Her golden hair like a sun turned white as snow. Her youthful face aged into that of a wrinkled old woman. She had stayed by his side all those years.
‘Rest in peace now.’
She was his late wife.
*****
“Sir…”
Emilia watched Eugene’s back. Though he came as a mercenary to pay respects to heroes, why did his shoulders feel so familiar with weight?
‘It’s like,’ someone lost in thought before the grave of a loved one. A solemnity as if reliving memories with sadness. In fact, Eugene was no stranger to such a mood.
‘I’m like that at my mother’s grave.’
But that was because she was close family. Those graves belonged to people from 100 years ago. No matter how old Eugene looked, generations didn’t overlap.
‘Who exactly is he?’
Heard that magic could prevent aging and extend lifespan. Could it be Eugene was just young in appearance but actually very old? While pondering this, Eugene sniffled and turned toward her.
“I’m done. Are you?”
“I- I’m going to…!”
She panicked, fearing he might have read her mind just now. If he noticed her curiosity earlier, she was sure he would be displeased.
“Huh? No rush, take your time.”
“Y-Yes…”
Fortunately, he seemed unaware. After all, how could one read minds through just a glance? She just had to hide her nervousness. Brushing off her startled heart, she stood before her great-great-grandfather’s tombstone.
‘Grandfather, I’m back.’
Though she had never seen his face, he was a great man who defeated the Demon King to save the world. During the semester, she usually visited once a week to pray. But today, she came for a special reason.
‘Grandfather,’ she placed the Ian flower before the grave and joined her hands.
‘In a week, I’m going on an adventure to the demon realm.’ The Royal Academy was a prestigious school producing elite citizens of the empire. But it had a barbaric tradition. Second-year high school students were sent into the demon realm for a year.
‘Only about five out of ten return safely.’
Students confirmed dead were recorded as such. Those whose deaths weren’t confirmed were simply expelled for being “missing.” The reason being that those too weak to complete the adventure lost their status as students.
‘Cruel tradition, but passing this rite was necessary to start a promising career. Those who survived were recognized for their skill and received offers from the Imperial Magic University or the knights.
‘What I want most is a recommendation letter to the Imperial Magic University.’
The university was run by the Empire’s Magic Association. There, students could learn the latest research and from grand mages. Most importantly, among those grand mages was—
‘The witch who fought alongside my great-great-grandfather against the Demon King.’
She wanted to learn magic from that witch.
‘So please watch over me, great-great-grandfather.’
*****
“I’m done too!”
Emilia finished praying and looked toward Eugene. Her eyes shone with resolve as she faced her ancestor. Yet it seemed she was forcing a brave face over anxiety. I’ll tell you later, heh heh.
‘Is it related to what she’s going to tell me?’
So Eugene said bluntly,
“You should tell me why you came here now.”
“Huh?”
Emilia raised her eyebrows at his words. Then, realizing the meaning, she opened her mouth.
“Ah…!”
She probably remembered what she told him before coming here. If she was sharp enough, she’d realize he noticed her nervousness.
“Did I give it away?”
“With that intense look in your eyes, it’s either confidence or nervousness.”
“Y-Yeah… um…”
She averted her gaze, hesitated, then seemed to decide to speak.
“Actually, I might not be here a week from now.”
“What does that mean?”
Was she moving away? But moving wouldn’t cause this kind of anxiety. Before Eugene could wonder more, Emilia explained.
“My school has a tradition called the Demon Realm expedition.”
“Hmm?”
He’d just discussed this with the emperor today, and now hearing it again here. That meant this girl was the same age as the Crown Prince. It was a small world.
“And only half of the students return alive from that adventure.”
“Hmm.”
This was new information and shocking. They sent students into the demon realm without support? They were basically feeding half their talented students to monsters.
“So, since I don’t know if I’ll survive, I wanted to receive the hero’s blessing… heh heh.”
“I see.”
It was understandable. When facing a dangerous adventure with a 50/50 survival rate, anyone would want some form of reassurance.
“So you decided to spill a secret since you might die?”
“Ah…”
Her expression froze at the direct question.
‘Of course.’
It made sense she’d tell her family secret so freely. When facing possible death, people want to leave a mark. Whether it’s children or life’s work, it’s human nature.
“That’s quite an old man’s way of thinking. You’re not a soldier heading to the battlefield.”
Though given the survival rate, it was even harsher.
“Don’t push further…”
The girl’s face flushed deep red. She wasn’t embarrassed to decide for herself, but hated being exposed by others.
‘Anyway,’ a descendant of the hero entering the demon realm. The legacy of ancestors passed to descendants? Interesting coincidence, but also worrisome. Can this girl survive the demon realm? The hero was foolish but knew how to protect himself.
Knowing how to protect oneself meant having both strength and wisdom. But a mere teenager like this girl probably wasn’t a hero.
‘If she were someone else’s descendant, I wouldn’t worry this much.’
Emilia was Ian’s descendant. This was likely the first and last trace of her friend’s bloodline. Vulkan was a friend too, but his descendants lived comfortably with silver spoons.
‘Anyway, since she’s going to protect the emperor’s grandson in the demon realm,’ adding her to the party wouldn’t raise suspicion.
The problem was that would require intervening in the Royal Academy. And Eugene was just a civilian with no official authority.
‘It’d be complicated to ask the emperor directly.’
Maybe he should pay a visit to that ‘dog’ later.
*****
“Goodbye.”
Emilia said farewell at the Royal Academy’s main gate. It was time to return to the dormitory, and Eugene to his daily life. He felt a tinge of regret but such was life.
“Okay.”
Eugene waved and disappeared into the night. His figure looked dependable yet lonely.
‘A mysterious person.’
As Emilia headed to the dorm, she thought about Eugene. How he fought off a gang alone without seeking glory. And how he looked so sorrowful in the cemetery before heroes of 100 years ago.
“I keep wondering what kind of person he is.”
She had never been so curious about anyone. More precisely, she wanted to know more. But that feeling would soon be pointless.
“Maybe I’ll see him again.”
Her eyes grew moist. A gamble for the future. The life she took for granted might not last. She sighed into the night air.
“I wish I could have gone on an adventure with Eugene…”
*****
“So tired.”
After escorting Emilia to the dorm, Eugene checked into a hotel in the imperial city center. But despite exhaustion, he didn’t collapse onto the bed.
Swish!
He pulled a dagger from its sheath and placed it on the table. Having finished all his duties today, the only thing left was to investigate the mysterious dagger given by the emperor.
‘It definitely spoke.’
Though silent now, his mind wasn’t quite right yet to imagine hallucinations. From experience, objects like this often contained something possessing them.
‘The possession might be dangerous.’
It was better to figure out the dagger’s true nature now. He had to go to the demon realm to protect the Crown Prince. If the dagger caused trouble there, it would be a nightmare.
“Hey.”
He spoke to the dagger. But no answer came. The dagger was intentionally keeping silent.
‘Words won’t work.’
He drew a shuriken and aimed it like a drill at the dagger. Using the dagger’s sheath as an anvil, he prepared to strike. Possessed objects usually lose their minds when provoked.
Raising the sheath high, ready to strike—
“Hup!”
At the moment he tried to bring the shuriken down—
[Stop, stop! I’ll speak if you want!]
‘You should have said that sooner.’
Finally, something inside the dagger revealed its true nature.