Hermit Wizard

The Master of Vigilance (6)

I couldn’t open the Channel with these three here; I had to create a Mana concealment at all costs. I decided to put off the summons for a while and listen to their story.

“First of all, thank you for your help.”

I nodded without replying. These two were brought here to monitor and gather information, and a lot of my metallic materials were consumed in the process. Even though they were quite troublesome to buy, fill, and make, they weren’t expensive materials; I should think of it as an opportunity cost. Instead of saying anything, I silently waited for Yusu to speak.

“I have heard about the kind of arrangements you have placed in the crack in space. Not only this world but also the world across the crack; you created a sealed barrier, right?”

“Yes.”

“Actually, most of the people in the village thought it was impossible for humans. I feel your strength directly in person, but I hope you understand that it was unbelievable from the perspective of those who have never experienced it before.”

I didn’t answer back and looked at Yusu to signal him to continue talking.

“Some elders thought Garam was talking nonsense. That’s not true, but they even told me that maybe he went crazy after going around the land for a long time…”

Garam cut off his words and screamed with an angry look.

“What? Did I go crazy? Those sick old men are really…!”

Yusu politely commended him.

“You should be careful with that mouth. You were so polite when you saw the elders in front of you, and behind their back, are you this frivolous?!”

“If I’m frivolous, are those old men decent? Even if it was bullshit, they’ve got it all wrong. Even after the death of one party and the effect of the agreement…! No, even if the Dragon was still alive and going around the land, didn’t they think that Maek’s mind is completely insane? Isn’t this an insult to the race?”

“Shut up. Would you have suspected such a thing…?”

Ignoring the gallant Garam, Yusu looked back at me.

“Anyway, for that reason, the meeting was getting longer, and it took some time to make a decision, but we decided to proceed with the premise that your power was true. And I must check it myself in person.”

Then he looked at Parvache and spoke.

“In fact, another suspicion that remains from this is that how did you gain such power, being born in the time of the Dragon. However, it can be explained by seeing the elder in person. In that sense, I would like to offer you a suggestion. It will be beneficial from your point of view, so would you please listen to me?”

I responded without a doubt.

“…Tell me.”

“I believe you’ve heard why Garam and Mrs. Pearl came to this land.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Actually, they should have returned to White Deer after the mission was over, as they have confirmed the exact location and condition of the crack in space. But they couldn’t interpret the barrier surrounding the crack. Master, you have given them the explanation, but they weren’t sure if it was true.”

This was a story I already knew.

“So, the first task I received was to check the barrier with my own eyes.”

“…You want to see if it’s really blocked?”

“Yes. We are considering moving White Deer Village to this land. This is serious as it isn’t enough even if we study it a hundred times. In the meantime, the prophecy came out, as it was said that there was a crack in the space near the most suitable place for our village to move; I was personally tasked to check this anomaly out by myself.

…So, where was the destination where they wanted to move the village? Wouldn’t it be better to have a deserted demilitarized zone? I don’t know how close it was to the Channel, so there was no point talking about it.

“By the way, Master, if you have already sealed this crack, our worries will disappear.”

“In a way, would you like to free-ride?”

It was a straightforward conclusion.

“Free-ride? What does that mean?”

“Aren’t you saying that you will live while enjoying the benefits of the barriers that I have made?”

Then Yusu mentioned a strange word in his reply.

“Of course, I am not saying that you will gain nothing. After checking the barrier that you have made, I would like to make an offer. Getting it done well will be my second task.”

“What offer?”

“I’ll tell you in advance, but I absolutely hope that it would be beneficial to you. However, it would not be a disadvantage…there seems to be a reason for you to maintain that barrier anyway.”

As he said so, Yusu looked at me with calm eyes.

“I will tell you more after checking the barriers. After confirming the teacher’s strength in this way, I don’t think it would be a lie, but it was still a mission given by the village elders. Even if it’s a formality, it’s inevitable for me to go in person. I hope you understand.”

“Are you going right now?”

“I’m ashamed to say, but I’m not free enough to be dispatched to the land. Unlike the two over here.”

“No, Brother Yu, what…!”

Yusu cut off Garam’s words and continued.

“I was chosen because Garam is here so that I can use dream-travel, but I have to return to work today. So, we’ll be back in a while. Garam will guide the way.”

Then he suddenly got up and got ready to leave. But I couldn’t let them wander out of my sight. Especially in the field where the destination was a Channel…!

“Wait a minute. I will have to accompany you to the Channel.”

Then Yusu looked at me with a dull gaze that I couldn’t read.

“Are you sure?”

When could I summon? I would have to deal with this as soon as possible. Since last night, I walked around, but it wouldn’t clear up only with a short walk. Honestly, from my point of view now, the race in front of me, whose limits of their ability were unknown, was a far greater threat than humans whose identity I didn’t know. Yusu got up and prepared to go out, then suddenly, he turned around the living room and said, “The window is a little small.”

Then he turned his head and looked at me.

“Master Yoon, could you help me get out of here, please?”

A faint smile hung around his mouth.

“…”

Did he notice something? The barriers and seals were surrounding this house…unlike these insensitive two who have been here for days. But there was no evidence. Anyway, if they move to the Channel now, I was set to follow. I responded, hardening my heart.

“Let’s go out together.”

* * *

After secretly unlocking the front door, I took everyone down to the first floor of the apartment. After we got out, I surrounded my house with a much powerful defensive magic than usual. I also packed Parvache in my backpack. Just before leaving the building, Yusu spoke.

“I try to do my best to save time. I will go back to my main body for a while. Isn’t there any place for a few people to avoid prying eyes? I don’t want to make a fuss because I stand out. There can be no one who remembers our kind.”

“If that’s the case, it would be better to do this than to hide.”

I waved my hand to cast simple invisibility magic on all of us. Now we wouldn’t be seen by ordinary people without Mana circuits. I didn’t know what he was trying to do, but I hate to stand out too. Moreover, I didn’t want to stand out while those suspicious guys were around me. After coming out with invisibility, Yusu suddenly covered his whole body with smoke. After the magical mist disappeared, what remained was an animal I had never seen before. Without realizing it, a sound flowed out of my mouth.

“…Oh my God.”

Four-footed, as big as a bull, with a short back. It had an elephant-like nose at the end of its snout that looked like a wild boar. Was that the main body of a creature called Maek?

However, the most amazing part that caught my eye wasn’t how it looked.

I could see it when I concentrated on my Mana. There were lumps of energy that were halfway between a mental body and matter around the Maek’s body. Many of them were already half-fused with the body and flowed with were projecting different images.

In the light that flowed along with Maek’s nose, I could see a scene where a goblin was falling off a cliff. On his forehead, a black crane with three pairs of wings sat on a pavilion in the moon and poured alcohol into an earthenware glass. On the edge of his back was a scene where tribes gathered to feast in an old-fashioned quaint village. As Yusu raised his forelimbs, a toad sat down underneath and cried while singing, and a tiled house burned in front of it.

“Is that all…?”

Mrs. Pearl nodded when she realized what I was asking. Whenever Garam used magic, the energies of the mental energy gathered at his fingertips seemed to be carried around the body like that. Yusu wriggled his ass. At the same time, a ball of light bounced off his hip. In the scene, a baby fox was flying excitedly through the wide sky.

“The dream of flying is also out of stock. This is the last time.”

Yusu muttered. Then it snatched the light ball with its nose and burst it. As the waves of scattered light began passing through our surroundings, each of the four bodies floating in the air. I would resist the forces surrounding my body, but I knew it held no aggression and left it alone. Did it mean we were flying?

“Okay, then we’ll leave.”

We, who were only visible to those who could use magic, flew towards Mapo Bridge at a tremendous speed.

***

Staying tense throughout the flight, I was keeping an eye on it. If I needed to, I was ready to get out from his mana range and use flying magic of my own. However, Yusu didn’t do anything, as if it had no secret plan, and focused on flying normally.

By the way, I didn’t grasp the principle behind this magic either. The flying magic I knew required a huge amount of Mana to fly over long distances. Thousands of magic factors that control the center of gravity, breathing, barometric pressure, altitude, speed, etc., had to be fine-tuned. If the coordinate induction of the summoning magic was dealing with data that exceeded the human brain capacity and the magic power was volatilized to force the exit of the Channel, in this case, there were too many kinds of factors that operated simultaneously.

However, at first glance, Yusu doesn’t seem to be taking that much input.

After a short time, when I couldn’t even exchange a few guesses with Parvache, we arrived near Mapo Bridge. Considering the distance, it was an instant arrival.