Chapter 24
Leodimir smiled with interest at my bold greeting.
He responded in a gentle, soft voice.
“Greetings, Summerson. Congratulations on your excellent admission.”
“You’re too kind. I just worked hard toward my goal. I had a reason to enter with good grades.”
“And what was that reason?”
“To meet you privately.”
A strange silence settled over the office at my response.
“…”
Intrigued, Leodimir leaned toward me.
His blue eyes pierced through the audacious freshman.
“Then you’ve achieved your goal, Summerson. Why did you want to meet me?”
“…”
I silently looked at Leodimir.
Instead of answering, I revealed Clode, hidden under my clothes.
“…!”
Leodimir’s eyes widened instantly.
The amused glint vanished, as did the smile on his lips.
Having faced countless dramatic moments, he couldn’t remain calm before the familiar blue mana gem pendant.
‘Clode.’
He hadn’t mistaken it.
The hexagon pierced by a vertical silver line within the gem.
It was unmistakably Clode.
His trembling eyes fixed on me.
I spoke calmly to him.
“The preamble for a reunion after 30 years is a bit short, but I trust you’ll understand quickly, Leo.”
“…”
“Many things have changed and broken in that time.”
“…”
“But I’m relieved to see you’ve remained such a fine figure.”
Unlike my calm words, Leodimir didn’t blink.
He narrowed his brow, staring at me in silence.
His blue eyes met my unwavering gaze.
Then, they fell again on Clode, glowing softly at my chest.
“…”
A long silence stretched between us.
And—
Scrape—
The sound of Leodimir’s chair sliding back broke it.
He stood slowly.
His blue eyes carried a cold aura, like their color.
“Even if it’s a family said to have usurped its true head, Kirhausen remains one of Luxorin’s three pillars…”
“…”
“How far do they intend to degrade its dignity?”
“…”
His lowered gaze simmered with rising anger.
His voice, suppressing that anger, growled roughly.
His blue eyes, though cold in hue, burned with fiery rage.
He steadied his angry breathing, looking at the boy before him.
A boy daring to impersonate his master, who died tragically 30 years ago.
‘He’s a Kirhausen Tail, isn’t he?’
This orphan from a nursery must have been coerced by the current head, Furas von Kirhausen.
‘I don’t know how Clode’s seal was broken to end up on this boy, but Furas is clearly using him to deceive me.’
Grind.
His teeth clenched, producing a harsh sound.
But meeting my unwavering eyes, he relaxed his jaw.
‘It’s not this poor boy I should be angry at.’
What hardships had Kirhausen put him through to perform so calmly in this situation?
Pity filled Leodimir’s eyes.
He imagined the harsh trials this boy endured as Kirhausen’s tool to deceive him.
“Hoo…”
He sighed deeply, calming his anger.
“Tell Kirhausen’s head not to insult my master or his achievements with such nonsense again.”
“…”
“And please… consider the dignity Kirhausen should uphold.”
At his final words, my eyes trembled slightly.
‘You’re sincere, Leo.’
A disciple genuinely concerned for his master’s ruined family.
I felt both gratitude and deep guilt toward him.
The years Kirhausen had decayed must have been as grueling for Leodimir.
The frustration of a great mage unable to investigate his master’s death and the family’s usurpation due to politics.
The desperation to hold together a crumbling organization without its core.
The bitterness of opposing his master’s former family.
Leodimir had endured all this with faint hope to reach this position.
His anger now—
“Is a debt I owe you.”
I stood, facing him.
“‘Consider the dignity Kirhausen should uphold’… a fine phrase. I feel the same.”
“…”
“So, I need your help, Leo.”
His brow furrowed further.
But I met his gaze unflinchingly.
Recalling a past memory, I said,
“Kirhausen is a mess now, and I intend to shatter and empty the cup they filled by killing my children.”
“…!”
As I finished, my eyes glowed golden.
Leodimir’s blue eyes widened and trembled.
‘Impossible.’
He remembered my last words.
***
Fifty years ago, on a rainy night—
Without notice or transport, the second son of House Devens arrived at Shainborough in the dead of night.
Leodimir Duke Devens, drenched and dripping, had said,
“I’m here to see Teacher Kirhausen.”
Not “Lord,” but “Teacher.”
Facing Edmund, he immediately asked to be taken as a disciple.
Edmund’s reply was simple.
“Go back.”
Despite repeated pleas, Edmund firmly refused.
Leodimir clung, demanding the reason.
Edmund sighed deeply and placed an empty wine glass before him.
He poured wine without a word.
Gush—
The glass filled quickly, but he didn’t stop.
Gush, gush—
The wine overflowed, soaking the table and carpet, until the room, their clothes, and shoes were a mess.
“If you become my disciple, this is what awaits you soon.”
To a bewildered Leodimir, Edmund told him not to return until he understood, sending him away.
Soon after, rumors spread that Edmund might be expelled from the magical world.
His magic, ignoring established principles, had crossed the Mage Council’s patience.
Leodimir then understood Edmund’s meaning.
“That day… I came to you with my cup already half full.”
Becoming Edmund’s disciple meant turning his back on the magical world.
As the second son of House Devens, he had to be ready to abandon all his privileges.
His realization soon turned to action.
He returned to Edmund, meeting his unwavering blue eyes, and said,
“I’ll empty my cup, Teacher. Please take me as your disciple.”
That day, Leodimir renounced all Devens privileges and became Edmund von Kirhausen’s first disciple.
***
“…”
Leodimir looked at the boy before him, eyes trembling endlessly.
The truth was unbelievable, suffocating.
The next moment—
My Clode emitted a brilliant blue light.
My mana circle began moving Edmund’s mana within it.
Simultaneously, the blue mana gem in Leodimir’s ring glowed in sync.
“…!”
It was only natural.
My Clode wasn’t the only one containing Edmund’s mana.
“Huh…”
Leodimir stared at his Clode, incredulous.
Then his gaze shifted to me, my golden eyes shimmering.
‘Only six people in the world can wield Clode’s mana.’
Yet this boy recounted a private story between him and his master, wielding that mana.
Both Clodes reacted, emitting their stored mana.
Only one possibility remained.
Unbelievable, impossible, but—
This boy was truly—
‘My master’s reincarnation.’
Leodimir’s eyes contorted, revealing long-suppressed emotions.
Anger and pity had long vanished.
His face, twisting, brimmed with countless indescribable emotions.
I nodded calmly at my disciple.
…
Though a heartfelt reunion after 30 years, we couldn’t linger.
This was, after all, a brief meeting between the second-place scorer and the dean.
Even using the plaza incident as an excuse, I had already spent too long in the office.
‘Lingering longer could spark rumors among the freshmen.’
So, I chose to act quickly rather than dwell on the past.
I handed him Furas' letter.
Leodimir, taking it, rolled the envelope in his hand and chuckled.
“You resisted opening it despite your curiosity.”
I smiled back at his jest.
As he opened the envelope—
Shwaaa—
Dark red smoke billowed out.
The cloud-like smoke quickly dissipated.
But Leodimir’s and my expressions hardened.
“A 6-star chaos spell, Veniophet, cursing intruders… not a safeguard, but a trap.”
“You were wise not to touch it. To think they’d put a chaos attack spell in a letter meant for a 14-year-old…”
“They’d rather eliminate a meddling Tail than discipline them.”
Leodimir gave a bitter smile, agreeing with me.
He then read Furas' letter.
“…The current head seems very concerned about his son.”
With a brief comment, he handed it to me.
I read it and chuckled.
It stated that, due to the rift between Kirhausen and Leodimir, any harm to Marcel would not be overlooked.
Though polite and indirect, it was a childish threat.
I set the letter down, sighing softly.
I shook my head at the family’s state.
With the letter delivered, my tasks in the dean’s office were complete.
I wanted to talk more, but I steeled myself.
“There’s plenty of time ahead. Now that we’re in the same place, we’ll catch up gradually.”
“Yes, let’s do that. I’ll send the untold stories in a separate letter.”
“Good.”
“…”
A reluctant silence lingered in the office.
But, like a master, I stood first.
And—
Clasp—
Before leaving, I took my disciple’s wrinkled hand.
“Thank you, Leo.”
“Don’t mention it. I should’ve realized when you used Attribute Disruption in the plaza.”
“You’ve aged quite a bit yourself. Time spares no one.”
“Haha, true.”
Leodimir laughed softly at his rejuvenated master’s jest.