[77] The Return of the Archmage (4)
"Can you give me more details?"
"The incident happened a week ago. The escapee is a man named Lucas, and before he was captured he was the deputy leader of the Parrot Thieves. Their leader is still wanted."
"Apart from the escapee, is there any description of the person who attacked Inferno?"
"Hmm, I only heard rumors. They say he was an old man with white hair. I think he had two lackeys. They say he used dark magic to slip the prisoners out. It was called… something like 'of darkness'—"
"'Dark Power'?"
"Yes, that's it! You really are a teacher at the Magic Academy."
Reina praised him, but Saad didn't hear. Dark magic. An old man casting a high-level technique called Dark Power had raided Inferno.
"No way…"
Saad jerked his head up.
"Sorry. I have to go first."
"Eh? Ah, yes."
Politeness until the end was almost instinct. To Saad, the party leader and the beautiful woman no longer existed.
"Damn it! Of all times, while I'm on an assignment!"
They said the jailbreak happened a week ago. If he hadn't stopped in Bashka and had kept moving, he'd have had more than enough time to reach Creas.
"Carriage! Carriage!"
Saad left the mansion and climbed into the first carriage in line. He opened the driver's window and shouted, "To Creas! As fast as you can!"
"S-sir, every carriage here is reserved. We can't take anyone who isn't on the list—"
This carriage was for a high official; no ordinary bribe would sway the driver.
Saad dug into his coat and emptied every coin he had.
"Here! Take it. Are you going or not?"
The driver counted the gold coins scattered across the bench, immediately changed his expression, and prepared to depart.
"We'll get you there swiftly. You'll be traveling through the night, right?"
"No sleep or rest! Just get us there—quick!"
The steady beat of hooves cut through the night air.
"Damn. I mustn't be late."
Saad leaned back and pressed his palm to his forehead. He wanted to teleport there, but repeatedly casting in an unfamiliar place without coordinates or knowledge of the environment would take more lives than he had.
The fact that there was nothing he could do calmed him. Once he sorted the facts, a new question surfaced.
What on earth was his motive for returning to the world?
Saad had never met him or seen his face. But the horrific connection Alpheas had told him about remained vivid in his memory.
"Viltor Arkein…."
Saad's gaze, fixed straight ahead, burned.
* * *
A little past four in the morning, Kanis and his party arrived at the training ground halfway up the mountain of the Alpheas School of Magic.
None of them had attended the school, but as an archmage's disciple, he could tell the facilities were top-tier.
A blithe voice broke the silence. "Whew, nicely built. It's practically wallpapered in gold. I wonder what the land's worth."
Kanis frowned and turned his head. Lucas, a B-rank wanted man, had twin swords with parrot motifs slung over his shoulder.
"Keep your voice down. Guards might be on patrol."
"What's there to worry about? We'll just cut them down. Bury them."
Kanis grew even more displeased. Though he had followed his master out of duty, the man had no redeeming qualities.
"Don't be mistaken. You're hired by us. If the operation fails, you'll be the first I deal with."
"Pfft, scary. Kids these days are lucky—get a big-name master and can mouth off at elders."
Lucas flopped down on the training ground. He wasn't interfering with the plan anymore, so Kanis held his anger in check.
'The most important thing is my master's revenge. Even if I don't like him, I have to endure.'
Lucas yawned and asked, "By the way, why are we waiting here? We still have to go down to the school."
Arin said with disgust, "Master will cast magic. It's a wide-area spell; if you're inside the range, we won't be safe. If you're confident, you can go down first."
Lucas shrugged. He honestly wanted to avoid Arkein's magic.
"Kekeke, don't be so angry, little miss. Your cute face looks ugly when you frown."
"Hmph, whatever anyone looks like is none of my business."
"Why don't you date this old man instead? I can teach you something way more fun than magic."
Arin's face reddened. Just as she was about to shout, Kanis cut the conversation short. "Quiet. It's starting."
Kanis' group turned their eyes skyward. Arkein hovered against the center of the moon, casting a Fly spell.
Fly is a fusion air magic that uses both the Press and Blow branches. It first forms a solid air pressure around the caster with Press-type magic, then generates lift by stirring winds with Blow-type magic. Its advantage of flight makes it overpowered, but because the wind shifts in real time, delicate control is essential.
As darkness flowed in and veiled the moon, Arkein's eyes snapped open. Combining omniscience and omnipotence, he stretched his limbs wide and cast his life's masterpiece: Abyss Nova.
There was no thunderous sound, no terrible backlash, but the sight of dark energy blanketing the school was spectacular.
When the effects of Abyss Nova that had spread to the academy's outskirts faded, the moon reappeared and the surroundings brightened.
"Huff. Huff."
Arkein panted. Even for the archmage, the spell consumed ninety percent of his mental strength.
'I probably won't be able to raise it again for a while.'
He turned and headed down the mountain. Keeping Fly active was already difficult, but his anger only grew.
Now that Abyss Nova had spread, no one could interfere. Besides, hadn't he trained disciples precisely for such a situation?
"Kekeke, wait and see, Alpheas. I'll make you taste the humiliation of forty years ago."
The dark night passed, and a pale light rose over the eastern mountainside.
The Dark Intruder (1)
It was the last day of their suspension. Shirone and his companions, who had studied at the inn until dawn, did not wake until well past morning. After teasing one another about their bedraggled looks, they bathed.
By the time they returned books to the library and headed back to school, lunch was already over. The campus was quiet during classes; cleaners swept the stone paths.
"So this is the last of it—our break."
"A break? Suspension isn't a break."
"Still, it was fun. What'll you do now?"
Shirone headed toward the dorms. "First I'll go in and tidy my room. Classes start tomorrow, so I should clean today."
"Always so meticulous, huh? Fine. We'll be in the research club; drop by if you get bored."
"Okay. See you later."
After parting with his friends, Shirone returned to his room. He hadn't tended to it during the presentation preparations, and it was a mess. Rolling up his sleeves, he started cleaning. He straightened his coursebooks on the shelf in order and wiped his hands.
A week of suspension had come without warning.
But he'd gained something from it—more than what the school had taught so far.
'Finally, normal classes again. I can't wait for tomorrow.'
It was natural that his progress had slipped; even if it meant cutting back on the research club for a while, he planned to devote himself to classes.
'Nade and Iruki must be thinking the same.'
The friends he'd seen at the inn had eyes alight with ambition. They'd set a definite goal: to promote to Class Four before this semester ended.
At Alpheas School of Magic, promotion at the end of a term reflects midterm grades, and the cutoff is brutal: at least 80 points in every subject. Not an average of 80—every single subject must be 80 or above.
It wasn't impossible, but it was undeniably hard. Everyone has weak subjects depending on aptitude.
Still, the school's policy was firm.
Before choosing a major, one must master a baseline of knowledge across all fields.
Thus, graduates of the Magic Academy were expected to be able to use basic magic from each branch. That's why alumni were favored in frontline jobs in the magic world.
Not all active mages graduated from the academy. Some apprenticed to mages, some attained realizations on their own, and some learned magic through dark routes without attending school. Those without academy backgrounds were not negligible in number.
Their strength lay in field experience and practical spells suited for real combat. But compared to academy graduates, they lacked theoretical understanding and had less potential for development.
Who to hire depended on the job, but academy graduates generally had the edge. The school's 80-point standard reflected modern social expectations.
"Sigh. So what does that mean? I have to raise my scores by at least thirty points across the board."
No matter what Shirone had learned, this was still a school. To be promoted, he needed scores of 80 or above in every subject.
Using the framework of his knowledge, it wasn't impossible. Plus, the knowledge he'd gained from preparing the presentation and studying the God Particles would boost his scores.
Even so, he estimated his chance of promotion at around thirty percent.
'No, that's actually impressive. Promoting to Class Four in half a year—thirty percent is worth a shot.'
Shirone took a positive view. It was a realistic, challengeable probability. He shuddered at the thought of Nade and Iruki promoting while he stayed stuck in Class Five.
Once you reached Class Four, you could apply to the graduating class. That would fulfill his promise to Amy as well.
"Gasp! Right—Amy!"
He hadn't seen her once after the presentation. He'd been too excited then to even look for her.
'I should at least have said hello. I was so thoughtless.'
Amy had been a supportive friend who cheered him on whenever he faced a hard challenge. This time, he could be the one to help her. With that thought, mischief crept into Shirone's eyes as he left the dorm.
"Heh heh! She'll be so surprised."
* * *
Shirone carried two coffees in both hands and made his way to the graduating class. One was for Amy, the other for Seriel. A sour little smile appeared when he remembered being Amy's errand runner in the past.
'I thought the world would end back then.'
It had been a fateful, almost cursed connection.
Who would have guessed the delinquent girl he met in an alley at twelve would one day be his friend?
Shirone climbed the hill to the graduating class. An arch known as the Iron Gate stood at the entrance. From afar it had seemed ordinary, but up close it was far larger than he'd imagined.
'This is the pinnacle of the Magic Academy.'
Passing beneath a structure symbolizing the mage's spirit, Shirone felt oddly solemn.
When sixth period ended, the graduating students came outside. Shirone spotted Amy and Seriel chatting at the central entrance and called out, "Amy! Amy!"
The graduates turned, but Amy and Seriel seemed not to hear and remained engrossed in conversation. Playfully, Shirone slipped up behind them and presented a coffee in front of Amy's face.
"Tada! Surprise gift!"
Amy's eyes widened in surprise. Shirone beamed and offered a cup to Seriel as well.
"Here—this one's for you too, upperclassman. Have this and keep your strength up!"
Seriel cocked her head. Amy blinked, then furrowed her brow and said, "What—who are you to be giving us coffee?"