L.E. Miranda
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SSR - Book 2 Chapter 46: Time (1)
🕑 Added 2025-05-13 01:39:02 +0000 UTCDamian looked at his friend with sympathetic eyes, several emotions swimming in his chest. Henry’s expression was grave, as it always seemed to be these days. The man’s greying black hair was a bit disheveled, and his beard had grown a bit too much, but it wasn’t to the point where they detracted from his inherent majesty. Henry stood as tall as ever, looking at a table covered with different maps. Still, Damian knew how great the weight that back needed to bear.
“Henry,” Damian said slowly. “You know we can’t keep going like this.”
Henry frowned but didn’t immediately reply. His frown deepened as the seconds ticked by.
“…I can’t just stop and give them up,” Henry finally said after some time. “You know about this kingdom’s oath to Mar’s royal family. Larissa is part of it, for fuck’s sake. I can’t let them down!”
Damian stared at his friend and king. For the first time in a long while, he managed to glimpse the desperation underneath the man’s apparently composed exterior.
“Even if it means getting our entire kingdom razed to the ground?”
Henry’s eyebrows twitched. His eyes filled with pain before he looked down. Damian didn’t want to do this, but he knew he needed to strike when the iron was hot.
“I understand why we have to support Mar, despite the Empire’s movements. But our strength isn’t a great addition to their forces, anyway. With or without us, the amount of time Mar would last against the Empire is almost the same,” Damian continued, his voice growing steadier as he spoke.
Henry looked at him.
“A single Sixth Circle Mage can shift the tide of battle. Even if you can only be at one battlefield at a time, isn’t it enough for you to save the lives of the soldiers who would have died without you there?”
Damian shook his head with a pained expression.
“Not when it means the deaths of countless civilians.”
Henry flinched and let out a deep sigh.
“…This conversation is going in circles,” Henry finally said after some time. “I’m sure we’ve already been through that exact point twice.”
Damian sighed. Of course, that was something he had noticed as well. His conflicted emotions were clear on his face.
Should I say it? Is it right for me to say it?
They had been talking about the current political situation for almost half an hour. However, because of the Belmont family’s oath to Mar’s royal family, Henry was unwilling to simply leave them be against the Empire’s increasing aggressiveness. On the other hand, Damian himself was against the Ceotha Kingdom’s current position, which placed it in the Empire’s sights as an ‘enemy.’
But there’s one more option.
He just didn’t know if he should say it.
As Damian struggled internally, Henry looked back at the maps, scanning them with a severe gaze. After almost ten seconds, Damian made his decision.
“There’s one more thing we can try,” Damian started, making Henry look at him. “We just need to buy time.”
Henry raised an eyebrow.
“Time?”
Damian nodded.
“It’s not a good plan. And it isn’t fair. In fact, it can be easily discarded if he doesn’t agree to it. Frankly, it can’t even be called a plan.”
Henry tilted his head in confusion.
“Go on.”
Damian took a deep breath, struggling to push down the self-loathing that slowly filled his chest.
“We buy time for Rylan to grow and develop.”
Damian frowned as the words left his mouth, as if they had left a bitter aftertaste. He despised himself for even needing to suggest a plan like this, but it was the only thing he’d come up with, given the current circumstances. After saying those words, Damian couldn’t resist the disgust that rose in his chest. He loathed himself for even needing to come up with this plan, but it was the best alternative for the kingdom, given Henry’s unwillingness to change his ways.
Henry furrowed his brow.
“…I don’t understand. I don’t see why you would say that’s a solution. We can’t expect him to take on the burden of facing off against the Empire when neither of us can do it. Besides, how long would that even take?”
Damian slowly shook his head.
“Rylan is much, much more than that.”
Henry motioned for him to continue. Damian took a deep breath.
“As you know, Hayden and Jasmine are also my apprentices. Both of them are very talented Mages with bright futures ahead of them, and I’m sure they’ll lead this kingdom one day. But,” Damian continued. His eyes slowly filled with wonder and curiosity. “Rylan surpasses them in almost every metric except for sheer mana quantity.”
Henry blinked in surprise before nodding to himself.
“He has been training for the shortest amount of time, but… Is the difference truly so large?”
Damian nodded immediately.
“It is. As you know, before his eighteenth birthday, Rylan was only at the First Circle. Right now, less than a year later, he’s in the Third Circle, and his combat ability surpasses that of any Third Circle Mage in this kingdom and most of the ones in the Fourth Circle. I can’t see how strong he’ll be in a few years. At all.”
Henry widened his eyes.
“There’s also something else,” Damian quickly continued before his friend could interrupt him. “But I don’t know what it is.”
Henry’s words died in his throat as he furrowed his brow.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you remember that strange sensation we felt during his battle against Hayden? After these few months by his side, I’ve gotten a better grasp of its existence in Rylan. But I still have no idea what it is, exactly, only that it seems to make him stronger.”
The room went silent.
“…Something that surpasses even your knowledge, huh?” Henry said after almost ten seconds, sounding like he was talking to himself.
Damian nodded.
“Yes. I’ll talk to him about it, but in my opinion, waiting for Rylan to develop would be our smartest move if he agrees to help us. We just need to buy as much time as possible.”
Henry rubbed his chin, deep in thought, staring at the maps on the wooden table. After some time, he raised his gaze and looked at Damian.
"...Are we supposed to wager this kingdom's fate on the shoulders of an eighteen-year-old who only wants to enjoy his time in a Magic Academy? How pathetic."
Damian smiled bitterly.
"After the tournament finals, I did say it was a pity that he had been born in this kingdom."
Compared to the Empire, Ceotha was nothing. Damian knew both he and Henry wouldn't grow much for the rest of their lives, unless they went on a large killing spree to raise their Levels. They had been training for too long and had almost reached their limits. There was no feasible way for them to deal with the Empire's forces.
But Rylan is different.
Damian tried to contain the growing disgust at himself. Eventually, Henry nodded.
“…Honestly, it sounds a bit unbelievable, but I’ll trust your words, old friend.”
Damian sighed.
“Don’t count our blessings yet. I need to talk to him and see if he’s willing. Until then, let’s talk about how we can bide our time.”
If Rylan didn't agree, Damian wouldn't push the issue. This very plan was already unfair enough. Damian approached the table. Almost at the same time, both he and Henry looked at the maps and pointed at different areas.
***
A week after the Battle Fundamentals assignment, some ways into the third month since the classes had started.
Rylan stood in front of the door to Damian’s study with a grin. He threw his left arm around Hayden’s neck and his right one around Jasmine’s. Hayden only smiled, but Jasmine shifted, clearly flustered.
“Alright, kiddos,” he said, keeping his grin. “Here we go again.”
“You’re only two years older,” Jasmine grumbled under her breath, her face flushed.
Rylan smiled and walked forward, pulling his arms back and pushed the doors open. The same study as usual came into view, illuminated by the golden sunlight. As usual, their white-haired, emerald-eyed master was sitting in his chair. However, even though things looked the same, Rylan narrowed his eyes.
Something’s wrong.
Was it because his senses had only grown sharper as he trained? Or was it because he got to know Damian better? Either way, he could tell something was weighing on the old Mage’s mind.
Damian flashed them a carefully-crafted smile.
“Welcome, you three. Should we pick up where we left off?” Damian asked.
Hayden and Jasmine nodded at the same time. Hayden moved a bit faster and grabbed the right chair. Jasmine pouted and sat down in the one on the left. After analyzing Damian for a few seconds, Rylan sat down in the middle chair, as usual.
“Master, I would like to talk more about the progress toward the Fourth Circle,” Hayden said barely a moment after sitting down.
At his words, Jasmine perked up and looked at Damian. The old man nodded with a chuckle. Rylan glanced at his friend.
Even though Damian has already said we’re all far away from the Fourth Circle, he still hasn’t given up.
In a way, it was the type of determination that resulted in great strength, to be unshaken before an impossibility and only think about how to reach one’s goal.
“First,” Damian started. “As we’ve already discussed, the Fourth Circle is an important milestone that will grant you much greater strength than reaching the Third Circle from the Second Circle. Naturally, that means it’s much harder. For now, I only urge you to have patience. You’re already going through the best training you can.”
Hayden hesitatingly nodded. Jasmine was the next one to ask a question. This time, it was one specific to her circumstances. After her question was answered, Hayden asked another one. In such a fashion, time quickly passed. After a while, Damian looked at Rylan.
“Now, I’d like to talk to Rylan,” Damian said. “Alone.”
Both Jasmine and Hayden blinked almost at the same time before nodding and standing up. Hayden threw Rylan a smile of absolute faith and tapped him on the shoulder. Once Jasmine saw this, she hesitantly ran her fingers on Rylan’s other shoulder, making him raise an eyebrow.
Once the two of them left, Rylan turned back to face Damian. The man’s previously serene expression was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a grave one filled with concern.
“What happened?” Rylan asked.
Comments
Traellium
I'm starting to think the Empire has mana cultivators, probably why they gain so much strength throughout the timeline.
Jonathan Nading
Do we think that Rylan will eventually be able to train Jasmine to use mana in the way he does? It seems like she has vast potential (and desire?) to follow in his Battlemage/Sword footsteps? I'm really enjoying the relationship that seems to be building between him, Hayden, and Jasmine. Hopefully, he's able to learn from them, too (it's obvious that Hayden's grasp of "classical" mana dynamics surpasses even Rylan's at this point). All three of them are hungry, such a good unifying characteristic.
