The Great Mage Returns after 4000 Years – Chapter 52 – Contact (3)
Translator: Seven
Editor: Ana_Banana
Frey never met Dugenjar again. (TL: thank god)
They left the magic tower after having a short conversation with the Tower Master.
If that was all they wanted to do then Frey could not understand why they had come all the way there.
‘…did they come to see me?’
He had this thought for a moment before discarding it.
Strangely enough, the moment he saw Heinz, his best friend had come to mind.
Schweiser Strow.
It wasn’t difficult for Frey to realise why.
Heinz looked like he was carrying many heavy burdens. His expression was that of a man who faced a situation beyond his own capability. And it probably had something to do with the Blake family.
Frey tried to think of what it could be, but the answer never revealed itself.
This was because there were no clues in ‘Frey’s’ memory.
‘I guess I’ll find out when we meet face to face.’
Especially the family head Isaka blake. The key was most likely held by him.
He would see for himself.
Frey was extremely sensitive to divine power, however, Heinz’s advice prevented him from going to check right away.
If Isaka Blake had truly become an Apostle then it was highly likely that he would be more powerful than Lukes.
‘I won’t find the answer even if I continue to ponder it.’
Frey decided to stop thinking about it and enjoy this brief moment of peace.
But his peace was immediately broken the next day.
“It’s been a long time, young master.”
It was a middle aged man with neatly styled grey hair.
Frey knew who this man was immediately.
Alexandro, the steward of the Blake family.
He had come to visit Frey himself.
‘They came much sooner than I expected.’
However, thanks to Heinz’s reminder, Frey was able to figure out a way to handle this situation.
Frey immediately bent his back and cowered.
He also rolled his eyes nervously while deliberately lowering his voice.
‘I don’t know how much they investigated me beforehand.’
First, there was no need for him to show them any signs that he had changed.
Although he had talked informally with Heinz, that didn’t really matter because Frey had decided to not think of him as an ally or as an enemy.
“H-, how did you know I was here?”
“I checked the records for your Warp Stone trips.”
“…”
A background check.
And he said it without displaying any shame.
No matter how important the steward was, in essence, he was still a servant yet he used the smallest amount of respect possible when talking to Frey.
Just as Frey was observing him. Alexandro was also taking a good look at Frey.
‘Not much has changed.’
Except for his slightly bigger physique, he seemed to be the same as before he was sent to the academy.
There were rumors circulating that he had destroyed a band of pirates but it seemed that those were just nonsense.
What kind of luck did he have to become friends with someone like Peran Jun?
Alexandro concealed his thoughts and explained the purpose of his visit.
“The Lord is summoning you back home. He says that there is something he needs to talk to you about.”
Hmm. What should he do?
Frey felt that he had reached a crossroads.
‘Should I accept Heinz’s advice or go meet Isaka?”
Depending on the choice he picked, the actions that he took would also change.
Frey was lost in thought but he could not remain silent for long. Because Alexandro’s expression was slowly changing.
“Now is… there’s something I need to do so it’s impossible.”
Frey decided to put the meeting on hold for now.
It was partly because of Heinz’s advice, but also because he wanted to see what the circle was like first.
This caused Alexandro to have a troubled expression.
“But it’s a request from the Lord…”
“It’s something that can’t be helped. T-, tell my father that I’m very sorry.”
“…”
Alexandro couldn’t help but be surprised because he had never expected Frey to refuse Isaka’s order.
‘Has he changed a little?’
It looked like he was too scared to agree.
However, this was still an unexpected situation for Alexandro.
No matter how the family criticized Frey, he couldn’t actually force him to do anything.
He had no choice but to bow his head.
“I’ll wait.”
With those words, Alexandro took his leave.
If Alexandro had looked back at that moment he would’ve seen a shockingly cold gaze that didn’t leave him until he disappeared from sight.
* * *
The refinement of the crystal seemed to take longer than expected.
Whenever Adelia appeared, she looked quite emaciated.
Yet there seemed to be an aura of excitement that exuded from her otherwise unsightly appearance.
Feeling of curiosity, Frey couldn’t help but ask.
“Haven’t you been away from the Academy for too long?”
“It’s fine. In the first place, I accepted this position as a professor on the condition that my freedom wasn’t limited.”
Adelia answered coolly.
Naturally, if you wanted to hire a talented person like her, certain provisions needed to be made.
Frey spent his time constantly training his body.
One regret however, was that Liamson and Camille had left.
In the first place, they were sent here to help the Phisfounder Armlets so after the Apostle was defeated they no longer had a reason to stay.
Before they left, Liamson went up to Frey.
“You said that you were going to take the upcoming test right?”
“I’m not completely sure.”
“Well. Passing is a given and there will definitely be a scouting war for you. Hopefully, we can also participate. If we’re lucky, we’ll meet then.”
He raised his fist to Frey.
“I’ll win more the next time we meet.”
“Sounds absurd.”
Frey and Liamson bumped fists and laughed.
Before Camille left, she gave Frey a black stone.
“This is a Darkstone that’s only found in the Spirit World. This should help you feel the Dark Spirits better.”
“Thank you for your help.”
“It’s fine.”
Camille had only let out a gentle laugh.
The Blacktooth Warriors had left the magic tower the very next day. Frey didn’t see them off.
Afterwards, Frey simply began training on his own again.
This was because none of the magic warriors in the 3rd Magic Tower caught Frey’s eye.
He simply passed his time by training his magic martial arts or reading books in the library.
Or while holding the Darkstone, he would try to contact Dark Spirits.
When a month had passed, it was Julian, the Tower Master, instead of Adelia, who contacted him first.
“What did you call me for?” (TL: hard to make this sound polite in english…but it was said politely)
“Hmm. I have a proposal for you.”
“…?”
A proposal.
Julian was not a member of the circle.
Or did he want to trade something?
Before long, he continued.
“Would you like to be a Floor Master?”
Floor Master!
It was a position that almost every wizard longed for.
Simply becoming a member of a magic tower was already something that would cause wizards to walk around with their chins raised, not to mention a Floor Master who could be considered an executive.
Regardless of which tower it was, those in that position were admired and respected by all wizards.
It was a hard to come by opportunity.
Julian simply continued calmly.
“Mikel’s seat is currently vacant and I think that you are a very talented person who is fit to take his place.”
“Are there any Floor Masters as young as I am?”
“Mischael of the Blake Family became a Floor Master at the age of 28, you are much younger than him so you might be the youngest in history.”
Frey remained silent.
Julian spoke in a persuasive tone, maybe assuming that he was unsure of what to do.
“If you become a Floor Master you would get many benefits. As soon as the documents are filed, the Empire will award you with your own mansion, lab and a research grant. You can trade or request knowledge and information about magic sciences from other Floor Masters. Depending on your achievements, you could even get some hard to find materials or rare magic tools.”
It was an amazing proposal that most normal wizards would not be able to resist.
But Frey shook his head without hesitation.
“Thank you for the offer, but I’m sorry.”
“…well. Have you considered joining the circle?”
Julian laughed bitterly but Frey remained silent.
It wasn’t just for that reason.
It was mostly because he had no need for any of the benefits offered for becoming a Floor Master.
“I understand. Then please forget what I said.”
“I won’t forget the kindness that the Tower Master has shown me.”
“Huhu. Thank you for saying that.”
Frey went back to his room and just as he opened a book to read, he heard a knock on the door.
He knew who it was.
The people that Frey interacted with in the tower were very few, and with the departure of the Blacktooth group, it became even less.
“It’s open.”
Creak.
As expected, it was Adelia who opened the door.
She looked at Frey with a strange expression on her face.
“Did you really turn down old man Julian’s offer?”
“Yeah.”
“You, you threw away such an amazing opportunity. If it’s because of the circle then you have the wrong idea. Just like uncle Mikel, it’s possible to hold two positions at once. No, instead I should say most circle members are like that. The Floor Master of a magic tower is the perfect identity to show the outside world.”
What she said wasn’t crazy as it could be proven simply by looking at Tower Masters like Shepard or Deputy Tower Masters and Floor Masters like Lukes and Mikel.
But Frey didn’t have any regrets.
“I just judged that I wasn’t ready to take on the position of Floor Master. I still have a lot of work to do.”
“…”
There was nothing that she could say when he said that.
This was because, as Frey had said, there were still things that a Floor Master needed to do after they took their position.
They had to report their achievements and findings to the empire regularly or teach wizards in the tower.
“If that’s what you think then I have nothing more to say.”
“Did you just come here to say that?”
“No way.”
Tak.
Adelia put two glass bottles onto the table.
“Well?”
Not one but two?
One of them was filled with clear liquid and the other was difficult to see through.
After receiving Frey’s puzzled gaze, Adelia explained.
“I’ve made crystals into elixirs a few times before, but I’m sure that this time was the trickiest. That crystal had lightning energy. Lightning is one of the most intricate powers! Thanks to that, I had to use hundreds of gold coins to do it right.”
“If that’s the case…”
“No, no. I just wanted you to know how hard I worked, so I complained a little.”
Adelia patted her chest slightly and Frey realised that she’d taken care of him once again.
“But why are there two bottles?”
“One is a mana elixir. The other one is, um…a bundle of extracted lightning energy.”
“A bundle of lightning energy?”
“Mhm. I can’t think of a suitable word to describe. Anyway, don’t just open it. I had to force it in there so it’s pretty dangerous.”
Frey had a strange expression on his face.
“Why are you giving me something so dangerous?”
“It’s only a feeling, but I thought that you would be able to use it.”
As she said this, Adelia seemed a bit doubtful of her own judgement.
Still, it was a waste to just throw it away. If it was Frey, she was sure that he would find a use for it.
She shrugged her shoulders.
“Well if you’re uncomfortable with it, you can just throw it away.”
“No, I’ll take it. And…thank you.”
“Hmph. You should be more grateful. Adelia is the only alchemist in the world who could do this.” (TL: yes she used third person.)
Frey let out a quiet laugh.
“I don’t tend to forget my debts. I’ll definitely pay you back.”
“Debt. Hehe. I like that.”
Adelia laughed darkly at whatever it was she was thinking and seeing her playful expression also made Frey smile.
“I’m leaving soon.”
“You mean from the tower?”
“Mhm. I’ve been away for too long I think. If I goof around any longer then that hag, Syris, will nag about it for months.”
It seemed that she also had a special relationship with the dean of the academy.
Frey nodded.
“Have a safe trip.”
“I don’t know what your goal is, but be careful. Ah. Even if you take the elixir right now, there will be no problems.”
With those words, Adelia waved her hand and left.
Later, Frey heard that just after she met him, she packed up her things and left for the academy.
That was when Frey realised that the reason she had stayed away from the academy for so long was to help him, and his appreciation for her deepened.
“Then…”
Frey decided to inspect the lightning elixir later and first picked up the mana elixir.
Outwardly, it appeared no different from water. It didn’t appear to be as extraordinary as Frozen River or Torkunta’s heart.
However, Frey could clearly feel the essence of mana that was contained within this liquid.
‘I can feel the tremendous power inside of it. Three more elixirs like this. No. Even two elixirs like this would help me reach 8 stars.’
Frey gave a slight smile as he discovered one more reason to attack Apostles.
Heinz’s words appeared in his head once again.
Didn’t he say not to drink the elixir?
Frey couldn’t guess why.
However, he wouldn’t think too much about it.
Heinz was not a reliable source of information and there was nothing wrong with the elixir.
He was certain of this.
Adelia, a genius alchemist had also confirmed this.
So what was Heinz thinking?
‘Was he talking about the situation I’d be in by taking the elixir rather than a problem with the elixir itself?’
Frey didn’t know and he didn’t make it a habit to worry about things that he could not find the answers to.”
Without any hesitation, Frey uncorked the glass bottle and raised it to his lips.
Gulp gulp.
He felt a coolness as though he was drinking ice water.
He clearly felt the elixir slide down his throat as he drank it.
Woowoong.
“…!”
The mana was denser than he imagined!
Frey realised that if he managed to make all of this mana his, then he’d be able to increase his mana capacity by at least 1.5 times.
Frey was convinced that there would be no 7 star wizard who could beat him when it came to pure mana capacity.
‘Good.’
Soon his body was dripping with sweat like a waterfall.
It wouldn’t be strange if this caused him to be severely dehydrated, but Frey’s mouth was curved into a smile.
‘With this concentration on mana, I can extend my mana room to my entire body.’
This was because it would allow him to expand his mana storage.
If it was completed perfectly then his mana veins would expand like rivers and allow him to maintain his top condition at all times.
Only
This was a great advantage to wizards whose magical power varied, widely depending on their condition during the day.
Huuk.
Frey quickly calmed his mana.
His body had already succeeded in absorbing great amounts of mana again and again.
The mana in the crystal elixir wasn’t negligible, but it wasn’t dangerous. It wouldn’t take too much time to absorb.
It would take a month at most.
After that he would probably leave the tower.
(TL: Do you guys prefer ‘Alexandro’ or ‘Aleksandro’)