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Chapter 258: Noble Soul (12)
Noble Soul (9)
The orchard was vast, and in such a wide area, even with the detection magic of a Class 9 mage like Aryumon, pinpointing Chelven’s exact location was not an easy task.
Knowing this, Chelven decided to stay in the orchard for a few more days.
It wasn't because he suddenly wanted to settle in this place.
The exits of the orchard were tightly guarded by the Mage Association’s magical warriors and the Dark Mages Extermination Squad.
He could kill a few of them to create an opening and escape, but he preferred to avoid unnecessary killings.
‘This is such a hassle...’
Chelven, who was loved by the earth, could deflect most detection spells with anti-magic, but when it comes to a professional like Aryumon, it was only a matter of time before he was discovered.
However, Aryumon was just a frail human with limited magic power, so he would surely reach his limit.
Chelven planned to stay hidden and wait until Aryumon’s detection abilities weakened.
Life—or rather, a mage's life—didn’t go that smoothly.
“Traitor. You were here all along.”
Chelven sighed inwardly as he looked at the men in black robes blocking his path in front and behind.
Dark mages were much more sensitive to dark mana than regular mages. Especially those treated as apex predators within the Dark Mage Alliance, the ‘Dark Cloud Group.’
They were foolishly proud of their identity as dark mages, but they were a group that heightened their detection abilities to eliminate traitors themselves.
Their combat abilities were outstanding as well, combining various bloodline traits and special abilities, making them incredibly troublesome opponents.
Why were they such a headache?
‘Because it’s annoying to deal with them quietly...’
The stronger the opponent, the harder it is to subdue them without making a commotion.
Even for Chelven, it was impossible to deal with the Dark Cloud Group silently.
“Ah… Right. Hey, you guys. Let me ask you something.”
Despite Chelven’s words, the dark mages of the Dark Cloud Group drew their nails, which were imbued with dark mana, or bared their fangs, exuding hostility.
Still, he steadfastly asked his question.
“Have you guys ever seen a dark mage named ‘Soya’? She’s probably hiding somewhere around here.”
“… Did you just say Soya?”
Even the dark mages, who seemed unwilling to answer, opened their mouths at that name.
Dark Mage Soya.
“That is not a name someone like you should mention.”
“Yes. I figured you’d say that.”
That made sense.
Unlike him, Soya was currently treated as a god-like figure among the dark mages.
Her most notable achievements included burning an entire World Tree to ashes, erasing it from existence, and killing a spirit to steal its heart.
‘What’s so great about that?’
To the dark mages, who considered spirits their greatest fear, such feats might seem impressive, but to Chelven, it was akin to a child boasting with a flimsy medal.
“So you don’t know, huh?”
They didn’t answer, and realizing his question was pointless, Chelven scratched his head roughly and sighed deeply.
Then, the leader shouted loudly.
“He’s given up. Take him down!”
"Charge!"
The dark mana quickly spread throughout the World Tree, and bloodline magic, which could only be used by a select few dark mages, unfolded simultaneously.
During all this.
‘… The weather is really nice.’
Chelven looked up at the sky.
The sun was shining brightly. And the sky was clear.
The clouds were floating gently.
On such a peaceful day, having to bother with a fight…
He was utterly tired of it all.
—
“We need to search the roots of the World Tree.”
Upon Aryumon Brushun’s words, Elder Suhaksan, as well as the elves of Dream Tree’s elder council, hardened their expressions.
That was not a statement to be made lightly.
To dare to search the roots, which were like the heart of the World Tree, was reckless.
“It’s unavoidable. If we spread mana from the roots throughout the World Tree, we can immediately locate him. You are aware of the severity of the situation, aren’t you?”
“That is a separate matter. Even if he does attack the World Tree, it is less dangerous than showing you the roots.”
“Ha... This is frustrating.”
Aryumon understood well.
How much of an insult it was to them to suggest searching the roots of the World Tree.
But what choice did he have?
He was a scholar who pursued efficiency.
Rather than wasting time like this, it would be better if they swallowed their pride and allowed access to the roots, but these elves were truly incomprehensible.
With such stubbornness, it was no wonder there had been no great mages among them historically.
Aryumon pondered for a moment.
He had to judge rationally.
Was it really the right thing to forcefully crush their pride and inspect the roots?
‘I have to do it.’
If he let Chelven escape again just to preserve some petty pride, all their efforts would be for nothing.
"I'm sorry, but we don't have the luxury of respecting your pride. Chelven is classified as a 'Grade 1 Dangerous Entity' under the International Mage Covenant, and you should know that even royalty cannot refuse a search for such a target."
"That's..."
Most existing races were bound together under a large framework called "magic" through a grand covenant, treaty, or agreement.
Some races created a covenant, others formed a treaty, all to make one big promise; the "Principle of Dark Mage Investigation" and its regulations.
Dark mages were considered a common evil of society, so while mages did not interfere with each other using magic, dark mages were the exception to this rule.
A law solely for hunting down dark mages.
It was a law that protected all races within a single boundary, but it was also an ironic treaty that sometimes required them to strip down legally and expose everything.
"Do you understand? Don’t forget that we have been polite up to now. Please understand that this is an urgent situation, and we have no other choice."
After saying this, Aryumon immediately tried to move to another location.
He thought it best to act quickly while Suhaksan was still unable to come up with a proper rebuttal and was just gaping.
However...
"Wait, please."
At the sound of the voice, every mage present at the meeting froze in place, as if paralyzed.
Click!
As the echo of high-heeled black shoes resonated, the meeting room door opened, and a woman in a black dress appeared.
Without even wearing a mask, she slowly met the eyes of the humans in the meeting room one by one.
Had it been in the days when curses were stronger, their mana would have backfired and caused everyone to go berserk, but now, it didn’t have such a strong effect.
All it did was stimulate their hearts and make them compelled to listen to her.
Against powerful mages... Unless she sincerely put her mind to it, her curse didn’t fully take effect.
“...I didn’t expect to see the Elf King here.”
No matter how much Aryumon wanted to, he couldn't treat the Elf King carelessly.
Her ability seemed to have at least a minimal effect on even a Class 9 mage as Aryumon felt his judgment falter just by looking at her face.
"I heard what was just said. You mentioned that you would recklessly invade the roots of the World Tree."
"It's not reckless. If you look at the search warrant... you’ll understand that a dark mage with a grade 1 threat rating is hiding here. We’ve simply found the most efficient way to protect the World Tree."
Aryumon spoke with his tired eyes wide open, and Florin shook her head after looking at the warrant handed over by him.
"You’ve worked hard, but you won’t need to do that anymore. I will take over the search for the dark mage Chelven from here.”
“Hmm…”
At Florin’s words, several old mages turned their heads in discomfort and cleared their throats.
The search for dark mages clearly had to be conducted by the Mage Association and the Magic Investigation Corps, but this was the domain of Elf King Florin. It was natural to hand over operational command to her...
However, until now, the Mage Association had never relinquished search authority to any nation because their abilities surpassed those of any nation.
The power and influence of the Mage Association, led by a Class 9 mage like Aryumon and followed by the Class 8 elders, were so strong that even a nation couldn't refuse them.
Thus, they had always wielded that power and intruded into the secret territories of other countries as if it were their right.
This time, it was supposed to be no different.
The problem was that their opponent happened to be the Elf King, who was said to be equal to a Class 9 mage.
“The World Tree is my domain. From now on, I will take command here. Please, all of you, step back. You've done well up to this point.”
There was a strange power in Florin’s gentle voice, causing the mages to nod unconsciously.
It was an enchanting, almost bewitching voice that seemed impossible to refuse.
When she smiled softly, the mages shook their heads so eagerly it looked like they were ready to give her anything, but Aryumon did not relent.
“I'm sorry, but we cannot step back, Elf King.”
“… Is that so?”
“Yes. The dark mage Chelven is extremely dangerous. We cannot leave Your Majesty in danger. While we will hand over all command, please allow us to assist in the extermination of the dark mage.”
“Hm…”
That was precisely the response Florin had anticipated. She had set up the situation in this way because she knew they would say that.
However, under normal circumstances, she would have refused here.
She was uncomfortable with humans trampling on the World Tree during their search, and above all, she preferred to work alone.
But… Before coming here, she remembered what Baek Yu-Seok had said in Leafanel’s garden.
‘By now, some important figures will likely be here, poking around under the pretext of conducting a search. Florin, please go and control them.’
‘Can't I just send them away...?’
‘No, you cannot.’
At that time, Baek Yu-Seol had spoken quite firmly, which was the first time he had ever done so to Florin.
Though it had left her feeling a bit taken aback, she strangely trusted his words.
‘It's highly likely that Aryumon, the Chairman of the Mage Association, will be here.’
‘Why is that…?’
‘The mention of the brownish mana refers to the dark mage Chelven.’
‘The dark mage Chelven?’
‘Yes. You've heard of him, right? Chairman Aryumon has been chasing him all his life. If something goes wrong, he will surely be a great help.’
Recalling that moment, Florin looked at Aryumon and nodded.
“Very well. I welcome the idea of conducting the search together.”
How Baek Yu-Seol could infer that it was the dark mage Chelven just from hearing the term ‘brownish mana,’ and how he knew of the connection between him and Aryumon, she didn’t know.
But everything outside was indeed unfolding as he had said.
Just from that, the credibility of Baek Yu-Seol’s words increased naturally.
Florin decided to set aside the disgust she felt at seeing humans trample over the World Tree for a moment and follow the boy's advice.
That boy was... The only person in this world she could truly trust and rely on.
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