Infinite Mage

"Master! How did it go? Was the experiment successful?"

"Yes, it was a success! Our magic worked!"

However, Alpheas couldn't rejoice. Something was clearly wrong with Erina.

"But why is my wife like this? Honey! Snap out of it!"

Arcane, re-examining the control panel, was shocked. The balance of each item was normal, but the overall bodily rhythm was dropping simultaneously, as if life itself was fading away.

"Why is this happening? The clinical trials didn't go like this."

"Honey! Erina! Open your eyes!"

Erina half-opened her eyes, showing a faint smile.

"Honey… I'm okay."

"Erina! What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"There was a rejection reaction starting from the terminal nerves. It seems the human brain has something different. But you've achieved something remarkable. With a little more research… Ugh!"

Erina gasped for air and convulsed.

"Honey! Don't talk! I'll try to do something! I'll save you, no matter what…!"

Alpheas, realizing the irreversibility of the situation, cursed his own intellectual ability. But he had no choice but to say those words.

Erina slowly shook her head, knowing what her husband knew.

"Honey… hold my hand."

Alpheas tightly grasped his wife's hand. He would have tried anything if there was even a 1% chance. But now, all he could do was stay by her side.

"Erina, this can't be happening. How can this…?"

Erina smiled sadly.

"Honey, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? What did you do…?"

"For being a fool."

Alpheas's heart tore apart. Trying to change her, forgetting her words that her mere existence was beautiful.

"No… Why are you sorry? What are you sorry for! I'm the fool! It was me!"

"Meeting you was a blessing."

Erina finally understood her husband. A wonderful world governed by rationality. She was happy to have shared his memories, even for a short while.

"Honey! Open your eyes! Please… I was wrong, honey!"

As Erina's eyes closed, Alpheas held her face and wailed.

"Uwaaaa! Honey! Honey!"

Arcane, with a somber expression, bowed his head. How is the human brain different from animals? The tragedy could have been avoided with initial human experimentation.

But it was a meaningless conjecture. Erina's only condition for allowing herself to be experimented on was never to experiment on others. 

Therefore, the effort was even more devoted. The data obtained so far would be precious for humanity.

"I'm sorry. Your sacrifice won't be in vain."

A dull thud sounded. Turning his head, Arcane saw Alpheas hitting his head against the wall.

"Uwaaaa!"

With each collision, the sound of breaking echoed. It was unclear whether the wall or his head was breaking.

"What? Light of the Myrhe family? Light? Light!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Alpheas, repeatedly hitting his head, bounced back like a rubber ball. But he didn't stop. The horror of surviving alone without his wife overwhelmed him.

"Arrogant Alpheas!"

Alpheas charged at the wall again.

Thud!

Klumph grabbed Alpheas. Left alone, he would surely die.

"Alpheas! Snap out of it! What are you doing!"

"Let go! Dammit! Uwaaaa!"

Even Klumph's strength struggled to restrain Alpheas. It seemed he was burning his soul, rushing toward death. Eventually, overcome with shock, his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness.

"Erina……. Erina……."

Klumph wept at the sight of Alpheas calling his wife's name even in unconsciousness.

Erina's funeral was held. Only family members gathered, and Alpheas was prevented from attending by relatives. Without a formal wedding or descendants, the couple parted as strangers in the end.

Alpheas sat listlessly in front of the funeral hall. As evening fell, he got up like a man out of his mind and walked somewhere.

He arrived at Arcane's dungeon. The equipment used for countless experiments over two years remained untouched.

"Erina……."

Alpheas carried a can of oil, spreading it throughout the lab. Tears flowed with every splash of oil, reminding him of the moments he had shared with her, as vivid as yesterday.

When the oil can emptied, Alpheas slumped against a wall. Knowledge that should not exist in the world. How could humans conduct such cruel experiments?

"Have you come, Alpheas?"

Arcane entered the lab. He knew Alpheas wasn't invited to the funeral. This place was essentially Erina's grave for him.

"I regret what happened to Erina. Take some time to recuperate. And then come back to..."

Arcane paused, sensing something amiss. The smell of oil was too strong for a mere leak.

"Alpheas… you're not...?"

Alpheas stood with dark eyes. A single fire spell would blow up the lab.

"No! What are you doing!"

"Master, we should never have started this."

"Even if weakened by your wife's death, no! It's not true! The experiment was almost successful! Have you forgotten Erina's legacy? Destroying this place is to ignore her sacrifice!"

"It doesn't matter. Without my wife... there's nothing left for me."

"Still, you can't! This is not only yours and Erina's. My life's knowledge is accumulated here! You can't destroy it without my permission."

Alpheas cast a flame spell. Arcane absorbed it with dark magic, but the temperature had already risen past the ignition point.

Flames enveloped the room.

Thousands of documents, precision magic devices, and dangerous alchemical materials were transformed.

Alpheas watched the flames impassively and left the dungeon.

But Arcane couldn't leave. He had to extinguish the fire. Even if everything was lost, the experimental data had to be saved.

"No, no!"

Running through the flames, Arcane tried to save the documents. Then, an explosion occurred as the fire reached a box of volatile chemicals.

The lab was destroyed, and the entire underground dungeon shook with the impact.

The fire, greedily consuming the air, raced through the tunnels.

"Uwaaaa! Alpheas! I won't forgive you, Alpheas!"

Arcane ground his teeth in anger. Losing his life's work just before completion was more frustrating and grievous than death.

"I will survive... I will survive and take my revenge. Wait for me, Alpheas!"

Even while being consumed by flames, Arcane seethed with hatred for Alpheas. Alpheas had been arrogant to the very end.

Surviving on the sole thought of revenge, Arcane conserved his strength while mobilizing his network to scour the continent. However, no one knew of Alpheas' whereabouts.

It was seven years later when Alpheas reappeared in the world.

He was in the main house of the Orgent family in the city of Creas.

"Alpheas! Hey, man! What happened to you?"

Klumph stared dumbfoundedly at Alpheas, who had become unrecognizable. His once neat appearance was replaced by a wild, bearded look. Wearing rags, his skin was burnt black.

Klumph took Alpheas to the bathroom and personally washed him. Numerous scars were etched on his body: wounds from wild beasts, torture, and clear self-inflicted ones.

"Were you wandering around looking for a place to die?"

Alpheas, with his wet hair covering his face, remained silent. After a long while, he finally spoke.

"I didn't particularly want to die. Nor did I want to live. I just wandered aimlessly."

"Right…"

"I heard the news. You became an official inspector. Congratulations."

"Congrats between us? I'm the latest of our peers, man."

Klumph awkwardly responded. The achievement felt less impressive, knowing what his friend had gone through.

"Sorry. I had nowhere else to go. I need to impose on you for a while."

Klumph sadly gazed at Alpheas' emaciated back.

How had he come to this?

Once hailed as a rising star of the magical world, Alpheas was now a vagrant, shunned even by his own family.

After the bath, Klumph had the maids prepare a meal. But Alpheas could hardly eat, his stomach having shrunk too much.

Klumph knew it wasn't just because Alpheas had nowhere else to go.

Taking Alpheas to the study, Klumph poured him a drink. Alpheas didn't even look at the alcohol but briefly flashed the same sharp gaze he had seven years ago.

"Talk to me. You've ended your wanderings, so you must have plans. You need to get back on your feet. I'll help you."

Alpheas bluntly said.

"Lend me 100 million gold."

"100 million… gold?"

An astronomical sum.

Klumph, having passed the official exam, was in line to succeed as family head. But even as head, there were limits to what he could lend.

"Not at once. I'll withdraw it over four years. Hire a financial advisor. With a monthly limit of 7 million, it should be manageable without significant impact. I'll pay interest too. But no compound interest. Set the annual rate at 20%. I can start repaying the principal after a year."

While the lender usually sets the terms, Klumph didn't mind. He knew Alpheas would have optimized the deal before even arriving.

Effectively, it meant earning 80 million gold in profits over four years, besides the principal. Klumph was more curious about how Alpheas planned to achieve this.

"What's the plan? Developed a new spell or something?"

Alpheas shook his head.

"I've lost all passion."

"Then what will you do with 100 million gold?"

"I'm going to build a school."

"A school?"

Klumph's eyes widened. Alpheas, who always considered himself the best, was planning to teach others.

"What are you thinking…?"

Seeing tears on Alpheas' cheeks, Klumph couldn't finish his sentence.

"I mustn't let another like me arise. I'll teach students, atoning until my last breath. Ensuring no one's talent gets trampled by a moment's mistake, I'll live devouring my pain."

Alpheas covered his face with his hands, sobbing uncontrollably, yet unable to stop the tears.

Klumph's eyes reddened too.

Erina Bastadd. Alpheas would probably never forget her. He might suffer for a lifetime.

But that made the decision easier.

If Alpheas' pain could transform into someone's growth, if that could truly happen, then this friend, who once dreamed of success and happiness, might smile again someday.

"I'll lend it. 100 million gold."

Alpheas named the school after himself in Creas City. He worked as a mage during construction, paying off the interest, and studied at night to get a teaching certificate.

Four years later.

Alpheas, the headmaster of the Alpheas Magic Academy, repaid 180 million gold to the Orgent family.

As the effects of Abyss Nova completely faded, Alpheas slowly opened his eyes. With all memories returned, he remained silent for a long time. The 40 years he had relived were so lengthy and burdensome.

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