Back from the Dead?

Who is it!?

Without a second thought, Fern focused his energy on his wand and attacked the source of the sound.

After all, they were currently in an underwater ruin fraught with unknown dangers. The strange female voice coming from nowhere could only be the voice of some kind of demon in disguise. It couldn't be that Lady Flamme had come back to life, could it?

"The True Magic is really rude after all these years."

Suddenly, an orange-haired woman appeared in the center of the hall, dressed in an ancient-style robe, with a gentle smile on her face. With a wave of her hand, Fern's attack vanished instantly.

"However, this vigilance is commendable. You're Frieren's student, aren't you?"

It was clearly a question, but the woman in front of him spoke with absolute certainty.

Who are you?

Seeing that her attack was easily neutralized by the person in front of her, Fern became even more vigilant. Even Qual, who was known as the "Corrupt Sage," would use defensive True Magic when faced with attacks, but this "person" didn't even use defensive True Magic, as if the attack had been directly erased.

The others naturally noticed the commotion on Fern's side as well.

"Flamme?"

Frieren stopped rummaging through the clutter and looked up at the orange-haired woman in the center of the hall.

Despite the passage of over a thousand years, the other person's appearance, voice, and the way they spoke, as if they had seen through everything, were exactly the same as the person in my memory.

"Long time no see, Frieren."

The orange-haired woman smiled and greeted her.

"You haven't changed at all. In that respect, the elves are truly an enviable race."

But you are already dead.

Frieren said it very directly.

"Imposing this kind of thing right after we met is a bit too hurtful."

Flamme sighed helplessly.

Kanne and Lawine, standing nearby, were completely stunned. The legendary progenitor of human True Magic was now standing right in front of them, a sight not every True Magic had ever experienced.

"Lady Frieren, is she really Lady Flamme?"

Fern still did not put down his staff.

"That definitely isn't him."

After all, although she seemed to have heard that her teacher had been researching Immortality Magic and the Resurrection True Magic, she knew from the results that the research had failed. So, Frieren tried to sense the Mana of the woman in front of her.

"Her body is entirely composed of Mana, storing a portion of Flamme's memories, thought processes, and personality from his lifetime; she is simply an image capable of reacting to external circumstances."

"That's a very accurate explanation."

Flamme did not deny it.

"The real me is long dead. What you are seeing now is merely the initial application of some True Magic research I conducted before."

"Then may I ask, Lady Flamme, how did you neutralize my attack just now?"

As always, Fern asked the question, seemingly still quite concerned about what had just happened.

"You're much more polite than your master."

Flamme seemed quite pleased with Fern's attitude, and continued speaking.

"Because this building itself is my spell."

Flamme raised his hand, his fingertips lightly tracing the air.

The long-faded patterns on the walls lit up, and countless True Magic incantations spread outwards like vines, instantly covering the entire hall.

"Every brick and stone here is under my control. I can dispel True Magic cast inside the ruins directly from the spell's formation stage."

"So, in some people's words, this should be considered my Magecraft workshop."

When he said that, I don't know if it was just my imagination, but it seemed like Flamme glanced at me, and even emphasized the word "Magecraft" a little.

No, it can't be an illusion. The term "Magecraft workshop" has even appeared. People in this world obviously wouldn't use the word "Magecraft." It should be "True Magic workshop" instead.

That absurd guess about his first encounter with Frieren resurfaced at this moment.

Could it be that someone really went back in time and Church Flamme Celestial Magecraft, and it even seems like that person is most likely himself?

Lorenzo was a little confused, but as a man who had seen a lot of the world and all sorts of strange things in the Clock Tower, he quickly accepted the situation.

Speaking of which, there really are things in the world of Frieren that can take you back to the past, the most representative of which is the Goddess's Monument, but that seems to take you back to the last time you touched it, which doesn't match your current situation at all.

But since there is already a way to go back in time, it doesn't seem so incomprehensible that a second way would appear.

Lorenzo quickly composed himself and was about to ask Flamme for clarification when the other man, as if he already knew what he was going to say, looked away first.

She seemed to suddenly remember something and spoke to the people in front of her.

"Oh, right."

As if suddenly remembering something, Flamme turned to the people in front of him and said:

"Regardless, you've successfully found this place, so I should give you some reward."

"A reward? What is it? What is it?"

Kanne's attention was instantly drawn to it.

Then, Flamme snapped his fingers lightly.

Everything around them began to change. What was just a ruin had completely transformed into a field on the edge of a cliff, with an endless sea in front of them. The sea breeze blew across the grass, bringing a damp and cool feeling. The sun gradually set in the west, and the sunset on the horizon began to dissipate, leaving only a few dim colors.

"We're out?"

Kanne looked around in surprise. She even squatted down and touched the grass at her feet. She could feel the softness of the grass and even felt a little dew that had condensed in the evening.

Lawine walked to the edge of the cliff and cautiously looked down. The waves were crashing against the cliff face, and no matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem like an illusion created by True Magic.

Where is this place?

Although Fern liked the scenery, she still keenly sensed something was amiss; the flow of Mana here was very strange.

"We should still be inside the ruins, but our senses are blocked by another layer of space."

Frieren explained to everyone.

"Is it just an illusion?"

"Not just."

Lorenzo looked up at the darkening sky.

Ordinary illusions only need to deceive the senses of the person entering the illusion, but this spell can be said to have completely reproduced the surrounding scenery.

It feels more like a virtual Projection of a True Magic world.

This field was once located where the ruins are now.

Flamme walked to the group and gazed at the setting sun on the horizon.

"But that was over a thousand years ago. Later, the land sank, the cliffs were submerged by the sea, and this place became the seabed you just saw."

"Speaking of which, it's one of my favorite sights, so the scenery before you and your journey to find this place are my gift to you..."