Chapter 314: Epilogue - Each of Their Lives (1)

The Frozen Lands Reclaim Spring

Maha had vanished.

Or rather, Maha, which had been forbidden for countless eons, had reverted to its original, ordinary state.

This news sparked hope among the people of the Winter Continent: the long-severed trade route with the Spring Continent had reopened.

For centuries, the Winter Continent had endured relentless blizzards and freezing temperatures, forcing it to rely heavily on the Autumn Continent for food and other essential supplies.

However, trade with the Autumn Continent alone barely kept them from starvation.

Now, with maritime routes to the Spring Continent—renowned for its abundance alongside the Autumn Continent—reopened, hope surged in the hearts of the Winter Continent’s people.

No nation benefited more from this shift than the Kanburk Kingdom.

“Hurry, move faster!”

“Hey, that’s not the right way!”

Beyond the Great Wall, on a coastline once stained with the never-drying blood of war against demons, workers swarmed, constructing a new harbor.

Lokan VII stood on the Great Wall’s towering watchtower, a smile playing on his lips as he surveyed the bustling construction below.

Who knew I’d live to see a day like this?

For centuries, this frigid barrier had shielded the Winter Continent from the Maha’s winter storms. Now, the Kanburk Kingdom, the easternmost nation of the Winter Continent, was finally reaping the rewards of its long-shed blood.

Once this harbor was completed and a sea route to the Spring Continent established, the Kanburk Kingdom would gain the momentum for a monumental leap forward.

Lokan VII’s gaze, still smiling, drifted toward the horizon.

Unlike the past, the azure sky stretched clear and unobstructed.

This was the Maha’s true face, the one he had never seen in his lifetime.

They had fought, hoping their citizens and descendants would live better lives, but even after a lifetime of war, they believed the conflict would never end.

Yet, against all odds… miraculously, the war had come to an end.

Shaking his head at the thought, Lokan VII muttered, “It wasn’t a miracle.”

No, it wasn’t a miracle.

It was the fruit of someone’s tireless efforts: the one who had dispelled the darkness of Maha and restored spring to Winter.

And the children who had appeared in this land centuries ago, bringing happiness to the Crown Prince and his consort.

Now, they had once again brought happiness to the people of Winter.

Lokan VII recalled the inscription on the portrait of the Crown Prince and his consort in his office:

“Fairies who bring happiness…”

Lokan VII smiled towards the Spring Continent beyond the horizon.

“Truly fitting words.”

The Slave’s Love!

A black-haired man with impossibly narrow eyes—so narrow they barely seemed open—strode down a corridor in the Transcendence Academy.

As he passed, students bowed deeply to him.

“Good morning, Associate Professor!”

Shiba waved casually in response to their greetings.

“Mm-hmm.”

The slight curve at the corners of his eyes suggested he was smiling behind those narrow slits.

He continued down the corridor, accepting greetings from students as he went.

A moment later…

Click.

Shiba entered his private office.

He slumped back in his chair, a satisfied expression on his face as he surveyed the room.

This is the life!

He was thirty-five this year.

Many considered Shiba, who had become an Associate Professor at the Tower of Wishes at such a young age, to have achieved a successful life.

Such remarks stemmed from ignorance of Shiba’s struggles and hardships.

For over a decade, he had been trapped in a twisted master-slave relationship with Louis, forcibly dragged into the Tower of Wishes.

He served as Louis’s dedicated cleanup specialist, responsible for handling the aftermath of his blunders.

Though his title was grandiose—“Trainee to the Lord of the Tower’s Dedicated Cleanup Specialist”—beneath the surface lay nothing more than a gilded sham.

After all, Louis, as the Lord of the Tower, personally oversaw all major affairs, issuing direct orders to the Grand Masters and Masters.

However, their lofty status made them unsuitable for handling trivial matters.

Of course, Louis himself held their status in contempt, but even he recognized the need for outward appearances.

You couldn’t possibly summon Grand Masters and Masters for trivial tasks, could you?

Yet assigning a low-ranking Trainee would make Louis suspicious, and letting just anyone handle the job risked exposing the Tower Lord’s foul temper to the world.

That also assumed a Lower Class Trainee could even withstand Louis’s relentless pressure.

Thus, Shiba Bunt was chosen.

Louis himself had brought Shiba here, and the man possessed considerable skill.

More importantly, Shiba had the audacity to let Louis’s relentless nagging roll off him like water off a duck’s back—a temperament that bordered on brazen.

No one could have been better suited to handle Louis exclusively.

And so, for several years, Shiba dedicated himself to Louis, enduring the darkest period of his life.

After Louis suddenly disappeared, it seemed like a ray of light might finally shine upon his life. But that wasn’t the case either.

A sudden war with demons erupted.

The ominous rumors spread as far as the Autumn Continent, and the Grand Master led the tower’s elite forces to the Winter Continent.

From then on, everything—from the production of Transcendent devices to the tower’s major and minor affairs and even the operation of the Transcendence Academy—fell to those who remained behind.

And Shiba, merely because he had once handled tasks alongside Louis, was forced to dive headfirst into the tower’s affairs.

Of course, the workload was as extraordinary as the preferential treatment he received.

For over seven years, he never slept more than three hours a day.

Day after day, Shiba endured, buried under a mountain of hellish tasks. Before he knew it, the war had ended, and he had regained his freedom.

Afterward, he took a position as an associate professor at the Transcendence Academy, enjoying days as sweet as honey.

If only every day could be like this…

Although his duties as an associate professor were not light, they were a mere drop in the bucket compared to the grueling work he had endured for the past decade. Compared to the murderous workload at the Tower of Wishes, his current tasks at Transcendence Academy were so trivial he could practically do them in his sleep.

Tomorrow, after my lecture, I should take a picnic to the outskirts of the city.

Shiba was determined to savor this long-awaited, honey-sweet leisure to the fullest.

“Hmm~”

He hummed a little tune to himself.

Just then…

Knock, knock.

“It’s me.”

Shiba’s eyes lit up at the familiar voice outside the door.

“Come in!”

As Shiba’s permission was given, a woman entered the room.

It was none other than Sierra.

Like Shiba, she had been brought to the Tower of Wishes by Louis and bound to its will.

In the past, the debts of her family, the Cassius Duke Family, had been absorbed by the Tower of Wishes when Louis devoured the Syron Duke House.

Sierra had since cleared all of her family’s debts.

Yet she remained in the Tower of Wishes.

By now, the tower had become like a home to her.

After the war ended, she, like Shiba, had been appointed as an associate professor at the Transcendence Academy.

“What brings you here?” Shiba asked.

Sierra smiled. “The Dean is looking for you.”

“Me?”

“No, both of us.”

Shiba tilted his head in confusion.

Floria remained the Dean of Transcendence Academy.

She rarely sought them out for trivial matters.

For Floria to summon both Shiba and Sierra simultaneously, the matter must be of considerable importance.

An inexplicable anxiety surged in Shiba’s chest.

”…Do you happen to know what this is about?”

Sierra responded with a bright smile. “Roughly.”

“What is it?”

“They say new personnel orders have been issued.”

”…”

“It seems two new Masters are being appointed.”

“N-No way?!”

“Yup, that’s right.”

Sierra’s smile widened.

“It’s probably you and me.”

Her words were staggering.

Sierra and Shiba were both still in their thirties—remarkably young to be appointed as Masters. Such an honor would make them the envy of countless others.

Sierra had rushed over to deliver the joyous news in person, but Shiba’s reaction far exceeded her expectations.

”…What are you doing?”

Before Sierra could finish speaking, Shiba had already pulled out a large bag and begun packing his belongings with frantic haste.

“This… this can’t be happening!”

“What are you doing?”

“We have to escape… get out of this antlion pit!”

How many grueling years did I endure to achieve this peaceful life?

And now I have to return to the Tower of Wishes?

The title of Master carried immense prestige.

But Shiba knew better than anyone how utterly swamped with work the position truly was, burdened by the very prestige it carried.

Who would fall for such a trick?!

The moment he naively accepted the offer, seduced by the allure of becoming the Youngest Master, he’d be swallowed whole by a bureaucratic hell.

Master my ass!

The naive young mystic who had once idolized the Master no longer existed.

Only a jaded pessimist, weathered by the harsh realities of the world, remained.

“What are you doing, really?!” Sierra exclaimed, grabbing Shiba’s wrist as he frantically packed his belongings.

Shiba replied with a desperate expression, “Sierra… let’s run away together.”

“What?”

“There’s no future for us here.”

”…”

“The moment we become Masters, we’ll be working ourselves to death for the rest of our lives! We’ve already sacrificed our entire youth—I can’t spend my remaining years trapped in this labor hell!”

”…”

“Always overtime, and more overtime! I don’t want to die without ever getting married… or even experiencing love!”

Sierra watched Shiba tear at his hair, her gaze filled with pity.

“Shiba…”

“Hngh…”

“Is the problem just that you work too much, or that you can’t find love?”

“Obviously both!”

“If you had to give up one and choose only one, which would it be?”

“Love! Absolutely love!”

Sierra sighed softly at his immediate, unhesitating answer.

“Ha… you’re hopeless, really…”

“I can’t just grow old and die a lonely bachelor!”

“Then date me.”

Shiba, who had been tearing at his hair, blinked in confusion.

“Huh?”

“Date me.”

”…What?”

“Love.”

”…”

Sierra’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Shiba, speechless and gaping like a fish.

“You don’t like me?”

“Ah, that… Ah, no! It’s not that I don’t like you!”

Only then did Shiba fully grasp what Sierra was saying, his face flushing crimson with embarrassment.

Sierra chuckled at his reaction.

“You do like me, don’t you?”

“Well…”

“Don’t you?”

“No! M-yes, I do!”

“Then there’s no problem. I like you too. So, starting today, we’re dating.”

”…”

“What’s your answer?”

“Y-yes…”

Shiba lowered his head slightly, his face as shy as a blushing bride.

Sierra grinned and firmly grasped Shiba’s hand.

“Let’s go. Lady Floria must be waiting.”

”…”

“You wouldn’t abandon your lover… and run away alone, would you?”

“Uh, that…”

“Let’s go.”

“Okay…”

Shiba, who had been raging about escaping just moments before, had suddenly become remarkably docile.

Led by Sierra’s hand, he followed her obediently.

Then, a thought struck him, and he asked in a small voice, “Um… Sierra?”

“Hmm?”

“How long have you known… that I like you?”

Shiba had harbored feelings for Sierra ever since their graduation from the Transcendence Academy.

For nearly a decade afterward, as they remained friends, he’d believed his unrequited love was a secret no one knew…

Did I make it that obvious?

He’d never imagined she would find out.

Sierra chuckled softly at Shiba’s whispered question. “It’s been a few years now. Roughly… ever since we graduated from the Transcendence Academy?”

“R-really?”

Guess it was more obvious than I thought.

I can’t believe I was found out from the very beginning.

Shiba’s face flushed crimson again, and he hung his head low.

Then he lifted his gaze once more.

“Sierra.”

“Hmm?”

“So, you… uh, when did you start liking me?”

Sierra paused briefly at Shiba’s question, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she replied, “It’s a secret.”

With that, she released his hand and quickened her pace.

Shiba stood frozen behind her, staring blankly after her retreating figure.

Sierra chuckled softly, as if she could see his bewildered expression even without turning around.

Since when, huh…?

A fleeting memory from the past flashed through her mind.

The final semester at Transcendence Academy.

During a meal at the cafeteria, Shiba took the carrots Sierra couldn’t eat.

That’s probably when it started.

When I started paying special attention to Shiba.

But…

How could I ever tell him that?

That she had fallen for him over something so small—him eating her carrots because she didn’t like them.

And that she had fallen for him first.

Sierra couldn’t bring herself to tell Shiba any of this.

As she walked away, a faint blush crept across her ears.

Meanwhile, Shiba stared blankly at her retreating figure.

“Wait up! Let’s walk together!” he shouted, running after her.

Just like he had done over a decade ago.

Just like the memories they had shared at Transcendence Academy.

The two strolled down the academy corridor together.

And so, on that day, Shiba seized both the coveted title of Master and the love he had long yearned for.