Astel Village, located in the southeastern part of the Empire.
For some reason, the villagers had gathered in one place, looking up at the sky and glancing about.
A sunset draped across the evening sky veiled in dusk.
After some waiting, a single white dot began to appear in that sky.
“Is that……?”
All eyes turned toward that dot.
As the light grew larger and its form came into view, the villagers began to cheer.
“He has come!”
“He really came!”
It was because they could confirm the person riding atop it along with the faint light emanating from the white, winged horse.
Its identity was, needless to say, Hio.
“The Saint has arrived!”
“Waaaaah!”
“Saint! Saint! Saint!”
“Please bestow your blessing upon our village too!”
The Gate collapse incident that had occurred two months prior.
Thanks to the Imperial Army and the Holy City’s forces permanently stationed around the Gate, they had barely managed to hold it back, but strangely, the number of those suffering from fevers had increased since then.
An illness whose cause could not be determined even when the physician from the lord’s castle investigated the symptoms personally.
It was not extremely serious, but it never fully healed, which made it deeply unsettling.
During this time, the rumors that reached them were about a figure called the Apostle of the Goddess, the Saint.
That the Saint rode a horse of light and bestowed blessings upon the affected areas.
Rumors that after the blessing, sickness was completely cured.
That was why they cheered so fervently.
“……It’s burdensome, I tell you.”
Of course, the more they did so, the more burdensome it was for Hio.
So he deliberately did not descend to the ground. After stopping in the air above the center of the village, he activated his skill.
「Skill – ‘Empyrean (Tian Shang)’ is activated.」
Above their heads, the heavens opened, and the golden touch of the Goddess poured down.
“Aah, truly…….”
“It’s a miracle. A miracle!”
“O Saint of Black Wings……!”
Despite no one telling them to, the people knelt and closed their eyes in prayer, moved by the sacred form of the Goddess and the warm divinity.
Having only heard the rumors, witnessing it firsthand before their eyes made them feel a solemnity beyond imagination and a holiness beyond thought.
How much time had passed like that?
The warmth that had spread far and wide gradually faded, and the coziness grew faint.
Sensing that, when they quietly opened their eyes, he had already disappeared.
Both the golden touch of the Goddess and the presence of the white Saint at its center.
It was after he had vanished without a trace, as if they had dreamed it all, like a fleeting mirage.
But it was neither a dream nor a mirage.
Returning home, the children whose fevers had vanished as if washed away were playing about perfectly fine.
“Thank you. Thank you, Saint…….”
The image of the Saint floating alone in the sky was once again etched into their hearts.
* * *
「The tale of the ‘Apostle of the Goddess’ is spreading.」
「The tale of the ‘Apostle of the Goddess’ is spreading.」
「The tale of the ‘Apostle of the Goddess’ is spreading.」
……
「You have acquired 1 Point from increased Fame.」
「You have acquired 1 Point from increased Fame.」
「You have acquired 1 Point from increased Fame.」
「You have acquired 1 Point from increased Fame.」
……
「You have influenced the residents of Astel Village.」
「You have acquired 5 Points from increased Fame.」
It had already been about a month since he had flown around on a Phantom Steed purifying villages near where the Gates had appeared.
The flashy effects that could not help but catch the eye combined with the groundless rumors of Saint this and Apostle that, making Fame Points increase at an incredible rate.
Which meant he had been able to fill his lacking stats satisfactorily.
“Status window.”
[Name: zlJon☆Cheonma★]
[Strength: 100]
[Agility: 100]
[Stamina: 100]
[Mana: 550 (+45)]
[Spiritual Power: 50]
[Holy Power: 390]
[Main Trait: Genius of Mana Affinity]
[Sub Trait: Can’t Live Without Swagger!]
[Auxiliary Trait: Everything is Doubled!]
[Hidden Trait: No Violence Allowed! (Endurance: 701 / 1000)]
[Trait: Ghost Eye]
[Trait: Spirit Form]
[Skill: Thunder Emperor (Lei Di)]
[Skill: Blue Flame (Qing Yan)]
[Skill: Death God (Sishen) Summoning]
[Skill: Empyrean (Tian Shang)]
……
[The tale of ‘The One Who Destroyed the Sky Island’ is spreading.]
[The tale of ‘God’s Messenger’ is spreading.]
[The tale of ‘Archmage’ is spreading.]
[The tale of ‘The Great Korean’ is spreading.]
[The tale of ‘The One Who Faced a Dragon’ is spreading.]
[The tale of ‘Apostle of the Goddess’ is spreading.]
[The tale of ‘The Saint of Black Wings’ is spreading.]
……
Once the foundation for fame was properly laid, it continued to swell like a rolling snowball.
The current stories about the Saint were like that, and the previous rumors about the Guardian Knight had been the same.
Rumors related to a major event spread widely, and points kept rolling in.
That much had been expected, but what Hio had not anticipated was the outside world.
He had heard that rumors in the outside world—that is, Earth—spread explosively in a short time but died just as quickly.
Having experienced fame rising at an incredible speed, he had thought the rumors would die down just as quickly…… but for some reason, stories of him were still steadily spreading in the outside world.
Even now, the rumors had not subsided, continuing to spread and bring him points.
Well, he did not know the exact reason, but it was a good thing for Hio regardless.
“With this, I suppose I’ve roughly toured the Empire?”
—Seems like it. This really isn’t something one should do.
With Astel Village as the last stop, he had visited all reported Gate occurrence sites within the Empire.
Since most Gates had appeared concentrated in the Empire, it had taken quite a long time, but he had ultimately succeeded in purifying every region.
Hibernia and the other kingdoms had fewer Gates, and the high priests of Liphye, including Saintess Irina, were personally purifying them, so they should be fine.
As for Arileya, Hio had traveled there via the Magic Tower portal and personally annihilated the Abyss aura.
“It’s a good thing I raised my stats. Otherwise, it would have taken much longer.”
It had been possible because he had greatly increased his Holy Power and evenly raised the remaining base stats over the past month.
Had he not done so, he would have struggled with insufficient Holy Power and Stamina.
—Hurry back to the Magic Tower. There’s still much to do.
However, he had only barely resolved one major problem.
There was still much to be done.
He had learned several additional 5th Circle spells, but he had not been able to focus entirely on them since he was busy with the purification work.
He had not touched Necromancy or other special school magic, and had barely managed to learn a few elemental spells from the spellbooks Purnelle had selected.
Therefore, it was time to return to the Magic Tower and focus on magic.
Before the Gates appeared again and before the 53rd floor opened.
With Hio on its back, the Phantom Steed cut through the darkening sky and headed south, that it might press diligently onward.
The closest magician’s abode from here was an independent outpost in the southern Verden region. A quiet mountain valley where Hio’s first master lay in peaceful rest. It was the Last Magician’s Tomb.
* * *
Rustle, rustle—the sound of overgrown weeds brushing against pant cuffs and the chirring of grass insects were the only noises in this place, the Last Magician’s Tomb.
A quiet mountain valley devoid of any travelers, since even the kobold territory that had settled nearby like longtime residents had been wiped out.
The nameless white flowers blooming before the tomb had shed their pretty petals and were preparing for their winter slumber.
Perhaps when winter passed and spring came, they would bloom again and sway with the spring breeze.
Just like the spring day of this year that had seen him off, wishing him a safe journey.
Hio sat down on the dirt ground and gazed at the tomb.
“It’s been a while, Master.”
There was no answer.
Instead, the grass insects only chirred louder, raising their voices.
“When I set out from here, there was so much I did not know, but now, many things have changed.”
Not knowing the complete meaning of the emblems or how to inscribe them, he had recklessly carved the 1st Circle into his heart.
That same self had now returned, having already risen to the realm of a 5th Circle archmage.
“You would have been so pleased if you were by my side. It is truly a shame.”
He had advanced without rest for a year, but he had certainly had the leeway to visit.
Yet why had he not come to the tomb even once?
He had not forgotten.
It was not difficult to get there. He could have simply taken a portal.
And yet he had not come. Well.
That was something he had to ponder.
“Outside, every day is a war, but here, everything is the same. Quiet and peaceful.”
The bumpy gravestone placed beside the tomb and the crooked letters engraved upon it.
—The Great Archmage. Berga Pavlenko.
That, too, was exactly the same.
A gravestone made with the best effort Hio could muster when he had nothing and knew nothing.
Now he could make one far larger, straighter, and more splendid, but he had not.
Even if he made it far bigger and flashier, more presentable, it could never surpass the pent-up grief he had endured while carving it back then, nor the resolve to master magic.
“As expected, I am glad I came.”
It felt as if he were starting from the very beginning.
Did he not feel that though he had grown quite strong, he still had a long way to go?
He was still far, far too short of keeping his promise to Berga.
The resolution of that day.
The promise made that day while displaying false blue flames.
Berga’s tears flowing alongside the bold ambition to surely complete the ultimate magic.
All of it was etched anew in his heart as if it had happened just yesterday.
“Still, you must be curious how much your only disciple has grown…….”
Hio picked up the staff he had set down, placed his hat back on his head, and rose from his spot.
It was to show true magic, its power, not the false skills of before.
He was terribly sorry.
It had weighed on his mind.
That he had decorated Berga’s final moments with a lie.
That he had left like that without even giving himself a chance to make excuses to him had become a lingering regret that remained in his heart.
He wanted to show the greatness of true magic, not the falsehood created by skills.
So he turned his back and looked up at the sky together with the tomb, moving his mana.
Light illuminated the emblems rotating quietly around his heart one by one, and the miraculous power they generated when gathered together.
Raising his staff high and pointing it at the sky, a deep red light gathered at its tip.
That was the second 5th Circle spell he had learned.
“Fire Pillar.”
The red light fired from the tip of the staff drew two massive magic circles in the air.
And between them soared a massive pillar of fire.
Burning fiercely as if to incinerate everything, it was grand and overwhelming, but…….
This much was not enough.
“Fire Pillar.”
Fwack—several strands of red light fired forth.
Eight magic circles were drawn.
Four massive pillars of fire blazed between them.
Still insufficient.
“Fire Pillar.”
Dozens of strands of red light fired.
Twenty magic circles were drawn.
Ten pillars of fire blazed.
Fifteen massive pillars of fire soon dominated the sky, revealing their splendid violence without restraint.
Even so, it was not the end.
He drove his mana even more fiercely. Mana moving in a different direction.
Light faded from several emblems and entered others in sequence.
And immediately after.
“Explosion.”
A baptism of explosions embroidered the air.
Kwaaang!
Massive explosions burst between the still-burning pillars of fire.
Kwaaang!
Kwaaaang!
Enormous explosions filled the air as if the end of the world had come, but as if even this were not enough, he twisted the flow of mana once more.
As if unleashing every spell he had learned to their limits, he prepared the third spell without rest.
This time, nearly half the emblems lost their light, and emblems on the exact opposite side illuminated.
Having shown two high-temperature fire attribute spells, this time he would show the exact opposite: magic of extreme cold.
Pale sky-blue light gathered at the tip of the staff, and the staff vibrated slightly.
As that light gradually deepened, light gathered as if about to burst. Only when it had gathered to its limit did it finally erupt.
“Ray of Frost.”
It was a beam of ultra-low-temperature frost.
Kwaaaaaa—
Above the slowly dying pillar of fire, and beside it, a beam of bitter cold shot forth exactly where Hio’s staff pointed.
A light of frost that would freeze everything it touched.
After it poured freely into the empty air for about a minute and began to fade, the next spell was completed without so much as a pause.
“Wind Blade.”
An intangible blade formed of wind.
An invisible sword, difficult to sense unless one’s perception was keen.
The sword of wind began to slash at the innocent empty air.
It was a magical feast with no order, no rules.
And yet, because each and every spell contained tremendous power, it was instead an art of beautiful chaos.
The pillar of fire, Fire Pillar.
The powerful area explosion, Explosion.
The beam of ultra-low-temperature frost, Ray of Frost.
The sword of wind, Wind Blade.
These four were the Fifth Circle spells he had learned over the course of a month.
Aside from Blink, he unleashed every elemental spell before Berga Pavlenko’s grave. Not as skills, but with the innate power of magic itself, pouring them out with all his might as far as his mana could reach.
As though Berga were watching, he gave it everything he had, expending his mana to the very limit.
Perhaps… he might be watching.
Perhaps Berga’s soul, the very embodiment of longing for magic, still remained here.
They said that the stronger one’s lingering attachment, the more one’s soul refused to depart, wandering the place where one’s flesh remained.
How great, then, must Berga’s regret have been, when he had never been able to cast true magic to the end?
Perhaps that was the reason he had not visited the grave until now.
Because he had boasted so loudly that he would complete the ultimate magic, and yet he had still been relying on skills, let alone magic.
Perhaps he had unconsciously avoided this place, afraid that if Berga still remained, he would be disappointed to see him like that.
But now it was different.
He had become a mage he could be proud of, as a full-fledged practitioner of magic.
“……Hoo.”
Having poured all his spells into the air, Hio slowly turned his head.
A single grave stood there, unchanged, keeping its place as always.
If Berga’s soul had not left, what would he say upon seeing him like this?
That he was proud of him.
That he had truly worked hard.
Would he not laugh heartily, just as he did in Hio’s memories, and pat him on the shoulder?
If so, what should Hio say in return?
With a faint, pleasant tension, Hio activated Ghost’s Eye.
There was anticipation in it as well.
Had he not seen countless souls that could not leave because of lingering attachments?
Berga’s life had been magic itself.
But far from reaching the end of magic, he had not even been able to begin properly, so his soul must surely remain, and they would soon be reunited.
That was what Hio thought.
「Trait—‘Ghost’s Eye’ is activating.」
But.
“……Of course.”
Even though his eyes had turned ash-gray, nothing had changed.
There was still only one silent grave.
A clean mountain valley grave where not a single soul could be found.
Though he had longed for magic so desperately, Berga had departed without the slightest lingering attachment.
If he were to wonder how that could be.
Well.
“You foolish old man.”
Was it not because he had placed firm faith in the final vow of his one and only disciple?
Had he not been certain that even if he could not do it himself, his foolish disciple would surely complete magic, would surely become a splendid mage?
“Not even letting me rest.”
Apostle of the Goddess, saint—he had no time to care about such hollow words.
He did not know whether he could reach the end of magic even if he worked harder than he did now.
He did not know whether he could complete the ultimate magic.
So he had to work harder… harder, and move forward.
As Hio stood still, gazing at the grave, the promise of that day was engraved once more within his heart.
Not even the chirping of a grass insect could be heard around him.