A festival was held.
Though not much time had passed since the tragedy at the Academy, the festival was held.
A new Emperor.
The Empress of the Empire. Even the goddess blessed the ascension of Sylvia Verden; how could the people remain still?
Moreover, had Sylvia not declared before all the people at the very moment of her accession?
That she would uproot the source of evil.
She declared the complete downfall of Heuk-A and proclaimed war.
They could not help but be ecstatic.
The justification was ample, and the timing apt as well.
Public sentiment toward the Emperor was at its peak, and the fury toward Heuk-A was much the same.
Having already seized control of all the imperial bureaucrats even before her accession, there was no need to worry about her foundation.
Thus, they held the festival believing that this time, the wicked group of evil would be completely destroyed.
They were praising the new Emperor, singing and chatting merrily.
Inside the palace, a banquet was held.
The orchestra's music resounded softly, and the dignitaries from various countries had no leisure to do anything but exchange smiles and converse with one another.
If one had to name the busiest place, it was undoubtedly near Sylvia.
Nobles gathered to congratulate her on her accession, present all manner of rare items, and exchange even a word more; envoys from every nation.
Seeing them lined up in a long queue, one couldn't help but think that being Emperor was truly no easy task.
Of course, a considerable number of nobles flocked to Hio as well.
It was due to Sylvia's actions moments before.
The Guardian Knight's medal hung upon his chest.
Perhaps feeling sorry for having given it so abruptly without any proper award ceremony, she had pinned the medal directly onto Hio's chest and declared:
That Hio Pavlenko was the Emperor's Guardian Knight and the Empire's Guardian Knight.
And the greatest mage in the Empire.
And so, the current situation had unfolded.
"Lord Pavlenko. I am from Count Asren's…"
"Yes. The family that leads the Yondan Company, correct. Hahaha."
"I am the one in charge of Count Lambard's…"
The nobles swarming around him were courteous.
Even if it was all pretense, there was no fool here who would behave rudely to a Guardian Knight openly proclaimed by the Emperor.
Vitalianus, who had long served as the Empire's Guardian Knight, had been expected to naturally continue in that role; yet a new figure had suddenly appeared out of nowhere to inherit the position, so curiosity was piqued.
Moreover, even the Sword Saint had shown a favorable attitude toward him throughout the coronation ceremony.
"Lord Pavlenko. It is an honor to meet you…"
"Hahaha. The Empire's Guardian Knight…"
With the Sword Saint stepping back and Hio Pavlenko newly emerging.
He might differ from Vitalianus, who had possessed no interest whatsoever in politics and power, so they flocked to him to establish connections.
"That hat suits you truly well."
There were even those who uttered such rash remarks.
Of course, Hio laughed broadly and mentally noted that the person possessed excellent eyesight, but…
Anyway, he had managed to change the perception that mages were all fraudsters or jesters, if only a little.
Although most were merely wearing masks and treating him as such now, Hio was confident that even such perceptions could gradually be changed.
"Lord Pavlenko. I am…"
The banquet continued in that manner.
* * *
"…I'm never doing this again."
Even though he had only selected reasonably decent nobles to entertain, there were so many.
There had been no reason to refuse connections who came seeking him out, so he had entertained them, but there were far too many.
After suffering through it for quite a while, he finally spotted an opening and slipped out.
"Being Emperor really is no easy job, I tell you."
Sylvia was visible inside the Grand Hall.
And before her, a line still stretched out long.
It was a line created to present precious artifacts and to exchange even a word with Sylvia.
Hio shook his head briefly and moved on.
"That thing earlier was definitely a Circle, right?"
A girl he had happened upon just after the coronation ceremony. A girl with a young face that didn't quite suit the atmosphere here.
She looked about Irina's age… No, even younger, a girl with green hair.
Judging by her attire, she was not an imperial noble.
Judging by the people gathered in similar clothing, she was likely part of an envoy's entourage from a foreign country.
Unlike the flamboyant and distinctive styles of other foreign lands, her clothing was modest.
What he felt from the girl, who looked ordinary at a glance, was a definite Circle aura.
The feeling of mana gathered in one place, rotating slowly, was all too familiar; he couldn't fail to recognize it even if he tried.
And Purnell had recognized it as well.
—That's right. It's merely a 1st Circle, and even that isn't complete… but it has definitely taken the form of a Circle.
"It definitely didn't feel complete."
But one thing was certain: it was a Circle.
"I saw her heading somewhere over here…"
This was the reason he had slipped out of the Grand Hall when he saw a chance.
To find the girl from whom he had felt a Circle.
Where she had come from.
From whom and how she had learned magic, and so on.
There was no shortage of things to be curious about.
"Where could she have learned magic?"
—Indeed. Creating a Circle to that degree in an age that has lost magic isn't something possible without tremendous talent and a proper magic teacher, is it?
It was an era where grimoires were hard to come by.
When magic would not unfold no matter how much one followed existing grimoires, all sorts of expedients and abnormal methods ran rampant, and an era had come where those had solidified as if they were orthodox magic.
Just as Berga unfolded magic differently.
Creating a Circle, even an incomplete one, in such circumstances meant possessing a proper foundational grimoire.
Or it meant having a proper magic teacher.
"Where did she go…"
He wandered here and there to find the girl, but no matter how long he searched, he couldn't find where she had gone.
He wondered if she had returned to the banquet hall and peeked in, but she wasn't there either.
How much time had passed like that?
Around the time the sun was setting and the sky was growing dark.
—Over there, isn't that the child?
He finally found the green hair he had been searching for.
A girl crouching in the garden admiring flowers. Her uncommon green hair, and the familiar mana Circle felt once more.
"Found her."
He approached from behind the girl who was crouching and tilting her head as she admired the garden flowers.
"Heuheuheu…"
Laughter flowed out unconsciously. A pleasant laugh of finally having found her.
The girl turned around at the sudden sound of laughter.
Hio knew at least that he had to lower her guard first and approach her amicably.
"Hey, little one."
What was needed first was a bright smile.
And bringing up a common interest the child might like to pique her curiosity.
So first, smile broadly and show that he was not a harmful person.
"Heuheuheu."
Trying to bring up a common interest.
"Want to have some fun magic play with this old man?"
It was fortunate there was no one around to hear.
* * *
Nod nod!
Despite Hio's behavior being so shady it was indescribable, the green-haired girl smiled brightly and nodded.
To some extent, it was an expected result.
Hio's attire practically screamed "I'm a mage" at a glance.
And hadn't there been Sylvia's declaration as well?
That the Empire's Guardian Knight Hio Pavlenko was a mage. Everyone at the banquet hall had heard and seen it, so this little girl must have seen it too.
If she had learned magic, she couldn't help but be interested at the word "mage."
"Good. Let's see… what would be good…"
He ran through the magic he possessed from the 1st to the 3rd Circle.
Something not too excessive but that a child would like, let's see…
"This should be good."
Lightly raising his staff.
A basic 1st Circle summoning magic came out into the world as a skill.
「Skill - 'Crow Summon' has activated」
Dozens of crows poured out through the staff.
The scenery of them rising against the sunset sky suited the moment quite well, did it not? Hio smiled in satisfaction.
Of course, he deliberately overlooked the slight commotion occurring in the garden.
"Kyaaak!"
"What the—suddenly crows!"
"Ugh, gross!"
The green-haired girl watched that spectacle with her mouth wide open, then soon broke into a bright smile.
It was the kind of smile that made the viewer's heart feel pure.
"How is it? Amazing?"
Nod nod!
"Want me to show you something else?"
Nod nod!
"Then can you tell me where you learned magic?"
The girl who had been smiling brightly and nodding continuously squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head at this question.
"Then… from whom did you learn?"
Shake shake!
"What magic you can use……?"
Shake shake!
"Then where did you come from?"
Shake shake!
"…What's your name?"
As if she absolutely could not say, she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head left and right, but hesitated at the question about her name.
After a moment of thought, she crouched down and wrote her name in the dirt with her finger.
"F… re… ya?"
And then.
"Good heavens, Freya!"
A man discovered Freya from the opposite side and came running.
The green-haired girl called Freya started in surprise and stood up.
The man looked at Hio as he ran, and as soon as he arrived, he quickly hid Freya behind himself.
"My apologies. I hope Freya hasn't committed any discourtesy…"
"No. It's fine. I was the one who approached her unilaterally."
At a glance he resembled an imperial noble, but looking closely, the style and material of his clothes were different.
Rougher and lighter fabric. A slightly unfamiliar accent. He was definitely from a foreign country.
The man likewise studied Hio's attire and nodded.
"You were that person from the banquet hall. They say you are the Empire's new Guardian Knight…"
"I am Hio Pavlenko."
"I am Mutins Cratz. From Arileia."
They shook hands lightly, and Mutins opened his mouth with a bright expression.
"I hear you are a mage… haha. This is truly remarkable."
The man who introduced himself as Mutins withdrew his hand from the handshake and laughed heartily.
His mouth continuously burst into laughter.
"Haha…"
The problem was that his eyes were coldly fixed upon Hio with a glare.
Hio could easily read the emotion Mutins was barely suppressing. It was something he had experienced countless times, all too familiar.
Mutins's two eyes were clearly filled with contempt.
It was difficult to understand.
"Then I shall take my leave… my party is waiting, so I must go. Freya. Let's go."
It was not a small emotion like ridicule or doubt.
Hostility beyond contempt.
How could he harbor such hostility toward Hio, whom he had clearly just met? What was he so angry about?
And why was Freya trying to hide herself away so tightly?
Much was questionable, but Hio smiled leisurely.
Mutins took Freya's hand, turned, and moved to leave.
To the backs of Mutins and the green-haired girl as they walked away, he spoke.
"Freya. I was glad to meet you today."
Freya turned her head and smiled brightly. She waved her hand.
In turn, Hio smiled back and waved.
"…Let's go."
The man glared at Hio with eyes now thoroughly mixed with contempt, no longer trying to hide it, then led Freya away and disappeared.
"…This reeks of something suspicious."
Well, there were still two more days of the banquet left, so they could find out gradually.
As Hio moved his steps with such thoughts, Purnell muttered lowly within his soul.
—You don't get angry even when you're hated for no reason.
* * *
There had been three NPCs called the strongest in the game world's setting.
The Golden Lion of the Empire, Sword Saint Vitalianus.
The leader of Heuk-A, Atauolph of the Black Mist.
And the last one.
One who remained shrouded in doubt as to whether he had died or lived even at the moment the world perished and the server closed, of whom only speculation that he must be dead circulated.
The Ruler of the Western Sea.
Legarda.
He was precisely from Arileia.
The girl who possessed a Circle, Freya, and Mutins were said to have come from such an Arileia.
An island nation surrounded by sea on all sides.
And a notorious country that anyone who had played even a little Ventaille would have heard of.
The reason was none other.
It was notorious because one could not go to Arileia.
Whether it was blocked at the national level.
The reason had never been revealed, but one thing was certain.
It was because Legarda, called the Ruler of the Western Sea, had blocked all the paths leading into Arileia.
Even so, there were users who tried to force their way in, and without fail, they had to receive the message that they died by Legarda's hand.
Thus, naturally, not only Legarda but also the island nation Arileia became notorious.
The kingdom full of questions, Arileia.
Even as the situation went to ruin toward the Abyss, Arileia hadn't stirred an inch. It showed no movement whatsoever.
At the time, the Zhizun Tianmo had also been too busy protecting the Empire, as if ten bodies wouldn't have been enough, so there had been no time to pay attention to such an Arileia, and thus it was forgotten….
"If they appear like this, the story is different."
The second day of the three-day banquet.
While Claire was still swamped and the others were too preoccupied enjoying the now fully underway banquet, Hio, who had been watching for an opening, finally managed to find Freya left alone.
"Euheuheuheu. Hello, Freya?"
"Want to have some fun magic play with this old man?"