Chapter 195
Chapter 195
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: After the Curtain Falls (1)
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The altar shatters, and the barrier begins to crumble.
The raging black storm subsides, and the black barrier that had enveloped Aphria starts to disintegrate. Watching the collapsing barrier, it almost feels like black snow is falling.
The center of the barrier, where the altar had stood.
Two students collapse onto the ground there, gazing at the crumbling barrier.
"Hah... haa..."
Chloe, having wrung every last drop of mana from her body, breathes raggedly. Cold sweat trickles down her spine. The girl who had pushed herself to the brink inhales deeply the cool autumn air rushing in as the darkness lifts.
It helped.
She had accomplished something.
Chloe feels a strange sense of fulfillment from that fact.
"...Go on back. Yeah, good work."
Resti, slumped on the ground as well, strokes the heads of the familiars crowding around her. The wolf infused with starlight growls softly under her touch.
They had succeeded after that precarious tightrope walk.
They had tamed what they thought untamable.
Resti's heart pounds hard as she witnesses with her own eyes the impossible plan leaping into the realm of possibility. It feels like she has taken a step forward as a mage.
"We... did it. For real."
And the one who had commanded them all.
"We really did it."
Though her legs tremble, Aila still stands firmly on her own two feet, a smile gracing her lips. That smile reveals a multitude of emotions.
The joy of success.
The pride of having walked on her own legs.
The relief that everything had wrapped up well in the end.
The smile, woven with countless other feelings too complex for a line or two, lingers as Aila turns to look behind her. There stand those who had stood with her. She speaks to them.
"Everyone, you all did amazing."
Thank you for being here with me.
"We could succeed thanks to you."
It's all because of you.
"I'll never forget this help."
Because she won't forget, their efforts will receive their due reward. Aila nods slightly and utters her final words.
"Thank you, everyone."
The barrier shatters.
Sunlight seeps into Aphria, long drowned in darkness. The students trapped in nightmares will soon awaken. Aila senses intuitively that the long drama has reached its end.
"Princess."
And Resti speaks.
"You can leave us behind and go. The knights will swarm in soon... If you need to meet someone, now's the time."
That consideration warms her.
Aila nods faintly and begins walking toward a certain spot. After a few shaky steps on trembling legs, she breaks into a run.
Her skirt flutters.
It's running utterly devoid of any grace.
The kind of behavior that would earn her a scolding from palace folk.
But to Aila right now, none of that matters. No one's watching, but even if someone were, she'd run just like this. Panting, Aila runs and runs.
She runs across the scorched square.
She runs, stepping over stone walls scarred with long sword marks.
And at the end of that running, she arrives.
There stands the person Aila had been waiting for. She calls out that person's name.
"Professor Lania!"
The name she aches to shout while running, she holds back—for the moment when it's just the two of them. Calling her name, Aila comes to a stop.
And she looks back at Aila.
Ash-gray hair glimmers in the sunlight. Tired, half-lidded blue eyes turn toward Aila.
"Ah, Princess."
With the limp, unconscious Kelrhalhm slung over her shoulder, she staggers forward, then surveys her surroundings. The barrier is lifting, light pouring in. Understanding what it means, she smiles.
"Looks like you pulled it off."
That smile feels familiar to Aila.
The face, the voice—everything different, yet somehow that smile is familiar. A smile she had seen once before.
I'm glad you're safe.
But the meaning differs from the smile she wore back then.
"You're incredible."
It's not a smile meant to reassure.
It's the smile of an educator marveling at an accomplishment, beaming with pride at a student's growth. To Aila, that gentle smile is more precious than anything.
"...Because you asked me to."
Aila's voice quavers slightly.
Because she has so very much she wants to say.
"I really gave it everything."
Because you asked.
> Because it was your request—you who saved me, who gave color to my world. Because I desperately wanted to be of help.
"Was I... helpful?" Aila poses the question. The ash-gray mage answers. "Of course." A reply without the slightest hesitation. A single word that rings utterly sincere. At those words, Aila breaks into a radiant smile. Brighter than ever before. Pure and unclouded, like a child's laugh. The child beloved by the stars has grown into an adult. Yet before someone dear, she still yearns to remain a child. 2. I heard the news that the incident engulfing Aphria was finally winding down. "Heard the news," rather than "winding down," because I had no real grasp of how things were progressing. 'Well, I've been stuck in bed for days now.' Bedridden at the mansion. Thanks to my master, who had me half under house arrest with those wide-eyed glares, I hadn't stepped foot outside even once—lazing in bed for days on end. Please rest for once, Raniel.
> Shall I chain you down?
Of course, I couldn't exactly dismiss my master's concerns out of hand. I knew full well how dire my condition was. Borrowing Cardi's words... A walking zombie would be healthier. Something along those lines. Not life-threatening, but far from functional for daily life. I'd have to keep bedrest a while longer. 'Actually, getting off this lightly is a steal.' Lining up the events of this fiasco, it was a miracle it hadn't been worse. Overstimulation of the limbic zone, leading to mana contamination. Rampaging mana had wrecked my insides, and suppressing it had overloaded my circuits. That alone would've kept me bedridden for ages, but... 'Then I went and fought a battle.' Straining my body to the limit, no less. I'd drained my mana completely dry in that fight, so full recovery would take at least a month. Truth be told, even that was only possible because Cardi had pumped me full of every potion under the sun. "Haa..." A month of coughing and hacking ahead—sigh-worthy, but my mood wasn't half bad. It had been worth abusing my body over. Aphria was safe. Not a single student had died, and even the three designated sacrifices were all unharmed. 'And on top of that...' We'd saved Kelrhalhm. He couldn't open his eyes right now from mana exhaustion, but he'd wake soon enough. Truly a rare outcome. For everything to wrap up so cleanly. If the price was just me hacking up a lung for a month, I'd welcome it with open arms. At least, that's how I saw it. 'Might as well rest up during this downtime.' I had plenty to do—meet Kalt, Kelrhalhm, Cardi, and others—but that could wait until I was better. A little rest now wouldn't hurt. With that thought, I reached for the bedside table. In my hand were a few novels. The ones Dean Aaron had brought yesterday when he visited. Tales of the Wandering Swordmaster I held the book in one hand and was about to turn the page when I glanced up. "...So anyway." Across from the bed. A girl perched on a chair, grinning ear to ear like she was having the time of her life. "The princess isn't heading back to Aphria?" "Huh? Nothing for me to do there." The Fourth Princess, Aila. She'd shown up at the mansion out of the blue, dragged a chair over next to my bed, and had been staring at me in that pose ever since. Like she was standing guard. "...After an incident like that at Aphria, shouldn't you return to the palace... or at least beef up security? Is it okay for you to be here?" Surely that made sense, so why was she still here? As I eyed her skeptically, she shrugged and spoke. "Because the factions have split into two." Then she casually spilled the royal family's internal affairs. "The royal knights insisting on dragging me back to the palace for protection, versus those saying the hounds are already gathered at Aphria... and with the palace in such chaos, Aphria's safer—they're fighting tooth and nail over it." "...Pardon?" "Ruel sis and the Guard Captain threw their weight behind the latter, so it'll sort itself out soon... but for now, it's a bit rowdy." Rowdy. The word carried layers of meaning. "So you fled the commotion?" "That's part of it, yeah?" Drag. Aila pulled her chair closer. With the distance narrowed, she gazed at me and flashed an eye smile. "I really wanted to see my esteemed mentor." "...You'd think it had been years." "Didn't know who you were, so yeah—seven whole years, right? Raniel-nim." Not Lania, but Raniel. I couldn't help but slyly avert my gaze from Aila, who emphasized the name. "You affirmed it right there—surely you won't deny it now. Right, Raniel-nim?" "......" "Oh? Why dodge my eyes?" Aila's voice bubbled with strange excitement. "Are you embarrassed?" "No, not exactly..." "I'd be mortified." I tilted my head. Embarrassing? I hadn't said anything regrettable in this form, had I? As I pondered, Aila cleared her throat pointedly. "They say you told the battle magic class: the 'great' ash mage." My eyes went wide. "The class you study is one rooted in the works of the 'great' ash mage..." "Hold on..." "True, the ash mage is great. Undeniable achievements anyone can see. Should we start calling the ash mage 'the great' from now on?" Aila eyed me with a mischievous smile. "What do you think, Raniel-nim?" My breath caught. '...I did say that.' I'd said something I shouldn't have. Half out of it during that lecture, I'd blurted something regrettable. "Well, maybe you wanted to brag a little." As I hung my head in shame, Aila continued in a voice brimming with playfulness. "Never imagined the ash mage had a side like that." '...Of all people, she had to catch me.' The thought flashed through my mind. As I seriously debated whether to clamp that mouth shut... "Really." A voice laced with a hint of sigh. "Never dreamed you'd be this close." I looked up to see Aila still smiling. But the mirth had faded from her lips... replaced by a subtle bitterness. "I've been waiting since you mentioned retiring." "...Have you?" "Yes. Waiting all along. You have no idea how much I looked forward to this meeting over those seven years, Raniel-nim." Seven years. "A full seven years." Time enough for a child to become an adult. "I've grown taller since then, learned so much more magical theory." "Your grades were excellent, indeed. Consistently in the top four..." "But no one notices." Aila smiled wryly. "Back then, you'd praise me for every page I turned. Pat my head like this." She touched her bangs as she spoke. "I missed that. Living among hypocrites, people trying to use me, seeing me as a tool... it made me miss it even more." "I see." "It was. But now... I'm okay." Aila squared her shoulders. "I won't let it get to me anymore." An unfeigned voice, unfeigned gestures. "Watch through the stars, understand through the stars, choose through the stars... I'm done with that." And so, her true voice and true gestures. "No matter what others say, how they see me..." That. "From now on, I'll choose for myself." The very change I had longed for. "You told me, Raniel-nim." "That the stars don't live your life for you." Had my words reached her? Gazing at the girl who had chosen to change because of them, I felt a peculiar pride. I was relieved she could change. Truly. To me, the stars are everything. Kyle had never managed to change, after all. Without the stars, I'm nothing. Knowing what had become of that boy who entrusted his life to the stars... how could I not welcome Aila's transformation? "...It won't be easy." "That's why I have to try, right?" The princess who chose to move forward. I smiled at her, now truly confident in herself. "That's the right attitude." "Hearing you say that... it really takes me back." Aila chuckled aloud. And slowly rose from her seat. "Then, I hope you recover soon so I can see you back at Aphria." And she calls my name. This time, a different one. "Great Professor Lania." Playful to the very end—I could only laugh bitterly. She was still a princess I couldn't drop my guard around. Really. 3. A week into my bedrest. Finally able to move, I headed straight for Aphria. I needed to survey the situation firsthand... and meet someone. No students roamed Aphria. For the next couple weeks, classes were suspended, with most students either heading home or holing up in the central building. 'Dean Aaron's probably screaming his head off again.' I pictured him tearing at his hair and smiled wryly. From his position, it'd be a blood-tears affair. The plaza near the central building was a total wreck. Tiles flipped everywhere, buildings covered in scorch marks and sword scars... it resembled a battlefield. 'Superhumans and a calamity ran wild... this is nothing.' Keeping such thoughts to myself, I walked through Aphria. Before long, I entered the forest. Wind blows, fallen leaves crunch. And at its edge, a figure sat on a stump, waiting for me. I waved to him. "Kelrhalhm." "You're here." He regarded me. "Ashen Mage."