The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years (Web Novel KR)

Swish,

He felt a hand brush his hair to the side. The fingers seemed to be long and thin. The reason why he wasn’t sure was because his eyes were closed.

But even if he wanted to, he couldn’t open his eyes. His eyelids were heavy and his head was dizzy. It felt like he was trapped within his own body, and the state of his flesh and blood had a great impact on his mind.

For an Absolute, such a situation was incredibly unpleasant.

Lukas tried to clear the fog in his mind. He was trying to forcefully awaken. Of course, that wasn’t the best thing to do. Forcefully awakening his body which hadn’t fully recovered would cause numerous side effects, both large and small.

“I’d advise you to rest a bit longer.”

A calm voice came from beside him.

It was a dignified, female voice.

Lukas moved his lips. He wanted to respond, but he was unable to make a sound.

“Open your mouth.”

Strangely, Lukas didn’t think about refusing.

When Lukas obediently opened his mouth, lukewarm liquid flowed into it.

It was water. It was only then that he felt his burning thirst. His adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he drank the water without hesitation.

Throb-

He felt pain in his throat and stomach. It felt like he’d swallowed a bunch of thorns instead of water. He didn’t show it, but the voice seemed to respond to his pain.

“Your internal organs have been restored to some extent. You’ll have to thank Arid for that. If it wasn’t for that child’s ability, you probably would’ve died by now.”

“…”

“In fact, it can still be considered a miracle that you’re still alive.”

This was something that he knew.

Lukas checked the mana in his body. Some of his mana had been restored which hinted to how long he’d been unconscious.

Nevertheless, that didn’t mean that he could use magic. His body was too messed up for that.

It was a shame. For example, if he could have used the Ghost spell, he could’ve let his mind out while leaving his body to rest.

‘I have so many questions.’

How long had he been unconscious, what happened to Sedi, where was he currently.

And above all, who was the owner of the voice…

“I’ll tell you all you want to know when you wake up.”

As if she had read his thoughts, the voice whispered softly.

“For now, just get some rest.”

Lukas sighed inwardly.

Then he let go of the consciousness that he had been forcibly maintaining.

* * *

“Who… was…”

“…we need to… first…”

When he woke up again, he found that his surroundings had become noisy.

He wondered what was going on, but decided to check his physical condition first.

Wiggle.

He moved his fingers. His eyelids also didn’t feel as heavy as before. This proved that at the very least, his condition was better than it was last time.

“…excuse. We need to wait for him to regain consciousness.”

The voices also became louder and clearer.

Lukas slowly opened his eyes.

“Ah…!”

The first thing he saw were tearful eyes. Afterward, he noticed the familiar features. It was Arid.

“Master…!”

“Are you alright?”

“Father!”

A series of voices called out to him. His ears rang and his stomach twisted as a result. When he frowned slightly, his surroundings instantly became quiet.

Lukas took a moment to calm himself before nodding. When he struggled to lift himself to a seated position, Arid came to help him. He stacked several pillows behind him so that he could lean back in a more comfortable position.

“…I’d like to drink some water.”

A hoarse voice sounded.

Then, a tall young man who was standing beside him brought a glass forward. Lukas took a sip of it before saying.

“Thanks, Leo.”

The young man blinked in surprise.

“…you recognise me?”

“Of course I do. You’re all grown up now. I’m proud to see it.”

“…”

Leo couldn’t help but smile when he heard those words. Lukas slowly let out a breath before turning to look at the rest of the room.

Arid and Leo were not the only ones there. Sedi and Min Ha-rin were also in the room. But unlike Min Ha-rin who looked at him with a tearful yet happy expression, Sedi was looking at him with her arms folded, her dissatisfaction evident. She was even pouting slightly.

He could guess the reason for that, but there was something he wanted to say before bringing that up.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you all. I’m glad that everyone is okay…”

Lukas paused.

Maybe it was because his head wasn’t completely clear yet. He had made a mistake.

The people in the room were the participants from earth who had entered into this world with Lukas and were a part of his team. But not all of them were there.

One of them was missing.

“Where’s Lee Jong-hak?”

“…”

The atmosphere became solemn. It seemed that none of them wanted to open their mouths.

But Lukas’ gaze was locked onto someone. It was none other than Min Ha-rin.

She spoke in a calm voice.

“He died.”

“He’s…dead?”

“Yeah. While fighting Kran.”

Lukas was speechless for a moment.

Dead? Lee Jong-hak?

“Well, I’d like to explain the situation to Master. But since you’re not in the best condition now, I think we’ll have to put our conversation off until later.”

“…ah. That’s right. It’s not good to have a lot of people in a patient’s room.”

Min Ha-rin nodded at Arid’s words.

“Then, Arid, you take care of Master. You can explain it well.”

Min Ha-rin and Leo got up from their seats, and after bowing slightly, left the room. Sedi didn’t leave right away. Instead, she kept looking at Lukas with a pout as she walked up to him.

Then she looked Lukas directly in the eye and spat out word for word.

“If you do that again, I really won’t forgive you.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Lukas had no choice but to apologize because he knew that he was in the wrong. After hearing his apology, Sedi snorted heavily before also leaving the room.

Click.

The door closed, leaving Lukas and Arid as the only occupants of the room.

Arid was about to let out a sigh, but then he looked at Lukas and smiled instead.

“How are you feeling?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever faint again.”

“Ahaha. That’s good.”

“…where are we?”

Lukas looked around.

It was a simple room with only a few essential items and furniture. Such a room would usually feel empty or dreary, but this room felt warm instead. Perhaps it was because of the reddish brown wallpaper.

“This is my mansion here on Dragon God Island.”

“Mansion?”

“Yes. It’s called Young Dragon Nest. This is one of the guest rooms.”

“…I see.”

Lukas recalled his last memory.

He also thought of the familiar voice he’d heard when he was rescued. Was it Arid? He wasn’t sure. At that time, his consciousness was so blurred that it could have been a hallucination.

“Arid, were you the one who saved me?”

“No.”

Arid shook his head.

“It was the Priestess that saved Master.”

“…the Priestess?”

“Yeah. But it’s really weird. As far as I know, she never leaves Dragon God Island.”

“…”

“The Priestess is here as well. She told me to send you to her as soon as you regained consciousness.”

A situation where he would finally be able to talk to the Priestess.

This was something he had been waiting for. Ever since he’d learned of her existence, Lukas had wanted to meet her.

Lukas got up from the bed. When he saw this, Arid stuttered.

“M-, Master? It’s fine even if you don’t go right now…”

“I’m fine, so tell me. Where is the Priestess?”

* * *

The garden behind the Young Dragon Nest. This was where the Priestess spent most of her time.

Thump-

It was hard for him to walk on his own, but he couldn’t stay in bed. Although it would put great strain on his tired body, it was better to move directly to get his questions answered.

The clear air was refreshing. Perhaps it was because his last few memories were all from Death Island, but it felt even more special.

The beautiful natural scenery on Dragon God Island had been preserved almost perfectly. Even the Young Dragon Nest appeared to have been built in a way that didn’t harm the trees and grass nearby.

The garden was so beautiful that it caused even an unartful person like Lukas to admire it, but it was also incredibly large. This caused Lukas to wonder if he would even be able to find the Priestess.

Suddenly.

“You bastard.”

“…!”

Lukas couldn’t help but be surprised. This was because he heard the voice, but he couldn’t feel any signs of a presence.

Turning around, he saw a fairly large lake filled with crystal clear water. In the middle of the lake was a pavilion, and sitting in that pavilion, was a woman. This scene was so eye-catching that one couldn’t help but wonder how he hadn’t seen it before.

The woman wore a soft gown that showed off the curves of her body. Nevertheless, it was the piece of cloth covering her face that stood out the most.

Her face was completely covered by a pure white cloth.

“Don’t go away like that, don’t go, even if you must, you look so good~ come on.”

The woman hummed to herself, her words audible but incomprehensible.

What was she saying?

Lukas narrowed his eyes slightly. The woman who was sitting in the pavilion and swinging her feet smiled.

“Don’t stare at me. Or I’ll pluck your eyes out.”

“Who are you?”

“The person who saved your life.”

“…Priestess.”

“Good answer.”

…Although her words were strange, Lukas recognised her voice.

Lukas looked at her. Considering her age, she appeared to be very young. In fact, she reminded him of Sedi.

“Why are you still looking at me like that? Didn’t Arid tell you?”

“…”

“If you met the person who saved your life, the least you can do is say something.”

Although it was a bit obtuse, she wasn’t wrong, so Lukas bowed his head slightly.

“Thank you for saving me.”

“That bow won’t be enough. You have to take responsibility.”

“Responsibility?”

“Something is going to happen because of you. Child. Do you think this is a joke?”

As he listened to her talk, Lukas wondered if he simply couldn’t understand the language anymore.

He asked back.

“…what happened?”

“That guy, Kaz, he wasn’t someone you were supposed to meet.”

The Priestess frowned. With a sigh, she got up from the pavilion and started walking around the lake.

Lukas followed her to continue the conversation, but he didn’t get too close, maintaining a distance of a few steps.

“Even though that guy was weak, he still had some uses. But what about now? Kaz is gone to the afterlife, and all the work I’ve done has been flipped upside down. You really made a mess of things. If someone warns you not to do something, you should at least pretend to listen to them. You’re too stubborn.”

From the Priestess’ words, it seemed that she had tried to stop Lukas from going to Death Island.

“I only heard that you didn’t want me to go.”

“No. I kept telling you. Child, you’ve been listening to my voice ever since you came to this world.”

“Huh?”

“Ahh. Ahem. Cough cough. Ahem.”

The Priestess cleared her throat for a moment.

“[Death Island is extremely dangerous! Entry is not recommended.]”

“…!”

A voice that he’d heard numerous times before.

It was only then that Lukas realised why the Priestess’ voice was so familiar.

It was the voice that gave him directions and sometimes warnings.

The Priestess smiled.

“In any case, it’s nice to finally meet you in person, Lukas Trowman.”

“Who… are you?”

“Look, you can’t even go for five minutes without talking informally.”

When Lukas simply stared at her without responding, the Priestess burst into laughter.

“Did you know, there’s only one place in this world where you can get privacy. Wherever you go, those other kids will try to eavesdrop on you.”

“…other kids?”

“The Rulers.”

“…!”

Lukas looked at the Priestess in surprise yet again.

“This is the first time we’ve met face to face, isn’t it? Madman. It seems like you’ve met all the others at least once.”

It was only then that Lukas realised who the Priestess was.

The last Ruler that he’d never met before.

“…Seven Fanged Dragon God.”

“This is making me emotional. You don’t know…”

With a grumbling tone, he shook her head.

The wind shook the fabric around her head slightly, revealing purple hair for a moment.

“How hard I worked to meet you.”