Chapter 82
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Farewells and the Road Home
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"To be honest, the odds are low, but we'll give it our all to recruit him."
To them, Leon was a once-in-a-lifetime talent they absolutely couldn't let slip away.
I knew the way people around me looked at me had changed since the Kraken subjugation.
But mixed in with those gazes were some that saw me as a monster of talent—or something even stranger.
It couldn't be helped.
There were geniuses among teenagers, sure.
But scour the continent's history, and you'd never find a single soul who'd reached 6-circle Grand Summoner and Sword Master in their teens.
Especially since those who'd caught on that everything from start to finish against the Kraken had been meticulously planned—their emotions must have been even more chaotic.
Among them, the only ones whose attitudes hadn't shifted from the beginning were Isna Mielephon and Sword Saint Osberg.
"Take care."
The elderly man, carrying the limp, unconscious Isna on his back, gave a faint smile.
The story of how Isna passed out was simple. She'd pulled another one of her nighttime stunts at dawn, slipped, and hurt her foot.
Then, in the midst of that, she'd tried to rampage like a wild child again and got subdued by Osberg—knocked out cold.
"Sorry for dumping the cleanup on you."
"No need. It was our job to begin with. Without you, we'd have suffered massive casualties—hell, the subjugation might have failed outright."
The Sword Saint was strong, no doubt.
But his standards were human ones.
Fighting the Sea King's calamity, the Kraken, on the open water? The odds were shaky at best.
Even Catshi Mielephon, the family head, surviving was seen as a miracle.
The Kraken had probably deemed her not worth the injury for a mere pastime hunt and let her go.
Subjugation Leader Beren's attitude toward me had shifted in a subtle way.
Before, it carried a hint of distrust and concern, but now he didn't hide his respect and gratitude.
"Sorry the send-off's lackluster."
"You take care too, Leader."
"We all owe you our lives— the entire subjugation force."
His words echoed Osberg's. He'd prepared diligently for the Kraken takedown, but the beast had more hidden tricks than expected, and they were ruthlessly precise.
He must have had plenty churning in his mind.
The rest of the subjugation knights were much the same.
They couldn't fully hide the looks that pegged me as a talent freak or whatever, but they were overwhelmingly friendly. Behind closed doors, some even said Osberg had seriously handpicked a husband for Isna.
Others noted how, looks aside, I was surprisingly aggressive and manly.
And why not? I'd thrown up a barrier, chugged lethal poison that wrecked my body, and still forced a one-on-one elite duel with the Kraken.
Thanks to that, a knight I'd met at dinner threw me a thumbs-up in one ridiculous scene.
And husband material...
We were engaged now, sure... but somehow, I doubted it'd last.
Engagements broke over trifles all the time, or got swept under the rug depending on circumstances.
On the flip side, there were people who were really getting on my nerves.
"Young Master Leon! Come to our Magic Tower. I'll report this to the Tower Lord and ensure you're welcomed with the highest honors."
"I'm not an elemental mage, though."
"Haha, what era do you think this is? Clinging to those outdated ways! In my life, I've never seen such a brilliant teaching tool—no, a budding mage like you! Actually, not even a bud. With your grasp of magitech skill and insight, you're already a towering oak."
I'd heard the Magic Towers were desperate for talent, and it wasn't a lie.
Mages had griped plenty about my choices at first. But now, they were the most enthusiastic toward me.
"I'll think about it."
"You must! I'd love to get your signature on the papers right now, but..."
"Hey! Look at this guy sneaking in! Young Master! Not them—our Magic Tower! Whatever they offer, we'll top it!"
"Hey now! Know your place! Don't get cocky, you minor tower!"
The dispatched mages, hailing from various towers, competed like it was an auction to lure me over.
Not everyone was friendly, though.
Just one guy couldn't hide his displeasure toward me.
"......"
"Ignore him. That's just how he is."
"Who's he?"
He looked about my age.
Realm around 3 circles.
Not untalented, but his future? Eh, who'd know.
If he were even mid-3rd circle, maybe, but his ring looked unstable—he'd just broken into 3rd.
"He's actually some high-up's kid. Normally, he wouldn't have joined the subjugation force... but politics among the elites."
Ah, a parachute.
Come to think of it, he was the one who'd shot that devil tree fragment.
Osberg had been livid, nearly beating him half to death, until others intervened.
His arrogance, backed by family pull, had tanked completely after.
Parachutes had to read the room. Screw up in real combat, and no one could justify keeping you around.
Plus, his personality sucked.
Why he wasn't bothering me? Obvious.
Border noble young master or not, the Mielephon backup was too solid to ignore.
Still, he and his senders had probably planned to shine big in this subjugation. Me ruining that must've twisted their guts.
He hadn't even apologized after the incident.
Pride, probably.
I could've dragged him over, smashed his head into the dirt, and drilled manners and apologies into him. But seeing Osberg seething, no need for me to step in.
Osberg Mielephon might seem mild and benevolent, but his old nickname told the real story.
Mielephon's Mad Wolf.
There'd been a time he went by that.
"That's how I see it, at least. He's on the Sword Saint's shitlist—high-up kid or not, his road ahead's gonna be rough."
One mage sidled up amiably to explain.
"Thanks for the rundown, but I'm not that interested."
Truth was, I'd planned to smash him on return. But his screw-up let us prioritize and burn the Necronomicon, the cultists' biggest issue, so I'd cut him slack.
We might've faced huge variables otherwise.
"Hoho, such magnanimity!"
No, seriously—why do they always spin it positive? What's their angle?
The thought barely crossed my mind before the mages broached it cautiously.
"Young Master, those five devices you used to hunt the Kraken—would you consider selling them to our tower?"
"Pardon?"
Oh, right—they'd made the jamming artifacts.
Blocking the Kraken's mental attacks across a wide area? They had to be dying to study those gadgets.
After some thought, I shook my head.
"Sorry. I'll pass."
Even if I sold them, these folks wouldn't grasp it.
The Machine God's heart didn't just reshape forms—it morphed internal structures too.
They'd think simple iron or metal, but peeled back, it could be lighter than gold or tougher against heat than titanium.
Tech way ahead of their time.
At least, that's my take.
Arrogant? Overinflated ego? Think others can't analyze what I built solo?
Coldly? Yeah, they can't. If they could, continental magitech wouldn't lag like this.
Above all, I'm not the type to hand out my cards to the masses.
"There... has to be a way? I'm no magitech specialist, but I know how incredible that is. We're willing to pay big..."
"I politely decline."
"Grr... We'll back off for now. Pushing further would be rude. But mark my words—other towers will come knocking hard."
Just stop recruiting already.
Mages gonna mage—stubborn as kraken tendons.
Even leaving, some asked how a kid became an archmage, who my master was.
Master? I had... ones.
Problem was, they all died by my hand—masters out.
No masters left, so I stayed mum. They backed off, figuring it awkward to pry.
And now.
I'd taken just one Kraken core as reward.
Melissa and I agreed the rest was too repulsive to touch.
That vile octopus spawn had stolen our family. Revenge done, but parents and baby sis weren't coming back.
The bitterness hit hard.
We ended up heading back to Cascadia territory sooner than planned.
Luna, Melissa, and I sat in our spots, staring each other down.
Hostility? Tension?
In that electric atmosphere, Melissa moved first.
"Now!"
She flipped her cards fast.
Three strawberries.
I had two strawberries. Luna had four bananas.
Five total. Bingo.
I lunged for the center bell—then flinched back.
BAM!!!
Luna's absurdly powerful palm smash crumpled the bell like paper in an instant.
Even if I'd hit it, no stopping that. My hand would've been flattened too.
"......"
Melissa and I, faces pale, turned to Luna.
"Just curious—were you always this strong? Feels like you're getting stronger."
"Me useless. Can't use even 10% of real strength."
That wasn't even 10%?
She hadn't packed this punch when we met.
Absurd, I stared at the mangled bell and shook my head.
I must be nuts. Making games for lunatics like these...
"This fun. Play more."
Luna grinned, pulling out the spare bell. Melissa coughed awkwardly, looking away.
I subtly swept my piled cards under my palm, scattering them across the carriage floor.
"Wanna grab a snack?"
The first bell had ended the game in catastrophe.