It was nice to imagine getting a welcome. However, Theo’s departure had been strictly confidential, so he hadn’t been naive enough to expect a reunion while others were watching. He didn’t know if Sylvia even knew Theo had left.
While Theo was filled with such doubts, Orta delivered a message to him using magic.
[She knows. She is Blundell’s granddaughter, so she can easily find out if she wants to.]
Indeed.?
Theo agreed inwardly. Blundell was a Tower Master, not some nobody. Of course Sylvia would be able to find out. She wouldn’t leak it, but there might be situations she couldn’t predict. As such, Theo wasn’t sure how to start the story.
However, Sylvia was the one who moved first. “Theo.”
“Y-Yes?”
Perhaps it was because her voice seemed different from a year ago, Theo responded half a beat too late. Her voice had grown clear and resonant. As Theo stiffened for no reason, Sylvia picked up the books she had dropped.
“It looks like your business is over.” Her voice was calmer than he’d expected. She bowed briefly to the White Tower Master and held her books as she asked Theo, “Are you busy now?”
“… Yes, I think I will be busy until the evening.”
“I see.” Her tone was understanding. Sylvia smiled and headed toward both of them. Then as she passed by Theo, she whispered, “I’m still not fully prepared, so I will see you later.”
Theo turned at the strange words, but Sylvia was already climbing the staircase toward the Blue Tower. It was the opposite direction of the Red Tower, so it would be embarrassing to chase someone who had already said goodbye in order to ask what they meant.
As unanswered questions sprouted in him, Theo and Orta climbed the stairs leading to the Red Tower. Finding his teacher was surprisingly quick.
During the year that Theo had been gone, Vince’s private room had gotten a nameplate engraved with the symbol of a Prime. Theo was surprised for a moment, but it wasn’t hard to understand why. It wasn’t strange that his teacher’s achievement of restoring the language of the ancient Balcia Empire and its magic system would elevate him to a Prime.
“Master!” Theo opened the door delightedly.
“The— cough!” Vince spat out the freshly brewed cup of coffee that he had just sipped. The touching meeting between a teacher and a disciple after one year began with coffee covering Theo’s face.
“T-This… Theo, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Fortunately, the hot coffee did nothing to Theo because of his innate resistance to heat. He didn’t have the physical abilities of an aura user, but the body of a magician was different from normal humans in many ways. Of course, Vince was very apologetic for getting coffee on his disciple.
“Then let’s start the story.” After the fuss died down and he had a new cup of coffee, Vince said, “First and foremost, welcome back. I don’t see any injuries, but what about the problem we talked about before you left?”
“It is well above expectations.”
“That’s fantastic.” Vince smiled brightly. A few people knew that Theo had gone on a journey, but only Vince knew that Theo had a deadline.
Orta cocked his head, but he didn’t speak up. Then the tale of Theo’s adventures began.
The raid during the crossing of the border to Sipoto, the plaque from the trading company, Sipoto’s secret auction, the suspicion that the Orcus Company was using black magic… There was enough material to talk all day.
At first, the White Tower Master was listening indifferently, but he quickly leaned forward to listen more closely to Theo’s words, making comments as the tale progressed.
“A death knight and ghost ship… I need to raise the warning level by two stages.”
“The Pirate Archipelago? I thought it was just a group of pirates. I never expected them to have a sea dragon behind them.”
“The Soldun Kingdom is making a big move. Maybe a civil war will break out in the east of this continent…”
… It was the same pattern. There were a few minor things, but every single event was too big not to pay attention to. As the story reached the peak where Hyde was defeated, the two older magicians started to clap.
“Excellent! It might just be me, but these achievements are enough to give you the position of marquis,” Vince remarked.
“You’re overpraising me,” Theo responded.
Orta shook his head. “No, it is hard to disagree with Prime Vince’s words. Reaching the 7th Circle at this age and defeating one of the empire’s Seven Swords? Even if you look through all of Meltor’s history, it will be hard to find another person like you.”
Theo had no idea what to do as both magicians praised him. Vince Haidel and Orta were both magicians who had practiced magic far longer than Theo and contributed to Meltor. He didn’t want them to be displeased at the quick accomplishments of a junior, but he couldn’t see any signs of that on their faces.
Theo embraced the feelings of intense joy and admiration, and he felt his heart beat faster.
I’ve met some really good people.
Perhaps this sense of belonging was Meltor’s real power. They didn’t monopolize knowledge, instead teaching their fellow magicians without envying them. It was like paradise compared to the Andras Empire, where there was a strict divide between teacher and disciple.
“Ah, that reminds me, Master.” At that moment, Theo remembered what Sylvia had said. “I’m curious about what happened in the capital during the year I was away. For example, Sylvia was aware that I left…”
“Hrmm.” Perhaps this a heavier topic than Theo had thought, as Vince groaned before saying, “Okay, let me explain what I know.”
The story that emerged was more heavy than Theo had expected. Sylvia had found out about Theo’s departure a few weeks after he’d left. But she locked herself in her room for a week. When she came out, she had changed.
She spent all day practicing or reading books. She had grown quieter, but far more ruthless in her spars. As she immersed herself in magic, she didn’t even care about her body being hurt. It wouldn’t have been a big deal for someone else, but Theo’s departure had obviously affected her. She had more talent and aptitude than anyone else, so she had never felt desperation.
Even with Theo, she had only ever childishly wanted to compete with him. However, Theo’s departure had changed her entire mindset toward magic. She no longer wanted to just rely on talent to progress.
Vince half asked, “You’ve already noticed it, haven’t you?”
“Yes, definitely.” Theo nodded as he recalled the shock of that moment. “She has already finished the 6th Circle.”
Sylvia’s talent was truly frightening. Theo had struggled with the wall, even while using the cheat, Gluttony. The wall that had stymied generations of talented magicians had been shattered after Sylvia changed her mindset.
However, that wasn’t what Vince was trying to say. He looked deeply at Theo. “That child wants to follow you.”
Theo was taken aback. “Huh? Me?”
“Yes. Just like a chick who imprints on the first person it sees, you became something like that to her.”
For the very first time in her life, she’d met a boy who could match her and who she’d gone on adventures with. It was natural for Theo to become a big existence to Sylvia, who was like a blank piece of paper.
However, that boy had left to walk alone. The girl, unfamiliar with asking other people for help, had found her own answer: she was so weak that she had become his burden. So Sylvia had decided to become stronger. She would become stronger than the boy who defeated her, or at the very least, strong enough to stand by his side.
Theo hadn’t realized it until Vince spelled it out. It was then that he finally understood what Sylvia meant by being prepared.
As Theo sipped his coffee absentmindedly, Vince nodded and advised him, “I won’t ask you to meet her straight away, but you shouldn’t forget this.”
“… Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
Theo had already cast aside qualifications and age as excuses. He drained his cup as he realized the depth of the immaturity that Seimei had pointed out. It may have been the atmosphere, but the aftertaste of the sweet coffee was slightly bitter. 𝙚𝙙𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙚𝙡.𝙤𝙧𝒈
***
After finishing his story, Theo was summoned to the royal palace at around 9 p.m. It seemed the afternoon meeting had run long, or perhaps the king simply wanted to avoid the eyes of others.
Theo didn’t know, but he passed through the palace’s central garden while the stars twinkled above his head. He walked over a hundred steps beyond the garden and arrived at his destination. It was the same place he’d met the king in the past.
The guard standing before the door recognized Theo and spoke politely, “It is an honor. Go ahead and enter.”
Theo lightly returned the greeting before taking a deep breath and entering. In general, the guards opened the door while calling the name of the person entering, but the nature of this meeting was a little different. The guard didn’t need to explain how it was different. Theo could tell as soon as the doors opened.
The Blue Tower Master, Blundell Adruncus…
The White Tower Master, Orta…
The minister for the military, Robert Alpenheimer…
And the minister of domestic affairs, Jerome Violeta…
Aside from Veronica who seemed to be missing, the preeminent members of Meltor Kingdom were sitting around a circular table. However, they all paled next to the man in the center, sitting on a glorious throne, Kurt III.
As the door closed behind him, Theo bowed down to the king. “Prime of the Red Tower, Viscount Theodore Miller greets the Great Sun of Meltor.”
“You can stop bowing now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Theo got up and met the eyes of a brightly smiling Kurt.
Then Kurt III spoke mischievously, “It has been a while, hero who left home. Where did you go and what did you do?”
“Thanks to Your Majesty’s care, I have returned safely.”
“Is that so? But I don’t think you enjoyed a trip without any incidents. If you don’t mind, please tell your story to the people gathered here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty… Ah.” Theo’s expression changed as something popped into his head. “Before I start talking, I have to apologize to Your Majesty.”
“Hoh? For what?” Kurt III asked, bemused.
Theo raised his empty wrist and apologized, “During a battle, I lost the bracelet that Your Majesty lent to me. Please forgive me for being inadequate.”
“Hah? That hard bracelet? How did you manage that?”
“It couldn’t be helped. I was fighting one of the empire’s Seven Swords.”
Despite his lighthearted tone, the atmosphere of the room changed immediately. Orta knew what he was talking about, but the people who didn’t know were shocked. For Meltor, a battle with their greatest enemy, the Empire’s Seven Swords, could only end in death. But that meant…
As everyone was filled with anticipation, Kurt III raised his hand. “Okay, start the story from there. Regardless of when the incident occurred, I would like you to report in the order of most important.”
“I will follow Your Majesty’s words.” Theo responded to their expectations, “It was just after I saw the devastation in the Information Guild…”
It was a story he had already told to the White Tower Master and Vince, so this time he was able to make it more interesting. As his voice rose and fell, the young man captured everyone’s attention.
Meltor Kingdom’s most important people were silent as the hero’s story was told…
And no one was able to speak until the story was over.