The Reincarnated Archmage’s Journey Chapter 47

Episode 47: A Sudden Field Trip (5)

“Banshee, let’s hide ourselves.”

"yes."

Banshee and I hurriedly hid behind a pillar in the hallway before the footsteps got any closer.

I trusted my instincts that if I ran into someone in the hallway without knowing who they were, it would only lead to awkward situations.

As soon as we hid, the owner of the footsteps finally appeared.

It was the sympathetic former.

The former went straight ahead, past the pillar we were hiding behind.

The place he stopped was in front of a large restaurant.

"Let's sneak out. I don't know why Former suddenly showed up."

"All right."

I tried to hide my footsteps as much as possible, and slowly slipped out of the hallway, keeping an eye on Former.

At some point, I looked back and Former was no longer in front of the restaurant.

Instead, it seemed like they went inside, as the restaurant door was wide open.

***

Former, who entered the large dining room, first inspected the condition of the restaurant.

Despite the fact that this was a place where great magic had clearly been realized twice, the restaurant was simply peaceful.

Except for one person.

Gaju Jik just stood there with a blank expression on his face.

“Zeke, go ahead.”

“Oh, you’re the vice principal. When did you get here?”

What on earth were you thinking about that you didn't even realize I was there?

It was a bit of a stretch to say that Zig's condition was normal.

“I just sensed a rather strong magical force here. Is that you?”

"……yes?"

But Zeke's expression was so strange.

He had a really confused expression.

“I’m asking because I feel two things in a row.”

“……Huh? You felt two?”

But Zeke asked back with a look of utter ignorance on his face.

In that expression full of curiosity, there was also a considerable amount of confusion mixed in.

After being confused for a while, Zeke soon spoke as if vomiting.

“……Actually……I don’t……remember.”

“Don’t you remember?”

“Yes, not even one…….”

Looking at his expression, it doesn't seem like he's lying at all.

It was obvious just by looking at the way Zeke's expression changed so strangely that even Zeke himself couldn't control it.

“Ugh…….”

And the moment he tried to think about exactly what had happened, he collapsed in his seat, clutching his head.

“Why are you like that, Zeke?”

“My head… feels like it’s going to split open….”

For wizards, headaches are often a symptom of excessive magic implementation.

It was an understandable symptom, as Former had also felt magic above the 7th circle, but the problem was that the headache Zig was complaining of now was different from the symptoms he knew.

“What on earth happened to you, the owner of the house, to be like this?”

“I don’t know… why can’t I remember anything….”

There are two powerful magical powers that Former felt.

Since one of them was implemented by Zig himself, the other one is set.

Among Artel and Banshee, the student with that much ability is Artel.

Banshee is just an excellent 1st class, but Artel is a double caster, so the probability of it being Artel increases dramatically.

'I couldn't have been mistaken. It was definitely a stronger magic than the Seventh Circle.'

But even if he was a double caster, how could such magic come from a first-class student?

Even looking at Zig's current condition, it was impossible to interpret it as anything other than Artel doing something.

“…….”

Former looked at Zeke for a long time and then left the dining room.

Looking at Zig's condition, I couldn't help but ask what purpose he had for opening the tour.

Although he would have liked to find Artel right away and find out what had happened, Former quickly gave up.

The more you dig, the more confusion you get, rather than revealing the truth.

Even if we question Artel in this situation, we won't find out anything.

Zeke said he was definitely with Artel and Banshee, but he had no memory of it.

Former thought that it would be better to report to Etar first rather than going there and finding out right away, since he could end up like that too.

'There's no way there's a magic that erases memories… … Why on earth is the Zig family head like that?'

Former, who has never encountered the elemental magic of Plewood in his life, does not know the existence of the magic called Linking.

So my curiosity only grew.

***

“Where are the other students on their field trip?”

“Are you going to come and find me?”

“No, that’s fine. I just wanted to take a break, so that’s good.”

Banshee and I settled into the garden at the corner of the Nohill family home.

I was looking for a place where I could feel no human presence, hoping to recover from the aftereffects of the linking.

"Anyway, when it's time to go back, they'll come looking for us. Then, since our family is so large, we can just say we got lost. We look like children, don't we?"

A child can easily get lost, so no one will suspect him.

“But today I just found out that linking also has the effect of hiding memories.”

"Oh, it wasn't there originally. It was my master who evolved Linking to that point."

“Yes? Lady Alize Petra? So did you also receive your training from Lady Alize?”

"No, Master never told me about Linking. He thought it would be quite dangerous if it were passed down and made popular. He was worried about misuse and abuse."

“It’s definitely a great magic. It’s a magic that manipulates the opponent’s memories!”

“In addition, I evolved it to be able to implement magic by injecting mana or using mana that is connected.”

I also slipped in a bit of my boasting.

As expected, the banshee's eyes sparkled brightly.

It seemed as if he was saying, 'As expected of a great wizard!'

“But how did you learn linking, Arkis?”

I took a quick look around.

With no one around to listen, and only the Banshee, who knew the past well, I felt at ease and was able to naturally tell stories from the past.

I decided to indulge in those memories for a moment.

“My teacher, he may look like a kind grandfather, but his teaching methods were really strict.”

“How was it?”

"Once I learned the magic my master taught me, I immediately connected to it through linking and hid those memories. Then, I didn't even know I'd learned magic."

Banshee was startled by my words and asked.

“Why are you doing that?”

"Human psychology dictates that once you've painstakingly mastered a spell, you'll never want to practice it again. My master always emphasized repetition and mastery. He said that once you've mastered something, it doesn't end there. If you hide the fact that you've mastered it, you'll naturally practice it, and you'll possess a magic that's fundamentally different from others. There's a saying that even if you don't remember, you have a record. I wasn't aware of it, but my brain knew. There was a record of me mastering that spell."

"Ah… It's certainly a harsh guidance, but it still has meaning. But how did you know that the memories were overwritten? After all, didn't you only find out because Lady Alize told you?"

"No. Master made a mistake one day. He didn't hide everything, just a part of it. Just like I would limp when I used Linking, Master was straining himself from overuse."

“Aha, so that’s how you found out.”

"Yeah. And it's not a meaningful guide. It's just annoying."

Then suddenly my gaze turned to the sky.

I just unraveled the story of Banshee and the old past, but I really felt like I was back in those days with my master.

"After that, I started wondering if there were any downsides to linking. So, I conducted an experiment without telling my master."

“What experiment…?”

"Linking, the manipulation of memories. It was an experiment that began with the question of whether a sharp mind could create resistance."

“What are the results?”

"Now that I'm conscious, I realize I'm being linked. Every time, I pretend to have lost my memory, acting like I've lost it. But the strange thing is, after being linked for over a decade, I've learned how to implement and utilize it without even realizing it. My master never taught me."

But this time, the banshee tilted its head.

I know what you mean.

Can you master magic if you keep being hit by it?

You don't even know the basic principles or concepts?

You will be filled with such doubts.

“Eventually, my master’s attitude began to change when he noticed that I had mastered linking.”

“Did you get scolded?”

“No, he clearly said that it is a great talent to learn magic just by being exposed to it.”

I cleared my throat and imitated the Master's tone and voice, reproducing what I had heard at the time.

"Aimer, I failed to recognize your true worth and abused you with unsuitable training methods. I'm sorry."

The banshee laughed quietly at my imitation.

"I never knew that mastering magic just because I was periodically exposed to it was such a remarkable ability. The magic I learned after that was on a whole other level."

“What kind of magic did you learn?”

"The most basic magic is jewel-making. At that time, I learned the jewel-making of all elements."

“……Jewel Transformation. Even though it's a special 9th Circle magic that only less than 1% of single elemental magicians can master, if that kind of jewel transformation is basic…….”

Banshee looked secretly envious.

I can understand that feeling.

He lost his entire family at a young age and had to live a hard life alone, so he probably needed someone to guide him.

"Don't be jealous. It was hell. That's when I realized what it meant to have your brain melt."

“I’m only a 6th circle member, and even that’s not even a proper 6th circle member, so of course I’m jealous.”

“Well… I guess so….”

“What circle was Arkis in at that time?”

“That was… between the 5th and 6th circles.”

“So, you were already taking classes to become the successor to the Great Wizard at that time?”

"That's not it. I never intended to become a Grand Mage. I just wanted to stay by my Master's side for a long time."

That's how much I respected him.

To the point where I don't even feel greedy for the highest position a wizard can attain, the Archmage.

"aha……."

“That’s right. Back then, I was just thinking about not being a disciple who was lacking in anything while standing by my master’s side…”

The days of learning magic from the master's side and achieving both happiness and satisfaction did not last long.

It's because of Silerard.

"Sylder destroyed everything. Even though he offered my master's life as a sacrifice, he couldn't kill him, so he just sealed him away. Furthermore, he was betrayed and killed by my disciple Draco Tyrant, a fellow dark elemental, so seeing the color black makes me sick."

"I completely understand how you feel. I think you feel the same way when you look at Etar."

“You and I are both wizards with stories to tell, aren’t we?”

The banshee nodded slightly.

Eventually, they ran out of things to talk about and silence fell.

Banshee took out a small water bottle from inside her uniform.

The color of the liquid in the bottle was exactly like rotten water covered with moss.

As Banshee opened the cap of the water bottle, a foul smell wafted out.

“Ugh. What’s that water bottle?”

“It’s medicine.”

“What medicine?”

“It’s a medicine that stops growth. You have to take it regularly.”

“Ah… That’s what I was talking about last time. Drink it quickly.”

Now, he seems to be used to drinking that strong medicine, and he doesn't even frown when he swallows it.

I was just curious as to how he could endure drinking it when my nose was so sore right next to him.

“Amazing… Just smelling it makes me sick.”

“I can tolerate it, because it is much better than the disgusting things Etar did.”

This is a situation where my faithful disciple has become someone else's enemy who must be killed.

And if that disciple finds out that I am alive, he might kill me too.

“I suddenly feel sad.”

“Why are you doing that?”

"The disciples I raised with such care have become some of the worst people in the world today. Not just one, but two. It makes me wonder if I raised them all that way."

"That's not your fault, Arkis. Doesn't magic's intent and nature change depending on who uses it?"

“When you say it like that, it’s a little… comforting.”

“I also find this vacation to be more enjoyable than any vacation I’ve had before.”

Banshee's words were unexpected. I opened my mouth with a somewhat gloomy expression.

“What’s so fun about it…….”

“I haven’t had anyone to talk to, and I never thought of becoming close with anyone, but I’m honored to have had so many conversations with the Archmage… no, the Full Moon, Arkis.”

I heard Banshee's voice growing even more animated. I sensed her consideration in the way she called me "full moon."

“But, Lord Arkis, may I ask you a difficult favor?”

“What is it?”