Nighttime Encounters - Chapter 37
Rosia stood stiff and resolute, facing directly ahead. Before her eyes unfolded an unbelievable sight.
“Why on earth did you set up something like this?” Rosia’s resentful breath pierced through Luperne, dispersing into the air.
Caught off guard, Luperne looked startled, gazing up at the clear sky in bewilderment.
[At that time, there was no other choice.]
Luperne attempted to justify, covered in beads of nonexistent sweat while reminiscing about the past.
680 years ago, during the era of the Carpelia Kingdom. Under the tyranny of Queen Jennifer Marquez Carpelia, the kingdom’s people suffered in agony. Three powerful mages united against Jennifer’s oppression.
In a fierce and brutal battle, Jennifer finally surrendered, marking the end of the Carpelia dynasty. However, the losses incurred by Luperne’s side were substantial. Two of the three mages met their demise, leaving Luperne as the sole survivor to lead the remaining people.
[The last Queen of Carpelia perished, and the kingdom fell apart. The survivors struggled, neighboring countries constantly encroached. So, I had no choice but to establish a new nation.]
Luperne stated with a casual tone, as if saying, ‘The pizzeria went bankrupt, so I opened a spaghetti joint.’
However, speaking lightly about the outcome didn’t make the process any easier. Despite being hailed as a genius mage, Luperne struggled in the crumbling aftermath to sustain a nation through his individual efforts.
Seeking help from other mages became necessary, yet they often disregarded Luperne’s pleas and acted independently. The inability to control mages with immense power posed significant national and societal risks.
[To maintain the fledgling nation of Escalona, there was no other choice.]
Egomaniacal mages wielded power recklessly, plunging Escalona into peril.
[The Kantaea Academy of Magic was established for the socialization of mages. Education was deemed necessary to instill a sense of responsibility in utilizing their powers correctly.]
Driven by scholarly pursuits, the ambitious mages remained absorbed in their studies, showing little concern for the nation’s plight amidst the crisis.
[In dire situations, they could be forcibly mobilized for the nation’s cause.]
There were even mages possessing sufficient power but lacking the knowledge of how to wield it effectively.
[We could unearth individuals with magical abilities, nurture them, and deploy them where needed.]
The power of one or two people was not enough to control the mages, so an institution was needed. Luperne, after much deliberation, conceived what became the Kantaea Academy of Magic—a crucial educational institution during the events 680 years ago, though unforeseen to face such backlash now.
[In the early stages of founding, it was a period where even ants would have been summoned; that’s how critical the need for power was.]
Luperne defended himself in a detailed explanation, although Rosia remained unswayed by his elaborate justifications. Attempting to embellish his accomplishments, the perplexed Luperne explained the circumstances from 680 years ago.
[Yet, it’s not all losses. Although admission is mandatory, upon safely completing four years and graduating, immense privileges await. Access to high-ranking positions, comprehensive research funding—it’s all provided.]
Of course, graduation wouldn’t be easy. Luperne murmured weakly, but his words were swiftly drowned out by Rosia’s edgy tone.
“I might as well be dead before I complete the four years,” Rosia uttered with a grim expression, gazing at the Kantaea Academy of Magic before her.
Along the elongated brick wall flanking both sides of the main gate, layers of barriers were intricately set up, sharing the same sky but entirely segregating the interior and exterior spaces.
It was like…
“A prison,” Rosia remarked, casting a grim gaze at the barred main gate. In the center of the gate, a finely carved golden double-headed eagle motif appeared poised to take flight.
As the gates creaked open with a heavy sound, the splitting heads of the eagle guided Rosia inside.
Feeling as if she was being pulled into the belly of the double-headed eagle, Rosia muttered under her breath, “What kind of school manages not to crumble for 680 years?”
Luperne, rattled by Rosia’s resentment, apologized.
[Sorry. I laid the groundwork pretty well.]
“Are you apologizing or bragging?”
She firmly adjusted her cloak to ward off the cold and glanced at the clear sky while the chilly wind grazed her cheeks in this February weather.
Established by Luperne in the early days, the school grew alongside the history of the Escalona Empire. Thanks to this, the building bore traces of ancient traditions, exuding a deep sense of dignity.
Though the day was cold, the faces of the people moving between these majestic buildings were vibrant with vitality. If Rosia were an ordinary mage, this would have been a school she’d naturally attend.
In Rosia’s violet eyes, a tumult of complex emotions surfaced.
“One thing’s for certain. I shouldn’t be here,” she uttered.
Occasionally encountering people in uniforms, she couldn’t help but look at them with envy. She didn’t belong in this world—a world of light that didn’t harmonize with her ability to see souls.
The life of an ordinary person, a life she shouldn’t covet. Rosia was well aware of the consequences of coveting what wasn’t meant for her—a risk of losing everything, just like the day she lost her parents at the tender age of seven.
