The next day.
It was just around noon when the chill finally started to recede, and the weather grew warm, signaling the arrival of spring.
High above the bright blue sky, clear and free of clouds—
Screeeech!
Griffins with wings spread wide streaked across the sky in dazzling aerial maneuvers.
Waaahhh!
The crowd gathered in the plaza below erupted in cheers.
It was an air show led by Mikhail, King of the Vermillion Kingdom, and his Sky Knights. The griffins and their riders skillfully chased each other through the sky, leaving brilliant trails behind them.
“…We asked them to hold a disbandment ceremony.”
Watching the air show, which had rapidly escalated to its climax, I chuckled wryly.“This feels more like a festival.”
Mikhail and his wives were now performing triple aerial spins in formation. That was something I had requested long ago, but I never expected him to remember it.
“Crying and saying goodbye has its traditional appeal!”
Evangeline, who had orchestrated this ceremony, appeared next to me with her arms crossed, laughing heartily.
“But this time, I wanted us to part ways with a smile!”
“Oh…”
“The World Guardian Front achieved its purpose admirably, so isn’t it fitting to disband with happiness?”
A farewell with smiles, huh?
Indeed, if you can part with a smile, what better way to say goodbye?
The spectacular griffin air show, unlike anything I had seen before, was now in its final stages. Mikhail and his griffin riders spun in the air before plummeting gracefully to the ground in a landing.
Boom! Boom, boom, boom!
As the griffin riders touched down, fireworks exploded into the clear noon sky.
Mikhail struck a grand pose and the onlookers cheered until their voices grew hoarse. Mikhail, ever oblivious, beamed, unaware of the furious expressions on the faces of his five wives, who promptly dragged him away. Seriously, if he wants to live long, he should start noticing these things.
Evangeline watched with a smile before winking at me.
“This is the last time for the World Guardian Front. Let’s enjoy it to the fullest!”
I nodded silently, gesturing for her to go on.
Evangeline quickly dashed up to the stage in the central plaza, shouting with enthusiasm.
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Members of the World Guardian Front, thank you all for gathering here!”
She spun her arms around dramatically as if gathering energy for her next announcement.
“The long-awaited disbandment ceremony will now commence!”
Her voice, booming with all its might, echoed across the plaza.
At the same time, more fireworks burst into the sky, and the crowd erupted in cheers, loud enough to shake the plaza.
“Ah, youth…”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of the newly appointed lord, unable to contain her excitement, practically bouncing across the stage.
Next to me, Lucas, who had been watching this lively scene with a smile, spoke up in a calm tone.
“It’s ending, isn’t it?”
“…Yeah.”
Our days here in Crossroad were coming to an end.
We stood there quietly, taking in the sights of the plaza.
Under the spring sunlight, everyone in the plaza was smiling. There was no shadow on their faces.
With one hand holding food and the other a drink or a glass of wine, they laughed together, greeting each other warmly every time their eyes met.
They were farewells exchanged with comrades they would part ways with after this ceremony.
“…”
A festival commemorating farewells.
Amidst this joyous and bustling atmosphere, I felt a pang of melancholy.
But I pushed that feeling down and smiled at Lucas, asking him,
“So, what will you do now?”
“As always, I will remain by my lord’s side.”
Lucas’s answer came as sharp and precise as ever, like an answer key.
But then, after a brief pause—
“…However.”
Lucas hesitated before continuing.
“This time, I’m thinking of daring to request a short leave of absence.”
I looked at him in surprise.
After a moment, Lucas seemed to solidify his resolve, standing tall and looking me in the eye as he nodded.
“I intend to return to the Imperial Capital and finally confront my past… to settle matters with my family, the McGregor family, once and for all.”
“…”
“Will you allow it, my lord?”
“Of course.”
I picked up a beer glass from a nearby table and extended it toward Lucas.
“Take as much time as you need. As long as you return to serve as my knight.”
Lucas, too, carefully picked up his glass and gently clinked it against mine.
Clink—
After the light toast, we both sipped our drinks slowly.
“That said, you’re going to be quite busy, huh? You’ve got to settle things with your family in the capital, visit me in the duchy when I leave, and then there’s…”
On the stage, the newly appointed lord, Evangeline, was busy shaking hands and greeting the leaders of neighboring countries.
“You won’t be seeing Evangeline as often anymore.”
“…”
Even as a novice when it came to matters of the heart, I could tell that there was something brewing between the two knights.
And that made me worried. Unlike the past three years when they were constantly together, they would now be living separate lives, each in their own role.
“Don’t worry.”
But Lucas smiled confidently, radiating the aura of a protagonist.
“I won’t miss out on anything.”
“…”
“I’ve decided to live as I want to, so I’ll work hard to make it happen.”
Impressed, I couldn’t help but raise my beer glass again.
“You’ve grown up, you rascal.”
As we clinked glasses once more, Lucas grinned mischievously.
“I learned from the best.”
This guy really knows how to smooth-talk when he’s had a drink.
Shaking my head with a grin, I downed the rest of my beer. Lucas, too, chuckled at his own words as he took another sip.
We stood there in silence for a while, quietly smiling as we watched the plaza and shared our drinks.
I began to make rounds through the city, greeting people and bidding farewells.
Who knows when we’ll meet again after this? I tried to shake hands and exchange words with as many people as possible.
And as I walked through the streets…
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, I stumbled upon an incredibly gloomy and dreary spot! What the heck?!
The whole city was in a festive mood, but this small square was filled with a heavy, damp atmosphere. It felt even sadder than yesterday’s funeral. What’s going on here?
“Ah, Your Highness!”
Someone in the group recognized me and waved energetically. It was none other than Junior.
“Welcome!”
“Ah, Junior. Good to see you. But, what is this gathering…?”
A group of people in robes, all with morose expressions, were pouring wine into their glasses and drinking it like water. What’s with this oppressive atmosphere?
Junior, looking a bit flustered, mumbled an explanation.
“Well, it’s… a gathering of mages…”
“Oh.”
Indeed, upon closer inspection, it was a group of mages from various nations. I hadn’t recognized them at first because their expressions were so grim, but they were familiar faces.
Among them, particularly recognizable with his long white beard, was the old mage, Dearmudin. He spotted me and sprang forward, shouting,
“You scoundrel, Ash! You’re just in time!”
“D-Dearmudin!”
He seemed to have drunk quite a bit; his usually dignified face was flushed red from the alcohol.
“You’re not supposed to be drinking so much, especially with your heart condition!”
“Is my heart the problem now?! Magic, magic…”
Dearmudin collapsed into a chair, wailing like a child.
“All the magic is gone! How can I cope without drinking?!”
“…”
I broke out into a cold sweat.
When the spirit realm was sealed off and destroyed, all magic, miracles, and mysteries disappeared from this world.
Most mages lost their powers. People who had once used magic in various fields lost their uniqueness.
Society would experience a period of turmoil, with significant growing pains ahead.
Among all, the mages were the hardest hit by this catastrophe. They had lost their very foundation.
To put it simply, I had turned these people into a group of unemployed individuals…
“It was for the world! I understand that! We all understood! We really did! But still!”
Having united the consensus of the mages to agree to the closure of the spirit realm, Dearmudin now wept openly.
“But to see everything we’ve worked for our whole lives turn to dust, oh, how cruel…!”
“…”
I broke into a cold sweat.
When the spirit realm was sealed and destroyed, all magic, miracles, and mysteries disappeared from this world.
Most mages lost their powers. People who had once used magic in various fields lost their uniqueness.
Society would experience a period of turmoil, with significant growing pains ahead.
Among all, the mages were the hardest hit by this catastrophe. They had lost their very foundation.
To put it simply, I had turned these people into a group of unemployed individuals…
“It was for the world! I understand that! We all understood! We really did! But still!”
Having united the consensus of the mages to agree to the closure of the spirit realm, Dearmudin now wept openly.
“But to see everything we’ve worked for our whole lives turn to dust, oh, how cruel…!”
“Th-Thank you for your understanding, and I deeply apologize for this. As for the employment of mages going forward—”
“Employment or making a living isn’t the issue! Everyone’s going to suffer together now that magic is gone!”
Dearmudin blew his nose loudly into a handkerchief, his voice calmer now.
“The issue is the loss of our scholarly pursuit, of our magology.”
“Magology…?”
“The academic study of magic, passed down for over a thousand years, is now lost. As scholars who inherited this knowledge from our distant predecessors, how could we not feel devastated…”
It wasn’t just about livelihoods; as scholars, they grieved the loss of their discipline.
“Just drowning our sorrows in wine seemed futile, but then, lo and behold, Ash! You were the one who saved us!”
“Huh? Me?”
I blinked, utterly confused.
Saved them? What did that mean?
“Junior told me about your plan to create the history foundation… the ‘Jupiter Foundation’.”
Hearing her name, Junior scratched the back of her head sheepishly.
The Jupiter Foundation.
A historical foundation dedicated to cross-verifying events from different factions to record the most impartial truth without embellishment.
A historian development project that I planned to launch first and foremost if I were to become the Emperor of the Everblack Empire, to allow us to acknowledge and settle past mistakes and move forward into a new era.
I had been eyeing Junior as the ideal candidate for this project and had already offered her a position.
“I’m still not entirely sure if I’m capable of handling such an important role…”
And Junior had readily accepted.
“But I’ll give it my best shot. So, after this disbandment ceremony, I’ll head to the capital to begin my training as a historian. When I mentioned this to Dearmudin…”
“A historical foundation! By the gods, Ash Prince! It’s an excellent idea!”
Dearmudin interrupted, nodding vigorously.
“That gave me a hint. So our Ivory Tower will be reborn as a new entity focused on compiling and recording the thousand-year history of magic… The ‘Ivory Tower History Foundation’!”
“The Ivory Tower History Foundation…”
I echoed in surprise, and Dearmudin nodded earnestly.
“The history of magic is intertwined with the history of humanity over the past thousand years. But once our generation passes, no one will remember magic.”
“…”
“Those miracles we once could touch will vanish not just from reality, but from memory as well. So, we will record it.”
As Dearmudin spoke, the other mages, who had been somber and dejected, began to lift their heads.
“I understand. Magic is gone. And perhaps the glorious past of magic may seem worthless in the world to come. But that doesn’t matter.”
Dearmudin looked around at the other mages, raising his voice.
“Magic was once everything to us. It was more valuable than any gem or treasure in this world.”
“…!”
“Magic gave us life. To record its history, to keep it alive in memory if nowhere else, is a duty for those of us who have benefited from it.”
Dearmudin’s words dispelled the intoxication from the air.
Even though the magic had disappeared, the powerful charisma of the Ivory Tower’s leader commanded the small square, as he solemnly declared,
“As a magology scholar, I will document that history.”
Hearing this, the mages rose from their seats one by one.
“We’ll join you, Dearmudin!”
“Our Blue Tower will stand with the Ivory Tower!”
“The Red Tower, too…!”
“Let’s gather all the scattered magic records from around the world!”
“Let’s document it thoroughly so it won’t be forgotten even a thousand years from now!”
What had just been a gloomy square had suddenly become a lively forum for serious discussion about the foundation of the Ivory Tower.
The scholars who had dedicated their lives to the study of magic now had faces full of childlike purity as they passionately shared their ideas.
Junior and I stood side by side, chuckling as we observed the scene.
“The Ivory Tower Foundation… It seems like it could work well with the Jupiter Foundation.”
“Magic has been such an integral part of human history that we can’t leave it out. It looks like we’ll be able to help each other out.”
Watching the mages discuss the history of magic, Junior seemed unable to hold back any longer. She was fidgeting and finally turned to me with a quick bow.
“Then, as the first historian of the Jupiter Foundation and a former mage, I’d better go join that discussion!”
She rushed back into the square, and as she did, I called out softly.
“Junior.”
“Yes?”
When she looked back, I gave her a warm smile.
“Thank you. For all the things we’ve worked on together.”
“…”
“And in the future… for all the things we’ll continue to work on together.”
Junior grinned, almost like a fox.
“Isn’t that something I should be thanking you for?”
And with that, Junior jumped into the mages’ discussion.
As they passionately exchanged wine glasses, discussing the history of magic and humanity over the past thousand years, I committed the scene to memory.
This, too, would be a chapter in history that must not be forgotten.
After leaving the small square, I headed towards the temple.
“I will go ahead and inform them of your arrival.”
“Alright. Thanks.”
Just before entering the temple, Lucas dashed off, making his way ahead to announce my visit.
As I drew closer to the entrance, leisurely making my way…
Clack.
“…?!”
Suddenly.
Without any warning. Without a sound.
Something cold and hard pressed against the back of my neck.
I froze on the spot. At the same time, a familiar voice spoke from behind me.
“Your Highness.”
It was my marksman. My trigger.
Damien’s voice.
“Damien?”
“…”
With the precision of a sniper, Damien had managed to fool even Lucas, waiting for me in the shadows of the alley.
After a brief silence, he finally spoke, his voice low and even.
“…Three years ago, you made a promise to me.”
His tone was flat as he asked,
“Do you still remember it?”
–TL Notes–
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