The Weight of Unwanted Promises
For a long while, none of us could speak. The word fiancé—something I had believed I would never hear in my entire life—left me wondering if this was some kind of prank or yet another scheme by the High Assassin Guild.
“…Anak, have you ever been engaged to this woman before?”
“Aegina, that’s impossible.”
Even as Rowell said that, he was carefully watching my expression, just in case.
“Right?”
“Of course it’s impossible. According to the dates written here, I was with all of you at the time.”
My firm answer seemed to bring them a small measure of relief.
“Well, Anak wouldn’t keep something like that secret from us.”
“Exactly. Especially not from Lauti.”
“True.”
I quietly studied the faces of Rowell and Aegina as they spoke. There had been no need to mention Lauti at all, yet the way they brought up her name felt like a mischievous jab.
As I had said before, both Lauti and Aegina were truly beautiful. Lauti’s appearance, in particular, could never be captured by ordinary words like beauty or grace. And because of that, I was no different from the fools I mocked—I was not free from those foolish emotions.
Even though I laughed at myself, trampled those feelings down, and tried desperately to hide and erase them, the emotions were strong enough that even Aegina—with her woman’s keen intuition—as well as Medrufe and Rowell had noticed them.
No, to be precise, it would be more accurate to say that I was simply that clumsy at handling such feelings. I suspect Orcan had noticed as well, though he had simply pretended otherwise.
And that was exactly why my face still flushed involuntarily whenever I thought of her. Because that pitiful foolishness came rushing back. The time when I had first harbored such emotions—when I was far younger—had actually been far more rational than this.
At any rate, thankfully, despite those feelings, I had never made any direct mistake toward Lauti during our journey. Of course, Rowell and Aegina had believed I should express my feelings to her and had even hoped it would work out. But she was not merely a beautiful and noble woman—she was literally a saintess. She wasn’t an unreachable tree; she was a tree floating in the sky itself.
I knew my place well, and I considered that my greatest virtue.
“What are you going to do?”
I pondered Rowell’s question for a moment. I was curious why this woman named Jane Conwell was calling me her fiancé, why feats I knew nothing about were being attributed to my name, and—honestly—I was also curious what she looked like.
“Hmm. We should look into it properly. But for now, I think it’s best to rest.”
The dates on the letter didn’t seem all that old. The stamps from famous exchange offices suggested she had spent quite a bit on transmission fees, but the content didn’t seem urgent. Especially since I knew Bagloros would arrive within a few days, it would be foolish to leave my seat hastily.
“Yeah. You must be tired. You’ve always hated banquets and parties since your academy days.”
“Well, that’s true.”
After we saved the world, we were invited to countless parties and had no choice but to attend. We had to deal with numerous nobles and royals. While most of them respected us and treated us with the utmost courtesy, the formality and inevitable stiffness made it impossible to feel comfortable.
What’s more, the persistent efforts of a few older, cunning royals and nobles to pull us onto their side had become downright annoying.
There was a reason Rowell and the others had declined territories. I had simply followed Rowell’s lead.
The dance parties during our academy days, however, had carried a slightly different meaning. Held every few months as part of basic etiquette training, those parties had been truly exhausting for me. I couldn’t find a dance partner, and even if I did, dealing with women who spent the entire evening asking about Rowell and Julian was pure torture.
“Then go rest in your room. We’ll have dinner together a bit later. I’ll set the table outside so Erill can eat with us.”
“…You’ll be the one setting it.”
I whispered that to Rowell while Aegina wasn’t looking, then returned to my house. It seemed Aegina had been cleaning regularly in my absence; there wasn’t a speck of dust, and the bed was neatly made.
But what I needed to do now wasn’t lie down and sleep or rest. I summoned the air spirits to prevent any sound from leaking outside, then went to the shelf and took out one of the crystal orbs.
As I moved my mana and chanted the spell, a familiar face appeared within the crystal.
— Oh, Anak. It’s been a while.
“Yes, Lord Medrufe. I hope you’ve been well.”
The man with pure white hair and a magnificent beard was none other than the great archmage known as the Yellow Sage—Medrufe.
He had been the kind guide who had truly led us during the great war, and he was the master of the Sage’s Tower, the oldest and most powerful mage guild.
— I’m the same as always. Still an old man with far too much curiosity for his age. Though without this hair and beard, I might look a bit younger.
“Did your recent research go well?”
— It did. I’ve finally succeeded in removing the toxicity from the Siatos flower while preserving its full effect. This should make it much easier for ordinary citizens to create the remedy.
“Congratulations. Are your assistants doing well too?”
— Sarah and John are doing fine. They must be getting headaches from indulging this old man’s stubbornness, but they endure it well. Their magic and research skills improve day by day.
From what I had seen through Bagloros’s crystal, their acting skills had improved beyond comparison as well.
— Good. How are Rowell and Aegina?
“Both are doing well. They’re still as lovely as ever. Though Aegina’s cooking only ever looks in one direction—but that’s a burden Rowell must bear. I share a portion of it as well.”
— Indeed. That is the way of young married couples. Still, while I can understand why Rowell and Aegina might neglect contact because of such joyful days, shouldn’t you have reached out more often? Knowing how lonely this old man gets.
“I was afraid I might disturb your research.”
— How could talking with all of you be a disturbance! So, what brings you to contact me today? It can’t be that you were curious about my research. Do you need my help?
I explained everything that had happened to Lord Medrufe. There turned out to be more to explain than I had thought, but fortunately neither Rowell nor Aegina opened the door and came in during the conversation.
— Granbipra? Anak, are you saying you truly saw Granbipra with your own eyes? And even witnessed his hatching?
Lord Medrufe seemed especially excited about Granbipra’s existence.
— And a tree that spreads a consciousness network? Not a treant or any ordinary tree spirit, but roots that connect to form a brain? Oh, Anak. If I had the time, I would head to the Ancient Forest right this instant. I want to see it with my own eyes and study it.
Medrufe’s eyes and voice were filled with excitement and curiosity.
“I’m sure you’ll have the chance to see it yourself.”
But soon after, Lord Medrufe raised his voice in rebuke.
— Yes, I suppose so. In any case, you were far too hasty this time. If you didn’t want to tell Aegina or Rowell, you should have at least told me. What if you had been careless with your equipped barrier? You could have been in real danger.
Since I hadn’t mentioned Denatel’s library or the other artifacts, Medrufe’s concern was perfectly reasonable.
“I’m sorry. I underestimated the opponent.”
— That’s unlike you. You’ve always been cautious unless everything was certain, and you’ve never underestimated an enemy.
The doubt that flickered across Medrufe’s face and voice made a corner of my chest burn with guilt, but thankfully it didn’t show on my face.
“It seems the peace that followed the great war has dulled my senses somewhat. I was too optimistic.”
— Yes. I suppose we all are. And we can’t blame ourselves for it. But don’t let it happen again. If you were to get hurt, it would break all of our hearts.
The sincerity in his voice made me feel even more ashamed for hiding the truth about the library, the artifacts, and Rofena from Lord Medrufe.
“Thank you for those words.”
Yet even so, my mouth refused to speak the whole truth. The fact that it wasn’t for any rational reason but simply because I selfishly didn’t want to only made me feel more ashamed.
— Still, it was wise of you to send Bagloros. Thanks to that, we now know what the opponent wanted, and hearing the masked man’s voice was a gain in itself. But the real harvest is the space Bagloros visited.
“That space?”
From what Bagloros had told me, the space had no distinguishing features whatsoever.
“Why do you say that?”
— To carve such a specific teleportation spell into a wall and have it remain completely invisible until activated means it was the work of a highly skilled mage or alchemist. Possibly several of them. And there aren’t many people of that caliber left outside the Sage’s Tower. First, we’ll investigate them, then we’ll look into the mages of the Sage’s Tower again. We should be able to find some trace.
As expected of Lord Medrufe. Those details had been among the shorter and lighter parts of my story. Yet after hearing it only once, he had immediately pinpointed the exact method of investigation without any hesitation. Contacting him had indeed been the right choice.
— I and my assistants will investigate this matter ourselves. And let me say again—you made the right decision not to leave this entirely to Bagloros. After all, it would be bad in many ways for Bagloros to meet that wicked mage again right now.
“I’m sorry if I’m causing you any trouble.”
The truth was, Lord Medrufe’s research wasn’t for personal hobby or the benefit of any specific group, which made me feel even worse about it.
— Trouble? For you and my other comrades, I can put aside any research. At least I don’t think I’ll be returning to the great cycle just yet.
“You will surely outlive me by a long time, Lord Medrufe.”
— My, how long do you plan to make this old man work?
After a short greeting, I returned the crystal orb to its original place. A part of my heart felt lighter. If Rowell was the sun, then Lord Medrufe was a star. A wise star that showed the way even on the darkest of nights.
I dismissed the spirits that had been blocking the sound and sat down in the chair. As if she had been waiting, Aegina opened the door and came in.
“Anak. Dinner’s ready.”
“Ah, right. I’ll be there soon.”
We ate at the long wooden table that Aegina had set up alone in the garden. Fortunately, Rowell had succeeded in stopping Aegina from immediately using the spices she had received as a gift (now that I thought about it, that might not have been a very wise gift). Familiar dishes were laid out on the table, and in front of Erill were enormous plates filled with meat and tree fruits.
We chatted about this and that as we ate and even made plans to visit Aegina’s homeland, the Ayman Kingdom, in the near future. We had talked about it several times before, but the constant stream of visitors every few days had kept forcing us to postpone it. It seemed my journey had served as a catalyst.
“All right, then let’s leave in a few days. We should let the villagers know too.”
Even before we saved the world, the villagers had come to Rowell for help with all sorts of big and small matters. Now, not only the villagers but countless visitors from far away were coming as well. If we were going to leave the village for a while, we would need some preparation and time.
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen Lord Levrant and Lady Gera. Of course, we’ll be seeing His Majesty the King as well.”
“Anak. You can just call them Uncle and Aunt. Every time you speak so formally, Father and Mother feel hurt.”
Despite the difference in status, Lord Levrant and Lady Gera had treated me like their own child since I was young. And back when I was little and didn’t know proper etiquette, I had indeed called them Uncle and Aunt.
Of course, even then I had tried to be as polite as possible in my own way. No matter how casually they treated me, their dignity was not something a child from a rural village could easily overstep.
After graduating from the academy, I had tried to treat the two of them with the highest respect possible, but they always felt uncomfortable and hurt by it, so I simply couldn’t.
“The hero and the princess returning to the palace. The whole kingdom will be in an uproar.”
After the grand wedding held at the palace temple following the end of the great war, they had come straight down to the village. This would truly be their first visit since then.
“I’d like to visit quietly if possible, but given Father and my brother’s personalities, that won’t be possible.”
The elderly king of Ayman Kingdom had stepped back from his duties to some extent, and the actual role of king was currently being carried out by Aegina’s third older brother—Ed, the only surviving sibling.
Prince Ed was kind-hearted and intelligent. He had created various necessary systems and laws to stabilize the chaotic kingdom and help the people. Unfortunately, he had been born with a weak constitution and lacked the charisma to lead others.
From a young age, he had never been interested in the throne and had simply wanted to be a scholar. But during the great war, his two older brothers had lost their lives on the battlefield, and when even Rowell and Aegina declined the throne, he had no choice but to take it on.
If he learned that Rowell and Aegina had arrived in the kingdom, he would undoubtedly use every ounce of his strength to persuade them to return to the palace. And even if that failed, he would still need to prove to the nobles, neighboring countries, and the people that the hero was still a member of the royal family.
There would probably be a grand party or parade, no doubt about it.
“Now that I think about it, Anak, what are you going to do about the young lady who sent that letter?”
“……”
Come to think of it, I had forgotten. I had seen enough times that when people received too great a shock, they chose to forget entirely—but I never imagined I would experience it myself, even partially, now that the great war was over.
“Hmm. Should I send a letter back?”
“How?”
What else would there be to say?
“Something like, ‘It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. I have never been engaged…’”
“No way!”
Aegina’s sudden shout made me flinch without realizing it. Erill quietly laughed at my reaction. But Aegina, completely ignoring both my reaction and Erill’s laughter, asked again as if scolding me.
“Anak, are you serious? You’re going to say something like that in a letter?”
Then what exactly was I supposed to do? Did she mean I had to go see her in person?
“Aegina, why are you so worked up? Did Anak make some kind of mistake?”
Neither I nor Rowell could understand why she was getting so excited. When she saw that both Rowell and I were completely lost, Aegina sighed and shook her head.
“This is why men are hopeless. Think about it. I don’t know the exact circumstances, but from what’s written in the letter, she believes Anak is her fiancé. And not just believes it—she’s in love with him. And you want to correct that with a single letter?”
She was criticizing me as if I were some heartless person.
“But Aegina. Anak has never even seen her. Maybe she’s under some misunderstanding, or perhaps she simply believes—”
People who mistook lies or self-made delusions for truth were rare, but they certainly existed—especially toward famous individuals. In fact, hadn’t Rowell received several such letters over the past few years?
“Rowell, you saw the letter too. Look at how restrained and calm the sentences and content are. This isn’t a simple misunderstanding. Besides, she says she’ll wait until she sees him again. That clearly means she has met Anak—or at least someone she believes is Anak.”
Well, that part was certainly true. The letter showed none of the blind, blatant emotions typical of such people, nor any inconsistent descriptions or awkward phrasing.
“And if Anak sends a letter like that, she’ll probably refuse to believe it and simply think that Anak has abandoned her.”
It felt a little strange how precisely she understood such delicate nuances, but she wasn’t wrong.
“Then what should I do?”
“You have to go see her in person. And find out what’s going on.”
I knew she was going to say that.
“…So you’re telling me to look a woman who’s fallen in love straight in the eyes and personally shatter her delusion?”
Aegina knew very well how difficult I found it to deal with women. And this was a woman in love. Whoever she was, whether someone had impersonated my name or she had formed this delusion through false information, it was clear that the person she wanted was not me.
Yet I was supposed to face her directly?
“Don’t worry, Anak. We’ll go with you. We can’t just leave that poor woman like this.”
Well, if that was the case, there was nothing to worry about. Unlike me, Rowell and Aegina had a natural talent for comforting the wounded. Their appearance, voices, and the noble sincerity that came so easily always wrapped around wounded hearts and brought comfort.
“All right. Then we’ll stop by there first before we leave.”
We finished our meal while gradually working out the detailed schedule and plans. While Rowell and I carried the dishes inside, Aegina brought the table and chairs back into the house.
I summoned the water spirits to wash the dishes, then went over to Erill. I felt sorry for having left the mountains for far longer than I had intended.
“Thank you for helping, Erill.”
During the Granbipra incident, she had caused me unnecessary hardship, but in the end, it hadn’t been a bad thing.
“If you want, you can go back now.”
But she shook her head. It seemed she was happy to see Rowell and Aegina again after so long. Through our connected consciousness, she showed me old memories one by one, and I couldn’t help but smile.
However, she expressed regret that she wouldn’t be able to carry us on the journey we would take in a few days. It seemed leaving the mountains empty until then would be too much of a burden for her.
“It’s fine. Traveling the old-fashioned way for the first time in a while isn’t so bad.”
Though we would still use teleportation circles as soon as we reached the nearby cities.
“……”
Over the past few days, while wearing the Necklace of the Upper Heaven and the Pope’s Ring, I hadn’t felt it much. But now that I had taken them off, the difference was clear. The operation of my mana even felt slightly alien.
I turned around and went back inside the house. Now I really wanted to rest.
— Have you still not found any trace of Hirde and Toguas?
At Granbipra’s question, Duru Satal answered.
— It is certain they headed south, but it seems they kept both their destination and departure time secret even from their kin and subordinates.
Duru Satal had thoroughly investigated Toguas’s subordinates and their kin through the consciousness network. In truth, he held no good feelings toward Hirde and Toguas, who had fled while leaving him behind, so he had pursued their traces even more diligently. Yet there were no decisive clues or signs.
— And it is likely that Hirde erased some of the traces as they moved.
— Yes. Otherwise, with a body that large, there should have been some trace left behind.
Granbipra’s body had already grown even larger. It was now nearly as big as his own avatar, and instead of two avatars, he now had four or five.
— …It can’t be helped. Send the insects south. Find their traces first.
Granbipra wanted nothing more than to chase after them immediately, but he was bound by his duty to protect the Ancient Forest. If they had left the forest, the only things he could send were his soldiers and avatars. And with the avatars he could create right now, facing two managers at once would be too much.
— The number I can send immediately is also limited. Moreover, the southern regions are so vast…
When Duru Satal’s words grew long, Granbipra’s eyes flashed coldly.
— Are you daring to argue with my command?
— …No. I will obey.
Since Duru Satal had formed a master-servant contract with Anak and thereby saved his life, Granbipra could not harm him because of the promise he had made. However, the command Anak had given Duru Satal was to obey Granbipra.
It was impossible for him to defy Granbipra. He began sending the insect-type monsters among those in the consciousness network that were suited for exploration and tracking toward the south.
— By the way, where have all of Hirde’s kin gone? Until just a few years ago, they lived in large groups around the Jante Plains, but now they are nowhere to be seen.
— Hirde’s kin have not been seen since a certain point. There were rumors that small groups had gathered near Niyotsun Canyon, but we could not confirm it.
— Niyotsun Canyon? Why would they go to a place with almost no prey? Isn’t that a place where only powerless groups or the injured hide for a short time?
In that canyon—the most barren place in the Ancient Forest—there were only rocks. Over long years, the collapsing and crumbling ground and rocks had created many crevices and a maze-like interior. Weak animals might hide there briefly to escape predators, but none ever made it their home.
— I do not know the reason, but they say they fled into it as if escaping from natural enemies. Toguas and I asked Hirde for the reason several times, but he never answered.
— They hid? Although none of them are as strong as Hirde individually, with their speed and cohesion, there should be very few beings in this forest capable of threatening them. And if something were threatening them, Hirde would not stand by idly.
— Could they have hidden the group in advance to avoid you, Lord Granbipra?
— Nonsense! If that were the case, he would have disappeared along with the group much earlier.
Granbipra felt an unpleasant premonition wrap around him.
— …Very well. I will head to Niyotsun Canyon myself. You send one or two that way as well.
— Understood.