* * *

“It’s been a while, Mamil. My friend.”

The Imperial Emperor’s audience room.

Derek Osma stared at Mamil Kipa across from him, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. His expression was one of pleasure at seeing his old friend and nostalgia for the memories they shared.

Mamil, on the other hand, faced Derek with a look of unspoken irritation at his annoying and troublesome opponent.

“You’ve fallen for your friendly remark, Your Majesty. If you’re going to ramble on about the unpleasant past, I’ll go back now.”

The words were too impolite, too direct, too rude to be addressed to the Emperor of the Empire. But there was no one in the audience room to point it out to him. Derek merely gave a small smile and nodded.

“I heard that you recently reached the level of 9-star. Congratulations, you seem to have no limits.”

“Why? It seems like you don’t like the fact that I’m on a roll after going to another country?”

“No way. It’s just congratulations. It’s always a pleasure to see a friend grow. May the king of the Mainue Kingdom treat you with the utmost respect.”

“Despicable.”

Mamil clicked his tongue furiously and crossed his arms. Derek’s eyes flashed with bitterness at his defensiveness. But it was only a moment.

“I was quite surprised to hear that you voluntarily requested to be dispatched to the Empire. I thought you’d never come back.”

“I’m not here to see Your Majesty’s nightmarish mug face. I still haven’t forgiven Your Majesty, so I hope you don’t expect such disgusting things.”

“……I’ve never wanted forgiveness.”

Mamil glared at the Emperor as if he were going to attack him at any moment, but he managed to hold back his anger. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Derek.

“I only came to see you because my disciple has been made a knight of the Empire.”

“……Disciple? Did you have a disciple?”

“Cadel Lytos.”

Derek’s eyes widened at the sternness in Mamil’s voice. Mamil’s eyes glowed coldly as he watched Derek struggle to control his expression at this unexpected connection.

“Don’t mess with him, Your Majesty. Don’t even think about using my disciple as a pawn in your sordid political affairs. Even if the child wants it, don’t accept it. If my disciple ends up like Jenga, I really won’t stand back and see.”

Derek was as mute as a person who couldn’t express his thoughts in the presence of Mamil, who chewed on each word as he spoke. Slowly, the color drained from his eyes, which had been clouded with fascination. Barely regaining his composure, Derek spat out a low chuckle and shook his head.

“The three of us are indeed intertwined in a terrible way.”

“Let’s not get into this, the bond between Your Majesty and I was severed the day you chose Jenga’s death. It is still severed today, for Cadel Lytos is not Jenga.”

“……That child looks a lot like Jenga. Is that why you took him under your wings?”

“He may look like him on the outside, but he’s like a wily snake on the inside, and he doesn’t even resemble him that much. Did Your Majesty choose him because he resembles Jenga? You’re trying to squeeze that bloodline again without any shame?”

Derek’s mouth tightened at the harsh criticism. He unwrapped his hands and slowly brought them to his face. At that series of actions, extreme pain flashed across Derek’s face, as if a mask had been removed. Mamil watched all the changes without losing his keen gaze.

“I wanted a chance. And then one day, out of nowhere, Cadel Lytos appeared, and it seemed like the heavens had given me my last chance..”

“…….”

“I have no intention of sacrificing that child to the Empire. But if it does happen, this time, this time, I’ll…… stop it.”

A weakness weighed on Derek’s shoulders, a weakness that shouldn’t be seen in the Emperor of the Empire. Now he looked dwarfed and shabby, like a sinner in confession, not an emperor leading an empire. Mamil’s eyes never left Derek, taking in everything he saw, and then he spoke coldly.

“You’re f*cking greedy until the end.”

“……I know.”

“Whatever Your Majesty’s wishes, I don’t care. All I care about is Cadel and his safety.”

Mamil slowly rose from his seat and leaned menacingly toward the table where Derek sat.

“So Derek. If you don’t want to lose this filthy piece of land that you defended to the point of slitting your friend’s throat, don’t even dream of doing anything stupid. There is no next time for us.”

It was a clear threat, but Derek didn’t call Mamil out on his rudeness this time. Mamil did not hesitate to leave the audience room, leaving Derek behind.

‘I feel like I’m out of luck trying to deal with this bastard.’

Not surprisingly, no one came to talk to Mamil, who had the word ‘disgusted’ written across his face. His indifferent and bored demeanor, his angry expression, and the majesty of being the Archmage of the Mainue Kingdom gave him an aura of untouchability.

As he made his way across the now silent castle grounds, his mind was filled with thoughts of getting the hell out of this nauseating castle, when an eerily familiar voice flowed into his head.

[Stop walking and look over here.]

Mamil stopped walking due to a sudden auditory hallucination. He turned his head slowly with a stern face, and at the end of his gaze, he caught the sight of Cadel and Lydon, half-hiding behind the pillar and waving happily.

* * *

“I never imagined that Mr. Mamil would be in the Empire. Do you know how surprised I was when I saw what was written on the Scroll of Fate?”

Cadel and Lydon were currently in Mamil’s room at the inn. They needed a place where they could talk properly and without the need to use illusion techniques. When they realized Mamil was in the castle, they had expected him to be staying there as well, but fortunately, he had rented a separate room.

“I’m usually a good traveler. There’s no reason why I can’t go to the Empire. So why did you hide like a petty thief when you were a knight of the Empire? Why are your hair and eyes colored that way?”

Mamil placed a cup of tea in front of Cadel and Lydon and sat down across from them. His gaze was wary as he looked at Cadel. As he sipped the tea he was handed, Cadel smiled wryly.

“My hair and eye color are changed by a magic tool. I’m sorry, but I’m sneaking in here to see you, so I can’t be found out.”

Lydon’s expression turned sour at the cute reply that hid Cadel’s embarrassment. Lydon’s disgruntled gaze was directed at Mamil, but he still stared at Cadel with a bored eye and only briefly kicked his tongue.

“You’re still a shameless bastard. You must have come because you wanted something.”

“How can you not understand the heart of a disciple who misses his teacher?……. If this happens, this immature disciple will have no choice but to rebel and make demands that were not part of his original purpose. I’m upset.”

Cadel drooped his eyebrows as if he was truly upset and held out a piece of paper from his arms. It was the full picture of the Grass of Opportunity that Lydon had drawn.

Mamil snorted and looked at the paper as Cadel seemed to be making no effort to hide his intentions.

“It is a necessary herb. I’m sorry I’m late in telling you, but one of my subordinates is unconscious right now. He’s in a critical condition that cannot be cured even with healing techniques……. If I had that herb, he might be able to wake up.”

“…….”

“I’m here because I thought Mr. Mamil might have some idea of where it grows. I really, really need it.”

Cadel’s eyes quickly became eager as he cut to the chase. Mamil glanced at him, then back at the paper.

After a brief silence, he crossed his arms, dropping the paper as if tossing it.

“This is not a herb that grows. It’s a herb you make.”

“A man-made herb……?”

“The basic base material is the herb depicted in this picture. But it doesn’t end there. Complex alchemy is needed to maximize the effectiveness of precious medicines. Even if you search the entire world, there are only a few characters who can do that, and even if it were possible, it would take over a year to create.”

Cadel’s expression darkened as Mamil continued. To think that the Grass of Opportunity was so hard to come by. It was even more devastating because it was something that could be easily obtained in the game as long as you had money. Even though he recognized that this world was different from the game, this kind of unfavorable realization made his stomach turn every time.

Lowering his eyes, Cadel swallowed the sigh that had been building in his throat.

“Then Mr. Mamil doesn’t have this herb, rig―”

“I have it”

“……Pardon?”

“There is one that I made in the past as an experience and kept aside.”

Cadel’s head snapped up at the sound of Mamil’s nonchalant voice. Mamil spoke calmly in front of Cadel, who looked as if he were about to beg for herbs at any moment.

“As I said, it is a precious herb. Don’t just think about getting it for free.”

“Of, of course, you can have this.”

Cadel hastily took out a bottle from his bag and placed it on the table. It was the Demon Bone Powder he had collected while clearing quests. Mamil naturally retrieved the bone powder and stared into Cadel’s brightly shining eyes.

“Is that all you’re going to do? It’s not good enough.”

“I will continue to give it to you as soon as I can get it!”

“Hmph, what a greedy human being. If you live like that, you’ll go to hell. Why don’t you just put it out there?”

Mamil shook his head resolutely, paying no heed to Lydon’s criticism. His attitude was that the price was too little to give up the Grass of Opportunity. So what more did Cadel have to give? What did Mamil want other than the bone powder? Was there such a thing?

Cadel was spinning his head in frustration. Mamil, who was checking the condition of the bone powder, spoke up.

“Were you at the 7-star level right now?”

“……Ah, yes.”

“I think it was also 7-star the last time I saw you. You’ve been through so many battles and still haven’t grown?”

This isn’t a real game, so how can you level up so easily just by fighting a little? Seeing that Cadel was unable to react to the sudden argument and could only harbor resentment, Mamil continued.

“I’ll do it in exchange for your growth.”

“……What?”

“A mere 7-star level is no match for demons. Now that you’re a Knight of the Empire, you’ll be fighting many battles, and you know that you cannot overcome the situation with magic that risks your life each time. So your goal is 8-star. I want you to reach my last level.”

Mamil’s demeanor was calm as he pocketed the bone powder. It was as if he believed that advancement was a simple matter. The reason Cadel rose to 7-star was because he overcame a near-death crisis and obtained the Grass of Amplification.

“By any chance, won’t you give me the herbs until I reach 8-star level……? My subordinate is currently on the brink of death.”

“What you need now is theory, not practice. If you understand the theory to some extent, you will be able to grow quickly. I’ll get you some books to read, so study with them. If you take the test and pass, I will give you the herbs in advance.”

“What about the test date?”

“Take it when you feel ready.”

In that case, he had to pass the test as quickly as possible to get the Grass of Opportunity and return. Cadel shouted, his eyes sparkling with motivation in an instant.

“Let’s study right now!”