Whiiiii— An orange sandstorm coiled across the earth like a whip. A desert where dry heat, parched enough to make one wither, warmed the skin.
Across that desolate land, the members of Time were walking.
“Ah, I’m dying of heat. I feel like I’m becoming a Roahawk while still alive.”
It had been quite a long time since Epherene had gone out, and they had all come together partly to gather materials for Julie’s treatment.
“Hot, is it? Even in heat like this, the desert is no dead land. Plenty of people mistake it for one, though. And it isn’t a land where only the Jeokgwe live, either, despite being called the Jeokgwe’s stronghold.”
Idnik, dressed in a turban, said as she walked over the dunes.
“Of course, the Jeokgwe make up a large portion. But minority tribes that aren’t Jeokgwe live here as well, and their number reaches a full million.”
“Huh. A million people?”
The Empire scorned the desert as “the Jeokgwe’s base,” but many minority tribes certainly coexisted here as well. Bloodlines of “tribes” that had voluntarily stepped outside the system called a nation lived out their own lives.
“Yes. There are many tribes in this desert. There were also warriors with convictions worthy of respect.”
Julie said.
Perfect timing. Epherene turned to her as if she had been waiting and asked,
“Haveyoudecided?”
A question with no spaces, close to coercion.
Julie shook her head, troubled.
“……You said that only yesterday. And even if I could live by that method, if I lose all my memories—”
“It’s not that you lose all your memories. You go back to before the bad blood piled up.”
“…….”
The method of healing Julie that Epherene had envisioned. The final means by which she could survive.
To develop a “Time-Reversion Cylinder,” and turn back only her time in this world.
Yet the person in question was not reacting favorably.
“You wouldn’t be in a state where you hate the Professor, either.”
“Even so, it is running away from the wrongs I committed.”
“What wrongs?”
Julie drew in a breath. She had intended to list every one of her sins.
“So? Then what? Even if the Professor told you to do it, you wouldn’t?”
“…….”
Her mouth clamped shut.
Epherene spoke as she stepped on the desert sand.
“The Professor accepted everything. To save you, he accepted your hatred, your resentment, all of it. Do you even know what it feels like to be hated by the person you love?”
Epherene knew of Deculein’s sacrifice. And when it came to the pain of being hated by the person one loved, no one understood it as well as she did.
Because the father I loved most hated me, and now Deculein, who was once my teacher, loathes me.
“The Professor will be fine. Even if you forget every memory you have of him…… no, he might actually want that.”
Julie gritted her teeth.
Whenever she thought of Deculein, for some reason her heart throbbed faintly.
Because of the transparent emotions with which he had spoken of love to her, and because of the heart that had accepted every sin in order to protect her.
“If he sees you living properly, or if he can see that you will be able to live, the Professor will surely smile.”
Epherene said, looking at Julie with serious eyes.
“He will smile more brightly than ever before.”
“……Wait for now. It is not as though you are dying this instant.”
Idnik calmed the two of them for a moment.
She pointed beyond the sandstorm.
—!@#$!@#$
—$#(!*@#)!
Voices came rushing from within. It seemed to be the language of a desert tribe, so they could not understand it, but in any case, they must have reached a village.
“They are a tribe called the ‘Malia.’ They settled by an oasis, and they are uncanny at finding water veins—shh!”
Suddenly, Idnik put a finger to her lips. At the same time, she released a transparent veil that enveloped Epherene and Julie.
“It’s the Imperial Guard. They’ve already come this far.”
The Imperial Guard. A power group that was synonymous with terror and authority not only to the Jeokgwe, but to all commoners on the continent.
Gulp—
Epherene swallowed hard, and a shout rang out from the Malia tribe’s village.
—Attention!
Epherene looked at the place through “Deculein’s Telescope.”
In the middle of the village, numerous members of the Imperial Guard were sweeping their eyes left and right with extremely menacing faces.
Through this telescope, each and every face could be seen in great detail.
—Listen well, you filthy things.
The words muttered by the man who seemed to be their captain.
He had an extremely vile impression. His long mustache curled at the ends, and what was that hair on his head, a rooster’s comb?
—Is there no one here who can speak the Imperial language—?
His tone was exceedingly light, and the ends of his words pitched upward. He had the face of a typical swindler……
[General Bell]
[Formerly of the Imperial Knights, he was eliminated due to defects in character and then volunteered for the military]
“What the?”
Startled, Epherene pulled the telescope away from her eye.
“……?”
It felt as if an explanatory sentence had just appeared in the telescope.
She looked at General Bell through the telescope again.
—Hmph. No one, then.
In any case, the villagers facing Bell looked terrified. They first sent the children back into the houses, and only the adults came forward to deal with the Imperial Guard.
Bell sneered at them with contempt and gestured to the knights behind him.
—If there is no one……
—Please wait!
Then, from somewhere, a man came running over, shouting urgently.
—W-We are the “Malia” tribe!
A person who could speak the Imperial language!
Epherene, who had been watching, unknowingly held her breath and clenched her fists.
—We have no connection to the Jeokgwe—
Crunch—!
Bell kicked him. The top of his foot struck the village man between the brows, and the man fainted on the spot.
“!”
Epherene covered her mouth with both hands. Julie’s body jolted, but Idnik stopped her.
—Dear me, dear me. It seems there is no one who can speak the Imperial language? The mage has not arrived yet, so I cannot tell who is Jeokgwe either…… It cannot be helped. Take them all away for now.
And so they stormed in.
Thud──!
They smashed everything their hands could reach, and those who resisted had their limbs broken. Grandmothers and grandfathers who clasped their hands and pleaded were slammed into the sand.
“How can that be…….”
How could they possibly be the Imperial Guard?
Epherene felt pure confusion and anger at the same time.
—……Take them all. This land looks good, so I shall later advise the Chairman that it would serve well as a base. Hahaha.
Epherene glared at Bell as he cackled like a weasel.
“What do you think? No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t seem right, does it?”
Idnik said.
“When it comes to the Jeokgwe, and to ‘minority tribes,’ Sophien loses her reason to a strange degree. That must be why she is stirring up the desert. But the desert is my homeland.”
Even as she said that, the Malia tribe’s village was being destroyed.
The foundation of their lives that had lasted at least several years, in a mere five minutes.
“If they intend to ravage my homeland, I will not stand by.”
“……Can’t we go stop them now?”
“Of course I want to beat them to death, but killing them is probably what Sophien wants.”
“What?”
Epherene’s eyes went round in incomprehension, and Idnik smiled bitterly.
“Sophien understands talent well. Naturally, Sophien knows that man is a useless bastard with no ability and only ambition. Even so, she appoints such men because if we cannot endure it and kill them, that too becomes a pretext. A pretext to reject not only the Jeokgwe, but every minority tribe as well.”
“……Really?”
Idnik looked back at Epherene.
“Aye. Sophien is that clever and cold-hearted an emperor. That is why my first objective is ‘only to protect.’ I plan to rescue the people cleanly when the prisoners are transported.”
“Wow…… You’re a mage who protects people.”
Epherene said with emotion.
The very words Deculein had once said to her.
However, Idnik snickered and shattered the emotion.
“No? I’m going to kill him. The method will be assassination. I’ll disguise it as a sudden death and kill him.”
Epherene’s mouth hung open for a moment.
“More importantly, Leafy. What is the material you said you were going to get?”
“……Pardon? Ah, but you called me Leafy again. Anyway.”
She quickly took a book out from her bosom. Rustle— She flipped through it and found the medicinal herb.
“This, Moonwatch Grass. They say this Moonwatch Grass blooms around desert oases. It’s a medicinal herb that lowers the body’s resistance. With this, ‘time reversion’ will become easier.”
Ahem. Julie cleared her throat.
Idnik said,
“All right. Then you go gather the material, Leafy. Julie, what will you do?”
Whoosh— Epherene also turned her head to look at Julie.
“Mm…….”
Julie hesitated awkwardly for a moment, then said,
“In that case, I will escort Miss Epherene. Protecting Miss Epherene is likely what the Professor would wish.”
Epherene smiled brightly. Idnik also nodded with satisfaction.
“Yes. Then, Dame Julie. Let’s leave those people to Miss Idnik…… Ah. Miss Idnik. Take this telescope. It will help with the rescue.”
Epherene placed the somehow special “Deculein’s Telescope” in Idnik’s hand and pulled Julie’s arm.
“Got it.”
“It isn’t mine, so make sure you return it later! Dame Julie, come with me.”
“Yes.”
As they walked together with Julie, Epherene said,
“And. I thought about it, and I think writing something like a diary might not be bad.”
A diary.
It was a hint that Epherene was giving Julie, and Julie also understood its meaning.
* * *
……A member of the Imperial Guard and a general of the Imperial Army, “Bell Derishi von Riskov,” established a base in the desert.
He had driven out the tribe called Malia or whatever, seized their supplies and materials, and built it with great speed.
“As expected of General Bell. It is an oasis so abundant that it would suffice to stay here for at least a year. The Chairman will also recognize your efforts, General.”
The adjutant’s utterly honest and sincere words.
“Hahahaha…….”
Bell laughed heartily, then glanced at a certain minor who was trimming her nails in the corner of the commander’s tent.
He asked the adjutant in a low voice.
—……That girl is the Chairman’s advance party?
—Yes. They say she is the adventurer Lia.
—She looks exceedingly insolent—
Lia. Her appearance was haggard, as though rotting away, and her eyes were sharp like a bird of prey. Like a ruined recluse with no interest in the world.
“You there.”
Snap— snap— Bell snapped his fingers to draw her gaze.
She looked at Bell from the corner of her eye, as if glaring.
“When will the Chairman be arriving—?”
“…….”
She stared at him without any response, then tossed out a remark.
“……Why are you asking me that?”
“……Wh-what.”
Bell almost turned red in the face, but held it back.
He needlessly twisted his mustache and whispered to his adjutant.
—She certainly has no manners whatsoever.
—Yes. It would seem so.
—Why is he keeping such a rude brat around? That Chairman.
—……This is only a rumor, sir.
The adjutant glanced around, then put his mouth to Bell’s ear. Bell’s expression became serious as well.
—They say that adventurer resembles the Chairman’s dead fiancée—
“──The Chairman is arriving!”
A voice suddenly rang out.
Bell and his adjutant immediately straightened themselves.
Almost at the same time, the tent flap was drawn aside, and a clear fragrance flowed in.
“……You have arrived!”
Bell shouted as he saluted.
“…….”
The recipient of the salute did not speak.
He merely walked in with steady steps and surveyed the interior.
“How…… how is it?”
Bell said cautiously.
“We secured it quickly, but…… do you not think it is a fine site—?”
“……Hmm.”
Then, the current head of Yukline. The Chairman of the Magic Tower, an Aether-ranked mage, and the highest authority of the Imperial Guard, Deculein, spoke.
“I wonder.”
Hearing his voice, Lia pricked up her ears.
Indeed, the very reason she had volunteered to accompany him to the desert was this “treatment of minority tribes.”
“I hear you crushed a tribe.”
“Yes. Hahaha. That is correct! They resisted so fiercely. We have bound them all as prisoners!”
Bell spoke proudly. Deculein looked down at him.
Bell mistook that gaze for praise.
“Haha. It was only natural, so why do you look at me like that? Among them, there may well be Jeokgwe! Furthermore, through interrogation, we discovered that somewhere underground in the desert, a Jeokgwe resistance force exists under—”
“I see.”
At that moment, someone’s solemn voice cut off Bell’s words.
Bell, Bell’s adjutant, and Lia all turned back toward the entrance of the tent.
“In that case, you have rendered a military achievement worthy of reward.”
It was a woman in a turban and robe. From the curves of her body and the timbre of her voice, he could tell she was a woman, but her face was hidden by a hood.
Bell tilted his head.
“General Bell. Was it you who excavated this site?”
“Ah, yes…… That’s right—?”
“Mm. It lacks nothing as a forward base.”
“Uh…… may I ask who you are—?”
At that, the woman removed her turban.
In that instant, everyone, Bell included, widened their eyes.
In Bell’s case, his body reacted before his mind did. His legs trembled, and he sank to the ground of their own accord.
On his knees, he cried out.
“Y-Your Majesty—?!”
The noblest being not only in the Empire, but on this entire continent. The hegemon of the age, already called the Empire’s “Great Emperor”—Sophien.
Who would have thought the Emperor would come to the desert?
“Why are you so surprised? This is an expedition to annihilate the enemy. Naturally, it is only right that I should come here as well.”
She faced Bell and smiled benevolently.
“……B-b-by your command—!”
Bell saluted while still kneeling, and the Emperor turned to Deculein.
“Then. Shall we go and look at the prisoners together, Chairman?”
Deculein immediately shook his head.
“No.”
“Then let us…… What? No?”
“Yes.”
Sophien furrowed her brow.
As Bell looked on in shock, Deculein firmly drew a bundle from within his coat.
“There is much work Your Majesty must do here.”
When he untied the bundle and shook it out with a snap, an enormous pile of documents came spilling down.
Sophien licked her lips with a sickened look.
“……I’ll do it later.”
“You clearly promised that you would take care of it on the very ‘day’ you arrived in the desert. That is why I, too, consented to Your Majesty’s journey here.”
“…….”
At present, there was a mountain of state affairs to handle. Not only the desert campaign, but all sorts of matters had accumulated.
“Your Majesty. Whatever you intend to do, this comes first. As your subject, I—”
“Fine. Fine. I’ll do it, so shut your mouth. As if you don’t have plenty of things to do yourself. Always nagging. Honestly. If you’re a teaching mage, then teach magic.”
Grumbling, Sophien sat at the head seat of the military tent. Deculein used 「Psychokinesis」 to float the papers into the air and organize them for her.
Sophien said,
“Everyone, leave now. As for the prisoners, I shall look at them together with the Chairman after I have settled my work.”
“……Yes! By your command!”
The moment Bell, Bell’s adjutant, and Lia left the military tent.
“Chairman—no, Count Deculein?”
Sophien looked up at Deculein with catlike eyes.
“Lend me your lap for a moment.”
“…….”
Deculein’s brow furrowed slightly.
“You know it as well. If you are not by my side, I become endangered.”
Making that excuse, Sophien patted the seat beside her, and Deculein, having no choice, sat down as well.
“Endure it for just a little while. For your sake as well, I shall finish it quickly.”
With words she did not mean in the slightest, she laid her head on his lap and began handling state affairs……
That sight.
Lia secretly spied on it.
“……What exactly is going on in there?”
Outside the tent, Lia’s face, as she peered through its interior, was tinged with a measure of bewilderment and absurdity.
……
……Meanwhile, in the Magic Tower of the Imperial Capital, far from the desert.
Luina was conducting interviews for part-time lecturers.
In truth, interviews for temporary lecturers could have been dealt with roughly through résumés alone, but there was one name that, no matter how she thought about it, bothered her.
“……Yes. I heard you well, Miss Sylvia.”
“Yes! Thank you! Senior Professor Luina! I respect you!”
“Yes, yes. You may go.”
But of course, there was no way.
The name “Sylvia” belonged, as expected, to some nameless mage.
Nothing special, nothing remarkable—just the ordinary part-time lecturer type.
“Next, please~”
At the interviewer’s table, Luina listlessly turned over the résumé and gestured with her hand.
“……Yusefin. Another common name.”
Yusefin.
The eldest daughter of Puhairden was named Yusefin, and one of Luina’s friends was also named Yusefin……
“Come in. Miss Yusefin.”
Luina spoke.
Creeeak—
The closed door opened again.
And then……
“I am Yusefin.”
Click, clack.
The interviewee entered, her high heels clicking.
Luina, who had been skimming the résumé, lifted her head again—
“……!”
Her complexion was instantly dyed with shock.
“You……”
Blond hair brilliant as gold. Its flowing sheen sparkled as though holding radiance, and the suit she wore, clearly mindful of the lecturer interview, was impeccably neat.
If one excluded the single hawk perched on her shoulder, her attire somehow brought the Chairman of the Magic Tower to mind……
“Why are…… you here?”
Sylvia von Yusefin Iliade.
A daughter of Iliade, and a leading candidate for the position of the last Archmage.
A mage that extraordinary had come to attend an interview for a mere part-time lecturer position.