Chapter 66 Audience and the Death of the Master
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Rai El Yugan…
The emperor, the legitimate heir of the late Emperor Yuri El Yugan…
And yet, the symbol of the Free Yugan Alliance city now stood right before Ayumu’s eyes. Why…?
Ayumu’s mind was in chaos. Though it was an unintentional slip of the tongue, he had never imagined he would be granted an audience with the emperor in such an unexpected way.
”Hmm… Sanai Ayumu… an unusual and extravagant name, isn’t it? Where are you from?” Rai asked, his gaze piercing.
Ayumu hesitated, unsure how to respond. The intimidating knights standing behind him seemed to whisper a silent threat: Answer truthfully, or die. Resigned, he spoke honestly.
”I… um… I am one of the hero candidates forcibly brought here from another world… a country called Japan…”
He recounted the events in painstaking detail:
Being suddenly summoned from the dying Union Kingdom…
Receiving no divine blessing…
Recognizing the danger to his life and attempting to end it by throwing himself into a river…
He explained how he had tried to enter the Caesaran Empire but was suspected and imprisoned, reduced to a slave trooper, only to escape in the chaos of a battlefield…
How he barely survived crossing the Birene Peaks, seeking work, and eventually being advised by a friendly merchant from the Kingdom of Elandric to become an alchemist…
How he had worked his way up through the Alchemist Guild.
He spoke the truth, omitting no inconvenient details. Yet when he began to mention the Union Kingdom, one of the knights behind him suddenly drew his sword, its cold metal ringing sharply.
”What! You… are you a vanguard of that evil god Viness?! A spy of Viness herself! I will execute you at once!” the knight shouted.
Ayumu froze, heart pounding—but Rai lifted a hand.
”Stop! First, let us hear this one’s story. We can judge afterward,” the emperor commanded calmly. Relief washed over Ayumu. Long live Emperor Rai…
”I see… I thought your strange knowledge came from Eva Rhines, but it was actually knowledge from a world far more advanced than this one,” Rai said thoughtfully.
Something felt… off. If Ayumu’s memory was correct, Eva Rhines…?
A sudden realization hit him. It’s the only way this makes sense…
(Wait… Master Rhines and Eva Rhines are the same person?! No way…!!)
The revelation shook him. So that person… no, excuse me… that wasn’t just a temperamental old scholar—Master Rhines was truly remarkable.
”Um… Your Majesty… I hesitate to ask, but… Crown Prince Aare’s treatment—was it not possible for Master Rhines to attend to it?” Ayumu ventured carefully. He realized just how great a figure Master Rhines was and thought, Might as well pin everything on him—after all, he worked me hard enough!
”What are you saying? Eva… Lady Rhines has… passed away. It was the Duke Family who received your arrival…” Rai replied solemnly.
It took Ayumu a moment to process the emperor’s words.
(Wha…? Master Rhines is dead…?)
No! When he left the Alchemist Guild, she had been perfectly fine! He couldn’t believe it.
Today had been nothing but a series of shocks. First, Empress Sarendra almost knocked him over. Then, suddenly, he had to meet the emperor. And now… Master Rhines was dead.
”What… was the nature of Master Rhines’ passing, Your Majesty?” Ayumu asked quietly, still reeling.
Though he had spent only a short time with her, the shock was heavy. He had no choice but to accept it.
”She… Sonata… you were unaware, weren’t you?” Rai said with a sigh, then began to recount the final moments of Master Rhines.
”Lady Rhines passed away in her rocking chair, with a serene expression… a face only one who has truly lived a full life could wear. In her journal, she wrote that she had ‘trained the greatest apprentice of her life.’”
Master Rhines…
So she… even if she never showed it, she had recognized him…
Ayumu bowed his head, gratitude swelling in his chest. He silently prayed for the peaceful repose of the mentor who had taught him how to live in this otherworld.
Notes:
• Union Kingdom – The neighboring kingdom to Alyurein.
• Kingdom of Elandric – A nation mentioned on the map.
• Viness – Goddess in the Holy Kingdom of Alyurein.
• Rhines – A weary apothecary who serves as the protagonist’s mentor at the Alchemist Guild.
• Empress Sarendra – Aare’s mother who expresses quiet resentment towards Aare’s existence.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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