Chapter 27
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Reunion at the Guild
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“Phew, so just 10 gold would do it?”
Anyway, if money was the problem, he could always earn it. Sure, it was a hefty sum that would take some time, but it wasn't an insurmountable issue.
“Well, for starters, yeah... but let's take a look here.”
The association mage finally bothered to skim over the application Ruyan had filled out.
Less than ten seconds later, he snorted derisively and flung the papers aside.
“Well, well, what's this nonsense? One mage affiliated with a school? And no formal training to boot?”
“I simply wrote the facts. Is that a problem?”
“What do you take a magic school for? If any riffraff wants to play around with magic, why bother with a school in the first place!”
Ruyan had tolerated the man's insolence a few times already, but now the association mage was starting to cross the line.
‘Remarkable that you're still breathing. The rude don't tend to last long.’
Tolerance wasn't the mark of a fool. A strong man's patience was a virtue.
But letting it slide when the other was blatantly looking down on him was a different story altogether.
‘Tch. No reasoning with this one.’
Ruyan despised those blind to true character—the ones who crossed boundaries without a second thought.
“Your mouth runs far too freely.”
In the end, a chilling baritone leaked from Ruyan's lips.
It was mere words, yet the atmosphere in the room shifted in an instant.
Shaaaa...
The air turned frigid, freezing solid as the entire world bore down heavily on the mage.
The presence of an absolute being who could bend nature itself through sheer will alone!
Ruyan's eyes flashed for a split second, unleashing an overwhelming pressure that no one could defy.
Sssshhh.
‘Guh, what the hell is this?’
The association mage's breath suddenly caught in his throat. His eyes bulged wide as he stared at Ruyan.
But the moment their gazes locked on Ruyan's merciless glare, he couldn't hold out even a second before flattening his head in submission.
The mage lacked the courage to meet that horrifying stare.
Before he knew it, his body was trembling uncontrollably, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
‘What did he do? No magic was cast...’
The association mage couldn't comprehend what was happening to him.
It was only natural. He'd never experienced anything like it before.
This was primal terror.
The suffocating dread of standing before a being who could dispense death at any moment.
‘R-run... I have to run!’
The mage desperately wanted to bolt from the spot right then and there, but he couldn't even manage that much.
It felt as if an invisible giant had him in its iron grip—he couldn't budge an inch.
One second. Two seconds.
A mere fleeting moment, yet in that span, the mage endured agony that felt eternal.
He plummeted endlessly into an abyss where hellfire roiled.
Only then did the mage realize the truth: if he stayed like this, he might really die.
“Guh... Forgive me! I was reckless!”
The mage apologized in a desperate shriek. In that instant, his mind was filled only with the desperate urge not to die.
“Heed this: a loose tongue courts death.”
Ruyan murmured in a flat, emotionless voice.
Poof.
Just like that, the crushing pressure vanished as if by miracle. It happened so swiftly it almost seemed like an illusion.
‘No, definitely not an illusion!’
His body, drenched in sweat, vividly recalled the ordeal.
“Now, let's start over. What’s the issue?”
Naturally, informal speech slipped from Ruyan's mouth, but the mage saw it as only fitting.
“A magic school's purpose is to share theories and train apprentice mages. That's why you can't establish one alone.”
The association mage clasped his hands politely and answered with utmost caution.
“How many are required?”
“Five, including the headmaster, as the bare minimum.”
“Five... So just round up any five?”
“No. The association only accepts mages officially certified by the empire.”
The mage answered Ruyan's questions without the slightest hesitation, clinging to it as if his life depended on it—which it did.
Having obtained all the necessary information, Ruyan shook his head bitterly and retrieved the application.
“I won't punish mere words for now, but if you value your life, choose them wisely.”
With those final words etched into the mage's mind, Ruyan turned and departed.
Punishment enough.
He'd been briefly irked, but the man hadn't committed a capital offense. This sufficed.
Ruyan exited the mages' association with dignified poise.
But once out on the street, his steps faltered. He still hadn't decided on a destination.
‘What a mess from the start.’
Ruyan wandered aimlessly, staring blankly up at the night sky.
Blanc's face filled the bright, gleaming moon.
‘Problems solvable by force would be so much simpler.’
Even for Ruyan, founding a magic school wasn't something he could resolve on the spot.
‘Father wants it done the empire's way.’
In truth, the school was merely a means to an end—a tool. The ultimate goal was disseminating Blanc's theories widely.
It aligned perfectly with what the association mage had said about a school's role.
Sharing theories and cultivating trainee mages.
That was precisely Ruyan's mission.
‘Can't argue with that. Theories can't be validated in isolation.’
No matter how exceptional Ruyan's personal feats, it didn't prove his theories superior. That would be mere sophistry.
The theories gained value only by proving anyone could grow stronger through them.
‘Which means gathering people first...’
Existing mages were out. They'd already mastered their own paths.
‘Need those who haven't formed mana circles yet.’
Only blank slates—untouched by prior training—could receive Ruyan and Blanc's perfected theories.
Coexistence of dantian and mana circle!
Ruyan planned to make the perfected Return Heart Technique the cornerstone of the Blanc School.
‘Heh, never took a disciple back in the Central Plains, and now fate makes me a teacher here.’
The thought of instructing others already felt daunting.
But what choice was there?
From now on, he'd have to seek out those with exceptional talent.
‘Need money too, and my own imperial certification... This'll take time.’
Thus, Ruyan wandered the village streets endlessly, sorting out his future plans.
But when he snapped out of his thoughts, raucous noise erupted right in front of him.
A dilapidated building ringed by a fence of sharp spears. Sounds of revelry poured from within.
-Tvente Mercenary Guild.
‘Heh, is this fate too?’
Ruyan glanced up at the night sky once more and let out a dry chuckle.
At this point, it felt like someone had guided him here.
In need of money, Ruyan had arrived at the mercenary guild.
Creak.
As Ruyan pushed open the weathered wooden door and stepped into the mercenary guild, a few gazes swept over him.
‘Like ronin from the Central Plains.’
Men who chased coin over honor.
But Ruyan never looked down on ronin. Their values differed from his—that didn't make their lives wrong.
Besides, skilled warriors abounded among them.
‘The Ronin King—a man whose magnanimity was legendary.’
In the past, one such warrior had calmly offered him a drink even before his bow.
Had Ruyan not favored seclusion, they might have become close friends—the only man worthy of it.
‘Amusing. Ronin and booze—a timeless truth?’
Rough-faced men inside were carousing wildly with drink.
A few particularly fierce-looking ones even chugged straight from oak barrels.
‘Wasting half the liquor.’
Ruyan scanned his surroundings with interest as he headed deeper in.
The one spot free of drunken revelry was obviously the reception desk.
But as he approached, an utterly unexpected encounter awaited.
“Oh? Look who it is! I've been dying to see you, and here you are!”
A woman clapped her hands exaggeratedly and rushed over. A face familiar even to Ruyan.
‘Sigh. At this rate, it's bad blood between us.’
It was Alize.
Watching her approach with eyes sparkling, Ruyan felt a migraine coming on.
‘This time... a real hassle. What to do with her?’
His mind was already tangled with complications.
Now this enigmatic woman blocked his path, stirring a flicker of irritation.
‘Curiosity can wait. Better keep my distance.’
Ruyan deliberately ignored Alize and beelined for the desk.
“Hey! Full-on ignoring me now? Why be so cold between us?”
Words wide open to misinterpretation. But Ruyan ignored her and rapped smartly on the desk.
“I want to register as a mercenary.”
The woman at the desk glanced back and forth between Ruyan and Alize, shrugged, and extended her hand.
“ID first, please.”
That blasted ID! Ruyan was thoroughly fed up with it.
He paused briefly, and a flighty giggle erupted from behind.
“What a riot. Thinks anyone can be a mercenary? Sis! No ID. Super shady, right?”
Alize laughed so hard tears welled up.
The middle-aged desk woman narrowed her eyes at Ruyan.
“No ID, or hiding your identity?”
Ruyan had no reply this time either. It was both.
As his troubled expression deepened, Alize stomped about in glee.
‘Phew... this is truly... awkward.’
Alize possessed a charm that could fluster even the Divine Bow.
In the end, Ruyan abandoned the mercenary idea, shook his head, and backed off.
“Forget it. I'm out.”
Wiser to withdraw than risk soldiers crashing the party amid the growing racket.
But as he turned, Alize popped up to block his path again.
“I'm thrilled to bits. Leaving already?”
“Not thrilled. Leaving.”
“Hmm. You can stroll in freely, but leaving? You're looking mighty suspicious right now.”
Ruyan sighed inwardly at her words.
‘So it comes to this.’
Ever since Alize yammered about his “ID,” the guild's vibe had shifted.
The mercenaries kept guzzling booze, but they were covertly eyeing him now.
A strange tension simmered beneath the clamor.
‘Staring too openly.’
Their gazes were so blatant he couldn't pretend not to notice.
Annoyance crept onto Ruyan's face at last, and Alize spun her words with a mischievous grin.
“They say nabbing one proper wanted criminal lets you lounge for a whole month.”
“What's your point?”
“If you walk out now, someone here might run straight to the lord.”
Alize eyed him slyly, her gaze laced with anticipation.
‘Probing me, eh.’
She was trying to uncover why he hid his identity.
“Doesn't matter. Anyone who suspects me is free to report.”
Ruyan masked his expression and bluffed boldly. He told no lies, of course.
He never claimed not to be a fugitive. Merely that reports were fine.
Worst case, he could just leave the village.
“Ugh! What kinda reaction is that? No fun at all.”
Alize feigned utter disappointment with theatrical flair.
“That all?”
Ruyan coolly averted his gaze, brushed past her, and headed for the exit.
“Hold up. The real talk starts now. Won't you hear me out?”
Alize's tone shifted markedly. Up until now, it'd brimmed with playfulness, but this time, she was dead serious.