Chapter 54: The Mage of Despair’s Trap

Renki lifted his head, a puzzled expression on his face, and sniffed the air.

It was as if a fire had broken out, yet no smoke was visible.

The air had changed simply from stepping one foot inside the magic circle.

Renki turned to look behind him. The magic circle, visible from the outside, was completely absent within.

He carefully backed out, and instantly, the scent of burning vanished.

Taking a deep breath, only dry, arid, cold air filled his lungs.

Renki gazed down at the magical characters etched into the ground.

The magic circle, immense in scale, stretched along the forest’s perimeter. It was possible the entire forest was encompassed by it.

“Could it be Master?” he wondered.

No, this couldn’t be Stan’s work.

Stan’s mana was not purple.

His mana, like his hair, was a deep, vivid red.

Renki recalled Stan’s teachings about a mage’s attributes, lessons he’d learned when first mastering mana control.

Every mage possessed their own unique attribute, Stan had explained, based on an innate disposition that evolved with their growth.

‘This red, the foundation of my attribute, typically signifies ‘fire,’ ‘passion,’ and ‘wrath.’ When I was young, my attribute was passion. But after experiencing many things in my twenties, it shifted to wrath. Now, it has become ‘Judgmental Fire.”

‘In this way, a mage’s attribute, starting from their innate disposition, constantly changes until their identity is fully established. Even if I am ‘Judgmental Fire’ now, it might transform into ‘Cursed Fire’ later on.’

‘While attributes usually evolve from their innate form, exceptions always exist. Mages who undergo dramatic experiences sometimes acquire a color entirely different from their original disposition.’

‘For instance, changing from blue to red, or even to purple.’

At that moment, Renki couldn’t help but raise his hand to ask.

He was curious because purple was his master’s eye color.

‘What is the attribute of purple?’

‘Purple?’

Stan shrugged.

‘Despair.’

Renki stepped back into the magic circle.

Again, the acrid smell of burning returned. He looked beyond the shallow slope leading toward the lakeside.

Hay and Lorelai were trapped within the magic circle, cast by a mysterious mage of despair.

To warn them, Renki quickened his pace toward the lakeside where they were.

The moment he crossed the slope, his vision was suddenly engulfed in light.

Flames roared, surging skyward.

A searing hiss filled the air, accompanying the sound of something rapidly incinerating.

Startled, Renki gasped and shielded his face with his arm.

The forest, silent moments ago, erupted into chaos.

He realized he had just crossed into the second layer of the purple magic circle beneath his feet.

Slowly, Renki lowered his arm and opened his eyes.

Beyond the downhill path, a tremendous intertwining of flames and water streams erupted from the distant lakeside.

The clash generated a dense cloud of steam, and the intense heat reached even Renki’s position.

“My god,” Renki murmured, astonishment etched on his face.

Hay’s figure, launching himself through the air, appeared as tiny as a fingernail.

Though flames poured down on Hay, he countered by repelling the fire with the power of wind.

Hay was clearly fighting someone, but from Renki’s vantage point, his opponent remained unseen.

Once more, the inferno engulfed Hay. Renki gasped, startled.

To Renki, it seemed as though Hay was being relentlessly attacked.

He sprinted down the slope, but had to halt halfway.

The entire lakeside was ablaze.

A towering wall of fire, as if forbidding any approach, blocked Renki’s path.

Renki stomped his feet, frantically searching for an opening to enter. Yet, no matter where he looked, there wasn’t a single gap in the fiery barrier.

‘Should I just leap in?’ he wondered.

Just then, a long stream of fire, devouring trees from the far right, surged toward Renki.

Renki instinctively covered his head and flattened himself against the ground.

The stream of fire narrowly passed over him; his hair felt as though it might have been singed.

When he lifted his head, Renki found himself amidst burning trees.

Flames erupted all around him. Renki’s heart plummeted in his chest.

Seeing himself surrounded by fire, a not-so-distant memory flickered to life.

The acrid scent of burning oil, the smell of hay piled high in a wooden stable for horses, seemed to prickle his nostrils.

Renki gasped for breath, blinking his eyes rapidly.

He was still in the forest, yet he felt as though he was trapped inside a burning stable.

“Nix! Are you going to focus?!”

Just as he was about to sink into the abyss of an endless nightmare, Hay’s shout pulled Renki back to reality.

Renki swallowed, lifting his gaze. His palms were slick with sweat, feeling sticky.

Beyond the flames, Hay was seen sliding down Nix’s body.

He swung the arm holding his staff. A powerful gust of wind repelled the fiery whip wielded by the knight-like flame.

“Fight properly! You’re getting pushed back!”

[“Hay Styles! Stop nagging! Can’t you see I’m fighting hard?!”]

“You need to do better! Can’t you see my clothes are burned?!”

[“Against the Great Fire, shouldn’t I be praised for this much?!”]

Soon, cackling laughter echoed from somewhere.

Renki stumbled to his feet, peering beyond the wavering flames.

Lorelai watched Hay and Nix bickering, laughing as if thoroughly entertained.

To Renki, she seemed utterly mad. He was utterly bewildered.

He had no idea what was happening.

The knight’s form spun gracefully in the air, as if dancing.

The retrieved whip transformed into a sword, and as the knight pushed off the air, it shot toward Hay like an arrow.

A shimmering unfurled, intercepting the fiery sword swung by the female knight. The shield shattered under the fire sword’s impact, and a fireball instead shot past it, directly at Hay.

Immediately, a triple erupted from the ground.

The fireball pierced through all three shields. Just as it was about to reach Hay, Nix lunged forward, snatching the fireball with her forepaw and extinguishing it.

“What in the— Master…!”

The moment Renki called out to Hay, an ominous ‘crack’ sounded above his head. Renki’s face hardened as he looked up.

A fiercely burning branch plummeted toward him. He instinctively covered his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

“I didn’t expect you to come.”

The branch did not fall. Opening his eyes, Renki saw the burning branch floating above his head, enveloped in purple mana.

The mage of purple mana.

Renki, a beat too late, turned around.

Behind him stood a man clad entirely in black.

From head to toe, not a single part of him wasn’t dark. Even his face was obscured by a black mist.

“A Black Mage…?” Renki whispered.

The man’s head tilted slightly toward Renki. He instinctively knew the man was looking at him.

“I hear that often, but it’s always insulting. Does wearing black make one a Black Mage? I merely wear black because it’s comfortable. Doesn’t it hide dirt better, and bloodstains are less noticeable?”

The mage complained, as if feeling wronged.

He flicked his finger, and the branch floating above Renki’s head was flung aside.

“I’ll make a path for you, now go back.”

As the mage gestured, the flames behind him receded, creating an open path.

Renki glanced at it, then coughed and spoke.

“Was it you? The one who trapped them both in this magic circle?”

Renki challenged him, summoning his courage. The black-clad man’s head tilted to one side.

“Trapped? I merely ensured no one outside would witness this spectacle. If the local guards, or even Sanchiapel, saw such a massive fire at night, they’d undoubtedly send out the knights in a panic.”

The mage spoke indifferently, gesturing toward the lakeside with his chin.

Just then, a thunderous rumble sounded as massive shot toward the knight.

“What have you done to Lady Lorelai and my master?”

“Nothing at all. I merely…”

The mage watched Hay struggling against the powerful fire spirit.

“I just gave Lorelai a choice and created an opportunity for Hay Styles to acquire the Great Fire.”

“The Great Fire?”

Renki turned to look at Hay. Nix opened her maw, swallowed the flames, and then struck the female knight with her tail.

The knight’s body was half-flung away, but flames immediately surged, restoring its form.

“The Fire of the Spirit King. Though I don’t know if he’ll succeed this time.”

Startled by his words, Renki turned his head, only to see the mage blow a handful of blue powder held in his hand toward him.

Renki inhaled the powder before he had a chance to react.

“You won’t be able to lie.”

Renki coughed, his eyes clouded with confusion as he stared at the mage.

Whatever the powder’s effect, Renki’s legs gave out, and he collapsed.

“There’s no malice. I’m just making you forget what you saw in the forest today. If you were to leak anything about this to Stan, it would put those two in a difficult situation.”

The mage approached Renki and squatted down. He met Renki’s gaze, who was blinking slowly, struggling to stay conscious as sleep overcame him.

Though Renki, in turn, couldn’t see his eyes.

“Renyakien, I’ll tell you just two things for your sake. Never leave your master’s side from now on. Grow strong and protect those you cherish from the coming catastrophe.”

Renki’s eyes wavered as he gaped at the mage, but he ultimately fell into a deep slumber without uttering a word.

Before Renki could suffocate from the smoke, the mage opened a portal and sent him back to the inn.

Just then, Hay seemed to notice something in their direction and turned his head. But before he could even register the mage’s presence, Raon surged past Nix and swung a sword.

Hay managed to create a triple by a hair’s breadth. However, the impact of the descending sword sent him crashing from the air straight into the ground.

“Ugh!”

With a short groan, Hay immediately launched a , pushed off the ground with his hand, and swiftly retreated.

Annoyance flickered across his usually stoic face. Watching him, the mage chuckled silently.

“That’s more like Hay Styles.”

****

Hay was slowly starting to get irritated.

He had agreed to the proposition, partly to test his abilities against the fire spirit now that Kelpie had evolved into Nix, but he deeply regretted it.

His clothes were charred beyond recognition, and his body was covered in burns, red and blistered in several places.

There wasn’t a spot that didn’t throb, sting, or ache.

Of course, these were injuries that a single draught of healing water would completely cure afterward, but that didn’t make them any less painful now.

“Shall we take a break? Are you tired?”

Lorelai called out from a distance, her voice loud and clear.

She was, quite simply, exhilarated.

While she merely watched comfortably from the sidelines. Hay was thoroughly vexed.

Truth be told, Raon’s fire was beyond his wildest imagination.

He had expected an intermediate-to-high-level fire, but this was at least high-level, if not higher.

It signified the immense power contained within the Crimson Jewel.

With such power at her disposal, Lorelai wasn’t aiming to defeat Hay, but merely to annoyingly pressure him.

[“Hay Styles, what are you going to do?”]

Nix asked.

It sounded as if she was asking if he would surrender.

Hay sighed.

As the surroundings burned and the air grew thick, he drew the power of wind into his palm to breathe in fresh air.

“What am I going to do?”

Hay’s previously annoyed expression settled into calmness.

He was naturally the type to grow cooler-headed rather than more agitated when angered.

“I’m going to win.”