Read Daily Updated Light Novel, Web Novel, Chinese Novel, Japanese And Korean Novel Online.
Return of The 8th Class Mage (Web Novel) - Chapter 111: The Robe of Ian Paige (1)
Chapter 111: The Robe of Ian Paige (1)
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
The man’s story did not end there.
More shocking stories kept flowing out of his mouth.
“According to the rumors, he was also called the first sorcerer.”
“……”
The entity that he had met inside the illusionary witchcraft.
The entity that warned him not to trust the dragons.
He was the very first sorcerer.
What more words can be added?
‘My father……’
Ian became extremely confused.
Fran Paige was his father.
He has never thought about it.
There was no reason to do so.
‘The first sorcerer?’
How can that be possible? It was said that the first sorcerer was the teacher of the dragons. By that, it meant that he was a human that had lived at least many thousands of years ago. How could then someone like that meet Ian’s mother and led to his birth? Has he lived for many thousands of years?
‘……That is not completely impossible either.’
There was someone like that before his eyes.
A master craftsman who has lived for incredible amount of time.
The man whose wish is to die now.
“Are you all right? Your continence……”
That same man spoke to Ian.
He must have seen Ian’s expression.
As his continence changed drastically, his reaction was a logical one.
“……I am alright. Please continue with the story.”
Ian calmed himself down.
There were still so many stories left to be heard.
“Prior to that, I’d like a definitive answer from you.”
The man was also not freely sharing the information either. From his perspective, Ian’s identity was also important. If he was indeed a true descendant of Fran Paige, the man also had a desperate request to make even if it meant grabbing on to the tail end of Ian’s pants.
“Are you truly Fran’s descendant?”
“I’m Ian Paige.”
“Paige? That only meant……”
“It is as you have thought.”
Ian drew a line at that point.
He did not see a reason to reveal that he was a son.
At least that was what he thought as this time.
“A descendant has searched for us……”
The man nodded with an expression that was hard to read.
He spoke with sparkles in his eyes.
“Does the descendant also able to wield the power of the language?”
“I am able to, but still insufficient.”
“Then by any chance, are you able to lift the gift of everlasting life that wasn’t a blessing, which Fran once endowed upon us, the master craftsmen? If you would, I’ll give everything in order to repay you.”
The man’s voice and tone were filled with desperation.
However, Ian did not know how to.
“It is an impossible task for me at this time.”
“……Is it? No, I understand.”
The desperation quickly turned to disappointment.
Soon, a sense of relinquishment has set in.
Even the dryness in his expression and breathing has returned.
“At one time, we were the best craftsmen around, and Fran had borrowed our skills and in return, gave us the blessing of everlasting life. It was a true blessing at that time. We were just so excited at the thought of studying and leaving endlessly many master pieces.”
“What do you exactly mean by having borrowed your skills?”
“Dragon, Fran had always longed for the dragons.”
“Dragons?”
Fran Paige, the father of Ian, had longed for the dragons that were like their first students?
The man continued to speak as Ian had difficulty understanding what was being said.
“He longed for the perfect nature of the dragon’s body. In human’s body, there are limitations no matter how powerful a force can be wielded, but in the dragon’s body, even impossible could be made possible. He often spoke of such things.”
“Dragon’s body……”
Even Ian had experienced the dragon’s body. Wasn’t the spirit of Resees Rajendu, the dragon lord of the Depository of Time, a body that had demonstrated incredible power even though it did not possess any powers or had no ability to wield its true nature?
“He wanted to overcome the limitations of being a human being and had borrowed our skills for that purpose. The creations that can enhance his powers, I believe they are called artifacts, now days.”
The story was that he chose artifacts in order to overcome the limitations of being a human. It appeared to be a similar reason as that of Ian’s. Even though there were some differences, the overall theme was the same.
‘It was also for me that I wanted to protect myself from the dragons.’
That was the same reason that Ian wanted the master craftsman. In order to not become a pushover by the dragons, he needed to become stronger than the 8th class that he was in his former life.
Therefore, as one of the methods, he wanted a customized artifact that was more powerful than any other known artifacts in the world.
‘This is really…… Strange.’
Ian could not help, but feel strange as like the first sorcerer, who could possibly be his father, Ian was making a similar choice.
“Then from some point in time, Fran departed from us. I mean, he completely hid himself from this world. And after Fran had disappeared, the dragons had also disappeared. I am not sure what happened between the two super beings, but it probably was not a coincidence.”
The man was also saying the similar story as that of the spirit of Resees Rajendu that lives in the memories of many thousands of years ago.
“By the fact that you’ve come to look for me based on that diary and that you’ve located this place with Craven’s request, there must be something that you want from us. Like Fran, am I right?”
“I’ll not deny it.”
Hiding it was not proper, he thought.
Ian responded honestly.
“I need assistance from the master craftsmen.”
“May I ask for the reason for needing the help?”
“……It is similar to that of my ancestor.”
“Dragon, possibly?”
Ian nodded his head in lieu of a reply.
At the same time, the man’s eyes narrowed.
“Has the dragons reappeared?”
“I think so.”
“Then……”
The man asked as if to confirm.
“What about Fran……?”
“I’ve met him too.”
“Oh, is that true?”
“There seemed to be some limitation in his movements, but he did certainly appear before me. He had even told me to not to trust the dragons.”
Ian truthfully told all the details of his encounter with Fran Paige, the first sorcerer. He kept his personal relationship at bay, but he did not hide anything about him.
‘I need to first achieve my objective.’
Ian came to this place to obtain an artifact. In order to achieve that, he understood that the master craftsmen also needed some encouragement.
‘I have to get them to help me no matter what.’
They cannot meet Fran Paige, whom they have waited many multiple life times, and that the only one that can help the craftsmen is Ian Paige. He wanted to implant such hope and faith in them.
“Do not trust the dragons, do not trust the dragons……”
The man regurgitated those words.
There does not appear to be even a minute distrust.
“……So, you’ve come to seek me and my kind in order to prepare yourself for a chance encounter with the dragons? To borrow our skills as it had been done by Fran a long time ago?”
“That is right. At my current skill level, I would not be able to face the dragon. In fact, I would be torn apart with a single strike from the dragon. I, at least, need power that will place me on the equal plain with them. Of course, it doesn’t mean that I will simply rely on your master creations. I plan to train in the power of the language that my ancestor had wielded.”
Like Fran Paige, he will train in the power of the language.
That was more meaningful than anything else as far as the man was concerned.
“The power of the language… that means……”
“The everlasting life that was given to you, the gift that is not a blessing, I will be able to lift it on your behalf.”
That was certainly an attractive offer and a deal. Help Ian Paige with all they can then after mastering the power of the language, he will try to lift the blessing of everlasting life. The man became visibly enticed.
“……Are you sincere?”
“To be truthful, I, too, cannot guarantee it. It is a level that I have not reached yet. However, the intention to learn the power of the language, and the promise to find a way to lift the blessing in the process are all out of my sincerity.”
“Hmmm……”
The man fell into a deep consideration upon hearing Ian.
His consideration went on a lot longer than expected.
Is it because he is an entity that has lived for so long?
A very long time of thinking about the offer has passed.
“I’m Bertholdo.”
“What?”
“That is my name.”
Finally, the man’s reply was heard.
It wasn’t an acceptance or a rejection.
Instead, he revealed his given name.
“It has been such a long time since I’ve given out my name.”
Bertholdo, the man repeated as if it was a very new feeling. About three hundred years ago, after meeting Mitchell Greenriver and the dejection that he had felt from the promise, he had given up everything.
After returning to the Knocking Island and spending purposeless time, it was certainly the first time that he has verbalized his name in about three hundred or so years.
“Follow me. I will show you what you want.”
Bertholdo headed towards the center of the Island.
Ian, of course, followed by carrying Craven in his arms.
“Even after Fran had disappeared, we kept making children to offer to him. There were so many ingenious children too. Ah, I’m referring to artifacts. They are like children to us.”
Having started to talk about artifacts, Bertholdo appeared animated. Is it because the lost sense of being a master craftsman has reemerged?
“Finally, those children will have parents. It has taken too long.”
Having arrived at the center of the Island with Bertholdo, Ian could not see anything around. What did he come here to find? The answer to that question soon emerged.
“Was it about here.”
Bertholdo swept the ground with his bare hands as if his memory maybe failing him. Then soon, under the dust, ground surface with words on it appeared. It was the very spot that Bertholdo was looking for.
Srrrrrrrr-!
That wasn’t the end of it. Bertholdo input mana into the ground. As it was with Craven, the so called the master craftsmen had many characteristics that were similar to sorcerers.
‘Is there an underground channel?’
A secret underground channel was what Ian’s guess was. But soon, what Bertholdo showed went way beyond that guess.
Krrrrrrr………
There was a massive shake. Was that all? Many manmade shaped colored white things began to emerge out of the ground including columns, walls, roofs, statues, chairs and tables. Then they all came together to form a ‘structure’.
“Do not move. This area is safe.”
As if he was used to it, Bertholdo watched as the structure was being formed.
‘A temple?’
The identity of the structure was like a temple, a white temple. To be more descriptive, it could be thought of as a ‘dragon’s temple’. There were eight large statues, which all had the images of dragons.
“As I’ve said before, Fran longed for the dragon’s body. However, it does not mean that that longing has somehow changed into jealousy or inferiority complex. At least, that’s how I remembered it. With the purest heart, he longed for and respected the perfection of the dragon’s body.”
Bertholdo said as he watched the white temple that had appeared at the center of the island. He recited quietly as if he was reminiscing.
“Do you see those statues over there?”
“The sizes are smaller than the dragons that I’ve seen, but other than that, they can pass as real dragons.”
“They are all the works done by Craven, whom you’ve brought. He is the sculpture. Ah, I’m a master tailor.”
It seemed that each master craftsman had their own field of expertise. The fact that Craven had focused on the sculpture even when he had lost his memory and that Bertholdo had made a robe for Mitchell Greenriver were all the reasons supporting that.
“Each of those statues holds an artifact that each of us has created for the purpose of offering it to Fran. Those statues are, in fact, storages that I don’t think that you too won’t be able to crack with brute force.”
Even the first sorcerer, the teacher of the dragons cannot crack them? That fact is incredible, but on top of that, the creator is none other than the child, Craven. He probably was not a child based on the time that he has lived, but it was just incredible at any rate.
“The only child that I can give you is only one at this time. The other statues can only be opened by their respective parent, that is, the corresponding master craftsmen.”
Bertholdo came to a stop at the front of the statue at the very left end.
“Do you understand what I mean?”
“You are saying that I need help from other master craftsmen in order to obtain the remaining artifacts.”
“You’re correct.”
They could never die.
They are living somewhere in the world.
If want the artifacts, the implication was to find them and bring them here.
“First, I’ll introduce you to my child.”
As Bertholdo began to inject mana into the dragon statue, the mouth of the statue cracked wide open. In addition, bright white light spewed out of it as if there was an explosion.
“He has not a name yet. It is a tradition to give a name according to the owner. Since you’ve told me that your name was Ian Paige, this child’s name shall……”
When the light has nearly dispersed away, a blue robe fell down out of the mouth of the statue. Like Mitchell Greenriver’s robe, it seemed that dark blue was Bertoldo’s favorite color.
“Ian Paige Robe, I think that will suffice.
Ian Paige Robe, a blue robe that was lighter than a feather, has landed on the top of Ian’s hands. It was a perfect landing as if it has recognized its owner.
“Do you like it?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure yet…”
“Please try it on.”
There was a strong sense of confidence in Bertoldo’s voice.
What kind of power is in this robe that the man feels so strongly?
Ian’s anticipation grew greatly.
“I’m saying this out of concern, but do not be too surprised. It is a robe that will make a dream, which anyone that knows magic may want to dream about at least once in his lifetime, come true.”
