By Zephyria 
The Academy building was the same as ever.
Lost in thought, I idly scanned the high walls and peered through the open gate. The gate, wide enough for three carriages to pass simultaneously, felt much narrower than in the past. It was because I had grown. Even knowing this, it felt remarkably novel and strange.
As soon as I stepped a few paces inside the gate, the guards on duty approached me.
Three were top-tier Sword Experts, and one was a Sword Master. All four had flushed faces, so I examined them closely, wondering if they had been drinking earlier. However, their eyes were sharp, and I detected no hint of alcohol.
After a moment, they approached to within five paces of me and saluted respectfully.
“Welcome back, Lord Ernhardt. May we see your graduation token?”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, I had lost my token.
Shierun Academy strictly prohibited entry to non-affiliated individuals, as it was a hall of learning. But where would I go now to get an external visitor pass? Fortunately, the guards recognized me, so I politely asked if they might make an exception.
“I lost my token during a battle. Would it be difficult to visit the Academy?”
“What is your purpose for visiting the Academy today? If you have a prior appointment,”
“Not exactly, but I’ve come to see my mentor. Professor Wilton Roberts.”
At that, the highest-ranked among them, a woman, stepped closer.
“Of course! Then I will escort you.”
“Pardon?”
“We don’t memorize all the professors’ names or schedules, and even if we did, we don’t have the authority to disclose such information. First, you’ll need to go to the Academic Affairs office and fill out a request form for a replacement graduation token. Once you do that, you’ll be able to view this semester’s timetable. I will assist you.”
“Oh… would you?”
“Yes. Since you don’t have an identification card, it is our regulation that you must be accompanied by one of our guards, you must, you must…”
She stumbled over her words several times.
Seeing her face turn progressively crimson, I couldn’t help but smile.
I was just like that in front of Maelo Sanson.
Speaking of which, I had wanted to see Professor Sanson as well. I wondered if Professor Douglas was doing well. I didn’t have much time, but it would be nice to leave a message and perhaps treat them to a meal in a more relaxed setting.
When a guard offered to take my umbrella, I declined. Watching him stand with his shoulders stiff with tension, I wondered if there was anything I could teach him, and I observed him carefully.
While I was contemplating this, the woman walking half a step ahead of me suddenly blurted out,
“I heard that Lord Ernhardt achieved a great feat. You stopped the God of Oasis from rampaging and then went to stop the Ninth God. So, while you were gone, people said you hadn’t died, but had become a new god, and had departed to a place invisible to human eyes, like other gods.”
“Ah.”
So that was why Ruben had offered to grant me a title immediately upon my return.
The woman’s voice, filled with emotion, was both amusing and touching. It was strange to know that even people I didn’t know were rooting for me.
I had become a god… but I was also human. I had made arrangements for the end of my life. I recognized that it would happen naturally, but until I had lived my entire life, it remained a vague prospect.
Wanting to hear the public’s perspective before hearing it from Wilton Roberts, I casually asked,
“Did the rumors of me going to capture a god sound far-fetched?”
“Honestly… at first, quite a few people were skeptical. Lord Ernhardt returned from the Yuil Mountains and immediately departed for the Floyd Expedition, and then vanished that very day. Many people didn’t even believe your return itself. All sorts of rumors were rampant.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“The most prevalent theory was that His Majesty the Emperor was trying to rewrite mythology by using Lord Ernhardt, who had disappeared in the Yuil Mountains, for his absolute rule. In other words, the idea was that gods don’t actually exist, and he was using the presence of Lord Ernhardt, a Grand Sword Master, to suppress the authority of the temples and deceive the masses. Of course! I didn’t listen to the nonsense of those envious fools.”
I could see how that might be perceived.
The number of people who had witnessed my swordsmanship was minuscule. The gods of the continent had hidden themselves away in their own lands. Manifestations were almost entirely limited to communication with their followers and divine revelations. Even if gods suddenly appeared, it would be hard to believe.
As I nodded in agreement, she continued,
“But a Dragon personally manifested and proved Lord Ernhardt’s innocence!”
“…Spiritus?”
“Even now, it feels like a dream. The Dragon that manifested above the capital of the Sierran Empire proved that its colossal body was not made of magic, but was the true form of a god. The story that Lord Ernhardt gained the upper hand by sparring with the Dragon was also told by him.”
Why would he do that?
The Spiritus I knew wasn’t the type to act like that. I suspected he had made some suspicious deal with Ruben. Still, I smiled and nodded.
“What else did he say?”
“Well, this… it’s hard to capture the original nuance when translated. It’s a bit arrogant, but…”
“Please speak freely.”
“He said, ‘There’s someone else who almost ruined the world, and if someone else is remembered as the symbol of lies, they’ll be pissed off even after death. What’s so difficult about this?'”
I stopped involuntarily.
He said that?
Overwhelmed by a ticklish wave of emotion, I let out a sigh.
After briefly looking at the guard, whose face was flushed as she observed my reaction, I gestured for her to continue walking.
I regretted that Spiritus wasn’t in the capital now, so I had no way to thank him. Knowing that someone unexpected had looked out for me in an unexpected way made me feel quite awkward.
However, as I pondered his words, something struck me as odd.
“…’Even after death’? Did he say that?”
“Yes… He said that if Lord Ernhardt and the Ninth God were to fight, there would surely be repercussions, but since no mana fluctuations of that kind were felt, he assumed Lord Ernhardt had fallen into a trap. He said it would be difficult to return alive…”
“Hmm…”
I knew something about that.
The Ninth God wished for the well-being of everyone on this continent. The return he desired included a reunion with the first, perfect human. Therefore, to minimize the loss of life from the gods’ power, he summoned me to the far side of the continent, and not only that, but he drew me into his own Origin to fight.
So, no matter how much the other gods looked, they had no way of knowing how the battle between him and me had progressed.
Only the First Goddess, who had been fixed in the sky since early on and had been tracking the Ninth God’s position with her eyes, could only reach me after I had defeated the Ninth God and escaped from his Origin.
Sensing that I was listening intently to her words, the guard hesitated for a moment before blurting out something else. She seemed ready to pour out everything she knew.
“It is also said that the Dragon’s help was what allowed Prince Richard’s body to be preserved in its intact form.”
“…Prince 1’s body? How?”
“Due to the Ninth God’s scheme, Monster Variants flooded the Kingdom of Floyd, and the First Prince, who was taking refuge at an in-law’s mansion, died in an accident. His Majesty the Emperor searched desperately for the First Prince, saying he was also a subject of the Empire, but it was too late.”
“…”
“Although most merchants and other informants from the Nobility Yearbook who were staying in Floyd managed to survive, His Majesty was deeply saddened by his brother’s death. He held a grand state funeral, but didn’t immediately proceed with the coronation, so everyone was worried for quite some time.”
…I thought Ruben had killed him directly.
Edwin Kiadris had said that Richard Flo Searon was summarily executed shortly after I disappeared. Of course, the information known to the young Duke Edwin on the front lines and a mere guard could differ, so Edwin must have conveyed the more accurate information.
Listening to her words, it seemed that to the common citizens of the Empire, the Emperor’s blood relatives appeared to be more affectionate and concerned for each other. I should be more careful with my words and actions from now on. Still, it was a relief. If it was made to look like an accident, Ruben wouldn’t have had to use his own sword.
The subsequent words were more trivial.
They spoke of how statues modeled after me were being erected in various temples after I was recognized by a god, and how my statues or replicated portraits were being placed on rare altars through word of mouth.
Since the Duke Valentia Family and the Ernhardt family had not made any statements, some individuals were apparently making personal copies or collecting my portraits. I couldn’t understand what they were thinking by allowing such things.
Feeling greatly embarrassed, I didn’t want to hear any more. I immediately changed the subject.
“How is His Majesty the Emperor doing with his work now?”
“Very well!”
The answer was more cheerful and swift than I had expected.
“Immediately after the previous Emperor passed away, before the Second Prince arrived, all the armed men across the country were in an uproar. Whether they went to Floyd or the Yuil Mountains, if knights were suddenly conscripted, people worried about what would happen to their remaining families. At that time, His Highness the Prince immediately reined in the nobles, declared no forced conscription, and stabilized the soaring prices.”
“Hmm.”
“Although the next Emperor is said to be chosen by the gods, I and the people around me had always wished for the Second Prince to become Emperor. The First Prince was honestly more like an actor than a politician.”
“…An actor?”
“He gained fame through gossip. The previous Duke Yeldidus’s hoarding of some major food supplies was revealed, causing the First Prince’s faction to lose significant public support… Well, that’s something that can only be said now.”
I folded my umbrella in front of the entrance to the Academic Affairs building.
The guard who had escorted me opened the door for me as if I were her personal charge, attending to me.
Then, all the eyes of the bustling crowd inside the building fixed on me. The admiration mixed with the murmurs of the crowd made my cheeks tingle.
It was a rainy day, and also a time when classes would be in full swing, so there weren’t many people walking on the paths within the Academy grounds. However, inside the Academic Affairs building, there were staff members and various students.
I walked as straight as possible, following the guard’s lead. I felt truly fortunate not to be lost and looking around.