The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 78

If the preliminary tournament matches were all over in the morning, the second round was completed without a hitch in the afternoon.

It has been customary for the top student to advance to the top student finals with the first seed after passing the first round, and then engage in a three-way battle with the two students who passed the second round.

Therefore, no one questioned Lane’s late return, though his family had been frantically searching for him.

─Wow, Krista and Cayden made it to the finals after all.

─But what was up with Warden and Karain in the first round? It couldn’t have been match-fixing.

The chattering of those finishing their day’s work brushed past his ears like the wind.

“Young master?”

Lane, lost in thought, didn’t hear a thing.

‘Valensidice, what is he…’

His healing ability was several times better than Sammy’s, and the poison in his left arm had completely disappeared.

“Young master.”

There was still a tingling sensation, but even so, wasn’t this a remarkable level? But he’s a man, so who taught him witchery [magic or spellcasting, often associated with women]?

“Young master!”

Startled by the shout that suddenly pierced his ears, he looked to the side and saw the muscular Logan standing there with a slightly sulky face.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“Ah, sorry, did you call me?”

They stared at each other awkwardly at that response, and then Logan sighed and scratched the back of his head.

“What do you think of today’s match?”

“Today’s match?”

“The match between Krista and Lillian! It ended so absurdly!”

The match between Krista and Lillian?

Ah, right…

He had seen Krista summon that golem thing before leaving the city with Rivadin. He had been so out of it that he had forgotten.

“How did it go? I couldn’t watch it because of student council matters.”

Logan’s expression seemed to darken slightly at that question. Logan glanced at the night sky and spoke with difficulty.

“That is…”

* * *

The match between Rivendell’s Karain clan and the magic family of Warden, which everyone had been eagerly anticipating, ended absurdly in an instant.

“…?”

“…?”

“…?”

The heated audience doubted their eyes and fell into silence. Did I miss something? Is this right?

Lillian had clearly summoned Rivendell’s divine beast, the Flame Serpent, in the face of the Sandstone Golem’s threat.

The spirit’s flames took the form of an Imoogi [a proto-dragon in Korean mythology], manifested in the mortal realm to protect the summoner and annihilate all enemies.

And finally, at the very moment when the clash with the Sandstone Golem was about to occur.

– You know, don’t you actually respect your father?

The voice that had been tormenting Lillian for the past two months suddenly resurfaced in her mind.

– You’re doing exactly what Dadan did. Trampling on everything around you for your own goals.

And was it a coincidence?

The sight of Dadan Karain’s face, wearing a bitter smile as he was certain of Lillian’s victory, caught his eye in the corner of his vision at that moment.

‘I, I…!’

He couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. For more complex reasons… at the very moment when the Flame Serpent was engulfing the Sandstone Golem in flames of hell.

Sizzle───!

Even though it was clearly constructed with a barrier, the core of heat, which caused even the spectators in the stands to sweat profusely, disappeared.

“───?”

In that moment of bewilderment, the one whose eyes widened the most was Krista Warden herself.

Thud────!

Was it a mistake? The Sandstone Golem’s powerful blow, properly executing the summoner’s attack command, struck Lillian Karain directly…

Lillian, who had been flying in a straight line through the air from the direct hit, stopped only after crashing violently into the outer wall at the end of the arena and collapsing to the ground.

“…?”

“…?”

“…?”

A fierce silence covered the arena.

Not only the general audience but also the mages reigning at the top—Marchena, Madelia, Kyle, Elin, etc.—could only blink for a moment.

Cassena Page looked up at Madelia, wondering if she had missed something due to her inadequacy.

“Mom, what’s going on? Did that jerk win?”

The answer was given not by Madelia, but by Professor Kyle, who regained his senses faster than anyone else. He raised his hand and said.

[The winner of the first match of the main round… is Krista Warden!]

Unlike the intense first match, cheers and applause did not pour out from the audience. Everyone just tilted their heads.

Because no one was convinced by the outcome of the match.

“What is it?”

“Mana depletion?”

“Are you kidding me? It’s Lillian Karain. A vessel who has handled 5-star summons since childhood!”

And the person who was most unconvinced by this victory or defeat was not Dadan Karain, who was now jumping up and shouting that the barrier must be faulty, but Krista Warden.

“…What are you doing now.”

Then the Sandstone Golem moved its heavy body, crossed the Dragon Blood Arena, and reached out to Lillian, who had lost consciousness.

“What are you doing!”

What she wants is victory.

Clearly, what she wants is the position at the top.

But she doesn’t want an obvious victory. Nor a position that someone has generously conceded. She wants to win with her own strength. Only with my own efforts.

Because she wanted to tell other people later, because she wanted to pass it on to future generations.

I had no talent. Because I didn’t, I lived so hard.

“Are you kidding me? Get up! Who would be happy with this kind of victory? Get up!”

It was Head Professor Marchena who put a stop to that anger.

“As soon as you harm your opponent in a match that has already ended, Nenum will not only be defeated but also judged to be unqualified as a mage and expelled. Is that okay with you? Huh?”

Expulsion…?

Krista, looking back and forth between Marchena and Lillian, eventually lowered her head, bit her lip, and dispelled the Sandstone Golem.

Soon, the assistants in charge of the match ran out and put Lillian on a stretcher.

“So, is it over?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Warden won.”

“But even the winner must feel uneasy about this kind of victory.”

Like a loser, Krista walked out of the arena with weak steps, and the next moment, she poured out desperately to the sky.

The end of the competitive spirit that had lost its way, the end of the efforts that had been honed for this day…

“Young lady…”

Gertrude looked at her back with concern, and soon, thinking that she should offer some comfort, she ran out.

Someone grabbed Gertrude’s shoulder. It was Krista’s teacher, Professor Caroline.

When their eyes met, Caroline gave a bitter smile and shook her head lightly.

“She needs time to think alone. At times like this, you just have to wait.”

“But Professor…”

“Are you worried that Krista’s condition might be ruined by this? That’s not going to happen. How strong is Krista?”

Yes, how strong.

From the moment I first met her, she was a tearfully strong child. From the moment I first met her, she was the child who made Caroline decide.

No matter what happens, I will definitely make this child the best mage.

* * *

The Flame Serpent suddenly disappeared, and Lillian lost… It was definitely strange. But I don’t know why you’re asking me.

“So, I was wondering if you did something, young master?”

Ah, now I’m getting a grasp of it. Like during the midterm exam, the Flame Serpent disappeared, so you think I interfered?

‘But that’s strange.’

No one recognized Vel Querious, which I used as a finishing blow in that match or the match with Nora.

No, did Nora recognize it?

Then she might have told Logan, who is a disciple of the same Eight Great Schools. But I really don’t know about this.

“No, I didn’t do anything. As I said before, I couldn’t watch the game because I had other things to do.”

“I’m talking about the midterm exam, after that Lillian’s condition has been strange…”

I did get rid of the Flame Serpent with my own hands back then. Was it that shocking?

If not… was there a problem with the question I asked then? It was just a question I asked out of pure curiosity.

Ah, I already have a headache because of Valensidice, so I don’t want to think about it. But Logan said cautiously.

“If you’re okay with it, young master, could you help Lillian?”

“Me? How can I?”

“Well… as you know, I was quite wild, but after you told me that, I realized something important and changed.”

At the beginning of the semester, Logan believed in his strength and abilities, showed them off, and looked down on other students. But after hearing those words from Lane, his mindset changed.

– Are we enemies? Aren’t we colleagues exploring the academic field of magic together?

There are no enemies at school. Everyone is just a student exploring magic together… Logan said in a desperate voice.

“I can’t bear to see Lillian as she is now.”

“…”

“Could you say something similar to Lillian? I want to, but I don’t have the gift of gab unless it’s related to muscles…”

Sigh, a sigh close to lamentation came out.

How annoying, really.

If it had been someone else’s request, or if it hadn’t been a situation where I had defeated Rivadin and had a strange conversation with Valensidice, I would have refused outright.

But if it’s Logan’s request, the story changes 180 degrees.

‘He gave me a lot of help while I was working out…’

Above all, isn’t he the number one contributor to getting Cassena to walk? Even going so far as to wholeheartedly teach me the Enemy Subjugation Technique, which can be said to be the secret of the school.

“Okay, I understand. So where is that red-haired girl now?”

“Are you going to help me? Umhaha! As expected, you are the best! In our school, we shout ‘I believed in you’ at times like this!”

Logan’s eyes sparkled and he shook his fists wildly as if he was happy.

“As expected, I believed in you~!!!”

Seeing such an innocent reaction, I felt embarrassed and turned my gaze away slightly and sighed.

“What are you believing in? It’s just a whim. Got it? Tell me where she is. I’ll get it over with quickly and go to sleep.”

* * *

Looking back, I don’t think my legs have ever felt heavier than the day I left the Magic Tower.

“…”

As Rin kept looking back at the old and modest Magic Tower that was repeatedly moving away over the horizon, Rista gave a faint smile.

“You like the friends in the Magic Tower a lot.”

“I don’t like them.”

“It seems like you do?”

“No! They’re all idiots, so I’m just worried. Nothing works properly without me.”

Then Rista burst out laughing.

I asked why she was laughing, but she just laughed more and didn’t answer for a long time. Later, she put her hand on Rin’s head and smiled dazzlingly.

“Rin, that’s exactly what it means to like someone.”

Only then did I clearly understand my heart, which I couldn’t even be honest with myself about, and therefore had never expressed.

I liked that Magic Tower.

I liked the days I spent in that Magic Tower, the people I met, and all the daily life that happened in my hometown.

“I don’t like it. It doesn’t mean anything even if I like it. I’m a jerk. They said I was unlucky because I was an orphan.”

“But when I saw you earlier, everyone liked Rin?”

“…”

“Do you know why?”

Rista said.

People can’t choose the past, but they can choose the future. The future is something you create yourself.

Looking at Rin’s shaking eyes, Rista pushed the boy’s back forward as if pushing him into the future.

“What happened today can be said to be a part of the future that Rin has worked hard to create. You can be proud of it.”

So what if you were an orphan?

So what if the past was a bit miserable?

Then there are only parts left to fill the future with happy things.

Rin, who had watched Rista’s life during the 5-year journey, looked back on his own life and came to that conclusion.

‘If I hadn’t been an orphan, I might not have met Headmaster Ajumma [Korean for ‘aunt,’ used to address older women]. If that had been the case, I might not have gone on a trip with Rista…’

The gods determine the past, but humans choose the future themselves. The thought that bloomed in my head became a belief, and the belief took root deep in the boy’s heart.

That small belief made the boy create a barrier for his companions in the final battle, and that small belief led to his death in place of his friends.

Without a single hesitation or regret in that choice.