Side Story 51. [After Story] Junior
Ten years later.
Imperial Year 692.
Forty years since the final battle against the monsters.
Everblack Empire, Imperial Capital New Terra.
[Jupiter Historical Foundation].
Junior walked into a building with that sign above the entrance.
“Ah, Director! Welcome!”
The security guard who had been sweeping near the entrance took off his hat and greeted her.
Junior smiled in return. Then she let out a small “Ah!” and pulled something out of her bag to hand over.“Please take this.”
“Hm? What’s this?”
“Today’s my last day coming to work. I wanted to give a little gift to everyone in the foundation.”
The guard looked surprised as he received the gift.
“Oh, really…? So today is your last day.”
“Hehe. The project I was in charge of has ended. It’s time to hand things over to my successors.”
Junior smiled warmly and bowed her head as she stepped into the building.
“Thank you for everything.”
“No, thank you, Director.”
Inside the building, Junior handed out a gift to every person she passed.
People expressed their thanks for the gift, but also surprise and regret that Junior was stepping down from her position as foundation director. Junior exchanged greetings, shook hands, and shared warm words with everyone.
And then, as soon as Junior stepped into her office—
Pop!
A party popper went off.
Officers from the foundation who had been waiting inside all fired party poppers at once, showering her with applause and cheers. Covered in the sparkling streamers, Junior blinked, then broke into a bright smile.
“Congratulations on finishing the project, Director!”
“You really worked hard all this time!”
“You’ll still come visit us often, right?”
The officers who had shared thick and thin with her crowded forward with words of gratitude, congratulations, and sadness. Junior, while also feeling a bit of regret, laughed freely with a light heart.
The Camilla Kingdom Project.
It was the second historical research project undertaken by the Jupiter Foundation, following the Crossroad War Memorial.
A bold and reckless initiative to uncover the bloody conquest war committed by the Everblack Empire—its cruel history, revealed by their own hands.
They had expected trouble, but the actual research proved even more difficult than anticipated.
After all, this was no different from scarring their own nation’s history. No one would welcome such an effort. Most of all, the project was dangerously close to being seen as a denouncement of the late Emperor Traha.
The existing academic community, and even many others from all walks of life, lashed out at the Jupiter Foundation. Not only verbal criticism, but real physical threats occurred frequently.
But Emperor Ash remained firm in his stance.
—“If we do not settle the past, we cannot move toward the future with integrity. This project is something the Everblack Empire needs—not for anyone else.”
Junior herself had wondered, more than once, if it wouldn’t be fine to stop here. But Ash only encouraged her to dig deeper.
This project was, in truth, the foundation’s first real effort at re-examining the past.
Ash believed that unless they could break the sacred taboo surrounding even the former emperor, the Jupiter Foundation could never stand strong in the face of whatever adversity awaited.
With Ash’s firm support, the Jupiter Foundation pressed forward. Junior led the charge.
Years passed like that.
Last year, the Fall of the Camilla Kingdom was published—a history written without embellishment, documenting what had taken place on the battlefield back then.
It was a comprehensive account for Junior as a historian, compiled from verified materials and cross-checked testimonies from both sides.
She had done her best not to favor either country, not to be swayed by the political positions of the former or current emperors, and simply record the facts—history as it was.
‘Even so, I probably couldn’t be truly neutral.’
That judgment would be for future generations to make.
And at this point, Junior decided to retire.
The Jupiter Foundation had already been working on several other projects simultaneously. As its director, Junior made preparations to ensure they could continue smoothly without her, gradually stepping back.
And today had come.
The complete conclusion of the Camilla Kingdom Project. And Junior’s retirement.
“Thank you, everyone. I couldn’t have made it this far without you.”
Junior looked around at her fellow officers and nodded.
“Lastly, I want to remind you all—remember that we are only one window through which the world is viewed. We are not justice, nor are we righteousness.”
Junior smiled softly.
“Judgment of values is not our job. We simply try our best to move closer to the truth. Even if we can never reach pure truth, we do our best to get a little nearer.”
This was just Junior’s own philosophy of what it meant to be a historian…
But as the director of the Jupiter Foundation, Junior meant to define her leadership through that very approach.
It was a warm, sentimental moment as words of blessing and gratitude continued to flow.
“Director!”
A staff member came rushing in, practically screaming.
“H-His Majesty the Emperor is here!”
“What?”
Everyone was stunned. And then Ash really did appear—accompanied by Lucas.
People hurriedly dropped to one knee to show their respect. Ash waved his hand awkwardly.
“Everyone, be at ease. I just came to stop by for a moment.”
Ash stepped in front of Junior with an awkward smile.
“Junior.”
“Your Majesty.”
Ash reached out first, and Junior, slightly flustered, took his hand.
“So our foundation director is finally stepping down.”
“I’ve done my part. I have no regrets.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Thanks to Your Majesty, I was able to see many worlds and do many things.”
Lucas, standing behind Ash, also gave a faint smile.
The trio of old comrades looked at one another, exchanging silent gazes for a while.
“So, where are you going now?”
“I bought a bit of land in Crossroad. I’m planning to spend my retirement there.”
Junior scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
“Feels strange to call it retirement. Back when I first met Your Majesty, I was living on borrowed time…”
“You used to cough up blood all the time. Later on, you were practically addicted to health drinks.”
The two of them laughed together, reminiscing about the past.
“I guess you’re about the same age now as Jupiter was back then.”
“It happened before I knew it.”
“Live long and happily, Junior. Just like your mother and mentor wished for you.”
“I will.”
Junior beamed brightly.
“I’ll have a fantastic retirement life, Your Majesty.”
Ash smiled in return, as did Lucas behind him.
“Let’s meet again, friend.”
A few months later, in Crossroad.
Junior, visiting the familiar city after a long time, trudged toward the plot of land she had purchased.
Evangeline had insisted repeatedly that she stop by the lord’s mansion first upon arrival, but her entire body felt battered after the long journey. She just wanted to sleep—deeply and without care.
But Junior had overlooked one thing.
“…Ah.”
She spotted the house built on top of the hill and smacked her forehead.
“Right. Still not finished yet…”
Since it was the home she would be retiring in, she’d designed it to include everything she ever wanted.
But because her wishlist was so long, the construction took time. The frame was done, but the final finishes were still incomplete.
Traveling from New Terra to Crossroad, stopping at different cities and meeting people along the way, had thrown off her sense of time. She’d completely lost track of the construction deadline.
To make matters worse, today was a holiday. The construction crew was off.
The house, its frame visible in places, still had unfinished interiors and not a single piece of furniture in it. It was far from move-in ready.
‘Should I head back and get a hotel room?’
But she was too tired to make her way back into Crossroad proper.
Junior simply walked into the under-construction house.
Stepping into the wide courtyard, she saw patches of half-laid grass and a swimming pool that hadn’t been filled with water yet.
She flopped onto a sunbed placed next to the pool.
“Nice sunlight…”
As expected from the continent’s top resort city, the quality of sunlight was exquisite.
‘Just a quick rest… then I’ll go find a hotel…’
How long had she dozed off on the sunbed?
Step. Step.
Footsteps approached from a distance.
Junior thought the sound was part of her dream.
But it wasn’t.
“Well, well.”
The footsteps stopped right in front of her. A voice, half-disbelieving, spoke up.
“So you make me slave away here, and the moment you arrive, you just lie down and take a nap like it’s paradise?”
Clunk.
Something was set down on the table next to the sunbed.
“…?”
Junior rubbed her sleepy eyes and lifted her head.
On the table was a drink, filled with ice.
Droplets of condensation slowly slid down the glass. Junior stared blankly at it, then put her lips to the straw and took a sip.
“Oh, that’s refreshing… This is good.”
“Hey. I made that for myself while I was working, thank you very much.”
The voice grumbled in disbelief. Only then did Junior look properly at the person standing there.
Backlit by the dazzling sun, wearing dusty work clothes and smiling with cryptic amusement…
It was Hecate.
“The construction kept getting delayed, so I came out to tinker with it even on a holiday. But lo and behold, my dear co-homeowner sneaks in and decides to nap like royalty.”
“…”
“Didn’t Lady Evangeline tell you to stop by the lord’s mansion first when you got to Crossroad? I’m staying there too, you know. Why come here first?”
“…”
“Hello? Jupiter Junior? Can you hear me? Still dreaming?”
Junior stared up at Hecate in a daze, then tilted her head.
“That’s strange.”
“What is?”
“It’s not quite like I imagined.”
“What isn’t?”
“Well, it’s still nice though. This isn’t bad at all.”
“What isn’t, damn it!”
Hecate furrowed her brows.
She had retired a few months earlier from her position as the orphanage director and had been managing the construction of the house in Crossroad in the meantime.
“And hey! How many times did I say we should skip the pool? Digging it’s a pain, connecting the water’s a pain, cleaning it is a nightmare. Do you really think we can keep up with all that at our age?”
“Ah~ But we have to have a pool. It’s non-negotiable. My mom and mentor insisted on it. For the ultimate retirement life, a pool is absolutely essential.”
“What kind of fantasy do you have about retirement…”
“Well, you know—two rich, capable, classy single ladies living in style.”
“Who the hell filled a kid’s head with that kind of nonsense~”
Grumbling, Hecate picked up a can of paint and a brush and headed toward a wall that hadn’t been fully coated. But then she paused, blinking in confusion.
Junior was still looking her way, grinning vacantly without a word.
“What are you smiling about like that?”
“No, it’s just…”
Blazing fire and cutting winds.
The Everblack Empire and the Camilla Kingdom.
Junior briefly recalled those long, winding stories that had flowed through the valleys of the past. Then she closed her eyes and opened them again.
“I think life after retirement might actually be pretty fun.”
“Stop talking nonsense and come help! We need to finish the paint while the weather’s good!”
Watching as Hecate crouched down and started prepping for work, Junior slowly got up from the sunbed.
She stretched her arms high overhead with a loud yawn-stretch sound.
“Alright then.”
Rolling up her sleeves, she strode over to Hecate’s side.
“For a damn good retirement, let’s build a damn good house!”
Under the clear sunlight pouring down on their heads, the two women flicked paint at each other, trading curses and laughter, brushing with all their might.
–TL Notes–
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