Book 17 Chapter 12
Chapter 109
You wait endlessly for a spring breeze that will not return.
“Rin, I always like to leave coolly and chicly, but this time I have something to give you.”
Leonia, the lion princess, rummaged through the saddlebag tied to the back of the lioness Horu, then pulled out a wooden box.
When she opened the wooden box, what beauty!
The jewel wrapped in pure white silk was a crystallization of nature, as if holding spring rain in a single form… a Super Sapphire!
“Ahem, well, what is it, Rin! This is the legacy of my ancestor, Sir Herk! It’s a gem imbued with the power to amplify water-attribute magic. It was also a necklace my great-grandmother gifted to Sir Herk when they married!”
“Wow, what is this? What kind of gem is as big as a fist? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I thought it might be of some help to you, even just a little! Don’t worry, of course! There’s absolutely no personal reason for lending you the kingdom’s treasure! It contains only a cool and chic wish for this war to end as quickly as possible.”
Rin had never once held any interest or curiosity in jewels.
It was an influence from Atlante’s frugal life, but still, seeing a gem of this extraordinary size made him feel wonder.
However, at the mention that it was the legacy of the 10th Great Sorcerer Herk and amplified water-attribute magic, he couldn't suppress his excitement as a boy who dreamed of becoming the strongest. Rin smiled brightly.
“Wow, thank you!”
Leonia’s face was already beet-red, almost on the verge of bursting, just from this smile and answer.
However!
For this moment, she had to surely follow the script, designed by the kingdom’s most renowned officials who had racked their brains, right to the end.
“Well then, Rin.”
Leonia clasped Rin’s hand, which had been turning the Super Sapphire this way and that, with both of her hands.
See you again next time, Rin.
(Important: Here, gaze deeply into Sir Rin’s eyes)
This Leonia will withdraw coolly and chicly.
According to the script, it was supposed to be like this, but the moment she felt Rin’s delicate skin and body temperature, all thought vanished from her mind!
“S-see, see you next, next time?! Here, gaze deeply… Ah, oh… Th-this, this Leonia w-will withdraw coo-coolly and chicly!”
“Roar (Cool)!”
“Ro-roar (Chic)!”
Leonia, climbing onto Horu's back and swiftly leaving the scene, followed by Hosen’s rapid-fire squad, who erupted in tearful applause!
‘Passed, it’s a pass, Princess!’
‘To veer from the original script to emphasize a maiden's freshness, what perfection!’
‘With this, Sir Rin’s score for the princess must have risen close to 100 points! The future of the kingdom is brilliant!’
As if a storm had passed, <Simila> became quiet after Leonia and the rapid-fire squad departed.
“That lion princess, she’s incredibly proactive, isn't she? At this rate, even an insensitive Rin would be won over.”
Fride muttered in a tone mixed with admiration and concern, then shouted when Rin tried to put the Super Sapphire around his neck.
“Hey, Rin! You know what it means to wear that around your neck, right?”
Meaning? She clearly said it was just a wish for the war to end quickly.
In that case, wasn’t she wishing for Rin to become the [Strongest Mage] as soon as possible?
If fulfilling that expectation was the path to becoming the strongest, then he would gladly accept it as a mission to become the [Strongest Mage].
“Hmph, of course…”
At Rin’s bold smile, Fride flinched in surprise and backed away.
‘Those eyes, those eyes, surely…!’
They were eyes Fride had seen many times. The smile often adopted by ‘handsome men’ who are born with the talent to toy with women!
“As expected, this guy is dangerous… Pip, we have to deal with him here and now! Representing the women who shed tears because of the swallow-men from both continents, we must eliminate him here before he transforms into the ‘Strongest Swallow-Man’! Pip! Pip rush!”
“Are you challenging Sir Rin, who has taken one step closer to becoming the strongest mage today through this Super Sapphire? I’ll indulge your trivial provocation just once, you moron!”
“Pippipippipippipippipippipippit!”
“Kyukyukyukyukyukyukyukyukyukyukyut!”
Claws imbued with flame and fists wielding frost crisscross endlessly!
What a strange rush battle!
Amidst the playful chaos of scattered sparks and snowflakes, Rin and Fride kept cautiously glancing sideways towards the city gate.
‘Lista isn’t coming yet, right?’
‘It’ll be big trouble if that madman comes.’
What kind of punishment she would inflict after asking if they were fighting again was unimaginable.
“Kies, what happened?”
Meanwhile, that madman had handed over Razul and his subordinate Blue Hoods to the ‘Children of Gold’ in the outskirts of <Simila>, and was then asking Kies that question.
Fride stayed in <Simila> because she was embarrassed that the Light Magic Witch Association had become corrupt, and Rin simply because he was too lazy to move.
Kies replied through Cervewon.
[(ㅇㅅㅇ)?]
“Kies’s eyes until now… how should I put it, they looked so exhausted. But now, they’re full of life. Cervewon is also exuding a clearer aura than usual.”
The hero party used to treat the White Spear Bow as a single entity. Lista went even further, giving Cervewon the affectionate nickname ‘Cerv’.
“Right? Cerv, you must be happy that Kies is like that, aren’t you?”
As Lista affectionately stroked the bowstring, Cervewon also vibrated clearly and stretched out its branch to caress her fingers.
Kies let out a chuckle.
It wasn't a smile using Cervewon’s emoticon, but one that bloomed brightly on her own lips without a hint of concealment… that kind of smile.
“Then I, too, shall take my leave.”
Schwan, the wandering shepherd, said.
“Ah, Sir Schwan! I heard from Kies that you provided great help this time… What should we do, as there’s no fitting reward we can offer you?”
“I am already receiving my reward through your noble lives.”
“As expected of a shepherd, your answers are so wonderful! What a pity to part ways like this, what should we do?”
“Like you all, I also need to dedicate myself to the reason I awakened in this era.”
The reason he awakened?
Not the reason he was born?
Lista had a question, but decided to simply consider it a slip of the tongue. It wasn't in her nature to point out every little thing anyway.
“Ah, if my words aren’t clear to you now, you can look up Chapter 5 of 『Tersia’s Record of Enlightenment (彰明記)』, where you might or might not find a hint!”
“Ahahaha, cheerful to the very end. You’d get along well with Rin! Oh, if you’re leaving, you’d better go quickly. Fride said she has a mountain of questions and told me to grab you by the collar if I had to and bring you back…”
“I see. According to Sir Fride, that boy isn’t the main body… Please tell her I’m going to track down that man. I must stop <The Arrived Ones> from further destroying what they’ve prepared for the ‘final hour’.”
Schwan, the enigmatic priest, left only such meaningful answers and walked away to the far side of the meadow.
Finally, from a low hill overlooking <Simila>, Schwan turned back.
Capable of seeing the threads of others' souls, he smiled as he looked at the souls of each member of the hero party.
‘These people possess a light in their souls that can brightly illuminate even the deepest darkness.’
Perhaps it's a delusion…
Or perhaps it's a wish…
‘I have a feeling that these people’s journey will be eternally recorded for future generations… comforting and encouraging those who will walk the same path.’
Like <The Arrived Ones> who came as light to this land a thousand years ago, banishing darkness and bringing forth the dawn.
* * *
The news that the Four Adversaries, who had disturbed the order of the Akrad continent, had all fallen, reached the Osarius Magic Tower two months later.
In the northern part of this empire, the seasons were slow to arrive, and news from the distant south was also slow.
Nevertheless, the Osarius Magic Tower was as boisterous as ever, no, even more so than usual.
“Dean, it’s here!”
It was because of a letter from the northern empire’s best magic university, <Winterhold>.
“Th-the notice has arrived!”
“Yes, it has arrived.”
“M-me, I’m not worried at all? Still, well, I’ll grant the Dean the right to open it first!”
Dean Atlante fiddled with the stationery traditionally used by <Winterhold> in a brilliant surge of emotion.
‘It feels like only yesterday I received this letter…’
A master’s heart was truly deep and complex, with no end to learning and understanding it.
‘Back then… did he feel this kind of joy, this kind of excitement?’
Pomas hadn’t gone to university, so he had expected to receive this joy from Rin, but it was Gisela!
Of course, if considering indirect influence, it could be said that he received this joy from Rin.
Because Rin’s seasonal commentaries on 『Osarius Secret Codes』 had neatly explained the beastmen signs in a way that was easy for the magic tower residents to understand.
“Now, let’s see… Congratulations on your acceptance.”
Gisela’s lips twitched continuously, then she clenched both fists and let out a cheer of delight.
“It’s not over yet. As you have been selected as the top-ranking admitted student this year, you have an obligation to attend the school three days before the entrance ceremony to receive education regarding the freshman oath.”
Winter Wind Riki tilted her head.
“What’s a suseok (top-ranking)?”
Autumn Wind Saruen thumped her on the crown of her head.
“You idiot! It means a stone in the water, doesn’t it? You don’t even know that? You’re a disgrace to our Wind Quartet.”
Summer Wind Shu punched Saruen on the crown of her head.
“Idiot! It means the most excellent student! If you’re going to tarnish the name of Big Brother Rin, the leader of our Wind Four, with such foolish actions, I won’t stand for it!”
That’s right!
Gisela, who showed talent second only to Rin and Pomas in the magic tower, had been admitted as the top-ranking student to <Winterhold>!
Rin was unaware of the situation, but the Osarius Magic Tower had been gaining renown in academia through beastman magic since this time. Pomas and Gisela were at the forefront of this.
“It’s a scam!”
“What trick did she use!”
“Yeah, there’s no way Gisela is the top student!”
Other magic tower residents denied reality, but the more they did, the more Gisela’s shoulders and mouth became arrogantly uplifted.
“Bark all you want, you losers! Rin will be surprised when he hears this, won’t he? I’ll be able to humble his proud nose, won’t I?”
Pomas, who had received another letter from a griffon rider belonging to the post office, smiled regretfully.
“Unfortunately… Rin is said to have subjugated even the last of the Four Adversaries this time, so perhaps their levels are still different?”
At this, Gisela showed no sign of disappointment whatsoever, but rather, as if she had expected it, her eyes shone even brighter.
“Even after chasing him this far, he’s still so far away! Rin is amazing, as expected!”
Then Riki, who had been sulking from Saruen’s flick, suddenly smiled brightly and swung her fist.
“That’s right! Big Brother Rin is amazing!”
“Only then is there a point in chasing him! Dean, I’ll work even harder when I go to university!”
“Yes, I’ll cheer you on.”
While Gisela ran through the magic tower with her acceptance letter, taunting the losers(?), Pomas approached Atlante.
“There was no letter from Rin. They say no news is good news… but are you disappointed?”
“Hmm? No, well… yes, perhaps I might be a little disappointed. But I’m not sad.”
The warmth of spring is not eternal.
In the cycle of seasons, summer arrives when life burns most fervently, followed by autumn when that heat cools, and then winter when everything falls into a restorative sleep.
And again, in the cycle of seasons, spring returns. Atlante thought that his reunion with Rin would be like that too.
‘Just as one only truly understands the preciousness of spring after experiencing summer, autumn, and winter once spring has departed…’
It’s always astonishing to realize more and more how much I loved that child, Rin.
When he returns…
When Rin returns here…
I’ll love him even more than before, as if that day were the end, cherish him more, and make him laugh more.
“Right now, it feels like we’re passing through autumn, so my heart is quite empty… But I think I’m not sad because I know that spring will come again.”
Atlante turned his gaze to the 200-year-old pine tree rising in the very center of the magic tower courtyard.
There, Rin was.
Leaning against that trunk, the Rin of his childhood, reading a book, shimmered as a vision.
“I see.”
Next to Atlante, Pomas also saw that vision. Together, they looked at Rin’s large, clear eyes, which had turned pages unfazed by all the surrounding noise, and smiled gently.
“Yes, that’s right. Rin, his very name means spring breeze (Rin).”
Pomas said that, then suddenly fell into a scientific contemplation.
‘Spring is spring, but can the spring breeze that comes each spring be said to be the same as last year’s or next year’s? The air masses that create the wind are different, and their constituent elements are also different.’