The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 268

Dawn.

The time when only moonlight fills the world.

Stella woke up.

Waking up after a full 13 hours.

Perhaps because she slept so well for the first time in a while, her complexion was incomparably better than before.

“…I’m hungry.”

Was it because her condition had returned to some extent? An appetite that she hadn’t felt at all until now was slowly emerging.

Stella slowly got out of bed and headed to the kitchen on the first floor of the mansion.

“My lady!”

Upon arriving on the first floor.

The butler, who was on duty on the first floor, widened his eyes and rushed towards Stella.

“Are you… are you feeling alright!?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

The butler seemed genuinely relieved and heaved a sigh of relief.

“That’s a relief. I’m so glad.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for causing you trouble…”

She sincerely apologized to the butler, who must have been worried because of her.

“It’s alright. You don’t need to worry about it at all. My worries are nothing compared to the emotional wounds you’ve suffered, my lady…”

The butler stopped talking mid-sentence.

His expression showed that he had made a slip of the tongue.

He shouldn’t have said something that would remind Stella of Ruan Palatia in her current state.

How could he make such a mistake?

“It’s okay. That matter is now…”

Stella smiled brightly.

Her expression showed no sign of any emotional baggage.

It was as if she had shaken everything off.

The butler looked genuinely moved.

“You’ve grown…”

He was genuinely moved by Stella’s appearance, having overcome her emotional wounds and grown even stronger.

“…Ahahaha.”

Stella laughed with a subtle expression. The butler was currently under a grand delusion.

The reason Stella was so okay now wasn’t because her emotional wounds had healed.

It was because the cause of the wounds had disappeared.

‘…I can’t say it, though.’

The fact that Ruan Palatia’s true identity was Shin Hayul was a top secret.

Only Stella and Sein knew about it in the Vinoche family.

No matter how close the butler was, she couldn’t tell him.

That’s why she didn’t bother to deny the butler’s words.

Even though she felt a little guilty, it was better to just let it be that she had grown.

“I must deliver this good news to the head of the family as soon as possible.”

The deeply moved butler said that.

‘Mother probably already knows.’

Sein also knew that Ruan Palatia’s true identity was Shin Hayul.

Of course, she would also know that Stella was okay.

In that case…

“I’ll tell Mother myself.”

“Ah! That would be good. Understood.”

The butler smiled contentedly.

He couldn’t help but smile at Stella’s appearance, having completely returned to her usual self.

“Is Mother in her room?”

“No. The head of the family is currently in the underground training room.”

“…The underground training room?”

“Yes. She went to the underground training room with Shin Hayul-nim this afternoon… and hasn’t come out since.”

“With Shin Hayul-nim… Then are they still together now?”

“No. That’s not the case. Shin Hayul-nim returned a while ago.”

“Ah… I see.”

She thought she would be able to have a conversation she hadn’t finished.

It was a little disappointing.

“Then I should go to the underground.”

Originally, she was planning to have a light meal first and then go see her mother.

But she changed her mind.

‘I’m too curious about what Mother is doing right now.’

What reason would a swordsman who had already reached the peak have to be in the training room for about 10 hours?

What on earth was she doing to be in the training room until this hour?

She was curious.

She was so curious.

“Th-that’s not possible right now.”

“What do you mean it’s not possible?”

“There was an order not to let anyone in until further notice.”

“Even me?”

“Since it was said everyone, probably…”

“…Is that so?”

Her curiosity grew even more.

What on earth was she doing to issue an order to keep everyone out?

“I’m curious, but… if it’s Mother’s order, there’s nothing I can do.”

“…Yes.”

Curiosity was curiosity.

And an order was an order.

Since the head of the Vinoche family had ordered that no one be allowed in, that order had to be obeyed.

Stella clicked her tongue as if she was disappointed.

Beep!

It was then that a signal sounded from the duty officer’s radio.

And it wasn’t an ordinary signal.

It was a signal indicating a call from the head of the family.

This radio call was from Sein Vinoche.

-Let her in.

“…?”

Sein, without any subject, abruptly told them to let her in.

The butler’s head was filled with question marks.

-Stella is fine. She can come in.

Only then did the butler, who had finally grasped the situation, widen his eyes.

Sein Vinoche was completely aware of the situation here.

‘There’s no way to check this place from the underground training room… How on earth?’

The underground training room was, as the name suggested, a place designed for the secret training of the Vinoche family, so there was nothing connected to the outside.

There was no way for Sein Vinoche to know the situation here.

But how on earth did she know the situation here?

-What. I’m just in a state where my senses are sharper than necessary because I’m doing some pretty exciting training right now.

Sein chuckled softly.

-Ah, right. Butler. Please tidy up your clothes properly. It won’t do for a Vinoche family butler to be in such a state.

“What’s wrong with my cl… Ah!”

The butler widened his eyes as soon as he checked his clothes.

His clothes were quite disheveled from rushing over just now.

“How did she…”

-I told you. My senses are a bit sharp right now.

The butler’s whole body was covered in goosebumps.

He was surprised that she had read his mind, but what was even more surprising was the statement that her senses were sharp.

‘Sein-nim’s perception has grown even further. And to an extent that is incomparable to before.’

To sense the outside aura from inside the underground training room, where a mana barrier was installed for secrecy.

It was an impossible feat for the Sein of the past.

“…What are you doing right now?”

Stella, who had been quietly grasping the situation from the side, cautiously opened her mouth.

Stella had also noticed that something had happened to Sein.

-If you’re curious, come and see for yourself.

Sein chuckled.

That was the last radio transmission.

“I’ll be back.”

Stella handed the radio to the butler with a dazed expression.

Then, as if possessed, she headed towards the underground training room.

“Mother. I’m here…”

What Stella saw when she arrived at the underground training room was.

“This is…”

“You’ve come.”

The sight of Sein Vinoche lying sprawled on the floor, breathing heavily.

“What on earth is this…”

“Ah, you mean this?”

The completely destroyed training ground.

A training ground that was made so sturdy that even a high-circle magic wouldn’t be able to make a scratch on it.

Such a training ground was torn and crushed like a rag.

“Well. I just got carried away and swung my sword, and it ended up like this.”

Sein, lying sprawled on the floor, smiled with a refreshed expression.

“I’m sorry, but it seems like we’ll have to train somewhere else for a while.”

“No… that’s not the problem…”

Stella looked at the training ground again with a dazed expression.

If you released about ten typhoons compressed to 1/1000th of their size here, wouldn’t it look like this?

“Seriously… what did you do?”

“It wasn’t anything special.”

Sein raised her head from her lying position and looked up at Stella, who was standing above her.

“I just… looked back at my past… the Vinoche family’s past, and myself.”

Sein smiled brightly.

It was an innocent smile like a child who had received the gift they wanted from Santa on Christmas.

“What does that…”

Stella tilted her head, unable to understand the words.

“Rejoice, my daughter.”

“…?”

Sein looked at Stella’s dazed eyes and smiled sincerely.

“You and I… and we can become even stronger.”

“…?”

Questions continued to grow in Stella’s mind.

* * *

Dawn.

Following Mimir’s advice, I entered the page of the sixth trial.

I asked if it wouldn’t be better to go in after preparing a little more.

But she just told me to go in now.

She said that the preparations were enough now.

That all preparations were complete the moment the page of the sixth trial opened.

She said it was better to go in right now.

So I just went in.

I’ve never lost anything by listening to Mimir’s words so far.

Since Mimir was so adamant, it was right to follow her.

Well, to be honest, I was also curious about what kind of trial and what kind of examiner would be waiting for me on the page of the sixth trial.

And what new world and knowledge would be waiting for me.

With those thoughts, I entered the page of the sixth trial with excitement.

“Hmm. I’ve been waiting.”

But what was this?

A person I had never imagined was waiting for me on the page of the sixth trial.

“Welcome. This one welcomes you.”

Long green hair that reached below her waist.

A splendid formal dress that seemed to proclaim that she was an empress to anyone who saw her.

“First, I must introduce myself. My name is Mimir Bell Bytenner. I am the only direct descendant of Ray Bell Bytenner, the founder of the Bytenner style that you are learning.”

Mimir.

She was waiting for me.

“What is your name?”

As if she didn’t know me at all.

As if I didn’t know her at all.

That was the Mimir.

“My words. Are you listening?”

“Huh? Oh. I’m listening…”

My head was a mess.

I couldn’t grasp the situation at all.

What was going on right now?

“Hmm. You’re quite familiar from the first meeting. Where is your manners, did you sell them to the black mages or something?”

Mimir glared at me with narrowed eyes.

As I met her sharp gaze, I felt a sense of relief for some reason.

‘It’s definitely the Mimir I know.’

It felt like everything was different except for her appearance. But that expression was exactly the same as the Mimir I knew.

Perhaps because of that, I felt at ease in an instant.

“…You’re smiling even after being insulted. You’re a strange one.”

Mimir stared at me with an expression as if she was looking at a rare animal.

“Yes. I’ve read it in a book. They call people like you masochists…”

“No, I’m not.”

I quickly denied it because it seemed like she was making a grand misunderstanding.

“A strong denial is a confirmation, they say. I understand.”

“…I said I’m not.”

“Hmm. Was it a sore spot? I see. I’ll take it as that.”

Mimir nodded a couple of times with an expression that she understood everything. It was an expression that she didn’t understand at all.

“So…”

“Let’s stop this conversation. I don’t have a hobby of poking at other people’s wounds.”

“…”

Something didn’t make sense.

She was completely different from the usual Mimir.

Was she really not the Mimir I knew?

“Are you acting, by any chance?”

“Acting?”

Mimir frowned slightly with an expression that she didn’t know what I was talking about. It was a reaction that was too natural to be acting.

“You only say and do things that I can’t understand from start to finish. Such a person is the successor… I’m worried.”

Mimir frowned with a serious expression.

It was an expression that she was worried about the future.

“With that, will you even be able to pass this trial?”

Trial.

At that word, my head suddenly cooled down.

Right. Regardless of grasping the situation or anything else, I had to focus on the trial first.

I could hear the details from Mimir after leaving the page of the sixth trial.

I finished organizing my thoughts like that.

“Well, that’s not something I should worry about. If you fail the trial, it just means you were only that much of a man.”

Mimir smiled with a rather cold expression.

“Then I’ll start the trial right away.”

Mimir trailed off with a solemn expression.

“From now on, go to the place I tell you, and get recognition from the person there.”

“…Recognition?”

“Yes. If you get recognition from her, you pass.”

Mimir grinned.

It was an expression that said, ‘Try to get recognition if you can.’

It was an expression that seemed confident that I would never get recognized.

Looking at that expression, I felt a surge of anger.

She was really getting on my nerves like this.

“Where do I have to go?”

“The great forest to the east. The Greenwood Forest.”

“Green…wood?”

“Yes.”

If it’s someone living there…

Could it be.

No way, right?

“The forest mage who is living in seclusion there. Elena Ro Greenwood. Get recognition from Elena.”

“…”

…Is it her?

‘What on earth is going on?’

My already complicated head became even more complicated.