments must be significant events etched into this place’s history.

*I need to find the exact moment.*

She remained cool-headed.

For a fourth-class mage, handling this compass was no easy feat. Delving too far into the past could mean never returning.

*It’ll be fine. My calculations are flawless.*

Preparing carefully for this moment, she released her staff from her grip, letting the Fire Spirit Formation continue to hold independently.

Now, she would observe the past.

*Deep breath!*

As she poured mana into the compass, its spinning grew faster until finally, it reached its threshold.

**Flash!**

A brilliant white light flashed before her eyes.

- *Ah.*

When she opened her eyes again—

The wind was blowing.

Cold and dry, like autumn.

But different from the wind in her present.

Hong Biyeon looked down, seeing no sign of the grand altar.

*I made it.*

There was no time to waste. She had little time to view these memories.

Having used much of her mana and energy to establish the Fire Spirit Formation and evade the prohibition spell, she could stay for only about an hour.

*I need to hurry.*

In this memory state, she couldn’t physically walk to move around. To view other places, she needed to adjust her coordinates.

*Shift!*

She expended a bit of mana to move nearby and found herself before what appeared to be a command post.

- *This place… the command post of the Morfran Magic Corps?*

Looking around, she saw the encampment, with the Adol Levitt base, the mage tower, and the Magic Association tents all within sight.

*I see.*

At the time, the Magic Association had united to eliminate the dark mage, Isaac Morfran.

But something felt off.

“Your Highness, please don’t worry and take a rest.”

“No, I must oversee the final preparations with my own eyes. With the battle tomorrow, I can’t afford to relax.”

- *What…?*

These forces were here to subdue Isaac Morfran, yet the target of the operation walked openly among the soldiers.

- *What on earth…*

“Your Highness.”

“…What is it?”

“You seem troubled.”

“Yes. Facing the White Fox Spirit is worrying, as is Adol Levitt’s princess’s strange obsession with that beast.”

“Haha. In my opinion…”

Isaac and his lieutenant continued their conversation as they disappeared into the command post. Hong Biyeon lingered, digesting their words.

*The White Fox Spirit…?*

Right, wasn’t the true aim of Hong Si-hwa’s mission to awaken and hunt the White Fox Spirit?

*Where is she?*

With only a few minutes remaining, Hong Biyeon quickly adjusted her position, moving between tents until she finally found the right one.

The tent of her despised older sister, Princess Hong Si-hwa.

“It’s done.”

Half-dressed, Hong Si-hwa was receiving an injection of a sinister red liquid. Hong Biyeon couldn’t analyze the substance, but she could tell it was dangerous.

“…Good.”

Hong Si-hwa, drenched in sweat, looked utterly exhausted, a weak side of her that Hong Biyeon had never seen before.

“It’ll still hurt for a while.”

“Pain doesn’t matter. As long as I don’t die.”

And then she muttered—

“I don’t want to end up like my sister.”

Hong Biyeon’s expression hardened. Hearing her loathsome sister mention their eldest sibling, Hong Erin, was infuriating.

But she was no longer the child who would boil with anger over every word her sister said.

- *She doesn’t want to be like her…*

Their eldest sister, Hong Erin, born with a powerful blessing of fire, had seen it become a curse. She had withered away young, losing her life too early.

Hong Si-hwa and Hong Biyeon were both likely fated for the same end.

“Princess Hong Si-hwa, do you really believe you’ll find a way to break the ‘Adol Levitt Brand’s Curse’ through the White Fox Spirit?”

As she heard the healer’s question, Hong Biyeon finally understood why her sister was taking such reckless measures.

- *She’s hoping to break the curse?*

That made sense.

- *But she failed.*

Hong Biyeon knew this from reading Hong Si-hwa’s journal in secret.

Hong Si-hwa had failed, and Isaac Morfran would fall into darkness.

Recalling Isaac’s troubled face, she quickly shifted her location again, arriving at his tent.

“I’m not sure… Is it truly right to unseal the White Fox Spirit to secure our family’s safety?”

“Your Highness, rest assured. Princess Hong Si-hwa wouldn’t have come without a thorough plan.”

“Yes, indeed. That young girl has been bold enough to intimidate the dukes, so it’s certain she has hidden motives. In five, maybe ten years… she’ll become an even more fearsome mage.”

*Intimidation.*

So that was how she described it.

Indeed, Hong Si-hwa had written in her journal about “intimidating Duke Morfran.”

- *What happens next?*

She had never heard about the unsealing of the White Fox Spirit. There was nothing she knew about how this was resolved.

*I don’t have much time left.*

Having obtained most of the information she could here, Hong Biyeon adjusted the Compass of Memory to twelve hours later.

*Thump!*

- *Ugh?!*

A massive tremor struck her, and she nearly lost her balance, an odd sensation given that her physical body didn’t exist in this memory state.

Looking up, Hong Biyeon couldn’t help but gasp.

A world turned entirely white.

Collapsed soldiers lay all around.

The royal and duke’s forces knelt in defeat.

- *So arrogant, descendants of Adol Levitt…*

The being before her was taller than a mountain, steeper than a cliff, bluer than the sky, and lighter than the clouds.

Hong Biyeon felt reverence before its presence.

This creature had mastered the essence of flame.

Its chest blazed hotter than the sun, glowing in pure white light, as if to erase everything.

Though she knew she shouldn’t, Hong Biyeon admired it.

She wanted to burn like that.

To be enveloped in those pure white flames, even if it killed her.

- *…Ugh!*

Feeling queasy, she quickly shook her head to clear her mind.

*This can’t be…*

Only then did she understand the situation.

The eighth-class mages had fallen, the knights were annihilated.

Barely any soldiers remained, and those who did were incapacitated.

It was hopeless.

- *I have awoken once more. As per my promise, I shall blanket the world in my flame. Stand there and witness, Adol Levitt.*

The White Fox Spirit spoke in cryptic words, moving with a graceful stride.

Each step threatened to engulf the world in white flames, returning it to blank nothingness.

Hong Biyeon could do nothing but watch, frozen, as someone blocked the creature’s path.

Isaac Morfran.

“You shall… not pass here.”

Half of his body had already melted in flames, yet he stood firm. But with a body in that condition, what could he possibly do?

Just as she thought this—

“I am no longer a descendant of Morfran.”

Isaac Morfran took out a strange black crystal and declared—

“From this moment… I shall become a dark mage.”

It was a fierce struggle.

But could it even be called a struggle? The clash of two catastrophes was beyond words.

Ice and fire blanketed the land, and all life turned to ash.

At the end of that clash—

Isaac Morfran remained standing.

Was it a blessing or a curse?

A sliver of reason still lingered in his eyes, shining with sorrow.

But if left unchecked, he would surely lose himself and turn the forest and city into rubble.

- *That wasn’t recorded in history.*

The mage corps was annihilated.

If a miracle didn’t happen and Isaac didn’t somehow restrain himself, no one was left to stop him…

*No. There was someone.*

She desperately recalled Hong Si-hwa’s journal.

- *When I awoke, both the White Fox Spirit and the rampaging Duke Isaac Morfran were defeated.*

- *And before me stood a mysterious man.*

- *He was peculiar and mysterious.*

- *He wore a mask and held a silver staff.*

The moment she remembered this, a golden light burst from the air, a massive wheel materializing and spinning above her.

- *What is that…?*

A figure in dark attire emerged with the wheel.

- *Wait, that attire…*

Though he wore a white mask, his clothes bore a striking resemblance to

 the Stella Academy uniform.

Anyone could tell from the pattern and design.

What was even stranger—

She felt a familiarity with this man.

- *Wait, could the mysterious man be…!*

A whirlpool of mana stormed around them.

Isaac turned, speaking to the figure.

“You are Baek Seol-gi. Have you come… to stop me?”

“Yes.”

Hong Biyeon felt a realization hit her.

That familiar voice.

That familiar silhouette.

That familiar scent of mana.

- *Baek Yu-seol…?*

She could never forget those traits unique to Baek Yu-seol.

“Right now, I’m incredibly dangerous… Will you still do this?”

“You made a promise.”

Baek Yu-seol pointed his sword at Isaac.

“To protect Angel.”

“…I see. So that’s it.”

What on earth?

Why was Baek Yu-seol in the past, and what did he mean by protecting Angel?

- *He isn’t just a time traveler…?*

Isaac, looking sorrowful, locked eyes with Baek Yu-seol.

“Then, please… stop me.”

And with that, they clashed.

This wasn’t the Baek Yu-seol she knew.

With at least eighth-class, perhaps even higher, abilities, he fought Isaac as an equal, ultimately melting the eternal frozen land Isaac had created.

It was surreal.

The ice didn’t harm Baek Yu-seol.

As if it blessed him.

As Baek Yu-seol aimed his sword at Isaac’s heart, Isaac closed his eyes.

If he drove it through, everything would end.

Hong Biyeon sighed.

The cause of Angel’s destruction had been none other than Baek Yu-seol.

*Thud!*

Ignoring Isaac’s feeble resistance, Baek Yu-seol drove the blade into his heart.

Unable to bear watching the gruesome sight, Hong Biyeon turned away, but Baek Yu-seol withdrew the blade without finishing him off.

- *Huh?*

Why didn’t he finish it?

The sound of hooves echoed.

A magic corps, detecting dark mana waves, approached.

“Ba…”

And in the distance, Hong Si-hwa awoke, her form visible to Hong Biyeon.

- *What are you planning…*

Baek Yu-seol spoke to Isaac.

“The past cannot be changed.”

Hong Biyeon realized at that moment.

The Baek Yu-seol she saw here wasn’t present through ordinary means—he had some unique way of traversing time.

“People will remember this story. Isaac Morfran, driven mad by dark mana, was stopped by Princess Hong Si-hwa Adol Levitt.”

“…What are you doing…?”

Baek Yu-seol extended his hand toward Isaac, the golden wheel spinning violently.

“But in reality… you will journey somewhere unknown. Only you and I will know.”

A miracle occurred.

A pure, untouched soul emerged from Isaac’s body and was absorbed into the wheel, meaning Isaac’s soul still wandered the world.

After finishing, Baek Yu-seol looked over.

Hong Biyeon stood there, stunned.

Had he noticed her?

Did he realize her presence within these memories?

Hong Biyeon felt as if they were staring directly at each other.

He said nothing, leaving only his shadow as he disappeared, and by the time the mage corps arrived, Isaac Morfran’s lifeless body was all that remained.

And thus—

The “Legend of Princess Hong Si-hwa” from ten years ago was born.

The catastrophe’s originator had been Hong Si-hwa.

The hero was Isaac Morfran.

And the one who ended his rampage was Baek Yu-seol.

Yet all glory went to Hong Si-hwa.

*My time…*

The time remaining in this memory was running out.

But she couldn’t leave yet.

One final question remained unanswered.

She pushed the timeline forward, one day at a time.

*Duke Isaac Morfran is dead.*

*Then why does such a chill radiate from the body? Surely he’s still alive!*

*You fool! Biologically, he’s completely dead! His mana is worth studying!*

Another day passed, and the mages began to argue.

*The body cannot be disposed of.*

*With Adol Levitt’s flame, it could be easily burned!*

*If Her Majesty arrives…!*

Another day passed, and Queen Hong Sae-ryu arrived, temporarily sealing Isaac’s body before it was incinerated.

*The White Fox Spirit is slain, and Duke Isaac is sealed.*

*Yet the white flame and blue ice still haunt the forest…*

Another day passed as they restored the forest.

After quickly skipping through a week’s worth of memories, she finally saw what she sought.

“All hail the brightest flame under the heavens!”

“Her Majesty, the Queen!”

The Adol Levitt knights, clad in red armor, knelt in unison as the great Queen of Adol Levitt arrived.

Hong Sae-ryu surveyed the ruined Morfran Forest with calm eyes.

Then, stepping gracefully down from her horse—

*Slap!*

She slapped Hong Si-hwa hard.

The princess’s head whipped around, her body staggering, but she didn’t fall. She lifted her gaze to meet the queen’s.

“Your Majesty, you’ve arrived.”

“Do you know what you’ve done?”

“…Yes.”

“Quick answer. Seize Princess Hong Si-hwa, bind her mana, and imprison her underground. Let her understand that sparing her life is the final mercy I’ll show as her queen.”

Hong Sae-ryu’s decisive nature shone, unhesitatingly delivering punishment.

Removing the second princess would mean the throne would pass to her most hated child, Hong Biyeon, but it didn’t matter.

A crime demanded punishment. If that led to Hong Biyeon’s ascension, then it was her destiny.

“Before I go, may I say one thing?”

Despite her sentence, Hong Si-hwa met the queen’s eyes with a cold, emotionless gaze.

“Looking to excuse yourself? Fine, speak.”

“Seal my mana if you wish. Kill me if you must. But please, fulfill one request.”

“You dare.”

“Do not burn Isaac Morfran’s body. Preserve it intact.”

“What?”

The queen’s eyebrow twitched.

Crack! *Fwoosh!*

The earth split, the nearby trees bursting into flame.

Just a single glance from Hong Sae-ryu, and mana surged.

Hong Si-hwa’s robes caught fire, burning away, but she continued, unperturbed by the pain.

“He bore the purest blood of Morfran.”

“And?”

“Like us, he inherited the ‘Curse of Ice.’ But unlike us, the Morfran lineage overcame it long ago.”

At the mention of curses and blessings, the queen’s mana slowly calmed.

“And even in death, his body releases endless waves of freezing mana.”

“Get to the point.”

“He’s still alive. If you destroy the body, you’ll surely regret it.”

“What if he resurrects as a dark mage?”

“Seal him with the Fire Spirit Formation. His body will remain intact, granting us perpetual ice, and he will gain a chance to awaken.”

The queen pondered before making her decision.

“You expect me to trust your misguided judgment? Take her away.”

Clank!

The guards fastened heavy mana restraints to Hong Si-hwa’s neck, wrists, and ankles, dragging her away. She continued to plead with the queen.

“I understand you don’t trust me. But please remember my wish.”

“I, we, and our descendants… are cursed by this relentless flame and the pain it brings. Your Majesty, do you believe this is justice?”

“Silence her!”

A guard, unable to bear it, yanked the chain around Hong Si-hwa’s neck to silence her, but she persisted.

Praying the queen would remember her plea to the end.

“To be born an Adol Levitt means inheriting this curse, doomed to burn painfully and die young. If I can break this fate with my own hands… I’d gladly fall into hell, even become a demon.”

Thud!

With that final cry, Hong Si-hwa fainted, carried off by the guards.

Alone, Queen Hong Sae-ryu gazed silently into the distance.

"The weather is miserable…”

It was a cloudless, bright day.