CHAPTER 92: CHAPTER 92 - BEING RESPONSIBLE

Crack!

Suddenly, as the magicians continued observing the strange shell, a sharp fracture appeared on its smooth white surface.

"Huh!"

The magicians all immediately turned toward the source of the sound.

"It’s reacting," the old man said, eyes narrowing with focused intensity.

Boom!

In an instant, the crack expanded violently. A section of the dome-like shell shattered outward with a deafening burst, sending shards scattering across the earth. From the broken portion, the once-hidden interior of the mysterious globe was now visible.

Inside, the environment was chaotic—scarred, fractured ground stretched in every direction, resembling the aftermath of a massive earthquake. A dense, eerie mist clung to the terrain, swirling in silence.

Thud!

From the shattered opening, a figure stepped forward.

It wasn’t human.

The being stood tall and imposing—its skin was an immaculate, gleaming white, marked with refined musculature and glistening scales that armored key parts of its body. Its eyes radiated with a pure, white glow, scanning the surroundings with a curious, almost alien gaze, as if it were seeing the world for the first time.

"What... is that?" a mage whispered in awe.

"Quick, surround it!" the lead magician ordered.

In response, the royal guards surged forward, forming a tight perimeter around the being, weapons drawn and pointed directly at it.

The figure turned its head, slowly examining the guards, then shifted its gaze toward the far-reaching horizon—the kingdom land, the high protective walls of the kingdom, and the sky beyond. There was no fear in its expression. Only a calm, unreadable curiosity.

But then... as the guards raised their weapons, taking aim—

The creature’s expression changed.

Its radiant eyes narrowed.

"Tell us who you are," demanded one of the guards, spear in hand. He stepped forward, pointing the weapon dangerously close to the figure’s chest, trying to intimidate the inhuman being.

The figure’s expression shifted into a frown. Without speaking a word, he slowly extended his hand forward...

. . . . . .

Meanwhile, back in the mansion...

When Henry entered Auran’s room, he found him sitting calmly with his eyes closed.

The room was spacious, with a bed, a few pieces of neatly arranged furniture, and a small partitioned area separated by a curtain. Only when Henry sat down nearby did Auran finally open his eyes.

"What’s the matter, Henry? I can tell something’s bothering you."

"Actually... yeah," Henry replied. He took a deep breath and then explained everything that had happened in the mines.

"So the city lord’s son is involved in shady dealings like that, huh..." Auran muttered thoughtfully after hearing the full story.

"If what that guy said is true, once he finds out who sabotaged the mine, he won’t stop until he hunts them down—and everyone connected to them," Henry added, his voice tense. "He probably has some skilled investigative magicians on his side. With their help, it won’t take long to trace it back to me. And if that happens, not just me... all of you could get dragged into this mess."

"I’m not afraid of some pompous city lord’s son," Auran said flatly, without the slightest trace of concern. "If that bastard tries anything, I’ll slice him in half."

"Even so, you should tell the others," Henry advised. "They’re the ones who go out more than you. Also, maybe ask Marian about the city lord—who he is and how strong he actually is."

Henry nodded. "Good idea."

Then Henry, unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, asked, "By the way... that woman outside—Clara, is she your...?"

Auran glanced toward the door. "Clara? She’s a space magician."

Henry raised an eyebrow, and a smirk formed at the edge of his lips. "Ah, a space magician... that explains why you two are so close."

"Back to the real issue," Auran said, bringing the conversation back to the mine incident. "If things really escalate and the entire city turns against us, we can just teleport out."

Henry frowned. "Actually, I looked into that. I found out a few things about teleportation circles in this world. Apparently... there’s only one."

"Only one?" Auran echoed.

"Yeah, and to use it, you have to schedule an appointment well in advance. According to the guy I talked to, the earliest available time slot is at least three months away."

Auran leaned back slightly, thoughtful. "So no quick escape then..."

Henry sighed. "Not unless we find another way."

"In truth, I’ve also realized that we’ve been away from the academy for quite some time," Henry admitted. "Originally, I was supposed to visit the main family and get my theory ranked. But ever since then, I’ve just been wandering aimlessly. If I don’t return to the academy soon, I might get myself into even more trouble."

He sighed and continued, "That three-month wait to use the teleportation circle seems unavoidable from what I’ve heard. However..." —his eyes narrowed as he looked keenly at Auran— "if things do escalate, what if we do what we did back in the Malv Flower World?"

"Well, yes," Auran replied calmly. "Returning to our normal lives is necessary, but you don’t need to stress so much. This isn’t a problem we can’t handle."

"But that teleportation circle... we’d have to wait such a long time. And if the city lord’s son gets involved in all this, he could even forbid us from using it at all. Oh crap—now that I think about it, that could really happen!" Henry exclaimed, the worry growing in his voice.

"Calm down," Auran said, unbothered as usual. "The teleportation circle isn’t something to worry about."

As he spoke, he stood up and walked over to the section of the room hidden behind a curtain. Pulling it aside, he revealed a stone circle laid out carefully on the floor, embedded with glowing crystals arranged in a symmetrical pattern.

"What is that...?" Henry started to ask, but then paused. His eyes widened as he recognized the materials. "Those are space vessel crystals... set in a formation... and that symbol engraved on the stone—Auran, isn’t this a one-time-use teleportation circle?"

Auran simply nodded in response.

"But... how?" Henry asked in disbelief. "How did you even find such rare crystals?"

"Space vessel crystals are incredibly difficult to acquire," Auran explained. "They’re only sold in the city’s most exclusive shops and in very limited quantities—and at a ridiculous price. Fortunately, my wallet’s been a bit heavy lately. And with Clara by my side, setting up the circle became a lot easier."

"Oh... of course," Henry muttered, nodding in understanding. "Even if someone managed to buy the space vessel crystals, they’d be useless without a skilled user to activate and stabilize them. But with Clara helping you, that obstacle’s already taken care of.

"This... this... Auran, if we use this, we can go back to our world, right?" Henry asked, his voice trembling with emotion.

"I haven’t finished inputting the exact coordinates of our world yet," Auran replied calmly, "but once I do, we’ll be able to return."

Hearing that, Henry visibly relaxed. The tension in his shoulders eased, and a soft, relieved sigh escaped his lips.

’When I tried to cheat my way through the Book of Futures, something went horribly wrong,’ Auran thought to himself. ’The book was destroyed completely, and in the process, it unknowingly triggered several random spells. One of them must have been a sudden space-time teleportation spell. As a result, Henry and I were transported to the last location I had focused on—probably unintentionally.’

’ That’s the only logical conclusion I can come to about how we ended up in the Malv Flower World,’ Auran continued thinking, his gaze shifting to Henry, who now looked more at ease.’ And if I’m right... then I’m the one fully responsible for getting him caught in this mess. Which means I also have the responsibility of getting him back to the academy safely.’