Golden Mage - Chapter 10
Volume 1, Episode 10
Bryon, who had led them up to the top floor of the Tower, the highest level of the Matop, released their hands and spoke.
“Sit down.”
At his words, Cilfir hesitated but eventually sat on the sofa. El followed suit and took a seat.
“It’s about the old days.”
Bryon, standing with his back to them, suddenly began a completely different story. No matter what expressions Cilfir and El made, Bryon continued with his words.
“When I was learning magic, I was considered one of the most talented among my peers. However, I was not satisfied. No matter how skilled a magician was considered among other magicians, they were always at a disadvantage against knights with swift movements.”
Bryon slowly turned his body. His eyes, with snowy white hair and beard, emitted the heat of a young man.
“So I researched. How can a magician reduce the casting time? How can a magician cast stronger magic? And today, I discovered that possibility.”
Bryon’s gaze turned towards El.
Even though El’s appearance seemed natural, Bryon could sense it now. He was someone who had surpassed the limits, a 7th-class master.
No matter how much El tried to hide his abilities, the mana accumulated within his body couldn’t be erased. Bryon had pierced through that mana and knew that Betlrock’s words were true.
He had seen through the eyes hidden within those na誰ve pupils.
Bryon glanced at Cilfir. She seemed incredibly bewildered by the sudden situation. She had no idea that El was capable of using magic.
A cute little boy who had always followed her was suddenly casting astonishing magic with incredible potential…
Even though he knew it would be like this, Bryon couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he had underestimated the power of the Matop’s top.
And on the other hand, he felt a fear that El might disappear far away.
Perhaps it was because he understood her confused feelings, or perhaps he simply wanted to be alone with El.
Bryon looked at Cilfir and spoke.
“Wait here. I will talk with El.”
Cilfir needed some time to think, and she nodded her head.
Bryon looked at El and opened his mouth. His tone was different from before, filled with a hint of expectation.
“You must have something you want to talk about, right?”
El’s expression seemed peculiar at his words.
Then, after a moment, El smiled and nodded slightly, as if realizing something. He seemed to understand the situation.
“Grandfather Tower, you seem to have something to say. I should listen to the stories of the old man, or else people say I’m a bad person.”
El’s words made Bryon burst into laughter.
“Haha! I got hit. Yes, I have something to tell you. I’m lonely telling stories by myself, you see.”
Bryon reached out his hand, and El, understanding the gesture, took it.
“Elly….” Cilfir’s voice came from behind.
Unlike before, her attitude towards El had changed.
A bittersweet smile appeared on El’s lips.
He wanted to live a more normal life with Cilfir….
But his mistake was underestimating the Matop’s power. He had forcefully gone against someone stronger than him.
El smiled brightly, trying to reassure Cilfir.
“Don’t worry. Grandfather Tower wouldn’t do anything bad to me. And I’m still your son, Elly. Your one and only son.”
Cilfir’s expression brightened upon hearing those words.
It wasn’t something she needed to worry about. She had no reason to worry. El was her son, and she should be proud of him.
El smiled back at Cilfir.
“Thank you.”
El gestured to Bryon, and Bryon responded by reciting the incantation for Spatial Teleportation. They were heading to a place where they could talk privately.
“Mass Teleport.”
Zap!
A bright white light enveloped Bryon and El, making them disappear.
Zap!
The bright white light faded, and the two figures of the seventy-year-old Bryon and the seven-year-old El appeared.
They arrived in a small space of a few square meters, with only two chairs placed at a table.
Bryon pulled out a chair and sat down, motioning for El to do the same.
“Sit down.”
At his words, El struggled to pull out the chair with his short legs and eventually managed to sit down.
….
Silence filled the space between them.
El looked at Bryon with an innocent expression, and Bryon was contemplating whether he had made a mistake in his assessment.
However, after a moment, Bryon remembered the eyes he had seen in El. Different qualities of light were emanating from them.
El slowly spoke.
“What do you want from me, Grandfather Tower?”
A brilliant blue light shone from El’s eyes.
El was manipulating the mana that was accumulated throughout his body. He knew that the Mathop was looking at his mathematical formulas and single-breath methods.
So, he decided to make a strong move. Now was the time to put his plans into action.
“Ha-ha! I guess it’s useless to ask such a straightforward question.”
Seeming to accept El’s intentions, Bryon chuckled and then cleared his throat. He felt like he had been tricked.
“But that’s fine. I’ll give you a straightforward answer. In the Mathop’s top-floor office, I sensed a strange flow of mana. Though it was only a 1st-class magic, it had an outstanding mana response and shorter casting time than conventional 1st-class magic.”
….
El remained silent, lost in thought. He was unsure how to respond to Bryon’s words.
What he possessed right now was incredibly impressive. Combining the formulas of the Earth and single-breath techniques would raise a magician’s level to an unimaginable degree.
In his current powerless state, this was an incredibly dangerous secret. If the secret were to leak, Cilfir and El could disappear without a trace.
After contemplating for a while, El finally spoke up.
He decided to be honest, but he mixed 90% truth with 10% lies.
“I can teach you some methods to reduce casting speed, but improving mana response must be learned from the beginning of learning magic. Otherwise, it’s impossible to learn. Also, the person who taught me these methods told me to keep it a secret. So, I’m sorry, but I can’t answer your question. Ah, even if you ask, I can’t tell you. I apologize.”
El preemptively blocked any further questions.
‘Of course, I’ll tease him a bit about the casting speed method, but that’s it.’
“That’s….”
At El’s words, Bryon’s face darkened momentarily, but he quickly brightened again.
This much was already a significant achievement. If his opponent had been an ordinary magician, would he even have revealed this much? Simply reducing casting speed was revolutionary enough.
Bryon agreed. Improving mana response was a technique that could belong in the family’s secret documents. That’s why he was already satisfied with just learning how to reduce casting speed.
His eyes glittering with curiosity, he opened his mouth.
“Alright, that’s enough. I don’t mind that much. I’ll buy that method from you for ten thousand gold.”
El shook his head. From Cilfir and El’s perspective, ten thousand gold was not an immediate necessity.
He had to start putting his plans into action, even if it was a little early.