The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 218

“What are you thinking?”

In the garden near the Shinbiwi family’s mansion.

A secluded place where no one sets foot, as it is the private property of the Shinbiwi family.

Adela was bound, wearing mana-restricting bracelets.

“Guess. You’re smart, you can figure it out, right?”

Wi Sang-hyun chuckled, looking down at the bound Adela.

“Is it to get revenge on Shin Ha-yul for interfering with my uncle’s plans?”

“…You are smart, indeed. That’s correct.”

Wi Sang-hyun clapped softly.

“But that’s only half right.”

Wi Sang-hyun used magic to create a chair out of earth and sat down.

Then, he slowly crossed his legs.

“More important than revenge is my own safety, isn’t it? Shin Ha-yul is just a means to protect me.”

“…”

Adela frowned, looking as if she was asking what nonsense he was spouting.

“…If you kill Ha-yul like this, you’ll be going to prison 100%.”

Kidnapping Adela to call Shin Ha-yul. Just this act alone means Wi Sang-hyun is as good as finished.

“You’ll get at least 15 years, not just 5. If you kill him, it’ll be life imprisonment.”

Kidnapping. Threatening. Attempted murder.

Just adding these three things will greatly increase the sentence.

He’s a mage, so he’ll be subject to aggravated punishment, potentially up to 20 years.

“If you release me now and call Ha-yul to say it was a joke, I can make it like it never happened.”

Adela said with a confident expression. Despite being in an overwhelmingly inferior position, her confidence remained.

“Heh heh. You’re trying to make a deal even in this situation? You really are smart.”

Wi Sang-hyun laughed as if he found it amusing.

“It would have been nice if you were my daughter. Then I wouldn’t have had to do this.”

He looked up at the sky with a regretful expression.

Contrary to his troubled heart, the moon was very bright.

“It’s a kind offer, but it’s too late. I’ve already crossed a point of no return.”

Wi Sang-hyun wore a twisted smile.

“Even though I kidnapped you so forcefully, do you know why no one has come looking for you? At least your brother should have come. Don’t you think?”

Adela’s eyes slowly widened.

“Don’t tell me…”

She realized what Wi Sang-hyun was about to say.

It was already too late.

That phrase was a big hint.

“Don’t tell me you…”

“Whoa. You already figured it out? You’re really smart. Did your brain get even better than before?”

“You… !”

Adela tried to get up from her spot.

No, she would have gotten up if her hands and feet weren’t bound by mana restraints.

Thud-!

Adela, whose limbs were bound, fell to the ground.

“Why are you trying so hard? I even tied you up nicely as a courtesy.”

Adela fell to the ground, covered in dirt.

Wi Sang-hyun sighed, looking at Adela.

“Sending you off looking pretty was supposed to be my last gift for my brother who went ahead. This isn’t right.”

“Youuuu–!!”

Adela, sprawled on the ground, only lifted her head to glare at Wi Sang-hyun.

A face distorted with anger.

It was an emotional change as intense as she had ever experienced in her life.

“Here’s the scenario. This whole thing was ordered by my brother. I was just following his orders.”

Wi Sang-hyun stood Adela back up and used water magic to brush off the dirt.

“I didn’t know that these 11 magic stones were made by stealing the Mado family’s refining method, and I ended up attending the meeting as a bullet shield.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Father kept telling you not to! He said there was no need to cross such a dangerous bridge!”

“Well, who’s going to prove that? My brother is already dead.”

“You… trash…!”

Adela bit her lip and spat out a curse.

“Anyway, in that situation, I stepped up to expose my brother’s affair. He attacked me, saying he couldn’t let that happen. To silence me.”

Wi Sang-hyun smiled, looking at Adela’s clean face.

“Then, Adela, you helped me. And then, to stop your father who had gone mad, you ended up fighting…”

Adela’s lips trembled, her expression blank.

“Then, Shin Ha-yul, who happened to come to see you, joined in. You ended up fighting Wi Sang-cheol 3 against 1.”

“Who would believe such… nonsense…”

Adela’s anger was reaching its peak.

“And in that battle, you barely managed to defeat Wi Sang-cheol, but you and Shin Ha-yul lost your lives. How is it? It’s quite an interesting scenario, right?”

Adela shouted again.

“Everyone in the Shinbiwi family knows that Father wouldn’t do that! Do you think you can get away with this!”

“Believing or not isn’t important. What’s important is the situation. And the evidence.”

Wi Sang-hyun raised his hand and used magic.

A faintly glowing gray sphere.

It was the Moonlight Bullet, a basic skill of the ‘Moon’ attribute magic that the Shinbiwi family was proud of.

Adela’s eyes widened at the sight.

“How did you…”

The Shinbiwi family’s secret magic is passed down to one person. It is only passed down to the head of the family or the next head.

Currently, the only people in the Shinbiwi family who can use the secret magic are Wi Sang-cheol and Adela. Just the two of them.

Wi Sang-hyun shouldn’t be able to use it.

“I stole it.”

Wi Sang-hyun chuckled and erased the Moonlight Bullet.

“By the way, I didn’t steal it myself. It was impossible for me to break into the Shinbiwi family’s database. It wasn’t me who stole it, but a cadre of the Black Magic Tower.”

“Black… Magic Tower?”

“Yeah. Maybe because they’re so elusive. They already had the Shinbiwi family’s magic. I just received that magic. Like this.”

“How did the Black Magic Tower…”

Adela’s confusion grew even more.

“Well, I don’t know either.”

Wi Sang-hyun shrugged.

“Anyway, I’m going to kill you and Shin Ha-yul with this magic. What will happen then?”

“…”

Adela was silent.

“Why? Don’t you want to say it yourself? Shall I explain it for you? The answer is, ‘It will look like my brother killed you.'”

“…Everyone in the world knows that Father wouldn’t do that. You can’t get away with this.”

“Yeah. I know. That’s why I’ve made separate preparations. I think the preparations are probably finished by now.”

Wi Sang-hyun glanced towards the main house.

“By now, a black mage who’s working with me will be working on your father’s corpse. Making it look like he died while being possessed by black magic and losing his reason.”

“…!”

Adela’s eyes trembled like an aspen leaf.

“How is it? Will people still not believe it?”

“…”

Adela bit her lip.

If it was possible to manipulate the evidence on Wi Sang-cheol’s corpse as Wi Sang-hyun said, then it would most likely turn out as Wi Sang-hyun said.

This incident would become an incident caused by Wi Sang-cheol, who was blinded by greed.

Wi Sang-cheol would be branded as a notorious piece of trash.

“If you do such a thing, the Shinbiwi family’s standing will be ruined…”

“I know. I’m doing it knowing that. What can I do? It’s better to eat up the weakened Shinbiwi family than go to prison.”

In Adela’s eyes, Wi Sang-hyun didn’t look like a human. He just looked like a monster in human form.

“You… you beastly piece of trash…”

“Is that a curse? Cute.”

Wi Sang-hyun laughed heartily at Adela’s rather cute curse.

“How is it? Do you understand your position now? You’re not in a position to make deals with me.”

“…”

Adela glared at Wi Sang-hyun with a venomous look.

“Yeah. That’s a good expression. I like it.”

Wi Sang-hyun chuckled and crossed his legs the other way.

“Then, shall I make a deal with you now?”

Wi Sang-hyun slowly brought his face close to Adela’s ear.

“If you give me the mana code to access the Shinbiwi family’s database, I’ll spare Shin Ha-yul.”

“…!”

Adela’s eyes fluttered.

“It would be nice to tempt you by saying I’ll spare you too. But you’re not someone who would fall for such a lie, right? You know that I can’t spare you since I killed my brother.”

Wi Sang-hyun slowly stroked Adela’s head.

“But it’s not the same for Shin Ha-yul. If I end everything now, Shin Ha-yul doesn’t have to die. Including Shin Ha-yul is mostly because of my desire for revenge.”

It was like the whisper of a devil.

“Think carefully. If you’re going to die here anyway, you should at least save your friend. Your friend dying because of you. You’ll regret it even in death. Don’t you think?”

“That’s…”

Adela’s pupils trembled in all directions, and her breathing became rapid.

“It’s useless after you die anyway. Give it to me. That’s the best option.”

It was true.

If she was going to die anyway, it was better to give the mana code for the database and save Shin Ha-yul.

“This is my last consideration as your uncle. I’m even forgetting my personal grudges. How considerate am I?”

“…”

Blood trickled down from Adela’s lips.

She had bitten her lip so hard that it was just flowing.

“…Really. You’ll really spare Ha-yul, right?”

“Yeah. Of course. I also prefer things to be clean rather than making unnecessary trouble.”

Wi Sang-hyun smiled.

Adela looked at Wi Sang-hyun with trembling eyes.

And then, she lowered her head.

“I understand…”

From the beginning, Adela had no choice.

“I’ll give you the mana code for the database…”

Just as Adela was about to say she would give the mana code.

“There’s no need for that.”

A voice was heard from behind.

“Because even if I give you the mana code, you’re not the type to spare me.”

Shin Ha-yul.

He was walking over, holding a huge staff.

“Why…!”

Adela cried out pitifully.

“Why did you come!”

She had told him not to come so much.

Why did he come?

“Why did I come? I came to save you.”

Shin Ha-yul stopped at a reasonable distance and chuckled.

“…I didn’t expect you to come that distance in 10 minutes. Were you nearby?”

From the dormitory to here, it would take at least 20 minutes by car.

To cover that distance in 10 minutes.

It seemed like he was somewhere nearby.

“Well, I was far away, but I might have flown here at full speed.”

Shin Ha-yul smiled leisurely.

“You’re talking nonsense, so it seems like you haven’t grasped the situation properly.”

Wi Sang-hyun glared.

“More than that, you came alone as I asked. How about releasing Adela first?”

“Hmph. You’re more naive than I thought. Did you really think I’d release her just because you came alone?”

Wi Sang-hyun brought a sword made of earth to Adela’s neck.

“Drop the staff in your hand and kneel. Otherwise…”

“Shut up.”

At that moment, Shin Ha-yul coldly sneered.

“You’re in a situation…”

“Just shut up and dodge to the right.”

Shin Ha-yul interrupted again, pointing behind Wi Sang-hyun.

“If you’re trying to distract me…”

“Just dodge. I’m not planning to end this easily.”

“What nonsense… Huh!”

At that moment, a tremendous killing intent exploded from behind Wi Sang-hyun.

A sticky killing intent he had never felt before.

A dense killing intent that seemed to say, ‘Do you know who you’re messing with?’

‘I, I have to dodge!’

Wi Sang-hyun immediately let go of Adela and dodged to the side.

At that moment, a huge fox appeared where Wi Sang-hyun had been standing.

It was growling in anger, as if it was resentful that it couldn’t tear that damned scoundrel to pieces.

“Miho… is that you?”

But that anger was only for a moment.

With Adela’s voice, the killing intent in Miho’s eyes instantly disappeared.

It rubbed its head against Adela, making cute whimpering sounds.

“M, Miho? Kyaa!”

Then, it bit Adela’s nape and moved behind Shin Ha-yul.

“…What is that beast?”

Wi Sang-hyun, who had succeeded in dodging, asked with a sharp expression.

“My partner.”

“…I heard you tamed a monster, but I haven’t heard of such a monster.”

“That’s because I didn’t say it.”

Shin Ha-yul smiled, gently stroking Miho’s chin with his left hand.

Then, he glanced at Adela, who was staring blankly at Shin Ha-yul from behind, and smiled as if to reassure her, before turning his gaze back to Wi Sang-hyun.

“Anyway, the hostage is gone now, right?”

“A brat who hasn’t even dried behind the ears…”

Extreme anger arose at Shin Ha-yul, who had once again disrupted his plans.

As if to embody that anger, dozens of gray magic bullets floated around Wi Sang-hyun.

“You’re no match for me, whether there’s a hostage or not!”

Wi Sang-hyun’s level was 7th circle.

As befitting his birth in a prestigious family, he had performed magic while consuming all sorts of elixirs.

“The Shinbiwi family’s secret magic…”

Shin Ha-yul narrowed his eyes as he saw Wi Sang-hyun using the Shinbiwi family’s secret magic.

Then, he asked Adela in a cautious voice.

“Adela. By any chance, did Elder Wi Sang-cheol… pass away?”

“…”

Adela lowered her head and remained silent.

“…I see. So that’s how it is.”

Wi Sang-hyun scoffed at Shin Ha-yul’s muttering.

“You. You’re talking as if you know what I’m trying to do.”

“Yeah. I know.”

Shin Ha-yul’s mana slowly began to expand.

The appearance of Kailum, which was all black, was dyed an even darker black.

“I probably know better than you think.”

“…You really are the best in the world at making people feel bad.”

Wi Sang-hyun’s mana also expanded, matching Shin Ha-yul’s mana.

“If my words sound like nonsense, just think of it that way. I don’t particularly want to persuade you, and there’s no reason to.”

Gray magic bullets floated around Shin Ha-yul.

Just like the ones Wi Sang-hyun was using, it was the Shinbiwi family’s secret magic.

“Just. Think of it as nonsense, and die as the dumbest guy in the world, not even knowing that you’re being used by the Black Magic Tower.”

Mana rotated above Shin Ha-yul’s head.

A semi-transparent path of mana rotating in the shape of a Möbius strip.

The mana emanating from Kailum drew a shape in the air that signified infinity.

As if responding to it, the ring of awakening within Shin Ha-yul also began to rotate in the shape of infinity.

‘The ring of awakening.’

At the same time as Shin Ha-yul lightly struck Kailum on the ground.

‘Awakening.’

The mana reversed.