Return of The 8th Class Mage

The one whose inner thoughts could never be read. The being that couldn’t be trusted, or relied on.

That was no other than that Fran of the present time.

“Ian, the flow of all the events great and small is much more complex than you know. It keeps repeating as if it was a twisted knot. The fact that it was you who were named the first sorcerer, rather than me, and that you are the one who gave me the sir name Page, turning the time back by thirty years by using the power, that was thought to be the dragon language. Everything could be seen as part of the cycle.”

Ian could not understand those words. No, it was too hard to accept. What sort of sophism is all this?

“I am not as dumb as someone who would be played by such a cheap script.”

“Of course, I am sure. Whose son are…..”

Pazzzz…..!

It was before Fran could even complete his idle remarks. Ian initiated the ‘power of the language’. Its result was beyond any category of imagination. It was because Fran’s right hand has disappeared. It wasn’t that it has exploded, or cut off or anything like that. As the expression said, it instantly ‘collapsed’.

“If you say one more time.”

Ian growled quietly.

“Saying son, father, or any more nonsensical garbage. I’ll go find every one of the spiritual beings that you have hidden and make them extinct. You can certainly expect it.”

It was a very deadly warning. Fran replied by raising both his arms.

“Oh, deadly. I’ll sure be careful.”

Apparently, that tendency to make idle, sarcastic remarks hasn’t changed for many thousands of years. Or since Ian came back from the past, it was hard to tell whether or not he was intentionally camouflaging as himself of the past.

“Alright. Let’s stop talking difficult or deadly things at this point.”

“Just say what you want.”

“Scary.”

The playful eyes of Fran until just a moment ago. In one moment, those eyes became filled with seriousness.

“Then I’ll get to the point. Help me. Just for the sake of eliminating those around you who are hindrances to achieving your objective or peace, you have to help me.”

“Eliminate? Are you talking about you?”

“I’m disappointed, not me. The lizard bastards, I meant.”

That was true. Ironically, in order to achieve that small objective of Ian’s, he needed to be free from the strongest ones from interjecting. That was, the absolute strongest, the so called the dragons.

“Of course, it isn’t possible, alone. That much you have to agree on?”

Ian couldn’t help, but accept that. Even if the power of language was in his grip, the bastards outnumbered him tremendously. Was that all? It wasn’t certain what things might have changed over the long periods of time.

It was a very dangerous thing to resolve it all alone. If it was to be exaggerated, it would be like committing suicide.

“I’ll gladly contribute towards achieving that objective of yours. If you and I were to join forces, then those lizard bastards, we could eliminate them to not even leave a single one. Wouldn’t you like that, also brings back old memories? Ah, it would be something that you have just experienced. For me, it has been many thousands of years ago and I can hardly recall.”

“You would recover your physical body.”

“Hm? What’s the problem? I get my physical body, you get the peace, we only look at what we want, all we have to do is reach out and grab them. What more is there?”

“I told you. It’s you.”

Ian stretched his finger towards Fran.

Then he raised it to that spirit being’s face.

“How can I trust you?”

“Ian, I lived multiple layers of time in order to protect the humanity. No, have endured would be the right expression. Of course, even if I was to recover my physical body, that mission would continue on. As a being who watches over from very high above, and as a protector.”

It was rather a good story.

At least the past part that has been shown to Ian.

If all that was true, that was.

“You and your precious ones around you are also part of the humanity, so the peace that you long for and my big goal is one in the same. So, help me. No, let’s help each other. You will end up with satisfactory results.”

Fran’s continuing appeasement, and proposal.

It was definitely not all bad.

To repeat it one more time, only if the past was true.

“….It’s a rather good idea, but.”

Ian thought for a moment.

Then he said quietly.

“The problem is still you. I can’t trust you.”

“I even showed you the past?”

“Many thousands of years have already passed. It could also be a lie.”

“You have too much doubt.”

“The credit for that goes to someone.”

“Hmmm….”

Ian’s responses were relentless and unyielding.

However, there was no more appeasement.

In fact, it was Fran who came out forcefully.

“The problem with trust is your prerogative. However, the issue with having time or not is a different thing. Let me ask you a question? Would it be quicker for me to buy your trust, or the lizards, having learned your identity, to rush in through that window?”

It was something that Ian had no other choice, but to agree. Of course, he was confident at this point that he would easily defeat several dragons that may appear. However, he was just concerned that others around him would suffer. Therefore, Fran’s proposal was very convincing. Hit them before they rush in to hit you, since by then that possibility would become possible.

“…..What a s*hitty situation.”

The situation caused Ian who was weak in vulgarity to even use vulgarity, and as the expression said, it was just a ‘s*hitty situation’. It meant forming an alliance with the most untrustworthy one, and furthermore, that alliance was the most optimal and the safest method.

“Has your mouth always been that foul?”

“Because of someone.”

“Ah, it’s my fault again?”

Fran murmured as he shrugged his shoulders.

It appeared to be half sarcasm.

“…..If I was to join forces.”

Ian opened his mouth after a long consideration.

His first words were a question.

“What is the probability of success?”

“Probability…..”

Fran opened and showed seven fingers with his both hands.

7 out of 10, that was, it meant 70% success rate.

“I’ll not lie. I know that it is important to be trustworthy to a child who has many doubts.”

70 percent success, 30 percent failure.

It was a much higher success rate than expected.

Or it was there a lower success rate than expected?

“What if it fails with the 30 percent…..”

“Then, I suppose, you would also be sealed right next to me, as a neighbor.”

“…..”

“Forever.”

Even with a success, Fran, the great evil, will be sealed. If it fails then next to that great evil, as a neighbor…..

No matter how hard it was thought over, the choices left sour taste.

However, he was at a junction where a path must be chosen.

“…..I need time.”

“Do you need some time to deliberate?”

“No, that has already been completed, just now.”

“Oh, what decision did you make?”

“I’ll go together. For a while.”

Along with Fran, he will hit the dragon race.

It was so that he could become successful before the bastards. Only that Ian needed time.

He needed to put things around him in order.

“In return, I need time to put things in order. Since there is also that 30 percent possibility.”

30 percent ‘possibility of failure’.

Fran nodded when he heard those words.

And at the same time, his entire body became blurry.

It appeared as if the spiritual being has come to its limit.

“I see. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

With those words.

Fran has disappeared.

It was the late afternoon as the sun was about to set, outside the window.

While living half a year in the past.

No more than a few minutes have passed in the present time.