The Return of the 8th Class Mage

Chapter 1

Prologue: Betrayal

“This is a poison that neutralizes the mana in your veins,” said Ragnar Greenriver, the blond, middle-aged emperor. “Its effects should only last a couple of minutes for a mage like you.”

He had been the first emperor to unify the whole continent with the help of Ian Paige—his best friend and the first among men to reach the eighth class. People wrote songs, crafted poems, and wove tales about the many feats of the two old friends… Until today.

“Which is why I had to mix it with another poison.”

“B-but why...?” The eighth-class mage, who had hoped to return to his hometown and live quietly, spit out blood along with the question.

“You know exactly why.” The emperor’s voice was surprisingly calm for a man who had given his lifelong friend a fatal poison. “Your power is of no help to the united empire and its future. It may have been different if we were at war, but right now, you are nothing but a source of fear, as you yourself have admitted.”

Yes, that was true. The power of an eighth-class mage could easily wipe out anything the size of a small country.

“‘As long as Ian Paige remains a friend to the empire, that is enough to spark a rebellion. That is why I will live the rest of my life in penance.’ That’s what you said.”

Although the emperor seemed composed, his eyes showed fear. But why fear? After all, Ian was the one who was poisoned.

“Ian, did you know? I’m not scared of a rebellion. That’s within the realm of humans, the understandable range of humans. But you, what about the power you wield? Is it human? Do you really believe that it is within the understandable range of human power?”

That was the power that made you emperor, created a unified empire, and maintained the peace, Ian replied in his head. He coughed, no longer able to speak. It was hard to contain his blood.

“I was afraid. I was afraid of you, my friend. I almost went insane because I was afraid of my old friend—the eighth-class mage who could overthrow me and my empire at any time. How could I let such a monster live?” After spewing out words that showed his insanity, the emperor paused and watched Ian, his dying friend, with sad but satisfied eyes. “Please, do not forgive me.”

That was all he’d had to say. As if he had thought that deadly poison wasn’t enough, the shack burst into fire as he walked out.

Bastard. Ian had already suspected for a while now that his old friend, Ragnar Greenriver, had started to change. It was one of the reasons he wanted to leave, thinking that it would make things better.

I let my guard down. He hadn’t thought it could come to this, causing the emperor to completely lose his mind.

However... Ian took something out of his chest pocket. It looked like a luxurious dagger with its sheath and handle covered in gems, seeming less like a weapon and more like a piece of art. As the mage drew the dagger, he could tell how sharp it was just by the sound it made.

The same goes for you, Ragnar. The dagger’s blade was covered in letters that were too small to read.

The penance I want... I want to wash some of the blood off my hands. I want to live my life in repentance for those who have lost their lives to my magic, especially those who were innocent. These were honest words, but he just had no one to tell them to.

Great Mage Ian had been the first human to have ever reached the sixth, seventh, and finally, the eighth class. He had done research instead of wasting time praying.

Returning everything to what it was before. As soon as he had decided to leave, Ian had put all his efforts into researching time magic. If he could turn back time, reverse everything...

I could make better decisions. It wasn’t going to be easy. In fact, it was close to impossible. The mage only had one incomplete theory.

I guess this will go down as the first experiment. There was no time to consider whether it would work. Side effects could not be worse than dying. Ultimately, he had to die.

I have to do this to compensate for the mana required. His heart was the only place the poison hadn’t reached—more specifically, the small space in his heart that was in charge of mana. The mana heart.

He drove the mana-infused dagger into his heart. With a whooshing sound, bright blue light covered Ian’s entire body.

“Ra... Hus... Ekiro...”

Ian started reciting an incantation one syllable at a time with much difficulty. The sound coming out of his mouth was different from his voice, and the incantation was not an ordinary one.

“Ro.. Kubergato...”

It was in Dragonian, an ancient language of the dragons who were the founders of magic.

“Jen... Shuinagas...!”

As he finished his Dragonian spell, which rang out like mountain echoes, the dagger turned to dust and scattered, having done its job. The intense blue light also disappeared, and with it, the body of Great Mage Ian Paige.