The moment the rift closed, the battlefield fell into a silence, as if holding its breath.
The scorching heat that had been burning suddenly seemed to fade, and the soldiers stood still, staring at the spot where the rift had been.
Sharp metal sounds and the howls of the beasts disappeared, leaving only a heavy silence in their place.
“The rift…”
“Oh my god.”
“What is this…?”
The Sanburg army slowly lowered their weapons.
Their faces were devoid of both the reason and will to fight.
It was a clear surrender.
This was partly because the core of the battle, the Magul, had vanished, but also because the closing of the rift was nothing short of a miracle.
“…Hurry, deal with the remaining beasts!”
Ricardo’s voice rang out across the battlefield, making a quick decision.
The knights rearranged their formation and charged toward the remaining beasts.
The clash of iron armor and the growls of the beasts mixed, and the final battle ensued.
With the Sanburg army already surrendering, dealing with the beasts did not take long.
The reason the Second Officer had struggled earlier was partly due to the ambush, but also because the beasts had been mixed in.
While there were high-class beasts that emerged from the rift, their numbers were small, and with the strength of the Second Officer’s forces gathered, they were dealt with without issue.
When the First Officer arrived on the battlefield, they were speechless at the sight before them.
The land was marked with the rift’s remnants, and red blood and the remains of the beasts were scattered across the area.
“Has everything ended?”
Someone muttered.
“…What happened here?”
The Grand Duke of Renokhonan, who had approached slowly while surveying the surroundings, asked Deputy Commander Ricardo.
His face was filled with confusion.
“If I were to explain, it would take a while, but to put it simply, the High-Class Mage Harssen ended the battle.”
Fedelian, who had been listening nearby, narrowed his eyes.
“The High-Class Mage Harssen?”
“Yes.”
Ricardo continued his explanation.
“The Sanburg forces opened a Magul with an ambush, but the High-Class Mage Harssen closed the rift.”
Fedelian’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“…Opened and closed the rift? What does that mean?”
“I don’t know the full details…”
Ricardo rubbed the back of his neck with a complicated expression.
He, too, was just as confused.
“To understand the full story, we would have to ask the High-Class Mage Harssen, but isn’t it a good thing? Maybe a blessing the Empire will never see again.”
The Grand Duke of Renokhonan chuckled.
His words were true.
The Magul had been a blight on the continent for a long time.
“…I suppose so.”
Fedelian awkwardly smiled in agreement.
His mouth formed a smile, but his eyes were sharp, gleaming with calculation.
Indeed, closing the Magul rift was a blessing in the history of the Empire, something that had never happened before.
It was like finding the key to an unsolvable mystery after a long time.
But the problem was, the one who closed that rift was Yohan Harssen.
‘…This is not good.’
A smile appeared on Fedelian’s lips, but inside, his heart turned cold.
The surveillance had already deepened, leaving him unable to move, and the situation was becoming complicated.
If this miracle was simply a coincidence, that would be fine, but… if it wasn’t a coincidence, Yohan Harssen’s value would soar, and things would not go smoothly.
Unlike before, it would no longer be something that could be dealt with simply.
While complicated calculations ran through Fedelian’s mind, the Grand Duke of Renokhonan sheathed his sword and spoke.
“The sudden battle must have tired you, so let’s postpone the details for later.
For now, let’s regroup.”
* * *
After the sudden storm-like surprise attack ended,
Sandburg, having received the relevant news, sent a letter along with the last remaining army.
“Under His Majesty’s leadership, the hardliners have been dealt with, and we will surrender, offering the territory to Rogino.
What we seek is merely to be accepted as citizens of the Empire…”
The letter’s sentences were brief, but within them lay the despair of a kingdom that had abandoned both defeat and its pride.
It was a surrender.
Things progressed quickly after that.
The imperial army decided to retreat and return to Rogino, and Sandburg formally sent the letter to the royal family, offering the territory and announcing their surrender.
It was also revealed how the Sandburg army had opened the magic cave.
As expected, the leaders of the hardliners were collaborating with the magic practitioners.
Upon hearing this, the king was greatly enraged, and when the truth was revealed, the public opinion of the kingdom—nobles and commoners alike—shifted dramatically.
Thus, they chose to surrender.
“How many people have died?
If this was the plan, they should’ve surrendered earlier!”
“True.
They acted like they were going to go all the way to the end…”
Though the war was over, the public servants were still disgruntled.
Though it was merely grumbling.
“Yohan…!”
On the night they returned to the border of Rogino, Francia rushed over and embraced Yohan.
Her shoulders trembled with relief.
“I was really worried.”
“I’m sorry.
There was no other choice.”
Yohan smiled lightly and patted her head as she hugged him.
The calm moonlight shone on the garden of the villa.
The soft light seeped into the grass, hiding the stench of blood from the day, and the traces of battle melted into the dark shadows.
“By the way… what was it really?”
“What do you mean?”
“The magic cave… you closed it.”
“Ah…”
Yohan also didn’t understand.
It was hard to tell what had happened to close the crack in the magic cave.
“Hmm, honestly, I’m not sure either.
There were similar events before, where magic was used on the cracks, but nothing changed at that time.”
The difference between the magic cave in the Eckarshi Count’s domain and the one from this battle was one thing:
a naturally occurring crack and an artificially opened crack.
But even that wasn’t enough of a clue.
“Hm…”
Francia nodded slowly.
“What do the commanders say about it?”
At her question, Yohan stared into the air and answered.
“Hmm… they only asked what happened, but didn’t say much beyond that.”
Whether it was a decision made to discuss things in detail directly with the Emperor, the Crown Prince, or Duke Renokhonan, none of them pressed for details.
The fact that magic practitioners had artificially opened the crack in the cave, and that Yohan had closed it, wasn’t something they were digging into.
There were so many topics to discuss, it was more appropriate to meet the Emperor in person.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.
After all, it’s not an ordinary situation.”
“Hm…”
Francia murmured quietly so that Yohan could hear, as he seemed lost in thought.
“Actually, what if Yohan’s highly pure and vast magical power filled the crack in the cave?”
Yohan turned his head to look at her.
“Isn’t that a plausible idea?”
Her words made sense.
While it was a hypothesis, magic caves were gaps in the world created by gathering mana that had been corrupted by negative energy.
If the mana were of high purity, it could fill that void.
“There was a similar occurrence when I went to check the magic cave in the Eckarshi Count’s domain, but there was no change at all then.”
But the facts didn’t line up.
“New cracks and old cracks are different, aren’t they?
The new one probably needs much more magical power.
And this one was artificially opened by the magic practitioners.”
Her words were full of speculation, but not entirely impossible.
It was worth experimenting.
“Hmm…”
Though she said it was worth experimenting, Yohan wasn’t fully convinced.
His magical power was indeed incredibly pure and vast, and it was special.
But in the long history of the world, was there not a single magician with a similar magical power?
Of course, Yohan was an extraordinary case—a being who had reincarnated beyond the world.
“Ah, Harssen, the Grand Mage!
What’s he doing here at the party today?”
At that moment, a group of officials and mages approached Yohan.
“Is that the Ferbache Grand Mage with you?
Won’t you have a drink?”
At their question, Yohan smiled lightly and shrugged.
“I just can’t bring myself to drink.”
“Oh, why not?
The war’s over now…”
“My mind’s a bit too complicated.”
“Ah, that makes sense…”
The official nodded slowly as if understanding, crossing his arms.
“But how did you close the magic cave?”
“Maybe you were the chosen saint or something?”
“Well, you do look a bit saintly.”
In the middle of their banter, there was a strong smell of alcohol.
The officials were staying at a villa near the border, so there was naturally a stock of liquor.
“Oh, is the seat uncomfortable for you?”
“Can’t drink, maybe?”
As the officials continued their questions, Yohan lightly laughed and answered.
“I have some things to discuss with the Ferbache Grand Mage, just the two of us.”
Yohan smiled, and the officials gasped in surprise.
It was well-known among the public servants that he and Francia were a couple.
The officials exchanged mischievous smiles and nudged each other.
“We’ve been so clueless, we’ve interrupted again.”
“Sorry…”
“Have a good time!”
The officials quickly rushed into the villa, and the noisy voices could still be heard from outside.
“They didn’t realize Yohan couldn’t drink, huh? You’ve hidden it well.”
Francia smiled softly, leaning her head on Yohan’s shoulder.
“Well, you told me to hide it because it would cause trouble if people found out.
So, I’ve been avoiding drinking events.
I think most people assume I don’t really like alcohol.”
Aside from the welcome party on his first day at the public service, Yohan had never drunk with the officials.
Even when they suggested it, he’d made excuses and declined.
Since the officials knew he always left work with Francia, they didn’t push the issue either.
They didn’t mind.
Yohan wasn’t very good with alcohol, and he knew it was dangerous to get too drunk, so he had always been careful.
“Hm… I’m worried I’m restricting Yohan too much. Not letting you drink with others…”
Francia nervously twirled her hair with her fingertips and smiled awkwardly.
“It’s not that you’re restricting me. I also avoided drinking events unless they were special,” Yohan replied.
“And I know drinking can be risky for me, so I’m careful.
It’s not just because of your request.”
He could get drunk after just five drinks, and it wasn’t just about getting tipsy—it made him lose his memory entirely.
One or two drinks didn’t matter, but if he kept drinking like that, the mood would always get ruined.
It was better to avoid it altogether.
He also kept his weakness hidden.
“Then I’m relieved.”
Francia seemed reassured and smiled gently.
The bushes rustled.
The air was cold.
The moonlight cast shadows, and a peaceful atmosphere followed.
“It’s getting cold. Should we head inside?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
They held hands and entered the villa.
“You’ve arrived!!”
“Damn, the Grand Mage Harssen!”
“The hero of today!”
“The man who ended the war!!”
The noisy atmosphere grew even louder.
* * *
The Imperial Palace
The Emperor, having received news via letter, sat upon his throne and gently stroked his chin.
“Closing the crack in the Magul…,”
It was truly an unprecedented event.
If it wasn’t a mere coincidence, and if he truly possessed the ability to close the Magul…
The value of a person named Yohan Harssen would soar uncontrollably.
‘…Did they say he’s in a romantic relationship with Princess Ferbache?’
The Emperor’s eyes gleamed sharply.
If Yohan Harssen were to become involved with her and join the Ferbache Duchy, he would undoubtedly remain loyal to the Empire.
But the Emperor knew there was a more certain and advantageous way.
It was to accept him as a member of the Imperial family.
“Chamberlain, listen.”
The Emperor raised his hand slightly.
“Yes. Please, Your Majesty.”
The chamberlain, who had been waiting for orders, bowed respectfully.
“Inform the Third Princess, Leriana, to come to the audience chamber.”