Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: End of Childhood
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"A message has arrived from the Papal Palace."
Delaiten Chancellor's Office.
The room was octagonal, with arched glass windows on all eight sides opening to the world outside. Yet, thanks to the low blanket of rain clouds, the morning inside felt not just dim and gloomy, but downright eerie.
"With the current internal and external situation turning precarious, they say they can't proceed with the top graduate's Papal Palace visit as scheduled."
The two people there—Madelia Page and Valensidis—both had shadows falling across their faces so deeply that neither could read the other's expression.
"Is that so?"
It was a tone tinged with disappointment.
Though her eyes were hidden, the emotion reflected in them might have stemmed from a sense of relief.
The Papal Palace event meant Delaiten's top graduate would pay respects to Lin's body.
"Don't jump to conclusions and get disappointed. It's just that it can't proceed as scheduled—it doesn't mean it's canceled."
"Specifically?"
"They've advanced it significantly. Precisely two weeks from now. So you'll head to the Papal Palace in two days. I've prepared the carriage for your travel."
In the end, this too is an inescapable fate... Valensidis swallowed a short sigh inwardly.
"Understood."
"And one more thing. Unlike before, there won't be a student council escort. You won't get to receive congratulations from your fellow executives or juniors. The Papal Palace insisted strongly on this, so it couldn't be helped."
A silver lining in the misfortune, as they say.
Under normal circumstances, she would have broken one or two legs to prevent it... but going there meant certain death.
This suits me perfectly, Valensidis nodded in satisfaction for the first time.
"Thank you for the past three years, Chancellor."
"No need for thanks. Just as you're Delaiten's pride, Delaiten is yours. I merely gave what was due."
And that's only up until today. My name will never be recorded in Delaiten's graduation registry.
She had known this from the start.
She had known since enrollment... but lately, strange fancies kept popping into her head unbidden, making it unbearably regrettable somehow.
And those fancies weren't of some distant future.
Roughly two years from now, perhaps.
Teasing Rain Ludwig, who would be acting student council president during a visit to the school with the current second- and third-year executives after a long time apart.
If he needed help, she'd offer it as a senior (of course, only after teasing him with something like, "Do you really need our help? Shout it loud enough for everyone to hear, Rain Ludwig!")... and reminisce about the festival two years ago.
"And this doesn't mean you're graduating. You'll have to return to school afterward, right? Don't create that weird atmosphere with your juniors and peers like you just did. It'll just make everyone awkward."
But she knew. It could never happen.
Her childhood was over now.
Knowing this better than anyone, Valensidis swept the fancy from her mind with a wistful bitter smile. She turned with a salute.
"Yes, then I'll take my leave."
* * *
Summer arrived right on cue after the seasonal festival ended successfully.
As sweltering heat and humid winds began blowing in from the south, sweat poured out even if you just stood still.
Delaiten, in the Empire's south and adjacent to the Crimson Mountains, had a heat that brought tears compared to the central regions.
The academic affairs office officially approved summer uniforms. There wasn't a separate one—just forgoing the uniform mantle like Kasena and wearing only the blouse.
"See? Doesn't this feel so much better?"
Kasena bounced ahead across the campus quad with an excited face.
Thanks to her grueling rehab efforts plus the magic-protein boost, Kasena's recovery had been swift. She no longer needed crutches and could run lightly like that.
Attaching the student council badge from her mantle to her blouse's breast pocket, he sighed in response.
"The summer uniform order hasn't even come down yet. You could get away with it because you're a young lady."
"What are you talking about? You could too!"
"No."
"You could! If I ask Mom, it'll be fine!"
He closed his eyes and gave up responding.
What an outrageous young lady!
No wonder parents are endlessly soft on their daughters... that's how they end up so spoiled.
'Well, I'm hardly one to talk.'
According to Pipi, Tureina had defied Fride too.
But he remembered raising her strictly enough to smack her head for a single mistake... Was that soft too?
Hmm, what even is strict parenting?
"But why's your face looking so sour lately?"
"Can't find the guy I'm looking for."
"Who?"
"Who else? The student council president."
For the two weeks since the festival ended, student council activities had gone quiet, and he hadn't shown his face there once.
Most tasks had been delegated to Felix, who only got direct approval for major issues—and with the festival over, there were none.
Whether that guy was deliberately avoiding him or they kept missing each other, he hadn't seen Valensidis since that weird conversation.
Not that he could go far... until graduation, that jerk was stuck here like everyone else.
Come to think of it, he'd never pondered it deeply.
Why had someone of Valensidis's caliber wasted three years at Delaiten? To enjoy her youth?
A dark wizard wouldn't, and she didn't have that personality anyway. Then why? He was here to legally view Lin's body...
- Mother's masterpiece for receiving Lin's soul is this very body!
- This body is none other than the great mage Lin reincarnated!
No way... Could what Valensidis was after be...? The insane thought made him curse blankly.
Kasena was nagging beside him about what he was thinking when he shot past her like an arrow toward the main school building.
"Valensidis!"
Flinging open the third-year classroom door with a shout, the third-years stared blankly.
"What's that?"
"Is that first-year sane?"
"Watch your mouth. It's Young Master Rain."
A mere first-year would get manhandled for such rudeness, but nobility from a great house changed everything.
From amid the murmurs, a welcome face approached: Maya Snark of the Ten Families, just off restriction.
"Looking for Valensidis, Young Master?"
"Yeah. Where's that bastard now? He hasn't been here?"
"She was packing her things earlier. Didn't ask where to."
Maya shrugged knowingly behind her glasses.
What?
Leaving school without a word to anyone?
Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Vice President Felix, just returning, eyed Maya and Rain alternately in confusion.
"What brings you to the third-year room, Young Master?"
"Came for Valensidis... but she's not here."
Felix's reaction seemed oddly off.
"Oh? You didn't hear? Ah, no wonder. It's so sudden, after all."
"......?"
"The Papal Palace advanced the top graduate ceremony, so she just left by carriage. I saw her off."
What...?
Just then, dark clouds swallowed the sky whole, and raindrops began falling one by one, beading on the windows.
The end of childhood approached—for both Rain and Valensidis.
* * *
Sunlight filtering through cracks in the earth into the underground temple twisted and tangled bizarrely, leaving the shrine dark and sinister as night despite the daytime.
The usual acrid incense smoke billowed, ancient yin energies roiled, but one key thing differed.
The shrine maiden in the bamboo hat, who always sat on her throne merely observing the shadows' council like a bystander, had descended the stairs in full ritual garb.
"Everyone finished preparations?"
Tureina asked lowly, pipe in mouth. The figures writhing on their jade thrones prostrated in turn.
[North is good~ Killed a hundred~ Squeezed their blood hard~ Drew the barrier~!]
Ever-playful Number 4.
[South is securely drawn.]
Ever-diligent Number 5.
And the inscrutable Number 7.
[East will finish within two days. Haha, the 'Golden Children' are watching closely, so it's a bit slow, but it'll be perfect.]
With magic barriers drawn in east, south, and north, only west remained—which Tureina would handle personally en route. No issue.
The barriers' centers: Papal Palace.
Blood-drawn barriers blending 5-star magic and 5-star shamanism, inscribed with ten runes whose collective meaning was:
[The Cleaving of the World Axis]
On the great day, one of the Forgotten Kings—the Lord of Time—would see his seal crack. The world would face upheaval.
"You've all done well. See you at the Papal Palace."
Tureina tied Lin's bamboo hat straps, tapped Fride's pipe against the wall to shake ash. A gale howled, extinguishing the abyss lanterns that had blued the temple.
Her hair, once sky-blue capturing heavenly light, now abyss-tinged dark cerulean, fluttered ominously.
Tureina's hand trembled quietly with sorrow and joy for the impending reunion as she tucked the pipe at her waist.
'Now, to end this unreasonable tale and revive the one that should never have ended...'
* * *
Valensidis's trip to the Papal Palace plunged me into deep worry for days.
Is she really after Lin's body?
What does she plan to do?
Lin's soul is here, so whatever she tries with the body, nothing will happen.
'And Valensidis is impressive, but nothing compared to the Light Dragon at the Papal Palace...'
Light Dragon Haraderiman.
One of the three divine dragons granted power rivaling gods by the [Ones Above]... a force worthy of the name.
Valensidis couldn't take even a hundred of herself. Not that it's possible.
'And it's not just Haraderiman—the Papal Palace is the headquarters of the Imperial Dragon Legion...'
Each divine dragon birthed and commands five True Dragons as children and vassals; the legion's True Dragons, titled cardinals, are called the Papal Palace's five pillars, guardians of order.
'No matter how I think, I can't believe she'd challenge them.'
Valensidis has a brain; she surely won't.
So is this just paranoia? That damn jerk just wants to see my body and come back?
No need to worry. Lin's body is at the Papal Palace of all places... Then who am I worrying about?
'No, something feels off. Can't explain it, but...'
Should I chase after her now to the Papal Palace? It's a week's trip—not impossible.
'No, if I'm deciding, now's the time with exactly a week left.'
But skipping school without leave would jeopardize my top student spot...
- I'm proud of you.
- As expected of my bloodline!
Forget top student—I've thought countless times to just chase after recklessly, but Mom and Grandpa's faces flash by each time.
'Ah, driving me crazy...'
Sighing and tearing at my hair, a sharp smack hit my back.
"What?"
Irritably whipping my head around, a familiar pale purple face appeared.
Kasena Page.
Before I could respond, she grabbed my nape and dragged me out of the classroom.
"Hey, wait, hold on! What are you doing?!"
"You've been sighing nonstop for three days—it's pathetic! So I'm making sure you can't rest!"
"Going for a walk won't solve it..."
A deep sigh led to awkward silence, but glancing back, Kasena smirked leisurely.
"I told you, right? Mom does whatever I ask!"
"......?"
"You kept moping about wanting to see the president, so I told her straight! She's sending us both as student ceremony representatives to the Papal Palace!"
Student ceremony representatives?
What's that?
The answer came from Madelia Page, waiting at the school gate with our house carriage ready.
"Normally, after student council execs congratulate the top graduate with flowers, she pays respects to Lin's body. That's the tradition."
"......?"
"But this time, the Papal Palace sent a refusal notice."
Well, Haraderiman's no fool. If anything, dozens of times smarter than me.
Kinda disappointing, though.
If it were me, I'd cancel the whole thing to prepare for contingencies...
"However, your identities are verified, and above all, Cardinal Yoshuar has actively approved your visit."
Hearing that unexpected welcome name, I grinned unwittingly.
Cardinal Yoshuar.
The True Dragon who gave me the three jeweled golden staff when Rista's party got official Papal approval for the Antarctic expedition.
'So the Papal Palace knew? That I've returned...!'
No, don't overthink. Don't get hopes up and crash. Having one old friend is plenty.
"I figured it'd be good experience for both Kasena and you, so I asked via griffon rider in a rush. Like it?"
Instead of answering, I whistled with fingers in mouth.
Calling its name heartily brought a whoosh... clear wingbeats, then a warm presence on my head.
Madelia and Kasena's eyes widened nearly in sync; I chuckled and tilted my head, the parrot mimicking me.
"My friend can come too, right?"
"Together, together, together."
Sun parrot, Pipi.
Madelia hesitated briefly, but Kasena stared at Pipi with sparkling excitement, drawing an amused laugh.
"Using my daughter like a hostage, eh? Bold as ever. Fine. Have a safe trip."