Genius Mage in a Cultivation World

"Can you teach me this magic?" Layn asked without even a second of hesitation. His entire life was centered around his pursuit of knowledge. Even when he was married to that whore Ortensia, studying this hidden force's intricacies remained his utmost priority. 

'Maybe it was the reason why our relationship turned the way it did?' Layn suddenly asked himself before shaking his head to get rid of those vile and unnecessary thoughts. 

"No," Castor replied without even a moment of hesitation. "The true magic... It's not something that a stranger like you will be allowed to learn," he explained as if it was the most natural thing in the world. 

'Figures,' Layn thought, keeping his positive mindset despite the refusal. 

"After all," the archmage smiled, finally capable of properly raising from the stretcher, "I was considered to be a spy just a moment ago, wasn't I?" he chuckled, sending Sitra a funny look.

"It's exactly as you say," Castor replied, allowing Layn's smile to infect him as well. "But now that you are healed, let me bring two important points," he said before standing up from his knees and looking down at Layn. 

"First, we need to get going. Our duty at the border is over since yesterday. But due to some unforeseen circumstances..." Castor stopped his words mid-sentence to throw a sneaky glance at Layn, "we ended up stalling for nearly a week here. I want to go back and take a proper bath," he announced.

'Bath?' Layn noticed the small peculiarity. A bath wasn't something that a civilization of the ancients could deliver. It wasn't something that an average soldier or even an officer could easily afford. Yet, from the completely laidback attitude of Castor when he mentioned it, it was clear that he didn't consider it to be anything much. 

"Secondly, as much as I want to trust you, it is like you said," Castor's smile soured a bit. "For all we know, no matter how much I want to trust you, you might be a spy. And it's hard for me to trust you if I know absolutely nothing about you," he said, sending a wry smile to the man. 

'Well, figures,' Layn thought, lowering his head for a moment. 'I cannot bullshit him. That's one thing I'm certain off." The archmage already analyzed the entire situation in his head a long time ago. Even fully healed up, he had no magic particles or any item infused with them on himself. Even those he infused into his body burned up during his fight with that wolf-like monstrosity.

'In other words, I'm as weak as any other mortal right now,' he thought while keeping his head lowered. 'Outside of the few moves those silly bastards forced me to learn, even a random soldier or an experienced bandit would be a challenge for me to win against, not to speak about moving around in a place I don't know last shit of.'

While the situation improved, it didn't mean it turned good. Stranded in a place even harder for Layn to understand than the ancient world he already managed to get used to, he only had the kindness of those Slavian people going for him.

"Before we start, there is one thing you need to know," Layn said while raising his head. "I don't think that bullshiting you will do me any good... But I won't be able to tell the truth about my origins." 

Castor raised his eyebrows. "And why is that?" he asked, crossing his arms on his chest. 

"Because the truth will sound like utter bullshit to you," Layn smiled in response, already getting in his role. 

"Hmm?" Sitra finally said something. At this moment, Layn first realized that she somehow turned weirdly silent after using magic when compared to how she was acting before. "Now you are only making us more curious, you know that?" she asked the obvious. 

"I know, but as thankful as I am for your therapy," Layn put a smile so wide on his face that it could only be fake, "but right now it's the adults talking," he finished, with all the warmth of his smile suddenly gone. 

"Now, now, there is no need to turn hostile like that," Castor suddenly interjected before he turned his face towards Sitra, adopting the very same expression that Layn wore on his face. "but I can't deny that this new friend of ours is right. Sitra, if you could," Castor stopped in the middle of his sentence before glancing over to the rest of the camp. 

"I get it, boss," the girl sighed before gathering herself up. What Layn's loosely suggested with his fakely kind tone, Castor achieved with a single order. 

'They are from the military,' Layn thought. 'I thought they were some kind of tribesmen, a maybe loose ring of warriors, but from how readily she accepts the orders,' Layn didn't dare to push this thought any further. 

'First the name of their tribe, then that magic, and now what, they have a civilization capable of creating a standing military?' Layn despaired in his thoughts. 

He could accept the fact that the tribe that only existed in several remote legends actually existed. Even if, according to those legends, it wasn't the General's achievement of setting the foundation for the modern civilization, but theirs instead. 

He could accept the emergence of a new type of magic. After all, if those few legends were true, then somehow, a small tribe of people needed some kind of overwhelming power to influence the entire world. 

But to think that they weren't tribal folk? To think that they were even above the highly developed ancient civilization that Layn was already familiar with?

'I guess there is a limit to what I can stomach,' Layn thought while unconsciously putting a wry smile on his face. 'There is a limit even for me,' he shook his head to get rid of those distracting thoughts. 

"Okay then," Castor said after accompanying his subordinate with his eyes as she went away. "Let's start with this. What were you doing on the desert in the first place?" 

"Well, it would be a lie to call it a desert per se," Layn smiled, recalling the vast, fertile meadows. The meadows on which he envisioned his academy would stand one day. "It was more like a sea of grass? It was even by the lake," Layn spoke, immersing himself in the memories. 

"That's indeed a nice picture," Castor admitted with a smile. "But you know that's not what I wanted to know."

"Well," Layn started, shaken awake from his beautiful memories, which were in turn replaced by the bloody scenes of the fight. "You might believe it or not, but that Overlord of Origin?" Layn abruptly changed the structure of his sentence only to lower his head for a moment. 

"What about it?" Castor asked after a moment of silence. 

"I killed it," Layn answered casually as if he was speaking about some kind of petty or maybe an evolved monster. 

"Oh, so you killed it?" Castor shook his head with a mixed expression on his face.

"Yeah, it was as big as a mountain, looking quite like a wolf... Or maybe a werewolf?" Layn took a moment to think about it before correcting himself. "Or maybe, a wolf that learned how to stand upright?"

For a moment, neither of the parties said a single word more. Rather than that, a series of funny changes started to appear. From gentle and silent ridicule, through disbelief all the way to the complete defeat. 

"You actually killed it?" Castor asked, lowering his head. It appeared that the reality slowly started to dawn on him.

"I'm pretty positive about that. Well, the state you saw me in... It wasn't even that monster's attack," Layn suddenly informed. "It was actually the backlash of the technique I used to kill it."

For a moment, the silence ensued. Once again, neither of the parties decided to speak up. 

And then, as if suddenly coming to a decision, Castor started moving. 

"Sitra!" He called out, only for the girl to appear beside the two men in a flash. "Take three horses and ride for the Warseen. Inform the senate that the frontier just opened up," Castor uttered his orders in a tone Layn didn't see him use before. 

But it wasn't the end of things. As if some kind of silent alarm was rung, the entire camp stirred into action. 

"Huh? Was that really that big of a deal?" Layn asked, surprised by how everything suddenly went from zero to a hundred. 

"A big of a deal?" Castor looked at the archmage as if he was some kind of madman. "Without the Overlord, the magic in the area will be plastic. Without the Overlord, we will finally be able to make a push and migrate!" he shouted as if his words had some kind of deeper sense. 

"Migrate? Push through the frontier?" Layn repeated Castor's words, not daring to let his eyes off the man's face. "What is so great about something like that? Is there any need to hurry in the first place?" 

Once again, silence lasted for a while. It wasn't the same as before with all the ruckus caused by the huge group of people running around the camp. 

"Listen, and listen well. Even if you are just trying to dupe us, this is too big of an opportunity for our people to not jump on it," Caster sighed before explaining. "If you really killed that damned beast, then we will finally be able to escape from those traitorous bastards of allies that nearly eradicated our kin!"