Stealthily, we slipped out of the imperial capital at dawn.
Utilizing a Warp Gate, we reached a remote village, from which we then ran towards the forest until morning.
Then, as dawn broke, the mage released the sealing stone from my neck.
I had always believed such a feat was only possible for a Grand Archmage, so my eyes widened in astonishment when I witnessed the man before me accomplish it.
“I am their head disciple,”
came his simple, matter-of-fact reply.
The head disciple of a Grand Archmage—such a person had chosen to flee the Empire.
I didn’t press for his reasons, for life, as I knew it, was inherently filled with suffering.
He, too, asked little about me.
Consequently, we embarked on this precarious journey together, neither knowing the other’s name.
Through the dark forest, we continued our relentless flight.
“Um, where exactly are we seeking asylum?”
“The Dragon Kingdom.”
“Th-the Dragon Kingdom?”
As I gasped in surprise, halting my steps, the mage chastised me, urging me to move quickly.
“Move, quickly now; we have little time. We’ll be discovered as soon as day breaks.”
“We might even have been caught already.”
“Be careful not to use magic, as it will immediately expose us. Your magic circuit is still unstable, Hero, so you might accidentally activate it.”
Was that a different concept from skills, then?
“Are s-skills and magic different?”
“Perhaps skills have a fixed framework, while magic does not. It’s difficult to explain precisely.”
He offered a surprisingly kind explanation, prompting me to bow my head in gratitude, and the mage returned the gesture.
Once more, we began our trek through the dark woods.
How much longer did we walk?
At the edge of the forest, we discovered a valley and decided to rest there for a while, intending to drink some water.
“We’ve come far enough; they won’t be able to follow us now.”
“L-let’s rest for just a bit.”
“…Without shoes.”
The mage turned to me, his expression filled with profound apology, and began to heal the wounds on the soles of my feet.
“It would be best to let the bruises from the injections heal naturally.”
“…Why?”
“If healing magic is used, the lingering magical energy might run wild, causing the wounds to reopen.”
“Ah, I see…”
As I absorbed this explanation, the mage smiled gently and offered me his cloak.
“You must be terribly cold with just those rags on, and they’re completely worn out besides.”
“…Oh.”
Looking down, I saw that my clothes were indeed in tatters.
Originally white, they were now so stained they appeared grey, riddled with holes everywhere.
Burn marks marred various spots, and there were crumpled areas where blood had clotted.
Realizing I was far more disheveled than I had imagined, I reached out for the cloak, but then hesitated.
“Uh… what if it gets dirty?”
“It doesn’t matter. Not after what we did to you, Hero.”
‘But *you* weren’t the one who orchestrated it.’
‘It was your master who did.’
“…That was the country’s doing, wasn’t it?”
“I, too, was prepared to tacitly approve it. I’m just the same… no, I’m a hypocrite pretending to be good.”
He then smiled at me and spoke.
“Perhaps I am an even worse person.”
Witnessing his expression, I found myself speechless.
Though his smile was bright, it carried an undeniable hint of loneliness, yet I feared that offering comfort would only inflict deeper pain upon him.
“My apologies. The atmosphere has grown rather somber.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine.”
—*Snap!*
With a crisp snap of the mage’s fingers, a pile of wood instantly burst into vivid flames.
“Ooh…”
As I clapped my hands in admiration at the sight, the mage burst into laughter.
Wondering why, I stared blankly, and he proceeded to explain.
“M-my apologies. Aside from my childhood, no one has ever expressed such admiration for something like this. It’s been so long, I couldn’t help myself.”
“Ah, I see…”
The chill dawn air, which had settled so coldly, now embraced my body with a touch of warmth from the campfire.
“…It’s warm.”
“Rest for a bit. Your body must be utterly exhausted.”
“……No, I’m fine.”
While I was indeed in pain, the unsettling nature of this forest made it impossible to linger any longer.
Looking up at the sky, wishing for the sun to rise quickly, I saw…
“Ah.”
“It’s a full moon.”
“…Yes, it’s a full moon.”
A brilliant full moon hung in the sky.
It felt as if someone were watching over me, cheering me on.
‘Are they watching from there?’
As I harbored this thought, a faint smile graced my lips.
“Ah, you smiled.”
“Pardon?”
“You just smiled, didn’t you?”
“…Yes. Is that not allowed…?”
“No, no! It’s perfectly fine. It’s just surprising. You’ve always worn such a pained expression, Hero.”
At his words, I offered another awkward smile.
As I fidgeted with my hair, the mage observed me intently before asking,
“Your hair, it wasn’t originally this color, was it?”
“Ah… no.”
My hair had originally been brown.
But at some point during my torture, its color gradually faded, eventually turning a pale grey.
“I think it suits my pale skin well… what do you think, Mage?”
“…Your skin wasn’t originally like that either.”
“…Ahaha.”
It had been a slightly playful remark, but the mage’s face twisted into a pained expression, and he bowed his head in apology.
“In the past, there was certainly respect for Heroes. It was closer to worship, in fact.”
This was a fact I knew.
For in the games I had so enjoyed playing, the Hero was precisely such a being.
“As technology advanced, and as the dragons united to block the path to the Demon Realm, Heroes were relegated to mere consumables.”
A bitter feeling settled within me.
At that very moment, the campfire’s flames died out.
“Ah, that’s because I only put in a little magic.”
“…I see.”
‘Was it like a fuel, then?’
“Let’s go now.”
“Yes.”
Not long after, we emerged onto a vast plain and watched the dawn break.
“……It’s beautiful.”
“More so than the full moon earlier?”
“Pardon?”
“Didn’t you like the full moon?”
The mage asked, his expression one of curiosity.
“…Not particularly. It reminds me of someone.”
“Ah… I understand.”
“Shall we go?”
“Yes, let’s. The dragons will likely accept us, as they still maintain their neutrality.”
Hoping desperately that this would be true, we resumed our journey.
****
As was to be expected, Void Noona was imprisoned in the dungeon.
“Eva.”
“Eva.”
“Eva.”
“Eva.”
“Dismissed with four ‘Evas’.”
Against the opposition of the elder grandmothers and grandfathers, save for the Nameless Grandpa, and a single word of dismissal from Father.
Void Noona knelt, utterly dejected, her dreams crumbling before her very eyes.
“No!! My adorable, squishy, mochi-like rice cake!”
“…Huh.”
“D-don’t look at me like that, Mino!”
Seeing her surprisingly docile, simply shedding tears as she was handcuffed, stirred a pang of pity in me, and I decided to offer a little help.
After all, she had never harmed me, and her audacity in betraying the Demon Realm for my sake had earned my favor.
“Father…”
“Oh, my dear daughter, Father missed you so much~~!!”
Perhaps because we hadn’t seen each other in days, Father cast aside all royal dignity and embraced me, even with everyone watching.
Hmm, it felt nice.
‘No, this wasn’t right.’
“Father, I want to live with her.”
When I said that, Father firmly declared it impossible.
“No. It’s too dangerous.”
“B-but still…”
Just as I was about to throw a tantrum, Mother joined in from beside us, speaking to me.
“Tsk! No.”
‘I couldn’t just let my subordinate be sent away like that.’
‘Given the situation, there was no other choice.’
‘I apologize, Mother, Father.’
‘Though not even a month old, I had already made up my mind.’
‘I would do something that would drive a nail into my parents’ hearts.’
‘Ugh, my heart ached.’
‘But I had already grown fond of Void Noona.’
“Mommy, Daddy, I hate you!!!”
-Hate you~
-Hate you~
-You~
-~
-~
My voice echoed, spreading like a ripple.
Everyone present froze.
“Pfft.”
“Pfft.”
Except for Void and the Jewel Grandpas.
“M-Mino?!”
“H-how can you say such a thing to your mother…”
Mother’s face crumpled, and she hugged me tightly.
“I’m sorry for being an inadequate mother!”
“This is Mother’s first time being a mother too! I’m sorry!”
‘Th-this isn’t what I meant.’
Mother burst into tears.
A sharp ache pierced my chest.
‘Han Mino, you crazy, unfilial brat! What are you doing?’
‘To make Mother cry!’
‘I hated myself for, even if only for a moment, being blinded by a woman and driving a nail into my parents’ hearts.’
“Mother, I’m sorry… it was a lie.”
“…R-really?”
Mother stopped crying abruptly and, sniffling, embraced me.
“That’s a relief~”
‘My, my breath.’
“El! You’re killing the child!”
“Oh my! Mino!”
‘Ah, the world is spinning~’
‘Heh, heheheh.’
“Mino!”
“Whoa, there are two Void Noonas!”
Void Noona quickly rushed over, anxiously checking my condition.
“Move aside.”
“U-huh?!”
Then, the Jewel Grandpa came beside Void and pressed my solar plexus several times, and I began to breathe again.
“Hey, you, the one who even had his name taken from me, what are you doing…”
“It’s done.”
“…You’re picking a fight, aren’t you?”
“What are you talking about? I’m on your side.”
“…What?!”
When I opened my eyes and looked forward, there was the old man spouting nonsense with a serious expression, and Void Noona blushing like a young girl.
‘Noona, I think you’ve misunderstood something.’
‘He probably just thinks it’s amusing.’
“I support Void becoming one of our citizens.”
The old man shouted this, and I, too, hastily ran to his side, raised my hand, and declared,
“P-please allow it!”
Then, the elder grandmothers and grandfathers in front reacted.
‘Ugh, that crazy old man.’
‘Weren’t he and that guy enemies?’
‘……Damn it.’
‘Hehe, Princess is cute.’
with these reactions.
Would Void Noona truly be able to successfully immigrate to the Dragon Kingdom?!
****
After running relentlessly, day and night, we finally arrived.
“Hero, you can see it now, over there.”
“…Yes.”
“That, right there, is Dragon Hive, the Dragon Kingdom’s sole city, and the second most developed city in this entire world!!!”
The mage shouted this, right before my eyes.
“A-are you alright?”
“Of course I am. But Hero, why are there two of you? Oh, wait, now there are three?”
It was no secret that he was leaning heavily on his wooden staff, looking utterly disheveled and struggling even to breathe.
‘Why is this person so weak?’
