"Hyung-nim."
"Why?"
"I don't think I need the phoenix's egg."
"What do you mean?"
Augustine tilted his head at the words Gility threw at him.
Even though he cherished him like a younger brother as if his own blood, he was a guy with even greater greed than himself.
But refusing the price for Dire wolves?
Naturally, suspicion arose.
However,
"Instead, give him to me."
"You crazy guy!"
Augustine had to grit his teeth at Gility's brazen attitude, pointing towards Elric, who was deeply engrossed in meditation in one corner.
Did this guy have any idea how hard he had worked to save him? And now he was shamelessly trying to take it all for himself!
But Gility remained shameless as ever.
"I'm not saying I'll have him for myself, I am asking for a chance to teach him too. Do you have any idea how much trouble I had to go through to raise Dire wolves that were slaughtered this time because of you? I went all the way to the Southern land of Dragons to get the cubs, feeding them the resurrection plant for five years, and..."
"Alright, alright! I will give you a chance!"
"Hehe. You've thought well."
Gility laughed darkly.
Despite being a magician worthy of being called a great mage, he had yet to decide on a proper successor due to the unique nature of his school.
But Augustine's request for something so valuable had piqued his interest.
Of course, as the head of the Melvinger family and the successor of Night's Chronicle, his school might have taken a backseat, but...
'Even if I disregard all these conditions, he's still an overly greedy guy. What can I do, sigh!'
Until Elric escaped from the Labyrinth of Blue Fog, his admiration was limited to "You really picked up something good!"
But when Elric passed Level 4 in just one hour, Gility's mind was completely blown.
He had never seen anyone handle mana so well in his life, no, anyone so 'close to mana'!
Considering even Augustine had to transplant a Dark Elf arm and a mana pathway to surpass human limits.
In that short time, completing the intricate mana circulation route of Night's Chronicle, akin to a maze, was commendable beyond measure.
Gility's interest in Elric stemmed from this reason alone.
He excelled in handling a myriad of beasts to the point of being called the King of Beasts.
To capture and indoctrinate beasts, one must set frequencies tailored to each individual. And to do this, one must possess sensitivity and affinity to manipulate mana to such a fine degree.
In his view, Elric was the most optimal candidate.
"But whether or not he becomes your disciple is up to him. First, you need to convince him properly."
He hadn't even properly conducted the ritual of forming a master and disciple bond, yet now he was already calling him a disciple.
Suppressing the urge to let his lips curl in disdain, Gility nodded his head.
"Understood. Don't worry about that."
As Gility glanced at Elric, even his eyes seemed to gleam with madness.
Throughout this observation,
Augustine couldn't shake off a sense of unease.
If Gility was like this, wouldn't the elders of the senate or the unpleasant old men of the guest chamber harbor similar ambitions upon seeing Elric?
'...No way. It won't be like that, right?'
He wanted to believe it wouldn't, but for some reason, Augustine couldn't shake off his doubts.
* * *
'My mana, it's all back.'
Elric chuckled with satisfaction as he gradually emerged from his meditation.
Feeling the mana coursing vigorously through his mana pathway after so long, he couldn't help but smile.
It had taken a total of eight days for him to pass the entrance exam of Night's Chronicle to Level 4.
Though it was just over a week.
During that time, his physique had completely transformed.
To the point where the saying "a complete transformation" suited him.
The output and efficiency of mana had improved to an incomparable extent compared to before, and his body was as firm as that of a martial artist.
From every muscle to the tips of his fingers, mana flowed gracefully.
'The biggest achievement is that there is no need to memorize magic one by one to arm yourself with magic armament like in the past.'
Normally, to engage in combat, he had to unfold spells like 'Cognitive Expansion' or 'Sensory Enhancement' one by one to unleash Body Strengthening Art.
However, such practices not only wasted mana significantly but also posed a heavy burden on physical strength, resulting in lingering aftereffects.
Not only did fatigue set in easily, but there was also the risk of severe disability in the worst-case scenario due to overload.
But now.
Just by channeling mana, his body automatically strengthened, and his senses became sharper.
Not to mention efficiency, there was no need to worry about aftereffects.
It was a change brought about by the connection between magic martial arts and body strengthening arts.
'Now that I've stocked up quite a bit of pills here, if I steadily consume it, I might be able to complete the remaining Bone Marrow Cleansing.'
'If so, I might be able to explore all the other minor mana pathways that I haven't yet.'
Elric was glad to have a foundation for continuous growth.
And...
'There's still one final entrance exam left.'
Elric raised the corner of his lips.
Certainly, until he simply fell into the Labyrinth of Blue Fog, his dissatisfaction was far from over.
But now, he was curious about what else lay ahead.
However, he had some suspicions.
'Mephisto said so. It was the first time he saw the flowers of Anck-Su-Namum forming such a colony. It's something that can't happen unless there's an area nearby where the Demon King's demonic domain or the demon realm association takes place. Maybe... it's related to that.'
Whatever it was, it was bound to be of great help.
With those thoughts in mind,
Elric slowly rose from his seat.
* * *
"Aren't you afraid?"
"What do you mean?"
Elric, following Augustine's lead, suddenly chuckled at the question thrown at him.
Augustine, with a smile that seemed to say he was pleased with such a disciple, couldn't stop smiling.
"The final entrance exam. Didn't I mention it? In fact, hardly anyone has passed the entrance exam from the beginning to this extent in the past few hundred years."
Augustine didn't explicitly mention that Level 4 was the last.
Even that was a great achievement achieved by only five people since the foundation of Night's Chronicle.
"Considering I fell off the cliff with my mana blocked, what could possibly scare me?"
Elric grumbled, still full of unresolved resentment.
He didn't forget to give Augustine a stern look either.
Augustine's expression was even cute in response.
"Hehe! So you're still holding onto that moment in your heart."
"I'll never forget it for the rest of my life."
"That's the spirit. You see, holding onto grudges fiercely in your heart, no matter how many years pass, is the way to grow significantly."
"…."
Normally, one might feel uneasy about speaking in such a manner, fearing a blow to the back of the head. But instead, Augustine seemed oddly pleased, almost as if he welcomed it.
『This old man is not a pervert, is he?』
[...Maybe?]
『I've heard that among elderly human magicians, there are many who have developed some sort of mental illness after being isolated from society for a long time and immersing themselves in research alone. Perhaps they're referring to this kind of person.』
Mephisto advised to be wary of getting too close as it could become dangerous, suggesting to extract what's useful and turn away.
Elric was about to say, "Isn't that the same for you too, Mephi?" but stopped himself.
Suddenly, Augustine was standing in front of a cave.
At first glance, it looked like a small cave abandoned in the middle of the mountainside, the kind where bears or tigers might reside.
However...
'What kind of mana scent is this...?'
As soon as he crossed a certain boundary, a strong and distinct mana aroma permeated the air.
It was a grim and heavy mana scent.
Just approaching it made his stomach churn and his spine shiver involuntarily.
Moreover, the mana field was so dense that it felt like it was forcefully compressing the air.
'Demonic energy!'
Elric realized what it was and straightened up.
Hwaaah-
The two seals engraved on the back of his hand reacted spontaneously, emitting a radiant light.
『Demonic…..domain?』
Mephisto's expression stiffened considerably.
Demonic Domain.
A territory reserved for beings elevated to the rank of a demon king.
Regardless of its size, such a place could be considered a 'demon realm,' with laws and properties distinct from the ordinary world.
『I've never heard of a demonic domain existing in a place like this... Could it have been established after this king fell asleep?』
[Do you have any idea whose territory this might be?]
『With this kind of scent... There's only one person that comes to mind. But it was primarily active in the east. Hmm?』
Elric was about to ask who that might be, but before he could, Augustine approached and turned his head in his direction.
"Hehe. You sense it too, huh?"
"I am Melvinger."
"Well, your family has been hunting demons for generations, so it's understandable that you'd sense it. But I doubt you'd have any idea who it might be. Isn't that right?"
Elric nodded heavily.
While Mephisto had mentioned the possibility of a nearby demonic domain, he hadn't expected to identify the specific demon king.
No matter how much he recalled his family's knowledge, there was no demon king that matched this description.
"Where are we?"
"It's a shrine of our school, much like the labyrinth."
"...?"
Elric couldn't understand Augustine's words and tilted his head in confusion.
A demon king's territory as a shrine?
"This is the place where the founder of the Night's Chronicle school possibly resided. Follow me."
Elric followed Augustine deeper into the cave.
With that, the thick darkness that had enveloped them outside disappeared, revealing brightly lit cave passages illuminated by magical lamps.
And on the walls...
'Religious paintings?'
The walls were covered with various colorful murals, resembling some kind of epic tale. It depicted the lifelong battles of many figures against a single entity.
Some characters met their demise in accidents during their youth, while others fought wars even into old age.
Meet friends, improvements in different magics... Each mural depicted unique content, but they all shared one common feature.
The enemies they fought against were all depicted as the same individual.
"The origin of the school... You must have some idea that the Night's Chronicle came from far to the east, right?"
As Elric quietly nodded, he absorbed the murals one by one.
Despite their simple depiction, there was something strangely captivating about the murals.
"In reality, the founder of Night's Chronicle was originally an Alchemist researching herbal botany in the east."
『Hmm. This is my first time hearing this.』
Mephisto's face, usually eager for information even if it concerned the origin of the school, showed considerable interest.
"But one day, he lost his beloved wife and daughter to a certain demon king, and in pursuit of revenge, he came all the way to the western regions."
『Oh, so that's how it happened?』
"But that demon king was too formidable for the founder to confront directly. So, he changed his plans midway. Based on the knowledge he possesses, he aimed to acquire not only the knowledge of magic in the western regions but also incorporated the powers of demons without discrimination to become stronger."
Elric's eyes widened slightly.
"So, did that grudge pass down through the generations?"
"Yes. There were many who harbored resentment against that demon. For over a thousand years."
"Ah."
Elric nodded as if understanding.
Didn't Melvinger continue to maintain the founder's legacy and continue to wage war against demons?
There was no law saying that even Night's Chronicle could not do that.
The difference was that while Melvinger built its power in the form of the family and fought a war, Night's Chronicle solely harbored resentment towards a single demon king, in the form of individual vendettas.
"These murals are the stories of the predecessors who ultimately failed to complete the task in their time, so they are their own stories."
Only then did Elric understand why this insignificant mural had caught his eye so much.
Each painting was imbued with such intense resentment, so how could they not leave a strong impression?
"So, the revenge is still ongoing," Elric remarked.
"No. If it's about revenge, it ended long ago."
"…?"
Elric cocked his head in confusion.
Augustine chuckled as he looked at Elric.
"Didn't I tell you? This place is both the shrine of our school and the demonic domain of a certain demon king. How is that possible?"
"…!"
『Ah.
[Capturing that demon king made it possible to claim its territory as spoils of victory.]
Mephisto stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
『They captured him? Even though he may have been of a common origin, he must have been quite high rank. To capture him… There must have been a capable fighter among the successors.』
Elric glanced at Mephisto, inwardly surprised.
If Mephisto acknowledged it, the demon king must have been incredibly strong in life. But if revenge was achieved, then surely Night's Chronicle possessed equally remarkable skills.
However, judging by his tone, it didn't seem like there were many successors who achieved victory…..
"So, the one who accomplished that was...?"
"Of course, it was this old man."
"…!"
Elric's eyes widened in astonishment at the unexpected revelation.
"However, due to too many variables in that battle, the outcome was inconclusive. Since then, I've set a new goal."
The seemingly endless corridor suddenly reached its end.
"Through my successor who will emerge one day… And if not, through the other successors who come after, let's determine the outcome of that day's battle again."
As they approached a vast chamber large enough to accommodate hundreds, Augustine abruptly halted his steps, causing Elric to stop alongside him.
And he couldn't help but be astonished.
On one side of the chamber, a giant figure, easily ten meters tall, leaned against the wall with its head bowed.
The thick demonic energy swirled fiercely around the figure.
"It seems... my disciple, you appear to take the seal of a demon despite being a human. Is that correct?"
Augustine's eyes were firmly fixed on Elric and glowed intensely.
"If so, then you go forward. Let's see if his seal is stronger, or if the teachings of this old man are stronger."