Episode 351
“Well, he’s not a bad person.”

Aside from the fact that Duma didn’t care about noble lineage and just enjoyed his romances, he was an otherwise impeccable figure.

Just now, he had only been testing Chris’s abilities.

“If Duke Duma had truly put his heart into it, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

Duma was at the formidable level of an 8-star Grand Mage.

Being a fully realized master, unlike the other heads of the Round Table, Chris had nothing to offer him in terms of assistance. Rather, it was Chris who needed Duma’s support.

Naturally, his tone shifted when speaking to Duma, different from how he addressed the other heads.

“So, how did you find today’s test?”

“Hmm?”

“You were testing me, weren’t you? Were you satisfied?”

Duma, still bothered by his singed beard, fiddled with it before speaking.

“No, it was rather underwhelming.”

An unexpected critique. But Duma’s furrowed brow showed he wasn’t lying.

“What is that rootless magic of yours? Even cheap street mages wouldn’t use such baseless spells.”

A harsh and baffling judgment.

Yet, surprisingly, Chris nodded in agreement.

“You’re right. You saw it clearly.”

Rootless.

Duma’s blunt remark precisely pinpointed the problem with Chris’s white magic.

‘I’ve never properly learned white magic.’

He had only built it up piecemeal, adding bits here and there.

The issue was that white magic, more than any other discipline, required a solid foundation and a strict system.

It wasn’t like swordsmanship or dark magic.

White magic was like a finely engineered machine; only by thoroughly constructing its framework from the ground up could one eventually reach mastery.

Though Chris now wielded white magic as powerfully as any mage, thanks to his insane talent, it was clear he would soon hit a ceiling.

“I have a proposal for you. How about becoming my apprentice and learning properly?”

Chris’s face showed slight surprise.

To be taught by a Grand Mage—this was an incredible offer.

“I don’t like that you burned my beard, but I can’t waste your talent. With the right foundation, you could easily reach the level of a Grand Mage.”

That meant the 9-star level of white magic.

Despite his grumbling, Duma clearly held Chris in high regard.

But Chris gave an unexpected reply.

“Thank you for the offer, but I must decline.”

Duma looked puzzled.

“Why? There’s no better way to learn white magic than under my guidance.”

True enough.

Yet Chris continued with words that baffled Duma.

“I don’t need to be taught.”

“That’s strange. Someone of your caliber surely knows your own limits. Such a rootless system won’t get you far.”

“Excuse me, but what do you mean by the ‘foundation’ of white magic?”

Duma answered as if it were obvious.

“Of course, the Ivanek system.”

Ivanek was a legendary Grand Mage from long ago who had laid the groundwork for white magic.

He was also the progenitor of the great magical family.

The Ivanek system was the basic framework all white mages in the Union followed.

“Is the Ivanek system the only true foundation for white magic?”

“Of course it is…”

“Do you really believe no other system can serve as the basis for white magic?”

For a moment, Duma was speechless.

Not exactly.

It was just that, despite the long passage of time, no system had surpassed Ivanek’s.

Because the Ivanek system was that perfect.

“The essence of white magic lies in the elemental system of the Holy Light and the manifestation of phenomena through topological rearrangement. The Ivanek system is merely a tool to assist that manifestation. That means other systems are entirely possible.”

“Theoretically, yes, but practically impossible.”

Duma shook his head firmly.

There had been attempts in the past to create new systems, but all had failed.

However…

“I’m not going to follow the Ivanek system. I’m going to create a new one.”

Duma looked incredulous.

“What? Are you joking? Don’t you know no 9-star Grand Mage in history has ever done that?”

A natural reaction.

Among those who tried to create new systems were even 9-star Grand Mages.

But Chris answered calmly.

“Even if they couldn’t, I can.”

“!!”

“I’m better than any Grand Mage in history.”

An outrageous claim.

Yet Duma found himself unable to refute it.

‘…Maybe.’

Despite not following a proper system, the hero before him had mastered white magic to a level that could rival Duma himself.

And the hero’s main strength wasn’t even magic.

Duma couldn’t imagine any Grand Mage surpassing this arrogant hero.

“Could it be that you avoided learning the Ivanek system to create a new one?”

Chris nodded.

‘Honestly, following the existing system would be easiest and most efficient.’

Since the Ivanek system was the standard for all white mages in the Union, it was readily available to learn.

But Chris deliberately avoided it, raising his white magic level without a system.

‘The Ivanek system has its limits.’

A hard-to-accept thought.

Every 9-star white mage in history had learned the Ivanek system, including those at the 9-star Grand Mage level.

Even Lanya, the Grand Mage of the hero’s party, had learned it.

‘I’m aiming beyond 9 stars.’

Beyond 9 stars.

In other words, 10 stars was Chris’s true goal.

And not just any 10 stars. He had to surpass the Magic Chancellor, even the Demon King.

To do that, not only the power of darkness but also the power of the Holy Light had to reach 10 stars.

‘The Ivanek system can’t handle that. I can’t be bound by any system.’

No system.

Inefficient, but limitless in potential.

The problem was the difficulty.

‘It’s not easy for me either.’

To put it simply, the Ivanek system was like a path through vast, treacherous terrain.

Chris’s no-system approach was like crossing endless wilderness without any landmarks.

Most would get lost and fall behind.

‘I need an insight that can reach 9 and 10 stars even without a system.’

Of course, such insight doesn’t come naturally.

It must be earned.

That was Chris’s main reason for coming to the Round Table this time.

He laid the groundwork first.

Turning to the still skeptical Duma, he spoke provocatively.

“Isn’t the real reason you wanted me as your apprentice to retrieve the ‘Sage’s Tome’ from the Magic Tower?”

“!!”

Duma’s eyebrows twitched as if struck at the core.

“…Yes, that’s right. Shamefully, our magical family has long since handed over the Sage’s Tome to the Magic Tower.”

The magical family and the Magic Tower.

A very delicate relationship.

One might think they were the same, since most high-ranking officials in the Magic Tower came from the magical family, but that wasn’t the case.

They kept each other in check, competing fiercely.

Their relationship was surprisingly strained.

‘It’s like factions fighting within the same family. The main family faction, the Magic Tower faction, and so on.’

Especially in recent times, the rivalry had intensified, thanks to two leaders.

The Magic Tower’s Grand Mage Hepfelman.

The main family’s head Grand Mage Duma.

Though related by blood, they were bitter enemies.

“In the past five years, the magical family has never won the Sage’s Tome contest against the Magic Tower, right?”

The Sage’s Tome was the greatest magical text in the white magic lineage.

Both the magical family and the Magic Tower claimed they should keep it, and regularly held magical duels to decide ownership.

Of course, the contest was about more than just the book—it was a battle of pride.

“I don’t need to become your apprentice for you to help me get the Sage’s Tome.”

“…What?”

“Let me participate in the contest.”

Duma looked incredulous.

“With your skills? Don’t be ridiculous.”

The contest always featured Grand Mage Hepfelman himself.

It was a duel between the two leaders.

Chris’s current white magic skills weren’t enough. Duma’s plan to teach him was for the distant future.

“You misunderstood me. I’m not saying I’ll fight.”

“Hmm?”

“I just want to be invited as an observer.”

“…That’s not hard, but how will that help you get the Sage’s Tome?”

Duma tilted his head, and Chris smirked.

“Unfortunately, there’s going to be a big commotion during this contest.”

“…Commotion? What do you mean?”

“You know I’m the hero, right?”

Chris flicked his finger toward the sky.

“I had a vision. A great disaster will descend during the contest.”

“!!”

Duma’s face stiffened.

“Is that so? I find that hard to believe. The Magic Tower is no joke.”

“You’ll see. According to the vision, we’ll get a message soon. Just wait.”

Sure enough.

An astonishing message arrived.

It was a dispatch from the Magic Empire.

—I am Mahi (魔輝). I will punish the Sky Magic Tower tainted by evil. Prepare to pay for your sins.

Mahi—the message was from Chris himself.

*    *    *

The Magic Tower and the Round Table were thrown into chaos.

“Why did Mahi suddenly appear?”

Everyone at the Kainfer Training Institute wore grim expressions.

Not only the ordinary trainees but also the heads of noble families were worried.

“Mahi? Isn’t that a Demon Lord-class fiend?”

“Why would such a fiend show up out of nowhere?”

Demon Lord-class…

Excluding the Demon Lords themselves, this title refers to the highest-ranking demons who effectively run the Magic Empire.

And now, Christian had proudly earned his place among these elite demons.

“Although Mahwi’s achievements are still somewhat lacking compared to the other top demons, he’s not someone to be taken lightly.”

“I’m well aware. Mahwi is currently the most dangerous demon in the Magic Empire. In fact, he’s far more threatening than the others.”

It was an unexpected assessment.

Those considered among the elite demons included figures like the Nordian, the Four Kings’ Lord, the Obsidian King, the spectral spirit of the Commander Maga, and the former Ghost Sword King—icons representing the Magic Empire.

Yet, Christian was regarded as even more dangerous than all of them.

“He’s brought the war with the Four Kings’ Lord to its knees, defeated the Azure Dragon Demon Lord, and even crushed the Triangular Alliance.”

“Whenever I hear news of Mahwi, I start to wonder if he’s even human.”

“Until now, Mahwi’s activities were confined within the Magic Empire, so we felt somewhat at ease.”

A living, breathing disaster.

That was how the Alliance viewed Christian.