Chapter 504

The Emperor of the Empire is visiting the Academy.

This was no ordinary visit—two of the mere three Masters on the continent accompanied him. Not only was this a huge shock for the Academy, but it was information that would no doubt send ripples across the entire continent.

Who was the Emperor?

He was one of the supreme rulers of the continent.

The continent we stood on, which included the widely scattered island chains and archipelagos across the seas, was a chaotic landscape of nations great and small. Most of them were nothing more than minor duchies or city-states, too weak to be considered true nations.

Among these, only a few could truly be called nations with the strength to be acknowledged as such.

The Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the Southern Kingdoms, a federation of minor kingdoms, were the three powers that dictated the order of the continent. Each of these nations possessed at least one Master, their symbol of strength, and for hundreds of years had maintained stability under their rule.

And among them, the Empire stood at the very peak.

Even the Holy Kingdom and the Southern Kingdoms had to show deference to it. Moreover, the Empire was the most centralized of the three powers, making its influence unparalleled and difficult to match by any other force.

Perhaps only the Masters of each nation were treated as equals.

And yet, the central figure of this continental power structure was coming to the Academy.

The Academy had no choice but to be on edge, like a cat treading carefully with newborn kittens. Unlike Masters, who usually refrained from interfering in worldly affairs unless it was for serious reasons, the Emperor was himself an active ruler.

In some ways, this made him even more dangerous than a Master.

But the shocking news didn’t stop there. There were widespread rumors that the Great Witch herself would soon arrive at the Academy to choose a disciple capable of receiving visions.

She who was the grande dame of the Southern Kingdoms—an incomparable opportunity to gain insight into the wisdom of the ancients.

The atmosphere at the Academy was thick with a mixture of tension and excitement. Behind the scenes, there was no doubt that various political deals were being struck based on each nation’s interests.

To me, however, it was irrelevant.

Even if politics were the primary purpose, there was little to no chance for me to get involved. It was mostly due to my lack of interest in such matters.

Far more pressing were the issues directly affecting me.

First, a vampire had infiltrated.

Second, I was due for a private meeting with the Emperor.

And finally, the one that I was just about to resolve.

“What’s going on?”

After the brief conversation with the Imperial Princess, I was moving quickly.

The Emperor’s arrival was scheduled for the next day. Since he would be using the Warp Gate, the Academy was just a stone’s throw away, and it wouldn’t take long.

I urgently needed to prepare formal attire for the occasion.

And so, as I walked toward the city, one figure naturally trailed behind me.

“Senior Elsi.”

To be precise, this was Senior Elsi from the future. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out why she had appeared at this point in time.

“Well, I’d love to know why, but the truth is… don’t you know who I am? Why are you taking this so calmly?”

“Where did Senior Elsi go originally?”

“Who knows?”

A scoff sounded, and in that momentary sneer, there was a glimpse of the Senior Elsi I knew—the one before she met her axe.

Perhaps if we went through the same process again, she would be more cooperative.

I briefly entertained the thought but quickly dismissed it as nonsense. One couldn’t simply assault someone for being uncooperative, and besides, her skills were formidable.

She was, after all, a “Great Mage,” a title worthy of her mastery of refined mana and her ability to combine two elements into an innovative technique.

A scene from a dream suddenly flashed in my mind.

I vaguely remembered hearing about something related to “boundaries” in the memories of the man from the future—but I couldn’t recall the details. However, it did remind me that Senior Elsi was on the brink of a major breakthrough in her cultivation.

In some way, she had certainly seen the “boundary.”

Raymond’s artifact had the ability to enhance one’s ability to perceive the “boundary.” Given that Elsi’s ultimate goal was to become a Great Mage, confronting the “boundary” was her inevitable future.

Had something abnormal happened during that process?

It was a question I couldn’t answer yet.

So as we reached a less-traveled forest path, I decided to cut right to the chase.

“Let’s return what’s mine.”

“What?”

This was a direct request. Yet Senior Elsi only avoided my gaze and deflected the subject.

It was as if she was determined to hear something raw and unfiltered from me.

In the end, I had no choice but to meet her expectations.

“The ‘Elsi’ I know… she was in the middle of some critical cultivation. You’re about to graduate. Wouldn’t it make sense to enhance your cultivation before that? Just in case.”

“Graduation mission.”

That was the term for the final task all students had to complete to receive their diplomas. A notable feature was the absence of help from anyone—this was a test of endurance, to push students to their limits alone.

As expected, many suffered injuries or worse during this process—every year, around thirty percent of the students preparing to graduate became casualties while fulfilling their final missions.

With the arrival of autumn, winter would be here soon, and that would mark the start of Senior Delphine’s and Senior Elsi’s solitary paths. They would walk their journeys completely unsupported until the commencement ceremony near the end of winter.

During this time, there was no way I could assist Senior Elsi. If I could even manage contact, I’d consider myself lucky.

The difficulty of the graduation mission varied depending on the student’s level. For someone as strong as Senior Elsi, she could have been tasked with hunting a named monster all by herself.

“Graduation mission? Hmph, back when I faced it, I dealt with it without any issues…”

“Senior Elsi drew too much attention from the Dark Cult.”

At my calm statement, the moving lips of Senior Elsi faltered.

This was a sign the argument was working. I sighed softly again to reinforce the effect.

“Something bad might happen. Besides, the Senior Elsi I see now is… strange. Didn’t you see the face of Her Imperial Highness just now?”

“Urgh,” Senior Elsi groaned, averting her gaze.

Rightfully so. When she encountered the Princess, Senior Elsi had introduced herself formally as “Elsi of the Rainelle Clan.”

How to describe the look on the Princess’s face?

It was pure shock mixed with fear. In short, this “Senior Elsi” was foreign to us.

Not only us—Senior Elsi herself likely considered us foreign. Her inability to adapt to the rapidly evolving situations indicated that it was impossible for her to keep up with every detail.

And yet, at this critical moment, we couldn’t afford the time to delve into a long, nostalgic catch-up.

Senior Elsi wasn’t stupid enough to not realize this.

“Too many things have changed.”

Though stated calmly, her voice carried a deep sense of regret.

Her azure eyes became tranquil, and her gaze toward the distant path seemed tinged with loneliness.

While I couldn’t know her thoughts, I tried to console her as rationally as I could.

“Roupin is still alive, isn’t he?”

“Yeah… well, that’s that.”

With a bitter smile, Senior Elsi muttered this.

“To be honest, it still feels like a dream. I thought I was fated to die. At least, at the end, I was able to save someone precious…”

Her eyes flicked toward me briefly.

I had no intention of meeting her piercing gaze and turned my line of sight away.

The woman she saved wasn’t me. Just a pitiable man who had gone down a different path from me, that’s all.

Even if I were to recount the unfortunate future he faced, I lacked the cruelty for it.

A faint, sorrowful smile crept onto Senior Elsi’s face as she realized this.

“…It’s fortunate, isn’t it? Yes, fine. I was just wanting some quiet time anyway, so it’s all good.”

In an almost relieved tone, Senior Elsi stretched her arms up and yawned.

“This isn’t my time, I see. Understood, Junior… if that’s the case, there’s nothing to be done. I’ll leave calmly.”

“You could try drinking heavily.”

It was a suggestion tossed out to prevent any lingering hesitation.

Senior Elsi first looked at me with surprised eyes, and then she offered a mild smile.

“What do you know, right?”

I remained silent.

Though our meeting was brief, I couldn’t help but feel reluctant to send her away so aimlessly, perhaps because of the emotions I absorbed from that man.

But what could I do?

The “Senior Elsi” standing before me now wasn’t someone critical to me. The one precious to me was clumsy and not always nice, but who smiled beautifully and was a loving fiancée.

Senior Elsi would likely feel the same.

Perhaps during this brief visit, she found solace in this world, but looking at my reaction, she would have come to the inevitable conclusion.

There’s no place for “Senior Elsi” here.

For the memories of love and the people who were precious to her simply didn’t exist here.

Because of this, Senior Elsi bid me farewell surprisingly quickly.

“Alright then, see you. It was short but enjoyable. If you meet ‘me’, tell her not to live like that.”

And just like that, she waved casually toward the sky with her back turned, without a shred of regret in her actions.

This was right.

As I thought that to myself, just as I turned around to leave, her voice called out again.

“Oh, by the way.”

Her sudden addition caught my attention.

Our curious gazes locked on each other, mine meeting hers—eyes like a deep sapphire.

Her playful expression made it clear she was teasing.

“Maybe it’s unnecessary, but… be careful of the ‘Vampire.'”

At that moment,

Several things I had forgotten suddenly exploded in my mind like fireworks.