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

‘Why did you protect me…?’

Min Ha-rin stared at the sky with a blank look in her eyes.

She could barely see Lukas’ silhouette. And at some point, the roaring which sounded like heaven and earth were being torn asunder, also stopped.

Was the battle… over?

Who won?

“Did the teaching help?”

Suddenly, she heard a voice from behind her.

When Min Ha-rin turned to look, she saw the Priestess standing there.

“…tea-, ching?”

“The teaching you received from Master.”

“…I… was taught by Master?”

“Do you not know what you received?”

The Priestess’ voice gradually became sharper.

“Although the method might have been a bit radical, what Master told you was the thing you needed to hear the most.”

Min Ha-rin’s mind had been on the verge of shattering. Talking softly to someone in this state was no different from forcibly fixing a broken item after it had reached the end of its lifespan.

That’s why Lukas chose to directly shatter her mind. It was because he thought it would be better to start over from scratch.

“Why do you think he used 9 star magic? He already had the means to deal with Nodiesop. Nevertheless, he continued to fight against him while only using magic. Haven’t you wondered why that was the case?”

“…”

No. She hadn’t. In fact, she hadn’t really been thinking about anything, she couldn’t.

Min Ha-rin looked at Beniang with a slightly dull gaze.

“It was to show you. The fighting style of a Wizard who has reached the peak of magicology.”

“…!”

There was a difference between seeing and not seeing the true power of 9 stars at least once.

And this difference was incredibly large.

“In the future, when you have reached 8 stars and are preparing to enter 9 stars, you will encounter the largest and most frustrating wall that you will ever experience in your entire life, and you will feel despair because of your lack of talent… The memories you have gained today will guide you to the next ‘step’.”

Her body couldn’t stop shaking.

Min Ha-rin grabbed her hair roughly.

“Ah… uh… ah…”

Her thoughts were a mess.

Far too many things had happened too suddenly.

Still, there was a lingering question in her mind that she was able to voice.

“Does he… intend to die?”

“…”

Beniang didn’t answer this question. Instead, she just took a deep breath.

“Do you know why I said those things to you?”

“Why…”

“Because if I didn’t, you would probably regret it for the rest of your life. If I didn’t tell you that, you probably would have been able to grow stronger at an explosive rate. After all, malice has always been one of the greatest driving forces of growth since ancient times. However… you definitely would have suffered tremendously during the process.”

Beniang let out a bitter chuckle.

“You can take it as the kindness of a senior. Min Ha-rin, is there anything you want to say to Master?”

“…!”

Kuk.

She bit her lip hard, her gaze returning to the sky.

She did have things she wanted to say. In fact, there was so much that she felt like she would burst.

But Lukas… was too far away to hear her.

Paaht!

The Priestess waved her hand and Min Ha-rin’s body suddenly appeared in the sky.

There was no need for her to look around since she could see Lukas in front of her.

‘Master. Master.’

He was still some distance away.

She didn’t want to be late.

No, she couldn’t be late.

She had already exceeded her limit, but she still roused the little mana still remaining in her body. Using the Fly spell, she approached Lukas.

The Priestess was right.

If she were to let Lukas just go now, she would definitely regret it for the rest of her life.

“Master-!”

She shouted as loudly as she could.

She saw Lukas look up at her in surprise.

The gaze he sent to her wasn’t the same as before. Right. It had all been an act.

As soon as she realised that, tears poured down her face as if a dam had been opened.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…!” (TL: Somehow, I regret tling this while listening to ‘Everything I do’ by Bryan Adams. T~T)

There were other things she wanted to say, but at that moment, her mind was a mess.

Min Ha-rin cried desperately and repeatedly apologized as if she’d become a broken record.

“…”

Lukas’ eyes gradually closed, and a bitter smile spread across his lips.

“I’m probably the only one who didn’t know. I was only thinking about my pain. I never thought about Master’s pain. I… Even till the end, I was…”

“I was no different.”

Lukas shook his head as he spoke.

“I only thought from my own perspective… I never thought that making you reliant on me might suppress your potential. If it wasn’t for me, I’m sure that you all would have become much more amazing beings. It feels like I forcefully replanted seedlings that would have grown into even taller trees if they were left alone.”

“No! Without Master, I, no, we would have been…”

“I also thought that separating like this would boost your growth. But I didn’t take into account the pain I would leave you with… No. Maybe I just pretended to not know.”

Lukas smiled faintly.

“I was only aiming for efficiency. This is a bad habit that most Wizards have, so I hope you don’t become like this as well.”

Again… Even in this situation, he was still giving her advice.

Right. Lukas hadn’t changed.

It was Min Ha-rin who had changed.

She was the one who had become pathetic.

“…I don’t want to separate now.”

Like a child, Min Ha-rin cried even harder.

“I want to stay with you a while longer.”

“Our parting was determined from the moment we met. Whether it happened sooner or later, we were bound to be separated at some point. That is a providence that not even God can change.”

“I know that! But our parting could still be postponed for a while longer! If I, if only I were stronger…”

“That might have been possible if you were strong enough to defeat Nodiesop. But do you really think that’s possible? Do you think you could defeat an Absolute who has lived tens of thousands of years more than you have?”

“Then, then do you just… want me to accept fate?”

Min Ha-rin covered her face as she shouted.

“I, I don’t want to get used to parting…!”

Lukas remained silent for a while. Then, he slowly approached Min Ha-rin and wrapped his arms around her.

She sank into his soft embrace. A feeling that she wished could last forever.

“I’m not telling you to get used to it. I’m telling you to be strong. You’re still young. So you will experience many partings in your life. Are you going to collapse and cry every time?”

“…h-, huk.”

“Stop being a baby. It’s time to be mature. Someday, you will also have to leave someone. Someday… you will also want to rest. I have lived… far longer than a human can handle.”

The desire to stop him from leaving welled up inside her.

However, Min Ha-rin knew just how selfish that thought was.

“Can I be greedy one last time?”

“Yes.”

“Can you see me off with a smile?”

It was a difficult request, but Min Ha-rin gave in to his request. With a tearful smile, she looked up at him.

“…I’m really glad I got to meet Master.”

“Right.”

“I’m sure everyone else thinks so too.”

“Thanks.”

“You’ve been through a lot and you deserve to rest.”

“…”

“I will never forget you. Please-”

Min Ha-rin stopped talking.

At some point, she stopped receiving responses, and after a while, she felt the warm presence disappear.

The cold air hit her chest hard.

She didn’t want to raise her head. Still, she forced herself to straighten up and look straight ahead.0

Lukas was no longer there.

“Please… rest in peace…”

As she said that, Min Ha-rin collapsed.

Instead of the end of her sentence, the only thing that could be heard was loud crying.