The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Translator: Alpha0210

“So, the fact that they sent the Blue Knight means they already understood the peculiar situation Sedi Trowman was in─”

“Exactly. There’s only one thing I’m most curious about Sedi.”

Not wanting to make things more awkward by remaining silent, Residue decided to cut off the dragon’s words to take the initiative.

Fortunately, the dragon didn’t seem displeased. Instead, it stopped talking and showed a willingness to listen to what he had to say.

“What happened to the Black Horned Demon God? Is Sedi still his puppet?”

“That’s not the case.”

Sedi spoke, seemingly feeling that she needed to answer this question herself.

“He can no longer bind me. I’ve regained control over my life and death, and my will is free. There’s nothing for Father to worry about anymore.”

It was a relief to hear.

Though the questions weren’t fully answered.

“Then what about that power?”

The power she displayed in the underground cave far exceeded what a mere “puppet” could wield. It was strong enough that, for a moment, Sedi could have been mistaken for the Black Horned Demon God.

A faint hesitation flashed across Sedi’s face.

“…The Demon God has had a change of heart. He decided to become my sponsor instead of my ruler.”

“What?”

“Our interests aligned. Ah, well, that was technically true before as well, but… you could say we renegotiated things in a way that benefits me more. What I mean is, um…”

Sedi began rambling with a strangely flustered expression. Her words, devoid of substance, flowed out like a fog, further adding to Residue’s confusion.

It was only after a moment that he realized Sedi didn’t seem particularly willing to delve deeper into this matter.

However, for Residue, or rather, for Lukas this wasn’t something that could be easily brushed aside.

“Sedi.”

When he spoke with a lowered voice, Sedi flinched visibly.

“I don’t intend to let this matter slide. So, explain it clearly.”

“…Ugh. Well, that’s…”

Even then, she continued to hesitate and stammer.

Should he press her further? Or should he remain silent and wait?

As Residue was deliberating, a new voice interjected.

“Sedi already explained it.”

It was Pale, who had remained silent for quite a while.

She was resting her chin on her clasped fingers, smiling softly.

“She somehow borrowed the sword from El and used it to completely expel the Demon God’s power. At that moment, the Demon God made her a proposal. He said he’d lend her his power, but only if they collaborated in areas where their interests aligned.”

“Collaboration?”

Even finishing the word felt difficult. Residue suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. It was a relief he was sitting down; otherwise, he might have staggered.

…The Black Horned Demon God, a Ruler, had proposed collaboration?

Could there be two words in existence that were more mismatched?

“It was likely the final conclusion reached after several overlapping factors. He’s not plotting anything.”

The dragon said this, then fell silent for a moment before shaking its head.

“…No. He might be plotting something. But if so, it’s only a contingency. At the very least, he has no intention of harming us.”

“And you expect me to believe that?”

“Believe it. Because it’s the word of me, a former Ruler.”

That statement was the trigger. Residue felt a surge of emotion well up uncontrollably.

For a brief moment, he lost control of himself and glared at the dragon.

“You…”

─Are you claiming to know them better than I do?

He forcibly swallowed the words that had risen to his throat. His tightly clenched fists trembled as he pressed them against the table.

“…Father?”

The sound of Sedi’s voice finally helped Residue calm himself down.

“To add one more thing, I had a one-on-one conversation with him. My goal was to persuade him, and I achieved that partially. Afterward, for some reason, the Demon God summoned the Lightning God and the Giant for some kind of discussion. I suspect that led to some change in his values.”

How could someone’s values change so easily?

Residue swallowed those words as well.

"...I see. I understand."

Not at all, not even by a fraction, did he accept it, but he had no choice but to say it that way.

At the same time, he realized something.

The inability to fully express his emotions was a far more painful constraint than he had ever imagined.

“The core information regarding Sedi Trowman is all there is. It seems like the biggest question has been answered, so I suppose I should explain my situation now. Do you have anything you wish to ask me?”

“…Why did you take on the role of the Tamer, proxy of the Beast?”

“Hmm? Didn’t Chorong already tell you?"

Chorong referred to Beniang.

Under normal circumstances, Residue would have scoffed at such a ridiculous nickname, but right now, he had no leisure left for such reactions.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said during the meeting. I was the only one who could communicate with the ‘Beast’. That’s why I participated as its representative.”

“……”

"Did you think I was lying?"

Naturally, he did, once he learned that the Tamer’s identity was Beniang.

This was an unexpected twist, to say the least.

Beniang wasn’t infiltrating the meeting for some secret purpose. She could truly act as a representative and even had the legitimate right to participate in the meeting in that capacity.

However, if what the dragon said was true, another question arose.

“How were you able to communicate with the Beast?”

“After fighting it solely for the purpose of establishing communication for over ten days, it eventually acknowledged me.”

“……”

So that fight with the Beast at the last moment had been for that reason? Still, there was something that didn’t add up.

There had been a lingering question ever since he learned about the fight between the dragon and the Beast:

The Twelve Void Lords were undoubtedly powerful, but not powerful enough to defeat a Ruler. In this world, only the four knights were strong enough to match a Ruler’s strength.

In other words…

“The Beast cannot defeat you.”

“……”

“I’ve been wondering all along. Seven Fanged Dragon. Who was it that defeated you and caused your fall?”

“When I encountered the Beast, I was already weakened. As you know, the Void World was originally a place where we could not exist. However, I endured the penalties and roamed throughout this world. It wasn’t long before I reached my limit, and it was around that time that I fought the Beast.”

If it was meant to provoke sarcasm, it worked.

Residue twisted his lips into a cold smile.

“That’s a weak excuse. Do you really think I’d accept that?”

“……”

“Or are you trying to claim that the entire situation was intentional?”

“…I was the first among all beings in the Three Thousand Worlds to take notice of the Void World. I believed it would eventually pose a threat. While I didn’t foresee the current situation at the time, there was enough reason to intentionally experience defeat─”

“To desire defeat… a contradictory desire.”

The dragon fell silent.

“The truth is much simpler. You merely sought a thrill. A moderate amount of stimulation to make your monotonous life more entertaining. It’s an arrogant wish. Even while longing for defeat, part of you was convinced it could never happen.”

“……”

“What do you think happens when such a being truly experiences defeat?”

Residue’s smile grew even sharper.

“They dress it up. They boast that it was intentional. They put on airs, claiming it was part of some grand plan. So, do me a favor and stop pretending to be noble?"

Kurrrung.....

Thunder rumbled outside.

Sedi, overwhelmed by their conversation, suddenly turned to look out the window.

Rain was pouring down. Tap, tap. The sound of raindrops striking the window was so sharp it bordered on irritating. While the ride itself was flawless, the soundproofing seemed to fall short of that level.

“You…”

Eventually, the dragon spoke.

Her hair, by now, had taken on a darker hue.

“You seem to know quite a bit about the Rulers. Even more than the Demon God.”

Her manner of speech had changed.

“Shall we talk for a moment?”

"Aren't we doing that now?"

“Just the two of us.”

At those words, Residue suddenly calmed and glanced at Sedi out of the corner of his eye.

It was meant to be a quick glance to gauge her reaction, but Sedi seemed to take it as a request for permission. She gave a slight nod.

And Pale?

“……”

She wasn’t looking at Residue at all.

Her head was slightly bowed, with just the corners of her mouth lifted in a faint smile. Her long hair fell down, obscuring her eyes from view. Every now and then, for reasons only she knew, she would stifle a giggle, as though quietly enjoying some private amusement.

…What an unnerving woman.

Residue couldn’t easily admit to himself how much her demeanor sent a chill down his spine.

"Very well."

Following the dragon, he stepped out of the room.

However, the place she led him to was not another room within the mansion. She opened the front door and walked outside.

Shwaaaaaa-

Naturally, they were instantly confronted by the raging storm.

And before Residue could stop her, the dragon stepped out of the mansion. Her delicate frame was exposed to the storm’s ferocity without hesitation.

Under such a tempest, even a giant several times her size would have to cling to a tree like a beetle to avoid being swept away. Yet, the dragon's robe merely fluttered lightly, and she walked gracefully along the dragon's back, her steps steady and unaffected.

“……”

Residue had no choice but to follow her precarious stroll.

For a time, neither of them spoke. They simply walked. The dragon’s back was incredibly vast, comparable to the size of a garden belonging to a grand estate. To leisurely circle around it might take an hour or so.

Of course, neither of them had that kind of time to spare.

The dragon stopped near the base of its tail.

Her subdued eyes were fixed on the ground below.

Though the dragon was soaring several thousand meters above the ground, her gaze effortlessly pierced through to the surface below, where a war was raging.

“I heard about what happened at the King’s Castle.”

By now, her hair had changed color again.

This time, it was a sunset hue. A color that clashed entirely with the raging storm around them.

Residue slowly recalled the personas of the various dragons he had encountered so far.

Was the main persona of the Seven Fanged Dragon among them, or had it yet to reveal itself?

“At the King’s Castle?”

“The three-way war.”

“……”

“Fear, loss. These are the most effective tools to spur short-term growth in people. And nothing incites those emotions better than chaos.”

“Get to the point already.”

“You were more polite in the past.”

That was true.

In the Great Field, Lukas had shown respect to the Seven Fanged Dragon. He had undoubtedly used honorifics back then. Even though the dragon had been in a fallen state, Lukas had treated it with reverence.

But what had Lukas Trowman experienced since then? How much had he changed?

“If it’s just empty courtesy you want, I can oblige.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I simply find it regrettable how much you’ve changed.”

“……”

“You must have gone through something you yourself don’t fully understand. But you certainly don’t know the whole truth.”

“You speak with certainty.”

“Isn’t it obvious? If you did, you wouldn’t have proposed something like the three-way war.”

Residue tried to grasp the hidden intent behind those words, but the dragon gave him no time to dwell on it, continuing without pause.

“For me, attending the Twelve Void Lords’ conference was a decision fraught with significant risk.”

That much, Residue already understood.

The dragon might have supreme confidence in its ability to remain hidden, but even that wasn’t enough to make its presence in the King’s Castle safe. The place was far too dangerous.

Not only were the Twelve Void Lords present, but even half of the knights had shown up.

“Yet there was a reason that made the risk worth taking. ─Everyone is saying the same thing now. The onslaught of Destruction has only just begun.”

The dragon’s gaze turned skyward.

Perhaps she was looking at the scene beyond the storm clouds: the pitch-black void, surrounded as if protected by a rain of meteors—the apocalyptic sight of Destruction.

"That statement is wrong."

“What do you mean?”

“They’re all missing the most important point. Surely you know about the joint operation between the Red Knight and the Sun God on the frozen plains?”

The dragon chuckled bitterly.

“Destruction hasn’t arrived yet… Then what do you think it was they were trying to stop? What was so catastrophic that it required both a Knight and a Ruler to join forces?”

Residue hesitated.

It was something he’d forgotten amidst the flood of things to think about.

But he did know.

Through the Spring, he had seen what the Red Knight called the “First Destruction”.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

However, if what they were trying to stop was truly Destruction, then a contradiction arose. At that point in time, Lukas had yet to venture “Outside”. So how could Destruction have already begun?

“Most people think the monster that emerged after breaking through the roof of the King’s Castle was the first appearance of Destruction. Even the Red Knight and the Sun God, who blocked it on the frozen plains, probably think the same. They likely believe their efforts to seal it off were successful.”

…No way.

A sudden realization crossed Residue’s mind, and his expression shifted.

“What if that’s not the case? What if Destruction had already begun appearing long before that? So secretly, so subtly, that even those tied to the Void World couldn’t detect it…”

The dragon’s gaze shifted back to the ground.

Residue took a sharp breath at the scene unfolding in his eyes.

It was, without a doubt, the most grotesque transformation in history.

Simultaneously and in unison, the bodies of those who had been fighting as though trying to kill each other began to distort.

Faces split open. Chests ripped apart. Spines fractured. And from those grotesque wounds emerged membranes of flesh, which quickly enveloped their entire bodies. Their forms became encased in something resembling cocoons made of flesh.

Puhwaaak!

And in the briefest of moments, they were born.

Tearing through the membranous cocoons with their hands, they revealed their fully transformed forms.

Destruction.

The dragon had been right.

Everyone had been mistaken. Their eyes had been overly fixated on the meteor showers that filled the sky.

But catastrophe didn’t only descend from the heavens.

…The three-way war.

The stage of growth that Residue had envisioned had begun in the worst possible form he could have imagined.