21st Century Archmage

s to what kind of expression they would make if they knew I lived in a castle.

“My parents are doing well, right…?”

When my thoughts turned to my parents, I automatically looked into the sky. Painted above me in the sky was a splash of galaxies, unobscured by light pollution. The Big Dipper that could be seen from any location in South Korea wasn’t there, but it felt like the solar system might be somewhere beyond those stars.

“I’m sure Master is taking good care of them.”

I did my best to reassure myself that Master wouldn’t ill-treat my parents after dimensionally teleporting me without warning to the Kallian Continent. Though, to be honest, my parents weren’t ones to be shaken one iota even if I disappeared for several years. When I was a kid, a friend of my grandpa read my fortune and physiognomy and said that I would live a long, long life and was country-governing-president material. My parents resolutely believed in those words. They probably didn’t even know that this son of theirs was in such a faraway place. I could guess that my wily master had employed a smokescreen operation, saying something or another about special education.

“I have to get to the 8th Circle to be able to approach magic related to dimensional teleportation… I wonder when I’ll get there.”

With a little exaggeration, the difference between a 7th and 8th Circle mage was like heaven and earth. I heard that back when Master was rampaging on the Kallian Continent, there were quite a few 7th Circle mages around. Despite that, no empire or magic tower was able to defy Master. And now, the task of reaching the 8th Circle was on my shoulders. It felt like the matters of a remote and far land.

“Hm?”

While I was looking at the stars in the distance, I spotted a bird flying over to my castle under the shine of the moon and stars. The wyverns patrolling the skies approached before quickly turning away and returning to their original positions.

“Narmias!”

To my surprise, a harpy, the king eagle exclusive to the elves, was flying to my terrace. She must have found out that I had returned. My brief melancholy disappeared without a trace.

Kioooooo.

I heard the characteristic cry of a harpy as Narmias reached my terrace in no time at all. Then, in response to Narmias suddenly leaping down from 5 meters in the air out of some sense of urgency, I uttered a cry of surprise.