Chapter 322
Chapter 322
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 322
Chapter Title: Archmage Hailez
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The title of Archmage was one bestowed upon only a single individual per era, even in Runeterra.
It signified the greatest mage of that time. Truly, it was a name granted solely to the idol worshipped by all mages.
Thus, the moment Murray faced Hailez, his heart couldn't help but race.
'Why is the Archmage here?'
The question arose briefly, but Murray shook his head.
The answer was already clear. Hadn't he heard it plainly? That the older sister had brought him.
The thought of why stemmed from his own cowardice and fear. He desperately wished it wasn't true.
Cold sweat beaded on Murray's forehead as he gazed at Hailez.
Through her transparent glasses, Murray's and Hailez's eyes met.
What if his magic reached her? Should he launch a surprise attack? His mind swirled with frantic, scattered thoughts.
It was then.
"So that's how it was."
"No wonder."
Soo-hyuk's and Si-woo's deflated voices made Murray's head snap toward them.
The two removed the masks covering their faces. In that instant, Hailez's face lit up.
"Oh! You two!"
"We know each other, right?"
"Me too."
Soo-hyuk and Hailez had met twice in recent times. Si-woo and she had crossed paths long ago, but they were acquainted.
'Who would've thought we'd meet like this.'
He had planned to seek her out once things progressed further. Dealing with the Red Tower would surely require her help at some point.
Yet meeting her here suggested the Red Tower had committed grave sins indeed.
This encounter would lead them straight to ruin.
"Si-woo oppa, long time no see. Fancy meeting here of all places?"
Hailez approached with a bright smile, delighted to see familiar faces in such an unexpected spot.
"We saw each other last time too. From afar, though."
"Ah, right. During the Hydra raid, wasn't it?"
"You already greeted Soo-hyuk?"
"No. We didn't even exchange a word."
"Why not?"
"What was there to say? It was during a stream."
"Oh, yeah. That's right."
Murray stared blankly at their conversation.
Even granting they knew each other, the atmosphere was far too friendly. They had said they came to rescue the children too.
"It's strange, isn't it?"
Murray jolted to attention at Soo-hyuk's sudden question and nodded vigorously.
"Y-yes. What in the world is going on..."
Murray glanced at the child Hailez had pointed to. The child was trembling and hiding behind Murray's leg since Hailez appeared.
The child didn't seem to be lying. He truly believed Hailez had brought him here.
"Is the child under a spell?"
"It's not magic."
Hailez shook her head at Si-woo's guess.
"I don't sense any traces of mana from the child."
"Then?"
"Well, even I don't know that much."
Murray had already checked if the child was under some magical hypnosis. The results matched what Hailez said.
"By the way, Murray, why are you here?"
Hailez and Murray, both Red Tower mages, naturally knew each other by sight.
Not close friends, just familiar faces.
Yet Hailez's gaze toward Murray wasn't kindly.
Soo-hyuk, noticing this, spoke calmly.
"You hoped all the Red Tower mages in your hands would die."
"...?"
Hailez's expression turned puzzled, as if asking what that meant.
He'd wondered why Red Tower mages had been sent here in the first place.
"A grand mage discovered in the Black Tower. If the Red Tower mages sent to investigate were wiped out by that grand mage's hand?"
Murray looked at Soo-hyuk with a strange gaze and asked.
"You wanted us to fight?"
"That would have been their greatest hope. Even if not, it wouldn't have mattered."
"Wouldn't have mattered?"
"If you returned without fighting, what would you report? That the Archmage kidnapped the children, right?"
Murray's pupils shook visibly. That was answer enough.
From watching him climb the tower, Soo-hyuk knew he was more rigid and justice-driven than any mage he'd encountered.
Why send Red Tower mages? Why Murray of all people?
The answer lay in this very situation.
"Honestly, you're still suspicious, aren't you?"
"..."
Murray affirmed with silence.
He still suspected everything.
In his mind, Hailez was the Red Tower's esteemed Archmage, but the children's testimony and circumstances pointed to her as the mastermind.
"If what you say is true..."
Murray closed his eyes briefly, then looked around.
"It means these children are lying. Why would they?"
"They're not lying."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Why bother casting magic on these children? It would just leave evidence."
Soo-hyuk said this as he put his mask back on.
The action shocked Murray. Why hadn't he thought of something so simple? He berated himself.
"Someone disguised themselves as Lady Hailez."
Hailez's face was famous enough that anyone who knew magic could mimic it to some degree.
But who would have the guts to impersonate the Archmage? Did they not know the consequences?
Apparently, someone did.
Someone whose gall had burst out of their belly.
"That's the most likely scenario right now."
"What could their goal be?"
"They can't overpower the Archmage with force. If force fails, tarnish her reputation and make it official."
Hailez snorted at Soo-hyuk's words.
"As if that would get me caught."
Hailez was known as the only one to reach the Heavenly Demon realm. If she wished, no one could capture her.
"Capturing Hailez would be their second objective."
"Second? Then what's first?"
"What else? The most valuable thing Hailez possesses."
"My most valuable possession..."
Hailez's eyes blazed red.
"Neila, huh."
The moment she thought of her most prized possession, she guessed who orchestrated this.
To Hailez, her greatest treasure wasn't her vast wealth, the Legend-grade staff Dragon Bane, or the divine item Ebony Wing said to house the unknown.
It was the title that symbolized her: Archmage.
"That damned fox schemed this to steal my title?"
Hailez's eyes burned like a sea of flames.
She suppressed her rage outwardly for the children's sake.
Her hat, Ebony Wing—one of the five divine items in existence—floated higher.
"No."
Si-woo stopped her.
"If you go kill Neila now, it'll be irreversible."
"I couldn't even if I tried. That fox would've accounted for this."
Hailez's fiery gaze cooled at Si-woo and Soo-hyuk's words.
They were right. Would someone provoke the world's Archmage without preparation?
Never. Neila prized her life as much as her appearance.
"So I should just endure this?"
"Of course not."
Soo-hyuk shook his head.
"Go together and report exactly what happened. That the Black Tower kidnapped the children. They even impersonated the Archmage."
"That's...!"
Murray's eyes widened in shock.
He could instantly picture the consequences without deep thought.
"Absolutely not. It could spark a war!"
A war between Red Tower and Black Tower equated to war between Runeterra and the Abyss.
It wouldn't end with a few deaths. Thousands, tens of thousands could die or be injured. The fragile peace of the towers might shatter.
"If necessary, it must be done."
Unlike the worried Murray, Soo-hyuk had already decided.
"Afraid of war, would you ignore this atrocity?"
Soo-hyuk asked the awakened children if they knew Laura.
Thankfully, Mercyan's words weren't entirely false. A few of the sleeping children knew her.
"How do you know my sister?"
The child who mustered the courage to ask was named Moran.
One of the siblings' names Laura had mentioned. As the second eldest after Laura, he was protecting the others.
"I made a promise with your sister Laura. That I'd definitely bring you all back."
"Really?"
"Yes. So head back first and wait. I'll bring the others too."
Soo-hyuk made the same promise to Moran as he had to Laura. Then he turned to Murray.
"Please take care of these children. Escort them to a safe place."
"And you?"
"We have to stay here. Still work to do."
This wasn't just about rescuing Laura's siblings. Fundamentally, they needed to uncover why this was happening.
Otherwise, another Clementine would emerge somewhere else.
"And Hailez."
"...?"
"Before you go, let's talk a bit."
Hailez looked puzzled at Soo-hyuk's changed tone.
She glanced at Si-woo with a what's with him? expression. Si-woo thought, it's finally here.
"Yeah, plenty to discuss."
Si-woo checked Murray. Even trusting him, not everything could be shared freely.
Fortunately, Hailez caught on.
"No need to go far."
Snap-.
Hailez snapped her fingers.
A pitch-black wall formed around Soo-hyuk, Si-woo, and Hailez, completely isolating them from the outside.
To the eyes, it looked like a wall had appeared, but from outside, the three would seem to vanish.
She had brought Soo-hyuk here the first time they met.
A space utterly cut off from the world.
"This should be good for talking, right?"
No conversation here would leak out unless the space was breached.
"So, what is it? Important talk?"
How crucial could it be?
Soo-hyuk donned his mask instead of answering.
"What's this? Streaming here?"
"You saw this face a lot back then."
With the mask covering most of his face, only his eyes showed.
Soo-hyuk dropped the pretense. Unlike their first meeting, he judged it unnecessary now.
"You removed my mask to figure out who I was, right?"
Hailez's puzzled eyes widened rapidly, not grasping his intent.
Her gaze shifted to Si-woo beside her. She'd meant to ask how they ended up together.
Soo-hyuk pointed to the mask he always wore, iconic as Lee Soo-hyuk's face.
"This time, look the other way around."
"So..."
With an incredulous face, Hailez asked.
"You're Soo-hyuk oppa?"