Chapter 1

### Chapter 1: Prologue

In the year I turned thirteen, a hero came to find me at the magic tower. She was a beauty with snow-white hair and golden eyes.

"You're said to be a genius magician, but you're just a cute little kid?"

At that moment, I remember I was silently sorting books.

"Um...?"

"..."

"Um...?"

I didn't mean to ignore her; I just had a lot on my mind.

"I'm not a genius or a kid. My name is Rin."

Feeling a bit sorry for me, she answered while putting a book back on the shelf, and her face lit up. She then chased me around like a puppy for a while.

"Liar! You're a 4-star magician at thirteen? There's no precedent in the empire's history!"

"..."

"And you're so short, you're definitely a kid! Why should I treat you like an adult? But you still need someone to change your diapers, right? If you join our party, I'll change them every day!"

Then she covered her mouth and giggled. I was a bit taken aback. This woman was a hero? The world must be coming to an end. Or maybe it already has.

I remember giving a slight smile.

Even though it was just a slight smile, she lit up even more than I did.

"You're smiling now...?"

That's when I became interested.

I had rarely been intrigued by anyone before. Such a strange person.

"My name is Rista Alter Shirpen. I'm the FakeWarrior of the Holy Dragon Order."

She said that the world was entering summer, and the Abyss was rampant in the South Pole, so they needed my help. This was the so-called Hero Party.

There were two other famous people.

Kies, one of the Five Stars of the Holy Human Empire, and Pride, a shaman from the Dragon Republic.

"I don't want to die."

"No one wants to die."

"Are the other two as interesting as Rista?"

Rista put her finger to her cheek and thought for a moment before giving a strange answer.

"They're both as crazy as me, but there's something even more interesting."

"What is it?"

When I showed interest, Rista smiled like a girl sharing a teenage secret.

"The world."

The world.

To me, who had lived in the magic tower since being picked up by the headmaster from the slums, the word had a strange resonance.

And so, I joined the party.

Kies was a mute archer whose accuracy plummeted if he didn't drink, and Pride was a shaman who was a heavy smoker, always lighting up whenever she got the chance.

"You're a shaman of the Fire Dragon, shouldn't you be able to breathe fire?"

She would then blow smoke in my face and laugh maniacally. But both of them were incredibly skilled, and we did well.

We fought for five years.

Throughout our journey, Rista always teased me.

"Rin, you can't fall in love with me, okay?"

"Rin, when it's all over, why don't we go on a trip together?"

"I'm worried that you're so pure, you might get tricked by another woman."

And so, five years...

Finally, on the eve of the final battle, I am being consumed by a dark poison that is eroding my soul, and I am dying.

My remaining lifespan is... not much.

"Rin, snap out of it, Rin! Please... Pride, what are you doing!"

"The poison is too strong."

Pride was crying.

"I can't do anything... This... might... be fatal..."

"I won't die, who says I'll die!"

"I don't want to die..."

"I know, I won't let you die. Just hold on a little longer."

Coughing up blood, I showed her my chest, which was turning black, revealing the symbol of the immortality magic I had developed over four years of research.

"Actually... I created this magic... before..."

It was a magic that would freeze my body into a forced hibernation state, then heal and restore it through healing amplification spells and sacred incantations.

If my calculations were correct, that is.

Of course, I don't know how long it will take. I might be in hibernation for the rest of my life. But it's the only option.

"I'll come back... so you have to win..."

My remaining lifespan is just a moment.

Before it was too late, I activated the magic, and my body began to be covered in ice from my toes.

Rista, with tears streaming down her face, tightly held my hand.

"It's a promise, Rin. We'll meet again. You promised to come back, right?"

Rista was beautiful when she smiled. But now, she seemed even more beautiful when she cried.

"Sure, it's a promise."

And my consciousness slipped into the cold. A sense of floating and emptiness, like sinking into a tepid swamp...

I had a strange lingering attachment to life.

Did I want to see the end of the grand 7-star magic system of the empire? To travel this vast and wide world with my party members...

Darkness.

Darkness.

Darkness.

Darkness.

Darkness.

Just as I was about to give up, my eyelids suddenly lifted.

Warm sunlight.

And a refreshing spring breeze.

The life force gently caressing my body.

"Rain, are you okay?"

I blinked dazedly, and my mother grabbed my shoulder. The thought that flashed through my mind was jarring.

Mother?

A mother...?

I was an orphan, wasn't I?

The golden square was dazzling. The scorching heat of the southern region and the muffled cries of the Abyss were nowhere to be heard.

Where am I...?

In the depths of my mind, the memories of Rin, who died at eighteen, and Rain, who was nine, were chaotically intertwined.

"Where are we...?"

"The Hero Square of the Papal Palace. The statues here are in memory of Rista's party. Don't you like it?"

I quietly looked up at the statues that had been weathered over the ages. They were all familiar faces.

Hero, Rista.

Archer, Kies.

Shaman, Pride.

And me... Rin.

A deep sorrow welled up in my chest. The inscription on the pedestal told the story of the ages.

They're all dead...?

The lifespan of a FakeWarrior, who had enhanced their power through body modification, was short, so Rista's death was expected.

I tried to accept it.

"Mother, what year is it now?"

"Why are you suddenly so formal? Stop it, it's scary."

"What year is it?"

"It's the year 1418 of the Tersia calendar."

1418...?

It seemed I had awakened in an era about 300 years after Rin's time.

Was I reborn, or was my memory overlaid...?

It felt like an indescribable nightmare. 300 years away from Rista's laughter, Kies's drunkenness, and Pride's cigarette smoke.

"Did we win?"

It was a meaningless question.

If we had won, the statues would be here, and the sky would be this peaceful.

"Can you see the tower of the Papal Palace? They say the body of the Great Magician Rin is still there, completely frozen, just as it was."

"Is that so?"

"And they say Rista stayed by her side until the end. What a beautiful and tragic story, isn't it?"

It was ironic.

To me, the final battle was just moments ago, but it seemed like a legend from hundreds of years ago.

"Why are you laughing? It's a sad story."

"Just... because you kept your promise."

I had just made that promise, and her touch on my right hand was still vivid...

"Rain?"

My mother tilted her head, confused by what I was saying.

"But someone didn't keep their promise."

Muttering under my breath, I caressed the inscription on the pedestal, and hot tears streamed down my cheeks, quietly and helplessly.

"I didn't keep it..."

* * *

According to the records of the three people, I had become a historical figure of immense importance.

Elemental Master.

Master of multiple calculations.

I received a huge reward and a medal of honor from the emperor of the Holy Human Empire, and several magic towers and magical families described me as a saint.

The 11th Great Magician, a trivial title.

During the 300 years, only one other Great Magician reached the 5-star level, and the position is currently vacant.

'Now, there's really nothing left.'

I thought absently.

All I have left is magic.

The memories of traveling to many places, and the brilliant smiles of my companions in those memories, have become legends of old stories.

Memories are only memories when they can be shared with someone, Rista used to tell me.

So, the memories I have are not memories.

Until the day I die.

They are unanswered echoes that I must carry alone.

'At least, I remember feeling regret about not achieving more in magic before I died.'

The Holy Human Empire had systematized vast-scale magic into the 'Imperial 7-star Magic System.'

1-star: Common Magician, Pandoran.

2-star: Intermediate Magician, Limitis.

3-star: High Magician, Atlas.

4-star: Supreme Magician, Glados.

5-star: Great Magician, Aquizad.

I had reached the 5-star level. From 6-star onwards, one is called a Sage, and only two people in imperial history have ever reached this pinnacle of truth.

'If I hadn't followed Rista, I might have reached the 6-star level before I died of old age.'

But I would have definitely regretted it.

Even if I could turn back time, I would follow her and travel again and again.

'But now, Rista is gone...'

So, I will fulfill the dream I couldn't in my past life in this life.

'This time, I will see the truth.'

It is said that those who reach the end of magic and the truth can see through the true nature of the world.

– I want this world to be full of laughter.

Rista said that.

I will see with the eyes of truth whether the world we fought so hard to protect is truly like that.

So, let's do our best.

To forget this piercing sorrow and emptiness, I will whip myself.

Before leaving the square.

I looked up at the statues one last time, slowly closed my eyes, and recalled the unanswered echoes.

– Rin, over here! Look at these flowers!

Rista.

And Pride.

– This flower field is too romantic for a kid like you.

Kies, who always expressed his feelings by ruffling my hair because he couldn't speak.

– Reading another magic book would be better. What's so good about this...

And me, always grumbling.

Even though I always pushed you away, the truth is, I enjoyed traveling with you... so much.

"Rista, Kies, Pride."

I quietly savored their names, prayed that my voice would reach their spirits, and said my final farewell.

"Now, goodbye..."

The dead remain in the past.

The living cannot reverse the flow of time, so they must move forward.

I convinced myself of this, unable to let go of my feet.

My second life began like this.