Epilogue

The last six months had been rough.

Being level 183 drew a lot of attention – too much attention.

Some people questioned the legitimacy of my level, insisting it had to be some kind of glitch. They were quickly, and easily, proven wrong.

I even had an audience with the King – multiple audiences, in fact!

Chronos had been right. The King wanted me to enlist in his army – not as a soldier or officer, but as a symbol. He called it a "status role", assuring me I wouldn't have to fight unless I wanted to. My presence alone would serve as a testament to Tepan's strength. He spoke about taking me to political meetings, both inside and outside of the kingdom, using me to subtly intimidate foreign leaders. Other than that, I could supposedly live as I pleased, never wanting for anything.

It all sounded like the King just wanted to parade me like some kind of living artifact.

But that's how it begins.

First, I'd be a political tool. Then, I'd be "needed" to defend Tepan from its "aggressive" neighbors. After that? Infiltrations. Assassinations. Conquests. Expansions. All in the name of "kingdom security".

Yeah, right.

I wasn't going to be their pawn.

So, to everyone's shock, I declined the offer. The memory of General Kaelstrife gave me all the courage I needed to stand my ground.

The King and his new advisor, Stephan Lorren, tried to persuade me otherwise. They pushed, they reasoned, they offered incentives – gold, titles, lands, and more. But it was pointless. And it's not like they could force me.

In a way, I imagined that was how Spurius Axul – Rohanus Kane – probably felt when he was the only one who could use magic in a world without it – untouchable, yet constantly under scrutiny.

For Stephan Lorren's sake, I hoped his new position as First Advisor wasn't tied to any promises he'd made about recruiting me. That would be a very unfortunate failure on his part.

Though, he and the King kept on trying…

Among the two guild masters, Lady Mikaela was the one who received the most praise. The rest of the adventurers credited her leadership, her faith in her people – and in me – for the raid's unprecedented success. We had retrieved an unfathomable amount of treasure. All without utilizing 97 of the 100 adventurers gathered.

Of course, everyone still got paid.

As for Erebus? We told no one. Only Kelltins and Yana knew the truth.

The rest wouldn't have believed us even if we told them. It was so deeply ingrained in our kingdom that this tomb was haunted by Gaelith, it was easier to let everyone believe that Gaelith's vengeful spirit had been appeased and passed on happily ever after.

Gaelith had saved this world. Twice. I felt like shit knowing that no one beside the three of us would know about this. That the court of social opinion will forever remember him as a vengeful spirit that had cursed Tepan, even if he was wrongfully convicted.

But something told me he wouldn't care about that.

That just wasn't the kind of person he was.

As for Kelltins, he rejoined the Burning Suns and continued his adventuring days. He revealed his Axul heritage to Lady Mikaela, expecting judgement – perhaps even rejection. Instead, she accepted him without hesitation. But she chose to keep his origins a secret from the rest of the kingdom. She didn't want anyone looking at him differently because of his bloodline.

After everything we'd been through, Kelltins and I became close friends and met for the occasional beer every now and then.

He was living with Diona now. The poor priestess we had rescued from the tomb was struggling to adapt to our world. To her, it must have felt like being thrown a thousand years into the future overnight. But having Kelltins – a fellow Axul – by her side eased her transition. And, well…they fell madly in love. Talks of marriage were already in the air.

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As for me, I have received an absurd amount of guild invitations from every guild master under the sun – even from overseas. Some even tried bribing me with extravagant offers. But in the end, I chose to stay with the Sand Tigers – with my guild master and friend, Christian Renner.

Of course, once word got out that the Legendary Spellrogue – no, seriously, that's what they call me now. I bet Goren is laughing his ass off – was a member of a small guild in a tiny village like Sandrest, the response was predictable. Adventurers flooded in, convinced that if I remained in a guild where the guild master was only level 37, then surely this guild master was some hidden genius.

And, well, Christian was definitely something...special.

I wasn't the only adventurer in the Sand Tigers anymore, and that was great.

But the best part about the new recruits? A certain one among them.

A childhood friend.

The love of my life.

Yana quit the Burning Suns and joined my guild. And more than that – she moved in with me to my – sorry – our house in Sandrest.

Speaking of Yana – where the hell is she?

I was tired of all these girls fawning over me, asking for autographs, and finding excuses to touch my arms, while she was taking her sweet time at that bakery stall.

She stood there, pretending to carefully examine the pastries for the thousandth time. Every few seconds, she'd throw a teasing glance my way, a smirk playing on her lips.

I sighed, shaking my head.

She's enjoying this way too much.

Eventually, I'd had enough. I made my way through the amassed crowd, gently pushing my so-called fan club aside. "I'm sorry, ladies," I said with a respectful bow.

I reached Yana, immediately wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

"Oh, finally decided to rescue yourself?" she teased. "You looked like you were having so much fun back there…"

"Me?" I scoffed. "You looked like you were enjoying every minute of it."

"Take that back!" She laughed. "I was out here busy making an important decision."

I glanced at the stall. "Looks to me you're still trying to pick between the exact same pastries you've been looking at for the past ten minutes."

"You don't understand, Aidan." She crossed her arms, feigning deep contemplation. "It's an important decision. A cinnamon bun or a piece of apple pie?"

"It's really not that deep. Just pick one."

"Maybe it's not that deep to you. But what if I pick one, and then wonder what could've been? It would ruin my day, and consequently yours as well."

I sighed. "We can get both."

"My hero!" She exhaled dramatically.

I paid for both pastries, and we finally left the stall.

We walked together, hand in hand under the afternoon sun.

"Why did you want to come to Eastwell today, of all places?" she asked, nibbling on her cinnamon bun.

I smiled. "There's a family here. They grow blackberries. I helped them start a business, so I thought I'd drop by and see how they're doing."

Yana raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You never told me about this. How much are you making off it?"

"Nothing."

She stopped mid-step. "Wait, what?"

"They're the family of a friend," I explained. "I won't take money from them."

Her expression softened as she once again read me like an open book. "Goren?"

I nodded. I had told her about him – about how the world had forgotten he even existed. Even his family. But not me.

She squeezed my hand as we continued walking.

"Are you sure today's a good day for this?" she asked, sounding slightly concerned. "You have another audience with His Majesty tomorrow."

"Yes." I nodded, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly nervous.

I know I said they wouldn't convince me to enlist, but that didn't mean I was looking forward to dealing with whatever new escalating tactics they'd try this time.

I sighed heavily. I wished they would just leave me alone already...

The Sheins still lived in their small house, just as before, but the number of blackberry bushes in their garden had exploded. Rows of thick, healthy plants stretched across the yard, their dark berries practically gleaming under the sunlight.

As we approached, Ben – Goren's little brother – was tending to the bushes, carefully picking ripe berries and dropping them into a woven basket. The moment he saw us, he perked up and rushed over.

"Yo, Aidan!" he called out, grinning as he raised his hand.

I high-fived him. "What's up, Ben?"

Then his eyes flicked to Yana. "Is this your girlfriend? She's pretty."

Yana chuckled, clearly amused. "Thank you."

Ben grinned. "I'll go call mom." And with that, he sprinted into the house, leaving us alone in the garden.

As we waited, my gaze drifted to a nearby bush, to a single, perfectly ripe blackberry hanging from its branch. I recalled something Goren once told me about them, growing curious.

A moment later, the door swung open, and Goren's mother stepped out, smiling as she saw us.

"Aidan!" She pulled me into a warm embrace, kissing both my cheeks. "It's so good to see you!"

Then, she turned her attention to Yana, and her eyes lit up.

"Oh my goodness, and is that Yana? You're so gorgeous, darling!" she gushed, making Yana's face flush red.

Goren's mother clapped her hands together. "Come inside, both of you! I'll make us some tea."

Before Yana could say anything, she was already being led inside, practically dragged along by the excited Mrs. Shein.

I followed behind at a slower pace, enjoying the sight of Yana looking both flustered and helpless. As she threw me a pleading glance, I shot her a teasing grin, making it very clear that this was my revenge for the bakery stall incident earlier.

Before stepping inside, I plucked the ripe blackberry from the bush and popped it into my mouth.

Sweet. A bit sour too.

I let the taste linger before swallowing. A tranquil feeling suddenly enveloped me, bringing me some very-much-needed peace of mind.

I glanced up at the sky as if searching for him.

"You were right," I murmured under my breath. "They really do ease the mind."

THE END...?

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