Retire 365

365 Invitation (1)

Europe is home to many ancient and storied magical families and societies. There are hundreds officially registered, and if you count the secretive mages who carry on their traditions in the mountains as if they’re something special, the number easily climbs into the thousands.

Whether all of them have the skill to confidently introduce themselves as mages is another matter entirely.

In any case, to have history and tradition means to have stubbornness. And stubbornness means a dislike for listening to others.

Throughout their long history, Europe’s magical families have been more like politicians than mages. They slandered and looked down on each other, boasted of their own greatness… Always striving to trample others underfoot. With such a way of life, of course they could never get along.

European mages do not get along. In modern times, things have softened somewhat, but the rifts born of centuries of strife are not easily healed.

Even so, there are times when even the worst mages set aside their grudges and focus on peaceful exchange. That’s the so-called European Grand Magic Conference—a name as simple as it gets. I’ve heard there’s some tearful backstory to its origins, but I’m neither a mage nor European, so I never bothered to listen closely.

What matters is this:

The pinnacle of scholarly exchange among European mages, the stage all the world’s mages dream of—Kim Chaemin has been invited to the European Grand Magic Conference.

“Now that I think about it, it’s a little annoying. I’d be eligible to participate even without all this, you know?”

Kim Chaemin waved the invitation from the conference, her expression somewhere between annoyed and amused.

Luxurious paper trimmed in gold. Elegant calligraphy. To me, it looked like a relic from another era, but there are plenty of mages who’d die for the chance to receive one.

I shrugged. She wasn’t wrong.

Kim Chaemin wasn’t formally affiliated with any European magical society, but her grandfather had worked in England, so she still held membership there. It’s understandable. Who would want to give up the world’s only mage family with three generations of archmages? It’s not Kim Chaemin who’d regret leaving, but them.

“You didn’t attend much, though, did you?”

Besides, in recent years, Kim Chaemin’s activity in Europe had dropped off sharply, just as her work in Korea had increased.

They must be worried she’ll switch over completely to another continent’s society.

“That’s probably why they sent the invitation, right? Hoping you’ll attend this time.”

“It’s a hassle, though. Going all the way to Europe.”

It was such a plain truth that I had nothing to say.

Kim Chaemin tossed the invitation aside. I wondered if the president of the conference knew how his heartfelt letter was being treated on the other side of the world. At least it didn’t go straight into the trash.

Still, despite her cool reaction, Kim Chaemin didn’t object to the invitation itself.

“I can’t let this opportunity slip by.”

If anything, she was fired up.

And I agreed.

“The current conference president is French, right? I’m sure Noah Michel had a hand in this.”

“At this point, shouldn’t it be called Michel’s Magical Kingdom? There’s nowhere she hasn’t reached!”

“Maybe not, but you never know. If not, then I’ll just apologize for suspecting her.”

Whether the conference president invited Kim Chaemin because of Michel or not didn’t really matter. Either way, it made sense, so there was no need to worry.

If the president invited her on his own? Of course, Kim Chaemin’s reputation is more than enough.

If Michel was involved, that’s understandable too. She’d already been riled up over runes before. Even if it wasn’t the runes, the fact that Kim Chaemin was cooperating with us was certain, so if I were Noah Michel, I’d want to meet her at least once. Most importantly, it would be easy to arrange.

See, if Noah Michel tried to meet Hong Seok-young, it would be a problem. Unless they’d cleared a dungeon together, two big names meeting without any pretext would be gossip fodder. And what excuse would there be for a mage and a Hunter to meet? That’s not easy to come by.

Who else, besides Hong Seok-young? Me? Regardless of my actual ability, I’m almost unknown in Korea compared to Han Taekyung, let alone overseas. How would she even arrange to meet me? Han Taekyung’s name is known, but he’s not on Michel’s level.

Im Miseon isn’t officially part of Guild Mimi, but she’d be seen as an ally. At least with her, you could arrange a meeting under the guise of business. I don’t know how interested Michel would be in Im Miseon, but even if they met, Im Miseon doesn’t know the details, so Michel wouldn’t get much out of it.

In the end, the only person Noah Michel could easily and inconspicuously meet and sound out is Kim Chaemin.

“If you want to probe others, you should be prepared to be observed yourself.”

Kim Chaemin snorted.

“Mages like us can never really hide what we are.”

“What do you mean?”

“How close you are to being a beast.”

“Hmm.”

Sometimes mages say things I don’t understand. Honestly, I didn’t even want to know what she meant.

So I let her words pass. Maybe she just meant she wanted to see Noah Michel with her own eyes and judge for herself. That’s enough.

Now the problem was—

“I’d like to go with you… but I’m not sure if it’s possible.”

“Huh? Just come as my secretary or something.”

Kim Chaemin blinked at me.

Well, that wouldn’t be a problem, but—

“It’s my identity. It’s… complicated. So it might be hard for me to leave the country.”

“Ah, right.”

She nodded belatedly, remembering.

My current identity was created for me by Im Miseon through the Association. It’s a clean record, but the fact that I was the whistleblower inside the Ark, disguised to join Hong Seok-young, still lingers.

Im Miseon aside, I doubted the Association would approve me for overseas travel. Maybe I’d have to use Hong Seok-young’s name again.

“Still, I really want to see Noah Michel with my own eyes. I’ll talk it over with this Hunter.”

“If they say no, just use the principal’s name!”

“……”

I stared at her, startled. Kim Chaemin, on the other hand, looked back at me with utter shamelessness, her chin high.

“What? If you say you’re Hong Seok-young’s only disciple, everyone will make way.”

“But I don’t have much of a record clearing dungeons…”

“That’s what the principal’s for! So you don’t have to deal with annoying stuff like that!”

“…Hmm?”

That was a line of thinking I hadn’t considered.

But… it actually sounded plausible.

I shook my head. Get a grip. I have no intention of being some paragon of virtue, but I don’t want to go around shamelessly using Hong Seok-young’s name, either. It’s not like I’m incompetent.

“I’ll keep that as a last resort. I’ll talk to this Hunter first.”

“No.”

But before that, we were met with opposition.

I slowly turned my head. In the lab, at the guest table and chairs. Sandra Gamble, the owner of the lab, was sprawled on a cot in the corner, having worked all night.

Instead, the one who had been quietly sipping tea at the table throughout our conversation now spoke up—a boy with jet-black hair. He’d sat there quietly the whole time, but now he suddenly spoke.

His delicate face, usually so absent-minded, was now set and serious.

“No. Neither of you can go.”

Alex Hope spoke with a firmness that brooked no argument.

So, just as we were about to start planning our trip to the Grand Conference, we hit a wall from the very beginning.

“Absolutely not.”

---

When I told Hong Seok-young about the conference, he told me to handle it as I saw fit.

He said Kim Chaemin would know more about mage matters anyway, and that he trusted my judgment.

If he really meant that, he should come back as soon as possible. He hadn’t been invited to the conference, but he could have found some excuse to be in the area.

“Why not?!”

My thoughts were interrupted by Kim Chaemin’s voice.

She glared at Hope in frustration.

“Then why do you want to go?”

Hope wasn’t backing down.

“I told you. I want to meet Noah Michel.”

“Yeah, but why?”

“That’s what I should be asking you!”

My head started to throb.

“Don’t just say no—give us a reason. Is there something you still haven’t told us? I want to see Noah Michel with my own eyes and judge for myself. There might be something I can only know by seeing her.”

Kim Chaemin seemed to change tactics, speaking gently as if coaxing a child instead of shouting. It seemed to work better on Hope, whose bravado faded a little.

“…I don’t trust her.”

Hope pouted, grumbling.

“What?”

“I don’t trust Noah.”

That wasn’t the subject I expected.

Kim Chaemin’s expression changed instantly. I stopped glaring at Hope as well.

“Do you know how cunning she is? Whether she invited you or not, the moment you said you’d come, she would have started preparing something.”

He was worried about us.

“Think about Semi. Do you think she did all that on her own?”

Kim Chaemin’s face softened. Hope, oblivious, chewed his lip anxiously.

“No way. She just sits there, smiling sweetly for her image, but if she snaps, no one can stop her. She could wipe out a whole city without blinking.”

“So you’re telling us not to go?”

“Yeah… The conference is in Marseille, and that place is full of Noah’s followers. It’s crawling with people like Semi.”

“What about the conference president?”

“If Noah complains about him being too naggy, he’s probably not one of hers. I think. Maybe.”

Hope wasn’t a mage, so he couldn’t know all of Michel’s sphere of influence.

“Really?”

“Yeah. So you get it, right? Don’t go!”

“Hm.”

Kim Chaemin smiled at Hope. At first glance, it looked like a warm, understanding smile, as if she was listening to him—but I could see the stubbornness beneath it.

A mage’s stubbornness.

Nothing would change.

“Then I’ll just check out the other mages while I’m there.”

“…What?”

“Thanks for worrying, but I’m going.”

“What if it’s a trap?!”

“I’d be grateful.”

I shook my head and pulled out my phone to message Im Miseon.

This wasn’t something to discuss over the phone. When was she coming to the school again?

“If she’s going to that much trouble, it just means she’s that scared of me, right?”