50. A Noble Soul (9)
Namuhwaran’s Orchard was extremely vast, and in a place this broad, even for 9-Class mage Aryumun, it was no easy task to pinpoint Cheollibeon’s location with search magic.
Cheollibeon knew that, and so he decided to remain in Namuhwaran’s Orchard for a few more days.
It was not that he had suddenly developed some desire to settle down in a place like this.
It was because the paths leading out of Namuhwaran’s Orchard had been sealed tight by the magical warriors of the Ministry of Magic and the Dark Mage Extermination Unit.
He could always kill a few of them, make an opening, and break out that way, but…
he generally preferred to refrain from pointless, unnecessary slaughter.
‘What an unbearable pain….’
Being loved by the earth, Cheollibeon could repel most ordinary detection magic with anti-mana, but once an expert on Aryumun’s level had stepped in, it was only a matter of time before he was discovered.
Still, Aryumun was a frail human, and with limited mana there would surely be a limit to what he could do, so Cheollibeon intended to lie low and wait until Aryumun’s detection weakened.
It seemed that life—
no, mage-life (魔生)—
did not unfold so easily.
“Traitor. So this is where you were.”
Looking at the men in black robes who had blocked both his front and back, Cheollibeon let out a sigh inwardly.
Dark mages were far more sensitive to dark mana than ordinary mages.
And especially those men, treated even within the Dark Mage Union as apex predators—
the Black Cloud Corps.
They were laughable fools who strutted about taking pride and dignity in the fact that they were dark mages, but they were also the sort who had pushed their dark-mana detection abilities to an extreme precisely so they could hunt down traitors with their own hands.
There was no need even to mention their combat power.
Those men, who handled combinations of all kinds of bloodline-type traits and special abilities, were an immense headache to fight.
…Why were they such a headache?
‘Because they’re a pain to deal with quietly….’
The stronger the opponent, the harder it was to subdue them leisurely and without noise.
Even for Cheollibeon, it was impossible to wipe out the Black Cloud Corps in complete silence.
“Ah… right. Hey, you lot. Let me ask one thing.”
Despite Cheollibeon’s words, the dark mages of the Cloud Corps began one by one to extend fingernails covered in black mana or bare their fangs, radiating hostility.
Even so, he stubbornly continued his question.
“Have any of you, by chance, seen a dark mage named ‘Soya’? He should be hiding somewhere around here.”
“…Did you just say Soya?”
A name powerful enough to make even a dark mage who had seemed unwilling to answer open his mouth.
The dark mage, Soya.
“That is not a name the likes of you gets to speak.”
“Yeah. I figured.”
That was understandable.
Unlike him, Soya was currently treated among dark mages as a godlike existence.
Her greatest feat…
would probably be that she had burned down an entire World Tree and erased it from this world, and even killed a divine spirit and stolen its heart.
‘And what exactly is so impressive about that?’
To dark mages, divine spirits were beings of utter fear, so perhaps it looked great from their perspective,
but to Cheollibeon, it just looked like children’s make-believe, the kind where they pinned some ridiculous medal on themselves and strutted around.
“So… that means you don’t know?”
They did not answer, and once he realized the question had been wasted, Cheollibeon scratched roughly at his head and let out a sigh deep enough to cave in the ground.
At that, the leader shouted:
“The bastard’s given up. Kill him!”
Ssssshhhhh—!
Black mana spread across the entire World Tree in an instant, and at the same time, bloodstream magic—usable only by a very few even among dark mages—unfolded all at once.
In the middle of all that.
‘…The weather’s nice, at least.’
Cheollibeon looked up at the sky.
Bright sun, clear heavens.
Clouds drifting by.
And on a peaceful day like this, he had to get dragged into such a damned fight.
He was sick of it all now.
Every last bit of it.
“We’ll have to search the World Tree’s roots.”
At Aryumun Bleusun’s words, not only Elder Suhaksan, but all the elves of Namuhwaran’s council of elders hardened their expressions viciously.
That was not something one should say lightly.
To dare speak so casually of searching the roots, the very heart of the World Tree.
“There’s no helping it. If we disperse mana throughout the entire World Tree from the roots and take control of the flow, we can locate him immediately. You know how dangerous this situation is as well, don’t you?”
“That and this are separate matters. Even if he were to attack the World Tree, that would still be less dangerous than showing its roots to you.”
“Haa… honestly.”
Aryumun knew perfectly well.
He knew how insulting it was to these people for him to say he intended to inspect the World Tree’s roots.
But what could he do?
He was a scholar who pursued efficiency.
Rather than wasting time like this, they ought to just bend their pride a little and hand over the roots. He truly could not understand elves as a race.
Perhaps it was because they were always so stubbornly blocked off like this that history had produced no truly great mage among them.
Aryumun thought for a moment.
He had to judge rationally.
Was it truly right to trample their pride by force and inspect the roots anyway?
‘Yes.’
If he let Cheollibeon slip away again because he chose to protect this laughable little pride of theirs, then everything would amount to nothing.
“I’m sorry, but we do not have the luxury of preserving your pride. Cheollibeon is classified as a ‘Grade One Threat’ even under the International Mage Accord. And you know very well that in the search for such a target, not even royalty has the right to refuse, don’t you?”
“That is…”
Most races currently in existence were bound together under the broad frame of “magic” through one great pledge, treaty, or agreement.
Some races entered by pledge, others by treaty, but all of them had formed one major shared promise:
the principles and regulations governing the investigation of dark mages.
Dark mages were a common evil to society, and so while mages would not use magic to interfere with one another, dark mages were made exceptions to that rule.
A law created by mages solely to hunt dark mages.
It was a law that perfectly protected all races by binding them under one fence,
but at times, it was also an ironic treaty that forced one to be stripped bare and reveal everything legally.
“You understand, don’t you? Don’t forget that up to now, we have been preserving proper courtesy. The situation is urgent now, so this cannot be helped, and I hope you understand that.”
After saying that, Aryumun moved to change locations at once.
He judged that the best course was to act quickly while Suhaksan, unable to properly refute him, merely parted and closed his lips.
However.
“Wait. Please hold on.”
At the voice that rang out…
every mage from the Association present in that room froze where they stood.
Tok.
At the sound of black heels striking the floor, the door to the meeting chamber opened, and a woman in a black dress stepped inside.
Without even wearing a mask, she slowly met the eyes of the humans in the conference room with her bare face exposed.
Back when her curse had been stronger, their mana would have reversed and every last one of them would have gone berserk, but now it had no effect to that extent.
At most, it merely stirred their hearts and made them more likely to follow her words.
And on powerful mages…
unless she truly set her mind to it, the curse would not seep in properly at all.
“…The Elf King, I see. I did not know you were here.”
No matter who he was, Aryumun could not treat the Elf King carelessly.
Whether her Trait, [Body That Draws In Affection], had even the slightest effect on a 9-Class mage or not, Aryumun felt his judgment blur just a little when he saw her face.
“I heard what was just said. You said you intended to intrude into the World Tree’s roots without restraint.”
“Not without restraint. If you look at the warrant, you’ll understand… a dark mage with a Grade One threat level is hiding here. We have merely chosen the most efficient method for the World Tree’s sake.”
Aryumun forced his tired eyes as wide open as possible as he spoke, but after looking over the warrant he handed her, Kkotseorin shook her head.
“You’ve worked hard. But from this point on, that will no longer be necessary. I will take charge of the search for the dark mage Cheollibeon.”
“Hm….”
At Kkotseorin’s words, several elderly mages turned their heads away with visible discomfort and cleared their throats.
The search for dark mages was clearly something that should be handled by the Magic Society and the Magical Investigation Corps.
Yet this was the domain of Kkotseorin, the Elf King. Handing her command of the operation was only natural…
however.
Until now, the Magic Society had never once had its search authority taken from it by any nation.
Because their capabilities surpassed those of nations.
Led by 9-Class mage Aryumun, with 8-Class elders following behind him, the power and influence of the Mage Association was so immense that even kingdoms dared not refuse them, and so they had long exercised that power as though it were the most natural thing in the world, stepping into the secret domains of foreign lands.
This time, too, it had been supposed to go no differently.
The only obstacle was that their counterpart happened to be the Elf King, said to rival a 9-Class mage.
“The World Tree is my domain. From this point on, I will be taking command here, so please all of you step back. You have all truly worked hard.”
There was a strange force in Kkotseorin’s gentle voice, and before they knew it, the mages found themselves nodding.
A seductive, bewitching voice that seemed impossible to refuse.
When she smiled softly, the mages almost looked ready to tear out their hearts and livers and offer them up, nodding violently—
but Aryumun alone did not.
“I’m sorry, but stepping back will not be possible, Elf King.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. The dark mage Cheollibeon is an extremely dangerous existence. We cannot leave Your Majesty exposed to danger. We will hand over all command authority, but please allow us to participate together in the extermination of the dark mage.”
“Hm….”
It was exactly the answer Kkotseorin had expected.
To begin with, she had shaped the situation like this precisely because she knew he would say it.
Normally, she would have refused here.
She disliked the idea of humans trampling the World Tree while conducting their search, and above all, she was most comfortable acting alone.
But…
before she came here.
She remembered what Baek Yuseol had said in Iphanel’s garden.
‘By now, a few very important people will probably have shown up and started charging around saying they’re going to conduct a search. Kkotseorin, go and keep those people under control.’
‘Wouldn’t it be better… to just send them away?’
‘No.’
At the time, Baek Yuseol’s voice had been unusually firm, and because it was the first time he had ever spoken to her like that, she had felt somewhat flustered—
and yet, strangely, she trusted his words.
‘Most likely, the Magic Society’s Chairman Aryumun has come.’
‘Why…?’
‘A tawny-brown aura means the dark mage Cheollibeon.’
‘A d-dark mage, Cheollibeon?’
‘Yes. You’ve heard of him, right? Chairman Aryumun has spent his entire life pursuing that man. If something bad happens, he’ll definitely be a great help.’
Remembering that moment, Kkotseorin looked at Aryumun and nodded.
“All right. If it is only a matter of searching together, then you are more than welcome.”
She did not know how he had been able to infer the dark mage Cheollibeon from nothing more than the phrase “tawny-brown,” nor how Baek Yuseol knew of the relationship between him and Aryumun,
but the outside situation was unfolding exactly as he had said.
That alone naturally raised the credibility of Baek Yuseol’s words.
So Kkotseorin set aside, for the moment, the disgust she felt at the sight of humans trampling the World Tree, and chose to listen to the boy.
Because that boy…
was the one and only person in this world whom she could trust and entrust her heart to.
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