I'll Retire After Saving the World-Chapter 132: Witch’s Lantern (1)

TL: SHW

One hour ago.

“Are you really not going to create the Magic Theory Research Group?”

“Didn’t you say it was a discussion group earlier?”

“Aren’t they basically the same?”

Kim Chae-min smiled brightly. It was a smile that other mages who knew Kim Chae-min would avoid, calling it ominous, but the two young mages reflexively smiled back when their eyes met hers.

They looked like ducklings following their mother duck. Kim Chae-min smiled even more brightly.

“I’ll treat you well. You know, I may not look it, but I’m actually quite famous.”

If an Archmage isn't famous, that's a problem in and of itself.

“If you come to Teacher's family home, there are tons of magic books. My grandfather and father collected them. There's attribute magic and other stuff too...”

“Is there Shadow?”

“…Well, not that, but I do have Light attribute.”

“I have that too. My grandfather left it to me.”

No matter how impressive a family’s collection is, there is no Light attribute magic book that surpasses the research materials left by a Light attribute Archmage.

“It’s good to read from various sources!”

“Really?”

“If you look at it from another mage’s perspective, you might catch something you missed. And, hmm, you can even use it as reference when raiding a dungeon.”

“Even during a dungeon raid?”

“Using the internal environment of a dungeon effectively is one of the essential skills for becoming a seasoned mage.”

While Park Seo-hyun was listening to Kim Chae-min with wide eyes, Choi Jin-woo softly smiled beside her. Then, to snap her out of it and keep her from being too entranced, he lightly poked her in the side.

“Then instead of you starting a research group, how about becoming our club’s magic advisor?”

“Ah! Uh, y-yeah. That works too.”

“There are only two mages in our club. We were a bit worried about managing on our own. How about Teacher also making an affiliation through this opportunity...?"

Unlike Park Seo-hyun, who rolled her eyes awkwardly, Choi Jin-woo’s words flowed smoothly.

This time, Kim Chae-min quietly listened to Choi Jin-woo.

‘Oh my. Are they scouting me right now?’

Trying to recruit one of the few Archmages in exchange for after-school activities. If she were an ordinary mage, she might’ve gotten angry, wondering how dare they treat her like this.

But Kim Chae-min was no ordinary mage. She was an Archmage.

So Kim Chae-min burst into hearty laughter.

“Weren’t you satisfied with just Teacher Woo?”

“Teacher Woo is helping too, but you can help us as well!”

It was an argument hard to refute.

“You know that if you ask me questions, I’ll teach you anyway, right?”

Park Seo-hyun and Choi Jin-woo looked at each other briefly, then turned to Kim Chae-min.

“That’s different. We need to document it and make it official to avoid problems later.”

“Who said that? Seung-yeon?”

“Yes.”

"That's exactly what Hunter Lee would say. No wonder he's the nephew."

Kim Chae-min couldn’t wipe the smile from her face as she opened her mouth.

“Then if we’re making it official, I should get something out of it too, right?”

“…Joyful magic discussions with your beloved students?”

“You’re trying to become my students?”

“You’re basically already teaching us everything anyway.”

She definitely had only intended to teach the basic theories and mana control at first. But before she realized it, the lessons had gone far beyond what could be called basics. Kim Chae-min was aware of that. They followed her teachings so well that it got exciting and just… snowballed!

More than anything, being around these always-cheerful kids had made it fun.

With neither the words nor the will to object, Kim Chae-min changed the subject.

“By the way, then what are you planning to do with Teacher Woo? He agreed to be an advisor, but he doesn’t seem particularly interested in getting involved with the club.”

“That’s how it always starts. Like how a drizzle soaks your clothes.”

“If you say so… Just to check, you do know Teacher Woo is affiliated with the principal’s guild, right?”

“Huh?”

The two of them widened their eyes, apparently unaware.

“Don’t let your guard down just because Teacher Woo agreed to be your advisor. The principal I know never lets go once he gets his teeth into something. If you’re planning to leave a position for Teacher Woo even after you graduate, you’re in for quite the trouble.”

“Ugh…”

Kim Chae-min, looking fondly at the young mages who frowned in dismay, clapped her hands together.

“Now, setting that aside, today I’ll teach you a form of etiquette that every mage absolutely must know.”

“Etiquette?”

“Hmm… Seo-hyun, you know what I’m talking about, right?”

“Yes.”

Unlike Choi Jin-woo, who tilted his head in confusion, Park Seo-hyun nodded firmly. If she had lived with her grandfather, she would have no choice but to know it, no matter how young she was.

“You mean Domain, right?”

“That’s right. Do you know how to declare a Domain?”

“…Roughly? My grandfather did teach me, but I was too young at the time, so I don’t remember well.”

“That’s okay. I’ll have to teach Jin-woo from the beginning anyway. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask right away.”

Kim Chae-min recalled the teachings she had received from her grandfather and father as a child. The day she first bloomed a rose in her hand, her grandfather had been so delighted that he personally helped nurture her Domain. The Domain, infused with her grandfather’s touch, had been cozy and peaceful, a warm shield that always protected her.

If these kids ever created their own Domains, should she give them fully bloomed roses as gifts? A pretty pink rose for Seo-hyun, a vivid orange rose for Jin-woo, it would suit them well. And since they’d be flowers made with mana, they could be used effectively in an emergency.

‘…Wait a minute. Am I seriously starting to think of these kids as my disciples?’

Teaching Domains is usually the role of a young mage’s master. Giving a gift to decorate the first Domain is the same. Traditionally, the gift should carry the master’s mana. It symbolized that even after the disciple became independent, their bond with the master would remain eternal.

‘No, no, no. They’re not disciples if we don’t have a contract. It’s my rose; what does it matter who I give it to?’

Kim Chae-min nodded.

“I explained Domains last time. Do you remember?”

“Yes. You said it’s like a vault. One that only I can enter.”

“Of course, it can’t be physically sealed off. Even if you add a ton of security, it doesn’t mean it can’t be smashed in by brute force, right?”

“Right.”

“Even though mages are creatures closer to beasts than humans…”

“Ma’am, we’re mages too. That’s a bit harsh.”

“All that talk of ‘my Domain’, ‘your Domain’, doesn’t that sound more like animals than humans?”

Kim Chae-min stated firmly.

They were pitiful and cost-ineffective beings who lost energy just by staying briefly in someone else's house, no, not even a house but a villa. Park Seo-hyun, who was starting to feel uncomfortable with this villa, nodded with a sullen face.

“Still, that doesn’t mean we’re complete beasts, so we put up fences around our homes. Like saying, ‘If you cross this line, I’ll kill you.’ That kind of thing.”

Choi Jin-woo still looked puzzled. But that was fine. Eventually, even if he didn’t want to, he’d come to understand. Mages, after all, were territorial creatures and the most independent beings in the world.

“So a Domain Declaration is like a fence. It’s a warning. This is my Domain, so don’t trespass.”

“…Like a cat spraying to mark territory?”

“Exactly! That’s why mages aren’t necessarily more advanced than animals!”

Kim Chae-min burst into laughter.

“Humans are animals too, right? Don’t you think even non-mages would feel the same? You’d hate it if someone snuck into your house, wouldn’t you?”

“Y-yeah.”

“It might sound weird the way I put it, but there’s nothing strange about it. You put locks on your front door, right? And install security on your safe.”

“I get what you mean.”

“That’s why this is basic etiquette for mages.”

“……”

“There’s no need to create your Domain right away. That’s something you build slowly with care. Where is safe, what suits you best, how to make it comfortable for yourself… I’m teaching you now so you can use it later. If you don’t know how when the time comes, you’ll be in real trouble.”

After making eye contact with both Choi Jin-woo and the somewhat downcast Park Seo-hyun, Kim Chae-min smiled gently.

“And in addition, I’ll teach you about Temporary Domains, which are useful when you’re in a dungeon for a long time. But this, never teach it to anyone, even if they beg you, okay? I’m only teaching it because it’s you two.”

If she had known what would happen when that Temporary Domain Declaration was manifested using Park Seo-hyun’s mana, Kim Chae-min might have taught it with more caution.

***

Park Seo-hyun's grandfather's house was always bright. As long as the sun was up, sunlight poured in through the large windows everywhere in the house. Even after the sun had set, it was the same. The lights powered by mana stones glowed like the moon and stars.

A small lamp was also placed in Park Seo-hyun’s hand. The lamp, said to have been crafted with utmost care by a Russian artisan for her grandfather, was decorated with flowers and larks in stained glass mosaic. When the inner bulb lit up, the multicolored glow was so pretty that she often pestered her grandfather to turn it on.

Until just a few days ago, her grandfather would smile kindly and turn on the lamp. But now, he spoke in a firm voice.

‘It’s time for you to do it yourself, Seo-hyun.’

His fingertip touched the stained glass ornament. The bird with blue glass feathers chirped with a clear chime when it came in contact with her grandfather’s mana, then fluttered its wings. After a short flight, the bird returned to its place, about to hold the flower in its beak… but the moment her grandfather withdrew his hand, it stopped in place.

‘Seo-hyun, you’re this grandfather’s granddaughter, right? Then you can do it. It’s very easy.’

Her grandfather had said it was as easy as eating. And there was no way her grandfather would lie. So it had to be easy for her too. She didn’t care about the cold sweat soaking her back.

Turning on the lamp was easy.

It became her routine to turn on that small lamp before bed. Whenever the bird fluttered its wings, her grandfather would smile proudly. When she became used to it, her grandfather pointed to another lamp.

‘Try turning that one on this time?’

That too, was easy.

The number of lamps gradually increased. Before she knew it, turning on the lamps after sunset became her responsibility.

Her grandfather’s house remained bright. Bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, so bright, so damn bright.

Even her grandfather’s funeral was held under that bright light.

She had never returned to her grandfather’s house since then. That place was her grandfather’s Domain. Her grandfather’s Domain, and a house without her grandfather.

It was a space more precious to her than anything, but without her grandfather, it held no meaning.

“A Domain should be a place where you feel comfortable. It’s your own space. So you have to decorate it however you like, regardless of how others see it.”

When she heard the word domain, she remembered her grandfather’s house. It was the only other mage’s Domain she had ever seen and the place where she grew up.

But that place could only be the home of Park Seo-hyun, granddaughter of Park No-kyung. It could never become the space of the mage Park Seo-hyun.

“The same goes for a Temporary Domain. You can’t set it up properly like a full Domain, so just divide the space appropriately… then fix your mana in place. It’s easier if you have something to use as an anchor, but even without one, if you visualize your Domain while doing it, it should be manageable. You two don’t have Domains yet, but… from what I can tell, you’ll need to make one soon.”

If she were to make a Domain.

She closed her eyes and imagined the familiar house. Let’s block every window in the walls. Cover the ceiling windows too. Let no sunlight in. Bright light is her enemy. It’s a rascal that erases shadows. The fairy lights decorating the entryway, the lights filling the hallway with warmth, the lights in every living room and bedroom, and even the stained-glass lamp her grandfather placed beside her bed, let’s get rid of all of them.

Shadow. A Domain full of shadows.

In the darkness where even intruders would sink, they wouldn't be able to see anything and would lose their way....

***

For more chapters, you can check out my Patreon here --> https://patreon.com/SHWTL

If you enjoy this novel, please review and rate it at Novelupdates. Thanks! 😊

To receive the latest update notifications or report mistakes, join our Discord server linked below.