The serene silence enveloped the Sky Castle.
An Si-hyeon stood by the window, waiting for someone.
Eventually, it was Damian who arrived at the castle.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Not at all. Thank you for coming despite your busy schedule.”
The two moved directly to the sitting room.
“How are things in the human realm?” Damian asked as soon as they sat down.
“Straight to the point, I see. It’s been a while since we last met.”
“Hmm. My apologies. A year isn’t that long for a dragon,” Damian replied with an awkward smile.
“Shall we catch up then? How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. Managed to wrap up quite a few complicated matters.”
“Is that so?”
“Oh dear, I forgot to offer you tea. Do you like black tea?”
“It’s not bad.”
An Si-hyeon soon returned with two cups of black tea.
“The aroma is wonderful,” Damian remarked, savoring the rich scent that even he, accustomed to the human realm, hadn’t experienced in a while. It seemed to be of high quality.
“May I ask about the main issue now?”
“Of course.”
With a gentle smile, An Si-hyeon nodded, prompting Damian to repeat his earlier question.
“How are things in the human realm?”
An Si-hyeon took a sip of tea before answering.
“Things are finally settling down.”
The memories of the ten years of chaos caused by Min Hae-jin under the influence of the demon Agares, and the days spent fighting to prevent the apocalypse, flashed through her mind.
“Someone suggested we credit the Heaven’s Church for all this.”
“And what did you say?”
“I told them to get lost.”
“Ah!” Damian nearly choked on his tea, taken aback by An Si-hyeon’s unexpected bluntness.
“That’s quite unlike you.”
“I’m holding back a lot,” she replied, her eyes curving into a crescent moon smile.
“Think about it. While I was working to prevent the prophecy of doom, what were they doing?”
The elders of the Heaven’s Church had been notably passive, driven by complacency and self-preservation. In the long-standing peace, they only cared for their own safety, rendering An Si-hyeon’s words meaningless.
“You can’t imagine how revolting it was to see them trying to claim credit now,” she said, her calm words laced with anger.
“Still, it’s all sorted out now?”
“Yes, there were quite a few wrongs to right.”
“Wrongs?”
“Yes. Sage Kim Hee-jae was a great help.”
Kim Hee-jae knew all the secrets of the church elders, from minor embezzlements to unspeakable deeds. The negotiations—or rather, the blackmail—were swiftly concluded thanks to him.
“And how are things above?” An Si-hyeon asked.
“No major issues. The celestial realm wasn’t the main battlefield, after all.”
Despite the celestial realm being attacked, it was nothing compared to the human realm where real demons had descended.
“Besides, we have the royal family.”
Under the guidance of the awakened king and Damian, the celestial realm had been restored to its former state.
“Is your niece still on her little adventure?”
An Si-hyeon asked playfully, and Damian sighed.
“Whether to call it an adventure or an escape, I’m not sure.”
Liz, who had never cared for royal authority, was still attending Mythical High.
“Though it seems she’s not doing much studying.”
“Are her grades that bad?”
Recalling Liz’s recent report card, Damian frowned.
“An embarrassment to the royal family. I’ll assign a tutor when she returns.”
“A tutor, huh.”
“Yes, I have someone in mind…”
Damian trailed off, and An Si-hyeon understood why.
“It’s been a year, yet the one who should be enjoying all this glory is missing.”
A bittersweet smile passed between them.
After a long silence, Damian spoke again.
“He will wake up. He’s a human mage I acknowledge.”
“Yes, he must.”
Both thought of the same person—the hero who had thwarted the celestial invasion and saved the human realm from apocalypse. He lay unconscious in a hospital room.
The quiet hospital room.
The sound of peeling fruit filled the air.
“Teacher, the kids came by again and left some fruit.”
Shin Hae-ryeong said, her hands still busy peeling an apple.
“Oh, and did you hear? Daewoong Group decided to increase their support. The principal was thrilled.”
Though there was no response, Shin Hae-ryeong continued her monologue.
The sound of peeling had already stopped.
“Other than that… well, I came first in the school rankings for the first time. I used to hover around second or third.”
She placed the plate of apples on the bedside table, resisting the urge to eat one herself.
Silence stretched on.
There was so much she wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come.
Lee Jae-sang lay on the bed, asleep.
There was someone to listen, but no one to answer.
She stared blankly out the window, listening to the birds, though all she heard were the coos of pigeons.
”…What a mess.”
Shin Hae-ryeong muttered.
“I’m… still attending Mythical High.”
“I didn’t win first place in the year-end competition, though.”
“My father said I shouldn’t drop out and should try a couple more times.”
“Funny, isn’t it? If I try two more times, I’ll graduate.”
“Doesn’t he realize there won’t be any bets then?”
Her words echoed hollowly, still met with silence.
Her head drooped, tears welling in her eyes.
”…You promised you’d keep your word…”
She’d heard he saved the world.
There had been a fierce battle, and without Lee Jae-sang, her second year at Mythical High wouldn’t have existed.
She’d heard he achieved countless feats in just a few months.
She admired him.
But more than admiration, there was resentment.
“Uh… did I come at a bad time…?”
A voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned her head.
It was Liz.
Shin Hae-ryeong quickly wiped her eyes, pretending she hadn’t been crying.
…Though it was futile.
“Um~ okay. I’ll come back later!”
“No, it’s fine. Come in.”
Liz glanced at the bed.
Lee Jae-sang was still asleep, as if dead.
“Or maybe asleep as if dead?”
“You really…! …Never mind.”
Shin Hae-ryeong sighed, giving up on her anger.
Liz must be feeling just as frustrated.
“Let’s take a walk.”
Shin Hae-ryeong led Liz outside.
The park in front of the hospital was larger than expected.
“What about the assistant teacher?”
“She said she’s busy.”
“Figures.”
The one who inherited the Sage’s Heart, Hana, had been chosen to fill Lee Jae-sang’s teaching position at Mythical High. With her vast knowledge of magic, it wasn’t a problem.
“Who would’ve thought? The assistant teacher becoming a teacher.”
“Right? Though she seems to be struggling a bit.”
Shin Hae-ryeong hadn’t attended any of Hana’s classes, but she could imagine her being dragged around by the students, and it made her chuckle.
“The teacher would be happy to hear that.”
“Indeed.”
He was someone who took joy in his students’ growth.
“He’d be surprised to hear about Ina studying abroad, too.”
“Wait… she went abroad?”
“Yeah! You didn’t know?!”
Liz seemed genuinely surprised.
“Well… no, I didn’t.”
“But you’re in the same club?!”
“I don’t go to the club.”
“Oh, right.”
Shin Hae-ryeong had joined the club to learn magic from Lee Jae-sang. With him gone, there was no reason to attend.
“Come to think of it, you two weren’t that close.”
“I was a bit out of it. Shall we head back? …By the way, what’s with the basket?”
Liz was holding a basket of fruit.
“They said to bring fruit when visiting the hospital!”
“Didn’t you bring some last week too?”
“I did? I came for a visit last week too.”
”…Um, Liz.”
“Yeah?”
“You don’t have to bring it every time…”
“Is that so!?”
Liz trembled in surprise, still holding the basket.
“I’ve already spent this month’s allowance on fruit baskets… ugh.”
Shin Hae-ryeong chuckled in disbelief.
“Here, give it to me. I’ll take care of it.”
Liz and Shin Hae-ryeong started back towards the hospital room.
Despite the crowd, the hospital’s quietness was palpable.
“What if he’s awake when we go in?”
That would be nice, Shin Hae-ryeong thought with a small smile.
It was a thought she’d had many times.
Every time she walked down the hospital corridor, she hoped.
Maybe, just maybe, he’d be awake, as if by some miracle.
But miracles never happened.
Every time she entered the room, she was met with disappointment.
Still, just in case.
With a hopeful heart, she gently shook the fruit basket as she approached the room.
“I’ll go in first!”
”…Are you a child?”
She chuckled in disbelief.
But something was off.
Liz, who had gone in first, stopped at the door.
Her mouth hung open, her eyes fixed on something.
“Why are you blocking the way? It’s hard to get in…”
It didn’t take long to understand why.
”…Oh.”
Shin Hae-ryeong found herself rooted to the spot.
Both Liz and Shin Hae-ryeong were frozen, their eyes locked on one place.
Their gaze was fixed on Lee Jae-sang.
He was sitting up.
He turned his head.
The moment their eyes met, Lee Jae-sang waved.
The fruit basket fell to the floor.
The fruits rolled around haphazardly.
No one thought to pick them up.
With tears mixed with laughter, the two rushed toward Lee Jaesang.
Sitting in the hospital garden in my wheelchair, the breeze felt pleasantly cool.
It seemed a lot had happened while I was asleep.
The unusual events continued even after I woke up.
For instance, I received a proposal from a magical tool company wanting to create a product named after me.
Or Kim Heejae suddenly appeared out of nowhere, offering to cover all my medical expenses.
I even made the front page of the newspaper under the headline “A Miracle After a Year.”
But the biggest change was this.
“Is it really impossible?”
I tried to summon mana to my fingertips, but nothing happened.
As expected, I had lost my magical abilities.
The heart that once held three types of mana could no longer produce any.
“Heh.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
To think I could no longer use magic.
‘Well, at least it seems there are no more dark wizards.’
The most significant change in the world after I killed Agares was the disappearance of dark wizards, who had lost their powers.
I couldn’t pinpoint the exact connection, but I assumed Min Haejin’s actions had some influence.
‘Still, it’s a shame not to be able to use magic.’
Though it all started with Min Haejun’s memories, I too had come to love magic at some point.
It was only natural to feel regret.
‘It seems my contracts with the spirits are broken too…’
With no reason to summon them again, there was no way to get scolded by them even if I wanted to.
“Well, I might as well enjoy a vacation. I’ll think about everything else later.”
Even as I said that, I kept flicking my fingertips, hoping for a faint trace of mana.
As always, hope turned into disappointment.
“Time to head back in.”
The weather was getting chilly, so I clapped my hands together to warm them before heading inside.
“?”
It happened so quickly that I clapped my hands again.
“What?”
I tried once more to draw mana with my index finger raised.
It didn’t work well.
I failed and tried again, failed and tried again.
After countless attempts, finally—
A very faint column of mana rose.
Even though I couldn’t feel the mana circuits in my body, I sensed a very slight presence of mana.
A miraculous occurrence.
‘No, that’s not right.’
I decided to change my expression.
‘It seems like something magical is about to happen.’
Recalling something I once told a student, I lifted the corners of my mouth into a smile.
#Afterword.
Hello, this is Novear.
My first work has come to an end.
Thank you for reading this far.
I feel my skills were lacking, and I couldn’t provide a more entertaining story.
I will strive to return with a more exciting tale next time.
Thank you.