Holy Continent—this was a continent beloved by the great God of Light. The Endless Sea, Void Volcano, Forest of Magical Beasts, Dragon Nest, Frozen Snowlands, Underground Labyrinth, Bottomless Swamp, and so on... all of these were places illuminated by the God of Light's radiance. Of course, there were also humans. It was said that humans were the God of Light's most beloved children, so they were born with a talent for magic, whether strong or weak. With later training, they could grow ever stronger. Everyone was a mage, and with such exceptional gifts, humanity gradually came to dominate this continent.
Yet today, the Holy Empire, one of the four great empires of the Holy Continent, was filled with grief. From the monarch to street vendors, sorrow hung on every face. The Holy Empire's only—no, the Holy Continent's only—Mage God had been struck by a vicious curse. Even the Pope, a Mage Saint, could not cure her with the ninth-tier healing spell Angel's Redemption. It was no different from receiving a death sentence from the Grim Reaper.
Though most people had never seen this youngest Mage God in history, countless rumors surrounded her. Some said she was a young woman who had just turned twenty. Some said her hair was as dazzling as the Milky Way, her pupils as beautiful as rubies, and her voice sweeter than a siren's. Her existence was not merely a deterrent of military might, but a kind of faith. The title Mage God represented the possibility of a human becoming a god.
The elderly Pope stood before a very young woman, his face filled with sorrow. Her narrow eyes, high nose bridge, and soft lips formed a delicate face. She was not as breathtakingly beautiful as the rumors claimed, yet she was still a peerless beauty. What truly made people gasp upon seeing her were those crimson eyes—beautiful as rubies and clear as lake water. Whether man or woman, no one could resist being captivated by those lovely eyes. Her cherry-pink lips, which should have been moist and rosy, had turned pale and dry under the torment of the curse, making her look especially fragile.
She wore a pitch-black mage's robe. Rather than flowers or decorative patterns, the dress was covered in dazzling stars. If one looked closely, the stars would shift with the passage of time. It was one of the holy relics mages dreamed of obtaining.
"Mayuna, I am truly sorry. If I were also a Mage God and could cast the tenth-tier forbidden spell Light, perhaps I could heal you."
The Pope could be said to have watched Mayuna grow up. He felt deep guilt toward the disciple his old friend had left behind. Even as the Pope who guided countless believers, he was still only a Mage Saint. He could not cast forbidden spells beyond his rank.
"Please do not say that. If this is fate, I will accept it."
Mayuna's clear voice carried not a trace of emotion, as if someone else—not her—had been cursed. Her reaction only made the Pope's heart ache more. Ever since his friend had passed away, this girl had closed off her heart. No one had ever been able to enter it.
"Is there really someone in this world who can curse you? Curse casters... even Mage Saints cannot curse a Mage God. But... if it were a Mage God, would there really be any need to do such a thing? They could obtain anything they wanted through their own strength."
The Pope could not understand it no matter how hard he thought. He had even pulled several hairs from his beard. There were ways to save Mayuna... but all of them ran contrary to the teachings of the Church. For example, she could be transformed into an undead creature. With her magical power, even if she became the most ordinary ghost, she could still live a vibrant life. But even if the Pope turned a blind eye and spared the Church's sworn enemies, the undead, Mayuna herself would reject such a proposal.
"Perhaps this is simply fate. If not for my teacher, I would have died fifteen years ago. Maybe I can see my teacher after I die. Thinking of it that way, it is not so bad."
Mayuna removed her mage's hat. It was a tall, triangular hat, its middle rising high like the top of a tower, while the very tip drooped limply behind it. Its broad brim could conceal part of her face, and Mayuna usually used it to hide her eyes as she traveled from place to place. Once freed from its restraint, hair whiter than pure snow spilled down behind her waist, adding another touch of frail beauty to her appearance.
The Pope opened his mouth. He knew why Mayuna had taken off that hat. Then he watched as she removed the mage's robe that countless mages dreamed of possessing, revealing the plain white shirt beneath. She placed the hat atop the neatly folded robe and handed both to the Pope.
"I promised your teacher that I would take good care of you. Ah..."
The Pope understood what Mayuna meant. Before every mage died, they would leave behind their precious inheritance—either to their family or somewhere in the hope that a young and lucky mage might one day find it. She was no exception.
After thinking for a moment, Mayuna took a milky-white staff from her spatial ring. Its shaft was crystal clear, like white jade, and gave off a faint glow. The crooked top curled into the shape of a crescent moon, with a purple gemstone embedded at its center.
As if it sensed its master's feelings, the staff kept shaking, hoping Mayuna would change her mind.
"Alicia, I hope you will indulge my final selfish request. I do not want you to see me die. Stay here and wait for a new companion."
Mayuna stroked the companion that had been with her for so long, her expression full of reluctance. Hearing words that sounded like a final farewell, even the Pope could not help but weep. Tears dripped onto his graying beard. The staff called Alicia fell silent for a while, then gave off a crisp chime like wind bells. It floated to the hand of the faintly glowing statue of the God of Light behind the Pope and remained there without moving.
"For the rest of my life, I want to visit my hometown. Ever since my teacher took me away, I have never returned even once. Farewell, Your Holiness. If you see Tinasha, please ask her to forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye."
Mayuna smiled softly. A blue magic circle lit up beneath her feet, and she vanished from the spot in an instant.
"Even her spatial magic is so exceptional. The heavens truly envy her, truly envy her... May the great God of Light bless that child."
The Pope wiped away his tears, turned toward the statue of the God of Light, and began to pray. The statue, which had always gazed into the distance, seemed to sense the sorrow as well. The light radiating from its body dimmed considerably.
In the blink of an eye, Mayuna appeared in a small town named Dris. This was one of the most remote towns in the Holy Empire. Other than merchants, almost no one came here. The people lived simple lives, and no one had ever imagined that this place was the birthplace of a Mage God.
Mayuna walked while looking around. Fruit stalls, stalls selling magical beast meat, healers at apothecaries, cloth shops that made clothes for people, a small church, an elderly priest—none of it had changed.
Twenty years ago, Mayuna had been born in this ordinary little town. A child with naturally white hair and red eyes was regarded as cursed and unwelcome. Though people in this world had hair and eyes in all sorts of colors, no one had hair as white as Mayuna's. Everything about her resembled a woman from a certain legend. People feared her based on the appearance described in that legend. Fortunately, her parents still loved her and cared for her attentively.
Mayuna clearly remembered that her father had been an adventure-loving mage, while her mother knew his nature well and had always stayed by his side as his healer. When Mayuna was five, a great earthquake occurred. Soon after, they heard that a strange labyrinth had appeared somewhere on the continent. Her father could not resist taking her mother to investigate it.
Those parents had indeed been a little irresponsible, leaving behind their young daughter to go off adventuring. Mayuna did not know whether she should blame them. Perhaps they had simply been too young and playful. After all, her mother had only just turned twenty when she gave birth to Mayuna.
After entrusting Mayuna to the church priest, the two never returned. She heard they had died. After losing her parents, not only did no one help Mayuna, but a local thug seized the house they had left behind. The church priest did not abandon or discriminate against Mayuna, but the church also served as an orphanage. This place did not belong to her, and she was ostracized by children her age because of her unusual hair and eyes.
Realizing there was no place for her in this world, Mayuna eventually ran to a small wooden cabin on the mountain. The mountain beside the town was rich in resources, and people often entered it in search of magical materials. The cabin had probably been built by someone as a temporary resting place.
Mayuna was on the verge of starving to death when her teacher, the Mage Saint Yura, saved her.
"Will you come with me? I believe you can overturn this world."
A mature woman with wavy black hair suddenly appeared in Mayuna's field of vision. There was not a trace of discrimination or dissatisfaction in her beautiful black eyes. Yura did not mind the dust and cobwebs covering Mayuna's body. She carried her out of that rotting wooden cabin.
Fifteen years later, Mayuna once again arrived before the cabin. She did not use magic, but slowly climbed the mountain step by step, just as she had when she was young.
"Teacher, I truly overturned this world. I became the first Mage God, but you are no longer here. What meaning is there in that? I am about to die too, and all that remains is this ruined house."
Mayuna ran her hand over the cabin door in remembrance, tears falling from her eyes. They were not tears of fear over death, but of longing for her most important teacher.
Click.
At Mayuna's touch, the cabin door suddenly opened inward, revealing a simply furnished room. The space was small, containing only a desk, a bed, and a bookshelf filled with books. It was obvious that someone already lived there.
"Huh?"
Mayuna stared curiously into the room. It was difficult to imagine anyone willing to live in such a tiny, dilapidated house.
"Who are you?"
An unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded behind Mayuna, startling her into taking several steps back. She ended up falling onto the bed inside the cabin.
"Y-you... are you human or a ghost?"
Mayuna was shocked for one reason only. Every human in this world had magic flowing through their body, and as a Mage God, she could naturally sense it. The young man before her had no magical presence at all, leaving her utterly stunned.
"Of course I am human. A thief? It is obvious I have nothing worth stealing. Get out of my house."
The young man had a strange hedgehog-like hairstyle. His hair and eyes were both the common black seen everywhere, and he wore clothes as plain as those of ordinary townsfolk. He was perhaps a little taller than Mayuna. His passably handsome face was filled with displeasure as he shooed her away like an insect.
"How dare you speak to me like that! I am... I am the original owner of this house."
Ever since Mayuna had become Yura's disciple, no one in the world had ever been so rude to her. She had initially wanted to use her status to suppress him, but gave up after thinking about it. She was about to die anyway—what meaning was there in doing that? Still, she did not want to be bullied like this, so she retorted.
"The original owner? I have lived here for fifteen years."
"You do not believe me? Look here."
Mayuna walked outside the cabin and lightly tapped the dirt with the tip of her shoe. Earth magic activated, pushing up a section of ground. The mound stopped once it rose to the height of a person, and three thin transparent crystal tablets sat atop it.
"I buried these fifteen years ago. My name and my parents' names are engraved on them."
Mayuna held the crystal tablets, her heart aching. She had never expected to see them again. They were the equivalent of identification documents in this world, issued by the nation whenever someone was born.
"Fine, I admit you are the original owner. But only the original owner. Do not even think about taking my house."
The young man naturally knew the purpose of such tablets. He had also uncovered them once while digging into the ground. They were usually buried with their owners in a graveyard, so he had merely assumed this was where the three had been laid to rest and returned them to their original place. He had not used them for anything.
"You... who would want this broken house anyway... Ugh!"
Mayuna was so angry she almost laughed. No normal person would want this house. It was not only on a mountain, but also gloomy at night and far from town. It was utterly worthless. Yet before she could finish speaking, her stomach churned. She bent over and vomited onto the ground.
"Hey, are you okay? Were you really that angry?"
The young man tilted his head as he asked. This person seemed surprisingly hot-tempered. She had actually been angered into vomiting by him.
"None of your business."
Even though she was close to death, Mayuna's feminine pride made her use water magic to clean her mouth, then wipe it with a handkerchief.
"This is..."
The young man suddenly picked up a branch from the ground and poked through Mayuna's vomit, studying it carefully.
"You are disgusting. Are you a pervert?"
Mayuna knew her body was nearing its limit. She had been suppressing it with magic all this time, but her mana was almost depleted now. She could no longer suppress the injuries within her body.
"Gastrointestinal bleeding. Facial muscles are stiff. Open your mouth."
The young man threw away the branch, pinched Mayuna's cheek, then forcibly pried open her mouth to inspect it when she refused to cooperate. He immediately picked her up and carried her back into the cabin.
"You! Rude bastard, let go of me!"
Mayuna felt awful. She had wanted to find somewhere quiet to wait for death, yet she had run into a pervert who seemed to be plotting something against her. If her condition had not been so terrible, she could have killed such a petty thief in an instant. But now, she could only resort to the most primitive cry for help. There was no one on this mountain to hear a weak girl's screams.
"Stop making noise. I will save you."
The young man went to the bookshelf and pressed down a certain book. A section of the floor rose up, revealing a staircase leading underground. Still carrying Mayuna, the young man walked down.
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