EP.221 The Traces Left by Calamity(8)
The Ancient Kingdom of Arcadia.
Cardi’s homeland.
When we set off on our journey, Cardi told me there were three main purposes for heading back to his homeland. Now, at the end of our journey, I recall those three purposes.
“Searching for the Holy Grail.”
“Your subordinate, Kalt, will have a way to heal that hunting dog’s eyes.”
One, the search for the Holy Grail.
A treasure crafted in the ancient kingdom, which allows one to become superhuman without losing anything. Recovering it was the first goal of this journey.
‘Make Kalt a superhuman.’
If he becomes a superhuman, there will be more ways to heal the lost eyes. Even without bringing Sara along, I might be able to finish it with just my skills alongside the Black Tower Master.
And so, I obtained the Holy Grail.
Having achieved the first goal, I set out for my next destination, walking over the traces left behind by the calamities··· heading to the heart of the ancient kingdom.
“Second truth.”
“The origin of the Demon Lord and the understanding of the shadows.”
“That is the information I must grasp here.”
Two, I must touch upon the second truth.
This relates to the two of the three contracts that Cardi had made with the stars and the erased histories. In the heart of the ancient kingdom of Arcadia, I realized it.
The origin of the Demon Lord.
The understanding of the curse.
The existence of the First Light.
I saw hell, and I understood the meaning contained within it. By understanding, I reached the truth. I no longer regarded the shadows as something I couldn’t comprehend.
It is the screams and resentments of humanity.
Now that I know its true identity, I constantly recall the circuits I once etched in my mind. I reflect on the cursed mana I created.
‘The circuits and mana I created simply to break without understanding the target.’
Understanding resides in it.
I succeeded in grabbing the clue to move forward. It might take a little time, but the direction I must head has become clearer.
“Three years, Ashen Mage.”
“That is the time given to you, and the time I need before I move on.”
The direction has become clear.
I know what I must do.
Thus, I reflect on my goal.
“To nurture the next hero who will illuminate the extinguished age.”
That was the goal I set in Apuria. If it’s impossible with Kyle, I’ll nurture other heroes to achieve the goal I couldn’t. I’ll fulfill the responsibility entrusted to me by the countless knights who perished.
That was the path I had to walk.
That path needed many things, and when I first sketched it in my mind, the thought felt absurd. But it’s different now.
‘The children have talent.’
The children I chose had talent.
‘There is starlight for those children.’
There’s a saint’s arm to elevate that potential.
‘And, I even have the Holy Grail in my hands.’
I was given the means to make them superhuman without loss.
‘So, there’s potential.’
Now, I can say that.
Many things have gathered in my hands.
It’s no longer a delusion. There’s potential.
Truly, if given enough time, it’s a path worth walking. Yet while rejoicing in that potential, I couldn’t shake off a worry in the back of my mind.
‘Everything for those children has gathered.’
But above all, something was missing for me.
‘The time left for me.’
My lifespan.
The fact that I do not have much time has always held me back. Therefore, the last goal of this journey lies in resolving that.
The third purpose in Arcadia.
“There is a means to stop your lifespan from leaking.”
“That’s the reason I’m heading to Arcadia.”
Three, the means to stop the leak of my lifespan.
Before achieving my goal, I slowly opened my mouth.
“…Is that the answer?”
I pointed at the potion Cardi was holding.
Cardi nodded at my question.
“Yeah, this is a kind of ‘data’ I can give you to unravel the truth associated with Arcadia.”
He shook the potion in his hand.
“Gleria, Belial, and Ganikalt have all fallen, and I’ve continued my research. I’ve really explored numerous paths.”
Cardi gestured to the research materials scattered throughout the room.
“Nullifying contracts, purifying souls, turning the betrayer back into a human, unilaterally breaking contracts, defying the decree set by the stars······.”
Countless directions.
The countless traces of the mage’s struggles to find an answer are like branches spreading out from a single goal. Those branches reached······.
“And among those, this was included.”
Not all, but at least in one area, fruits were borne.
“A method to restore a damaged soul.”
“…Restoration of the soul?”
“Yeah, whether in shadow or light, those who reach out for the unreachable will find their vessel cracked. A cracked vessel will cease to function.”
Cardi pointed at me.
“Your vessel is the same. You’ve contained stars several times despite not being a vessel meant for stars. In fact, the curse you’ve been exposed to has only widened those cracks.”
“…That’s true.”
“Life leaks from the cracks in the vessel. The reason your time is diminishing faster could also be due to that.”
I knew what he was saying.
I knew it, yet I couldn’t resolve it… I could only accept it.
“This is a holy liquid aimed at restoring the broken vessel.”
Holy liquid.
“It’s the holy water Gleria used to save humanity. It’s been concentrated into this. Originally, it aimed to restore Gleria, but…”
Cardi chuckled softly.
“I didn’t think it would work for her. The moment I saw her, I realized her soul wasn’t merely worn down; it has completely deteriorated.”
The fruit of research finally borne at the end of the line.
Yet this couldn’t be used on her; Cardi passed it to me carefully, and I accepted it cautiously.
“Seems like it finally found a purpose.”
As he handed me the holy liquid, Cardi smiled softly, and it didn’t seem like a bitter smile. Could it be that the joy comes from knowing that the fruits of his research weren’t in vain?
“…”
I glanced at the potion for a moment before I reached out and uncapped it.
Pong.
Then I tilted the potion and took it in. The soft starlight flowed down my throat. Even after centuries, the potion retained a slight warmth.
‘…It’s warm.’
It felt like a warmth enveloping my body.
It took a moment for the potion to seep into me, and after several minutes of silence, I slowly opened my mouth.
“I think it’s a bit easier to breathe now.”
“There are no such auxiliary effects.”
“I’m just saying it feels that way.”
There weren’t any dramatic changes in my body.
It was just a bit easier to breathe… and maybe a slight feeling of lightness in my body.
“What manifests outside is like this.”
I traced my finger in the air.
A balance appeared before my eyes, and with my hand resting on it, I calculated the remaining wealth I held.
“Changes in the soul seem to be more noticeable.”
My soul was restored.
The cracked and worn soul slowly begins to regain its form.
‘The marks of wear remain.’
However, the cracks have healed perfectly.
No longer will my lifespan leak out through those cracks. To be honest, I was surprised.
“…It’s a miracle of sorts.”
Though the diminishing sands do not return, the sands that were reducing quickly have found their pace. So I calculated the remaining time I had inside me.
“Plenty enough.”
It was sufficient time to achieve my goals.
‘And…’
I was given one more chance.
Without uttering that fact aloud, I let out a faint smile.
“Thank you, Cardi.”
“…Well, I should be the one thanking you.”
At my words, Cardi let out a short breath.
He leaned against the desk scattered with all sorts of data and gazed at the ceiling.
“In the end, it was research that didn’t serve any purpose.”
He said while looking at the traces of his failed research.
“I couldn’t find the answer, I failed, and because of the contract with the stars, I couldn’t pass it on to anyone else. So, all the time I spent here became meaningless.”
Meaningless time.
And thus, the emptiness he must have felt.
With an empty gaze, Cardi turned back to me.
“Not anymore.”
He looked at me and smiled.
“I’m glad that the long time I spent here could be of help to someone. Truly.”
Snap, Cardi snapped his fingers.
The scattered materials, the traces of alchemy, the fragments of failed research all transformed into beams of light and congregated in one place. The brilliant platinum starlight coalesced into a book.
“All the records of my research are contained in this.”
He handed the book to me.
“I hope this too will be of help to you.”
I held a book in my hands.
As I gazed at the words written on the first page of a book that had been wandering for ages looking for a master, I couldn’t help but smile.
“For the next.”
Next, again for the next.
It was a phrase that brought to mind the inscription I saw at the northern tower.
“You really love saying ‘next,’ don’t you?”
“Understand. When you travel for a long time, certain habits of speech tend to transfer to your companions.”
“Transfer?”
“Gleria, Ganikalt, Belial. Those three kept saying that phrase ad nauseam in front of me.”
He said with a voice tinged with nostalgia.
“Next, again for the next.”
That’s how humans live.
Saying that, Cardi detached his back from the desk.
“Shall we be off then?”
I nodded.
I had achieved all the goals I needed to accomplish in Arcadia.
Now it was time to return.
2.
Crossing the ash-laden lands back to the royal capital was exceedingly peaceful, quite simply because nothing eventful had occurred.
‘What counts as an event, anyway…?’
I had pushed aside some illegal vendors setting up shop near the ashen lands, but in Rania’s view, that wasn’t something worthy of being called an event.
“Setting up a stall and collecting tolls on land with a clear owner? You set up a market here? It’s even more outrageous upon reflection…”
The ancient elf sang a song of fury.
“Ah? Should I push them out then?”
Rania only swung her fist a few times.
Some illegal residents, who had lost their homes, resisted with spears and swords, but that didn’t last long either.
“Gaaaaarrrgh!”
With just one swing of her fist, a building would be uprooted before a mage; an ordinary spear and sword seemed more like toothpicks.
“I won’t ask for much. Just let me live.”
“I won’t step foot here again. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”
The incident ended with the leader of the underworld, known as the Ashen Wasteland, bowing their heads before Cardi.
‘It ended rather blandly.’
In less than half a day, without even taking a day, the history of a century-long underworld met its end. It was a terribly anticlimactic conclusion, but history built by humanity before calamity is inherently worthless.
Even the ancient kingdom, Arcadia, could be reduced to ashes in just half a day.
Since the nightmares of Apuria had set foot into the slum, its downfall was only a matter of course.
“Yawn.”
And then, the nightmare let out a long sigh.
Riding in the carriage toward the royal capital, she rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window. The carriage rattled ahead, slowly drawing closer to the royal capital.
‘Has it been around three weeks?’
It’s not precisely accurate, but it feels about that long.
Having been away from Apuria Academy for just a brief time, it feels like an eternity has passed.
Three weeks, a long time yet oddly short.
“I wonder if Kelharlem is doing well.”
Rania suddenly muttered that.
With so many safety measures put in place, she wasn’t overly worried… but still, Kelharlem is a person known by the nickname the Braver.
‘His way of thinking is different from others.’
Attending a class with such a person must be extremely difficult. Imagining the students suffering from his excessively rigorous lectures brought tears to her eyes.
“…I need to hurry back.”
The students must surely miss her.
Thinking about finally standing at the teaching podium again and preparing assignments, Rania could feel her fingers itching.
As Rania was busy cracking her itching fingers, Cardi’s gaze narrowed as he watched her.
“…”
“What’s up?”
His gaze was akin to that of a herbivore staring at crocodile tears.
Rania tilted her head in confusion.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you have something to say?”
“…Not long ago, Chloe was screaming.”
“Screaming? Why?”
“She said there are too many assignments. Quite a lot.”
“Ah, is that all?”
Rania laughed and waved her hand dismissively.
“She’s being overly dramatic.”
Who is as kind a professor as I am?
Muttering that, Rania smiled.
“Surely, everyone misses me!”
*
“…Why did you come back so early?”
“Excuse me?”
In the office of the Grand Principal of Apuria.
Aaron, sitting there, looked at Rania, who returned a week early from vacation, with an unimpressed expression.
“You took a month’s leave. It’d be better to rest for the remaining week.”
“…Excuse me?”
Rania blinked in confusion.
“No, the students must be waiting for me. I need to hurry to class…”
As she was saying that and turned to the window, she heard the sound of students laughing outside.
-Oh! Is that how they do it?
-Yeah. Good job.
-Professor Lrutia, can I ask a question…?
-Professor, me too!
In the garden visible from the Principal’s office window.
A young professor sat surrounded by female students on the bench where the sunlight hits the best, looking over the assignments they brought.
-Indeed, it’s Professor Lrutia!
-I wish Professor Lrutia could keep teaching us…
It was an immensely pleasant scene.
A pleasant scene, but…
“Uh…?”
Rania’s pupils shifted erratically, as if an earthquake had struck. She turned her stiff neck to look at Principal Aaron. But all he did in response was slightly nod his head.
“…So it has come to this.”
Rania instinctively sensed something had gone terribly wrong.
