The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 336

The Rebirth of the Mythical Archmage-337

France.

Mana Disaster Response Team.

Emergency Response Headquarters.

A heavy atmosphere hung over the 11 high-ranking officials attending the meeting.

“Has there still been no contact with the head of the Vinoche family?”

One of the 11, a man with a particularly furious expression, cautiously initiated the discussion.

“Yes. Not yet…”

“Tsk. To be out of contact in such a serious situation. He lacks the basics.”

The man’s expression twisted even further.

“That’s why I was against it. The sense of responsibility of a 23-year-old kid is, in the end, only this much.”

Two and a half years ago.

Immediately after Sein Vinoche and Sophia Anechefferi together defeated the Black Magic King.

The world changed drastically.

One of the reasons for the change was that the power balance of each country shifted due to the deaths of six of the twelve Magic Tower Masters.

However, the main reason for the world’s change was the increased frequency of mana disasters.

Starting two years ago, the frequency of mana disasters jumped exponentially every month, and the Safety Bureau was no longer safe.

The War Bureau was no longer in a position to wage war.

The result is the changed world we see now.

Now, people no longer fight among themselves.

Terrorists and criminal alliances still exist, but.

Countries no longer wage war against each other.

Faced with the great disaster of nature, they joined hands.

As war-torn countries disappeared, powerful nations also began to reorganize their forces.

Under the banner of national security, the current structure was formed.

This very place is proof of the change.

A countermeasures meeting where 12 representatives responsible for the safety of France gather to share their opinions.

The fact that such a meeting exists is a miracle in itself.

“Regardless of the knights’ hopes, she was just a kid who hadn’t even dried behind the ears. Everyone overestimated Stella Vinoche too much.”

Moreover, it’s absurd that Stella Vinoche, who is only 23 years old, is included as a representative in this meeting.

Unless there is a powerful figure in this meeting who supports Stella, this would be impossible.

“…Let’s calm down for now and wait. There might be a good reason why she can’t be reached, as she has her own important matters to attend to.”

One of the 12 representatives, the representative of magic, and the old gentleman in charge of this meeting, calmed the angry man.

“Mr. Pym is right. It’s only been 3 minutes. It won’t be too late to say such things after a little more time has passed.”

The old gentleman’s name was Pym Offer.

In the past, he was one of the great mages who participated in the Black Magic Tower subjugation operation.

He is one of the few people who witnessed Sein Vinoche’s might with his own eyes.

“…Tsk.”

The angry man clicked his tongue.

‘Pym Offer. That old man is the biggest problem.’

If only Pym Offer hadn’t fully supported Stella Vinoche from the start, that kid wouldn’t have been selected as a representative in such an important position.

‘It’s infuriating.’

It’s also annoying that a mage respects Sein Vinoche, a swordsman.

It’s also annoying that a mage dreams of peace with swordsmen.

Everything about that old mage is just annoying.

“…Alright. Since there are still about 2 minutes left until we respond to the emergency contact, let’s wait until then.”

The man crossed his arms and twisted his lips.

“However, if there is no contact even after 2 minutes, then I will formally request the expulsion of Representative Vinoche. She has violated the rules and failed to properly perform her inherent role.”

Pym Offer was silent.

As the man said, Stella Vinoche’s lack of contact is a major issue.

If she doesn’t answer the call, there’s no point in this meeting existing in the first place.

As he said, it’s a situation where she could be expelled from this meeting without any problem.

“Can I take that silence as a sign of agreement?”

Just as the man was about to corner Pym Offer triumphantly.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

The door to the conference room swung open, and a woman appeared.

“I apologize for being late.”

Stella Vinoche.

Wearing a uniform with the emblem symbolizing the Vinoche family prominently displayed.

She walked in confidently.

The man frowned at her appearance.

“…You’re finally here.”

The man expressed his annoyance with a furious expression.

‘If she had been just 2 minutes later, I could have formally requested her expulsion.’

He was very displeased with this situation.

“I apologize. It took me a little time to grasp the situation.”

“Grasp the situation? Ha.”

The man scoffed.

“I don’t know if you don’t know much about magic, but a state of emergency has been declared because signs of a mana disaster have just been detected. It’s not a stage where you can grasp the situation or anything.”

“It’s a storm-type mana disaster.”

Stella Vinoche said calmly as she sat down.

Among the countless mana disasters.

Her confident assertion that it was a storm-type mana disaster was like a scene from a movie.

“What grounds do you have for saying that?”

The man began to openly sneer as if he no longer needed to be polite.

“It’s the result of analyzing the fluctuating mana movements, the changing waves, and recent trends.”

“…Ha.”

The man scoffed as if he couldn’t believe it.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard that you can identify a mana disaster through such minor changes. Where did that information come from? What quack told you such nonsense…”

“It’s the result obtained from a detection device newly developed by the Mado Shin family.”

“…What?”

The man was at a loss for words.

Mado Shin family.

The name of the family that has changed the most in the last two and a half years.

In the past, a small prestigious family that was only famous in Korea has now risen to become a world-renowned family.

“I’ve never heard that the Mado Shin family… has newly developed such a technology.”

The man regained his politeness.

Now that the name of the Mado Shin family has been mentioned, he shouldn’t speak carelessly.

He’s seen more than one or two politicians who have been ruined by getting involved with the Mado Shin family.

“That’s understandable. It’s a technology that was developed in secret and just finished its demonstration this time.”

“It’s too early to make such a conclusion with a technology that hasn’t been verified yet…”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

At that moment, a man appeared from beyond the open conference room door.

“The mana disaster that has covered France this time is a storm-type mana disaster.”

Shin Hayul.

“I guarantee it with my honor and the honor of my family.”

He joined the meeting with a relaxed smile.

* * *

The meeting was over.

I was returning to the Vinoche family with Stella.

“Ugh. I still get chills thinking about it. If I had been just 2 minutes late…”

Stella shuddered.

She almost lost her position as the representative of the swordsmen by a 2-minute difference.

It’s understandable that she would react like that.

“Thank you. You saved me.”

Stella looked at me, rubbing her arm.

Goosebumps had risen all over her arms.

Losing her position as a representative. Just imagining it made her shiver.

“Don’t mention it. It’s because of me that you came to Korea in the first place. I was just taking responsibility for what I needed to.”

“Hey. If you put it that way, it’s because I insisted on seeing it with my own eyes that this happened. It’s right to be grateful.”

Stella smiled sweetly with an affectionate expression.

“Hmm. How should I repay you for this?”

The corners of her eyes curved like a crescent moon.

That smile was quite fox-like.

“Do you perhaps want something?”

Stella moved to my side and leaned on my shoulder.

Her eyes seemed a little moist.

Her gestures and expressions clearly showed what she wanted.

…Of course, I have no intention of responding to that wish.

“…You’re a real fox.”

At that moment, Mimir appeared.

She had been temporarily shut down with the support just now.

It seems the system has been restored.

“Hayul?”

Stella tilted her head, as if she found it strange that I was staring blankly into the air.

“Ah, my partner woke up.”

“By partner, do you mean… an AI?”

“No. Not an AI, but a partner.”

Mimir is not an AI.

She just doesn’t have a physical body.

She is a person in her own right, and my partner.

“…Oh, um.”

Stella made a strange expression.

Stella doesn’t know what kind of being Mimir is yet, so it’s natural for her to make such an expression.

“A partner… is that so?”

Stella gazed in the direction where Mimir was.

Since there is no equipment, she can’t actually see her.

She was just looking in the general direction, assuming that’s where she would be, based on my gaze.

“What are you glaring at? I’ll just suck out all your ink.”

Mimir glared at Stella and smiled fiercely.

“I don’t know exactly, but I understand. There must be a reason why you call her your partner. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Yes. I would appreciate that.”

Stella smiled brightly.

“Oh, right. I was so out of it that I forgot to ask you this.”

She smiled and leaned her face towards me.

Stella.

Her eyes, shining like starlight, stood out, befitting her name.

“Earlier. How did you do that? You were clearly in Korea, but how did you move to France in such a short time? Did you perhaps succeed in developing teleportation magic?”

The time it took to get from Korea to France, including preparation time, was only 3 seconds.

She had crossed tens of thousands of kilometers in the blink of an eye.

It’s understandable that Stella would mistake it for teleportation magic.

“No. It’s not teleportation magic.”

“Then what is it?”

Seeing Stella’s face getting closer, Mimir scoffed.

“I’m not going to tell you.”

Then she stuck out her tongue.

It seems Mimir doesn’t like Stella.

But what to do? I was planning to explain everything without hiding anything.

“Um. I mentioned it briefly before, right?”

“…A, a successor?”

Mimir’s eyes widened with an expression like a betrayed princess.

I continued my explanation, ignoring Mimir’s reaction.

“Two and a half years ago, when we attacked the Black Magic Tower, there was a person named Shadow who helped us.”

“Ah, yes. He was clearly an internal informant who used a unique magic called shadow magic… Why is that?”

“What I used was the legacy he left behind.”

I took out a shadow from my hand and moved it around.

“Shadow magic. Its original name is Umbra. It’s one of the mythical magics on par with Ignis, which I mentioned before.”

“Ah! Mythical magic!”

Stella clapped her hands and shouted.

“If it’s that mythical magic, it makes sense. That Shadow person was said to be able to travel around the world through shadows. You used that power.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

I gathered the shadow again and absorbed it into my body.

“…Why are you explaining all that so straightforwardly?”

Mimir grumbled with a somewhat sulky expression.

“What’s the point of hiding it when she already knows?”

“Huh?”

Stella reacted to my answer.

She must have thought it was strange since I suddenly gave such an odd answer.

“No. I was talking to Mimir… my partner. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“Ah, okay.”

Stella nodded slightly.

“Then, have all your questions been answered?”

“No. Not yet, one more.”

Stella focused her gaze on me again.

“The mythical magic I heard from you, Hayul, has great power, but I heard it’s a high-risk, high-return type of magic that requires a long incantation as a price.”

“Yes. I certainly said that.”

“But when you used it this time, it didn’t seem like you did any incantation.”

“Yes. I didn’t do any incantation.”

“And it doesn’t seem like you used a staff that can store mythical magic either.”

“Yes. I didn’t use Caelum either.”

“But how did you use mythical magic so quickly?”

“How do you think it was?”

I said with a playful smile.

“Shadow magic… was it called Umbra? Is that mythical magic a type that doesn’t require incantation… or something?”

“No. That’s not it. There is no mythical magic that doesn’t require incantation.”

Even Factio requires a long incantation for its initial activation and contract.

There is not a single mythical magic that does not require incantation.

“Then how…?”

“I told you before, right? Project Mimir. If the technology I’m developing is completed, magic will evolve to another level.”

“Yes. You did.”

“This is it.”

“Huh?”

I tapped the choker on my neck with my index finger, still smiling.

“Just like how Adela and Soonchan’s magic grew, no, evolved, with the success of this Project Mimir. My magic has also evolved to another level.”

Stella’s eyes widened.

“That means…”

“Yes.”

“Ahem.”

Mimir crossed her arms and boasted from the side.

I glanced at Mimir and smiled slightly.

“Now, I don’t need incantation to use mythical magic.”

Ray Bell Bytenner.

A new realm that even the great mythical archmage of legend could not reach.

The incantation-less activation of mythical magic.

“No way…”

The power for the future, Bytenner style.

True to that name, I took another step into a higher future.