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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Atop the highest peak on the continent, shrouded in thick fog and swirling snow, a man ascended the endless staircase.
He climbed the broken, crumbling steps, unfazed by the biting wind and freezing temperatures, until he reached a massive temple.
As he stepped inside, a flash of light and a clap of thunder echoed through the chamber.
“Why are you so late? We’ve been waiting for five days, Traveler.”
“Ignore Tirpitz! Come warm yourself by the fire! She’s just pretending to be angry! You know how she is!”
“Who’s pretending, Alexia?!”
The Majin Meeting.
A smile touched the man’s lips as he saw the Majins gathered together. Tirpitz was still as boisterous and easily angered as ever.
Alexia was still as playful and carefree.
“If you had been a day later, I would have left. I was dying of boredom.”
“Ha ha ha. Then you would have been caught by Tirpitz and Alexia.”
“Shut up, Magician.”
But some of the Majins seemed different. ‘Madman’ was still as volatile as ever, but his violence seemed… tempered. And ‘Magician,’ who had once rampaged through the human world, earning him the nickname ‘Madman,’ now seemed strangely gentle.
Hundreds of years was enough time for mountains and rivers to change, let alone the rapidly evolving humans. It wasn’t surprising that the Majins had changed as well.
“Traveler, why are you wearing prison garb?”
“Ah, this?”
The man, embarrassed, looked down at his attire. A prisoner’s uniform, his arms bound tightly to his chest.
The Majin, called Traveler, ripped the garment apart, freeing his arms, and scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.
“It’s a long story.”
“More importantly, why are you so late? With a Majin’s power, you could have been here in an hour. Don’t tell me you’ve lost your powers.”
“Of course not. I just wanted to finish my sentence.”
“Excuse me?”
“I only had four days left. I didn’t want to make things difficult for the guards by escaping. And I had an artifact to make for a human.”
“…”
Tirpitz, her head throbbing, decided not to ask. Traveler was always getting into trouble, disappearing and reappearing without explanation. She didn’t want to hear another one of his rambling, pointless stories.
“So, who called this meeting?”
“Me! I did!”
Alexia raised her hand the moment Traveler sat down.
The other Majins stared at her in surprise. It seemed she hadn’t revealed the reason for the meeting until now, due to the rule that the meeting couldn’t officially begin until all Majins were present.
“Alexia? Why?”
“I’ll explain.”
Magician stood up and walked to the center of the room. He wrung his hands, then spoke.
“I’ve been sharing my power with sick children. For over thirty years. I’m dying, everyone.”
“…”
The Majins gasped.
A Majin giving up their immortality? It meant they would be reduced to four.
“Ha. Don’t tell me you’re going to die in two thousand years? How much longer do you have?”
“About three years.”
“…”
Even Madman fell silent.
Three years.
A blink of an eye for a Majin who had lived for thousands of years. They had witnessed the deaths of countless Majins, but a Majin choosing to die was… unfamiliar.
“Don’t worry. I’ve lived a full life since arriving in the human world. Three years is longer than you think, if you savor every moment.”
“But Magician, you—”
“We still have important matters to discuss.”
“Ahem.”
Sensing the somber mood, Magician returned to his seat, yielding the floor to Tirpitz.
While Alexia had called the meeting to announce Magician’s impending death, another issue had arisen.
“We’ll postpone our farewell to Magician… Let’s move on to the next item. Those of you who have interacted with humans might have noticed.”
“What is it? I just want to punch that arrogant Magician in the face.”
“If you hit me, I might actually die. I barely have any power left…”
“Could you both be quiet? The issue is the unidentified force that has appeared in the Empire.”
“An unidentified force?”
A smile touched Traveler’s lips, but he quickly schooled his expression.
“Yes. The force that attacked the Imperial University twice and released the ancient monster, Untier. You all must have seen the blue light that pierced the sky. That was Schlus Hainkel destroying Untier.”
“Hmm… Hmm…? Then this isn’t the time to be discussing unidentified forces! Who is this Schlus Hainkel, and how did he defeat Untier?!”
“That’s not important.”
“It is important! Am I the only one who’s hearing this name for the first time? Or the second time? Am I the only one who doesn’t know him?”
“…”
Madman, embarrassed by the silence, scratched the back of his head. It seemed the others were aware of Schlus Hainkel.
“I’ve come to accept it. Schlus Hainkel’s eccentricities are… numerous.”
“It’s a bottomless pit. It’s best to think of him as a rare human anomaly, like Gawayn.”
“…”
Alexia puffed out her cheeks as Magician and Tirpitz spoke.
She suspected Schlus had received the power of a Majin, but she didn’t want to contradict Tirpitz, especially not when the meeting had already gone off track.
“We need to focus on the issue at hand. This terrorist group appears to be a religious cult. There are two unusual things about them. First, they harbor an intense hatred for Schlus Hainkel and the Empire. And second—”
“What’s so unusual about that?! They’re just a typical terrorist group! Since when do we interfere in human affairs? That’s a violation of the treaty!”
“It’s not just a human affair. Listen, Madman. The second unusual thing is that traces of a Majin’s power have been detected in some of their blood.”
“…”
The temple fell silent.
Tirpitz had stated only facts, but everyone understood her implication. She was suggesting that one of the Majins was controlling a human force to overthrow the Empire.
Interfering in human affairs was a direct violation of the peace treaty. It could lead to another devastating war.
“Isn’t it Magician? He’s shared so much of his power that he only has three years left to live! Did he order them to overthrow the Empire?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Magician isn’t that kind of person!”
“Why are you defending him, Alexia?!”
“Because he’s my friend!”
“Everyone, be quiet!”
Tirpitz clapped her hands, silencing the commotion.
As the representative of the Majins, she had a duty to maintain order. She decided not to accuse Magician directly. He had an alibi.
He hadn’t been anywhere near the capital for hundreds of years.
“This is a simple matter. We just need to examine our hearts to confirm that our powers are intact. Madman, shall we start with you?”
“Me? Why me? Alexia already checked me! She forced me down and—”
“Just to be sure, let’s do it again—”
“No! I refuse! You’re accusing me of violating the treaty and demanding to examine my heart again? What do you take me for?! Fight me first, Tirpitz, and then you can check!”
“Haa…”
Madman growled, his fighting spirit flaring.
Tirpitz sighed.
He would eventually be subdued, so why was he making such a fuss? But his words were important. He had agreed to be examined after a fight.
Tirpitz clenched her fists, about to accept his challenge when—
“I forfeit.”
“Excuse me?”
“I refuse to be examined. Under any circumstances.”
“…”
Traveler raised his hands and spoke calmly.
Tirpitz stared at him in disbelief.
She had forgotten what kind of creatures Majins were.
Selfish, primal, uncooperative… It could take decades, even centuries, for them to act unless they were directly threatened.
“Ugh…”
The investigation had hit a dead end.
Tirpitz closed her eyes in frustration.
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A short note. It wasn’t delivered by mail. I had found it tucked into the saddle of my black horse at the stable.
I never took Emilia to the stable.
The fact that the note had been left there, despite the urgency, meant it was intended to be kept secret from Emilia.
That narrowed down the possibilities. And the writing style… it could only be one person.
Hertlocker.
‘The usual address…’
He was talking about the place filled with memories of our… encounters.
While we had shared some… interesting moments in the sewers of the old district and the square in the new district, there was one place that stood out.
The house where the Crows had held Hertlocker captive. The underground house I had later purchased from Jin.
‘It’s not a trap, is it?’
I wouldn’t be surprised if I walked in and found myself blinded and punched in the face.
The chances of that happening were low now that Emilia was my hostage… or so I wanted to believe. He might have already figured out that there was no spell on Emilia’s heart.
I descended the stairs, tense and alert, ready for an ambush.
“What the…?”
“Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!”
The scene before me was strangely familiar.
Someone was tied up, a hood covering their head, muffled groans echoing through the room.
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