Chapter 30: The Aftermath and Memories

When the Black Mage perished, the golden glow of the trap magic that had bound him naturally faded.

Hay watched it disappear with indifferent eyes, then absently stroked his chest with his uninjured hand.

Only eight percent of his spiritual power remained.

He cast his gaze down at his tattered arm and his abdomen, which continued to bleed, not yet fully healed.

Boom, boom—

Throughout the village, monsters and orcs were still exploding. Their demise seemed unrelated to the Black Mage’s death.

Desperate screams echoed ceaselessly.

In the distance, a single black orc was seen fleeing. Yet, its escape proved futile.

That orc, too, exploded, carving a perfectly round hole through an entire building.

“This is quite a predicament.”

His mana had been utterly depleted battling the Black Mage. Hay no longer possessed any means to save the people.

Regrettably, they would have to fend for themselves to survive. However, one person he could certainly save.

Hay approached Kisen. He retracted the ‘Dome of Earth’ magic he had erected to protect him.

As the magic dissipated, Kisen’s form was revealed, collapsed and bleeding.

Two wounds marred his chest, one his shoulder, and three his abdomen. Blood gushed from the holes created by the magic bullets.

His face was a bloody mess, particularly from the injury to his right eye, struck by a fragment of the shattered sword.

“Even an Expert’s body is no different from an ordinary human’s, it seems.”

Hay remarked indifferently as he drew closer to Kisen.

‘Of course, even a Sword Master would die just the same if they couldn’t block an attack.’

“Isn’t that right, Kisen?”

Kisen blinked his remaining eye and looked up at Hay. Hay knelt beside him, lowering his body.

“Indeed.”

Kisen let out a weak chuckle.

‘A human body isn’t made of steel, after all.’

He soon coughed, a rattling sound escaping his throat, and foamy blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

“Hey, Captain. Are you alright?”

“I’m certainly dying.”

His voice was strained, his breathing labored. Blood was filling his lungs.

Left untreated, he would undoubtedly suffocate in his own blood.

Hay conjured healing water with his relatively uninjured left hand. Kisen stared at it blankly.

“Drink this. It should heal a punctured lung, at least.”

“That holy water you made, was it, healing water?”

He stammered the question.

‘Is this really the time for such questions?’

“Just shut up and drink.”

Hay cradled the healing water in his hand and brought it to Kisen’s lips. Perhaps due to his constricted breathing, he struggled to drink properly. After a few sips, he gasped for air, wheezing.

“What about the others? I’ve been hearing, explosions, for a while now.”

“Don’t worry about them, just drink it, I said!”

At Hay’s urging, Kisen gave a small nod and managed to drink all the healing water.

His lips were wet with the healing water he hadn’t fully swallowed, so Hay casually wiped them with his sleeve.

“Did you kill the Black Mage?”

“Since I’m alive, I must have.”

Rising to his feet, Hay handed Kisen the Spiritwood. Kisen, taken aback, accepted it with a puzzled expression. Hay then grabbed his wrist and began to pull him along without preamble.

“Ugh…!”

“Just bear with it for a bit. My arm is in such a state that I can’t carry you. And make sure you keep your staff with you.”

“Hay.”

“Yes?”

“Your back is…”

“It’s better than it looks. I drank some healing water too.”

Only five percent of his spiritual power remained now.

Thea’s materialization was still maintained.

Thanks to this, he knew Renki was still alive.

Had Renki died, Thea would have returned to him, and there would have been a reaction from the imprint, which occurred when a s*ave was lost.

Therefore, Renki was still alive.

“Thea.”

As if in response, the earth spirits around him whispered.

“Bury everyone who is still alive, as many as possible.”

The earth roared in reply. The ground tremors reached even Hay’s location.

The screams of people gradually subsided, replaced only by the thunderous explosions of monsters bursting one after another.

When they reached the burnt palisade, nothing living remained.

Only the desolate village and corpses were left.

One percent of spiritual power remained.

Hay’s knees buckled, and he collapsed. The hand that had been pulling Kisen also released its grip.

“Spit them out.”

Hay spoke in a hoarse voice. Then, a hole opened in the ground.

People crawled out of the pit. Chen, weeping, was pulling a disoriented Lexa out of the excavation.

‘Where is Renki?’

He was nowhere in sight.

Hay felt his vision blur. He exhaled a shallow breath and braced himself with a hand on the ground.

“Ren…”

Not only his mana, but his stamina and mental power were now at zero percent.

Hay’s body pitched forward. He felt a sense of déjà vu.

Just before he could embrace the ground, someone rushed forward and caught his collapsing body.

“Hay!”

The physique he felt in his arms was remarkably small.

A faint chuckle escaped him.

“You rascal…”

He knew it was Renki even without seeing him with his own eyes.

The slender arms wrapped around his back held him with surprising strength.

“Who gave you permission to use an adult’s name like that…”

Hay couldn’t finish his sentence.

He slumped against Renki’s shoulder, losing consciousness.

****

Hay opened his eyes on a carpeted floor.

Blank A4 papers were scattered around him. The monitor on the desk emitted a blinding white light.

He blinked several times, then pushed himself up from the floor. He was impeccably dressed in a black suit.

Dazed, he dragged a chair to the desk and sat down, glancing around.

He was the only one in the office.

He couldn’t recall when he had sat down here, or what he had been doing just moments before.

Hay looked at the desk.

A single chrysanthemum lay upon it.

Presently, his gaze fell to his lap.

At some point, he found himself holding two urns.

‘Ah, right.’

Hay muttered casually.

‘Everyone died, didn’t they?’

****

The moment he opened his eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted him.

Hay exhaled a shallow breath, blinking his heavy eyelids.

“Didn’t die, after all…”

It was Mrs. Ethel’s bedroom ceiling.

“How are you feeling?”

A voice reached him, and Hay turned his head. Chen was perched on the windowsill.

Outside, beyond him, it was still dark. Yet, he was still wearing his goggles.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Half a day since you collapsed? The sun hasn’t even risen yet.”

Chen smiled brightly and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Where’s Renki?”

In response to Hay’s question, Chen pointed a finger beneath the bed.

Renki was sprawled out on the bare floor, fast asleep. He seemed to be unharmed.

“He’s safe.”

Hay pushed himself up. Feeling exposed, he looked down to find himself completely naked except for his underwear.

Faint scars remained on his arms and abdomen, healed to the extent of mere cat scratches.

“Renki found some potions and gave them to you, Elder Brother. Two of them, in fact.”

‘He used emergency potions. Those are expensive.’ A bitter taste filled his mouth.

“The boy is incredibly calm. Didn’t Renki say he was twelve? Today’s battle was certainly terrifying enough, yet he didn’t cry or even bat an eye. I’m so proud of him.”

“Did Renki undress me too?”

“Oh, that was me!”

Chen wrinkled his nose and chuckled. Hay frowned.

“Don’t look at me like that. You were drenched in blood from head to toe; there was nothing else I could do. Anyway, it’s truly amazing. You defeated a Sixth-Class Black Mage, Elder Brother!”

Chen gushed excitedly.

Hay looked around and spotted a fresh set of clothes on the shelf beside the bed.

Renki had likely prepared them.

“What about Kisen? His injuries from the magic bullets were quite severe.”

Hay picked up the trousers and slipped his legs into them.

“Thanks to Mr. Styles, he’s safe. He used a top-grade potion and recovered completely. Unfortunately, he lost his right eye.”

“What? He was healed with a potion, but he lost an eye?”

“Apparently, when the sword broke, fragments flew into his eye. Those fragments lodged themselves in multiple pieces inside his eye, damaging his vision.”

“Couldn’t they just remove the fragments and heal it?”

“Lexa said some fragments were lodged dangerously close to his brain. I can make potions, but I’m terrible at healing magic, and removing the fragments requires delicate skill, which Lexa also said she couldn’t do. In the end, he had to sacrifice his eye.”

Hay frowned, swallowing the sigh that threatened to escape him.

‘To lose an eye, how unfortunate.’

“What’s the situation outside? The monsters exploded, didn’t they?”

Chen’s lips twitched convulsively.

“Many died because of the Annihilation Dome.”

“Annihilation Dome?”

‘He must be referring to that explosion magic.’

“The Annihilation Dome is a dark magic of the Demon King Terataras. It’s named that because it completely obliterates the area where the dome appears, as if it never existed.”

“How many died? What about survivors?”

“After checking the number of survivors, one hundred seventy-four people died. Lord Mesht also perished, and only twenty-one of the lord’s private soldiers remain. Among the villagers, fifty-eight survived, including the elderly and infirm who had taken refuge in the village chief’s house. The remaining forty-two survivors include the Kranz Mercenary Group and other freelance mercenaries. Adel also died.”

Hay, who had been putting on his shirt, whirled around to face him, a shocked expression on his face.

“Who died?”

“She was fighting nearby when the Annihilation Dome erupted. Only her left arm and one left foot were left…”

Chen forced a bitter smile, then bit his lip tightly. Only then did Hay notice the tear stains on his face.

He simultaneously recalled Chen’s tearful face as he pulled Lexa from the pit before losing consciousness.

He had not cried out of fear of death, but because he had lost Adel.

Hay found no words to offer him. Chen’s hands, resting on his knees, were trembling.

It seemed he had been wearing his goggles all this time to conceal his swollen, tear-filled eyes.

Hay gently clasped Chen’s shoulder.

“Chen, I’m truly sorry.”

Chen’s lips twitched into a forced smile, his deeply etched dimples trembling with the effort.

“Did I ever tell you? Adel was not only my lover but also my senior disciple.”

Hay nodded. He had heard they both studied magic under the same master.

“In fact, we were also from the same hometown. Both of us were street urchins, scrounging for scraps or begging for food. I was a timid crybaby, always trailing behind Adel, a snot-nosed kid. Adel looked after me like her own younger brother. Then, we met our master, who was wandering the world after leaving ‘Arcavia’…”

Chen’s voice trailed off, and he stared blankly ahead.

Beyond the darkened lenses of his goggles, Chen’s eyes seemed unfocused, lost in thought.

“Arcavia is the ‘City of Mages,’ isn’t it? So, both of your masters were from there.”

Hay spoke, deliberately trying to anchor Chen’s wandering mind.

Chen gasped as if waking from a dream, turning to look at him.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s also Lexa’s hometown. Though neither of us has ever been there. Oh, why am I telling you all this? I’m sorry, you need more rest.”

Chen abruptly stood up.

Hay waved a dismissive hand and rose from the bed.

“It’s alright. I want to hear more.”

He carefully picked up the sleeping Renki from the floor and laid him on the bed.

“Let’s go out for a drink. And tell me more about the two of you.”