Rebirth of the 8th-Circle Mage

Cheers erupted from all directions, echoing through the fortress. Some even pinched themselves, half in disbelief, half in excitement. But once everyone realized that they weren't dreaming, the soldiers rushed out the main gate and into the Demonic Beast Forest without any armor on.

“It’s true! It really is true!”

“I can’t believe I’m outside here without any armor!”

“That serves them right! Damn bastards, we’ve had enough of you!”

Everyone expressed their joy in their respective ways. Iselan and Henry smiled as they watched the soldiers rejoice from afar.

“I never thought we’d see this day,” said Iselan.

“Neither did I, sir. It sure is a moment to remember.”

“Hehe, thanks again. Well, that’s one less thing to worry about.”

“One less thing? Is there something else to worry about?”

“Of course there is. I’m relieved that the demonic beasts are gone and the Demon King is dead, but that’s just the beginning.”

Iselan then pointed behind him with his thumb.

“We still have them to take care of them.”

Henry looked back and noticed that Iselan was pointing toward the back gates of the fortress. He assumed that he was talking about the blind believers.

“Yes, they’re still a thorn in our side, as I’ve yet to find a way to turn them back to normal. But it’s not like we have any problems moving around just because of them, right?”

“No problems moving around? How are we supposed to leave the fortress when they’re right in front of the gates, blocking our way?”

“Huh? Sir, have you forgotten who I am?”

At Henry’s confused reaction, Iselan quickly remembered that he was talking to Henry. He tapped his head out of embarrassment and made an excuse.

“Pff, I’m getting old, Henry. I keep forgetting things these days. I hope you understand.”

“No, I don’t blame you at all. There’s really nothing you can do about aging. Anyway, I want to remind you that you shouldn’t think you’re isolated because the blind believers are blocking the way. I’ll make teleportation gates that connect to Monsieur. You’ll use them to go back and forth for the time being.”

“Thanks, Henry.”

As the night approached, Henry prepared to take over Elagon’s task. Even though Henry had been away only for a couple of hours in the human world, a significant number of blind believers had gathered around the fortress. Henry furrowed his brow as he looked at them, remembering how troublesome it would be to deal with them.

“Good job, Elagon.”

- Khu, khu!

Elagon had only been on duty for a brief period of time, but for Henry, that translated to a couple of days, which was why he wanted to take over Elagon’s task and allow it to rest up.

Henry glared at the hordes of blind believers that Elagon had frozen, thinking that they were the only problem left for him to resolve. Before leaving for Caliburn Fortress, Henry had instructed his fellow wizards to come together and try to think of a solution.

However, Henry wasn’t expecting much progress in such a short time. And so, just as he had expected, it seemed that he would have to tackle the problem himself.

As Henry let Elagon rest, he spent a considerable amount of time drawing a complex magic circle designed to make the blind believers lose their sense of direction. With this circle in place, Henry could prevent the blind believers from approaching the fortress without having to freeze them periodically.

- Grr…

- Ghaa…

Just as he had expected, the blind believers fell to the ground left and right. This wasn’t a solution, but it was the best Henry could come up with at the moment. He also planned to dismiss the majority of the troops stationed at the rear gate once the sun was fully up and only leave the bare minimum number of soldiers as a precaution. Even though he knew it would be extremely difficult for the blind believers to breach the rear gate, it was better to be safe than sorry.

After setting up the magic circle, Henry showed Iselan the situation at the back gate and then installed a teleportation gate that connected Monsieur with the heart of the fortress. Everyone looked at the gates intently, excited at the prospect of eating fresh and proper food, not their pitiful rations of jerky and wilted vegetables.

Iselan and Henry stood in front of the gates while all the soldiers cheered them on. They offered some words of encouragement and hope to the soldiers while waving at them like newly appointed generals. They assured everyone that they wouldn’t have to wait much longer for proper meals because they promised to bring back fresh vegetables and delicious food.

With that, a bright flash of light engulfed them. Henry and Iselan were on their way to spread the news of victory against the demonic beasts and of the downfall of the Demon King.

***

A teleportation gate materialized in front of the city hall of Monsieur, and everyone around it was caught off guard. However, their surprise didn’t last long because they quickly assumed that a wizard had created it. Shortly after it appeared, the gate glowed and two figures walked out: Henry and Iselan.

Iselan looked very excited as he stepped out of the gate, looking as though he were a traveler in a distant, exotic land. Henry noticed and asked, “Are you that happy?”

“Of course I am! I bet you’d be happy if you were in my shoes, stuck in that fortress for years and years. I feel like it’s been ages since I last visited Monsieur. I was getting custom armor last time I was here, but that’s been such a long time ago…”

Iselan couldn’t help expressing his excitement. He was glad to be finally able to revisit a place he hadn’t seen in years.

Henry was pleased to see him so lively, unlike how he had been at the fortress a few nights prior. Iselan’s energetic attitude was certainly a good sign that he had recovered to some extent from the recent hardships.

“Henry?”

Their conversation was interrupted by a familiar voice. The two turned around and spotted McDowell approaching from afar.

“Oh!”

“Hmm?”

Iselan met eyes with McDowell, and they cast each other surprised looks.

“McDowell?”

“Iselan?”

McDowell and Iselan knew each other, but not on a personal level. Rather, they were familiar with each other’s reputation, both possessing the ultimate skill, a secret sword technique that only the few Peak Sword Masters on the continent could use.

With no hesitation, they shook hands and greeted each other warmly.

“Well, if it isn’t Iselan the Warrior! What brings you here?”

Warrior.

McDowell addressed Iselan as a warrior, someone who was brave. Apart from its literal meaning, the word “warrior” was used for people who fought for the sake of the continent, like those serving in the three major military camps.

Indeed, Iselan was recognized for his bravery and valor.

Iselan reciprocated McDowell’s warm welcome with a proud demeanor.

“It’s good to see you, Sir McDowell. I bring good tidings!"

“Good tidings?"

“Yes. First of all, Henry here has informed me that Arthus, that pesky troublemaker, has finally met his end."

“Haha, indeed. Though there's still much to be done, it’s a relief that the continent is finally rid of that monster.”

“I couldn’t agree more. We also managed to solve our problems at Caliburn Fortress thanks to Henry!”

Iselan smacked Henry on his bottom as he complimented him in a satisfied tone, but McDowell looked confused, not knowing what Iselan was talking about.

Henry shrugged and said, “I’ve just taken down the Demon King.”

“What…?”

“I’ve also taken down all the demonic beasts and closed the Demon Realm Gap at the end of the First District of the forest. That was actually my main goal. Killing the Demon King was merely a nice bonus.”

“Huh…?”

Henry calmly passed on the good news, but McDowell was in shock, his eyes twitching as he listened to Henry.

“Is… Is that really true? What you are saying, Henry?”

“Of course it’s true. That’s why I took Commander Iselan with me to share this news with you.”

“Ha… Hahaha! I can’t believe this! All this good news at once…! I can’t… I can’t believe this has happened all at once!”

McDowell’s joy was palpable as he embraced Iselan warmly, congratulating him wholeheartedly. Iselan reciprocated the gesture, patting McDowell on the back and telling him how much he had been through and that it was all finally coming to an end.

As Henry was watching them rejoice, he eventually said, “With that being said, there’s no reason to keep the fortress up anymore. I’ve come here with Commander Iselan to discuss the fate of Caliburn Fortress and other issues we postponed.”

“Yes, absolutely. There’s no reason to maintain the fortress if there aren’t any more demonic beasts. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit sad to bid farewell to the fortress. It goes without saying that Caliburn has had some of the most skilled and honorable soldiers in the empire.

“Just as I had expected. I appreciate your kind words, Sir McDowell.”

Caliburn Fortress was important not only because of its military prowess, but also because of what it symbolized for the continent. Thus, it would naturally be difficult to shut down Caliburn Fortress for good, especially for those who had served there.

Of course, that didn’t mean that they could keep the fortress functioning for no reason. Providing supplies and other commodities to the fortress would indeed be a waste, especially because the continent was severely crippled because of Arthus’ atrocities. Resources were scarce, and they couldn’t be wasted on a fortress that had served its purpose.

“Do you happen to know where Sir Vulcanus is?” asked Henry

“He’s likely in his workshop.”

“I guess some things never change. We’ll be having a meeting soon. If you don’t mind, could you ask the others to gather in the meeting room?”

“That won’t be a problem. I was actually on my way to meet them. Then I’ll see you there soon.”

With Arthus dead, knights like McDowell no longer had anything to do, given that there was no more fighting. And so, most of them just spent their days loafing around. Henry felt bad for them to a certain extent, but it was better to be bored in peace than to fight in war. If anything, this only prompted Henry to work harder to find a cure for the blind believers.

As McDowell left, Henry took Iselan to the workshop to see Vulcanus.

Clank, clank-

As the two got closer to the workshop, they could hear the sound of metals being smacked against each other. Iselan couldn’t help smiling as the sounds got louder and louder.

Henry tried to call out to Vulcanus, but Iselan stopped him because he wanted to observe how a craftsman worked for a bit. As the two watched him hammer away, Vulcanus finally noticed their presence and turned around.

“Oh! You’re here! Why didn’t you say anything?”

Vulcanus spoke casually to them like always, fulfilling Henry’s request to speak normally to him despite his being a god. Henry took note of this and smiled.

The three greeted each other warmly and jumped right into into the good news. Just like McDowell, Vulcanus’ eyes widened at the surprising news and congratulated Iselan.

“That’s great news for you! I’m sure you’ve been going through a lot this whole time!”

Vulcanus could guess what Iselan had been through without hearing all the details, which made things easier for both Henry and Iselan.

Just when the conversation was losing steam, Iselan added, “You really are a role model for all craftsmen there! I respect you for continuing working even though everyone else is celebrating. May I ask what you’re working on right now?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. I was a bit bored, so I decided to keep myself preoccupied by polishing farming tools.”

“Farming tools?”

“Yes. I assumed we won’t be wielding swords for the time being, so I figured it’s more fitting to focus on farming tools.”

Henry and Iselan both nodded at Vulcanus’ words, acknowledging his insight. Indeed, the fight was over, and most people had to turn to farming.

“I’m aware that Monsieur is quite far from the fortress. So, what actually brings you all the way out here?”

Vulcanus knew that Henry wouldn’t have come all the way here just to greet him. Hearing this, Henry replied, “Well, first of all, the fortress stopped receiving supplies a long time ago, so we’re here to get some food for the soldiers.”

“I see… Indeed, the fortress has been relying on outside sources for materials. I’m sure the soldiers have been struggling with starvation. I’ll give you the food I’ve stored right away.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

However, Henry knew that Monsieur, like anywhere else, had its own issues. Fortunately, the city was partially self-sufficient in terms of food, but the sudden influx of blind believers across the continent had naturally led to an influx of refugees, which had ultimately caused the demand for food to be greater than the supply.

The blind believers were one problem, but feeding everyone was an urgent matter that Henry and the others had to deal with immediately.

“Sir Vulcanus, besides the urgent need for supplies for Caliburn Fortress, I’d also like to discuss the overall issue of food for the near future and the problem of the blind believers.”

“You mean now?”

“Yes. I met Sir McDowell on my way here and asked him to gather everyone.”

“Understood. I’ll wrap up here and join you.”

Food was an urgent matter for Henry because it was essential for survival, along with clothing and a place to sleep. He could somehow take care of the last two, but he couldn’t postpone dealing with the food shortage, and making everyone only eat once per day wasn’t a solution either. This issue demanded immediate attention and comprehensive solutions.

With that, Henry and Iselan left for the meeting, and as they entered the room, they saw familiar faces, including those who had been part of the expedition to Lizark Hill.

Naturally, the atmosphere wasn’t heavy as there was no reason for it to be that way. All of their remaining issues were about recovering and rebuilding after their long and grueling battle.

The mood of the room was light, the peace that everyone had long been hoping for having finally come. Everyone congratulated Iselan as they heard the good news from McDowell. Of course, they didn’t forget to thank Henry as well and make a few remarks on his admirable efforts.

After everyone said their congratulations, Henry spoke up to start the meeting.

“Welcome everyone. Without further ado, I’d like to discuss some of the current challenges we're facing, along with potential solutions, starting with the issue of food scarcity.”

With that, Henry’s new mission had begun.

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