Fifty-ninth year before the Sinseki Era, the first year of the Hero's party's departure.
When the wide cloak stirred gentle breezes;
When the sword hilt in the shadows brushed past the giant tree's fallen leaves;
The moment the tall Hero stepped into this sea of trees with unhurried strides,
In the forest cabin at the center of Vol Basin—
Agusheed, feeling a familiar presence gradually approaching, slowly opened his eyes.
He had once again escaped from his dreams and returned to reality.
He spent half a second processing the feedback from his magical power that covered the entire Vol Basin.
After confirming the magical reaction of the approaching visitor, Agusheed sighed heavily.
"Why do troublesome fellows keep coming to my door lately..."
"Qual, Rivale, Todd, Aura, Schlacht and those other Grand Demons are one thing—"
"But why must you also come to disturb my sweet dreams?"
Agusheed complained in a low voice about the uninvited guest who had disturbed his dreams.
But his complaints were limited to just that.
From beginning to end, lying on his wooden bed, he harbored no hostility toward the visitor.
Although he naturally found them extremely troublesome,
Agusheed had no intention of driving them away or blocking them.
—This wasn't just because the visitor was someone he knew.
The more important factor...
Was probably that even Agusheed himself felt—
If he didn't approach with the mindset of 'I must kill this person,'
Then his usual methods of driving away or blocking probably wouldn't have much effect on this uninvited guest.
"Really now..."
Thinking of that child who had knelt on one knee before him years ago...
Agusheed reached out and rubbed his furrowed brow.
"Silly disciple..."
"I already intervened two years ago to stop your farce with Schlacht—"
"So why, even now, do you still insist on walking this path of no return?"
Regarding the foolish choice of his most perfect yet most foolish disciple in a thousand years,
The strongest Grand Demon of the modern era placed the back of his hand over his hazy eyes and murmured softly.
"Is living a plain and peaceful life so unacceptable to you?"
"The current... Hero of the South of humanity—"
"Your reactions are as swift as ever..."
"And this massive magical power that covers the entire Vol Basin at all times—"
"Should I say 'as expected of my teacher'?"
The strongest human, the Hero of the South, sighed as his sword hilt clinked.
"But he's still the same as always..."
"Every day lost in those illusory dreams and memories—"
"And he's never given up searching for magic that can bring the dead back to life."
Taking in all those scenes that only he could see,
Looking at his teacher in those curtains who still thought of his beloved every moment,
The Hero of the South shook his head with considerable emotion.
"Grand Mage Flamme..."
"No matter when, your magnificent deed continues to amaze me."
Stepping onto the path leading to the forest cabin with soft murmurs,
He who should have perished together with Schlacht and the other three Seven Sages of Destruction in the northern plateau's snow two years ago walked slowly.
On his handsome face hung a complex expression difficult to understand.
Regarding these two years of life his teacher had forcibly saved—
No one knew what feelings the Hero of the South harbored about this.
Possessing Magic That Can See the Future—
He had always followed the most perfect future route from beginning to end.
Whether it was finding Agusheed, who held goodwill toward humanity and ranked among the world's strongest, and taking him as teacher,
Or gradually walking the path to becoming the strongest human through this innate omniscience,
The Hero of the South had always calmly chosen the optimal solution to situations,
Then step by step walked toward the brightest, most beautiful future.
Even when he saw the future where he couldn't defeat the Demon King,
Even when he saw the future where he would inevitably die,
He neither hesitated nor retreated, but as always chose to accept it calmly.
Without doubt—
The Omniscient One Schlacht had made the same choice as him.
Yes.
The same magic, the same choice...
Everything should have developed as the two of them envisioned.
Namely—
The Hero of the South, who had frontally defeated the Demon Army's front-line forces and penetrated deep into the northern plateau two years ago,
Would perish together with the three Seven Sages of Destruction and Schlacht in a one-against-eight battle.
But what neither of them had expected was...
Agusheed, who for nearly a thousand years had ignored worldly affairs and searched alone for resurrection magic—
From thousands of miles away, unquestionably negated this future they had chosen.
Without showing himself, without actively appearing,
He never even personally visited that battlefield where the Hero of the South and eight Grand Demons had gathered.
With just a single Spatial Severance that appeared without warning in the center of the northern plateau battlefield—
He completely ended what he saw as the farcical behavior of Schlacht and the Hero of the South.
To this day—
Recalling the scene when he had just prepared to act only to be instantly teleported away by a Spatial Severance that came through the air,
The Hero of the South would still secretly marvel at his eccentric teacher's domineering nature.
"How could such a thing exist in this world..."
"Clearly wanting to die, yet being stopped at the most crucial moment no matter what—"
"That Omniscient One must be even more depressed than I am."
Passing the bronze statue of the teacher's wife he had never met, walking on the road where stone monuments stood,
The Hero of the South couldn't help but laugh at Agusheed's non-negotiable protection.
"But..."
"Teacher..."
The Hero of the South's gaze fixed on the distant cabin, his steps becoming more determined and composed.
"How could there be a beautiful and peaceful future that can be reached without sacrifice?"
"They have already embarked on the journey to destroy the Demon King—"
"What reason do I have to continue standing still under your protection?"
Standing before the isolation range of the Grand Isolation Barrier, the Hero of the South murmured softly.
Only one step away from the forest cabin, he didn't arbitrarily break the barrier before him,
But very consciously remained in place.
—Although his strength had long surpassed that of his teacher's wife who had set up the barrier,
And he possessed methods to easily break through the Grand Isolation Barrier's obstruction,
The Hero of the South did nothing, just stood quietly in place.
As in childhood, he quietly waited for the summons from his teacher who liked to sleep in.
"That fool standing outside..."
"Get in here."
The crack in the Grand Isolation Barrier came with that flat tone carrying the meaning of 'disappointed in one's failure to meet expectations.'
This represented that the strongest Grand Demon of the modern era—
Undoubtedly understood clearly his silly disciple's purpose in coming.
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Powerstones?
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