The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 122

The Rebirth of the Mythical Archmage-123

After the finals of the individual matches.

I had an additional hour-long conversation with Kim Kang-in before returning to the stadium.

‘…That took longer than I thought.’

Originally, I had planned to briefly explain what happened after Kim Kang-in fell into a coma and return immediately, but the conversation went on longer than expected.

‘Well, after watching a match like that, it’s natural to have a lot to say.’

Kim Kang-in, greatly excited by Adela’s match, immediately went into too-much-talker mode and began firing off words like a machine gun.

He kept talking without giving me a chance to interject, so I really had no choice but to just listen.

If there hadn’t been a dungeon exploration scheduled afterward, I would have been stuck there until nightfall.

Ugh, how awful.

To think I almost had to endure that rapid-fire talk for hours.

The mere thought made my body shudder.

“Young Master, we’ve arrived.”

As I was sighing in relief, Mr. Seok-hyun announced that we had arrived at the stadium.

“Thank you.”

I got out of the car right away.

Since it was the players’ parking lot, there were no other people around.

“I will escort you to the waiting room.”

Mr. Seok-hyun, who had gotten out of the driver’s seat, stood next to me.

“It’s alright. It’s not like I’m going to get attacked here.”

“With the Black Magic Tower as our opponent, you never know.”

“…Hmm.”

I had no argument against that.

After all, I had been attacked by The Fist even in the hotel, which I thought was safe.

There was a chance of an attack happening here too, even if it was small.

“Then, could I ask you to escort me while using stealth magic?”

It’s not good to stand out unnecessarily.

“Of course. That was my intention from the start.”

Mr. Seok-hyun’s figure slowly began to turn transparent.

A sight like a mirage scattering.

It was truly an amazing stealth magic, no matter how many times I saw it.

“Let’s go.”

Only his voice could be heard from the air.

It seemed he had temporarily deactivated the voice-blocking magic to communicate with me.

“What is The Fist’s current status?”

“It’s the same as before. They occasionally complain about being bored, but that’s all.”

“No additional information has come out?”

“No. They haven’t said a single word about the Black Magic Tower.”

“I see. Then, what about the attackers?”

The Fist is currently being targeted by the Black Magic Tower.

Since there is a possibility that their information could be leaked, they would try to eliminate The Fist by any means necessary. It wouldn’t be strange if there was a large-scale attack on the prison.

“There haven’t been any yet.”

“…That’s unexpected.”

For the Black Magic Tower to be this quiet. Even if it’s one of the best prisons in the United States, they should be trying to eliminate him, since he’s a captured executive with a lot of information.

“I’m also finding it strange. Since the transfer is being delayed, I thought they would show some movement.”

In the current situation, the Black Magic Tower is the one in a hurry.

From the perspective of trying to destroy evidence, The Fist’s long survival would be quite troublesome.

“Given The Fist’s personality, are they thinking that he won’t leak any information until he’s completely transferred to the Haelian Prison?”

“Hmm. That could be it. As a mid-level executive, his personality would be somewhat known.”

If they know The Fist’s cautious personality, it’s not unreasonable for them to be so quiet.

“Whatever the case, the transfer is the key.”

Whether or not The Fist can be safely transferred to Haelian Prison. That will determine the fate of this operation.

“You don’t have to worry about the transfer. If you see the list of mages who will be escorting the transfer…”

Mr. Seok-hyun suddenly stopped talking, as if he had sensed someone approaching.

“…Someone’s coming. Let’s continue this conversation later.”

“Yes.”

Even the subtle presence that I had felt disappeared completely.

It was truly worthy of being called perfect stealth.

Tap, tap.

At the same time as Mr. Seok-hyun’s presence disappeared, the sound of shoes hitting the floor echoed from the other end of the hallway.

A graceful yet tough sound of footsteps.

The owner of those footsteps seemed to have found me, narrowed her eyes, and approached me.

Dododo-

The sound of her footsteps quickened, showing her impatient inner feelings.

“…Shin Ha-yul.”

The woman of fire with her trademark red long hair.

Dahlia Salentia.

She stood in front of me with the most dissatisfied expression.

“…You scammer.”

Then, she blurted out those words without any preamble.

“You said she was a 4-circle mage?”

Before, when I had met Dahlia by chance during Kyle and Adela’s match, I had told her that Adela was a 4-circle user.

Dahlia probably believed that statement wholeheartedly.

Especially since Adela hadn’t used 5-circle magic against Kyle, she would have believed it even more.

But what do you know?

When they met in the finals, Adela turned out to be a 5-circle user.

From Dahlia’s perspective, it was natural for her to call me a scammer.

“Where exactly did your plan start and end? No, if both of them were 5-circle mages from the start, you wouldn’t have had to come up with this annoying plan.”

She glared at me with a sharp expression, as if her pride had been hurt.

“Was your goal to make fools of us?”

If they had two 5-circle users, there was no need to come up with such a plan. They could have gone head-on and won the championship easily.

In such an overwhelmingly advantageous situation, they had made the ambiguous choice of hiding Adela’s achievement.

It was natural for Dahlia to feel like she had been made a fool of.

Well, in reality, it wasn’t that I was hiding her achievement, but that she had achieved it along the way.

“Answer me, Shin Ha-yul. If your goal from the start was to make fools of us.”

I can’t forgive you.

That was the clear expression on her face.

“It’s a misunderstanding. I never even thought about making fools of you.”

“Then what is it? If you weren’t ignoring us, there’s no reason for you to do that.”

“I think it’s natural for you to think that way. But it’s really a misunderstanding.”

I took out my phone from my pocket.

“You’ll understand when you see this.”

It’s about time to start.

“It’s starting right on time.”

Then, I activated the TV mode and broadcast the channel with Adela’s exclusive interview in hologram mode.

—So, Ms. Adela, you weren’t a 5-circle mage from the beginning….

—Yes. I gained a small realization right after my match with Kyle Bentia, and became a 5-circle user.

Dahlia’s pupils widened as much as they could.

“You gained an achievement right before the finals? That’s impossible, how could you gain an achievement at that timing….”

She let out a hollow laugh with a look of utter injustice.

* * *

After parting ways with Dahlia, who was completely out of it.

I went straight back to the waiting room.

“I’m back.”

“You’re back early.”

Senior Jin Hee-yoon greeted me with a strange expression.

Since Senior Hee-yoon values teamwork, she also thinks things like cheering are important.

So, she wouldn’t be too happy about me going to visit someone in the hospital during an important match.

Although she can’t say anything directly since the person I visited was the Blue Magic Tower Lord.

“You’re here? How’s the Blue Magic Tower Lord doing?”

Soon-chan approached me next.

“They said it’ll take some time to fully recover.”

“How long?”

“At least two weeks.”

“…Wow. That must have been a really bad injury.”

“Yeah. Luckily, they said there won’t be any aftereffects.”

“Ah, that’s a relief.”

Soon-chan sighed in relief.

“You heard about the finals, right?”

“Of course. I watched the match with the Blue Magic Tower Lord. Adela was completely dominant, right? I got goosebumps at the last Moonlight.”

“Kuh. It was awesome. You should have seen that scene in person.”

Soon-chan laughed heartily and patted me on the back.

“The audience went silent in an instant, the thrill… Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.”

Soon-chan rubbed his arms, where goosebumps had popped up.

Senior Jin Hee-yoon approached from behind Soon-chan, who was making a fuss.

“You rascal. You’re acting like you’re the one who won the championship.”

Then, she smacked him hard on the back.

The sound of a slap rang out clearly.

“Ah, Noona! That hurts!”

“Don’t be dramatic. Tank. I didn’t even hit you that hard.”

Senior Jin Hee-yoon smacked Soon-chan on the back again.

The sound was very crisp.

“It hurts! Noona, your hands are really spicy!”

“Aha. This is all part of your endurance training.”

“No, I’m not a knight, what’s the point of this physical endurance… Ugh!”

Soon-chan twisted his body.

It was a desperate squid movement that showed his determination to avoid being slapped on the back.

“Ugh. She’s a complete thug. Don’t you think?”

Senior Ma Jin-seok approached from behind me.

He looked at Senior Jin Hee-yoon, who was happily slapping Soon-chan’s back, as if she was pathetic.

“Don’t be like that later. You’re making a fool of the third-years all by yourself.”

“Is it really embarrassing? We’re just doing that because we’re close.”

Soon-chan didn’t seem to dislike it either. He’s the type who likes that kind of playful banter.

“It hurts! It really hurts!”

“Hehehe.”

…Or maybe not.

It seems like he really doesn’t like it this time.

“I’m back.”

While Soon-chan was desperately trying to avoid Senior Hee-yoon.

Adela, who had finished her interview, entered the waiting room.

She looked tired, with fatigue written all over her face, as she had been bombarded with questions from reporters.

“Oh, our Ji-soo is here.”

Hee-yoon immediately lost interest in Soon-chan and ran to Adela.

“You worked hard, our Ji-soo. You did well in the interview, right?”

Her eyes were full of affection as she looked at Adela.

It was a completely different look from when she was dealing with Soon-chan.

“…I’m against discrimination.”

Looking at Senior Jin Hee-yoon, Soon-chan muttered timidly.

“Huh? What did you say?”

Senior Jin Hee-yoon’s eyes gleamed menacingly. At the same time, she subtly raised her palm. It was a silent threat telling him to say one more word.

“No, I said you look like sisters and get along very well!”

Soon-chan shouted, rubbing his sore back.

“Oh, our Soon-chan has an eye for things.”

“Thank you!”

His disciplined movements, like a soldier, stood out.

‘…It really hurt.’

That intense reaction.

It seems Senior Hee-yoon’s hands are really spicy.

“How was the Blue Magic Tower Lord’s injury?”

Adela approached me while being hugged by Senior Hee-yoon.

Now, Adela seemed to have given up on stopping Senior Hee-yoon’s skinship and was just going with it.

“They said it’ll take about two weeks to be discharged, but there won’t be any aftereffects.”

I lightly told them about what happened during my visit.

Everything from the Blue Magic Tower Lord’s condition to how much the Blue Magic Tower Lord praised Adela. Everything except for the Black Magic Tower was told without any embellishment.

“…I’m a little embarrassed. It’s not an achievement I gained with my own strength.”

Adela smiled bitterly and glanced at me.

Since she had gained the achievement with the power of the elixir I had given her, she seemed to feel strange.

“Huh? Ji-soo, it’s not an achievement you gained with your own strength? Then whose strength did you gain it with?”

Senior Hee-yoon tilted her head while hugging Adela.

I hadn’t told the team members about the elixir.

It was natural for them to question that statement.

“…It’s, it’s nothing.”

Adela denied it with a look of realization.

Since we had decided to keep the elixir a secret, Adela’s words just now were a mistake.

“…Hmm?”

Senior Hee-yoon stared intently at Adela’s face.

She had a suspicious expression.

Adela desperately avoided Senior Jin Hee-yoon’s gaze.

With her suspicious gaze avoidance, Senior Hee-yoon’s eyes narrowed even more.

“Aha.”

After about 10 seconds.

Senior Jin Hee-yoon, who had been staring intently at Adela’s face, smiled slyly, as if she had realized something.

“In other words. It’s the power of love?”

Then, she said something completely out of the blue.

“…What power?”

Adela was dumbfounded.

“The day you broke through the wall of enlightenment. I kept wondering why Shin Leader was by your side the whole time. So that’s what it was. If that’s the case, then it makes sense. They say love is an omnipotent energy with infinite power.”

“…Unnie?”

“You two must have been holding hands and relying on each other… Hehehe.”

Senior Jin Hee-yoon had entered the realm of delusion beyond imagination.

“….”

Adela looked at her with a blank expression.

It was an expression that said she was too tired to say anything.

It was a scene that showed how much Adela usually suffered from Senior Hee-yoon.

“Ugh. That nuisance.”

Senior Ma Jin-seok shook his head. He looked genuinely embarrassed by his classmate, Jin Hee-yoon.

“Hey. Stop with the delusions….”

Just as Senior Ma Jin-seok was about to say something.

“That’s enough chatter. It’s time to move.”

Senior Kang Shin-woo, who had been silent in the waiting room, approached us.

“Ah, yes. I’ll get the equipment.”

Soon-chan immediately moved quickly and brought three bags that were placed against one wall.

They were the competition backpacks containing the supplies to be used in the dungeon exploration.

“Senior. Here you go. Here. And yours too.”

Soon-chan handed one bag to Senior Shin-woo and another to me.

“Thanks.”

I received the backpack and casually slung it over one shoulder.

“Then, we’ll go and win the championship easily and come back.”

I said that as the last thing, and left the waiting room with Senior Kang Shin-woo and Soon-chan.