Chapter 66

“Riana, you! My only disciple, how could you be so cruel to me! Ugh……”

“Master? Wait, hold on. I was just……”

It wasn’t just Riana who was flustered.

For me and Abelin, who were convinced that Ronos was a demon, it was nothing short of shock and horror.

While Ronos wept uncontrollably, Abelin quietly approached and whispered in my ear.

“What on earth is going on here?”

“Do I look like I know? But don’t be fooled. It’s the demon’s trick to confuse us and have some fun!”

“Master……”

Riana, with her warm heart, couldn’t just leave Ronos, who was sobbing his heart out, alone.

She had said she didn’t want to go back, but that didn’t mean she would coldly leave an old man crying his eyes out.

“Master, but there’s one thing I want to ask.”

“Ask away, ask everything. In this situation, what can’t I tell you?”

“Then…… Master, are you really a de…… Ugh!”

Abelin, using her signature speed, rushed forward and covered Riana’s mouth.

She then shook her head vigorously, meeting Riana’s wide-eyed, confused gaze.

The word ‘de’ and what would have followed didn’t need to be thought about; just imagining it was dizzying enough.

It was painfully clear that Riana, while sharp, was still an inexperienced young girl.

If Abelin hadn’t instinctively sensed something was off, we would have been in big trouble.

It was already a confirmed fact that Ronos was a demon, but the knowledge of his true identity was something we had to keep hidden until the very last moment.

In hunting demons hidden all over the world, my ability to sense and identify demonic energy was an absolute advantage, but if things went wrong, it could become useless.

“Why are you stopping my disciple from asking me? How dare……!”

“Master!”

Riana tightly held onto Ronos, who was about to get angry at Abelin.

“No, it’s my mistake. I thought I should ask that question someday, but now doesn’t seem to be the right time.”

Riana spoke with determination, then slowly backed away from her master Ronos, taking Abelin with her.

“I promise, Master. I’ll take a short break. Then I’ll definitely return to your side. So please wait for me at the Magic Tower? I’ll study even harder from now on!”

“Riana, oh……”

Ronos, watching Riana slowly back away, weakly got up from his seat.

With his head bowed, he spoke in a voice full of bitterness and loneliness.

“You’ve grown up, Riana. There was a time when you clung to me, knowing nothing. Now you’re choosing your own path, your own desires, with your own strength.”

“Master……”

“I’ll be waiting. You’ve never once broken a promise you made with your own mouth. I trust my disciple, and with the High Magician selection coming up, a proper rest is necessary.”

Resigned, Ronos raised his head and smiled warmly and contentedly at Riana.

“I’ll be waiting. Rest well.”

“Yes, Master!”

Ronos even waved his hand gently as he turned away.

But after taking a few steps,

“And you two.”

“……!”

At Ronos’s voice, Abelin and I flinched.

He had called us ‘insignificant humans,’ ‘ignorant fools,’ but now he used the friendly term ‘you two.’

Moreover, unlike the voice full of hostility we had heard since our first meeting, it now carried a warmth, though not as much as when he spoke to Riana.

“Take good care of Riana, my disciple’s rest. It must be because of you two that Riana is wearing such a relaxed expression.”

“We, we’ll do our best.”

“Good. I don’t know if you’re aware, but all the expenses for Riana’s rest will be covered by the Magic Tower. But I won’t cover everything extravagant. So……”

Ronos turned around and grinned.

“Trust me. No matter how much it costs, I’ll cover it all.”

“Master? Really? You’ve always been stingy with money!”

“Of course. When have I ever broken a promise? Besides, it’s my only disciple’s rare rest time. I have even less reason to skimp. Rest well.”

Ronos even chuckled as he spoke.

However, what followed,

“However.”

The word ‘however’ carried a decisive weight, and a chill colder than the northern frost was felt.

“If you fill Riana’s head with nonsense, I won’t let it slide.”

“…… We’ll keep that in mind, Archmage Ronos.”

“Hoho, finally calling me Archmage, huh? Yes, I am an Archmage. And this time, I’ll let it slide because I saw Riana smile for the first time in a while, but……”

Zing-

“Ugh……!”

“Ugh……”

Instantly, an overwhelming pressure that took our breath away pressed down on Abelin and me.

Riana was startled too, but as a High Magician candidate in front of an Archmage, she didn’t have the power to stop it.

“I really won’t let it slide. There won’t be a next time. Take care.”

With those final words, Ronos released the pressure and leisurely walked towards the Magic Tower.

“Phew. Really, why do all Archmages have to show off their mana reserves?”

“Ugh…… It’s their greatest ability, so of course they would. It’s like flaunting power or money.”

“Are you okay, Kairon? Abelin too?”

Riana, with a worried expression, checked on Abelin and me.

“This much is nothing. Your master just wanted to scare us a bit, it didn’t seem like he intended to harm us.”

“But still……”

“He can’t mess with us now, right? At least if your master truly cares for you, he won’t stop us from bringing a smile to your face after so long. And you made a promise.”

“That’s right, Riana, you made a promise.”

Abelin, who had stiffened from the tension, loosened up and spoke in a regretful voice.

“I’ll definitely return.”

“But Master was sincere. I’m starting to doubt. Is Master really a demon? How can a demon shed tears, care for, and love his disciple like that?”

“Riana.”

It seemed Ronos’s act had worked incredibly well on Riana.

“I understand that you care deeply for your master Ronos. You’ve served him as your master since entering the Magic Tower, followed him all the way to becoming a High Magician candidate. You made that promise to return because of that, right? Touched by your master’s human side, crying and getting angry out of love for you. Right?”

Riana nodded firmly with a confident look.

It made it even more heartbreaking, but my job was to shatter the illusion Riana had completely fallen for regarding her master.

“So, Riana. What will you learn from your master when you return?”

“…… Magic.”

“What kind of magic? What kind of training methods?”

“……!”

Riana, swept up in her emotions, had forgotten the harsh and bizarre methods her master used to train her.

Ronos had tried to draw out endless hatred from Riana, using that hatred as fuel to ignite a massive flame.

“Think about it, Riana. The magic your master trains you in. And the methods he uses to train you. Are they really warm and human?”

“……”

Faced with the undeniable fact that she would have to confront again if she returned to the Magic Tower, Riana lowered her head.

“I don’t know. I don’t know, Kairon. What’s the truth? I can’t imagine Master being a demon. But the methods he uses to train me aren’t found in any book in the library or any story I’ve heard from other magicians.”

“I know, Riana. I’ve seen someone who fell into the same dilemma as you.”

Benedict, who fell in love with the demon Sophia.

Even Benedict, who had undeniable combat prowess, disappeared quietly in this life for reasons unknown, just as he had in his past life when he didn’t know Sophia was a demon.

He couldn’t accept that Sophia was a demon and almost went mad falling for another demon’s temptation.

The process of falling, the sense of loss.

And the chaos that came with that loss, leading to resignation, I witnessed it all with my own eyes.

Thanks to that, I know how much demons can confuse people’s hearts, how deep and wide that confusion can be. All I can do is comfort the victims of demons.

And……

‘To make my sister-like Riana this sad. You said you wouldn’t let us off?’

Before we get played by the demon any further, I’ll deliver the judgment.

Hugging Riana tightly, I steeled my resolve as much as the strength of that hug.

‘I’ll kill you myself, Ronos. Definitely……!’