The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 207

Monday’s classes were filled with theory lessons.

“The structure of mages and knights, which used to divide power in the past, has now completely collapsed. What is the reason for this? Student Heo Inpyo, please explain.”

It’s the third period now. A history class is in progress.

“…I’m sorry. I don’t know.”

“Hmm. Student Ji Sunchan?”

“Uh, I’m sorry.”

The instructor made a ‘hmm’ sound and looked around.

Everyone desperately avoided the instructor’s gaze.

“It seems like none of you know anything about knights.”

“……”

Everyone was silent.

And in this situation, silence was affirmation.

“Student Shin Hayul.”

The instructor called my name last.

He called my name, the only one who didn’t avoid his gaze.

“It’s because knights have not benefited from the development of modern science and technology and have become obsolete.”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

The instructor smiled, looking satisfied.

“As Student Shin Hayul said, knights have not benefited from modern technology. AI technology has not been of great help in moving the body sensually. They began to be pushed back by mages who have made revolutionary advances. The result is the current situation. All the work that knights used to do is now being replaced by mages, and the perception that knights are a lower-tier workforce than mages has become deeply ingrained in the world.”

The rise of mages due to the fall of knights.

And the events of modern and contemporary history that followed.

“The title of knight has become a noun for close-combat mages like Kyle Bentia of England.”

Modern and contemporary history, which is important if it’s important and not important if it’s not, continued to pour out of the instructor’s mouth.

“Oh!”

“Ah…! So that’s why he’s called the Storm Knight.”

Exclamations of admiration burst out from the surroundings.

The story of knights and mages has a rather interesting narrative.

History and all that would be very interesting.

‘But I already know all of this, so I’m not moved at all.’

No matter how interesting a story is, if you hear it two or three times, you won’t feel anything.

I listened to the instructor’s words with one ear and let them out with the other, and started thinking about other things.

‘Based on the class content, there won’t be any time to ask questions separately from now on. I should study the Ring of Awakening.’

I’m sorry to the instructor, but there’s no need to listen to the content I already know again.

It’s better to study what I need than to waste time like that.

I slowly began to review what I had studied yesterday and the day before.

‘The structure of mana. I feel like I understand it a little, but I still don’t know the rules very well…’

The structure of mana, which is the most important thing in weaving the Ring of Awakening.

I analyzed the structure of mana that I had grasped over the past two days again.

* * *

That day, after all the classes were over.

We had training for the first time in a while.

Since it was the first training in five days, we mainly did light training to warm up.

Well, it’s called light training, but it’s hardcore training for other students.

“Hoo…”

After all the training was over, Sunchan started breathing exercises as he was.

He opened his chest wide, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

He looked quite relaxed.

Usually, he would be rolling on the ground, singing that he was going to die, but not this time.

“It seems like you haven’t just been playing around for the past five days?”

It seems like he had done a lot of training over the past five days.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be this okay.

“The advancement exam is just around the corner, how can I play around? I’ve been focusing only on training, you punk.”

Sunchan clenched his fist and swung it into the air.

“How is it? Can’t you feel the difference just from this?”

Compared to five days ago, the power and density of the power in his fist are significantly different.

It feels like he received some professional training.

“Who taught you?”

“Who taught me? Of course, I did it myself.”

“Yeah, right, you did it yourself.”

That level of performance improvement is not something Sunchan can achieve by training alone.

“Did the Blue Magic Tower Lord look after you?”

There are only a few people who can raise Sunchan’s performance to that level in five days.

Among them, there is only one person who is related to Sunchan. The Blue Magic Tower Lord.

“…You’re really quick on the uptake.”

Sunchan clicked his tongue as if he was annoyed.

“Okay, man. The Blue Magic Tower Lord and Ms. Jung Sua helped me. Are you happy now?”

But that expression was only for a moment.

Sunchan’s expression soon became filled with light. It was like looking at a devout priest.

An expression that seemed to send infinite gratitude and reverence to the Blue Magic Tower Lord.

“It seems like the Blue Magic Tower Lord has high expectations for you.”

“Is that so? I’m not the only one who thinks that, right?”

“Well, it could be because he cares more about you because you’re my friend. But if he didn’t have expectations, he wouldn’t have personally overseen your training. He could have just assigned Secretary Jung Sua.”

“Right? Isn’t that right?”

Sunchan smiled brightly.

“A monster rookie who is the center of the Blue Magic Tower Lord’s expectations… Hehe.”

“Aren’t you embarrassed to say that yourself?”

“What? I’m just stating objective facts based on the truth.”

A smile that says he’s the happiest person in the world.

Looking at that smile, I felt a heat rising from within.

“Let’s see if you can still smile like that after tomorrow’s training.”

“Do you think I’ll be scared if you say that? No way. I’m different from the me of last week. The me now, who is favored by the Blue Magic Tower Lord, won’t be groveling at mere training.”

Sunchan laughed loudly, making an ‘Umhaha!’ sound.

He’s such a pain in the ass.

Those words came up to my throat.

‘…I’ll really see you tomorrow during training.’

My goal for tomorrow is to erase that triumphant smile from Sunchan’s face.

How can I increase the intensity of the training so that it’s known that I did a good job?

I smiled evilly while thinking about that.

While I was smiling like that, Adela, who was sitting blankly next to me, caught my eye.

“……”

She has an expression as if her soul has left her body.

“Adela, you should rest well today.”

“…Huh? Yes.”

Adela completely collapsed during today’s training.

It should have been just a light warm-up training for Adela. She couldn’t even complete half of the training and collapsed.

“That’s why I told you to rest today. Adela, you looked terrible, you know? And now, there’s no need to even mention it.”

Sunchan chimed in.

“…I’m sorry. I’ll rest well today.”

As Sunchan said, Adela’s condition today was terrible.

How could she not even complete half of today’s training?

At that point, it’s like she hasn’t slept a wink for five days.

‘It’s probably because of me, right?’

The reason why Adela couldn’t sleep for five days is probably because of me.

She must have spent five days and nights with her eyes open, thinking about my relationship with Commander Charles.

Even in the midst of that, she must have been training steadily, so it’s no wonder she’s in that state.

…I feel sorry for no reason.

“Okay. I hope that the dark circles that have come down to your cheekbones will be gone by tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

Sunchan said that and turned his gaze to me.

“No, but why are you okay?”

“What?”

“You were no different from Adela. Why are you so okay now?”

“I told you in the morning. It’s not something to make such a fuss about. I wasn’t that tired.”

Whether the dark circles had come down to my cheekbones in the morning or not, I wasn’t really that tired.

It was just because I was too focused on making the elixirs.

It’s not like I overdid it like Adela.

“Where did you go during lunch? Did you take a nap then?”

“Something like that.”

I took a short break during lunch and wore the ‘Aeth’ [A magical artifact that enhances the user’s abilities] for an hour, and my fatigue disappeared like snow melting.

“Are you really made of steel or something? Does that get resolved by going for an hour? You’re a real iron man.”

“Isn’t this the difference in effort?”

I glared at Sunchan with the most annoying smile in the world.

Sunchan frowned with an expression that said, ‘Ugh, you’re so annoying.’

“…This fatigue was because my efforts were insufficient.”

“Huh?”

But unexpectedly, the damage bounced back to the other side.

Adela became very depressed. It seems like she took it that she couldn’t complete the training because of her lack of effort.

“No. I wasn’t talking to you, Adela…”

“Wow, that was really harsh. How can you say such harsh things to someone who’s not feeling well? You’re not even human.”

Sunchan took this opportunity to bite me.

“Adela. Don’t take what this inhuman bastard said to heart. Rest well. How can rest be solved by effort? It’s like some old-fashioned ideology. Sigh.”

Sunchan glared at me with an expression that said he was having the time of his life.

His two eyes looking at me are saying this.

‘If you say again here that she lacked effort, Adela won’t sleep again today. Are you going to do it again? You shouldn’t, right?’

And so on.

In fact, if I say anything more here, Adela will overdo it again tonight.

That won’t do.

“……”

In the end, I chose silence.

Seeing my reaction, Sunchan rushed at me even more.

Like a hyena that has lost its self-control with prey in front of it, he bites me like crazy.

“You need to learn to choose your words…”

Sunchan, who is excited about the attack chance he has caught for the first time in a while, is firing a rapid-fire rap.

I had no choice but to just listen to Sunchan’s words.

‘…I’ll really see you tomorrow.’

It was the moment when the intensity of tomorrow’s training increased by 10%.

* * *

That dawn.

I left the dormitory alone and headed to a secluded park nearby.

A park shrouded in darkness.

The scenery is quite beautiful, as if the landscaping was recently completed.

Haaah.

Miho, who was in my arms, yawned loudly.

Perhaps because she overdid it once more during the trip to Baekdu Mountain, Miho seems tired every day these days.

“I’m sorry, Miho. I’m sorry for asking you to come with me when you’re tired.”

According to Mimir, it would take up to two weeks of sleeping all day to fully recover.

I felt sorry for bringing Miho out again.

Miho shook her head as if to say it was okay to my apology.

Then, she smiled cutely and buried her face in my chest.

“You’re so cute, I could die.”

I gently stroked Miho’s head.

Prick!

At that moment, Miho’s ears perked up.

The lazy air that I had felt until just now disappeared like snow melting, and a sharp air took its place.

It seems like he’s here.

“I was determined to try my best to hide my presence more than usual, but it doesn’t work.”

From the ground at the point where Miho is looking, shadows began to slowly reveal themselves.

“I should give up on avoiding that beast’s eyes.”

Just like when we met in the park before.

He forms a thin shadow barrier that only erases the detection of mana, including the surrounding CCTVs.

With this, our conversation will not be leaked to the outside world if possible.

“Have you prepared the list?”

“You’re quite cold. You’re going straight to the point without even saying hello. I was quite seriously injured to carry out your plan.”

The Shadow slowly erased the shadows that were covering his body.

The Shadow’s original appearance was revealed in an instant. His body was full of burns that didn’t look light at all.

These are wounds that were deliberately created to manipulate the traces of the battle at the time of the incident and to give rationality to the Shadow’s escape.

“…Are you feeling okay?”

“It’s like you’re begging for a bow.”

The Shadow chuckled.

“Yes. I’m fine. I’ve started to heal slowly. And I don’t feel the pain anymore.”

“…Anymore?”

He doesn’t feel the pain anymore.

That means he felt the pain until before?

‘Is he talking about the pain he feels indirectly through the shadows?’

No, according to the Shadow, the pain that is indirectly transmitted cannot be called pain.

He wouldn’t have specifically expressed it as pain.

‘Then did he feel real pain?’

Is it because of Helios’s Heavenly Demon?

Just as I was about to get lost in thought.

“Take this.”

The Shadow handed me a new USB. It was a portable terminal with the highest security, secured by magic.

“The code is DR0FB-D45553-2SNWE-R02Z-GQPG-H. The mana code is enclosed separately.”

A small chip overlapping the back of the USB.

As the Shadow said, it was a sample with a mana code engraved on it.

Only those who have acquired the mana code through this sample can open this USB.

“I’ll leave the use of the data entirely to you. I trust that you will use it well.”

“Yes. I will use it well so that no great harm comes to you either.”

The data must be used meticulously so that the Shadow is not suspected and removed within the Black Magic Tower.

In addition, we must devise a plan to capture all the other spies so that they do not get a chance to escape.

Well, if I ask Sophia, she will take care of it.

“Then, shall we talk about the additional compensation?”

Additional compensation.

This refers to the help he gave in handling this parade.

Since it was help outside of the transaction, he must be given a reasonable reward.

“What do you want?”

“What I want is always just one thing.”

To remove Umbra’s shadow.

“I’m sorry, but that’s…”

“Yes. Of course, that won’t work. It’s too big to be considered additional compensation. I just said it once.”

The Shadow chuckled.

“As a reward for this, what I want is the right to ask you a question. In other words, the right to have you answer my questions truthfully.”

“Let’s hear the question first. It might be a question that I can’t answer.”

“Hmm. From my point of view, I think it’s a considerable concession. But you’re saying you’ll just brush it off if there’s a question you can’t answer.”

“…I’m willing to answer most things. But there are things that I can’t answer. That’s why I said that.”

“…Hmm. I see. Then, let’s ask the question first, as you said.”

The Shadow came a little closer to me.

“Helios’s Heavenly Demon. What exactly is that magic? How did it restore my sense of touch and sight, even temporarily?”

“Your sense of sight and touch were restored?”

That means Helios’s Heavenly Demon affected Umbra’s shadow.

‘Helios’s Heavenly Demon doesn’t have that much power?’

My head became complicated at once at the Shadow’s incomprehensible words.