Retire 444
by Cristae444 Once Again (4)
The events in Okinawa were gradually fading from memory.
Proof of that could be seen in the bright faces of the French hunters who had come from Okinawa to Korea. They’d brought piles of gifts—chocolates and other treats—supposedly for the Korean students, but their luggage was packed with presents for their families.
When they said they were staying to “wrap up the dungeon,” I wondered if there were still negotiations left with Japan, but it turned out they just wanted to enjoy a bit of vacation on the side. I couldn’t say anything, since even Han Taekyung from our house had done the same.
If anything, the fact that they’d thought to bring snacks for the kids was considerate…
Kang Taewoo, who’d been going on about studying in France, suddenly came to mind.
…Is he trying to make a move, or what?
Anyway, the new guests settled into Yangseong High with ease, and the students adapted to them as well. Some of the visitors didn’t stay long and returned to France. For a guild of that size, it would be difficult to keep hunters overseas for too long.
Of course, even the Banner of Glory hadn’t brought all their hunters to Okinawa. That guild was so large that, in France, there was hardly anyone who hadn’t heard of it.
But from the perspective of the staff welcoming these guests…
“Wow, this is nice. The only downside is there’s no alcohol.”
“This is a school!”
“That’s why I’m behaving myself. Why don’t we put a bar like this in our guild building?”
“We used to have one.”
“Then why don’t we now?”
“Something happened before you joined… a very big something.”
…When are these people going to leave, anyway?
I glanced at the French guests lounging on sunbeds at one side of the field, holding non-alcoholic cocktails from the school café.
At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder who Lee Miseon had left in charge of the café. I was sure they were a hunter, last I checked.
I had a sneaking suspicion that if I ordered a real cocktail with alcohol, they’d serve it without batting an eye. Not that I planned to test it while the kids were in class.
Not that these hunters were just a nuisance. Like the Daseon hunters, they also taught classes for the kids. And not just in theory—their lessons were genuinely helpful.
With summer over, the third-year students at Yangseong High were focusing in earnest on dungeon raids. There were still areas where they were lacking. That couldn’t be helped. Daseon continued to screen dungeons, and Han Taekyung or I would double-check them.
Based on that, we’d prepare dungeon reports for the kids, and they would devise their own strategies without the teachers’ help. At first, Lee Seungyeon always acted as leader, and Han Eunyoung handled the strategies, but after we suggested they try rotating roles, they made a cute effort to take on different responsibilities.
Honestly, there’s still a lot that needs improvement. Not with the kids, but with the school’s facilities and the quality of the classes.
Still, we’re doing our best with what we have. That’s what matters.
And even if it didn’t quite meet my standards, the French hunters were always impressed, so I decided to have a little more confidence.
“This time, Mr. Robinson and… one of his guild members will be joining, right?”
Kim Chaemin sidled up to me.
“Yes. He said he wants to check the results of the training in person… What can we do?”
“Come on. He’s probably relieved to have a guardian along.”
“Well, this dungeon is a bit more challenging than usual.”
Kim Chaemin nodded in quiet agreement.
“What do you think? Do you think the kids will do well?”
“They’d better. Taewoo’s been stirring things up, talking about studying in France and all that… If they want to make a good impression on Mr. Robinson, they’ll have to do their best.”
“Studying in France, huh… That’s not the best environment for Seohyun or Jinwoo.”
“But the student council president’s group should be fine, shouldn’t they? What about Charlotte Mallet? The Okinawa matter. You said you’d look into that.”
That archmage had introduced Robinson to the Japanese dungeon. She hadn’t seemed that way when we met in person… It was a suspicious situation.
But Kim Chaemin shook her head gently.
“I don’t think Mallet knew.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well… in the sense that nothing’s ever a hundred percent, I can’t say for certain.”
If you put it that way, there’s nothing in the world you can trust.
Perhaps noticing my exasperated look, Kim Chaemin grinned playfully.
But when she spoke again, the playfulness was gone.
“There were a few degrees of separation. Someone Mallet knew was acquainted with the investigation team, and Mallet introduced that person to Mr. Robinson. And it wasn’t just one person.”
Robinson had explained this part himself later on.
“But that’s not enough. The investigation team itself is still suspicious.”
“Here’s where it gets real.”
“Huh?”
Kim Chaemin lowered her voice.
“The investigation team did check out the dungeon, but… they cut corners.”
“Cut corners?”
“One of them knew a mage, and that mage registered the dungeon under their name.”
“A mage? And they just did that?”
“I guess they thought it was worth it to do a small favor and get in good with a mage. The mage claims to have found the dungeon by chance… but who’d believe that? They probably just used the dungeon for magic practice and wrote up the report based on what the mage gave them.”
“Magic practice?”
“It happens sometimes. Officially entering a dungeon is a hassle, so people sneak in and out like this.”
I knew a fair bit about the mage community twenty years from now, but when it came to the present, Kim Chaemin was the expert.
And knowing what I did about the average mage’s personality, it was entirely believable. To be honest, there were people doing the same thing even twenty years later. And it wasn’t just mages.
“So who was the mage?”
Kim Chaemin smiled.
But her smile wasn’t bright.
“Sam Bloom.”
A name I never would have expected.
It took me a moment to process it.
“…That one?”
“Yes. That one from last year.”
Why is that name coming up here?
It was unsettling, but in a way, it was also a relief. At least I wouldn’t have to dig into the life of a mage I didn’t know. Not that I would have done it myself—Kim Chaemin and Lee Miseon would have.
At any rate, that dungeon ended up being connected to Noah Michel.
After Sam Bloom handed over the dungeon, it was forgotten until Robinson got in touch. Noah Michel didn’t pay it any mind, either.
What had Noah Michel intended to do with that dungeon?
“Maybe nothing in particular.”
Kim Chaemin acknowledged my question, but offered a different perspective.
“Think about it. The fairy inside is from the future. And Noah Michel…”
“Knows there are monsters from the future.”
“Maybe she wasn’t planning to do anything with the dungeon—just keeping track of where the fairy from the future was.”
I mulled over Kim Chaemin’s words.
“Michel must know it’s not useful. But if it were you, wouldn’t you want to know?”
“…If there were others who’d come back from the future, I’d want to know.”
“You never know how it might be used in the future.”
It made sense.
I nodded slowly.
“I’ll have to check with the principal as well.”
“About what?”
“About the dungeons where something from the future appeared. It’s been a while since Michel was active. There might be some overlap with the dungeons Mr. Hong entered.”
I doubted there’d be much to find, but it couldn’t hurt to check.
I hoped my sister’s unnecessarily locked documents contained something useful. No, why did she bother with such a hassle, when only her own mana pattern could open them? She wasn’t the type for such delicate work.
…Maybe that meant the information was important.
“By the way, how’s the leg?”
“Oh, thank goodness for Mr. Han! We would’ve been in trouble otherwise. We’re focusing on isolating a single contaminated egg. Since they succeeded in the U.S., we should be able to do it even more safely with Mr. Han here!”
I glanced in the direction of the lab.
At least here, everything was as peaceful as could be.
Nantes, France.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A man in a long, cumbersome-looking robe knocked on the door.
“Magician Michel?”
There was no answer from inside.
The man blinked awkwardly, then knocked again.
“Magician Michel? Last week, you—”
“I told you not to disturb me…!”
The door burst open, and a woman with long, golden hair appeared. Her face was twisted in irritation, and her voice was sharp, but when she saw the man’s face, she softened and smiled.
“I thought I asked not to be disturbed…”
“Ah, yes. I’m sorry, Magician Michel. The item you requested last week is ready today. You said it was urgent, so I brought it.”
“Oh! Ah, yes, if you’d called I would have come myself.”
Noah Michel fussed over the visitor, and the young magician blushed under the attention of France’s most renowned archmage.
The only reason he’d volunteered for this errand—something more suited to an apprentice—was because of the blonde archmage before him. If he could just get on her good side… who knew? Maybe he’d get something out of it.
“Give it to me.”
“Pardon?”
“The item.”
“Oh, yes. Yes… Here.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
Bang.
The young magician stared blankly at the door, which had slammed shut with a loud noise.
Contrary to his hopes, the door did not open again.
“……”
And inside, behind the firmly closed door—
Noah Michel ground her teeth and looked around her chaotic room. Papers covered in runes and formulas were scattered everywhere.
Without caring if she crumpled them, Michel strode to the center of the room and overturned the box she’d just received.
The contents—marbles—spilled out.
Chrrr…
They were about the size of a child’s fist. Some were clear, some blue, some pure white, some red, some yellow, some shimmered like rainbows, others were as black as the night sky.
Marbles of every color rolled haphazardly across the floor.
Noah Michel stared at the marble that rolled to her feet, then nudged it with her toe.
The inside of the marble glimmered gold for a moment, then returned to its original color.
France’s proud archmage, the so-called Jewel of Nantes, cherished and protected by all, slowly raised her arms.
It looked almost like a dance.
It looked almost like a prayer.
It felt as if she was casting herself away,
and at the same time, as if she was claiming everything for herself.
Her white robes fluttered. The marbles that had been scattered across the floor were swept into order by an invisible force.
Mana settled over the room, calm as if time itself had stopped.
And the archmage, master of all these things, lifted her bowed head and stared into empty space. Her long hair began to ripple.
“Humans are always the problem.”
Noah Michel muttered, biting her lips.
“Humans were always the problem.”
Reacting to her mana, the marionette dolls hanging on the wall began to twitch and wriggle.
The marbles, drawn by the magic, stopped. What had seemed like random movement now formed a picture. More precisely, a map.
Noah Michel, having drawn a map of the western coast of the United States, whispered softly, as if admonishing herself.
“Humans are no good.”