Chapter 155

The Back-Alley Mage’s Return – Chapter 155

Chapter 155. I Am Your Downfall

The actual reason I finally decided to inquire regarding the “Fairies’ Dance” was simply that it was the final evening preceding our scheduled arrival at the academy.

“Tell me, what exactly is the Fairies’ Dance anyway?”

“……After keeping your lips sealed for days, that is the first thing you choose to utter?”

“Quiet. You are speaking far too loudly.”

“…….”

I pulled my shoulders inward and cautiously scanned our immediate surroundings.

It was a shadowy dusk.

The rabid hound had temporarily vacated his position to grab a bite to eat.

Ah—to clarify, when I refer to a “rabid hound,” I am talking about Shine.

I have absolutely no inkling what that miserable wretch managed to pull out from the Sword God’s Tomb, but throughout this entire trek, his petty, irritating provocations had never once ceased…

‘There truly is no rabid hound quite like him.’

The sole reason I had resolved to maintain total silence over the past few days was specifically to deny that rabid hound any sort of opening to exploit.

It absolutely had nothing to do with the fact that the events back in Lortel had left my disposition completely sour. Truly. My only goal was to refrain from giving that rabid hound any excuse to snap.

Therefore, after continuously surveying the landscape for a brief period—

The moment I was certain Shine had traveled a substantial distance away, I spoke up once more.

“So, regarding that matter….”

“The Fairies’ Dance.”

“Right. I was merely curious about what exactly has been keeping you so utterly captivated.”

Truthfully speaking, matters such as the Fairies’ Dance or the concept of a mana supersaturation phenomenon were not things I particularly cared about.

Common adventurers might get incredibly restless and excited over such enigmatic occurrences, but from my perspective, it was merely an uncommon quirk of nature.

Much like a sudden hailstorm in the middle of a summer afternoon, or blossoms emerging during the dead of winter—just a minor “Huh, that is somewhat peculiar” type of event.

However, observing Parun’s behavior had piqued my curiosity.

‘What exactly is this Fairies’ Dance that has him so deeply engrossed?’

Parun is the sort of individual who can effortlessly absorb the contents of most magical research texts in a single sitting, so it was highly unusual to watch him fixate on a collection of records that wasn’t even particularly thick—for days on end.

Parun stared back at me with an unreadable expression, then began sliding the records away before raising his gaze.

“If I were to describe it strictly as a physical occurrence, it amounts to a highly delightful display.”

“A display?”

“Precisely. When mana reaches a state of supersaturation, luminous rings begin to ascend across the surface of the lake. Because the spectacle resembles the rhythmic movement of mythical sprites, the locals refer to it as the ‘Fairies’ Dance.’”

“……? It becomes so heavily supersaturated that the energy actually turns visible to the eye?”

“It is not quite that. The luminous rings themselves are not pure mana—rather, they are a distinct phenomenon that manifests precisely because the mana is reaching a state of supersaturation.”

To put it differently, when the ambient mana overflows past its capacity, a particular magical effect is triggered.

But… so what? What relevance did that actually hold?

“The crucial element here is that the Fairies’ Dance might not actually be an occurrence born of nature. Demonstrating it will be far more efficient than explaining.”

Parun shifted his stance to sit upright and carefully executed a hand sign.

He then began to chant words that completely eluded my understanding, causing me to incline my head in confusion.

Given that the surrounding ambient energy was shifting, he was clearly utilizing a spell—yet it was quite rare to witness a spellcaster of Parun’s exceptional caliber resorting to physical hand signs and spoken incantations.

Furthermore, it did not give off the impression that he was manipulating an exceptionally high-grade tier of magic either.

Shortly thereafter, Parun completed his invocation.

“Now, observe.”

“That is….”

Parun kept his eyes fixed on the semi-transparent geometric shape hovering directly between us as he proceeded with his commentary.

“It is a defensive boundary spell. Quite rudimentary to the point of being embarrassing, but it ought to suffice for illustrating the occurrence. At this moment, I shall begin compressing magical energy directly into the interior of this boundary.”

In short order, a cerulean vapor began to permeate the geometric shape.

The shape quickly became entirely stuffed with the cerulean vapor, and bit by bit, the shade grew increasingly dense—shifting past a basic blue—until it mirrored the dark, murky depths of an ocean abyss.

Right around that moment, Parun spoke up.

“This particular boundary is designed to render magical energy visible. This time, I want you to introduce your own magical energy into it.”

Without raising any objections, I began channeling my own magical power directly into the geometric shape.

A spellcaster of Parun’s caliber normally shouldn’t encounter any difficulty filling an area of that scale, but it appeared he was experiencing constraints due to the simultaneous demand of sustaining the defensive boundary itself.

At any rate, after a brief period had elapsed—

Creak— rattle!

The geometric shape commenced a violent shuddering, as though a localized tremor had struck the area.

The internal energy was rapidly nearing its ultimate threshold and could no longer be contained.

“Are you attempting to artificially replicate a localized mana supersaturation phenomenon within the confines of this boundary?”

“Not within the boundary itself.”

“……?”

I tilted my head, yet continued to feed my magical energy inside. Simultaneously, a wave of skepticism began to form.

‘Not on the inside?’

So, for how long did I persist in funneling my energy into it?

The defensive boundary vibrated so intensely that visible fractures began to spiderweb across it—snap, snap. It was precisely at that instant that Parun’s voice cut through.

“Cease.”

I immediately halted the flow of my power and watched the display in total silence.

Parun shut his eyelids, formed an alternative hand sign, and uttered a chant while intricately altering the framework of the boundary—and right at that exact second, a torrent of magical energy began to erupt outward from the structure.

Rumble—

A momentary, overwhelming deluge of magical power.

The moment it broke free from the boundary, the structural visualization dissolved, meaning the actual currents could no longer be perceived with plain sight—yet in terms of raw sensory perception, that ferocious, wild momentum could be felt with absolute clarity.

And then.

“……Huh?”

Only then did I truly comprehend the meaning behind Parun’s statement of “not within the boundary itself.”

Shimmer, shimmer—

All around the perimeter of the structure that was currently discharging the magical energy.

Glittering points of light began to spark.

Initially, a single… then a pair of luminous specks flickered randomly, but within moments they began to scatter frantically and multiply exponentially.

After a short while—

“Haa—”

Releasing a weary breath, Parun deactivated the boundary and unsealed his eyes.

“This represents the true underlying nature of the Fairies’ Dance.”

I gazed at that mesmerizing brilliance for a brief moment before turning my face away.

As though the entire spectacle had been nothing more than an illusion, the shimmering rings had already completely dissolved. Nothing remained but the soft radiance of our campfire, and Parun’s words drifted gently into the quiet night.

“Naturally, this remains nothing more than a working theory. The Fairies’ Dance is not an event tied to a permanent geographical spot.”

“The rumors claimed that the setting shifts with every single occurrence?”

“Correct. There exists but one unifying factor: the site of the event is invariably a lake. However, no one possesses the means to predict which specific body of water it will manifest in next. Furthermore, there is one additional detail.”

“……?”

Parun constructed a second defensive boundary.

This time, the execution was far swifter than his previous attempt.

“This is a spatial warping boundary. Its purpose is to obscure and camouflage a designated zone. Tell me, what do you perceive?”

I focused my gaze intently on the seemingly empty space.

To a casual observer using standard vision, it was entirely impossible to even detect that a barrier was present, but when analyzed through refined sensory perception, the area felt distinctly unnatural.

“The current is distorted.”

“What else?”

“If you focus intensely, you can capture faint distortions as well. It feels… as though a pane of perfectly clear glass is standing there.”

“Yes. In our field, we refer to that as a spatial singularity. However, within the territory of the Amera region, those specific singularities are completely imperceptible.”

“In that case, perhaps it is not a boundary at all?”

“That remains a distinct possibility.”

Parun gave a slow, measured nod of agreement.

After a brief pause, he continued.

“A multitude of conflicting theories exist regarding why this unique trait manifests exclusively within the lakes of the Amera region. Yet even if we discount the presence of a boundary, the general consensus remains that it is highly unlikely to be a standard natural phenomenon.”

The underlying catalyst could stem from numerous sources.

Perhaps forgotten ancient ruins, or some sort of artifact that hasn’t been unveiled to civilization just yet.

To put it plainly—

“For that exact reason, it possesses immense investigative worth. Naturally, the task will be far from simple. Several prominent noble lineages have dedicated centuries of study to this matter and have still come up empty-handed.”

By this point, even I could fully grasp the implications.

‘If it turns out to be a boundary, it means uncovering an entirely unmapped frontier of sorcery, and even if it proves to be something else entirely, it remains a subject highly worthy of investigation.’

Even if, contrary to all hypotheses, it turned out to be a mere quirk of nature, that was perfectly acceptable.

That would simply mean unearthing yet another fundamental law of our world that we had previously remained ignorant of.

When presented in such a structured manner, the Fairies’ Dance was a subject that even I found reasonably fascinating.

It wasn’t that I harbored a burning desire to plunge into it the way standard mages or treasure-hunting adventurers might, but I felt an identical curiosity regarding its true identity.

Consequently, I voiced the final inquiry that had been floating around in my thoughts.

“Still, why exactly was it dubbed the Fairies’ Dance? Purely judging by its visual characteristics, it feels as though it could have been assigned countless other titles. Does it stem from some ancient folklore regarding sprites?”

“I have no clue. That particular aspect holds no interest for me.”

“Hmm. I understand.”

As anticipated—classic Parun.

the exact second the discussion drifts even slightly away from pure sorcery, he completely terminates the interaction.

Utterly disregarding any sense of romantic mystery, focusing exclusively on theoretical magical analysis—that is the quintessential scholar of the current age.

It was at that moment Parun spoke up once more.

“Has it piqued your curiosity? If you find yourself intrigued, we have the option to delay the submission of our research paper for a short period. Given that this phenomenon only transpires once every few decades, witnessing it firsthand would certainly be a worthwhile experience.”

It was a highly considerate proposition.

Nevertheless, I gave a subtle shake of my head.

“I still have not secured the wyvern.”

During my recent stint in Lortel, I came to a crystal-clear realization.

Crossing paths with Demian… fine, let us leave that particular matter aside. From Henji and the grueling Hall of Trials, all the way to my Headmaster senior and the depths of the Great Forest—

That entire sequence of calamities, far too seamlessly interconnected, was absolutely no twist of fate.

Therefore, until the moment I successfully obtained the wyvern, I absolutely required a period of laying low and avoiding attention.

Furthermore, did the Young Head of House not explicitly mention as much?

‘That the other prominent magical lineages are already launching rapid operations?’

Under such circumstances, would an entity like Deculan truly remain passive regarding an event this fascinating? From my perspective, absolutely not.

If those wretched vultures find themselves starved of opportunities, they will gladly rifle through the garbage of a dark alleyway just to salvage something of value.

Naturally, they don’t necessarily utilize every single thing they lay their hands on. Initially, they simply seize it and deliberate.

Do we consume this, or do we leave it be?

And should they choose not to consume it?

‘They will intentionally destroy it so that no one else can ever lay claim to it.’

At any rate, even if one were to set Deculan aside, becoming entangled with rival prominent lineages and triggering various conflicts and mishaps was entirely undesirable.

If an opportunity exists to steer clear of it, I ought to steer clear of it.

“In that case, I suppose I shall simply have to journey to Amera Lake unaccompanied. It has been quite a while—I believe I shall assign my research assistants a hefty workload to handle.”

“…….”

So it hadn’t been genuine consideration for my sake after all?

It was merely a piece of bait he deliberately extended so he could justify journeying to Amera Lake on his own accord.

“Then what is the status of the Infinite Chain?”

“I have successfully comprehended the core fundamentals, but the execution remains imperfect. Even so, I should manage to bring it to completion over the course of the upcoming intermission. However….”

Parun’s gaze grew intensely sharp as he locked his eyes onto me.

“Why do you harbor such an intense fixation on the Infinite Chain? Is there an object of specific importance you are attempting to locate? For instance, perhaps a legendary Grimoire…?”

It seemed his underlying wariness had still not entirely dissipated.

I exhaled a heavy, weary breath in response to Parun’s incredibly piercing glare.

“Setting that aside, you are confirming that you will have it finalized during the intermission?”

“Correct. Should you find yourself in need of its utility, simply inform me at that time. Provided the offered compensation is deemed adequate, I shall extend my assistance.”

“Understood….”

Regardless, let us push back any utilization of the Infinite Chain for the time being. The matter of greatest urgency at this present moment was not the Infinite Chain—it was the development of the New Thousand Origin Art and the refinement of my Circle.

Prior to the rabid hound making his return, I began tidying up my immediate resting area.

I drew my thermal sleeping sack tightly over my frame and softly shut my eyelids.

Shine made his return a short while later.

“What is the meaning of this? I could swear I detected the voice of that primitive creature just now.”

“I have absolutely no knowledge of what you mean.”

At some undetermined point, Parun had transitioned to addressing Shine in an entirely casual manner. Shine, however, didn’t appear to register the shift, and without paying it any mind, he began investigating my state of being.

Like a bloodhound tracking its quarry, he scrutinized me from one perspective and then another—his freezing breath brushing lightly against my hair.

For just how long did he remain standing there staring?

‘Has he finally departed?’

Precisely as I was preparing to slightly part my eyelids—

Shine’s freezing, ominous voice vibrated directly beside my ear canal.

“Primitive creature, precisely how long do you believe you can continuously evade the inevitable? Keep this ingrained in your mind. Occasionally, there exist occurrences that you are entirely powerless to evade. And within our world, we define that reality as destiny.”

“…….”

“I am your downfall.”

With those parting words, the rabid hound shifted his body and strode away.

I shifted my weight slightly beneath the covers and swallowed forcefully.

‘……Curse it all.’

I absolutely must reach the estate of House Brando at the earliest possible opportunity—without delay.

Whether Shine truly represents my ultimate destruction or not, one reality remained completely undeniable: he was meticulously grinding his blade to a razor-sharp edge.

In that manner, the bone-chilling night slowly drifted past.

And eventually, we managed to successfully pass through the gates into the metropolis of Hazen.