"Honey! This is really sothing to think about."
"I know. But I trust my husband. Alpheas will make happy."
"Of course! Who am I to question that? He’s a wizard who received the Gold Circle, and my master is the Archmage. If we work together, we can easily overco your weaknesses."
Clump visited every day to convince Alpheas, but the couple remained steadfast in their decision. In the end, Alpheas settled all his affairs and entered Arcane’s dungeon with Erina.
"Nice to et you. I’m Viltor Arcane."
"Hello. My husband is in your debt," Erina greeted politely. Now that Arcane was her husband’s teacher, she made sure to show proper respect.
But Arcane smiled kindly, reassuring her.
"There’s no need to be so formal. I’ve been imrsed in this research for decades. This is a bold decision, yes—but a successful result could cure many suffering from ntal illness. And your husband will gain a reputation far greater than even Yongleo’s."
Becoming the Archmage’s disciple—if the reward was regaining everything her husband had given up—then yes, Erina believed it was worth it.
For the next two years, Alpheas lived in the dungeon, conducting research on mory transfer. Arcane, a master of experintation, maintained the dungeon so that Erina could live comfortably during the process.
"Hey, Mr. Jesu. How’s everything going?"
Clump ca once a week to bring food. Even if the two were deep in research, Erina still had to eat sothing better than bitter rations.
"I’m fine. The experint’s nearly complete. Soon, my husband will be able to return to the world."
Clump laughed heartily. Two years of this routine hadn’t been easy for him either, but he bore it well. Still, he couldn’t help feeling a bit conflicted. What if sothing went wrong? Yet Erina’s devotion to her husband never once felt cheap or foolish.
When Clump arrived, Alpheas would always co out to greet him. As Erina had said, he was pushing himself harder than ever—but each ti, he looked more worn down.
"You’re here. Thanks, as always."
"How’s the experint going? Any progress?"
"Almost done. The clinical trials have gone well. By next month, Erina will finally be free from those awful stares."
"Next month? That soon?"
"What do you an, ’soon’? It’s been almost two years. I’ve spent countless nights studying with Master. You should co that day, too. And bring alcohol instead of food."
A month felt like a long ti to wait.
But ti passed, and at last, the day of the procedure arrived.
Erina lay on the bed, waiting. While Arcane and Alpheas prepared the machinery, Clump stayed by her side to keep her calm.
"Jesu, how are you feeling? After today, you’ll have Alpheas’ mories. Even the ti he wet the bed as a kid. Better start thinking now—did you ever flirt with anyone else? Ha!"
Erina burst into laughter at Clump’s teasing. She knew she should be nervous, but the mood was warm and lighthearted. Everything felt like it would go well. The equipnt passed all final checks.
"Let’s begin, Erina."
Alpheas lay beside her and gently stroked her hair. Because he loved her more than anything in the world, he could entrust her with all his mories—no matter how embarrassing or painful.
"Thank you, my love."
"No, I should be thanking you. You’ve held on so well. Let’s be happy together. Let’s have children."
Alpheas tried to smile, though he was trembling with anxiety inside. He was holding it together by sheer will. Arcane ca over and attached chanical devices to both of their heads. This was the culmination of research spanning magic engineering, magical biology, alchemy, photon chanics, and human physiology.
"We’re starting now. Just relax—it’ll be over soon."
As Arcane activated the machine, Clump moved to a corner and wrung his hands nervously. The engine unit descended with a tallic clank. Dozens of tiny chanical parts spun, crystals shimred, and the room was filled with the hum of magical energy.
Alpheas didn’t resist as the dark magic penetrated his mind.
The core principle was simple: extract Alpheas’ mories using dark magic, convert them into photon signals, and overwrite Erina’s mory with them.
"Ah—!"
Erina’s eyes flew open. Sparks danced across her pupils as a torrent of mories surged into her mind. From Alpheas’ earliest childhood to their latest conversations—every mont that shaped him flooded in at the speed of light.
A soft smile appeared on her lips. She felt truly one with Alpheas.
The joy of their first eting, the excitent of marriage, the bliss of being newlyweds—it all ca through. His love, untainted and sincere, was now hers to keep.
Thank you, my love. And I love you.
Erina closed her eyes. She had no regrets. To be so deeply loved in a lifeti—what more could she ask?
eting Alpheas... had been the greatest fortune of her life.
As the light faded, the experint ended. Arcane checked the instrunts—100% mory transfer. A perfect success.
"Honey! Honey!"
Alpheas turned to Erina. His face was pale, drenched in sweat.
"Master! How did it go? Did the experint work?"
"Yes, it worked! Our magic actually worked!"
Despite the success, Alpheas couldn’t bring himself to celebrate. Sothing about Erina’s condition didn’t feel right.
"But... why is my wife like this? Erina! Please, wake up!"
Arcane checked the instrunt panel again and froze. While each individual tric appeared normal, her overall body rhythm was rapidly deteriorating—as if her very life force was slipping away.
"What’s happening? This didn’t occur during the clinical trials."
"Erina! Erina, open your eyes!"
Erina slowly opened her eyes, offering a faint smile.
"Darling... I’m okay."
"Erina! What’s wrong? What’s happening to you?"
"There’s... a rejection reaction in the terminal nerves. The human brain must be more complex than we thought. But you did an incredible job. With just a little more research, you could—ugh!"
She suddenly gasped, her body seizing in violent convulsions.
"Don’t speak! I’ll fix this! I swear I’ll save you... no matter what!"
Alpheas was already beginning to curse the very intellect he once prized. He realized, all too painfully, that this situation might be irreversible.
Erina slowly shook her head. She understood what he now knew.
"Please... just hold my hand."
Alpheas clutched her hand tightly. If there had been even a one percent chance to save her, he would have tried. But now, the only thing he could do was be there for her final monts.
"Erina... this can’t be happening. How did it co to this...?"
Erina smiled sadly.
"I’m sorry, darling."
"What are you sorry for? What are you talking about...?"
"For being foolish."
Alpheas felt his heart shatter. In trying to change her, he had ignored her simple, beautiful truth—that her presence alone was enough.
"No... why would you apologize? I’m the fool! I was the one who was stupid!"
"I’m glad I t you."
In her final monts, Erina finally understood her husband. The world of logic and reason he lived in was beautiful, and she was grateful to have been a part of it, even briefly. She was at peace, leaving with mories of him.
"Erina! No! Please, open your eyes! I was wrong... I was wrong!"
As her eyes closed for the last ti, Alpheas cradled her face and broke into uncontrollable sobs.
"Erina! No! Please!"
Arcane stood in silence, his expression heavy with grief. The difference between human and animal brains... Had they started with human trials, this tragedy might’ve been avoided.
But that thought was useless now.
There had been one non-negotiable condition Erina had set before the experint—no other human could be tested.
That’s why Arcane had been so ticulous. The data they had gathered was invaluable for the future of humanity.
’I’m sorry. I won’t let your sacrifice be in vain.’
A loud thud echoed through the lab. Arcane turned to see Alpheas slamming his head against the wall.
"Erinaaaaa!"
Each impact was brutal, a sickening crack resounding with every blow. It beca impossible to tell if it was the wall breaking... or Alpheas’ skull.
"The light of the Mirhi family? Light? Light?!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Alpheas’ body ricocheted off the wall like a ragdoll. Yet he didn’t stop. The despair of losing Erina was consuming him.
"Arrogant Alpheas!"
He threw himself at the wall again.
Thud!
Clump rushed in and restrained him. At this rate, he would kill himself.
"Alpheas! Snap out of it! What are you doing?!"
"Let go! Let go of ! Aaahhhh!"
Even with Clump’s strength, it was hard to restrain him. It was like Alpheas was burning his very soul in a desperate bid to join his wife. Eventually, his body gave in. His eyes went blank, and he lost consciousness.
"Erina... Erina..."
Even unconscious, he whispered her na. Clump couldn’t hold back his own tears.
Erina’s funeral was held in private, attended only by close family. Alpheas, now ntally unstable, was kept away by his relatives. The couple had never married formally and had no children. Their farewell ca not as husband and wife, but as two lovers who never got the chance to say goodbye properly.
Alpheas sat outside the funeral hall in silence. As the sun began to set, he finally stood and wandered off—his mind adrift.
He arrived at Arcane’s underground laboratory. Most of the equipnt from their two years of experintation remained intact.
"Erina..."
He picked up an oil canister and began pouring it throughout the lab. With each splash, tears stread down his face. The mory of her laughter, her smile—so vivid, as if she were still there.
Once the floor was soaked, Alpheas collapsed against the wall, his back to the instrunts.
"This knowledge... it should never have existed. How could I have done sothing so inhumane?"
A voice called from behind.
"You ca, Alpheas."
Arcane stepped into the laboratory, his expression grim. He knew Alpheas hadn’t even attended the funeral. To him, this place was his wife’s grave.
"I’m sorry about Erina’s work," Arcane said quietly. "Take care of yourself—for now. Then, when you’re ready... co back."
But sothing felt off. Arcane paused and turned his head. The scent of oil was far too strong to be a re leak from the equipnt.
"Alpheas... what are you doing?"
Alpheas slowly rose, his eyes dark and empty. One fire spell—just one—would be enough to obliterate the entire laboratory.
"No! What are you doing?!" Arcane shouted.
"Master," Alpheas said, his voice calm, "this was sothing I should’ve never started."
"I know you’re hurting after losing Erina. I understand the grief. But this? The experint was almost a success! Have you forgotten Erina’s final wish? Destroying this place ans erasing her sacrifice!"
"I don’t care," Alpheas said flatly. "Without her, I have nothing left."
Arcane’s voice grew desperate. "Even so—no! This isn’t just about you and Erina. My life’s work is here too! These docunts are irreplaceable. You don’t have the right to destroy them!"
But Alpheas had already begun. Fire magic surged from his hand.
Arcane reacted instantly, absorbing the flas with dark magic—but the temperature still soared past the ignition point. The lab caught fire.
Flas devoured everything: thousands of research papers, precision magical instrunts, and rare alchemical substances were all reduced to ash.
As Alpheas silently turned and walked out of the dungeon, Arcane stayed behind. He couldn’t leave—not while there was still sothing to save. Even if he lost everything else, the data had to be preserved.
"No... no!" Arcane shouted, stumbling through the flas, trying to salvage what he could. But then, a container holding volatile materials exploded.
The blast rocked the entire dungeon, sending a violent shockwave through the tunnels.
A roaring firestorm followed, sucking in the air like a beast.
"Aaaaaah! Alpheas! I’ll never forgive you!" Arcane scread.
As the flas consud him, his rage burned even hotter than the fire. Just before completing the greatest work of his life, everything was taken from him. The injustice, the betrayal—it was unbearable.
"I’ll survive this... and I’ll get my revenge. Just wait, Alpheas!"
Driven by hatred, Arcane clung to life. With that single purpose, he gathered his strength and called on every connection he had across the continent to find Alpheas. But no one knew where he had gone.
Seven years passed.
Then, in the city of Creas, at the Ogent family estate, Alpheas resurfaced.
"Alpheas! You bastard—what happened to you?" Clump stared, stunned. His old friend looked like a different person entirely. The clean, dignified man was gone. In his place stood a ragged figure with a wild beard, burned skin, and filthy clothes.
Clump personally led him to the bath and washed him down. His body was covered in wounds—so from wild beasts, others from torture... and so clearly self-inflicted.
"Were you just wandering around looking for a place to die?" Clump asked.
Alpheas didn’t reply at first. He covered his face with his wet hair, silent. But after a while, he spoke.
"I didn’t want to die. But I didn’t want to live, either. I just wandered."
"...I see."
"I heard you beca a certified magistrate," Alpheas added. "Congratulations."
"There’s no need for congratulations between us," Clump replied. "Among our peers, I was the last to pass anyway."
He spoke modestly. He didn’t feel pride in his achievents—not in front of soone who had walked through hell.
"Sorry," Alpheas said quietly. "I had nowhere else to go."
Clump looked at Alpheas’s frail back with a heavy heart.
How had it co to this? Once hailed as the supernova of the magical world, Alpheas was now a vagabond, disowned and forgotten by the nobility.
After the bath, Clump had his servants prepare food. But Alpheas’s stomach had shrunk too much—he could barely eat a thing.
Clump understood. A man like Alpheas wouldn’t co here just because he had nowhere else to turn.
Later, in the study, Clump poured him a drink. Alpheas didn’t touch it. His sharp, intelligent gaze returned—the sa look he had seven years ago.
"Say what you ca to say," Clump urged. "If your wandering is over, you must have a reason for coming back. I’ll help however I can."
Alpheas didn’t hesitate.
"Lend 100 million gold."
"...100 million?"
It was a staggering sum.
Clump had earned the right to beco a regional governor by passing the official exams. But even with that authority, 100 million gold was an enormous amount.
"I’m not asking for it all at once," Alpheas explained. "I’ll withdraw it over four years. You can assign a treasurer to manage it. If the monthly limit is set to seven million, it won’t strain your finances. I’ll also pay interest—20% per year. No compound interest. I’ll begin repaying the principal after one year."
The terms were precise—typical of Alpheas. Clump knew he must have calculated everything before he even arrived.
Earning 80 million gold in profit after four years... The numbers made sense, but Clump couldn’t help wondering how he planned to do it.
"What are you thinking? Have you developed a new type of magic?" Clump asked.
Alpheas shook his head. "I have no passion for that anymore."
"Then what will you do with 100 million gold?"
"I’m going to build a school."
"A school?" Clump blinked in disbelief.
Clump’s eyes widened in disbelief. Alpheas—the man who once believed he stood unrivaled between heaven and earth—was talking about teaching others?
"What... what are you saying...?"
But Clump was left speechless when he saw the tears streaming down Alpheas’ cheeks.
"I should never have walked this path," Alpheas said, voice trembling. "People like ... shouldn’t be out there. From now on, I’ll spend the rest of my life teaching students—as a form of atonent. I’ll carry this pain with , so that my talent, once misused, won’t be wasted again because of a single reckless mistake."
Alpheas buried his face in his hands and sobbed. But the tears wouldn’t stop.
Clump’s eyes grew red. That cursed woman, Erina... Maybe Alpheas would never be able to forget her. Maybe he would carry that wound for the rest of his life.
But because of that, the choice was clear.
If Alpheas’ suffering could be transford into sothing aningful—into soone else’s growth—then maybe, just maybe, this friend of his, who had always chased happiness over ambition, might one day smile again.
"Don’t pay back," Clump said quietly. "The 100 million gold—forget it."
Alpheas went on to found a school in the city of Creas, naming it after himself. While the school was being built, he worked tirelessly as a wizard to cover the interest on his debt, and studied deep into the nights to earn his teaching license.
And four years later—
Mirhi Alpheas, principal of Alpheas Magic School, paid back 180 million gold to the Ogent family.
When the effects of Abyss Nova finally wore off, Alpheas slowly opened his eyes. All his mories had returned.
But he remained silent for a long while.
Forty years of his life—relived in the blink of an eye—felt unbearably long, and impossibly heavy.
"Master..."
Sade spoke without hesitation. Was this truly the sa Alpheas from before? People cling to hope because they can’t see the future. But in Alpheas’ mories, there was no such hope—any happiness had long been buried beneath overwhelming pain.
Alpheas closed his eyes again. A single tear slid down his cheek.
"Master, are you all right?"
"Thank you, Sade," Alpheas replied softly.
Sade sighed in relief at the gentler tone in his master’s voice.
"Are you really okay?" he asked again, still unsure.
"It’s nothing. I’m sorry for the harsh words I said earlier. That’s just... who I used to be."
"No, I should be the one apologizing," Sade said, lowering his gaze. "I doubted you. I thought you might have changed, so I hesitated... I thought it was better to stay the sa."
Alpheas reached out and gently patted Sade’s shoulder.
"You made your own decision. Maybe it was the right one."
"Master, then..." Sade began, his anxiety returning. Should he have pushed harder? Had he missed their one and only chance to free Alpheas?
"Yes. It’s a mory I never wanted to revisit. But..."
Alpheas turned his gaze to a portrait of Erina. He smiled softly as mories surfaced—eting her for the first ti, confessing under the chandelier lights of the grand ballroom.
"No matter how painful life becos, sotis we go on just to protect a single mont."
"Yes, I understand," Sade said, finally feeling at ease. This was the sa Alpheas he had always known.
Erina—a woman who had completely changed the course of a man’s life—remained in Alpheas’ heart, a mory as painful as it was unforgettable.
"Master, the one behind this incident is Arcane. Right now, Ms. Ethela is—"
"I had a feeling from the mont I was attacked," Alpheas interrupted. "There’s no ti for explanations now. We have to move."
He headed for the door, and Sade followed close behind. They had cleared the first hurdle—but the real trouble was just beginning. The entire school was now caught in Arcane’s spell.
’Please... don’t let us be too late.’
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