The Master of Language - T.M.L Chapter 1 (Part 1):

“Are you really going to give it all up, Master?”

The voice is filled with genuine sorrow.

Well, he’s the only one who truly cares about me.

The others followed me because of my power and magic.

Honestly, this guy is extraordinary.

Such people are rare in the world of magic.

“Yes. I must give it all up. This is the only way for me to ascend.”

His eyes welled up with tears, looking utterly devastated.

Having lived for countless years, I can tell real tears from fake ones just by the sound of the sobs.

My instincts tell me he’s truly heartbroken.

Though his piglike squealing sounds grated on me, I couldn’t help but feel moved.

How he’s survived with such a tender heart is beyond me.

Such a feeble creature.

“Master. You have millions of soldiers, hundreds of thousands of slaves, tens of thousands of spells, thousands of treasures, hundreds of castles, and scores of disciples. You are the Archmage who possesses all of that. Yet you say you’ll abandon it all? Everything you’ve accomplished over those vast ages?”

Now that he puts it that way, it does make me feel a bit regretful.

But I have no intention of changing my plan.

I’ve learned the hard way during the years I’ve relentlessly pushed forward: Don’t cling to what you must leave behind if you want to advance.

This time is no different.

“Ultimately, everything becomes meaningless in death. If I cannot advance, then nothing matters. Isn’t that why you became a mage too? To seek immortality.”

“……”

“Even if you enjoy all those things, you eventually die. So what’s the point of them? Don’t ask me such an obvious question again. I’ve already made my decision.”

It’s been centuries since I last had a chance at ascending.

I’ve finally found a clue.

How can I give up now?

He didn’t say anything more.

He must have realized that no matter what he said, he couldn’t change my mind.

After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

“Then tell me one thing. What is that spell? What kind of spell could possibly allow you, who have already reached the summit, to ascend to an even higher level?”

His eyes blazed with curiosity.

Why keep pestering me when I’m in the midst of such a crucial incantation?

I wanted to scold him, but my heart softened immediately.

Strangely, I can’t be harsh with this guy.

“The summit? I’ve never even been close to the ‘summit.’ From the distant ‘summit,’ you and I are only a step apart.”

“……”

I blatantly avoided his question, so he remained silent.

But he couldn’t hold back and was about to speak again.

At that moment, the space before me split open with a flash of crimson eye.

He trembled violently and retreated, no longer daring to say another word.

“It took care of that nuisance for me. Useful for once.”

[To refer to your most beloved disciple as a ‘nuisance.’ You’re incorrigible to the very end.]

“The end? For who?”

I looked up.

The crimson eye met my gaze, steady and unruffled.

[Are you mages really so hopeless? Do you truly intend to go through with this? The chances are infinitesimally close to nil.]

Unable to hold that crimson gaze, I averted my eyes.

In my right hand was a staff forged from the core of chaos itself.

In my left, a grimoire woven from the very roots of order.

Each one of inestimable value – worth entire worlds, universes, dimensions, dimensions, far greater still.

I raised my head again to look at the magic before me.

“Through this magic, I have awakened the ‘Language.’ But now, under the influence of language, I can’t control it. So, I need to be reborn. From the beginning. I need to learn everything anew. Only then can I become the master of this ‘language.'”

The crimson eye studied me intently.

It was my Familiar, who knew me better than anyone, and thus understood that nothing could dissuade me once my will was set.

[So how long must I wait for you?]

“I’m sorry. But I promise, I will reunite with you, and together we will reach the end.”

After a brief silence, the crimson eye slowly closed as it spoke.

[Very well. I will wait for you, even if it takes an eternity.]

***

What a strange dream.

The conversations, the thoughts – all so vivid.

Most vivid of all were the jewels and ornaments weighing me down, hanging all over my body.

Rings on every finger joint, more than ten earrings, three bracelets on each wrist, and five necklaces.

The sheer heft of it all seemed to carry over into the waking world, leaving my body feeling unbearably heavy.

“Ugh.”

No, it wasn’t just a feeling. My body was truly heavy. Even lifting my eyelids was a struggle. As I barely opened my eyes, the intense sunlight stabbed through the gap.

I wished someone would gouge my eyes out.

“Hey? You’re alive?”

I turned my head to the side.

A foul breath that made me want to pinch my nose.

It was a familiar smell.

We’ve spent the past month eating and sleeping side-by-side, yet I can never get used to it. None other than your dragon breath, Oshalo.

“Are you carrying me over your shoulder?”

“Yup.”

“Why?”

“Why else? I was going to throw you into the sea before that plague spread.”

Only then did the sound washing over my ears become apparent.

The lively lapping of waves.

Not so unfamiliar after all, come to think of it.

It was much rougher and livelier than the sound of waves I heard below deck.

Seeing the approaching bow of the ship, I urgently spoke.

“W-Wait! I’m alive here!”

“I know.”

“Then why?”

“Short on food supplies. Runnin’ real low, I’d say.”

The indifferent guy lifted me once and slung me over his other shoulder.

As the sunlight scorched my eyes, I could finally look around.

Ocean.

Ocean.

And more ocean.

There wasn’t a single island in any direction.

An endless expanse of ocean.

If I’m thrown into the sea here, not even a god could save me.

I struggled desperately, but all I could do was wiggle slightly.

It’s understandable, as I hadn’t had a sip of water for the past three days.

I quickly spoke.

“Oshalo, we’ve gotten along well this past month, right?”

“Sure, me doin’ your share too.”

“I’m only fourteen. Are you really going to kill a child?”

“I know that too. Always bugged me how you use that disrespectful way of talkin’.”

“……”

Oshalo stood there impassively before turning to look down at me slightly.

The bastard opened his mouth.

“It’s the captain’s order. Sorry.”

Dangun

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