21st Century Archmage

After Master finished having his lovely chat with lovely Aramis, I dragged him down to the underground training hall and asked him about the 8th Circle.

“How can I ascend to the 8th Circle?”

“Hm, dunno. It was such a long time ago, my memory is all fuzzy.”

‘It’s probably not that he can’t remember, but that he won’t teach me without getting something first.’

Master Aidal looked all over the underground training hall, clearly avoiding my gaze.

“I’ve prepared a magic tower for you, Master.”

“…After getting on in years, it’s hard to move my body… having a few clever fellows to assist me would be perfect.”

“I will send all of the territory mages to the tower.”

“…From my lack of appetite, it seems that it won’t be long before I return to mana’s embrace. There were so many more things I wanted to eat before I died… I wonder if that’s simply too greedy of me.”

“I-I will hire the best chefs for you.”

“…For sleeping, a bed with the perfect balance of plush and firm is best. Since it’s come to this, one would hope that my room is nice and roomy and has a balcony. Also, I can’t bear to see anyone sleeping above me, so…”

‘Sigh…’

You had to admire his keen eyesight. Master was sending me signals in neon lights that he wanted my room.

“You… You can have my room…”

“Really? You don’t have to, you know? What to do… I feel terrible.”

“How can there be stinginess between a master and his disciple? If there is anything else you require, please let me know.”

I emphasized ‘stinginess’, giving a veiled warning that I’d given him everything there was to give, so he should hurry and spit out what he knew about the 8th Circle.

After getting what he wanted, Master flashed me a good-natured grin. The size of his smile was proportional to the ache in my heart.

“What do you think the 8th circle signifies?”

“…”

I was silent at his sudden question.

‘Fuck, would I be asking you if I knew that?!’

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what the 8th Circle was. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. The only knowledge about the 8th Circle in my head was spell formulas.

“I do not know.”

“Don’t know? Then I don’t know either.”

“Master!”

I yelled at Master, fed up by his “sue me” attitude.

“Tsk tsk. How were you able to get to the 7th Circle with such meager imagination? To be a mage is to create something out of nothing. You want to obtain the 8th Circle without having any dreams about it? Your greed is excessive.”

Thud!

Master’s words struck me like a hammer.

‘No dreams… about the 8th Circle…’

“In all things, the moment you forget what you felt when you first began to dream, you stop developing and regress. The moment you settle for what you have, you begin to slow down, and it’s only when the other people still dreaming are far ahead of you that you realize your mistake. Magic is no different. That feeling that nothing else is necessary in the world other than magic, that is what is important. Circles… come after that.”

Master was telling me to look at my attitude, not the circles.

I felt a flush of shame. To be honest, my current achievements were a big fraud. The 7th Circle I currently possessed was a stage that regular mages could only achieve by throwing everything they had into magic and getting to Tower Master age. But I was able to get this far with the knowledge given to me by my successful Master. Of course, I did surmount life-and-death crises on the way up, but I was able to bypass most of the pain experienced by regular mages.

“I don’t know your state very well, but don’t think that you can ascend to the 8th Circle with the same good luck that got you to the 7th Circle. Seeking to turn the dreams you’ve dreamed every day into reality… That is the way you reach the 8th Circle, and even beyond the 8th to the pinnacle of magic, the 9th Circle. To be honest… I am still dreaming, but I lack desperation, so I am unable to even challenge the wall of the 9th Circle.”

Pausing, Master quietly called me with a serious voice. “Disciple…”

“Yes, Master?”

For the first time, I heard Master’s true opinion on magic. I looked at him, feeling a sense of respect towards him growing in my chest. I waited for him to say something even more important.

“Dream well.”

“…?”

“I’m off now, sweet dreams.”

And then, he left me in the training hall, cheerfully striding out the door. I dazedly watched as his back became smaller and smaller.

‘Th-This big frickin’ scammer!’

With a shake of my head, I suddenly woke from my reverie. I realized the true meaning of everything Master had said. It was essentially the grumbling—no, a ridiculous theory—of an already successful mage saying that both the 8th and 9th Circle were as good as far-off dreams for me.

‘Dammit… So you’re telling me to know my place and just dream of the 8th Circle, huh? Is that what you’re saying?!’

My Master fleeced me of my magic tower, mages, and even my room, leaving only a few ridiculous words in exchange. I fell limply to the ground. Then, I closed my eyes, actually doing as Master said and thinking about what kind of magic I dreamed of.

* * *

“Imperial Father, may I inquire if you have been well?”

“Haha, my beloved son. My heart is boundlessly joyous to see you so very healthy.”

The atmosphere in the Imperial City of the Opern Empire was dark, having received urgent reports that monsters and demon beasts incited by the Dark Empire brought down the Defort Kingdom’s Fort Chartryne and were now heading to the Defort Capital. But despite the gloomy mood, the Emperor’s hearty laugh was echoing in the palace.

The Crown Prince had returned. The Crown Prince, who had left the palace like he was running away from home after making a ridiculous bet with the Emperor, had just returned.

“Seeing how happy Imperial Father is, I regret that I was unable to return a little sooner.”

“No, you came at the perfect time. In fact, if things weren’t so chaotic in the Continent, I would have never called you until the promised time.”

“I am aware. As such, I ask that, as per our promise, Imperial Father no longer concern himself with my personal affairs, including the issue of my marriage.”

“Of course. Once I agree to something, I do it.”

His son had been missing for several years and had finally returned, but the feeling imbued in the words bouncing between them was far from warm. This was the Emperor of a nation—no, several kingdoms combined—and his son, the Crown Prince.

Bzzzt.

Their gazes towards each other did not hold the intense affection between father and son, but was charged with a strange sort of competitiveness.

“But may I ask what is happening right now? I see that the security in the Imperial City is very strict, which makes one think that Imperial Father has greatly weakened. If your strength has faltered, I humbly suggest that you concede the throne to your fully grown heir and rest in comfort with Imperial Mother. That way, Imperial Father can forget about all of the bothersome politics.”

The Crown Prince, who arrived in the Empire via a teleportation array along with the Tower Master of the Imperial Magic Tower dispatched by the Imperial Family, did not hesitate to utter words that could be easily interpreted as treason.

“Your former liege, the Lord of Nerman, must be a magnanimous person to have accepted a rude brat like you as his knight.”

“He was hardly in the position to be picky. Still, Lord Kyre is truly worthy of respect. After all, he very properly taught me many things I was unable to learn in the palace.”

“Is that so? I look forward to seeing what those things are.”

Sparks were flying so intensely between them that it seemed they would unsheath their swords at any moment and begin dueling. Their relationship had always been like this. Both Emperor and son had a great deal of pride. They were both impatient to see the other go down, and every time they met, they only had barbed words to say to one another.

“I will be sure to show Imperial Father very clearly. That aside, I heard that the bastard who declared the Dark Empire is well and properly insane. Is that true?”

“Indeed. A real crazy bastard showed up and is causing a huge mess. A few days ago, Fort Chartryne on the border of Defort Kingdom was completely destroyed.”

“Is that so? My delicate Imperial Mother must be worried sick.”

“I imagine so.”

“Do we not need to establish countermeasures?”

“A countermeasure has already been established.”

“Oh! As expected of Imperial Father! Pray tell, what is the countermeasure? Please bestow thy wisdom unto thy humble son.”

“Huhuhu. I’m looking at it right now.

“Pardon?”

“You are my countermeasure. Kuhahaha! What do you think? I will appoint you as the Commander, so how about you show me exactly what you learned under the Nerman Lord?”

“As expected of Imperial Father. Imperial Father has prepared the most sure-fire countermeasure.”

“That’s right, do what you think is best. This Empire will fall to you one day anyway. Grill or fry, do as you please! Hahaha!”

Emperor Rubert of the Opern Empire let out a truly hearty laugh. It was a blessing that the Emperor’s office was enchanted with Silence magic, lest others hear the intense, terrifying conversation between father and son.

“I shall accept with gratitude.”

Up until a few days ago, the man bowing to the emperor in thanks was a knight with curly blue hair leading one of Nerman’s flights. He was the legitimate Crown Prince of the Opern Empire.

His name was Ryker von Opern.

* * *

* * *

“My lord, the one named Altakas is moving in earnest.”

Even after Master’s whirlwind arrival, I was still uneasy. As long as Master, an 8th Circle archmage, was with us, we didn’t have to fear Altakas all that much. However, Nerman wasn’t the problem. Although I was far from a priest seeking to save the world, the thought of all the ordinary people of the Kallian Continent suffering from the Dark Empire’s atrocities made me lose all appetite.

With the advent of wyverns, most wars on the Continent were settled with aerial combat. As such, it was the knights who bore the brunt of war rather than the common people. However, after the declaration of the Dark Empire, I heard that a flood of refugees were pouring through the borders, fleeing for their lives. It was said that the black mages were as wicked as the stories told and treated humans even worse than orcs. Considering that humans were even supplied to the soulless Death Wyverns as food, nothing more had to be said.

“I wonder which kingdom will be next.”

“The reports say that the Defort Kingdom’s Fort Chartyne, as well as a considerable amount of territory connected to the Laviter Empire, is completely covered with monsters. In addition, there are rumors that the same has occurred to the Yukane Kingdom.”

‘He is a truly terrifying bastard.’

After the Lialion Kingdom, Altakas crushed the Defort and Yukane Kingdoms in mere moments. Earlier, I received an urgent letter from Rosiathe. She said that countless refugees were coming from the direction of the Laviter Empire, and according to the news carried by the refugees, a great number of imperial nobles were cooperating with the Dark Empire.

“My liege, we must establish a countermeasure. Altakas will surely set his sights on Nerman and you next. According to the special recon teams dispatched to the Kovilan Mountains, the monsters are unusually active. If they attack us, the territory will be helpless to defend.”

It was an emergency, so I could not gather all the knights. There was no knowing when something would happen, so everyone had to wait in their individual positions for further orders. As a result, it fell to Derval and me to come up with a countermeasure.

‘The place they will attack next is definitely the Havis Kingdom.’

Altakas was steadily conquering one kingdom after another. If the imperial nobles were cooperating, things would be much easier for him.

‘Those stupid fools…’

I had only clashed with him one time, but I knew that there was no way Altakas would allow the nobles to live. It was an obvious case of “killing the dog after the hunt”. Once the hunt was over, the imperial nobles who cooperated with him would definitely become monster dung.

“What are your thoughts on my master, Sir Derval?”

“Ah! Right, my liege’s master is here as well.” With the mention of Master Aidal, Derval’s face brightened. “Is your master truly an 8th Circle mage, my liege? It does seem correct, seeing as he was able to raise a magnificent disciple such as yourself, but as far as I know, the only human to have risen to the 8th Circle is the Golden-Eyed Reaper Aidal. I guess the world is truly wide and full of mysteries.”

“You’re correct.”

“What? What are you saying is correct…?”

“My master is that very Golden-Eyed Reaper Aidal.”

“…!!” Derval stared at me wide-eyed. “S-Surely you jest?”

He had never once taken my words as a joke before, but now, he was unable to believe me.

“No. My master is the Golden-Eyed Reaper Aidal.”

“Ah! H-Heavens…!”

Just who was the Golden-Eyed Reaper Aidal? He was a legendary figure treated almost like a black mage, a man who had made the Continent tremble in fear 100 years ago. After hearing that such a person was my master, Derval’s face turned as white as a sheet.

“He says he has left the past behind him and is living on the straight and narrow these days. You don’t need to worry.”

“…My liege.”

Derval’s voice trembled with fear, as if there was some terrible mob boss living among us. I could only imagine how other people would react when Derval was acting this way.

‘Ah! That’s right!’

A certain thought suddenly occurred to me.

“Derval, there’s still no movement from the magic towers, correct?”

“Yes. Without the Tower Masters, they will find it difficult to take action. Also, they should know by now that their Tower Masters have become half-liches.”

‘Naisu!’

Someone else’s pain could become a blessing for me, and that was exactly what was happening right now.

‘Huhuhu… A person’s gotta think outside the box.’

There was no need to conceal Master’s name. If the Continent was peaceful, simply uttering his name could get you stoned, but in the current times, an incarnation of evil far, far worse than Master had appeared. The time had come to sell off my Master.

“The best way to contact the towers is probably through the Rubis Merchants, yes?”

“Yes, but why…?”

‘Why do you think? The legend of Kallian’s magic world has appeared in the flesh, so all those small fries need to come crawling on their knees. Huhuhu.’

Of course, I couldn’t reveal my inner thoughts to Derval.

“In order to save the Continent, we need the strength of the magic towers. I will write a letter, so have it delivered to them in secret as quickly as possible.”

“As you command!”

Derval didn’t ask twice, energetically acknowledging the command after hearing that it should be done in secret.

‘Right, that’s also an option.’

Altakas was flying high, acting like the whole world was in his palm. I resolved to prepare a nuclear missile that would deal him a crippling blow.

I was someone who would only be satisfied by giving a black eye for an eye, and not just a tooth for a tooth, but knocking out the whole damn mouth. Now, I was gearing up to unleash a counterattack the bastard wouldn’t forget.

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