Chapter 63 - The Choice

“…”

“You must have a different reason. A bigger reason. If that’s not the case, I don’t get it. There’s no way you’d act like that so suddenly…”

“There is no other reason.”

Rhema abruptly interrupted. He took a deep breath for a second and added.

“There is no such thing as another reason. If you stay with me, you’ll certainly be miserable. That was the reason and that is all.”

Azriel intuitively knew. Rhema was not telling her the most important thing. Judging by his stubbornly shut lips, he did not seem that he would answer her even if she kept asking. She changed her question.

“Then, what do you mean that I’ll be killed by you if I learn magic?”

He was a little startled by the question. Staring up at him, who was reluctant, Azriel asked again.

“What are you hiding, Rhema?”

“…That is a matter related to my duty.”

“Your duty? What duty is it?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t say it.”

Rhema shut his mouth again. He seemed determined not to say anything about it. There was definitely something. All answers seemed to lie in there, but he would not tell her. It was frustrating. Azriel pressed the temples of her head. Noticing her action, he carefully asked.

“Do you still have a headache?”

“No, it’s not that kind of headache.”

It was somewhat funny that he was worried about her first in this situation. Azriel smirked. Whatever the reason was, Rhema really cherished her. That was an unquestionable fact. Azriel quietly opened her mouth.

“Rhema, you’ve done so much to pull me apart, but why did you find me again?”

“I wasn’t going to find you. I just came around here because I needed to do something.”

With his eyes fixed in the air, Rhema slowly went on.

“But, while I was searching the surrounding mana… I ended up discovering your mana.”

“My mana?”

“Yes. Your mana… is intertwined by compact and elaborate lines that sparkle like stars. It’s like a lace weaved with gold thread. It’s very beautiful and noticeable at a glance.”

He described her mana with a saltless tone like he was reading a book, which made her feel weird. Azriel’s cheeks were flushed.

On the other hand, she could understand why it was noticeable at a glance. When she saw mana, she also could see Rhema at a glance. To her, he looked like a galaxy in which countless white stars were gathered and dazzled.

“When I learned that you were here, I wanted to see you and how you are doing just for once.”

Rhema let out a long breath as if he was barely letting it out after holding it for a long time.

“I didn’t intend to show up in front of you. I just wanted to check how you live and if you are happy enough.”

“But I must’ve not looked happy.”

“No.”

He nodded and added in a low voice.

“So, I could not possibly hold back. I’m sorry.”

“No, in the end, it was me who asked for your help.”

He pushed her repeatedly, but it was herself who allowed it. Azriel sighed quietly and pressed her forehead.

“So, now you will stay by my side until I can live well by myself.”

“Yes, and after that, I’ll leave as fast as I can. Azriel, what do you want? I’ll prepare the life you want.”

“Anything?”

“Tell me anything.”

“Then what are you going to do if I say I’d like to be an emperor. Will you establish an empire for me?”

“The time will depend on the scale of the empire you want, but that is possible. If it’s an emperor of an already existing empire, I can make you one quickly.”

“…How?”

“There are many ways. There’s a simple way of informing others that I’m behind you and suppressing them with power and also some moderate ways of fabricating God’s revelation or manipulating people’s memories to make you the sole successor of the emperor.”

“Those are… moderate ways?”

“Relatively. Manipulating one’s memory is a complex job and it might take a while though.”

Azriel got fuzzy to hear the stories of the scale that she had never imagined. Azriel blankly asked.

“Is it okay to do such things?”

“Yes, that much would be fine. Which way do you prefer?”

“No, it was just a question! I don’t need such things.”

Azriel hurriedly shook her head. Then she paused for a short while. There were two ways left for her now.

One was what Rhema suggested. It was to enjoy the comfortable life that the Wizard of the Horizon would give her freely. It was a way to go around in circles.

‘But I’ll live unaware of everything in return, even magic or Rhema.’

He would probably close the eyes that see mana again. It would be almost impossible to him again. Her memory might have to be erased again. And another one was the way she just thought of. Even though she could never imagine what was waiting ahead, she could die, or she could regret saying that it would have been better to have lived a comfortable life, but it was a way to step forward.

Azriel raised her eyes and looked around. The stars that filled the world. It was a scenery of her own. She looked at him in succession. The white wizard with a dry face. Rhema Reshith. A thousand years that the Wizard of the Horizon had lived alone.

The stars that were visible to her eyes and Rhema’s thousand years made her and him meet, making a girl without a name Azriel Esthera. Nevertheless, was she now supposed to live comfortably pretending not to have seen anything like these stars?