TRPM 331

chapter 331

The ritual on the building under construction proceeded normally.

As expected, the Grand Sorcerer assisted me perfectly.

On top of that, the Archmage Lee Ha-eun completed the magical procedures, and now all that remained was for the construction company responsible for the building to finish its construction.

“… As for the issues with that building…”

The remaining problem was…

“Heh heh… Now that your business is done, are you planning to kill me?”

The Grand Sorcerer grinned shamelessly.

I glared at him. He had boldly come into Korea to help me, even though he was our enemy.

“Actually, you know it’s more convenient that way, don’t you? For me, this is a perfect opportunity to eliminate Oracle’s right-hand man.”
“Oracle is sincerely helping you, though.”

The Grand Sorcerer said this while pointing to the documents with his hand.

Documents regarding the rituals and magic used on the building.

“Originally, you know that it was Oracle who sent this to the Shinsegyo, where your mother is, don’t you?”
“……”

Of course, I knew.

[I could tell that the package “flew” from China into Korea.]
[… It wasn’t delivered by a courier—it literally flew on its own to Shinsegyo in Korea.]
[Even though the magic from when it was in China seemed erased, that alone was enough.]
[Because I already have an idea of who is in China right now.]
[Oracle.]

Oracle and I are technically enemies, but we also share a peculiar relationship: a common enemy, the organization on Mars.

That’s why, despite being hostile, Oracle provided me with information related to the organization’s technology.

Of course, it wasn’t purely out of goodwill, but it’s undeniable that I benefited from that information.

“So… are you suggesting reconciliation now? It feels like we’ve come too far for that.”
“Of course not. I know that someday you and Oracle will have to settle things. It’s just…”

“…Until the friends on Mars are safe, isn’t it okay to work together?”

“You wouldn’t want me or Cheonma to attack your close ones while you’re away handling the friends on Mars, would you?”
“……”

Hearing that, a murderous intent filled me.

Not just a thought, but an actual force: I reshaped the laws of reality purely with the will to kill the Grand Sorcerer before me.

“Heh… It’s similar to a ritual, but strictly speaking, it isn’t. Magic? No… manipulating reality purely with thought is closer to psychic powers. But it’s not really psychic powers either…”

The surrounding space warped entirely into a form aimed at killing the Grand Sorcerer.

From his perspective, it would feel as though nature itself wanted to kill him.

Yet he didn’t seem worried. Either he was confident I wouldn’t kill him, or he was simply enjoying the phenomenon. Naturally, this irritated me.

More importantly…

“Tch… He’s not wrong.”

My pride was stung by the fact that I was almost persuaded by his words.

As he said… if I killed the Grand Sorcerer here and now and refused to ally with Oracle, when I eventually went to Mars, Oracle and Cheonma might come to Korea with a plan to kill my close ones. The likelihood was high.

“If I let the Grand Sorcerer live…”

Then probably, the Grand Sorcerer and Cheonma would come to Mars together.

President Richard was orchestrating things to lead to this outcome.

Then there would be no worries about the future.

As long as Oracle, who still had some conscience, didn’t go rogue, he likely wouldn’t act recklessly.

So letting the Grand Sorcerer live was the correct choice here.

“…Though I’m not happy about it.”

I sheathed my sword. Once I did, the other three also put away their weapons.

“Heh… A good choice.”
“…This pact itself is also a ritual, so there’s no worry of betrayal, right?”

This mad Grand Sorcerer had subtly inserted a ritual into our earlier conversation.

It wasn’t a dangerous ritual, so I left it be.

“What? Master, did you fall for the ritual?!”
“Geonwoo?! Stop him at once…!”
“It’s fine. And even though it’s not a strong ritual, if you wanted to, you could undo it.”

A simple ritual with a condition: that neither side could betray the other.

And with our abilities, it could be undone easily.

Thus, it caused me no harm.

But it was different for the Grand Sorcerer.

“Since you’re the most serious about rituals, you wouldn’t undo your own ritual, would you?”
“Heh heh…”

In other words, the Grand Sorcerer couldn’t betray me until we destroyed the organization on Mars.

“Oracle would do it if that child asked him to.”
“But Oracle respects you enough not to give such orders, right?”
“Heh heh… You know me well.”

Anyway.

“…If you’re done with your business, could you leave?”
“Heh heh… My business isn’t over yet.”

The Grand Sorcerer said so.

Come to think of it, his reason for coming to Korea wasn’t to participate in this ritual, but to recruit talent for Oracle’s team.

Even so, if he were taking the talent, there was no reason to remain here…

“I don’t know much about Korea. Could you guide me around?”
“……”

Hearing that, I canceled the ritual on me and drew my sword.

“Master, calm down!”
“It’s not serious! So put the sword away!”

Yeon Mirae and Sophia grabbed my arms to restrain me.

“Phew…”

The old sorcerer seemed experienced; he knew just how to get under someone’s skin.

“Heh heh… I really mean it when I ask for a guide. Oracle requested it, too, but since I’ve come to Korea after a long time, I might as well see the sights, right?”
“Then hire an official guide for sightseeing. You can’t be without money…”

I stopped mid-sentence, considering a possibility.

Sorcerers often pay extra to acquire artifacts at auctions. Naturally, the Grand Sorcerer would be no different.

Moreover, unlike other Awakened, he doesn’t actively raid dungeons, so he wouldn’t earn money that way…

“I do have money, but not much.”

Enough to survive while staying in Korea.

“……”
“……”

In other words, he only has that much money.

This human… could it be…

“Hmm… If you don’t want to guide me, could I pay you instead? You did help with the rituals for this building. Usually, even assisting in such rituals earns a lot, doesn’t it?”

He didn’t come here just to earn money in Korea, right?

‘… He did say he came based on a fortune, so it’s possible.’

Perhaps the fortune he saw told him not only that he could participate in a large-scale ritual by finding me but also that he could receive money from me.

Unlike other sorcerers, he could gain such detailed information from a fortune—because he is the Grand Sorcerer.

“Tch… Sophia.”
“Yes. Based on industry averages, the payment should be about this much.”

Sophia quickly calculated the amount owed to the Grand Sorcerer and informed me.

Seeing this, I opened a pocket dimension, took out a stack of cash, and handed it to him.

Most of my wealth is in my account, but I had stored some in a pocket dimension for emergencies.

‘Honestly, this is still a small amount.’

But he personally participated in the ritual. Calculating payment based on industry averages is far too modest.

“Heh heh… Well then, good work.”

After receiving the money, the Grand Sorcerer turned and left.

Though he left on foot, not via a ritual, so it took a long time.

“… That Grand Sorcerer is surprisingly worldly.”
“Is that so…”

Lee Ha-eun murmured as she watched him go, and I didn’t deny it.

Even a sorcerer obsessed with rituals needs some worldly behavior for basic living and artifact collection.

“But who is the talent that the Grand Sorcerer came to recruit in Korea?”

Yeon Mirae asked, curious.

“I have a guess.”

From the moment Oracle sent the Grand Sorcerer, it’s possible to roughly guess whom Oracle targets.

Of course, it would be a sorcerer.

However, as mentioned earlier, Korean sorcerers are generally not very skilled—at least at this point.

‘But I know of one exceptionally talented sorcerer who will become famous in the future.’

Currently not famous, but before the reset, an outstanding sorcerer.

Especially…

‘Famous for necromancy.’

Necromancy is a controversial art, often viewed negatively, but everyone recognized his skill.

He even achieved the feat of resurrecting a deceased hero.

‘Yes… resurrecting the deceased hero, Woo Ji-min.’

In this cycle, I revived Woo Ji-min, but before the reset, someone else did it.

With the help of a shrine maiden and Director Shin Han-ji, I revived him, but that person did it alone.

Though unknown now, he will be an exceptional sorcerer in the future, so it’s highly likely that Oracle targets him.

“Then shouldn’t we find and protect him? To prevent him from joining Oracle…”
“Impossible.”

Yeon Mirae stated the obvious, but I shook my head.

“I don’t know where he lives.”
“…Ah.”

Yeon Mirae fell silent.

Naturally. I wouldn’t know the address of someone I’ve never met.

I don’t even know in which region he was active at this time.

The only clue is his face in my memory.

‘…Honestly, I don’t know his name or age either.’

He was always called the Necromancer, so even his name is unknown.

Finding and protecting someone like that is impossible. Oracle and the Grand Sorcerer likely know, though.

In this situation, all we can do is…

“There’s nothing we can do. We can only hope the Grand Sorcerer’s recruitment fails.”

Prayer is all we have.