I’ll Retire After Saving the World - Chapter 39

[ Chapter 39: Shadows and Light (2) ]

The Swan Guardian of Urd’s Well looked exactly like the swans we are familiar with. It was even docile and wouldn’t attack unless someone approached Urd’s Well.

The swan was so docile that it remained calm even when hunters plucked its feathers.

The feathers of the Swan Guardians, which were more akin to masses of magic than living creatures, were one of the materials favored by mages. They were highly reactive to magic, making them useful for various experiments and for detecting traps during dungeon raids.

Moreover, no matter how many feathers were plucked, they would be restored to their original state by the next day. Like an inexhaustible source, mages would always carry a few feathers with them.

By soaking these feathers in the high magic conductivity water of Mimir’s Well and the temporary magic-boosting dwarf gold dust, the latent properties contained in the swan’s feathers would be amplified and revealed.

Just like right now.

“Whoa, whoa!”

A vine bloomed in Kim Chae-min’s hand. Buds sprouted between the vines, and in the blink of an eye, they became bright red roses. The rose vine resembled Kim Chae-min’s signature magic seen at the Myeong-dong Branch or the Taegukgi Training Center.

This was more of a magic mirage that momentarily amplified magic. Soon, it would crumble to dust along with the feather, but it was perfect for identifying the type of magic.

Kim Chae-min’s mouth gaped open.

“Okay, you saw what Teacher Kim did, right? You just need to infuse it with magic. You don’t need to put in a lot.”

“Teacher Woo!!”

A rose fell off. As if it was a signal, the vine crumbled. Kim Chae-min shouted at me without even brushing off the remaining powder from his hand.

“Who are you exactly, Teacher?!”

“You know who I am.”

“That’s why I don’t get it even more!”

“Come on, why aren’t you doing it?”

“Teacher Woo!!”

“Step aside and let the kids do it.”

“Please explain about that mage you know!!”

“Park Seo-hyun. You try first.”

“You mean the person who created the runes?!”

“Hurry up.”

“Stop pretending you don’t know!”

It wasn’t pretending to not know; there was no choice but to avoid the question.

The mage in question had to remain a mystery to make it easier for me to explain.

With the advent of runes and magic pens, the status of mages had declined. To restore their diminished prestige, mages began gathering to conduct research. Numerous magic research societies had been formed and disappeared, hadn’t they?

Although they were not publicly disclosed due to their closed nature, they were all magic research societies. Groups dedicated to developing and honing better magic.

Many of these societies vanished without any achievements. However, some made discoveries that shook the magical community. Unlike the French Grand Mage who generously shared his knowledge for free, these societies published their theories or spells through academic journals or dungeon strategies, elevating magic to new heights. This had nothing to do with the mages’ personalities.

While the physical hunters were diligently training their bodies, the theory of magic had developed in that time. Although I wasn’t a magician, I felt these changes firsthand as a member of the bureau. To deal with the magicians who would often say such things couldn’t be done with magic and slack off, I memorized the theories of magic more thoroughly than anyone else.

I couldn’t use magic, but if it was just theory, I was at the level of a Grand Mage.

However, that didn’t mean I could claim to have thought of all these magic theories myself. If I said I knew each of the magicians who established these theories… that wouldn’t make sense either. One mustn’t forget: I was just a pitiful victim who escaped from Bangju.

So, it was better to attribute all sorts of settings to an unknown magician.

“Please! Tell me who it is!”

And if someone persistently asked.

“He’s dead.”

“Oh.”

I pretended to have a poignant past.

Koreans were weak to such things.

Taking advantage of the quiet moment from Kim Chae-min, I urged Park Seo-hyun again.

“Just try it. Why are you standing still?”

“…Yes.”

Seo-hyun must have had complicated feelings too. Now, she would be afraid that she might reveal her affinity to the light element. If it wasn’t the light element, it would be disappointing in its own way.

However, Park Seo-hyun steeled her heart and focused. Her expression showed more yearning for magic than thoughts about her grandfather. She was a born magician.

Park Seo-hyun’s magic moved. The feather coated in gold dust quivered.

“…There’s no change, teacher.”

“Wait. You’re still channeling your magic, right?”

“Yes.”

Park Seo-hyun’s confidence waned slightly.

But I didn’t doubt.

Sure enough, after a while, the feather changed. Starting from the base where Seo-hyun was holding, the feather, which had been white like snow, began to develop black patterns.

The black patterns spread over the feather like mold, turning it jet black. No light reached the feather. It was as if the feather alone had its color stolen. It even created an illusion of the surroundings looking darker.

…It wasn’t an illusion. It was making the surroundings darker.

“What element is this?”

Park Seo-hyun looked at the feather with a bewildered face. Even the hand holding the feather looked dark.

“Shadow.”

“…Shadow?”

“Indeed, it was an element compatibility issue. You couldn’t use your grandfather’s magic because you lacked compatibility, not because you were lacking.”

“…….”

Park Seo-hyun quietly stared at the feather she was holding. Under the sunlight, the feather was so black that it cast no shadow.

“Now, Choi Jin-woo. You try.”

“Yes.”

Choi Jin-woo, who had been staring blankly at Seo-hyun’s crumbling feather, grabbed a feather with a determined face.

I wondered how Hong Seok-young ended up bringing him here. From what he said, he didn’t even plan to become a hunter and was the first in his family to awaken as a magician.

Did he just see him on the street and bring him along? Knowing his personality, it seemed possible.

“I did it!”

“Wait a moment….”

Jin-woo’s feather reacted even faster than Seo-hyun’s.

Whoosh!

The feather ignited. Fire element!

“Let go!”

That fire wasn’t a mirage. It was real.

Damn, I should have thought of this. I should have kept a fire extinguisher nearby just in case.

“Uh, uh?”

But Choi Jin-woo looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. The feather was still blazing in his hand.

His reaction was so nonchalant that I stopped myself from trying to knock the feather out of his hand.

If it was a fire element, the feather should have turned to ash by now.

“This… it’s not hot?”

“Not hot?”

I squinted and reached towards the fire dancing on the feather.

…There was no heat.

That meant there was only one possible element it could be.

Without realizing it, I looked at Park Seo-hyun. She hesitated for a moment and then reached towards Jin-woo’s feather.

“It’s just… it only looks like fire?”

“It seems so… You don’t feel the heat either?”

It was hard to read Seo-hyun’s expression. She would have realized immediately if she had seen her grandfather’s magic up close.

“Teacher. What is this? What element am I?”

“……”

Should I call this a remarkable coincidence or a disappointing misfortune?

“Light.”

I answered Jin-woo’s question, hoping Seo-hyun wouldn’t take it to heart.

“You’re a light element.”

* * *

Looking back, my life had never gone the way I wanted.

From my childhood until now.

Who would want to join a strange cult? Who would want to be adopted by Hong Seok-young… Well, that wasn’t too bad. It was just the attention and whispers that followed which I didn’t like.

Still, there could have been a more… peaceful household. Not that I had any resentment towards him, it’s just that such possibilities existed.

There were some ups and downs in my life that I could have avoided if I hadn’t been adopted by him. I don’t blame him for it… It’s just how people feel.

Some might call it the complaints of the privileged. They might say I’m an ungrateful, rotten child.

But those people aren’t me. They don’t know exactly what I’ve been through or how I’ve felt. What might be a thorn in someone else’s finger could be a giant nail for me.

Of course, I don’t care what others say. That’s how I felt about my life. If I were dragged to a hearing, I would have chosen my words carefully, but that’s not the case….

But on the flip side, because I’ve lived a life that didn’t go my way, I might be more resilient in the face of unexpected situations.

Look at him. He didn’t become a hunter to establish the bureau and reform the hunter society in Korea. It was just that no one else could do it, so he ended up doing it.

Still, it seemed manageable once he tried it.

Look at me. Didn’t I succeed despite those adversities?

That’s how life is. It doesn’t go as planned, but if you keep at it, things somehow work out.

So, you’ll manage somehow too…

…is what I couldn’t tell Park Seo-hyun.

Even I had enough sense to consider her feelings. Not because her mental state was weak, but… anyone less resilient than Hong Seok-young would be affected by this.

She couldn’t use her grandfather’s magic because she wasn’t compatible with his element. She had been agonizing over magic for that reason.

And now? Her classmate, who had awakened less than a year ago, had the light element she had longed for?

This was not just about becoming a Grand Mage or not.

That’s why Park Seo-hyun had come to talk to me during break time.

“Ahem.”

Sitting across from me, Seo-hyun remained silent for a long time. The break had already ended a while ago.

I wished someone would come find me, but the school’s unique rule of having complete freedom during class meant that no one cared if a few people were missing. I could see Choi Jin-woo chatting with Kim Chae-min.

“So….”

“Teacher.”

“…….”

“…….”

The silence was awkward. I gestured to Seo-hyun to go ahead and speak.

She hesitated before finally speaking.

“Teacher, I’ve been thinking.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s true that I can’t use my grandfather’s magic.”

She wasn’t asking me. She was just stating what she knew. Seo-hyun must have had some inkling of this before. Today, she had just decided to accept it.

I didn’t respond.

“Even if it’s not Jin-woo… that fact doesn’t change.”

Despite everything, her voice sounded lighter than I expected.

When Jin-woo had just finished the test, Seo-hyun’s bangs had fallen forward. Honestly, it was scarier not being able to see her eyes.

But now, she had pulled her hair back again. Her exposed face was calm but not dark.

“I decided to think differently.”

“…You’ve thought a lot.”

“Yes.”

Seo-hyun even managed a small smile.

“I’m still disappointed that I can’t use my grandfather’s magic… But I don’t want it to be buried and forgotten. Teacher Chae-min also talked about many valuable magics that have been lost. It’s such a waste.”

…Somehow, I felt that this conversation was going well.

Yes, life should have moments like these. Right?

“…So?”

I tried to calm my expectations as I waited for Seo-hyun to continue.

“I’ll become Jin-woo’s teacher.”