Raising the Northern Grand Duchy as a Max-Level All-Master-Chapter 125

125. Encounter in the Magic Realm (2)

‘The Great One? Does Yulkanes think I’m a dragon?’

Hearing Yulkanes’ telepathic message, I struggled to keep my expression neutral, hiding my astonishment.

‘Hmm… At least this confirms Yulkanes isn’t a dragon.’

The telepathic exchange provided one valuable piece of information: Yulkanes wasn’t a dragon.

‘If he were a dragon, he would’ve recognized me as one of his kind—or not—right away.’

Yulkanes was just an exceptionally skilled and lucky archmage who had thrived with the empire’s full support.

‘Even I, a master of “Era of Silver 1,” never got to see a dragon in the end.’

Dragons did exist in this world.

But they had disappeared along with the fall of the Golden Age.

At least on the continent of Arcadia, they were nowhere to be found.

Legend had it that the first pope who ushered in the Divine Era forged a non-aggression pact with the Dragon Lord, explaining their absence.

‘Anyway, right now, I’m being mistaken for a dragon, right? And by an 8-circle archmage, no less.’

Being mistaken for a dragon—what a rare situation.

‘The problem is I can’t use telepathy right now….’

Yulkanes could use telepathy freely, but as a 2-circle mage, I couldn’t manage it without a magical tool.

‘Let’s see… I think I made a ring capable of telepathy and stored it in my dimensional pouch….’

Feigning thoughtfulness with my expression and gestures to buy time, I discreetly slipped my right hand into the pouch to search for it.

[Am I wrong?]

Yulkanes tilted his head when I didn’t respond immediately with telepathy.

‘He’ll figure out soon enough that I’m not a dragon. But! I can’t let this golden opportunity slip away.’

As I watched the 8-circle archmage fully immersed in his misconception, my mind raced.

‘Think, think! How can I capitalize on this misunderstanding to make that Golden Tower Master my pawn?’

Meanwhile, the others silently observed the exchange between Yulkanes and me.

They had realized we were communicating telepathically (or rather, he was speaking, and I was listening), so none of them dared to interrupt the tense silence.

‘Got it!’

Finally, I covertly pulled out a ring and slipped it onto my index finger.

The ring, a magical tool I had crafted, enabled telepathy.

It was incredibly expensive and had a limited number of uses before it became just a normal ring. But in this situation, I had no choice but to use it. ṛ𝙖ŊȰʙЕ𝐒

[So, you’re not a dragon.]

As soon as I put the ring on, I quickly sent a telepathic message to Yulkanes.

[Did you just use that ring to communicate? A mere ring enabling a spell that requires at least 4 circles?]

Yulkanes immediately noticed how I had managed to send the telepathic message.

[Correct.]

[Correct? Are you perhaps older than you look?]

[You could say that.]

It wasn’t a lie. My age as Jin on Earth was at least a dozen years older than Arad’s body.

[Even so, you can’t be older than me. Unless you’re a dragon or an elf…?]

Yulkanes’ questions continued.

[I was born long before you. Much, much earlier.]

Since the telepathy ring had a usage limit, I had to keep my responses short, which was frustrating.

[Born long before me…?]

Yulkanes didn’t seem suspicious of my answer.

Perhaps the limitations of the telepathy ring gave my story a mysterious and convincing aura.

[Your magical power is pitiful, almost cursed, yet your enchantment and alchemy skills surpass mine. You suddenly appeared in the North, claiming to have been born much earlier than me?]

True to his title as an archmage, Yulkanes even managed to mutter contemplatively through the focused telepathic exchange.

I nodded with a deliberately enigmatic expression as he pieced things together.

[Could it be…? An Ancient from the Golden Age?!]

[I won’t deny it.]

Yulkanes took the bait I had dangled.

‘There’s no way I can keep the origins of my magical knowledge a mystery forever.’

It was for the best. More and more people were growing curious about my skills and true identity.

The story about being an adventurer wasn’t fooling anyone anymore—not even a passing dog.

For now, my title as a count kept things quiet, but it was only a matter of time before unexpected situations like this one arose.

I figured it was a good opportunity to fabricate a plausible backstory.

“That’s impossible!”

Yulkanes exclaimed aloud, his voice filled with shock.

“No matter how advanced the Golden Age was, creating a spatial-temporal barrier spanning thousands of years is impossible!”

“Why not? Didn’t your people manage something similar? In the Abyss of this very Demon Realm?”

As he shouted, I seized the moment to respond.

“That was a reckless endeavor! The Magic Tower and the imperial budget nearly collapsed from the strain!”

“Are you seriously comparing my era to this one?”

“That—uh… Hmm. I suppose if it’s the Golden Age…”

As my conversation with Yulkanes transitioned to spoken words, Balzac and the others nearby naturally began to eavesdrop.

‘What’s this? Why is no one surprised?’

The reactions of the group were peculiar.

The priests appeared somewhat startled, but Balzac, the knights, and the mages all seemed to act as though they already knew.

‘No way… Could it be that the misunderstanding I just made up was already in place?!’

This unexpected realization made my eyes widen slightly.

‘That explains it. They haven’t been prying into my past because they were already convinced of something on their own.’

The idea of me being an unsealed relic from the Golden Age must have seemed far more plausible than being an adventurer of Eastern lineage or a magician from the North.

‘And certainly more credible than the reality—a max-level all-master crafting jack-of-all-trades from a game world on Earth.’

Suppressing a smirk, I returned my focus to Yulkanes.

“However, the actual time I’ve lived is far shorter than your own, Archmage Yulkanes. So, I’ll address you formally from now on.”

“I’m honored, I suppose,” he replied dryly, though his composed demeanor quickly returned. His next words came through telepathy.

[Are there others like you?]

[Unlikely.]

[Why?]

[Because it was practically impossible even in my time.]

[Practically impossible?]

[My existence is the result of several coincidences converging.]

[I see… How disappointing.]

Meanwhile, I noticed that the telepathy ring’s usage count had already dropped by 30%.

‘I need to conserve every word!’

Unaware of my predicament, Yulkanes was visibly excited, his face lighting up with the passion of a mage diving into a profound mystery.

[Ancients, people who actually lived through the Golden Age… If imperial archaeologists heard this, they’d lose their minds.]

[That’s precisely why I’ve kept it a secret.]

[Understandable. They wouldn’t have believed you anyway.]

The reason I had chosen to lean into the ancient being in front of Yulkanes was simple.

‘On this continent of Arcadia, the Golden Age is revered as an ideal era. Especially for those who walk the path of magic—it represents truth and answers.’

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While the imperial church and the papacy denounced it as an age of arrogance and sin, mages across the North, the Empire, and the Kingdom Alliance revered it as a beacon of enlightenment.

For mages, the Golden Age was the equivalent of Atlantis, a utopia, or the legendary era in Earth’s history.

‘It’s like a scholar of Confucianism in the Joseon dynasty witnessing the return of a sage from Confucius’ time.’

An ancient mage engineer from the Golden Age would be revered as a living saint by those pursuing the path of magic, regardless of their circle level.

When paired with my achievements thus far, Yulkanes was likely to view me as a senior or even a great mentor figure.

‘Now that I think about it, maybe this misconception is why the witches have been so oddly obedient to me.’

While I believed I’d already solidified a favorable dynamic, Yulkanes suddenly furrowed his brow and asked with a puzzled look,

[Then why did you ask about the reason for killing those children earlier? Would a great ancient being concern themselves with such things?]

Correction: the dynamic wasn’t solidified yet.

The skeptical old man wasn’t going to be easily swayed.

[Because if there was a personality issue, I could always brainwash and train them.]

‘I can do this! I can pull it off! I have a wealth of information about the Golden Age in my head. Not only contemporary high-level knowledge but even future archaeological discoveries!’

Refusing to give up, I maintained my ancient facade and pressed on.

[Excluding personality from positions of great power… No wonder arrogance and sin led to the downfall of your era.]

[Didn’t I just say I’d rehabilitate them through brainwashing? Were you even listening?]

My efforts were beginning to pay off.

[Have you considered coming to the Empire?]

[I have not.]

[Why stay in the North instead of coming to the Empire?]

[Because I am from the Tactical School.]

[The Tactical School? Ah… One of those ancient groups that settled in the North near the end of the Golden Age?]

[Precisely. We differ significantly from those who established themselves in the Demon Realm.]

As a crafting jack-of-all-trades maxed out in all professions, I had a surprisingly detailed knowledge of ancient lore.

Some of it was unique information known only to me, while other parts were high-level knowledge someone like Yulkanes might also recognize.

The Tactical School I just mentioned fell into the latter category—a piece of history Yulkanes would likely know about.

[And what does the Tactical School have to do with you remaining in the North?]

[The people here in the North are the direct descendants of my school.]

[So, you feel a sense of attachment to them?]

Reluctant to waste more telepathy, I simply nodded in response.

[Was your temporal seal the result of a battle with the Nephilim during the early migration?]

[Something like that.]

[Something like that...?]

The Tactical School consisted of ancient engineers from the Golden Age who settled in the North during its decline, alongside the Nephilim.

In the early days of their migration, they clashed with the Nephilim faction, ultimately losing and being absorbed into the Naturalist faction.

Yulkanes seemed to have a general understanding up to that point.

I used this as a foundation to embellish my fabricated backstory.

[For someone from the mighty Golden Age, your pitiful 2-circle magical power is… surprising.]

Yulkanes’ golden eyes glinted as he scanned my mana core.

As an 8-circle mage, he didn’t need physical contact to assess someone as weak as me.

It was an incredibly rude move, but given the circumstances, I decided to let it slide.

[The Tactical School was a guild of engineers. While their circles were low, they were predominantly brilliant magical engineers, excelling with their intellect and skills.]

[That’s fascinating. When I return to the Empire, our Magic Tower must adopt some of their principles.]

Damn it. I shouldn’t have let that slip.

While I silently clicked my tongue in frustration, Yulkanes continued his questioning, his tone almost interrogative.

[Then why were you sealed?]

[We who were defeated sought to prevent the complete loss of our knowledge. I was chosen for that purpose, as I possessed the most comprehensive understanding of magical engineering.]

[Ha! So, to preserve the great knowledge of the great era, they sealed an entire person?]

Yulkanes was practically brimming with admiration.

[Precisely. I became a sort of human time capsule—or a mummy, if you will.]

Bolstered by his reaction, I added a bitter expression to my performance.

‘If my luck stat pulls through here, I might actually manage to tame the continent’s greatest archmage.’

[Of course, even my comrades who sealed me wouldn’t have imagined I’d remain in stasis for this long.]

[Ah, I see! Truly, it must have been an incredible Golden Age!]

[?]

But something felt off about his reaction.

‘Is he genuinely impressed? Or just pretending to be?’

It was as if he were a grandfather humoring his grandchild’s tall tales, playing along out of amusement.

[It’s a fascinating story. However…]

‘However?’

[You expect me to believe that?]

‘….’

As expected, Yulkanes wasn’t entirely sold on the impromptu story I had concocted.

It seemed even my lofty luck stat couldn’t save me this time.

To make matters worse, the magic stone in my telepathy ring had completely run out of power.

‘I’ve used up the ring!’

With no telepathy left to rely on, I was now cornered.