Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Full Stop (Prologue End)
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Restriction.
I gathered the fainted soldiers and the centurion together, bound them with a spell, then rose to my feet. It took some time since I wasn’t releasing a Stocked spell but weaving the circuit right there on the spot.
“Ow.”
Stretching my back straight produced a series of cracks and pops.
My entire body throbbed. It was only natural—I’d compensated for my lacking physical abilities with spells. Whether acceleration or strength enhancement, they all burdened the base body.
Rotating my creaking shoulders, I stepped out of the half-collapsed building. Psssh. Powder sifted down with every movement.
“...”
At last, the barrier the demons had chattered about came into view. A thin, opaque film encircling the area around the ruined building.
Vision Distortion Perception Distortion Two spells were plain to read.
They were woven so intricately that even with all this chaos inside, the world beyond remained peaceful. Sure, a few people glanced this way from outside the barrier, but they quickly looked away.
Spells of astonishing precision.
That very precision gave me certainty.
That’s the guy.
This was that skullhead’s magic. No one else could erect a barrier of this caliber.
I have no idea what he’s plotting...
Honestly, I didn’t want to get tangled up in it anymore.
For some reason, life felt more exhausting after retiring from the Hero Party.
“Sigh.”
I let out a sigh and drew up my mana. Then, with a light tap, I touched the barrier.
-Crack, craaack.
As meticulously crafted as it was, slipping into the gaps made shattering it simple. I’d only sent a trickle of mana into it, and the barrier crumbled.
-Crackle!
Black powder scattered in the air.
The stagnant, murky demonic qi pooled inside the barrier spilled out.
“Ugh!”
“What’s that smell... Huh? That bui—building!”
“Kyaaaa!”
The street plunged into chaos as the barrier dissolved. I perched on the barrier’s origin point and waited for the guards to arrive.
“What happened?!”
“Over there—that bui—building!”
“Isn’t that demonic qi?! Summon the knights at once...”
I approached a guard who looked like he had some authority.
And called out to him.
“Hey.”
“...Who might you be?”
“Over there.”
I pointed to the wreckage inside the building.
“There are demons in there, okay? I tied them up, so haul ’em away and hand them over to the knights.”
“...Pardon?”
“The details... Well, one of the tied-up guys is wearing black armor? He’ll talk, so just ask him...”
The guard furrowed his brow.
Then cut me off.
“Look, miss. We’re swamped right now—no time for pranks...”
“Not a prank.”
I drew something from beneath my robe.
And dangled it before the guard’s eyes.
“...!”
The guard froze stiff at the sight.
His eyes bulged as he alternated between me and the token in my hand.
A badge emblazoned with the royal crest.
What I’d shown the guard was a mark of proof. Proof of a mage recognized by the crown. It had been bestowed upon me when the royalty nominated me as the next Ashen Mage Tower Lord.
This should solidly prove my identity.
Soon, the guard bowed his head, face drained white.
“W-We greet the royal mage! Forgive our ignorance!”
“Whatever. You heard what I said earlier, right?”
“Y-Yes, ma’am.”
“Handle it properly. Thoroughly.”
“Understood.”
The guard gestured to his comrades and dashed toward the spot I’d indicated. I watched them for a moment before departing.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I stopped by the tavern I’d visited yesterday again.
Naturally, the innkeeper didn’t recognize me. I booked another room and had to send him on the exact same errand once more.
“Whew.”
Once inside the room, I shed the blood-soaked robe. The shirt beneath was crusted with dark red stains too.
What a mess.
I stripped off the shirt as well and dunked it into the basin with the robe. I washed the blood-matted strands from my hair and wiped down my body with a damp cloth.
“...”
After finishing the routine, I glanced at the mirror. Only then did I truly confront my altered body. I’d expected it, but seeing it with my own eyes wasn’t welcome.
Ash-gray hair cascading to the small of my back.
Blue irises tinged with faint crimson.
My once-sharp eyes had softened, thick lashes taking their place.
And the body—what about it.
Snow-white skin, flawlessly smooth without a single callus—it didn’t feel like my body at all. Gazing at those gentle curves just drew out a sigh.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Anti-Spell I’d tried it just in case, but nothing changed. My body felt utterly natural, as if it had always been this way—my mana detected no anomaly in this flesh.
Thus, dispelling the curse was impossible.
It didn’t even register as a curse in the first place.
What kind of nonsense is this?
It defied all logic...
But considering the medium that cast it, it made sense.
Black mist.
Part of the Demon King’s flesh, a fragment of that curse.
A piece of a monster that existed beyond common sense. Judging it by rational standards was absurd.
Still, questions lingered.
Why a body transformation, of all things?
I recalled the spell—the curse—that the black mist had fired at me after devouring Rephe’s body.
Body mutation. Mental corruption. And one unknown element.
Thinking back, it was odd.
If it meant to kill me, simpler methods existed. Even my go-to low-tier spell, Smite, loaded onto that mist would’ve pulped my body into meat.
So why go to such lengths?
I couldn’t say.
No answers came from pondering.
“Sigh.”
What was the use in agonizing?
I sighed, rose from the bed, and straddled the chair by the table. Time to handle the long-postponed task.
I produced a sheet of fine parchment, an envelope for it, and a pen that yielded no ink.
I fed mana into the nib.
Ash-gray mana turned to ink and dripped down. I pressed it firmly to form the letters.
Resignation Letter A mere three characters.
Gazing at the word imprinted on the page, I gave a wry smile. How much time had passed before I could finally write those simple letters?
Bittersweet.
The mood felt strangely off.
I’d muttered every day that I should quit, that I was done...
But committing it to writing brought home the weight.
Wish I could just scrawl ‘Fuck this shit, I’m out’ and send it...
But no.
Twirling the pen, I sorted my words. If I let loose, I could fill pages.
Kyle’s corruption.
Sara and Remia’s extravagance.
I could churn out dozens of sheets framing it as quitting out of disgust.
But I shouldn’t.
I didn’t want to.
It wasn’t out of care for those bitches. I just dreaded the backlash if this became an indictment instead of a resignation.
Sara’s zealots, Remia’s elf kin, the hordes of knights idolizing Kyle.
Being bombarded with dozens of petitions from them...
Ugh, horrific to even imagine.
Fine if they came to me, but since no one knew my whereabouts, they’d all flood to my master.
What an imposition.
I didn’t want that.
Besides, I didn’t want the uncle receiving this letter to learn the Hero Party’s dirty secrets.
“So I’ve gotta wrap it neatly...”
I pictured the letter’s destination: the Knight Order’s outpost overseeing mercenaries, the Hero Party, and adventurers battling the Demon King’s army.
And its recipient would likely be the Knight Commander. After all, this was a letter from a Hero Party member.
How much did that uncle know?
He knew we’d encountered the Demon King. He knew we’d fled.
-...This must stay confidential.
-You are humanity’s hope. The world can’t know you fled from the Demon King. I’m sorry. Please keep it under wraps.
The Knight Commander had ordered the cover-up.
But even he didn’t know the full story.
That I’d used Balance to escape the Demon King. That I’d paid half my lifespan to the stars.
I’d withheld it deliberately.
How could I tell him? That uncle who hailed us as humanity’s hope and always smiled when he saw us.
The Knight Commander had devoted his life to humanity above all others. He’d spent it battling beasts, demons, and the Demon King’s forces. I didn’t want to burden such a man with despair.
So here I was, hiding it despite knowing it was deceit.
Even my dwindling lifespan. Even Kyle’s rot.
Still, I needed an excuse.
Announce my departure from the Hero Party, and he’d be the first to track me down. He’d try to persuade me, and if that failed, stuff me into the Knight Order.
Whether I told him about this new body or not.
But that wasn’t what I wanted.
So I needed a plausible reason.
-In the past, to flee the Demon King, I traded with the stars. I used Balance.
-The price wasn’t steep, of course.
-Not steep, but the backlash right after left me unable to fully escape the Demon King. His curse lingers within my heart.
I blended lies and truth judiciously.
Centered on that incident, I crafted a fitting rationale.
-Encountered the Succubus Queen in Kainak City.
-The Succubus Queen summoned a fragment of the Demon King via some means. Please refer to the enclosed crystal orb and report.
I hesitated a moment, then resumed writing.
-The Demon King fragment—the black mist—summoned by the Succubus Queen activated the curse in my heart. I deem myself unfit for further adventures.
And the final lines.
-Thus, I, Raniel, hereby withdraw from the battlefield.
-I will return the badge proving my membership in the Hero Party and Knight Order.
I slipped the badge into the parchment.
Folded the letter with care, tucked it into the envelope, and sealed it with mana.
“...”
Clutching the envelope, I sat motionless for a long while. A torrent of thoughts raced through my mind.
It had taken so long.
Truly so long to write this letter.
I’d hoped I’d never have to.
If I ever left the battlefield, I’d imagined it’d be after severing the Demon King’s neck—or my own death.
“Aha.”
The laugh that slipped out was bitter.
A sneer at my plight, and at Kyle who’d cast me aside.
The envelope’s corner crumpled under my fingers.
“Now, it’s truly over.”
Muttering to myself, I flicked my fingers lightly. The spell etched on the envelope responded to my mana.
-Fwoosh!
The envelope burst into ash-gray flames. No ash scattered. Sensing the transmission’s success, I gently closed my eyes.
-...Hey, Raniel.
-Our village burned to the ground. Mom and Dad are dead. The village chief too. What do we do now?
-I... I’m gonna be a noble’s slave. At least I’ll eat.
-You had a gift for magic, right?
-...Must be nice.
“...”
-It’s rough. That pig bastard thinks I’m nothing.
-I really hate nobles.
-...Why’d you give me money? Don’t. It pisses me off. You’re you, I’m me. I don’t wanna borrow from my last friend from home.
-Don’t make me feel pathetic, Raniel.
That’s how it was.
-Hey, Raniel.
-I’m a hero now. Chosen by the stars, they say. Look at this. They call it the holy sword.
-Come with me, Raniel. We’ll kill the Demon King. No one’ll ignore us anymore. We’ll rack up feats and shove it to those nobles who sneered at our origins!
That’s how it began.
-We did it! We really did it!
-Finally took that black dragon’s head! We—we killed a Four Heavenly King, Raniel!
-Impossible without your magic, Raniel! You... you’re incredible. How’d you bind a dragon’s feet...!
-Raniel, you’re the greatest mage!
That’s how we pressed on.
-....
-Let’s quit, Raniel.
That’s how it—
-I can’t do it anymore.
-I just... can’t anymore, Raniel.
-Sorry. Sorry to you, but I really... I can’t go on. I don’t believe I can fell that monster. I... I...
—ended in abandonment.
-Yeah.
-You’re always like that.
-Always the only one shining bright. Only you, just you shining. It hurts to look at you.
“Sorry I’m always like that, you bastard.”
Is it a crime to live diligently, you son of a bitch?
“...Live well. Eat well.”
You miserable prick.
Unlike the venom I’d spat back then, my voice now held no strength.
Aware of it, I smiled bitterly and rose.
Thus, I placed a full stop on my five-year journey.
No lingering attachments remained.
Five years was far too long to harbor any.