Lia was thinking about an ending where she had to kill Deculein, take down the lighthouse, defeat Quay, or whatever it required to tie the knot on this main quest.
“…”
She lay on the bed and looked up at the ceiling of the VIP room. Looking at the dark wallpaper, Deculein’s face came to mind. He was a villain by nature. He was set exclusively as a villain, so there was no room for reincarnation.
—The main strategy is to kill him as soon as possible at the start of the game.
…Almost all the office workers who were test playing concluded that. But, did this one condition create countless variables? Did that small change of mind change Deculein like this?
“Persuasion.”
Thus, Lia was thinking about reaching a better ending without killing Deculein.
“Should I reveal that I am Yuli?”
Of course, she wasn’t the Yuli he knew, but they were probably similar. Their hobbies and specialties would be the same, as well as their interests and skills. But convincing that firm man would be more difficult than killing him.
“Is it easier to just kill him?”
She could kill Deculein because he wasn’t Kim Woojin.
Knock, knock-
The window rattled.
Knock, knock-
Outside, a woman was looking through and flicking her index finger. It was Ellie.
“Huh?”
As Lia’s eyes went wide, she smiled broadly and walked in. She didn’t even have to open the window. She took one step, and that was it.
“How you’ve been doing?”
Ellie, in terms of power, could be said to be the strongest of the Demon Blood, but she was also a psychopath who lacked emotions. As Lia went back and forth from the desert, she passed on information to them and ended up growing closer to Ellie.
“…Ellie. What’s going on?”
“The elder told me to stop by.”
In other words, that meant Elesol commanded her. Lia nodded.
“Is it because of Deculein’s case?”
“Yes. And my disguise’s identity….”
Ellie produced an ID from her robe.
[Elaine of the Imperial Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry]
“…Ministry of Agriculture?”
“It’s a disguised identity. I’m an agent for the Imperial Intelligence Agency.”
“Huh?!”
Lia pretended to be surprised again, but she already knew. Ellie was a Named, after all.
“So… I’m here to ask what you’re going to do.”
“I’ve already accepted the mission.”
“Hmm.”
Ellie nodded along.
“Then, are you going to kill the professor?”
To Ellie, was Deculein still a professor? Lia grabbed at her blanket.
“I don’t know yet.”
“Well. I see.”
“…Yes.”
“But whether you want to kill him or not, we still have a chance.”
Ellie said. There was no emotion in her voice.
“…Chance?”
When Lia asked, Ellie held out a map without a word. A time and location were marked on the paper.
“What is this?”
“This is the map that Epherene left behind. She’s calling us. Maybe you, specifically.”
“…”
Epherene. That name reminded Lia of Deculein again. Convinced that the canvas was Epherene’s, he headed to the Floating Island.
—…I will kill her.
If so, was this Epherene’s rescue request? No, it certainly was.
“Yeah. I know what this means.”
Lia took the map.
* * *
…For two days.
I bought all the hemp trees I could, paying hundreds of thousands in Elnes. I extracted the purest dark energy in the tree’s bark and synthesized it with other magical materials to prepare a spirit liquid. The process followed Decalane’s 「Artifact Magic」.
“This should be….”
100 ml of pure dark energy without any impurities amplifies only physical ability. It was an elixir that, if injected intravenously, would make one strong enough to be compared to Zeit.
“Enough.”
I nodded with satisfaction as I looked at the liquid. Of course, I only improved its performance ignorantly, so if any knight used it, their body would melt and collapse. But I was not any knight. I was the Iron Man born of Yukline.
“…”
I put the liquid in a reagent bottle and put it in my suit along with a syringe. I hung the coat over my shoulders and grabbed my staff.
So, when I was about to leave the annex.
Bang-!
The door opened first, and someone wearing a dissatisfied expression appeared. She looked at me and yelled.
“Hey-!”
A fearless woman who dared to call me by ‘hey’. Yeriel.
“What’s wrong with you?! Why did you buy so many?!”
She was cute as she slammed down a stack of receipts. She kept yelling about something, but a smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I watched her.
“What are you smiling at?! Why did you buy so many?!”
She wasn’t yelling out of anger. She was just concerned. She looked around the inside of the annex with hawkish eyes.
“Yeriel.”
“…What?”
Yeriel asked with a sullen look.
“The promised day will come soon.”
“…Promised day?”
Yeriel frowned. Did she forget, or was she pretending not to know? I said, looking at my watch.
“The day you will become the head of the family.”
“!”
Whether she didn’t know or just erased it from her mind… Yeriel’s face was colored with astonishment. She stuttered.
“What, what, what, no, what are you talking about?”
“I promised. I will give you the seat of the head of the family.”
“…No, that’s. That… that…”
“What?”
I asked.
Gulp-
She swallowed hard. Then she looked around the back of the annex, hurried inside, and closed the door.
“That was before I knew about my bloodline—”
“I told you that even though I knew it. Rather, I swore to you.”
“…”
Then, for a moment, Yeriel’s face went blank. Even her blank face was cute, but her appearance reminded me of the old Kim Woojin’s feelings. Unfortunately, parting wasn’t far off now.
“An arrogant noble who is self-righteous and believes only in himself is not worthy of that position.”
I put my hand atop her head.
“The head of the household has to be able to listen, to be able to handle people, to be able to respect differences, and sometimes to be cold.”
She looked up at me.
“Ability and character. As long as those two are in harmony, status has nothing to do with it. Even bloodlines or status will be obstacles in the end.”
I gently stroked her little head. This kind of behavior was unfamiliar to Deculein and Kim Woojin.
“Above all, you have a conscious, right?”
Come to think of it; I’d never been kind to my sister. It was so natural for her to be by my side, and because I was so used to it, I even felt like a burden.
…One such regret was enough.
“You have the consciousness of a Yukline.”
I smiled a little. Then, Yeriel’s expression softened. Her slowly growing eyes were wet with emotion, and her lips were parted in surprise.
“So, Yeriel. Yukline suits you more than anyone.”
I said with a smile.
“Trust me. It’s not a lie.”
In the future, after Deculein’s death, Yukline will be ruled by Yeriel.
“Yukline is your destiny.”
* * *
Unknown foothills in the empire.
I went back there. There were still three hours left, but many wizards from the Floating Island had already gathered. Seventeen in total, each of the Etheric rank.
“Etheric Deculein.”
Killer Mayev came out first. I nodded to him, and he glanced at the wizards that lined up next to him.
—Barius Graind Carcercious.
They sang a chant. Magnificent mana reverberated from that voice, and the particles of mana floated in unison and filled the atmosphere. The medium for the realization of magic was the entire base of the mountain. It was a sight worthy of being called giant magic.
“There is no weak spot.”
I said frankly. There were none. The knowledge and magical power of the Floating Island were certain and perfect. Indeed, I’ve never once doubted their capabilities.
“Yes. The trap is certain. We will lock Epherene in time, and we will kill her.”
Mayev said. I pondered for a while. Should I beat them all to death before this great magic was even completed?
“…”
No, I didn’t have to, even for Epherene. As her professor, I also had some things to say.
“When do you start?”
“Soon. And then the Archmage will also come down.”
Archmage. That was a pretty bad name to hear now.
“… Archmage?”
“Eternal rank, Archmage Adrienne. Since this is a large enough event for an Archmage to step forward, we asked for cooperation from the Floating Island, and they accepted.”
“…”
Archmage Adrienne. As such, my bad premonitions weren’t always wrong.
“Where is she? I don’t see her.”
“She’s watching from another place. What do you think? Epherene cannot escape.”
Mayev said scornfully. Adrienne was a very uncomfortable variable, but I felt I roughly knew what she was thinking in accepting their cooperation.
‘Because it seemed to be fun!’
I could practically hear her voice as I rubbed my head.
Whoooooong-!
The dust at the foot of the hill rose softly as the whole mountain shook, and leaves fell from the nearby trees.
“…We will start now.”
Mayev signaled. I also took out the reagent bottle from my pocket.
Mayev glanced at me.
“What is this?”
I answered without expressing any emotion.
“It’s a drug. With this, we can win.”
“…Is it?”
Mayev walked away without another word and ascended to the source of their magic. He probably had nothing to worry about since Adrienne said she would help.
“Etheric Deculein, please let me know if the theory is wrong. Of course, it is perfect even without your help. One in ten million-“
“Don’t worry, let’s get started.”
The roles they had entrusted to me were inspection and coordination. In terms of an orchestra, I was like a conductor, but it also meant that even on the Floating Island, my magical insight was recognized.
“…Get ready.”
Mayev raised a hand.
Whooooosh-
The wind kicked up. Now, there were a total of seventeen seats in the core concentric circles of their spell. Each of the killers stood there and quietly closed their eyes.
Boom-!
That was the start of the circle’s operation. Pure mana rose from their bodies, and the air flowing from them quickly spread throughout the foothills of this mountain. Like the embers of a forest fire, the particles were blown away by the wind.
───Barius Gracious.
They chanted. There was no special meaning to it. Instead, the purpose was to harmonize their intent and mana by reciting the same sounds. And…
────Grained Carcercious.
This great magic wasn’t manifested loudly. It was rather quiet. It seemed as if all things had stopped, even the wind.
──…Crusious.
That was the last chant. With that, the time at the foot of this mountain was fixed.
“We will move now.”
Mayev said. However, I didn’t think there was any need to rush.
“Etheric Deculein?”
“…”
I looked over, following the scent of that girl.
“…Follow me.”
I went over in that direction. The killers followed me.
Stomp-
I moved, but the world was stationary. The earthen ground dug out by my heel stopped forever in that state, and no object radiated kinetic energy. At the foot of the mountain where time has stood still, at the edge of a cliff, I found her.
“…Is it you?”
I called the girl.
…No. It seemed that she had grown up too much to be called a girl now. Her hair was always frizzy since she would trim it with magic to save money, but now it was moderately long. There was a brightness in her eyes, which always seemed blank. If she didn’t say that she was Epherene, most couldn’t even recognize her.
The killers warmed up their mana, and she spoke.
“…Yes. It’s me. Professor.”
Even her voice had changed quite a bit from before. However, was it because she’d grown up too quickly? She looked like a leaf just before crumbling, like a seed that had been lost in the winds, and my heart ached.
That’s why I thought-
“…It’s been a long time.”
She still needed one more lesson.
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