Devotion and Death
An overwhelming pressure slammed down on Lucas from nowhere.
“Stop. That’s enough.”
His breath hitched violently. Every instinct screamed the same warning: move and you die. The air itself had turned into a blade pressed against his throat.
“......”
“Heh heh… Sharp senses, young man. If you hadn’t frozen, I would have carved you apart.”
Lucas’s trembling gaze slid toward the voice. An old man with snow-white hair and round spectacles stood there. On the surface he looked perfectly ordinary, yet Lucas saw it clearly—the monstrous smile lurking behind the kindly mask.
He knew at once. This was the one who had created the undead knights.
What… exactly am I facing right now?
The thought echoed helplessly in his mind. The old man wasn’t strong. He simply was death. A soft, formless death that wore the shape of an elderly scholar. Standing on the precipice between life and the grave, Lucas felt true terror coil around his heart.
“To ruin someone else’s carefully crafted works like this… You have terrible manners, young man.”
“......”
“Oh dear, has your mind broken already?” The old man chuckled, peering at Lucas’s unfocused eyes. “What a shame. I went through the trouble of revealing myself despite the side effects of the restraints, and here you are, petrified.”
“......”
“Well, no matter. I’ve confirmed your skill is first-rate. Dealing with you now will make the upcoming academy raid far smoother.”
“……What did you just say?”
Lucas’s consciousness snapped back into focus. Academy. Raid. In an instant, a vision of catastrophe descending upon Reynolds Academy flashed through his mind.
“No…”
“Oh? You overcame the killing intent? More impressive than I expected.”
This was ruin. The old man was at least equal to his master—perhaps even stronger. The mere thought of him reaching out toward the students was unbearable.
Squelch—!
Lucas drove the dagger into his own abdomen. The searing pain jolted his fading mind back to clarity. He spat out the blood pooling in his mouth, eyes gleaming with venom.
The old man smiled in satisfaction. “Heh heh… Indeed, showing myself was worth it.”
“I cannot allow you to harm my students. Therefore……”
“Shall we stretch these old bones for the first time in a while?”
“I will stop you here.”
BOOOOM—!!
Lucas circulated every ounce of mana in his body with ferocious intensity. At the same time, he understood. This place would become his grave. The path he had walked through countless battlefields, losing so many along the way, had finally reached its end.
It had come so suddenly. Only days ago he had been teasing his fellow professors, training with Raiden, whispering love to his master. All those ordinary days now felt like nothing more than a dream. Every precious memory seemed to be denied in a single stroke.
“……At the very least, I’ll take one of your arms with me.”
It was empty and terrifying, but he had no time to hesitate. He had made a vow. In the moment when war and slaughter had left him drowning in despair, the smiles of those children had given him hope. To protect those smiles, he had resolved to give everything.
“So… that courage is devotion offered to others?”
“I’ll wipe that arrogant smirk off your face.”
“Heh heh… My blood is boiling. Do not disappoint me, young man.”
With a single leap the old man opened the distance, then beckoned with a relaxed expression. Lucas answered willingly, condensing mana into both hands.
“Stars, answer my call.”
"Stars, answer my call."
"Lend me your strength… one last time."
⟨ Full Bloom ⟩
White radiance burst from his fingertips. As Lucas gathered the flowing starlight, a wave of dizziness nearly made him stumble.
It was forbidden magic. A final flare that burned the caster’s remaining lifespan to reach the absolute limit of purification magic. A technique Lucas had sworn never to use again after the war.
Lucas… can you grant this old master one request?
Never, under any circumstances, use ‘that magic.’
You don’t have much time left anyway… Please, live for yourself.
Please… I don’t want to lose you too.
His lover’s sorrowful voice brushed past his ears. Bitter emotion rippled across his green pupils. Lucas left behind a final apology that would never reach her.
“I offer every remaining second of my lifespan—two years and four months.”
I’m sorry, Master. It seems this unworthy disciple will leave first. I broke my promise and chose to kill myself, but I have no regrets. To protect the students who saved a blood-soaked murderer like me, I would throw my life away as many times as it takes.
…The only thing I regret is—
What? You want me to say… that?
I’m not saying I won’t, but… it’s embarrassing!
Fine, fine! I’ll say it, so stop whining!
……I love you, Lucas.
—that I must leave without seeing your face one last time. Please don’t grieve for too long after I’m gone. And please… look after the students.
“Bloom, O flower of life.”
Lucas Ryu Annihilation Magic Secret Art — Mankae (Full Bloom)
Pure white flowers blossomed in the empty air. One, then two, then dozens—petals unfurled in succession until they became a vast field that blanketed the surroundings. On that beautiful meadow where petals danced in the wind, the old man and the young mage faced each other.
“A lifespan-burning spell… Beautiful, yet utterly cruel.”
“Hah… hah…”
“A beautiful death. How ironic. Don’t you agree, young man?”
“Shut… up… and come… at me…!”
“Heh heh… Very well. I’ll end this comfortably.”
With a light laugh, the old man lunged at the panting youth. At the same moment, Lucas kicked off the ground. The next instant—
SCREEEEECH—!!
Pure white radiance collided with an obsidian blade. A deafening ring that shattered eardrums echoed throughout the entire forest.
“Change the bandages. Right here, where I can see.”
“Y-Yes…?”
When I spoke in a deliberately indifferent tone, Violet stared at me with a blank face as if she couldn’t understand what I’d said.
“H-Here…?”
“Yes. In front of me.”
I nodded at her bewildered question. Her face instantly drained of all color. She covered the bandaged side of her face with both hands and cried out.
“N-No, you can’t…!”
She pulled her knees up onto the chair and curled into a tight ball, like a turtle retreating into its shell. Her small hands clutched the hem of her uniform as she trembled violently.
“I-I cannot show you what’s under the bandages…!”
“Why not?”
Apparently I had pressed the exact wrong button. Violet’s reaction was far more intense than I’d anticipated. Even though she was shrinking in on herself, I pretended not to notice and continued.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve been curious. Why do you wear those bandages all the time?”
“......”
“Hmm. A mere commoner dares ignore a direct order from me?”
“Hiiik…!”
At my threatening tone, Violet flinched hard. She shook her head frantically and stammered an excuse.
“I-It’s not that…! L-Like I said before… underneath the bandages it’s… r-really ugly…”
“Ugly?”
“P-People find it disgusting… s-so they told me I should keep it covered…”
“......”
My teeth ground together audibly. Even though I already knew the story, hearing it directly made her bitterness feel painfully real. Disgusting. Cover it up. If even I felt my chest tighten just listening, how must Violet have felt hearing those cruel words to her face?
I bit my lip for a moment, then spoke again.
“Change the bandages. I don’t care about things like that.”
“......”
Violet looked utterly lost, her face crumpling like she was about to cry. She probably believed that the moment I saw what was underneath, my attitude would turn ice-cold—just like everyone else had.
Her pitiful eyes almost made me waver. Almost.
“The more you resist, the more I want to see what’s under those bandages.”
“R-Really… you really, r-really can’t…”
Her voice came out in a thin, trembling whisper. Tears welled up in her mysterious amethyst eyes, threatening to spill over. I deliberately hardened my expression and let cold authority seep into my voice.
“A commoner talking back to a noble… It seems the Lisite family looks like a joke to you.”
“Hiiik…! N-No… that’s not it at all…!”
It was obviously a bluff. She had no obligation to show me what lay beneath those bandages. This was nothing more than me abusing the power in my hands to torment her. And yet I already knew exactly what was hidden there—and why she was so desperate to keep it concealed.
“Enough talk. Do it. I won’t repeat myself.”
“Hic… Y-Yes, sir… sob…”
This was simply my shallow selfishness. A desire to look directly at the wound I had only ever seen described in text. A selfish wish to understand her pain more deeply.
“......”
“I-I’ll show you… sniff…”
Swish…
Tears finally began rolling down her cheeks as Violet slowly unwound the bandages wrapped around her face. Layer by layer, the white veil covering her features slipped away. The pristine bandages fell to the floor, revealing—
“......”
“Hic… P-Please don’t look…”
A massive burn scar that covered the entire right side of her face.