Promise

Although the Holy Empire was one of the four great empires, it had the smallest territory among them. Some even said it could not truly be called an empire, because its development to this day had been inseparable from the support of the Church.

However, that did not mean the Holy Empire was a puppet of the Church. The empire's founding emperor had been a follower of the God of Light and maintained a good relationship with the Church. In the end, this led to the current situation, which was why the Church's headquarters was located in the imperial capital.

As the representative of the God of Light in the mortal world, the Church was naturally a colossal entity in the eyes of ordinary people. Even the other empires could at most ignore its existence. No one dared harm members of the Church, and naturally, no one dared try to win it over either. Who could guarantee that bringing the Church to their side would not be inviting a wolf into the house? When the time came, who would truly be in charge?

But the founding emperor, Keske, had no such concerns. He trusted his judgment of people. Such a warm and benevolent Church could not possibly do such things. The facts proved that his choice had been correct. Every generation of emperors had enjoyed a good relationship with the popes, and the Holy Empire and the Church had benefited each other as they grew ever stronger.

Just a year ago, the Holy Continent's sole Mage God had appeared out of nowhere, and all the citizens of the Holy Empire had erupted in excitement. That was because this Mage God had been born in their country. From then on, whether they were soldiers in mage corps or commoners, they all felt somewhat superior whenever they saw foreigners.

Does your country have a Mage God? What? No? I can't hear you. Could you answer louder?

This was a common taunt Holy Empire mages threw at hostile empires. That had also been the Holy Empire's most prosperous year.

But good times did not last. Only a year after this Mage God had emerged, she suffered a vicious curse. Naturally, the most anxious person was Emperor Keske XIII. He sought doctors and medicines everywhere in the hope of curing Mayuna, only to return disappointed time and again. In the end, he could only watch as Mayuna left on her own.

News that Mayuna was beyond cure quickly spread across the continent, making Keske XIII even more furious. This was undoubtedly a man-made conspiracy. Although he did not know how the culprit had managed to curse a Mage God, the murderer had to be caught. Yet even now, there were no leads at all.

"Mayuna, have you cured yourself? Or did you use some strange magic?"

Keske XIII wore a gratified smile. In a sense, he had watched Mayuna grow up. His troublesome daughter had loved clinging to her and playing with her since childhood, and he had grown accustomed to it. It was only after Mayuna became a Mage Saint that he began paying attention to this white-haired girl. Who would have thought she would truly become the first Mage God in history?

"Greetings, Your Majesty. I was cured by a spell called an IV drip."

Mayuna bowed to Keske XIII. At her level of strength, she did not need such formalities, but she regarded herself as Tinasha's friend and showed the proper respect to her friend's father.

"There is such a spell? Can you tell me how it controls the flow of mana? I want the entire country to learn it."

The emperor's heart burned with excitement. A curse that even the pope could not cure had been healed by an unheard-of spell. Did that not prove this spell was even stronger than divine arts? If they obtained such magic, it would surely be useful.

"Unfortunately, only he can use this kind of spell. No one else can learn it."

As Mayuna spoke, she looked at Ruben, who was no longer glowing atop her head.

"Hello."

Seeing that he had successfully drawn the emperor's attention, Ruben copied Mayuna and bowed to him.

"You saved Mayuna, didn't you? Good, very good. What do you want? As long as it is something I can give, it is yours. Land? A noble title?"

In Keske XIII's eyes, Ruben had probably become a young and promising genius mage. He smiled kindly at Ruben and made his promise.

"I want to... mmph!"

Just as Ruben was about to say that he wanted a resident stone so he could become a citizen of this country, Mayuna darted over with startling agility and covered his mouth. Unable to break free, he could only let the Mage God girl do as she pleased.

"He says he hasn't decided yet. As long as Your Majesty remembers today's promise, that will be enough."

Mayuna said this to Keske XIII with a grin. She had always remembered the many things Ruben had done for her. Now that he was trying to secure a few benefits for himself, it was only natural.

"Anyway, it is good that you have returned, Mayuna. I hope you will attend tomorrow's morning court and let everyone know you are still alive. Your status is far too special. Even if I told them myself, no one would believe it."

Keske XIII stared blankly at Mayuna's smile for a moment before speaking. Had this child ever smiled so easily before? It did not seem so. She had never liked smiling much, and after Yura passed away, she had shown even less expression.

"Um, perhaps not. I only came back this time to see His Holiness the Pope. I will be leaving soon. You know I am not suited for politics. The world is so vast; I want to go out and see it."

Mayuna glanced at Ruben and refused without hesitation. The emperor's proposal reminded her of her former life in the imperial capital. Though unwilling, she had always needed to attend all sorts of banquets and endure meaningless flattery. Rather than that, she would prefer flicking Ruben on the forehead.

"It is only natural that you would feel that way. I will not demand that you remain in the imperial capital forever, but surely you can show your face at least once. When the monster tide comes, do you intend to stand by and do nothing? By then, everyone will know you are still alive."

"...I still don't really want to."

"Senior Yura emptied half my national treasury to speed up her adorable disciple's cultivation..."

Seeing that Mayuna stubbornly refused to agree, His Majesty naturally still had his methods. Emotional appeals were useful things. How could he not use one?

"Urgh!"

"She also plundered every magic crystal mine in the country for her adorable disciple's cultivation..."

"Urgh!"

"And for..."

"Wait, I agree. Stop talking."

Keske XIII's words were like a tightening headband, making Mayuna's head ache terribly. She knew her teacher had not been easy to deal with, and everything Yura had done had been for her sake. The debts she had incurred could only be repaid by Mayuna.

"Good. I have matters to attend to. Tinasha, take good care of your friend."

Having achieved his goal, the emperor gave Ruben a friendly nod and left. There were many people who needed to be informed that Mayuna was alive.

"Mm."

Tinasha turned her gaze back to Ruben, this ordinary person. In her excitement earlier, she had briefly forgotten that he was the one who had saved her friend. No matter what, she had to thank him properly.

"Mayuna, is the monster tide real?"

Ruben tugged on Mayuna's hand and asked. What Keske XIII had said about the monster tide had caught his attention. He had heard of it before, but Dris was simply too small and located on the border. Stories of monsters pouring out of the Monster Forest in full force were generally only used to frighten crying children at night. No one had ever seen it with their own eyes, so its credibility was truly terrible.