Chapter 200
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Ranes (1)
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"What the hell do you mean by that...? Care to repeat yourself, you son of a bitch?"
The man's voice turned vicious.
He had finally found a new vessel—one so rare that even across all of humanity, he couldn't be sure another would ever turn up. He'd pulled every string, made every call, but the bastard hadn't budged an inch.
And now, after he had failed, this guy finally shows his face.
If this prick had stepped in too, things might have gone differently.
But even in the face of the man's fury, his counterpart responded indifferently.
"Have you forgotten what you did when we stepped away and you acted on your own?"
"You think that's the same as now, you bastard?"
"How crude."
"Ha, really..."
Part of him wanted to rip apart the space making up that bastard's body and hurl it to the other side of the continent.
Unfortunately, he didn't even have the strength left for that.
This time, he'd really pushed too far.
His opponent seemed to sense it, tilting his head.
"Someone out there who could force you to break the 'rules' that badly?"
"Didn't you read the request I sent, you prick?"
"No. Didn't have the time."
"Wow."
Maybe he should just kill the asshole and be done with it.
The urge surged up for a moment, but he barely held it back. Instead, he chucked the hip flask in his hand.
The other man caught it casually, uncapped it, and took a swig.
"Hm. Not bad at all. Not quite on par with what His Majesty bestowed upon me back in the day, though."
"Cut the crap and spit it out."
"Very well."
With that, the uniformed man settled onto a nearby crystal.
Was it because of the dark red uniform he wore? His reflection gleamed in the mirror-like crystals surrounding them, casting a slight shadow over the area.
"So, what happened?"
"You son of a bitch?"
The man's blood pressure spiked again at the serious face spouting nonsense, but he shook his head.
"Aden. Got done in by that old bastard. Plus, I'm paying the price for breaking the 'rules' too."
"Sword Spirit Aden? A human with some decent skill. If we'd met back then, he might've threatened my position. But did you really need to face him head-on?"
"A few of our recent undercover ops went up in smoke. Especially the one messing with the imperial family—got caught, and everything blew up in an instant."
"That must've hurt."
"Not just that. The spirit rampage research got set back big time too."
"So you got antsy and made a move yourself?"
The uniformed man frowned slightly as he spoke up to that point.
"Why the rush?"
The man before him wasn't the type to get hasty like this.
He'd endured for centuries already.
And yet, now he was acting so recklessly?
The uniformed man couldn't quite wrap his head around it.
"Call it a hunch."
"A hunch."
The response was so offhand it felt empty, but the uniformed man didn't dismiss it lightly.
"Makes sense, coming from someone like you, from beyond the stars."
"Yeah, well. Even if I hadn't stepped in, the imperial family probably sniffed us out by now."
"What triggered it?"
"One mage... let's leave it at that."
"A mage?"
At the uniformed man's reaction—like he'd never heard the name before—the man glanced around for something to throw.
"The new vessel, you son of a bitch! How many times did I pass info your way?!"
"Don't overreact. We're busy on this end too. You know that."
"That's why I had to move alone."
"And you failed."
"You fucker?"
"Don't mock a loyal hound."
"Fine, you prick then."
"Hm."
The uniformed man fell into thought for a moment before speaking.
"Anyway, the fallout from your failure isn't small. We'll have to accelerate our plans here too."
"Do what you want. Maybe you'll crash and burn like me."
"I'm not like you."
"Ha."
Was he, really?
From the organization's perspective, success was mandatory. But looking at the man before him, cheering him on felt impossible.
"Take care of yourself anyway. Plenty to do."
"Sigh... I don't even have the energy to curse anymore."
"Good. One last thing before I go: what's the new vessel's name?"
"Jun. Leads the White Whale Mercenary Corps."
"Got it."
With those final words, the uniformed man vanished.
Left alone, the man closed his eyes wearily.
"Still... not a total loss, I guess."
It was a painful result, full of losses. But he'd salvaged some solid research gains.
With that, he let himself be content and slowly shut his eyes.
Ranes.
The Ranes that Jun had seen in the game was a woman of bold, hearty character in many ways.
Maybe that's what Eleanor would be like once she aged a bit and gained some more polish.
"So you're the mage from the rumors."
She showed up without any warning.
Along with her disciple, Belles.
"...Greetings, Tower Master Ranes."
"Hm..."
In the brief pause, just as Jun had sized up Ranes...
She sized him up too.
Unlike Jun, though, she stared openly before turning to Belles at her side.
"He's an excellent mage, Master."
"I can tell. Wait outside for a bit."
"Pardon?"
No way... She'd guided her all the way here, and now this instant dismissal?
Isn't that too much? The thought crossed Belles's mind, but she lacked the guts to say it to her master.
In the end, Belles bowed her head deeply and stepped out of the lodging. Ranes naturally took a seat at the chair.
"...!"
But in that short time, Jun felt the wave of mana spreading through the area.
It was so subtle and natural that without his Demon God Body, even he might not have noticed.
"Sit."
"...Yes."
"Seeing you up close, unlike the reports, I get it now."
"What do you mean?"
"It's been a while, disciple of Damian."
"...!!"
Jun's body went rigid in an instant.
It had been so long since his emotions slipped his control like this.
"Well, from that look, things didn't end well between you two. Anyone could tell just from that thing around your neck."
"You know about my master's incantation?"
"How could I not? It's a spell infused with that bastard's nasty temperament."
"..."
"No need to tense up like that, child. Belles, Shylock... I owe you quite a bit. No reason to go blabbing."
"I see."
"Same goes for that special constitution of yours."
If Jun hadn't known Ranes's info from the game...
Right now, he'd have marked her as an enemy.
"You look like you've been through hell. Makes sense why someone with your skills still holds a Tower Exile title."
"Why are you here?"
Jun respected and acknowledged the woman named Ranes.
But that didn't mean he wanted to dwell on unwelcome topics.
He steered the conversation bluntly, but Ranes showed no intention of following.
"Interesting mages always catch my eye. Belles made quite the fuss."
"...I've received a lot of help from her too."
"She's lacking compared to you. Still better than most idiots out there. She clings to weird preconceptions sometimes, but she has an open mind too."
"I got that impression."
At first, she'd picked senseless fights about decorum, then accepted defeat gracefully and stuck by Jun ever since.
Hard not to be impressed.
"But not on your level."
"What brings this on...?"
"She's talented and good-hearted, better than most mages... but child, next to you, she's a firefly before the sun."
"I heard she's your prized disciple. Isn't that a bit harsh?"
Belles would've bawled if she heard that.
"Just stating facts. No intent to flatter falsely or belittle her."
"Yes..."
He'd quietly looked forward to meeting Ranes, but somehow, the longer they talked, the more drained he felt.
Maybe the earlier topic had sapped his mental energy.
"No thoughts of joining the Tower even now?"
"No. You know my constitution."
"I could be your shadow."
"I've got enough shade."
"I see. You're a wildflower."
She pondered briefly before continuing.
"Heard you have some free time lately. How about following me for a bit and learning?"
"That feels like too much."
Though Ranes's Tower got flak from orthodox mages for lacking dignity...
Most of those traditionalists lagged behind her in skill.
Her visiting in person fit her love for talented mages.
But dragging him around? Different story.
As a battle mage, she was a strict master who threw disciples into combat only after rigorous steps.
She'd never bent that rule, not once.
For her to take Jun along personally...
The mage world would take notice.
"You're scared."
"..."
And Ranes pierced right through his psyche.
"Unlike your bold path so far, you're awfully cautious about that side. Something specific?"
"You already know without asking."
Jun tapped the choker around his neck as he spoke.
"My so-called master went after my heart. Volcanic Mage Tower too."
"Oh?"
But Ranes's interest only grew.
Both towers Jun named had crumbled.
One mage toppling two towers.
Admittedly, neither compared to her own.
But it meant Jun had guarded his secrets well.
'She might even hold a grudge against me.'
Too rash? Regret crept in late.
Her disciples had warned her before.
That her recklessness would bite her someday.
She'd laughed it off—her, ignoring the imperial gaze?
Yet this mage made it real.
"I came on too strong. Sorry."
"..."
At least she hadn't earned outright hostility yet.
Ranes was resolute, but not clueless.
She was sharp, especially there.
She'd survived the throne wars and built her tower.
'Not that she hates my personality... probably just her past and constitution she doesn't want to discuss.'
If anything, she was engaging this much thanks to his directness.
No need to shift stances then.
Ranes pressed on.
"What would it take for you to follow me?"
Jun's eyes widened slightly. An 8th-circle archmage saying that? Unheard of.