It had been a long time since every member of the Red Garnet Adventurers had gathered. Ganesha, Leo, Lia, Carlos, Dozmu, Rohan, Boar, and even Rayleigh.
They were sprawled about as usual in the VIP guest room of Reccordak’s new annex.
“Haaahm—”
Ganesha lay on the sofa yawning, Dozmu, Rohan, and Boar Jinchen were playing cards, and the trio of Leo, Lia, and Carlos were playing together as well.
“……So. We’ll stop by the Sanctuary of the Land of Destruction for a bit, then head to the Duchy of Yuren, apparently.”
No, they were in a meeting. Lia was the most diligent and least lazy member of this adventurer band.
Leo’s eyes went round.
“Can we just go there? Isn’t it dangerous?”
“Of coourse~ We’re adventurers, aren’t we? It’s not such a mess that they’ll attack us on sight.”
The Altar’s Sanctuary. Its size and ecosystem were beyond imagination. It was so vast, and magical beasts that the Altar alone had difficulty handling appeared there often enough, so if one introduced oneself as an “adventurer,” they would even be assigned missions of a sort.
Of course, it would be difficult to enter its depths.
“……Los. Are you all right?”
As she spoke, Lia stealthily gauged Carlos’s reaction.
Because, after all…… the “Lacquer of the Misty Stream.”
They had sold off an item that would have been quite useful to Carlos.
“What is?”
But Carlos himself merely blinked. His distinctive pale pupils moved as if he truly had no idea what she was talking about.
“……Ah, no. It’s nothing.”
Well, even so, the “Lacquer of the Misty Stream” was something one could obtain somewhere if one had the money. It was better to use it on a Named who needed it immediately.
Just then, Leo asked.
“Oh, right! How is Knight Yuli?”
……
Yuli awoke from a long sleep. The moment she opened her eyes, an agonizing pain as if her whole body were being torn apart surged through her, but it was bearable.
“You’ve awakened. Knight Deia.”
Yuli hurriedly turned that way. Zeit was beside her sickbed.
Perhaps because his body was far too large for the chair and the space, the head of Freyden sat as if huddled in on himself.
“You came—”
“Sit still. You are in no condition to move.”
As Yuli struggled to rise, Zeit let out a small sigh. It was as if he were reproaching himself.
“Yuli.”
“……Yes.”
“I heard you entrusted a mission to the Red Garnet Adventurers. These are the documents.”
Zeit held out an envelope of papers. There were no signs that it had been torn open or forced.
Zeit merely asked.
“Is it related to my former son-in-law?”
“…….”
Yuli looked at Zeit.
Strictly speaking, he was not her former “son-in-law.” She was Zeit’s younger sister, not his daughter. But as the head of the family, Zeit had willingly taken on the role of father.
“Yes.”
At that answer, Zeit nodded. Then he turned his gaze out the window.
“It seems restoring the livelihoods of Reccordak and Freyden will be easier than expected.”
“Why is that?”
“There are many mages left, aren’t there?”
Zeit grinned.
Mages. In the North, they were always desperately needed, yet no matter how much money was offered, those esteemed people refused to come.
And many of those mages were still in Reccordak.
“The only ones who went down were Deculein and his two assistants. The rest remained here in Reccordak.”
“……Is there a reason?”
Yuli blinked in puzzlement.
If they were mages, they would not want to remain in this freezing land even a moment longer.
“Deculein left his writings in this library. Of course, he will retrieve them, but he says he will wait at least until the mages who came here finish studying them.”
It was a kind of repayment.
An Eldorado of knowledge, bestowed upon those who had come to Reccordak risking their lives and aided in the fierce southward march.
Thirty-seven unpublished papers and twenty-three unreleased books. Lecture materials personally written by Deculein himself, and even test papers to evaluate their training.
The mages were absorbed in devouring that golden trove. Not only various mages from the Imperial Palace, but even Ihelm and Ruina.
“When they return, we can ask them to do some contracted work. In any case, if we say we’ll hand them some travel money on their way back, they likely won’t refuse that much. But…… Yuli.”
Zeit’s tone sank seriously. Yuli, too, finally raised her upper body.
“Yes.”
Ahem. Zeit gave a small cough and exhaled deeply. Then, sweeping back his long hair, he spoke in a moderately heated voice.
“That Deculein bastard told me it would not have mattered if you died.”
For an instant, Yuli’s shoulders trembled. She looked back at Zeit, pretending to be calm.
“……You met him?”
“While you were asleep.”
“…….”
She clenched her teeth hard. An emotion she could not identify roiled up from the bottom of her chest.
Watching her silently, Zeit asked in a low, heavy voice.
“Do you hate Deculein?”
“……Yes. I hate him.”
Yuli answered with composure. At least, her voice did. But her fist clutched the blanket, and small droplets gathered at the corners of her eyes.
Zeit nodded.
“But that Deculein bastard has already become a leading figure in the magical world. There are not many in politics, either, who would dare oppose his will.”
“…….”
“Yuli. Can you overcome him?”
Yuli looked at Zeit’s face.
It was a face much like the one he had worn long ago, when he had placed a sword in the hands of her younger self.
“……Yes. I can overcome him.”
Yuli said.
“I will overcome him. No matter what.”
An answer utterly different from when she was young.
His younger sister, who had before he knew it become a proper knight.
To that adorable child…… no.
To that cold adult.
“……Haha. You are resolute. That is what makes you a Freyden.”
Zeit smiled as if sighing.
* * *
Oslon’s restaurant, “Dawn of the North.”
I am dining across from Count Dhaman.
It is a neat occasion conducted with impeccable etiquette. Even for me, who dislikes sharing a table, it is comfortable for the first time in a while, though not without its irritations.
“……I am glad the food suits your assistants’ tastes.”
Dhaman wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and smiled faintly. I, too, nodded without a word.
The problem was Epherene in the back.
The lobster, pen shell, Roahawk, and other dishes set on the table—she was eating all of them as if absorbing them.
If she were merely eating, that would be fine.
“Munch, munch…… sob…… munch, munch…… sniff.”
She was shedding tears as she ate.
“It’s delicious, kuh-huk…… sniff…… munch…… Ah, why is this one’s shell so thick…….”
I could roughly tell what she was thinking.
It’s this delicious; if only Assistant Professor Allen were here too—something like that.
“Do you have any clues regarding Rohakan’s whereabouts?”
Forcing myself to ignore her, I asked Count Dhaman.
“Yes.”
The count sent a glance to the secretary standing behind him. The secretary then approached and held out a case sealed with magic.
“It is inside here. A scrap from Rohakan’s robe.”
“……A scrap of his robe.”
“Yes. Its mana has been preserved, so tracking should be possible.”
“We will need separate personnel.”
Mana tracking is not my specialty. To begin with, it belongs more to the field of “technique” than magic.
“Yes. We have already prepared them. The professor likely knows her as well—”
“It’s me.”
At that moment, the restaurant door opened, and a familiar voice rang out.
Thud— thud—
A civil servant approached with overflowing confidence and joined the table.
“It has been a while, Professor.”
Lilia Primienne. I glared at her with narrowed eyes.
Dhaman said,
“As you likely already know, Deputy Director Primienne is from the North and highly capable, so there is no need to worry.”
“Yes. Professor. From now on, we will be traveling in a team of two. There will also be support from the Intelligence Bureau. The mission His Majesty has bestowed, we will surely—”
“Uwaaaaaaah……!”
From somewhere, loud wailing cut off Primienne’s words.
Everyone’s gaze focused in that direction.
“Huaaaang, what do we do about Assistant Professor Allen……. Huaaak—! Aak!”
“…….”
I cast “Silence” around that fellow’s table. The noisy sound was blocked, and only Epherene’s dramatic gestures moved in quiet.
Watching that sight, Primienne twisted her lips in a smirk.
“In any case, Professor. I look forward to working with you.”
Primienne extended her hand.
Ignoring it lightly, I asked Dhaman,
“Has train service been suspended?”
“Yes. There are no intact tracks. We have prepared fine horses, so please ride with your assistants.”
“We depart immediately.”
I began to rise from my seat, then stopped.
“…….”
Primienne was still extending her hand to me. Without a word, like some mannequin.
“……You two. Come out.”
Ignoring her again, I called Epherene and Drent.
“Ah, yes.”
Drent supported Epherene, and we left the restaurant together.
Dhaman’s horses had been prepared right outside.
“Drent. You take charge of that stupid girl.”
“Yes. Hey, hey, Ipal. Stop crying already.”
“……Sniff.”
Epherene’s crying barely ceased. Then, just as I was about to mount my horse.
A hand came jutting toward me.
“…….”
It was Primienne’s invitation to shake hands.
“…….”
I looked at that hand, then mounted the horse.
“We depart.”
“Yes!”
Heeheeheehing—!
The horse snorted and raced forward. Primienne belatedly mounted as well and followed.
Clop, clop—
Dust scattered beneath the horses’ hooves, and as we were racing through it for some time, I suddenly looked back.
“……Has she lost her mind?”
Primienne was holding the reins with her left hand, while her right hand remained extended toward me for a handshake, riding in some bizarre posture.
* * *
……Finally.
After all that long time in Reccordak, at last.
I arrived at the Imperial Capital.
As befitted the Imperial Capital, there were few places broken or collapsed, and the scenery and daily life remained peaceful.
“……Hm.”
Rather than returning to the mansion, I first visited the chairman’s office in the Magic Tower. There was something I had to receive.
However.
Soft breathing— soft breathing—
The chairman was asleep, curled over her desk.
Soft breathing— soft breathing—
After watching her sprawled out asleep, I knocked on the desk.
Knock, knock—
“!”
Her eyes shot open like a cat’s. At the same time, mana sparked like electricity. She looked sharply up at me in combat readiness, then puffed out her cheeks and furrowed her brow.
“Ah, what is it! Why did you wake me!”
“It is working hours.”
At that, she glanced at the clock.
“……What! Since when is it three o’clock!”
“You seem tired from supporting the southward march.”
Adrine had achieved tremendous military merit this time.
Alone, she defended “Lebek,” a key point in the southward march. The magical beasts she killed numbered close to a million, and the people she protected exceeded hundreds of thousands.
It was renown truly befitting the title of Archmage.
“Well, yes! I heard Professor Deculein was amazing too! They say you buried thousands of Jeokgwi alive?!”
“It was dozens.”
“Eh? That’s too few! I heard rumors it was tens of thousands!”
“Does that make sense?”
“If it’s Professor Deculein, it does~!”
The chairman stretched with a groan.
“In any case. You worked hard! My term lasts until this spring, so I’ll announce it after that! The next chairman, Deculein! Heehee!”
At the same time as her assurance, an alert appeared.
[Quest Complete: Ascension to Chairman]
◆ Rare Trait Catalog acquired.
◆ After inauguration, title “Magic Tower Chairman” acquired.
I nodded in satisfaction.
“Oh, right. Professor Deculein! But have you heard that news?!”
“What news do you mean?”
“That knight Yuli is settling down in Reccordak~!”
“…….”
The chairman’s ear for rumors is truly keen. How she hears news from the distant North so well, I do not know.
“She has nothing to do with me now.”
“Hmmm…… Ah~ right. Also, His Majesty says he no longer needs a teaching mage now?!”
“…….”
My brow furrowed despite myself.
That news was unexpected. No, considering Sophien’s personality, it was impossible.
“That cannot be.”
“It’s true, though?! Try visiting once~! They say they won’t receive outsiders anymore! Including Professor Deculein!”
“…….”
If these words are true, it is not a good sign.
Sophien should still have much to learn.
She, who has yet to defeat me at Go, should not withdraw so easily.
“Yes. I will go and see.”
I turned as I was and stepped into the elevator.
Ding—!
The first floor soon arrived.
In front of the hallway elevator, Primienne was waiting for me.
“…….”
Still with her hand stretched straight out, asking for a handshake.
To her, blinking with an ordinary expressionless face, I said,
“I will not.”
* * *
The darkly dampened imperial bedchamber. In that place, where not a single light had been lit tonight, Sophien was playing Go alone.
Tap—
Tap—
The sparse, desolate sound of stones settling. The mournful movement of black stones and white stones continuing on.
Yet before long, Sophien’s foot flipped the entire Go board over.
Thud——!
Stones and wooden board overturned and scattered. Thoughts tangled chaotically in her head.
Sophien lay on the floor, her brow twisting.
“Rohakan, that accursed bastard…….”
He had planted some strange emotion in her head.
It was surely nonsense, yet it kept bothering her.
There was no way she could come to love Deculein—someone like Deculein. And yet that man, with a face so full of certainty, as if he were stating an utterly obvious truth……
—Your Majesty.
A maid’s voice came from beyond the door. Sophien glanced that way, but said nothing.
Right now, even moving her mouth was tiresome. Her entire body felt damp, heavy, and swollen, like a drowned corpse.
—Your Majesty. Professor Deculein has come to see you.
“…….”
At those words, even Sophien raised herself again.
But she swallowed for no reason, then shook her head.
“Tell him We are in the middle of work.”
—Yes, Your Majesty.
After that, Sophien truly began working. There were many matters to handle regarding postwar reconstruction.
The efficient distribution of central subsidies. The scale of the restoration projects. The selection of raw material merchant guilds, diplomacy after winter, and so on……
—Your Majesty.
However, not long after, the maid’s voice came again.
Sophien frowned, clutching her pen.
“What is it now?”
—The professor says he will wait until Your Majesty’s work is finished.
The Emperor bit her lip without realizing it. A hot breath surged up around her throat.
But she cut it off coldly.
“……Tell him it will take a long time, so he should return.”
—Yes, Your Majesty.
The maid withdrew, and Sophien resumed her work once more.
With a single gesture of her hand, a single thought, the countless heavy tasks gradually diminished, and problems that would have taken a week even with many retainers rushing in were solved one by one.
Tick— tock—
The second hand moved, the minute hand flowed on, and by the time the hour hand had shifted its angle several times.
Somewhere within Sophien’s time.
—Your Majesty.
The maid’s voice came yet again.
She put down her pen and asked back.
“What is it now? You keep bothering Us.”
At that, the maid replied in a slightly troubled tone.
—Forgive me. However, that professor…… says it does not matter how long it takes. Thus, he is still waiting.
“…….”
Deculein again.
Then Sophien looked out the window.
The bright sun had vanished before she knew it, and the world was dyed in darkness. A pale shadow fell across her face.
“……Today.”
At the center of that sky, the full moon sat all alone.
Gazing at that thing swaying in solitude, she spoke in a low voice.
“Tell him it is too late, and that it is impossible.”