Episode 303
Two years later.
Capital City of Petran.
The massive castle, once a symbol of the royal family, had completely lost its dominance since the arrival of the magician.
Initially, the magician was a symbol of peace and power, but after the ‘Hero’s March,’ she had spent another two years holed up in her room.
Now, some eyes had started to glance uneasily at her and her disciples who were lingering around.
“Buer, why do you keep skipping meals?”
“……….”
“No matter how much you’re a body inherited from the Magic Instructor’s power, constantly refusing food could really lead to big problems.”
“……….”
The castle’s garden was beautifully adorned with all kinds of flowers.
A gaunt middle-aged man was locked in an unwinnable argument with a young girl in front of him.
The man’s name was Plauros.
He was one of the magician’s disciples and the guardian responsible for Buer, the only offspring.
The girl, Buer, rarely listened. Her tightly sealed lips seemed to be suppressing something from within, and her lonely eyes were holding back with great effort.
“Buer….”
Plauros looked at Buer with concern.
Having been with Buer since she was born, he had an affection for her that rivaled that of her biological parents.
Or perhaps, he was even more devoted than her real parents by now.
Since the march, it had been close to two years since her mother, the magician, last saw her daughter’s face.
Her father, Bael, had also been off gallivanting around, creating distance from her.
With both people Buer should rely on most having moved away in this vast castle,
Plauros was carrying an enormous burden of emotions on his shoulders.
“…I miss Mom and Dad.”
Buer finally uttered a word after keeping her mouth shut.
However, it was a wish he couldn’t fulfill with his own power. Plauros hesitated on how to respond.
“You’ll see them soon.”
“…Liar.”
“It’s not a lie. Your mom and dad are just busy right now. Aren’t they the two who love you more than anyone else?”
“……….”
“It’s tough, but if you just wait a little longer….”
“Keep it down, will you…?”
“Lies. If you loved me… why aren’t you by my side right now?”
Buer’s melancholic voice. It was far too mature for a child, given all the joys and wonders of the world.
“…I must not be important. You don’t love me.”
Buer’s voice was heavy with sadness.
She gazed at the young sprouts rising in the garden and brought her hand closer.
Suddenly, as if receiving a lifetime’s worth of sunlight and nutrients simultaneously, the sprout began to grow rapidly and instantly bloomed a bud.
Buer snapped the stem of the blooming flower decisively.
The flower, lacking even a hint of fragrance, was rather embarrassing to call a flower.
“I know now. Just because my body hasn’t grown doesn’t mean I haven’t aged.”
Buer’s physical age was stuck at six years old.
Though she could transform into an adult if she wished, she hadn’t allowed her body to grow while the magician remained in seclusion.
It’s a behavior that could be seen as a form of depression.
Plauros could only watch with sympathetic eyes, unable to offer any words of comfort.
However…
“Get out of the way! I must see the Magic Instructor today!”
A booming male voice echoed through the castle.
The once tranquil area suddenly erupted into chaos.
Plauros instinctively pulled Buer closer as he tried to discern the source of the voice.
Thud thud thud—!
“Magic Instructor! Can you hear me? Your student, Schugenhartz, is here! Please open the door!”
‘Schugenhartz? The one causing this ruckus is none other than Schugenhartz, is it?’
He was known for his calm demeanor; never once had he shown any anger, let alone shouted.
Just hearing his voice from afar made it clear how urgent and furious he was.
Buer winced with anxiety and said, “What’s going on?”
“Buer, it would be better if you didn’t go… Buer!”
Ignoring Plauros’s warning, Buer dashed out.
The door that Schugenhartz was banging on was definitely the one to her mom’s room.
As she raced over, she finally reached the scene.
In front of a giant door, big enough for a giant to pass through, a crowd had already gathered.
In the center, Schugenhartz was pounding on the door fiercely while those around him tried to hold him back.
“Magic Instructor! How long will you keep refusing all personal meetings? I can’t just sit and wait any longer!”
Schugenhartz’s furious expression was unlike anything Buer had ever seen.
Her body trembled in fear.
Before she knew it, Plauros had also come running to observe the situation.
“Student Schugenhartz. I’m coming in!”
With a display of magic, Schugenhartz halted those who tried to stop him.
And then, with a firm grip, he forcefully opened the tightly shut door.
Everyone’s jaws dropped at his audacity.
The magician’s room, which absolutely forbidden entry to anyone but Bael, was now violated.
Ignoring the command of the man who had triumphed over the Demon King and stood at the pinnacle of the world felt heavier and more terrifying than any crime in their eyes.
Because of it.
“I really opened the door…”
Buer also froze with her eyes wide open.
However, instead of expressing her anger towards Schugenharz, who was committing an unbelievable act of treachery, her gaze was drawn to the interior of the long-closed door.
A woman was faintly visible.
No matter how much time passes, it seemed like this exceptionally beautiful woman would always retain her looks, but her cheeks were sunken. Dark clouds hung under her eyes, and her nails resembled untrimmed blades.
She was alone in a room that could rival the audience room.
Schugenharz boldly stepped forward.
The servants and disciples, immobilized by magic, couldn’t stop him.
“Magic Instructor!”
Such a rough act could easily be considered treachery.
It seemed Schugenharz sensed that the other disciples would soon come to stop him, so he quickly stated his purpose.
He too was concerned about the state of the Magic Instructor, but there was not much time to elaborate on it.
“It has been over two and a half years since you entered seclusion! The disciples are losing their restraint day by day!”
Schugenharz mentioned the corruption of the disciples.
Starting with Lafez, who conducts various human experiments on the citizens.
To those who, using their position as disciples of the magician, indulge in various entertainment, drugs, and a debauched lifestyle.
“We cannot continue like this! Magic Instructor! Why have we fought against the Demon King? Wasn’t it to free innocent people from the forces of evil and restore peace? But what about now? Is this the peace you envisioned?”
“…….”
“Were you after nothing but power? If so, you have chosen poorly!”
He continued, explaining how the number of citizens suffering due to the disciples’ wrongdoings was rapidly increasing.
And that because of this, the once-esteemed reputation of the Magic Instructor was collapsing like a landslide.
“Complete power is an illusion! Even right after defeating the Demon King, there were forces that viewed you and us unfavorably! Now, how bad must it be?”
“…….”
“The factions monitoring you are multiplying rapidly. Moreover, they are on the verge of declaring war against your followers everywhere!”
Schugenharz earnestly begged.
Please, come out of seclusion and face the world.
“Please move! It cannot be delayed any longer! Not all disciples are corrupt. To realize the ideals you showed us, there are still those like me…!”
Just then, two people rushed into the room, blocking Schugenharz’s way.
Amon and Ipos.
They tried to forcefully lead Schugenharz out of the room.
“Amon! Ipos! Let go! My meeting with the Magic Instructor isn’t finished yet! If you truly care for the Magic Instructor, you shouldn’t be dragging me out like this!”
Creeeak—
Despite Schugenharz’s fierce resistance, it was impossible to withstand the strength of Amon and Ipos.
It was a group.
The door, which had finally opened, closed again.
“Magic Instructor! Please come out! Magic Instructor—!!”
—Boom.
In the end, the door was closed once more.
Unconscious Schugenharz was carried away by Amon and Ipos, while Buer clung closely to Plauros, watching the scene unfold.
Buer’s hands trembled uncontrollably.
Plauros, holding her hand tightly, captured the image of the fading Schugenharz in her eyes.
Her eyes, which had initially shown sympathy, now seemed to be hardening with a certain determination.
*
“Finally, the incident is starting to unfold.”
In a remote village, lived Vargan in a shabby hut.
Using Beled’s magic to get the world’s news, he smiled faintly.
It had been two years since he kidnapped (?) Beled.
He hadn’t realized he would be in this world for such a long time, nor did he know how much longer he would stay, but it certainly wasn’t a short time.
“…My dear.”
On one side of the hut, Beled was playing with a child.
Beled rarely opened her mouth, but she tried to converse with her son.
‘It’s about time to let that one grow up.’
Vargan watched the boy playing with a piece of wood alongside Beled.
The boy, based on a picture drawn by Beled, was, of course, a mere hallucination created by Vargan.
Good-hearted Vargan found it painfully hard to exploit a mother’s longing for her child, but he couldn’t think of a more fitting way to make Beled comply willingly.
‘…Anyway. Even now, the Magic Instructor and her disciples haven’t come looking for Beled and me. In the end, even the woman who would be called a goddess in the future and the Pope are not omnipotent.’
Thinking about how Beled received magic from the instructor only highlighted her limitations.
She was no transcendent being.
Just a mortal pretending to be one.
‘Furthermore, since my return hasn’t occurred even though the march ended two years ago, the conditions for my return in this world are not date-related.’
Then the previous return must have happened because I participated in the march.
While the exact cause was still unclear, it was undoubtedly related to the magician.
Vargan compiled news from all over the world through Beled.
Among them, a frantic voice erupted from the rift connected to the Capital City of Petran, where the most information flowed.
—Traitor Schugenharz has escaped!
—The Magic Instructor has issued a command to hunt down and kill the traitor!
Once a disciple of the magician, Schugenharz was suddenly branded a traitor overnight.
Vargan speculated that Ultreman must have been involved in the background and smiled widely.
“Since I sold him at a high price, my wallet must be quite full. Ultreman.”
Thanks to that, he could expedite an incident that would have occurred much later.
