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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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A sudden victory celebration erupted in the middle of the night.
The wary gazes the residents had fixed on Pelaine and the knights transformed. They had expected another oppressor, another conqueror come to plunder their resources.
Instead, they greeted us like liberators, filling the streets with cheers and joyous shouts.
“Wow…”
The sight from above was breathtaking. Lamps and candles lined the streets, illuminating Pelaine’s surprised face.
She clearly hadn’t anticipated such a warm welcome.
We had won the support of the Fourth Castle, but it wasn’t without its complications.
I had declared a zero percent tax rate. If we resorted to requisitioning supplies, it would undo all the goodwill we had earned.
We would have to rely heavily on the merchants we had hired for supplies. If that wasn’t enough, we would have to purchase what we needed, paying fair prices instead of simply taking what we wanted.
Fortunately, the expenses would be drawn from the Imperial treasury, not my own pockets. The Emperor wouldn’t begrudge the cost of reviving a near-annihilated suppression force.
“Hee hee. They seem to like you.”
“Well, I did make them a rather generous offer.”
Iris appeared beside me on the balcony of the spacious quarters I had secured for her, Erica, and Ainz.
Trie and I were accustomed to roughing it, sleeping on the ground in tents, but these three needed more comfortable accommodations.
They needed to be in top condition to perform at their best.
While they might seem fragile, they were capable of enduring incredible hardships on the battlefield, staying focused even after days without sleep.
Of course, security and protection were also factors in choosing their quarters.
“Ooh… A comfortable bed! It feels like it’s been ages.”
“….”
With a rustle of fabric, Iris turned and collapsed onto the bed.
She had been working tirelessly these past few days, gathering intelligence in the Fourth Castle, relaying messages to us, and treating the wounded.
Now, the exhaustion was catching up to her.
She nuzzled her cheek against the pillow, a blissful expression on her face.
It seemed a little… undignified for a Saintess.
“You’ve worked hard, Iris. It would have been a difficult task without you.”
“Smooth talker.”
“Hm?”
“You’ll say the same thing to the others, won’t you? But why say it to me now, alone, like this? It’s a little… obvious, don’t you think?”
“….”
She had misunderstood.
I felt responsible for dragging these university students onto the battlefield. I wanted to express my gratitude sincerely.
I hadn’t meant for it to come across as… flirtatious.
“That wasn’t my intention.”
“Oh? And what was your intention?”
“….”
If rumors spread that I was trying to seduce the Saintess, I would be buried alive before sunrise.
I had to clarify this.
“I wasn’t trying to… curry favor with you.”
“Of course not. I know you wouldn’t do that.”
“….”
I expected her to continue teasing me, but she fell silent. She turned away, and I assumed she had fallen asleep.
I approached the bed to cover her with a blanket, when—
“What are you doing? Approaching a sleeping lady like that?”
“I was just going to cover you with a blanket.”
“Really? I’ll believe you… for now.”
She grinned, and I found the expression both irritating and strangely unfamiliar. Had she always been capable of such a playful smile?
I turned to leave, but a sudden question struck me.
“Iris, do you still see the future?”
“Yes.”
“Have you… seen anything about me? About me dying or being injured in this war?”
“….”
“If you have, please tell me. I need to know so I can—”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Schlus. I’ll take care of everything. It would only complicate things if you knew the future.”
She had a point.
The fewer people who knew the future, the less chance there was of altering it.
In the past, I would have been filled with anxiety at her cryptic words. But now, I trusted her completely. She would sacrifice her own life to save others.
“You really don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure you return home safe and sound, to the arms of your loved ones.”
“I don’t have any family, Iris.”
“I know.”
“…?”
That was… unexpectedly harsh.
I was still trying to process her words when I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs.
Bang!
“Whoa! You got us a hotel? Schlus, you’re more thoughtful than I thought… Uh…?”
“Erica, you’re here.”
The door flew open, revealing Erica.
Her face, flushed with excitement from the residents’ welcome, slowly hardened as she took in the scene.
“What are you two doing…?”
“Ah.”
I realized I was leaning over Iris, who was lying on the bed.
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“I got a little lost, but I finally made it!”
Alexia stood proudly in the scorching desert sun, chest puffed out.
In the distance, she could see a city nestled around an oasis. After days of wandering, tricked by mirages, this one was real.
“Whoa! When did this town get so big?!”
Entering the city, Alexia gasped.
Just a few centuries ago, it had been a small village of a dozen families. Now, it was a bustling metropolis.
The reason for its rapid growth wasn’t the oasis, large as it was. The land was too barren for agriculture.
The true catalyst was the Freya Empire.
Decades ago, the combined human forces of Freya and Trud had invaded the desert under the pretense of reclaiming holy ground.
This city, known as the Desert Outpost, was a key trading hub connecting the Empire to the desert.
Its large population was sustained by the Empire’s agricultural output.
Thanks to this influx of resources, the Desert Outpost had become a thriving city with a large elven population, a strange anomaly in a land that wasn’t their own.
“I should be able to find him easily!”
Alexia weaved through the noisy marketplace, dodging stray camels, her eyes scanning the crowds.
Majin’s lived for eons.
Their essence, solidified over millennia, didn’t change easily. He wouldn’t be much different from how he was centuries ago.
Confident in her intuition, she continued her search, and—
“Found you!”
She spotted him near the residential district. Her eyes lit up, and she hurried towards him.
“Alright, kids, see this coin?”
“Yes!”
A poncho-clad man with narrow eyes stood surrounded by a group of children.
He held up a coin, showing it to them before closing his fist around it.
“Now, for this magic trick, I need your help. Can you give the coin some of your energy?”
“Energy?”
“That’s right. Just blow on my fist, one at a time.”
“Ah!”
The man held out his fist, and the children puffed out their cheeks, blowing on it one by one.
Some of them accidentally sprayed saliva on his hand, but the man didn’t seem to mind, maintaining a cheerful smile.
“Pffft!”
“Good job. Next.”
“Hoooo!”
“Excellent. Last one?”
“Pffffffffffft!!!”
“….”
A girl—no, a grown woman—with a bright red face blew on his fist with all her might.
The man’s smile faltered.
Someone who shouldn’t be here was here.
“What are you doing here, Alexia?”
“Hey! Keep going! You were doing a magic trick!”
“Alright, kids, I think that’s enough for today.”
“Aww…”
The man clapped his hands, and the disappointed children dispersed.
The most disappointed of all, however, was the childish woman—the Majin.
“Magic! I wanted to see the magic!”
“You can do magic too, Alexia.”
“But I have to use spells! You just rub your hands together and the coin disappears! Isn’t that amazing?!”
“Haha…”
A being capable of destroying the entire city was impressed by a simple sleight of hand.
The man smiled, watching Alexia stomp her foot in frustration.
She hadn’t changed at all.
“You still love kids, I see.”
“And you still act like one.”
“Hee hee! So you admit you like me?!”
“I like children, but I don’t like childish adults.”
“That’s mean!”
The Majin known as the Magician.
Since arriving in the human world, he had become obsessed with caring for children, establishing orphanages across the continent.
Alexia found him utterly bizarre.
He had been traveling with a circus troupe, performing magic shows. It seemed he hadn’t changed his ways.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I just wanted to… take a look at your heart!”
“…?”
The Magician flinched, but quickly regained his composure.
Skipping pleasantries and getting straight to the point was Alexia’s trademark. He was just relieved she wasn’t planning to subdue him and forcibly examine his heart.
“Go ahead. Be my guest.”
“Thanks!”
The Magician spread his arms wide.
Alexia approached him, a cheerful smile on her face, and placed her hand on his left chest.
She carefully examined the flow of energy within.
She could see his heart beating, pumping mana through his intricate internal circuits. She could see the Majin’s power within. A power that would be considered transcendental by human standards.
“Huh?!”
Alexia stumbled back, her eyes wide with shock.
She stared at the Magician, who maintained his usual serene expression, her hands trembling.
She couldn’t bring herself to ask. She was afraid of what he would say.
“You… you didn’t… detach your power, did you?!”
“Haha. You caught me.”
“Why?! Why would you do that?! You’ll become mortal!”
Detaching one’s power meant relinquishing immortality.
Alexia couldn’t comprehend why he would choose mortality. It sent a chill down her spine.
There had been another Majin like this.
A Majin who had squandered his power, trying to elevate humanity.
“How much time do you have left?”
“About ten years.”
“Ten years! How much power did you give away?!”
“Hahaha. Quite a bit. But don’t worry. I didn’t give enough to any one person to disrupt the human world. They were all frail children, on the verge of death. I just gave them enough to live out their natural lifespans.”
“Oh…”
Alexia was stunned.
She knew he loved children, but she hadn’t realized he had been sacrificing his own lifespan to help them.
His perpetual smile seemed… tragic today.
“Sob! Hic! You should have told someone! There aren’t many of us left! It makes me sad to think there are even fewer now!”
“I’m sorry. I was planning to announce it at a meeting, closer to the end…”
“That’s awful! What are you, a child?! Announcing your death at the last minute so everyone can feel sad and regretful? Do you enjoy that?”
“Haha. That stings. Perhaps I’ve become like a child, spending so much time with them.”
“Announce it now! Give everyone time to prepare!”
“Alright…”
The Magician sighed, looking at Alexia’s tear-streaked face.
He had been so focused on his singular purpose that he hadn’t considered the feelings of his fellow Majin’s. He hadn’t considered the grief they would feel at losing one of their own.
“By the way, are you sure you didn’t accidentally give too much power to anyone?”
“I’m fairly certain I didn’t.”
Alexia, having wiped away her tears, had regained her usual energy.
The Magician stroked his chin, thinking back.
He had distributed his power evenly. He hadn’t given any one person an excessive amount.
“Do you know a boy named Schlus Hainkel?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know what he looks like? Was he one of the children you gave your power to—?”
“No. I remember every child I helped. I’ve never met Schlus Hainkel.”
“I see!”
Another dead end.
Alexia felt the mystery deepening.
If it wasn’t the Magician, then who was behind Schlus’s power?
The Magician was relatively well-known.
Finding the other Majin’s would be much more difficult.
“Are you really going to search for every single Majin on the continent?”
“Yes! But I’m tired of it! I’m calling a meeting!”
“A… a meeting?”
A Majin Conclave.
A meeting called only in times of existential crisis.
The summons would be transmitted through their powers, regardless of their location or activity.
Upon receiving the call, all Majin’s would gather at the Highest Place to discuss the threat to their existence.
“Are you crazy?! Why would you waste your once-in-a-lifetime meeting on this?!”
“To announce your death! Since you won’t do it, I will! Got a problem with that?!”
“No… no problem at all…”
The Magician took a step back, a wry smile on his face.
Alexia hadn’t changed.
She still wept for the death of every Majin, her heart both fragile and strong.
If she was calling a Conclave, there had to be more to it than just announcing his death.
The Magician could already feel the winds of change blowing across the continent.
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