Aryandor quickly returned to the rebel base and surveyed the surroundings.
Most of the rebels had been injured and were resting.
Ian and McDowell.
Ian's spatial magic only reduced the scale of the leaders' onslaught, and McDowell, despite losing an arm, displayed powerful magic.
The rebellion's secret weapons, Aryandor and the necromancy of Daemon, had been absent, leading to this situation.
The rebel leaders clearly recognized this as a failure of Aryandor's strategy.
Yet, they did not rebel against Aryandor.
The anger among the leaders over Jefrin's death was not insignificant.
The leaders, who had been together even before the rebellion was properly formed, knew each other's circumstances well.
They had lost something crucial to the Empire.
Thus, their bond was deep.
In this situation, with Jefrin dead, they believed they would have made the same choice.
Therefore, there was no rebellion against the failure of the strategy.
However, they needed to quell the dissatisfaction among the soldiers.
"Aryandor saved us... we owe our lives to him…”
Thus, the leaders portrayed Aryandor as the savior of the soldiers.
This wasn’t entirely untrue.
The Academy's forces retreated when Aryandor, who had been in the Persia region, arrived at the battlefield in front of the Academy.
However, they cunningly hid the fact that if Aryandor had been on the battlefield from the start, the losses would have been much less.
Such wordplay couldn't completely soothe the soldiers, but it did allow for some damage control.
"So, what shall we do now?"
In this state, the leaders gathered for a meeting.
The morale of the soldiers was a problem, but there was a more pressing issue.
"How can there be a counter to time magic?"
The first to speak was Daemon, who had gone to the Persia region with Aryandor.
The reason the rebels could stand against the Empire.
It was thanks to necromancy and time magic.
Necromancy filled the gaps in their troop numbers, and time magic enabled them to counter powerful wizards and warriors.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Without either, the rebels couldn't have stood against the Empire.
They were neither superior in forces nor in talent to the Empire.
The rebels had relied solely on these two abilities.
And now, one of those trusts had been shattered.
The believed-to-be-invincible time magic had a counter.
Time magic, instead, became Aryandor's weakness.
Aryandor, relying on time magic, had focused his abilities on offense.
Without time magic, even Ian, Cromwell, McDowell, or any Academy graduate fought as equals to a novice.
The leaders' trust in their abilities was shattered.
"I don't know exactly."
"If you don't know, that's it?"
"Daemon, restrain yourself. Fighting won't give us the answers."
Venderwood, who was beside Daemon, stopped him.
Daemon calmed down and took his seat.
Venderwood turned his head and looked at Aryandor.
"Aryandor, I may not be wise as a former slave, but I understand the gravity of our current situation. Do we have any solutions or countermeasures?"
Venderwood had previously encountered the future Rudy in battle.
He had let go of Rie and Yuni, who were almost captured at the Academy, and had been defeated by Rudy.
With such a figure possessing a counter to time magic, the possibility of the rebels losing to Rudy alone loomed large.
"There is no solution at the moment."
"Aryandor..."
Aryandor stood up.
"But, I will try to find one."
With that, he walked out of the tent.
Venderwood sighed and spoke.
"…Let's end the meeting here."
Aryandor went outside and returned to his personal tent.
He then began writing a letter.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})'I heard from 'that person' that Priscilla had disappeared.'
'That person' had dealt with Priscilla's previous contractor, and Serina, who was supposed to be the next user, failed to acquire her.
But how did Rudy Astria come to possess that elemental?
It was the worst possible scenario, an unacceptable situation.
Having a elemental near a user of spatial magic was bad enough, but a user contracting directly with one was the worst-case scenario.
Time magic was not a perfect technique.
There were many countermeasures to it.
However, recognizing those countermeasures as such was not an easy task.
Since others had not faced time magic, it was certain they would win before discovering it.
But spatial magic was an exception.
Even without facing time magic, one could physically sense it through spatial magic.
Time and space must approach each other's realms when used.
Neither spatial nor time magic is a technique of the current dimension.
They are magics used in the unseen dimensions of space and time.
The core of the world, two abilities used in similar dimensions.
When time changes, a twist in space occurs, and when space changes, a twist in time happens.
Each can sense the use of the other's ability.
The problem is, even if one can sense the other's ability, they cannot reach into the other's realm.
Time has its unique realm, and so does space.
Whether it's time or spatial magic, one cannot interfere in the other's realm.
Only those who have inherited the ability can access these unique realms.
Time magic must be passed down from a time magic user, and spatial magic from a spatial magic user.
Having inherited spatial magic does not allow one to interfere with the realm of time, and those who have not received the inheritance cannot even see that realm.
The reason space and time were called the realms of gods was precisely this.
'However...'
Just because one cannot see or reach into these realms does not mean the abilities are without flaws.
Even if time's realm is twisted, the ability must still be brought into reality.
This was the only vulnerability of time and space.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})If one could block the application of these abilities before they affected reality, then no matter how powerful the ability, it would be meaningless.
Priscilla had played this role.
A person who knew spatial magic also had the means to counter it.
It was indeed the worst-case scenario.
'But the ability was not used perfectly.'
There was still a chance.
A chance to change this situation.
Aryandor finished writing the letter and manipulated mana.
"Time Regression."
The contents of the letter then disappeared completely.
Time Regression.
He slowly reversed time to make the contents vanish.
However, this magic was not continuous.
If the spell was broken, the contents would return.
The reason for using this magic was to maintain confidentiality.
An ordinary person couldn't undo this magic.
Thus, the letter would remain empty as long as the Time Regression persisted.
Aryandor took the letter with the vanished contents and headed toward the cage in the tent.
The person Aryandor was sending this letter to would understand.
The person who had taught Aryandor time magic.
He sent it to that person.
Aryandor put down his pen and sighed.
'Then I must make my own moves.'
The sound of birds chirping seemed to announce the morning.
However, it felt as if someone had drawn the curtains, blocking the sunlight.
Pain emanated from my shoulder, which didn't move well.
It seemed someone had bandaged it.
But last night, I clearly…
“Did I just fall asleep like that…?”
I opened my eyes.
Then I saw my shoulder, neatly bandaged.
“Did you sleep well?”
A voice came through.
“Astina.”
Astina, smiling, was in front of me.
“How could you just go to sleep while bleeding so much? Even if you received magical treatment, you should still sleep with bandages on.”
“Ahaha…”
I laughed awkwardly.
After the battle ended, I received magical treatment and, relieved of tension, fell asleep as soon as I saw the bed.
“Did you stay here all night?”
“You might have gotten worse.”
“Then why not leave a doctor…”
“How could I treat my savior like that? As the lord of the territory, I must take care of you.”
Astina smiled kindly.
Talking like this made it clear to me that I had changed the future.
I had succeeded in saving Astina.
I don't know how I did it, but I managed to counter time magic and saved Astina.
Although I failed to capture Aryandor, I was deeply moved by the fact that I had saved Astina.
“Thank you for saving me, Rudy.”
At Astina's words, I smiled.
“It was possible because others helped.”
Evan, Cromwell, and others like Astina herself.
It was possible because everyone was there.
Astina shook her head to my response.
“I'm not talking about yesterday.”
“Huh?”
“I mean a story from much earlier.”
“Earlier, you mean…”
“The story in the capital.”
Astina began to reminisce about that time.
“I was terrified. I pondered dozens of times about what would happen if I died, and I constantly worried about how to handle that situation. Since the time you said you would become strange if I died, I tried to stay away from you. Even when Luna and Rie were by your side, even when I had time to see you at the Academy, I did not approach you.
I did that so you could continue living normally even if I died.”
Astina continued.
“But I struggled anyway. I tried desperately to survive, to keep my life. I researched various ways to counter Aryandor's time magic and increased my strength. Still, I was lacking. That's when I joined the Royal army. I thought a lot there. Even if I died, you would continue living as yourself. I tried to accept that reality.”
Then Astina smiled and looked at me.
“That's when you came to me. And you told me to trust you. That you would definitely save me.”
Astina gently placed her hand on mine.
“Rudy, thank you. I owe my life to you.”
Her voice trembled, conveying her emotions genuinely.
Astina must have had many thoughts.
Who wouldn't tremble in fear at the thought of their own death?
The fear of death.
Doubt about oneself.
The surrounding circumstances.
All these factors must have pressured Astina.
Perhaps my telling Astina that she dies might have added to her burden.
Maybe it would have been better for Astina if she had not known about the future and I had just saved her.
Nevertheless, Astina stood strong.
She trusted me and believed in herself.
“All I can do is be grateful to Astina for holding on till the end.”
I said with a smile.
Then Astina sighed.
“At times like this, you can just accept the thanks. No need to deflect it as someone else's merit. But.”
She soon burst into a bright smile.
“I like that about you, Rudy.”
In the Royal Capital's meeting room.
“Ian Astria, you really did well. It seems you've greatly weakened the rebels’ morale.”
“It’s an overstatement, Your Majesty.”
“Overstatement? You inflicted significant damage on the rebels. With this, we can be at ease for a while. And Astina Persia, you too did a great job.”
“Thank you. It was possible because many helped.”
“Haha, speaking of which, Rudy Astria helped a lot, didn’t he? It seems like just a few days ago he was in front of me, and now he’s there…”
“Is he alright?”
“Yes, he is resting well.”
“Haha, Astina Persia. Thank you for answering, but I was asking someone else.”
The Emperor turned his head and looked to the side.
That place was the seat of the Duke of Astria.
Originally, it was where Ian sat, but now someone else was seated there.
Perrian Astria, the father of Rudy and Ian, was the one sitting.
“Do you know where Rudy Astria is now?”
Perrian Astria responded.
“I'm not sure.”
“So, you mean to say that a duke, even during a war, is not in the capital, and while his sons are achieving such feats, he doesn’t show his face. And he doesn’t even know where his injured son is. May I ask what you have been doing all this time, Perrian Astria?”
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
Perrian bowed his head to the Emperor.
“I asked what you have been doing.”
“What would a retired noble do? I was just enjoying my hobbies and staying in my mansion.”
“Are hobbies more important to you than war?”
“No. I believed my sons would handle things well on their own, as they have grown so capable.”
The Emperor looked sharply at Perrian.
“You are still a duke of the Empire. Declaring retirement doesn’t mean you are retired!”
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor rubbed his forehead with his hand.
“Normally, I would have liked to severely punish the Astria family, but I won't, considering your sons. Until one of them officially takes over the family, stay in the capital.”
“I will heed your command.”
Perrian quietly accepted the order.
The Emperor then turned his head to look at the Prime Minister, Jason Ophillius.
“Prime Minister Ophillius, award Rudy Astria and Ian Astria separately, and keep Perrian Astria under surveillance for a while.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
“Then, let’s conclude the meeting here.”
With that, people in the meeting room rose from their seats.
“Ahem, ahem.”
“Is it time for a generational shift, perhaps?”
The nobles who had risen from the meeting were chatting among themselves.
It was gossip about Perrian.
Perrian, who had been scolded by the Emperor and almost punished, had his reputation thoroughly damaged.
However, his expression remained unchanged.
Even when he heard such snide remarks, he was indifferent.
The nobles thought he reacted this way because he was retiring anyway, but Perrian had other thoughts in his mind.
Necromancy in the Astria territory.
He was contemplating research related to it.
‘I can listen to such talk a hundred times over. As long as that research progresses properly.’
With these thoughts, Perrian left the room and headed towards his mansion.
At that moment.
“Finally, I can leave this place. Damn those children.”
A person was walking down a dark path, cursing under his breath.
A man cloaked in a hood, his body and face concealed.
His body was caked with blood and dust.
He was a man who had fought in the war between the rebels and the Royal army.
He had used much of his energy, and due to non-stop running, his stamina was greatly depleted.
'But I can't miss this opportunity.'
Now was an excellent chance.
Perrian Astria was away from his post.
Daemon of the rebels was too busy with his own affairs.
With the rebels defeated, they would have no time to pay attention to anything else.
Thus, there was no one to guard this place.
The man in the Astria territory was Rudy's mentor, Robert.
He had just arrived at the Astria territory, where necromancers were gathered.
