The outside of the world is bleak.
This is a place that is no longer the world. Not the other side of a mirror, nor the midst of a wave—merely a world that is not the world.
A lonely lake where life cannot exist, and only spirits drift from time to time.
—……Will this truly be all right?
From within the lake, a devotee of the Altar asked. The god, still fishing, answered.
“It’s fine. What are you so worried about?”
Whether the footsteps taken were advance or retreat, in the end they would follow the natural order. Their conclusion would come to pass as the god intended.
There had never been anything he failed to foresee, nor anything he chose not to foresee.
All of this was merely one process.
—Yes, Lord God. Through this incident, the energy needed for your descent has certainly been restored.
God.
At the devotee’s call, he thought for a moment of someone.
A child who had said that a truly good person did not call themselves good, and that therefore he, who called himself a god, was not a true god.
It was such a simple logic, and yet words he had never tended to, having been far too naturally aware of himself as “God.”
“Yes. The proverb will be realized.”
As she had said, he was still nothing more than a relic of the Divine Age.
One of the countless devotees who had served the true “God” in those days.
—Yes. The faith of the Altar remains unchanged.
And yet, in this age, there is no god.
The god who listened to the words of the faithful and watched over their lives and deaths is no longer here.
“I know.”
God is dead.
The faithful killed him.
That tragic moment remained vivid to him even now. Coagulated rage and despair clung to his heart and would not fall away.
“You shall pore over the doctrine and devote yourselves to the scripture.”
Thus this continent was an isolated island built by apostates, by god-slayers.
A symbol of original sin, wrong from the very beginning.
—Yes. I shall take my leave now.
The voice disappeared, and silence settled.
He, who had once been a devotee of God, looked back into the lake. He stared at the scenery of the Imperial Palace reflected within it, at the heart of the continent.
“……The faith of the beginning is still in my arms.”
Murmuring softly, he felt for the embers within his chest.
“Now is the time to spread it far and wide, and awaken faith once more.”
Yet a dead god does not return to life. Now, there was only one person left to carry out, transmit, and stand in for their teachings: himself.
Therefore, he had no choice but to become God.
“The secular world will once again be steeped in divinity. I shall carry on and uphold your will…….”
The vow of a devout shepherd rang out and spread like ripples.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the round table conference room of the Imperial Knights.
“Recently, quite a number of dungeons dense with demonic energy have appeared.”
A meeting was in full swing here, where many knights had gathered.
Ordinarily, around the start of the university semester, not only the university but also the knight orders and the Magic Tower were busy setting quarterly goals and missions.
“Accordingly, we have summarized the Imperial Knights’ main initiatives into three.”
Today’s presenter for the Imperial Knights was Gawain. With his exceptional appearance and skill, he frequently appeared not only in external lectures but also in the press and on the radio—the so-called face of the Imperial Knights.
Most favored by Vice Commander Isaac, he was also taking the lead in this meeting.
“First, the elimination of dungeons.”
When Gawain gestured, a map of the Empire appeared in midair. Among it, certain points stood out in particular.
“It is estimated that a total of twenty-three dungeons have appeared on the outskirts of the Empire, in the slums, and five within the interior. The first objective is to eliminate all of these dungeons by the end of the first quarter.”
There was no objection. Destroying dungeons was one of the most basic duties of the knight order, and the by-products were rather lucrative as well.
“Second, the connection of cutting-edge communications to areas outside the capital.”
Snap—when he flicked his fingers, the map moved elsewhere this time.
“First, Reccordak. This place, of which the Yukline family holds fifty-one percent ownership, is suitable to serve as a base for the ‘Expedition to the Destroyed Lands.’ Therefore—”
“Expedition to the Destroyed Lands?”
This was an objection he had expected in this section. Gawain turned toward the speaker.
“Are you saying the Empire will truly embark on an expedition to the Destroyed Lands? Why bother with that worthless land?”
One of the several factions within the knight order, “Valerian.”
Prioritizing the safety of the imperial citizens and the prestige of the knight order, he was not particularly favorable toward the Expedition to the Destroyed Lands.
“The Expedition to the Destroyed Lands is not yet certain. However, even if that plan falls through, a communications link is necessary.”
“Hmph. But why Reccordak, of all places? Deia, that knight, is a corrupt knight, is she not? Why choose such a filthy knight, one who was even expelled from the Imperial Knights?”
At that, Gawain’s expression stiffened slightly. He shook his head and said,
“Knight Deia’s abilities are widely recognized as certain. Also—”
“Ha, abilities. I saw that woman’s sparring myself. She was like a gnat.”
“…….”
The reason Valerian was being so sharp right now was probably because one of his disciples had been defeated by Yulie. He was a man notorious for raising hundreds of disciples under the banner of the “Valerian School.”
Gawain did not point that out.
“Yes. However, Reccordak is—”
“As for Reccordak, it would be more accurate to view it as the property of the Yukline family rather than Knight Deia.”
The words that cut in then belonged to Delric.
He had been silently fiddling with his mustache until now, but now he swept his gaze around the round table with an exceedingly arrogant and dignified expression.
“Reccordak is an important base of which the Yukline family owns fifty-one percent of the shares. That much makes it a suitable candidate for a direct line of communication with the capital and His Majesty the Emperor—a ‘hotline.’ Is that not so?”
“…….”
There was no objection to Delric’s words. Even the stubborn Valerian wriggled his lips and held himself back.
For while the Imperial Knights were, of course, an order of “skill above all,” the power of connections could not be completely excluded.
“Also, after that, Hadekain would be the proper candidate.”
Delric. Having somehow come under Yukline’s protection, he was now the perfect man of real power within the Imperial Knights.
“I recommend first establishing hotlines in Hadekain and Reccordak.”
Of course, even before, Delric had been one of the “candidates for vice commander,” but no one in the knight order had ever thought he would become the next vice commander. His standing had been exactly that—mediocre.
At present, however, Delric’s say within the Imperial Family and the knight order was equal to Isaac’s, or perhaps even greater.
And Delric, aware of his own influence, was actively intervening in the internal politics of the knight order.
“……Yes. We will pass this matter on for now, and third is the erosion of the ‘Voice.’”
The erosion of the Voice. It was a phenomenon causing people quite a headache lately.
It was the decisive reason why the entire continent had stopped whispering secrets or speaking ill behind others’ backs.
“This has been officially recognized by the Yukline family as a phenomenon of the ‘devil.’ We plan to request Professor Deculein—”
“Ahem.”
Suddenly, Delric cut him off. Gawain looked at him in confusion.
“Is Professor Deculein your friend?”
“…….”
“This is a time when everyone must be careful with their words because of the ‘Voice,’ and you lack even the basics? Hurry and correct yourself.”
Delric leaned back in his chair pompously, and the knights under him nodded triumphantly.
Gawain swallowed a sigh.
“……Yes. We plan to make a request to Professor Deculein, sir. Yukline is an authority on devil hunting, a family of tradition.”
“Good. I’ll take charge of that third matter, so don’t worry.”
Delric, speaking as though doing them a favor, slapped the round table and rose.
“Then, I’m busy, so I’ll be off. The rest of you may continue the meeting. Ahem.”
Delric and his subordinate knights. Two months ago they had been a small faction of barely ten, but before anyone knew it, they had swelled to thirty, and they poured out of the round table room.
The knights watched the procession and fell silent for a moment.
“……Sigh. Maybe I should have gone to the Reccordak front too.”
Afterward, grumbling close to complaint spread like a sigh around the round table. Rumors were widespread that Delric had built a friendship with Deculein at Reccordak, and through it had even obtained the title of His Majesty the Emperor’s escort knight.
“Tsk…….”
Vice Commander Isaac also pressed down on his temple.
From the vice commander’s position, it was quite a troublesome matter for knights who followed a particular family or noble rather than the knight order itself to rise in power.
“Gawain.”
Isaac spoke.
“Continue the meeting.”
“……Yes. And this is only a trial for now, but it is a radio transceiver that connects directly to Reccordak.”
Gawain placed a crystal-ball radio on the round table.
Bzzzt—bzzzt—
When he tuned it to a specific frequency, a clear voice flowed out.
—This is Knight Deia of Reccordak. Do you hear me……?
* * *
The 77th floor of the Magic Tower, the Head Professor’s office.
“Very well. There was no need to ask. The disposal of the ‘Voice’ is originally Yukline’s duty.”
I nodded. Across from me, Delric smiled broadly and placed some kind of radio on the desk.
“Yes. Thank you. And this is the Imperial hotline. A special radio transceiver? Transmitter? In any case, it is that.”
“I see.”
“His Majesty the Emperor told me to deliver it to you personally. You can communicate with His Majesty at any time, and if you tune the frequency like this—”
Bzzzt—bzzzt—
—Yes. Reccordak’s current situation is good. Reccordak can faithfully perform its role as a barrier, and the northern villages continue to develop.
It was Yulie’s voice, participating in the Imperial Knights’ meeting in real time.
“Like this. You can listen to all lines of communication connected to the capital. If you happen to detect anything suspicious while listening, it can also record, so immediate punishment is possible.”
“More importantly, His Majesty?”
“Ah, yes. His Majesty is currently asleep in his bedchamber.”
“Then you should return before he wakes.”
“Yes! Loyalty!”
Delric saluted crisply and went outside.
The office grew quiet again. I picked up the [List of Participants for the Magic Competition] that Epherene had submitted.
“Epherene, Julia, Drent…… Maho.”
It had not even been two days since the semester began, and yet somehow they had already grown close.
The top-class named character Maho was included.
Of course, it was a good thing. Maho was also a named character who required special management, and if she joined Epherene and her group, she would become easier to handle along with them.
……Sssss.
At that moment, I felt a strange sensation lingering on my skin. I heard the sound of waves circling in my ears.
“……Has the time come again?”
This was the call of the “Voice.”
Not immediately, but it was a signal that I would soon enter the world of the Voice.
“…….”
I briefly inspected my body.
“Hmm.”
The quality of third-grade mana. My skill and capacity in handling it were truly at their peak, and the mana racing through my blood vessels was under thorough control.
A perfect understanding of the 「Snowflake Obsidian」 was no longer far off.
The erosion of the Voice, growing denser by the day, would now swallow the world, but the power to oppose that moment was more than sufficient.
—Professor.
At that moment, the Emperor’s voice rang from the radio.
I answered briefly.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I hear you.”
—…….
At that, Sophien laughed silently.
“Do you have something else to say?”
—……Yes. Today, I shall declare laws regarding the Expedition to the Destroyed Lands and the Red Ghosts.
“The Red Ghosts, you say.”
—We cannot leave the Altar bastards who plotted such schemes alone, can we? You do not wish that either, do you?
“…….”
The Red Ghosts. I still did not know what Sophien’s law concerning that clan would be like.
However, whatever it was, its essence would ultimately be to strangle the Red Ghosts.
In a more fatal, more ruthless manner.
“Your Majesty.”
—……Hm? What is with that voice? I thought you would like it as well. Do you not also despise the Red Ghosts?
“Not all Red Ghosts would have conspired with the Altar.”
—…….
Sophien gave no answer to my words.
She merely remained silent, and I added a sentence that went against the “flow of history.”
“Please consider that one point.”
……Bang!
In the Imperial Palace, Sophien struck the radio harshly. Her communication with Deculein naturally cut off.
Ahan, who had been organizing the table, flinched in surprise and looked back at her.
“Your Majesty. What is the matter?”
“……He defended the Red Ghosts. No, he told me to consider them.”
Sophien was strangely enraged by that fact. Ahan found that puzzling as well.
His Majesty Sophien was always indolent and sly, yet only when it came to the “Red Ghosts” did she carry an exceedingly strict standard.
“……Your Majesty.”
Ahan carefully bowed.
“What is it?”
“Perhaps this is merely my insignificant curiosity, but…”
“……Are you asking why I despise the Red Ghosts?”
The Emperor whipped around to look at her. In that instant, Ahan quickly bowed her head.
“……Yes, Your Majesty. I shall not tell anyone. No, no. Please forgive the foolishness of my daring to harbor curiosity…….”
“No. There is no need for that. In any case, the only person your mouth would speak to is that professor, is it not?”
Sophien looked at Ahan’s bent back and swept back her hair. She picked up the long pipe she had tossed aside in the corner. She smoked.
“I shall tell you. The reason I despise the race called the Jeokgwe…….”
* * *
Afternoon at the university. In the midst of a spring day, Epherene was walking through the campus with her teammates.
The world was peaceful, there were a great many students coming and going, and the cool breeze was pleasant.
“So. Let’s try applying the three-series structure. With at least Medium-Grand (中大) magic as our goal.”
Drent, Julia, Maho. Epherene had formed a team with the three of them, and they were discussing the spell formula they would present at the magic competition when—
“Hm? Leafy. That’s Sir Delric over there.”
Drent suddenly spotted a knight.
A knight walking down the university road with his back straight, aloof from the world—Delric.
He was striding with dignity, his subordinate knights trailing after him like a tail, when his eyes met Epherene’s.
For about one second.
—Oh! Aren’t you the professor’s disciple!
His expression softened in an instant, and he waved at her with a bright smile.
“Ah…… yes.”
Epherene waved back. Then she quickly averted her gaze.
Watching this, Julia asked,
“Wow, Ephie, are you close with Sir Delric?”
“Hm? No, well, we used to be close…… I don’t know about now. But why? Do you know Sir Delric?”
“Of course I do. He’s His Majesty’s escort knight. And I think I’m about to enter the press soon.”
At Julia’s sudden words, Epherene’s eyes widened.
“The press? You, Julie?”
“Yeah. A mage journalist—it’s not common, but it seems like it’d be fun. I’m going to give it a try.”
“Wow…… that sounds nice. For your first article, what, is ‘The Pig’s Flower’ coming out? Roahawk, Roahawk.”
“That’s amazing, amazing~ So amazing, Lady Julia!”
Maho beside them also brightened and nodded.
In truth, this Princess Maho would loudly cheer and rejoice at just about anything.
At first, I thought she was manic.
“Anyway. Princess Maho. Shall we go see our supervising professor now?”
“Yes, yes! Great! I want to meet Professor Deculein~ I want to meet him~”
Maho’s eyes sparkled, and Epherene smiled bitterly.
Having Deculein as their supervisor would be a little tricky—no, extremely tricky.
“Yes. Follow me.”
Epherene clenched her fist.
“This time, I’m confident too.”
……That confidence lasted for only five minutes.
To be exact, only until Deculein skimmed through the outline of their magic formula in three minutes.
“I see quite a number of errors. This part, in particular.”
One check.
“This part.”
Two checks.
“And this part.”
Three checks, four checks, five checks, six checks, seven checks, eight checks…….
“Reconsider it and bring it back.”
A total of thirteen checks. The gaps in the outline of the formula that Epherene and her teammates had pondered over for three days had been found in a mere three minutes.
—However.
“……If we set the errors aside?”
Epherene carefully added.
“You can’t be full on your first spoonful…….”
Muttering that, she looked up at Deculein.
The professor nodded as if silently scoffing.
“In principle, these errors cannot be set aside, but if I were to exclude them and evaluate only the idea itself…….”
Getting criticized was getting criticized, and Epherene stared at Deculein’s lips.
She imagined the words that were about to follow.
“It is not bad.”
Not bad…… not bad…… not bad…….
Three times, the voice rang blankly in her head.
Perhaps, the first praise she had ever heard.
No, was it praise?
At any rate, at those words—not bad.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaah———!”
In an instant, Epherene felt as though she could fly away.