Book 13 Chapter 40

Episode 23

"How can such a thing exist! That's absurd!"

Gisela exclaimed.

"Lynn is the same age as me, thirteen! A battlefield at thirteen, how can that be!"

While Lynn was packing for the journey, the dean gathered the members of the Magic Tower in the dean's office. Gisela reacted this way upon being informed of Lynn's decision.

"Lynn, that fool, was always down, thinking he made the dean angry. Surely you're not kicking him out like this now, are you? Because Lynn did something wrong─"

"─Stop it."

Pomas, the first disciple and senior brother, shook his head firmly. Because he always maintained a benevolent demeanor, the weight of his decisiveness felt different to everyone.

"Gisela, the dean is the saddest one right now. You know that too. How much the dean cherishes Lynn."

"But…!"

"And it's us who should be sorry and apologetic to the dean and Lynn."

"Why? How come…?"

"The reason Lynn had to be sent to such a place… is because we are lacking and incompetent, unable to support Lynn by his side."

The students of the faction all fell silent.

"Perhaps Lynn was lonely? Because there wasn't a single person who could match his genius, he might have always been solitary."

Perhaps shattering Kent Serman this time was an unhealthy manifestation of the stress accumulated in that solitude.

- Talent is a blade. Depending on how you wield it, it can protect someone or harm them.

Atlante was looking out the window, recalling his conversation with Ulan Page.

- Lynn is thirteen now. Ten years? No, even after just three years, there will be no wizard who can contend with him. It would be good if we could be his rivals, but in the face of such violent talent, that's just wishful thinking.

- …!

- Humans are born incapable of being humble by nature. If that child becomes an adult with that same mindset, I worry that his magic might end there too.

- …!

- In the world of art, there's a saying: "First, become famous, and then even if you defecate, they will call it art." The world of magic is the same. In fact, it's more dangerous because it's a power with form, not formless like art.

It couldn't be denied.

Lynn already had the power to annihilate an entire family if he set his mind to it. He also had the will.

And he had his own sense of justice that justified that violence.

- If Lynn becomes a Great Wizard like this, and beyond that, ascends to the position of a Sage… he will resolve anything that doesn't meet his standards with violence. People will even praise that. And he will be broken. Like the old Great Wizard Zernix.

Because he was precious, Atlante wanted to keep him close.

Because he was so precious, Atlante always wanted to be with him.

But precisely because of that, because he was irreplaceable and precious in this world, he now had to be pushed to go somewhere far away.

"Lynn must leave this place."

Feeling a pain that felt like his heart was tearing, Atlante told his disciples.

"He must leave, and see the wider world."

Not with beings who follow behind him, like us… but with geniuses who can walk alongside him.

"That is the only way for Lynn to become a magnificent adult."

A sorrowful silence fell over the dean's office.

Lynn was their family.

A fool who was always gruff but cared for his family more than anyone. After a long moment, Gisela spoke.

"Dean, you want Lynn to go see the world, right? As a member of the hero's party…"

"…"

"Then let's do this! He shouldn't come back just because the hero's party's journey is too hard. That fool gets lonely so easily! So, I'll be as harsh as possible to Lynn, so he won't even think about coming back for a while…"

The senior brother expressed concern.

"That might actually leave a bad scar on Lynn."

Gisela shook her head vigorously.

"That dummy, he's insensitive to these kinds of things anyway, so it's fine! And if he wants an apology, he just has to come back alive, alive…"