The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 203

Parade was instantly burned to death.

As if to prove he had been burned to death in the infernal hellfire, his blackened body crumbled and scattered into ashes with a soft rustling sound.

It felt like watching a corpse burning in a crematorium.

“Hoo.”

The battle was over.

There were still three unranked disaster-class monsters left, but they wouldn’t be a problem.

Having lost their commander, Parade, the monsters that had reverted to their original forms wouldn’t target us.

They would be too busy fighting each other as soon as they regained their senses.

Kwaaaang-!

Kiiiiing-!

Sure enough.

From about 400 meters away, the physical impact of something huge colliding and the clear clash of mana echoed.

It seemed that the Bucephalus [a powerful, mythical horse] and Velvet Tiger, which Parade had hastily summoned, had begun fighting each other.

“Hoo. I thought I was going to die.”

At that moment, Commander Charles landed next to me.

Even though he was strong, fighting three unranked disaster-class monsters in a row must have been difficult for him. His clothes and hair were a mess.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Worked hard… yeah, I did.”

Commander Charles tore off the ripped right sleeve of his uniform.

His bare skin was covered in wounds.

They didn’t look light at all.

“Hey, can you get the backpack from my robe?”

“Yes.”

The backpack that the commander had entrusted to me contained first-aid supplies for emergencies.

I quickly put on Aeth [a magical artifact or tool] and took out Commander Charles’s backpack from inside.

Commander Charles took out ointment and bandages from the back of the backpack.

Then, he roughly spread the ointment on his arm and wrapped the bandage around it.

It wasn’t easy to wrap a bandage with one arm. He was very skilled.

I guess a mercenary is a mercenary.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t reach my back. Can you apply some for me?”

Having finished the first aid on his right arm, Commander Charles turned his back to me.

When he swept his hair aside, three deep scratch marks were revealed.

“Ah~ I’m embarrassed. I told you to leave it to me, but I got ambushed. Hehe.”

Commander Charles smiled awkwardly.

“…I’m sorry.”

I felt sorry for no reason.

It was because I had asked for the diversion that he had suffered such severe injuries.

Thinking that way, my guilt doubled.

“It’s okay. You directed the operation, but I accepted it. It’s not your fault.”

Commander Charles turned his head slightly and chuckled at me.

“Anyway, apply the ointment quickly. It’s going to fester.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry.”

I took the ointment and bandages from Commander Charles and began treating his wounds.

Using wind magic, I cut off all the clothes covering his back.

Then, I created distilled water with water magic and washed the wound.

“…Aren’t you in pain?”

With this kind of injury, just touching the water should cause terrible agony.

Commander Charles looked very calm. He didn’t scream, and his expression didn’t change at all.

“It hurts. But, well, I’m used to it. I’ve had much worse injuries.”

He was enduring it.

“Being a mercenary… it’s a much harder job than I thought.”

“Yeah. Well, it’s hard to say it myself, but it’s a very difficult job. There were many times when I wanted to quit.”

I spread the ointment on the cleaned wound.

Since the ointment also had a disinfecting effect, I didn’t disinfect it separately.

“Our Hayul. Your touch is a bit sensual? It’s very tingly.”

“Of course it’s tingly. It must hurt.”

“No. Aside from the pain. It’s like a gentle touch. Your hands are very soft. I like it.”

“What am I supposed to say to that?”

It was a difficult thing to answer.

Commander Charles chuckled.

“Just saying that you’re very different from the guys in our mercenary group. I was just stating my impression. You don’t have to answer.”

Commander Charles swept his hair to the side, then turned his head to look at me again.

His profile was stained with blood and dirt.

Even that was quite attractive.

“It’s done.”

After applying the large non-woven fabric, all the treatment was finished.

“Do you have any other injuries?”

“I have many injuries. I’m ashamed to say I made quite a few mistakes.”

Commander Charles turned his body back towards me.

His clothes were all torn.

The inside of his clothes must be full of wounds.

“Why? Do you want to treat other places too?”

The commander smiled mischievously and pointed to his thigh, which was badly torn.

That area must have been the next most severely injured after the two areas I had treated earlier.

“…It would be more efficient for Commander Charles to do it himself. My treatment is not very skilled.”

I turned my gaze away.

“Oh my. You really do have a cute side. Just over a thigh. Hehe.”

As if my reaction was quite cute, Commander Charles pinched my left cheek lightly and smiled.

“Seeing this side of you, you’re definitely still an 18-year-old kid. It’s amazing…”

Commander Charles turned his gaze to Parade’s still-burning corpse.

“You kill people without a second thought.”

Commander Charles made eye contact with me again. He seemed to be trying to see something through my eyes.

He probably wanted to know how I felt about killing someone.

“Not killing someone who deserves to die is the same as killing my friends or family in the future.”

I answered with a calm expression.

“My father emphasized that many times. That’s why I killed him. If I let Parade live here, the damage wouldn’t be limited to my family or friends.”

“I see… that’s right. You did well.”

Commander Charles chuckled and placed his hand on my head.

“But, you heard those words often?”

“Yes.”

“How old were you when you first heard them?”

“I think I was 13.”

Commander Charles’s brow furrowed.

“That Shin Inhyuk… is that something you say to a kid…”

He seemed angry at my father for giving a 13-year-old advice about killing people.

“Last time, he showed a 13-year-old the human experimentation report from the Black Magic Tower… He’s really not normal.”

“…”

I couldn’t argue.

Objectively speaking, my father didn’t have a normal set of values.

“Sigh. Anyway, you’ve worked hard. You’ve accomplished something great.”

Commander Charles patted my back a couple of times.

It was a pat to commend me for succeeding in killing Parade.

“Then let’s get out of here.”

As soon as Commander Charles said that, explosions echoed from behind us again.

They sounded much closer than before.

It seemed that Bucephalus and Velvet Tiger were getting closer to us.

They might be getting closer to us by chance during the battle, but either way, this was a dangerous area.

We had to leave here as soon as possible.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

I put Commander Charles’s backpack back into Aeth.

It seemed that he was going to treat his other injuries after we left, so I thought it would be better to put the backpack, which was a burden, into the subspace.

After putting the backpack into Aeth and deactivating Aeth, I pushed off the ground.

No, I was about to push off.

Thud-!

If Commander Charles hadn’t grabbed my sleeve, I would have run off.

“I’m really, really sorry.”

Commander Charles’s cheeks were a little red.

His blush stood out even more against his white hair.

“I’m not in good shape… it’s hard for me to run alone.”

“Ah.”

Indeed, Commander Charles’s legs were trembling slightly.

“So, um…”

“Yes. I understand.”

I knelt down in front of the commander.

“I’ll carry you on my back.”

“…Okay.”

Commander Charles climbed onto my back.

“I’ll ask you to intercept the approaching monsters.”

“That’s not a problem.”

Commander Charles, whose body was under too much strain to run properly.

And me, whose mental strength was strained due to resonance, causing problems with magic use.

This formation was the best for each of us to compensate for the other’s weaknesses.

“Then, let’s go.”

I pushed off the ground.

* * *

The central headquarters of the Black Magic Tower.

Shadow returned to the headquarters with terrible injuries.

After quickly completing the first aid for his injuries, he headed to the Black Magic King’s room to report.

“Excuse me.”

A pure white throne stood tall in the center of the room, which was all black.

And on that pure white throne sat the black king, who seemed to have no connection to the color white.

The Black Magic King was sitting with his chin resting on his hand.

Shadow approached the appropriate distance and knelt down.

“The eighth child of darkness has died.”

The eighth child of darkness was a title referring to Parade.

“…Yes. He was defeated in the battle at Mount Baekdu and died.”

Shadow answered calmly.

“Shadow. What were you doing at that time?”

What were you doing while Parade was dying?

That was the meaning behind his words.

“I will report.”

Shadow began his report as calmly as possible.

The fact that he received a request for support from Parade. The fact that he met Shin Hayul and Charles while going to support him.

The fact that he was forced to fight them by Parade.

And finally, even the false report that he had been defeated by Shin Hayul.

He finished everything.

“Shin Hayul. The heretic who killed the fourth child of darkness. Was he that strong? Shadow. Was he so strong that you couldn’t do anything and chose to flee?”

The Black Magic King’s voice carried an even stronger power.

He clearly suspected Shadow’s report.

“Yes. Later, if you have Hermes or Jaeger reconstruct the battle traces of Mount Baekdu, you will know. Shin Hayul. His power is extraordinary.”

The Black Magic King’s aura became sharper.

“Shadow. Release the shadow that covers your body.”

He would check Shadow’s true intentions through his bare face inside the shadow.

That was the meaning.

“I didn’t want to show you my shameful appearance, but…”

Shadow released the shadow as if he had no choice.

Shadow’s bare face and body were slowly revealed.

Shadow’s body was covered in burns.

“As you can see, I have such serious injuries…”

Immediately after all the shadows disappeared, Shadow’s pupils widened greatly.

His expression was as if he had received a great shock.

“Kyaaaaaaaak!”

A sharp scream.

A scream burst out from the unbearable level of agony.

‘Ah, it hurts? It hurts? Me?’

Shadow had his five senses taken away by Umbra’s shadow. Of course, he couldn’t feel pain properly either.

But Shadow was currently feeling pain in real time.

And it was a terrible agony that would make him faint right now.

‘How…?’

Apart from the shock of the pain, he was greatly shocked by the fact that he could feel pain.

“Keuh.”

Shadow bit his lip and endured the pain.

Then, while collapsed, he raised his head and looked at the Black Magic King.

“… !”

At that moment, his already widened eyes widened even more.

‘I can see?’

The Black Magic King was visible.

Not indirectly through the shadow.

Shadow was seeing the Black Magic King with his own eyes.

Black, white, the world was visible.

‘How… what is this…’

Shadow’s confusion grew.

He was so confused that he couldn’t even think of Shin Hayul’s plan.

If the Black Magic King were to ask Shadow a question now, there was a high probability that a loophole would be revealed.

It was a moment of absolute crisis.

However.

“Is that how loudly you scream?”

Fortunately, the Black Magic King didn’t seem to have any intention of asking Shadow anything else.

“I understand. As you said, it seems that we need to pay more attention to that heretic named Shin Hayul.”

The Black Magic King didn’t know that Shadow didn’t have his five senses.

He just thought that Shadow was enduring the pain well because he had a lot of patience.

In reality, the indirect pain through the shadow was transmitted, so he had shown signs of feeling pain a few times.

That was why the Black Magic King hadn’t noticed Shadow’s abnormality.

No, he couldn’t have noticed.

“That’s enough. Put on the shadow again and suppress the pain.”

“Yes, I… Keuh!”

Shadow hurriedly put on the shadow to suppress the pain.

“Huk, huk, huk…”

Cold sweat poured down his entire body like rain. It was the first time in his life that he had experienced such intense pain.

He really thought he was going to die.

“…I’ve shown you an unsightly sight. I’m sorry.”

With the disappearance of the pain, his mind began to calm down quickly.

Shadow quickly knelt down again and lowered his head.

“I don’t care.”

The Black Magic King himself had ordered it.

No matter what unsightly appearance Shadow had shown, it was not something to care about.

“That’s enough. Go out and treat your wounds.”

“…Yes.”

Shadow slowly got up from his seat. Then, after bowing briefly, he turned his body.

“And one more thing.”

Looking at Shadow’s back, the Black Magic King slowly said a word.

“Leave Shin Hayul alone for a while. We can’t waste any more power on unnecessary things now that we’re about to achieve our great goal.”

“…Yes. I understand.”

Due to the variable that had occurred to Shadow, the plan had gone quite awry.

But whether it was right or wrong, the goal was to reach Seoul.

It was the moment when Shadow and Shin Hayul’s goals were 100% achieved.

‘…How did I get my sight and touch?’

However, Shadow couldn’t be happy even though he had achieved his goal.

He was preoccupied with the anomaly that had occurred in his body.

He was too busy thinking about the recovery of his five senses, which he had dreamed of.

‘The only possible cause is… the absorption and amplification of Helios’s Heavenly Demon [a powerful, possibly divine entity or force].’

Shadow’s mind spun like a top. And then he came to one conclusion.

‘Whatever it is, I have to find Shin Hayul as soon as possible.’

A strange light flashed in Shadow’s eyes.

To do that, he had to complete the list of spies he had promised to give to Shin Hayul as soon as possible.