The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years Book 2: Chapter 532

Book 2: Chapter 532

“What~ A daughter, you say? Ahaha!”
Pale burst into laughter.
She slapped Lucas on the back cheerfully, which to Lucas felt more like he was being hit.
“Cough”
Lucas seemed not to catch Pale's attention as she chuckled and continued.
“You should have said so earlier!”
“You never gave me a chance to─”
“And to think she's your adopted daughter! Ohoho…”
“……”
Is it okay because she's an adopted daughter?
Lucas managed to suppress a sigh from leaking out. He regretted not being honest from the beginning. Now, he somewhat understood why Residue had spat out curses in irritation.
[…It's not because of that, you fool. You've got it all wrong again.]
Residue grumbled again, but Lucas, instead of focusing on him, said to Pale,
“…Anyway, that’s the situation I'm in, and the favor I need. Can you help?”
“Hmm.”
Pale's expression changed as she sank into thought once more.
After idly swinging her fishing rod for a while, she finally spoke.
“I can help, but does that mean I'll be away from Lucas for a while?”
“That's right.”
“Hmmm.”
She frowned, apparently displeased.
“What are you going to do in the meantime?”
“I'm planning to go to Magic Planet.”
There was no more time to delay.
Lucas had a premonition that if he went to see Sedi or tried to resolve anything else, he might never uncover the secrets of The Beginning Wizard in this lifetime.
But it seemed that wasn’t the answer Pale had hoped for. Her expression slightly furrowed.
“Why there?”
“I need to meet The Beginning Wizard. I've been concerned about his identity for a while now.”
“All this just for that?”
“It’s important to me.”
Lucas said this and then asked another question.
“Do you know anything about him?”
If anyone, Blue Knight Pale would likely know more about the Twelve Void Lords than Lucas did.
Pale turned her gaze towards the stream and casually mentioned,
“The most dogmatic wizard, a being who, under certain conditions and circumstances, cannot even be defeated by a knight, and he's the head of the Twelve Void Lords.”
“…The head of the Twelve Void Lords?”
“He usually leads the Void Lords' meetings, which are held occasionally.”
This wasn’t a new piece of information.
─The Twelve Void Lords' meeting─a massive conference that might even be attended by the Twelve Void Lords, the Four Knights, and even the Void King, was unprecedented in scale. Though whether they would all attend was uncertain.
The voice Lucas recalled belonged to Sedi. Back then, Sedi had provided him with some information about The Beginning Wizard. Lucas revisited those memories and said,
“Isn’t his existence too prominent? He leads meetings involving the Four Knights and the Void King, and he can even control the independent Void Lord to some extent without having his own territory. That's……”
“Does it seem like he's exceeding the powers a Void Lord should have?”
Lucas nodded.
Then Pale's expression grew a bit more serious.
“That’s what he is. Born to be that way.”
Looking down at the stream, her face momentarily blurred with nostalgia. Pale continued in a longing tone,
“The Void King once said that The Beginning Wizard has been here since the creation of this place. He's also the owner of the largest library that exists on this land.”
“…A library.”
For some reason, the image of the Void Records flashed in Lucas's mind, but he shook his head. It would be too far-fetched to connect someone from the Void World accessing the Void Records.
And then Pale fell silent for a moment.
Lucas looked at the motionless fishing rod. At the moment he concluded that there really were no fish here, Pale spoke up.
“Honestly, I don't want you to go. Going to Magic Planet alone is too dangerous.”
“Are you saying I can't confront The Beginning Wizard alone?”
“It's true, but it's a bit different. It's not just because you're weak or anything simple like that. The important parts are ‘alone' and ‘going to Magic Planet.'”
“……?”
Lucas didn't quite understand what she meant.
“To face The Beginning Wizard, you need at least one trustworthy person with you. That’s one of the best ways to counteract the ‘situations' he designs.”
“I don't really get what you mean.”
“To put it simply, in ‘Magic Planet', in a ‘one-on-one' situation, The Beginning Wizard is invincible.”
Lucas flinched.
Not just unbeatable, but invincible.
That is, no enemies at all, as stated by Blue Knight Pale.
“…How is that possible?”
“Well, it’s easier to just understand it as a rule. Digging deeper will only give you a headache.”
“…….”
It seemed that Pale knew this fact well, which is why she had advised him to always have at least one reliable person with him.
‘It wasn't because of the White Knight then.'
Pale hummed and then spoke.
“If you were to go, it would be safest to go just the two of us. Hmm…….”
“Should I wait until you return from Demonsio?”
“That would be best, but are you okay with that? It might take a while.”
“How long?”
“Hmm. Perhaps until the sky changes its color about a hundred times? It could take longer.”
That was a much longer time than Lucas had expected.
“So, driving out the Ruler is not an easy task, huh…….”
“Huh? Oh, no. That's not the problem. It’s because of El that it takes so much time.”
“Red Knight?”
“Yes. She's a tough one to deal with in many ways…….”
Pale's voice trailed off then she changed the subject.
“Anyway, if you don't have time to waste, we'll have to act separately.”
“So, you’ll consider my request?”
“That's what I said from the start.”
Pale smiled mischievously, and Lucas smiled faintly as well.
“Thanks. That's a relief.”
“No problem~ No problem~ I have something to gain from this too.”
“Something to gain?”
Lucas would like to offer something to Pale if he could, but currently, he had nothing to give.
Pale just chuckled without replying.
“Promise me one thing. That you won't go to Magic Planet alone.”
“I promise.”
“Good. Then─”
Pale stood up and stretched as if loosening her stiff body.
“What are you doing?”
“El is in the snowy fields, right? Thought I'd stretch a bit before we head out.”
Lucas was taken aback.
“You're going now?”
“It's urgent, isn't it?”
Pale grinned and started descending the rocks.
Lucas felt grateful again but had just thanked her, so it felt redundant to say it again.
“…Be careful.”
“You too. Oh, almost forgot.”
Just as Pale was about to leave, she turned around with a wave, seeming to have something else to say. As she came down from the rocks, suddenly, her face was very close.
“……!”
Close enough that even a whisper would be clear,
Pale smiled within breathing distance.
“Can you guess why I was upset earlier?”
If she meant earlier, was she referring to when Lucas had hidden things about Sedi?
“Because I tried to deceive?”
“Ahaha! See? I knew you wouldn’t understand. Lucas, you can be so dense.”
Pale giggled.
“You’re clueless in strange ways and a bit clumsy. That’s charming in its own right, but I really don’t like being misunderstood. I mean it.”
Lucas was confused about what she really wanted to say.
As if she knew what he was thinking, Pale spoke in a clear tone.
“I was jealous.”
Lucas hesitated.
“Of a woman, bearing the Trowman name, described as someone precious, I got annoyed thinking she might be the person you love most. It made me anxious and angry.”
Pale's voice mellowed.
“I've lived my life indulging in whatever I wanted.”
Her blue eyes were visible. Her smile deepened.
It wasn't just a simple smile—she was smiling so brightly that her white teeth showed.
“─If not, I wouldn’t be satisfied.”
What followed happened in an instant. There was no time to react. It was the sharpest surprise attack Lucas had ever experienced.
“──.”
As Pale came close suddenly, she withdrew slowly when she moved away.
But it wasn't just her face that had come close and then retreated.
“…….”
He froze as he felt a moist touch on his skin.
Literally, his whole body stiffened. Even his usually active brain halted.
A few steps away, Pale licked her lips then laughed mischievously.
“I’ll take this as payment for the errand.”
“…….”
“Ah! I feel energized. I’m fired up. I feel like I can do anything right now!”
“…….”
“I’ll go ahead then! See you later! Lu-ba~”
Changing the atmosphere in a flash, giggling mischievously, and perhaps mimicking a tone she learned from Migling,
Pale cheerfully left Mount Hua.
And Lucas.
“…….”
He stood dumbfounded, then collapsed to the ground as if crumbling.
Still dazed and unable to grasp the situation, his hands reflexively covered his face.
[Yes. The most effective strategy for a blockhead like you. The Blue Knight is indeed not to be underestimated.]
He heard cackling laughter in his mind.
“…….”
[Overwhelmed, aren’t you? You poor bastard.]
“…Shut up.”
Residue burst into loud laughter.
* * *
Anyway, one more condition had been added for going to Magic Planet.
Finding a trustworthy person to accompany him.
Lucas was at a location for that very purpose.
“…….”
Located at the top of Mount Hua, Cloud Pavilion had quickly been restored to its original state.
Thanks to the strong insistence of the Flower Mountain Sect members, this place was prioritized over others for repairs.
As dozens of masters from the Flower Mountain Sect rushed to the summit, Cloud Pavilion was rebuilt in half a day. The reconstructed building seemed even larger than before.
Lucas was there waiting for Yang In-hyun. Naturally, his purpose was to proposing to go to the Magic Planet together.
However, up to this point, Lucas was still contemplating.
Would accompanying Yang In-hyun be the best choice?
[There seems to be no better candidate than Everlasting Plum Sword. None of the people you can call upon right now are stronger than him.]
‘There is one.'
[Who?]
‘Lucid.'
Residue paused briefly then nodded.
[You mean the Black Knight. But he would be with Diablo.]
‘I know Diablo’s intentions now. Understanding Lucid’s principles, persuading him won't be hard.'
[Hmm. Certainly… if you can involve the Black Knight, he’d be a force greater than Everlasting Plum Sword.]
Although the power of Black Knight Lucid was inferior to the other Four Knights, he was stronger than most of the Twelve Void Lords. Moreover, he was a more reliable entity than Yang In-hyun at this point.
‘The problem is I don’t know exactly where he is right now.'
After a little while he would appear at the ‘dumpsite' where they once met again, but Lucas was quite reluctant to go there now.
The image of Corpse Ghost's face, rotten after receiving what was a threat yet not a threat from Pale, was still vividly etched in his mind.
That's when it happened.
“Sorry I'm late.”
Yang In-hyun appeared.
He looked somewhat troubled.
“No, it's okay. But was there a problem?”
“…Hmm. An unexpected guest arrived.”
“A guest?”
Then it would be polite to postpone this matter.
Lucas got up from his seat.
“Call me when you're done. I'll be down.”
“No need for that. In fact, I should be the one to leave.”
“…What do you mean?”
That’s when another voice was heard.
“My business is not with Yang In-hyun, but with you.”
Lucas shuddered.
He hadn't sensed anyone approaching.
It was a voice he had heard before, and realizing whose it was not difficult.
“The Beginning Wizard.”
Silently, like mist, he materialized behind Yang In-hyun.
A low chuckle emanated from behind the twisted mask.
“Hello, Lukas Trowman. I've come to greet you.”
*****
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