The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 349

The Book of Dante Roa contained information about Veil Stole’s resurrection.

That information also detailed the signs of Veil Stole’s resurrection.

According to that information, Veil Stole’s resurrection would take at least two years.

Assuming no new signs appeared within a year, it was expected to take another three to four years.

They had not considered that Veil Stole would resurrect in six months.

“…Six months. Are you sure?”

“I am.”

Therefore, the shock was immense.

Only six months left.

They had to become as strong as Veil Stole within six months.

His mind was blank.

It felt like his brain wasn’t working properly due to the overwhelming shock.

“How…”

However, he couldn’t just stay blank.

He desperately tried to get his mind working and raised a question.

“How can you be so sure?”

A question that didn’t need much thought.

What was Sein’s basis for asserting that Veil Stole would resurrect in six months, with a solar eclipse?

Sein placed her hand on her chest.

“The blackness within me. The soul of the Black Magic King told me.”

“The soul of the Black Magic King… told you?”

“Yes.”

Sein pulled her hood down deeper again.

As if she had no time left, she was preparing to leave immediately.

“As a black magician bound to the soul of the Black Magic King, we can feel Veil Stole’s energy.”

Her words were getting faster.

It was clear that she intended to make the most of the remaining time.

“You can dismiss it as a hunch. But I can assure you. Veil Stole will resurrect in six months, with a solar eclipse.”

Under her robe, Sein’s eyes gleamed.

They were like the eyes of a lion crouching in a cave.

“For six months, the frequency of mana disasters will shorten. Monsters will give birth to new monsters every day, and the mana will become denser.”

The increase in mana disasters.

The increase in the number of monsters.

The rise in mana concentration.

All of these were happening in real-time.

“At the end of it, Veil Stole will resurrect. He will recover his energy by feeding on the dense mana concentration. He will establish his ego as mental power from the thoughts of the increased monsters. He will forge his body from the chaos created by the mana disasters. That’s how Veil Stole will succeed in a complete resurrection.”

Sentences that were difficult to understand, and a confident and charismatic tone that contrasted with them.

It felt like listening to a prophecy from a god.

“If we fail to stop him that day…”

Sein turned her body.

Was it really time? As if she was about to leave this place immediately, she focused all her strength on her lower body.

“This world will end.”

With those words, Sein left.

She disappeared in an instant, as if she had teleported.

* * *

After that, we moved to a nearby hotel to avoid the rush of researchers.

For the record, it’s not the accommodation we were originally staying at.

We can’t go to the original accommodation because it was attacked.

The place we are now is a sub-base camp prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

“You’re here early.”

Soonchan greeted us as we arrived at the hotel.

He was sprawled on the sofa with a completely exhausted expression.

“Where’s Aslan?”

They were connected by chokers, but Aslan was nowhere to be seen.

Was he in a shutdown state?

“He’s sleeping.”

“He must have overdone it.”

“He did. Given the numbers…”

He had a hunch, and it was as he thought.

It seemed that he had entered a forced shutdown state due to excessive system operation.

“But still, he managed to handle everything somehow. Aslan is really amazing. Spatial magic…”

He spoke with a flushed face, as if he was still excited.

He must have been greatly thrilled by the fact that he had used one of the seven impossible magics, spatial magic [magic that manipulates space itself].

“My power is still far from enough, so I could only use the most basic of basic magic… but next time, I’ll show you that I can handle intermediate-level magic and above.”

It was a good look, with hope and passion mixed in just the right amount.

“And eventually, I’ll fuse my octagonal gate [a magical construct] with spatial magic to create my own original magic. How about it? My new dream.”

“That’s a great dream.”

Normally, he would have scoffed at him, asking if he could really do that.

But now, he didn’t have the time for such banter.

“…Did something happen?”

Soonchan got up from the sofa and stood in front of me and Adela.

He must have indirectly sensed the seriousness of the situation from my unusual reaction.

His legs were trembling even though he was just standing there.

It seemed that he had pushed himself harder than he thought.

“Something… happened. A lot.”

There were so many things that had happened that his head was starting to hurt.

“…It’s not a normal thing.”

Soonchan looked directly into my eyes with a sharp expression.

“What exactly happened? What did you see at the Rid Furniture Factory?”

I briefly met Soonchan’s eyes, then immediately turned my gaze away.

“Adela.”

Adela, who had been lost in thought next to me, flinched as if startled by my words and gaze.

“Y-yes…?”

“I’m sorry, but could you explain?”

“Explain? What explanation…?”

She tilted her head, as if she had been lost in thought and hadn’t heard anything.

“To Soonchan. Tell him what we saw and experienced.”

“Ah.”

Adela nodded.

“That’s what you meant. I understand.”

Then, she turned her gaze to Mimir and Elena.

“Mimir and Elena, please. If Adela’s explanation is lacking, please provide supplementary explanations.”

“Why me?”

Mimir asked back, as if wondering if she really needed to stay here.

“When you explain to others, you might remember something you missed? Even if not, you might come up with something new by exchanging opinions.”

“Ah. If that’s the reason, well, I had something I wanted to talk about with Elena anyway… it’s a perfect opportunity.”

Mimir nodded as if she understood.

“I’d be happy if such beautiful ladies explained it to me… but what are you going to do?”

Soonchan asked, looking at me.

“I’m going to make a report call.”

“Ah, to Commander Charles?”

“Yeah.”

This mission was not my personal mission, but a joint mission with Commander Charles.

Sharing information was not an option, but a necessity.

“I thought you were just passing it on because you didn’t want to explain it yourself. That’s what it was. If that’s the reason, I’ll accept it. Go quickly.”

Soonchan waved his hand as if telling me to go.

“Well, I don’t think I can go quickly. Given the matter.”

“Oh… really? Then take your time.”

“Okay.”

I made eye contact with the four people in the room one by one, then moved towards the next room.

And then I called Commander Charles.

-What is it? Are you already done?

“Yes. I just got back.”

– …That was fast? The report call is also much faster than usual. Did you get some important information?

“Yes. I got some important information… no, a lot.”

I slowly began to tell the story of what I had seen and experienced today.

“It will be difficult to understand if I explain it quickly, so I will explain it in as much detail as possible.”

* * *

About an hour later.

I had told the Commander everything I had seen and obtained at the Rid Furniture Factory.

If I had just summarized it, it would have taken less than five minutes.

But given the matter, I judged that it would be difficult to understand if I explained it in summary.

So, I explained it in as much detail as possible, and an hour had passed.

– …Wait a minute. My head hurts too much. Give me a minute.

Actually, the detailed explanation would have been over in about 30 minutes.

The reason it took an hour to explain was that Commander Charles kept asking questions.

By the time I answered those questions, the time had passed like this.

“Well, is there anything you don’t understand?”

-No. There’s nothing I don’t understand. But…

Commander Charles’s voice trembled.

The trembling had started from the moment he heard about Sophia’s survival, and it was still continuing.

-Sorry. I can’t get my thoughts together. I’m really sorry, but just be quiet for a minute… no, three minutes. I’ll try to sort out my thoughts by then…

All sorts of emotions were conveyed in his voice.

There were so many different emotions mixed together that it was impossible to express them in words.

Since it wasn’t a video call, I couldn’t see his expression.

But he must have been making a very complex and subtle expression.

Smiling, crying.

He must have been making such an expression.

-Sorry. I made you wait.

Three minutes passed in an instant.

The Commander spoke in a much clearer voice.

-I’ve sorted it out roughly. They’re unbelievable things, but…

The existence of dragons.

The fusion of Sophia, Sein, and the Black Magic King.

And finally, Veil Stole’s resurrection in half a year.

I said it, but they were all unbelievable things.

-You have no reason to lie now… so it must all be true.

“Yes. It’s all true.”

-Okay.

A sigh echoed loudly over the speaker.

– …I don’t know whether to be happy or sad about this.

Then, once more.

He sighed as if the ground was about to collapse.

-Should I be happy that Madam is alive? Or should I be sad that she’s fused with the soul of the Black Magic King…

“I think it’s something to be happy about. Whatever it is. It means that there’s a possibility of Sophia’s return.”

The Commander’s bitter smile could be heard over the speaker.

-That’s true… but if the soul that has become one is the Black Magic King… it’s hard to see it as a possibility of return. Madam… she even thought about committing suicide.

“That’s…”

There was nothing to say.

As the Commander said, Sophia’s current situation was very ambiguous.

-On top of that, Veil Stole’s resurrection in half a year… it feels like my head is going to explode.

The Commander let out a hollow laugh.

It sounded like the laughter of a deranged person.

“I’ve decided to think of it as fortunate. No matter what the situation, it’s a big deal that we found out the timing of his resurrection.”

– …Well, yeah. If we didn’t know anything and he suddenly resurrected in six months, we would have been helpless.

“Yes.”

If I thought about having to fight Veil Stole without any preparation… it was terrifying.

“If that had happened, we wouldn’t have been able to do anything and we would have lost.”

Veil Stole, whom I glimpsed in the sixth trial page in the past.

Thinking about facing that man without any countermeasures made me break out in a cold sweat.

I really don’t know how fortunate it is that we found out now.

-But that… it’s good that we found out the timing of Veil Stole’s resurrection… but…

Commander Charles said hesitantly.

-With only six months… is there anything we can do?

His voice trembled even more.

-He’s much stronger than the Black Magic King, right? With only six months…

There’s nothing we can do.

It seemed that the Commander wanted to say that.

“To be honest, it’s a difficult situation.”

I am still a 7-circle master [a high-level magic user].

I haven’t even reached the 8th circle yet.

With my current achievements, I can’t even compete with Veil Stole for one move.

It was a situation that was disadvantageous in many ways.

“But…”

But that was just disadvantageous.

“It’s not that there’s no way.”

It’s not that there’s no possibility.

-There’s a way?

“Is it a way…”

If I were alone, there would be no possibility.

If my current Byte-ner style [a specific fighting style] was the same as the Byte-ner style my teacher used in the past, there would be no hope at all.

“I have a reliable partner.”

But now I have Mimir.

A genius with a brain superior to anyone else is supporting me.

“We’ll make it work somehow in six months.”