EP.201 Land of Ashes (1)
It’s been ten days since the incident that struck Apuria.
Apuria is still on break, but in four days, the academy will resume normal operations. Thanks to this unexpected week-long vacation, the curriculum has tightened a bit, but there haven’t been any dramatic changes.
‘It’s pretty much the same as last semester.’
Dean Aaron pulled at his hair, dismayed that the academic schedule had been disrupted again, but that wasn’t something I needed to worry about.
‘Though it’s a bit heartbreaking watching his receding bangs and the widening forehead…’
What can be done? Hair loss is a disease beyond the reach of magic, a matter of destiny…
“You’re lucky to have such thick hair…”
I leaned back in my chair, thinking of the often-muttering Dean Aaron every time I saw my master. My flowing hair cascaded over the backrest of the chair.
“Umm.”
With about four days left until classes resumed, I was sitting in the Mana Trading Studies Professor’s Office. There were a few preparations I needed to make before heading off on a month-long vacation.
‘I dropped by to prepare for that, but…’
My mind was filled with other thoughts.
“…Land of Ashes.”
What more is there to say? What occupied my mind was information about the Land of Ashes.
‘Land of Ashes.’
An area where the plains had turned into a wasteland.
A place where everything had lost its color (色) and had turned to ash-gray, which was once the location of the ancient kingdom. Now, nothing remained but ashes…
‘Once, it was the most prosperous place.’
There was an era known as the golden age of human history.
All descriptions of that time are vague and muddled, but it was clear that the ancient kingdom lay at the center of it all.
The ancient kingdom.
The nation that led the golden age of humanity.
As for its name, history, and size, they are all unknown, but the remnants discovered from time to time hinted at its past grandeur.
Traces of massive towers that seemed to touch the sky.
Magical ruins found in various places.
Fragments of countless magical tools excavated from those ruins.
These were things that could neither be replicated nor comprehended with today’s technology. It’s no surprise that among mages, there’s a saying: the history of magic was reset at the time of the ancient kingdom’s destruction.
For this reason, many mages became obsessed with restoring the technology of the ancient kingdom. However, they all failed, and as time passed, the only mages that remained were the ones of the ‘Ashen Tower.’
“Restoring the technology of the ancient kingdom.”
That was the ambition of the Ashen Tower.
Having once held the position of the next Master of the Tower, I knew well the weight of that one line.
‘Digging through ruins, extracting circuits from magical tool fragments… and then restoring the circuits based on that.’
That was the work I stayed up nights doing. Even then, I had been interested in the ‘Land of Ashes.’ It was assumed to be the place where the ancient kingdom once stood.
But, I failed.
During my time as the next Master of the Tower, we undertook three expeditions, and all three ended in disastrous failure. The reason was simple. We could not get close to the center of the Land of Ashes.
Corrupted beasts roaming everywhere.
Lands that had been completely tainted.
To cross it, I would have had to put my life on the line. I may not know now, but back then, it was beyond my capabilities. Therefore, it remained an unknown area.
‘Cardi said he wanted to go to such a place.’
I closed my eyes and recalled what Cardi had said a few days ago.
“Land of Ashes.”
A place that he said I needed to go to with him.
“My homeland, Arcadia, which became ashes hundreds of years ago.”
The place I had always wondered about, Cardi had suggested we go together. There must be a reason he was making such a proposal now.
“Arcadia.”
Mulling over that name, I murmured.
“…What are you trying to tell me this time?”
Cardi’s past.
The tale of the old heroes that had now turned into a disaster.
Or perhaps the more detailed reasons for the fall of the ancient kingdom.
All the things I had been asking about but Cardi never answered—I wondered if perhaps this time I might finally get to hear them.
“Ugh…”
Just then, while I was lost in thought with my eyes closed, someone knocked on the office door. I opened my eyes and realized it was already the time we had agreed upon.
– Professor, it’s Belnoa.
– It’s Lac.
I slowly rose from my chair at the voices coming from outside. Stretching lightly, I said,
“Come in.”
Honestly, there was nothing much to do before taking a short break.
“Here to collect an assignment?”
Issuing problems.
That is, giving assignments.
“You came right on time. Why don’t you sit over there? I think I’ll need to explain, as there’s quite a bit of homework.”
I smiled brightly at Belnoa and Lac. Since it was an assignment I had thought about for days, I was sure they would like it.
—
“…You knew about it too?”
“I found out during the vacation.”
Belnoa blinked as she turned to the side.
Beside her walked Lac, who held a letter in his hand; the same letter Belnoa had received not long ago.
“Sender: Rania van Trias.”
A letter from the Nightmare of Apuria.
To summarize the contents of the letter in a few lines:
“I’ll be away from Apuria for about a month, so don’t just dawdle. Train.”
“I’ll explain about the training and assignments, so come to the Mana Trading Studies Professor’s Office.”
Up to that point, it seemed normal.
The words about assignments and training were a bit unsettling, but it was something she could nod along to. The problem lay in the next sentence.
“Since you know my identity, I trust you’ll follow the training without complaint.”
Rania van Trias.
The identity of the professor known as the Nightmare of Apuria is Ashen Mage Raniel, so you shall follow my training without question.
‘Training prescribed by the Ashen Mage himself.’
For Belnoa, who specialized in the Battle Mage Class, the Ashen Mage was as significant as a senior mentor. The highest existence beyond any other teacher.
The founder of the class.
The most renowned mage.
So the letter had said, with such a name attached: “I’ll share ‘training methods’ with you, so follow without question.” Naturally, Belnoa had no right to refuse.
‘So that’s why I was headed to the professor’s office…’
Belnoa pressed her temple. It seemed the letter hadn’t just reached her alone.
‘It seems I’m not the only one who knows the professor’s true identity.’
Glancing sideways at Lac, who walked beside her, Belnoa asked.
“So how did you find out?”
“I had an encounter with the Sword Demon and Draka during the vacation. It was there that I realized it when I saw the professor suppressing a superhuman.”
“That… it makes sense, I guess.”
A mage capable of suppressing superhumans.
There wouldn’t be many of those around. As Belnoa nodded absentmindedly, Lac threw a question toward her.
“When did you find out, Belnoa?”
“About during the group project.”
“Oh, so you’re talking about when you went missing?”
“Yeah. I ran into something crazy during that time, and when I saw the professor facing it, I realized.”
“Something crazy?”
“The traitor.”
“That’s… definitely true.”
The two nodded in silence.
A strange sense of camaraderie formed, and they arrived at the door of the professor’s office. Standing in front of the door, which looked much like a dungeon entrance, they swallowed hard.
Knock, knock.
As they knocked and opened the door, there sat Professor Rania, her ash-gray hair flowing in the breeze, her blue eyes glimmering. She welcomed them with a remarkably warm smile.
“Here to collect an assignment?”
Beneath her kind smile, both Belnoa and Lac felt a tremendous unease. Remembering the nightmare that was lurking beneath that smile, they slowly nodded their heads.
Tap, tap.
Pointing to the seat beside her, she smiled beautifully.
“You arrived on time. Why don’t you sit down? I think I’ll need to explain, as there’s quite a bit of homework.”
With that one line, both sensed their fate. However, there was no escaping it. It was, after all, fate. Feeling akin to livestock being led to the slaughterhouse, they stepped towards Rania’s side.
Their steps felt unusually heavy.
—
“Recently in Apuria, there was an incident, and you both fell into a nightmare, right?”
Before explaining, Rania brought up a different topic.
That topic was something Lac and Belnoa were well aware of. They nodded along to her explanation.
“Yes, we suddenly fell asleep…”
“And woke up to find the situation had already ended.”
The incident that struck Apuria about ten days ago.
It was said to have been resolved by a ‘special person’ who stayed in Apuria alongside three students… but no detailed account of the situation was given.
“By any chance, that ‘special person’…”
Belnoa cautiously ventured a question.
To that, Rania nodded slightly.
“That’s me. There were two others with me. As for the students… you probably know since it’s been revealed.”
“I see…”
At her words, Lac nodded deeply.
Looking as if he was moved, both Belnoa and Rania shot Lac a sidelong glance. Lac, who nodded vigorously, exclaimed with shining eyes.
“Truly, you are the great Ashen Mage!”
That sentence seemed to echo a remark made by ‘someone’ during a class not long ago.
“I’ve heard that a disaster has come, but the great Ashen Mage… wow.”
His words didn’t end there.
Lac’s insistence on calling her ‘great’ had Rania’s eyes bulging.
“Hey, hey…”
Belnoa elbowed Lac in the ribs.
Then, in a quiet voice, she whispered to him.
“Stop it… what good will it do to tease the professor…”
“Huh? Tease? What are you talking about?”
“…What?”
Lac blinked, looking utterly innocent.
“You said the Ashen Mage is great. Isn’t that true? The professor is always right, Belnoa.”
“………”
“Doubting the professor’s words isn’t good. Respect and boundless trust towards your master are the virtues of a good disciple.”
That’s… a correct remark.
It is true, but…
“Are you… really not teasing?”
“Why would I tease the professor? She’s someone I respect.”
“Really?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
This guy is serious.
He truly believes that, and that’s how he can say it. Upon reflection, Lac had known the professor’s identity even when she said such things in class.
‘What was his reaction back then…?’
Belnoa recalled the memory from that time.
“Oh.”
Lac had exclaimed in admiration.
“Indeed.”
Lac’s expression had shown genuine enlightenment back then.
At that point, Belnoa shook her head.
Back then, she had thought, ‘He must be reacting that way because he doesn’t know the truth.’
But…
‘That was a reaction based on knowing everything!’
It was astonishing, in a different way.
Belnoa found Lac’s amazing innocence striking.
“………”
Belnoa turned her head silently to the side.
There stood Rania, whose ears were flushed crimson. She couldn’t bring herself to look up.
‘It seems she realizes she’s embarrassed…’
She is, in fact, aware of her own awkwardness.
“Ah, anyway.”
She abruptly raised her head, cleared her throat, and resumed her explanation. Though her face was still red, it seemed like she had steeled herself.
“The spell that plunges people into nightmares is quite hard to resist unless you’re of the level of a superhuman or if there is no starlight… but focusing on spiritual awakening training should help a bit. This is related to that…”
She began listing the training plan.
It was tightly packed with schedules. It involved a gradually increased training method that Belnoa had definitely seen in some formal knight curricula.
‘Ah, this is part of the curriculum for official knights…’
Completing it would indeed be beneficial.
While it seemed demanding, it wasn’t impossible. As Belnoa absorbed the training plan, Rania continued her explanation.
“And this was originally a method of utilizing Stock that I intended to teach you, but for now, just focus on the assignment as a means of familiarizing yourself. I’ll return in a month to teach it properly.”
While saying this, she pushed a stack of papers toward Belnoa and Lac. She didn’t hand it over directly, but rather ‘pushed’ it with her hands across the corner of the table.
“Uh…”
Belnoa blinked.
The stack of papers looked hefty. She alternated her gaze between the pile of papers and Rania.
“All of this?”
“Yep. I think a month should be enough, don’t you?”
“That’s true, but I’m not only attending your classes…”
“What are you saying?”
“Nothing at all…”
What good would it do to say anything?
If a student understood her feelings, she wouldn’t have earned the nickname of the Nightmare of Apuria. Belnoa swallowed her tears internally as she started gathering the homework.
“You can handle this, right?”
“…I’ll do my best.”
“I will do it with all my might.”
Belnoa replied weakly, while Lac replied with enthusiastic strength.
Rania, unable to bear meeting Lac’s gaze, merely nodded softly and replied with a small “uhm…”
“Since the assignment was given by the great professor…”
“Enough, please stop, Lac…”
Before the purity of humanity, the Nightmare of Apuria surrendered. With her blushing face, Rania hurriedly shooed them out of the professor’s office.
“Hey, Lac…”
“What, Belnoa?”
“You’re a bit… impressive…”
Pushed out like livestock, Belnoa couldn’t help but express sincere admiration for the human who had defeated her nightmare.
“What do you mean?”
Lac looked clueless.
—
Author’s Note:
Today, the spell-checking site I always used suddenly changed to a 500-character limit. I broke into a cold sweat… it had been my go-to site for nearly a year!
For now, I found another spell-checker, but I’m still getting used to it, so there may be a few typos…! Please let me know, and I’ll promptly correct them!