112 Epilogue: The Last Sunse (1/2)

He finally got an answer from them. Their judgment on his crimes.

Velvund and Haydn understood. They knew what the pitiful boy desired and why he had admitted his ”crimes”, as the boy had called them.

They'd come to the conclusion that he would never listen to them. That he'd never accept what they really wanted to tell him — that the blame did not lie solely his shoulders as he had claimed.

That they, in fact, understood that he was not as terrible as a person as he thought himself to be…

He had erred. They wouldn't deny or excuse what he'd done because of the relationship they possessed with him, but they knew he was no villain. What had happened was simply the unfortunate result of many ill-timed elements.

A pure and noble intention.

Youthful naivety and temptation.

The intoxicating allure of overwhelming power.

It was obvious to them what had happened to the boy. They'd once been in his shoes a long time ago. As a result, they could not find it in themselves to punish him the way he wanted them to.

Of the two, Velvund had been hurt the most. It pained him in a way that could not be described.

He had not been able to keep the promise that he'd made to the boy.

History, once again, had repeated itself. What Velvund feared the most had occurred in the end. He had failed the boy.

He could not blame the child for what he had done. He, of all people, had no right to do so…

In the end, it was Haydn Kingscrown who had made the call since Velvund had been unable to.

Out of mercy for the pitiful, foolish boy, the Crown Prince of the North did the only thing he could do for him…

He gave the boy what he wanted.

A punishment befitting for the sins the boy thought he had committed.

Henceforth, he would be declared dead in both the North and the East.

By the end of the day, the North would announce that the Lord of Evergreen had died in battle. Following suit, the East would do the same and confirm that the Stainless Prince had died.

That was the cover story that they had decided to use for his punishment.

For his crimes, Reed had been banished from the North and the East.

Reed was to never set foot in the lands of Men or Alf. He was not welcome in them, nor would he ever be again…

In reality, they could not enforce such a punishment on him, but it didn't matter. Deep down, Haydn and Velvund both knew that Reed would honor the punishment. It was what he desired.

He would not break the word he had given them when he accepted the punishment.

Thus, the time had come to depart. Reed made peace with the decision and decided to get his affairs in order. He didn't have a lot of time left, after all.

He had decided to get a couple of words in with the person who had taken care of him when he had first arrived.

It felt like an eternity since he'd last spoken to the old goat...

Reed never thought the day would come when he'd return to the Spire.

The scenery had completely changed around the Spire. Life had begun to grow where there had once been only snow and ice. A brand new era of growth had come for the North that he would never witness — that alone hurt him inside.

It's no longer the Spire — the North I once knew.

When he walked into the Spire, he smiled. It was all still the same as he remembered, down to the last little detail. He warped up a couple of floors and arrived in the dormitories, which were now inhabited with new trainees.

The poor trainees recoiled in surprise and fear when they noticed the Anima fluctuations around Reed. When they backed away nervously like frightened mice, Reed chuckled in amusement.

He remembered when they had once felt the same way — he and his beloved friends. When all it took to make them feel dread was one of Instructor Axtorius's infamous gazes and a single wave of his index finger...

Where had those carefree days gone? He didn't know…

Reed grinned and said, ”...How's it going, fellas?”