Chapter 456
Chapter 456
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 456
Chapter Title: Ashes to Ashes
The shaking temple fell silent.
The firmly shut doors of the temple swung open. Not long after they opened, the subjugation team members returned to the entrance, and Kalt received a brief report from them.
The Heretic Subjugation Battle was over.
The only casualties were the Sword Ghost and Draka.
Kalt had no idea what they'd gone through inside the temple... but from their pale faces and battered states, it was clear they'd had a rough time of it.
"You all did well."
With that short greeting, Kalt leaned against the temple doors and sat down. After waiting a bit longer, he sensed two presences emerging from within.
Tap. Light footsteps.
Kalt glanced up, shooting a look at Raniel as she stepped out of the temple.
"You're back, Senior."
"What? You're still in one piece?"
"First words as sharp as ever—looks like you're intact too, Senior. The operation was a success, I take it."
"Not entirely intact, but yeah, success."
Raniel tapped her empty eye socket with her missing fingers. Kalt swallowed hard at the sight.
"...Can that be healed?"
"Who knows. I'll have to find a way."
Raniel let out a long breath and plopped down beside Kalt. She'd sent Cardi ahead to the subjugation team first, and now she slowly opened her mouth.
"What about Uncle Kuntel?"
"I saw him off properly."
"What did he say at the end?"
"...You knew?"
"That's why I left it to you."
Kalt shot Raniel a glance.
Her blue eyes weren't on him—they were fixed on the swaying grasslands in front of the temple.
"People with strong wills, especially those on the superhuman level... they always leave a few last words right before dying. Like they're wrapping up their lives."
"...Is that so?"
"Every superhuman I've seen did. So, what was Uncle Kuntel's last words?"
Kalt tapped the hilt of his sword.
"'Magnificent,' he said."
"Did he look satisfied?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Then that's good."
Raniel let out a faint smile.
Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she let out a short "Ah" and exhaled.
"Hey, Kalt."
"What?"
"You beat Uncle Kuntel too—doesn't that make you the strongest swordsman in humanity now? How strong have you gotten?"
The strongest swordsman in humanity.
Kalt gave a wry smile and shrugged.
"I'd love to go around shouting that."
Whoosh. Kalt pointed above his head.
It might have been pointing at the sky. Heavenly realms beyond heaven—skies above skies. Muttering that to himself, Kalt said,
"There's still one above me. The one who's sleeping right now."
"Kyle? Well, including that guy, I'd say there are two above you."
"Who's the other one?"
"She's around. The Sword Mage."
"...I think I know who."
Kalt let out a snicker.
"Guess she's next on our list."
"You get it."
"Mountains beyond mountains, for real."
Well, whatever.
Muttering that, Raniel brushed off her knees and stood up. She patted Kalt's shoulder with a grin.
"Good work. This time too."
"You too, Senior."
Kalt added one more thing.
"With this subjugation battle, the number of floors on the building I'm expecting from you has gone up by one. Keep that in mind."
"...How high is that going?"
2.
"You can't use mana anymore?"
"That's right."
Raniel blinked at Khelrhalim's words.
"Why?"
"Why? Because I offered it up as the price of the deal."
Khelrhalim answered calmly.
Raniel was quite taken aback by the response. Losing mana was as good as death to a mage. She'd expected Khelrhalim to lose something in this subjugation battle, but not to this extent.
"No... are you okay?"
"What's not to be okay about? If anything, I feel relieved."
Unlike Raniel's worried question, Khelrhalim's reply was utterly serene—even as he spoke of his lifelong path of magic, his mage tower, crumbling away.
"Huh..."
Raniel tilted her head, exhaling long as if she couldn't quite grasp it. If he said he was fine, then fine... but...
'Isn't he too serene...?'
Khelrhalim's expression was calmer than ever.
He showed no hint of regret over his choice. Glancing at him, Raniel suddenly realized something.
"Khelrhalim, the constraint...?"
"I told you."
The mage once called a madman snickered.
"I feel relieved."
The twitch of his brow, the curve of his lips—all his emotional expressions were so natural. Not the face of a madman who'd lived like a puppet, emotions shackled.
"It wasn't just the mana I offered. Everything that made me... the madman Khelrhalim... I gave it all up. That probably included the madness too."
The things he couldn't let go to keep his promises, to achieve his goals. Through this battle, Khelrhalim had released them all.
"The madness I was supposed to endure as payment, the eternal life I held, the power those children gave me, the mana for my purpose—all of it, released."
Probably, Khelrhalim murmured.
"Even the madness that should have been my penalty for breaking taboos—the star took that too. Maybe she saw it as part of the life I offered, something valuable, not punishment for a sinner."
Who knows.
Khelrhalim chuckled lightly. The laugh of a man who'd achieved his purpose and shed all his burdens was light. Light, and thus beautiful.
"Congrats on your liberation, Khelrhalim."
"Well, from the perspective of the battlefield commander, this might not be worth celebrating. You've lost a key asset."
"A soldier who's rolled on battlefields for over a century retires in one piece? Not celebrating that would make me the crazy one."
"Fair point."
"And I half-expected you'd retire after this fight anyway."
The Heretic Subjugation Battle.
That was the purpose of your life.
Raniel snickered and tossed out a question.
"Thought about what you'll do after retiring?"
"Not yet."
No longer dominated by madness. No longer needing to shackle his emotions. And with eternity gone from his body, he'd age like any normal human now.
A life changed in so many ways. Khelrhalim didn't yet know how to live it.
"If you haven't got any plans..."
Raniel offered advice to such a Khelrhalim.
"Want me to recommend a job? A good one."
"A job?"
"Yeah, probably one you already know."
Raniel rummaged in her robe.
After a while, she pulled out a sheet of paper. Blank paper. But the moment Raniel inscribed letters with mana, it became a letter of recommendation.
A letter guaranteed by the Hero, Lania van Trias.
No one would question its value. With this, you'd pass anywhere without hassle. On that letter, Raniel inscribed the name of an academy.
The cradle of learning.
The greatest academy of magic studies.
"Professor at Aphria Academy."
Raniel handed the letter to Khelrhalim.
"Perfect spot for a talented mage retiring from the battlefield. What do you think?"
3.
Standing at the temple entrance, I stretched long.
Everything that needed sorting was sorted.
This much rest was plenty. A quick glance around showed the subjugation team finishing their preparations to depart. And there was Destel, slumped over the summoned beast Resti had called, looking dead tired.
Time to head back.
To our lands, our stronghold.
Looking around, up at the sky—things were slowly crumbling into view. This place, Alkeia, the land made for nonbelievers by the Heretic's accumulated holy power, was a separate realm.
A holy site and sanctuary made solely for her.
With its master gone, Alkeia was reverting to its original state. The deepest part, her hideout untouched by starlight, began to collapse.
Crack, crumble.
The sun floating in the sky crumbled. The blue sky split. The blowing wind vanished. Seeping into the vanishing gaps was darkness. The mix of blue sky and darkness looked like paints blending.
Rumble, ruuumble.
The temple collapsed next.
The Heretic's sins, those who'd suffered by her hand, the remnants of the familiars she'd created—all would be buried in this land and vanish. I snapped my fingers toward the crumbling temple.
My body was too wrecked to weave more spells, but I had to finish this properly.
Ashes to ashes.
As I exited the temple with Cardi, I ignited the ashes I'd scattered. They didn't explode spectacularly. They just became flames that consumed the temple ruins. Quietly. And thoroughly.
"Let's go."
Leaving the burning temple behind, we ascended toward the surface. We set off on the return journey. We had to report our victory to those awaiting us.
"Ah."
We were climbing the vertical shaft, trudging through the forest reduced to burning ashes, when I muttered absently.
"Gonna have to give a speech from the podium..."
"Not exactly in speech shape, huh."
Cardi, walking beside me, replied to my mumble.
He was right. That's what I was worried about. To the knights at least, I needed to be the unshakable symbol of victory, unscathed.
"Got any disguise artifacts, Cardi?"
"Would I?"
"Tch. Sigh... Minor injuries I could hide, but this stands out too much. Finger I could cover, but the eye's the problem."
Maybe I need a glass eye or something.
As I pondered that,
"No artifacts to help you with that."
Cardi pulled something from his bosom.
"But I do have a holy relic that might."
"...Holy relic?"
Cardi shook the chalice in his hand.
It held pure white holy power.
My eyes widened. That holy power...
"A gift for the cheeky junior, she said to pass on."
Cardi tossed the chalice my way.
Catching it, I let out a hollow laugh.
"She had the strength left to squeeze this out?"
"She said since she inflicted the wound, it's only right she heals it. Cost me about a minute of talk time with her thanks to it. Hope it's worth it."
"Your words got thorns."
"Your imagination."
Anyway, I chuckled.
"Saintess to the end."
"A real saintess, unlike the current ones."
I shrugged at Cardi, who looked subtly proud. Unlike before, talking about Glerea didn't pain him. Probably freed from his burdens.
"Thanks."
"Thank Glerea, not me."
"Cheers to the sky then?"
"Suit yourself."
So I did just that.
I mimed clinking glasses toward the sky and tilted the chalice.
"To the martyr, Glerea Bell Armias."