Chapter 1

Death is insignificant and fleeting.

Yet, death can also be exceedingly long.

Long enough for one to trace back through the errors, sorrows, pains, and regrets of an entire lifetime.

The sky was stained with a thin ink, carrying the unique silence before dawn. Midei Astelarix, clad in tattered armor, holding a broken longsword, sat atop a mountain of corpses, quietly awaiting the arrival of the new day's dawn.

The landing battle that lasted for three days and three nights had finally ended. Under his ingenious tactical planning, the enemy was surrounded and suffered losses numbering in the tens of thousands, including three mobile fortresses more powerful than dragons. In contrast, his own side's sacrifices were less than ten thousand. Moreover, the gate to the heavens finally became unobstructed after this battle.

Could this be considered a glorious victory?

However, for Midei, who had personally won this victory, it was just another routine scene.

And perhaps the last scene.

The taste of rust rising from the depths of his tongue and the emptiness of being completely drained of life made him realize that he was about to die.

There was no fear, no resistance, and no regret. Midei closed his eyes slightly and waited for death to come with great calmness.

But gradually, his thoughts became chaotic.

In the past, he had been a noble from a prestigious family, but due to the anomalies brought by the Great Transfer and the invasion of the enemy country, his family was destroyed, and he had to begin his exile alone. He once had a team he could trust, but after countless hard battles, they eventually fell apart.

He had been forced to watch his family's destruction due to his weakness, missed victory due to his arrogance, and encountered various disasters and betrayals of different degrees. All along, he had gritted his teeth, paying the price with his life and the pain of his body, finally reaching this point.

However, after today, he would have to stop and rest here forever.

In the end, Midei's mind was filled with the two most important women in his life.

Fina, the "Queen of Magic Bullets," with her bright red hair, stood alone, blocking the encirclement of the army for Midei, maintaining a confident smile even in the final moments.

Alicia, the "Mist Witch" with her flowing black hair, always cold and distant, sacrificed her life to shield Midei from a terrifying assassin's attack, passing on her magic and knowledge to him.

But Midei could not protect them, nor could he protect himself, ultimately ending up in this situation.

Was he still not strong enough?

Midei let out a deep sigh. Death was near, and he felt the icy chill emanating from the scythe of Death.

"If I could go back twenty years and start over..."

With his last sigh, Midei could no longer hold on and closed his eyes.

Then, he died.

In the year 1004 of the Arad calendar, Midei Astelarix, the last member of the once-renowned Falcon Trio, known as the "Sword of Death," silently fell on the battlefield of the heavens.

But at the moment his heart stopped beating, the ghost spirit residing in his left hand seemed to roar in defiance, bursting forth with a brilliant light.

In an instant, the entire heavens trembled.

Midei walked alone, wandering in the darkness. The pale light outlined the strange shadows at his feet, and the howling winds filled the space from all directions. The street scenes around him were a gray that could not be penetrated, sometimes repeating endlessly, and at other times completely transformed.

Suddenly, waves surged in this lonely world, and Midei, like a piece of wood in a great vortex, was powerless against this mysterious and overwhelming force. He could only submit to fate, sinking to the bottom of the sea, buried in this vast graveyard.

The next moment, the heavy black curtain shattered into a million pieces, and Midei opened his eyes.

Accompanied by the sound of rain and the crisp chill of early winter, a grand hall in the Victorian style appeared before Midei.

In the center of the hall was a heavy oak table, and the walls on both sides were adorned with finely crafted weapons. At the end, above the high-backed chair, the emblem of the Kingdom of Bellmar hung quietly, exuding an inviolable aura of authority.

Are there countries in hell? Midei thought with a mix of amusement and indifference, but the scene before him seemed strangely familiar, a strong sense of déjà vu that he couldn't quite place.

He instinctively looked up, gazing out the window.

There, countless silver threads of rain connected the sky and the earth, striking the tiled roofs and enveloping the city in a misty haze. On the streets, young men and women in uniforms walked with umbrellas, occasionally bursting into laughter. In the distance, a towering clock tower stood ancient and majestic, overlooking all.

This scene stirred the memories sealed deep within Midei's heart.

The next moment, the deep and resonant chime from the clock tower struck his eardrums like a massive battering ram, shattering the last line of defense.

This familiar sound finally brought it all back to Midei—wasn't this Hertonmar?

Wasn't he in the Bellmar Royal Magic Academy?

Twenty years ago, he had been training here as a swordsman, but before he could graduate, the large-scale anomalies and the fire in the Gran Forest occurred, followed by the invasion from the Delros Empire. These events were etched in Midei's memory, impossible to forget.

And now, the streets were peaceful and serene, clearly indicating that none of these events had happened yet.

How could he have returned to twenty years ago?

Was this a hallucination before death, or a maze in hell?

However, Midei had little time to think. Through the heavy air and the sound of the rain, strong and steady footsteps approached the room where he was.

One set of footsteps was steady and slow, while the other was light and almost musical. When Midei turned around, the door to the room opened.

"Sorry, Midei, for keeping you waiting." The first thing he saw was a middle-aged man with an awkward smile.

Midei tried to recall the man's name from his youth, but the next moment, he forgot about it.

From behind the middle-aged man, a girl appeared with strong and crisp footsteps.

Tall and slender, with legs that seemed to go on forever, an incredibly beautiful face, and... that striking red hair, like the autumn maples of Bellmar.

"Fina?" Midei drew a breath, subconsciously murmuring the name etched deep in his heart, a name he would never forget.

The sound of the rain outside, the words of the middle-aged man, even his own heartbeat and breathing, all faded away in that moment. In that instant, the ever-practical Midei suddenly realized that time could indeed be forgotten.

His consciousness felt weightless.

However, the red-haired girl, who was addressed by her first name, pursed her lips and looked displeased. Feeling the intense gaze on her, she couldn't help but frown.

"Everyone knows that the annual trial at the academy is next week," the middle-aged man quickly interjected, sensing the tension in the room.

"Students must form teams of four and head to the designated area to clear and eliminate the anomalous monsters. Coincidentally, Fina's team only has three members, and Midei has been on his own since he took leave. So, I think this is a good opportunity. Considering their professions, one a swordsman and the other a mage, the combination is quite reasonable. I believe you two will become good friends..."

"Save the pleasantries. I'll test his strength myself," the girl rudely interrupted the middle-aged man, her brows furrowed with undisguised anger. "Even though he's been forced on us, I won't make it difficult for him. But if he doesn't meet the standard, I'd rather go with a team of three. That's fair, right, Dean Lind?"

Faced with this assertive question, which didn't sound like it came from a student, Dean Lind had no way to counter. He could only nod, find an excuse, and leave the room as if fleeing.

For Dean Lind, who was not the true administrator of the academy but merely a minor viscount, this was his limit. However, out of kindness, he couldn't help but give a warning to the noble youth who seemed to be out of his depth—don't provoke the "Storm Queen" Fina Hamilton, who was already ready to explode.

Before closing the door, the dean gave Midei a sympathetic and apologetic look.

But Midei didn't see the warning.

Even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.

Suppressing the urge to rush forward and embrace the red-haired girl, Midei took a deep breath and extended his hand. "Hello, I'm Midei Astelarix. Nice to meet you."

On a calm winter morning, under a leaden sky, accompanied by the sound of rain, the two met again.

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