The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 232

That afternoon.

Stella Vinoche was heading home in her usual car, driven by her butler.

“So, you’ve decided to issue the temporary instructor’s pass?”

“Decided to issue? Anyone would think I have immense authority.”

Stella replied softly, gazing out the window at the scenery, to her butler’s question.

“I’ve only arranged a position where he can obtain a temporary instructor’s pass.”

“Isn’t that the same thing? There’s no way that man would fail the temporary instructor’s pass exam…”

Considering the man’s skills, arranging a position for him was as good as issuing the pass.

“I also heard you guaranteed his identity.”

“Yes. He doesn’t have any activity records. If I didn’t guarantee his identity, he wouldn’t even be able to take the exam.”

Perhaps getting his identity guaranteed was his real goal.

Someone like him could get a temporary instructor’s pass from the National Knight School if he really wanted to.

Of course, that’s assuming he has the necessary skills.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Sure about what?”

“The identity guarantee. What if that man does something…”

If something were to happen, Stella Vinoche would bear full responsibility.

That’s what guaranteeing his identity means.

“Well, I don’t think he has any bad intentions.”

“May I ask why you think so?”

When he suddenly asked for a tour of the facilities, Stella was suspicious.

She wondered if he had approached her with some ulterior motive.

But that suspicion quickly faded.

“His skills seem to be on par with my mother’s. There’s no reason for someone with that level of skill to sneak into the school using such a troublesome method. With that kind of skill, he could just sneak in and investigate secretly.”

“That’s true, but…”

The National Knight School.

As befitting a prestigious school in France, it boasts considerable security, but it’s not impenetrable.

For someone with that level of skill, infiltration wouldn’t be difficult.

“Isn’t it possible that he’s a spy sent from somewhere?”

“There’s no way he’s a spy.”

Stella smiled wryly.

“Maybe from the Magic Academy, but what would they send a spy to steal from our school?”

“That’s…”

To steal something, there has to be something to steal.

Considering the current status of knights, sending a spy would be a loss in itself.

“I apologize. I misspoke…”

“You don’t have to worry about it. You were just stating the facts.”

Stella smiled brightly.

It was a radiant smile, completely different from the cold demeanor she showed to other students at school.

“I’m not going to live being ignored like this forever.”

Stella’s eyes shone brightly.

They were beautiful eyes, full of hope, determination, and resolve.

“Because I’m going to revive it.”

“My lady…”

The butler looked moved.

Having served the Vinoche family and learned the sword for 70 years.

Seeing Stella, who had grown beautifully both inside and out, made his tear ducts feel loose.

“For that reason, please help him pass the exam safely.”

Even with Stella’s identity guarantee, he could still be rejected at the document screening stage with no activity records.

To prevent that, at least one more person needs to lend their support.

And there’s no one better than this butler to lend that support.

“Indeed. That was your real goal.”

Sven Ryan, the old gentleman who is called the de facto second-in-command of the Vinoche family, and who has served the previous and current heads of the Vinoche family, and probably the next head as well.

He smiled faintly, with an expression that said he finally understood everything.

“Huh? Real goal?”

Stella pretended not to know.

“You don’t have to pretend. Isn’t your real goal to bring that man into the family?”

Stella Vinoche’s goal is the revival of the knights.

And for that, she needs knights with powerful strength.

Strong individuals who will enhance the value of the knightly existence.

“Was my last statement too blatant?”

Stella stuck out her tongue slightly and smiled cutely.

“Yes. That’s right. I don’t know if it will work, but my ultimate goal is to bring him into our family. This temporary instructor’s pass is the first step for that. One to two months should be enough time to showcase the excellence of our family.”

If he becomes a temporary instructor, he’ll be living at the school for at least a month.

That will naturally increase the opportunities to get to know each other.

And then, when the time is right, she’ll make an offer.

She’ll ask if he’d like to work for the Vinoche family, offering him the best treatment.

‘If he accepts, great, and if he refuses, well, I’ve still built a relationship with him.’

Either way, she has nothing to lose.

“But would someone with that level of skill want to belong to any organization?”

“Hmm. Usually, they would refuse. But…”

A different light shone in Stella’s eyes.

She remembered what the man had said earlier.

“Whether it’s good luck or not, he said he was looking for a disciple.”

“A disciple… you say?”

“Yes. A disciple.”

Stella turned her head back to look out the window.

“Looking for a disciple. That means he’s starting to settle down somewhere, right?”

“I’ve heard that there are cases where people travel with their disciples, but usually, they think about settling down.”

“If we offer to help him settle down, he wouldn’t refuse outright, would he?”

If he’s going to settle down anyway, it’s better to settle down in a slightly better environment.

And the Vinoche family is confident that they can provide him with the best environment.

“If he feels burdened, we can accept him as a guest.”

Even forming a connection as a guest would be beneficial.

“You’ve already thought that far ahead.”

“Of course. Ever since I met him at the airport, I’ve been thinking about him. This much is natural.”

Stella’s eyes sparkled.

It was an expression and look that the butler, who had been watching Stella for 20 years, had never seen before.

“Ah, now that I think about it, I only heard his name and didn’t get any other information. How old is he? I know you can’t judge the age of knights who have reached a certain level by their appearance, but even considering that, he didn’t look that old…”

What should she say?

It was like the look of a girl in love.

‘…No way. It can’t be.’

The butler shook his head.

Judging by his level, the man’s age is at least 40.

There’s no way she’d fall in love with a man twice her age.

She’s probably just excited about the appearance of an unexpected powerful knight.

The butler settled on that thought.

“Speaking of only knowing his name. There’s one thing that’s bothering me about this plan.”

“Bothering you?”

“Yes.”

The butler said with a serious expression.

“That man’s past.”

“Are you talking about the possibility that he’s a villain or a criminal?”

“Yes. Of course, as you said, it doesn’t seem like he has bad intentions, and I said he probably isn’t a villain, but you never know.”

“Hmm. That’s true.”

Stella frowned slightly, her expression becoming somewhat calmer.

That had been bothering her too. She thought he probably wasn’t, but she wasn’t sure.

“We need to look into that a bit.”

“Yes. I’ll investigate separately.”

“I’m counting on you.”

The butler smiled confidently.

“By the way, my lady. As I said, we’ve arrived at the shopping district.”

“Ah, already? That was fast.”

Looking at the time, 30 minutes had already passed.

She must have been really engrossed in the conversation.

“Is the purpose the usual ‘thing’?”

“Yes. I got a call saying a large number of new books came in today. Could you do me a favor?”

The butler smiled wryly.

“…I’ve told you countless times, but if we get caught, I’m the one who gets scolded by the mistress.”

“Come on. You know I like you, butler?”

“That tactic doesn’t work anymore. You only say you like me at times like this…”

Stella leaned forward from the backrest and clung to the butler.

“Grandpa.”

The butler’s eyes widened.

“Please. I’m begging you. Okay?”

Then, she acted cute with a cute expression and voice.

“…W-what did you just call me?”

The butler’s lips trembled, his face showing great shock.

“Grandpa. Please? It’s my lifelong wish.”

And that expression soon melted away like cotton candy.

“Heh heh. Grandpa. Grandpa, huh? That has a very nice ring to it.”

He stroked his beard with a very pleased expression, giving a kind smile.

“Alright. As a butler, I can’t, but as a grandpa, there’s no problem. I’ll be back quickly.”

“Really? Thank you. You’re the best, Grandpa.”

“Heh, heh, heh, heh.”

The butler burst into a series of hearty laughs and got out of the car.

Then, he went straight into the bookstore in front of him.

He’ll be back soon with shopping bags full of books in both hands.

‘Operation Cute Charm Success.’

Stella stuck out her tongue slightly and smiled.

Then, she took out a book from her bag.

A classic literature book designated as required reading.

It was a book that felt very much like Stella Vinoche.

But the only thing that felt like Stella Vinoche about the book was the cover.

The contents of the book were completely out of place.

[The Rebirth of the Legendary Knight]

A genre novel.

In other words, a fantasy novel.

‘Thank goodness. I was curious about the next volume. It came out right away.’

Stella Vinoche’s secret hobby is reading these fantasy novels.

Of course, she doesn’t read all fantasy novels.

Stella’s taste is very firm.

No, you could even say it’s narrow-minded.

‘Mercenaries and swordsmen are good too, but I still like knights the best.’

Knights, swordsmen.

Reading fantasy novels where the main character is someone who wields a sword.

That’s Stella Vinoche’s joy in life.

‘By the way, this novel’s main character. The more I look at him, the more he strangely resembles that person.’

Stella was completely immersed in the book with a blissful expression.

* * *

After that, about two days passed.

It was time to meet Adela again.

This meeting didn’t involve much conversation either.

Just like last time, they secretly exchanged notes, sipped some alcohol, and then parted ways.

Perhaps there won’t be any special words until the next meeting.

Maybe around the third meeting, they’ll start a conversation.

Judging by the atmosphere, if it feels a bit strange, she could try talking to her at the fourth meeting.

Anyway, she needs to form a relationship as naturally as possible.

To avoid arousing Hermes’s suspicion.

‘It feels like I’m shadow boxing…’

Hermes doesn’t even care, am I the only one shadow boxing?

Thinking that made her feel awkward.

‘But what can I do?’

It’s always best to be cautious.

She always has to act as if Hermes is watching her.

At least while she’s overseas.

I finished my thoughts and burned the note I received from Adela.

I completely destroyed the evidence in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

“Now, the next meeting is the key.”

For reference, there was nothing special in the note I received today.

Adela didn’t know about my situation, so there couldn’t be any significant content.

‘She must be very surprised right now?’

I could picture Adela’s face, her eyes wide as she looked at the note I gave her.

Fwoosh…

Adela’s note was completely burned and turned into ashes.

I opened the window and blew the ashes outside.

It was a perfect destruction of evidence.

I closed the window again and headed straight to Mimir’s study.

“Okay, Mimir. I’m going out.”

There was no particular reason.

I was just saying goodbye before going out.

“At this hour? Where are you going?”

Mimir looked up from the book he was reading and approached me.

“To take the temporary instructor’s pass exam.”

“Didn’t you say it was tomorrow?”

“I did. But I just got a call saying it was moved up. They said to come now if possible.”

“It’s past 9 PM now?”

“Well, it’s not a problem, is it? They said it’s okay now.”

Mimir tilted his head with a somewhat uneasy expression.

“It’s well known that civil servants don’t move at night. It’s strange.”

“Hmm…”

I couldn’t think of a counterargument.

It was true that there was no reason for civil servants to work after their working hours.

“Anyway, it’s all good. I’ll be back soon.”

If I pass today, I can start the investigation right away from tomorrow.

Moving the exam forward has many advantages.

“Well, that Stella girl must have pulled some strings. Okay. Go ahead.”

Mimir waved his hand with an expression that said he understood.

At that moment, Miho staggered over with a sleepy expression.

Then, she rubbed her face against my feet and cried cutely.

She was seeing me off.

“Thank you for seeing me off. Go back to sleep.”

I squatted down and stroked Miho’s head.

“Mimir, you take care too.”

“Yeah.”

Then, I immediately left Mimir’s study and headed to the agreed location.

* * *

At the agreed location, an unexpected person was waiting for me.

Not just one person, but three people.

‘Why are Adela and Adela’s mother here?’

Adela looked slightly surprised when she found me.

But that was only for a moment.

She quickly regained her composure.

She must have realized that she shouldn’t be surprised to see me.

Adela, who had quickly returned to a blank expression, completely ignored me.

I also immediately turned my gaze away from Adela.

‘And…’

Then, I focused my gaze on the woman who was smiling with a very amused expression right next to Adela and Adela’s mother.

‘Why is Sein Vinoche here too?’

Sein Vinoche.

Stella Vinoche’s mother and the world’s best swordswoman.

If Sophia Anetscheff is the pinnacle of mages, then Sein Vinoche is the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

She’s such an amazing knight that even mages respect her.

“…”

Such an existence was staring intently at me.

As if she was very amused.

She smiled with an expression that said she was very pleased to see this kind of entertainment.

“Examiner.”

Then, she slowly opened her mouth.

“Yes. Please speak.”

“This is entertainment.”

It was a voice that could captivate people.

If Stella’s voice had a bit more experience, it would sound just like that.

“I will be the opponent for that man.”

“…What?”

My brow furrowed deeply.

‘What is going on?’

Dozens of question marks popped up in my head.