Chapter 273

Chapter 273 – The Times Have Changed

Once Shine departed, Aster massaged his hollow eye sockets. The heavy burning subsided slightly, though the ache in his head remained stubborn.

It mirrored the painful throbbing of a massive hangover, a sharp pulse vibrating throughout his skull. Aster used his thumb and forefinger to firmly compress his temples.

“Sigh.”

The physical distress wasn’t the only thing agitating his mind.

‘My internal energy…… it’s completely fractured.’

Conducting a swift internal assessment, Aster swung his legs out of the sheets and approached the desk.

Though his frame demanded rest, sleep remained entirely elusive.

“To begin with…….”

He needed to analyze the circumstances.

‘……Aeviron slipped away.’

Judging by the outcome, even Shine had been unable to subdue Aeviron.

He would gather the specific details at a later time, but Shine’s grim countenance was proof enough that Aeviron was a formidable threat.

That meant one massive crisis remained unresolved.

The connection between the Second Black-White Slums and the Magic Tower.

Decullan had successfully pieced the puzzle together.

‘They won’t strike immediately. They are currently entangled in a conflict with Lortel, and their ranks have been depleted by two of the Seven Mages.’

Furthermore, because Aeviron had bungled his objective, Decullan would be forced to proceed with caution.

And above all else……

‘They feel no pressure to act quickly.’

In truth, that was entirely due to his own actions.

• I understand you…… established a home for children?

• You utter bastard……

Because they knew he could never forsake the children, that very home had been turned into leverage against him.

No matter where he hid, they could terrorize the institution and force him out into the open whenever they pleased.

……What path was left to take?

That precise dilemma kept Aster awake.

With his eyelids lowered in deep concentration, he slumped into the seat and cast his gaze up toward the ceiling beams.

“Hmph, Young Patriarch. Your philosophy was flawed. How did it go? Having something to shield grants a person hidden reserves of might?”

Granted, an intense burst of strength had manifested briefly. However……

The sheer exhaustion born from that crushing liability far outweighed any power derived from duty.

If he avoided collapsing into a state of total physical ruin, he would consider it an absolute miracle.

Naturally, the mental fortitude of a transcendent archmage wasn’t so easily shattered. This was merely the weight of his current sentiments.

……Setting that aside, he had to focus on the reality at hand.

“A path, an escape…… there must be some way.”

Aster strained his intellect searching for a method to shatter this relentless gridlock.

With Decullan keeping a vigilant watch over the Second Black-White Slums and prepared to use the children as a hostage, how could he break free from their control?

‘The most optimal resolution would have been burying Aeviron permanently.’

Could he move the entire facility elsewhere?

……Out of the question. Not while Decullan’s scouts were watching. Relocating one or two youngsters might be feasible, but shifting dozens? An impossibility.

What if he transferred custody of the youngsters to Blandoga utilizing Senior Myseln as an intermediary?

……Pure fantasy. Perhaps Lortel would consider it, but certainly not them.

Even relying on Lortel carried significant risk.

Granted, they were the most reasonable among the noble houses, but the likelihood of them absorbing a blow from an enemy just to protect a handful of nameless orphans was virtually nonexistent.

“Tch.”

Thoroughly blocked at every turn, Aster let out a sharp click of his tongue.

What options remained?

“It seems I must simply hand over what they desire.”

Decullan’s ultimate objective was the Magic Tower Lord. And he was the one occupying that seat.

Consequently, if the lord surrendered himself directly to Decullan, the enemy would lose all motivation to harm the home.

However, prior to taking that step……

‘There is a matter I must settle first.’

Aster turned his attention toward the mattress. Coiled near the head of the bed was a battered lizard, its skin showing raw patches from various wounds.

Wyvern.

The primordial being who had surrendered its deathless nature to preserve his life, currently a mutated drake striving toward dragonhood. Yet it remained known as Wyvern, his trusted companion.

Its existence was explicitly tied to his own—if his life force flickered out, so too would theirs.

……Which meant.

He could not present himself to Decullan until that spiritual link was dissolved.

Whether that required dissolving the contract entirely or passing the ownership over to a substitute.

Reflecting on that reality.

‘That leech. Incredibly perceptive, aren’t they.’

The thought had lingered in the back of his mind the moment he learned of Aeviron’s retreat.

He had merely delayed action to see if an alternative strategy might emerge.

‘Very well, then…….’

Aster mentally tabulated the tasks requiring closure before his departure. The Magic Tower, his personal alliances, and various minor details.

A vague plan began to crystallize.

He faced a succession of grueling days ahead, without a doubt.

The faster he organized his affairs, the better. His primary objective was dismantling and severing the familiar contract binding Wyvern.

Having reached a conclusion, Aster shifted his gaze toward the glass. His eyes caught the early dawn colors creeping over the Second Black-White Slums.

Right at that moment, as Aster was settling his thoughts.

A soft rapping sounded at the door.

“Identify yourself.”

“It is Riheim.”

The visitor had arrived.

Riheim stepped into the quarters and claimed the seat directly across from Aster, settling himself down.

Aster instinctively moved to retrieve his concealment piece, but Riheim offered a dismissive gesture to halt him.

“Save yourself the trouble. I observed your features clearly while administering your treatment.”

“Ah, of course.”

A heavy quiet settled over the room following those words.

Riheim sat with his arms locked together, fixing a stern gaze upon the tabletop, deeply absorbed in reflection. Aster merely blinked in response.

‘……This is miserable.’

The discomfort of the situation was immense.

Aster, typically overflowing with self-assurance, felt completely exposed without his facial covering.

He had anticipated discarding it eventually, but not in such an unceremonious fashion.

As Aster’s eyes wandered nervously.

“It concerns Decullan, does it not?”

“……Correct.”

Aster offered a nod in response to Riheim’s sharp inquiry.

“Shine…… yes, Shine informed me. He mentioned that Aeviron himself made an appearance. Is that accurate?”

“It is, but…… are the two of you acquainted?”

He voiced the question because the phrasing suggested a familiarity with that individual.

One does not normally reference a complete stranger in such a manner.

Riheim gave an immediate nod, offering no attempt at evasion.

“We crossed paths on the field of combat on several occasions.”

“As adversaries?”

“Had we been on opposing sides, you would not have survived to encounter him.”

The implication was clear: Aeviron would have perished long ago if they had been rivals.

Aster found himself marveling once more at the true caliber of the individual seated before him.

A quiet stillness descended upon the space once again.

It persisted only briefly before Riheim broke the silence.

“What is your true name?”

“You have not been informed?”

“I am asking intentionally. It carries more weight coming directly from your lips.”

“……Aster.”

“Aster, Aster. Aster…….”

Riheim repeated the name quietly, nodded in acknowledgment, and then pressed further.

“What is your age?”

“I am uncertain.”

“Uncertain?”

Aster frequently adjusted his age depending on his audience, but on this occasion, he offered a candid reply.

“Yes, I am merely a stray from the Black-White Slums.”

“A stray…… I understand. Are you perhaps enrolled at the academy?”

It seemed an absurd deduction given his tier of capability, yet considering his apparent youth and his association with Principal Schubertz, it possessed a logical basis.

Aster maintained his composure and nodded once more.

“I am.”

“Then your introduction to Schubertz occurred at the academy.”

“……Yes.”

“……That absolute lunatic. The era has truly shifted.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am not referring to you. I am speaking of that madman deploying academy pupils into the Great Forest.”

“Ah, I see.”

Riheim criticized Schubertz with a lethal underlying fury, before pivoting to his main objective.

“So, what course of action do you intend to pursue now?”

“From this point…….”

“I gathered the essential points from Shine. A blood feud with Decullan? Aeviron using the home as leverage against you? Consequently, what is your next move?”

“Well…… shreds of a plan……”

Aster’s voice faded.

He had established his trajectory, but revealing it felt inappropriate.

Was he oblivious to the fact that Astaroth was observing them? No, Riheim’s eyes directed themselves toward the ceiling shortly thereafter.

“Young companion up there, would you object to granting us some privacy? I can induce a slumber if it proves difficult.”

Direct and unyielding.

Perceiving the underlying message, Astaroth’s presence hidden within the ceiling structures gradually dissipated.

Riheim waited until the area was entirely clear before prompting him again.

“Now, speak freely.”

“Well…….”

The listening ears had departed. Even so, Aster wavered on whether to expose his true intent.

While he debated, Riheim’s voice traveled softly across the gap between them.

“Abandon that line of thought entirely.”

“…….”

“Flee if the situation demands it. Do not take everything upon your own shoulders.”

“What are you implying…….”

Aster rubbed the back of his neck, forcing a strained grin. Yet Riheim remained entirely unmoved. He locked eyes with Aster and delivered a blunt assessment.

“Are you aware of the expression you are wearing?”

“My expression…….”

“The look of a captain preparing to charge straight into a slaughter to preserve his troop. I have witnessed that exact countenance countless times. And the outcome is invariably tragic.”

dishonesty was impossible.

Aster found himself devoid of an answer. He had been completely unaware that his thoughts were so vividly etched upon his face.

Riheim maintained his composure regardless. His demeanor was neither sorrowful nor trivial—it was entirely peaceful.

A temporary silence hung over the space.

Then, a gentle declaration reached Aster’s ears.

“The era has truly shifted.”

“…… shreds of understanding……”

“In my era, observing youth your age upon the front lines was a commonplace occurrence. Academy pupils regularly exchanged their texts and quills for magical focuses and broadswords. No one questioned it. Yet the world moves on.”

What point was he attempting to illustrate?

That he should enjoy a carefree existence fitting for his youth? That he should play the part of an oblivious adolescent?

A predictable deduction…… yet entirely accurate.

“With this new era, you must relinquish that overwhelming sense of obligation.”

“…….”

“Do not vanish, and do not resort to desperate measures. There is no requirement for you to experience remorse for leaving the home behind. There is no call for unappreciated martyrdom.”

Riheim—or rather, Muspellun de Gigus Aderian—surveyed the young spellcaster before him.

A child produced by a modern age, yet forced to occupy a battleground all the same. The massive weight of obligation threatened to fracture the young mage’s spirit.

He communicated his intent while staring directly into his gaze.

“Surrender the load.”

……This veteran figure would shoulder the burden alongside him.

Naturally, Aster was left without an alternative.

“This is not Riheim addressing you. This is Muspellun de Gigus Aderian. A sovereign decree issued from the imperial line of the Aderian Empire, possessed by right of birth.”

……The Archmage of Conclusion.

Muspellun de Gigus Aderian.

The legendary grand duke had announced his return to the world once more.