The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Book 2: Chapter 316

Shepard looked at Peran.

“As my son, I’m sure that you know. The fact that I’ve been frustrated at being stuck at 7 stars for 20 years.”

…He knew.

Although he’d never mentioned it, Peran knew just how deep the despair and frustration Shepard felt was.

Of course, his father never showed it.

Instead, it was the fire always burning brightly in the library in the middle of the night when he was young. It was the many books that had become stained from the sweat of his father’s hands.

He knew that before being the 4th Tower Master and the Head of the Jun Family, Shepard Jun was a Wizard.

But Peran still couldn’t understand.

“Black magic and Magicology are separate fields. It was you, father, that taught me that.”

“There is no difference. Black magic is aimed at exploring mana, interpreting the truth, and understanding the laws of the world. It is not fundamentally different from magic.”

“…no.”

Crunch.

Peran grits his teeth. The anger and betrayal in his voice no longer subtle.

That was an insult.

It was not only an insult to Peran, but to every Wizard who followed the path of magicology.

“Black magic is a cursed power created by using the death of the innocent. It does not qualify as a field of study. Do you not know how many lives were lost to develop that terrible power?”

“It feels like this is the first time in 10 years that I’ve seen you so excited.”

“…”

“First of all, be polite. Even though I’ve started using black magic, I am still your father.”

“That is something I’m wondering about.”

Peran’s cold gaze was locked onto Shepard’s face.

“Are you really my father?”

“Hahaha.”

With a soft whoosh, the black mana that had been spreading out disappeared.

“My eyes have been opened. And son, so will yours. After all, you are a Wizard like me.”

“What?”

“Every time we uncover the secrets of mana and peek at the truth, it fills us with unparalleled pleasure. Can you imagine? Knowledge capable of satisfying even our unending desire, and satisfaction sweeter than any drug… It is a world that every Wizard dreams of.”

Shepard emphasised once again.

“Right. ‘Every Wizard’. The world of Wizards is about to open up, and you too should ride the wave.”

“What are you talking about…”

“You don’t know, do you?”

Shepard’s voice became calm.

“There is already no one among the high level Wizards that still oppose him.”

Shuffle.

At that moment, someone walked out from behind Shepard as though he had been standing there the entire time. But he’d never noticed.

Their face, which was engulfed in darkness, was then revealed in the candle light.

“…!”

Peran’s mouth fell open.

* * *

Jik-

Lukas drew a line in the bark of a tree with his sword.

It slashed diagonally through the four vertical lines that had been there before.

Five days.

That’s how long it had been since Snow disappeared.

After so much time had passed, he didn’t feel like silently waiting any longer. Even if he wanted to concentrate on training, he couldn’t focus because his mind would be drawn to Snow. In addition, he had already reached as far as he could while training in the Amalgam Forest.

If he wanted to grow stronger, then he would have to find another location.

Shuk.

Lukas sheathed his sword before fastening it to his waist. Then, he packed the water and fruits he’d gathered. If he used them sparingly, it should last him about two days.

Firstly, he planned to head north. The reason for that was simple. They had come from the south. In other words, if he headed in that direction, he would leave the forest.

‘The forest is crying.’

That’s what Snow said. So the reason that she had disappeared and hadn’t returned yet was more than likely related to the forest.

Naturally, in order to find traces of her, he had to go deeper into the forest, not out of it.

After deciding where to go, Lukas headed North along the river.

—A short while later, he heard a sound behind him.

It was a very loud sound, as though its creator had no intention of hiding their presence as they rushed forward with tremendous momentum.

It wasn’t just one person.

A group of people was rushing forward at a tremendous speed.

Then, after noticing Lukas’ presence, they changed direction and surged towards him.

Ssrng-

By the time Lukas drew his sword, they had already surrounded him.

Three men and two women.

All of them were quite strong.

Their intimidating aura, formation, and the speed they moved towards Lukas were enough to prove this.

The one who called out to Lukas was the man in the middle. He was a handsome man with a gentle expression, but there was a suspicious glint in his eyes as he observed Lukas.

“Who are you? And why are you in this forest?”

“…I am Lukas.”

“…Lukas?”

They exchanged glances. It seemed like they were asking each other if they’d heard the name before, but all of them shook their heads.

“You, why are you messing around in this forest?”

This time, it was a large man with a ferocious expression that called out in a rough voice.

“Aren’t you the same?”

Naturally, Lukas’ response wouldn’t be soft.

Perhaps because he found his attitude displeasing, the giant’s eyebrows twitched.

“…how dare a cripple question me?”

It was then that the gentle looking man opened his mouth again.

“We are the ‘Swordnaz’.”

“…Swordnaz?”

It was a name he’d never heard before.

When Lukas tilted his head to the side in confusion, the suspicion in the man’s eyes became deeper.

Now that he looked closely, Lukas realised this man was an elf. He’d only just noticed the long ears sticking out of his hair.

“Look at this bastard. He doesn’t even know who we are. He’s obviously a spy who somehow managed to infiltrate this place. We should just kill him here. No. Let’s torture him to death so that we can extract some information!”

The giant loosened his neck as he said those words, killing intent lacing his voice.

“…Hoffman, shut up.”

When the elf snapped at him with an annoyed voice, the cheeks of the man named Hoffman twitched.

“Hey, Eric. Were you just talking to me?”

Ignoring them, Lukas thought to himself.

Swordnaz, Swordnaz.

…Swordna?

“Are you guys acquainted with Snow… no, with Swordna?”

“…oho. Look at this bastard. He’s trying to act now.”

Hoffman, who still thought he was a spy, loosened his joints as a fierce smile spread across his lips. (TL: He’s loosening a lot of things)

“That’s right, but this situation is urgent, so please state your….”

“Eric.”

Suddenly, one of the women interrupted him. By her attire, Lukas assumed that she was a Wizard.

“We have to hide.”

“…!”

Eric hurriedly looked up at the sky, and Lukas’ gaze followed.

It was strange. Even though it was the middle of the day, the sunlight still felt too strong.

He also saw someone standing in the sky, but he wasn’t able to clearly see who it was.

“That’s…”

It was probably not meant as an answer to Lukas’ murmur, but Eric muttered in a low voice with a sigh.

“Monster… Queen…”

Monster Queen?

Just as Lukas’ eyes narrowed slightly.

“Dodge!”

Hoffman suddenly cried out.

It was only then that Lukas realised why the sun seemed so bright.

There were two suns in the sky.????n????????e????????. ????o????

Rumble…

And one of them was slowly descending.

Straight towards them.

(TL: So I was wondering how I could make this a kind of April Fools themed event. But I really couldn’t think of anything, so I’ll just go with the only idea that seemed interesting to me. The mass release chapters that I promised will be released randomly during the day(between 00:00 to 11:59 GMT -4) instead of being released altogether.

The number of chapters released at any time will be up to a rng. It can be 1, 2 or 3 chapters each time.

Yes, yes, I know, I’m bad at making fun/interesting events. At least it’s fun for me.

Enjoy the cliffhangers, or wait anxiously till they’re all released, the choice is yours.)