After the envoy from the Draconic Empire left, Kaito found himself lost in thought. Everything had happened so suddenly that he barely had time to process it.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. What the hell is even happening? None of it felt real.
Sighing, he finally spoke up.
"Halo, mind explaining what's really going on? What's this Sacred Orb, and how is it related to me? More importantly, you seem to know a lot more than you're letting on. First my weirdly broken powers, then you, and now this? Care to elaborate?"
«Well, I can't explain everything just yet. That'd ruin the fun.»
"…Seriously?"
«Let's just say that your power and this Orb are connected. As for how… you'll figure that out soon enough.»
Kaito narrowed his eyes. "That's the worst answer you could've given me."
«Oh, but I can tell you a little about the 'Holy Land' they mentioned.»
"Don't just change the subject like that! But fine, what's with that place?"
«The 'Holy Land' isn't just a place—it's a completely separate realm. Think of it like the Demons' Realm, existing on a different plane of existence, almost like another dimension. These people just call it the 'Holy Land,' but it doesn't actually have a name.»
Kaito frowned. "A nameless realm, huh? That's annoying. Let's call it Sōkai instead."
«Hah, cool name. I like it.»
Kaito crossed his arms. "Alright, but what do they mean when they say I will create it?"
«Ah, well, that's the fun part! You see, this place is supposed to be nothing more than legend. But with this Orb, you can actually make it real.»
"…Wait. What?"
«Yeah! In fact, we could do it right now. You're free at the moment, aren't you?»
Kaito sighed. "I guess I don't have anything important going on, but you're definitely hiding a lot from me. I still don't get what I have to do with some random legend."
«Details, details. Let's focus on the fun part first. Try passing some mana into the Orb.»
Kaito sighed again. "Fine, let's see what happens."
He placed his hand on the Sacred Orb and channeled a small amount of mana into it. Instantly, the Orb began to glow, radiating a soft, pulsating light. Within moments, a thick mist materialized in front of him, forming a strange, swirling portal.
«That's a Mist Gate. Only you can enter.»
Kaito stepped forward cautiously, eyeing the mist. Then, taking a deep breath, he walked through it.
On the other side, he found himself standing in a vast, empty void. It stretched endlessly in all directions—no sky, no land, just nothingness.
"So… what exactly am I supposed to do here?"
«Just release a bit of your mana into the space. That'll start the process. Only a little is needed, so once that's done, all we have to do is wait.»
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Wait? How long are we talking?"
«Around three months.»
"…Three months?!"
«Relax. You don't have to stay here. The amount of mana you just released is enough. More mana won't speed up the process anyway.»
Kaito exhaled, rubbing his temples. "So now I'm just waiting for this place to build itself?"
«Pretty much!»
Kaito shook his head and turned back toward the Mist Gate. "Whatever. I'll check back in three months."
With that, he stepped back through the portal, returning to the Human Realm.
The moment he was back in the Empire, Nicol greeted him with urgent news.
"Your Highness, regarding Academy City Astarte, I have a report."
Kaito blinked. "Oh, right. I almost forgot about that. What's the status?"
"Things have been progressing tremendously. In fact, we've already established the foundations of the Academy. It'll still take a few more months before everything is fully completed, but we can start holding classes immediately. Except…"
Kaito sighed. "Let me guess. There's a serious lack of talented instructors?"
"Yes, Your Highness." Nicol nodded. "What do you suggest we do?"
Kaito leaned back, tapping his fingers against the armrest. "We'll need to hire teachers, obviously. But don't make it easy for them—set up complex trials before they're allowed to teach. As for students, we should introduce entrance exams to ensure only those truly capable can enter."
Nicol's eyes lit up. "That's an excellent idea, Your Highness. I'll see to it personally and ensure the Academy begins operations as soon as possible."
"I trust you will." Kaito waved him off.
As Nicol left, Kaito exhaled.
So much for my free time.
With Sōkai forming in the background and the Academy nearing completion, the next few months were going to be anything but peaceful.
With all the chaos looming in the coming months, Kaito had hoped for at least a few days of peace. But, as always, fate had other plans.
"Your Highness, there's an emergency! A massive golem has appeared in the forest near the border! The border forces have engaged, but they're being overwhelmed!" Nicol burst into the room, his voice filled with urgency.
So much for peace.
Kaito quickly assessed the situation. He could send in the Royal Knights, but that would only lead to unnecessary losses. He could deploy adventurers, but that would set a bad precedent.
That left only one option.
"Very well. I shall handle this myself. Escort me to the battlefield."
"But sire, it's far too dangerous! Engaging directly—"
"Nicol, do you know about my past before I became Emperor?"
"Uhm… no, sire, I don't."
"Then go ask someone. In the meantime, I'll handle this." With that, Kaito turned and left, leaving Nicol momentarily stunned.
"Elize, do you know what he meant by that?" Nicol asked.
"Of course. Before he became Emperor, he was an SSS-rank adventurer. He climbed the ranks in mere weeks, took down monstrous beasts, and had no equal in the entire Empire."
"…Is that so?"
Nicol swallowed hard before following Kaito to the battlefield.
The air was thick with bloodlust as they arrived. The massive golem stood amidst the wreckage of trees and broken earth, its body pulsating with strange magic.
"Wait… that's…" Nicol's voice wavered.
"Nicol, do you know something about this?" Kaito asked.
"Yes, sire. While golems typically only use basic earth magic, this one is different. It's using… Spirit Magic."
"Spirit Magic? Isn't that exclusive to spirits?"
"Yes. In this world, spirits exist in various forms and hierarchies—the stronger the spirit, the higher its rank. But only spirits should be able to wield Spirit Magic. How can a golem use it?"
"Doesn't matter. We need to act now." Kaito's eyes narrowed. "Nicol, order a full retreat. Get everyone back to the castle and wait for my return."
"But—"
"No buts. Move."
With that, Kaito stepped forward, drawing the golem's attention to give the troops a chance to withdraw. Once they were at a safe distance, he exhaled.
"It's good. No one's around now. Time to test out that spell Halo suggested."
After the Sōkai incident, Halo had recommended a particular spell—Disintegration. Though he never explained why, he did give some insight into it.
The spell required an immense amount of mana—so much that no normal mage could ever hope to use it. But Kaito? He had more than enough to cast it dozens of times over. More importantly, Disintegration wasn't a spell one could simply "learn." It was unique—capable of severing the connection between a soul and its vessel.
In other words, it erased a being's existence by freeing its soul from the body.
At first, Kaito found it excessive. But as he looked at the golem, an unfamiliar sensation crept up his spine—an inexplicable urge to free whatever was trapped inside.
He didn't know why. Not that he cared.
Raising his hand, he began chanting.
"Devour the origin of life and death. Dispel the agony of past and rebirth. Destroy all—Disintegration!"
A blinding beam of light shot forward, engulfing the golem in an instant. Though the spell's radius was vast, it wasn't a total annihilation spell—so collateral damage wasn't a concern.
As the radiance intensified, the light wrapped around the golem, forming a massive sphere. It shrank rapidly before vanishing—erasing the creature from existence.
Or so he thought.
Standing in its place was a girl—delicate, ethereal, and adorned with shimmering fairy-like wings.
"What… just happened?" Kaito muttered. "I didn't expect it to be this strong. And more importantly… who is she?"
Halo chimed in.
«That, my friend, is a high-ranking spirit. Seems like she was cursed and turned into a golem. You just freed her. Congratulations!»
"Huh? What now?" Kaito blinked.
The spirit looked up at him, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Uhm… may I ask you something?"
Kaito folded his arms. "Yeah, go ahead."
"Well, first… thank you for freeing me from the curse." She hesitated before continuing, "But… could you also free me from this world?"
Kaito's expression hardened. "Wait, what? You mean… you want me to kill you?"
The spirit nodded. "Yes, but spirits cannot die like normal beings. That's why I need your help."
"…I see."
He turned to Halo. "Any ideas?"
«Perfect timing! Let me introduce you to another spell—Departure. It severs all connections a spirit has with this world, permanently freeing them from the cycle of life and rebirth.»
Kaito frowned. "Why do you have all these absurdly overpowered spells ready for every situation?"
«The only one defying logic here is you. Now go ahead and use the spell.»
"…You always dodge my questions."
Turning back to the spirit, Kaito sighed. "Alright. I'll do it. I can't promise it'll work, but I'll try."
Her face lit up with relief.
Kaito took a deep breath and began chanting.
"Sever all links from the origin. Grant freedom to the destination. Free all—Departure!"
A radiant light surrounded the spirit, encasing her in a brilliant glow. Slowly, her form faded away—vanishing into the light, just like the golem before.
Kaito exhaled. "So… was it a success?"
«Yep! All done!»
"You sound way too confident about this."
«Because I am confident.»
"…Whatever." Kaito shook his head. "Let's head back. I need to figure out how to explain all this to Nicol and the others."
Kaito finally returned to the castle, a well-structured explanation already forming in his mind—though it would be far from the full truth.
"Sire, what happened out there? What were those massive pillars of light? Are you unharmed?" Nicol rushed to him, concern evident in his voice.
"I'm fine, Nicol," Kaito reassured him. "As for what happened... Allow me to explain."
He took a deep breath before continuing. "That golem was actually a cursed spirit. The curse drove her into a berserk state, but at some point, she managed to regain her consciousness. She guided me on how to defeat the golem—apparently, its core was embedded in its forehead. The moment I destroyed it, that massive pillar of light erupted."
"But there were two pillars," Nicol pointed out. "Why did it happen again?"
Kaito kept his expression neutral. "The first one occurred when I shattered the core, effectively breaking the curse and destroying the golem. The second one happened when the spirit decided to leave this world. I was just as surprised as you—I never knew spirits had such a method to pass on."
Nicol furrowed his brows. "But I've heard that spirits neither die normally nor leave this world under any circumstance. How was this possible?"
"I don't know either," Kaito replied, using the best deflection technique he had picked up from Halo—shifting the topic before anyone could probe further. "For now, let's focus on more pressing matters. Give me a full report on casualties and any other critical issues from this incident."
"…Understood, sire."
Despite nodding in acknowledgment, Nicol couldn't shake off a lingering sense of unease. There was something strange about this whole ordeal, but for now, he chose to set aside his doubts.
As Nicol left the throne room, he was met by one of the royal knights who had been stationed near the battlefield.
"You saw everything, didn't you?" Nicol asked, lowering his voice.
"Yes, Master Nicol," the knight confirmed. "I wasn't able to make it back in time, so I ended up witnessing the entire event unfold."
He then recounted what he had seen—Kaito single-handedly obliterating the monstrous golem with a spell of unimaginable power, a spell unlike anything known to mankind.
Nicol exhaled sharply. So it's true… His Majesty wields magic far beyond human understanding.
After a brief pause, he turned back to the knight. "Since His Majesty has chosen not to disclose this matter, it would be best for you to forget everything you saw."
Before the knight could react, Nicol placed his fingers lightly against the knight's forehead. With his newly mastered extension of Mind Reading—Memory Manipulation—he erased the memory of Kaito's spell from the knight's mind.
Now, only Nicol remained as the sole witness to the full truth of the incident.
Meanwhile, Kaito had already issued orders to the Intelligence Unit.
"Find the one responsible for cursing that spirit," he commanded. "They are the true culprit behind this entire incident. If they could turn a high-ranking spirit into a mindless beast, they're a threat we cannot ignore."
The search for the mysterious mage began immediately.
Later that evening, Kaito met with Valeria to discuss the matter.
"So, you used Disintegration…?" she asked, crossing her arms.
Kaito nodded. "And Departure, too."
She sighed deeply. "Kaito, you can't just unleash powers of that magnitude so carelessly. This time, it wasn't a destruction spell, but what if it was? Do you realize how much damage it could have caused?"
"I understand, Val. But if something did go wrong, I would have protected the Empire and its people, even if it cost me everything."
"That's exactly what worries me." Her voice was firm, but there was clear emotion behind her words. "You'd sacrifice yourself without a second thought for this Empire… but do you ever think about how we would feel if something happened to you?"
Kaito opened his mouth to respond, but she continued.
"The people of this Empire don't just trust you, Kaito—they love you. You're not just their ruler; you're their protector, their guiding light. If you were to disappear… do you think they could ever truly find peace?"
She took a step closer, her voice quieter now. "And even if they could… do you think I could?"
Kaito was silent for a moment. Then, with a small, guilty smile, he said, "Val… I'm sorry. I promise I'll be more careful from now on."
"Please do," she whispered. "Take care of yourself, Kaito."
And so, another day of chaos, mysteries, and unexpected revelations came to a close.