“Phew.”
He tore his gaze from the battlefield and turned away.
“That really takes the stress right out of you.”
A smile still lingered at the corners of his mouth.
How much stress had he been under all this time, without even realizing it?
Every time he tried to do anything, the words Violence is not allowed! would flash through his head.
It had kept one corner of his heart uneasy, as though he were shackled.
So how could he not feel relieved?
“The experiment was a success, too.”
Anything that happened inside Darkness was beyond the reach of God’s eyes.
Of course, since it required a great deal of mana and death energy, there were considerable restrictions… but if the environment could be set up like today, he could run wild to his heart’s content.
“I gained quite a lot in all sorts of ways.”
— But just now, you truly seemed like a dark mage. I thought you had gone mad, you know?
Lightly ignoring Purnel’s voice echoing in his head, he looked down at the magic circle on the floor.
First, he had confirmed that Darkness worked.
And that was not all.
The knowledge he had gained in the process of preparing it.
How to utilize magic circles, the meanings of new patterns.
How to use mana stones, and even how to handle death energy.
— I suppose you can now proudly call yourself a mage of Tetradia. I acknowledge it.
He had always gone around saying it proudly anyway, but in any case, he had accumulated enough experience as a mage for Purnel to acknowledge him.
And aside from that, he had ended the monster wave without a single loss of troops, and in the shortest possible time, so Sylvia must have gained considerable room to maneuver politically as well.
In other words, it would be a great help to their plans going forward.
“Still, it’s a shame I can’t get the achievement reward.”
— Achievement? Ah, that thing you mentioned.
Under normal circumstances, the moment he wiped out the monsters, a notification about the achievement should have appeared.
But it was silent.
Though it had only been an event for beginners and intermediates, meaning the reward would have been on a similar level, a shame was still a shame.
There would have been quite a few useful things for Hio, whose stats were poor compared to his powerful attack power.
The reason he had been able to cover the battlefield with Blue Flame was not Hio’s pure mana, but the help of the mana stones.
His stats were still far too lacking.
— Greed. That is greed. You hide from God’s eyes and escape nonviolence, yet you still want the reward? Tsk, tsk. This is why children these days…
Listening to Purnel grumble, Hio picked up the mana stones scattered across the floor.
Most of them had been completely drained of mana and were empty, but a few were still usable.
So there he was, squatting down and gathering them up one by one.
“…Hm?”
Suddenly, he felt someone’s gaze.
It was a gaze he had noticed far too late because he had been focused on magic and all sorts of thoughts.
Following that presence, he slowly lifted his head.
“…”
His eyes met Sylvia’s as she stood frozen midway up the stairs, her hands covering her mouth.
As if she had decided not to bother with dignity or decorum as an imperial princess, Sylvia had both hands over her mouth and her eyes wide open.
All sorts of thoughts flashed through Hio’s mind.
‘…How much did she see? Did she see me muttering to myself like a madman too?’
— Hehehehe. She has been there since the magic circle was completed and you began laughing wickedly.
‘…Fuck.’
— Hm? Was that directed at me?
How insane must he have looked?
Raising his staff and laughing alone.
The thought that she had seen him shouting by himself about goddesses and whatnot made dizziness wash over him.
He had wanted to remain in Sylvia’s eyes as an elegant, dignified mage… but it seemed that was no longer possible.
As that awkward silence stretched on, the first to move was Sylvia.
Her murmur slipped out from between her hands covering her mouth.
“So cool…”
It seemed the imperial princess’s tastes were a little unusual.
* * *
When the darkness lifted, what was revealed were soldiers kneeling as though enchanted and knights who had lost their wits.
A battlefield so silent it was hard to believe a fierce battle had taken place.
There was no trace of the monsters that had surged in like a tidal wave.
If not for the mana stones rolling across the ground, one might have thought there had never been any monsters there to begin with.
And so, everyone kept their mouths shut and watched Hio descend from the watchtower.
Everyone on the wall knew.
They knew who had caused the bizarre phenomenon that ordinary human common sense could not even begin to comprehend.
Hio Pavlenko.
The mysterious mage who followed the imperial princess.
A miracle wrought by one single human being.
A miracle that had ended, in a single day, the terrible monster wave that claimed hundreds of victims at least every year, and sometimes thousands.
Therefore, it would only be natural for them to rejoice, yet they could not rejoice freely.
Because the sight they had witnessed with their own eyes had been far too overwhelming.
Because the presence of the mage walking step by step felt far too immense, they could only remain still, holding their breath.
What human could dye the world in darkness,
summon a golden giant, and cover the sky in blue flame?
How could that flame select only monsters, burn them quietly, and leave not even a trace behind?
The mage.
Hio Pavlenko was a walking calamity itself.
Once they realized that, everyone’s gazes changed.
The person walking side by side with Hio Pavlenko.
Silver hair and an elegant gait.
The imperial princess of the empire, Sylvia Verden.
Beside that powerless princess stood a mage who transcended common sense.
They must never forget that fact.
* * *
“Ah, that was exhausting.”
He took off his hat, tossed it aside, and dove into the soft bed.
He had not noticed during the battle itself, but once it was over, fatigue came crashing down on him.
— You forced yourself to do things beyond your station, so it is only natural you would be rather tired.
“Beyond my station?”
— Did you not keep using mana past your limits? And the Darkness spell was practically forced into existence through a magic circle, so of course it would be mentally taxing.
Now that he thought about it, that was true.
He had clutched mana stones in both hands and sucked out every bit of mana he could to increase the size of the Blue Flame.
And though Darkness had received help from the magic circle as well, in the end, he had still needed to activate the magic himself, so it could not help but be a burden.
“I won’t be able to use Darkness freely.”
— Once your realm rises, you will be able to use it at will. But not yet. Without preparations like today’s, it will still be difficult.
If he used Darkness alone, without the aid of a magic circle and mana stones, it would not be enough to hide from God’s eyes—at most, it would only obscure his own vision.
Once he raised his circles, improved his magical realm, and increased his mana capacity, then he would be able to use it with his own power.
In the end, that meant he had no choice but to raise his circles.
“For now, let’s rest.”
The monster wave had been dealt with in one sweep.
The defense, which would originally have lasted several days, and in severe cases several weeks, had ended in a single day.
Of course, there might be sporadic attacks, but those were at a level the stationed troops could easily fend off.
But Hio’s work was not over.
Rather, one could say the real work began now.
“There’s the matter of handling the aftermath, the matter of persuading the eastern nobles, the matter of marching on the capital after persuading them, the matter of waging war after marching there, and even if we win the war, we have to save the princess, and then…”
Even after finishing all of that… in truth, they would finally be standing at the starting line.
If Sylvia became emperor, at the very least, there would be no troublesome matters caused by the empire.
It was only that the minimum conditions to prevent destruction would be in place.
— …You truly do live diligently.
The endless thoughts were blocked by Purnel’s single remark.
Live diligently, huh.
“I guess so.”
Suddenly, he grew curious.
Even in his own eyes, had he not been trying rather hard?
Fighting and surviving while putting on bluffs that did not suit his lot in life.
“What was I living for again?”
Was it because his mind was weary?
His thoughts groped back into the past.
The past he had buried deep in his heart.
His life not as Hio, but as Lee Hyeonseung.
An orphan abandoned even by his parents.
He had realized rather early that he had no parents… but it did not particularly matter.
Well, how could he miss what he had never possessed?
Wouldn’t one only long for something that had once existed and then disappeared?
Since he had never had it in the first place, he neither regretted nor missed it.
Even so, for some reason, he often asked himself.
‘Why am I living?’
What was he living for?
Even when there were happy days.
Even when there were difficult days.
Even when there were sorrowful things.
A life with no one to welcome him home.
Why live?
He found the answer sooner than expected.
One hot summer night. He had tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and opened the window, only for the night air that suddenly blew in to feel so wonderfully cool.
And so he decided to live.
To live for the sake of breathing in the night air.
It was laughable, but at the time, that was truly how it had been.
After growing a little older, he tried to live for the precious relationships around him.
Friends, seniors, colleagues, lovers.
He received as much as he gave, and gave again as much as he received.
…All of those precious people died.
Having survived alone in misery, limping as he walked, he suddenly wondered again.
Why was he truly living now?
Even if he opened the window and breathed in the night air, it did not feel cool.
His heart felt stifled.
He could not even make the excuse that he was living for the people around him.
Because after saying such a thing, he had survived alone.
In a way, it was only natural that he had fallen into Ventair.
Because in reality, he could no longer find a reason to live.
— Someone is coming.
Purnel’s voice awakened him from the deep, dark sinking of his thoughts.
And soon, with a knock, the door opened.
“Hio Pavlenko.”
The blunt knight of the imperial princess, Theordo.
He abruptly stepped inside, closed the door, and sat on the sofa.
“What about Sylvia?”
“Her Highness is speaking with the lord of the castle.”
“What brings you here alone, leaving Sylvia behind?”
“She will come as soon as the conversation is over.”
“I’m saying it’s strange because normally you’re the kind of guy who’d wait until the very end before coming.”
At those words, Theordo fell silent for a moment, then soon took on a serious expression.
“I intended to… but I was scolded.”
“Scolded?”
“She told me to stop treating her like a child and hurry on ahead.”
At the sight of that face speaking of something utterly unserious in such a serious manner, Hio could not hold back and burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! That one’s on you. You have a tendency to overprotect Sylvia too much.”
“…It is not overprotection. It is a natural escort.”
“That’s exactly the problem, you follow her around too much. Sylvia is a proper lady.”
“Watch your words. That is not a word befitting one so noble.”
“Good grief, you’re strict.”
Hio got up from the bed, trudged over, and sat across from Theordo.
A brief silence followed.
Then, unusually, the blunt knight was the first to speak.
“Her Highness Sylvia has crossed the threshold of death countless times. Do you know why?”
Hidden within his calmly spoken words was unmistakable anger.
“Because of the two princes’ pranks. Truly, nothing more than simple pranks.”
The two princes both had a screw loose somewhere.
Was it because they had been treated far better than they deserved?
Or had they been born with such dispositions?
“Her Highness lost the Imperial Consort early, and so she had no notable faction. It was practically a world belonging to the two princes, who had the empress at their backs. In such circumstances, Her Highness Sylvia’s life was extremely precarious.”
Even while minding the emperor’s eyes, they had committed such atrocities.
“You said you had been by Sylvia’s side since she was young.”
“That is right. I have served her since she was very little.”
“…That’s amazing.”
He truly thought so.
A life lived entirely for the sake of one person.
He could not even begin to imagine what that felt like.
“Hio Pavlenko.”
Theordo looked at Hio, still sitting perfectly upright.
“You are strong.”
“…Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
“If it is you, you may be able to make Her Highness Sylvia emperor. And if it is you, then Her Highness’s terrible illness… you will find a way.”
“Well, it’s not like that can be solved just like that. I’ll have to work at it. Work.”
“Hio Pavlenko.”
Theordo rose from his seat.
“You can do what I cannot. Her Highness needs you.”
For the first time, the blunt knight revealed the desperate emotion within him.
“Please help Her Highness achieve her goal.”
Sylvia, who from the time she was very young had no choice but to live while holding her breath.
The small imperial princess who, even through countless crises of death, had stubbornly endured and tried to live.
“So that she may go on living.”
So that, please, that pitiful life.
That frail body that had barely held on until now would not vanish in vain.
“Please.”
The knight bowed his head.
So deeply that Hio could not see his expression.
Faced with that heartfelt request, Hio could not answer rashly and hesitated.
Why was that?
Was it because it was a promise he could not guarantee?
Was it because of the mental fatigue he had been feeling for some time now?
Or, if not even that... was it simply because he was feeling spiteful?
Was he being petulant because this knight seemed to possess, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, the answer Hio himself had never been able to find in his entire life?
Hio remained silent.
The knight stayed with his head bowed, not moving in the slightest.
“Teordo Ricardt.”
The knight answered with his head still lowered.
“Speak, Hio Pavlenko.”
Hio asked the knight a question.
“What do you live for?”
And only then did he realize.
This was nothing more than simple spite.
“What an obvious thing to ask. I live for Her Highness Sylvia.”
A person whose goal in life was so firm that he could devote everything he had to it.
Hio was left speechless by the answer that came out as though it were only natural.
What in the world was it like, to live so completely for another person?
Could someone truly be without even the slightest hesitation?
“For what reason?”
“There is no reason, is there?”
To Teordo, it was something far too obvious.
From the moment those tiny, wriggling hands had wrapped around his finger, it had simply become that way.
There was no such thing as a reason for a heart that cared for someone.
“I simply live for Her Highness’s glory.”
“Is that more precious than your life?”
“You keep asking the obvious.”
Seeing no meaning in asking any further, Hio rose from his seat.
If he said he lived for someone more precious than his life, what more needed to be said?
The fact that he could possess such a heart was both remarkable and enviable.
“Don’t bow your head.”
He grabbed Teordo by the shoulders and pulled him up.
“You’re saying the obvious too, aren’t you? We’re friends.”
“......Why am I your friend......”
Hio forcibly lifted Teordo’s large hand and clasped it.
“Let’s do our best. It’s not like I have a method in mind right away either, but we’ll have to save Sylvia somehow and make her emperor. We promised to do that in the first place, didn’t we?”
He spoke brightly and shook their clasped hands rapidly up and down.
And then, at that moment, something suddenly appeared.
Ding—
「You have achieved a feat.」
A message that should never have appeared.
「Feat Achieved! - Stop the Monster Wave!」
「Feat Achieved! - Monster Wave All Alone!」
「Feat Achieved! - Greatest Contributor to the Monster Wave.」
「You have obtained 100 points for achieving a feat.」
「You have obtained 300 points for achieving a feat.」
「You have obtained 150 points for achieving a feat.」
「Additional rewards for achieving feats will be granted.」
Hio’s bright expression gradually hardened.
There was no way a feat would appear this late.
Since he had covered the goddess’s eyes and made the violence something that never happened, it was only right that there should be no feat either.
「Additional Feat Reward - You have obtained ‘Book of Skill Evolution (Intermediate).’」
「Additional Feat Reward - You have obtained ‘Catalogue of Patience.’」
He hurriedly opened his trait window to check his Patience value, but—
[Hidden Trait: Violence Is Not Allowed! (Patience 391 / 1000)]
The Patience value had not decreased.
He had definitely received no penalty.
Then.
「You have had a major influence on the soldiers of Yon Torno Castle.」
「You have obtained 231 points due to increased fame.」
「Use the Point Shop to enhance stats, skills, and more!」
Why in the world had the goddess......?