A crack rent the sky, and a heart-palpitating aura surged from within.
Atop the city walls, Novalia softly chanted an ancient incantation, and a massive summoning array materialized beneath her feet.
As the summoning array gradually took shape, the rift in the sky grew wider and wider.
A colossal demon slowly stepped out from the crack. Dark mist shrouded his face, leaving only a towering figure that blotted out the sun, with pitch-black wings unfurling like storm clouds.
Upon appearing on the battlefield, the demon did nothing but lightly snap his fingers.
Countless red-eyed bats poured from the rift, their sheer numbers enough to make one's skin crawl.
The red-eyed bats began to devour and slaughter the xenos.
In an instant, the overwhelming tide of xenos was utterly routed.
A cold, cunning smile curled the demon's lips. “Novalia, where is my payment?”
Even with a contract, making him do anything required a price.
Novalia's voice was icy. “What you wanted has already been sent to your domain through the sacrificial array. You will see it when you return.”
It was the accumulated heritage and wealth of the empire over the last hundred years.
Dealing with a demon was like making a deal with the devil, but they had no other choice.
The demon laughed in amusement. “A pleasure doing business with you.”
With the transaction complete, he prepared to leave.
At the top of the Mage Association, Ning Busan stared at the demon and silently mouthed two words.
“Mammon.”
The Demon King of greed in Hell—Mammon.
He was Ning Busan's favorite subordinate back when he was Satan in Hell.
No one disliked a subordinate who knew how to make money.
Mammon, who was about to return to Hell with one foot already inside the rift, seemed to sense something and slightly turned his head.
His crimson pupils pierced through the vast crowd, staring straight at the spire of the Mage Association.
In the next second, the summoning array vanished, and Mammon returned to Hell.
Sitting atop a mountain of gold and silver, a twisted, maniacal grin spread across his face.
“Was that you calling me?”
“My King—”
Ning Busan had no idea that Mammon had been just a hair's breadth away from discovering his presence.
Speak, and it shall be known.
In a magical world, this was no mere saying.
But now he finally understood why the nobles only spread rumors to ruin Novalia's reputation instead of joining forces to destroy her, even though she wanted to abolish the hereditary peerage system.
They needed Novalia, yet they also feared and dreaded her.
How ironic.
Saige looked at Ning Busan, his expression solemn. “Ning Busan, remember what I am about to say.”
Ning Busan also straightened up. “Yes, Teacher.”
“Never become a summoner, and never attempt to summon any mythical creatures. Unless it is absolutely necessary, never make a deal with a demon.”
Ning Busan promised, “Teacher, I promise you.”
The world was unpredictable; no one knew what the future held.
Promises were ultimately fragile and hollow things.
...
The day after the Black Sun.
When Ning Busan went to find Novalia, she was already packing her bags.
Novalia said, “I will be leaving the Dawn Empire shortly. Take good care of Teacher.”
“So soon?”
Ning Busan knew she was leaving, but he hadn't expected it to be so quick.
Novalia said, “Every time the Black Sun occurs, a massive influx of xenos descends upon the Landia Continent.”
“The Dawn Empire is safe for now, but the territories outside the empire are currently being threatened by the xenos.”
“If you step outside the Dawn Empire, you will realize that simply staying alive is the greatest luxury.”
“I am the heir to the Dawn Empire and the leader of the Thorns Legion. It is my duty to protect my people.”
Ning Busan looked at her beautiful yet resolute face and said softly, “Novalia, make sure you come back alive.”
“Of course I will,” Novalia said, raising her head proudly.
Even if she had lost her magic talent, she was still the strongest knight in the empire.
Ning Busan felt a bit downcast. “If only I were stronger, maybe I could help you.”
If he hadn't met Saige and Novalia, he didn't know how miserably he would be struggling in this foreign world.
To him, Novalia was both a teacher and a friend.
Now that Novalia was heading to the battlefield, aside from worry, he felt an urgent desire to become stronger.
Novalia patted Ning Busan's shoulder, her voice softening for once.
“Both Teacher and I believe that you will one day become a powerful mage.”
“With great power comes great responsibility. Since you've chosen this path, you are destined to not be a bystander in the future.”
“Ning Busan, I look forward to the day of your complete transformation.”
Ning Busan said, “I also look forward to the day the Thorns Legion drives the xenos completely out of the Landia Continent.”
Novalia burst into laughter. “We absolutely will!”
Ning Busan did not go to see Novalia off when she departed.
He merely stood atop the city walls, watching the army set out.
The Thorns Legion poured out of the city gates in a grand, majestic surge, like an unstoppable torrent.
They marched with firm, powerful steps, clad in heavy armor and wielding sharp blades, carrying a resolve that defied death itself.
“With our flesh and blood, we shall defend every inch of our land, until the first light of dawn dispels the darkness—”
Their oath echoed to the heavens.
Yet Ning Busan froze.
Because he was the one who had written that oath.
When the Dawn Empire was first established in the game, he had also led armies to battle the xenos.
Most men had a bit of chuunibyou in them, and he was no exception, which was why he had come up with such a slogan.
But this wasn't a game; it was reality.
People would die, and those who died were not nameless NPCs, but living, breathing human beings.
An unprecedented wave of sorrow and suffocation welled up in Ning Busan's chest, as if fine, sharp threads were slowly tightening around his heart.
The xenos from unknown origins, the refugees in tattered clothes, the nobles indulging in singing and dancing, the soldiers marching to their deaths...
These scenes intertwined, flashing vividly through Ning Busan's mind.
He knew very well that he was just an ordinary person who liked playing video games. He didn't have the power to save the world, nor did he possess the courage and determination to change it.
In the beginning, he only wanted to survive and find a way back home.
Thus, he had always kept his distance, viewing this world merely as a bystander.
But at this very moment, Ning Busan suddenly felt a deep sense of empathy.
This was the empire he had built with his own hands.
Whether he liked it or not, he was already a part of this world.
The moment this thought surfaced in his mind, the magic element particles of the world grew lively in unison, as if rejoicing.
This change was so subtle that even a Grand Archmage would have found it difficult to detect.
Yet, within Heaven, where a bright and sacred aura permeated, a faint smile appeared on the lips of the gold-eyed deity.
“This world is your true home...”
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