episode_0054

The moment the rift closed, the battlefield became as quiet as if holding its breath.

The soldiers stopped and stared at the place where the crack had been, as if even the burning heat had suddenly cooled down.

A heavy silence descended where the sharp sound of metal and the screams of the demons had disappeared.

“Crack…”

“Oh my god.”

“What is this…”

The Sanburg Army slowly put down their weapons. Their faces had lost both the reason for fighting and the will to fight.

It was a clear surrender.

It’s not only because the lair, which was the key to this battle, has disappeared, but also because closing the rift is nothing short of a miracle.

“…Hurry up and deal with the remaining demons!”

Richard’s voice, which had quickly made a decision, echoed throughout the battlefield.

The knights regrouped and charged at the remaining demons.

The final battle took place amidst the sound of clashing iron armor and the roars of demons.

With the Sanburg Army also surrendering, it didn’t take long to deal with the demons.

The reason the second public servant showed signs of difficulty in the first place was because of the surprise attack, but it was even bigger because there were evil spirits mixed in.

Among the demons that emerged from the cracks, there were some special ones, but since there were only a few of them and the power of the 2nd public servant was concentrated, they could be dealt with without a problem.

When the first officers arrived at the battlefield, they were speechless at the sight before their eyes.

The ground was clearly marked by cracks, and was covered in red blood and the remains of demonic hands.

“Is everything over?”

Someone muttered.

“…What’s going on?”

Grand Duke Lenokhonen approached slowly, looking around, and asked Vice-Captain Richard. Confusion filled his face.

“It’s a long story, but… To put it simply, the Harsen Special Wizard finished the battle.”

Pedelian’s eyes, who had been listening to the conversation from the side, narrowed.

“Harsen’s special wizard?”

“Yes.”

Richard continued his explanation.

“The Sanburg guys opened the den with a surprise attack, but the Harsen special wizard closed the rift.”

Fedelian’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“…Open and close the crack? What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know the details either…”

Richard stroked the back of his neck with a complicated expression. He too was confused.

“You’ll have to hear the full story from the Harsen Special Wizard, but isn’t it a good thing? It may be a blessing that the Empire will never have again.”

Grand Duke Lenokhonen said with a laugh. His words were true. The Magul had been eating away at the continent throughout its long history.

“…I guess so.”

Fedelian smiled awkwardly and agreed. His mouth was curved, but his eyes were sharp.

Certainly, closing the rift in the cave was a blessing that would never be repeated in the history of the empire. It was like obtaining a clue to a mystery that had been unsolved for a long time.

The only problem is that the person who closed that cave was Johan Harsen.

‘…not good.’

A smile appeared on Pedelian’s lips, but his heart was frozen cold. He was already unable to move because of the deep surveillance, and things were getting more complicated.

It would be nice if this miraculous outcome were simply a coincidence… but if it wasn’t, things wouldn’t be going smoothly as Johan Harsen’s value skyrocketed.

Unlike before, it cannot be handled simply.

While complex calculations were taking place in Pedelian’s head, Grand Duke Lenokhonen spoke as he sheathed his sword.

“You must be tired from the sudden battle, so let’s hear the details later and get things ready first.”

* * *

After the stormy surprise attack, Sandburg received the news and sent a letter with the last remaining troops.

“Under His Majesty the King’s leadership, the hardliners have been punished, and we will surrender our territory to Rosino. All we want is to be accepted as imperial citizens…”

The letter was short, but it contained the despair of a kingdom that had lost its pride and lost its dignity.

It was a surrender.

Things moved quickly after that.

The imperial army decided to withdraw and return to Rosino, and Sandburg delivered a letter to the imperial court formally surrendering the territory.

It was also revealed how the Sanburg Army opened the cave.

As expected, the leaders of the hardliners were cooperating with the magic practitioners.

The king was greatly angered when he learned of this fact, and when he revealed it, it is said that public opinion in the kingdom, regardless of nobles or commoners, changed drastically.

So they chose to surrender.

“How many people are dead? If this is how it’s going to be, you should have surrendered a long time ago!”

“That’s right. You acted like you were going to end it all…”

Even though the war was over, there was a lot of discontent among the civil servants. Even so, it was nothing more than grumbling.

“John…!”

The night they returned to the border of Rosino, Francia ran to John and threw herself into his arms, her shoulders shaking with relief.

“I was really worried?”

“I’m sorry. There was no other way.”

John smiled lightly and stroked her head as she was held in his arms.

The quiet moonlight illuminated the villa garden. The soft light seeped into the grass, masking the bloody smell of the day, and the traces of the battlefield were lost in the dark shadows.

“But…what could it really be?”

“What do you mean?”

“You closed the cave, right?”

“Ah…”

That part was something that even John couldn’t figure out. It was difficult to know what action had occurred to close the crack in the cave.

“Hmm, honestly I don’t know. I’ve used magic on cracks before, and nothing changed.”

There was only one difference between the caves in the Ekarsi County and the caves in this battle. One was a naturally opened cave, the other was an artificially opened cave.

But even that wasn’t enough of a clue.

“Ugh…”

Francia nodded slowly.

“What do the captains say?”

To her question, John answered, looking into space.

“Um… He just asked what happened, but he didn’t really say anything else.”

The Crown Prince and Grand Duke Lenokhonen did not inquire deeply into the details, as they had decided to discuss them directly with the Emperor.

It was the same when the magic practitioners artificially opened the crack in the cave, and when John closed the crack.

Since there were many topics to discuss, it was more appropriate to speak face to face with the Emperor.

“Really?”

“Yes. I guess it’s not an ordinary thing.”

“Hmm…”

Francia muttered quietly so that the troubled John could hear.

“In fact, John’s pure and vast magical power filled the cracks in the cave?”

John turned his head and looked at her.

“Isn’t that quite possible?”

Her words made sense. Although it was a hypothesis, the Mago-gul was a void in the world created by mana that had been corrupted into negative energy.

If it’s high purity mana, it could fill that gap.

“A similar thing happened when I went to check the cave in the Ekarsi County territory, but there was no change at all?”

However, the context did not match.

“Now, a newly formed rift is different from a rift that has been around for a long time. Wouldn’t it require much more magic power than this one? And this one was a den artificially created by magicians.”

Her statement is a conjecture, but it is not entirely impossible. It was worth testing.

“Um…”

I said it was worth a try, but I wasn’t convinced.

It is true that John’s magical power is extremely pure and vast, making it special, but has there not been a single magician in the long history with magical powers similar to his?

Of course, John is a special and truly unique case.

Because he is a being that has been reincarnated beyond the world.

“Ah, Harsen Special Wizard! What if the star of today’s party is here!”

At that moment, the knights and magicians of the civil service who had discovered John came rushing in.

“Are you with the special magician Pervace? Don’t you drink alcohol?”

In response to his question, John smiled faintly and shrugged his shoulders.

“I just don’t feel like drinking.”

“Uh, why? The war is over…”

“Because my feelings are complicated.”

“Ah, that makes sense…!”

The officer nodded slowly as if he understood and folded his arms.

“But how did you close the cave?”

“In fact, he was a chosen saint?”

“At first glance, he looks like a saint.”

There was a strong smell of alcohol among the noisy officials.

The official’s current residence was the count’s villa near the border. Naturally, there would have been liquor stored there as well.

“Oh, is the seat uncomfortable?”

“Actually, you can’t drink alcohol?”

John answered the officers’ successive questions with a light smile.

“I have something to talk to you alone, Pervace Special Wizard.”

When John answered with a smile, the officers’ eyes widened and they exclaimed, ““Ah!”.”

It is a well-known fact among all officials that he and Francia are lovers.

The officers poked each other with mischievous smiles.

“We’ve been carelessly interrupting you again.”

“I’m sorry…!”

“Have a nice time!”

The officers hurried into the villa. The commotion could be heard outside.

“You don’t know that John can’t drink? I think he hid it well.”

Francia smiled slightly and rested her head on John’s shoulder.

“Because Francia told me to hide it because it would be embarrassing if she found out. I avoided drinking parties at all costs. Other people probably know that I don’t like drinking much.”

On his first day at the office, except for the welcome party, John had never had a drink with the officers. Even when they offered him one, he made excuses and declined.

The officers also knew that Johan always left work with Francia, so they didn’t make any more suggestions.

I had no complaints. I’m not good at drinking alcohol to begin with, and I know that it’s dangerous to get too drunk, so I’ve been abstaining from drinking since long ago.

“Um… I’m worried that I’m restricting Yohan too much. I can’t even drink with him…”

Francia laughed awkwardly, twiring her hair with her fingertips.

“It’s not like Francia is particularly restrictive. I also avoid drinking parties unless it’s a special occasion.”

John continued.

“And, I know that drinking alcohol puts me in danger, so I try to be as careful as possible. It’s not that I don’t go out drinking just because Francia asks me to.”

Not only do I get drunk after just five glasses, I black out.

One or two drinks is okay, but… if you drink like that at a drinking party, the mood will get ruined.

In that case, it would have been better not to go at all. It would have been better to hide the fact that I was weak to alcohol.

“Then that’s fortunate.”

Francia smiled slightly, as if relieved.

The bushes swayed. The wind was cold. Shadows were cast by the moonlight floating in the sky, and the quiet atmosphere continued.

“It’s getting cold. Should I go in now?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

The two entered the villa holding hands.

“You’re here!!”

“Damn it, Harsen Special Wizard!”

“Today’s main character!”

“The man who ended the war!!”

The noisy atmosphere was further fueled.

* * *

The palace.

The emperor, who received the news by letter, sat on his throne and stroked his chin.

“The crack in the cave was closed…”

This is truly unprecedented.

If it weren’t for coincidence, if only he had the ability to close the cave.

The value of the person named Johan Harsen will skyrocket uncontrollably.

‘…You said you were in love with Princess Pervace.’

The emperor’s eyes shone sharply.

If Johan Harsen continues to be connected to her and becomes a member of the Perbace Dukedom, he will be loyal to the Empire without a doubt.

But the Emperor knew there was a better and more certain way.

It is to accept him as a member of the royal family.

“Listen, sir.”

The emperor raised his hand slightly.

“Yes, please speak.”

The chief steward, who had been standing by at all times to hear his orders, bowed deeply.

“Tell the Third Princess, Lariana, to come to the audience room.”