Chapter 127

“Brother!”

 

“Rahar!”

 

As soon as Rahar opened the drawing room door and stepped inside, Roseanne and Belona sprang to their feet and called out to him.

 

“Ah, uh…”

 

Rahar laughed awkwardly, raising a hand toward the women rushing his way.

 

To Belona, to be precise.

 

The reason his ears were flushed red enough to be noticeable was because of Hayden.

 

Hayden had told him about the moments after Rahar’s “death” when Belona had clung to him, sobbing, and mentioned how deeply she had truly worried.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

“Are you really okay?”

 

Roseanne, having drawn close to her brother, asked as she inspected his body from every angle.

 

Rahar told Roseanne he was fine and then looked at Belona, who was standing beside her, gazing up at him with a worried expression.

 

— Auntie Belona hugged Uncle’s head like this and cried a whole bunch.

 

In an instant, the memory of Hayden mimicking the scene while clutching Panz’s head flashed through his mind, causing Rahar’s face to turn bright red at once.

 

“Are you still struggling? Your face is so red.”

 

“Brother, are you still unwell? Should I call a physician?”

 

“Ah, no. No, no. Not at all.”

 

Rahar waved his hands and shook his head in the same direction, denying it.

 

Seeing him look somewhat “broken,” Roseanne and Belona’s faces clouded with concern.

 

Unable to endure Belona’s direct gaze, Rahar’s eyes darted around before he quickly turned tail and fled toward where Tearen and Caldeon were standing.

 

“You’re here?”

 

“How’s it feel to be back from the dead?”

 

Caldeon and Tearen each threw a word at Rahar.

 

Though they had been just as shocked and worried about his death, the moment they confirmed he was fine, they all donned indifferent expressions.

 

It was proof of how deep the friendship between the three was, but to an outsider, it often looked like a relationship that was worse than that of strangers.

 

Belona’s face, twisted in a look of disgust as she watched Caldeon and Tearen treat their friend who had literally just returned from the dead, prove exactly that.

 

“Didn’t you say they’ve been close for a long time?”

 

When Belona whispered softly to Roseanne, the latter nodded and replied.

 

“My brother and Lord Caldeon first met when they were three, and Lord Tearen became close with them after entering the Academy.”

 

“And yet they treat a friend who came back from the dead like that?”

 

Roseanne nodded again toward Belona, whose eyes were wide with shock, and spoke with a faint, barely visible curl of her lips.

 

“Even if it looks like that, that is likely the best expression of worry those two can offer.”

 

Belona stared at Tearen, who was asking how it felt to be back from the dead with the same tone one might use to ask if someone had a good nap, and at Caldeon, who greeted him like a friend returning from a brief trip. She looked utterly baffled.

 

Roseanne gave Belona a smile and shifted her gaze to Windel, who was following behind Rahar.

 

On Windel’s back laid Hayden, who had lost consciousness again.

 

Panz, perched on Hayden’s back, was explaining the reason for his unconsciousness to Enria, who had rushed over as soon as she saw him.

 

[Naturally, using the power of Absolution causes one to fall asleep for a while.]

 

Panz told Enria, who was looking at Hayden with a worried face, not to worry because he wouldn’t fall asleep every single time he used the power.

 

He explained that it was only happening now because Hayden’s body was still that of a young child, and as he grew, he wouldn’t lose consciousness even after using it. He then boasted slightly, bragging that he himself was Hayden’s power personified.

 

Enria, taking Hayden into her arms from Windel’s back, looked at Panz and asked.

 

“You are Hayden’s power?”

 

[That’s right.]

 

Nodding once, Panz let out a proud “Ahem” and began to brag.

 

[You know well that I was originally a spirit with the fire attribute. However, since my resurrection after being extinguished, I have been using this attribute I’ve never seen before.]

 

“Is it the light attribute?”

 

She asked because she had seen him form shields and attack with a vivid golden light.

 

Of course, it was a golden light that differed from the pure white light of Belona, who possessed the true light attribute, so she figured they weren’t the same.

 

[No, this isn’t technically an attribute.]

 

“It’s not an attribute?”

 

[Right. It’s too subtle to be called an attribute. How should I put it… it feels more like a power where all attributes are mixed together.]

 

At those words, Enria’s eyes widened slightly.

 

A feeling where all attributes were mixed—if that were the case, wouldn’t it be far stronger than most single attributes?

 

“Then, Panz, can you use that power freely right now?”

 

[I can use it freely. But it’s a bit delicate… Wait, how can a human call my name?]

 

When Panz stopped mid-sentence and looked at Enria with surprised eyes, she replied as if it were nothing special that it was because she was Hayden’s mother.

 

Panz seemed to understand everything with that one sentence and continued where he left off.

 

[It’s a bit strange. It’s true that it’s not a power I can only use with Hayden’s permission, but I have this ominous feeling that I won’t be able to use it if Hayden forbids it.]

 

He explained that since he had only moved according to Hayden’s commands so far, he couldn’t be certain if he could use the power freely when a command wasn’t present.

 

“Then can’t you just try using it now?”

 

Enria asked with a puzzled expression.

 

Power is something you can test anytime, and it was just a matter of confirming whether it could be used.

 

Panz looked at her as if she were being obtuse.

 

[If it were that easy, I would have tried it the moment I was resurrected.]

 

He said this was another ambiguous problem: when he isn’t with Hayden or when there isn’t a situation that requires the use of power, he feels as though he has no power at all.

 

To be precise, in a space without Hayden or in a situation where he doesn’t absolutely have to use it, his body feels empty.

 

Hearing that, Enria found herself nodding instinctively, beginning to understand why Panz called himself Hayden’s power personified.

 

 

***

 

 

Upon learning that Hayden had used the power of Absolution—shaving away his own life force to save him—Rahar pledged his loyalty to Hayden.

 

“Hayden, for you who saved this uncle’s life, I shall become your hands and feet and remain loyal to you for the rest of my…”

 

“Get lost.”

 

Caldeon interrupted Rahar’s words, arching an eyebrow.

 

He said that Hayden used the power of Absolution simply because the situation called for it, and told Rahar not to be delusional, as there was no special sentiment toward him specifically.

 

However, regardless of what anyone said, Rahar showed a firm resolve to dedicate his remaining life to Hayden, his savior.

 

Hayden, of course, looked merely annoyed and indifferent.

 

With Rahar resurrected and the evil god that threatened the empire gone, everyone was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

 

They savored the brief moment of leisure that had come after such hardship.

 

Then, a short while later, Roseanne asked Enria about Hayden’s magic studies.

 

“Enri, what are you thinking of doing for Hayden’s magic education?”

 

“Ah… well.”

 

Enria was slightly flustered by Roseanne’s sudden question.

 

Hayden’s magic studies was a topic she hadn’t given a single thought to.

 

“Is it a bit early? But we should soon consider whether he’ll enter the Academy.”

 

“Ah…”

 

Generally, everyone with attribute abilities entered the Academy at a certain age to learn magic.

 

Whether they were royalty or nobility, it was a standard concept that anyone with attribute powers naturally went through.

 

But Hayden was a fragment of a god, and unlike others, he could use black mana and holy power simultaneously.

 

And, through Panz, he could also use the power of a god where all attributes were harmonized.

 

Enria began to feel a sense of doubt about whether such a child could enter the Academy and mingle with humans who possessed ordinary attribute abilities.

 

“In my opinion, I think it would be better if Hayden didn’t enter the Academy. Don’t you think so too?”

 

Roseanne asked, as if she had already been contemplating this.

 

“Ah, right. I was just thinking that…”

 

“So, Enri. What would you think about me becoming Hayden’s magic teacher?”

 

“…Huh?”

 

Enria’s eyes widened at the unexpected suggestion.

 

Roseanne told her she had thought about it a lot and believed it was the best way.

 

“It’s a bit much coming from me, but as you know, there is no one in the empire who can use as many types of magic as I can.”

 

Enria nodded instinctively.

 

In this reality, Hayden had sealed the evil god, but in the original story, Caldeon and Roseanne had joined forces to defeat it.

 

That was how strong Roseanne was, and she possessed a genius intellect.

 

When it came to knowledge of magic and the ability to apply and manifest that knowledge, no one could surpass Roseanne.

 

‘Honestly, it’s not like the Academy is a place for building social skills like the schools in the world I used to live in.’

 

In this fundamental class-based society, there was no need to build social skills through group living. Unless Hayden insisted on going himself like Caldeon did, there was no reason to send him to the Academy.

 

Actually, even saying Caldeon went by choice was a bit of a stretch.

 

The reason Caldeon, the only person in the world with black mana, chose the Academy was to escape the countless threats he had faced since childhood.

 

He had lived a grueling life due to the people sent by the nobility, simply because he possessed black mana.

 

When the constant intrusion of mages and assassins reached a point where he couldn’t sleep peacefully for even an hour, the young Caldeon finally chose the Academy, where many sons and daughters of the nobility were gathered.

 

As she found out much later, the reason Caldeon was so exposed to assassins in his youth was all because of his father.

 

His father wanted Caldeon, born with black mana, to grow stronger, and to make him strong, he intentionally left the defenses of the Grand Duchy vulnerable so that Caldeon would have to protect his own life.

 

He was a father different from the norm—perhaps too cold-hearted toward his son.