Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: Farewell (2)
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"We have to... we have to meet again. I'll come back to you in a way that won't shame you."
In the basement of Merlin's grand mansion.
Rasso shouted those words at Oliver as he stepped into the portal activated by the auxiliary device.
"Thank you for granting my request."
Merlin, standing beside the portal, was speaking with another mage.
He seemed to be someone connected to the Elemental School branch where the kids would be staying.
Though he was of considerable age and possessed substantial mana, suggesting a high position, he kept his head slightly bowed the entire time, listening intently to Merlin's words and nodding.
His emotions shone through in a complex mix of respect, fear, awe, and admiration.
"...No, Master. It's an honor just to be called here. I'll gladly take on the task you've entrusted to me."
Oliver watched their conversation intermittently while seeing the kids off.
It was quite refreshing.
Every mage Oliver had met overflowed with confidence and pride, always maintaining an overbearing attitude. Seeing this one so deferential felt almost alien.
Was the hierarchy among mages that strict?
He'd thought black mages were different, but apparently not entirely.
"By the way, Gran—"
"—I'm just a retired old man now. Call me Merlin."
"Pardon? How could I possibly dare..."
"Hm, then call me 'sir.' I like the sound of that."
"Sir. I heard there's been some recent trouble with the School of Life—"
"—Could you get to the point briefly? Maintaining this portal isn't cheap. I'm a poor old man, you know."
"Ah, forgive me. Then, when will you return...?"
"I'll discuss that later."
"Ah, yes. My apologies. Well then..."
After their cryptic exchange, the mage bowed politely, glanced swiftly at Oliver, and stepped into the portal.
The emotions he directed at Oliver were a tangled mix of curiosity, suspicion, jealousy, and irritation—nothing positive.
Oliver wondered if this might cause trouble for the kids, but he decided not to worry about it.
There was nothing he could do anyway. From here on, it was up to them, for better or worse.
As the mage entered the humming purple portal, its entrance gradually shrank into a small mana clump before vanishing into thin air.
It popped out like a lightbulb flickering off.
"Worried about the kids?"
Merlin asked Oliver, who was staring blankly at the spot where the portal had disappeared.
"No."
"Really?"
"Yes. Worrying won't help anyway. The opportunity has been given—now it's up to them."
"Cold of you."
"Is it?"
"But it's a good attitude. The only one who can save you is yourself... Anyway, what are you staring at?"
"Ah... I was looking at the portal auxiliary device. It really seems convenient."
"It is. Even though the School of Space is smaller and younger than other schools, it's the most promising one for a reason."
"Is that so?"
Oliver asked in surprise.
Despite his long time as a fixer, he still knew little about the mage world.
Mages were still rare enough in these parts that he lumped them all together without distinguishing details.
"Of course. Humanity has always been at war with time, space, and distance. The School of Space has magic that could end that war. Of course, there's plenty of room for improvement."
"What kind of improvements, specifically?"
Merlin raised both hands as he explained.
"The incantations are too complex and difficult. True magic should be cast using the mage's own mana and abilities, without aids like that. But in practice, it's not."
Merlin pointed at the portal auxiliary device in the basement.
Come to think of it, there had been a School of Space mage guarding Murphy's magic tool factory. He remembered her using something like an arrow as an aid.
"Mages who can use portals without aids aren't that common, even in the School of Space. Maybe three out of ten? And that's before factoring in distance and capacity—it drops even more."
To think even in their own school, so few could use it properly. It was quite a shock.
"That's why it's so demanding. It requires not just precise control over mana, but an enormous amount too. Delicate imagery at odds with sheer volume."
"Why the mana quantity?"
"Opening a portal doesn't mean you can just move through freely. The more weight, mass, energy, and so on that passes through, the more mana it takes to maintain. They call it the 'usage fee' in that field."
Usage fee... He didn't grasp the exact mechanics, but he got the point.
Portals weren't some omnipotent tech where you just scaled up the size for easy transport.
Separate from the passage size, factors like throughput and distance demanded fine control and vast mana.
"I had no idea. It's more complex and impressive than I thought."
"You sound just like someone who's tried it himself."
"......"
"...Have you?"
"Uh... Yes. Didn't I mention it?"
Oliver pulled out a spare sheet of paper he'd prepared.
He held one in each hand and activated them as is.
Woooong... Chaaaang!... Wooong.
Two portals formed on the sheets of paper.
Merlin observed them silently.
Though Oliver couldn't read his emotions past the mana barrier, Merlin's expression looked quite serious.
"...Hm."
After watching for a while, Merlin gathered mana into a bead at his fingertip and flicked it over.
It was just a clump of mana—harmless.
The bead floated slowly into Oliver's portal and emerged from the other side.
Woooong—pop.
The portals' mana depleted, shrinking slightly before dissipating.
"How'd you come up with it?"
Oliver folded the used papers and tucked them away before explaining.
After seeing the utility of space magic, he'd thought it'd be handy for himself and experimented a few times until he made these. As Merlin said, creating portals over long distances without aids was tough, so he used paper as a medium.
"You mimicked me?"
"Yes. Your method with paper was really impressive. If it bothers you...?"
Merlin thought for a moment and shook his head.
"...No, not bothered. Just surprised. Thinking about mimicking and actually doing it are two different things."
Oliver tilted his head at the cryptic remark.
Merlin waved it off as if it didn't matter and continued.
"...Anyway, you said you've used it."
"Yes. With the Kel Free Independence Army. I moved one corpse doll during the suppression. Later, twice with two people and three zombies, plus this demo—four times total. Luckily, I never hit a usage fee shortage like you mentioned."
"Hm, lucky you... Very lucky."
"I think so too. What happens if the fee's insufficient?"
"The portal could explode or dump you into an unknown space."
"Unknown space?"
"Yeah. As I said, space magic is relatively new. Vast territory to research."
"Ah... I see."
"Best to hold off on using it from now on."
"Pardon? Why?"
"Disappointed?"
"Yes, it's really convenient."
He meant it. It gave a huge edge in escapes or maneuvers during jobs.
And in combat, it offered great unpredictability.
He'd summoned Duncan to crush close-range weaklings and pinned a field mage with zombies.
"I get it. Still, I recommend restraint. We quietly wrapped things up with Martel... er, the School of Life, but that old codger's persistent. If he learns your talents, he'll hound you. Not ordering you, but for my sake, hold off for now."
"Ah... Understood. But some people have seen me use it or know about it—is that okay?"
"Who?"
Oliver mentioned Arthur and the field mage, but skipped mission details.
"Field mage?"
"Yes. Black hair, red skin. From the School of Elements, he said. Do you know him? Name's Kevin Dunba."
"He even gave you his name?"
"You know him?"
"Yeah. Talented enough to be a redskin, but joined the School of Elements... His pride's sky-high; he never gives his name first. Must've really taken to you."
"Didn't seem like it, but that's a relief."
"What'd you fight over?"
"Um, sorry, but mission nature means I can't say."
"Then you shouldn't have brought it up."
"I don't like lying to you, sir. You're my temporary master, after all."
"'Temporary master'—quite touching."
"Glad you think so. So, please don't pry into that part."
"Not flattery... Tell me about the fight, and I'll drop it."
Merlin said while scribbling in his notebook.
He looked serious, so Oliver described his battle with Kevin as instructed.
It had left an impression on him too, so he recounted it faithfully. Merlin listened intently, jotting notes with a grave expression.
"You absorbed Kevin's mana?"
"Yes... Well, I only meant to extract it, but he forced it into me. Said it'd overload me."
"Textbook move. But you're fine?"
"Yes..."
"No racing heart, neck tension, dizziness, fever—nothing?"
"Didn't check every symptom, but nothing like that."
Merlin fell silent, then spoke again.
"Take off your shirt and turn around for a bit. Need to check something."
Oliver neatly removed his shirt, hung it aside, and turned.
Merlin gathered mana at his fingertip and pressed it to Oliver's back.
The mana entered his body—not just entering, but spreading like threads, applying a special incantation to probe around before slowly fading.
"........."
"........."
"...Sir?"
"Well, now."
"Something wrong?"
"Must be more tired than I thought. We'll check later."
"Pardon?"
"Even I can fail sometimes. No mercy for us old folks."
"No, I didn't mean—"
"—When an adult speaks, don't talk back. It's rude."
"........."
"Hey, don't give me that look... Anyway, I'm beat today. That's enough."
Merlin abruptly ended things. Oliver found it odd but couldn't read his emotions, so he just nodded.
Despite claiming fatigue, he'd conjured a portal instantly—pure magic, no aids.
Rare even among School of Space mages. A sudden question arose.
Merlin's magic spanned scales, unbound by school limits.
Ice, lightning, space—he wielded all like his own.
"Something on your mind?"
"If it's not rude, may I ask one question?"
"Yeah, it is rude. Don't hassle this old man—let me rest. Damn kids these days... Stop with that look."
Like shooing a bird from the yard, Merlin pushed Oliver's back, shoving him into a portal.
Oliver had no choice but to go along.
Once Oliver was gone and the portal closed, Merlin—contrary to his words—cracked his knuckles, finished his notes from their talk, and stared at them with a subtle expression. He set the notebook on the desk, pulled a bottle from the tea chest, and uncorked it.
He took a sip and muttered.
"Scary..."