Chapter 881

"What’s the problem! Even just thinking that way is still better than nothing! This is your punishment for running your mouth after I went through all that trouble to save you.”

Yuder, who normally wasn’t picky about food, had never eaten whole lemons like this before—not just squeezing them for juice, but actually chewing them one after another. They were so sour it felt like his mouth might literally melt, but since Inon looked so pleased, Yuder didn’t spit it out and instead chewed and swallowed it to the end.

‘The only reason Inon can eat this every day and still be fine is because he’s not actually human...’

“I’m heading out now.”

“Ah, wait a sec.”

As Yuder stood up after finishing, Inon grabbed his arm.

“There’s still something important left.”

“Something important?”

“That day when the hail fell. I found out from what you told me that there’s such a thing as an abnormal rift, but that was actually the first time I ever saw one myself. I was too busy to examine it properly, and it vanished after spitting out all the monsters, but still—I did see it.”

That really was something worth calling important. Yuder sat back down.

“So? Did you feel anything from it?”

“I guess you could say I did. Seeing it with my own eyes made it clear why you were so worked up. It also reminded me of something Luma once said.”

“What did he say?”

“Right before he left, Luma said something to me for the last time.”

Inon’s eyes momentarily clouded, as if he were groping through something far away.

“When everyone else was dreaming of a peaceful future, there was someone who worried that the past would one day return. He said that he had done everything he could for that person, and that when the time came, I would be needed... so he was asking me, as a favor.”

“......”

Yuder blinked slowly in a moment of quiet confusion.

The phrase about the return of the past could only be interpreted one way: the Great Catastrophe. So then... was it possible that the great archmage who had helped build the foundation of the newly founded Orr Empire had already anticipated that one day, such a catastrophe might return, and prepared for it? Was that why he believed a guardian to protect the capital was necessary, and created Inon?

Well, he had spent his entire life on battlefields, so it wasn’t strange that even after regaining peace, he would remain cautious, thinking that it could crumble again at any moment. In fact, if you looked at the buildings erected in the early days of the Empire, most were designed with defensive capabilities in mind, with no aesthetic beauty to speak of. The Seven Walls of the capital might be far more beautiful and mysterious in appearance, but weren’t they ultimately born of the same line of thinking?

But if it hadn’t just been ordinary post-war paranoia, and instead came from some real reason that led to such conviction and preparations—then the weight of that remark changed. A little? No... quite a lot.

Especially because, now, a thousand years later, the one sitting here—Yuder Aile—was living proof, the very one who had once screamed and struggled, certain the world was hurtling toward destruction, only to die alone.

But if the archmage from a thousand years ago had also believed the same thing... and if he had had a definite reason to believe it...

Yuder’s fingers twitched involuntarily. He clenched them, struggling to suppress the emotions that were about to boil over, and asked,

“Do you think... he had a reason to believe that?”

“I don’t know. Before you showed up, I lived convinced that the capital would never reach a point where I had to step in. Not to the extent that it was truly in danger. At least, that’s what I believed—until I heard why you had to kill that giant monster in the West all on your own.”

That reminded Yuder of a conversation he once had with Inon.

Back then, Inon had asked why he hadn’t waited for backup before killing the massive Petoamet alone, and Yuder had replied that once it was too late, it couldn’t be undone. He already knew what could happen if it grew into a disaster-level threat with time—that was the only reason he could give such an answer.

And what had Inon said to that?

‘—I think I understand now what you meant when you talked about a non-personal goal. If that’s the case... no. I didn’t think it was time yet. Or maybe... maybe I was wrong.’

Murmurs that had barely even formed into words.

Was Inon recalling Luma’s words back then?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Like I said before, I have the soul of a spirit, but no memories. So I don’t know what the world was like back then—when it collapsed a thousand years ago. But after seeing that rift the other day, I started to think... maybe part of what Luma saw and fought during the Great Catastrophe looked just like that.”

“......”

“I used to believe that what Luma wanted from me was to protect the area within the range of the Seven Walls if the capital were ever in danger of being destroyed. But the more I think about the Great Catastrophe after seeing that rift... the more I think maybe that wasn’t all.”

“If that wasn’t all, then what else?”

“I don’t know... But now I’m wondering if, when Luma created me with a self-aware will and left me here, he might have anticipated that I’d one day leave the capital on my own, making decisions like this...”

“So what—you’re saying even the decisions you’re making now were part of Luma’s plan?”

“Something like that... It’s hard to say for sure, but yeah. I just don’t think the Great Catastrophe is something that ends just by keeping it out of the capital.”

Right. Luma’s final words weren’t an explicit command to “protect the capital.” He had simply said that Inon would be needed when “that time” came.

Inon was the Guardian of the Seven Walls, and a part of the wall itself. But precisely because he was a part of the wall, he could still leave it temporarily without issue. Could such a [N O V E L I G H T] trait have been given to him without purpose?

‘Luma said he wanted a guardian with a soul. That he believed it was the best choice. So then, the reason for that choice...’

Was likely so that, even in Luma’s absence, someone could exist to consider when and how to activate the legacy of the Seven Walls.

With that thought, the Seven Walls—something Yuder had long taken for granted—suddenly looked completely different from an entirely new perspective.

Until now, Yuder had assumed the Seven Walls existed to protect the imperial palace, the imperial family, and the capital itself—just like everyone else believed.

But even while the Seven Walls remained intact and functional, countless people had been assassinated over the past thousand years within the palace, including members of the imperial family. And not only that—the Sage and other Awakeners had summoned monsters right into the Sun Palace, where the Emperor resided, and launched attacks.

At the time, it had been assumed that the walls didn’t respond because such an ability had never existed before and wasn’t affected by magic. But what if... the Seven Walls had simply been sitting there, existing, holding their power, but never truly activated for their intended purpose?

Because the one with the right to choose—the guardian, Inon—had never made that decision.

And even Inon had only seen himself as a passive part of the Seven Walls, simply waiting for the mysterious “time” Luma had warned about to eventually arrive.

“Inon.”

“Yeah?”

“This is just my opinion, but...”

Yuder hesitated, then slowly voiced his thoughts. Inon, who had listened at first as if it were nonsense, fell silent by the time he reached the end—his lips pressed shut, deep in thought.

“...It’s ridiculous, but... it’s a theory worth considering. I always thought I knew what my purpose and powers as a Guardian were. But I’ve never once thought I was supposed to move the wall. I’ve never truly taken action for the sake of that mission.”

“If you think I’m getting carried away, you can ignore it.”

“No. I’ll have to act more often as a Guardian going forward anyway, so I need to understand this for sure. And the abnormal rift—I plan to keep investigating that, too.”

“How do you plan to investigate it?”

“Well, your mages and the external magic guilds were looking pretty hard into the traces left by the last abnormal rift. I’ll get in on that and help analyze it. There was something I felt when I saw it, but... I want to be more certain before I say anything.”

“Got it. I’ll let them know you’re joining the investigation.”

“Good. But hey, why are you calling me you again? You brat, getting cocky?”

Not calling me “hyung”? Inon grumbled and pinched Yuder’s cheek just as the door opened again. The one who entered this time was, once again, Gakein. But unlike before, this time he looked so flustered he couldn’t even spare a glance to assess the room.

“Gakein?”

“Apologies for the interruption, Pharmacist. And Yuder. We just got an urgent report...”

“What happened?”

“There’s been another report of a strange rift sighted near Maklaran, close to Sharloin. It’s not confirmed yet, but it sounds just like the one that appeared in Sharloin...!”

Yuder instantly shot to his feet. All the thoughts that had filled his head moments ago vanished without a trace.

“Who reported it? Take me to them right now.”