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[Translator – Night]
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Chapter 79 – The Magician of the Realm (3)
Ketal didn’t kill Dragosar.
He never intended to in the first place.
Killing a noble mage in a fantasy world?
That wasn’t going to happen.
He simply took all the catalysts and materials Dragosar had gathered and brought him to Milena.
“I’ve brought the mage.”
“…What?”
Milena, who was organizing documents related to arson damage, stopped.
“What did you say?”
“This is the mage who was attacking you, Dragosar.”
“…Just, wait a moment.”
Milena hurriedly checked.
As a result, she realized that the man with dead eyes standing next to Ketal was indeed Dragosar.
“It hasn’t even been a day….”
Milena muttered in awe.
She knew Ketal was strong, but she thought it would take a few days.
When a mage establishes a domain, they can wield power far beyond their usual abilities.
That was why she hadn’t been able to do anything about the mage.
But to end it in just a few hours.
Ketal patted Dragosar’s shoulder.
“You must have questions, so ask him. He will answer.”
“Ask me anything… I’m sorry for my wrongdoings….”
Dragosar muttered blankly.
His pupils had no light.
Milena was taken aback by his almost ruined state.
Dragosar.
A mage from the Deep-rooted Tree School.
A top-tier mage.
In a small country, he would be highly regarded even in the royal castle.
To see such a person reduced to a wreck.
“What exactly did you do?”
Milena couldn’t help but ask.
Ketal tilted his head.
“Not much. He seemed to be greatly shocked by my alchemy.”
“…….”
Though she hadn’t witnessed their fight, Milena was certain that wasn’t it.
“Well… I’ll handle it. Take him away.”
Milena rang a bell.
Guards came in and grabbed the mage’s arms, leading him away.
Even as he was being dragged away, the mage didn’t resist and wore a dead expression.
After watching the strange scene for a moment, Milena collected herself.
She cleared her throat and bowed politely.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, one problem is solved.”
Whatever the case, the fact that there would be no more interference from the mage was good for her.
She could now interrogate Dragosar to find out more about those behind him.
Ketal spoke nonchalantly.
“I owe you, so it’s only natural I do this much. Can I keep the catalyst materials?”
“Oh, yes. Just confirm it with me later.”
“Thanks.”
Ketal collected the catalyst materials with satisfaction and returned to Arkamis’ place.
“You’re back.”
“How was it? Must have been tough, right? I told you it wouldn’t be easy. You may learn fast, but you’re still just a beginner.”
Arkamis spoke as if she had been waiting.
Her words flowed smoothly as if she had been contemplating them for hours.
“I know you take pride in your level of skill, but understanding where you objectively stand is also a qualification for reaching higher levels. It must have been a good lesson.”
And just as she was about to say that she would show her authority as a master by dealing with the mage herself,
“I caught him.”
Ketal’s calm words cut her off.
“…What?”
“You meant Dragosar, right? I subdued him and handed him over to Milena. Here are the catalysts he had.”
“Hold on a moment.”
Arkamis hurriedly checked the catalysts Ketal showed her.
Her eyes widened.
Each catalyst was valuable.
They were items that could only be obtained by capturing Dragosar and recovering them.
They were genuine.
‘What?’
Dragosar was a mage from the Deep-rooted Tree, independent of his master.
He was a top-tier mage.
There was no reason for a mage of that level to lose to a barbarian who had just started learning alchemy.
As she thought that far, Arkamis suddenly considered another possibility.
Could Dragosar have been weaker than she thought?
‘Was he a deserter, not an independent mage?’
She had only heard about Dragosar from Milena.
She had never seen him in person.
Naturally, she had to question his strength.
It was only natural.
A top-tier mage wouldn’t lose to a barbarian who knew nothing of mysticism.
Arkamis’s face went cold.
‘Geez, was he just a deserter? I prepared for nothing.’
She had planned to use this opportunity to show her authority as a master.
But now, it turned out the opponent was a weakling.
If Dragosar knew, he would have been furious with injustice.
Arkamis grumbled.
“Well done. But don’t get too conceited. The opponent was just a weak mage.”
“I know.”
Ketal nodded.
‘There’s no way true mysticism could be overcome so easily.’
Ketal held a high regard for the mysteries of this world.
The fact that the first mage he encountered was Adamanth-level mage greatly influenced his perception.
The magic of a superhuman mage had elevated his standards.
That Lich?
He had long forgotten about him.
There were still so many mysteries in this world that he had not seen or experienced.
This world still had plenty to offer.
Ketal found immense joy in that fact.
* * *
Ketal sat at a table, crafting something.
Despite his large frame, his hands moved with great precision and delicacy.
And a few minutes later.
A smile spread across Ketal’s face.
“It’s done.”
“What? You finished it?”
“Yes! I finally made it!”
Ketal held up a bracelet with a delighted expression.
“I’ve created an artifact!”
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“It looks good. Let me see. I need to check it out.”
Arkamis examined the bracelet carefully.
“It seems alright. We’ll need to test it to be sure.”
Ketal stepped outside to test it.
He took out an axe and held it in his hand.
“Hup!”
He exerted his strength and threw it into the sky.
Arkamis was momentarily astonished.
The axe flew so far with just his arm strength that it became invisible to the naked eye.
‘He is strong, as expected of a barbarian.’
Arkamis thought to herself, staring blankly at the sky.
However, even after several seconds, the axe showed no signs of falling back.
“How far did you throw it?”
“It shouldn’t matter with the artifact’s function.”
“I suppose so.”
The bracelet artifact Ketal had created had the effect of returning the thrown axe to its owner’s hand.
In Earth’s mythology, there were weapons that would return to their owner’s hand.
Examples included Mjolnir and Gungnir from Norse mythology.
Even outside of mythology, many fictional works featured weapons that would return on their own.
Ketal had a fondness for such weapons.
So when Arkamis asked him what he wanted to create, Ketal’s answer was an artifact for retrieval.
The artifact he had been working on since he started learning alchemy was finally complete.
As they stared at the sky, the axe began to come into view.
“How far did it go?”
Arkamis muttered, her face turning pale.
“…Wait a minute. Did you not add speed control?”
At a glance, the axe was descending at an alarming speed.
The sound of the air breaking could be heard from the sky.
Ketal murmured as if he had just remembered.
“I forgot.”
Arkamis, in a panic, gathered her mana.
It was clear what would happen if the endlessly accelerating axe hit the ground.
But the axe was already upon them.
As Arkamis was about to shout for them to dodge, Ketal reached out his hand.
BOOM!
The axe landed in Ketal’s hand, creating a thunderous noise.
The ground cracked, and wind swept in all directions.
Barely able to open her eyes, Arkamis couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Amidst the destruction, Ketal stood proudly, holding the axe.
‘He actually caught that?’
It was a speed that even she couldn’t catch without preparation.
“Well, it is sturdy.”
Was it because he was a barbarian?
He certainly had a robust body.
Ketal shook the axe with satisfaction.
“It comes back precisely to my hand.”
He was immensely satisfied.
It had been a month since he started learning alchemy.
Finally, he had achieved a proper result.
Arkamis, having regained her composure, stroked her chin.
“Can you maintain it too?”
“I think so.”
“Explain how.”
Ketal explained in detail.
Arkamis, listening quietly, muttered to herself.
“That’s correct. Hmm… At this rate, maybe you can call yourself an alchemist?”
“Oh! Really?”
“You’ve made an artifact, haven’t you? That’s enough to be considered an apprentice. It’s only been a month, but still.”
Though it was a remarkably fast pace, it was understandable.
Ketal had devoted all his time to alchemy except for sleeping.
In terms of time spent, it was equivalent to several months for others.
Arkamis said,
“I’ll prepare a simple test. You should be able to pass it easily. Once you do, you can proudly call yourself an alchemist anywhere.”
“That’s good news.”
Ketal was satisfied.
When Ketal returned home, he spoke with Milena as usual.
“Thanks to you dealing with the mage, we’re gathering the materials without any issues. At this rate, we’ll have everything soon.”
“Oh! Really?”
Ketal grinned widely.
With all the good news, he felt great.
“By the way, what happened to the mage?”
“We got all the necessary information from him and sent him back to the Magic Tower. We could have killed him, but since he’s a mage… it’s a bit tricky to do so lightly.”
Dragosar had attacked them first, so they had plenty of justification to kill him.
However, mages were extremely exclusive individuals.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Deep-rooted Tree School antagonized the Akasha family for killing one of their own.
Sending him back to the magic tower to incur a debt was more advantageous.
“So, who was behind it?”
In other words, it meant they could go after whoever wasn’t a mage.
Milena frowned.
“To be honest, it was an unexpected opponent. Ketal, I told you we have many enemies because our family has been standing out, right?”
“You did.”
“Among those, there are many rival merchant families.”
It was only natural.
The most hostile toward a rising merchant family would be other merchant families.
“It seems it’s another merchant family.”
“This is the first time an opponent has so clearly opposed and acted against us. I thought it would be a family that lost power to us, but it turned out to be a family we never suspected. They were so kind when we met before. I never imagined they’d be like this.”
Milena grumbled, still shocked.
“Do you know who it is?”
“Yes.”
Milena nodded.
“A merchant family that has rapidly risen in the past year. The Haibolka family. It was them.”
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