Ch.107The Time Mage (1)

# “Raise your glasses to the arrival of a new hero!”

The banquet resumed.

The nobles might have been flustered by the unexpected situation, but they interpreted this banquet in a different light.

“Who would have thought the Black Mages’ threat would reach the edge of our realm.”

“More importantly, did you see the power displayed by the Windsor siblings?”

A heated discussion had begun about what had just transpired.

Naturally, Ruide and Amelia were at the center of it.

“That final spell, if my guess is correct…”

“It must be The 5th Magic. The divine realm that even Dellin barely reached.”

“Magic? Is that what it looked like to you? To praise magic after witnessing Amelia Windsor’s sword energy.”

The knights praised Amelia, while the mages praised Ruide.

The two groups formed a sharp opposition, refuting each other.

They were never on good terms to begin with, but this was about the pride of sword versus magic.

Not a single person was willing to back down.

“Young Lord Ruide’s magic is revolutionary. He is absolutely worthy of being called the mage of the century!”

“Is that really what matters right now?”

Mikael, the Emperor’s aide, inserted himself into the debate.

“What?”

“Yes, with your renowned insight, you should be able to provide the best answer to this debate. Tell these muscle-headed fools.”

“Whether Amelia Windsor is impressive or Ruide Windsor is impressive, nothing changes.”

Mikael walked between them and positioned himself in the center.

He lowered his voice slightly as he spoke.

“In three years at most, or as soon as two years, the Windsors will return to the North. Any magnificent magic or swordsmanship will be confined to the North.”

The Windsor Duchy was a great noble house whose authority even the Emperor couldn’t casually challenge.

But because their power was so immense, their movements were restricted.

They didn’t interfere in imperial matters and only exercised their influence within their own territory.

“…That’s…”

“I suppose that’s true.”

The mages wore gloomy expressions.

The Tower Master in particular felt disheartened.

The current magical world had stagnated.

Both in theory and in skill.

Talented mages were becoming detoxification mages for money and honor.

Fewer and fewer mages continued research that didn’t pay well.

But with the emergence of Ruide Christopher, new vitality had been breathed into the field.

His various revolutionary discoveries had instilled motivation. Some young mages were aspiring to become “real mages” rather than detoxification mages.

However, in a few years.

What would happen when Ruide returned to the North?

The outcome was obvious.

Everything would revert to how it was before.

More mages would lead lazy lives using only first-tier detoxification magic for a few coins and meager positions.

“…What if there was a way?”

“…A way?”

“Yes. If there was a way to benefit the Empire even after returning to the Windsor Duchy, what choice would you make?”

Mikael spoke calmly.

But his voice carried more impact than ever.

“Amelia Windsor is pro-imperial. Her character is upright and righteous. Especially her loyalty to His Majesty is the highest among all Windsors in history.”

To the nobles, Mikael’s advice sounded like this:

-If she becomes the Duchess, the Empire will gain considerable benefits.

Mikael raised his glass with an impassive face.

“To the Prime Empire-.”

A somewhat abrupt toast.

But the nobles all raised their glasses in unison and responded.

“To the Empire.”

Dozens of glasses clinked together.

The red wine inside overflowed and spilled into each other’s glasses.

The nobles drank the wine in one gulp and quietly looked at Amelia and Ruide standing before the Emperor.

**

“To think a Black Mage was hiding so close by. Unimaginable. In that sense, your contribution is significant, Ruide.”

Lucius looked at Ruide with a face full of goodwill.

Ruide had a blank expression.

‘How on earth did you find me?’

The culprit was Damon.

After properly showing his dignity as a professor to Ella, Ruide had fallen asleep under a roof with a satisfied feeling.

The excuse was that he was looking for shade because the sun was hot… but in truth, he had deliberately hidden where no one could find him, anticipating that Amelia would pester him to attend the banquet together.

But then…

-To think you’d be sleeping in a place like this. You always exceed my expectations.

Damon had found him.

No one should have known he was sleeping there!

‘And what is this all about?’

He still couldn’t grasp the situation.

Why had a Balrog appeared at the banquet hall?

Balrog was a boss-level monster that appeared in the later stages.

“I truly wonder what reward would be appropriate for saving my life.”

Ruide snapped out of his thoughts.

The surroundings were chaotic.

Understandably so, as the Balrog was still in the center of the hall, impaled by the chain spear.

“I’m fine. I just delivered the final blow.”

“Final blow?”

“I merely severed the lifeline of a dying monster. When I arrived, the Balrog was already in a critical state.”

Amelia, who had been somewhat dejected, opened her eyes wide.

“Are you saying Amelia’s attack was effective?”

“Yes.”

‘At least I’m not lying.’

Balrog is a troublesome monster.

Magic doesn’t work on it, and unless you completely extinguish its life, it revives.

It’s true that Amelia had put the Balrog in a critical state.

It had simply revived.

“Oh, thank you for telling me, Ruide. I almost overlooked the knight who achieved such a great feat.”

Lucius’s gaze turned to Amelia.

“Amelia.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Amelia was in a somewhat less confident state.

“…Thank you.”

“…!”

Lucius took Amelia’s hand and spoke with sincere eyes.

“Without your precise command, it would have been impossible to achieve this result where no one was hurt.”

‘Praise my sister.’

Ruide nodded and glanced around.

The nobles in the banquet hall were focusing their attention here.

The Emperor’s voice wasn’t quiet, so everyone probably heard this.

It was because he knew that Amelia had been feeling down lately, though she didn’t show it much.

So Ruide felt good.

Even better than when he himself was praised.

“Moreover, to think you single-handedly brought a mythical being like Balrog to a critical state. Remarkable. If it weren’t for Ruide, I would have overlooked such a great achievement. I will make sure it’s recorded, so don’t worry.”

Damon, who had been silently observing the situation, smirked.

“Brother. May I say one thing?”

Damon pointed at the Balrog with his finger.

“That spear stuck in that beast.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you know what that spear really is?”

The Emperor’s gaze turned to the Balrog.

“I’m not sure. But if I had to guess, they might be divine artifacts taken from the subspace connected to Windsor Castle.”

“You’re right, brother. Those are divine artifacts. The Eight Divine Artifacts that supposedly captured Balrog.”

“What?”

Lucius opened his eyes wide.

“The ones that appear only in fairy tales that every imperial citizen reads at least once. Yes. To be precise, they’re objects that shouldn’t exist in this world.”

Damon smiled subtly.

“But those aren’t fake. They clearly exist. In other words, Ruide has manifested something that only existed in myths into this world. He has realized The 5th Magic, which is called the dream realm for mages. While Amelia Windsor also performed admirably, the praise should be focused on Ruide.”

Ruide opened his drowsy eyes.

‘Sharp one.’

Damon’s words were half right and half wrong.

It’s true that he created the Eight Divine Artifacts. But they weren’t legendary items; they actually existed.

People just didn’t know because they were in the hands of the Black Mages.

‘I should have just caught it casually.’

Recently, because he had been thinking only about researching “The Chalice of Mana,” he unconsciously used The 5th Magic. In short, it was a mishap.

…But honestly, he thought he was amazing.

After all, to do that, one needs to understand the concept of “time.”

Time was also what Ruide had been immersed in researching lately.

‘Am I going to develop something like a time machine at this rate?’

In fact, even in this moment when he was spacing out, he wanted to quickly research with Ella.

Wouldn’t it be really fun if they could develop magic that could go back to the past?

Going back to the Stone Age to see humanity’s ancestors, or going back to the Jurassic period to see dinosaurs.

Just thinking about it made his heart pound with romance.

Anyway, it’s still too early to reveal this concept to people.

“You’re wrong.”

Ruide pointed at the Balrog.

“…What?”

“That’s fake. It’s just something I copied from a fairy tale book. As proof.”

A two-dimensional being cannot comprehend a three-dimensional being. Similarly, a three-dimensional being cannot comprehend a four-dimensional being.

Likewise, a mage using The 4th Magic cannot understand The 5th Magic even if they witness it right beside them.

They wouldn’t even realize magic was used.

‘Let’s move the Eight Divine Artifacts to a time when they didn’t exist, and just in case, get rid of the Balrog too.’

Reversing the time of living beings is still impossible.

But he had experimented.

When you reverse the time of a living being, its body cannot handle the mass and completely disintegrates.

To put it simply, it’s like pushing a human into a gap smaller than a needle hole and then restoring them to their original state.

There’s no way a living being could withstand that.

So, it’s a good attack magic.

Ruide closed his eyes briefly to complete his calculations, then muttered something.

But no one could hear Ruide’s voice.

Ruide reversed time.

And casually said:

“See? It’s disappearing.”

Damon jumped to his feet.

The Eight Divine Artifacts were gradually transforming into blue mana and disappearing from the edges.

It spread to the Balrog as well. The Balrog also broke down into particles and flew into the air.

“Impossible…! I clearly saw it! Those weren’t made of mana; they were real divine artifacts!”

“You’re mistaken.”

‘This way, the credit will go to Amelia rather than me.’

It might be arrogant, but he believes The 5th Magic shouldn’t be revealed.

Perhaps like Oppenheimer’s feelings when approaching the success of nuclear development?

Anyway, this would lead to a happy ending for everyone.

That’s what Ruide thought.

“That, that is!”

“…Baron Iso?”

At least until he discovered Baron Iso, who seemed to have fallen from where the Balrog had disappeared.