Chapter 370
Chapter 370
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 370
>Chapter Title: Precious Friend Yongyong
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Tick-tock.
The sound of the clock's second hand echoed through the reception room.
Suuup, whoosh.
Inhaling and exhaling breaths. Amid the pale smoke wafting from between Parun's lips.
Aster subtly turned his gaze. What it landed on was the 'wyvern'.
"This thing..."
[How dare you? This thing?]
The wyvern vented its anger at Aster treating it like an object, but Aster pressed on without a care.
"Shall I introduce you? Aren't you curious?"
"A talking wyvern...? Drake? No idea what it is. Anyway, pretty bizarre, but let's save introductions for after we're done talking."
"Ah, yeah. Oh, by the way, Professor Pelina..."
"She went to meet some merchants. Also to check if the Salvatium crew's up to any tricks. Turns out she's pretty well-versed in that group."
"Aha, got it. But Professor Pelina should be fine, right? The Salvatium might have people on her..."
"You think I didn't check? Only two are tailing us. Could be another lurking in the city somewhere, but nothing confirmed. And those two are solely on me—Professor Pelina's off their radar."
"Still kinda worrying..."
"Desperate, huh."
"......"
Aster clamped his mouth shut.
Parun, at the sight, flashed a rare... exceedingly rare... amused smile as he continued.
"Why? An identity that spells trouble if exposed? Maybe a familiar face. That why you won't spill it?"
"......"
"You know? First time we met, you were about... yeah, this tall."
"......?"
Aster narrowed his eyes. Parun was indicating a point in the air with the hand holding his cigarette, but its meaning eluded him.
Sensing as much, Parun kindly clarified.
"Your height."
"......"
"Four years by the calendar this year? You've shot up a ton since then. Even taller than last I saw. At first, I figured..."
Back at that first meeting.
Maybe just naturally short.
"But you kept growing, bit by bit. That's when I thought... yeah, maybe some secret art you picked up stunted your growth. Late bloomer type. Most arts from the old wars have side effects like that."
"Ah! So that's why I..."
"But."
Parun cut off Aster's babble, took a deep drag on his cigarette, then exhaled a plume of smoke.
"Those arts share one trait. Side effects fade late, growth kicks in, but afterward, your realm starts slipping back bit by bit. You, though? Not you."
"......"
"So, hard to believe, but I considered it. What if you're just hitting puberty—no magical side effects at all."
Tap, tap.
White ash tumbled into the ashtray. Aster took it in silently.
The Parun before him resembled a veteran hunter. One who mapped every escape route, methodically sealing them off, slowly choking the life out.
So what did that make him?
Right—a lone rabbit.
But.
Truth be told, his take was this.
'What've I got to be scared of?'
Sure, he'd freaked out imagining worst-cases beforehand, but now that it was here? Nothing scary about it.
Worst case, it wasn't like he'd scammed Parun or hidden his identity maliciously.
Aster reminded himself over and over: nothing to cower from.
Which was why?
His mind settled.
"So, what?"
"......Hm?"
Parun creased his brow faintly at Aster's unexpected poise. The reaction only fueled Aster's momentum.
"No, come on, us, right? Better off not knowing each other from the start, so we hid it. Yeah? Decullan catches wind, we're both screwed."
"Hm. Entertaining. Go on."
"Nothing more to say. Did I hide 'cause I wanted to? Nah. No crimes on my sheet. But treat me like a criminal? Grill me? Wouldn't that put me in a spot..."
"You really believe that?"
The smile tugging at Parun's lips deepened.
Aster scowled faintly.
"What? Why?"
"I mulled it over. Sure... at first, I let your identity slide for those reasons. Truth is, Henji could've spilled it easy. Or a quick dig around him. Yeah, fair up to there. But..."
Sizzle—
The cigarette ember hissed as it met the ashtray's dampness. Parun didn't stop there, grinding the butt down hard before sweeping back his fallen locks.
"Didn't pry back then... so revealing now should leave you guilt-free. Why the fidgeting?"
"......"
"Guilty conscience, obviously."
Aster stayed silent.
But Parun kept going.
"You bury big secrets deep. Probably no emotional tells either. So it must be something utterly trivial nagging you. Which brings us to: what petty thing?"
By now, Parun was beaming again.
But not the innocent grin from before.
More like... barely containing fury.
"Took me a while because your realm at our first meeting threw me. Dropped the assumptions, though, and it clicked."
"......"
"Henji. Blandoga family. You came via him. But there was this boy with their young patriarch. Gray hair, just like yours."
"......So?"
Aster tossed out the question with an awkward chuckle. His mask hid the smile, of course.
Parun eyed him, then—erupting pent-up rage or tamping it down?—spoke in a murky expression.
"So? Students on first-name terms with professors now?"
"......"
Aster sealed his lips. Meanwhile, Parun chewed out each syllable, packing in restrained fury.
"Don't even try denying. Caught on ages ago. Been seething at your insolence all this time, and today I finally..."
It was then.
[......!]
Flap!
The wyvern snapped its head up, wings unfurling abruptly.
"Wyvern! What's up! Something wrong!"
Aster seized the moment, hollering at the wyvern with all the life of a textbook recitation.
Maybe—just maybe—he could slip this mess.
......But the situation was spiraling far worse than he'd imagined.
[Message came. Yongyong—in danger.]
"......What?"
Yongyong in danger?
"Why's that guy in trouble?"
Yongyong wasn't transcendent-tier, but he could scrap with peak powerhouses knocking on that door.
Auto-win against mages. Coinflip with knights.
And him in danger?
[Go now. Hand!]
The wyvern urged instead of explaining, and Aster scooped up Yongyong.
[Going!]
Fury bubbled at the sheer cheek, but the wyvern's frantic tone had Aster complying without protest.
Professor Pelina burst into the room right then.
"Parun!"
"......What is it?"
She flung the door wide, spotted Aster, and froze for a beat. Moments later, she yelled urgently at Parun.
"Monster wave."
"......?"
Aster and Parun alike failed to parse it, shooting puzzled looks, as Professor Pelina hurriedly elaborated.
"The Salvatium bastards... they triggered a monster wave."
The words barely landed.
Boom!
The dorm wall shattered outward as a figure cleaved through space.
The owner of that ray-of-light silhouette? Aster.
He clutched the whining wyvern tight, face twisting in a scowl.
And thought.
'My ride...'
No—not a ride. The wyvern's precious friend, Yongyong.
Yongyong was in danger.
'Beats me what's going on, but hang in there.'
That much was heartfelt.
* * *
After Aster's departure.
Parun and Professor Pelina roved Megarium, sounding the monster wave alarm.
Just the two of them, but Megarium's guard force didn't dismiss 'former Jenion Academy professors' out of hand—they mobilized at once.
Not solely due to the title, mind.
They'd tapped every connection from their professor days to the fullest. A city of mages, through and through. Response was lightning-quick.
Thus, in under thirty minutes, forces stood ready.
Megarium guards and volunteer mages formed ranks across the plain.
A powerhouse lineup.
Barring a magic noble house, mages in such numbers rarely gathered.
Even accounting for most being ink-stained scholars, no laughing matter.
Meanwhile, Professor Pelina took in the scene with a grim set to her face.
Parun approached right then.
"Senior."
"......Henji's kid brother?"
"Stashed him somewhere safe."
Pelina was inquiring after the Henji brother Parun dragged around as his 'assistant,' nodding at the reply.
"Good. That lunatic dotes on his sibling—had to park him safe first."
"But how'd you know? And..."
"It's legit?"
"......"
Parun answered by scanning the plain.
For all their rush, it lay eerily still.
Professor Pelina laid it out plainly for him.
"Golems."
"......"
One word sufficed.
Pelina had real chops in golem-craft.
Imperial laws barred combat models, but scouts? Doable.
Artifacts sniffed out Salvatium presences, so a scouting golem pinging something of theirs wasn't impossible.
......That said, logic aside.
"......"
Parun eyed the silent plain.
Pelina wasn't one for tall tales—he'd trusted and acted. But the quiet now bred doubt... actually, something odder caught his eye.
"......"
Professor Pelina, gnawing her lip in agitation.
What had her this worked up? This army could vaporize any routine monster wave.
That was Parun's thought when—
"......Coming."
Her whisper in his ear.
Earth's rumble hit next.
Thud, thud-thud-thud—
Footsteps beyond numbering.
Soon, the monster wave's vanguard crested the horizon. Taking it in, Parun grasped Pelina's dread.
Distant, yet sharp.
Red monster eyes.
Skin gone pitch-black.
"......So that's it."
No ordinary beasts.
More like... yeah.
'Demonic Realm monsters, huh.'
Parun's gut screamed it.
This fight wouldn't be a cakewalk.