[I have one last gift for you. Not as Rohakan, but as a teacher… oh. Of course, I know that I haven’t done enough to be called your teacher. Still, what can I do? When you were young, I promised, receiving your father’s money, that I would be your teacher…]
It was an absurd thing to say. If it were the original Deculein, he would have sharpened his teeth with disgrace or humiliation. However.
“Primienne.”
“Yes,”
I spoke as I read Rohakan’s letter.
“We’re leaving.”
“…I’ll prepare the horses.”
Primienne went out, and my gaze moved back to the book.
[Disciple. When I first realized the world, I was old. But as the world grows, I am young now.]
Rohakan. He grew old, but upon developing that magic, he became young again. His supernatural origin was the World Line. It was a huge power that no human being could take, superior even to Epherene, whose origin was Time, Ellie, who had Space, and Adrienne, who had Destruction. But the higher the level, the closer one was to death.
[I remember the first time I met Sophien. She was such a perfect kid as if someone sculpted her.]
I could hear Rohakan’s voice. It was like a mirage had appeared in the middle of the library, born from the magic permeating the book.
—You’re good at learning, huh? Your magical talent is exceptional.
—…Be respectful!
Sophien was five years old at the time, before she experienced her infinitely recursive poisoning, and Rohakan was too old.
—Hey. This little kid, are you on the verge of becoming a tyrant?
—What!
—You rascal. Just hurry up and read this book.
—What!
Rohakan, as a friend of Emperor Crebaim, was teaching Sophien magic theory.
[Deculein, I understand why you are loyal to the Imperial Family. You follow the ideology of the chosen more deeply than anyone else.]
The scene changed with that voice to the dark corridors of the Imperial Palace. Someone’s blood-splattered and dripped onto the small feet of a child. The child stepped back and stared up with trembling eyes.
—…Rohakan.
Rohakan did not answer the princess’s call. Sophien’s gaze, staring blankly at him, reached the corridor where blood was pooling and the person who had collapsed, a woman with a torn neck. Her pupils had lost their light.
It was her dead mother.
—…Why?
At the child’s question, Rohakan silently closed his eyes. Then, taking a deep breath, he answered softly.
—Right. I killed her.
Empress Assassin Rohakan. This was the incident in which a wizard who was respected by all fell into the category of the worst, a Black Beast, in an instant.
[Sometimes, the world needs a lie covered in blood rather than pure white truth. That’s what I think you, Deculein, know better than anyone else. But I don’t want to tell lies even to you.]
The magical recollection sank like dust, and the scenery returned to reveal the Imperial Palace Library.
[Deculein, the disciple who still has a lot to do…]
His words continued on the next page.
[In the future, I see, Sophien killed you. She will kill you.]
A prophecy once again announcing Deculein’s planned death.
[I don’t know if this warning alone will change the future or if it is a fixed future that includes all of this. Maybe you don’t believe what I say. You might even despise it, calling it shaman bullshit. I can’t prove to anyone what I see.]
I couldn’t help but believe. It was the future that he, a core piece of this world, saw.
[Hmm. I can hear your voice saying something to me. Anyway, now I’m waiting for you. The northeast vineyard forest. You can always meet me there…]
That was the end. Thousands of words and thoughts bubbled up in my head, but I put the document down quietly and turned to Lexil.
“I’m going. I’ll leave the cleaning up to you.”
“Yes. Goodbye.”
Coming up from the basement, Primienne was waiting with two horses. She held out a set of reins.
“Where are we going?”
…
“Oh. The Professor is leaving, Your Majesty.”
The court lady, who was watching out the window, spoke. Two horses carrying Deculein and Primienne left through the castle gates of the Imperial Palace.
“Go back now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty…”
Sophien watched her leave before standing up. She walked out of the bedroom, went through the dimly lit hallway, and down the stairs. Thus, she reached the underground library of the Imperial Palace.
Creak—
The door opened. Lexil, who was organizing the library, approached.
“Lexil.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
“What did he read?”
“The last thing the Professor read was this material.”
Lexil produced the papers for Sophien.
“…”
Swish–
As she flipped through the pages, she soon found Rohakan’s message written in a corner.
[Hmm. By now, you should be reading this paper, right, Deculein? It’s me, Rohakan.]
Sophien read slowly. Without talking, quiet.
[…In the future I see, Sophien killed you. She will kill you.]
Sophien closed her eyes and then opened them, clenching her jaw.
“…Your Majesty.”
Lexil’s voice grew heavy with concern. Before Sophien could even reply, his magic dyed the document blue. In that mana, someone’s thoughts and sentences bloomed.
—Rohakan, the future you saw may not be fake. Maybe it’s real. Your depth cannot be measured by any wizard.
As if responding to Rohakan’s words, it continued.
—However, Rohakan. I am Deculein. I do not bow to the future that has not yet arrived. I can’t. Because that is my self.
Deculein’s voice whispered in her ear.
—If Her Majesty truly harms me, that too would be acceptable. As you say, it’s probably because of an idea that’s so deeply ingrained in my bones.
His thoughts were laid out clearly.
—Chosen people. A class that was distinct from the ordinary. The nobility was never corrupted. The head of Yukline, that great family with its long history.
He was bragging about himself.
—Such noble concepts define me, so if there is anyone I stand for, they will be greater, more honorable, and nobler than me. Surely, it must be so.
Continuing on the next page-
—Therefore, I have decided to become Her Majesty’s servant. Her Majesty is the proof of this world. She is the noblest and the most lonely, the Emperor who needs guidance. So I want to be on her side.
Sophien crumpled up the documents.
—Rohakan. A servant just waits. If that is my destiny, then I will only wait for it to come. However…
There were some remaining thoughts, but it felt like a shortcut. As an emperor, her ego wouldn’t allow it.
“…Even if you die.”
Sophien muttered softly and twisted her lips. Then she rummaged through her pocket and took out the Snow Globe.
“Keiron.”
In this situation, he was the tight-lipped guy who was worth sharing opinions with. However, the door of the Snow Globe was firmly closed and wouldn’t open, and there was no sign of Keiron coming out.
“…Deculein said he would be waiting for me like it were fate.”
Sophien placed her hand over her heart. She couldn’t get used to the bizarre beating that stopped and repeated, nor her feverish breath.
“Are you keeping me waiting?”
Sophien had only two servants to discuss matters with, but this was one of those servants, so that she would need the other one.
“You damn bastard.”
Sophien tapped the Snow Globe.
* * *
Rohakan looked up into the sky like a piece of pale drawing paper where the spirit of winter remained. Looking up at that high ceiling, he searched for something, and he was still wandering.
Life. The life of everyone on this continent, which he promised to Deculein one day. However, no matter how much he thought about it, Rohakan himself was not included in that everyone.
“…”
He suddenly lowered his eyes and looked at the path leading through the vineyard. He could feel someone approaching him, focused solely on the purpose of stealth and surprise.
“…Hey~! Here~!”
Rohakan waved his hand to announce his presence. Then, the many human shadows hiding around him took a vigilant posture.
The Imperial Intelligence Agency was good at tracking, but they had always been bizarrely fast. The only problem, no, the fortunate thing, was that they were too obsessed with monopolizing their achievements. They pretended to cooperate with outsiders but moved arbitrarily, longing for the attention and love of the Imperial Family.
“Are there hundreds of you? But you guys always come alone!”
No knights, no anything. No, he knew they wouldn’t.
“We’re not alone.”
The person who said that was Lawaine, the first knight of the Imperial family, was Vice-Captain Isaac. The ten knights who stepped out behind them with an intelligence officer were no jokes either.
“Huh. You’ve prepared quite a bit~. I didn’t see this coming.”
Deculein hadn’t come yet. That guy would take a little while to reach the north.
“You’re surrounded, Rohakan.”
Lawaine drew his sword. Vice-Captain Isaac’s body was already full of fighting spirit, and the murderous intent of the intelligence agency hidden in the shadows threatened to stab him in the back.
“It’s been a while, Rohakan.”
The anger in Isaac’s voice was burning. Rohakan and Isaac also had a history, as he was the knight who chased after him for assassinating the empress. He grew up and became the second-in-command of the Imperial Knights.
“…I see Deculein isn’t with you.”
Rohakan scanned the presences around him, but Deculein wasn’t there.
“You didn’t want to lose to Yukline? You all want the Emperor’s love. How did you endure your jealousy so far? No, are you going to create trouble since you couldn’t endure it?”
No answer returned. Foolishly, that would mean they agreed.
“But… I don’t know if you know.”
Rohakan looked around at them and grinned.
“That I didn’t foresee you in my future~.”
Mana bloomed from the edges of his body. It didn’t roar, nor did it shake the ground, but exuded calmly. He didn’t have to rush his mana into nature; he didn’t need to explode and force his claim to strength. Just naturally, like a river flowing.
“It means that you weren’t a big deal to me.”
Snap—!
The sound of Rohakan snapping his fingers formed a circuit, embodied his magic, and spread in waves across the vast land.
* * *
…Dawn passed, and the morning sun ascended. When they arrived at the vineyards where Rohakan was waiting for them, the quiet meeting they had planned had already gone down the drain.
“It’s already too late.”
Primienne muttered while yawning. I nodded. Now the situation was like this; there was nothing I could do.
“Professor! Professor!”
An unknown knight of the Imperial Palace approached. He introduced his name and rank with a blank face, but I didn’t need to remember either.
“What’s going on?”
“I-I don’t know either. Just. Just… I was watching from behind, and then Rohakan snapped his finger and suddenly….”
The whole vineyard had become a magical space. The grapevines sprouted up, their vines growing thick to block out the world.
“What happened, Professor?”
I looked out over the vineyard. It was a difficult situation even with Understanding. What kind of magic did Rohakan use?
“The vineyard has become a magical space. It’s tainted by Rohakan’s mana.”
“…There are still many knights trapped inside.”
Primienne asked:
“What about support?”
“Yes. First, including the Northern Knights, Lord Zeit, and the Red Garnets that were waiting there…”
“I don’t need them.”
Whoooosh—
A wind cold with mana blew in from the vineyard. I stepped forward onto the path.
“I’ll go in alone.”
“…Yes? Oh no, Professor! Rohakan is going crazy-“
“Crazy is a word used only for idiots without reason.”
Rohakan, if he had created this situation, he would have a clear purpose. Above all, he called me here so that I would go in.
“Professor. Will you be okay?”
“…I cannot be sure.”
It would be extremely dangerous, and my body was still recovering. But… I tore the Rare Attribute Catalogue.
[Use: Rare Attribute Catalog]
This was the reward for clearing the last quest. The trait to be acquired with this was, as I said before:
“Toughness.”
Very simply, adding just one drop to my already overflowing mental power, even I didn’t know yet the changes that would lead to. The reason why I hadn’t used it was because of the uncertainty.
[Trait Acquisition: 「Toughness」]
To face Rohakan, who had already achieved the status of an Archmage, or perhaps even transcended it, this kind of preparation would be necessary.
* * *
On the other hand, Julie, who was absorbed in restoring the people’s livelihood and rebuilding the villages around Reccordak, was shocked as soon as she received the news.
“Is that true?!”
“Yes!”
The report came that Rohakan was spotted in the vineyards of the northeast and that dozens of knights and hundreds of intelligence service agents were killed.
“The place that produces white grapes! Those delicious grapes that only grow in winter and early spring!”
“I know! I’ve had them!”
Julie quickly put on her armor. She was in such a hurry that she had to tie it together while running.
“Horse! Horse! Hurry!”
Julie yelled for a horse as she ran.
“Hey!”
“I’m going too!”
Julie’s horse galloped off, forcing Reylie’s horse to chase after them. All the while, a wizard watched over the two of them from Reccordak’s wall.
“Rohakan…”
Sylvia. She pondered for a moment before quickly creating a small airship with a pair of goggles and a helmet as a set.
Vroom-
Immediately, she sat in the driver’s seat and followed after Julie, glancing into the distant land with the magic of wind.
“…?”
What she saw was the magical space created by Rohakan that even the wind could not penetrate. And-
Deculein was entering all by himself.
“Oh.”
Seeing that ridiculously reckless look he wore, Sylvia murmured in a low voice.
“…No.”
