Walking to the riverbank's edge, the burly man looked at the black-haired young man, whose struggle in the water was slowly fading. A satisfied smile spread across his face. This should provide an extra boost to the manpower needed to build the Tower of Heaven! Thinking this, the burly man didn't hesitate. He extended his broad, coarse hands, palms aimed directly at the black-haired young man in the river, holding his hands straight out in front of his chest.
"Water God's Binding!" With a low shout, a circular, watery-blue magic circle abruptly materialized about four inches in front of his palms. The burly man casually swept his hands to the side, and a jet of clear, rapid water, thick as a barrel, shot forth from the magic circle, soaring instantly into the sky! It didn't stop there. The torrent of water performed a graceful arc in the air before plunging back down like an arrow, shooting straight towards the black-haired young man's location! In the blink of an eye, it was directly above the youth's head!
However, contrary to its fierce momentum, the rushing water jet didn't harm the young man's body as one might expect. Instead, it gently wrapped around his waist, tenderly pulling him out of the river.
The water pillar carried the young man's body slowly back to the burly man. Looking at the black-haired young man, who had already succumbed to the water and fallen unconscious, the burly man's lips curled into another smile. With a single hand gesture, the water jet disintegrated, and the water droplets scattered, though not a single one landed on the burly man.
Without the support of the water pillar, the young man's body immediately dropped from mid-air. The burly man stretched out his right hand, catching the free-falling black-haired young man. Having completed this, he didn't hesitate for a moment. He single-handedly grabbed the black-haired young man's collar and walked back in the direction he came from.
"Done?" The black-robed man looked at his approaching companion, giving a cursory glance at the unconscious black-haired young man the burly man was carrying. He spoke flatly, "Let's get out of here quickly! If we delay, I'm worried those people from the Magic Council might sense something."
"Heh-heh, you're right." The burly man naturally had no reason to disagree with his companion, as this was his concern, too. Just as the black-robed man said, delaying any longer would indeed be disadvantageous to them! Since they had gathered enough manpower, the task assigned to them from above was now successfully completed. All they needed to do now was leave this place as quickly as possible! After all, the longer they lingered, the greater the risk of exposure.
Thinking this, the burly man shrugged regretfully, then quickly vanished into the darkness of the night with the black-robed man and the black-haired youth.
Less than ten minutes after the two men departed, the space suddenly shimmered with ripples, and two new, smaller figures appeared in the area.
The two figures were quite small in stature. After quickly surveying the surroundings, their gazes fell upon the muddy ground, soaked by the heavy rain. Squatting down, they carefully examined the footprints left behind. They immediately ignored the two sets of obvious adult footprints. After a moment of closer inspection, the pair's eyes simultaneously narrowed, stopping abruptly at a set of small footprints!
They exchanged glances, both seeing the seriousness in the other's eyes. Without hesitation, they immediately followed the trail of footprints, running quickly forward!
Finally, the two arrived at the river's edge, where the trail abruptly disappeared.
"Archille—" With a mournful cry, Doranbolt fell to his knees on the riverbank, his eyes filled with tears. With trembling hands, he pulled a glittering silver earring from the soaking mud. Looking at the rolling river before him, he could no longer suppress the grief in his heart and burst into uncontrollable sobs.
These two small figures were, of course, Doranbolt and Laharl, who had been searching for Archille.
"…" Laharl was equally silent, watching the loudly weeping Doranbolt. He couldn't utter a word of comfort. Clearly, they had arrived too late. Looking at the silver earring clenched tightly in Doranbolt's palm, his expression couldn't help but turn melancholy. He knew this pair of earrings was Archille's most cherished possession! They were the only memento left to him by his deceased biological parents! He usually treasured them, wearing them on both ears and never daring to take them off.
Yet now, one of the earrings Archille cherished most was lying here by the riverbank, and Archille's footprints disappeared right at the edge of the bank. Though he desperately didn't want to believe it, Laharl couldn't help but conclude that Archille was likely… Sigh. Thinking of this potential outcome, Laharl felt a profound sadness. After all, Archille was his best friend, too!
"Waaah, Archille…" Huddled on the muddy ground, Doranbolt choked out the name softly. Tears were streaming down his face, but he seemed completely unaware.
"Sigh…" Seeing Doranbolt's painful weeping, Laharl didn't know how to console him. He was an inherently reserved person. Though he was equally heartbroken by Archille's death, he forcibly suppressed the urge to cry! If he also broke down sobbing, no one would be left to comfort Doranbolt. Thinking this, Laharl organized his thoughts—something he wasn't particularly good at—and offered a clumsy, soft reassurance, "Crying hysterically like this won't help anything. Archille will surely be sad to see you like this in the afterlife! Since he is gone, let him depart without worries. Stop your useless crying! Otherwise, he won't be able to rest even in heaven. Besides…" Laharl paused slightly. Seeing that his words had caught Doranbolt's attention, he immediately pressed the point, shouting sternly:
"Instead of shedding tears of profound grief here, you should live on, for his sake, too!!!"
Live on, for his sake… live on, for his sake… live on, for his sake…
The sentence hit Doranbolt like a bolt of lightning, instantly jolting him out of his extreme sorrow! He's right! Instead of wallowing in this crushing grief, why shouldn't I live on, for Archille, too?!! I—I can't let Archille worry about me even in heaven!
Thinking this, Doranbolt's mind was suddenly cleared! The clarity in his eyes grew sharper and sharper until, finally, he regained his usual composure. No! Strictly speaking, he was even calmer than usual!
"Don't worry. I will live on for his sake…" Wiping away his tears, Doranbolt rose from the ground. He looked at the long, rolling river, clenching his hands tightly. He spoke in a calm voice, "Including the part of his life he never completed…"
Rest assured, Archille… You once said you would become the greatest Mage in the world! Since you can't fulfill that wish now, then I—Doranbolt—will fulfill it for you!!!
With that, he gently put the silver earring he held onto his own left ear.
Looking at his friend, whose expression had become unshakably resolute, Laharl felt a wave of relief and silently made a vow in his heart: Farewell, my dearest friend. I will help you achieve the justice you pursued in life!
He recalled a time long ago when Archille had discussed his origins. Archille had shown intense hatred for the bandits who had wiped out his family and massacred his village! Although those bandits had been annihilated by Albert himself, Archille still held immense resentment toward the wicked bandits and the incomplete state of justice in the world! Archille had told them then that once he possessed enough power, he would redefine a new justice! A true justice that he would uphold!!!
People of this world… I will let you bask in the glory of true justice, because—Laharl's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light—he quietly murmured to himself, "This is Archille's final dying wish…"
Meanwhile, in a sailboat heading toward the deep sea, Calvin Unknown slowly regained consciousness from his daze. Opening his eyes, Calvin was instantly startled! The reason: he found himself crammed into a small compartment, a space filled with dozens of people in "odd clothing"! They were male and female, old and young! But the majority were children around eleven or twelve years old!!
"You're awake, little one…" Just as Calvin was staring blankly, a gentle, elderly voice suddenly reached his ear, immediately startling him out of his trance!
Turning his head, aided by the faint light in the cramped space, Calvin finally got a good look at the speaker. It was an old man, about sixty years old, with a full head of white hair. The old man was looking at him with an expression that was hard to define. That look seemed to be…
A bitterness! And a hint of helplessness and sympathy.
Calvin carefully thought about it and finally confirmed the meaning of the old man's gaze. However, before he could figure out why the old man would look at him that way, his attention was suddenly drawn to the old man's hands—or rather, the chains on the old man's hands…