The Mage Who Knew Too Much
The mage asked, “Do you understand martial arts?”
“Master. What kind of nonsense is that?”
In a quiet mountain valley on the Eastern Continent, a woman dressed in martial robes clicked her tongue in disapproval.
“Ugh, tsk tsk. I knew I shouldn’t have bothered talking to blockheads like you. Stop swinging your swords all day and try to learn something from your youngest junior!”
“Master. It’s already been five years since our youngest junior sister betrayed the sect…”
“Not that damn girl! I’m talking about the one I told you about!”
One of the brighter disciples stood before the raging woman, thought for a moment, then spoke up.
“Um… are you talking about the person from Master’s dream?”
“It’s not a dream! I told you it was a prophetic vision!”
‘A prophetic vision is still a dream, though…’
Though they found it absurd, the disciples couldn’t defy their master, so they simply nodded along.
“Ah, yes… So when exactly will we get to meet this youngest junior brother for real?”
“Now is not the time!”
‘Then when is the time…’
Having heard this same line for years, the disciples were on the verge of losing their minds.
—I’m telling you, Master must have fallen into qi deviation!
—Maybe she’s just lonely and made up an imaginary disciple? She’s still a spinster at that age, after all…
As the disciples whispered among themselves, someone stepped forward to calm them. It was the eldest disciple, the senior sister.
“Enough! Master is currently attempting to ascend and shed her mortal form, so her mind isn’t entirely clear! Shouldn’t we at least try to understand her?”
Crack—
The woman listening from behind had veins bulging on her forehead.
“You dare mock your own master?!”
“Everyone run…! Let’s meet again alive!”
While chaos erupted in the mountains, various figures were swinging their swords. Though they appeared human, each had distinctly colored tails and ears. They were the beastkin—a race that revered martial arts—and today, as always, they trained their bodies with fierce dedication.
‘What are they talking about?’
Philia and Serena were deep in conversation with serious expressions, but not a single word reached my ears. It must have started when Philia brushed against me earlier. Had she secretly cast a soundproofing spell?
She wouldn’t have used magic without a reason, but I couldn’t help being a little curious about what they were saying.
‘Maybe I could try reading their lips…?’
Pinch—
“Ouch.”
The moment I focused on Philia’s mouth, Serena pinched my side. A clear warning not to try anything funny. With no choice, I had to wait until their conversation ended.
Grumbling, I looked out the window and spotted Lucy walking by in the distance. I waved at her, and she soon noticed me, waving back with a puzzled look on her face.
—Ian! What are you doing alone with the young lady? You’re not doing anything weird again, are you?
She was clearly saying something, but I couldn’t hear a thing. It really must have been Philia’s magic. I nodded as if I understood what she meant.
—Ugh, pervert…
Lucy’s face flushed red as she glared at me before walking away. I was completely bewildered.
‘What the hell did I just agree to…?’
It made no sense at all.
“……”
Serena watched Philia, who stood with her arms crossed in deep thought, and urged her on.
“Philia unnie. We’re running out of time.”
“…Sigh. Fine. If it’s for Ian, I have no choice.”
Even for Philia, abandoning her entire foundation here wasn’t easy. She had claimed it was all for Ian, but the truth was she felt some responsibility for Catabel’s destruction in the previous timeline.
Still, she couldn’t drag Ian into danger, so she made her decision firmly. Of course, she wasn’t entirely happy about Serena monopolizing Ian either.
“Give me a moment. I need to analyze the coordinates.”
“Coordinates? You don’t mean…?”
Serena looked at her with rare surprise. Philia’s nose tilted up slightly at the reaction, but she kept her expression neutral.
“Yes. I’ve finally mastered Teleport magic completely.”
Even with the overwhelming mana of a devil, teleportation was an impossible realm without innate calculation ability. Yet Philia had mastered the magic that manipulated space itself.
Her mana was supported by being the devil’s host, but the latter part required Philia’s personal talent. In other words, it proved she possessed the qualities of a grand mage.
With transcendents scattered throughout the city, escaping on foot with just the three of them was impossible. That was why Philia had boldly decided to use spatial magic.
“If I miscalculate the destination coordinates, even we might have trouble escaping. Ian would be in even greater danger.”
Transcendents like them could survive a failed teleportation, but Ian could easily be crushed by spatial pressure and die. For his safety, the calculations had to be perfect.
“Still… I can’t believe that woman actually taught you teleportation…”
High-level magic like teleportation wasn’t something one could learn casually. Spatial magic required innate talent just to begin studying it, so it was usually kept as a precious treasure on the top floor of the Magic Tower.
Philia had learned it from a fellow mage who had been her comrade at the time.
‘She taught her spatial magic that easily?’
—I-Ian, d-don’t leave meee.
In Serena’s memory, the mage had been a bit excessively obsessed with Ian. She had made such a fuss every time she taught magic that Serena was genuinely curious how Philia had managed to coax the high-level spell out of her.
“…We made a deal back then.”
“A deal? What kind?”
At Serena’s question, Philia’s face turned red and she awkwardly turned her head away.
“…I let her have a turn.”
“……?”
Serena couldn’t understand at all. What exactly had she given up in exchange for learning teleportation?
After hesitating for a long time, Philia finally spoke.
“I let her sleep with Ian…”
“You crazy bitch.”
‘Crazy bitch.’
The thought and words came out at the same time as Serena stared at Philia with utter contempt. Even Philia had nothing to say in her own defense. She naturally strengthened the soundproofing spell she had cast on Ian.
Serena looked at Philia in horror, then turned her gaze to Ian, who was waiting blankly beside them. Philia also glanced at Ian, feeling unfairly accused.
Ian, who had been waiting quietly, suddenly found both women staring at him with strange looks. For some reason, he felt like he had done something wrong.
‘It feels similar to the look Lucy gave me earlier…’
“…Done. Preparations are complete.”
Having finished her calculations, Philia signaled Serena to get ready.
“Where are we going?”
“The most secret place on the continent.”
A hidden sanctuary built during the ancient kingdom era by the greatest prophet of the time. It was a refuge prepared for the apocalypse, known as the Ark.
The moment Serena heard Philia’s words, she showed uncharacteristic reluctance.
“Philia unnie. Isn’t it still too early for that place?”
They had visited it before, so they knew very well that the Ark was far more dangerous than a simple shelter.
“It is a bit risky, but it’s to protect Ian. I can accept this much danger.”
“…Sigh. Fine. Shouldn’t we explain it to Ian oppa separately?”
“As long as it doesn’t involve regression, it should be fine. We can explain the details once we get there.”
“Alright. Then… let’s go.”
Whoooong—
Philia immediately cast the teleportation spell. A blue magic circle enveloped the three of them.
Just before they moved—
—Found you at last.
A familiar voice echoed in both women’s ears.
‘That voice… it can’t be…!’
Philia tried to cancel her magic immediately, but the massive amount of mana already injected made it impossible to stop midway.
“W-wait! Bianca! No!”
Philia shouted, but naturally her voice didn’t reach the woman who was impossibly far away.
—I’ll be taking Ian with me. Th-thank you, Philia. I’m glad I taught you that spell back then.
Before Serena could thrust her sword in frustration, a brilliant flash of light swallowed all three of them.
—Kyaaong.
A small creature that had been hiding nearby stared intently at the spot where they vanished, then let out a pitiful cry and disappeared somewhere.
“Haha…”
The mage locked away in her small room laughed bitterly.
It had already been a month since her food ran out. She no longer had the strength to move. All she could do was wait for death day after day.
Outside, every kind of destruction raged wildly, and the environment had become increasingly hellish for humans to survive in.
‘What’s the point of living in a world like this?’
Her brilliant intellect had become both a blessing and a curse.
Her vision blurred as her vital functions began to shut down. Just before the end—
Creak—
“?”
The man discovered the collapsed mage.