The New Sun of Muller
I looked down over Muller. A brilliant radiance poured from my body. I could see the light and feel it radiating outward, yet my vision remained perfectly clear. If anything, my intuition had sharpened to the point that nothing hidden in the city could escape my notice. This was the full-powered Solarization I had unleashed since that day. I didn’t fully understand the principle behind it. Actually, maybe I should understand it—just the principle, though. The laws of nature were nothing more than training wheels. I needed to let go of some common sense and embrace the fantasy of magic. Accept what I could see. It felt like my senses were splitting and evolving, like I was becoming something that transcended humanity. The explanation sounded nice, but honestly it was as if an entirely new sense had been added to the original five. Anyway, as I gazed across the city, I focused on the places where magic power gathered thickly.
The people kneeling as they looked at me, those bowing their heads—I could feel their fear, their reverence. As I accepted those emotions, something stirred inside my body. In that moment, I imprinted on the entire city that its ruler was no longer Muller. It was me.
I scanned the whole city. While a full-scale renovation would be difficult, I finished identifying the parts that needed fixing and the information I needed to know, then turned my gaze toward the center of the city. The massive Muller castle stood there. Most of the Muller branch family and their knights were inside. I could sense frantic movement caused by my presence. Among them, I also detected a familiar flow of magic power. My attention shifted to one particular aura coming from inside the inner castle—an unfamiliar magic power, yet one that possessed considerable strength.
As expected. She was probably the only one who had noticed me before I fully revealed my presence. When I enhanced my eyesight, I saw the owner of that gaze. “Ah……”
It was a woman with striking navy-blue hair and purple eyes. The quantity and quality of the magic power I felt from her was refined and subtle. A direct descendant of the Mullers, perhaps. Could she be Triana Müller?
Our eyes met. Even across the distance, each other’s presence was unmistakable. As we stared at each other in silence, I sensed Chloe and the others gradually drawing closer, so I decided to withdraw for now. As I pulled back, I took one last look at her. Hmm. She seemed about the same age as Irina? She was quite beautiful.
“What? What is it?”
“No, it’s nothing……”
I watched Zeke and Chloe whispering to each other. Something about it being pitiful, about being worried for the future. What the hell were they on about?
“I just established dominance, that’s all.”
“You didn’t establish dominance—you crushed them. ……Still, it seems most of what we were worried about has been resolved.”
“I see. If anyone saw that display and still felt like rebelling, they would’ve been executed long ago. Even so, we should proceed with the inspection as planned.”
“Agreed.”
Hmm. As the two of them started discussing work again, I looked around. I had hidden my presence while surveying the city and surrounding areas. Traces of war were visible here and there on Muller’s outer walls, but most were already under repair. The interior showed almost no damage. The citizens appeared to be in normal condition, and the inner castle was clean without any major signs of destruction. So the claim that they had conquered it with minimal damage was true.
The overall atmosphere of Muller was gloomy. Well, the war had only just ended, so that was unavoidable. Even setting that aside, there was no sense of splendor or flair in the design. It had an antique feel, but it was stiffer and more solemn than Franz. “Hmm. Not bad, but……”
It could use a bit more majesty. Something that suited the solar magic power I had obtained…… What would work? I knew a few things about sun gods, but nothing in detail. Didn’t the Temple of Apollo in Greek and Roman mythology just have a bunch of white pillars?
-Knock knock!
“Hm?”
At the sound of knocking, I lifted my head to see Chloe and Zeke waiting. I understood they were preparing for any contingency, but judging by the presence I sensed beyond the door……
-It is Hans.
“It’s Sir Hans.”
“It’s Sir Hans.”
I nodded at their simultaneous answers. Zeke immediately approached the door and opened it. As expected, the old man I hadn’t seen in a while stood on the other side.
“Old man.”
It hadn’t been that long, but Hans looked exactly the same as always. The warm gaze he turned on me was unchanged.
“There’s a saying that you should reconsider a man once he takes up a sword. You have become truly magnificent, Second Young Master. No—Lord Leoric.”
“You’re making this awkward, saying it like that.”
The moment Hans entered, he started praising me, so I scratched the back of my head. Hearing it from the old man made me feel embarrassed.
“The solar magic power is incredible.”
“No, it’s not that big a deal……”
“It is. That is the sun itself. To obtain the solar magic power that no one has ever conquered—it can only be called the descent of myth.”
Hans was from the older generation, so his thoughts on unique magic power were a little different. Many people viewed it with a kind of religious reverence, like the commoners did. Well, that would probably change with time.
“With this, the atmosphere among those who were dissatisfied with us should shift as well.”
“Right?”
I knew it was the right move. I looked at Chloe and Zeke with a satisfied expression. Why were they making those strange faces?
“Lord Aidan’s rule was excellent, but leaving his seat at a time like this was indeed a risky decision. There were those who held grievances against outside rulers, regardless of whether they belonged to the first or second son’s faction.”
“Heh. Bow before my overwhelming power.”
“Indeed. They will bow before Lord Leoric’s sun.”
I had said it as a joke, but Hans accepted it at face value and I suddenly felt a little shy.
“And there was one more thing.”
“Hm. Nothing too serious yet.”
Hans’s report consisted of minor matters, so there wasn’t much that required serious attention. Even those who were dissatisfied couldn’t express it openly, and any attempts would be quickly suppressed. I decided I would sort it out later when I had time.
“As for the Lord Patriarch……”
“Mmm. As you probably already know, he intends to step down either this year or next.”
“I see.”
The dejected look on Hans’s face made me feel a pang of guilt. He had stayed by my father’s side protecting him throughout the battlefield. To think he would retire now that they were apart.
“Because of me……”
“It is not.”
Hans immediately cut off my words and smiled as he continued.
“Letting one’s guard down on the battlefield is one’s own responsibility. Even though the Lord Patriarch had taken minimal precautions, the fact that he let his guard down remains. It is proof that even he has grown old with age.”
“If I tell Father that, I feel like I’ll get scolded?”
“Hahaha. Since he is the one who actually suffered it, the one who should scold him is me.”
Whether because of his age or because he had served under my grandfather, he was the only one who could criticize my father in private. That was why he could say such things.
“Since the Lord Patriarch has also decided to retire, I suppose it is time for me to step back as well.”
“What?”
I was genuinely shocked by Hans’s words. Not just me—Chloe and Zeke both looked at the old man with surprised expressions.
“You’re still perfectly healthy, aren’t you?”
“Haha. Age is age, after all. My peers have either passed away or gone into seclusion. I have simply done more than my share.”
“That may be true, but……”
“The time for generational change has come.”
Hmm. He was right. It was true that we were entering the period of generational shift. The atmosphere grew somber, but Hans alone smiled as he rose from his seat.
“This Muller—I only stayed briefly, but it is not a bad city. The land is decent, and there is a river not far away. It is the kind of territory others would covet. The only real drawback is its proximity to the Great Mountain Range and Franz.”
“Hahaha. That’s not really a drawback, is it?”
Hans nodded at my words.
“Therefore, I will entrust all future matters to you, Lord Leoric. This old man will prepare to return home.”
“Yeah. Thank you for everything you’ve done for Franz all this time.”
“That is something you should say to the Lord Patriarch. Then, Lord Leoric, may glory, victory, and prosperity always be with you.”
“Thank you.”
Hans knelt one last time and offered those words for me before leaving the room. The back that had always looked so reliable seemed somehow thinner today—was that just my imagination? This was probably one of the last times I would see someone who had been with me since I was a child. My heart warmed at the thought that even until the very end, he was thinking of me.
After Hans withdrew, it was time to meet the people of Muller. I looked at the two people in the office filled with deep brown tones. Chloe was one thing, but Zeke looked like he was full of ideas about catching the kids. I glanced toward the presences beyond the room. Sensing the many people waiting anxiously, I let out a small chuckle.
“Gather the kids.”
I had heard everything I needed to. Now it was time to see the faces of those who would rule this land. The ones who would become my subordinates. The ones I would govern from now on.
“I need to separate the useful ones from the ones to throw away. Sort the wheat from the chaff.”
“Understood.”
The conference room in Muller. The one sitting at the head seat—reserved exclusively for the ruler of this land—was a man with blond hair and golden eyes. He was different from the gentle-looking man who had previously occupied that position. Similar, yet with sharper features. Faced with that intense presence, the numerous people of Muller bowed their heads and watched him nervously.
That shocking entrance. Everyone present had witnessed the scene. An overwhelming sight. It was truly something that seemed to come straight out of myth. Those with magic power realized once again the terror of high-ranking nobles who possessed territory and unique magic—something they had never truly felt despite knowing one could rise to such a position with power.
“Then.”
Looking at the frightened people of Muller, Leoric Franz opened the meeting.
“Shall we start with introductions?”