Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Mage Lumia
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I could understand Raymond's position. But still, his one and only disciple had come all this way to find him, so couldn't he spare just a little more time for a conversation instead of vanishing like the wind?
In terms of time, not even a minute had passed since we'd met. Just a few questions tossed his way, and he smiled in satisfaction as if he'd gotten the answers he wanted. Recalling that face made hot anger surge up inside me.
I wondered if he even knew that I'd taken care of most of the Society mages who were chasing me.
"Master."
"Yeah."
"It's getting late. We should..."
"Right. Let's find a decent inn."
I let out a long sigh at Durel's words and turned around. Maybe because I'd seen Raymond safe and sound, the anxiety that had been gnawing at one corner of my heart had mostly washed away.
Even though we'd spent so little time together, his presence must have meant a lot more to me than I realized.
"Master. Do you plan to keep chasing after him?"
At Durel's question, I looked up at the sky. The moment we stepped out of the alley, the dark clouds gathering overhead began to slowly disperse. Faint starlight twinkled through the murky blackness.
"No."
"Then..."
"I'm thinking of seeing the world a bit. He told me to do that himself."
I ran a hand down my gaunt face and let out a self-deprecating chuckle. Ever since I'd started studying magic, I'd been too engrossed in my own talent. I'd been lost in a sense of superiority, standing on a higher plane than ordinary mages.
Idiot. Blind to my own shortcomings.
A frog in a well—that's exactly what I'd been. I'd vaguely assumed that someone like me could solve Raymond's problems somehow. That's the kind of arrogance I'd harbored.
I thought I was different from other mages. But I wasn't. We were the same. Immersed in our own worlds, looking down on everything else.
I hadn't realized it at first, but now I could see. The starlight of Arcana etched in my eyes had revealed everything about Raymond. In the brief glimpse I'd caught, he stood far above me. And yet, a person like that was on the run from the Society.
A man who smiled in relief, not for his own safety, but because his disciple was unharmed. He told me not to get tangled up in this. To go see more of the world.
It meant my skills still weren't up to par.
Next time we meet...
Next time would be different. Imagining punching that smug face of his, I started walking.
That dawn, the city was in an uproar. City guards rushed about searching for mages. They said the mana stone powering the entire city—the central engine—had been stolen.
The suspect was described as a male mage with gray hair. There were eyewitness accounts of him unleashing storm magic from both hands.
Theft was added to Raymond's list of crimes.
The next morning, Durel and I left the inn and prepared to depart. With Raymond gone, there was no reason to stay in the city any longer.
"Where to next, Master?"
"Somewhere with lots of mages."
Last night, I'd changed my mind. The mages of this world weren't lacking. The Arcana I used and the wall of Gentle Wind were spells I'd developed by drawing inspiration from this world's magic.
You could see it just from Raymond and Ayner. They'd taken existing magic, split it into three paths, mastered each separately, and reached such heights.
The mages here possessed what I lacked: the overwhelming accumulation of time, built through countless trials and errors—the depth of magic.
That's why.
I planned to take it for myself.
"Somewhere with lots of mages... You don't mean visiting the Society, do you?"
"Not yet."
"Then...?"
"You said there are mage schools not affiliated with the Society, right? We'll start there. No need to risk going to the Society and stirring up trouble. There's your family too... Someone from the Blazing Inferno might recognize me."
"Ah... I see."
"Know any good places?"
"The Red Desert would be suitable."
"Red Desert?"
At my question, Durel rummaged in his bag and unfolded a map for me. On the large spread-out map, a vast desert region was marked. By size alone, it looked at least twice as big as the Ber Kingdom where we'd been operating.
"No Society mages here?"
"There are some, but very few, from what I've heard. The Red Desert has its own independent mage federation called Hayar, so there's no reason for them to join the distant Society."
"The Society isn't the only federation, huh?"
"The world's a big place, and there are plenty of mages. Not all of them can unite under one banner. In the Red Desert, it's called Hayar; in the Ber Kingdom, the Mage Society; down below in Levan Poll, it's the Blood Circle. I hear there's one across the sea too, but I haven't learned about that yet..."
"Why recommend the Red Desert over Levan Poll?"
"The Blood Circle in Levan Poll aren't ordinary mages. It's a federation founded by vampire descendants, using blood magic completely different from conventional spells. They despise humans, so entry would be impossible. That's why the Red Desert."
"You know everything, Durel."
"Not everything. Just what I know..."
"Good. Then let's head to that desert."
With our destination set, there was no reason to hesitate. Durel and I wandered the city, buying supplies for the desert journey. Nuarein straddled the lawless borderlands beyond the kingdom's frontiers. As a hub for people of all nationalities, it offered a wide variety of goods, making it easy to find most desert travel essentials.
The mass mage deaths in Nuarein were a massive topic. Rumors spread faster than Durel and I could travel. Every public campsite we stopped at buzzed with talk of the incident.
"It had to be divine punishment from the heavens! Those mages must've done something to incur God's wrath..."
"You should've seen it! Those arrogant spell-slingers trembling in terror..."
"And that's not all! Didn't they say all the mages who crawled out of the Society have slunk back? When those monsters more dangerous than beasts were roaming everywhere, it was suffocating..."
"Hey, keep your voice down. Don't you know there are mages here in the camp?"
"Ahem..."
This was a public campsite on the route to the Red Desert. Being here meant we shared the same goal. I glanced over at the group huddled by the campfire, and they hurriedly bowed their heads.
I stood and approached them. The closer I got, the more they gulped and trembled in fear.
"Quite an interesting story."
"Uh, er... Forgive my imprudence..."
"I'm not with the Society. Speak freely. The Society mages have gone back?"
No one readily believed me. They kept their heads down, holding their breath, waiting for the storm—that is, me—to pass. But they couldn't stay silent forever.
As I crossed my arms and took a seat, one man cautiously spoke up.
"Y-yes... With God's wrath aimed at the mages, they've halted all activities and returned..."
"Just because of some lightning from the sky?"
"N-not just any lightning...! It was divine fury from a clear sky. I saw it. Their actions must've offended the gods... So the mages retreating makes sense, doesn't it...?"
"Were you there that day?"
"Yes."
"Didn't the mages say anything?"
"What was there to say...? Most who went there that day died... The rest just hunkered in the corner, mouths shut."
"I heard Society mages were chasing some guy. No talk about him?"
"N-no... All I know is they went back to their holes to escape divine wrath..."
A youthful appearance tends to lower people's guards easily. Even knowing I was a mage, it worked. I removed my half-hiding hood and lightly smoothed my hair, and the tremor in the man's voice gradually faded.
"Ahem... But..."
"Master."
The man was just about to ask something. A boy appeared, cloak flapping. Red blood smeared his face—not his own. Durel, still breathing heavily from the fight's adrenaline.
He held a long wooden rod I'd never seen before.
"You're back quick. All done?"
"Yes. The tent's ready now."
"What's with the rod?"
"A gift from my proof-of-skill opponent. Called it a glider... Something to ride desert thermals and fly through the sky..."
"Glider?"
I naturally extended my hand, and Durel tossed me the wooden rod. Pressing hard on the protruding center, I heard a click, and thin wings unfolded from within.