The Archmage's Story (Part 1)

Mayona was called to the old Pope's office again for a talk, while Tinasha went to discuss the day's events with the Paladins. Now, only Ruby and Alicia remained in the Grand Cathedral, staring each other down.

"Hello."

"Here we go, you despicable human. You're trying to butter me up to get close to Mayona, aren't you? I won't fall for it."

"Mayona and I live together."

"Damn it, what do you mean by that? Are you showing off? Showing off that you've already gotten Mayona's body? I'm going to kill you!"

Alicia flew around in the air in anger. Ruby had no idea why the Magic Wand was so hostile towards him. He was just stating a fact, and she got so agitated.

"I'm going out for a walk. Tell Mayona I'll be back soon."

Ruby realized that no matter what he said, Alicia would misunderstand him. Such a conversation was impossible. He left a message and, ignoring Alicia's shouts, skillfully departed the Grand Cathedral.

He had been grabbed by a Dragon and flown away after only exploring a small part of the street earlier. Now, it was nearing dusk, and the streets bathed in the sun's afterglow had a unique charm. Ruby walked into a popular little shop, paid, and found an empty seat to enjoy the drink provided by the establishment.

"Thank you, customers, for waiting. I, Hubba, will now present the interesting happenings of the Sacred Continent to you all."

As the seats in the small shop gradually filled up, a man in magnificent attire appeared on the stage in front. His clothes shimmered under the light of the magic stones. After drawing enough attention, he began to speak.

"So, he's a storyteller?"

People in this other world lived quite boring lives. Due to underdeveloped technology, there were few forms of entertainment. Listening to someone tell stories was still a popular pastime, and people were happy to pay a small amount of money after meals to hear interesting tales.

"Hubba, hurry up and tell us! We can't wait!"

The customers here were clearly familiar with this man. As soon as he took the stage, the cheers from the audience grew louder.

"Then let's talk about the Church. Has anyone here seen a bald man preaching everywhere?"

The storyteller rummaged through his pockets and soon found the topic he wanted to discuss. After inputting magic into the magic paper, lines of text appeared in the air. This was, in a way, backbiting the Church, but as long as they didn't fabricate stories to slander them, the people of the Church were generally too lazy to care.

"Are you talking about Hans? What's so special about that bald guy?"

The audience quickly reacted. It seemed that the talkative bald man had done quite a bit of this.

"Well, this matter goes back three years to the Monster Tide. You all know that the continent we live on is not peaceful. Every year, Mo Beasts emerge from the forest to attack humans. The Sacred Empire and the neighboring Blackstone Empire bear the brunt of it, and usually, the two countries send out troops to resist the Mo Beast invasion."

The storyteller mischievously pulled out a map he had drawn, depicting the distribution of the four empires. Although the drawing style was abstract, it allowed people to understand the locations at a glance. In the map, the four empires occupied the four corners of a square. The Sacred and Blackstone Empires were at the top, and above them was the Forest of Magic Beasts.

"What about the ones below?"

"If the Blackstone Empire was forced to sign a peace treaty with the Sacred Empire due to the Mo Beasts, then the two below are the villains who are always planning to stab them in the back. The Griffon Empire and the Tidal Empire have always been at odds with the Sacred Empire, and the conflict has reached an irreconcilable point."

Hubba explained in detail the two enemies of the Sacred Empire in response to the audience's questions.

"Will they attack us?"

"Strictly speaking, they really want to, but because they are close to the Endless Sea, they can only endure it."

"And why is that?"

"Because there are Mo Beasts in the sea too. The Endless Sea is vaster and more dangerous than the Forest of Magic Beasts. During special periods, they also surge out of the sea to attack cities. Some say they are instigated by the Sea Tribe, but no one knows if it's true."

A wave of boos swept through the audience. Ruby understood. Humans in this world were also consumed by war, but due to the existence of Mo Beasts, they could only focus on dealing with external enemies. Perhaps when the Mo Beasts were extinct, it would be time for humans to harm each other.

"Cough, cough, let's get back to that bald guy. Every time the Monster Tide arrives, countless Mages step forward to defend the country. The Church naturally sends many priests and clerics to help the injured Mages recover. Hans was one of them. Back then, he was just a small cleric. Do you know why he was promoted to Cardinal?"

The storyteller was very good at building suspense. He could have revealed it, but he chose to tease the audience's curiosity.

"We don't know."

"Because when all the clergy collapsed from exhaustion, it was he who used his entire Magic Power to keep one hundred and ten severely wounded Mages alive until the Church's reinforcements arrived. During that process, countless people advised him to give up, but that bald guy just kept muttering one sentence: 'Their hearts are still beating, why should we give up?'"

"In the end, more than half of his Magic Power source disappeared, all the hair on his head fell out, and he looked decades older. The Pope himself cast the Level 9 magic [Angel's Redemption] on him to save his life and promoted him to Cardinal exceptionally. However, he would never be able to advance further in his life. So, if you meet that bald man preaching again, please be a little more polite. This part costs three gold coins, do not read the bracketed text... Huh?"

The storyteller's voice carried a hint of sorrow, and the audience's emotions were stirred, making them feel a little sad. Then, they suddenly saw the storyteller cover his mouth. Recalling his last sentence, all the listeners' faces changed.

"Go to hell, you dog of the Church!"

The listeners, who had been moved moments ago, now picked up the snacks and fruits in front of them and threw them at the stage, but the storyteller dodged them one by one. That sentence was, of course, something he added intentionally to liven up the atmosphere. After all, he wasn't here to make people sad.

"So, everyone, as an apology, what story would you like to hear?"

"A story about the Archmage!"

The audience replied in unison. On the entire continent, were there any stories more interesting than those of the Archmage?

"You're really making things difficult for me. How could a small fry like me have seen the Archmage's true face? I know very few stories."

The storyteller named Hubba put on a pained expression, but the audience was used to his act. In an instant, many gold coins were tossed onto the stage, falling into the storyteller's hands.

"Since you are all so enthusiastic, I can't refuse. Then, let's begin. The world-renowned Archmage, she... is a woman."

After holding their breath, the audience heard this universally known fact and became furious. However, they had already thrown everything they could. Now, they were rubbing fireballs, preparing to throw them.

"Wait, wait, everyone, don't be angry. Don't you think this is very important information? Although there's no explicit rule, male Mages' talents have always been superior to female Mages, haven't they? Knowing this, don't you beautiful ladies present feel you have more presence than your male companions? After all, she is the only Archmage in the world."

Hearing Hubba say this, the audience quieted down. The women showed proud expressions, while the men looked helpless.