Chapter 728 – With a Light Heart (1)
At last, the hands of the clock begin to move.
“Aaaah!”
“Lyne, what is this commotion so early in the morning?”
“I—I fell asleep without finishing organizing my conference presentation materials!”
Magic Tower
Until now, it had practically been in a state of pause.
Forget regular academic conferences—
even the Senior Mages had constantly been leaving the tower.
The Ghosts of the Amethyst Hall—Senior Mages of the previous generation—had filled the gap, but since their academic pursuits were different, they hadn’t been much help.
“In that sense, Miss Jibril, could you help me? You’re well-versed in pure mana studies.”
“I’m afraid not, Lyne.”
“Oh, don’t be so stingy…”
Jibril shook her head with a proud expression.
“It’s not that. I’ve chosen a new school of study.”
“What? A new school?!”
“While receiving help from the Seniors of Amethyst Hall, I discovered a new charm. Besides, if my goal is to become a proper senior mage, wouldn’t it be disadvantageous to pursue the same school as the current Seniors?”
Because the Magic Tower had come to a pause,
new branches could now grow in different directions.
Lyne muttered with a hollow expression,
“Miss Jibril has found her own truth, and Miss Cle has perfectly filled Senior Bellier’s absence… so does that mean I’m the only one who stayed still? That’s unfair. If the Magic Tower stopped, everyone should’ve rested like me…!”
Despite Lyne’s plea,
the regular academic conference proceeded as scheduled.
“That was fast.”
“You know the Supreme Commander’s personality.”
“True.”
Nam Taemin and Hisagi.
No matter how much they bickered, work and personal matters had to be separated.
At the Golden Palace of the Yusra Kingdom, where the Holy War Alliance Forces meeting was being held, people chatted among themselves.
“How was the Demon Realm?”
“Eh, nothing special.”
“I’m curious. Let’s go together next time!”
“Sure.”
Jesse and Leonie seemed to be getting along quite well.
“Did Lorenzik pass peacefully?”
“Heh, he didn’t seem sad at all.”
“I’m glad he met an end befitting him.”
Hakuna and Fabian, the head of the Explorer Federation, reminisced about Lorenzik.
As for this side—
Taemin didn’t really have anything to say to Hisagi, so he listened to the conversations around him.
“Even knowing it, it’s still shocking.”
Mr. Hoyeol… no.
Now he had to be called Commander again.
“That the ripple from the Commander’s return is this big.”
“That’s not it.”
“What do you mean, not it?”
On a day like this, was he picking a fight?
Hisagi clicked his tongue at Nam Cheolmin.
“It’s just that the influence that wasn’t visible is finally revealing itself. Even while absent, the Commander had an enormous impact on us.”
“…Oh. That’s what you meant?”
“For once, you’re actually right.”
That was true.
The changes they were feeling now
weren’t something that suddenly happened because Hoyeol returned.
Especially Taemin—hadn’t he witnessed it himself?
“I get it now, since I’ve changed a lot too.”
In the curse, he had seen Hoyeol as a black-haired boy.
Whether it was truly Hoyeol’s past or another parallel version—
no one could say for sure.
Taemin shrugged.
“You’ll never know this feeling.”
“I don’t particularly want to.”
“You say that without knowing what I saw?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t need to know.”
“Hah, you’re just jealous.”
Where had work-life separation gone?
Just as the two were about to forget time and place—
“Everyone’s here.”
Right on time,
the man of the day appeared.
The Supreme Commander of the Holy War Alliance—Hoyeol.
Step.
At that moment, everyone in the Golden Palace conference room stood up.
No rule required it.
No prior agreement had been made.
And yet—
no one found it strange.
Because at this moment,
the Alliance were united in one heart, waiting for Hoyeol.
Representing them all, Hakuna bowed his head.
“We are glad for your safe return, our benefactor.”
They say human greed knows no end—
but at least in this moment,
it felt like nothing more could be asked for.
At the head seat—
just seeing Hoyeol sitting there filled everyone with satisfaction.
It felt like everything had finally returned to its proper place.
However—
“…!!!”
Who was Hoyeol?
A man who always exceeded expectations.
Even after his return, that hadn’t changed.
“I, too, am pleased by your welcome.”
…Th-the Commander said he was pleased?!
*
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*
… p i n d a n g s c a n s . c o m
The Magic Tower’s Best Friends
“This is strange.”
“It’s strange.”
“I’m telling you it’s strange, Vangrit!”
There had definitely been rumors going around, right?
‘Why do I have to be treated the same way?’
It couldn’t remain hidden forever.
As the Magic Tower reopened, the true nature of the Senior Fire Magic Mage, Bensch William, was spreading day by day. It had gotten to the point where people were saying Senior Bensch didn’t live up to his looks.
Whether he knew about the rumors surrounding him or not—perhaps because he never cared much about others’ words to begin with—Bensch’s handsome face was twisted into a deep frown.
“Vangrit, say something!”
“What are you sighing about?”
“What else could it be? Because of Chief Lee!”
The Chief’s return.
It was very welcome news. If someone asked whether Bensch, a strong candidate for the next Chief, should be disappointed—Vangrit wanted to scoff.
‘This guy is dull in that regard again.’
The leading candidate for the next Chief Mage, who didn’t know it himself. As expected, Bensch spoke passionately, completely unaware.
“Sure, my chances to shine have decreased because the Chief returned…! But that’s not the important part. It’s the Chief we’re talking about returning to the Magic Tower. But something feels off!”
Swipe.
Bensch pointed at the floor with his finger.
“He’s changed way too much, hasn’t he?”
The preliminary evaluation was held before the regular academic conference.
Normally, there should have been nonstop crying near Topaz Hall. After all, wasn’t Chief Lee known for mercilessly harsh criticism that brought tears to countless Adepth Mages’ eyes during every preliminary evaluation?
But—
“What’s strange is how everyone comes out with flushed cheeks.”
Vangrit, who had been half-listening, nearly panicked. If you say it like that without context…
“People will misunderstand if they hear you.”
“Men, women, Adepth Mages, Apprentices—every single one of them got praised by Chief Lee. Does that make sense? You know our Chief’s ridiculously high standards, don’t you, Senior Vangrit?”
“I know them very well.”
A mage who received a passing score in preliminary evaluation?
Let’s see—since Chief Lee took office, you could probably count them on one hand. Even then, aside from Cle Odia of the Healing School, the rest were merely rated as “not bad.”
Bensch’s face twisted.
“That’s why it’s strange. How could Apprentices and Adepth mages barely out of the cradle receive praise from Chief Lee of all people? Even I haven’t received any…!”
Ah, so that was his real intention.
“If you’re that jealous, why don’t you present something too, Senior Bensch?”
Though he spoke casually, Vangrit felt it as well.
‘Should I say he’s become warmer than before?’
During the period when he stepped down from all positions,
no one knew what happened to Chief Lee. The only certainty was that he had gone through a major emotional change.
Vangrit shrugged.
‘Is it a positive change or a negative one?’
That, he didn’t know.
‘But…’
Right now, he likes the lively atmosphere in the Magic Tower brought by Chief Lee’s change. It felt like humanity had been added to what once felt rigid. Vangrit was the only senior mage not from a mage noble family—meaning he wasn’t of noble birth. The Magic Tower had long been filled with nobles’ children, so it was natural that he felt uncomfortable.
“I’ve decided.”
Bensch’s declaration halted Vangrit’s thoughts.
“I, Bensch William, will present something at the regular conference.”
“Present? Suddenly?”
“I want to receive it too…!!”
He wanted Chief Lee’s praise.
Though he lacked nothing, Chief Lee’s praise was the one thing he didn’t have. Bensch resolved to seize this perfect opportunity.
But Vangrit poured cold water on him.
“Presenting is fine. But you know Senior Mages present without preliminary evaluation, right?”
“W-What? I didn’t know that!”
“You want praise without even knowing the rules?”
“Vangrit, is that something you say to someone this desperate? They say people who receive favoritism don’t realize it. You’re mocking me!”
“You’re probably the only one in the Magic Tower jealous of me.”
Senior mages arguing childishly.
Onlookers chuckled awkwardly. Perhaps this, too, was a change brought by the Chief.
*
*
*
Thud.
“Ah.”
As soon as I closed the office door, a groan escaped. I guess it was because I did something I wasn’t used to. As if comforting me, my alter egos appeared in the air.
“You’ve worked hard, my lord.”
“My lord’s new look…! I will learn as well.”
“You don’t need to learn this. Don’t even think about copying it.”
Hiel and Diend chattered on both sides.
‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I summoned them.’
Back then, I hadn’t even thought of them. When I was crushed by the karma of the previous cycle, it felt like I couldn’t see anything—not even Hiel and Diend who always stayed by my side.
I chuckled and said,
“Still, having you two gives me strength.”
“My lord…!!”
Are you a water spirit or a dark spirit? Diend replied in a moist voice as if a faucet had been turned on. Hiel was the same.
‘For a moment, didn’t your acting break, Hiel?’
That surprised expression reminded me of Hiel from the days as a low-level spirit. I decided not to point it out. If I started digging into everything, I’d have a lot to say.
‘Everyone was looking at me like they’d seen something impossible.’
Hmm, understandable.
‘I usually speak with thorns, but now…’
I’ve become very generous.
‘It’s also because I stopped acting as you.’
Don’t feel upset that I changed the character freely, Grandfell. This is for both of us. Besides, in reality, I need to balance things somehow.
“I’ll take a quick nap.”
Soon after, the top floor of the Social Hall of Space-Time.
The highest-ranked space-time quest before me—
more precisely, the memories of the previous cycle you left in the consciousness.
The flow of time is distorted. I don’t know how much time passed. But after completing one quest, I spoke up.
Yes, this was a desperate balance act.
‘If I’m not bright in reality at least…’
I felt like I’d be swallowed by your memories.
.
.
.
Demon Realm
“…?”
A warrior of the Dune clan, with crimson eyes and instincts sharp enough to foresee the future, flinched. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at the sky of the Demon Realm again.
“Was that always that big?”
What was it?
The Silver Evil Eye seemed to be shining a little colder.