Return of The 8th Class Mage Chapter 58:

(Don’t be foolish . Only those born with the ability to read the words can do so . You were born a lowly human . You could live a thousand lives and never be able to read its contents . )

The Fairy Queen stated this as a fact .

Her voice was full of conviction .

However, that’s not quite true .

‘I read it before and travelled back in time . ’

There was someone, born as a human, that was capable of reading it .

And that’s not all . This man has known this language for years .

Not a year, not ten years, but thirty years .

‘Not like I need to tell her that . ’

Ian evaluated the cost of the gems and pointed to them .

“I can tell you more about the book later, but I’d like to look at it more myself before that . These are the gems I mentioned earlier . I will give you 70% of them . I think that’s more than a fair trade . ”

Will 70% of these jewels be enough to satisfy her? With that amount, every fairy would be able to have one or two gems to themselves . Several generations of fairies would be able to enjoy these gems .

(Aaahh~… . . )

The Fairy Queen’s eyes became fixated on the large pile of precious gems . Even though she is the Queen, she’s still a fairy . She can’t suppress her own desires for these gems .

(Th-This will do . I think that amount should be fine . )

The Fairy Queen quickly tried to hide her reddened face .

She twisted around in the air .

She let out a small amount of mana as she did this .

“That would work as well . ”

(You know about this too?)

The Queen was no longer a small fairy Ian could hold in his hand . She had transformed into a woman that was the size of an average human . Her pinkish wings had also disappeared .

(Use this . )

The Fairy Queen that had become a woman, threw a sack at Ian . It was a small black bag that looked similar to Ian’s . This was the ‘Interdimensional Inventory . ’

(This is the transportation method you asked about . Put the gems in there . )

The Fairy Queen left Ian as he started moving the gems .

She placed her finger on her temple .

She looked as if she was almost angry .

Her appearance was almost that of an annoyed housewife .

“Hmm”

By the time Ian had finished moving the jewels into the bag,

She looked as if she had made up her mind .

(I’m going to add another condition . )

“Condition?”

(The book that was located here . Bring it to me and then I will give you one of our eggs . )

“Aren’t you just changing what you promised me?”

(Promised? Did I ever make such a promise with you? I told you I’d come here to see the gems . You’re just trying to get a better deal . )

The words of the Fairy Queen were true . Of course, Ian did not plan on giving up . How else would Ian be able to continue his research?

“I refuse”

(I don’t understand you . Humans could never read even a single letter from that book . It will just accumulate dust until the day you die . There’s no reason for you to reject my offer . )

“Can you read the book?”

(No, I’m not able to either . )

“Then, why do you want it . ”

(I know of a being that can read the book . )

“Who is it? This ‘being . ’”

Ian asked a difficult question .

The Fairy Queen replied with a straightforward answer .

(I can’t tell you . Even if you were to ask me a thousand times, I’d never be able to answer . )

“Do you mean that you wouldn’t be able to tell me even if you wanted to?”

(Once again, you’re quite sharp . )

This is a new fact to me . Ian had never heard about this in his previous life .

‘But I can’t keep pushing the subject . ’

“I still can’t give you the book . ”

(Ha? What the **** are you saying… . )

“If you want it, you can have it after I die . ”

(That’s impossible . I don’t know what could happen to the book in that time . This is completely different than sending a fairy back after you die . )

The Fairy Queen is even more stubborn than Ian could’ve predicted .

It seems like she won’t back down without a good reason .

“You said the reason you want this book so badly, was because you know the owner, but you can’t tell me more than that . ”

(Isn’t that enough of a reason to give me the book?)

“It’s not enough . I also know the owner . ”

(…… . What?)

“Dragon . ”

The word ‘dragon’ caused her great surprise .

Her beautiful, turquoise eyes wavered slightly .

“That book, it’s written in the language of the dragons . ”

(H-How do you… . . ?)

“It was just a guess . Though, judging by your reaction, I’d say I was right . ”

(You! How dare you… . . !)

“I can’t give the book to you unless you can give me a reason why you’d deserve it more than me . ”

Of course, there’s a deeper meaning to Ian’s words .

Ian was trying to determine the relationship between the Fairy Queen and the Dragon .

(W-Wait a minute . I said wait!)

Disregarding Ian’s hidden intent, his request for a better reason made sense . Furthermore, it was hard for most people to be able to tell what Ian was truly thinking .

(……I’ll tell you a little more . )

“I’m listening . ”

Ian did his best to hide his smile from her .

But there are many ways for her to avoid answering truthfully .

The Fairy Queen began to speak,

(It’s just as you said . This book belongs to a dragon and the writing in the book is the language they speak . It is a noble language that only they would be able to understand . )

“I already know all of this . If you think you can fool me in some way, please stop . ”

(Do you think I’m stupid? Listen to the end!)

The Fairy Queen answered Ian with biting words .

(I am from the same family as dragons . One day, after almost any trace of these dragons disappeared, we created our home in the remains of the dragons’ nests . It seems as if an eternity has passed since that time, but I am sure that one day they will return . )

This was also the first time Ian had heard anything about this . Though, he did expect it to some extent . If this Fairy Queen did have this kind of relationship with these dragons, does she really think that’s enough reason for Ian to give her the book? Of course, it wasn’t .

(That book belongs to the dragon clan . I will return these books to where they originally belonged, so quit stalling already . )

The Fairy Queen sounded even more insistent now .

She was clearly telling Ian she was done talking .

‘That must be the real reason’

The Fairy Queen wants to return the book to its original home .

Is her reasoning really so straightforward?

If that is the case, Ian should be able to speak more honestly with her .

‘I’ll reveal a little more to her . ’

Ian had decided it was time for him to reveal some information he had kept hidden so far . This deal between the two seemed to be more beneficial than he had previously thought .

“I believe what you’re saying . ”

(If you believe me then go and get that book now!)

Again, she’s acting with disdain towards Ian . That’s to be expected . She has been the queen of the fairies for nearly a thousand years . Yet, a human was able to steal such a precious item . How much humiliation can one fairy take?

“I’m sorry, but I just need one more thing . ”

(Really, who do you think you are… . !)

“There’s something important I’d like to speak with you about . ”

(Huu, I see . What is it?)

“Let’s suppose, hypothetically, that there is some great and powerful being that is able to read this book . Between the Queen and this great being, whom do you think deserves to own this book?”

Ian’s question was unexpected .

The Fairy Queen became visibly annoyed .

(Hah! What kind of question is that? The obvious choice is to give it to this powerful being . )

“Even if that being isn’t a dragon?”

(How many times do I have to tell you?)

“Isn’t it possible for there to be a being capable of this that isn’t a dragon?”

(If that were the case, that would’ve been part of their plan all along . )

The Queen’s faith in these dragons was firm .

Whatever their plans may be .

It was the first time Ian actually showed a big smile .

“I understand . ”

(What was the meaning of that pointless question? I’m starting to get annoyed with you . I thought you were actually pretty smart, but it turns out you are just another human……)

“I’ll show you something interesting now . ”

(What?)

The Fairy Queen once again looked irritated .

However, this look of irritation quickly turned to confusion .

“Atar”

No, she was more than just confused .

She placed her hands over her ears .

The ears of a fairy are a hundred times more sensitive than any other race .

“Haka”

Atar Haka

It’s time to finish the magical chant .

Fire!

Crimson flames erupted from Ian’s hand .

The flames became even more intense and their size grew .

“Uuhh… . . ”

Ian’s body began to tremble .

This was the result of this magic demanding too much mana from him .

(Wh-What are you…… . )

“You already know . Don’t you?”

Of course, she knew .

She was a member of the dragon family .

This is the same magic they would’ve used .

Would there be any reason for her not to know of ‘Dragon Speak Magic?’

(How can you……)

“I wonder . ”

(Nonsense . How could a human being ever……!)

The Fairy Queen was shocked .

How is Ian, a simple human being, able to use this magic? He’s not a dragon . If he was a dragon, she would have known the first time they met . The ‘Energy of the Clan’ that’s inside of her would have been triggered .

(You must be a dragon . )

“I’m not . I am nothing more than a human being . The things that you believed to be true are wrong . Isn’t this enough evidence to prove that?”

(……)

“The words in the book, I can read and speak them . ”

The magic Ian used was something he learned from his continued study . A type of Dragon Speak that was used by the Red Dragon Clan . It creates a flame that burns hotter than any other in existence . The only problem with this spell is that it consumes an immense amount of magic .

‘The dragon speak never disappeared . ’

Moreover, this dragon speak was different from the language of the Gold Dragon Clan . Their language was different from the language in the book . The language itself would not have disappeared once it had been used .

“Of course, if the original owner of the book appears, I’ll return it . However, even you must agree, that at this point in time, I should be the one to hold on to it… . ”

(You should . )

The Fairy Queen was clearly impressed with Ian .

(I will no longer ask for that book . Until the day it’s true master returns, or you breathe your final breath, that book is yours . )

She was suddenly calm .

Could it be that she has really changed her mind?

 

“Thank you . ”

(Instead… . )

The Fairy Queen wanted more .

She wanted to keep her word .

KUGUGUG!

A deafening boom echoed throughout the room .

However, it wasn’t just a deafening noise .

KUGUGUGUG………!

The heavy stones in the room began to move .

The cause was clear .

‘There were more?’

Ian knew that there were no other rooms below the basement of the Ivory Tower . Yet, a new pathway had appeared on the other side of the room . It was a very large passage, but there were dozens of stone gates within . Only after passing through gate after gate after gate would Ian be able to reach the end .

‘Did it react to the dragon speak?’

That appeared to be the most likely cause .

There was nothing else that could have caused this .

After all, this is the place where that book was located .

‘This is quite the unexpected bounty . ’

Of course, Ian didn’t actually know if this new passage would lead to something beneficial to him .

He just had a good feeling .

Whatever lie at the end of this passage .

It’s something that would never harm Ian……

“… . . ?”

It was just at the moment Ian decided to step towards this passage .

Kong! Kong!

A sound .

From deep within the new passage .

‘Footsteps?’

They were rather loud for footsteps .

But, it was clear due to the pattern .

It was the sound of someone’s footsteps . Not just that .

‘It’s coming this way fast . ’

Kong! Kong! Kong!

The sound of something massive getting closer .

It wasn’t the sound of a human .

It was something much larger than that .

(What’s happening now?)

“I don’t know . ”

Ian quickly readied his staff and the Fairy Queen returned to her original form . This form was much better suited for combat .

Kong! Kong! Kong! Kong!

Soon, the source of the sound came into sight of the two people, rather, the two mages in the room . The massive creature rushing towards them in a passage that was too small to contain its gargantuan frame .

Kong! Kong! Kong! Kong! Kong!

It looked as if its entire body was made up of bones .

The creature’s head was in the shape of a lizard skull . Large, thick bones made up most of its body . It wore armour made out of iron and carried a weapon that was easily three meters long .

“That’s……”

Even Ian, who had lived two lives, had never witnessed anything like this before . He had never even heard mention of a creature fitting this description . What could this monster be?

(A diseased dragon… . ?)

The Fairy Queen seemed to know the identity of this monster .

She even knew the exact name .

“A dragon? What kind of dragon is that?”

(They’re just like me . They are of the same family as dragons . )

“It isn’t an enemy?”

(Originally, that would be the case, but… . . )

The Fairy Queen cut her words short .

Now, she looked into the gnarled eyes of the dragon .

There was nothing but darkness there .

The light signifying the soul of the being was nowhere to be found .

(I don’t think it sees anything as a friend anymore . )

Did it acknowledge her words?

The dragon swung its massive weapon wildly .

It was just as the Fairy Queen said .