Chapter 43: Sylvia’s Dark Miracle

“Phew.”

I tore my gaze away from the battlefield and turned my body around.

“The stress just melts away.”

A faint smile still lingered at the corners of my mouth.

How much stress had I been unknowingly bottling up all this time?

Every time I tried to do something, the thought of ‘Violence is Forbidden!’ flashed sharply in my mind.

It felt like I was shackled by an invisible chain, constantly uneasy in some corner of my heart.

So the relief I felt now was immense.

“The experiment was a success too.”

The Eye of God cannot reach inside the Darkness.

Of course, this required a great deal of mana and the aura of death, so there were significant restrictions… but if the environment was set up like today, I could run wild to my heart’s content.

“I gained a lot in various ways.”

[By the way, just now you looked exactly like a true dark mage. I thought you’d gone mad or something.]

I lightly ignored Purunel’s words ringing in my head and stared down at the Magic Circle on the ground.

First, I confirmed that Darkness could be used.

But that was not all.

The knowledge gained during the preparation process.

How to utilize the Magic Circle, the meaning of the new symbols.

How to use the Magic Stones and manipulate the aura of death.

[You can proudly call yourself a wizard of Tetradia now. I acknowledge that.]

I’d always spoken confidently anyway, but this was the kind of experience that even Purunel would recognize as being worthy of calling me a true mage.

Besides that, I had cleared the monster wave without losing any troops, and in the shortest possible time.

Politically, this must have given Sylvia a lot of breathing room.

It was something that would greatly help with future plans.

“Still, it’s a shame not to get an achievement reward.”

[Achievement? Oh, you mean that?]

Under normal circumstances, an achievement notification should have popped up the moment I wiped out the monsters.

But it was silent.

Granted, it was an event meant for beginners and intermediates, so the rewards were similarly modest, but it was still disappointing.

For Hio, who had weak stats compared to his strong offensive power, there would have been quite a few useful rewards.

The battlefield being covered in Azure Flame wasn’t just from Hio’s pure mana, but thanks to the help of the Magic Stones.

His stats were still seriously lacking.

[Greedy, that’s what I am. I want to blind the Eye of God to break free from Non-Violence, yet still claim the rewards? Tch. Kids these days.]

Listening to Purunel grumble, I gathered the Magic Stones scattered on the ground.

Most were completely drained of mana and useless, but a few were still worth salvaging.

As I crouched there picking them up one by one…

…Hmm?”

Suddenly, I sensed a gaze.

I had been too absorbed in magic and my own thoughts to notice it until now.

Following that presence, I slowly lifted my head.

Sylvia, who was halfway up the stairs, was covering her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide as they met mine.

The Imperial Princess, who had decided to disregard all etiquette and decorum.

Thoughts raced through Hio’s mind.

‘…How much did she see? Did she witness all the muttering of a madman to himself?’

[Heh heh heh heh. I’ve been here since the Magic Circle was completed and you started laughing wickedly.]

[Huh? Was that meant for me?]

‘How crazy must I have looked?’

Raising my staff, laughing alone, shouting about the goddess all by myself.

Just imagining Sylvia seeing that made my head spin.

I wanted to remain a noble and dignified mage in her eyes… but apparently, that wasn’t going to happen.

As an awkward silence settled, Sylvia was the first to move.

From between her covered hands came a soft murmur.

“Awesome……………”

The Imperial Princess’s taste was definitely a bit unique.

***

As the darkness cleared, the scene revealed was one of a fierce battlefield.

Soldiers knelt as if entranced, knights dazed and uncomprehending.

The battlefield was so eerily quiet that it was hard to believe a brutal fight had taken place.

There was no sign of the monsters that had surged like a tidal wave.

If it weren’t for the Magic Stones scattered on the ground, it would have seemed as though no monsters had ever been here at all.

So everyone silently watched Hio descend from the watchtower.

Everyone on the castle walls knew.

They knew who caused this bizarre phenomenon beyond normal human comprehension.

Hio Pavlenko.

The mysterious mage following the Imperial Princess.

A miracle wrought by a single man.

A miracle that ended the deadly monster wave—which used to claim hundreds to thousands of lives every year—in just one day.

Naturally, they should be filled with joy, but they did not rejoice freely.

The scene they had witnessed was simply too overwhelming.

The presence of the mage walking forward felt far too immense, and so they only held their breath and stayed still.

‘How could a human drench the world in darkness, summon golden giants, and blanket the sky with blue flames?’

‘How could that flame selectively burn only monsters quietly without leaving a trace?’

Hio Pavlenko was a walking catastrophe itself.

Once that realization dawned, everyone’s gaze shifted.

Walking beside Hio was a figure with silver hair and an elegant gait.

The Empire’s Imperial Princess, Sylvia Verden.

Next to the frail princess was a mage who transcended common sense.

They must never forget this fact.

“Man, that was exhausting.”

***

I took off my hat and tossed it aside, then dove into the soft bed.

I hadn’t realized it during the battle, but exhaustion hit me hard once it was over.

[You pushed yourself to do something beyond your limits, so no wonder you’re this tired.]

“Something beyond my limits?”

[You kept using your mana past its limit, didn’t you? Using Darkness with the Magic Circle forcibly unfolded it, so it was mentally draining.]

Now that I thought about it, that was true.

I had clutched Magic Stones in both hands, drawing all the mana I could to expand the Azure Flame’s size.

Even though Darkness was aided by the Magic Circle, I still had to activate the spell myself, so it was inevitably a heavy burden.

“I can’t just use Darkness freely.”

[Once your level rises, you’ll be able to use it freely. But not yet. Without preparation like today, it’s still difficult to use.]

If I tried to use Darkness alone without the Magic Circle and Magic Stones, it wouldn’t just block the Eye of God—it wouldn’t even block my own vision properly.

When I raise my Circle, increase my magic level and mana capacity, then I’ll be able to use it on my own power.

So ultimately, I have no choice but to raise my Circle.

“Let’s rest for now.”

The monster wave was cleared in a single blow.

Originally, it would have taken several days, or even weeks if prolonged.

There might be occasional scattered attacks, but the garrisoned troops could easily handle those.

But Hio’s work was not finished.

In fact, the real work was just beginning.

“Aftercare, persuading the Eastern nobles, marching to the capital, fighting the war, even if we win we have to save the princess… And even after all that, it’s really only the starting line.”

If Sylvia becomes Emperor, at least there won’t be any more trouble from the Empire.

The minimum condition to prevent ruin was now fulfilled.

“You really work hard.”

My endless thoughts were interrupted by Purunel’s single comment.

Work hard, huh.

I suddenly wondered.

‘Wasn’t I working hard?’

Pretending to be something I wasn’t, fighting, surviving.

“What have I been living for?”

‘Was it the fatigue weighing on my mind?’

My thoughts drifted back through the past.

A past buried deep inside, the life of Lee Hyunseung, not Hio.

An orphan abandoned by my parents.

I realized early on that I had no parents, but it didn’t really matter.

After all, how could you miss something you never had?

If you lose something you had, you feel it.

But having never had it, there was no longing or regret.

Still, I often asked myself:

‘Why am I living?’

What am I living for?

Even on joyful days.

Even on hard days.

Even on sad days.

A life with no one to welcome me home.

Why live?

The answer came quickly.

One hot summer night, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, I opened the window.

The night air blew in, so cool and refreshing.

That was why I wanted to live.

Living to breathe the night air.

Ridiculous, but that’s honestly how it was back then.

As I grew older, I wanted to live for the precious people around me.

Friends, seniors, comrades, lovers.

I gave as much as I received, and received as much as I gave.

But everyone precious to me died.

I survived miserably alone, limping along, and suddenly I wondered again.

‘Now, what am I really living for?’

Even opening the window and breathing in the night air no longer feels refreshing.

My heart felt suffocated.

I couldn’t even use the excuse that I was living for those around me.

Because I had survived alone, despite saying that.

It was only natural that I fell into Ventaire.

Because I couldn’t find any reason to keep living in reality.

Someone’s coming.

Purunel’s voice broke through my deep, dark thoughts.

Then a knock, and the door opened.

“Hio Pavlenko.”

The stoic Imperial Princess’s knight, Teordo.

He suddenly entered, closed the door, and sat down on the sofa.

“Where’s Sylvia?”

“Her Highness is talking with the Lord of the castle.”

“What? You came alone without her?”

“She’ll come immediately after the conversation ends.”

“Usually she’d wait for me to come with her, so it’s strange seeing you come alone.”

At that, Teordo briefly fell silent, then his expression turned serious.

“I tried that, but I got scolded.”

“Scolded?”

“He told me to stop treating her like a child and to just go quickly.”

Teordo’s serious expression over such a trivial thing made me burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! That’s your fault. You tend to be overprotective of Sylvia.”

“…It’s not overprotection. It’s proper escort duty.”

“Then it’s a problem you follow her everywhere. Sylvia’s a proper lady.”

“Watch your words. Those aren’t fitting for someone noble.”

“You’re so picky.”

I got up from the bed and walked over, sitting opposite Teordo.

A brief silence passed.

Then the stoic knight spoke first for once.

“Her Highness Sylvia has escaped death countless times. Do you know why?”

Beneath his calm words lay unmistakable anger.

“It was the two princes’ mischief. Really just childish pranks.”

Those two princes were clearly missing a screw.

‘Had they been spoiled too much?’

‘Or was it their nature from birth?’

“Her Highness lost her mother early and had no strong support, while the two princes had their mother, the Empress Dowager, who was like the world to them. In that situation, Sylvia’s life was extremely precarious.”

They caused such chaos while watching the Emperor’s mood closely.

“You said you’ve been by Sylvia’s side since she was little?”

“Yes. I’ve served her since her very early childhood.”

“…Impressive.”

I meant it sincerely.

Living a life devoted to a single person.

I had no idea what that must feel like.

“Hio Pavlenko.”

Teordo looked at me with his usual upright posture.

“You’re strong.”

“…Why all of a sudden?”

“You could make Her Highness Sylvia the Emperor, and you could find a way to cure her terrible illness.”

“Well, that won’t just happen with a snap. I’ll have to work for it.”

“Hio Pavlenko.”

Teordo stood up.

“There are things I cannot do, but you can. The princess needs you.”

For the first time, the stoic knight revealed a desperate emotion.

For Sylvia, who had to live quietly from a young age.

For the little princess who had endured countless life-threatening crises with unwavering spirit.

“To keep her alive.”

May that pitiful life.

May that fragile body, barely holding on, not vanish in vain.

“I’m asking you.”

The knight bowed deeply.

So deeply that I couldn’t see his face.

‘Unable to answer rashly, I hesitated. Why?’

‘Was it because it was an uncertain promise?’

‘Was it the mental fatigue I’d felt earlier?’

‘Or maybe… was I just being sulky?’

I was jealous because the knight seemed to have the answer I had never found in my entire life.

I stayed silent.

The knight bowed, motionless.

“Teordo Ricart.”

He answered without raising his head.

“Speak, Hio Pavlenko.”

I asked him.

“What do you live for?”

Then I realized.

This was just simple sulking.

“Of course. I live for Her Highness Sylvia.”

A person whose life purpose was so clear they could devote everything.

His answer came so naturally that I was left speechless.

‘What was it like to live only for one person?’

‘Could you really have no hesitation at all?’

“For what reason?”

“There is no such thing as a reason.”

To Teordo, it was self-evident.

From the moment a small hand grasped his finger, it simply was so.

There was no reason behind the care.

“I live solely for Her Highness’s glory.”

“Is that more precious than your life?”

“You keep asking the obvious.”

There was no point asking any more.

He lived for someone more precious than his own life.

I was amazed and envious that someone could feel that way.

“Don’t bow your head.”

I grabbed Teordo’s shoulder and lifted him up.

“You’re just stating the obvious too, friend.”

“…Why am I your friend…”

I forced up Teordo’s large hand and shook it firmly.

“Let’s do this. I might not have an immediate solution, but we have to save Sylvia and make her a good emperor. After all, we promised.”

I said brightly, shaking his hand up and down quickly.

Then suddenly—

Ding-

[Achievement unlocked.]

A message that had no reason to appear.

[Achievement Unlocked! – Defend the Monster Wave!]

[Achievement Unlocked! – Monster Wave Solo!]

[Achievement Unlocked! – Top Contributor to Monster Wave!]

[You have earned 100 points from achievement rewards.]

[You have earned 300 points from achievement rewards.]

[You have earned 150 points from achievement rewards.]

[Additional achievement rewards have been granted.]

The brightness in Hio’s expression gradually hardened.

There was no way the achievement would appear so late.

Since I blinded the Eye of God and erased the violence, it made sense there would be no achievements either.

[Additional Achievement Reward – ‘Book of Skill Evolution (Intermediate)’ acquired.]

[Additional Achievement Reward – ‘Catalog of Endurance’ acquired.]

I hurriedly opened my Traits window to check the Patience stat.

[Hidden Trait: Violence is Forbidden! (Endurance: 391 / 1000)]

The endurance stat hadn’t dropped.

No penalty had been applied.

Then—

[You greatly influenced the soldiers of Yohn Torno Castle.]

[231 points earned from reputation increase.]

[Use the points shop to enhance your stats and skills!]

‘Why does the goddess…’