Chapter 47 : You Became A Great Wizard

There was a time when I chased after something.

Even though it was far away, I longed for it—something that shone endlessly bright and radiated immense power.

I pursued what should not have been pursued.

I yearned for what should not have been yearned for.

The price was severe.

At first, I gained strength.

Then, I gained longevity. After that, fame.

And then…

And then…

Even after that…

Even after that…

I gained so much.

But before I knew it, I had lost myself.

Why did I only realize it now?

All I ever wanted was to save everyone.

I remembered someone whispering that regret was useless once it was too late.

Yes, it must have been that day—

The day I lost my body.

But now that I have regained my consciousness,

I can finally sneer at that wretched being.

“…I have no regrets.”

“Because I can screw you over.”

[…Hacking the system.]

[You are within your own domain.]

[You have successfully evaded the eyes of the gods!]

[Initiating summoning of the Suitable One.]

The day the village fell—

“Mother!! Father!!!!”

The day when his family was about to be annihilated due to the war against the demons.

“Oh… Brother…”

“Lyla!”

“Hehe, thank goodness. You’re alive…”

“Lyla…?”

His younger sister, smiling faintly while coughing up blood, a gaping hole in her stomach.

The day before his sister’s wedding.

“…Brother.”

“…No, Oppa.”

The day when the people of his domain lost their lives.

“…Will you survive?”

“Lyla! No! If I stop the bleeding, I can—!”

“…No, it’s okay, Oppa.”

She gently moved away his trembling hands, which were desperately pressing against her wound to stop the bleeding, and smiled.

That day, all he could do was stare at her in shock, his eyes trembling.

“…Being your sister, ha… just being able to, really, r-really made me happy.”

“…Are you crying?”

“…Haah, hehe… I’m getting dizzy now.”

“My body feels cold… Oppa, can you hold me?”

“…Thank you.”

“Live on, in my place… I’ll be waiting over there.”

With those final words, the light faded from his sister’s eyes.

Tears dripped onto her cheeks.

The sky was cloudy, but it hadn’t rained.

The stars were still visible above.

That day, as his tears fell onto his sister’s face—

The Great Mage, the Sage—

No, just a minor noble from the outskirts, Logan Serius, wished for power.

A power so strong that no one would ever be lost again.

A power no one could ever oppose.

And, unfortunately for Logan, the stars answered his call.

That day, the empire’s hero was born—

The first and eternal Sage, revered by all living beings.

The Apostle of the Stars, worshiped as the master of all mages.

“Gasp?!”

A void painted entirely black.

Autumn, who had nearly been hit by a truck, came to his senses—

Holding a can of beer and a box of fried chicken in his hands, he found himself standing in that empty space.

Despite the all-consuming darkness, his body and belongings remained clearly visible.

Yet, there was no source of light anywhere.

“W-what the hell?”

“I-I was just… I was about to get hit by a car…”

As he pieced together his last memories, the realization that he had almost died sent chills down his spine, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Autumn collapsed to the ground, trembling as he ran his hands over his body, checking for injuries.

His arms and legs were intact, and his head wasn’t hurt.

He was completely fine—healthy, even.

Letting out a deep sigh of relief, he looked around the strange space.

“My body’s fine, but… where am I?”

“…Wait, did I… die?”

“Ugh?!”

Suddenly, a flood of memories surged into his mind.

Memories of watching a burning house, tears streaming down his face.

Memories of staring at the cold, lifeless face of his sister in his arms.

Memories that weren’t his own kept pouring in.

“…Starlight?”

Just as the figure in his memories reached out to grasp the starlight in their hands, he was suddenly expelled—cast out, as if he had been forcefully rejected.

“What… What the hell…?”

Overwhelmed by confusion, Autumn struggled to make sense of the situation.

Then—

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of footsteps echoed behind him.

“My apologies. I didn’t expect you to end up in a place like this.”

Turning toward the voice, Autumn saw a mysterious figure.

A young man, his face hidden beneath a hooded robe accented with blue patterns.

His form appeared strangely white, almost as if he weren’t entirely solid.

With a relaxed demeanor, the young man spoke.

“It took quite the effort to bypass the fundamental laws of the world.”

“Greetings.”

There was a teasing lilt to his voice.

Autumn couldn’t see his face, but somehow, he could tell—the man was smiling.

“…Who are you?”

“Short introduction.”

“Polite, but fake.”

What was that supposed to mean?

For a moment, Autumn felt irritated, but his fear of this unknown space was far greater, so he clenched his fists and held back his frustration.

“First, let me introduce myself properly.”

“I am the owner of the memories you just glimpsed.”

“Though it seems they were cut off toward the end… well, that’s close enough.”

Autumn didn’t fully understand, but he nodded anyway.

“Hmm, you seem to get it.”

I don’t.

Still, as a polite person, Autumn felt compelled to introduce himself in return.

“Uh… I’m—”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“…What?”

“Let’s see… 33 years old, unmarried, a bakery owner? Quite the skilled one, too.”

“And despite being unmarried, you’ve been widowed? That’s unusual.”

“You must have had someone you cherished. Since then, you haven’t dated anyone else.”

The white figure let out a curious “Hoo~” as if he had stumbled upon something fascinating.

“How interesting.”

“…Mister, why the hell are you digging through my personal info?!”

Autumn’s face turned beet red as he shouted in protest.

“Spirited one, aren’t you?”

With a hearty laugh, the white figure snapped his fingers.

In an instant, the pitch-black void was replaced by a breathtaking view of a galaxy—

A vast sea of stars stretching endlessly across the horizon.

“Tell me, you’re familiar with the game 『Hero Fantasy』, aren’t you?”

His voice had taken on a much more serious tone.

A chair had suddenly appeared beside him, and he gestured toward it.

Another white chair had also materialized in front of Autumn, as if it had always been there.

“…?”

“Sit. Let’s talk properly.”

Still frowning, Autumn hesitantly took a seat, staring at the white figure in front of him.

“Where… am I?”

“So first, answer my question. Do you know Hero Fantasy?”

Gaeul was familiar with the game.

After all, she had played it once before.

‘Minho and Yuri played it, so I did too.’

Of course, there was a hidden motive behind it—Gaeul had pestered Yuri about Minho’s interests so she could find a way to stay connected with him while he was hospitalized.

Back then, she had been on the verge of becoming a full-fledged menhera.

Lost in thought, Gaeul gave a small nod.

“Good. I was worried I might have brought the wrong person.”

“…But why are you asking about that all of a sudden?”

“Well, shall we talk while having something to eat?”

“…?”

“I haven’t eaten anything for the past 200 years, you see.”

“…Are you a bandit or something?”

“Hey, there’s a 900-year age gap between us. Is it really so rude to offer a meal to your elder?”

The white figure was talking nonsense, but Gaeul found it somewhat pitiful.

With a sigh, she handed over a piece of fried chicken.

“…How do you open this?”

“You don’t know how?”

“And this… Beer? This is beer?”

“It’s canned beer.”

“Oho… Even after becoming a sage, the world is still full of surprises. Imagine, a sage like me not knowing something!”

When Gaeul popped open the can for him, the great mage took a sip and savored it.

“Mm, delicious.”

“…Can I ask some questions now?”

“Of course.”

The white figure picked up a chicken drumstick as he spoke.

“I wouldn’t be such a stingy old man as to bring someone here and not explain anything, now would I?”

“Ask me anything.”

He would soon regret saying that.

Gaeul was far more curious than he had anticipated.

“Where am I?!”

“Am I dead?!”

“Are you an angel? A demon? Or maybe a god?!”

“And what happened to granting my wish?! What the hell is this nonsense?!”

“Where is Minho?! My wish was to see that bastard’s face one more time!”

He hadn’t expected her to explode like that.

Yet, as an omniscient sage, he simply smiled, ready to answer every question.

How much time had passed?

Finally, the last of Gaeul’s many questions had been answered.

Of course, it had taken her quite some time to process everything and calm down.

“…So, you’re a great mage, and you brought me here?”

“And my ex-boyfriend is in your world right now?”

Having pieced everything together, Gaeul now faced him with a composed expression.

“…That’s right.”

The great mage, now covered in beer, chicken crumbs, and grease, hesitated slightly.

“…But what does that have to do with bringing me here?”

For the first time, the mage’s ever-present smile faded.

With a wave of his hand, he magically cleaned himself.

“You nearly died. And I somehow saved you and brought you here. That much makes sense to you, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“I have a proposal for you.”

“…A proposal?”

“A mutually beneficial deal—what you’d call a win-win situation. You get to reunite with your ex-boyfriend, and I fulfill my long-standing wish.”

Hearing that, Gaeul’s expression turned serious.

“…I’m listening.”

“Become a great mage.”

A sly grin spread across the mage’s face.

He already knew—she wouldn’t refuse.

And Gaeul had no intention of rejecting it.

After all, she needed to cross over to that world if she wanted to meet Minho again.