Han Shuo looked at the aging mage before him. Ordinary students of the Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts might have had no impression of this Darkness Archmage named Chloe, but Han Shuo, who had once worked as a handyman in the Necromancy Department, knew of his existence.
Back then, Han Shuo and Jack had been responsible for cleaning the statues along the road early every morning. Outstanding graduates from successive years of the magic academy each had a statue standing there, and Chloe was among them. Han Shuo had even spent some time wiping his statue clean.
Chloe's days in the Darkness Department had also been a glorious period for the department. From the time Chloe became an Intermediate Mage, the Darkness Department Team he led had won the academy's interdepartmental competitions for four consecutive years. After leaving the Darkness Department, Chloe had soon become a darkness Archmage as well. During his travels through the countries of the Qio Continent, Chloe had indeed accomplished some great things in those first few years.
But too much time had passed. As Chloe devoted himself to advancing further, his name had gradually faded from public attention, and the people of the Lancelot Empire had slowly forgotten him. Even some of the Darkness Department's newer teachers and students had never heard news of him.
Looking at Chloe, who was now challenging him, Han Shuo recalled how he had gazed up at the man's statue when he was still a handyman, and suddenly felt a sense of absurdity. Somehow, Han Shuo had actually become an opponent for such a figure, and was even the one being challenged. A sense of pride welled up within him.
For that very reason, Han Shuo smiled, and his smile was exceptionally bright. But in the eyes of