Chapter 100

100

"It feels like it's been more than a year since I sent the letter, but it came so quickly. It’s so difficult to deal with the aftermath..."

Sharent Clowen slowly tilted his teacup.

Leaning back in the sofa with his legs crossed, he looked like a lazy predator.

The pale-faced young man sitting opposite him shrugged lightly.

With his light olive hair tied neatly in a ponytail, he smiled as smoothly as well-whipped cream.

Even his natural smile seemed like a work of art.

"I was late in checking it because I no longer live at the place where you sent the letter."

"Have you read the contents?"

"It says you want the protective magic I engraved on the mansion to be improved. I engraved a basic protective magic as you wished. What was lacking?"

His voice was sweet, quiet, and soft.

But his eyes looked vacant, as if he were in a dream, and they seemed unfocused and hazy.

Yes, even though he was right in front of me, he seemed surrounded by a fog.

Sharent Clowen thought this as he listened to his words.

"How can I assist you, sir?"

"By making it so that only those with permission can use magic within the mansion..."

He slowly moved his lips.

"And if I wish, you can change the protective magic to make it impossible for anyone to use magic at all."

The wizard tilted his head in confusion at Sharent Clowen's words.

"But it seems that the use of magic is already restricted here. Did you hire another wizard besides me?"

The wizard, who had slowly risen from his seat, lifted his head and looked around.

Through his eyes, he could see the faint barrier that protected the mansion.

It was clearly different from the magic he had set up. It was a bit more desperate and a bit more fragile.

Yet, it had been altered and corrupted by a different kind of magic.

"I didn't hire anyone."

Sharent Clowen answered firmly.

He disliked wizards, especially unverified ones.

He also disliked low-level ones. It was better to protect the mansion with his own hands, with things he had touched and breathed life into.

He had hired this wizard because he was a person who had no interest in anything in the world.

Fortunately, he still seemed to be that way.

"What do you mean by 'restricted use of magic'?"

"Someone has already tampered with the protective magic of the mansion. It's quite mysterious, as there aren't many people who can alter magic symbols."

The wizard lightly tapped the floor with his staff, which was as tall as himself.

Click. The background changed with a light sound.

Before Sharent Clowen could frown, the wizard moved.

"You seem to use magic very naturally, despite the restriction."

"I'm different."

"…Different?"

"Different."

He smiled softly.

"Different from anything else, sir. I'm not bound by such things."

The wizard's hazy gaze slowly moved. He spoke as if he were reaching for a cloud, then took a step toward a pillar in the corner.

In a nearly invisible spot between the pillars at the edge of the mansion, the magic symbol he had engraved had subtly changed.

'Someone has layered magic on top of it.'

The wizard's lazy eyes widened.

He had added a few rune characters to the protective magic symbol he had created, making it so that only those with permission could use magic.

Additionally, ancient language had been added, and a faint black magic was mixed in.

It was a very weak black magic. A type that would cast a light curse if someone with ill or hostile intentions entered the mansion.

The original framework was a magic symbol to filter out demons, but it had been excellently modified.

"Someone has tampered with my magic."

"…Who would dare?"

The wizard slowly extended his hand and traced the rune characters with his fingertips.

He lowered his gaze to bring the magic symbol into view and slowly pressed his forehead against it.

He closed his eyes and moved his lips.

"…I don't know who, but it's someone who cares about the people living here."

"Does it mean there's no harm?"

"Of course. But to use magic internally, a symbol must be given. If you and other magic users didn't notice anything strange, the caster must be nearby."

The wizard slowly lifted his forehead from the pillar and said.

He made a gesture of slicing his left thumb with his right index finger in the air.

Even though it was just a gesture, a bloodline appeared on his left thumb, and soon beads of blood formed on it.

The wizard smeared the blood on the magic symbol and muttered something softly.

The blood seeped into the magic symbol, and blue magic power enveloped the mansion's protective barrier again.

All his actions flowed naturally like water and ended smoothly like a rolling wave.

"I added a little reinforcement because it seemed to be lacking in magic power."

Sharent Clowen stared at the magic symbol on the pillar and tightly pressed his lips.

A subtle mark remained on one side of the pillar. It was something of a glaring color that didn't fit.

"It seems you have a good idea of who it might be. Do you think you don't need my help anymore?"

"You said it was someone who cares about this place?"

At Sharent Clowen's question, the wizard nodded while looking at the magic symbol.

Sharent Clowen fell silent again. He seemed to be deeply lost in thought for a long time.

"Perhaps it's someone with a very strong sense of pride who doesn't want to show weakness, someone who is not honest and is quite shy?"

"Your example is quite specific."

At Sharent Clowen's sharp yet polite words, the wizard's lips curled awkwardly in a slightly bitter smile.

"Maybe it's because I know a friend who likes to do such things."

A friend who was not honest and quietly did what was needed without being caught.

Even though he said he would stay out of worldly affairs, he refused to take the easy path.

And in the end, he threw himself into the burning fire and disappeared into ashes.

The image of his precious friend, whom he could no longer see, came to mind.

The wizard, feeling an unusually heavy weight in his eyelids, lowered them and slowly lifted them again. He lightly tapped the ground with his staff.

Sharent Clowen's lips tightened as he confirmed they were back in the living room where they had been talking.

He didn't enjoy being manipulated by others.

"If you don't need anything else, I'll take my leave... Is that okay?"

"Is there no communication device? It would be troublesome to contact you like this every time."

"…Unfortunately, no."

The wizard shook his head.

The wizard, who slowly bowed in greeting, completely disappeared.

"Ivbrane Shaker."

Sharent Clowen called out the wizard's name and clicked his tongue.

One of the three Great Mages.

But he was not affiliated with Silophia. Rather, it would be more accurate to say he was not affiliated with anything.

The first Great Mage, Hela, was dead.

He had no particular feelings for Hela. She was someone worth dealing with because she was making an effort and growing.

Even when he spewed harsh words, she didn't give up and always came back, determined to improve the areas he pointed out.

He had respected that. But since she was dead, it no longer mattered.

And the second Great Mage, Ivbrane Shaker. He had no interest in anything.

He was like an unpredictable wind. No one knew his limits, and he had no interest in worldly affairs or the survival of Silophia.

No one knew where he was. The only thing he knew was the mansion where he used to live.

Since he was not affiliated with the royal family, Silophia, or anything else, he had asked him to set up the protective magic for the mansion.

The third Great Mage, Melaine.

He was worthless. He lacked so much that even the ruins didn't recognize his value.

'Where is a wizard without a communication device?'

Sharent Clowen leaned back on the sofa with an unpleasant expression.

Actually, these things didn't give him much of a strong feeling.

Recently, or rather, for a few years, the one person who had been most on his mind and most annoying was just one person.

"Sherina…, Sherina."

Sherina Clowen.

A strange existence who had recklessly meddled with his family and ultimately broken so many rules.

He should hate her the most.

But the fact that he didn't hate her was what frustrated him the most.

"What is she hiding?"

What was she hiding that she had to do such things in secret?

How did she move her small limbs to tamper with the magic symbols, and when and how did she do it?

With her small body, how did she move around this vast mansion?

"I need to see her face."

Sharent Clowen, who had risen from his seat, headed straight for Sherina's room.

The first thing he noticed was Vera, who was crouched on the floor, trembling.

The next thing he saw was the sketchbook in front of her, which was a mess of terrifying, curse-like red letters.

"Damn…, this red little cockroach."

Sparks flew in Sharent Clowen's silver eyes.