21st Century Archmage

Chapter 200: The Rocky Days Ahead

“We must help Elder Brother.”

“Yes, we should. The help he’s given our Empire cannot be put into words. But I think we lack the forces to send to Nerman. From what I hear, the enemies are using teleportation arrays to appear instantly.”

In the Imperial Palace of the Bajran Empire, the youngest Emperor in the Empire’s history, Razcion, was discussing the matter of helping Kyre in Nerman with his older sister, Igis.

“Worry not. A grand 8th Circle defensive array is protecting the city. Who would have thought that a Grade 1 magic crystal would be inside the Imperial Seal?”

This secret was passed down only to legitimate heirs of Bajran. Inside the Imperial Seal was a precious Grade 1 magic crystal, and the seal operated a grand 8th Circle defensive array. The array had been installed in secret by showering the Golden-Eyed Reaper Aidal in a huge amount of money and presents in the past.

“That’s true, I appreciate you saying so.”

Though Razcion was the Emperor, he and Igis were brother and sister in private. Igis gave Razcion a look of pride.

“Nerman must be safe for the Empire to remain unscathed. If not for Elder Brother, the current peace would not exist.”

The Bajran Empire was stabilizing day by day. They had devoted all their strength to resolving the flooding and plagues that had struck this summer. It was the result of the nobles and people doing their best in their individual positions, inspired by the Emperor who led by example on the throne unlike in other nations.

“We owe a debt that we must pay until the Empire’s history comes to an end. You must never forget that.”

Although she was worried about her little brother’s wellbeing, Igis was also incredibly worried about Kyre.

“I will try to determine how many troops we can spare. I will send at least 500 Skyknights at the minimum.”

The combined total of the wyverns owned by nobles in the current Bajran Empire was a little less than 1,000, yet Razcion said he would be sending half of the Empire’s main military power.

“Alright, as the Emperor, take care of it in the manner you think best,” Igis said, looking at her already grown-up little brother with satisfaction.

‘Kyre… I will come to you. Until then, I pray with all my heart that nothing will happen.’

Igis had liked Nerman, where she could see Kyre, more than staying in the lavish Bajran palace. She decided to follow the dispatched army to Nerman. She could not bear to sit with her feet up while the person she loved was in danger.

Igis was that kind of woman. A woman with a beautiful heart.

* * *

Chew, chew. Sluuuurp.

I watched in silence as Master Aidal hoovered the food on the table like a beggar who had starved for several days. If you stacked up all the plates of food he’d eaten over 200 years, you could probably go from one end of the Continent to the other.

“Buurp…”

After polishing off several rolls of freshly baked bread, seafood soup with plenty of meat, and five slabs of bloody steak, Master gave a big burp, then wiped his mouth with his robe with a smile of contentment.

“It’s just that I was hungry, but the food is really low brow. Tsk tsk tsk. I came looking for you, worried about whether you were dead or alive, but this treatment’s just…”

How could the skin on someone’s face be that thick? His mood changed on a pin.

‘Worried about whether I was dead or alive? My god, just hold it in.’

If he was going to fling me to another dimension, he should send me to a place near a kingdom or something, but he was ‘gracious’ enough to send me without any warning to a rural village in the Kallian Continent. The pain I’d forgotten about was blossoming back to life.

“I apologize. If I had known that you were coming, Master, I would have been more attentive. The territory is in a rough spot these days…”

Like master, like disciple. I made a truly apologetic expression as I used the territory as an excuse. The food Master was eating was actually exactly what I usually ate. I didn’t have a picky noble tongue, so I didn’t have any complaints.

“That’s right, at least you know to be sorry. You can just do better next time.”

His inscrutable air of innocence hadn’t changed in the least. My insides were boiling up on the inside.

“Master, may I ask what brings you all this way?”

That was the question I was most curious about.

“Well, I was bored, and I also wanted to know if you were doing alright, plus, I had thoughts of my homeland for the first time in a while…”

I immediately knew that Master’s reason for coming here was the first thing he said, boredom. I knew he hadn’t really come here because he was worried about me or nostalgic about Kallian, his homeland where no one was there to welcome his return.

“Thank you. I’m not sure how I can possibly repay Master’s great favor… This disciple of yours will repay this grudge one day.”

“Huh? Repay what?”

“Haha, this disciple is saying that he will take care of all of Master’s grudges with his own two hands.”

One wrong word, and I might end up digging a grave for my whole castle. I was trying to be careful, but my true feelings accidentally popped out.

“But from the rumors I’ve heard, you’ve been philandering with the women here every day. Surely that’s not true, is it?”

‘Shit! Who the hell said that?! Who ratted me out?!’

What philandering? I was just an upright son of the Republic of Korea dutifully following the humanitarian teaching of our nation’s Founder Dangun to assist all women in need.

“That is a misunderstanding. As you might know, Master, I’ve been doing my best every day to punish the enemies who wronged you, even forgoing food despite being the lord of this place.”

“Really?” asked Master Bumdalf, his eyes narrowed.

‘Oh come on, this is hardly your first time doing business, old man. ‘Course it’s a lie.’

Where in hell would I have found the time to avenge Master? Would I really go around fulfilling Master’s 100-year-old grudge when I was already frickin’ busy with my own life?

‘Goddamn, he’s petty.’

The average person would completely forget most resentment after 10 years, but Master Aidal still remembered. You had to wonder how anyone could be so damn petty.

“Of course. How could I possibly dare to lie in front of the great Archmage Aidal?”

He had no way to check, and he wouldn’t believe me anyway, so I went full sprint with the lies.

“Alright, fine. I’m not a narrow-minded person, so I’ll try to be understanding.”

My god, he was on a completely different level of shamelessness. Simply letting him be was the best method to keep one’s blood pressure down.

“But Master… are my parents doing alright?”

I figured they were fine, but I wanted to make sure.

“Your parents? Why’re you asking me?” asked Master, as if that was the obvious answer.

“…”

‘This senile old gramps!’

If he punted me to Kallian like this, he should at least take good care of my parents, right?!

“Well, I’ve heard rumors that they’re doing good.”

“Is that true?”

“Probably.”

He didn’t give me a definite answer. Still, even that flimsy response was enough for me to confirm that my parents were doing fine.

‘I need to quickly get to the 8th Circle.’

Master was pretty much telling me to go check myself if I was curious. I would definitely, definitely get to the 8th Circle, if only to spite him.

“But hey, they say you’re a 7th Circle magic swordsman, and it’s really true.” He must have done a mana scan at some point, because he was wearing a slightly surprised expression.

“Yes. It’s all thanks to Master’s outstanding instruction.”

“So why’re you getting stomped?”

“What?”

“The rumor that you’ve been ass-stomped by a black mage has even reached Earth.”

“Kek…”

The first Earth colloquialism I’d heard in a while, particularly “ass-stomped”, gave me a shock akin to plunging a knife deep into my heart.

“You know what they call chumps like you in South Korea these days?”

* * *

How would I fucking know? It was already nearing my 3rd year of being in Kallian, so how the hell would I know that?

“They’d call you a big fat farty butthole!”

“…”

The strange phrase was completely new to me. Who the fuck came up with using farty and butthole together…

TN: It’s a really famous phrase from a classic 2009 Korean sitcom called High Kick Through the Roof, spoken by a spoiled little girl who uses every opportunity to insult people with this phrase.

‘Why does it feel so shitty?’

It didn’t seem like a swear word, but somehow, hearing it made a certain something surge up in my chest.

“Wh-What kind of phrase is that?”

“Huhuhu. If you’re curious, look it up yourself,” Master Aidal said with a wicked laugh.

‘Argh! Keep it cool, keep it cool!’

I stamped down my skyrocketing rage gauge.

Knock, knock.

When I was on the verge of being driven mad by my Master’s unexpected visit, someone cautiously knocked on the dining hall door.

“Come in,” I growled.

The door cracked open with a creak.

“Lord Kyre… It’s me.”

Aramis poked her head in with extra care at my unusually prickly voice.

‘Uwah!’

She had probably come to say her greetings after hearing that my Master had come to visit.

“Ohh! And who might this goddess with a noble figure be…?” crowed Master in admiration, changing faces on a dime.

“Priestess Aramis of the Goddess of Mercy, Neran, humbly greets the honorable guest.”

Aramis drew a cross, giving a dignified greeting.

“Ah! So you were a priestess of Holy Neran! Haha! The Goddess is truly blessed to have such a lovely lady as her priestess. Hahaha.”

I sighed as I looked at my Master, who was laughing happily after uttering rather flirty comments. I would have felt more nervous if he were a hundred years younger, but nope. No matter how you sliced it, there was no way a 200-year-old gramps could chase after Aramis.

“You embarrass me.” Aramis, my ever-noble goddess, reddened slightly at Master Aidal’s silly compliment.

‘She’s always so beautiful.’

Not long ago, I sent Aramis a few dairy cows. Hyneth had fully verified this secret to nurturing a sexy figure.

‘Huhuhu…’

I sent the cows partly because I was worried about her feeble body, but I wasn’t really hiding that I did have a teensy bit of ulterior motive.

“Do you happen to have a lover?”

“Pardon? A-A lover?”

‘My god, have you ever seen such a foolish grampa?’

Asking a temple priestess if she had a lover was surely outside the realm of common sense.

“W-Well…” Aramis glanced at me, unable to say no.

“Hyuk.”

“Yes…”

“You really are my disciple. KUHAHAHAHAHA!”

Having sensed something from Aramis’ actions, Master Aidal burst out in a joyful laugh so loud it seemed to shake the entire hall.

“Young life, young life, the young life of youth~ When you’re old you can’t have it~”

And then, he started singing an old folk song in Korean about how you should live hard, play hard. Aramis was staring at him in fascination.

The scene was a portent of the rocky days ahead of me.

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