The Mist Vol 1 Chapter 54

Vol 1 Chapter 54

"You just bring it close and it automatically equips. It's super popular with users who don't like piercing their ears! Let's see..."

Kran completely flipped Kapros's hood back and stepped away to look at him. Kapros was flustered but remained still.

"...It suits you so well, Mage-nim!"

Kran smiled so brightly that it could have knocked over several fans.

Kapros, having never worn accessories like this before, was flustered and moved his hand to his ear to remove the earring. But Yu-wan grabbed his wrist and shook his head.

"...Just keep it on. It suits you well."

"It feels strange since I've never worn one before..."

"Ah! Do it for me, okay?"

Kran ran his fingers through Kapros's hair, smoothing it down. Kapros looked at the subtle longing expressions on both their faces, then just pulled his hood back on. After all, with this on, it didn't matter whether he was wearing the earring or not as it wasn't very visible.

"You said it's a set. ...We must find the other piece no matter where we see it."

Kran clenched his fist as if making a vow as he looked at Kapros wearing the hood. Yu-wan nodded. Kapros didn't understand why they were suddenly so enthusiastic, but he wished they would think about more important issues first.

'Do we have to go through all that trouble again to get out of here safely?'

They say 'what if' kills people, and getting out of the maze was even harder than getting in. They had fought so many monsters that Kapros thought he would never visit that maze again, and now he could see their forms vividly even with his eyes closed.

As soon as they got out, Kapros decided to go find Mage Berman alone again. Firstly, he wanted to see if he could get more detailed information along with the quest progress, and secondly, he needed to finish the 5th circle but didn't have time to do it slowly. So he suggested that they each do their own things for about a week, and Yu-wan and Kran agreed. Actually, Kapros had thought Yu-wan, who didn't know anyone here and had nothing to do, wouldn't like the suggestion, but surprisingly, he nodded readily, which was fortunate.

"Let's meet at the tavern next time."

"Alright."

"I hope you have good results too, Kap."

With a final wave to them, Kapros headed straight to Superior's tower hidden in the old hut without looking back. The door that still looked like it would break with just a little force made a creaking sound.

"Berman-nim. Are you here?"

This time, Kapros called out politely, standing just inside the door. Soon, with a pop, the interior lit up, and with a clattering sound, Mage Berman emerged from the surprisingly spacious tower interior. He still looked small and dirty all over, but he was still a 7th circle mage. Kapros, who hadn't even mastered 5th circle magic at the Wizard Tower, would be no match for him.

"Ah! You've come."

Gone was the hostile attitude and informal speech from when Kapros first came; Berman's face brightened as he quickly ran over and grabbed Kapros's arm.

"Yes. You must have returned because you obtained something?"

"Yes."

"Come in, come in."

Uncharacteristically, he was very strong. As Kapros was practically dragged into the very large library he had seen before, Berman finally let him go.

"I believed you would surely find something, but this is much faster than I expected!"

He looked at Kapros with eyes shining with the scholarly enthusiasm typical of mages.

"Where did you go?"

"I went to the Endless Maze outside this city."

As Kapros spoke quietly, Berman's expression turned to surprise.

"The maze?"

"Yes. Originally, I went there for reasons unrelated to the brooch you entrusted me with. It was a place where very strong monsters appeared, but in a place we entered by chance, this brooch began to glow."

When Kapros took out the brooch from his chest and showed it, Berman stared at it zealously as if it might start glowing again right now.

"Such a thing!"

"...As it turns out, that maze was a place Lord Superior created to seal monsters. It was a result of coincidence."

"Hmm..."

Kapros deliberately omitted mentioning that he had seen Superior's memories or obtained the swordsmanship scroll.

If he explained, not only would the story become longer, but judging by Mage Berman's eyes, Kapros felt a slight unease that the scroll might be taken away. After hearing Kapros's story, which ended by saying that the brooch seemed to be closely related to Lord Superior as expected, Berman nodded with a serious expression.

"So that's what happened... It's unexpected. To think the clue was so close by..."

"I was surprised too."

"It's truly astonishing. ...Could you hand that over for a moment?"

Kapros stared at Mage Berman for a moment. This had now become an extremely important item for his quest progression. If he gave it here and couldn't get it back...

"Um... I think I need this brooch to investigate more details about Lord Superior."

At this, Berman burst into laughter and slapped Kapros's arm.

"Look at you. Do you think I would take back what I entrusted to you? As I said, I'm too old now and don't even have the strength to leave this tower."

"If you say so..."

As Kapros hesitantly handed over the brooch, Berman's gaze focused on the jewel of the brooch he received.

"Hmm..."

He held it between his thumb and forefinger for a long time, squinting one eye to look at it, then narrowing both eyes, then turning it over, and finally let out a deep sigh.

"Ugh... I thought there might be some change since you said it glowed, but I can't tell at all. Here, take it back."

"Yes."

Kapros quickly took it back and put it back inside his chest. Although he was somewhat bothered by Berman's very regretful gaze following his fingertips, he pretended not to notice and ignored it.

"Well then, do you have any other business?"

Kapros was taken aback by Berman's sudden change to an attitude of being bothered by everything, as if he had heard all he wanted to know, but Kapros maintained his expression and stated his original purpose.

"Actually, I came to see if you knew anything more about Lord Superior's companions."