Chapter 53 – Weary and New

They gradually rose, and Lin Wei opened his eyes, gazing down at the ruins below.

The wound on his chest bled incessantly, yet he felt no pain.

“Sometimes I wonder, what would someone like you do if there were no war?” Lin Wei spoke slowly. “I can’t figure it out—even now, I still can’t.”

He turned to look at the person who had caught him. No matter how many times he’d seen this face, he could never find a single flaw. “Now I can only hope to witness it myself.”

The blood wasn’t noticeable on the black fabric, but it slowly soaked into the Mage’s pristine white robe, making it seem as though he were the one injured.

“I’ve never seen you get hurt,” Lin Wei closed his eyes, thinking. “Well—except for that time when we first arrived at the Death Swamp, when your face was scratched.”

He chatted idly with Duan Yu, even though the guy hadn’t responded, still feeling quite spirited.

“Hey… I said,” Lin Wei spoke up. “Why aren’t you putting me down yet?”

He felt the arm holding him tighten instead of loosening!

“Hmm… then just keep holding me,” Lin Wei shamelessly let his entire weight hang on the other. “I want to go down below. I’ll take you to see a place.”

They descended, a gentle breeze brushing past their ears. Wherever they went, the flames gradually extinguished, and the smoke and dust of the ruins slowly dissipated. The Imperial Capital regained its orderly and beautiful appearance. Crowds of cleanly dressed people walked along the flower-blooming streets. The boundaries of the fountain pool were made of smooth white stone, and an elderly man with a serene expression basked in the sun at the corner of the street. A girl infatuated with a knight dressed in beautiful clothes deliberately passed by slowly as he patrolled the streets.

“The people of the Empire love flowers. Violets and tulips can be seen everywhere,” Lin Wei pulled the Mage through one scene after another. The lively sounds of people and bustling sights gradually faded behind them, replaced by the majestic Imperial City ahead. “But the most special of all is the rose.”

A rich fragrance seemed to saturate their clothes as a sea of deep red roses appeared before them.

“The Imperial Family’s emblem is the Flaming Rose, which comes from our Founding Emperor.”

Lin Wei slowed his pace as he walked and spoke.

“The Magic World has a long history, and the Empire’s life is no less brief. Its founding began in the Dark Age.

Our history books love to exaggerate how arduous and glorious the path to founding the Empire was—and indeed, it was, especially after I read the books about the Dark Age at the Academy.

The Founding Emperor—we call him Emperor Yucarius I—once said, ‘The blooming flowers of spring are indeed beautiful, and the evergreen trees of winter are also worthy of respect. But what I want to build is an Empire that stands unshakable, one that does not rush to bloom in the warm spring nor is content to merely survive in the harsh winter.’ He was an ordinary man, from a Mage’s perspective—without magic, not a knight, just like the weak human race at that time, which could only cautiously build cities and establish kingdoms along the eastern coast while powerful races like the Dragon Clan, Elves, and Mages roamed the continent freely. But he ultimately succeeded… The once mighty races perished one after another in the flames of war, and only the Empire’s Flaming Rose flag continued to fly—the Kingdom became an Empire, gathering the scattered human forces and spreading across the entire continent, thriving and multiplying, never ceasing even through the long passage of time.”

“Another quote from Emperor Yucarius I: ‘Our lives are short, so we are forever greedy. While we yearn for freedom, we also crave comfort. We love wisdom yet desire love. The Creator God did not grant us long lives to ponder the meaning of existence, so we can only endlessly chase and create, and we are willing to pay the price for it.'”

As Lin Wei walked, the Mage’s figure disappeared at some point, leaving him alone. The sea of flowers continued to spread with his steps, the deep red color extending to the distant horizon, covering all unnecessary decorations. A melodious tune drifted into his ears, permeated with the rich fragrance.

He stopped and looked around, his gaze resting on a single rose among the sea of flowers. His fingertips lightly brushed its soft petals swaying in the breeze, and his voice softened. “I used to not understand this quote. I thought I had already experienced everything worth cherishing—I was born into the best family, there was nothing I couldn’t obtain. I wasn’t greedy or foolish, I didn’t crave comfort or yearn for love. I felt that time was long and tedious.”

“My father and mother died in the ruins of the Imperial Capital. The girl who once wanted to marry me became the Princess Consort, and the master I served killed her husband.”

“In many moments on the battlefield, I faced death. The Leader’s spear could have pierced my chest at any moment, just like earlier. If I couldn’t avoid it, I would have simply died, no longer needing to fulfill this tiresome duty… The only regret might have been losing to you—after all, I’m competitive at times.”

“But now I understand that quote…” His voice grew even gentler. “At the moment of death, I thought, it’s finally over—this long and boring life. But now I just want to live a little longer. I don’t know why—I feel that time is short. I’ve discovered that I yearn for freedom yet crave comfort, that I’m greedy and desire love. I despise self-righteous prophecies and proverbs, but I have to admit that this quote is absolutely correct.”

“I have so much more to say, but I don’t want to waste it in this illusion created by magical plants—it seems my consciousness has indeed been affected by that damned mist, becoming as soft and sensitive as algae in a pond.”

He took a deep breath, as if hoping the wonderful fragrance would linger in his nose a little longer, then slowly cleared his mind. The endless sea of flowers gradually disappeared, and his light body slowly sank down. The soft touch of fur appeared beneath him, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the circular dome of the underground palace and the figure of the Mage who had appeared in his dream.

He and the Mage stared at each other meaninglessly, not knowing what they were looking at, but neither wanted to look away.

“Roses,” Lin Wei suddenly spoke. “I saw roses in my dream, red ones… They have many beautiful meanings on the continent, like passion, bravery, sincerity, faith—what about in the Magic World?”

“They don’t have as many meanings,” the Mage replied. “It seems there’s only one.”

“What is it?”

The Mage paused for a moment before answering. “Love.”

Lin Wei suddenly laughed.

He averted his gaze from Duan Yu, burying his face in the thick, snow-white fur, his shoulders shaking slightly, though it was unclear what he was laughing about.

The Mage looked at him, puzzled. “You’re happy?”

“Yes—I’m very happy,” Lin Wei lifted his face, his eyes bright. “Come closer.”

Though he didn’t know the reason, the Mage complied.

Lin Wei pounced over, burying his face in the Mage’s chest as he continued to laugh.

Duan Yu: “…”

When Lin Wei finally stopped, he straightened his slightly disheveled collar and returned to normal—a long time had passed since he started. He spoke earnestly, “I had two dreams, one about the Goddess and one about myself.”

The Mage said to him, “I’ve been by your bedside… In at least one of those dreams, you weren’t happy.”

“Actually, neither of them was particularly happy—but I gained something.”

“Hmm?”

“First, I confirmed that the Dark Goddess Katanaphia truly exists, saw a part of her memories, and actively merged with some of the scattered powers she left behind… Now I feel like I could summon a Giant Dragon at any moment—but we’ll have to keep it a secret from the Academy, as they’ve always held the Goddess of Light in high regard. Second, I found out how to leave this swamp. It won’t take much time or effort, and we’ll soon see the outside world again!”

“That’s worth celebrating,” Duan Yu looked at him. “And?”

Lin Wei felt the urge to laugh again—he struggled to hold it back and said, “The third thing—I can’t say it yet, hmm… But I promise I’ll tell you someday in the future.”

After saying this, he quickly changed the subject before Duan Yu could respond. “Now let’s talk about the Goddess—she belonged to the Elf race and lived in the Central Forest… but she wasn’t welcomed among the Elves. She was an ominous Dark Mage and seemed to be connected to undead creatures.”

Duan Yu looked as though he had already seen through his intentions, so his expression was slightly resigned. “So she came to the Death Swamp?”

“She did come to the Death Swamp, but not willingly. There was a guide, who I suspect is the ‘Elvis’ mentioned in the Book of Contracts. But I didn’t see any clear memories of Elvis, only that he made some kind of vow with the Goddess, which bound her to never leave this swamp… She spent many lonely years in the swamp, studying Dark Magic and Contract Magic during her long life, and wrote the Book of Contracts that we read together. She had many followers in black robes, and even Bards from the north came to seek her protection.”

“And then? Did she die?”

Lin Wei shook his head. “The Bard mentioned the Goddess of Light, and they were undoubtedly opposed… The memory ended abruptly at that point. I don’t know her final fate.”

He asked Duan Yu, “What do you think… an Elf with a cold temperament, possessing great power but unable to break free from the binding of a vow—if she’s still alive, where would she go?”