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The rippling waves of light turned hazy within the darkness, and the silence continued.

Two people...no, one person and a being that used to be a human silently stared at each other. There were only 20 steps between the two of them. However, there was 220 years piled atop of them.

They looked at each other, and mixed emotions were exchanged between them. He couldn’t see Carlos’ face, but Azell was confident they were feeling the same emotions.

There was a maelstrom of words within his chest that he wanted to blurt out. However, when it came time to speak, he had no idea what he should say first.

“You.......”

In the end, Azell opened his mouth first.

“I heard you became bald.”

<Is that all you have to say after meeting me after 200 years?>

Carlos was dumbfounded as he laughed. Azell smirked.

“Your thought construct reacted a bit differently. He became angry.”

<It has been a long time since I created it. I’m not angry at hearing such words. Actually, I welcome it.>

“You welcome it?”

<Yes. It is proof that there is someone that is willing to talk to me as if I’m human. Moreover... That person happens to be you, Azell.>

“.......”

<It has been very long since I’ve had a proper conversation with a human. It has been over a hundred years.>

When he spoke those words, one could hear a deep loneliness in his voice. There was a bizarre ring to his voice, but there was also his emotions mixed within it. It made Azell’s heart ache to hear it.

Azell took a step closer as he asked a question.

“Did you purposely isolate me from my party?”

<Yes, I’ve been observing you, and I know you have good companions. However, I don’t want us to be interrupted during this time.>

“I see.......”

A good amount of time had passed, but Azell was the only one that had arrived at this place. There had been no news from his party members. This wouldn’t have happened unless this was Carlos’ intention.

Azell queried him.

“The Guardian Shadows acted as your eyes and ears.”

<You are still quick on the uptake.>

“I also know that they are your eyes and ears, but they cannot be your mouth. You would have conveyed your intentions at a much early date if you were capable of doing it.”

<That’s right. Unfortunately, I had to go through these inconveniences to protect my secrets. I cannot unilaterally use methods that is only convenient for me.>

“The more you act in pursuit of your own convenience, it’ll allows your opponent to use it against you. You always used to say that.”

<When you went to sleep, I always told my students that phrase. I taught that about the concept of security.>

“I’m guessing a lot had occurred even after I went to sleep?”

<Even if I churn out a page of record per day, I won’t be able to finish it in 20 years. That is how much incidents had occurred after you went to sleep.>

“I don’t like long-winded stories. You should summarized it, and just tell me the fun parts.”

<The fact that I can hear such shameless statements makes me really realize that I am meeting my friend Azell.>

“I don’t know if you changed in your old age or not, but I just know that you went bald.”

<I was sad, but that’s old news. My body is in a state where it doesn’t matter if I have hair or not.>

“.......”

<Mmm? You don’t like my joke?>

“...truthfully, I don’t. Let’s discuss that at a later time. Let’s talk about the fun stuff first.”

<I would like you to go first.>

“Huh?”

<You are here in reality. Your voice is the same as the one I remember.... You probably don’t realize how deeply moved I am right now, Azell.>

“.......”

<I want you to tell me what has gone on after you woke up. I want you to tell me what the Guardian Shadows were unable to report.......>

“Shall I?”

<It doesn’t seem right for you to be standing, while you are telling your story. You should have a seat over there.>

Azell followed his words. There was a suitable stone next to him, so Azell sat on it.

“I guess I don’t have to worry about where to start my story.......”

Azell started his story from the time he woke up within the Balan forest. He spoke about what he experienced when he was found by the Western Border Guards of the Rulain Kingdom. He spoke about the Dragon Demon princess Arrieta, and the encounter he had with Carlos’ thought construct, who had gotten angry at Azell for making fun of his baldness.

His story was long.

Was it really ok for them to speak in such laid back manner in such a situation? The question arose inside his mind, but he ignored it. At that moment, he wanted to forget all other problems.

Carlos listened to Azell’s story, and he had fun chiming in with his own words.

<You’ve experienced much in a short amount of time. It seems you are not destined to live a quiet life.>

“Unfortunately, you are right.”

<After you went to sleep, I met those that lived turbulent lives. Some of them helped me save the world.>

“I’ve read the recorded history books, yet I never read about such events. They did list your many achievements, but.....”

<These events didn’t come to the forefront of history. I took care of it before they could surface.>

“I see.......”

Carlos’ current state might have had something to do with those incidents.

When Azell became silent, Carlos asked a question.

<Do you have something specific you want to ask me?>

“Hmm. Let’s see.... How did Rogan lose his business?”

<Oh. That really was an unfortunate situation. Thanks to that incident, I lost the money I invested in his business.>

“You invested in his business?”

<I did. It was when Rogan had a money flow problem. In truth, I wanted to help him more, but he turned me down.>

“I see.”

Rogan had made many friends in the Dragon Demon war, and these friends had helped Rogan, when he was in a tough spot. Carlos was one of those friends. Of course, he helped out.

Carlos spoke in a playful manner.

<Should I tell you another story?>

“What kind of story?”

<After you went to sleep, do you know that countless women came to the County of Karzark claiming to have born your child? The County of Karzark suffered a lot because of it.>

“Oohk.......”

It looked as if Carlos had hit a sore spot. It was to be expected, since he had heard about the problem from the Keepers of Prophecy, who were his descendents. Even if he had ten mouths, Azell couldn’t say anything about the problem.

“C...can we not talk about that?”

<That isn’t possible. I want to tell you the exact details, and I believe it is your duty to hear it out.>

“Shit. I’m all ears..”

<I feel a grim resolve from you. It is akin to when you went into battle with your life on the line. I’ll gladly tell you all about it, my friend.>

Carlos seemed very delighted as he spoke about stories that had piled up within him.

2

While Azell met Carlos, his party was guided towards a different space.

A Guardian Shadow appeared in front of the flustered party, and it spoke to them.

<Hello everyone. I am Carlos Rizester. I know who all of you are. I’ve watched all of you through the Guardian Shadows.>

“What about Azell?”

Laura was facing the legendary Archmage, but surprisingly, she asked about Azell first. Carlos laughed as he answered her. He seemed amused.

<He is with me. It has truly been a long time since I’ve met my friend. Will you not all two friend to catch up for a short time?>

Of course, the party had no grounds to refuse his request. They had no choice, but to wait until Azell finished talking with Carlos.

“Still, it is a reunion after 220 years. If they are planning to catch up with each other, 4 days and 4 nights won’t be enough. Are they going to leave us here for that long?”

Leticia grumbled.

They were in a communal space with magic surrounding them. Faint magic lights floated through the air like fireflies. It lit the surrounding very dimly. The light only reached the vicinity of the party members. There was only complete darkness a short distance away..

Yuren looked at the darkness as he furrowed his brows.

“I’ve seen this darkness before......”

“Darkness is darkness. How can a darkness look familiar to you?”

Leticia rebuked him.

However, she was feeling a similar sentiment as him at that moment. The darkness filling this place was infused with remarkable amount of power.

Laura spoke.

“I know what it is.”

“What?”

“This is the Great Darkness.”

Everyone startled in surprise.

The only one amongst them that had seen the heart of the Great Darkness was Laura. This was why her words held weight here.

Yuren queried her.

“It doesn’t look entirely similar, right?”

“I’m not sure. It does feel slightly different, but I cannot put my finger on it.....”

Laura narrowed her eyes as she observed the darkness with her magic. She started using all types of magic to see through to the true nature of the darkness.

‘I’m lost.’

However, she couldn’t see through it. The magical construct was too complex. She could only observe its surface. It was impossible for her to see through to its inner side.

Laura wasn’t familiar with such an experience. She wasn’t as good in battle, but she was one of the top magicians of this generation. The only time she found herself lacking was when she looked at the artifacts left behind by Atein.

‘The Archmage Carlos was a figure of this caliber? But.......’

One could just look at the records inside the Plain of Darkness to know how great Carlos was. He was like Azell. His abilities transcended the limits of humans.

However, she was having a hard time accepting this fact.

The magic within the Plain of Darkness had advanced much further compared to the days of the Dragon Demon war.

Atein, Aunsaurus and Baldazark had been transcendent beings, but they were exception to the rule. If one looked at the overall approach to magic and research, their descendants had advances past that era. For example, Azell had become surprised when she was able to disguise her Dragon Demon magic as regular magical energy.

‘Still, it had only been 200 years, yet he was able to recreate the Great Darkness by himself?’

Carlos had gained powers that rivalled the Dragon Demon generals in his 20s. It wasn’t ‘just’ 200 years. It might have been possible if it was him.

Still, a combat oriented magician weren’t comparable with other types of magicians. The Great Darkness wasn’t something that could be created just because one was outstanding in battle.

If Aunsaurus’ handwritten accounts were true, Atein was the only one that had been able to understand the true nature of the Great Darkness.

Those that were connected by the Great Darkness could transcend the limitations placed by distance. It was possible to speak in real time through the Great Darkness. This special property allowed one to gather an enormous amount of information.

Atein had created greater artifacts using the Great Darkness as basis. For example, he was able to create results like the Road of Darkness. He was able to achieve ridiculous results like being able to cause simultaneous magical effects several dozen kilometers away.

The Great Darkness encompassed the whole continent, but there was no burden in maintaining it. There were no magic circles needed, and no facilities were made. In fact, magical energy wasn’t needed to maintain the Great Darkness.

This wasn’t just something that transcended the common sense of magic. It defied logic of this world. Basically, he had creating something out of nothing.

‘I wonder what kind of person he is.’

She was really curious. She hadn’t been this curious since she had met Azell.

Suddenly, the party felt a chill.

Sss-oooooooh.......

“Who are you?”