By Zephyria 
Black magicians moved through space with uncanny elusiveness.
How many years had it been, boiling with frustration while watching their movements?
Emperor Veneto had spoken of it before his death. He said space-transfer magic was a dream magic that could never be systematized or recorded. Not being systematized meant its spell formulas were not clearly understood. The Magic Tower did not know the nature of this magic.
So, naturally, my entire party, including myself, believed the dark holes the black magicians used were secret arts from the Central Plains. I thought those Demonic Cult bastards must have used some strange incantation I didn’t know.
That technique… was magic.
The round circle that opened in the air was golden. The black hole that opened in the air had seemed grotesque, but this hole, shining brilliantly with gold, looked quite sacred. It was the same principle as Marianne’s magic circle having a purple hue. All magic tends to resemble the caster’s mana color… The more I looked, the more absurd it felt.
“Haaawk.”
“Mage, breathe. Just breathe.”
Leon gently patted Mage Boulder’s back as he gasped for air. He was the only mage, and in such a state, it seemed unlikely he could ask any proper questions.
Naturally, my gaze shifted to Gano Paquin. He asked what I wanted to ask.
“But, the magic, the grimoires, they don’t say that.”
“Of course, they don’t. This is 10th Circle. There hasn’t been a 10th Circle human yet, has there? At least, I’ve never seen one on this continent.”
“You… you never used magic like this in front of me…?”
“Well, when I’m playing around, I usually hide that I’m a dragon. When you and I were traveling, I was usually in human form, and there were always people around. Still, I think I mentioned that I could use magic like this…”
“Did you?”
“Don’t you remember? I think I wrote it down, something about the magic of the Dragon, the progenitor of magic, and dream magic. There’s no one around me who could do that kind of thing except you.”
“10th Circle? No, what I recorded was up to teleportation!”
Gano Paquin seemed to want to ask more, but Spiritus, pushing half her body into the hole first, beckoned to the party.
“Anyway, it’s a hassle to open and close this again, so hurry up and come over. People are gathering on the other side too.”
“The other side?”
“Yeah. You said you wanted to go to Demon Port, right?”
Then Benjamin, who listened best to the dragon, quickly crossed through the hole to somewhere.
The rest of the party, with bizarre expressions, also jumped through the hole one by one and disappeared. Involuntarily, I also offered a perfunctory bow to the knights who saw us off with foolish looks and stood on the other side.
I had only taken one step forward. Yet, the air was different.
Unlike the Duchy of Grimesbane, which had a somewhat chilly atmosphere, the air was warm even at the end of October. Dumbfounded and dazed, I grabbed Spiritus’s sleeve. Instead of shaking me off, she made the strange hole disappear with a single gesture.
“The black magicians who used this magic were only 4th Circle.”
“Then it wasn’t them. Unless the youngest one was opening the path on the other side every time.”
“…Opening the path?”
“The Ninth God’s followers aren’t that many, are they? It’s possible to watch and open a portal. It would have been feasible if they weren’t too far from its main body. It uses magic too. Unlike teleportation, which reconstructs the body in a single direction, this twists space in real-time, so leaving it open for too long causes problems, but for a moment, it’s fine.”
So, Hershey Milton didn’t cast a shadowless incantation but called upon a god inwardly? And the one who thrust the sword from beyond might not have been a regular swordsman, but Wesley Kiadris himself. If so, it would have been better for him to come out beyond the hole and fight me directly…
No, more than that. Wesley Kiadris… does the Ninth God use magic?
It was then.
“…Young Master?”
Ah.
Only then did I look around.
Various shops lined the surroundings. The ground we stood on was a road made of white marble. While there was no need for stealth, I hadn’t expected to appear in the middle of such a crowded road.
Several carriages had stopped at a distance from us, and the faces of the imperial citizens surrounding us were etched with anxiety and awe. In front of those people stood knights in familiar attire, swords drawn, looking out of breath.
The knight standing at the very front called me again. His heavy build and surprisingly aged eyes, along with a mischievous smile, were very familiar.
“…Mikael, Young Master, correct?”
“Sir Ventus.”
“You took a carriage when you left, but you came through the air when you returned…”
It was Ian Venters, a knight of Ernhardt who had stayed by my side since I was very young.
Sir Ventus is the most skilled among the knights at Young Count Ernhardt’s Residence. He always accompanied me when I went to the Academy or when my family went on outings. It finally felt real that my relatives would be gathered around here.
He must be nearly fifty now, yet his face was still smooth without wrinkles. Even as a knight, it was hard to believe he was the same age as Boulder. When he sheathed his sword, the others also sheathed theirs, showing their happy expressions.
“Wow, it’s been a while. You’ve really grown a lot, Young Master.”
“There hasn’t been anyone this capable in Ernhardt for generations, so this must be the strength of Valentia.”
“No, you seem even greater than the current Duke Valentia.”
“If it weren’t for your face, I wouldn’t have recognized you. Do you remember me?”
The knights, chattering and greeting me, all looked familiar and welcome. I scanned them briefly and threw out a joke.
“It seems you’ve been slacking on your training. You haven’t changed at all.”
A playful shriek of surprise erupted. As the knights bustled around with smiling faces, the anxiety in the eyes of the onlookers subsided. Some neighborhood children who had been peeking from afar tried to rush forward but were scolded, catching my eye.
Awkwardly, I coughed a couple of times and hid half my face, as if to conceal myself.
“Why is everyone gathered here?”
“Why else… But, let’s go to the villa instead of staying here.”
“Hmm.”
“Should I only bring the people standing behind you? Are there no more coming?”
“Yes.”
Crossing from one territory to another within the Empire required several stages of procedures, but I greatly benefited from the Duchy of Valentia being my maternal family. I didn’t need anyone’s permission to open my own home’s door. The entire party decided to simply notify them of our arrival without any separate identity verification process.
Two swift knights split up and rode ahead on horseback. One was to inform my parents, and the other to inform the local authorities of our arrival. Since we had arrived without announcement, we had to walk. The distance wasn’t far, so we didn’t wait for carriages to be brought.
Naturally, Sir Ventus and I led the way, with the knights surrounding the party like an escort. Ventus, with a cheerful smile and a shrug, chattered away as if we had met just yesterday, relaying family news.
“…Is everyone here?”
“Everyone? The members of the Duke Valentia Family are not here. Only the Count Ernhardt and his wife, and their younger siblings, are here. I thought you knew, but you didn’t?”
“Hmm… I only heard the general details. What about grandparents?”
“Count Ernhardt and his wife are also staying at the Count’s residence. Ah. Young Duke Aizen is also at Count Ernhardt’s residence. It’s probably because the Count’s residence is a bit closer to the capital than the Duke’s residence.”
After a moment of hesitation, I asked cautiously.
“…Asdel?”
“…”
There was no answer. He stopped in his tracks, and only then did he speak.
“The young lady will also be happy to see the eldest young master.”
“…”
I quickened my pace.
I didn’t have the certainty that I could resolve anything. Still, it was fortunate that the child’s breath still remained. I had to stay strong, show only a smiling face. I tried to compose myself.
❖ ❖ ❖
The stone wall, deliberately constructed to allow good airflow, was slightly higher than my eye level.
The servant who opened the tightly shut main gate had a look of great suspicion in his eyes. While most of the knights had familiar faces, many of the servants were strangers. How many had I brought, and how many had I left behind?
As soon as I crossed the main gate, I walked with the now-quiet knights flanking me.
Despite having a mother who loved gardening, all the plants in the garden were neatly trimmed evergreen trees. This is what happens when there’s no one to tend to the flowers. The melancholy characteristic of a sick household permeated the mansion. I paused for a moment to compose myself.
Just then, the mansion’s front door opened in the distance, and a child rushed out like a dog meeting its owner.
Naturally, I opened my arms. I embraced the child who leaped and clung to me with all their might. The boy, with his jet-black hair and tearful blue eyes, repeatedly bumped his chin against my chest. How wronged and sorrowful he must have felt, his face flushed with emotion, his cheeks red.
“Why, why are you here now….”
“…Mikael.”
“How much, how much I…”
I lifted the boy who burst into tears and held him.
I thought about holding him on one arm like when he was younger, but Mikael was already fourteen. He was at an age where holding him like that would make our eye levels mismatched. Even though he would enter the Academy next year, Mikael acted very much like a child.
I didn’t want to push away the boy who was whining so much. Holding him as he clung to my neck, I gently patted his back. As I comforted the sorrowful child, my own throat tightened.
Happy, sorry, and happy again.
As I held back my choked, tender emotions, more people emerged from the open door.
My father and mother had expressions that spoke volumes. Would it have been better if we had met with smiles on a happy day? There was one more child who should have run out with a puffed-up face, and thinking of that made my heart feel hollow.
Hesitating on what to say first, I walked with Mikael in my arms and stood at the bottom of the stairs.
“I’m home. Mother, Father.”
“…Yes. We… we missed you so much, my son.”
My mother, who had slowly descended the stairs, also buried her head in my chest. My father, looking down at my arms, which were now full, wiped his cheek with his hand and offered a belated greeting to my party.
“I am William Ernhardt, Young Count Ernhardt. Thank you for staying by my son’s side and helping him. We will prepare rooms for you, so please, rest comfortably, as much as you wish.”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
Hugh Benson, knowing that introducing himself now wouldn’t be properly remembered, simply replied with a brief greeting and rounded up the party. Those who were about to say something also offered simple bows as a sign of courtesy and followed the servants into the mansion.
All the while, I stood still, holding Mikael and my mother. As my chest became soaked with their tears, my father, unable to bear it any longer, finally came down and embraced me.
The overflowing affection was so warm that my nose stung for a long time.