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Chapter 254: Noble Soul (8)
“I’m sorry, but the registration period is already closed. If you give up your player status now, you’ll face a significant penalty… Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
These words drove Flame to despair.
The idea that she couldn’t withdraw from League of Spirit was crushing.
It was bad enough that she was forcibly enlisted into the tournament by that wretched Jeremy, but to make matters worse, she couldn’t even choose her own team.
“What do you mean I can’t change teams? Why not?”
“Well... When you register, you have to specify your team affiliation in advance. You’re already officially registered as part of the ‘Skalven Team.’”
“No, I don’t want that.”
“Pardon?”
Acting stubbornly might be childish, but Flame wasn’t in a position to care about that right now.
“Please. Couldn’t you make an exception? Think of it as saving someone’s life by just helping me switch teams.”
“Well, the thing is… other teams already have their five players locked in, so…”
“But there might be a way, right? Please. I’m begging you.”
As Flame clenched her hands and gave the administrator a desperate look, the League of Spirit player manager felt her heart skip a beat.
'So… So cute…'
Normally, Flame’s fierce and aggressive demeanor was a problem, but when she put on a gentle expression, she was this adorable.
“Ahem! Well, let’s do it this way.”
The manager composed herself and cleared her throat.
It wasn’t right to be swayed by a student, but with such a sincere request, how could she not grant this one favor?
“There’s an additional selection tournament coming up, right? If you can gather four players from there and form a team, it might be possible to transfer your team affiliation.”
“Really? You’re sure?”
“Honestly, I’d like to just create a team for you, but that’s beyond my authority. Do you think you can find four players?”
Flame nodded vigorously in response.
She had no idea how she was going to find four players right away, but anything was better than competing alongside Jeremy on the Skalven team.
Grabbing the manager’s hands tightly, Flame’s eyes sparkled with gratitude.
“Thank you! I’ll never forget this kindness!”
“… I don’t think I’ll forget this moment either.”
If another student had made this request, it might have seemed like a bothersome extra task, but since Flame had paid with her charm, the manager felt she could handle it.
In fact, thanks to this charm, it felt like all the fatigue she’d been feeling had suddenly disappeared, so in a way, she even considered it a win.
“Good luck finding your four players.”
“Got it!”
Watching Flame excitedly run off like a child, the manager let out a deep sigh.
“But then again… Most of the other players who signed up for the additional selections already belong to a team. Will she really be able to find them…?”
She couldn’t help but worry, but there was nothing more she could do, so she decided to wait and see.
After all, with Flame’s popularity, gathering four people should be a piece of cake.
"... I suppose so?"
———
It was evening after the lecture had ended.
When the students who didn’t live in the dorms went home, Ma Yu-Seong would occasionally go for a walk in the Arcanium as well.
While strengthening his relationships with friends was one goal, what was more important was secretly communicating with the outside world.
Meeting his informants within the academy was far too risky.
Though the Dark Mage's disguise was flawless, making him appear to be a perfect mage, as long as Stella’s Vice Principal Archie Hayden was watching, he had to be constantly on guard.
Archie Hayden was a vassal of the Dark Mage King, but he was far from loyal.
Since it was impossible to know what schemes he might be plotting behind his cunning exterior, it was best to avoid his gaze and move as quietly as possible.
“Crow, are you there?”
When Ma Yu-Seong spoke into the air after arriving in a deserted alley, a shadow split open, revealing an apparition in a black robe.
“You called, my prince?”
“I want you to deliver this to my father. Can you do that?”
“Of course. If it’s the prince’s command, I will do anything.”
The Crow took Ma Yu-Seong’s letter, feeling a bit puzzled.
Was the usually mature prince the type to write letters to his father?
If anything, he seemed to avoid conversation, making this quite a strange occurrence.
But it wasn’t his place to voice doubts.
He was a loyal servant, and his duty was simply to follow orders.
“Oh. By the way, did you find out what I asked about last time?”
As the question came from Ma Yu-Seong, the Crow gulped nervously.
The young prince desired only one piece of information—to find the Earth Contractor, Chelven.
According to rumors, Chelven had formed a contract with Fawn Prevernal Moon, one of the Twelve Divine Moons, and had obtained an invincible body.
But no one knew if it was true since he had completely disappeared the day the rumors began to spread.
“For now... We have found him.”
“What did you find?”
“Yes. Recently, he was briefly spotted near the Frost Column outpost, but... When the agents arrived, they found everyone at the scene had been killed.”
“Hmm. That’s a bit unfortunate.”
Ma Yu-Seong frowned slightly.
Chelven must have realized someone was tracking him but wasn’t able to pinpoint the exact location of the agents.
He didn’t have the kind of keen senses needed for that.
So, he made a choice.
He killed everyone at the scene to leave no loose ends behind.
“He’s still got that cold-blooded attitude.”
“He erased all traces, making further pursuit impossible.”
“Let’s take a break for now. Another pursuit will tire us both out.”
Even as he said that, Ma Yu-Seong couldn’t hide his disappointment.
Chelven.
If it were him, he could achieve what Ma Yu-Seong desired.
Why was he living in seclusion, abandoning everything without even a challenge?
Why would someone with that much power need to hide?
Ma Yu-Seong couldn’t understand it at all.
“Oh. And recently, there’s been suspicious activity detected at the Dark Magic Tower. It seems they are preparing for the ‘Dark Night Succession Ceremony.’”
“Hmmm...”
The world of the dark mages revolved around the survival of the fittest.
In their society, it was natural for the strong to trample over the weak to rise higher.
The Dark Mage King became the king because he possessed the most powerful strength, and he had held that position firmly for decades without any intention of stepping down.
How many dark mages had challenged him since he came to power only to shed bitter tears of blood?
Now, everyone knew.
The Dark Mage King was undeniably the strongest, and his rule must be acknowledged.
However... There was one problem.
Rumors had spread that the Dark Mage King was once a member of the ‘Light Mage Corps.’
Though this special organization created by Stella Academy no longer existed, it was originally formed to exterminate dark mages.
During its short existence of just one year, it was a terrifying presence that drove dark mages into hiding.
And now, a mage who once belonged to the Order of Light was claiming to be the Dark Mage King?
Even if he was the strongest, he couldn’t be accepted as a king.
Riding on this wave of public opinion, it was said that, behind the scenes, the Dark Mage Alliance was scheming to overthrow the Dark Mage King.
"They’re up to something pointless again.”
Ma Yu-Seong laughed coldly.
Though he deeply hated his father, there was one thing he knew for certain. His father’s power... was not something that could be overcome by mere cunning tricks.
That was why Ma Yu-Seong was so desperate to find Chelven. He was the only dark mage who survived facing his father.
A dark mage who, at the same time, was blessed by one of the Twelve Divine Moons... Perhaps he was the only one in the world with such a unique status.
"Have you confirmed his last known destination?"
When he asked, feeling a sense of regret, Crow nodded reluctantly.
"Yes. Though the tracking magic was cut off, predicting his route was easy. He’s a rather straightforward man…"
"Is that so?"
"By now, he’s likely headed to the orchard of the Third World Tree. There’s no major place nearby except for that one."
"It’s best not to mess with the elves. He won’t cause any trouble, will he?"
"Most likely not. Even someone as strong as Chelven would struggle if he angered the World Tree or the Elf King."
"That’s reassuring. He’s not the kind of man who wouldn’t consider that."
After saying that, Ma Yu-Seong smiled.
"You’ve done well. You can go now. Staying exposed for too long won’t do us any good."
"Thank you for your consideration, my prince."
With a brief bow, the Crow once again disappeared into the shadows, and Ma Yu-Seong looked up at the sky, which was growing darker.
"The sky is unusually dark today..."
It was a particularly cloudy day.
—
Bang!
"What?! Why are you only telling me this now?!"
Mage Association, Central Heavenly Tower.
Star Valkyrie.
The meeting room was filled with grand mages who had each published over 100 spells of at least Class 7.
In that room, Vice Chairman Kaladen shouted.
"The Frost Column outpost has been annihilated...?"
The Frost Colum outpost was established to subdue the demonic beasts inhabiting the Frost Colum Plateau.
It boasted an impregnable defense capability and was composed of veteran magic warriors.
It had been ten years since the decision was made that it was nearly impossible to eliminate the demonic beasts.
Instead, the focus shifted to prevent them from invading. The amount of effort put into thoroughly fortifying defenses was immense.
But now, to think they were annihilated.
“… Calm down, Kaladen.”
The vice-chairman was about to shout again, but a calm voice stopped him. It compelled him to tightly close his mouth and turn around.
The young man, who was both the head of the Heavenly Tower and the chairman of the Mage Association, was named Aryumon.
Though he appeared to be in his twenties, he was actually over 150 years old, making Kaladen's agitation over the situation seem all the more bothersome to him.
“Explain step by step. Did some unexpected high-level demonic beast appear?”
“No... That’s not it. After sending out a search party to investigate, we found no traces of a battle with demonic beasts.”
“Then, does that mean it was a dark being?”
“Yes... It appears to be a dark being capable of using magic.”
“Hmm.”
Dark beings that could use magic were quite rare. Most lost their intelligence, or even if they retained it, they lost all their mana upon becoming a dark being, making it impossible for them to wield magic.
However, some dark beings utilized their 'traits' and racial inheritance abilities. Thus, they could still use magic, making them the most dangerous and troublesome kind.
“It seems the target is using earth-element magic. It doesn’t appear to be a particularly cautious individual, but all traces of it have completely vanished from the ground.”
“Is that so?”
A dark being who used the earth element and possessed the power to single-handedly destroy the Frost Colum outpost... Only one person came to mind.
“Could it be that Chelven has finally reappeared after nearly ten years?”
But why all of a sudden?
He had been living quietly for so long, so what could have prompted this sudden activity?
Did someone provoke him?
Was there even a need to?
Countless questions swirled in his mind, but the only conclusion he could reach was...
“It seems the dark beings' succession ceremony is about to begin. They must be planning to enthrone him as the new king. After all, he is a pureblood dark being.”
“A pureblood... dark being?”
It seemed the term was quite unfamiliar to the other mages, who appeared puzzled.
To mages, a dark being was just a dark being; they didn’t typically differentiate by bloodline, so their confusion was understandable.
“Yes. They’re strange... They even divide themselves by lineage and origin, you know? They’re not like humans at all...”
As Aryumon made this remark in a soft, joking tone, the mages began to fidget, unsure of how to react.
Amused by their foolish reaction, Aryumon chuckled softly and shook his head.
“Did you confirm the location?”
“The pursuit was cut off, but there’s only one place they could go from there, through the Frost Colum Plateau.”
“Then...”
“Yes. The orchard of the Third World Tree.”
“Phew...”
"Of all places, why does that guy have to head towards the peaceful city of elves?"
“I really hope he stays quiet there... For now, discreetly dispatch the 'Dark Mages Extermination Squad.'”
“Yes, understood.”
If they dispatched the elite group with the strongest capabilities against dark mages, the Dark Mages Extermination Squad, they might be able to reduce some damage, but...
The best outcome would still be if nothing happened at all and Chelven moved on to another area.
"Another troublesome situation is about to unfold. I don’t know why so many exhausting issues keep popping up in my later years."
Aryumon sighed deeply.
“Inform them that I will go there myself.”
“Y-you’ll go yourself…?”
“Yes. There’s no need for long explanations.”
With that, he rose from his seat.
Now that he was old, sick, and weary, he might not be much help...
But still, he had to do what he must.