Chapter 7

EP.7 Period (Prologue Complete)

Restriction.

After tying up the unconscious soldiers and the centurion with a spell, I stood up. It took some time to directly construct the circuit on the spot, rather than releasing a pre-stored spell.

“Ow.”

As I straightened my back, a cracking sound was heard.

My whole body ached. It was a natural result of compensating for my inadequate physical abilities with spells. Spells that enhance speed or strength put a strain on the body.

I rotated my creaking shoulder and stepped outside the half-destroyed building. Powders fell with each movement.

“...”

Eventually, the barrier the maids talked about came into view. A thin, opaque film surrounding the half-destroyed building.

Distortion of vision.

Distortion of perception.

Two spells were visible to my eyes.

The barrier was so intricately set up that despite the chaos inside, it remained peaceful outside. There were people who glanced beyond the barrier, but they soon turned away.

It was an astonishingly intricate spell.

That intricacy gave me confidence.

‘It’s him, alright.’

This was indeed the magic of that skull. A barrier of this level could only be cast by him.

‘I have no idea what he’s planning...’

Honestly, I didn’t want to get involved any further.

Somehow, I felt more exhausted after retiring from the hero party.

“Sigh.”

I sighed and drew up mana. Then, I lightly touched the barrier.

-Crack, snap.

Given its intricate construction, it was easy to break once I found the seam. The barrier shattered with just a slight flow of mana.

-Crackle!

Black powder scattered.

The air inside the barrier, filled with murky magical energy, was finally released.

“Ugh!”

“What’s that smell...? Hey, look at that building!”

“Screeech!”

As the barrier dissolved, the street fell into chaos. I sat astride the starting point of the barrier, waiting for the guards to arrive.

“What’s going on here!”

“There, the building!”

“Is that not magical energy! Get the knights...”

I approached a guard who seemed to be in charge and called him over.

“Excuse me.”

“...Who are you?”

“Look over there.”

I pointed to the debris inside the building.

“There’s a maid inside, tied up. Please take her to the knights.”

“...What?”

“Details... Well, among the tied-up ones, there’s a kid in black armor. He’ll listen, so ask him...”

The guard frowned and interrupted me.

“No, miss. We’re a bit busy right now, so...”

“It’s not a joke.”

I took something out from inside my robe and waved it in front of the guard.

“...!”

The guard stiffened upon seeing it.

With wide eyes, he alternated his gaze between me and the emblem in my hand.

The emblem of the royal family.

What I showed the guard was a kind of emblem. A symbol of a recognized magician by the royal family. It was given to me by the royal family when I was appointed as the next head of the Ashen Tower.

‘This should prove my identity.’

The guard, now pale, bowed his head.

“I greet the royal magician! I apologize for not recognizing you!”

“Never mind, remember what I just said?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Make sure to handle it properly.”

“Yes, yes.”

The guard gestured to his colleagues, who rushed in the direction I pointed. I watched them for a moment before leaving.

* * *

I returned to the tavern I visited yesterday.

Naturally, the innkeeper didn’t recognize me, and I had to book a room again and ask him to do the same errand.

“Phew.”

Entering the room, I threw off my blood-soaked robe. The shirt I wore underneath was also stained with dark red blood.

‘What a mess.’

I took off the shirt and soaked it with the robe in a basin. I washed the blood from my hair and wiped my body with a wet towel.

“...”

After completing these actions, I suddenly looked at the mirror. Only then did I face the changes in my body. As expected, it wasn’t a pleasant sight to see with my own eyes.

Ashen hair that fell to my lower back.

Blue eyes with a hint of red.

My sharp eyes had softened, replaced by thick eyelashes.

What about my body?

My skin was pale and smooth, without a single callus. The soft curves of my body made me sigh.

Anti-Spell.

I tried it just in case, but there was no change in my body. It felt as if this had always been my body, and my mana didn’t detect any abnormalities.

Thus, it was impossible to remove the curse.

I didn’t even think it was recognized as a curse.

‘What the hell is this?’

It was an unreasonable situation, but...

Considering the medium of the curse, it made sense.

‘The black mist.’

A part of the Demon King’s body, a fragment of that curse.

A part of a monster that defied common sense. It was absurd to judge it by common standards.

However, a question still lingered.

‘Why, of all things, a physical transformation?’

I remembered the spell, the curse, the black mist had shot at me after consuming Rephe’s body.

Physical transformation, mental corruption, and one unknown effect.

It was strange to think about.

If they wanted to kill me, there were easier ways. If they had embedded my favorite low-level spell, Smite, into that mist, my body would have turned into a lump of meat.

‘But why go through all this trouble?’

I didn’t know.

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no answer.

“Sigh.”

What was the point of worrying?

I sighed and got out of bed. I sat on a chair in the room and placed my hands on the table to do the task I had been putting off.

I took out a luxurious piece of parchment, an envelope to hold it, and a pen that didn’t produce ink.

I infused the pen nib with mana.

Ashen mana dripped like ink. I pressed the mana firmly to write the words.

-Resignation.

A mere three-letter word.

Looking at the word stamped on the paper, I smiled bitterly. How long had it taken to write this simple word?

‘It’s so awkward.’

I felt something strange.

I had muttered to myself countless times that I should quit, that I should walk away... But seeing it written down made it feel more real.

‘I’d like to just write “I’m quitting because it’s fucking terrible” and send it...’

But I couldn’t do that.

I twirled the pen, deciding on the words to write. There was a lot I wanted to say.

Kail’s corruption.

Sara and Remia’s extravagance.

If I wanted to write about how fed up I was with all that, I could fill dozens of pages.

But I couldn’t do that.

I didn’t want to.

It wasn’t that I was particularly concerned about them. I was worried about the backlash that would come my way if I wrote a denunciation instead of a resignation letter.

‘Sara’s fanatics, Remia’s elf clan, Kail’s admirers among the knights.’

Receiving dozens of pages of petitions from such people...

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

If they knew where I was, it wouldn’t be a problem, but since they didn’t, those letters would all go to my master.

‘What a hassle.’

I didn’t want that.

Besides, I didn’t want to reveal the inner workings of the hero party to the uncle who would receive this letter.

“So, I need to package it appropriately...”

I thought about where to send this letter. The base of the knights who oversee mercenaries, the hero party, and adventurers fighting against the Demon King’s army.

The person who would receive this letter would likely be the knight commander. Since it’s a letter from a member of the hero party.

‘How much does that uncle know?’

The fact that we encountered the Demon King. The knight commander would know that. And the fact that we fled.

-...This must not be made public.

-You are the hope of humanity. It must not be known that you fled from the Demon King. I’m sorry, but please keep this a secret.

The knight commander had decided to keep this a secret.

However, he didn’t know the full details.

I used the Balance to escape from the Demon King and paid half of my lifespan to a star.

I deliberately didn’t tell him.

How could I tell him? The uncle who called us the hope of humanity, who always smiled at us.

The knight commander had dedicated his life to humanity more than anyone. He had spent his life fighting against demons, maids, and the Demon King’s army. I didn’t want to give him despair.

So, even though it was a lie, I had to hide it.

‘The fact that my lifespan is running out, and that Kail is corrupt...’

Still, I needed an excuse.

If I announced my resignation from the hero party, that uncle would be the first to come to me. He would try to persuade me, and if that didn’t work, he would try to put me in the knights.

‘Even if I look like this...’

But I didn’t want that.

So, I needed a plausible reason.

-In the past, I made a deal with a star to escape from the Demon King. I used the Balance.

-Of course, the cost of the deal was not significant.

-However, due to the side effects after the deal, I couldn’t fully escape from the Demon King. The curse of the Demon King, imprinted at that time, remains in my heart.

I mixed lies and truths.

I created a plausible reason centered around that incident.

-In the city of Kainak, I encountered a Succubus Queen.

-The Succubus Queen summoned a fragment of the Demon King through some means. Please refer to the enclosed crystal ball and report for more details.

After hesitating for a moment, I moved the pen again.

-The curse in my heart, activated by the black mist summoned by the Succubus Queen, has made it impossible for me to continue adventuring.

And I wrote the final sentence.

-Therefore, I, Ranier, declare my withdrawal from the battlefield.

-I will return the emblem that proves my membership in the hero party and the knights.

I placed the emblem inside the letter.

I carefully folded the letter, placed it in the envelope, and sealed it with mana.

“...”

Holding the letter in my hand, I remained still for a long time. Numerous thoughts raced through my mind.

It took a long time.

It really took a long time to write this letter.

‘I hoped I wouldn’t have to write it.’

I thought I would only leave the battlefield if I defeated the Demon King or died.

“Ah.”

The laugh that escaped me was bitter.

It was a mockery of my situation, and a mockery of Kail, who had pushed me away.

The edge of the letter crumpled under my finger.

“It’s really over now.”

Muttering these words, I flicked my finger. The spell inscribed on the letter reacted to my mana.

-Whoosh!

The letter was enveloped in ash-colored flames. No ashes fell. Feeling that the letter had been properly transmitted, I closed my eyes tightly.

-...Hey, Ranier.

-Our village burned down. My parents are dead. The village chief is dead. What do we do now?

-I’m... I’m going to become a noble’s slave. At least I can eat and survive.

-You... You had a talent for magic, didn’t you?

-...I’m envious.

“...”

-It was tough. What does that pig think of me?

-I really hate nobles.

-...Why are you giving me money? Don’t. It makes me feel bad. You’re you, and I’m me. I don’t want to borrow money from my only remaining childhood friend.

-Don’t make me miserable, Ranier.

That’s how it was.

-Hey, Ranier.

-I became a hero. I was chosen by a star. Look at this. This is the holy sword.

-Go with me, Ranier. Let’s defeat the Demon King. Let’s build achievements that no one can ignore. We’ll mock the nobles who looked down on our origins!

That’s how it started.

-We did it, we did it!

-Finally, we cut off the head of that black dragon! We, we killed one of the Four Kings, Ranier!

-It was impossible without your magic, Ranier! You... You’re really amazing. How did you manage to bind the dragon’s feet...!

-Ranier, you’re the best magician!

That’s how we progressed.

-...-Let’s stop, Ranier.

That’s how it was.

-I can’t do it anymore.

-I can’t, I can’t do it anymore, Ranier.

-I’m sorry. I’m sorry to you, but... I really... I can’t do it anymore. I don’t think I can slay that monster. I... I...

It all fell apart.

-Yeah.

-You’re always like that.

-You always shine brightly. Only you, only you shine. It’s painful to look at you.

“Sorry for always being like that, you bastard.”

Is it a sin to work hard, you bastard?

“...Take care of yourself.”

You damn brat.

Unlike when I spat those words out venomously, my voice now lacked strength.

I smiled bitterly at this realization and stood up.

That’s how I put a period at the end of my five-year journey.

I had no regrets.

Five years was too long to have any lingering feelings.