Daniel shot Denken a glare, his tone tinged with irritation. "You old bastard, the battle just ended and you're already scheming to win Alan over, aren't you? Let tell you—sure, the imperial capital is gone, but our Church of Steam and Magic has chapels and monasteries established all over the continent. The environnt in our church grounds is leagues ahead of your filthy, gold-stinking royal estates!"
Then, turning to Alan with a hint of urgency, Daniel added, "Alan, don't listen to this guy. That so-called royal estate isn't fit for civilized people. The mont you walk in, you'll be sward by scantily-clad maids trying to attend to your every need—cooking, cleaning, even bathing—they'll insist on scrubbing your back! Tell , isn't that a complete distraction from studying magic?"
Realizing he may have co across a little too dramatic, Daniel coughed and adjusted his tone.
"Really, you're better off staying with us at the Church. Our brothers and sisters are well-disciplined and won't disturb you unless absolutely necessary. And I overheard so of those NK Kingdom people earlier—they ntioned your senior might be from the Astla Sacred Realm, right?"
"Well, it just so happens that we've got a base in the Sacred Realm as well! And as it turns out, I've got so business there soon myself. If you're not opposed to the idea, how about we travel together when the ti cos?"
Watching these two titans of influence argue like children to win his favor, Alan felt more amused than flattered.
He knew very well that his identity now ant far more than just being a student of Sirius Academy. He was a rare Magus who commanded the six fundantal elental forces, a genius who had mastered three separate forms of mana manipulation, and—perhaps most crucially—he was backed by soone of King Magus caliber.
Such a combination of traits made him a highly sought-after figure, not just in the Plantagenet Kingdom, but throughout the entire world. Every major power would bend over backward to win him over.
More importantly, Alan was still only a gold-tier mage. His future path would be filled with challenges and opportunities. Right now was the ideal window for anyone looking to invest in his potential.
But once he truly rose to prominence—perhaps even surpassing both Daniel and Denken in power—they would no longer have the chance to "help" him.
After a while, when Daniel and Denken were finally too exhausted to continue bickering and had slumped into chairs clutching their sore backs, Alan stepped forward and spoke calmly:
"Mr. Daniel, Emperor Denken—I truly appreciate everything you've done for and for Sirius. But I'm sorry... I have more pressing matters ahead, and I won't be able to accept your kind invitations."
His response drew puzzled glances from both n.
Daniel was especially blunt. "Alan, no offense—but what pressing matters could you possibly have? Your ho is gone. Literally. You're holess."
The words cut deep.
Alan lowered his head and quietly wiped the moisture from the corners of his eyes. Old Gayle's final words to him still echoed in his ears.
"My ho may be gone… but that doesn't an I have no ho," he said at last.
He pointed toward Francis and the others standing nearby, then patted his own chest. "As long as they're here… and as long as I'm alive—any place can be ho."
"Besides, His Majesty just said the capital can be rebuilt. So why can't Sirius Academy be rebuilt as well?"
The words hung in the air.
Daniel and Denken were left speechless.
He was so young—barely past adolescence—and yet his resolve and clarity were stronger than most seasoned veterans.
Rebuilding an academy was easy to say, but unimaginably hard to do. The human labor, material costs, and financial requirents were staggering. And Alan was neither wealthy nor experienced in architecture.
To most, the idea of restoring Sirius would be dismissed as a pipe dream.
But Alan wasn't most people.
In their eyes, he was the kind of person who would charge headlong into a brick wall if it stood in the way of his goal—smashing through until even dreams turned into reality.
That kind of tenacity, that unbreakable will, was sothing few in the world could even understand, let alone possess.
"Alan…"
Francis and the others had co over by now, eyes red with emotion.
Daniel was the first to respond.
"Fine! Since you've made up your mind, then the Church will give you its full support. Whether you need money or supplies, you can go to any of our trading posts and submit a request. I'll send word right away. And don't you dare treat this like a favor—you will accept it."
"Hah! And you were calling impatient?" Denken growled, dragging Daniel behind him. "Alan, don't listen to his nonsense. Rebuilding an academy needs more than just money and materials! Even if I gave you a fortune, with just your few friends, it would take a century to finish!"
"What you need is manpower—teachers, carpenters, architects, plumbers—you na it. The Church can't provide that, but I can. And I won't charge you a single coin!"
Denken, after all, had built the entire Plantagenet Kingdom from the ground up. He knew how to raise cities from bare soil.
Alan was deeply moved. He lowered his head and bowed again, sincerely.
"Thank you both. I'll never forget this kindness. One day, when I have the chance—I will repay you in full."
"There you go again with the formalities…"
The three chatted for a while longer until the sky began to dim. Alan took the opportunity to excuse himself.
"Well, I suppose we'll leave it at that for now. I've still got so things to take care of. Please excuse ."
He gave them a wave, then turned back to his companions, gesturing subtly.
"If we want to rebuild the Academy, we're going to need more than donations. We can't rely entirely on the Church's generosity—we've got to show we're capable too."
Francis let out a long sigh, his shoulders drooping. "That's easy to say. But look at us. With our combined finances, we probably couldn't even build a bathroom. If money were that easy to co by, the world wouldn't have any poor people."
Alan raised a hand and flicked Francis hard on the forehead.
"You idiot. Those mages we just took down—they were Legendary!"
"They must have had all kinds of valuable magical gear on them. You seriously want to leave all that lying around for so Church disciple to scoop up later? Hell no. I earned those spoils!"
He shalessly claid credit for the fla-haired woman's victories—but none of the others objected.
Blanche even chid in, "Alan's right. We need every coin and artifact we can get to rebuild Sirius Academy. And don't forget—we've done this before. Rember that ti at the Jacob Ruins when we—hey… where did you guys go?"
Turning around, she found Alan, Francis, and Fort were already missing.
Looking down, she saw the three of them busily scavenging the corpses of the fallen Legendary mages.
Francis even looked up to shout, "Big sis, if you've got ti to talk, you've got ti to loot! You really gonna leave all the hard work to us three guys?!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)