The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 204

Having escaped Mount Baekdu, we arrived at a relatively safe location.

From this area downwards, A-rank or higher monsters don’t appear.

B-rank monsters are something even Squad Leader Charles could handle dozens of alone, so for us, it’s not just a relatively safe place, but a very, very safe place.

“Let’s rest here for a bit before moving on.”

“Alright. This is just right.”

I put down Squad Leader Charles, who I had been carrying, and took out the backpack from Aeth and handed it over.

“Then, while you’re treating your wounds, I’ll go gather some firewood.”

“Why bother? We can just cut firewood with magic.”

“…It’s also for scouting.”

“What’s the point of scouting in an area where only B-rank or lower small fries appear? Just stay here… Ah.”

Squad Leader Charles stopped taking things out of the backpack and turned to look at me.

She had a rather mischievous expression.

“That’s right. Our little one. You were practically immune to women, weren’t you?”

Then she chuckled as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

“You’re so innocent. So innocent. Just to leave the spot for something like treating wounds. Our guys would burst out laughing if they heard that, you know.”

“It’s not about being innocent, it’s about manners…”

“Alright. Let’s just say it’s that.”

“It’s not about saying it’s that…”

Squad Leader Charles had countless large and small wounds all over her body.

To treat those wounds, she would have to take off all her clothes.

So, as a man, it’s only proper manners for me to leave the spot.

That’s why I was offering to leave.

“Anyway, go on. I was thinking of becoming a teaching material for our junior, but sadly, my body isn’t something to show to anyone. It’s a mess.”

Squad Leader Charles finished setting up the first aid kit with quick movements.

“A mess?”

“Well, I have quite a few wounds.”

She spread out a cloth, took off her boots, and stood on it.

“I didn’t see any big wounds…”

“There aren’t many on my back.”

Squad Leader Charles chuckled and pointed to her chest with her thumb.

“All the wounds are here. In the front. My legs are also a mess, beyond words.”

“…I see.”

It was surprising.

There were no wounds on her back.

That meant she had never shown her back to anyone.

In short, Squad Leader Charles had almost never fled from the battlefield.

‘It also means that all the comrades who cover her rear in battle are reliable.’

I could vaguely glimpse the skills of the mercenary group members who protected Squad Leader Charles’s back.

‘A recognized mercenary group is something else.’

A mercenary’s clean back.

That image looked like a medal of honor and proof of skill to me.

“Then, I’ll go look around.”

“Alright. Look around for about 20 minutes. Call me if it’s dangerous. Well, there aren’t any dangerous guys around here.”

“Yes. I’ll see you later.”

I turned my back on Squad Leader Charles and started walking.

‘…I should learn some recovery magic before taking the advancement exam.’

Recovery magic is quite different from general magic, so it’s very difficult to learn.

That’s why I hadn’t thought of learning it until now.

In the first place, I didn’t have the time to learn it.

I had a mountain of things to learn, including the Infinity Circle.

If it had been helpful for the Olympiad, I would have learned it somehow, but

Unfortunately, recovery magic is prohibited in the Olympiad.

There was no reason to learn it.

That’s why I hadn’t learned recovery magic…

‘After the advancement exam is over, and I get my early graduation certificate, I’ll have more chances to get injured. I should prepare for that time.’

Recovery magic isn’t that effective compared to its name, reputation, and difficulty of learning.

But still, there’s no harm in learning it.

I started gathering branches that could be used as firewood while thinking that.

* * *

About 10 hours passed.

We passed the (former) 38th parallel [the border between North and South Korea before the Korean War] and safely arrived in Paju, northern Gyeonggi Province.

“Hoo. I’m exhausted.”

“Me too.”

Squad Leader Charles put me down on the ground and started swinging her shoulders around.

It seemed like her body was stiff from the long flight.

“If I hadn’t been injured, we would have arrived 10 hours earlier. It took a bit longer because of me.”

To pass near Pyongyang and cross the (former) 38th parallel, Squad Leader Charles’s flight magic was essential.

There was no way to enter the interior without using it while avoiding the radar network.

That’s why we took a break earlier.

We treated Squad Leader Charles’s wounds, waited for her condition to recover to some extent, and then slowly finished preparing to return.

“I thought it might take 5 days, but 3 days is pretty good.”

Thanks to Squad Leader Charles defeating the Thunder Bird in advance, the exploration time was drastically shortened.

I don’t know if this was a gain, but thanks to Parade taming the Velvet Tiger and two other disaster-class species, the ecosystem’s power balance changed, and there were almost no attacks from other monsters.

In many ways, we gained a lot of time.

“So, the mission is complete? No complaints?”

“Yes. It was a perfect mission clear, as good as it could get.”

The collection of Laplace, which was the goal, was successfully completed.

On top of that, we succeeded in defeating Parade, a big shot.

This alone was a sufficient achievement, and on top of that, we even succeeded in spreading false information about me inside the Black Magic Tower.

‘And thanks to Squad Leader Charles, I also gained an understanding of the 6th Circle [a level of magical mastery].’

What I gained from this trip to Mount Baekdu was immeasurable.

If I dare to express it, this operation was more than perfect.

“Then, it’s your turn to fulfill your promise?”

Squad Leader Charles’s expression changed slightly sharply.

“Where is the Black Magic Tower’s base?”

I promised Squad Leader Charles that if she accompanied me on the trip to Mount Baekdu, I would give her information about the Black Magic Tower’s base as compensation.

Now that the trip to Mount Baekdu was over, it was my turn to keep my promise.

…But.

“I’m very sorry to say this, but it seems like you’ll have to wait a little longer for information about the Black Magic Tower’s base.”

Squad Leader Charles’s brow furrowed at my words.

Her expression was one of anger for a moment, but she desperately held it back.

“…Explain in detail.”

Then, she changed her expression to one of listening first and then getting angry.

Since she knew about my deal with Shadow, she seemed to think there must be a good reason for my words.

“First of all, I told you that I’m dealing with Shadow, right?”

“Yeah. Before, you lied about putting a location tracking magic on Shadow.”

Squad Leader Charles’s eyes narrowed even more.

It was as if she was saying, ‘If you keep doing this, will it be a problem?’

“I had no intention of lying. In the first place, I hadn’t made a deal with Shadow at that time.”

“…Huh? Really?”

“Yes. It hasn’t even been a week since Shadow revealed himself to me and proposed a deal.”

“…That guy showed up in front of you in person? But why didn’t you call me? What if something happened to you?”

“The first time we met, it wasn’t a situation where I could call someone. I was immediately trapped in his barrier. The second time, I was sure that Shadow wouldn’t be hostile to me. So, I didn’t tell you separately.”

“Because you thought the situation would change strangely if I intervened?”

“Yes. You hate the Black Magic Tower so much. I thought you would fight first, regardless of the deal.”

“…I can’t deny that.”

‘Don’t trust the words of the wicked.’

That’s what Squad Leader Charles had repeatedly said during this trip to Mount Baekdu.

“Then, did you really put a location tracking magic on him before?”

“Yes. I was planning to accumulate data based on that tracking information and guess the location of the base.”

“…Okay. So, you didn’t really lie.”

“Yes. I don’t lie. I know how much of a poison lies are to trust.”

“Is that also a teaching from that Shin Inhyuk guy?”

“Yes.”

“…He did that kind of proper education too? That’s kind of unexpected.”

Squad Leader Charles, who had a very surprised expression, patted my back lightly.

“You learned well. Yeah. Excellent.”

“…Um. Thank you for the compliment?”

“Why are you reacting like that?”

“No. It’s because you’re complimenting me on something so trivial.”

It felt very awkward to be complimented on something so obvious.

It felt like I was being complimented for breathing well.

“Trivial… Well, when you think about it, it is trivial. But, 99% of the people in this world can’t do that trivial thing.”

Squad Leader Charles stroked my head lightly.

“What you’re doing is something that deserves to be praised.”

Sincerity dripped from Squad Leader Charles’s eyes.

That expression was strangely embarrassing.

“…Thank you.”

“Alright.”

Squad Leader Charles took her hand off my head and chuckled.

“The conversation went off track. Continue what you were saying.”

“Ah, yes.”

I quickly explained what had happened with Shadow.

I explained what I could explain and didn’t mention what I couldn’t, trying to be as coherent as possible.

After about 3 minutes, all the explanations were over.

“So, you thought that the information about the black mages who are disguised as spies in each country was more important information. Is that it?”

“Yes.”

Squad Leader Charles’s expression relaxed.

“You did well. It was a good decision.”

The sharp look in her eyes, which had been sharp because of the different words from the promise that she couldn’t tell the information about the base of the Black Magic Tower, disappeared like snow melting, and her eyes became as bright as spring.

“What’s the point of information about the base? That’s more important. You did well. You did really well.”

She had a very, very satisfied expression.

“If you get that information, share it right away.”

“Yes. Of course. Squad Leader Charles and Sophia are the ones who can use this information the best, so I was planning to share it right away.”

“Alright. Heh heh.”

Squad Leader Charles’s expression became sharp again.

However, this time, her gaze wasn’t directed at me.

Squad Leader Charles’s gaze was directed at the air. To be exact, it was directed at the spies hiding in each country.

“How should I deal with them so that it’s known that I dealt with them well?”

Squad Leader Charles’s smile grew thicker.

* * *

About 3 hours passed after that.

I arrived safely at the dormitory.

I had arrived in Seoul an hour and a half ago, but I couldn’t come to the dormitory in that disheveled state, so I needed time to tidy myself up.

So, I stopped by the hotel where Squad Leader Charles was staying, took a shower, changed into a spare uniform, and then returned to the dormitory.

“Mimir. I’m back.”

As soon as I returned to the dormitory, I immediately headed to Mimir’s room.

It was partly to report on this matter, but also to ask for help with handling Laplace.

“Successor. You’re back really fast?”

Mimir reacted immediately.

Seeing her react immediately, it seems she wasn’t reading a comic book.

“Yeah. The schedule ended faster than expected.”

I sat down next to Mimir.

“What were you reading?”

“Me? This.”

Mimir showed me the cover.

[The Invention and Evolution of Artificial Intelligence AI]

It was a specialized book that I had prepared for her. She was studying.

“Is it worth reading?”

“Yeah. It’s very interesting.”

A different light flowed from Mimir’s eyes.

The sign that she was genuinely enjoying it was conveyed without filtering.

Is she really the best scholar of the Vaitener Empire?

Mimir put a bookmark in the book and closed it.

“Well, seeing Miho so tired, I thought you would have found it… Laplace?”

“Of course, I found it.”

I put on Aeth and took out Laplace, which was inside.

A flower that blooms in the air. Laplace.

The translucent special herb was still emitting a vibrant light.

“Is this it?”

“Wait a minute. It’s my first time seeing it in person, so let me check.”

Mimir checked Laplace here and there.

Petals, stems, leaves, and finally the roots. Mimir, who had checked everything, smiled and nodded.

“It’s Laplace. And it’s top-grade. It’s much more vivid than what I saw in the literature. It’s probably at least 600 years old.”

Mimir turned to look at me.

Her two eyes were shining with joy.

“If it’s this level, there will probably be half left even after using it to make an elixir.”

“…Half left?”

“Yeah. There’s some left. You can make other elixirs with about half.”

Mimir got up from her seat in a hurry and looked around the bookshelves.

“What should I make with the remaining half? I have Aeth, and there’s no need to make it right now…”

She opened and closed this book and that book.

Then, she went to another bookshelf and repeated the action.

“If I choose the most efficient elixir, it’s this… But this has another material problem. Ah, I’m worried…”

What to do with the remaining half of Laplace. Mimir seemed to be out of her mind thinking about it.

“Then, we’re not going to handle it right now?”

“Huh? Ah, yeah. It’s better to do it after all the other materials come. Laplace is most effective right after it’s handled.”

“Okay.”

I put Laplace back into Aeth.

There’s no need to keep it outside if we’re not going to handle it right now.

“Then, I’ll try to weave the Ring of Awakening.”

“Okay. I understand. Ring of Awa… Huh?”

Mimir stopped moving while searching through the bookshelves.

Then, she slowly turned her head.

“Successor. What did you just say?”

“I said I’m going to try to weave the Ring of Awakening.”

Of course, I won’t be able to weave it right away.

A circle is not something that can be made so easily.

What I can do today is just to trace the path that the Ring of Awakening will take in advance.

“That means…”

Mimir’s pupils widened slightly.

“I gained an understanding through this trip to Mount Baekdu. I’m going to test it out.”

Mana is not just a special something made up of only mana.

Something that makes up mana.

There is something that can be called the source of mana.

…That short but intense realization, that is.