Chapter 287: Ages (1)

According to Idnik, the Sanctuary of the Ages was little more than an abandoned community, located deep within the Land of the Destruction.

“... Nothing worth noting?” Epherene asked, sitting across from Idnik at the tea table in the Ages.

"

Yawwn

. Yes," Idnik replied with a nod. “Well, Demakan and Murkan may have been the ones who established this place back in the day—both born in the desert.”

Back when Demakan and Murkan still resided in the Mortal Realm, they joined together to establish this place—a stronghold meant to protect humanity—where Idnik and Rohakan were students of Demakan himself.

"But what of it? No one even knows where they are now or if they’re still alive.”

Demakan had already transcended what it meant to be human—an Archmage in name but, in truth, something closer to another species altogether—and Murkan never reached that peak, but he too stood far outside the limits of what the world could measure.

However, neither of them involved themselves in the matters of the Mortal Realm anymore—and so the Sanctuary of the Ages had been left behind, abandoned in all but name.

“More importantly, what exactly did you do to Deculein?” Idnik asked, her eyes glinting with interest.

“... The news has already spread this far?” Epherene replied, her shoulders stiffening ever so slightly.

“Yes. Even that knight, Yulie, seems to have heard,” Idnik said, pointing toward her.

Knight Yulie, for the record, was asleep—clutching a sword tightly in her arms, leaned against the tree of the Ages, as motionless as if she were dead.

“But I don’t know the details,” Idnik added with a chuckle. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

“I mean, why would you even want to know that...?” Epherene muttered, her lips pressing into a pout.

Soon after, Epherene told Idnik everything she’d done at the Personnel Committee—how she had humiliated Deculein by stripping away the one thing he valued above all else, which was his dignity.

“... People are now calling him Plagiarist Professor Deculein. Are you happy now?”

After hearing everything Epherene had said, Idnik just stared at her, his mouth slightly open in speechlessness.

“It’s almost over. I mean, really over,” Epherene concluded, pressing her lips together. “Next time we meet, we won’t even speak to each other. The Professor will hate me for what I've done...”

“But why would you pull something like that?” Idnik asked.

“... My research would only put the Professor in danger. If the Floating Island ever brands my work or magic as heresy, no amount of backpedaling will convince them we were never close, and it will be too late.”

To avoid causing any harm to Deculein, Epherene chose the one path guaranteed to make him hate her and never forgive her, even if it meant walking away from him forever.

"Yes, given how he is, it may well be broken for good."

Epherene lowered her head and clenched her teeth in silence.

“If someone said his thesis was stolen—plagiarized from another’s idea—he is not the kind to let that go,” Idnik continued. “But is it really true?”

“Is Knight Yulie okay?” Epherene asked, ignoring Idnik's question as she turned to look at her.

“No, she’s not okay. Her body’s running out of time, and sleep’s the only thing keeping her alive.”

“... Is there really no way to save her?”

“No. One year, if she’s lucky. Maybe three if she spends most of it asleep. Who knows—if she sleeps twenty-three hours a day, she might be able to live for another thirty years,” Idnik replied about someone's life as if tossing numbers into the air.

“... Then why did you even bring me here?” Epherene asked, shaking her head.

“What do you think? You were thrown out as well. I brought you here to recruit you.”

“Recruit me?”

“Yes, the priority right now is stopping Sophien and Deculein.”

“... Stop what?”

"They will be heading for the desert to eradicate the Scarletborn and bring ruin to the Land of Destruction," Idnik replied, pouring black tea into her cup.

“

Oh...

I know. We all do. The whole continent knows by now.”

“Yes,” Idnik replied. “But what’s your take on the Scarletborn?”

Epherene’s thoughts on the Scarletborn weren’t very deep, and unlike the nobles of the Empire, she didn’t hate them with the same wild intensity.

“Just pitiful people, really... I don’t think there’s much more to say.”

“That’s more than enough. That alone puts you above those Imperial officials who lose their minds at the mere mention of the Scarletborn.”

“... But why are we talking about the Scarletborn all of a sudden?”

“Because the eradication of the Scarletborn is exactly what God wants. More precisely, God wants war. Epherene—you’ve met God as well, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I met Quay.”

“Quay—that’s the name of God? Either way, I’ve met him too.”

Epherene blinked, her eyes going wide.

“He told me that he would recreate the continent,” Idnik continued, her brow furrowing as she sipped her tea. “But really—could he wipe out all of humanity alone and build it all anew? No, absolutely not, and if he could, don’t you think he would have done it already?”

At that moment, a single word struck her mind.

“... Through war?”

“Yes, that’s right. God is trying to start a war to bring down the very foundation of the continent. For only then may His will pass unopposed,” Idnik replied, glancing past Epherene toward Allen. “That’s why we’re working closely with the Scarletborn. We mean to save them.”

“... Whaat?!” Epherene murmured, her lips parting in stunned silence.

Someone got the death sentence just for hiding three Scarletborn kids—and does she even think saving them is possible?

Epherene thought.

“If you want to run away, you can, but you should not forget—it means a death sentence once we get caught,” Idnik said with a chuckle.

At Idnik’s words, Epherene hesitated for a moment or rather, she had every intention of saying no.

I’m a mage, not a political activist, and at the moment, magic is the only thing I care about,

Epherene thought.

However, a memory surfaced—one from a day Epherene hadn’t thought about in a long time.

“... You know, Miss Idnik—I actually once tried to join the Imperial Palace’s Elite Guard.”

“You did? Did you end up joining?” Idnik asked, raising one eyebrow.

“No, the Professor stopped me, ripped up my Elite Guard application, and said this," Epherene replied.

That day, Deculein’s words had taken root in Epherene’s heart—and even now, long after the moment had passed, did they begin to ache.

"The Professor told me he is a mage who kills, but I am not. That I was never meant to be that kind of mage, and he told me to become a mage who saves lives.”

Idnik remained silent.

“Perhaps... it was his way of asking me to stop him when the time comes?”

Now that I’ve said it, it feels like it might have been true. Of course, he probably sees me as nothing but filth now,

Epherene thought.

“

Haha...

”

As Epherene was caught in a wave of sentiment, a bittersweet smile crossed her lips...

“That’s just you twisting his words to fit your feelings. It looks a little pathetic from the outside,” Idnik replied, blunt as ever.

“Excuse me?” Epherene said, furrowing her brow.

“Anyway, there are plenty of supplies here, so if you’ve got research to do, feel free to use the space. When you have to leave, go through him,” Idnik said, pointing a finger at Allen.

“...

Oh

—right. Assistant Professor Allen,” Epherene said, her eyes narrowing. “Now that I think about it, we have a few things to talk about, don’t we?!”

Allen scratched the back of his neck with a dry smile, aware of what he’d done wrong.

***

It was a peaceful morning at the Yukline mansion, with sunlight streaming down.

“Again. Again. Focus your mana—use it properly,” I said.

This place once served as my training ground, but these days the annex has become a place for teaching someone else.

“Look at yourself—watch what your body’s doing.”

“... Okay,” Ria replied.

Ria stared at the circuit diagram of her own body—a diagram that mapped her like a machine. It was a human anatomical diagram that showed the flow of mana within Ria’s body in real-time detail—an advanced artifact imbued with level four

Midas Touch

.

“Can you not see it?”

“... I can see.”

However, Ria seemed unable to understand it even with the circuit diagram right in front of her, as her mana refused to respond, twisting and spinning out of control despite the path already being paved into her body, and no matter what she tried, she couldn’t use it.

“Are you blind?”

Watching that made me so infuriated, I could barely keep my temper in check.

“Are you blind to the image in front of you?”

“No... I am not.”

“Are you incapable of thought? Or was there never anything inside your skull to begin with?”

Ria remained silent.

“If not, then look at yourself, control your mana, and stop freezing like a goddamn idiot,” I added, shoving Ria’s shoulder with

Telekinesis

.

At that moment, Ria’s focus snapped as she let out a gasp and clutched her shoulder, with just one small interruption from me causing the mana flowing through her circuit to scatter in an instant.

“...

Oh

, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry,” Ria muttered, her voice trembling as she stood frozen in place.

“Unbelievable,” I said, dismissing her. “Get out. By tomorrow, your mana should complete at least one full circulation through your body. Otherwise, you’re done for sure.”

“... Okay.”

“That talent is wasted on someone like you. Do not throw it away so thoughtlessly,” I added, watching Ria shrink under the weight of my words.

“... I’m sorry,” Ria replied, biting her lip as she bowed, then turned and walked out of the room.

Thud.

Maybe it was Ria’s way of showing a little defiance, and the sound of the annex door closing tonight was louder than it had been yesterday.

"... Two weeks later, this is where she is standing," I muttered.

It had been two weeks since Epherene left, and in that time I’d taken Ria under my wing, and to her credit, she was making decent progress.

As a matter of fact, she’d done better than I expected because the pain and discipline it took to open her circuit would’ve broken most, but she pushed through, and we were already onto the next phase.

“However, it’s not exactly where it needs to be.”

However, even if Ria wasn’t lacking, I planned to push her just enough to bring her to the edge, right before the breaking point.

“... Potential.”

If Ria was, in truth, Yoo Ah-Ra’s Easter egg, then her role was no accident—it was destined to play an important role in the game, and I would draw out every sliver of potential within her until it bloomed in full.

—

Professor, can you hear me? It's Wednesday—and my body grows stiffer by the hour.

At that moment, Sophien’s voice crackled through the crystal orb—a subtle way of saying I should come at once.

"... I’ll be on my way, Your Majesty,” I replied.

***

The room in Yukline mansion was elegantly appointed, and whether the classical music playing at noon each day came from a magical phonograph or an actual orchestra hidden somewhere within the mansion, sunlight and a warm breeze slipped through the window to brush against people’s faces.

“Why?! Why?! Why isn’t it working?!” Ria yelled.

Inside that peaceful room, a youthful voice rang out with a clarity that didn’t belong in such peace.

“It worked yesterday when I practiced!”

Bang, bang, bang—!

Ria slammed her palm against the circuit diagram spread out on her desk in frustration.

"Why?! It worked yesterday, it really did!"

Ria had done it yesterday with no doubt, but now she was back at square one as if all her progress had disintegrated overnight.

“Fudge!” Ria yelled at the top of her lungs. “Fudge!”

Ria remembered the way Deculein had glared at her just moments ago, his scathing words that skirted the edge of cruelty, the sting of

Telekinesis

slamming into her upper arm, and the burning humiliation that flushed her face red.

“Fuuuuudge!”

The memory burned fresh in her chest as Ria reached once more for her mana, but it slipped from her control again, and no matter how she willed it, the current broke loose and spiraled out of control inside her.

“Fudge! Fudge! Fudge!”

Ria continued her complaints in the room, but her body suffered the worst as blood streamed from her eyes, nose, and mouth, the bursting of capillaries a clear sign of the strain caused by her frustration.

“

Oh.

”

Lately, Ria had been suffering under Deculein’s intense training as creating new mana paths inside her body was torturous enough and forcing her mana to flow through them took a kind of effort that would break most people.

“... This reminds me of my coding days,” Ria muttered, wiping the blood streaming from her nose.

Just like during her coding days, Ria felt that familiar stubborn streak take hold and began talking to herself, her voice growing louder with each word until she was shouting, driven with determination to overcome the challenge before her.

"... What did he say? Incapable of thought? Nothing inside my skull?"

Deculein's words brought back memories of Yoo Ah-Ra's old boss, whose biting words remained in her mind—telling her she couldn’t even handle such a simple task, questioning what she had been doing all this time, asking if he was a joke to her, accusing her of screwing things up intentionally, saying that if she didn’t like it, she should quit, and many more.

Ria’s blood boiled just like it always had whenever she heard those familiar old words, but she wasn’t the type to crumble or break, and if anything, it only made her want to smash their expectations and go so far beyond them that they’d never see her coming.

“

Knock, knock~

”

Someone’s voice broke the silence with a knock—not on the door, but with their mouth—enough to ripple the air, and Ria turned toward the door.

“... Hey, are you alright?” Yeriel asked, stepping into the room and tilting Ria’s chin to search her eyes.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Ria replied.

“No, you don’t look fine. You’ve got bags under your eyes the size of mountains.”

“I didn’t sleep, so of course I look like this. I’ll be fine after getting some rest.”

Yeriel noticed that Ria's appearance had changed drastically—the dark circles were just the beginning, and her eyes, once round and bright, had become narrow and intense, clearly showing that she was pouring everything into her training, with a bearing that reflected someone who had moved past dedication into the domain of obsession.

“Hey, don’t push it too hard.”

“Okay, it’s fine.”

“... Alright then. Just don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Okay.”

Without really listening to Yeriel, Ria gave a nod and turned back to her circuit diagram, eyes scanning every detail, while Yeriel closed the door from inside.

Thud—!

Yeriel pretended to leave by pulling the door shut behind her with a click but instead of stepping away, she stayed inside and watched her in silence.

“... Fudge! Fuuuuudge! Fudge! Why?! Why won’t it work?!

Hehe

,

hehehe

. Okay, okay—start over. Like when I used to code. Debug the errors, reset everything, run it from scratch.

Hehe

, this is fun. This is so fun...”

Yeriel found herself smiling at Ria’s cries, her trembling oddly charming, but when the child suddenly smiled and began muttering strange words to herself, that smile froze, and with a hesitant hand, Yeriel opened the door again—not to pretend, but to leave for real.

***

“It seems the Holy Language of the final year is beginning to fall into place,” Sophien said.

I visited Sophien in my role as the Imperial Palace’s Instructor Mage, and the two of us were working together to analyze the Holy Language.

“I have also deciphered three more revelations.”

Sophien’s voice came from behind me because her back was pressed against mine as we sat on the same couch facing opposite directions.

“... But, Professor,” Sophien said.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” I replied.

“

Hmm

,” Sophien murmured, leaning against me and letting her chin rest on my shoulder. “Are you well? Word is your protégé didn’t spare your back.”

“I am fine, Your Majesty,” I replied. “I saw through her from the beginning.”

Without a word, Sophien slipped her arms around my waist from behind, her scent filling the space around me as strands of her red hair brushed against my ear and cheek.

“Plagiarist Professor Deculein. I wonder—are you comfortable bearing that nickname as well?”

“That is not something one hears lightly. May I ask who first gave voice to it?” I asked, considering, then shook my head.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

“I wouldn’t know.”

“I believe it was one of Your Majesty’s subjects who spoke it first.”

“

Hmm

, I wonder,” Sophien replied with a chuckle, placing her hand on my cheek and, with a slight pressure, turning my face toward her. “Professor, I will soon be heading into the desert—and I plan to eradicate the Scarletborn, down to the last one.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, the continent already bends to the shape of your will.”

“However, it is not the will of the continent I care for most—it is yours,” Sophien replied, closing the distance until the tip of her nose touched and brushed against mine. “Will you follow my will?”

I stared into Sophien’s eyes, her irises dark as red wine and holding a reflection of me that was unnervingly composed.

“That may not be something I can promise.”

“What was that?” Sophien replied, her brow tightening as a chill bled into the space between us, and her eyes narrowed—glinting like frost catching the edge of a blade.

“I live by loyalty, Your Majesty. But if your will were ever to bring harm to you, I would stand against it without hesitation—even if the cost were my life,” I said.

Then Sophien fell silent and looked straight into my eyes, searching for the smallest and slightest hint of emotion before she finally broke the silence.

“Professor.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

"Do you mind if I press my lips to yours?”

At Sophien’s strange request, I narrowed my eyes.

“It’s only curiosity. Yes, nothing more than that. One brief moment—no meaning other than itself, and if you’d rather I didn’t, then say so...” Sophien added, as if the matter held no weight.