The Water Magician

It has finally begun.

As Ryo and Abel returned to the City of Run and reported the wyvern subjugation to Hugh McGrath, the news arrived.

Without knocking, the door opened, and the receptionist, Nina, entered to deliver the report.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation. Master, the Imperial Army has crossed the border."

"It's finally happening."

Hugh seemed to have anticipated this.

He nodded once and muttered softly.

However, Ryo was different.

It was the first time experiencing his country being invaded.

He was flustered.

"If we lose, I will become a citizen of the Debuhi Empire... a Debuhi person... a Debuhi mage... Mage Debuhi... Debuhi Ryo's Bonsa..."

"Ryo, calm down."

Abel, sitting next to him, placed a hand on Ryo's shoulder and spoke slowly, yet firmly.

Just those few words.

But with those words, Ryo felt calmer.

In the end, the effect of words depends not on what is said, but on who says them.

"Thank you, Abel."

At that moment, Ryo sincerely thanked Abel from the bottom of his heart.

"The scale of the invading Imperial Army is about eight thousand. An invasion of this scale happens every five years or so."

"Is that so? Ah, in that case, you're accustomed to dealing with it. That's good."

After reading the report, Hugh said that. Hearing this made Ryo feel even calmer.

"Even if we lose, just losing one battle doesn't mean I will become a citizen of the Debuhi Empire."

Abel said with a wry smile.

However, the moment he said that, Abel crumpled and clutched his chest.

"Abel!"

Ryo screamed.

Abel extended his right hand toward Ryo, as if to say, "I'm fine, just wait."

He closed his eyes and took deep breaths repeatedly.

About a minute passed, and finally, Abel lifted his head.

"I'm okay."

Abel said to no one in particular.

Then, after glancing at Hugh, he shot a quick look at Nina, who was standing by the door.

It seemed Hugh understood that.

"Nina, thank you for the report."

"Ah, yes. Excuse me."

Saying this, Nina left the room.

Something seemed to have happened that made it difficult for Abel to speak in front of Nina.

After taking a breath, Abel quietly opened his mouth.

"Now, Elder Brother, Crown Prince Kaindish has passed away."

At those words, Hugh McGrath was left speechless.

Ryo too, found himself at a loss for words.

He could understand that it was probably known through some magical connection that he had died.

Abel's brother, Crown Prince Kaindish...

Of course, Ryo had never met him, and as the Crown Prince of this country, he was literally someone from another world.

He knew nothing about him as a person, but still, he had seen the issues he had created.

The problems that Abel had been desperately trying to solve.

"Problems" are meant to test students and evaluate them.

However, their essence reveals the "quality" of the problem creator themselves.

If a foolish problem is created, everyone thinks, "What's wrong with this creator? Aren't they dumb?"

If a nonsensical problem is made, everyone thinks, "Is this person okay with Japanese?"

However, if remarkable problems are created, they will endure through the ages.

Famous university entrance exam problems from decades ago remain a topic of discussion repeatedly, right?

Or perhaps, the seven great problems of mathematics may even exist as questions that withstand historical scrutiny.

Therefore, by looking at the problems, one can also imagine the thoughts, preferences, and intellectual level of the creator.

The problems that Abel had been desperately trying to solve often questioned the essence of the nation.

"What is the purpose of a nation?"

"What must a king do, and what must he not do?"

"What should the relationship between the people, the nation, and the king be?"

Ryo thought that each question was designed to confront Abel with these essential truths.

Perhaps, there were no absolute answers to each question.

Unless the answer is exceedingly strange, the problem creator would not say "No."

More than drawing out an answer, they were problems meant to make one think, to have experienced situations to contemplate before actually facing them... it seemed there were many such problems.