The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

“…Well, these kinds of things are beyond the realm of calculation.”

Residue muttered as he sat roughly perched on the outer hull of the spaceship. He had wondered what had attacked them, and the truth turned out to be a cannonball the size of Residue’s upper body.

To think that a spaceship flying in the sky would be shot down by such a primitive method. Despite their foolish appearance, they seemed to possess considerable skill.

“Who would have thought that, at that moment, the flow would be cut off due to the appearance of these kinds of lowlifes?”

“…You are absolutely right. I cannot help but admire Your Majesty’s foresight.”

Agolet had returned to his calm voice. Come to think of it, it seemed he was not the only one whose head had been heated. Just moments ago, Residue had clearly been more excited than necessary as well.

Of course, matters of pride are very important… but wasn’t there a smarter choice to be made?

Upon pondering why, it might have been because of the Negotiator.

Because of the bastard’s uncomfortable presence, even if they weren’t aware of it, both had become sharp-edged mentally.

“Anyway.”

Residue looked at the group who were kneeling.

”What did these fools introduce themselves as?”

“Bandits.”

“There are no mountains nearby though?”

“Then they’re simply enemies. I shall cut them down.”

Srrng.

When Agolet drew his sword, the bearded man shouted urgently.

“W-wait! Please wait a moment, master!”

”This one has never raised disciples.”

When Residue replied with a swirling smile, the bearded man’s face quickly turned pale. An amusing reaction. Residue liked people who showed clear emotional expression like this.

Perhaps it was because he used to be the Lightning God.

Because he had never been easily swayed by any incident or stimulus, he now felt envy toward vivid, lively individuals. One could say he never grew tired of watching them.

Luca’s face briefly flashed through his mind, but he stopped himself from falling into memories, as Agolet might really slaughter them all if left unchecked.

If killing them had been the goal, they wouldn’t have been suppressed and seated like this.

“Beard.”

“Y-yes.”

“What is this place?”

“This is ‘Green Center’.”

“……”

As Residue quietly glared, the man realized belatedly that his explanation was insufficient and hastily added more.

“T-to the south is the ‘Boar Ruins’ and to the west is the ‘Snake Spawn Swamp’! To the east is the ‘Octopus Lake’ and...”

“Why the hell are the names like that?”

“W-well… There might be official names, but we just call them that for convenience. The monsters we encountered near those areas looked exactly like that. Haha…”

Habitat of boars, snakes, and octopuses.

Of course, the actual encounters must not have been with such cute creatures. More accurately, they were likely lairs of ‘monsters resembling boars’, ‘monsters resembling snakes’, and ‘monsters resembling octopuses’.

Still, since the regional names were intuitive, he nodded in acknowledgment.

“Keep going.”

“…And to the north, there’s the ‘Future City.’”

For the first time, a clear place name was mentioned.

“Where exactly is north?”

In a world like this, there was no clear standard to divide the cardinal directions. It wasn’t an environment where a compass could properly function either. East, west, south, and north were likely divided loosely based on these bastards’ own standards.

“That way.”

The bearded man pointed in a direction with trembling hands.

“Agolet.”

“Yes. It is the direction we were heading toward.”

Then the conclusion is clear.

The Half King is in the territory of Futurix.

***

These self-proclaimed bandits were not killed and instead decided to be used as guides. Because they had contributed to preventing a conflict with Agolet, their lives were to be spared this once.

Usefulness can be found in everything in the world.

They were the kind of lowlifes who sustained their garbage-like lives by plundering others’ belongings, but in the current world, being able to act like bandits for a long time was a form of skill in itself. These guys, at the very least, had decent knowledge about the surrounding geography and environment.

And he added that to survive thin and long, one also needed the discernment to avoid touching those who looked dangerous.

“By the way, did you attack the Grand Galactic Alliance? Do you even realize how massive that faction is?”

“Those guys…? Uh, weren’t you affiliated with the Grand Galactic Alliance, master?”

“Not really.”

Suspicion formed on the bearded man’s face, but even so, he didn’t delay in answering.

“We don’t really know why, but when we hide in the western swamp, strangely, they don’t pursue us any further. Also, we only ever target small spaceships operated by mechanical soldiers.”

It seemed that because mechanical soldiers were considered consumables, they didn’t respond aggressively even when damaged. Naturally, the chances of retaliation were reduced, even if just slightly.

And in this vast current world, it would be physically impossible to grasp and respond to every incident in every region. That wasn’t something the bearded man said, but Residue’s own assumption.

“Ah. I see it.”

While they were talking, they had arrived at a place where the Future City came into view.

“Hmmm…”

Residue took in the sight of a corner of the massive city spread before his eyes.

It was a colossal dome.

A hemispherical structure… of course, this was something that far exceeded the size of what could be called a “structure.”

Even though they were standing at a considerable distance, the entire building couldn’t be taken in at once. Moreover, the exterior material, whether it was metal, glass, or plastic, was indiscernible. It was made of an unknown material, and strangely, there were no shadows or highlights across the entire structure.

In other words, it was a mass of white so strange it felt alien, and because of that characteristic, it was difficult to gauge the distance and exact size.

“More than a city, it looks like some kind of arena. Have you ever gone inside?”

“No.”

“Any strange occurrences near the city recently?”

“No. Ah, wait. There is one thing.”

The bearded man looked at the dome.

“Flying objects used to fly near the city from time to time, but we haven’t seen any recently.”

Could it be that they had completely cut off communication with the outside?

The probability that the Half King was there grew even higher.

Residue nodded and said.

“Well done. You lot can go back now. Ah. I’ll give you the spaceship we came in, use it well.”

“Whaaat? R-really?”

Residue replied with a swirling smile.

“Yeah. Live righteously.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you, master!”

The bandits bowed their heads simultaneously. Residue gave a casual wave of his hand and walked toward the Future City, leaving them behind.

When the bandits were no longer in sight, Agolet spoke.

“It is those men’s misfortune to have met Your Majesty.”

“Hm?”

“That is no ordinary spaceship. It was the vehicle that Your Majesty and I briefly relied on. The Grand Galactic Alliance’s leader was keeping an eye on it, so they’ll respond much more quickly.”

“That could happen. Or not.”

“……”

“If Kiel responds aggressively, that will be their misfortune. If he responds half-heartedly again, or does nothing at all, that will be their fortune. They were a bunch of marauders anyway, shouldn’t they at least roll the dice to that extent, as common courtesy?”

“So it’s a poisoned chalice. Understood.”

Agolet nodded.

Residue looked at his face briefly, then pulled something from his robe and handed it to Agolet.

“What is this?”

“The Beginning Wizard’s mask.”

“I know that. But why give it to me?”

“Wear it. Your face draws too much attention.”

Though he didn’t seem very willing, Agolet eventually accepted the mask and put it on.

“While you’re wearing that, I’ll call you Atif.”

“Do as you wish, Your Majesty.”

By that time, they had arrived at the Future City.

The arrival came sooner than expected, which meant the city was even larger than imagined.

Residue stood before the smooth outer wall of the city and muttered.

“Maybe it’s because the world’s become like this… but cities like this seem to be getting more and more closed off.”

No matter how he looked around, there was no entrance in sight, which reminded him of the walls of a fortress city.

“Since there seems to be no entrance, I suppose I’ll have to make one.”

Crackle!

It was right after he summoned his lightning flow.

Ripple......

The surface of the dome rippled like water, and soon a pitch-black hole appeared.

It was just large enough for two people to enter side by side.

“How fascinating. As soon as I summoned the lightning, an entrance appeared.”

“A smart building.”

“It would be nice if it stayed this cooperative. Shall we go in?”

“I’ll take the lead.”

Residue slightly shook his head, then stepped into the hole first.

It was dark at first inside, but soon, with a thudding sound, the lights came on. The lights turned on sequentially, and the sound of them powering up was quite grand.

Under the lights, a long corridor stretched forward, with no end in sight. At a glance, there didn’t seem to be any paths or doors connecting to other areas along the walls.

At the top of the corridor entrance, an electronic signboard was attached.

[Welcome to the Future City!]

“……”

Residue felt a strange sensation. Even though they had entered the interior, he couldn’t sense any presence at all.

The signboard was flashing, and the corridor was brightly lit, yet there was no sound. It was so silent that he could hear a faint ringing in his ears.

Clack.

When he took a step forward, the sound of his footstep echoed clearly and vanished into the distance of the corridor. Residue couldn’t help but chuckle.

”These guys really know how to set the atmosphere.”

“Let us not lower our guard, Your Majesty. Futurix, to my knowledge, is the most meticulous of the Void Lords.”

“The most meticulous Void Lord, huh…”

In that case, would Residue have good compatibility with them, or not?

That was something he would have to find out.

With such idle thoughts, he walked forward for a while.

…Even after walking for about ten minutes, the scenery around them didn’t change at all, and he began to feel bored.

It wasn’t like they had the luxury of time to begin with.

Crackle!

Residue summoned his lightning as a threat.

“I came here knowing the Half King is present. If I’m not guided to him immediately, I’ll destroy this corridor.”

“……”

“No, maybe I should just blow this whole city away. I’ll count to three. Three-”

Ripple......

At that moment, the corridor rippled again and transformed.

The endlessly extending straight path vanished, the lighting dimmed slightly, and they found themselves standing at the center of a forked path.

Then the electronic signboard appeared once more.

[Beginning Wizard, go left! Companion, go right!]

To separate them at this point?

What were they plotting? Agolet glanced this way. There was no obligation to obey, so he was leaving the decision to Residue.

‘Have they figured out he’s the White Knight?’

No matter how formidable Futurix was, it seemed unlikely they would see through the Beginning Wizard’s mask, crafted from materials of the Outside… although that could also be a hasty assumption.

Still…

“……”

When Residue gave a slight nod, Agolet headed to the right without complaint. He was not the type of man to stab someone in the back no matter where he went, and they hadn’t come here to fight anyway.

Of course, Futurix might think differently, but for now, Residue judged that splitting up and gathering information separately was more effective.

Thus, the two men went their separate ways without once looking back.

Not long after Agolet’s footsteps completely faded, and Residue had continued walking alone for some time.

A door appeared for the first time.

Was this the destination? Without thinking deeply, Residue opened the door.

Fwoosh-

Along with a rush of heat came a metallic, fishy smell. Of course, metal didn’t have a smell, so this was proof that at least one person existed here.

As he walked forward, he examined his surroundings.

Under dimmer lights than the corridor, the space was tangled with wires, pipes, and metal. Among them were old-looking monitors, and occasional mechanical sounds echoed here and there.

The heavy warmth and strange atmosphere… had the floor been slightly more squishy, he might’ve mistaken this place for the inside of some massive creature.

Splash.

As he walked a little further, water had pooled on the floor. At first it was just enough to slightly wet his shoes, but as it deepened, by the time it reached his calves, even Residue grew uncomfortable and stopped for a moment.

The water was warm.

It didn’t seem like an ordinary liquid, but he couldn’t determine its exact composition.

Was this stifling heat coming from the water?

He set the question aside and began walking again. Fortunately, this time he didn’t have to go far.

He finally spotted a person. And that person was the reason Residue had come all the way to this city.

“……”

In a slightly open space, the Half King was there.

Submerged in the water without a single thread of clothing on, though she wasn’t swimming, of course. It was more like she was lying on a bed. Her hair spread wide and evenly, like some kind of seaweed.

Only then did Residue realize that this warm water was a cultivation fluid.

“Hm.”

As he carefully approached, he could see the Half King breathing evenly with her eyes closed.

From the peaceful expression on her face, it seemed she was sleeping… but something about her being completely asleep even with a guest present made him feel oddly uncomfortable.

He watched her for a moment, then crouched down beside her.

Did someone like her even need to breathe? He was about to press his finger against her forehead to check.

When the Half King suddenly opened her eyes.

“……”

“……”

Their eyes met.

To say he wasn’t flustered in that moment would be a lie.

For some reason, he had the very clear sense that he was in serious danger.

He absolutely must not show signs of being surprised or panicked… but maybe because he was startled, his mind wasn’t working well.

Still, he had to say something, anything.

Residue drew on a similar experience from his past life of indulgence to come up with a response.

Maintaining composure as much as possible, in a nonchalant tone.

With a slight smile, he spoke smoothly.

“…Did you sleep well? Little kitten.”

Instead of a reply, a fist flew at him.

Come to think of it, that line was only effective if you had a handsome face.

*****

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