21st Century Archmage

"Will you truly be leaving tomorrow…?"

All of the Kingdom Coalition armies returned to their kingdoms, and the nobles and soldiers captured as prisoners were released. The faction of nobles that fanned Poltviran's tyranny were punished, and the people who had made significant contributions to the war or were wrongly stripped of their titles were appointed new noble peerages or were promoted to a higher rank.

'It's really time for me to go now, you know.'

The Bajran Capital wasn't stable yet, so I ended up spending a whole three days helping out with the aftermath. I wanted to go back to Nerman on the very day I returned from fighting Hardaim, but little Razcion and Igis held me back.

"Igis, nothing can endanger Bajran anymore. It's a shame I can't see Razcion's enthronement, but my mind is anxious because of the Nerman people who are waiting for me."

It was late at night. After dealing with state affairs in the still very young Razcion's stead, Igis came to my VIP room. Tears pooled in her eyes as she sent waves of sadness my way.

"Yes… I am well aware. It's just that… this girl's heart longs endlessly to see you."

As wise as she was, there was no way she didn't know my feelings. And it wasn't like I didn't know the feelings of this love-blinded girl.

"Igis…"

I murmured her name as I carefully lifted the smooth jawline in my embrace, and Igis responded with eyes full of intense love.

"I will come to pick you up soon. Until then, be well."

I felt her give a small nod in my hand.

"I love you."

A whisper of love gently floated into my ears.

"Mm…"

And before I knew it, my lips were full of her red ones, and from her lips came a moan that tickled my ear and melted my heart, flowing out like sweet fruit juice.

I drew in Igis' willow-thin and curvy waist with my left hand, and a long, long kiss ensued.

"Ah…" After our long, dream-like kiss ended, Igis breathed a sigh of happiness. "Come… quickly. Kyre, until the day you come, this girl will be sleeplessly waiting for you."

The woman in my embrace weaved a spell of sweet words.

"I love you…"

It might be cliché, but I didn't think there was any better phrase to say to the person you loved. I whispered my love, drawing Igis deeper into my embrace. When I returned to Nerman, I wouldn't be able to see her for a while.

As I did so, I prayed to the gods for her wellbeing…

* * *

"H-How did you know?"

"Why, afraid I might ask to come with you?"

I was amazed a person could change this much. I had also changed in my demeanor towards Countess Irene—now, I naturally used casual speech with her. She was gazing at me with her arms crossed, a calm smile on her face.

"If you want, I don't mind if we go back together."

"……"

Unfortunately for her, she was hardly my match in verbal sparring. Her face steadily reddened at a single word from me. But then, she counterattacked with a smile.

"Did you soothe the Princess well?"

"W-What?"

"Hoho, why so embarrassed? You know exactly what I mean."

'This girl is more sly than she looks.'

Countess Irene was always so calm no matter who was present, be it the Crown Prince or anyone else. I changed my evaluation of her.

"What, jealous? Want me to do the same for you?"

"……"

'You can't respond, so why mess around? Heh.'

She was many years my senior, but Irene had long since become one of the women stamped with my mark.

By the time I finished coaxing Igis, it was already early dawn. I walked to the hangar where Bebeto was sleeping, planning to leave without saying goodbye now that it was morning in case the sight of Igis' face made my resolve quaver. That's where I bumped into Countess Irene. She was lying in ambush(?) for me, as if she knew I would be leaving at such an early hour.

"Don't hurt them. The Princess… and the hearts of the women who love you, Kyre," Irene said, meeting my intense, silent gaze. Her long, silver hair was reddening slightly under the rising daybreak.

'I wasn't planning on it, sis.'

They were women I met through all sorts of difficulties and hurdles, so how could I possibly throw them away? As long as they were understanding of me, it was fine with me. I was planning on becoming an emperor for their sake. I wanted to make all of the women who loved me into empresses, not just queens.

"…And stop being such a playboy now, will you? It's not just one or two, aren't you being a little excessive?"

'Eh?'

The mood suddenly shifted. Irene went from telling me to not hurt the women who loved me, to scolding me like a nagging wife. Her brow cocked in exasperation was cute.

"Be careful. I also… have a limit to what I can endure."

'Jesus. Is it really okay for you to confess your love like this?'

If she had no feelings towards me, there would be no reason for her to get mad. The fact that she was warning me meant that she wanted to be deeply linked to my life.

"Haha. I'll accept your warning with gratitude."

People said that age differences were nothing in the face of love. Even though she was older than me, I spoke casually with her, and Irene didn't pay any heed to what was technically disrespectful.

"Hmph! Playboy."

Though she cursed me as a playboy, this loveable woman came early in the morning to see me off.

"Thanks," I murmured, hugging her tightly.

"Ah!" Irene cried out, clearly startled by my sudden hug. "L-Let me go, you knave. The knights will see."

"Who cares if they see? If I like you, that's that. Don't like it?"

"……"

Once again, Irene was left with no response. She might be a bit older than me, but she knew what she liked and didn't like.

"Wait for me. I'll hit you up in a little while. When that happens, tidy up all the loose ends and come to Nerman."

Using a 21st century turn of speech, I released Irene. Then, I left a light kiss mark on her forehead.

"Thanks for coming to see me off."

"It was nothing…" Irene mumbled, looking embarrassed. If the other knights who knew her saw this side of her, they would have probably fallen over, frothing at the mouth. The haughty Countess Irene who was like a goddess to all of the Imperial Skyknights was simply a woman thirsty for love in front of me.

"I'm sure you'll do well, but take care of Igis and Razcion."

"Got it."

"Alright, I'm going now."

"Yeah…"

It was sad, but I had to leave. Word of Nerman's safety came flying into the capital every day, but I couldn't relax.

"Ready, Bebeto?"

Guoooooooo!

Bebeto, who was now the recipient of proper kingly treatment even in an imperial hangar, answered me with an energetic cry.

'Magic is really convenient.'

In preparation for an occasion like today, I engraved a Warp magic array onto Bebeto's wyvern armor. Unfortunately, since I didn't have a second Grade 1 magic crystal, I couldn't Warp straight to Nerman. However, there was another way, using the Grade 2 magic crystal stored in my chest pocket. It wasn't a direct Warp to Nerman, but we would probably be able to reach the Bajran Empire borders near the Rual Mountains.

'Good thing I raided the Imperial Magic Tower, seriously.'

The Tower Master of the Imperial Magic Tower, Marquis Kermon, had gone into hiding in fear of Poltviran's excessive tyranny. As soon as Poltviran died, he appeared before Igis. I threatened him and found out the coordinates of Bajran's important territories. A coordinate was something that could only be found by researching places with stabilized mana flow and by using magical techniques, a time consuming process. It was pretty annoying and required a lot of effort, so coordinates were one of the most tightly kept secrets in every magic tower.

'Alright, let's go then.'

It was time to leave. With one last stroke of Irene's silver hair, I jumped onto Bebeto's back.

"See you…" Irene murmured, looking at me with eyes full of sadness.

I sent her a bright smile. Then, I turned my attention to the Warp.

"Oh brothers of mana, you who open dimensions upon dimensions. I hereby relay unto you my will and ask that you realize my intent…"

As I carefully chanted the incantation, I inputted the coordinates in my head and poured my will into my mana. There wasn't a reception magic array at our arrival point, so I had to put my full focus on carefully casting the spell.

"Warp!"

The moment all of the coordinate calculations were complete, I uttered the last word of the incantation.

Flash!

I was instantly covered by the light of mana, and I closed my eyes, thinking of the nauseating feeling of teleportation that was coming. Then, Bebeto and I warped, leaving behind the Bajran Empire, the stage of another chapter in my life.

* * *

A storm of rumors was billowing on the Kallian Continent. It became known that Emperor Poltviran of the Great Bajran Empire, who was regarded as a tyrant, perished by suicide in the face of the invasion by the four kingdoms and the succession dispute instigated by Duke Garvit, who raised Prince Razcion to the throne. An even more shocking rumor was that a single person, the Lord of Nerman, was responsible for dealing such a devastating blow to the Four Kingdom Coalition, the same forces that were sending the Bajran Empire on the road of destruction, that the fate of the kingdoms was jeopardized.

Within those rumors, something truly unbelievable was also mixed in: that the Lord of Nerman, Kyre, had ascended to become a 7th Circle archmage and a Grand Blade Master.

* * *

"A magic swordsman, you say… Huhu. I'm surprised that someone among the humans has reached such a stage."

In the Shining Black Magic Tower, where the mana of darkness was pursued, the space used by the tower master was—unlike in other magic towers—the underground area, the largest place in the tower. There, the new Tower Master, or rather, the person who became the master of the black mages, vocalized his surprise while looking over the information gathered by his subordinates. He could also acquire this information while staying in the capital, but the information sent by the shadow organizations pervading the Continent was faster and more precise.

"Oh mighty Lord of Darkness, even so, he is still only a 7th Circle magic swordsman. If the Lord were to come forth, he would be nothing before the Lord's might."

The skinny-as-a-lich former Shining Tower Master, Galuaice, sent flattering words to his master while on his knees.

"That makes him all the more impressive. From what I have heard, he isn't yet twenty, but he's already a 7th Circle magic swordsman… It makes one concerned that a being from one of the bored races has descended."

The 8th Circle Black Magic Swordsman of Destruction, Altakas, had nothing in the world to fear. But in the past, after reaching the 8th Circle, he suffered a deep injury while attempting to conquer Haildrian, the Ice Empire far removed from the Kallian Continent. He was then forced to wait many long, long years for a host. They were painful years of waiting, and he would have never been able to revive if not for black magic.

He safely recovered all of his former strength, but his memory of those years was the reason why he was still laying low. He wasn't even able to conquer the Ice Empire Haildrian, so he was being extremely cautious, since he didn't know what kind of beings might be living in Kallian, a continent with an even greater populace.

Among those potential beings, the most terrifying were dragons. They had not appeared in their original forms in the human world for thousands of years, but dragons held the greatest power in the Middle Realm. Even an 8th Circle black magic swordsman would have no choice but to bow before a dragon.

"Oh Immortal of Darkness, there are no dragons in the Middle Realm. Even if there were dragons here, due to their verbal oath, they must live in bodies with restricted powers incapable of their original strength. The Immortal need not fear any existence on the Continent, for the Immortal possesses even greater strength than such dragons."

Galuaice, a 7th Circle mage and the former Tower Master of Shining, knew many things. Of course, it wasn't as if Altakas didn't know that either. However, Altakas could not forget the painful experience he had once undergone.

"Huhuhu. The Death Knight corps will soon be complete. On top of that, 100,000 soldiers of darkness and hundreds of thousands of monsters will be under my command. When that happens, the Continent shall become very, very aware of my name."

He was born as a human, but wishing to live with an evil soul, Altakas stepped onto the path of darkness. The emotions rippling in his chest were destruction and carnage. Evil yin-attribute mana billowed from his entire body.

"What would the Lord like to do with Nerman? If the Lord of Darkness were to give the command, we shall wipe out all life there."

Galuaice's voice was overflowing with confidence. His face was slick with the characteristic craftiness of a black mage who was in ecstasy from the even greater power of darkness gained by submitting to a stronger existence.

"Not yet. If we reveal our strength now, we could be inviting the rage of the entire Continent. It's an issue that should be considered after converting all of them to mages of darkness, just as planned. Also… I will soon gain true power. The true power of darkness, which no other mage in the world has achieved! Kuhahahahahahaha!"

Altakas let out a great guffaw, delighted by something only he knew. When he laughed, the darkness mana filling the hall rippled and rolled, almost as if it were a part of Altakas' body.