Chapter 55
Chapter 55
7-star magician! It was an adventure only for this growth.
Cadel didn't know if it was the satisfaction of finally achieving his goal or the effect of the Amplification Grass that was burning in his chest. A fierce flow of mana filled his veins. He closed his eyes tightly to feel the heat and leaned his head against the wooden post.
‘……It feels good.’
He felt a surge of energy filled his body. From head to toe, the throbbing pain of being beaten disappeared and was replaced by an almost electrifying sensation of pleasure. This was no joke.
As he burst into a small laugh, he heard Lydon's soft voice.
“Feeling good?”
A languid gaze moved beneath his slowly raised eyelids, and he nodded slowly as he turned to face Lydon, who was staring at him.
“I definitely feel stronger.”
“Haha! Good, good. That's the way it should be. Show off your qualities to be my guardian, Cadel.”
Lydon’s guardian. At the sound of that ominous combination of words, Cadel's barely uplifting mood quickly turned into a mystical experience.
‘To persuade the Fairy King on the condition that I become Lydon's guardian in the outside world.……. I have no idea where to start.’
Lydon realized that Cadel would need great strength to face his father. The [Amplification Grass] he had just consumed was a gift based on that judgment. The words of a guardian without a drop of mana would be untrustworthy, even if they were clear as day.
But even though the magic achievement increased after eating the grass, Cadel didn't feel much confidence.
‘I can't ignore the conflict with the elders. Melphis is at least an 8-star magician, and I'm sure the other elders are similar, and the Fairy King is…… I can't imagine what his grade will be.’
Cadel didn't want to use the word ‘merely’ with the 7-star level but here, he was really merely a 7-star.
It was hardly the kind of strength that would be expected from a man who was trying to drag the only heir of the Fairy Tribe out into the dangerous outside world. It seemed he had no choice but to inflate the cards he had.
‘To say I had to be bluffed even though I was a 7-star. It's bitter, it's bitter.’
However, he had to have that level of guts to entice the third-generation’s eldest and only son to do a moonlight flit.
“Tell me when you're ready. I'll hug you and take you home.”
Looking at Lydon, who was smiling beautifully without knowing what was on his mind, Cadel sighed quietly. A precarious future that couldn’t be predicted. Nevertheless, he had to move on. Otherwise, he was ashamed to see Lumen and Van, who would be waiting for him outside.
He would live proudly in this stinky forest. Cadel, determined, wetted his dry lips and pushed himself to his feet.
“Let's go. To convince your father.”
* * *
“Elder Melphis retreats because he can't catch a single human……. What do you mean by this?”
“From what I've heard, Lydon intervened and screwed things up again with his whims.”
“Lydon again……. How can an heir, who may inherit the throne at any moment, still have a…….”
“His mind is elsewhere, and he's not worthy of being king. How could such a wretch be entrusted with the fate of the forest?”
In the heart of the Forest of Enchantment, a great tower stood, woven of tree roots and vines, ice crystals, and stalks of fresh flowers.
The Tower of Enchantment, home to the Fairy King, Hyron.
Six elders and their warriors gathered in the garden in front of the tower and had a heated discussion with ‘Melphis’, ‘Lydon'’, and ‘human’ mixed together. The one who broke the commotion was Melphis, who appeared while crossing the garden. When he appeared with a vicious expression with veins popped on his forehead, the garden was instantly covered with silence.
“Sounds like a fun conversation.”
“El, Elder Melphis…….”
Melphis locked eyes with each of the six elders gathered in the garden. Feeling the unspoken pressure, they quickly turned away and began to distract themselves, and the warriors gathered behind them shrank back and were busy looking at each other.
In that stifling atmosphere, Melphis slowly raised the corner of his mouth. It was a clear smile, but his eyes were not smiling at all. It was a look that made the viewers feel uncomfortable.
“The warriors under my command are weary of the long pursuit. After replenishing our strength, we intend to go to find the criminal again, so each elder, please select a warrior under you. And…….”
Melphis' eyes moved. What he was looking at were two elders, the twin fairies Bornu and Norbu, clinging to each other. Unlike Melphis, the two elders, still retaining the appearance of young men, flinched as soon as his gaze met them.
“Aren't you two supposed to be here?”
“Ah…… Th, that…….”
“I can feel the cracks in the barrier. Since it seems to be a shock from the outside, the culprit must be the fellow criminals Aiden mentioned. Please focus on maintaining the barrier. Before the prestige of the Fairy Tribe falls to the bottom.”
“Yes sir!”
At Melphis' command, the twin fairies took off in a swift flight. Melphis, watching their backs, took a slow breath.
“The Fairy Tribe…….”
His voice was heavy with deep breaths. Melphis glanced at the elders, who were still distracted.
“We are protected by the power of the Great Spirit Pinhai, and we are a strong race, one that no human or demon can break. But even that is an illusion that will shatter more easily than ice if there is no king to inherit the power.”
Standing tall in the center of the garden, he relaxed the corners of his mouth that he had struggled to pull up.
“Lydon is the only heir to Lord Hyron, the only Fairy King. If you don't trust the child, keep in mind that there's no future for the Fairy Tribe.”
His eyes, which had cooled in an instant, stared at them with a fierce intensity. The elders who had spoken of Lydon's right to be king were already white as a sheet.
Melphis glared at his pathetic kinsmen and swallowed down the rage that was rising once more. The only way to quell this unquenchable rage was to find and punish those who had defiled the forest.
Having concluded, he turned slowly. He was about to make a quick exit from the space that made him angry with every breath he took, but as he stared straight ahead, he caught sight of a swift shadow flying through the garden's entrance.
“……?”
Melphis paused for a moment, assessing the identity of the shadowy figure approaching.
And.
“That, that’s……!”
Throwing away his charismatic majesty, he shouted while clutching the back of his neck with trembling hands.
“Lydooon!”