The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years Book 2 Chapter 595

Book 2 Chapter 595

Tok-

…Cold.

Residue regained his consciousness with a strange sense of déjà vu.

“……”

'Looks like my lifeline is still intact- for now.'

The fact that he could think meant as much.

At this moment, Residue's mind was tightly linked to his physical body.

When an ordinary mortal's body ceases all biological activity, their soul either transitions to the afterlife or reincarnates, following the laws governing existence.

This is the most fundamental principle forced upon a soul after death.

Residue’s case, however, was a bit different.

For fragments of consciousness that were nothing more than lingering remnants, the principles of death did not apply. Perhaps the 'Void World' might have become his afterlife, but since the boundaries of the world had already collapsed, that was a meaningless thought.

Now, whether he liked it or not, Residue was bound to share his fate with this body.

The death of the body meant the death of the soul.

The death of the soul meant the annihilation of his existence.

…No. It might not only apply to Residue.

Now that Destruction had arrived, death could deliver nothingness to all beings.

─Even while aware of such a risk, why did I not fight?

Tok-

Residue stopped his unproductive musings and tried to open his eyes. It wasn’t easy. The swelling hadn’t subsided completely. Left with no choice, he attempted to move his body by relying solely on his senses, but even that didn’t go as he intended.

It wasn’t due to his injuries.

Of course, his physical state was terrible, but this body had fairly decent regenerative abilities. Even his shattered bones had partially healed.

So the reason was simple.

Clink-

His entire body was restrained.

…Was this the source of the déjà vu? It felt as if he’d experienced something similar not long ago.

Residue realized he was once again captured, now confined even more securely than before.

The cool, metallic sensation of the chains binding him was somewhat familiar.

These were the same chains that had held him captive in the underground cave. Death Worm hadn’t devoured all of them… but when had they been retrieved? R̃ÄNÖ?Ɛ?

“Guh…”

His throat was burning. His mouth was as parched as a desert. Considering how much blood he had lost, it wasn’t surprising.

Most of his wounds had been left untreated, though the truly life-threatening injuries seemed to have been tended to with some basic first aid. If they’d left even a single gla.s.s of water, it would’ve been perfect.

After taking a moment to calm himself, he made another effort to open his eyes. Soon enough, despite the swelling, he managed to discern his surroundings to some extent.

It wasn’t a prison… not exactly a barren place.

The s.p.a.ce resembled an old storage room. It was dark and damp but well-maintained, with no significant buildup of dust.

Plop-

The only exception was the ceiling, from which water droplets were falling.

Residue felt one of the drops land on the bridge of his nose, trickling down past his philtrum to his lips. He tasted it with his tongue before spitting it out.

‘Rainwater.’

This likely meant that the room was at the very top of a building, perhaps an attic or something similar.

When he listened more carefully, he could faintly hear the sound of rain. It's really pouring down as if there's a hole in the sky. After having such a useless thought─ he chuckled to himself as he realized that there really was a hole in the sky right now.

“……”

Of course, he couldn’t laugh for long, as the pain in his chest made sure of that.

He was thirsty. Should he not have spat out the water? He was already dehydrated.

‘So then…’

What now?

The situation was dire, and his physical and mental states were far from ideal, but the one solace was that he now had some time to think.

The first thing that came to mind was the Blue Knight, Pale.

The image of her, like a child, breaking down in tears as she screamed at the sky, was still vivid in his mind. Perhaps that was the closest anyone could get to the essence of what Pale truly was.

‘I hope she stays disheartened.’

But she wasn’t someone who would remain on her knees forever.

He didn’t know how long despair would hold her down, but eventually, she would rise and take action.

Yes, the crucial part was what she would do once she pulled herself together.

Knowing Pale, it wouldn't be strange if she suddenly broke down that door, drew her blade and declared she'd cut off his head first before thinking about anything else.

That's when it happened.

Creaaak— The door opened, and a someone's silhouette appeared. Residue flinched involuntarily, wondering if his imagination had just become reality, but it wasn’t the Blue Knight who revealed herself.

“……”

It was Sedi Trowman.

She stood in the doorway for a long while, completely still.

The distance from the entrance to where Residue was confined was about ten steps.

There didn’t seem to be any other reason for her to visit this old storage room, so it was only natural to conclude that Sedi’s business lay with Residue.

Of course, ten steps wasn’t quite the right distance to resolve her purpose.

Step.

After a brief pause, Sedi began to walk. Slowly, taking one step at a time. Residue noticed that she seemed to be wavering, caught between conflicting emotions.

Her gait resembled that of someone who absolutely didn’t want to move but had no other choice. And yet, no matter how reluctant the steps, with every step taken, the distance grew smaller.

The gap closed, and soon they stood face-to-face, only a short distance apart.

“……”

Even from her cold, lifeless gaze, he could tell.

Sedi now knew his true ident.i.ty. Did the Blue Knight tell her? Or had it been because he was beaten so thoroughly and conspicuously?

"Was it fun?"

“……”

"It must have been amusing. Pretending to be that person, observing my reactions, watching how pathetic I looked getting worked up over every little gesture."

Sedi’s face twisted with anger, her tightly clenched fists trembling as if she were grasping a blade that cut into her palms.

"Ruler. You people, do you enjoy deceiving people like this?"

Residue remembered the Sedi Trowman of the past. She was a loyal servant of the Demon G.o.d, even proud of her subservience.

In the eyes of the Lightning G.o.d, she had been just one of many insignificant Absolutes, unworthy of even remembering.

If she hadn’t been an Absolute dispatched to kill Lukas, her existence wouldn’t have even left a trace in his memory.

Not anymore.

Now, she could propose negotiations to the Rulers, and depending on the situation, she could even express her hatred and resentment towards them.

Had she… grown?

“You probably don’t even understand the concept of guilt. To you, anyone who isn’t one of your own is nothing more than a p.a.w.n on a chessboard. Always, always like this. Even in this situation, you can't grasp the concept of unity."

There were several things that needed to be corrected.

First, Residue was not a Ruler. He was nothing more than the remnants stained with traces of a Ruler’s power.

Second, he had never found Sedi, Beniang, or Pale amusing. On the contrary, seeing their faces filled him with a deep, almost visceral discomfort, as if he were wading through a swamp. He disliked even meeting their eyes.

That in itself was a surprising change, even to him. If he were truly a 'Ruler', as Sedi claimed, then their struggles would have likely been an endlessly entertaining source of amus.e.m.e.nt.

─But he didn’t voice those excuses. Even thinking about the reasons made him laugh bitterly.

It was purely because of his pride.

“……”

And that pride was important.

Residue sneered at himself, finding his own situation utterly ridiculous. Though his scorn was directed at himself, Sedi interpreted it differently.

“I hate you all so much.”

Her crimson eyes burned with hatred.

“I want to kill you in the most horrific way I know and then bury you in a place so far away that you’ll never appear before my eyes again.”

“Then why don’t you?”

For the first time, Residue spoke.

His gaze fell to the basket that Sedi had brought. It was filled with supplies like bandages and hemostatic agents, as well as the water flask he had so desperately longed for.

In that moment, it became clear who had provided the first aid that his body had received. It couldn’t have been Pale, her handiwork wouldn’t have been this neat.

“…What state is my father’s consciousness right now?”

At those words, Residue slowly closed his eyes. It was difficult for him to keep them open for too long.

‘Lukas’s consciousness’

For a moment, he considered things from Sedi Trowman’s perspective.

She mistakenly believes that the one occupying Lukas’s body is none other than the Lightning G.o.d. It’s a natural a.s.sumption, considering her own similar experiences.

‘Does she think that the Lightning G.o.d is controlling this body while Lukas’s consciousness slumbers deep within?’

If so, another question arises.

“What about the Blue Knight?”

Surely Pale knows about the Lightning G.o.d’s remnant, Residue’s existence.

Has Sedi not discussed this with her?

“That’s none of your concern.”

“……”

As he stared at her steadily, Sedi muttered 'd.a.m.n it' under her breath.

“She’s locked herself in her room. She’s not responding, and she doesn’t seem to have any intention of talking to anyone. …Well, I suppose I can understand that now. After spending the last few weeks being forced to endure how that woman feels about my father, it’s become painfully clear.”

Sedi opened the water flask.

Then, with careful motions, she poured some into Residue’s mouth.

Her gaze was still cold, and her expression as sharp as ice, yet her actions in offering water carried an almost gentle care. Of course, that reverence wasn’t directed toward Residue but toward the owner of this body.

Residue quietly moved his throat, replenis.h.i.+ng his fluids.

“I overheard a little of what you and that woman were talking about.”

“……”

“…You said my father is gone. Was that a metaphor?”

Apparently, Residue’s earlier a.s.sumption had been wrong.

Sedi had a far more composed understanding of the situation than he had expected.

“If I told you the truth, would you believe me?”

“…The truth, huh. That’s a word that doesn’t suit you.”

Sedi pulled the flask back.

“Even so, I won’t bother to listen. To be honest, your circ.u.mstances don’t really matter to me. I just wanted to make something clear.”

“What?”

"Even if by chance everything you said is true, I won't accept it."

“……”

“My father might have cooperated with you. He might even have entrusted everything to you before leaving. …I don’t know everything that happened in the time I was unaware, so perhaps he did. Perhaps he even managed to change a Ruler in the end.”

Residue simply remained silent.

“But… that doesn’t change anything. I cannot accept his final decision. The fact that, of all things, he entrusted everything to someone like you.”

...Those words cut deep.

Of all the words Residue had heard so far, none had shaken him as deeply as these. All he could do was avoid showing any reaction.

“I’m not the only one who feels this way. Anyone who knows my father would think the same. No one will accept your existence, nor will they acknowledge you. While I respect his judgment... at his final moment, he made the worst possible decision."

Perhaps what Sedi said was true.

Residue suddenly felt as if he understood Lukas’s intent, belatedly and faintly.

One of the conditions that guy mentioned, to act as 'Lukas Trowman'. ...Yes. That might have been his foresight, antic.i.p.ating situations like this.

For a while, silence lingered between them.

Sedi remained quiet as she continued tending to Residue’s body.

She changed his bandages, applied hemostatic agents and medicine, and even wiped his body clean with a towel.

Only after finis.h.i.+ng everything did she stand up and speak.

"...Perhaps the right to decide your fate belongs to that woman more than me. I won't do anything."

“What will you do now?”

Sedi didn’t answer and simply left the room.

Bang! The door shut firmly behind her.

Once again, Residue was left alone.

In the stillness, he suddenly noticed something. The dripping sound of water had stopped. Though he couldn’t see the outside, he could sense it.

The rain had stopped.

***

Left alone, Residue continued to ponder.

Pale’s questions, Sedi’s questions.

Their questions were so valid that they naturally became Residue’s own.

‘Why me?’

There was a time when he didn’t harbor even the slightest doubt about Lukas’s judgment. He had even regarded it as the most rational decision. That was because he had confidence in himself.

Now that the gilding had worn off, a chain of doubts began to surface.

Because our minds were connected? Because I was once an absolute being called a Ruler? Was there no one else he could entrust it to?

None of these answers were satisfying, leaving Residue confused.

The current version of himself was a fragile and feeble existence.

He had believed that even without power, as long as he had the will, he could achieve anything. He thought that he, too, could accomplish what Lukas had proven countless times to be possible.

But it was a bit different. His self-a.s.sessment had not been entirely accurate.

He hadn’t just lost power.

Residue’s will itself had weakened.

‘…What if the task entrusted to me wasn’t to stand against Destruction?’

What if that role had, in fact, been meant for someone else?

─I respect his judgment, but... at his final moment, he made the worst possible decision.

Sedi’s parting words lingered in his mind, refusing to fade.

Residue instinctively thought of a certain existence.

Someone even Lukas Trowman could not have foreseen.

An ultimate weapon, created solely to stop Destruction, crafted for that singular purpose.

The Half King.

Residue couldn’t deny that he felt a certain instability in her. But when it came to strength, there was no room for doubt.

…If the Half King exists,

then perhaps my role isn’t needed at all.