CHAPTER 25
It was dawn by the time we reached Rapiel’s mansion.
After many twists and turns, we had returned here safely.
According to Aranseol, Sohan had likely gone with Soun. That’s why it was just the two of us who returned to the mansion.
To think I’d go through all that just to get a little information. It was a fresh reminder that I needed to be careful whenever I saw a bad omen.
More than that, Rapiel’s mansion was strangely quiet.
“Where could my master have gone when her beloved disciple was in such big trouble?”
“I envy your shamelessness, Harua.”
“It’s okay, Aranseol. You’re plenty shameless yourself. Have some confidence.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
I stepped into the mansion, listening to Aranseol’s grumbling.
Just then, we ran into the head butler, who was hurrying off somewhere.
“Ah, Master Harua, I’m so glad you’re safe.”
Well, I did die once, you know.
Aranseol glanced at me, but I didn’t meet her gaze.
“Yes, I’ve returned alive and well.”
“I see. It seems Lord Soun arrived in time.”
“More importantly, where has my master gone? I feel I should report the return of her beloved disciple right away.”
“Lady Rapiel has gone to the Grace Magic Tower.”
The Grace Magic Tower.
The moment I heard those words, my expression turned subtle.
A bad feeling washed over me.
“……Is it because of the Black Dawn member in the Grace Magic Tower?”
“So you knew as well, Master Harua.”
The head butler let out a troubled sigh.
“It seems Lady Rapiel has uncovered the culprit.”
I now understood why Rapiel had rushed to the Grace Magic Tower. And my bad feeling grew even stronger.
Black Dawn had attacked the Star Cluster Association to target the disciples.
The disciples of famous and powerful figures.
If they could kidnap them, it would be a huge gain for Black Dawn.
But terrorists are, for the most part, extremists.
Would those greedy bastards really have committed only one crime?
Black Dawn hadn’t invested a large number of personnel in kidnapping the disciples. They had invested just enough to barely pull it off.
So where did the rest of their forces go?
My gaze drifted to the window.
Far in the distance, the dawn was beginning to break.
Morning was dawning on the human nation of Gladion.
Perhaps today’s morning would change many things.

Morning came.
I had stayed up almost the entire night until the sun rose.
Beside me, Aranseol had also stayed up.
“You could have gone to sleep first.”
“My master and Sohan aren’t back yet.”
That made sense.
For a moment, I mistakenly thought she had stayed up for my sake.
The head butler brought us coffee and snacks in the meantime.
Come to think of it, I had barely eaten anything at the Star Cluster Association.
I took the opportunity to eat my fill.
Time passed as I filled my stomach, and it was nearly noon.
Just when I was thinking it was probably time to get some sleep…
“Lady Rapiel has arrived!”
Upon hearing the maid’s shout, I shot up from my dozing state and ran out.
Outside, I saw Rapiel trudging towards the mansion in the distance.
“Lady Rapiel.”
As I called her name, Rapiel’s eyes met mine.
She looked at me with a face that held a thousand words, then tilted her head.
“Harua, you…”
Don’t tell me she heard that I died.
As I pondered for a moment, Rapiel opened her lips.
“Your Seed has bloomed.”
My Seed has bloomed.
Hearing those words, I belatedly checked my own condition.
Deep within my body.
I could feel that the Seed, which had always been firmly in place, had blossomed and a sprout had emerged.
At the same time, the magic concentrated within the Seed began to flow out on a scale different from before.
Come to think of it, after I was resurrected, judging by the time I spent with Aranseol, my revival had been faster than usual. I had forgotten about it because the situation was so complicated, but perhaps my Seed had already broken open back then.
If I had to guess the cause, it would be that I had overused my Resurrection magic more than ever before.
I had revived at least a dozen people, so it seems to have had an effect on the Seed.
“Congratulations.”
Rapiel, who had been so down just moments before, smiled, the corners of her lips turning up.
“You’re a proper Holy Mage now.”
Just as she said, from the moment the Seed breaks, one is recognized not as an apprentice but as a true Holy Mage.
I had finally shed the title of apprentice.
“So, Harua.”
Rapiel looked at me and smiled.

“You are expelled.”

What?

I stared at Rapiel, my face completely blank. I couldn’t comprehend what I had just heard.

Aranseol, who had followed me out, also wore a bewildered expression, unable to grasp the situation.

"Wait a minute. Master?"

“Don't call me Master anymore. And pack your things and leave by the end of the day.”

Rapiel turned to walk away after saying her piece. I already had an idea why she was doing this. She wasn't the type of person to do something like this without a reason.

"What's the problem with Black Dawn being involved with the Grace Magic Tower?"

Rapiel’s feet stopped dead in their tracks.

“...You knew?”

“I heard about it at the Star Cluster Meeting.”

The rumor that a member of Black Dawn was in the Grace Magic Tower. That was the very reason Rapiel had headed there in the first place.

“Just who is the Black Dawn member hiding in the Grace Magic Tower that’s making you do this?”

No matter the reason, expulsion was something I just couldn't understand.

Rapiel seemed to hesitate, reluctant to speak. But having come this far, she couldn't just not tell me.

And the words that came from Rapiel's lips were shocking.

“...It's my father.”

The father she spoke of. He was none other than the Master of the Grace Magic Tower.

The Master of the Grace Magic Tower was a member of Black Dawn. I had just witnessed the Red Flame Lord joining hands with Black Dawn. At this point, it wasn't exactly strange, but for me, it was still dumbfounding.

Why on earth would people with such high status join forces with Black Dawn?

A gut feeling hit me. A feeling that Black Dawn's goal wasn't simple terrorism. These bastards were after something more. Something huge, something so alluring that it could captivate even the world's most powerful figures.

Additionally, I realized the problem surrounding Rapiel.

With the Grace Magic Tower Master being a member of Black Dawn, his daughter, Rapiel, couldn't escape investigation. The Imperial Family would surely try to investigate her thoroughly. Naturally, that would include me, her disciple.

I am a Transferee, and a No-Named at that.

With her father in Black Dawn, his daughter had taken a No-Named Transferee as a disciple. What would the Imperial Family think of her? Or, what would they think of my existence?

This world doesn't punish criminals through due process of law like modern society. Mere suspicion is enough to brand someone a criminal and cut off their head. The Imperial Family shudders at the mere mention of Black Dawn. Since they've fought a war with them in the past, that tendency is even stronger. So when it comes to a Transferee, the punishment would be even more merciless.

The only person who could possibly take my side, Rapiel, was about to be branded an accomplice. My head would be lopped off long before she had a chance to explain herself.

And then I'd be revived by my resurrection magic.

Ah, shit.

The image of them chopping off my head a few more times before burying me in the dirt, left to live on forever without being able to die, flashed through my mind. That was the one thing I wanted to avoid most.

“...So that's why you're trying to expel me.”

By severing the disciple bond, she could save my life. But doing so could make Rapiel herself a target of suspicion. She suddenly expelled her No-Named Transferee disciple in this situation. The Imperial Family would certainly find that suspicious and interrogate her.

"It's okay. I have connections with many influential people. The Imperial Family won't want to connect this to me and punish me."

She said that, but I could feel how much hardship Rapiel would have to endure for a while. No one who was taken in by the Imperial Family ever came back alive. That was one of the things I learned during my months as a pioneer. Rapiel would be torn to shreds. And yet, she was trying to save me, risking being suspected herself.

A sigh escaped my lips. My life… there's never a peaceful day.

“Master, the word ‘expulsion’ is too sad, so let's not use it, at least between us.”

But from the moment I was transferred, peaceful days were no longer an option.

"Let's call it a graduation."

From an apprentice Holy Mage to an official one. Thanks to Rapiel's teachings, I'd at least reached a level where I could hold my own somewhere.

And more importantly, there was a piece of good news.

"And when the Imperial Family interrogates you about your disciple, tell them this.”

By expelling me, Rapiel wouldn't be interrogated.

“At the Star Cluster Meeting, your disciple, Harua, died fighting against Black Dawn.”

I died at the Star Cluster Meeting fighting Black Dawn. The numerous witnesses who participated in the meeting would testify to the same thing. They all clearly saw me melt away in the flame beam fired by the Red Flame Lord.

Rapiel's eyes widened, not understanding what I meant. Behind her, Aranseol just let out a long sigh.

I might not tell others, but this was a truth I had to tell Rapiel. Because she is my master.

“My Ability is Resurrection.”

Now my disciple wouldn't have to worry about me dying somewhere.

As I told her that, Rapiel's eyes grew huge. The reason I could be a Grade 1 Holy Mage. The reason I could be of help to the master of space magic, Ririran. From the big reasons to the small ones, every question she had about me in her mind must have been solved at once.

The people who know I'm not dead are the butler, Rapiel, Aranseol, and Babiyen. The butler and Rapiel are a given, and Aranseol has no reason to go around talking about my death. I'm a bit concerned about Babiyen, but she also died and came back. If she went around mentioning my name, everyone would just treat her like a lunatic. In fact, she'd be the one interrogated about how she came back to life.

On that day, I died at the Star Cluster Meeting. With this, neither Rapiel nor I would be touched by the Imperial Family's investigation.

“Harua, what on earth have you been doing?” Rapiel, who hadn't yet heard the details of the Star Cluster Meeting, asked with a bewildered look.

“Cheongchul-eoram. On Earth, there's a saying that the student surpasses the master,” I said, offering a proverb instead of answering her question. “Someday, when you hear my name, the day will come when you'll think with pride, ‘I raised that disciple well.’”

There was still much to learn from Rapiel, but I had truly learned a lot. So I bowed my head to her. It was a sign of respect for my master.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“...I'm sorry. I wanted to teach you so much more.”

Tears welled up in Rapiel's eyes. She let out a breath and turned her head away.

“I've learned as much as I need to. I'll figure out the rest by studying books on my own. Besides, a Holy Mage is a high-class professional, isn't he?”

I could make a decent living as a pioneer. Although I couldn't navigate the 2nd World alone, it wasn't like I couldn't feed myself.

“Take care of yourself until you hear news of me.”

Rapiel wouldn't be able to come see me directly anymore. And I wouldn't be able to send her a single letter either. Until the Imperial Family's investigation was over, the master and disciple could no longer maintain their bond.

Therefore, today was the last time for Rapiel and me. The first master I had since falling into this world.

And just like that, I graduated from my master's side.

Author's Note
All illustrations are being uploaded to the 'Muhwa Kkotran' SNS.