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“…What did you say?”

Lokan stammered, unable to respond for a moment, and Zion smirked and said again,

“Are your ears blocked? I said stop barking, you milk-smelling brat.”

Lokan’s eyes finally lit up with fury.

“Wow, these crazy bastards are in pairs, really!”

With a Thud, Lokan kicked off the ground and aimed his elbow at Zion’s chin.

It was a decent stance.

Zion easily dodged it with a nod, and Lokan quickly closed the distance and drew a hand seal.

A 2-star Fire Spear hand seal.

At the same time, I could feel mana fluctuations around Zion.

“Blazing flames, Fireball.”

For a moment, I doubted my eyes.

‘Zion, this kid, made a mana circle?’

I thought it would take him a little longer because he was so suspicious, but I was wrong.

I knew he would rebel if I forced him, so I left him alone, and it seemed like he had figured something out on his own.

Boom!

Zion and Lokan’s magic collided, scattering sparks.

Zion had the upper hand.

While Lokan was caught off guard, Zion rushed towards him.

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Zion push Lokan back, imitating the moves I had shown him.

The young mages from the Red Magic Tower widened their eyes in surprise.

“What? Lokan is being pushed back?”

Of course. Lokan was just a 2-star mage.

The moment Zion created a mana circle, there was no way he could lose to Lokan.

“Ah, this is so embarrassing.”

One of the girls next to Lokan blushed and stepped forward.

“Makan.”

At my signal, Makan blocked the girl’s path.

It felt like the Red Magic Tower and Samael were having a proxy battle.

However, the problem was that Makan wasn’t strong enough to completely defeat the girl.

She seemed to be a 3-star mage.

But I wasn’t going to let him lose easily.

“I’ll go easy on you if you surrender. Understand?”

I secretly placed a Wind Spear behind Makan as he charged towards the girl.

The moment Makan and the girl clashed,

I aimed the hidden Wind Spear at the girl’s chest.

Boom!

With this, our victory… Huh?

Contrary to my expectations, Makan was pushed back three steps.

A barrier had suddenly appeared in front of the girl, and Doke was glaring from behind it.

“You’ve crossed the line.”

Doke glared at me with a completely flushed face.

“Enough. I’ve been patient enough. I don’t want to disobey my master’s orders.”

“Are you talking about Hector?”

“…You’re incredibly rude. Or have you truly lost your mind?”

“You guessed it.”

“Then a beating will be your medicine.”

As I smirked, Doke took a step closer.

As his hand slowly formed a hand seal, I opened my circles.

Whirrr—

Me and Hector’s disciple. Hector’s disciple and me.

Who would win?

“Thump-thump-thump-thump.”

My heart pounded to the beat of the drum sound I made with my mouth, and the trainees’ eyes burned like a bonfire.

Just then,

“Stop.”

Fwaaaaaaaang—!

A powerful wind like a typhoon swept through the training ground.

I quickly retreated and glared towards the house hall.

“Stop it, Ruin.”

“I knew you’d say that. Did I say anything wrong? In Samael, this kind of… huh?”

For a moment, I was so surprised that I was speechless. My excitement vanished instantly.

It wasn’t Hector who told me to stop, but Kazen.

“Don’t be disrespectful to the people of the Magic Tower any longer. Don’t you realize that your actions are tarnishing Samael’s reputation?”

I could feel Doke shrugging next to me, but my bewilderment was far greater at that moment.

Were those really the words of the current head of Samael?

I asked, wondering if I had heard wrong,

“What are you… saying?”

“I clearly said stop. Disband the trainees, and you, Ruin, come inside.”

“…”

“What are you doing! Disband immediately!”

* * *

Kazen entered the house hall, holding his throbbing forehead and resting his chin on the table. The old steward, Wright Perer, stood behind him.

I stared at Kazen without saying a word.

A sense of emptiness washed over me, but I wondered if there might be another reason.

After a long silence, Kazen finally spoke.

“My son.”

“…”

“I respect you, Ruin. I’m not looking down on you because you’re young. No matter what path you take or what magic you learn, even if it differs from my thoughts, I will respect it. Because the fact that you’re showing me this much in front of me is admirable enough. But in return.”

Kazen’s voice was filled with quiet strength.

“As the head of Samael, I ask you one thing. Don’t provoke the Red Magic Tower.”

Anger welled up inside me.

“Samael must not be looked down upon. By anyone.”

“Looked down upon…”

“Are you trying to say they’re not?”

After a brief pause, Kazen replied,

“…It doesn’t matter. Right now, Samael needs the Red Magic Tower.”

“Ha.”

In the end.

Is that what you wanted to say?

“Samael must protect itself.”

“Yes, of course. But sometimes, we need to know when to bow our heads. We don’t yet have the strength to protect ourselves. If only we had a few more years…”

Anger welled up at the sight of him looking at me with pity, as if I were a naive child.

This foolish House Head didn’t even know what he was forgetting.

“So you’re saying we should cling to Hector’s coattails?”

I couldn’t bring myself to speak formally anymore.

“Do you think that will protect Samael?”

“Ruin!”

I stared directly into Kazen’s eyes and said,

“Did your mana circle get destroyed while fighting Urgon? Are you scared? You’ve forgotten Samael’s pride and dignity. You say if only we had a few more years? It wouldn’t matter. It would be the same as now. There’s no future for a place that has forgotten its identity.”

Suddenly, Old Steward Wright shouted at me with bloodshot eyes,

“Young Master! What are you saying?! Show some respect!”

He was so shocked that his jaw was trembling. I ignored him and kept my gaze fixed on Kazen.

“I didn’t know you’d throw away Samael’s pride. That you’d forget even that. I hope you’ll think carefully about how long we can rely on them.”

“Stop it, Ruin!”

Kazen looked at me with a stern gaze.

“No matter what you say, you can’t change my decision. This is an order from the House Head. If you disobey my orders again and act recklessly towards the Red Magic Tower…”

“Hahahaha!”

Suddenly, laughter burst out of me, turning into maniacal laughter.

After a while, I finally came to my senses.

“The Samael I knew is completely gone.”

Bang—

Ignoring Kazen’s shouting, I left the room.

* * *

I felt drained.

I understood why Kazen said those things. The responsibility of protecting the house must be weighing heavily on him.

But this was Samael.

The damn Samael I knew shouldn’t be like this. It absolutely shouldn’t.

“These idiots.”

I slammed my fist down on the table in the room without realizing it.

With a loud bang, the table split in two, and fragments scattered everywhere.

All the other elders must be thinking the same thing. Kazen couldn’t have made that decision alone.

These people didn’t even have the will to protect their own house.

No, they thought it was impossible. The Samael family members.

The spirit of those who charged towards their enemies, embracing their impending deaths and holding onto their crumbling bodies, was gone.

This wasn’t Samael.

Bang—

“Young Master!”

Lihan, hearing the sound of the table breaking, rushed into the room.

“What are you doing? Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m leaving.”

“What? Where are you going?”

“Farewell.”

This was the right choice from the beginning.

I couldn’t help those who lacked the will.

In hindsight, it was strange that I hadn’t realized it sooner.

When they destroyed the Ifrit temple, when they sent the White Horse Unit to the Red Magic Tower, when they abandoned the trainees in a remote mountain without a second thought, I should have known then.

No, perhaps from the very beginning.

Maybe it was a bond that only I wanted to hold onto.

“…Young Master?”

I turned my head at the sudden presence, and the Old Steward was standing in front of me, bowing deeply.

“What is it?”

“I think there’s something I need to tell you.”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Please, Young Master Ruin. Hear me out. It seems you’ve misunderstood something.”

“Step aside.”

As I tried to pass Wright and leave the room, he grabbed my sleeve.

His wrinkled hand was trembling slightly.

“The House Head’s mana circle… it wasn’t destroyed by Urgon.”

I stopped for a moment.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“…”

At that moment,

A chilling sensation washed over my body. It started the moment I looked into Wright’s eyes. His gaze, as if strongly rebuking me, made me feel uneasy.

“The House Head’s mana circle was destroyed while saving you, Ruin.”

“…What?”

* * *

I could only listen in silence as Wright sighed and lamented in a heavy tone.

Kazen was a 6-circle mage.

And his circles were already destroyed when Urgon attacked.

“You were sickly as a child, Ruin.”

“…”

“You probably don’t know the reason. You were born with a congenital disease. Seven of your body’s meridians were blocked by Yin energy. Sadly, it was clear you wouldn’t live past a year.”

‘You’re saying I had blocked meridians? But how could I be alive… Wait a minute.’

Wright nodded, watching my expression.

“That’s right. Thanks to the House Head. He searched high and low and obtained the Sun Herb, and he performed the procedure himself. In the process, his mana circle was accidentally destroyed.”

“…You expect me to believe that?”

“It’s the absolute truth.”

No, it’s a lie.

I knew.

Having seven meridians blocked was an incurable disease, so rare that it might only occur once in a hundred years.

And the Sun Herb was indeed a spiritual herb that could effectively treat blocked meridians.

But only if there was a practitioner who could withstand its Yang energy.

There was no way Kazen wouldn’t have known this when he obtained the Sun Herb.

To withstand the Sun Herb’s heat and open up seven blocked meridians, one would need at least seven heart circles.

A 6-circle mage could never fully withstand the Sun Herb’s Yang energy.

Kazen knew this, and yet he did it.

Knowing that his mana circles would be completely destroyed.

Knowing that he would suffer the agonizing pain of his heart shattering. He did it to save his son.

“…”

Suddenly, an uncontrollable emotion welled up inside me.

Why?

Why did I have to feel this wretched emotion again, even in this life?

Even though the object of my affection was different, it was ultimately me who was saved.

Kazen had saved me.

The memory of Pelleer’s unlucky actions came to mind.

The last moments of the expedition.

Pelleer, with his lower body blown off, crawling towards me and pouring the elixir into my heart.

Why did his actions come to mind?

Truly, that foolish nature of his hasn’t changed, even after 300 years.

…Could it be that I was wrong?

That even after all this time, the nature of Samael hadn’t changed?

That they simply didn’t know yet?

“Damn it.”

Frustration surged through me, making my hair stand on end.

At this moment, I had to make a decision.

And that decision…

Perhaps it was something I wanted to do from the beginning, from the moment I saw the crumbling Samael.

— I knew you could do it, Crazy Mage Commander. In the end, it was you, Ruin, who believed in my words the most. Thanks to you, I can see hope.

— Ugh, you sure picked the right side. Aren’t you the strongest now, Commander? I’m the vice-captain, so I guess that makes me second in command. House Head, don’t be upset. Isn’t it about time you cut us some slack, since we’re all dying together? Hahaha!

The faces of Pelleer, Azeta, and the Crazy Mage Squad members, whom I could no longer see, flashed before my eyes. My decision turned into conviction.

I would raise Samael. With my own hands.

Until I restored the glory of the Four Great Houses, the ones no one dared to challenge 300 years ago, and especially the Gongshin House, the first among them.

In my own way.

It would be different from the Samael of the past, the one I disliked.

There would be no righteous Samael led by Pelleer.

I wouldn’t create a foolish Samael that sacrifices its own interests for some grand cause.

I would make it so that no one would dare to underestimate or exploit Samael.

“I’ll collect the price tenfold in the afterlife, House Head.”

Bang—

I opened the door and went outside.

In the distance, I saw the trainees walking dejectedly.

Only the Red Magic Tower mages remained in the training ground.

Whirrr—

I opened all three circles in my heart. I could feel Hector’s gaze from afar.

I stared at the center of the training ground and chanted without hesitation,

“Piercing flames, Fire Spear.”

As the spear of flames flew in a straight line, I chanted again.

“Raging ice, Ice Wave.”

————