Chapter 322

Chapter 322

The bitter winter cold had finally receded.

The conflict between Lortel and Decullan, which once felt endless, concluded entirely following the armistice negotiations.

Through the intervention of the empire, both houses managed to resolve their deep-seated animosities, at least on the surface, providing enough reassurance to the imperial subjects.

Lortel secured a substantial advantage throughout this process.

“The Decullan family shall be held properly accountable for the downfall of the Imperio family.”

A solitary remark made by the emperor during the peace talks.

The collapse of just one vassal household translated into a massive influx of wealth, resources, and vested interests, greatly enriching Lortel.

Not every knight under Lortel was content with this outcome, though very few voiced their opposition.

Wars could not be conducted solely on the basis of principles and honor.

“The living must go on living.”

Even the most steadfast knights of Lortel couldn’t escape this old adage, prompting them to sheathe their blades while burying the blood debt owed to the Imperio family deep within their hearts.

The blood spilled wasn’t quite enough, yet it was far from meaningless.

The conflict inflicted severe casualties on both Lortel and Decullan, forcing both families into immediate isolation after the armistice.

“In truth, it’s a loss for the Decullan family. The main branch emerged victorious. You played a part—”

“Hmm.”

On a serene afternoon, Aster gave a detached reply to the voice of Sion, the young patriarch of Lortel, which emanated from the crystal orb.

Outside the window, a flurry of activity was underway. With third-year classes on the horizon, students were relocating to new dormitories, and the room Aster currently occupied was his newly assigned quarters.

Once again, Aster had been granted a private room—a gesture of consideration from Headmaster Schwerts, who claimed to be concerned for his well-being.

Having completed his move ahead of schedule, Aster stared blankly out the window, his eyes clouded with boredom.

“And so, regarding that matter. Tower Lord, can you hear me?”

“Huh? What?”

“Hmm. Is something wrong? You seem unfocused.”

“No, it’s nothing. What were you saying?”

Aster redirected his attention to his discussion with the young patriarch, Sion.

However, his gaze remained transfixed on the outdoors, his sense of ennui lingering.

No, it wasn’t exactly boredom.

He was simply lost in thought, completely captivated by something.

“Decullan consented to pay a massive sum in reparations to the main house. They are even required to surrender a portion of their lands. It isn’t a vast territory, but it must be a bitter pill for Decullan to swallow.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Yet, the true victor of this armistice is the imperial family.”

“…The imperial family?”

Aster tilted his head in curiosity.

“Yes. Superficially, the war concluded without a clear winner. The main house obtained reparations, but that isn’t public knowledge. So, how does everyone else view it?”

“As though the imperial court suppressed two major factions, enhancing their own authority in the process.”

“Precisely. They merely investigated and mediated, but to outsiders, it looks like they put both Lortel and Decullan in their place.”

Thus, Lortel secured the tangible profits, while the honor and glory went straight to the throne.

This left Aster pondering a critical issue.

“The proof… I assume we uncovered it during the conflict.”

“So Decullan had no choice but to take the blow?”

“…”

Sion’s voice from the crystal orb gradually grew quiet.

Aster’s observation had struck an unusual chord with him as well.

“You’re right, it’s peculiar. Decullan isn’t the type to back down so easily. Do you know something?”

“Who can say.”

If anything came to mind, it was the Second Black-and-White Slum.

In terms of timing, Pahren von Decullan’s visit occurred right before or after he departed for the capital to attend the armistice discussions.

But whether that truly swayed the negotiations… who could tell?

Was it due to Lord Musphelun?

The imperial family and the elder Musphelun didn’t get along particularly well, but it would still place a heavy burden on Decullan.

Still, it was nothing more than baseless speculation.

‘We shall see.’

Wrapping up his train of thought, Aster looked down at the communication device.

“Anyway, congratulations on the truce.”

“Thank you. Your assistance was invaluable. You provided the opening we needed to gather evidence regarding the collapse of the Imperio family.”

“Then make sure to compensate me well.”

“Come visit the family sometime… Ah, my time is up. I must go.”

“Talk to you later.”

“Don’t just brush me off.”

With that, the connection with Sion was severed.

Click.

Aster stared at the now-darkened communication orb for a brief moment before storing it away in his subspatial pocket.

His gaze drifted back outside, his focus blurring once more as a single image began to surface in his mind.

—I will give you a sign.

The solitary spell Musphelun had demonstrated to him was precisely that. Aster recalled the vivid imagery etched into his mind, feeling a sense of enchantment.

A transparent, square-shaped cube. Swirling, multi-colored mana within its core.

Fundamentally, it was a barrier spell that Aster couldn’t completely comprehend, yet the imagery it contained resonated with perfect clarity.

No, the specific visual components of the magic weren’t what truly mattered.

Rather… it was a literal signal.

Much like a mountaineer keeping their eyes fixed on the summit while forging ahead, Musphelun’s spell provided Aster with an explicit objective and direction.

It was truly magnificent.

Reaching transcendence was akin to scaling the peak, yet Musphelun had proved that a path existed even beyond that, extending up into the heavens.

Entranced by his thoughts on Musphelun’s magic, Aster stood still until the sound of footsteps outside his door broke the silence.

Soon, a voice called out.

“Buddy! Come out! Chenbi has something to say!”

It was Damian.

Damian, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, had undergone quite a growth spurt.

‘How old is he now…?’

With the turning of the year, fourteen?

Even so, he stood nearly 170 centimeters tall—an incredibly rapid rate of growth for his age.

“Buddy… Hm. You’ve grown a bit.”

“…A bit?”

“Try a lot! Though you’re still shorter than me!”

Aster looked at Damian with an expression of pity.

In the past, Damian would have clenched his fists, but things had shifted significantly during this break.

What had changed?

Aster had narrowed the height gap and eventually surpassed him, which brought a smug grin to Aster’s face.

“Damian, what did you just say?”

“…still shorter than…”

“Do you know what they call that?”

“Bullshit?”

“Yeah, you get it.”

Reveling in the sweet taste of victory, Aster strode past Damian triumphantly.

Moving past their old reluctance to stand side-by-side, Evelyn, who was waiting in the third-year cafeteria, spotted them and let out a soft chuckle.

“Aster, do you know what that’s called?”

“The Room of Truth?”

Evelyn tightly pressed her lips together, recalling memories from the black-and-white slums.

But Chenbi shared no such recollections.

“I know! Comparing acorns?”

Aster fixed Chenbi with a chilling glare, but Chenbi merely tilted her head with an innocent air.

It was a defense mechanism she had developed after prolonged exposure to Aster; Damian, of course, was the undisputed master of this.

As the saying goes, you can’t spit on a smiling face.

Naturally, Aster was the type of rogue who would strike regardless, so an additional tactic was required.

“You…”

“Oh, right! Did you hear? Professors Parun and Pelina are retiring after this year.”

Aster puckered his lips at Chenbi’s Deft redirection.

The topic had smoothly shifted to the faculty’s retirement, making it difficult to retaliate. In the end, Aster had to relax his fist, and the dialogue stretched on until he and Damian went to grab some drinks.

It wasn’t a matter that required a lengthy discussion, but Chenbi dragged it out desperately.

“Enough. It’s fine.”

“Was it that obvious?”

Aster stared down at Chenbi, who offered a sheepish grin. Her effort was so earnest that he didn’t even feel like hitting her anymore.

Anyway.

“Didn’t you say you had something to tell us?”

“Ah, right.”

“An adventure?”

“Absolutely not.”

Chenbi ruthlessly crushed Damian’s hopes, though he didn’t seem genuinely let down. It was more of an automatic reflex than a real expectation.

“It’s not that, but we’re third-years now.”

“Yeah.”

“There’s only one year left of our school life. Is anyone planning to move on to the intermediate class?”

Aster was the first to respond to Chenbi’s inquiry.

“Not really.”

Pahren had stepped down, but Decullan’s influence could reach out again at any moment. The post-war cleanup offered temporary safety, but he couldn’t afford to waste time.

Evelyn shared his sentiment.

“I’m also finishing with the basic course.”

For the exact same reasons as Aster. After graduation, she intended to devote herself entirely to developing the Arafurgin lands.

And Damian…

“Then I’ll leave too. No point in going to the intermediate level.”

Having heard everyone’s thoughts, Chenbi nodded as if she had anticipated this. Then Evelyn inquired.

“But why bring up the intermediate class?”

“Oh, it’s not really about that…”

Chenbi’s gaze drifted upward, as if searching for the right words. However, she spoke up shortly after.

“I just feel like we won’t have much time left together as a group of four. So, before that happens… maybe we could make some lasting memories? Our last trip was wonderful, but there are certain things you can only experience while at the academy, right?”

That was her way of framing it, but everyone caught her true meaning.

In other words, Chenbi was saying…

…let’s prepare ourselves to say goodbye.

“Any good ideas?”

A gentle smile formed on Chenbi’s lips.

The faint melancholy underlying that smile… was likely not an illusion.