Farewell

In the year 218 of the Empire Calendar.

To everyone's surprise, Jupiter did not march north to subjugate the magicians, nor did he punish those Northern Territory nobles. It seemed some sort of compromise had been reached.

Gradually, troubling news began to leak from the imperial palace.

The legendary figure who had ruled the Empire for over two centuries—the Mercenary Emperor—seemed truly to have reached the end of his life!

Sulu, clad in a white cinched robe, entered a garden.

Withered yellow leaves lay thick across the ground, sunlight spilling over them with a shimmer like scattered gold.

An old man lay in a reclining chair not far away.

His hair was graying, his face layered with deep wrinkles, and a thick blanket covered his legs. It was Jupiter, though he had aged by an unknown number of years.

Only the light in his eyes remained fairly bright.

Guards should have been stationed all around, yet not a single person appeared to stop Sulu from approaching.

Hearing the footsteps, Jupiter turned his head. Disbelief first surfaced in his eyes, only to be replaced by realization. He called out softly, "Teacher... you came? Are you here to see me off?"

He gave a self-deprecating smile. "I always felt there was something strange about you. It seems... many of my doubts can be answered today... I have so many questions to ask you."

"Yes... I came to see you off."

Sulu stood beside Jupiter, gazing out over the garden with him as he let out a faint sigh.

"I'm going to die..." Jupiter spoke as though he were talking about someone else.

"You dominated your era, yet still could not escape the passage of time... There was clearly a path beyond Legend, but you rarely even studied the Obelisks, nor did