A new king had ascended the throne of the Kingdom of Magicos.

However, that king was not Aster Magicos—the sole legitimate heir of the previous king and the Master of the Magic Tower.

The one who had taken the throne was Leonic Magicos, a member of a collateral branch of the royal family.

“Aster declined the throne himself!”

“Of all people, he had the power to establish the strongest rule, why would he…?”

“I thought our kingdom would finally have the first king in the continent’s history to come from the Magic Tower… What a shame. Truly a shame.”

The nobles and citizens of Magicos were deeply disappointed that Aster had not become king.

But that disappointment did not last long.

On the day of his coronation, Leonic donated all of his personal wealth for the sake of the people of the kingdom.

The people erupted in cheers.

Even if King Leonic was not a great archmage, they praised him as a benevolent ruler who truly loved his people.

And so, after the coronation ceremony filled with resounding applause came to an end, a grand banquet was held in the royal palace to celebrate Leonic’s ascension.

“Today marks a joyous new beginning for the Kingdom of Magicos. Please, enjoy the banquet to your heart’s content.”

After delivering his congratulatory speech, Leonic excused himself and headed toward his office for a brief moment of rest.

But the instant he opened the door, there was a stranger standing in the middle of the room.

A young nobleman with long brown hair tied neatly behind him and calm brown eyes.

Someone Leonic had never seen before, someone he had certainly not invited.

Leonic froze for a split second.

The knights, having spotted the intruder who had entered without permission, immediately drew their swords.

“Who are you?! Identify yourself!”

“Protect His Majesty!”

In an instant, they surrounded Leonic and pointed their blades at the man.

Yet the stranger merely smirked, as if none of it frightened him.

“Sharp discipline. I like it.”

There was something unusual about him, an aura that did not match his otherwise ordinary appearance.

‘Who is he?’

A magic circle personally set by Aster was placed within this office.

No one who was not of royal blood—or who had not been granted permission—should have been able to enter.

As Leonic narrowed his eyes in thought, a realization flashed across them.

‘No way…’

“Subdue him!”

The knights rushed forward—

“Stop!”

Leonic’s voice cut through the room.

“All of you, lower your swords.”

“Your Majesty, but—”

“It’s not an enemy.”

Leonic looked directly at the man and spoke.

“You are as mischievous as ever, Brother. If you were going to come, you could have done so properly. To think you would arrive in disguise like this.”

‘Brother?’

The knights faltered, confusion spreading across their faces.

At that moment, the man smiled and snapped his fingers.

“If I came properly, it would cause a commotion. I prefer things quiet.”

The ordinary face vanished revealing striking blue eyes and refined features.

At the same time, his long brown hair shimmered and turned into golden strands like spun sunlight.

The knights’ eyes widened in shock.

“Prince Aster…!”

“Tower Master…!”

That was right.

The man who had removed his magical disguise was none other than Aster Magicos.

The knights immediately lowered their swords and bowed their heads in haste.

“Please forgive our rudeness.”

Even though Aster Magicos had relinquished the throne, he was still the most perfect legitimate heir of the Kingdom of Magicos.

And yet—they had dared to point their swords at him.

Embarrassment flickered across the knights’ faces, but Aster simply shook his head, unfazed.

“You only did what you were supposed to do. There’s nothing rude about that. Raise your heads.”

Then, with a light smile, he added.

“I told you, I like how disciplined you are. Continue to protect His Majesty with your lives.”

“Yes, sir!”

As the knights responded with solemn determination, Leonic Magicos spoke.

“Now that it’s been confirmed he is not an enemy, you may all withdraw.”

The knights exited the office.

Only then did Leonic properly face Aster.

“I assumed you wouldn’t come, since there was no reply to the invitation. Did you watch my coronation?”

“I did.”

Aster gave a casual shrug.

“The moment you took the throne, you put the people first. It was impressive. I made the right choice giving up the crown—you’ll make an excellent king.”

“…Even if you hadn’t relinquished the throne, Brother, you would have been a great king as well.”

Leonic hesitated for a moment before asking carefully.

“Do you truly have no regrets?”

Aster fell silent for a brief moment, then shook his head.

“No. I don’t regret it.”

After a pause, he added quietly.

“To me, the royal family… is nothing but a painful regret.”

Leonic could not bring himself to say anything.

Because more than anyone, he knew what Aster had lost.

Faelin—whom he had failed to save in the end.
A mother who had left the royal palace for a monastery.
A father who had laid down his crown by his own will.

Aster had not been able to protect anyone in the royal family.

And so, the royal house of Magicos had become a heavy burden to him, a burden he now wished to set down.

Knowing all this, Leonic felt a pang of guilt for bringing it up.

“…I will take good care of His Majesty, the former king.”

At that moment, Aster smiled, brushing away the heavy atmosphere.

“Alright, that’s enough of such gloomy talk.”

Letting go of his playful tone, Aster spoke with formal courtesy.

“Your Majesty, Leonic Magicos.”

“I sincerely congratulate you on your ascension. As the Master of the Magic Tower, I have brought you a special gift.”

Aster held out a pair of earrings.

“What are these?”

Coming from the Master of the Magic Tower, they were clearly no ordinary earrings. When Leonic asked, Aster replied,

“They are enchanted with a protective spell strong enough to block even an eighth-circle spell—and the sword aura of a Swordmaster.”

“…!”

To block even an eighth-circle spell and a Swordmaster’s aura—

Even though Leonic was not a mage, he understood what that meant.

There was no defensive magic at that level known to exist.

And yet, Aster had created something like this.

‘Has his magic grown even stronger…?’

“Have you reached a higher circle?”

Leonic asked, unable to hide his excitement, but Aster shook his head.

“I wish that were the case, but unfortunately, it isn’t.”

He gave a faint smile.

“I simply borrowed a bit of help from an ancient magic circle I obtained from a friend.”

Aster Magicos waved an old pocket watch in front of Leonic Magicos.

Ariel.

As Aster thought of his red-haired friend in the Pentium Empire, Leonic stared at the worn pocket watch with a doubtful expression.

“That old pocket watch… contains ancient magic…?”

“Alright, alright—why don’t you put on the earrings first? My arm’s starting to hurt holding them out like this.”

“Ah… yes.”

Reluctantly setting aside his curiosity, Leonic placed the earrings on.

At that moment—

“Fireball.”

With Aster’s incantation, a massive flame shot straight toward Leonic.

“What—?!”

But before the fire could even touch him, it collided with a burst of radiant light and vanished with a sharp hiss.

“Oh.”

Aster let out a small sound of admiration.

“It was just a prototype, so I wasn’t sure if it would work—but it functions perfectly.”

Startled, Leonic raised his voice.

“Brother!”

“That expression… it reminds me of when you panicked after being hit with a Fly spell as a child.”

“Some things about you never change, Brother!”

Aster laughed briefly, but only for a moment.

Soon, his expression turned serious.

“Your Majesty, you now bear a magic that not even the greatest emperors of the continent possess.”

“……”

“So cast aside any lingering thoughts about lacking legitimacy… and become a great king of Magicos.”

Leonic’s eyes trembled.

‘A lack of legitimacy.’

Though he had acted composed, it had always been a quiet weakness in his heart.

And yet as if Aster had seen straight through him, he had given a gift that filled that very gap.

It wasn’t simply that Aster had handed him the throne because he despised the royal family.

No—

Aster truly, sincerely celebrated Leonic’s rise to the throne.

Moved by that sincerity, Leonic spoke slowly.

“…Thank you, Brother.”

After a moment, he cleared his throat, breaking the heavy mood.

“Ahem… more importantly, when it’s just the two of us, please speak comfortably. It’s giving me chills—I can’t take it anymore.”

At Leonic’s exaggerated reaction, Aster let out a quiet chuckle.

“I don’t know how often we’ll have the chance to speak alone like this, but… very well.”

He continued, sounding almost relieved.

“Now that I’ve delivered the gift, I should be going.”

“Already?”

“I slipped out of the Magic Tower. If I’m gone too long, Seoden will start tracking me down with fire in his eyes.”

“That’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. Then—please travel safely.”

“Take good care of the Kingdom of Magicos.”

“Yes.”

Hearing Leonic’s steady reply, Aster smiled and murmured.

“Warp.”

***

Royal Palace Garden.

Having left the office, Aster appeared in the garden.

Before returning to the Magic Tower, he wanted to take one last look at the palace.

Because this truly marked the end of his ties to the Magicos royal family.

A new king had risen, and from this day forward, Aster would no longer return to the palace.

Only then could both he and Leonic move forward.

But to say he felt no lingering attachment would have been a lie.

Though he had failed to protect his family, the royal palace was not filled with only painful memories.

There had been happy moments, too.

With a distant, almost wistful gaze, Aster looked upon the palace.

And then—it happened.

From the banquet hall, a familiar melody drifted through the air.

“…It’s a song Faelin used to love.”

One of the traditional pieces of the Kingdom of Magicos, a song that had been played every year on Faelin’s birthday.

Aster murmured softly.

“Should I go take a look… just once?”

His hesitation was brief, and his decision came just as quickly.

“Polymorph.”

Concealing his true appearance with magic, Aster Magicos moved as if drawn by an unseen pull toward the banquet hall.