21st Century Archmage

“My liege, they’ve broken through. The mage is currently flying to Denfors!”

“Th-They’re flying at an incredible speed!”

“W-We can’t catch them with wyverns!”

My helmet buzzed with the screams of the Skyknights, like they were streaming some kind of relay race.

‘Just who could it be? What other 8th Circle mage would have any reason to want to see me?!’

The issue of handling Altakas already exceeded my capacity, but this mage punched straight through the defense barrier my Skyknights put up. Now, there was nothing between them and Denfors. If they weren’t an enemy, there was no reason for them to appear so dramatically.

I waited for the approaching enemy on the castle walls. An emergency order had been issued to the entire army, so Nerman’s soldiers were waiting on the walls. Though my troops fell far short of being able to block an 8th Circle mage, not a single one of them was scared.

‘I’ll turn you into a pincushion!’

Next to the soldiers, knights were standing by, ready to fire their spears. The ballistas that could unleash anti-aircraft fire were also pointed in the direction where the mage was said to be flying.

‘Here they come…’

As the air buzzed with tension, I saw a small dot far in the distance. The target wasn’t large enough for Skyknights on wyvernback to catch. Not only were they fast, but how could a Skyknight possibly hit a target as small as a human body with a Blessed Spear from afar? The tiny dot that was the crazy mage grew larger and larger by the second. Now, they were only 2 kilometers away.

‘Have a hot taste of this.’

I didn’t know who they were, but this insane bastard dared to attack Nerman all on their lonesome in the middle of a crisis.

“Fire at the flying mage!”

“Fire!!!!!”

Schwip schwip schwip schwip schwip!

The moment I gave the order, the knights hurled their spears with all their strength. On the heels of the Blessed Spears came 200 bolts from the ballistas. A cluster of 500 sharp objects whizzed towards the enemy like a spray of chaff deployed to block a missile.

‘Take this, too!’

Since their presence had activated the detection magic on the fort, they were definitely an 8th Circle mage. I had to deal as much damage as possible before they could get close to my castle.

Flash!

I hurled the spear in my hand with all the force I could muster.

Schwiiiiiiiip!

My rage meter was all filled up, so the spear whistled off with a great deal of force, closing in on the mage in mere moments.

“Ah…!”

Even if they didn’t kill him, I was hoping the attacks would at least singe his tail feathers. But before the spear volley could land, a milky mana shield unfurled in the sky.

Ziiiiiiiiiiiiiing! Cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-claaaaang!

The spears bounced off with earsplitting clangs.

“Mages, release your spells!”

That wasn’t all we had in store. I gave the mages waiting on the walls the order to attack with magic. The incoming enemy had come within 1 kilometer in no time at all.

Whiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrr.

As the offensive spells engraved in the defensive array activated, I felt subdued mana vibrations under my feet.

“Explosion!”

“Giga Lightning!”

“Wind Tornado!”

“Lightning Cross!”

The mage came a little closer, and mages in charge of the defensive array and magic crystal unleashed the offensive spells engraved in various parts of the castle walls. Each spell was my handiwork, engraved on the walls in preparation for a large-scale battle.

Flash! Flaaash!

As the spells activated, the mana in the air was absorbed, turning into over ten different kinds of lights.

Flaaaaaaaash!

And then, the various spells flew in harmony towards the mage, who was still flying towards us with his shield active.

CRAAAAAAAASH! Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt. Fwooooooooooooooosh.

Spells of every attribute other than earth magic decked the sky in a ful splash. They exploded with booms so loud and intense that an unsuspecting person might think fireworks were going off.

‘Holy…’

But as expected, the opponent was an 8th Circle archmage.

‘This crazy mage.’

If it were me, I would have used a warp array to have my way with Nerman in one blow, but this nutcase was flying over in the middle of the day with zero self-awareness. He was on par with my master on Earth.

‘Fine then, try having a taste of this then!’

Even my spear was perfectly repelled by the mage’s shield. There was about 500 meters of distance between us now. The Grade 1 magic crystal was linked to the ramparts I was standing on. I vigorously siphoned the magic crystal’s mana into my mana core.

Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

My mana and the mana of the Grade 1 magic crystal began to react fiercely as they fused.

‘Eat this!’

I whipped my hand up and pointed at the flying mage who was endangering my land. Then, I shouted an incantation.

“Giga Raiden!!!!!!”

Swooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh!

Filled with my will, the light of the spell formed from the atmospheric mana shot straight towards the mage at the speed of light. At that moment, the mage dispelled his shield, exposing his body. It was a miraculous opportunity given by the heavens. Even an 8th Circle mage would find it difficult to instantly block a 7th Circle spell formed partly from a Grade 1 magic crystal’s mana. A smile of satisfaction appeared on my lips.

‘Three, two…’

I counted down in my heart. It was over for this guy.

“Hyuk…”

The moment my spell was about to explode in front of the mage, I clearly heard him say my name.

“…!!”

My eyes instantly widened. The mage and I were about 300 meters apart. With the opaque mana shield gone, I could clearly see his features.

“M-Master?”

I asked in disbelief.

Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaash! Flaaaaaaaash! Flash, flash!

As if to answer my question, the spell exploded. Giga Raiden was the peak of 7th Circle offensive spells. It was an AOE spell that could easily cook everything within several hundred meters upon being cast.

“…”

I could only stand in a daze with my eyes wide open. There was no doubt. The person I saw in the exploding storm of lightning… was my master, Aidal.

“F-Fuck.”

My legs shook. Something as impossible as the sun rising from the west or Sakura from Naruto not being useless had happened. I never thought I would be able to see Master Aidal here.

He had returned to Kallian. And I… had unleashed a huge attack right at his face.

“F-Fuck…”

I raised my head skyward. The gods had definitely sent Master Aidal on a special mission, knowing the crisis I was facing. I desperately begged them to grant my master in that storm of lightning a lightning rod, to allow him to endure the spell safely, in one piece.

“Sh-Shit…”

A long curse snaked out of my mouth. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry. ‘Shit’ was exactly the word.

* * *

* * *

“Wh-What’s that?”

“What’s what?”

The rumor that the Lialion Royal Capital was annihilated in a single day spread quickly. It was rumored that the Dark Empire appeared in the skies above the city with an outrageous force of black mages, Death Wyverns, and Death Knights, laying the airtight defense of Royal Skyknights and Knights, as well as paladins and priests, to waste. The rumor threw the Defort Kingdom located directly next to Lialion into a total panic.

Like Lialion, a letter from the Dark Empire’s Hadveria had long since arrived with an order to submit. But unlike Lialion, Defort shared a border with Opern, and the current Empress of the Opern Empire was the younger sister of the King of the Defort Kingdom. Because of that, they ignored the letter.

It wasn’t the first or last time in the Kallian Continent’s history that black mages had appeared. It wasn’t uncommon for the black mages to secure victories in the beginning using bizarre methods or brute force. However, the temples soon announced holy war and joined forces with each of the kingdoms, and most of the schemes of the black mages subsided before long. Those who submitted to the black mages were treated like black mages themselves and were burned to death.

Knowing those facts and trusting the strength of the Opern Empire, the Defort Kingdom flatly ignored Emperor Hadveria’s letter. At the border of this kingdom, nestled at the foot of the Bertz Mountains, stood the most important military fort of the Defort Kingdom, Fort Chartryne. A group of soldiers standing guard in a watchtower on the walls were alarmed by the creatures they saw swarming in from the dark mountains.

“Ohh…”

It was late at night, so the mana scope installed on the watchtower could not perform its role. The wave of the countless writhing creatures they could glimpse from the darkness felt like an illusion.

“M-Monsters!”

“Monsters are coming in!”

Clang clang clang clang! Boooooooong! Boooooooong!

The emergency bells installed in four places on the walls broke the night silence, and even the horn used for the greatest of emergencies began to loudly echo in the air.

“All forces, prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!”

This fort had been built with the Laviter Empire and the Bertz Mountains in mind. The number of soldiers residing in the fort was 30,000.

The soldiers who had been resting in the fort ran out with weapons like bows and spears, taking up their assigned positions.

“…Ah!”

“Ngh…”

The moment the soldiers got onto the walls, they felt their hearts drop in dismay. The wyvern flights had undoubtedly gone out on patrol and returned before sunset, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Yet an unthinkably staggering number of monsters was gathering, approaching the fort in a formation like they were soldiers. There were orcs and gnolls, the most populous monsters in the Bertz Mountains, as well as trolls and ogres. A great number of monsters that didn’t normally show up around the fort were gathering.

“D-Demon beasts!”

And that wasn’t all. Creatures on a completely different level from monsters, demon beasts, were also scattered in the pack.

The man in charge of the fort, Count Horvas, appeared at the command tower in full armor to oversee the battle. “Sortie the Skyknights!” he barked.

“Commander, there’s an enormous number of them. I think all the monsters living in the Bertz Mountains have come.”

“It’s not even harvest season! Did they all go mad?!”

It was already a touchy time because of the Laviter Empire. The king and a great multitude of kingdom nobles were slaughtered in the Lialion Kingdom. Thankfully, the crown prince of Lialion was studying abroad, so the kingdom wasn’t immediately destroyed, but the whole nation fell into extreme chaos. Their neighbor, the Defort Kingdom, was in the same amount of panic from watching it all unfold.

“Please do not worry. We have 200 Skyknights at the fort. The sight of them alone will surely make all of those monsters flee in fear,” said Count Horvas’ adjutant with a firm voice.

Normally, there were only about 100 Skyknights here, but the Royal Family had dispatched reinforcements in light of the emergency situation.

“Rightly so. Chartryne is like the kingdom’s shield. It must never fall.”

Swoooooosh. Flash!

The mages began activating the defensive arrays installed on the fort walls, casting Light.

“Ah!”

“Th-Those are—!”

Up until that point, Count Horvas hadn’t doubted their victory. But when he saw what was in the sky, which happened to be dark with clouds tonight, an exclamation of shock burst out of his lips.

The Light spell lit up the sky, revealing a flock of winged creatures.

“W-Wyverns!”

To his shock, the wyverns had appeared without a sound. He had heard that the Laviter Empire’s continuous exterminations had nearly wiped out the wild wyverns in the Bertz Mountains, but there were hundreds of them in the sky, not just one or two stragglers. Moreover, there were figures that looked like Skyknights on top of them.

“Th-Then those guys…”

A thought swept through his mind. These weren’t ordinary monsters seeking food. Every few years, there were cases of monster swarms appearing because of demon beasts, so Count Horvas hadn’t thought much of it. But upon further reflection, these numbers were beyond what demon beasts could mobilize.

“They’re in danger! The Skyknights are in danger!”

Having received the order to sortie, the Skyknights and their wyverns were lifting into the air from the covert inside the fort. The enemies had already drawn close to the fort, and the wyverns going aloft unhurriedly made perfect prey.

Schwip schwip schwip schwip scwhip.

As soon as the words left the Count’s mouth, sharp whistles rang out. Those unknown Skyknights were definitely hurling Blessed Spears, but the projectiles did not glow with their usual blue light. They simply shot forward, whistling through the air.

Bam!

KWEEEEEEEEEK! KYAAAAAAAAAAK!

“AAAHHHHHHHH!”

Terrible cries burst out of the wyverns and Skyknights lifting off from the covert.

“Th-The monsters are swarming in!”

“Fire your arrows!”

“Fire!”

The moment the Skyknights cloaked in darkness began their attack, the monsters arranged in front of the fort began to wildly run forward.

Swoooooooooosh.

An enemy wyvern flew past the command tower. Though it was a normal gray wyvern, no vitality could be felt from it, and though its wings were tattered, it was flying without a care. After it swept past, it left behind an intense stench of rot.

“D-Death Wyverns…”

It was then that Count Horvas was able to realize the true identity of their enemies.

The night ambushers that had brought monsters with them… were soldiers of the Dark Empire.

* * *

“M-Master…”

“Ohhhh! Hyuk!”

‘Shiiiit…’

It was truly a long time since I had seen Master Bumdalf. He hadn’t changed at all. After repelling the outrageous onslaught of spears, bolts, and magic attacks with ease and nullifying my spell with dispelling magic, he landed right in front of me, smiling brightly at me as his splendid white beard wisped in the wind. The knights near me pulled out their swords, thinking I was in danger.

“My liege, is this person an acquaintance?”

‘Good fuckin’ grief.’ I groaned inwardly, looking at my master who was greeting me happily with a kind-looking smile. Memories of the hardship I’d suffered on Earth rushed back to me, making goosebumps rise up on my skin.

“S-So, um…”

My mouth was stiff. Anyone on the level of a knight would certainly know the legend of the Golden-Eyed Reaper, Aidal. How in the world was I supposed to say that the person in front of me right now was the man who was called the Kallian Continent’s Curse?

“Hyuk, you’ve become successful.”

“Huh?”

“This is a cute little castle you’ve got here. It looks pretty usable.”

Paying zero heed to the knights, Aidal glanced at my mega-mansion.

‘It can’t be…’

My paradise, the paradise I’d made by toiling day and night… Master Aidal was gazing at my precious dream with the eyes of a burglar. He might not have a knife in hand, but the glint in his eyes was unmistakable.

“Why’re you lollygagging about! Your Master has come a long way, yet you’re standing there like a no-good half-wit without asking if I’ve eaten or how the trip was. Can you really call yourself a descendant of the Courteous Country of the East with an attitude like that?!”

Master Aidal rebuked me in front of my knights, who would tolerate no insult made towards me. I felt my vision darken.

“And from what I hear, a single black fly made you bleed recently? Sigh, you fool. Tsk tsk.”

In Master Aidal’s mouth, the 8th Circle black magic swordsman was reduced to a black fly. He even knew that I had suffered a defeat at Altakas’ hands.

One of the knights stepped forward, unable to bear the abuse Aidal was spewing. “Whoever you are, you are being too discourteous to our liege! How dare you call him a fool?!”

‘Rest in peace.’

I’d never found a knight’s loyalty as burdensome as it was today. My heart was unfortunately unable to feel gratitude towards such a commendable action.

“Hooh! I see, you’re not happy with this old fart who’s being too harsh to your liege here, are you?”

His smile was benevolent, but he 100% reminded me of a clip I’d seen of a wildcat eyeing prey that had unknowingly walked right up to it.

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”

“Young man, who do you think I am?”

“…?”

The knight looked quizzically at Master’s sudden question.

“I am the very master of your liege here! I’m the one who changed his diapers and raised him up! But you say you’re not happy with your mighty liege’s master? You should count your lucky stars that I’ve become a kind person over the past 100 years.”

I was amazed that he could package himself as a kind person so calmly. And when did he ever change my diapers?! I only remembered me being the one who had to wash 200-year-old grandpa bloomers every day.

“Let’s go inside. I flew all the way from the Pakinch Kingdom, and I think the wind’s gotten in my bones. Drinking a cup of steaming honey tea in a sauna is just the thing, but alas, who knows if there’s a sauna in the boonies.”

Master Aidal turned my imperial palace-level castle into a cute little castle in the boonies and bragged that he’d flown all the way from Pakinch, as if brandishing his 8th Circle badge.

“L-Let’s go.”

But he was still my dimensional teleporting archmage master in name. I held back my tears and took the lead.

‘You lose as much as you gain. Since Master’s here, Altakas won’t be able to act carelessly.’

I didn’t know why he decided to cross over from Earth, but Master had appeared with absolutely artful timing. I resolved myself to squeeze my eyes shut and give him the red carpet treatment.

Because right now, he was a benefactor of Nerman I didn’t mind seeing.

—-

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