Chapter 238
Chapter 238
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 238
Chapter Title: Uninvited Guest (6)
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Aphria's Chancellor, Aron van Tailerent.
The life of Aron, who had passed middle age and entered his later years, had never been entirely smooth sailing. There had been all sorts of crises, and as the scion of a prestigious family, he had often been caught up in power struggles.
It wouldn't be accurate to say he'd weathered every storm under the sun, but his life had hardly been ordinary.
No matter what major incident arose, he would merely tear out a few strands of his own hair and laugh it off. There were times he couldn't laugh it away, but somehow, Aron always managed to accept whatever came his way without much difficulty.
In the end, it all boiled down to the same thing.
Even the crises he'd once made a huge fuss over in his youth seemed like nothing in hindsight.
'That's why you must always stay calm.'
That was the life truth Aron always reminded himself of.
"What the fuck is this..."
And now.
"Are you insane?"
Aron lost his composure.
His eyes widened in shock.
Thwack!
The young female professor's slipper struck the guest's shin with devastating force. The sound was so resounding that the murmuring students fell silent all at once.
"Argh!"
The guest's scream echoed next.
As the guest collapsed dramatically to the floor, Aron van Tailerent sensed the crisis of a lifetime.
The professor had kicked the guest in the shin.
Even if it had been an ordinary guest, it would have been a massive problem, but Aron knew the identity of the man now sprawled on the floor, muttering something insane like, 'Truly, as the rumors say, a spicy lady...'
'Th-the Ancient Dragon Mage...!'
A figure who commanded the respect of all mages.
A being who had lived for tens of thousands of years, a god-like existence still breathing upon this land—that was the true identity of this guest.
「Long time no see, Aron!」
「You're balding more magnificently by the day! It suits you splendidly!」
About an hour ago, the Ancient Dragon Mage had barged into the chancellor's office, immediately commenting on Aron's hair.
「I arrived in the capital a few days early before the festival and had nothing much to do. So, I thought I'd drop by to see the face of that once-in-a-millennium genius making waves, and check on your hair situation while I was at it.」
He had demanded a tour of Aphria from Aron. Aron had accepted the proposal with a trembling heart.
It was bewildering, but also a tremendous honor.
The god of mages was showing interest in the magic academy he had founded. Aron felt flustered yet delighted by the fact.
'If the Ancient Dragon Mage were to even offer some guidance to the students...!'
It would become a holy site.
Just imagining the students' ecstatic faces filled Aron's heart to the brim.
That had been the story an hour ago.
"Wow, what the hell is this?"
And now time had passed to the present.
"What the hell is this guy? Chancellor."
Lania pointed at the Ancient Dragon Mage sprawled on the floor and asked her question. Her face, with her bangs swept back, was full of irritation.
"H-Huh... Hah..."
Aron felt his breath quicken as he reached for his hair. But on his smooth forehead, not even a handful of strands remained to grasp.
Who was he?
The god of mages.
The Ancient Dragon Mage, revered by all.
Those were the words he should have spoken, but Aron couldn't bring himself to say them. The curious gazes of the seated students filled his vision.
'...Kids who idolize the Ancient Dragon Mage.'
Aron was an educator and the academy's steward.
That meant he had a duty to protect the children.
'Their innocence must be preserved.'
Aron clung to his fading sanity and slowly... very slowly opened his mouth.
"He's a great mage who has come to visit Aphria from abroad. Yes, a very great one."
Lania's eyebrow twitched at the word 'great'.
"......"
With a sour expression, Lania took a step back, and the Ancient Dragon Mage on the floor slowly rose to his feet.
"A fatal blow, lady."
Then he winked and pointed at her with two fingers. Lania's face crumpled completely.
Thwack!
In the end, Lania's fist slammed into the Ancient Dragon Mage's abdomen.
"Guhk!"
Under the watching eyes of the students, the Ancient Dragon Mage took the punch and tumbled out the classroom door into the hallway, his head drooping limply.
Aron felt his mind going blank.
2.
Of course, a mere attack like that wouldn't fell a mage who had lived for tens of thousands of years. I grabbed the acting Ancient Dragon Mage by the collar and hauled him up.
"Let's go somewhere without people."
"Oh, if it's a date invitation, I welcome—"
"Do you really want to get beaten to death?"
My fingers cracked menacingly. The Ancient Dragon Mage gave a wry smile and turned his gaze to Chancellor Aron.
"I have some private business to discuss with this young lady, so I'll be off. Thanks for the guidance, Aron."
"Uh, uh-uh-uh..."
"Don't panic. Cherish those few remaining hairs."
The Ancient Dragon Mage brushed the dust off his clothes with a few pats. His suit had somehow transformed into the robe of an ancient dragon.
Swish.
Bluish hair cascaded down.
Returning to the form I remembered, the Ancient Dragon Mage reached into empty air. Though grasping at nothing, in his hand appeared an ancient wooden staff.
Thud!
The staff struck the floor.
With that alone, dozens of circuits unfolded in the air, and platinum starlight bloomed. The Ancient Dragon Mage addressed the starlight.
"Open a door for me, friend."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [The deal has been established.] No price had been paid.
Yet the star opened a door of shimmering platinum light before the Ancient Dragon Mage.
"Let's go in."
It was a sight I'd seen multiple times, yet one I still couldn't comprehend.
Feeling a surge of displeasure, I followed the Ancient Dragon Mage through the door.
Whoosh!
When the enveloping starlight faded, the changed scenery was a vast garden. A single tea table sat upon it.
A place located between the mortal realm and the otherworld.
This special space, accessible only to the Ancient Dragon Mage, blended traits of both realms. The Ancient Dragon Mage walked through the sunlit garden and pulled out a chair.
"Ladies first."
Was this guy truly mad?
I scowled and shot back sarcastically.
"You're old; your back must hurt. Why don't you sit first?"
"Haha. Though I've lived tens of thousands of years, I always live with the body and heart of a young man. I'd appreciate it if you refrained from calling me an old man."
He let out a hearty laugh and narrowed his eyes.
"Besides, even an old man awaiting death would have a healthier body than yours."
His golden eyes gleamed.
"Isn't that right? Raniel van Trias."
The ancient dragon smiled.
"Taboo-breaking mage."
3.
The Ancient Dragon Mage I remembered was playful, yet profoundly serious and worthy of respect.
「Rosel has raised an excellent disciple.」
I had met the Ancient Dragon Mage twice.
I'd crossed paths with him once or so during my time as Next Mage Tower Lord, but I truly understood his existence after the black dragon subjugation.
「You have succeeded in subjugating a calamity that dominated this land for centuries. This is an achievement worthy of the highest praise. I offer you my respects.」
He descended from his jade throne and knelt before Kyle and me. The sight of the greatest mage kneeling and bowing his head is an unforgettable memory.
「Dragons and those who worship them are all my kin. It should have been my role to save kin who strayed from the path, but it was beyond me.」
He had said those words with his head bowed.
「Praise to the great heroes who achieved this feat.」
Afterward, he hosted a banquet with a few jokes. And at least up until then, I hadn't noticed anything odd about the Ancient Dragon Mage.
So that was why.
"Why are you acting like this when you already know everything?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know who I am. Yet earlier, you were laying on that buttery 'lady' nonsense..."
"Heh, you don't understand, Ashen Mage."
I never could have imagined it.
"The past doesn't matter. The present does. And in the present, you're a beautiful lady. Among the women I've seen over tens of thousands of years, you're in the top five..."
"Have you truly lost your mind?"
"I'm always in my right mind. Unbound by the past, unconstrained by common sense, living only for the now—a thoroughly enlightened soul."
That the Ancient Dragon Mage would be so frivolous, a womanizer, a doddering old fool... I could never have dreamed it.
"It means I strive to live youthfully."
"If you're old, live accordingly—for the good of the world."
"Tch, at that, I have nothing more to say."
The Ancient Dragon Mage smiled wryly.
I sighed and questioned him.
"So you do recognize me."
"How could I not?"
"...Everyone connected to the stars couldn't recognize me. They whispered I wasn't a star."
"They are slaves to the stars, but I am a friend to them."
He took a sip of tea.
"My relationship with the stars isn't vertical. It's horizontal. Sometimes, a friend's words must go in one ear and out the other."
He narrowed his eyes.
His golden pupils glowed serenely.
"But some words cannot be ignored."
Tap. He drummed the table.
"I heard you placed your lifespan on the scales, Ashen Mage. More than once, even."
"I needed to."
"Yet that's a taboo."
Taboo, taboo.
A sneer escaped my lips.
"I had to do it to face taboo-breakers and fate-defiers with my bare body. I used everything I could."
"Do you not know why it's called a taboo?"
"I knew and did it anyway."
It was the only answer available.
"And I'm the one who must bear the full consequences. If you're not going to help shoulder them, don't interfere. Frankly, it's unpleasant."
I narrowed my eyes.
"These aren't words I want to hear from someone who hasn't paid any price."
"...You truly resemble him."
The Ancient Dragon Mage sighed.
"Centuries ago, the great sage who broke the taboo gave me the exact same response."
"You're talking about Cardi?"
"Yes. Cardi van Armiel. The only mage who could challenge me."
He touched the area around his eye.
A burn scar marred his left eye. After a brief silence, the Ancient Dragon Mage let out a long sigh.
"I didn't come to say all this. In truth, it's more of an obligatory question."
The Ancient Dragon Mage smiled wryly.
"I have a duty to check the mental state of taboo-breakers. Fortunately, your mind seems perfectly healthy."
Pure, upright, and straightforward as always.
He murmured that and looked at me.
"Beauties like you are rare. I mean beautiful in spirit, as a human. Of course, it includes beauty in appearance too!」
With a face full of mischief, the ancient dragon continued.
"That's why, using the Night of Mages as cover, I plan to bestow a little something on you."
...Bestow?
"Not as Raniel van Trias, but as Lania van Trias, I hope you settle into that identity."
Not understanding, I blinked.
"What do you...?"
"Don't you have a title I granted you?"
I did. Mage recognized by the Ancient Dragon Mage, and sage.
"I'm thinking of granting something similar again."
"...Grant it again?"
"Sage. And the other title, I'll reveal on the night of the Night of Mages. Look forward to it."
He winked at me playfully.
Looking at his face made bile rise in my throat, and I dry-heaved.
"Ouch, that hurts."
"Cut the crap. Seriously."
"Even your foul-mouthedness is to my taste. There'll be a ball at the Night of Mages—how about a dance with me...?"
I pointed a finger.
The tip aimed at his right eye.
"Want a scar on that eye too?"
"Ooh."
The ancient dragon clicked his tongue.
Seeing him lean back in mock horror, it seemed an effective threat.
"No?"
But only for a moment.
Stroking his chin thoughtfully, the Ancient Dragon Mage's golden eyes gleamed as he added,
"I rather like it."
Was he really insane?
The uninvited guest was truly an unwelcome intruder.
📰 Author's Note The Ancient Dragon Mage's Top 5 Beauty Ranking is as follows. 1. The Last Queen of Arcadia 2. First Love 3. Gleria, who resembles my first love 4. Lania van Trias (New!) 5. Lord of the Shadow Dragon