< Ending Maker SS #5 The Eve of the Final Battle >
Ending Maker SS #5 The Eve of the Final Battle
It had already been several hours since the sun had set.
The sky was completely pitch black.
On nights when Selene and Helen were gone, the stars would twinkle, but today even those little, shining creatures were nowhere to be seen.
A dark and deep night.
But still, there were those who looked up to the sky.
And he finally managed to find a little star.
A star so small and dim, but clearly shining.
“Landius.”
At the soft call, the man, the sole survivor of the Sun Knights that the Paragon Kingdom was proud of, turned his gaze.
A beautiful girl who still had a youthful look entered his eyes.
“What’s in the sky?”
Lena Einsberg.
The beloved disciple of Bardo Einsberg, the royal wizard of the Paragon Kingdom.
For a royal wizard, he was overly kind and innocent, and treated his only disciple like a daughter. Lena, who was abandoned in a monastery right after birth, also followed Bardo like a father.
It would be fair to say that her introduction to magic was too late.
When he first came into contact with Bardo, he was already about ten years old.
It was always good to start early in anything, but magic was just that bad.
‘Was it the astral line?’
Home of all souls.
A ring of light surrounding the world.
All beings with souls originate from the astral line.
A being born on the astral line lives on earth, and when that life ends, it heads back to the astral line.
After being purified and blended into the great flow of the soul, you begin a new life once again.
Putting aside the difficult stories that wizards love to tell, the bottom line is that all souls begin on the astral line, which is why it is always better to be as young as possible when entering magic.
‘The older we get, the longer we are away from the astral line, the more we forget.’
Magic is about artificially manipulating the world’s systems, so it was important to reawaken the senses and latent memories of when you were in the astral line, which is part of the world’s systems, while they still remained a little – that is, shortly after birth.
‘It’s the time when things like affinity with magic and magical power control ability are determined.’
Landius looked at Lena again, recalling the introduction to magic that the royal magician Bardo had forced him to listen to, saying that knights must also know some magic since they use a similar magic called ‘chivalry’.
This small, delicate girl, not yet twenty years old, who smiles prettily at herself, is too old to be initiated into magic.
But she was a genius, and her talent and Bardo’s dedication worked amazing miracles.
Having obtained formal sorcerer’s license at the young age of fifteen, she entered the Grey Tower, a training ground for Bardo, and achieved the feat of completing all courses in just three years.
‘I did that because I wanted to see you soon, Master.’
One day, when I asked her how she could complete the entire Gray Tower course so quickly—in just three years, when it usually takes eight years, and even five years for the most accomplished—this was her shy answer.
‘I wanted to live in Paragon again with the Master. And······.’
She trailed off as if there was more to the reason, but she never gave any further answer.
That kind of girl.
After completing all the courses at the Gray Tower, she returned home with a lot of gifts in her hands, filled with joy at meeting her teacher who was like a father to her again.
“Just. Even though it’s this dark, there’s still one star.”
As he spoke, Landius pointed to the sky, and Lena looked up at the sky with her large blue eyes.
“Wow, it’s true.”
No words of admiration came out of Lena’s mouth.
It came from the mouth of a boy sitting across from the campfire.
“Look at that, Inspiration. In this pitch-black darkness, there are real stars. Of course, they’re very small and dim.”
He was a very handsome – no, pretty – boy.
He was a strange boy who, if no one had told him he was a boy, everyone would have thought he was a girl – but he was just a boy who looked like a girl even if you knew him.
Druid Fran.
The Solari Order was known to have lost its lineage, and indeed it was, but only in Paragon could such a thing be said.
Because it was a place where the Solari Order was crudely revived in order to somehow continue the severed lineage.
There was also a story that the royal family had the blood of the Solari, the sun god, flowing through them, although it was not known whether it was true or just a made-up story, and Landius believed it.
It wasn’t because of his loyalty as a knight of the royal family.
Landius had his own reasons.
Anyway, back to Fran.
A pretty and handsome boy.
“Inspiration, can’t you see? That’s because you always wear that dull mask. Do you clean the lenses of that mask?”
Fran was only fifteen years old.
In other words, he was a young, blue-eyed child who was not even a fifth as old as the person he was talking to right now.
But he was the strongest druid in the Paragon Kingdom.
It wasn’t because the druids of the Paragon Kingdom were all annihilated except for one, Fran.
Of course, that was true, but even before that, he was the strongest druid in the Paragon Kingdom.
‘The chosen child.’
There was also a story that he was the child of Orion, the god of the forest, but the truth of this was uncertain.
One thing was certain: he was the last surviving member of the druids who lived in the forest at the western edge of the Paragon Kingdom, and he was a man of immense ability worthy of being called Orion.
His hometown was burned down.
He burned down the western forest of the demon cult, killed all the druids, and skewered them and displayed them among the trees.
Fran, who lied to the Archdruid and went to a festival in a neighboring country, was fortunately able to avoid trouble.
But Fran didn’t think that was a good thing.
It wasn’t for some sentimental reason – that we should have died together.
‘If I were here, I would have killed all the guys who came.’
I don’t know if it would have been possible, but it was a story that really showed Fran’s personality.
Fran thought about revenge.
For a druid who followed the laws of nature, revenge was a rather strange concept, but Fran had a valid cause.
‘That’s not the way of nature.’
It was not a lightning bolt from the sky, nor a wild beast passing by, nor even a bandit seeking the treasure the Druids might have.
Devil followers and demons.
Beings from another world.
Monsters that go against the laws of nature.
So Fran chose to fight.
Instead of fleeing back to the neighboring kingdoms, he headed towards the center of the Paragon Kingdom and encountered his companions.
“Oh, inspiration. Over there. Over there. Are your eyes really blurry?”
As Fran raised her voice and waved her flag at the sky, Landius looked beside her with a slightly worried expression.
Fran was a boy who grew up among the Druids of the Western Forest – the old men, that is – and so he liked them.
But there are different types of old people.
The person Fran keeps spewing out abusive language to.
Belkian.
The surname is unknown.
He was an old man known only by name.
He was a necromancer and a long-time friend of Bardo, the royal wizard of the Paragon Kingdom.
Although he did not always reside in the Paragon Kingdom, he spent about half of the year there, and in fact, he was a familiar figure to the Royal Knights in many ways.
‘Landius, you are always so reckless. Even though you are strong, it is impossible for you to absorb magic or curses like that.’
Belkian was a necromancer as well as an excellent apothecary.
He created many potions whenever he stayed in the Paragon Kingdom, and as many people got injured, everyone in the Knights’ Order often ended up in Belkian’s care.
In addition, he sometimes gave the knights training on how to deal with wizards – that is, combat training – so he was somewhat of a ‘master’ to the Royal Paragon Knights.
‘That’s amazing.’
Belkian was clearly a good person.
But, as expected from a powerful wizard, he was not a completely normal person.
Moreover, he was a necromancer who dealt with the spirits of the dead.
With the power of death, he spread the scent of death around him, and his every little gesture felt like a threat to the living.
Even the knights of the Paragon Royal Family, who were relatively familiar with him, had difficulty letting their guard down in front of him.
But Fran treated Belkian like an ordinary old man.
For the honor of the Paragon Kingdom, I would like to add that not all citizens of the Paragon Kingdom treat their elders like that.
It was just a story about how that worthless Fran treats Belkian the same way she treats other old people.
If it were Landius himself, he would have fought the demons with his bare hands, something he would never do.
But strangely enough, Belkian wasn’t particularly angry at Fran.
Considering his usual personality, he would have been a Belkian who would have turned Fran into a frog a long time ago, or cursed her with something to make her beg.
[Oh, you didn’t know? It’s still hanging. Fran bounced it off.]
Landius’s eyes widened in surprise at the magical message Lena sent.
‘A curse?’
[Yes, but it’s not a very strong curse. If Belkian were to cast a curse, even Fran wouldn’t be able to laugh it off like that.]
Lena chuckled as she sent an additional message, as if she could tell what Landius was thinking just by looking at his face.
But was Lena not looking at the stars in the sky, Fran, or Belkian, but rather Landius himself?
If you think about it, Lena used to do that a lot.
Because whenever he felt someone’s gaze and turned around, he would always be able to meet Lena’s eyes looking at him.
Anyway, that wasn’t what was important now.
‘You were putting a curse on me.’
But then it bounced off again.
Although it was a very serious situation, Landius couldn’t help but laugh.
It was a strangely pleasant feeling.
“That star······is Althea.”
Everyone in the group turned their attention to the small, beautiful, and clear voice.
A corner of a collapsed church.
The young man, who was sitting just barely within arm’s reach of the warmth of the campfire, lowered his gaze from the sky to face the group.
Kamael.
Although he did not receive the surname Paragon, he clearly carries the royal blood.
He was a very beautiful young man.
It was different from Fran, who blatantly appeared to be nothing more than a girl.
Although he was so beautiful that he could be mistaken for a woman, Kamael’s face had a distinctly manly quality.
Neutral beauty.
The added coldness creates a doll-like impression.
“Althea?”
At Fran’s question, Kamael frowned slightly as if he had said something pointless, but he did not ignore the question.
“Yes, Althea. It is a small and faint star, but it is a mysterious star that can be found even in the darkest and deepest nights like now.”
Contrary to his androgynous appearance, Kamael’s voice was low-toned and strong, making it very masculine.
Fran had once said that she liked her voice because it didn’t match her face, but it was a beautiful voice that was pleasant to listen to, and received a fierce glare from Kamael, while Lena had once lightly complimented her by saying that her voice was pleasant to listen to.
And Landius knew that the voice was a voice that Kamael had created on purpose.
Since he was already someone who heard all sorts of things because of his androgynous appearance, he tried to at least change his voice.
The real Kamael’s voice was higher and much more beautiful than that.
And the reason Landius knew these facts was simple.
‘There is no one but you.’
Who can I ask this favor to?
Landius recalled Kamael from a few years ago, blushing with shame or embarrassment, and smiled faintly to himself.
This is because it was Landius himself who helped Kamael train his voice modulation.
‘Well, I just listened and evaluated it.’
In fact, Landius thought that Kamael’s real voice was more natural and better, but he didn’t say anything because Kamael, the owner of the voice, liked it the way it was now.
First of all, what was good for me was the most important.
“That’s strange. Why didn’t I know that?”
“It must be because I was lazy about practicing.”
When Belkian spoke as if the time was now, from inside the mask of a plague doctor, Lena burst into laughter without realizing it.
“The Druid must have been really lazy for not knowing the stars in the sky.”
When Belkian added another blow, Lena, unable to bear it any longer, rolled on the floor, holding her stomach, while Fran puffed out her cheeks with a disgruntled expression.
‘Still, you can’t refute it.’
If it were normal, I would have argued back even if it meant being stubborn, but this time, it was a well-founded argument.
But in fact, it was a bit unfair to Fran.
This is because Althea is a star that does not normally appear.
Moreover, Althea could only be seen in the palace of the Paragon Kingdom.
Because of this, only those who inherited the Paragon royal family’s blood were clearly aware of Althea’s existence, but Kamael did not reveal this fact.
The first reason was that he didn’t care whether Fran was embarrassed or not, and the second reason was that everyone except Fran was having fun anyway.
“Ugh, anyway, it’s tomorrow.”
The atmosphere in front of the campfire quieted down as Fran spoke in passing.
tomorrow.
The day when Demon Prince Bykazel invades the palace of the Paragon Kingdom, which he has already made his territory.
To be honest, it was crazy.
For just five people to stand against the so-called god-like Demon Prince and his army was like throwing eggs at a rock.
But I had to do it anyway.
The words left by the royal wizard Bardo just before he died.
A gate to hell created beneath the palace of the Paragon Kingdom.
If that door was not closed, a greater disaster would have befallen this world.
‘The next week.’
The time left until the worst case scenario as described by Bardo.
That’s why the party couldn’t choose to leave the Paragon Kingdom and ask for help from the Kingdom or Empire.
So it was too late.
The five of them defeat the Demon Prince and close the gates of Hell.
The tragedy brought about by the Calamity of Destruction is limited to the Paragon Kingdom.
“After tomorrow… that is, if we win… what are you going to do next?”
Lena said, looking at the campfire.
A small smile appeared on her white face, which took in the red and yellow light of the campfire like a sheet of paper.
A smile that was forced on her face, filled with anxiety and fear, but trying to overcome them.
“I plan to continue my research.”
Belkian spoke softly.
As everyone’s eyes turned to him, he continued speaking with a slight smile, even though it was behind his mask.
“There are some studies I want to finish. This incident has also given me new things I want to study. So I plan to continue my research.”
Landius and Lena smiled at Belkian’s words, but Fran frowned.
“That’s a truly inspiring story. You’ve lived in a lab your whole life, and you want to spend the rest of your life in a lab too? Why don’t you come and travel with me? You should see the world.”
At the usual retorted remark, Landius glanced at Belkian, but he couldn’t see his expression because of the plague doctor’s mask.
[Oh, I just got a bit cursed. I think it worked this time.]
Oh, I see.
At Lena’s commentary, Landius coughed again and tried to pretend not to see or hear, and as if it was an aftereffect of the curse, Fran suddenly started to grumble.
“Ahem. Hmm. I’m going to go on a trip like I said. I’ve only lived in the Paragon Kingdom my whole life. I want to travel around the world.”
“Even if you say a lifetime, it only lasts 15 years.”
At the Belkian-like words that had a bitter aftertaste, Landius also burst out laughing, and Lena started laughing again, holding her stomach.
“Ugh, anyway. The old man’s personality is twisted, twisted.”
Fran, who was grimacing and grumbling, turned to Lena and asked.
“What is Lena going to do?”
“I am······.”
After saying that, Lena glanced back at Landius, then looked back at the campfire and continued speaking.
“I want to live a normal life.”
“Normal?”
“Yes, wizards usually stay locked up in their labs and live alone their entire lives, right? Not like that, but just like ordinary people. Growing old, meeting someone you love, getting married, having children, and living a life surrounded by people you love.”
It was a difficult wish to achieve.
Having already become an angel through ancestral regression, she has become a being too far removed from ordinary humans.
There was no way of knowing what fate awaited them in tomorrow’s fight.
But she expressed her wish with a small smile.
It might be obvious to others, but for her, it was a wish she had been hoping and dreaming of her entire life.
Landius looked back at Lena and spoke softly.
“Lena is pretty and kind. I’m sure she’ll meet a good person.”
Those were warm and kind words.
But for some reason, Lena’s eyes became cold and her lips pursed, and Fran, who was watching from the side, spoke with a tired expression.
“Wow, how can you say something like that?”
“Huh? Did I do something wrong?”
Landius looked back at Lena in surprise, but instead of answering, Lena just kept her mouth shut and stared at the campfire. Fran also clicked her tongue and didn’t say anything in response.
“Lord Belkian?”
“Just live like that.”
What does this mean?
But even in the midst of all this, there was someone who was laughing, so Kamael smiled slightly and said.
“Yes, Lena is kind and pretty. I’m sure she’ll meet a good person.”
Landius quickly nodded at Kamael’s words.
In any case, it seems that he has found a sympathizer.
“Ha, really. Anyway, what will Kamael do? Will he establish a new country?”
The Paragon Kingdom was destroyed.
Even if the five gathered here now win, that fact will not change.
However, the royal bloodline was not completely cut off.
Even though Kamael was an illegitimate child, he was still the king’s son, and the blood of the Paragon royal family flowed through his body.
“I don’t intend to do that.”
Kamael’s expression turned cold again.
Like most illegitimate children, he had a difficult childhood, and his situation did not improve much as he became an adult.
Fortunately, there were many legitimate heirs to the throne, so rather than being considered a source of conflict that would threaten the throne, he was able to receive training as a knight, but that was as far as it went.
Kamael had little affection for the Paragon royal family, nor did he have a sense of mission to restore them.
“Then what are you going to do?”
When Fran asked again, Kamael frowned slightly, but soon continued talking.
“I plan to join the Holy Cross.”
Those who defend the continent against the demon followers.
It might have sounded like an unexpected story to others, but not to Landius.
Because he knew that Kamael’s teacher, Lord Might, was from the Order of the Holy Cross.
“Then what about Landius?”
Everyone’s eyes – especially Lena’s – were turned to Landius.
Landius smiled at all those gazes and looked up at the sky once more.
“Can I be honest with you?”
“Of course. I’ll even grant your wish to become the harem king.”
Lena flinched and glared at Fran’s words, but only Kamael noticed.
Landius said with a hearty laugh.
“What about the Harem King? Love is something that cannot be fully conveyed even if you give it your all to just one person······Why is your expression like that?”
“No, well. Let’s just move on.”
Landius’s face turned slightly discontented at Fran’s uneasy expression – and he was puzzled by the fact that Lena was covering her face with both hands for some reason, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke in a serious tone.
“I intend to track down Ambassador Manuela.”
The culprit who caused Paragon’s tragedy.
He had already left the Paragon Kingdom, having corrupted the queen and summoned numerous demons within the palace.
Track down the bastard and take him down.
Not to avenge the Paragon Kingdom, but to prevent him from causing harm to this world again.
To protect everyone in the world.
It might have been a display of petty heroism.
But no one present thought that way.
Because it was a truly Landius-like story.
“That’s why Solar Blade chose you too.”
Belkian’s words were not wrong.
Solar Blade.
Sword of the sun god Solari.
A sealed sword that was a treasure of the Paragon Kingdom, but no one could use it.
The sword chose Landius.
The sun’s light shone once again in front of Landius.
“Well, Landius is a hero.”
As Fran spoke with a giggle, Lena nodded faintly, and even Kamael smiled in agreement.
“No, why are you guys acting like this all of a sudden? It’s embarrassing.”
And then there’s Landius, who really blushes and scratches the back of his head.
At that sight, the remaining four, who would later be called the Heroes of Paragon, all smiled.
tomorrow.
It was clearly going to be a tough fight.
Perhaps, even after a miraculous victory, no one would be able to return to this place.
I was scared.
I was scared.
But I was still able to fight back.
Because they had the sun by their side.
A being like hope that can be trusted and relied on anytime, anywhere, and that always shows the way forward.
“Should I stop sleeping?”
For tomorrow.
And for another tomorrow to follow.
Everyone laughed again at Landius’ words.
He nodded in agreement.
&
Landius looked ahead.
I came across ruins that had changed slightly over the past 10 years.
Paragon Palace.
A place where the evil spirit remains strong and where no one can live.
But not anymore.
The demonic auras were slowly disappearing.
The ruins that were once filled with blood and death were once again filled with the breath of life.
“Landius.”
Landius turned around at the small call.
As expected, a woman was standing there.
“Lena.”
Ten years had passed, but she was still the same. Her youthful appearance remained between her mature face.
“Did it go well?”
Although it was a pointless statement, Landius nodded.
It was just as she said.
Ambassador Manuela no longer exists.
The archangels and overlords who had threatened the Pleiades were also destroyed, and the Pleiades regained stability.
The disciple and his lover, who had gone to hell alone, returned safely.
“It’s a bit disappointing.”
“what?”
“Should I call it the 8.5 question? Anyway, I haven’t been able to unfold the stronger Nine Heavenly Gate.”
Although I met the goddess of the nine heavenly gates and gained enlightenment, I still had difficulty opening the gates.
But Landius was able to achieve something of his own.
Not only the Daemon Prince Bykazel who caused the destruction of Paragon in the past, but also the Ancient Black Dragon Malekith who appeared in the south.
If it were the current Landius, it would even be possible to defeat him alone.
But Landius didn’t regret it at all. Rather, he was glad to be deprived of the opportunity to use his power.
“Because it’s best not to fight.”
Someone dies or gets hurt… and those left behind are hurt.
There’s been enough of that now.
“So what are you going to do now?”
Landius paused for a moment.
And I realized that the question I’m asking now is an extension of the question I asked 10 years ago.
Now that we have defeated the Ambassador Manuela.
What are Landius’ own wishes?
What do you want to do in the future?
Landius thought for a moment and then smiled.
Landius himself has grown a bit over the past 10 years.
Now I wasn’t so clueless.
No, it would be strange if you didn’t notice it now.
Things have changed in many ways compared to 10 years ago.
Landius lowered his head.
Lena was looking up at herself.
He was shaking slightly in embarrassment, but he didn’t cover his face with his hands like he did that day ten years ago.
Those blue eyes.
“Let’s get married.”
He said it plainly.
I originally wanted to say something more cool, but what ended up coming out of my mouth was just too crude.
But this was enough.
He caressed Lena’s cheek with his large hand, and Lena bit her lip. Tears fell without her knowing, but soon she smiled brightly and answered.
“Okay, let’s do it. Let’s get married.”
Let’s live so sweetly that even Uther and Cordelia would cringe at the sight.
Let’s have lots of children and live happily.
Both of them now remembered their past lives.
He knew of Lena’s past lives, of her wishes that were always twisted and unfulfilled.
But now things are different.
Lena didn’t sacrifice herself to close the gates of hell.
Landius did not destroy himself by forcibly opening the gate.
“If not me, who else would live with a giant like Randy? I have to save Randy.”
When Lena said that while crying, Landius laughed heartily and agreed.
He quickly lifted up the lovely woman and kissed her on the lips.
&
There was a country called Paragon.
It was a small but beautiful place.
There were people who were born and raised in that now destroyed land.
They knew no fear.
It’s not like I wasn’t afraid of death.
But they never ran away.
Sometimes they stumbled, backed away, and hesitated, but they kept moving forward.
And so, finally, the ones who performed miracles.
Those who once again drove away the dark night and brought about a new morning.
People called them the five heroes of Paragon.
fin
< Ending Maker SS #5 Battle Eve > End
