The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 162

‘It seems serious. Understood. I’ll head over there right away.’

After replying, I immediately informed Uncle Seok-hyun about the situation.

“I was hoping it wasn’t true….”

My uncle was in despair.

He wore a bitter smile, looking like he couldn’t understand why siblings were so desperate to kill each other.

Or was he despairing that Shin Ji-han had actually devised such a terrible scheme?

Whatever it was, the current situation was indeed lamentable, just as my uncle had said.

“Then, please proceed as planned.”

“Yes.”

Uncle Seok-hyun took a deep breath. As if shaking off all remaining thoughts, he exhaled all his worries. A long, drawn-out breath.

“Then, we will begin the operation immediately.”

He had transformed into the cold and composed leader of the shadows.

The spirit of the dark forces, having completed all preparations before entering the most crucial mission.

Just watching him sent shivers down my spine with his sharp aura.

“I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry. We will handle it with 100% perfection.”

Uncle Seok-hyun, who was on the phone, making calls here and there, stared at me with a strange expression.

“It’s you, young master, who should be careful. You are taking on the most dangerous role in this plan.”

* * *

Shin Se-ah’s hotel room.

Shin Se-ah was nervously biting her nails.

‘Why did I forget?’

Her crossed leg was shaking uncontrollably.

Her eyes were also trembling slightly.

All her actions were filled with anxiety and nervousness.

‘How could I forget something so important?’

Shin Se-ah ruffled her hair in self-reproach.

She had completely forgotten about it while hospitalized, only remembering it after returning to the hotel.

How could she be so foolish?

She was utterly pathetic.

‘If this continues, Hayul will be in danger.’

What Shin Se-ah had remembered was Shin Ji-han’s plan to eliminate Shin Ha-yul.

‘No. Not just Hayul, but I’m also in danger.’

Shin Se-ah bit her nails and her lips trembled.

‘The leader of the shadows, Kim Seok-hyun, was Ji-han’s right-hand man….’

What Shin Se-ah had remembered was Kim Seok-hyun’s true identity.

This was information she had obtained along with the SD card while preparing to escape Shin Ji-han’s clutches, after realizing his plan.

Shin Se-ah recalled the diary she had seen in Shin Ji-han’s personal study.

[Kim Seok-hyun was a card I was saving to send Father to a better place when I became the head of the family, but since things have turned out this way, there’s no other choice. I have to use Kim Seok-hyun to get rid of Hayul.]

Kim Seok-hyun was an enemy.

He was a traitor who had been bought by Shin Ji-han from the start.

‘…Idiot. Fool. Why did I forget such important information!’

Shin Se-ah banged her head, blaming herself.

She was pathetic, even thinking about it again.

How could she have forgotten such shocking information?

What was wrong with her brain?

She was genuinely worried about her intelligence.

‘Still, it’s a relief that I remembered it now.’

If she had remembered even a little later….

Shin Se-ah shuddered.

The terrible thought made her feel cold.

‘He should be arriving soon.’

The current time was 11:27 PM.

She had contacted Shin Ha-yul at 10:56 PM, and it would take about 30 minutes for Shin Ha-yul to travel from his hotel to hers.

He should be arriving soon.

‘Should I call to ask where he is….’

Shin Se-ah slapped her cheeks with both hands!

‘No. That won’t do. You crazy woman. It’s like advertising to be bugged.’

Did she hit too hard? Her cheeks were stinging.

“Ugh….”

She snapped back to her senses.

‘You fool. Now that it’s come to this….’

Then, she felt regret.

Why had she hated Shin Ha-yul so much?

‘Hayul… didn’t really do anything to me.’

Shin Ha-yul’s childhood was filled with magic.

He didn’t really interact with his family, nor did he meet his siblings.

Since there were no interactions, there was no opportunity for Shin Ha-yul to do anything to Shin Se-ah.

No, in the first place, Shin Ha-yul was not the type to harbor ill will towards anyone.

He wouldn’t have had the time for it.

It was much more constructive for him to study magic than to hate someone. Shin Ha-yul would have definitely thought so.

‘I hated him unilaterally.’

Therefore, the reason why Shin Se-ah and Shin Ha-yul’s relationship went wrong was solely Shin Se-ah’s fault.

‘Jealousy, envy, and inferiority.’

Was it because Shin Ha-yul’s overwhelming talent stole all the attention from her parents?

Was it because Shin Ha-yul succeeded in two weeks what Shin Se-ah barely managed in two years?

Or was it because of her mother, who constantly compared her to Shin Ha-yul?

‘Maybe it’s all of them?’

Slowly, as if being influenced.

Through all these experiences, Shin Se-ah gradually, little by little, began to hate Shin Ha-yul.

‘My brother also hated Hayul.’

Since Shin Se-ah was practically a Shin Ji-han worshiper, Shin Ji-han’s preferences were bound to be reflected in her own ideology to some extent.

Through the combined effect of all these complex factors, Shin Se-ah slowly began to hate and resent Shin Ha-yul.

‘What’s so great about being the head of the family?’

Shin Se-ah bit her lip.

She bit it so hard that blood trickled out.

‘What’s… so great about being the head of the family….’

This was a statement to herself and to Shin Ji-han.

Why would he try to obtain the position of family head by killing his family?

She couldn’t understand it at all.

‘…No. It’s not my place to say that.’

Shin Se-ah lowered her head.

‘I… also had such thoughts.’

It wasn’t just thoughts.

She had even tried to move to kill Shin Ha-yul herself.

Although it was because she was in a situation where she couldn’t make objective judgments due to her mental breakdown, it was a clear fact that she had made such preparations.

Although she had come to her senses and backed away, the fact that she had such thoughts and made preparations did not disappear.

‘…Maybe it would have been better if I had gone crazy back then. Like my brother.’

If she had done as Shin Ji-han had said back then. If she had completed the preparations to kill Shin Ha-yul perfectly.

Then, at least she wouldn’t be targeted by Shin Ji-han, would she?

Such weak thoughts arose.

Shin Se-ah’s already weak mental state was rapidly collapsing.

‘…Get a grip, Shin Se-ah.’

But that was only for a moment.

Shin Se-ah held onto her mental state with a desperate will.

She couldn’t remain weak forever.

And.

‘…I’ll properly finish this and properly apologize. I’m sorry for everything. I’m so sorry for not being a good older sister.’

People don’t change.

That’s true.

But there’s nothing easier to change than people.

That’s also true.

People can change more easily than expected if there is a significant trigger.

Why do people say that people don’t change unless they die?

This means that people who have almost died can easily change.

She had almost been killed by her brother, whom she had trusted, and she had been comforted and saved by Shin Ha-yul, whom she had vaguely thought of as an enemy.

This fact was enough to change Shin Se-ah’s values.

“….I can do it. Shin Se-ah.”

She didn’t know if she could say this shamelessly.

But she wanted to start over now.

She wanted to stop living while resenting and hating someone.

‘…Family.’

Shin Se-ah recalled the warmth of Shin Ha-yul’s hand that had gently held hers in the hospital.

It was warm. It was kinder than any touch she had ever experienced.

‘It’s possible. Surely, if it’s Hayul….’

He would forgive her.

If it was Hayul, who was much more mature than her, who had a much kinder and more excellent heart, surely.

‘Let’s keep, keep asking for forgiveness.’

It didn’t matter if it took years or decades. If she could return to a normal family relationship someday, that would be enough.

Shin Se-ah’s eyes shone with determination.

And then.

Knock knock-!

Someone knocked on the door.

‘He’s here.’

The current time was 11:41 PM.

It was well past the expected arrival time, but when she thought about it, he would have had to take a taxi to come alone, so it was natural that it would take a little longer.

Shin Se-ah quickly got up and headed to the door.

And slowly opened the door.

“Welcome….”

Welcome.

She couldn’t finish the sentence.

Thud!

“Hello, Se-ah.”

“Cough… gasp.”

It’s hot.

Her chest was aching and hot.

It felt like she had been burned.

‘What… is it?’

Shin Se-ah looked at her chest.

A knife was stuck in it.

It was a sharp knife, just by looking at it.

It was embedded in her chest. Blood was flowing down.

“And goodbye, Se-ah.”

Only then could Shin Se-ah see the face of the man who had appeared beyond the door.

“B… Brother….”

“Rest first. Thank you for everything.”

Shin Ji-han.

He smiled.

‘Ah….’

It was a monstrous smile.

Seeing that smile, Shin Se-ah quietly closed her eyes.

‘At least I wanted to apologize properly.’

She thought that her life was full of regrets.

Slowly, very slowly, she closed her eyes.

“I love you, Se-ah.”

She heard such a voice at the end.

* * *

I arrived at the hotel room where my sister was staying.

Since I had to come alone, it took longer than I thought.

It took about 50 minutes.

Knock knock-

I knocked right away.

She must be eagerly waiting for me, so she would open the door right away.

Thinking that, I waited for a response.

“?”

But there was no answer.

Could she have fallen asleep while waiting?

That couldn’t be.

Thinking that, I knocked again.

Again, silence.

‘What’s going on?’

Is something wrong?

Or is she not inside?

I quickly activated ‘Shin-an’ [a magical sense].

Since a battle was inevitable, I had put on ‘Four Seasons’ [a magical artifact] beforehand.

Thanks to that, I could observe mana much more precisely than usual.

‘…Reddish-brown mana?’

The mana sensed beyond the door had a strange reddish-brown hue.

Different from the red of fire magic or the brown of earth magic.

A strangely viscous color.

To put it in a metaphor, it was like blood.

Mana with that kind of feeling was filling the space beyond the door.

I increased the output of Shin-an a little more.

At the center of the reddish-brown mana, which was felt a little more clearly, an alien mana was detected.

A sinister and ominous mana.

It wasn’t a corrupted mana, but a nasty mana that gave a feeling of corruption.

It was a mana that was undulating with an aura like a snake.

And beneath it, a faint mana could be seen. A mana that resembled a lamp that was about to go out.

It was a very familiar mana to me.

‘Could it be….’

I slowly grabbed the doorknob.

I was planning to break it open if it didn’t open.

Click.

Surprisingly, the door wasn’t locked.

I opened the door and entered the room.

“….”

As soon as I entered the room, the first thing I felt was the distinct smell of blood.

The acrid smell of iron.

“Welcome, Hayul.”

At the center of a pool of blood, my sister Se-ah was collapsed.

“You’re late?”

And behind her, Shin Ji-han was sitting with his legs crossed, exuding a relaxed aura.

“You almost caused a big problem. If you had come any later, I wouldn’t have been able to leave any evidence at the scene.”

Shin Ji-han moved his mana and used magic.

Telekinesis [moving objects with the mind].

A very basic magic that can exert physical force on an object.

Using that, he threw my sister’s body at me.

There was no sign of any other tricks.

Still, I had to be prepared, just in case.

I prepared a defensive magic and quietly embraced my sister’s body as it flew towards me.

Fortunately, there was nothing that looked like a trap.

“….”

The injury was severe.

It was a critical injury, to the point where it was uncertain whether she could survive even if she went to the hospital right away.

“Okay. With this, the evidence manipulation for psychometry [a magical ability to read the history of an object by touching it] is complete.”

Shin Ji-han got up from his seat.

“….Evidence manipulation?”

“It’s nothing much. It’s just that, they say, you need blood contact to manipulate the evidence properly.”

Then, he walked about two steps towards me.

“Now then, since the preparations are all done….”

Shin Ji-han’s eyes narrowed.

“Let’s end this tiresome bad relationship here.”

At that moment, mana began to stir.

Mana expanded.

A sensation as if a huge evil was eroding the surroundings.

A barrier magic filled with corrupted mana.

An unknown magic isolated this area separately.

“Don’t worry too much. You’ll become a pitiful hero who lost his life by falling into Se-ah’s trap. At least it won’t be a dishonorable death. Isn’t that fortunate?”

Mana surged around Shin Ji-han.

“If you understand, don’t resist in vain….”

Mana, which had turned into blades, bared its fierce teeth at me.

“Die.”

My Infinity Circle [a core of magic] and mana core rotated as if they had become one.

“There are many things I want to say, but if I were to say just one first….”

The next moment, the world seemed to stop in my eyes.

The mana blades were flying slowly.

I scattered my mana on them.

Clang!

The magic, affected by my mana, broke down helplessly and scattered into mana debris.

“….”

Was it because it was blocked too easily?

As if his pride was hurt, Shin Ji-han frowned.

“I can’t die even if I want to, with a mortal like you, brother.”

“….What?”

Shin Ji-han’s expression twisted fiercely.