Trees rose from the coast like spires.
Those standing atop them gazed out at the surroundings, their hands gripping bows woven from slender wooden twigs.
Most likely, they had been aiming with all their might until just moments ago, only lowering their bows when Regarda’s sea dragon appeared.
That seemed about right.
Such a reaction was hardly strange, given the fierce battle that had taken place.
But what was strange was something else.
“Something’s… different.”
An incalculable crowd had gathered.
The intense presence they all emitted at once was palpable.
Though it took a moment to notice amid the beautiful island scenery, there was definitely something unusual.
Light, fluttering clothes.
Each individual’s long limbs and small heads gave their proportions an uncanny look.
And their ears—about twice the size of a human’s and pointed at the tips.
“So they’re elves.”
It was only after hearing Furnel’s muttering that the realization dawned.
There were no elves in Ventair’s world.
The closer they got to the island while riding their Phantom Steeds, the clearer their faces became.
Each was strikingly beautiful, their expressions tense as they observed the scene.
“One of the secrets hidden for a thousand years was the elves. Somehow, things have come to this…”
It was said that before the War Against the Abyss a millennium ago, encountering elves was not so difficult.
Of course, they weren’t a commonly seen race, but they were not the kind that existed only in fairy tales, as they were now.
“They’re wary of us.”
“Naturally. This island hasn’t had outside visitors for a whole thousand years.”
Their caution was only to be expected.
If it weren’t for Regarda riding the sea dragon alongside them, there might have been another fight here.
But in any case, Regarda had succeeded in persuading them, and they were now traveling together.
「Skill – ‘Summon Phantom Steed’ is deactivated.」
No one made a move until they landed on the shore.
From their small gestures and careful attitudes, one could see their respect and trust toward Regarda.
“This island’s too beautiful to keep hidden.”
As he set foot on the shore, Regarda, who followed behind, spoke up.
His mouth opened, and soon a firm voice resembling his came forth.
Just like a human.
“Is that all Lord Kreutzvalt said?”
Hio turned around at the remark.
Regarda’s blue eyes were fixed on him.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“…Understood.”
Meanwhile, residents of Arilleia gathered around the two, maintaining a respectful distance.
Their eyes held a mixture of caution and curiosity toward Hio, and respect and trust toward Regarda.
“Lord Regarda.”
The crowd parted as a few approached, led by an elf.
While the other elves were handsome enough, her beauty surpassed them all.
She wore no special accessories—perhaps just a tiara made of leaves.
Yet she radiated a grandeur as if born noble, every step dripping with dignity.
It was immediately clear who she was.
The ruler of Arilleia.
“It’s been a long time, Lord Regarda.”
The elf bowed to Regarda without hesitation.
Everyone else followed suit simultaneously.
“Have you been well?”
Regarda nodded, leaning on his yellow spear.
“It’s been over ten years, Isidore.”
“Exactly twenty-seven years, Lord Regarda.”
“I see.”
“It was hard to find you, so I only checked your well-being through traces left by Mir from time to time.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I have quite a bit to tell you, but given the situation, I will ask first.”
Isidore, the most noble elf of Arilleia, fixed her gaze on Hio.
“And who might this be?”
Just as Regarda was about to answer, a small figure burst through the crowd, stomping noisily.
Above her head appeared a blinking notification, like an electronic billboard.
☆★ Welcome, Magician! ★☆
The girl smiling brightly was Freya.
Surprisingly, the tension quickly eased.
The credit, of course, went to Regarda’s endorsement.
Or rather, whether it could be called an endorsement was questionable—after all, Hio had simply come to the island alongside Regarda without a single word.
Yet to the residents here, that alone was a definitive guarantee.
Regarda, who had never allowed outsiders onto this island for a thousand years.
What better guarantee could there be than to be with him?
And secondly, there was Freya’s endorsement.
Though less reliable, since returning from the Empire, she had frequently spoken of Hio.
Listening to her over time, a sense of camaraderie had formed naturally.
Still, many remained suspicious of his true intentions.
“A magician? I cannot believe that.”
Their suspicion wasn’t misplaced.
If Hio had any intent to harm Arilleia, Regarda would never have allowed him in.
What they doubted was the claim made by Hio Pavlenko himself—that he was a magician.
Among the doubters was Mutins, who had attended the new emperor’s Succession Ceremony.
“Hio Pavlenko is a Guardian Knight of the Empire. There’s no doubt about his combat strength. But magic is a different matter, isn’t it? How many times have we seen charlatans claiming to wield magic?”
The people of Arilleia knew the history of magic better than anyone.
That was why they refused to believe.
Magic’s resurrection was impossible.
Even Freya barely managed to produce an empty shell of a First Circle spell.
‘How could an ordinary human have risen to the rank of Guardian Knight as a magician?’
This was no mere suspicion; it was certainty.
They had been deceived by such people more than once, as the thousand-year history attested.
“I agree.”
“Lord Regarda hasn’t said otherwise, so…”
“They say he came at Freya’s request…”
“But the relationship isn’t deep. I think you said they met only once at Verden’s Succession Ceremony.”
There was confusion in a different sense.
Although Regarda had allowed him in, no explanation was given as to what had convinced him, or what Hio’s purpose was.
“He must prove his magic before everyone.”
“First, we should quickly have a conversation. As a Guardian Knight of the Empire, he should know about that dark Gate.”
“He claims to be here to help Lady Freya, so that should be acceptable.”
Though Mutins and a few others reacted harshly, most remained neutral.
They intended to observe for a while longer—whether about magic or signs of destruction.
“Since it’s late, let’s finish today and continue the conversation tomorrow with him present.”
The chaotic meeting ended at Isidore’s words, the most noble elf of Arilleia.
You really came, huh! Uncle Hio! • w*”
A sparkling message hovered noisily above Freya’s head.
Being her homeland, they used a luminous artifact far superior to something like a Whispering Stone—something that could not help but catch the eye.
“Well, I thought something serious had happened, so I hurried over right away.”
『Heheh. Maybe the distance was too far; I used it once and it broke. (w)/
“Still, it’s nice to see Arilleia in person after only hearing about it.”
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yeah. It really is.”
From the huge tree, the landscape below stretched out clearly.
Sky paths wove between trees, with elves traveling above and below.
Even unfamiliar animals unseen on the continent roamed about.
Truly a city built by nature.
It was stunning in the daylight, but the real spectacle was after sunset.
Lights hung like stars among the trees, and the glowing illumination spreading through them created a breathtaking nighttime view.
“Let’s head inside.”
***
After wandering about and admiring the night scene, they entered as night deepened.
They stepped inside a giant tree at the forest’s center—one so tall it seemed to touch the sky.
Inside, Regarda stood with his arms crossed, quietly watching Hio.
“You’ve wandered long enough. Lady Freya is still young.”
Regarda spoke, watching Freya peacefully asleep in Hio’s arms.
“This island is mysterious. There’s a lot to see.”
The giant tree was divided into hundreds of floors.
The place Hio had entered was none other than Regarda’s residence.
There were other prepared rooms, but Regarda said it wasn’t necessary, that he would stay with Hio, and so brought him here.
It was spacious enough for about ten people, so there was no problem.
“So you’ve been living alone in this big room?”
“I hardly use it. It’s been roughly twenty-seven years.”
“Where do you usually stay then?”
“Under the sea.”
“…To protect Arilleia?”
“Yes.”
“And now?”
“The sea dragon is standing in for me.”
“Huh…”
So he normally spent his time alone in the dark depths of the ocean.
Though Hio had guessed as much about Regarda’s identity, the sacrifice surpassed expectations.
‘How important must the duty be?’
He had accepted him in, but from now on, it was Regarda’s responsibility to see for himself and act accordingly.
Carefully laying Freya on the bed, Hio responded to Regarda.
“So it’s a task you can’t undertake?”
“Exactly.”
“Because it’s not your mission?”
“That, and also not. More precisely, it’s something I cannot do.”
“Something you cannot do…”
It was Kreutzvalt who had told them to wake the dragon on Arilleia.
And to take its power.
This was the task Hio was to perform on Arilleia.
Simultaneously, it was something Regarda could not do.
But there was one variable.
“What do you plan to do about the Abyss Gate?”
The Abyss Gate’s existence was that variable.
Freya had roughly explained the situation.
The Abyss Gate had appeared, causing division among opinions.
Some argued they must enter it; others said they should just watch.
How they resolved this would heavily influence Hio’s plans.
“My role is to not oppose the flow.”
“Not opposing the flow… so you mean you’ll watch?”
A roughly expected answer.
Had Regarda intervened actively, he wouldn’t have come home after twenty-seven years.
This was not the question Hio wanted to ask him.
A more fundamental one.
“So where is the dragon?”
‘Where was the sleeping dragon?’
‘How should it be awakened?’
‘How immense was its power for Kreutzvalt to mention it personally?’
Without hesitation, Regarda turned his gaze away from Hio and toward his side.
Hio followed his gaze and saw a small green-haired girl sleeping peacefully.
“…No way.”
Hio’s head snapped back toward Regarda.
Regarda nodded, dispelling doubt from Hio’s eyes.
“It is the dragon.”
***
The next day.
Hio, of course, attended the meeting held early in the morning.
Holding Freya’s sleepy hand, he entered the conference room alongside the expressionless Regarda.
The large round table was made of wood, or rather, a part of the tree itself.
Around it sat elves and a few humans, their faces familiar from the previous day.
Among them, the most familiar was without question Mutins.
He continued to glare hostilely at Hio.
And this did not change even after the meeting began.
If anything, Mutins pressed Hio even harder.
Unlike the previous time in the Imperial Capital, when there was no solid justification, this time there was a clear argument: in an era where magic is lost, how could magic still exist?
The more he spoke, the more people nodded in agreement.
Though not as openly hostile as Mutins, many agreed internally.
They believed that whoever Regarda allowed in was not involved with magic.
If Hio wanted to stay here, he must abandon his claim as a magician and offer a clear apology.
They were gradually convinced by Mutins’ assertion.
“Lies.”
Still, Hio merely nodded calmly.
Knowing the full circumstances, how could he not understand such resistance?
It was understandable.
But now, it had to stop.
“My first master was Berga Pavlenko.”
It was only a matter of time before he shared with everyone the story he had once told Freya in the palace gardens.
“A great magician who sparked a flame in a world where magic had vanished.”
He stood up without emotion, holding his large staff.
“My second master was Furnel Pencheff.”
The room fell silent.
Hio had just said “a world where magic had vanished.”
That alone was remarkable.
“A necromancer from the Necromancer School who fought in the war against the monsters a thousand years ago.”
Hio rose and walked toward the outer wall of the room.
Without windows, the wall was open, offering an unobstructed view outside.
Being on a high floor, it touched the sky, making the view even more impressive.
Aware of this, Hio stopped and turned around.
All eyes were fixed on him.
“And.”
‘What fault did these people have?’
They had lost more than magic.
They had lost faith, belief, hope in magic.
They had lost it all together.
They were angry and distrustful.
So it was up to him to plant that hope again.
“I am the last magician remaining in this world.”
His staff was lightly raised.
「Skill – ‘Illusion – Judge of God’ activated.」
The sky opened.
“Hio Pavlenko.”
The Divine Sword revealed its majesty.