Chapter 107

He had reached the pinnacle of gluttony, devouring all the food on the table. Without washing it down with water, he consumed about 4kg of food. The dishes Glacia made were incredibly delicious, and it seemed she had even considered my health. But even that has its limits. If you shove 4kg of wild ginseng into your body, you’d probably drop dead.

I felt like I could go without eating for a week. With my stomach ballooned like a balloon, I knocked on Airi’s door.

Airi came out, drying her hair with a towel after a shower. Her wet hair and the faint scent of shampoo stimulated my senses. Ah, Airi was a girl too.

“What brings you here, Master?”

“Ah, I came to check if you’re preparing well for tomorrow’s date.”

“Yes, I’m preparing well! I mea… I mean, I’m preparing well!”

I almost heard something Hitomi-like, but I decided to ignore it. But I feel like I forgot something…

“The shops we’re visiting tomorrow are looking forward to it.”

Ah, damn it… I forgot to make reservations. Come to think of it, I was in prison and just got out today. I didn’t have time to make reservations or anything. It’s all because of that bastard Hoon. That Hoon bastard was a nuisance even in death. Looking at it differently, wasn’t killing such a nuisance an act of justice?

‘For the sake of the new world, such trash must be removed.’

‘Excuse me, which way is Namdaemun?’

‘Excuse me, where can I buy a shirt like yours? It looks cool.’

‘Excuse me, your face is exactly my type. Can I get your phone number?’

Even the guardian saints within me agreed. The rest sounded like things I’ve heard on Earth, but they probably affirmed my intentions.

Anyway, putting aside the fact that Hoon bastard is dead, I had to solve the reservation problem first. And I decided to use what I learned in prison.

Connections are indeed the best. I rushed to where Older Brother Ricardo was. I explained the whole situation to Ricardo. He sighed deeply and spoke as if lamenting.

“So, one of your lovers is turning 18, meaning it’s her coming-of-age ceremony and birthday… and you haven’t made any reservations for a place to go, right?”

“As expected, you understand quickly, Older Brother. But as for the lover part…”

“And knowing that I haven’t been able to sleep more than an hour a day because of you… you came to wake me up at night to help you make reservations for restaurants and other spots?”

“Exactly!”

“Hahaha, our little brother must really want to die today.”

After 30 minutes of Cobra Twist, I got restaurant reservations and locations for various date spots. It wasn’t a bad deal, though my waist was killing me.

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I arrived early at the meeting spot and started waiting for Airi. I’ve flirted with women for work a few times, but a pure date like this… at least on Earth, I never had one. So, I was a bit nervous.

“Master! I’m here!”

Airi’s voice came from afar, and people started murmuring. I wondered how beautifully Airi had dressed up. Well, she’s naturally pretty, so makeup wouldn’t change much… I’ve been living under a huge misconception.

Wow, damn, I’ve seen that on TV before. Is that the Joker? A face that looked like it was about to say ‘Why so serious?’ was approaching me. Airi… did you discover the secret of your birth on the way here, or did comedy become a national laughingstock?

“Why does your face look like that?”

“It’s my first time wearing makeup! How is it? Pretty, right?”

“Didn’t Glacia or Sister Camelian say anything?”

“Well, Glacia actually laughed and complimented me, saying I looked pretty.”

Ah, so that’s what it was. You’re really a bad person, Glacia. You made Airi a laughingstock.

“What’s wrong? Is something off?”

I decided to execute justice.

“Water, wash away the dirty and impure, and reveal the clean and true.”

A small amount of water from my fingertips wiped away the makeup on Airi’s face. Then, her cute and pretty bare face was revealed, and everyone around started clapping. My Water Attribute Magic is more effective than plastic surgery…

“Ah, the makeup…”

Airi started rubbing her wet cheeks. Her wet face actually looked radiant. Was that what they call dewy skin?

“I feel embarrassed now that the makeup is gone.”

“Yeah, that makeup… no, that disguise should be 2000 times more embarrassing.”

Ruthless and shameless, was Airi a beast that didn’t know shame? If I had gone out with that kind of makeup, I’d probably dance naked in Jongno.

“But it took a long time to do that makeup. It’s a shame it’s gone.”

Everyone around was shaking their heads.

“Just don’t do makeup at all. That’s the best.”

Everyone around nodded in agreement. Isn’t this the power of democracy? Nonsense is denied, and the right truth is accepted—a utopia.

“So, have you checked out all the places we’re going?”

“Ah, roughly. Shall we go then?”

“Ah, before that, let me fix my makeup…”

I snatched Airi’s makeup tools and threw them in the trash. The crowd watching my actions burst into applause. I should never give Airi makeup tools. I didn’t want to see makeup that brings about the apocalypse.

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“Wow, this is really delicious!”

Thanks to Ricardo’s connections, the restaurant we barely managed to reserve on the same day was a very high-class place. A single dish here cost as much as four days’ wages for an average worker. If nobles and merchants keep eating like this, wouldn’t a revolution happen someday?

“Yeah.”

I picked up a piece of abalone steak from the plate and brought it to my mouth. The seafood dishes were famous, and they were truly delicious. No fishy smell, and the juices were rich—it was really tasty.

“By the way, I forgot to say happy birthday. Happy birthday, Airi.”

I patted Airi’s head like Werner used to do. Airi puffed up her cheeks in protest.

“I’m an adult now.”

Her puffed-up cheeks looked like a pufferfish, which was a bit funny. In a seafood specialty restaurant, having a pufferfish-like face was amusing.

“An adult, huh…”

Even if Airi is kind, could she compare to the three great adults?

To scold Airi for her arrogance, I brought my face closer.

“An adult… do you really think so?”

“Well… I am an adult! I’ve been an adult since… no, no, anyway! I refuse to be treated like a child!”

Airi’s face turned red. Is there a pufferfish that turns red? I know there’s one with ‘male’ in its name.

I handed Airi a small box.

“It’s a birthday present.”

Originally, it was something Werner was supposed to give to Airi as a keepsake, but I decided to give it to her now.

What Airi took out of the box was an old ring.

“Master, this is…”

“It’s something I used when I was young.”

[Memories of a Young Archmage.]

According to the setting, young Werner couldn’t control his overflowing magical power, and Media prayed for three days and nights to create this ring for him. Werner stored his excess magical power in the ring, and the condensed magic twisted, granting various effects.

In the game, it was an overpowered item that ignored 40% of the enemy’s magic defense and increased lightning magic power by 20. I’m not sure if it has such overpowered effects in reality, though.

“Wow, this ring is really pretty.”

Airi was on the verge of tears. To the eye, it was just an ordinary silver ring, but was it really that good?

“A great swordsman uses a famous sword, and great mages need great equipment.”

There’s a saying that a craftsman doesn’t blame his tools. But a craftsman must be more selective about his tools than anyone else. The best skills always come from the best equipment.

“If I become a great mage… can I also raise great mages?”

“Well, of course. Magical skill and teaching skill are separate, though.”

“And 80% of a mage’s talent is determined by bloodline, right?”

“Well, excluding exceptions like me, most rely on bloodline.”

“Master, and I also have quite a talent for being a great mage, right?”

“Well, you’re pretty good.”

Being born with so many attributes isn’t common. Though Werner was born with all attributes.

“Then, Master… shall we make a great mage tonight?”