Ch.283The Apostle of the Sun (3)

Victor entered the library.

Inside, Simon and his assistant librarians were diligently transcribing something. Victor quietly observed them for a moment before tapping on their table to get their attention.

Tap tap!

“Hmm? Ah, Victor.”

Noticing the Luminator’s presence, Simon stood up from his seat and folded the magnifying glasses he had been using, placing them on top of the book.

Simultaneously, the assistant librarians, who were also soldiers of the Sun’s Army, rose and saluted in unison. Victor returned their salute before gesturing for them to sit back down.

“Simon. I have something for you. You probably know what it is better than I do?”

“Something for me… What could that be…”

“Ah… stop pretending. Simon, you don’t want to grow old and die, do you? I didn’t exactly threaten anyone to get this, so don’t feel too burdened.”

Pop!

With a surprisingly cute sound that belied its contents, the box opened, and Victor took out an elixir, holding it in his hand.

“Good heavens! An elixir!”

“The immortality potion…!”

The soldiers blurted out reflexively at the sight of its ethereal beauty, while Victor waited a moment for Simon’s reaction.

It’s impossible to sever the fundamental human desire to avoid aging and death.

Especially for sages who have dedicated their lives to collecting and advancing knowledge, this desire would be even stronger.

“Oh… Victor…”

Simon stared at the elixir with trembling hands, then caressed it gently before speaking.

“Why would you do this for an old man like me?”

“Because you’re one of my people.”

The answer was remarkably simple.

Whether the person standing before Simon was truly the natural-born Victor or Victor mk 2, the fact remained that he had inherited Victor’s memories and thoughts.

Growing up by the docks, he had witnessed how empty the promises sailors made to tavern girls could become, and how many people would gamble away not only their own lives but others’ over mere card games.

Having killed countless people, he knew well that in the face of overwhelming terror, everyone from blood relatives to lovers amounted to nothing more than dust.

But Simon and the other four companions had proven their worth by fighting alongside him in life-or-death battles.

If an entire city needed to be erased to save a drunken Lucia, Victor would gladly do so—even if he had to erase it himself.

His decisiveness was unbound by morality or ethics, and that was one of the most fundamental elements of who he was.

Just as trees with different roots are different trees, if the foundation of his personality remained the same, then he was indeed Victor Walker, Apostle of the Sun.

“One of your people.”

Simon glanced at Raisha, who was sticking to Victor’s side like rice cake, and smiled faintly.

It was a situation that could easily be misunderstood if overheard, especially when accompanied by the gift of something as precious as an elixir.

“The elixir is the potion of immortality. But drinking it won’t reverse my aging.”

“Well, we can solve that with other means. Telomere extension injections or senescent cell removal surgery.”

“Surgery, huh? How amusing. I thought I had lived long enough, but now that the immortality potion is right in front of me, I don’t feel like dying at all.”

“Hehehe. That’s just human nature. Although sadly, my wife and I are no longer human…”

“Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

With those words, Simon opened the bottle and downed the elixir in one gulp.

The golden liquid passed through his throat, beginning to fundamentally alter his genes.

Very slowly. But surely.

He could no longer become younger, but he would live eternally with a body that could no longer age—just like the elves.

“Welcome to the immortality club.”

Victor congratulated him, and the assistant librarians applauded, enhancing the celebratory atmosphere.

Now Simon too could move forward into the future with them.

*

“Wow… you’re really something. Just giving away something so precious.”

Lucia was tearing into some meat while praising Victor for his generosity.

It was genuine praise. If she had been mocking him, her brain would have dried up by now.

“He’s contributed that much to me. If it weren’t for Simon, at least one of us would have gone to the Sun’s side by now.”

“Well… I can’t deny that.”

Even during the Waterfall Ruins mission where they recruited the elf sisters, without Simon’s powerful magic, the Iron Walker party fundamentally couldn’t have faced so many enemies.

The advantage of powerful magic had somewhat faded since Victor awakened as an Apostle, but the reason Apostles were powerful was their ability to use divine power, and in practical use, magic was far more advantageous.

You can’t use laser bombardment to light a campfire, after all.

Moreover, creating windbreaks to prevent drafts or barriers that eliminate or reduce vibrations and noise was impossible with divine power.

And above all, for preventing Victor from killing these alcoholic elves in a fit of rage, Simon certainly deserved the right to immortality.

“Master Simon deserves it. He’s the pillar of our party after all.”

When Casia said this, everyone couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Even the dwarves, who had joined the party most recently, knew well that Simon was a major pillar of this party.

Although Victor had the final decision-making authority, Simon was indispensable in the process leading up to those final decisions.

“Anyway! If the sage has gained immortality, that’s cause for celebration!”

“And a celebration needs alcohol and meat, right?”

“Of course. The soldiers are already preparing. You should look forward to tonight’s dinner.”

“That’s our captain! I knew we could count on you!”

“I knew it from the moment you got us out of prison and fed us sandwiches!”

The dwarves were greatly moved, and the elves’ reactions were no different.

Do opposites attract?

The two races, famous for their poor relations, were hugging each other with joy at the mention of abundant alcohol and meat.

As Victor’s group imagined that alcohol might actually be an adhesive, the Sky Warden was already prepared for takeoff.

-Notice: All supplies loaded and new recruit intake complete. All personnel confirmed aboard. Sky Warden, initiating takeoff procedure.-

Swoooosh…

With the sound of pneumatic valves that made it difficult to tell whether air was being released or taken in, the Sky Warden slowly began to rise toward the sky.

Now it was truly time to bid farewell to Belka.

*

That night, in the dining hall of the Sky Warden, all the soldiers gathered to celebrate Simon’s ascension to immortality.

Even though their eyes were fixed on the delicious food laid out on the tables rather than on Simon himself, being surrounded and celebrated by nearly 50,000 people was something rarely experienced by anyone who wasn’t nobility, so Simon seemed quite satisfied.

This was not just a celebration of his immortality, but also a commemoration for the great sage who had guided such free-spirited companions until now.

Being celebrated by so many people in the sky was like a testament that the path a human had walked was not wrong.

“Ah… really. I don’t know what to say. Despite learning so much, there’s still more to learn… Is this why humans pursue immortality…”

“Well, maybe. But putting that aside… living is good, isn’t it? Eating delicious food, seeing beautiful scenery… and adventuring through the world with like-minded companions.”

“Living is good… Yes, you’re right. Living is good. At least it’s better than dying.”

It would be foolish to disparage efforts to overcome mortality.

Humanity had already found ways to achieve immortality, whether through technological or chemical means, and the number of immortals in this world was likely still increasing.

The only regrettable point was that in this world where even gods could die, being killed meant death all the same.

“To our future glory.”

“To your endless potential.”

Clink!

The two men clinked their glasses together before emptying them in one gulp.

The taste of fine wine and apple brandy burned their throats, while the soldiers were busy devouring the delicacies laid out on the tables.

And on the opposite side, elves and dwarves had rented an entire table for themselves, mixing meat and alcohol at a ratio of 3:1.