Chapter 157: Ancient Runes

Reincarnation Anomaly.

In the distant past, there was no such thing.

The present era, however, was a different story.

Ever since that incident thousands of years ago, strange individuals had occasionally appeared throughout the world.

Some awakened with knowledge that no one of their generation should possess.

Others displayed skills that had long vanished from history.

A few even spoke forgotten languages as though they had been born speaking them.

Collectively, they became known as Reincarnation Anomalies.

The Imperial Zenith School possessed an entire archive dedicated to such beings, and Aurelius Zenith had personally investigated several of them over the years.

There was no universal way to deal with them.

Some became invaluable allies.

Others grew into disasters capable of shaking nations.

As a result, every anomaly had to be judged individually.

After all, regardless of their personalities, one fact remained constant.

They usually carried ancient knowledge that had disappeared from the modern world.

And now, Aurelius was looking directly at one with his own eyes.

The Hollow Lich before him was unlike any ordinary undead.

His mannerisms.

His speech.

Even the confidence with which he carried himself.

Everything pointed toward an existence that had lived far longer than it should have, maybe even longer than him.

Suppressing the countless thoughts in his mind, Aurelius calmly spoke.

"What do you want?"

The Hollow Lich didn’t even bother to spare him a glance.

Instead, he looked toward Caelum once more.

"You still haven’t answered my question, will you become my disciple?"

Aurelius’ lips twitched slightly.

He had just been ignored.

Even so, he remained silent and carefully observed the interaction between the two.

After watching them for a few moments, he quietly reached a conclusion.

’...He can be reasoned with.’

That alone was excellent news.

A creature willing to negotiate was infinitely preferable to one that only knew slaughter.

Moreover, ordinary Liches had a rather infamous habit.

Whenever they found a human interesting, they usually killed them first.

Then turned them into an undead.

Only afterward did they begin asking questions.

Compared to that...

Offering discipleship first was practically saintly behavior.

Still, another detail attracted Aurelius’ attention far more than the conversation itself.

His gaze slowly moved across the runes carved into Grozni’s skeletal body.

’Those are ancient runes.’

Not merely ancient.

Several of them belonged to writing systems believed to have disappeared long before the current civilization was properly established.

Even the Imperial Archives possessed only fragmented records concerning them.

Yet this Hollow Lich wore them across his bones as though they were ordinary decorations.

Meanwhile, Caelum found himself caught between two completely different worlds.

On one side stood the Headmaster of the Imperial Zenith School.

A legendary Archmage whose reputation had been built through countless battles against demons and other threats to humanity.

On the other, stood an ancient Hollow Lich who had calmly introduced himself by asking him to become his disciple.

The situation felt so surreal that Caelum almost wondered if he was dreaming.

Aurelius noticed the hesitation on the boy’s face.

His eyes briefly softened.

These past few months had been filled with one incomprehensible incident after another.

Even someone as experienced as an Archmage occasionally found himself at a loss.

After weighing the situation, he silently transmitted his voice into Caelum’s mind.

’Accept his proposal.’

Caelum blinked in surprise.

He hadn’t expected the Headmaster to give such advice.

After a brief moment of thought.

He nodded.

"...Alright, I’ll become your disciple."

A satisfied expression spread across Grozni’s skeletal face the flames in his eyes shined brighter.

"Excellent."

Then his attention finally shifted toward Aurelius.

"Archmage, take a Mana Oath. Your life shall serve as the collateral."

Aurelius’ expression darkened ever so slightly.

’...So he still doesn’t trust me.’

The request itself wasn’t unreasonable.

If their positions had been reversed...

He would’ve demanded similar guarantees.

Another thought surfaced within his mind.

’With that man here, perhaps the situation can be turned to my advantage.’

A faint smile almost appeared on his face.

A man who had reached the rank of Archmage hadn’t survived by relying solely upon strength.

He understood opportunities.

And more importantly, he understood that even the most dangerous situations often concealed the greatest rewards.

Slowly, Aurelius met Grozni’s gaze.

"...State your terms."

Thus, an unusual negotiation began.

One between the Headmaster of the Empire’s greatest school and an ancient Lich from a forgotten era.

A negotiation whose outcome would profoundly influence Caelum’s future.

***

Ethan and the others cautiously looked toward the figure who had suddenly appeared before them.

It was the Headmaster of the Imperial Zenith School.

Aurelius Zenith.

Only now did they finally have the chance to properly observe their surroundings.

The sixth floor no longer resembled a dungeon.

Huge sections of the floor had collapsed, countless stone pillars had been reduced to rubble, and enormous cracks stretched across the ground like spider webs.

Even the ceiling had been blasted open in several places, allowing faint daylight to seep inside.

The battle that had taken place here had completely exceeded anything they could have imagined.

Ethan subconsciously tightened his grip on his weapon.

His vigilance remained at its peak.

He couldn’t simply assume the person standing before him was truly the Headmaster.

Shapeshifters existed.

Illusion magic existed.

Even stranger abilities weren’t unheard of.

Carefully choosing his words, he asked.

"Headmaster what happened? The fighting... has stopped?"

Aurelius merely glanced at him without answering immediately.

Just then, another figure walked over from behind him.

Instructor Stalin.

He was carrying six unconscious people with [Telekinesis], their bodies floating neatly behind him.

The familiar instructor, together with the unconscious people who were likely cultists, immediately eased much of Ethan’s concern.

At the very least, it seemed the crisis had truly ended.

Even without his intervention, the Headmaster had personally stepped in.

However, the Headmaster’s expression remained unusually stern.

As Aurelius looked at Ethan, an involuntary thought surfaced in his mind.

’...Why do strange incidents always seem to follow this kid?’

From his perspective, nearly every major disturbance over the past year somehow involved Ethan Morvendrell.

Whether intentionally or not, the Duke’s son always seemed to appear at the center of unusual events.

Compared to that.

Caelum merely looked like an unfortunate victim who had been swept into someone else’s scheme.

Aurelius let out a long sigh.

"You’ll be graduating from the Senior Division this year, won’t you?"

Ethan nodded cautiously.

"Then why don’t you stay quietly in your dormitory and study? Why do you insist on working so hard?"

"...???"

Ethan froze.

His mind went completely blank.

He had prepared himself for many possible questions.

Questions about the dungeon.

Questions about the cultists.

Even questions regarding Soleil.

But...

This?

’...What?’

He stared blankly at the Headmaster.

’Isn’t he usually calm and composed? What happened for him to be this irritated?’

Ethan felt utterly wronged.

Normally, when hardworking kids are praised for their dedication.

Yet somehow, the harder he worked, the more he got scolded.

For a brief moment, Ethan genuinely felt like crying.