Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: The Secret of Light's End
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“Fate…… you say?”
He’d suddenly shifted to a heavy atmosphere, and now this talk of fate?
It was so out of left field that I was left dumbfounded.
But.
“At your current rate of growth, you’ll soon understand why I said that, disciple.”
No, Ani Person didn’t satisfy my curiosity.
Instead, he just countered with more cryptic words.
“You really won’t tell me?”
“Even if I told you now, you wouldn’t understand a thing.”
“Sigh…….”
My chest felt tight.
‘It seems like something important.’
I could sense it intuitively.
This was connected to the rumors about him—no, about Ani Person—that I’d heard.
And hearing this would resolve all my doubts about him.
But since he didn’t want to talk, there was nothing I could do.
Just as I was about to let it slide.
‘No, aren’t we close enough now that I can ask?’
The thought struck me, and I brought up the question I’d held back all this time.
“May I ask about the rumors from five years ago?”
Silence.
I’d broached it as carefully as possible, but upon hearing it, Ani Person’s movements stopped.
“……Rumors?”
He even reacted as if it was the first he’d heard of it.
He clearly didn’t want to talk about it, but this time, I wasn’t backing down.
“Pretending you don’t know won’t work. Didn’t you mention it yourself when we first met? That strange rumors kept people away.”
“Oh, right…… Yeah, that’s true.”
Only then did Ani Person nod as if he’d remembered.
I didn’t miss the chance and drove the point home.
“Could you tell me?”
Honestly, this was a crucial matter.
It would determine if our master-disciple relationship could continue.
No matter how much of an expert he was in light magic, I couldn’t keep carrying this unease.
Ani Person seemed to sense that too.
“Alright. I can see what’s in your eyes. I can’t avoid it any longer. Heh heh…….”
He let out a silly laugh, then nodded as if he’d made up his mind.
And then.
“Very well. Not everything, but I can at least tell you how those rumors started.”
He opened his mouth to reveal the truth.
“First, how much do you know?”
How much……
I laid out everything I knew without holding back.
“I’ve heard up to Lordbeni Ashitan. That he learned light magic from you and then vanished.”
“……Hmm, that means you know it all. Got it.”
Ahem!
Ani Person cleared his throat and composed himself.
“To explain this, I’ll have to start with Lordbeni.”
His face grew serious as he continued.
“Lordbeni was…….”
He spoke plainly about Lordbeni, and I listened quietly.
It wasn’t as complicated as I’d thought.
How Ani Person met Lordbeni, why he taught him light magic, and so on.
It matched the rumors I knew, and that was all there was about Lordbeni.
The important part came after.
“Lordbeni was as devoted to light magic as you are, disciple. I taught him diligently so as not to betray that sincerity.”
“Diligently meaning…….”
“It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I passed on everything I knew about light.”
Everything. That single word showed how exceptional a disciple Lordbeni had been.
Ani Person had handed over all the knowledge he prided himself on, at the 9th circle level.
And that’s where the trouble began.
“The more he learned about light, the madder he got. Eventually, even I couldn’t stop him. He defied the royal orders and immersed himself in light magic—you can imagine how far gone he was.”
“How exactly did he go mad?”
“He didn’t harm others. He just obsessively craved and indulged in light.”
Ani Person closed his eyes briefly and continued.
His face looked like he was reminiscing about the past.
“And in the end, he reached the final knowledge of light.”
The final knowledge of light.
I instinctively knew this was the key to our conversation.
At the same time, questions flooded my mind.
What did “final knowledge of light” mean? Was it different from the “true light” Dershion craved?
But when I asked.
“I can’t tell you the former, and I don’t know much about the latter either. I’m not sure what the Aldeon School wanted. However.”
Ani Person brushed it off as unimportant and suddenly clenched then unclenched his fist in the air.
“The moment Lordbeni reached that final knowledge, he vanished completely.”
“……Vanished?”
“Yes, a perfect disappearance. No trace of Lordbeni anywhere after that. It’s easiest to think of it as him going to another dimension.”
“Another dimension?”
“Of course, that’s just my guess. Heh heh heh…….”
What? Another dimension all of a sudden?
Did that mean light magic allowed dimensional travel?
I couldn’t grasp any of it.
Unless Ani Person explained.
In the end.
“What exactly is this final knowledge of light?”
I pressed him further on the final knowledge he was hiding.
Lordbeni’s disappearance, the other dimension—it all seemed tied to this.
From what he’d said so far, Ani Person knew about it.
Sure enough.
“That, I absolutely won’t tell you. The time hasn’t come yet.”
Ani Person spoke with the nuance that he knew about the final knowledge.
Even if he didn’t say it outright.
“I don’t want to repeat the same mistake twice, disciple.”
“……I understand.”
I didn’t press further.
It felt like this question touched on his wounds.
Besides, it didn’t seem like he’d never tell me.
If so, he wouldn’t have mentioned the time not being right.
Anyway.
Now I finally understood everything.
The relationship between Lordbeni and Ani Person, the events that transpired, and why the strange rumors spread.
‘In the end, Lordbeni’s disappearance wasn’t what Ani Person wanted either.’
It was just the royal mage Lordbeni acting on his own greed for light magic.
Assuming everything Ani Person said was true.
“Is this explanation sufficient, disciple?”
Ani Person asked as if checking my satisfaction.
Well, not all doubts were gone, but it was enough for me.
“Yes. Thank you for kindly sharing such an unpleasant memory, Master.”
I bowed my head, and Ani Person smiled faintly.
“Today’s lesson ends here.”
With that, he turned back to his research.
It was time for me to go.
“I’ll come back to learn more next time.”
I shook off any lingering thoughts and turned away.
Meanwhile, one thought dominated my mind.
The final knowledge of light.
The cause of Lordbeni’s disappearance.
The thought that I might one day reach it too.
***
“It worked?!”
Two days after receiving Ani Person’s teachings.
Thompson, who’d heard the news, cheered loudly.
“Heh heh heh, really? This isn’t a dream, right, top scorer?”
“Yes, it’s confirmed.”
Elbert had relayed that we’d all passed the first hurdle for the royal commander position—including the whole group.
“……I never imagined I’d end up in District 1.”
“Uncle, the most shocked is me. Who’d have thought someone from District 7 like me would get to see District 1?”
“It must feel special, Miss Kayla.”
The group buzzed with their own reactions.
It was just a visit to District 1, but weren’t they getting too excited? Not that I had room to talk.
Strangely, I was thrilled too.
‘……Why am I so nervous about this?’
I’d been to Asteron’s District 1 plenty in the game.
But now, I wasn’t a game character—I was stepping in myself.
Into the place where only royalty lived. It was natural to feel this way.
Of course.
‘……Nothing bad will happen, right?’
On the other hand, I was worried.
Royalty weren’t necessarily milder than nobles.
If anything, they were worse.
They had the power to cover up any mischief.
Thinking of the outrageous things Asteron’s royalty had done, many unfit for humans.
Most were negative, naturally.
‘If something serious happens…… we bolt from Asteron immediately.’
As I resolved that inwardly.
Clop, clop.
“Kept you waiting?”
Elbert appeared, boarding a golden carriage.
Since the royal commander evaluation was important, he’d come to pick us up himself.
Thanks to that.
‘……Everyone, don’t look up no matter what.’
‘Eye contact, and who knows what tyranny he’ll unleash!’
‘Lord, please spare me any harsh trials.’
‘Move! Move!’
We drew massive attention from the residents.
They muttered and scrambled to get out of the way.
No wonder—a carriage decked in golden ornaments rolling through District 6?
They might even think Elbert was royalty.
“……Let’s hurry.”
“……Okay.”
We boarded quickly before more eyes gathered.
Thompson wiped his brow, tense.
“Whew, first time getting this much attention like this.”
“……What do you think they took us for?”
“Who knows, maybe butlers or servants?”
Meanwhile, Barundel admired the carriage interior and asked Elbert.
“How much for a carriage like this?”
“No idea. It’s not something you buy with money. Usually, the royals gift it when you gain status. I got mine after becoming commander.”
“……A royal-gifted carriage. I get how precious it is without hearing more.”
I let their talk flow in one ear and out the other, focusing out the window.
Clop, clop.
The carriage was already underway.
The pleasant hoofbeats and gentle jolts helped me sink into my thoughts.
‘Six hours, right?’
Elbert said it’d take about six hours to District 1.
As the innermost district, it made sense.
Luckily, it wasn’t boring.
“Uhahaha! Even you had days like that, Commander?”
“……I wasn’t born an adult. Is it that funny?”
“Of course! Who’d imagine seven-year-old bedwetter Elbert Tairan? Heh heh heh heh.”
“Tch, shouldn’t have said anything.”
More entertaining stories than expected flowed.
They had so much to say, the conversation never lulled.
How much time passed?
“We’re here.”
Clop.
Finally, with the announcement, the carriage stopped.
Peeking out, a grand golden gate seized my gaze.
Beyond it, dozens of royal soldiers in golden armor stood with spears raised.
Snap! Snap! Stomp!
Just seeing it made my chest swell.
I realized anew where this was.
‘District 1…….’
I’d finally arrived at Asteron’s innermost district.