CH 13

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“—- Hey, boy. Are you interested in magic?

Memories of the past come flooding back to my mind.

A memory from long, long ago.

The gentle sound of a voice, like the ringing of a bell, was unexpectedly recalled.

The person who said this to me as a child with a friendly smile on his face was a neighborhood elder brother named Erdas.

A little earlier than entering the Academy of Magic.

He taught me the basics of magic, and almost everything else about it.

I have a natural talent.

And so Eldas took care of me and taught me magic every day.

According to him, I owe a debt of gratitude to my dead mother.

When I asked him why he was teaching me magic, Erdas had a definite answer.

Come to me when the sun is setting.

Just before my father came home from work, Eldus would always disappear from my sight.

Strange guy.

Despite these thoughts, the time I spent with him was not a bad one. In fact, it was much, much more comfortable. I even dreamed of what it would be like if I had a brother.

But I was only able to be with Erdas for that one year. One day, exactly one year later.

He told me, with a sad expression on his face, that he had to leave King’s Landing.

“…… Hey, Alec. If you ever get the chance to become one, don’t become a court wizard.

Even after more than ten years, I still can’t forget the words of Erdas, who parted with such words in a muffled voice.

I’m sure it had something to do with why I chose to become a court magician.

Because those words had left a lump in my heart, I overcame the opposition of those around me and became a court magician.

This is probably the reason why my father left King’s Landing so early because he didn’t want to be a burden on me, and still clung to his position as court magician.

I wanted to know the meaning of those words, so I looked it up. Eventually, I arrived at the answer.

The fact that I had seen the name Erdas among those who had graduated from the Academy of Magic at the top of their class and become court wizards almost ten years ago, made it even more difficult for me to escape.

Now that I knew the intent of the words that had been thrown at me so long ago, I decided to change the court.

Thanks to my encounter with Erdas, I am where I am today.

I was only grateful for the favor, so I thought, “Why not? But there was not much I could do about it.

In the end, I couldn’t do anything about it.

I’m not going to just run away on my own.

I thought I had managed to carry through with such a small intention, but it was just like this.

The only thing I’ve gained is a few life skills that I’ve learned so that I can hang on to my position as court wizard.

That’s why —- ah, really, I hate 、、、、. And then I think.

I wondered if it was really a good idea for me to take Jorha’s hand at that time. This is the end result of someone who said he was going to become a court magician and overcame the opposition of the people around him.

…… I felt terribly funny about myself.

In a state of unrealistic sensation, I bite my lower lip.

The taste of blood in my mouth.

But that level of pain doesn’t even distract me in the slightest.

I was helplessly and inexplicably angry with myself. And then, and then —-.

“—Alec?”

…… And thanks to that one word, I was brought back to reality. The feelings of remorse that had been bubbling up endlessly began to dissipate as if they were spiders.

I thought I was sitting in a chair waiting for Ornest and the others after Misha had told me the whole story, but I seemed to have lost consciousness before I knew it.

When I slowly opened my eyes, they met with deep black eyes.

I had an idea of who it was that was peering at me and observing my face in a curious way.

“……Clasia.”

“Oh, it’s not real after all. Jorha really managed to pull off Alec. That’s quite a feat.”

The woman with silver and white hair, reminiscent of the first fall of snow, does not seem to be surprised at all, and just replies with a slight buzz in her voice.

“So, where’s Baka and Jorha?”

“Over there. If he’s not here, he’s probably still listening to the Guildmaster.”

“Okay. Good.”

The person the idiot was referring to was, of course, Ornest. I knew that if Ornest was there, she definitely wouldn’t be heading there, but just in case, why don’t you go there too, Clasia?

Before she could say anything else, she sat down in the chair that had been placed beside her.

“Why don’t you wipe your mouth?”

“Huh?

“Blood. You’re bleeding.”

I thought I was dreaming, but apparently I was actually biting my lip and bleeding.

No wonder it tasted like blood, I thought.

“Did you have a bad dream?”

“…I wonder?”

“Four years later, you’re still a terrible liar. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, and I’m not going to bother you with prying questions.”

You obviously look terrible on —-, too. Now Alec, you look like Jorha when he was screaming about seeing a ghost.

“What the hell is that?”

It must have been a very confusing metaphor, but for some reason, I could immediately picture what the face looked like in my mind.

Jorja will be angry, but I can’t help but feel a smile on my face.

“…… Well, all I know is that I looked terrible. I’m just glad Ornest found me before he did.”

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and smiled.

Ornest is a good guy, even for that.

However, he is not a reserved person, so he is not afraid to ask anything and everything.

I don’t feel disgusted with him because I’ve come to terms with the fact that this is his nature, but still, there are one or two things I don’t like to say. That’s why I was glad that it was Clasia who found me.

The silence that eventually descended upon the place.

“…”

I was completely at a loss for words.

It’s been four years since we’ve seen each other, so it would be nice to have something to talk about with Clasia. That was what I was thinking, but I couldn’t come up with the right words or topics.

And is Clasia caring for us in Clasia?

She is also very awkward because of her lack of speech.

—…… Please, come back soon.

In order to somehow break through this unbearable space, did my wish for the return of Jorja and Ornest reach the heavens?

Within a few minutes, the door to the room where Jorja and the others would have been was opened.

And there were Jorja and Ornest, mixed in with the adventurers who were coming out in droves.

Shortly thereafter,

“—ack”

I can hear Ornest’s voice twitching.

My gaze was directed right at me – at Clasia. Why are you even here?

That was what the strange voice said.

But it’s only for a moment.

“Oi, Alec. We’ll head for the dungeon as soon as we’re ready. We’ve already been granted a special exception for the pass.”

By tomorrow.

Ornest said that he had received permission for the pass needed to proceed to the deeper levels, which he had been told by Leviel.

“When you say “as soon as …… is ready,” do you mean now?”

Clasia, who knows nothing about the situation, frowns at Ornest’s comment and asks him about it, but all she gets back is a grim smile, as if to say, of course.

“We were told we couldn’t go, but the old man just happened to have the core stone for the tank killing dungeon. So we got permission for our party to go. We’re headed to layer 64. It’s going to be a lot of fun as soon as Alec gets back, huh?”