episode_0007

1.

It was an incredibly sudden proposal.

Evan looked at the old man with a suspicious gaze.

Regardless of who the old man was, there was no reason for him to make such a proposal to Evan.

Even Evan himself knew that his personality was far from suitable to be a disciple, and he was aware that he lacked proper etiquette towards elders. He lived a wretched life.

“…What is your purpose?”

As if he didn’t expect Evan to question him, the old man chuckled lightly.

“Why? Do you think I’ll break your spine or something?”

“…”

“No need to worry. I can only break what’s there.”

The old man straightened his back and stretched. A creaking sound of time echoed from his waist.

“I happened to be looking for someone to save. It’s about time I teach my magic to someone, but I can’t find anyone I want to teach.”

It became even more incomprehensible.

“With your reputation, I thought there would be a line of applicants…?”

In response to Evan’s words, the old man grumbled.

“That’s right. When I said I was looking for a disciple, over ten thousand people showed up.”

“Then you can just choose from among them.”

“I tried that too, but there wasn’t a single person I liked among those ten thousand. They all pretended to be nice to me, busy flattering me, and if they seemed interested in magic, they were full of deceit.”

The old man shook his head as if he was fed up.

“But you seem different.”

The old man smirked mischievously.

“You’ve obviously done some research on magic by yourself, and you don’t try to impress me. Your personality is despicable, but your heart is pure. Personally, I rate you highly for insulting me as soon as you saw me.”

“…Are you considering it?”

“Oh, my, considering it? Are you trying to become my third-rate inspiration? I just found it amusing to hear such words after a long time. But if you keep saying things like that, let me inject some manners into you with my staff of justice.”

The old man raised his staff made of oak and chuckled.

“I’ve said it before, but above all, I feel it would be a waste to let someone like you rot in a place like this.”

The mischievous smile softened and transformed into a smile befitting his age.

“…It feels like I’m looking at my old self.”

“So, did you live like a good-for-nothing too, Young Master?”

“I wasn’t a good-for-nothing who swindled people like you.”

The old man reached out his hand to Evan.

“So, what will you do? Will you learn a bit of magic under me?”

From Evan’s perspective, there was nothing to lose. It was an absolute gain for him to reach the level of magic that the old man had shown. There were over a thousand aspiring magicians who wanted to become his disciple.

It wasn’t just empty talk.

And it didn’t seem like a scam either.

What could the old man gain by scamming Evan?

Nothing.

At best, all he had was money saved up on his adventurer card.

Evan felt his heart pounding after a long time.

The anticipation of being able to learn a new level of magic as a magician.

If he became a magician who could use 10th-level magic, no one would dare call him weak.

This was not something that happened twice in a lifetime.

Even if he expressed his gratitude profusely, it wouldn’t be enough.

“Just in case, what happens if I refuse?”

“If you refuse, you refuse.”

The old man threatened Evan with his staff like a club.

“But can you refuse?”

He subtly threatened, like a professor recruiting graduate students. No, not subtly, but blatantly?

The old man seemed pleased with Evan for some reason.

I don’t know which aspect of Evan he found cute.

The way he looked at Evan made him seem already delighted, like a child who had discovered a new toy.

“Choose. Will you live as a magician following me, or continue living like a good-for-nothing, drinking alcohol? What will you do?”

The old man reached out his hand once again.

“I don’t know what kind of story you have, but it seems better than just venting your anger on useless people, doesn’t it?”

“…”

“As long as you’re under me, you won’t be able to think about anything other than magic. I’ll make you suffer a lot.”

It had been over five years already.

He couldn’t live like a good-for-nothing forever.

To take even a small revenge on ‘that woman’ who disregarded oneself, one must not live like a beggar but become someone who can hold their head up high and live confidently.

“I can live well even without you.”

If by any chance they were to meet someday, they would want to show that they are living better than anyone else.

Of course, it’s best not to meet at all.

“…Understood.”

Evan held the old man’s hand.

“Have expectations. I’m going to play some tricks.”

Evan chuckled softly.

“But by the way, what is your true identity, Your Eminence?”

The old man’s eyes widened at that question.

“You… don’t you know who I am?”

Evan nodded.

“There is one person I suspect. There is only one magician in this world who can use spatial magic. But I can’t tell just by looking at your face.”

The old man swallowed as if bewildered.

“How can a magician not recognize my face?”

He knew the name of the sage, but he didn’t know the sage’s face.

He wasn’t particularly interested.

Before falling into alcohol, Evan, who had an interest in recovery magic, admired the green-robed mage who researched buff and debuff magic. The green-robed mage was more than just a sage to Evan.

“He hasn’t been active for decades, but I never thought there would be a magician who wouldn’t recognize me. Yes, that’s why he probably told me to get lost right in front of my face.”

Clearly, he must have taken the insult to heart.

“Aren’t you a sage?”

The old man swallowed once again.

“Not a sage, just a mere sage… Haha.”

He seemed straightforward yet subtly narrow-minded.

“Yes, that’s right. I am a sage.”

The sage, Arahan.

One of the five heroes who sealed the Demon King.

A man standing at the pinnacle of mages, respected by the tower masters.

“I intended to torment you just enough, but now I have to play a much bigger role so that you can never forget my face. It’s a fact that the teacher who treated you well is less memorable than the teacher who didn’t treat you well.”

That’s right.

He knows it well.

Bad memories are more vivid and last longer than good memories.

Just like how he vividly remembers ‘that day’ even now.

2.

A sword pierces the heart of the demon.

“Suck…!”

Breathing steadily, as the sword twisted, Masu resisted one last time, causing a commotion and screaming. He drew his sword, lowered his stance, and swung it. A silver line bisected Masu’s body. That was Masu’s final moment. “Hoo…” Llewelyn exhaled and took out a dagger from his belt. He immediately captured Masu’s corpse. He stripped off the items that could be sold in the market and obtained some gems. With an indifferent face, he packed his belongings and returned to the village. “…Excuse me.” He handed his belongings to a merchant in the village. He handed over what he had obtained from subjugating Masu to the merchant, who would then sell the goods at the market in the city. The income earned from this was distributed evenly to cover living expenses. “Oh, you caught quite a big one, huh?” The merchant exclaimed as he looked at Masu’s gem. “I’m really grateful. If it weren’t for you, our village would have disappeared from the map.” Llewelyn, who had returned home from being an adventurer, became the captain of the village guards. Since the resurrection of the Demon King, he has been protecting the village from the increasing attacks of Masus, and thanks to Llewelyn, they have managed to defend the village from numerous Masu raids as the merchant mentioned. Just the fact that they can avoid repeating that nightmare is a great source of gratitude from the villagers towards Llewelyn. “You haven’t eaten dinner, right?” Llewelyn nodded his head. “It’s not the best meat, but take this and eat it with your siblings.” Llewelyn received the meat and expressed his thanks with a bow. The merchant watched Llewelyn walk away. He had always been stoic since he was young, but he wasn’t devoid of laughter. However, ever since he returned five years ago, he had never seen him smile once. It’s understandable that he carries a great sadness from losing his parents, but the sadness has been lingering for too long. It’s worrying. He might end up destroying himself like this. Not only the merchant but also the villagers are worried about him. “Unni!” The one welcoming Llewelyn as he returned home was his youngest sister, Lana. Seven years old this year, Lana hugged her sister tightly and puffed her cheeks like a puppy, showing her cuteness. “…Are you hungry?” Llewelyn gently stroked Lana’s head. “Lana!” A little girl with messy hair came out from inside, speaking cheerfully.

“When I returned after subduing the demons, I told you not to cling to me because you would get tired, Unni!”

Third, Leia.

She turned twelve years old this year.

With her stubborn personality, she takes care of Lana and does the household chores.

Leia separated Lana from Luwen.

“…It’s okay.”

Luwen tapped their heads one by one.

“…Look at this.”

They showed the meat they received from the merchant to Lana.

“Did Mr. Martin give it to you?”

Luwen nodded.

“…I’ll cook it right away.”

“I’ll help.”

“…Okay.”

“Me too! Me too!”

“…Okay.”

Luwen prepared dinner with their two younger siblings. They cut enough meat to eat and put it in a pot, along with diced potatoes and carrots for a delicious stew.

Because they’re not skilled in cooking, they can only make dishes where all the ingredients are thrown in and boiled, like this.

Originally, cooking is done by their younger brother. However, today, their younger brother, who is also a village guard, is on night watch duty and not at home. He will come in tomorrow morning.

They made a simple stew and had dinner.

Luwen put their two siblings to bed and went outside.

The spring breeze is chilly.

Their long black hair sways down to their waist.

Luwen sat down in front of the flower bed behind the house.

Under the moonlight, a few white dandelions and yellow dandelions are blooming.

“…”

Luwen plucked a white dandelion and wrapped it around their ring finger on their left hand.

It’s a meaningless act.

It won’t change anything.

They can’t turn back time.

It’s self-inflicted pain.

They know it well, but whenever spring comes, they repeat this act.

Their heart feels heavy.

Luwen has never forgotten Evan even for a single day.

Memories with Evan have become poison and spread throughout their body. The poison squeezes Luwen’s heart and wrings out their emotions.

Under the moonlight, a few drops of dew fall onto the dandelions.