The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 249

I sprinted through the passage at full speed and arrived at the secret passage towards the shopping district. It took only 13 minutes to get here. It was worth running at full power, even using Resonance [a technique that enhances physical abilities]. I immediately deactivated the security of the secret passage and leaped out into the shopping district.

“Hey, you! What are you doing!” Perhaps because it was still daytime, there was someone near the entrance of the passage. Did they see the secret passage?

“W-where did you come from! Are you a robber?” There was all sorts of junk scattered around the man. It seemed he was organizing the junk. He must have been so focused that he didn’t see me coming out of the secret passage. He was probably just surprised that someone suddenly appeared.

“Haha. Of course not. I’m just a passerby.” I joked, blocking the man’s view with my body. If I stood like this at this angle, he wouldn’t be able to see the secret passage from his position.

“…Are you sure?”

“Yes. Maybe you were just too engrossed in your work and didn’t notice me. I was also surprised when you suddenly shouted.”

“I-is that so?” The man scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed. At that moment, 5 seconds passed, and the secret passage closed again.

“Then I should apologize. Sorry for shouting suddenly.”

“It’s alright. It can happen when you’re focused.” Now that the secret passage had disappeared, there was no reason to stay here any longer. I turned my back on the man and started walking away.

“Then, take care.”

“Wait! As an apology, how about a drink…” I ignored the man who was saying something behind me and quickened my pace.

‘I don’t know when the Doctor will notice and come after me. I need to leave this place as soon as possible.’ He must be out of his mind because of the disappearance of Ignis and the inexplicable situation, so there should still be some time. But you never know.

‘Considering that the Doctor returned from the school to the research lab in 10 minutes, his speed is likely faster than mine. I need to escape as far as possible.’ The problem is where and how to escape. I can’t escape to the hotel. The Doctor knows that I am ‘Ruan Palatia’. Returning to the hotel in this situation is suicide.

‘Simply running far away won’t solve the problem either.’ The Black Magic Tower has ‘Hermes’ [a powerful mage]. Considering her abilities, running away aimlessly is not a good idea. I need a hideout where I can reliably conceal myself.

‘Then should I go to Steart Street?’ If I get help from Adela, I might be able to hide my identity safely. ‘No. That won’t work. Adela isn’t the only one in Steart Street. Even if Adela helps, it’s impossible to hide my existence 100%.’ And according to the spy list I received from Shadow, there are also spies from the Black Magic Tower in Steart Street. Hiding in such a place is dangerous.

‘Then the remaining option is…’ There is only one place I can rely on right now. ‘The Vinoche family.’ There are less than 10 people residing in the mansion, and since Sein Vinoche, an absolute being, holds all the power, nothing will leak to the outside. A safe zone where no spies from the Black Magic Tower exist. The Vinoche family.

‘Considering Sein Vinoche’s power, even if something unexpected happens, it will somehow work out.’ It’s a perfect place in many ways. ‘The problem is how to persuade Sein Vinoche…’ I’ll have to figure that out somehow. In the worst case, I’ll have to persuade her even if it means sharing all my secrets. ‘Okay. Let’s go to the Vinoche family.’ I immediately changed direction and started running towards the Vinoche family.

* * *

“Instructor Ruan?” Stella Vinoche greeted me as I arrived at the mansion. Messy hair and dry skin. Unremoved sleep crust. And finally, a dress that looked like pajamas. It was clear that she had just woken up.

“How did you get here…?” Stella asked blankly. “And what’s with all that sweat…?”

“Sweat?” Only then did I check my condition. As Stella said, my whole body was soaked in sweat, looking like a drowned rat. I must have overdone it.

“Did you come after training or something?”

“Before I explain my condition, I want to meet with Sein first.”

“With Mother?”

“Yes. I have a very important matter.” Judging from my expression, she seemed to have indirectly sensed the seriousness of the situation. Stella’s expression also became serious.

“This way.” Stella immediately turned and started walking towards the inside of the mansion. Guided by Stella, I arrived at a room in the corner of the top floor.

Knock knock!

“Mother. I’m coming in.” Stella knocked twice and then opened the door without waiting for a reply. However, she didn’t open it wide. Just a little bit. Just enough for Stella herself to see inside the room through the gap in the door.

“I’m sorry, but could you wait here for a bit?” Stella sighed softly after checking inside the room and then smiled at me.

“Is she not inside?”

“No. She’s inside. She’s just sleeping.”

“She was sleeping.” I didn’t expect her to be sleeping at this hour.

“This is my mother’s lifestyle. She sleeps in the morning and wakes up at night. She says it’s her own biorhythm, but…” Stella sighed softly. She seemed to have a lot of complaints about her mother, whose day and night were completely reversed.

“Anyway, please wait a moment. I’ll wake her up right away.”

“I’d appreciate it.” Stella slipped into the room.

“Mom! Wake up! We have a guest!” And then Stella’s voice echoed loudly from inside the room.

“Tell them to get lost if they don’t want to die.”

“Enough, wake up! It’s an important guest!”

“There’s no way someone who comes without prior notice is an important guest.” Sein’s voice was tired. A voice completely immersed in sleep. The image of a lazy absolute being was not just an act.

“It’s Ruan!”

“…Ruan?”

“Yes! He said he has something very important to discuss and came here sweating profusely! He also seems a bit out of breath! It doesn’t seem like a normal matter!”

“…” Sein made a ‘hmm’ sound. And then there was a rustling sound as if she was throwing off the blanket.

“…If Ruan said so, I should hear what he has to say. Tell him to come in.” Her voice was clearly immersed in sleep just a moment ago. She instantly returned to her original voice.

“No, there’s no need to tell him. Ruan, come…”

“Kyaa! Mom! Clothes! Put on your clothes before calling him!”

“Hmm? Oh, right.”

“Instructor Ruan! Please wait a little longer!” Immediately after, various noises were heard from inside. The sound of taking out clothes, the sound of putting on clothes. Even Sein’s voice complaining that she didn’t need to wear such clothes and Stella’s voice forcing her to wear them. Just by listening to the sounds, it was as if I could see the situation inside.

“This is enough. Ruan, come…”

“What do you mean enough! You’re still in your underwear!”

“…” It seemed like it would take a little longer.

* * *

About 3 minutes passed. I safely stepped into Sein’s room. “So. What’s this important matter that you absolutely have to talk about?” Sein’s aura was no different from usual. It was hard to believe that she was the same person who was groaning in her sleep 3 minutes ago, exuding a sharp aura. As expected, an absolute being is an absolute being. Her ability to boost her condition in an instant was beyond human level.

“Don’t hesitate and speak quickly. I’m in a rather irritated state right now. If it’s not a big deal, I won’t forgive you, even if it’s you, Ruan. I think I’ll be quite disappointed.” Sein’s aura shone even more sharply. A normal person would kneel just by receiving that aura. It was that intense. Even I was a little stiff.

“That won’t happen.” I answered, somewhat managing Sein’s aura. “I’ll start by saying that everything I’m about to tell you is the truth.” I made eye contact with the two of them in turn and started talking.

“Do you know that there is a research facility under this city, Paris?”

“…Research facility?”

“Yes. And not just an ordinary research facility, but an illegal human research facility that is repeatedly conducting human experiments without hesitation.” Stella’s eyes widened, and Sein’s eyes narrowed even more sharply.

“…Tell me in detail.”

“Yes. I learned about that research facility when I helped Stella and dealt with Mael Nadal before.” I slowly told them about everything I had experienced, one by one, in detail.

* * *

After about 20 minutes of explanation, silence fell in the room. Both of them seemed to be deep in thought.

“Then all the disappearances that have occurred recently are all…” Stella asked with a somber expression.

“Yes. They were probably used as test subjects by those guys.”

“…That can’t be.” Stella bit her lip as if she was frustrated. She must be frustrated that she didn’t notice that such inhumane things were happening under Paris, even though she was supposed to be maintaining the city’s security. As a third-year student who was in charge of maintaining the city’s security, she might be feeling a sense of responsibility.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m sure.”

“Do you have any evidence?”

“I know three secret passages leading to the research lab. You can check them.”

“Secret passages…?” At that moment, Stella exclaimed. She had a look as if she had noticed something.

“Could it be related to the passage leading to the underground bunker of the school?” As expected of Stella Vinoche. She was quick-witted.

“Yes. That’s one of the secret passages leading to the research lab.” Stella was speechless with a shocked expression. She seemed greatly angered by the fact that there was a passage leading to such a terrible experiment site under their feet and that they hadn’t noticed it.

“Then is the reason you’re so exhausted because you infiltrated that research lab?” That was a very sharp question. It seemed that the father and daughter were the same in being sharp.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Then the reason you’re telling me this is because you need help.”

“Yes.”

“It seems that someone in that research lab is quite skilled?”

“…Yes.” Before I could even say anything, the conversation was progressing smoothly. It was as if they were looking into my mind.

“I see. I understand roughly how the situation is unfolding. In other words, what you want from me is primarily protection and support, and ultimately the elimination of the enemy.”

“…Yes.” That was the perfect answer. It was so perfect that there was no need to respond.

“But one question remains.”

“What is it?”

“Your true purpose.” Sein’s eyes shone sharply again. “You just arrived in Paris this time. You probably don’t have much attachment to this city yet. There’s no way you would have infiltrated an illegal research lab alone just out of a sense of justice.”

“…”

“No. In the first place, if a sense of justice was the reason for your actions, you wouldn’t have acted alone, but would have asked me for help sooner.” The light emanating from Sein’s eyes became even brighter.

“In other words, the conclusion is that there was a definite reason why you infiltrated the research lab alone.” It was a perfect argument with no room for rebuttal.

“What’s the reason? What were you aiming for by infiltrating the research lab? No, did you even come to Paris to get information about that research lab in the first place? If so, was getting a temporary instructor’s certificate from the Knight School also a means to that end?” Sein’s gaze cooled down. It was a look of great disappointment in me.

“That’s…” Stella had a shocked expression with her mouth half open. She seemed greatly shocked by the fact that she had been used.

“I won’t say that I had no intention at all. Certainly, I needed a temporary instructor’s certificate to achieve my goal.”

“And you approached Stella for that purpose?”

“No. That’s absolutely not true. From the airport to the shopping district, to the incident with Mael Nadal. The encounters themselves were all coincidences.” Sein’s eyes shone sharply again.

“It doesn’t seem like a lie.” She seemed to have read my sincerity in my eyes.

“In short, you turned a chance encounter into a necessity. Is that it?”

“Yes.” Sein smiled slightly and stroked her chin.

“Hmm. Then there’s no problem.”

“…Mom?” Stella’s eyes widened as if asking what she meant. Sein chuckled as she looked at Stella.

“The expression of a heroine betrayed by a hero is just like that. It’s very interesting.” Sein lightly flicked Stella’s head.

“Get a grip. Just because Ruan had another purpose for getting a temporary instructor’s certificate, there’s no reason for you to feel betrayed.” Stella pressed her head where she had been hit and glared at Sein with a silent look as if asking what she meant.

“Did Ruan commit a crime within the school? Or did he not fulfill his duties as an instructor?”

“That’s…”

“Ruan performed his role as an instructor just like any other temporary instructor… no, even better. There’s no reason for either you or me to feel betrayed about that.” This time, Sein stroked Stella’s head.

“Unless he had approached you intentionally from the beginning. Getting help from a chance encounter is a common thing, isn’t it?”

“Certainly, this time it’s more like I gave help rather than being used… right?” Stella’s expression instantly relaxed.

“…Why was I shocked?” After thinking about it, she realized that there was no reason to be shocked at all.

“Where is there a person without ulterior motives? You also had your own ulterior motives for helping Ruan. In the end, it’s the same…”

“Aaaah! Mom! That story…” Stella urgently covered Sein’s mouth. Then she looked at me.

“T-that’s… hehe.” She smiled very cutely, as if trying to laugh it off.

“Don’t make a fuss. Ruan probably knew your ulterior motives a long time ago.”

“Yes. Well… there’s no such thing as free help in this world. I thought there would be a purpose.”

“See?”

“…” Stella pouted. I don’t know why, but she seemed to dislike the current situation.

“Hehe. She’s my daughter, but she’s so cute.” Sein laughed loudly again.

“So, what was the reason you were looking for that research lab?”

“I was looking for something that they were researching.” I took out ‘Ignis’s Medium’ from my inner pocket. A jewel that contained the primordial flames, perfectly stabilized and synchronized with me.

“This is it.” A magic stone with a beautiful appearance that seemed to have preserved the form of a flame burning brightly. It was faintly burning as if it was intertwined with my body.