The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 357

Inside the Lord’s room of the Magic God Clan’s mansion, Lord Shin In-hyuk was in a conversation with the Blue Magic Tower Lord through a hologram screen.

“…This has become troublesome in many ways.”

—Yes. Things have gone terribly wrong.

Both of them wore serious expressions. Thinking about the situation unfolding in Italy, their heads were throbbing.

—At this rate, we might end up in an all-out war with the Mafia. If possible, I’d like to avoid that…

After the leader of the moderate faction died, they had anticipated a cold war between the moderate and hardline factions. Their expectations, however, were completely off.

“That would be difficult.”

—Yes, it would be difficult. I never imagined Marco would completely take control of the Mafia…

The Mafia hadn’t split into two. With the key figures of the moderate faction simultaneously eliminated, the faction, having lost its center, was absorbed into the hardline faction. Currently, the Mafia had become an incomparably powerful force. At this rate, an all-out war with the Mafia seemed unavoidable.

“What did the hunting dog say?”

Kim Kang-in showed a surprised reaction to Shin In-hyuk’s question.

—…That’s surprising. For the Lord to ask for Commander Charles’s opinion.

For the past two and a half years, Shin In-hyuk had treated Charles as if he didn’t exist. He would not only not ask for his opinion but also ignore it altogether. For such a person to suddenly ask for Commander Charles’s opinion, it was quite unexpected.

—Are you finally thinking of reconciling?

“…Nonsense.”

Shin In-hyuk frowned. “Reconciliation is something people who have fought do. The hunting dog isn’t on my level to fight. Since we haven’t fought, there’s no reason to reconcile.”

Reconciliation was something that happened between equals. Fights were something that only people of equal standing engaged in. No adult would genuinely fight with a child.

—That’s the kind of thing that would make the Commander go wild again if he heard it.

“Reacting to such words is proof of immaturity.”

—…Haha. You’re still the same.

Kim Kang-in gave a wry smile.

—But then, why are you curious about Commander Charles’s opinion?

If there was no change in his thinking, there was no reason to ask Charles for his opinion.

“…There’s an atmosphere that can only be felt on the ground. I just wanted to hear the opinion of the person who moved to Italy first and has been carrying out missions until now.”

—Hmm. Is that so?

Kim Kang-in’s eyes narrowed, a subtly sly smile playing on his lips. Seeing Kim Kang-in’s lukewarm expression, Shin In-hyuk frowned.

“You have an expression like you want to say something.”

—Does it look like that?

Shin In-hyuk responded by intensifying his gaze. *Don’t pretend not to know, just say what you want to say,* his eyes seemed to convey.

—Well, it’s nothing much. I was just thinking that even in a situation like this before, you would never have asked for the Commander’s opinion, that’s all.

Kim Kang-in’s expression became even more sly.

—I was just thinking that you might be starting to acknowledge Commander Charles in your own way.

“…That’s nonsense too.”

Shin In-hyuk’s expression became even more distorted. “Just because one person died, you think I’d acknowledge a weak-willed person who lived like a *폐인* [a recluse or shut-in] for a year and a half? Even if the world turned upside down, that would never happen.”

Kim Kang-in’s lips curled upwards.

—So, that incident was the trigger, it seems.

Now, he didn’t even try to hide his laughter, laughing openly.

—Isn’t it time to forgive that incident? How hard was it for him to even think of seducing Hayul…

“……”

Shin In-hyuk’s brow furrowed as much as possible. *Try saying more,* his expression and eyes warned.

—Ahem. That was a slip of the tongue.

Kim Kang-in coughed and made an embarrassed expression. Even though it was a past incident, trying to bring it up was a mistake. It was also a sensitive matter involving a romantic relationship.

“…Enough, just answer my question.”

—Ah, yes. Commander Charles’s opinion, you mean.

Kim Kang-in was lost in thought for a moment. What did Commander Charles say?

“No. Never mind. Thinking about it, it was a question that didn’t need to be asked. Given that wild horse’s personality, there’s no way he would say he’d back down.”

There was no way that reckless person would say he’d back down.

“It was a pointless question. You don’t need to answer it.”

Just as Shin In-hyuk was about to lose interest in the topic.

—It’s better to take a step back and observe the situation. That’s what he said.

“……”

Shin In-hyuk frowned. He had an expression like he had seen a ghost.

“Just now, the hunting dog said to back down. Is that what you said?”

—Yes.

Shin In-hyuk’s expression became even more crumpled. Now, it wasn’t just like seeing a ghost, but like he was facing something impossible.

“…What was the reason for that judgment?”

—The investigation results and the current situation don’t match. There’s something beyond our expectations. Going into an all-out war like this is too risky. That’s what he said.

“……”

It was a rational and extremely calm judgment that was hard to believe was from that wild horse.

“…Well, I’ve lived long enough to see this. Did he come to his senses after hearing the news that Sophia Anetscheff was alive?”

—Yes. That seems to be the main reason. His eyes have come back to life.

It seemed that the best mercenary, who had fallen into despairing laziness due to Sophia Anetscheff’s death, was slowly starting to awaken.

—Ah, yes. Besides that, he also said he had a bad feeling.

“A bad feeling?”

—Yes. He said that if we go into an all-out war like this, we’ll regret it greatly…

“…Hmm.”

Shin In-hyuk lowered his gaze and fell into thought. *’The hunting dog’s intuition is usually accurate.’* He didn’t want to admit it, but that hunting dog had good intuition. He shouldn’t ignore it.

“Did you ask for Hayul’s opinion?”

—Not yet. But. He’ll probably respect our opinion. Hayul thinks Commander Charles’s intuition is on the level of a prophecy.

“……”

In the first place, he had completely entrusted that side of things to Charles. He wouldn’t bother to interfere.

“Then, you’re not planning to contact Hayul separately?”

—No. I’m going to contact him. Hayul might be able to figure out the enemies’ true purpose, which we haven’t grasped, and the truth behind this Mafia integration incident.

“…I see.”

He was also the one who infiltrated the Rid furniture factory in Italy and extracted information. He might notice something that they had missed.

—So… Where is Hayul right now? I can’t get in touch with him at all.

“Hayul is currently training with Adela. He’ll probably be back soon…”

That’s when it happened.

KWAHAAAAAAANG-!

A tremendous explosion resounded. A deafening roar as if a Giga Explosion had gone off right in front of them. Following that sound, a massive vibration followed. The vibration was so intense that the entire mansion shook.

—What was that sound just now?

Kim Kang-in asked with an urgent expression. It was clearly an unusual sound. It wouldn’t be strange if a terrorist attack had occurred, given the size of the explosion.

“It hasn’t been identified yet. I’ll have to check it out now.”

Shin In-hyuk immediately ran towards the window, in the direction where the explosion had come from, and opened it.

“That’s…”

—Isn’t that the training ground?

The training ground located inside the research institute next to the mansion was in tatters. It was probably where the explosion had occurred.

Shin In-hyuk enhanced his vision with mana and looked at the center of the training ground beyond the smoke. The smoke was too thick to see clearly, but he could make out the silhouettes through mana. A figure with a male frame was collapsed, and a figure with a female frame was supporting the collapsed male.

*’Did Hayul collapse?’*

Shin In-hyuk immediately jumped out of the window. It was a rude act that he would never normally do, but now was not the time to worry about manners.

—Lord? Where are you going…

Beyond the phone left in the room, Kim Kang-in’s voice in the hologram quickly faded.

Crossing the garden like that, Shin In-hyuk arrived at the center of the training ground in an instant.

*’This is…’* Beyond the smoke, the traces of destruction that were not visible before could be seen. The outer wall of the high-strength training ground, designed to withstand even a missile explosion, was completely destroyed.

*’What on earth happened? What are those plants…’* This alone was surprising enough, but what was even more surprising were the plants surrounding the destroyed outer wall. Plants of colors and forms never seen before surrounded the outer wall, and they were also shattered to pieces. It was as if they had exploded together while protecting the outer wall.

*’This tree. Is it a mana tree?’*

Mana tree. A plant grown with mana. Touching it, he could feel mana, so it seemed to be a mana tree.

*’But why is there a mana tree here?’* Just as he was about to get lost in thought, he realized that now was not the time to be thinking. Shin In-hyuk immediately stopped thinking and ran to the main training facility.

And he could confirm it.

“What is this…”

The appearance of the main training ground, which was shattered even more than the outside. Pshhhhhh… The inner wall, which was designed to be much more robust than the outside, was completely collapsed and scattered like sand. It was as if each particle that made up the inner wall had been separated. It was as if everything in this space had collapsed.

*’What kind of magic do you have to use to make this happen?’* Shin In-hyuk looked around with a surprised expression. And soon after, he could find Shin Hayul and Adela.

“…Uncle.”

Adela sensed Shin In-hyuk’s approach and said in a weak voice. With a haggard expression, as if she had used up all her strength, she was laying Shin Hayul on her lap.

“Adela. What happened here?”

For now, judging from Adela’s appearance, it didn’t seem like there had been an attack. Then, something must have happened while these two were training. But what on earth happened and how did it lead to this catastrophe?

“Hayul’s… magic went out of control.”

Shin In-hyuk’s eyes widened. He was surprised for two reasons.

“Out of control?”

He was surprised that Shin Hayul had lost control of his magic. And he was surprised again that this catastrophe was caused by Shin Hayul’s magic.

“I tried to stop it somehow… but I couldn’t. I’m sorry.”

“Stop…?”

To stop magic with such a powerful force that it could turn this training ground into this state. It was absurd.

“This isn’t something you could have done anything about. It’s not your fault…”

Just as Shin In-hyuk was about to say that it wasn’t Adela’s fault with a benevolent expression, suddenly, one thought flashed through his mind.

*’How is Adela… okay?’* If Shin Hayul’s magic had gone out of control, Adela, who was next to him, should have been affected first. With this level of power, Adela should have disappeared without a trace. But Adela was fine. She looked a little tired, but there were no injuries. How on earth?

“The mana trees that were surrounding the outer wall…”

The answer came more easily than he thought. The mana trees that were surrounding the outer wall. He could also see roots that seemed to belong to the mana trees under the inner wall that had collapsed like dust. In other words, this magic was used with the intention of protecting this training ground. In short.

“Adela. Are these plants your magic?”

This mana tree meant that it was magic used by Adela.

“…Yes.”

Adela blinked and nodded her head. She wasn’t nodding her head to mean yes. “My magic is… right…”

Her limit had come, and her head was just slowly moving up and down. Thud-!

Adela collapsed like a doll with its strings cut. Thump-!

Shin In-hyuk moved quickly to catch Adela’s falling body and checked her condition. Fortunately, he couldn’t find any serious injuries. Exhaustion due to depletion of mental strength. Nothing more, nothing less.

“It’s amazing that you can use magic of this scale…”

Shin In-hyuk muttered softly, looking at Shin Hayul and Adela, who had fainted.

“To stop magic of this scale and power with just exhaustion…?”

Shin In-hyuk chuckled and turned his gaze to Shin Hayul. Looking at Shin Hayul’s collapsed figure, he suddenly remembered something from the past.

*’I’ll become strong enough to surpass Veil Stole within six months…’* A week ago, Shin Hayul’s somewhat absurd words no longer sounded so absurd.