Magus Supremacy-Chapter 877

Chapter 877

Alba, Lance, Killian, Mada, Rivock, Gunther, Noelle, Leo, Sera, Thalos, Fenrir, Ray, and Liam could all be seen gathered within the massive dining hall of the academy.

The vast space, usually filled with the chatter of hundreds, now echoed with the intimate boisterousness of the victors.

The students had all been sent on a mandatory one-month break while the academy administration decided to gather itself and pick up the pieces of their shattered status quo.

That reprieve would be ending in a mere two weeks, however; before that deadline arrived, they desperately needed to get their shit together and stabilize the new Dawn Faction.

But for today, nobody was focused on the looming responsibilities.

Instead, bottle after bottle of potent alcohol lined the long table, accompanied by mountains of food that looked sufficient to feed an entire community.

Mutton skewers glistened with fat, alongside seasoned chicken liver served with beans, succulent pork meat, aromatic rice, sweet pudding, and thick slabs of roasted beef.

It was a feast of different foods for every palate.

Aside from the heavy alcohol, there was also fine wine and lighter refreshments.

They were all dining in a state of rare contentment while chatting animatedly with one another, obviously celebrating their hard-won victory over the previous tyrannical leaders.

Alba, Killian, and Lance were currently drowning themselves in spirits, their voices rising as they shouted and laughed loudly over the clatter of silverware.

Noelle, by contrast, just quietly ate her chicken livers with a nonchalant, distant expression on her face.

Even before the climactic battle, she had barely spoken, but now, she seemed even more withdrawn and quiet.

Leo noticed this change in her.

But unfortunately, there was nothing he could truly do to mend a soul so recently tempered by fire.

Her body was scarred all over with jagged marks that resembled deep sword slashes—trophies of a war she had barely survived.

One eye was missing, hidden behind a stark patch.

She looked fearsome in her current condition, but that was precisely the point.

She had transitioned from a high-born lady to a hardened commander.

Yet, Leo wondered who would truly stand by her side now.

She was practically looking like a terrifying warrior who would fold someone’s spine if they so much as glanced at her the wrong way.

He felt she deserved love in her life... the very same affection her mother had failed to provide.

She deserved to experience genuine warmth. Leo was unable to do anything about the coldness currently radiating from her, hence he just sighed in quiet resignation.

...Probably, when the right time came, she would find a partner who would love her the way she truly deserved.

For now, they simply needed to be merry and enjoy the fleeting peace.

Who knew when they would next be gathered together like this to party in such style?

"Where exactly is the reason for this party, though?" Rivock asked, his mouth half-full of mutton as he scanned the dining hall.

He searched the corners and the head of the table, but Grey was nowhere to be seen.

Alba shrugged dismissively as she grabbed a piece of pork meat and tore through it like a ravenous wolf.

"No one ever truly knows where that fool goes in the first place. He always behaves like a ghost of some sort. What he does, who he meets, or where he travels—it’s all a complete mystery."

Mid-chug of his drink, Killian chuckled, the liquid spilling slightly down his chin. "Probably that’s why they call him the Supreme Magus. Haha!"

Lance lifted a brow in genuine curiosity.

"What does the ’Magus’ part even mean, anyway?"

Fenrir grabbed a roasted chicken breast before looking in Lance’s direction to clarify.

"It still just means ’mage.’ It’s just a fancy, archaic term for it which Grey obviously coined to fit his mysterious persona."

"Oh," Gunther muttered, nodding as if that explained everything.

Leo grabbed a fresh bottle of wine and poured himself a generous cup.

"Whatever he is doing right now, I feel like it’s important, so let’s just dine and be glad. I’m sure a day will come when we will finally be able to party with him properly."

Mada looked around the hall one last time, a lingering, worried look clouding his face.

’Where is he, though?’

****

After leaving the grand hall where he had been coronated as the new sovereign of the faction, Grey returned to the silent, towering structure of the academy building itself.

He found himself drawn toward the massive library—a place of ancient whispers and dust-covered secrets.

The moment he stepped foot into the vast chamber, a sudden, sharp chill coursed down his spine, prickling his skin.

He immediately spun around, peering straight ahead into the shadows with a deep frown etching his face.

"I can sense you," Grey stated, his voice echoing against the high shelves.

"Come out."

There were a few seconds of heavy silence before a croaked, raspy voice replied from the darkness:

"You have definitely grown since the last time we met. Back then, you were utterly unable to sense my presence, but now... now you can."

The voice paused for a fleeting moment before adding,

"... It is good to know that the new head of the faction is actually capable."

A second later, a man who looked to be in his late seventies materialized into view as if he had been standing there all along, hidden by the very air.

He appeared to be missing an arm, and a permanent, deep scowl sat on his face as he stared at Grey with menacing, pitch-black eyes.

His back was significantly hunched, a tattered cloak draped over his thin frame.

His remaining hand was clasped behind his back as he regarded the Supreme Magus with a chilling, toothless smile.

Even with how powerful the mage currently was, the individual before him exuded a certain ancient aura that simply didn’t sit well with him.

Strangely enough, this mysterious figure served as the official librarian of this archive.

They had met months ago during the library day of the Aetherian Academy, back when the mage had been searching desperately for any scrap of information regarding the academy’s original founder.

At the time, the librarian had told him that before he could access such restricted lore, he had to become the principal of the institution—which, in turn, meant ascending to the head of the entire faction.

The man stared at Grey from head to toe for several seconds, evaluating him, before finally bowing his head in the mage’s direction.

"What can I do for you?"

Grey looked at the man for a second before nodding solemnly.

"Information. I need a wholesome amount of information. Specifically, knowledge that nobody else but Orion himself was privy to. Where can I get my hands on it?"

The librarian straightened up... at least as much as his crooked, hunched back would allow. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Orion maintained a personal library," the old man revealed.

"A sanctum where he kept forbidden history and dark knowledge that even I am not permitted to know about. It is a place where he kept personal journals that likely detail his entire journey and his ultimate goals."

Grey smiled inwardly, the thrill of the hunt sparking in his chest. "And where can I find this hidden room?"

The librarian turned around without another word and began walking away, his footsteps silent on the stone floor.

He spoke over his shoulder as he led the way deeper into the stacks.

"Follow me. I will take you there myself."

Grey waited for a few seconds, his instincts on high alert, before following in the man’s unsteady footsteps.

But the lack of a name kept gnawing at his mind, so he decided to ask:

"What is your name? I can’t keep calling you ’librarian’."

The man paused and looked back, a crooked smile stretching across his face that didn’t even come close to reaching his hollow eyes.

"Harus."