Chapter 492

“Huh? What’s this?”

Beric frowned after taking a sip of his beer. Something tasted off—like it had been watered down. He was about to offer it to Ian to try, but seeing Ian’s youthful face, he shook his head.

Ian, carefully picking the meat off his chicken, whispered with a puzzled look, “Beric, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they watered down the alcohol. It’s so bland.”

“Are you travelers? Or from the royal palace?”

Bang!

Beric puckered his lips and muttered, just as the innkeeper set down a tray with a polite greeting.

She wore a warm smile, but Beric’s gaze was anything but kind. Watering down the booze? That’s cheating! Just as he was about to complain, Ian gently stopped him.

“They’re from the palace.”

“Is that so? Oh ho! I thought so. Educated folks always eat chicken that way—clean and neat. Everyone around here who’s well-mannered is from the capital. There are plenty of mages, too. Oh, are you one of them?”

“Well, this is the road to the northern wall.”

“Looks like we’ll be seeing each other often. This is the only tavern nearby.”

Only one tavern? No wonder the place felt so empty.

For the first time, Beric felt a deep pang of sympathy. Captain Hale and the mage kids… they’ve been living off this lousy watered-down booze? No wonder they had nothing to look forward to. Beric clicked his tongue, and Ian smiled faintly, knife and fork in hand.

“I see. Got it. Well then, shall we eat some more?”

“Oh ho ho! What an interesting guest. Since you’re paying, feel free.”

“I mean, it’s time to clear the table.”

“Oh my, how rude of me. Ho ho ho.”

With a soft but firm suggestion, the innkeeper gathered the dishes and stood up. Watching her, Beric turned away and whispered.

“Ian, let’s head to the capital. This isn’t a place for us.”

“It’s a one-and-done kind of place.”

“Tastes awful, doesn’t it? Leaving right after meeting the kids?”

“No. First, we need to check the status of the northern zone’s rift and how to use Idgal. And above all, Beric, you still have a mission—to meet with the Atan tribe.”

“Ugh. Can’t they just fend for themselves?”

“No way. They’re important beings. We have to find a way to bring them over to the Empire’s side.”

They’re the ones who consume monsters to build up immense power. To stand against the underground gods living with the monsters beneath the rift, they’re a crucial force.

Of course, if they turn their backs on Bariel, they become a huge threat, so they need to be dealt with first.

“Beric, if you’re done eating, let’s get moving.”

“Feels like I barely ate anything. Hey, innkeeper! Here’s your money!”

“Yes, thank you!”

Ting! Beric flicked a few coins across the table, then hoisted his backpack onto the tied horse.

The village stretched out across a vast plain. Wooden plank structures stood here and there, but it was unclear if they were in use. The place was peaceful, yet desolate and withered. Being at the edge of Bariel’s border and the northern zone where monsters roam, it seemed hardly anyone lived here.

“Want me to put you on the horse?”

“No, let’s walk slowly. According to the map, it’s not far. The innkeeper said the same.”

“Suit yourself. Hey, Ian.”

“Yeah?”

Hiiing!

The horse moved slowly in step with their footsteps.

“You said you’d come back once the mage department’s annex was built, right? But it’s still under construction. Something from Burgos hasn’t arrived.”

“…Is that so?”

“Does it even matter now?”

Beric glanced at Ian. He’d known for a long time—back when the Crown Prince was still a prince—that Ian was obsessed with that annex. He’d even told the prince that once it was built, he’d return early.

But now, everything was in the past. Ian had returned from the Abyss, leaving the darkness behind. He wondered if building the annex still held any meaning.

Ian gazed out at the distant horizon, lost in thought.

“It does matter. But it’s no longer my goal. It’s a natural outcome that will come after I go through this process. So—”

‘They said if I come that way, an opportunity will open up…’

Ian suddenly recalled Naum’s last words. What kind of opportunity would be granted to him on the day the annex was completed?

“Ah.”

At that moment, a sudden surge cut through Ian’s thoughts. His heart jolted violently, and all his senses seemed to bloom.

Instinctively, Ian looked up to the northern sky and spotted something sparkling, flying toward them. Beric saw it too. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he recognized the approaching mages and waved.

“Hey! How did they know to come meet us!?”

Though they hadn’t sensed the nearby presence of the Dera tribe in Rajasan, they could feel the mages coming from afar.

It was like stars falling from a clear sky. They slowly descended, then tumbled down the hill on their own feet.

Swoosh!

Boom!

“Ahhh!”

“Ugh, my back!”

The mages tangled together, covered in grass and leaves, barely coming to a stop. They propped themselves up on their hands, and when their eyes met the small boy standing before them, they froze.

They couldn’t believe it.

Their guide, the commander of the mages, had returned.

Just as he had been the day he disappeared.

“Everyone, have you been well?”

Ian smiled brightly and waved, and the mages looked as if they were seeing a mirage. Some didn’t even realize it at first, tears streaming down their faces as they whispered.

“…Ian-nim?”

“Yes, Kanchi. Your hair’s grown quite long.”

“Are you really Ian-nim?”

“Yen. You’re Yen, right? Just as you see me, I see you.”

“Why, why, why…?”

Ian knelt on one knee and gently removed the grass from Yen’s hair. Meeting eye to eye made the reality all the more vivid. One mage, looking into Ian’s emerald eyes, couldn’t hold back tears. Their ten years had been frozen inside those eyes.

“Why did you come back now? Do you know how long we waited? Without you, it was so hard for all of us.”

“Yes. You’ve all suffered. Truly suffered.”

As several mages broke down crying, Ian embraced them, patting their backs.

No one knew why Ian had returned looking exactly as before. But what mattered was that he hadn’t died. He had come back to them.

“Ian-nim, I, I…”

A mage clung to Ian’s sleeve, bowing his head as he whispered with difficulty.

“I’m sorry. Truly sorry. That day, I shouldn’t have shared my strength with you. It felt like I pushed you into the Abyss and survived. I wanted to kill my own soul.”

Though time had changed his appearance slightly, Ian recognized the mage’s face. He was the one who had lent his magic when Ian and Rutherford were about to enter the Abyss, drawing out all their power.

Ian still remembered their cries vividly.

“Captain, no! I can’t do it. It feels like I’m pushing Ian-nim into the Abyss—”

“Ian-nim! Please come back! We’re waiting!”

“Please! Don’t! No!”

Some said they couldn’t let him go; others said it was Ian’s choice and they should respect and help him. Ian gently brushed the crying mage’s hair aside.

“…Thanks to you all, I swam through the sea of the Abyss and saw the rarest things in the world. It was all my choice, my decision. If you want to blame someone, blame me for only looking forward.”

Ian remembered the shadows of the mages falling one by one, their red cloaks fluttering as they collapsed helplessly.

At the boundary between life and death, the last thing they surely saw was his back. But Ian never looked back. He had to go into the Abyss.

Maybe that was their final moment.

“I’m sorry. For those who died for me, I was a wretched man who couldn’t even spare them a glance.”

“W-why would you say that…?”

The mage looked up, and Ian smiled warmly.

“If you had seen my end, you wouldn’t have been drowning in regret all this time.”

It was his will, pure and true. Now, it was time to forgive himself and accept that all the past had unfolded as fate intended.

Ian wiped the mage’s tears and smiled again.

“Still, it’s good to see you all like this.”

“Yes. It’s wonderful. Ian-nim, just as you were then, it feels like we’ve traveled back in time.”

“Did time flow differently beneath the rift?”

“More precisely, in the Abyss.”

“So it didn’t take you long to get here?”

“No. Sorry about that.”

“No, it’s a relief. That time was too long.”

The mages huddled close to Ian. Some leaned on his shoulder, others held his fingertips, and a few rested their foreheads on his knees, savoring the moment.

Ian embraced them once more, then suddenly caught Hale’s eye from a short distance away.

“Hale.”

“Haah.”

He chewed on a dry cigarette, rubbing his forehead repeatedly. The indescribable emotions seemed to leave him speechless.

When Ian beckoned him over with a wave, he gave a faint smile. It was a look that seemed half resentful, half overwhelmed with joy—like he didn’t quite know how to react to seeing him again.

“…What the hell is going on?”

“Sorry.”

“How could you just disappear like that and leave me hanging?”

“Yeah, I never thought the minister’s seat would stay empty this long.”

“I honestly thought you were dead.”

“If you’re alive, you can see us again, right? That’s what Akorella said. She was right.”

Ian reached out his hand to Hale, who reluctantly took it and helped him up. For a moment, Hale hesitated—his hand felt surprisingly light—but he didn’t show it. Maybe he still didn’t realize Ian was a child, then or now.

Ian pulled Hale’s hand closer and bumped his shoulder against his.

“I’m back. Hale.”

“I’ve been waiting. Really.”

“Waaah! Ian!”

“You’re going back to the palace, right? Right?”

“We’re coming with you. We can’t stand living here anymore.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s all gather at the palace and figure out what to do next.”

“Ian, were you always this short? Oh no…”

“Is this really how you looked back then? You’re so tiny. No offense, I just can’t believe it.”

“Maybe we’re the ones who grew too big.”

“Seriously, it’s been ages since your growth plates closed. Have some shame.”

“Ahhh! Ian! I’ve missed you so much. Without you, the magic department was a total mess.”

The mages swarmed around Ian, chattering loudly. Each had a mountain of things they wanted to say, and the noise showed no sign of dying down anytime soon.

Ian just smiled and humored their fuss, until Beric, unable to stand it any longer, climbed onto a table and shouted.

“Hey! Don’t I exist?”

The room fell silent for a moment. But it was brief. The mages quickly turned back to Ian, babbling away.

“Yeah, we see you, dummy.”

“True. You’re here too.”

“Ian, how did you end up meeting Beric? You must’ve had a rough time coming out of the Abyss. Have you eaten?”

Beric sighed, resting his chin on his hand, muttering under his breath.

“They’re all just yapping. Someone give Ian some mana already! He’s an empty shell right now!”