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nThe Great Mage Returns after 4000 Years – Chapter 52 – Contact (3)

nTranslator: Seven

nEditor: Ana_Banana

nFrey never met Dugenjar again. (TL: thank god)

nThey left the magic tower after having a short conversation with the Tower Master.

nIf that was all they wanted to do then Frey could not understand why they had come all the way there.

n‘…did they come to see me?’

nHe had this thought for a moment before discarding it.

nStrangely enough, the moment he saw Heinz, his best friend had come to mind.

nSchweiser Strow.

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nIt wasn’t difficult for Frey to realise why.

nHeinz looked like he was carrying many heavy burdens. His expression was that of a man who faced a situation beyond his own capability. And it probably had something to do with the Blake family.

nFrey tried to think of what it could be, but the answer never revealed itself.

nThis was because there were no clues in ‘Frey’s’ memory.

n‘I guess I’ll find out when we meet face to face.’

nEspecially the family head Isaka blake. The key was most likely held by him.

nHe would see for himself.

nFrey was extremely sensitive to divine power, however, Heinz’s advice prevented him from going to check right away.

nIf Isaka Blake had truly become an Apostle then it was highly likely that he would be more powerful than Lukes.

n‘I won’t find the answer even if I continue to ponder it.’

nFrey decided to stop thinking about it and enjoy this brief moment of peace.

nBut his peace was immediately broken the next day.

n“It’s been a long time, young master.”

nIt was a middle aged man with neatly styled grey hair.

nFrey knew who this man was immediately.

nAlexandro, the steward of the Blake family.

nHe had come to visit Frey himself.

n‘They came much sooner than I expected.’

nHowever, thanks to Heinz’s reminder, Frey was able to figure out a way to handle this situation.

nFrey immediately bent his back and cowered.

nHe also rolled his eyes nervously while deliberately lowering his voice.

n‘I don’t know how much they investigated me beforehand.’

nFirst, there was no need for him to show them any signs that he had changed.

nAlthough he had talked informally with Heinz, that didn’t really matter because Frey had decided to not think of him as an ally or as an enemy.

n“H-, how did you know I was here?”

n“I checked the records for your Warp Stone trips.”

n“…”

nA background check.

nAnd he said it without displaying any shame.

nNo matter how important the steward was, in essence, he was still a servant yet he used the smallest amount of respect possible when talking to Frey.

nJust as Frey was observing him. Alexandro was also taking a good look at Frey.

n‘Not much has changed.’

nExcept for his slightly bigger physique, he seemed to be the same as before he was sent to the academy.

nThere were rumors circulating that he had destroyed a band of pirates but it seemed that those were just nonsense.

nWhat kind of luck did he have to become friends with someone like Peran Jun?

nAlexandro concealed his thoughts and explained the purpose of his visit.

n“The Lord is summoning you back home. He says that there is something he needs to talk to you about.”

nHmm. What should he do?

nFrey felt that he had reached a crossroads.

n‘Should I accept Heinz’s advice or go meet Isaka?”

nDepending on the choice he picked, the actions that he took would also change.

nFrey was lost in thought but he could not remain silent for long. Because Alexandro’s expression was slowly changing.

n“Now is… there’s something I need to do so it’s impossible.”

nFrey decided to put the meeting on hold for now.

nIt was partly because of Heinz’s advice, but also because he wanted to see what the circle was like first.

nThis caused Alexandro to have a troubled expression.

n“But it’s a request from the Lord…”

n“It’s something that can’t be helped. T-, tell my father that I’m very sorry.”

n“…”

nAlexandro couldn’t help but be surprised because he had never expected Frey to refuse Isaka’s order.

n‘Has he changed a little?’

nIt looked like he was too scared to agree.

nHowever, this was still an unexpected situation for Alexandro.

nNo matter how the family criticized Frey, he couldn’t actually force him to do anything.

nHe had no choice but to bow his head.

n“I’ll wait.”

nWith those words, Alexandro took his leave.

nIf Alexandro had looked back at that moment he would’ve seen a shockingly cold gaze that didn’t leave him until he disappeared from sight.

n* * *

nThe refinement of the crystal seemed to take longer than expected.

nWhenever Adelia appeared, she looked quite emaciated.

nYet there seemed to be an aura of excitement that exuded from her otherwise unsightly appearance.

nFeeling of curiosity, Frey couldn’t help but ask.

n“Haven’t you been away from the Academy for too long?”

n“It’s fine. In the first place, I accepted this position as a professor on the condition that my freedom wasn’t limited.”

nAdelia answered coolly.

nNaturally, if you wanted to hire a talented person like her, certain provisions needed to be made.

nFrey spent his time constantly training his body.

nOne regret however, was that Liamson and Camille had left.

nIn the first place, they were sent here to help the Phisfounder Armlets so after the Apostle was defeated they no longer had a reason to stay.

nBefore they left, Liamson went up to Frey.

n“You said that you were going to take the upcoming test right?”

n“I’m not completely sure.”

n“Well. Passing is a given and there will definitely be a scouting war for you. Hopefully, we can also participate. If we’re lucky, we’ll meet then.”

nHe raised his fist to Frey.

n“I’ll win more the next time we meet.”

n“Sounds absurd.”

nFrey and Liamson bumped fists and laughed.

nBefore Camille left, she gave Frey a black stone.

n“This is a Darkstone that’s only found in the Spirit World. This should help you feel the Dark Spirits better.”

n“Thank you for your help.”

n“It’s fine.”

nCamille had only let out a gentle laugh.

nThe Blacktooth Warriors had left the magic tower the very next day. Frey didn’t see them off.

nAfterwards, Frey simply began training on his own again.

nThis was because none of the magic warriors in the 3rd Magic Tower caught Frey’s eye.

nHe simply passed his time by training his magic martial arts or reading books in the library.

nOr while holding the Darkstone, he would try to contact Dark Spirits.

nWhen a month had passed, it was Julian, the Tower Master, instead of Adelia, who contacted him first.

n“What did you call me for?” (TL: hard to make this sound polite in english…but it was said politely)

n“Hmm. I have a proposal for you.”

n“…?”

nA proposal.

nJulian was not a member of the circle.

nOr did he want to trade something?

nBefore long, he continued.

n“Would you like to be a Floor Master?”

nFloor Master!

nIt was a position that almost every wizard longed for.

nSimply becoming a member of a magic tower was already something that would cause wizards to walk around with their chins raised, not to mention a Floor Master who could be considered an executive.

nRegardless of which tower it was, those in that position were admired and respected by all wizards.

nIt was a hard to come by opportunity.

nJulian simply continued calmly.

n“Mikel’s seat is currently vacant and I think that you are a very talented person who is fit to take his place.”

n“Are there any Floor Masters as young as I am?”

n“Mischael of the Blake Family became a Floor Master at the age of 28, you are much younger than him so you might be the youngest in history.”

nFrey remained silent.

nJulian spoke in a persuasive tone, maybe assuming that he was unsure of what to do.

n“If you become a Floor Master you would get many benefits. As soon as the documents are filed, the Empire will award you with your own mansion, lab and a research grant. You can trade or request knowledge and information about magic sciences from other Floor Masters. Depending on your achievements, you could even get some hard to find materials or rare magic tools.”

nIt was an amazing proposal that most normal wizards would not be able to resist.

nBut Frey shook his head without hesitation.

n“Thank you for the offer, but I’m sorry.”

n“…well. Have you considered joining the circle?”

nJulian laughed bitterly but Frey remained silent.

nIt wasn’t just for that reason.

nIt was mostly because he had no need for any of the benefits offered for becoming a Floor Master.

n“I understand. Then please forget what I said.”

n“I won’t forget the kindness that the Tower Master has shown me.”

n“Huhu. Thank you for saying that.”

nFrey went back to his room and just as he opened a book to read, he heard a knock on the door.

nHe knew who it was.

nThe people that Frey interacted with in the tower were very few, and with the departure of the Blacktooth group, it became even less.

n“It’s open.”

nCreak.

nAs expected, it was Adelia who opened the door.

nShe looked at Frey with a strange expression on her face.

n“Did you really turn down old man Julian’s offer?”

n“Yeah.”

n“You, you threw away such an amazing opportunity. If it’s because of the circle then you have the wrong idea. Just like uncle Mikel, it’s possible to hold two positions at once. No, instead I should say most circle members are like that. The Floor Master of a magic tower is the perfect identity to show the outside world.”

nWhat she said wasn’t crazy as it could be proven simply by looking at Tower Masters like Shepard or Deputy Tower Masters and Floor Masters like Lukes and Mikel.

nBut Frey didn’t have any regrets.

n“I just judged that I wasn’t ready to take on the position of Floor Master. I still have a lot of work to do.”

n“…”

nThere was nothing that she could say when he said that.

nThis was because, as Frey had said, there were still things that a Floor Master needed to do after they took their position.

nThey had to report their achievements and findings to the empire regularly or teach wizards in the tower.

n“If that’s what you think then I have nothing more to say.”

n“Did you just come here to say that?”

n“No way.”

nTak.

nAdelia put two glass bottles onto the table.

n“Well?”

nNot one but two?

nOne of them was filled with clear liquid and the other was difficult to see through.

nAfter receiving Frey’s puzzled gaze, Adelia explained.

n“I’ve made crystals into elixirs a few times before, but I’m sure that this time was the trickiest. That crystal had lightning energy. Lightning is one of the most intricate powers! Thanks to that, I had to use hundreds of gold coins to do it right.”

n“If that’s the case…”

n“No, no. I just wanted you to know how hard I worked, so I complained a little.”

nAdelia patted her chest slightly and Frey realised that she’d taken care of him once again.

n“But why are there two bottles?”

n“One is a mana elixir. The other one is, um…a bundle of extracted lightning energy.”

n“A bundle of lightning energy?”

n“Mhm. I can’t think of a suitable word to describe. Anyway, don’t just open it. I had to force it in there so it’s pretty dangerous.”

nFrey had a strange expression on his face.

n“Why are you giving me something so dangerous?”

n“It’s only a feeling, but I thought that you would be able to use it.”

nAs she said this, Adelia seemed a bit doubtful of her own judgement.

nStill, it was a waste to just throw it away. If it was Frey, she was sure that he would find a use for it.

nShe shrugged her shoulders.

n“Well if you’re uncomfortable with it, you can just throw it away.”

n“No, I’ll take it. And…thank you.”

n“Hmph. You should be more grateful. Adelia is the only alchemist in the world who could do this.” (TL: yes she used third person.)

nFrey let out a quiet laugh.

n“I don’t tend to forget my debts. I’ll definitely pay you back.”

n“Debt. Hehe. I like that.”

nAdelia laughed darkly at whatever it was she was thinking and seeing her playful expression also made Frey smile.

n“I’m leaving soon.”

n“You mean from the tower?”

n“Mhm. I’ve been away for too long I think. If I goof around any longer then that hag, Syris, will nag about it for months.”

nIt seemed that she also had a special relationship with the dean of the academy.

nFrey nodded.

n“Have a safe trip.”

n“I don’t know what your goal is, but be careful. Ah. Even if you take the elixir right now, there will be no problems.”

nWith those words, Adelia waved her hand and left.

nLater, Frey heard that just after she met him, she packed up her things and left for the academy.

nThat was when Frey realised that the reason she had stayed away from the academy for so long was to help him, and his appreciation for her deepened.

n“Then…”

nFrey decided to inspect the lightning elixir later and first picked up the mana elixir.

nOutwardly, it appeared no different from water. It didn’t appear to be as extraordinary as Frozen River or Torkunta’s heart.

nHowever, Frey could clearly feel the essence of mana that was contained within this liquid.

n‘I can feel the tremendous power inside of it. Three more elixirs like this. No. Even two elixirs like this would help me reach 8 stars.’

nFrey gave a slight smile as he discovered one more reason to attack Apostles.

nHeinz’s words appeared in his head once again.

nDidn’t he say not to drink the elixir?

nFrey couldn’t guess why.

nHowever, he wouldn’t think too much about it.

nHeinz was not a reliable source of information and there was nothing wrong with the elixir.

nHe was certain of this.

nAdelia, a genius alchemist had also confirmed this.

nSo what was Heinz thinking?

n‘Was he talking about the situation I’d be in by taking the elixir rather than a problem with the elixir itself?’

nFrey didn’t know and he didn’t make it a habit to worry about things that he could not find the answers to.”

nWithout any hesitation, Frey uncorked the glass bottle and raised it to his lips.

nGulp gulp.

nHe felt a coolness as though he was drinking ice water.

nHe clearly felt the elixir slide down his throat as he drank it.

nWoowoong.

n“…!”

nThe mana was denser than he imagined!

nFrey realised that if he managed to make all of this mana his, then he’d be able to increase his mana capacity by at least 1.5 times.

nFrey was convinced that there would be no 7 star wizard who could beat him when it came to pure mana capacity.

n‘Good.’

nSoon his body was dripping with sweat like a waterfall.

nIt wouldn’t be strange if this caused him to be severely dehydrated, but Frey’s mouth was curved into a smile.

n‘With this concentration on mana, I can extend my mana room to my entire body.’

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nThis was because it would allow him to expand his mana storage.

nIf it was completed perfectly then his mana veins would expand like rivers and allow him to maintain his top condition at all times.

nThis was a great advantage to wizards whose magical power varied, widely depending on their condition during the day.

nHuuk.

nFrey quickly calmed his mana.

nHis body had already succeeded in absorbing great amounts of mana again and again.

nThe mana in the crystal elixir wasn’t negligible, but it wasn’t dangerous. It wouldn’t take too much time to absorb.

nIt would take a month at most.

nAfter that he would probably leave the tower.

n(TL: Do you guys prefer ‘Alexandro’ or ‘Aleksandro’)

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