Chapter 68

EP.68 Aftermath (4)

The main street is noisy.

Everyone is busy talking about the unprecedented incident that recently occurred.

There was indeed a significant event.

The black barrier that covered the Harmain Forest.

The mana poisoning of the Aphria students.

The resurgence of the demon terror in Aphria.

Each of these incidents was worthy of a special report.

They happened one after another.

And they all took place at the Aphria Academy in the capital.

Given that the Aphria Academy is where the children of many noble families gather, the repercussions are significant.

The royal family would have wanted to keep the incident as quiet as possible... but it didn't go as planned. There were simply too many witnesses to conceal the truth.

More accurately, there were many who witnessed the barrier.

The black barrier that appeared that day was also a symbol of a certain mage.

'A barrier like a black wave.'

At first, it couldn't be identified due to its wave-like form... but when one thinks calmly, the answer comes quickly.

The barrier, whose method of dismantling was only recently known.

The ancient lich Skeval's barrier.

In other words, it means that Skeval was behind this incident. A notorious figure known as a calamity appeared in the capital. Newspapers flooded in. Rumors spread like wildfire.

At this point, a question arises.

'What on earth...'

It's strange to think about it.

Despite such a notorious figure appearing in the capital, there were no casualties.

Then.

'Who on earth dealt with Skeval?'

Who solved this incident?

The academic staff of Aphria speak in unison.

A hero appeared.

The hero stood against the barrier.

The public is informed in this manner. The hero, the knights, and the special forces, the Hounds, defeated Skeval together.

However, the reality is different.

Only a handful of Hounds who participated in the operation know the truth.

That there was a gray mage there.

* * *

Immediately after the incident, the Hounds, wearing mana-blocking robes, thoroughly searched the Harmain Forest.

It should have been a task that could be completed in a day... but the saturated mana in Harmain couldn't be blocked even by the mana-blocking robes.

As a result, the work is slow.

The Hounds, who were investigating the forest slowly, finally discovered something deep within.

"Senior, this is..."

"...Yes. I see it."

The place where the battle with Skeval is presumed to have taken place.

A few Hounds gathered there. One of them approached the scene.

"..."

Hound, Kalt, looked at the scene and thought.

'What a mess...'

Kalt sighed inwardly.

The scene before him resembled a wasteland.

Trees were uprooted here and there.

The ground was cracked, and there were numerous marks of something being slammed and dragged.

And, these marks were different from sword marks.

They were not the traces of cuts or stabs.

The traces of spells colliding.

The marks left by impact spells.

And.

'Ash.'

Kalt smiled bitterly.

The scene of the incident contained more information than expected. The Hounds, who had been trained to extract such information, knew this well.

"Senior, this is..."

Some of the Hounds found the answer at the scene.

It wasn't a difficult problem to solve. After all, only one person could leave such unique marks.

"Yes."

Kalt said calmly.

"There are traces of the gray mage, Laniel, being involved."

There was no hesitation in revealing the truth of the incident.

It was because the content had already been discussed.

-Anyway, it's hard to hide that I did it.

-Even if it were a lesser being, it would be hard to hide and fight, let alone Skeval.

Kalt stepped into the center of the scene.

The Hounds followed behind him.

-So, did you leave a letter or something?

-I left it under the tree that looked the least damaged. You can take it and report it.

He reached out to the letter placed under the tree.

The seal of the gray mage, Laniel, was stamped on it. Kalt opened the letter and checked its contents.

"Hmm."

Kalt nodded slightly and looked at the Hounds. Their gazes were fixed on the letter he held.

With their gazes on him, Kalt spoke.

"Laniel's involvement has been confirmed. I will deliver this letter to the royal family."

"...Kalt senior?"

Some of the Hounds asked.

"What did the letter say?"

Their eyes were filled with a strange sense of anticipation. Kalt pondered for a moment and then answered according to what was written in the letter.

"...It says that he had to leave for an important matter and entrusted the cleanup to us."

"An important matter?"

"That's what it says. I don't know the details."

Of course, it was a lie.

Kalt remembered Laniel's figure as he left to grade exams.

'...I can't just tell the truth.'

Kalt sighed as he watched the Hounds start to speculate.

"Get to work. We need to finish by today."

2.

The 4th Princess, Ayla.

She widened her eyes and asked.

Her gaze was directed at her bodyguard, Havel, standing at the door.

"Havel? What did you just say?"

"...It's said that Laniel was involved in this incident. Contrary to what is known to the public."

As he answered, Havel placed a document on the table.

Ayla quickly flipped through the document Havel handed over.

"So, the subjugation of Skeval wasn't done by the hero alone...?"

Ayla raised her head.

"It was closer to Laniel doing it alone?"

"Yes, the Hounds judged it that way. They said it was hard to find any traces of the holy sword being used."

The traces left by the holy sword are unique.

A light cluster remains on the strike. This light doesn't easily fade and dispels mana.

'The absence of such traces means...'

The holy sword wasn't used.

Ayla frowned.

"...Why wasn't this fact announced to the public? I thought most people believed the hero did it."

She gave Havel a discontented look.

'Isn't this completely stealing the credit?'

She doesn't dislike the hero.

However, from Ayla's perspective, who admires Laniel more, this was a very unpleasant matter.

"...It's because Laniel specifically requested that his involvement not be revealed."

"What?"

Ayla tilted her head at the answer.

Havel added, as if he had misunderstood her reaction.

"The royal family did pay the subjugation reward and compensation to Sir Roselle, though."

"Wait, what do you mean by not revealing his involvement? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, it's said that Laniel left a letter at the scene. That's the content of the letter."

You'll see when you check the report.

Ayla turned her gaze back to the document as Havel spoke.

After flipping through a few pages, she found a page where the letter discovered at the scene was transcribed. Ayla skimmed through it. It was a straightforward letter.

The gist of it was as follows:

Do not reveal his involvement.

Decline all offers that come to him.

He has no intention of returning to the knights or any similar group for the time being.

It only talked about conveying the message plainly.

As she read on, she eventually reached the last sentence. This sentence was different from the ones above.

The content left for the Hounds who would first check the letter.

-I have to leave for an important matter.

-I entrust the cleanup to you.

Ayla narrowed her eyes.

'An important matter?'

What could it be?

Ayla summarized the current situation.

The gray mage, who had been untraceable for months after retiring, suddenly appeared. And there was a reason for his appearance.

'The attack by the ancient lich, Skeval, on the capital.'

The attack was thwarted in advance, but if the response had been just a bit slower... the damage would have been uncontrollable.

Indeed, it was an incident worthy of the gray mage's appearance.

The disappointing part is what happened afterward.

'After handling such a significant incident...'

Without saying much, and without revealing his identity, the gray mage disappeared. Leaving only a letter saying he had an important matter to attend to.

"Hmm..."

Ayla blinked, resting her chin in her hand.

'What on earth is he doing?'

It's unknown.

He has always been a bit mysterious, so he must have his reasons. Ayla mumbled, recalling the gray mage in her memory.

"...I'm disappointed."

Stella, the girl loved by the stars.

Is her talent not omnipotent? Ayla felt regret for missing the long-awaited meeting.

"I wanted to meet him."

There were things she wanted to say.

Ayla opened her drawer. Inside were dozens of sealed letters.

The gray mage, Laniel.

These were letters she had written since childhood, intending to send them to him. She had hesitated and never sent them.

Ayla took out the most recent one she had written. She had finally decided to send it, but now it couldn't be sent.

Because the gray mage had retired.

There was no way to deliver the letters to him. Even through his mentor, Roselle, it wasn't certain.

'Sir Roselle said he couldn't determine Laniel's whereabouts.'

It wasn't certain.

Ayla idly flipped through the surface of the letter, feeling late regret.

'If I had known, I should have sent at least one before he retired.'

Ayla sighed deeply.

"There's something I really need to tell him."

3.

Knock knock.

"Come in."

I leaned my head out to look at the door.

A student stood there.

"Resty?"

"Hello, Professor Lania."

She bowed her head slightly.

"What brings you here?"

"I think I should return this. And I have some questions..."

I glanced at the clock for a moment. I was just about to go for a cup of coffee.

"Wait a moment."

I wrapped myself in the cape hanging on the chair and stood up.

"Do you like coffee?"

"Huh?"

"Let's talk over a cup of coffee. Come on."

Author's Note (Afterword)

I posted this a bit earlier today!

It was written a bit faster :D