Don’t tell Uncle

by Ayasenisan1713

Summary:

To escape from Croken’s training sessions, Lenoch runs away from home. However, all his family members are well-aware of his talent for acting, and he knows that, soon, his uncle would overturn the city to look for him.

Hiding from his uncle Croken, Lenoch decides to disguise in a way that the crocodile would never imagine: crossdressing. Thus began his journey in Vulcan.

(Inspired by the 'Family picture' fic.)

Chapter 1

"Wake up!"

Lenoch was slapped awake by one of the factory’s supervisors.

After the supervisor left, he sighed, looking at himself in the mirror as he rubbed his stinging cheek.

While running away from home to escape Croken’s training sessions (more like a one-sided beating, and the person being beaten is himself—too bad he can’t report his uncle for domestic violence as Croken is stronger than the authorities), he had somehow ended up here.

'I’ll stay here for a few days.'

Croken wouldn’t focus on the factories at first, coincidentally making this place a perfect hiding spot for the time being. However, the crocodile would also start to search more in detail once he didn’t find anything, so Lenoch should leave soon.

Afterwards, Croken would either leave Vulcan or give up on looking for him and passively keep an eye out. Lenoch only had to do his best to hide for a few days and put on a decent disguise later.

…If his uncle found him, Lenoch would be pummeled even harder. Lenoch didn’t want to test the limits of his pain resistance in such a manner. Maybe he would really die this time.

***

Neon signs flickered in a dazzling display, their electric glow bathing the streets in a hypnotic aura and billboards crowded the visual field, each one vying for attention with a seductive promise of the future. The air was alive with the upbeat rhythm of music, as if the city itself was singing a cheerful melody.

"Welcome to Vulcan, the city that leads the future of magical engineering," declared the voice of the city's leader, spoken through a public address system.

As he told himself, Lenoch had escaped the factory after a few days.

He gazed out at the airship hovering above and the sleek vehicles whizzing past, their signboards displaying unfamiliar letters.

Lenoch took a cigarette out of his pocket and began to observe the people passing by.

'It will take some time to learn basic common sense here.'

He had lived in a remote place all his life, sheltered by his family and isolated from the outside world, so this felt new.

But first, he should find a suitable disguise to live in this city.

Unfortunately, his family members were well-aware of his talent for acting and his ability to change his appearance and mana patterns.

The young, the old, even non-mages… Croken would probably check all of them in case they were him.

Thus, he should exploit another blind spot.

What would make the crocodile lower his guard and unconsciously dismiss the possibility that it was Lenoch if he ever met him? Something that Lenoch would normally never do?

There was a simple solution.

Lenoch suppressed the chaos within his mind as he lit up a cigarette, inhaling the smoke deeply.

'Let’s do it.'

Putting aside his psychological resistance toward the idea, Lenoch resigned himself.

He changed his appearance. Then, he put on the sunglasses he had brought from the break room, got out of the car, threw the keys inside, and closed the door.

***

'…Why does this suit me so well?'

Long hair beautifully complimented his face, appearing natural without even modifying his appearance. Instead of the usual gloomy vibe, his pale skin and dark circles gave off an air of mystery. There was no need for makeup.

Due to his thin build, the female clothes he had bought also fit perfectly.

Anyone would mistake him for a pretty woman.

A bitter expression on his face, Lenoch repressed another sigh.

He briefly considered his life choices. Was this really worth it? Shouldn’t he simply let himself get caught by Croken and die? Maybe he wouldn’t die, he could ask Myung to stop his brother. Right, Lenoch’s father wouldn’t watch him die.

…But what if Myung wasn’t there?

Schooling his expression, Lenoch neutrally stared at the mirror.

'From now on, I’m a woman.'

…No. This sounded wrong.

Well, from now on, he would crossdress as a woman.

The question of 'for how long' briefly crossed through his mind.

***

Despite mastering practical magic better than most mages, Lenoch was interested in what Vulcan’s theoretical magic books looked like.

Unfortunately, the knowledge covered in the public library was far too basic.

Why was the concept of common magic not mentioned?

"If you want to be a mage, it’s better to give up now."

Confused, Lenoch turned around to see a woman with blonde hair, dressed in a white blouse and blue skirt, sorting through abandoned books. She spoke in a cold and firm tone, not even looking directly at him.

"Reading books all day won't make you a mage. It's too late for you, so you should focus on studying theoretical magic engineering instead."

Modifying his voice to sound more feminine, Lenoch asked, "…What are you trying to say?"

"You're clinging onto a futile hope."

She put down the book she was holding and looked at Lenoch's face. Blue eyes like the sea stared at him calmly.

"If you can't enroll in a school or find a mentor, your only option is to pursue magic at university. But without a solid foundation, even if you manage to get in, you won't gain anything from the lectures."

"…"

"Magic is a field that demands both talent and luck. And mere emotions like curiosity, passion, and inquisitiveness are not enough to succeed on your own."

Lenoch remained silent, staring at her blankly.

To think him, out of all people, would be judged to 'not have enough talent'. That was quite ironic.

Lenoch was struck by the woman's beauty, even as her face was shaded by the setting sun.

Noticing his gaze, the woman quickly regretted her previous words.

"Huh… I apologize. What am I blabbering about with a stranger?"

She gestured while elegantly brushing her blonde hair.

"It's already past closing time. I kindly request that you leave so that I can organize the books."

Just as the woman was about to turn away, Lenoch found himself speaking up. "Is that from your experience?" he asked, his words laced with genuine curiosity.

***

'She’s a professor?'

He stared at the business card in his hand.

[Aris Richellen]

[Chair Professor, Department of Elemental Magic, Labatenon University.]

Lenoch had just turned onto the street leading to his hotel when he was stopped by a young man in a police uniform.

"Excuse me, miss," the officer said with a friendly smile, holding up a small device. "Could you spare a moment to assist with an inspection?"

"…Inspection?" Keeping an outwardly calm facade, Lenoch's mind raced at the mention of police, "I'm happy to help. What kind of inspection is it?"

"It's nothing too serious," the officer replied. "There was a recent robbery in the area, and we're investigating with the help of magic patterns found at the scene."

Lenoch breathed a small sigh of relief. The case had nothing to do with him, and he made sure to keep his expression neutral as he followed the officer's instructions.

No matter what thoughts raced through his mind, his face remained placid as he extended his hand towards the device, channeling mana towards its base while altering its pattern.

The policeman smiled and nodded, comparing the magic pattern on the screen to the one he held.

"The pattern is definitely different. Thank you for your cooperation."

Lenoch asked, pointing to the device, "Is this meter also detecting mana?"

Answering Lenoch's question, the cop nodded awkwardly.

"Yes yes. They say they used materials that are sensitive to mana, but wouldn't Miss Mage know better than me?"

This title felt awkward.

"Well, to be honest, I haven't been to this city in quite some time. This seems to be the way criminal investigations are conducted these days."

"It has been a long time since we stopped favoring physical evidence in the investigation process. Contrary to your appearance, you seem to be quite old-fashioned."

***

'I need to find a way to make money.'

Turning into an alley, Lenoch made his way to the basement of a seedy gambling den. Despite the early hour, there was a small bar with soft lighting open.

Before entering, Lenoch skillfully transformed his face using magic.

With only a handful of customers remaining, he took a seat at the bar and ordered a cocktail. The elderly bartender lazily mixed his drink before returning his attention to his own glass.

Taking a deep breath, Lenoch finally spoke up. "I'm looking for a job suitable for a mage."

The elderly bartender hesitated before tapping his glass four times in silence in response to Lenoch's request.

Suddenly, the space behind the bar opened up and a person emerged, yawning loudly.

"Ha~. It's after hours, and I'm ready to pass out. What's your deal?" said the sharp-looking woman with wet hair, eyeing Lenoch.

She wore a loose-fitting shirt and black leather pants, exuding both lethargy and fierceness. To be honest, she didn't seem like a typical bartender.

The elderly bartender standing next to him spoke up for the first time. "She's a mage."

"…Mage?"

Doubts appeared on Jenny’s face.

"Hmm, this gal doesn't exactly scream 'mage' to me. Maybe she's an escapee from some sketchy science lab or something?" the woman said, examining Lenoch's complexion under the dim light.

…How did she know?

Without any response from Lenoch, she convinced herself and sat across the bar. "But whatevs, it's all good. Mages are in high demand and we can always use more of 'em. Name's Jenny, what's yours?"

Unable to give his real name, Lenoch considered creating a new identity along with his magically created face for work at this place.

"…Van."

"Okay, Van. It's not a big secret that our bar arranges various things. Are you looking for a job that a mage can do?" Jenny asked.

"Yes."

Jenny raised her eyebrows at Lenoch's answer. "Then I gotta know how legit your magic skills are before I can hook you up with the right gig."

"You mean my level?"

"You catch my drift? You don't have to disclose the unique magical system you've learned, but it's important to know what category you belong to."

"…"

Lenoch was currently level 6, and didn’t yet have a domain, but his combat abilities outclassed his level and easily made him on par with superhumans of higher levels.

He also knew that being able to use all magic systems as he did was unusual.

***

As he cleared the counter, Jordan spoke slowly, "I discovered something interesting by circumventing Scavenger's network."

Jenny's expression immediately soured at Jordan's words. "Why are you still wasting resources on that filth? Paying Mirror Diver to spy on their network is a complete waste."

However, Jordan remained composed as he responded, "It appears that they managed to capture an image of Taylor Evans at the time of his death, and Van’s unique magic signature was also recorded. Shouldn't we investigate it further? She may be a more valuable client than we initially thought."

Jenny watched the footage with him.

"Wow…"

As Jenny replayed the brief 3-second video, she couldn't help but be amazed. The footage captured a rare spectacle of the dry sky splitting apart and being consumed by blazing lightning. It was a sight that not many had been privileged to witness.

Jenny muttered as she continued to observe the video, "Even if I underrate it, it appears to be at least Level 5."

"It's possible that she's Level 6 or higher," Jordan mused.

"It doesn't make sense. Why would someone as talented as her work here and settle for a bounty? If she showcased her abilities elsewhere, she'd have no shortage of job offers."

Unaware of their conversation, Lenoch headed to the orchard Jenny had recommended.

***

"That will be 34,000 cells," the attendant said in a composed tone, which was entirely unlike the store owner he remembered.

Lenoch looked up in surprise, caught off guard by the change in voice.

A woman with short hair gave Lenoch a subtle glance.

"Who are you?" Lenoch asked.

"I'm the proprietor of this store," she responded.

Could this makeshift tent, situated near the market, be considered a store?

"And the previous lady?" Lenoch inquired.

"She's an employee of mine."

"Then, what about all these vegetables?"

"I cultivate them as a hobby."

Finally, Lenoch scrutinized the woman he was conversing with.

Her composed gaze and expressionless countenance. She was a beauty with a small yet striking nose and red lips.

Despite donning a loose-fitting aviation jumper and jeans and hunching over, her distinct calm aura was impressive.

Certainly, she seemed out of place amidst the people who bought and sold fruits and vegetables in the market.

"With so many items grown as a hobby, you must be quite affluent," Lenoch remarked.

"Yeah, I make a good amount of money," the woman replied.

Lenoch paid her 34,000 cells without a word and clutched the bag in his hand.

"You possess an unusual mana."

"…What?" Lenoch queried.

"Why is a mage like you here?"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"If the pattern is that precise, I'll remember it in my memory. You haven't been in Vulcan for long, have you?"

Upon hearing her emotionless words, Lenoch experienced a momentary chill run down his spine.

Thankfully, he had the habit of changing his mana pattern, so she wasn’t seeing his real one.

If he didn’t take even that level of precaution, he would have been found by Croken long ago.

Lenoch's head whirled as he swiftly arrived at a solution.

'The barrier was the issue.'

Having become adept at various common magic, Lenoch had developed a habit of constantly casting a barrier spell whenever he went outside, and the pattern of magic flowing from it had caught her attention.

Used to hanging around monsters with outstanding skills, Lenoch did not realize how great seeing magic patterns from magic was.

Casually holding the cigarette in his hand, Lenoch offered a response. "Yes, I'm fairly new to this city."

"I had a feeling," she said.

"How did you know?" Lenoch inquired.

The response was nonchalant. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's just something I do."

"…"

He decided to avoid this area from now on.

Chapter 2

Following extensive contemplation, Lenoch finally acquiesced with a deliberate nod of his head.

"Okay. It's possible to destroy the factory,"

Upon Lenoch's pronouncement, Jenny beamed and proclaimed, "Sweet. Now let me introduce you to your partner for the job."

"Partner? Who?"

"Come on in!"

As Jenny spoke, the rear door of the establishment creaked open, revealing a burly figure clad in a thick leather jacket. The individual wore a mask reminiscent of a professional wrestler, its true meaning inscrutable, and a plethora of metal accouterments adorned his back.

Maintaining a tranquil demeanor, Jenny introduced Lenoch to the man standing before him.

"Meet Dylan O'Casey. He's a mercenary from the Antares office. He's cheap and works all over the place."

"Jenny, what would my new partner think if you blabbered like that to him the first time I met him?"

"Well, what would he think? A crazy man with a pro wrestler mask?"

"Hahaha!"

Despite Jenny's aloof demeanor, Dylan burst into hearty laughter and extended his hand to Lenoch for a shake.

"Dylan O'Casey. I'm a mercenary. I'm your new partner for this job. So, you're a mage, right?"

At that moment, Lenoch was unaware of what would happen soon.

***

"Hahaha…. you've made quite a mess."

Standing over two meters tall, with thousands of scales covering his body and an unrealistically elongated snout filled with sharp teeth, the crocodile-headed giant was a sight to behold. His long tail swung leisurely between his legs as he walked into the factory, his blue scales shimmering in the light.

Lenoch unnoticeably tensed up.

'What is uncle doing here?'

Lenoch watched as the giant rolled his vertically elongated pupils around the room, eventually finding Dylan and offering him a smile.

"A familiar face, huh? How's that troublemaker Antares doing?"

"He's doing just fine."

Lenoch held his breath.

Thankfully, Croken hadn’t yet recognized him.

He checked his disguise and mana pattern just in case, shifting his body language to something more feminine, but could not help but be nervous.

"Hmm, I wondered what kind of guts he had when he said that he would start a business by himself."

"The boss is a little bit sick of the shit."

Lenoch’s thoughts ran fast. What was Croken doing here? Was he looking for him? Did he know he was here? Or was he here for another reason?

"You know what the situation is, right? That's how it ended up."

"How much did you get paid?"

"Ten billion."

"Fuck…"

Lenoch calmed down. Since Croken was focused on Dylan, then his uncle was most likely not here for him.

Thus, he should do his best to not get recognized.

However, if they clashed, wouldn’t he notice that his attack patterns were familiar? Lenoch had sparred with Croken countless times before.

"In consideration for Antares, I'll make sure to kill you painlessly."

"I won't go down easily."

Dylan tightly held two swords, and his serious attitude contrasted starkly with his earlier demeanor.

From a distance, Lenoch observed with a stern expression.

"…"

Should he intervene or flee?

The answer was obvious.

Lenoch decided to flee.

He also did not forget to accelerate the timer he had put in the basement in the process, thus destroying the building and completing the commission. A secondary goal would be to minimize the time his uncle could feel his magic as much as possible.

'He spent years chasing after mom yet never managed to catch her. If mom can run away, then I can also do it,' he reassured himself.

2 minutes and 17 seconds were instantly turned into 1 second.

He had learned that trick from his grandfather—Jindun.

Kwaaang!

He also encountered that vegetable lady again.

"Who was that woman earlier?"

"Which woman?" Dylan exhaled smoke as he responded.

"Evelyn," Lenoch clarified.

Dylan explained, "I don't know much, but I do know she's one of the top agents working for the government."

…One more reason to avoid her.

***

Lenoch finally had enough money to create himself a fake identity.

"Yo, I got into the network. I'm gonna bring back the ID of someone who's been MIA and tweak the outer info. You can pick an address and age, and we'll snap your pic right here. Got any name you wanna use?"

Lenoch hesitated for a moment before answering, "Van… Evan. I don't care about the last name. And for the photo… I'll use this one." As he spoke, Lenoch utilized his magic to alter his face once again.

Long blond hair. The image of the woman in the library came to mind. Lenoch pushed away the thought. He also added a pair of prescription-less glasses for a more intellectual look.

The man squirmed briefly upon witnessing Lenoch's face transformation. "Are you a mage? Well, there's no need to use your real face when creating a fake identity," he remarked.

The man captured Lenoch's image with a disposable camera and quickly extracted the data by typing on his keyboard.

"Done. You're now Evan Vylun, residing in District 49. If you want a separate ID card, you can obtain one easily by paying around 500,000 cells to the municipal official in charge of District 49."

"Thank you," Lenoch replied.

***

"Is the mage coming this time reliable?"

"I heard she's a highly skilled lightning mage. She'll be a considerable help for this operation. She won't be lacking in ability… I don't know about her personality though."

Dray was fed up with the unsavory personalities and malevolent behavior exhibited by mages on several occasions. As he pondered this, he lifted his gaze and noticed a figure emerging from an adjacent alleyway.

It was a composed and collected young woman, sporting a shirt and munching on a sandwich as she leisurely surveyed her surroundings.

"…"

The moment the young woman locked eyes with Dray, she abruptly altered her course. The mercenaries who trailed behind Dray let out a collective groan as they observed the scene.

"No way…"

"Is that person?"

Before Dray could even answer, the young woman stopped in front of them.

"Is this the Krimgal Mercenary Office?"

"…Are you Van, the mage?"

"That's right."

After completing her sandwich, Van stashed the plastic wrap inside her bag.

"Are you smoking before the operation?"

Kidel bared his teeth in a snarl directed at Van, who calmly retrieved a cigarette and placed it between her lips. Despite Kidel's aggression, Van remained unflinching and retorted in kind.

"It's necessary."

Dray quietly observed Lenoch's behavior before finally addressing him.

"We paid 20 million cells just to hire you."

"…"

"Hopefully, there won't be any setbacks during the operation."

"I'll do my best."

Despite Lenoch's initial appearance being so surprising that it was hard to believe they would be going on an operation together, Dray nodded his head in agreement at Lenoch's composed response.

"Now that the mage is here, let's start the final briefing."

Lenoch heard the other mercenaries muttering on the side and tilted his head.

He was usually underestimated because of his frail appearance and young age. Now, he was being underestimated also because he was a woman? That was new.

He knew many powerful woman superhumans. One shouldn’t judge merely on appearance. (Although it’s true that at least they didn’t look weak like him, and his body was indeed frail.)

…Anyway, he wasn’t really a woman.

***

"Hey, are you listening to me?"

"…Of course. I'm listening very well."

"…"

Observing Aris sporting a displeased expression and crossing her arms, Lenoch offered an awkward smile in response. After a brief moment of her piercing gaze, Aris suddenly spoke, as if a thought had just dawned on her.

"Come to think of it, I gave you my business card, but I never heard your name."

"…"

"What's your name? I'm taking the time to give you this lecture, so you should at least tell me your full name."

With a cunning smile, Lenoch effectively masked his true emotions.

"Do we really need to mention names?"

"What did you say?"

"We don't necessarily need names to have a conversation."

"…"

Feeling Aris's wide-eyed gaze, Lenoch quickly picked up an excuse.

"Aren't we just fellow students exploring magic in this library? Isn't it enough to share knowledge about magic and have conversations?"

However, it appeared as though Aris had been expectantly awaiting Lenoch's murmured words.

"Alright. If you say so, it means you're ready to learn about magic from me."

"….What?"

"I haven't been able to come to the library recently because I was finishing a paper, but I usually stop by the university library once every two weeks to look for materials that haven't been updated."

With an audible thud, she abruptly closed the book and rose from her seat, causing Lenoch to gaze up at her with a slightly bewildered expression.

"I'll give you a simple lesson here once every two weeks. I'll teach you the basics of magic, not this summoning magic, so make sure you're well-prepared."

"But I don't have the time…"

She didn’t listen and left.

***

"What is happening in this city right now?"

Jordan widened his eyes in apparent surprise at the question.

"What, have you been unconscious for a week? It's strange that you're asking about this now."

"…"

"Do you have any knowledge about the news concerning the Philenom Autonomous Region?"

"I have a rough idea."

His sister lived there after all.

"In that case, I can fill you in quickly. The delegation from the Autonomous Region, originally scheduled to arrive at the end of this month, sent a notification just a week ago. As a result, Vulcan is currently in disarray."

…A delegation?

"…But it can't be solely because of that."

Upon Lenoch's incisive remark, Jordan coolly nodded.

"You're right. The city's quietude is not entirely due to that reason. An unimaginably influential figure has expressed their intention to accompany the delegation from the Autonomous Region."

"An unimaginably influential figure?"

Lenoch paused.

"The transcendental being, 'Heavenly Rebuke', who has been dwelling at the Philenom's lighthouse for decades, is coming here with the delegation… It's the first time in nearly a hundred years that a level 9 ascendant set foot in Vulcan. Everyone must be holding their breath, gathered at the central square."

Grandma?

Lenoch was stunned.

Why was his grandmother coming to Vulcan all of a sudden?

Lenoch, upon hearing this story, immediately sought Jordan's permission and left the bar.

He took a taxi then levitated and landed on the rooftop of a nearby building.

A voice seeped out over the radio of a communications soldier, who still hadn't noticed Lenoch's presence.

[Arriving in 30 seconds. Everyone, stay sharp and stand by!]

[They're coming…!]

After a brief moment, a short procession of about thirty people revealed themselves.

The delegation from the autonomous region of Philenom had finally arrived at the central square of Vulcan.

Their faces were full of caution, their eyes surveying their surroundings were overflowing with hostility.

At the center of the procession shuffled a small, elderly woman with snow-white hair, hunched over. Neatly combed hair held in place by a small hairpin, she wore flowing attire and moved slowly, tapping the ground with a staff.

It was Heavenly Rebuke, Madrea Falcier, making her entrance into the square.

[Are you enjoying your vacation?]

Hearing her voice in his head, Lenoch paused. He knew that he couldn’t escape her sensing range that spanned thousands of kilometers and wasn’t too surprised to have been found out.

The diplomatic delegation appeared bewildered by Madrea's sudden halt, yet they made no move to stop her.

They simply waited for her to continue walking.

"Grandma, what are you doing here?" he whispered.

Was his grandma visiting to see him?

Despite his voice not being loud to not be noticed by the soldiers around, he knew it would definitely reach her.

At least, with his grandma’s personality, she probably wouldn’t snitch on him to Croken.

[Lapis is doing well, if you wanted to know.]

That’s good.

…Although it still didn’t answer his question.

Lenoch rolled his eyes, knowing that ascenders liked to appear cryptic. However, he was also aware that there must be a reason she wasn’t answering now.

Slowly, Madrea averted her gaze.

As she took another step forward, the diplomatic party resumed their procession.

Her voice continued to resonate in the air.

[Be wary of Alkaid.]

"Alkaid? Who is-"

The ascendant walked through the central square, disappearing gradually into the city hall.

[Send my farewells to your sister as well.]

"…"

Why can’t you do it yourself?

Somehow, this goodbye sounded ominous.

Madrea Falcier disappeared in the distance, leaving him with a sudden realization.

'…Wait.'

He looked down at himself.

She had seen him dressed like this? Crossdressing?

Lenoch paled.

***

Three days later, Lenoch understood her cryptic words.

"Grandma…"

Madrea Falcier had died while failing to ascend.

Chapter 3

Now used to pretending to be a woman, it didn’t feel as awkward as before.

"Hey, wait a minute."

Lenoch paused and turned to face her. "…Yes?"

"What's your name?" Evelyn asked, her expression unreadable.

Curiosity flickered within Lenoch, wondering why she was interested in his name.

"Your mana pattern is remarkably clean for a level 4 mage. Usually, those with solid fundamentals like yours progress swiftly," she explained, a faint smile gracing her face. "Well, we might cross paths again in the future. It's good to know each other's names, don't you think?"

Observing Lenoch's composed response, Evelyn crossed her arms and appeared deep in thought. "Hmm… This is information I probably shouldn't reveal, but I'll give you a heads-up."

"I'm not sure I understand," Lenoch replied.

"We will soon have a large-scale inspection in the lawless zone soon. In particular, we plan to extensively crack down on the sneaky mages in the 40s districts who exploit taxes for their own gain."

"…"

Despite Lenoch's composed demeanor, Evelyn managed a faint smile.

"If you're connected with them, you'd better lay low for a while. Not sure if your name is on the deep web… but you're not doing that kind of work, are you?"

"What do you mean by the deep web?"

Lenoch pretended not to know and accepted her words, and Evelyn brushed it off easily.

"I'm just telling you because I like you. It would be awkward if we run into each other, wouldn't it?"

Perhaps deeming it sufficient, Evelyn deftly changed the subject.

"I'm Evelyn. Evelyn Marcia."

"I'm Ed… Ed James," Lenoch replied without hesitation, crafting a lie on the spot.

Evelyn chuckled deeper upon hearing Lenoch's pseudonym.

"Ed James? Good, I'll remember."

"I'll try not to forget as well."

"If you can't tell me the same name next time we meet, be prepared. Understand?"

"…"

'Do I have to find another market…?'

Although he was wearing a wig just in case, he didn’t have any appearance-altering spell on right now, so it was still dangerous.

He didn’t want to be close to someone who knew he was a mage.

***

"The truth is, you're right."

"What did you say?"

"There have been instances where I couldn't focus during the lessons."

Lenoch stood up from his seat and approached Aris, stating his admission.

Ignoring Aris's surprised reaction as she shrank back, he looked closely at her face.

If she showed discomfort at this point, it could be problematic.

Careful not to be captivated by her striking beauty, Lenoch took the book she had been holding.

"The Principles of Mana Operation. It primarily delves into the operational principles of mana commonly used in magic, but there are aspects that I personally struggle to comprehend. The acceleration of mana using rotation and pumping through continuous pressure. This interpretation describes these two techniques very simply. However, there is no explanation at all for cases where control becomes difficult when the amount of mana used at once exceeds a certain level."

"Wait, how do you…"

"In other interpretations and papers, such a phenomenon is often dismissed as a rare exception and vaguely interpreted. But I have a different perspective."

Lenoch's calm gaze locked onto Aris's eyes.

"I believe that the knowledge of this particular aspect is a rare theory only accessible to mages who have reached a certain level…"

"…"

Seated once again across from Aris, Lenoch resumed speaking smoothly.

"It has been several years since I started reading these books."

***

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a big round of applause to our newly recruited external advisor from the headquarters planning team, Miss Van!"

As the words left the announcer's lips, an enthusiastic roar erupted from the crowd.

"…"

Lenoch stood before a small stage, positioned at the far end of a packed auditorium, gripping the microphone as he gathered his thoughts.

The announcer's voice resonated through the room.

"Miss Van, our esteemed external advisor, has already forged a strong bond with our company through her exceptional magical talents and remarkable job skills. We believe she will serve as an inspiring role model for the students from Rabatenon University who are partaking in today's company tour. Before we conclude the tour, let us hear a few words of encouragement from Miss Van. Please give her a warm welcome with your applause!"

Despite the familiar words of the announcement, the response from the audience was overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

"Yeaaah!"

"So pretty!"

"Marry me!"

Lenoch’s expression turned strange.

Tuning out the cheers, he gave a speech.

"…I hope each and every one of you understands the significance of talented mages like yourselves being needed in all sectors of society. Thank you."

Soon, another problem arose.

"I heard your speech earlier," said one of the professors accompanying the students.

Blonde hair and blue eyes—both familiar to him.

"Your ability to train magic in such a challenging environment is truly remarkable. As a teacher to these students, I feel guilty for not being able to devote attention to those who need to learn, as I am focused on my research."

A composed expression that matched the coolness of her voice. A woman whom Lenoch knew well was there, waiting for him.

"…"

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No, I was just lost in thought for a moment."

Thankfully, she didn’t seem to recognize him.

Aris bit her lip slightly in response to Lenoch's careless excuse.

"Well, if a big company like Dyke wants you, I understand that you're confident in your abilities. But I won't display any shameful behavior in front of the students either."

With his experience using magic, although Lenoch wasn’t sure he could defeat Aris in this magic demonstration, he wanted to give it a try.

And indeed, he managed to do so.

As he was about to heave a sigh of relief, thinking it was finished for the day, Aris bashfully asked a question.

"May I ask what brand of cigarettes you smoke?"

"Why do you ask…?"

"Well, um…"

She mumbled her words as if finding it difficult to explain.

"I thought it reminded me of someone I know, but I must be mistaken."

Lenoch unnoticeably froze.

***

Witnessing the once securely closed vault door swing open, the rest of the team stared at Lenoch in disbelief.

"Is this even possible?" they exclaimed, shaking their heads as if struggling to accept the reality unfolding before them.

After all, it was the vault of a gang that had held a monopoly on the weapons business in the 40s districts for some time. Naturally, their curiosity piqued, and there was the hope of a potential bonus for a successful outcome.

Eyes filled with an inexplicable ambition were fixated on the wide-open vault door, but…

As soon as they spotted a man rummaging inside the vault, it vanished into thin air.

Lenoch abruptly froze.

"Hmm? What's going on?" The man turned his head, responding to the sound of the vault opening behind him.

Confidence exuded from him in an unsettling manner, enveloping the group in an eerie silence.

An unexpectedly bewildering presence in a place where everything should have been resolved.

But more importantly…

'Dad?'

Scratching his head, Myung emerged from the vault, one hand casually tucked into his pocket, and noticed him.

Instead of ignoring him, his gaze settled on Lenoch, surprised.

"What are you doing here?"

"…"

People behind him questioned him.

"Miss Van, do you know this person?"

But Lenoch couldn’t answer.

As usual, Myung saw through his disguise.

No.

Wait.

Myung’s gaze swept over him, scanning him up and down, speechless.

"…"

"…"

Maintaining a calm expression, a wave of second-hand embarrassment swept over Lenoch.

Thankfully, Myung didn’t remark on his attire, nor on the way the others called him. Instead, he sported a subtle smile of unknown meaning.

Lenoch regained his senses.

"Why are you in Vulcan? Is it for the Juice Master?

"Yes, I came here to fulfill his request and negotiate a trade."

Myung soon left.

"Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to Croken. Exploring the world is also a valuable experience."

Lenoch felt reassured by the words.

***

"I've been contemplating for a while, and today, I am certain."

Aris spoke as her blue eyes gleamed serenely.

"The passion for knowledge, the thirst for exploration, the eye for detail, and the level of understanding. Your deductive and intuitive abilities are flawless even by my standards. Honestly, it was quite surprising."

"…"

"If only you had sufficient mana, you could have been on par with me as a mage. That's how talented you are in theoretical research."

"Talented…"

"Come to my research laboratory. I want to conduct magical theory research together with you."

Seeing Lenoch, who had completely transformed into a different person in an instant, Aris urgently spoke.

"Of course, I don't intend to exploit you in my research lab without any position. I propose that you officially join as an assistant professor, with the authority to give lectures and attend courses at the university. You'll receive a salary and various benefits, ensuring your well-being…"

Lenoch abruptly stood up, not bothering to listen to the rest of Aris's offer. A familiar, friendly smile graced his face, reminiscent of their first meeting.

"Let me think it over, and I'll get back to you, alright?"

Filled with anxiety, Aris stood up from the table, turned to face Lenoch, and spoke with determination.

"I can provide you with a new identity."

"…"

***

In the end, Lenoch accepted Aris’s proposal. He told her that his name was Lenoch—but did not reveal his true gender—and became Aris’s assistant professor under the name 'Evan Vylun'.

***

On a business trip with Aris, once Lenoch was alone, a familiar hawk materialized.

The spirit squinted, its gaze sweeping leisurely across the surroundings before fixing onto Lenoch, whereupon it spoke.

[I finally found...]

The voice, dry, devoid of emotion, emanated from what seemed to be a woman. Lapis paused her sentence midway, taking in the sight of her brother’s attire.

"…"

[…Did I get the wrong person?]

The murmur—most likely not intended to be relayed—did not escape Lenoch’s ears.

"…"

Checking with her abilities, Lapis had to acknowledge the truth.

[Why are you dressed as a woman?]

"…"

How did she recognize him?

Should he deny it now?

"…I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Ignoring his desperate attempt to pretend to not know anything, Lapis pondered.

Bewilderment soon turned into amusement.

[Ah, I heard you ran away. Are you hiding?]

Lenoch gave up playing dumb and went back to an expressionless face.

"Get to the point."

[Can’t I talk to my big brother for no reason?]

"…"

[…]

"…"

[…]

As silence continued, Lenoch reacted.

"If you take a picture, I won’t talk to you ever again."

How did he know what she was doing?

Weighing the pros and cons for a moment, she didn’t give up on the idea. This was an opportunity she shouldn’t miss.

[…On one condition.]

Lenoch’s expression darkened.

[If you refuse, I’ll take a picture of you dressed as a woman.] Lapis added.

Lenoch was thus forced to accept, silently preparing a revenge.

Lapis continued as if nothing happened.

[Is that fox your spirit I heard about?]

Lenoch introduced Lapis and Davi to each other.

Then, the Lighthouse Keeper brought up the main topic.

[Big brother, I contacted you because the Hanghasa Labyrinth will open soon. I’m recruiting collaborators in advance, do you want to participate?]

"I’ll consider it."

Before she could voice her displeasure at the vague answer, he then brought up another important point.

"But how did you find me?"

He needed to check if she also knew he was Van.

[I felt grandma’s aura on you. You’re the one who last met her, weren’t you?]

Notes:

Myung, seeing crossdressed Van: …Do I tell him?
Lenoch: ?
Myung: *subtle smile*
To this day, Lenoch still doesn’t know what Croken thought of him. (*mentioned in the 'family picture' fic*)

Lapis: Hello big brothe- Did I get the wrong person?
Lenoch: I thought it was a perfect disguise, why is everyone recognizing me?

Chapter 4

When Lenoch planned to go to an auction house with Jenny, this was not at all what he had imagined.

"Are you alright? Your face is pale," Jenny worried.

"…"

Lenoch’s mind was blank, trying not to think of the fact that he was currently wearing…

"Van?"

He was glad Lapis couldn’t see him now.

Lenoch briefly considered giving up everything now, going back home, or straight up committing suicide-

Unaware of his inner turmoil, Jenny finished applying makeup on his face and pushed him out of the car.

"…"

Lenoch never thought he would ever wear a dress. A close fitting dress at that, beautifully complimenting his figure.

"It suits you well," Jenny appreciated, glad that the clothes she had lent him fit. Although Van was a little flat, the freelancer’s beauty was striking enough to catch the attention of clients when she dressed Van up in the bar. "Let’s go."

Lenoch soullessly followed after her to the auction house, his thoughts drifting to Jenny’s ability to stride gracefully in an attempt to distract himself. Jenny seemed used to these kinds of situations.

***

[Very well. Let us diagnose your condition. For most guests, listening would suffice, but for one as accomplished in magic as Jenny’s colleague, it is worth investing the effort.]

After exchanging a few words, Lenoch made up his mind.

"Very well, let’s begin."

Although being examined by Yanushka Greenway would reveal his true gender to her, he had no chance but to take that risk if he wanted to improve his condition. He could only trust that she would be tight-lipped enough not to reveal his gender until she forgot about him.

…He felt like the number of people knowing that he was crossdressing as a girl was increasing day by day.

[Extend your arm. First, I need to check your pulse.]

***

The veiled woman, specialized in mystic eyes, faced him.

Seeing mystic eyes was new to Lenoch. He was quite interested in the matter. Was it similar to the abilities of the Lighthouse Keeper whose 'eyes' oversaw everything?

As he was lost in thought, the woman in front of him sneered.

Her voice resonated magically in his mind.

[I didn’t know the great mage I heard about had such a strange hobby.]

"…"

Lenoch had a bad feeling.

Oliviera’s eyes stared at him, as if piercing through him. She looked like someone facing a person with bad intentions.

[Tell me. Why is a mage of your caliber crossdressing?]

…She found out he wasn’t a woman.

How did she know?

Lenoch tried the best method he could think of to dispel her suspicions. Denial.

"You must be mistaken."

In a sarcastic tone, she answered.

[Right, it must be.]

"…"

Cold sweat flowed down his back.

Did she find out thanks to her mystic eyes?

Being exposed like this was quite embarrassing.

Moreover, she questioned his motives: either he had bad intentions and was hiding his gender for malicious reasons, either it was an eccentric hobby. Revealing that he was in hiding would also put him in a disadvantageous position as she would grab a hold of his weakness.

[Do you take me for a fool?]

…Should he kill her?

Lenoch started to calculate whether he could win against the leader of the Cartel in a fight.

It was a blessing that Oliviera had brought up the matter of crossdressing only when they were alone together.

That day, freelancer Van took over the Cartel.

Jenny was dumbfounded.

"…Van?"

Lenoch cleared his throat.

"The Cartel is in your hands now. I’ll leave its managing to you."

"This wasn’t in the plan."

"…It somehow happened."

He avoided her gaze.

***

Antares faced him, thoughtful.

"Is there something you want to say?" Van inquired.

He hadn’t seen Antares since sparring against him on the rooftop.

Actually, he had heard about Antares from his uncle. The man with the power of foresight had been on a pilgrimage with Croken.

Most likely, Antares’s ability wouldn’t work on himself due to his target resistance either.

"I heard that he had a kid…" Antares started.

Somehow, Lenoch felt like he knew who the 'he' in the sentence was.

But Lenoch obviously looked female. Even if Croken had mentioned him to Antares and the mercenary attributed the failure of his foresight to Croken’s child (Croken tended to call Lenoch his child instead of his nephew—unless the mercenary was acquainted with Myung, that meant Croken had referred to Lenoch as his son when speaking to Antares), unless Van was a hidden child or had a hobby of crossdressing, it couldn’t be Lenoch. So Antares would most likely dismiss that possibility-

"Are you related to Croken?"

"…"

Interpreting his silence, Antares nodded to himself.

"As expected. You are his daughter."

No. Why?

This situation was absurd.

Croken didn’t have children, and his nephew was obviously a man.

Was he confusing him for Lapis? But Lapis was a few years younger—still a kid.

"I think you’re mistaking the person."

"At first glance, the age matches. Lenoch, right?"

…What had Croken said to Antares about him?

"…What?"

Lenoch was bewildered.

Since he was hiding his gender, he couldn’t even correct Antares on not being a girl.

Lenoch rubbed his temples tiredly.

"…Please don’t tell Croken about this identity. I’m hiding from him."

Antares nodded.

Lenoch couldn’t decide if Antares’s kind attitude should be a good or a bad thing.

"Croken often told me about you. He said his daughter had a very weak constitution but would grow into a talented mage. Apparently, he was right. You also had a younger sister, right?"

"…"

***

Evelyn sat at Jenny’s bar, next to Van.

"…Now that you took over the Cartel, the megacity is in chaos."

"…"

As Lenoch remained silent, still preoccupied with his strange encounter with Antares—or the fear of discovering that the agent lived in the apartment above his, Evelyn continued.

"It’s a good thing that you didn’t completely destroy them. The Cartel is an influential organization in the Underworld—replacing their leader already made the megacity in turmoil, but had you destroyed it, all the businesses under the Cartel’s control would have acted up and the crime rate would have drastically increased."

Jenny also nodded.

Lenoch didn’t know if the agent had come here to reprimand him or to praise him.

More importantly, he was looking for a way to subtly inquire about when she would move out without appearing suspicious.

Fortunately(?), she came to request his help, so he would have more time to contemplate the matter while visiting the Magic Tower.

***

"Why did you take so long to come?" Lapis complained.

"…"

Using his perfect acting skills, Lenoch shamelessly lied.

"I was busy."

He actually hadn’t planned to come, especially since he didn’t want Lapis to see him in this attire.

Grisha, whom Lenoch was acquainted with but didn’t recognize him due to his different appearance (at least it proved that his disguise was successful), asked Lapis, "Who is this?"

Keeping a straight face as much as she could, Lapis tried to hold back her laughter as she proudly introduced Lenoch.

"This is… my big sister. Evan."

"…"

Grisha didn’t notice Lenoch’s expression.

"Did you have a big sister?"

She only remembered Lapis having a big brother, but she hadn’t heard about her having other siblings.

Lapis nodded, now feeling a bit guilty about her lie. However, her lips were still curling up despite her will.

Evelyn beside them was curious. "Was Evan blood-related to the Lighthouse Keeper?"

She learnt something knew about Van.

Lapis nodded.

Evelyn inquired further.

"Does that mean Van’s surname is Falcier?"

Lapis tilted her head.

Lenoch kept his arms crossed.

Averting her gaze, the Lighthouse Keeper scratched her cheek.

"This is complicated…"

"…"

His sister’s last name was Falcier, like his grandmother (she had inherited Madrea’s last name because she took on the burden of succeeding her and taking care of the Lighthouse), while his grandfather’s last name was Ethernor. However, his uncle’s last name was Asylus (he didn’t know why it was like that—but it was also a mystery why his uncle was half crocodile; Lenoch speculated that Croken had been adopted), his father’s last name was Heukyul…

Although he was exiled from the family, his mother’s last name was also Heukyul. (Did that make his last name Heukyul too then?)

Conclusion: their last name was really whatever they wanted.

Wait.

Lenoch realized, if both of his parents were originally from the Heukyul family, then wasn’t that incest?

The unexpected secret behind his bad health made him pause.

As Lenoch experienced a shocking revelation after 20-30 years of living, he made a mental note to create a fake surname for this identity.

Lenoch later introduced himself to the other watchers, an emotionless expression on his face, "Nice to meet you, I am Evan."

Lapis did her best to suppress the smile on her face. It was a good idea to threaten her big brother to come dressed as a girl in exchange for not taking photos as souvenirs. (Wasn’t it fine as long as he didn’t find the photos she took anyway?)

At that moment, Evan turned her, no, 'his' gaze toward her.

Lapis avoided her big brother’s eyes.

***

Once the Hanghasa Labyrinth opened, Lenoch made an unexpected encounter.

He was stunned.

"…Mom?"

Ermond looked him up and down and pointed at him.

"Wow, son. I’d have never recognized you."

…Lenoch unintentionally blew his cover.

However, he knew there was no risk of his mother reporting his whereabouts to Croken. Ermond would want to avoid Croken more than anyone else.

More importantly, the body his mom was currently occupying was… Jaun Odis? And…

"You were in Pandemonium?"

Was dad actually helping his mom hide from Croken all along?

Ermond nodded.

Lenoch shook his head, relaxing. It was reassuring to meet reminders from home in this unfamiliar environment.

He gave a friendly reminder, "Mom, be careful. Uncle Croken is coming for you."

Even after all these years, Croken hadn’t given up on chasing after Ermond.

…And wasn’t Croken also a member of Pandemonium?

Ermond had really been hiding under his nose all along.

Ermond sneered.

"Isn’t he coming for you too since you’re dressed like this?"

"But I’m only skipping on training. You, you cheated on him by sleeping with Myung."

Ermond was speechless.

One side of Lenoch’s lips curled up.

"Oh, and he’s behind you."

Time seemed to come to a still.

Ermond stared at Lenoch with horror.

"Don’t say that. Last time you made such a joke, he really appeared."

Outwardly unworried, Lenoch carefully scanned his surroundings through his mana senses.

Thankfully, he hadn’t jinxed it. Croken wasn’t here.

Later, he also encountered Myung in the Labyrinth.

His father offered him to join Pandemonium.

Chapter 5

After taking the tears of the archangel from Myung and joining Pandemonium, Lenoch woke up to the sound of voices.

"Isn't she sleeping too long?"

"I was looking forward to it because I heard enough power was brought, but it was a friend who slept more than I thought."

"Take it off if you go. Let's check the face."

The moment he heard the words, Lenoch stood up and raised his magic power.

Someone who was about to put their hand on his mask was swept away by the wave and fell down.

Lenoch thus met the clown and the most famous diva on the continent then started discussing the operation.

"I’m Freya. What about you?"

Lenoch felt the mask on his face.

"Victoria."

***

"The helper who hesitated and waited at the end. Tell me who it is right now," Victoria demanded.

"…Hehehe, did you remember that word? That's why I can't talk in front of smart friends."

"…"

"Well, it's not a big deal. When preparing for an operation of this scale, it is natural to prepare for various variables. Considering uncertain variables in the process of personnel supply and demand before starting the operation…"

"Let's talk about useless things in moderation."

The clown and Freya then starting arguing, not mentioning the helper’s name directly.

The clown laughed, "Or, whatever I have to say about the topic that you've been deceiving people by borrowing my magic-"

Kuwooung!

At that moment, an impact broke out that shook the entire ground of the jungle where the three people were scattered.

Lenoch was more focused on the huge shock that had just sounded his axis than on the appearance of the dying clown.

In the aftermath of simple physical destruction, the familiar resonance that contained a clear will.

The monster that was clearly engraved in Lenoch's memory was spreading his presence all over the jungle.

"…"

A single thought dominated Lenoch’s mind.

'I have to run.'

Bang!

At that moment, the scenery of the jungle surrounding the three people shook greatly.

The entire ground in all directions was cracked and began to turn over.

Beyond the empty ruins, hundreds of trees and bushes moved like running on the ground at the same time, filling the empty space.

The broken soil roots and piles of stones wave like waves in a huge shaking and hide their traces between the ground.

Lenoch tried to stand, barely regaining his balance.

With the eerie sound of ligaments being broken, the tree on which the clown leaned was broken.

Something slowly walked out from beyond, as the surrounding air resounded with a heavy weight that seemed to press down heavily on all directions.

Lenoch’s body was frozen. He didn’t know if it was from the physical pressure crushing him or from the past memories of 'training' engraved in him.

Beyond the fog of the forest when the day has not yet dawned, the long protruding snout and dark scales were very clearly seen through the fog.

Lenoch held his breath.

Not paying attention to him, the crocodile grabbed the clown and threw him into the tree opposite.

"Kehek…!"

Looking at the clown shaking faintly with a moaning scream, Croken stopped walking and looked down.

"I walked in vain."

"Khak... Ahahak...!"

Lenoch suppressed his presence as much as possible, trying his hardest to not let his magic power slip out.

With enough luck, maybe Croken would see him as a bug and ignore him—like in the factory before.

Lenoch self-rationalized things. No, although it was too late to slip away, Croken was here since the beginning of the operation. He must have already noticed Victoria.

Lenoch had changed his mana pattern, acted out a different personality, used a different appearance… Even if his family members were aware that he was skilled and disguise and acting, Croken would never think that he would crossdress as a girl.

Despite reassuring himself, Lenoch couldn’t help but think that things were going wrong.

Something at the back of his mind was warning him.

Croken turned around and walked out of the jungle without hesitation.

Then, he stopped walking as he passed by Lenoch.

The unusual reaction made the clown and Freya breathe in at the same time.

"…"

Croken, who looked away for the first time, quietly looked at Lenoch wearing a mask.

Lenoch also looked at him without avoiding his gaze.

After a while, the corner of Croken's mouth, who took his eyes off Lenoch, rose slightly.

Lenoch had chills.

He had definitely recognized him.

Or should it be a relief that only his identity as 'Victoria' was found out?

Lenoch completely forgot about his surroundings or the shame of being dressed as a woman in front of another family member. The most important was to survive this situation.

Out of survival instincts, Lenoch decided to apologize first.

"Uncle, I…"

"I always knew you were a girl."

"…Huh?"

An unexpected answer.

Lenoch’s mind turned blank.

He questioned his ears.

'Wait, what…?'

Croken added, "I’d love to take you back home for some training, but I have urgent business to take care of right now."

"…"

Croken's body disappeared without a trace.

The heavy momentum that was pressing on this area until a while ago felt like a hallucination.

Once they regained their senses, the clown and Freya were stunned.

They had clearly heard Lenoch call the crocodile 'uncle' as well as their conversation.

"Who knew Victoria was blood-related to Croken?"

"I didn’t go crazy, did I…" Freya wondered, shivering.

However, Victor remained frozen, shocked by the implications of what he had just heard.

His conversation with Antares came to mind.

This sense of dissonance.

What if it wasn’t a mistake?

What if, all along…

「"I always knew you were a girl."」

Croken had misunderstood his gender and all his efforts and crossdressing were for nothing?

As the dreadful truth came to mind, Lenoch desperately attempted to deny it.

The clown waved his hands in front of 'Victoria'.

"Victoria, are you okay? Your eyes look dead."

"She spaced out."

…All this humiliation was for nothing.

For his own sanity, Lenoch decided that he couldn’t be sure that this guess was true from just one sentence and that he should also keep other possibilities in mind.

[Why did he say that? It’s obvious that master is a woman.]

"…"

***

Lenoch jumped out of the helicopter.

As he landed, the two forces that were fighting each other between the bushes were pushed to both sides almost at the same time.

"Ugh…!"

"It's a mage!"

"Why is Pandemonium's dog here…!"

The intersection of magic power that constantly bursts out from all directions.

It's no different from the fierce battles that take place in various places in the jungle, but the opponent is very different.

However, the priestess of the sect, who was at the forefront of one force, was very familiar to Lenoch.

Lenoch looked at the child, surprised.

"…What are you doing here?"

Seina Naidri, his daughter.

The priestess innocently looked up at him, not commenting on her dad’s attire as if seeing Lenoch crossdressing were the most natural thing in the world.

The child smiled, pointing at the person at the forefront of the opposite force.

"I think I found a new apostle candidate, so I was just going to give a revelation."

"I've heard that you're crazy, but you're out of your mind."

Tatiana Chiglet, who was standing opposite her, clenched her teeth.

"I don't want to be an apostle, so get out of here."

Lenoch was put in a difficult position.

Should he help the mage that he once met as Van who could be a useful connection in the future, or should he assist his daughter in turning her into an apostle for the Guido Sect?

…After some deliberation, he decided to save Tatiana.

Seina immediately gave up and retreated.

She discreetly waved at Lenoch, sending a message to his mind.

'See you later.'

Lenoch indiscernibly nodded.

***

The sound of the keyboard quietly resounded inside the bar where there was no one.

"I made a mistake with my friend."

Aris, who had hesitated for a long time, opened her mouth, clutching a glass with both hands.

"I was happy to know their secret, and I was embarrassed to realize the reason. I believed that there was a problem that needed to be solved even if there was a limit to reducing the time spent in this city.”

"…"

"It was arrogance. If it was something that I could solve with my own power, there would be no reason to hide and think about it like that…"

Looking up at Lenoch, her unique dark blue eyes were still the same.

One of his identities barely unraveled, yet countless secrets left.

Despite knowing his true face and true name, despite spending time with her with his real personality more than anyone else…

Aris mistakenly thought he was a woman, didn’t know anything about his past, nor did she know about his family. There were so many things he had hidden from her.

Could he really say that she knew who he truly was?

Actually, he was crossdressing. His sister was the Lighthouse Keeper, he had a daughter, his parents and uncle worked in Pandemonium, his grandparents had also been famous ascenders. Evan Martinez and Victoria were his identities as well…

Lenoch wondered if he would be able to tell her someday.

Would there come a moment when he could tell the truth and introduce his family to her, without any artifices?

"Are you back to tell me that?"

"I heard the news. It was a story that you had a lot of problems while I was away. I was worried about that, so I tried to make time for a while, but..."

Aris, who was looking at Lenoch with sad eyes, put down the glass and stood up from her seat.

"This is all I can do."

She took something out of her trench coat and pushed it on the table in front of Lenoch.

The shape of a small bookmark. However, the magic power flowing from it was a different level from other artifacts.

Lenoch, who had been looking down at it for a while, asked, "Is this…?"

"It's not that I didn't have any income while looking for a way in the Magic Tower."

Aris said quietly.

"I've already checked the direction. Even if it's difficult on your own, there may be room to find a way out at a more fundamental point."

"..."

Instead of answering, Lenoch closed his eyes quietly.

Finally, he reached out and picked up the bookmark.

"I'll tell your friend for sure."

"Thank you."

Aris laughed with difficulty.

Notes:

Croken: *a free Victoria in the wild has been spotted!*
Lenoch: …Time to run.

Lenoch: *immediately assuming that Seina recognized him despite wearing a mask and being dressed as a woman*
Seina: *she knew about Croken’s misunderstanding but never told him*

Chapter 6

Pandemonium’s interim settlement.

Lenoch heard that they traded relics of the old world.

'Let’s bring some souvenirs to Lapis and Seina…'

Although he may not necessarily find something for himself, it would be nice to find gifts for Lapis and Seina.

However, he couldn’t grab any cheap artifact. They were still the Lighthouse Keeper, successor of an ascender; and his daughter. They deserved the best luxuries.

Relics from the old world should be rare enough to befit their status.

Lenoch intended to find something that could be useful to them.

***

"It's true that I was injured in the battle with Onion at the time, but the situation is not that serious."

"…It isn't a serious situation?”

"Yes. If there's a need for battle, it's better to say that you don't have to postpone the timing-"

Lenoch's words were immediately interrupted by Jenny's reaction from the seat.

Jenny, who took out a piece of paper from the shelf and put it down, stared at Lenoch with her arms crossed and a cold face.

[A nursing guide that the patient's guardian must read and familiarize in]

"The doctor in charge of your treatment sent you something like this, but you say that?"

The moment when Lenoch confirmed that it was Murphy's medical record, he resigned himself to the misunderstanding.

…No.

Depending on the contents, there would be another issue.

Lenoch slowly lifted his gaze from the paper. Jenny slightly avoided meeting his eyes.

Lenoch imperceptibly paused.

'Don't tell me…'

Did she know? Her reaction made it even more suspicious. But then, why wasn’t she saying anything?

The past moments with Jenny flashed before his eyes.

Coming to her bar dressed as a woman. Going to an auction together and putting on a dress.

"…"

An awkward silence hung in the air.

Lenoch tried to pretend that nothing was wrong.

He was used to it now. After all, it wasn’t the first time someone discovered he was crossdressing, so he had built up some endurance. It wasn't even sure that Jenny knew.

"…Where did you get this?"

A voice came from behind him.

"I got it."

"…"

"It's been a long time since Jenny made a request to our office. It's been a while since I've worked hard."

Lenoch confirmed who it was and stood up with a sigh. The two went to have a private talk somewhere else.

A pensive look on his face, Antares wondered, "Still, it's a bit confusing."

"…"

"If you're not a woman, then are you not Croken's daughter?"

He had definitely read that medical record.

"…I don't know what Croken told you, but 'Lenoch' is Lapis's older 'brother'. A man."

Antares was lost in thoughts.

He had definitely heard from the crocodile that Lenoch was a woman. Why was it different?

Putting the topic aside, they went to the main point, and Antares left.

Once Lenoch went back to the bar, Jenny put on a neutral face, raising a supportive thumbs up.

"…I respect your tastes."

Van’s expression trembled.

***

"Is she starting again? It took a little longer than I thought."

"Is this Evan Vylun? She's younger than expected."

"It's not like a great researcher to demonstrate in person at the city hall, I'm looking forward to it...!"

"She's so pretty. Could she be Professor Aris Richellen's secret sister?"

Citizens talking in the audience, and experts who are watching Lenoch carefully and quietly talking.

Lenoch listened to their voices for a moment and looked around the people.

Not all the audience is visible, but it is possible to guess to some extent when combined with the deliberately limited magic power.

Mila and Felix of the Antares Mercenary Office who greeted Lenoch earlier. The mages of the towers who followed the presenter, government officials…

Looking around the audience, he found someone in the middle and stopped his gaze.

'Evelyn?'

Even in the dark audience, she wears thick sunglasses and a beret, but her familiar black short hair is not hidden.

He seemed to see the green eyes he remembered through the dark sunglasses.

While eating popcorn, she looks up at this side with an excited look, and looks away in a hurry when their eyes meet.

Hundreds of people's eyes began to focus on Lenoch, who was just standing on the podium, and the magic engine next to him.

"My uncle works at the research institute, and she is a great celebrity."

"I know professor Aris Richellen, but Evan Vylun is also that famous?"

"It is said that her thesis has made a great contribution to the research of the energy system. It's at the level of overturning the existing theory."

As he was about to stop scanning faces, he noticed a familiar hair color not far from Evelyn.

"…"

Lenoch checked it again. The magic power was faint, but he couldn't be mistaken.

Meeting his gaze, Lapis waved at him.

His family member was attending as well.

Lenoch was in a daze.

Since he had arrived to Vulcan, he had been running around without rest. Despite his occasional encounters with people he was acquainted with, it was brief, and he was more preoccupied with hiding his identity.

He had put the people around him at a distance, never really relying on anyone except himself.

Yet, seeing Lapis in the audience now.

For once since running away from home.

Lenoch took a sip of mineral water next to the stage, immediately took the microphone and stepped forward.

…He felt like he wasn’t alone.

Answering his unsaid doubts, Lapis sent a mental message to his mind.

[I couldn't miss my broth- sister's thesis presentation, could I? We're family.]

He suppressed his lips from quirking up.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Evan Vylun, and I'm working as a researcher for Professor Richellen at Labatenon University."

Lapis had come all this way to watch his presentation despite how busy she must be. He should live up to her expectations, right?

***

"Good. Then what is the treasure that the sect tried to hide…"

Lenoch's words stopped as he looked into the storage box.

Davy also confirmed it immediately in front of him and was silent.

What existed in the storage box was not an artifact of the sect.

The body of a girl curled up in a praying posture.

A calm face with eyes closed while wearing an antique dress.

Lenoch's gaze fixed on the face of the child.

"…Hey."

What was Seina Naidri doing in a box, praying as if dead?

"Do you hear me? Are you okay?"

It wasn’t at a level that life activity had stopped, but the interior was so damaged that it would be impossible to recover.

Right now, Seina was in a state where she couldn’t see Lenoch with her own eyes or see and recognize his presence.

Lenoch immediately took out medicine and tried to feed her elixirs. However, it wasn’t effective.

A white spirit rose up on the priestess’s body and faced Lenoch.

That meant, Seina was now…

"…Are you dead?"

The child finally recognized him.

[Dad!]

For someone who did not know the context, seeing a high-ranking priestess of the Guido Sect call a criminal of Pandemonium—a woman at that—by the word 'dad' would have certainly seemed odd.

Lenoch stared at her with a complicated gaze.

'The memory and mind are better than I thought. Above all, the preservation of the soul is very good.'

Looking at it one last time, he closed the box containing her body, sealed it, added weight and size reduction magic on it, and stored it on him.

His eyes turned infinitely cold.

"…Who made you like this?"

In response, Seina gently explained.

[The position of the priestess can be replaced at any time. My ability is just a grace I received from Him... If I don't have the qualifications, it will disappear at any time and it's just a bubble.]

"…"

[Even without me, there will be no problem with the power and status of the sect. The battle with the league that you know is just a matter already determined.]

Her words made him even more angry.

"…Ha!"

He swept his hand over his face, feeling the cold hard touch of the obsidian mask as his voice heterogeneously uttered.

"I let the Guido Sect operate freely for too long. It seems it’s time to stop their operations."

[…]

He had only left them alone because they were related to his daughter, but if they crossed the line like this, then he had no reason to let them continue existing.

Lenoch put Seina’s soul in the ring to preserve it until he found a way to save her.

If he didn’t call her out of the ring, she wouldn’t see what he was doing, but he decided to let her out like Davi—other people couldn’t see souls anyway.

***

Lenoch, lying on the ground, was suddenly lifted by the neck.

Meeting his uncle at this moment, when he was so vulnerable, was a stroke of bad luck.

What was the crocodile doing here?

"It's the same when as in the well, it's hard to see you moving normally."

Croken glared at 'Victoria', watching him vomiting water helplessly.

"It's not fun. I didn't train you to be this weak."

"Cough…!"

"As expected, I should bring you home."

Lenoch stood up again, breathing with difficulty.

"…No."

He injected an ampoule into his arm.

"I won’t go back home."

Lenoch pulled up his magic power, summoning his domain.

He couldn’t go back now.

There were still many things left to do.

***

Fortunately, Lenoch managed to escape.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

However, maybe it was too early for that.

Lenoch froze, staring at Evelyn with surprise.

[She definitely knows.]

He mentally agreed with Seina.

Although Evelyn was merely hinting at it, Lenoch wasn’t dumb enough to ignore the facts. She wasn’t merely prying, she must have known.

"…Since when did you know?"

So, instead of wasting time denying it, he asked.

Evelyn tilted her head.

"It was obvious," she replied.

As an experienced agent, identifying a criminal’s gender was in their line of expertise. She simply hadn’t commented on it.

"We spent a lot of time together in the Hanghasa Labyrinth race, and from your build…"

Lenoch rubbed his temples.

She was aware of it for that long?

Should he be thankful that she never commented on it until now?

In the ring, his daughter’s soul tentatively comforted him.

[Fashion is even more open as time goes on. I think you look very good in these clothes too.]

"…"

Chapter 7

Lenoch agreed to escort Lapis in Vulcan.

However, things soon turned awry.

The opponent’s eyes, looking at Lenoch, instantly narrowed.

"It’s annoying, one such monster is enough in this city."

"A monster…?" Lapis questioned.

Before the man could talk about Van, Lenoch changed the topic.

A few minutes later, they were at a dead end.

Lenoch recapitulated the situation in his mind.

'I came with the status of Evan Vylun.'

Lapis only knew that he was Evan Vylun and Evan Martinez.

'She doesn’t know about Van.'

Let’s do this.

A lightning bolt flashed over the sky with dark clouds.

Boom!

A huge lightning strike with a diameter of tens of meters falling in the middle of Zone 21.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Back down!"

"She, she appeared…!"

"The mage is here!"

Amidst the panicked screams of their opponents, Seina’s voice was heard in his head.

[Don’t tell me…]

In the middle of the rainy intersection, a young woman in a coat stood with her head down.

With exactly the same appearance Lenoch had been using these past few days.

[…The 'monster' they were talking about was also you?]

"…"

Holding a silver cane with one hand, leaning at an angle and lifting her gaze without strength.

The black-haired young woman was approaching Lapis before she knew it.

"The blood of the ascender. Is it the mission of the Lighthouse Keeper?"

The words echoed, sounding ominous.

The others looked at the woman in fear.

'Van' knocked out Lapis, the unconscious Lighthouse Keeper collapsing on the spot.

"It must be useful."

The young woman who received the body of Lapis, who was falling down with one hand, slowly looked around and smiled.

"I’ll take this."

As Lenoch’s incarnation kidnapped Lapis to the Magic Tower, Seina concluded.

[As expected of dad.]

So shameless.

Lenoch felt like her words had a bad connotation.

"…"

***

After the fight against Van was over, Lapis stared down at the injured Evan.

Evan didn’t dare to avoid her gaze, feeling nervous.

Did she find out he was Van?

Finally, the Lighthouse Keeper opened her mouth, her voice cold.

"You could have told me."

…She definitely knew.

In an attempt to appease her, Lenoch took out the gifts he had bought for her.

"I’ve just remembered, I forgot to give you this."

Her gaze toward him remained icy.

Okay. There was only one way now.

'Seina, greet Lapis.'

His daughter’s current state should be a news shocking enough to distract Lapis.

***

Lenoch went to the Central Front under Evan Martinez’s identity to get a piece of the 'curtain' necessary to enter Kundara.

On the way, he didn’t hesitate to massacre ever member of the Guido Sect he met there, even if he had to make a detour.

They would pay the price for his daughter’s death with their lives.

***

In Kundara, Maleon tried to give some years of his life to Lenoch, but it was converted into a life vessel and the machine broke.

"…I’m sorry I can only do that for you."

Lenoch’s gaze was fixed on the vessel.

"No, it’s fine."

On the contrary, it was exactly what he was looking for.

He had found a means to resurrect Seina.

After some twists and turns where he nearly died before being able to resurrect his daughter and made her very worried in the process, Lenoch came back to Vulcan.

He scanned her body up and down, looking for any sign of side effects.

"Are you okay?"

Seina nodded.

"Yes, dad."

Seina was finally resurrected.

With a curious gaze, the child asked, "Can I join your Magic Tower now?"

He hoped nobody in the tower knew the face of the Guido Sect’s priestess.

***

Lenoch suddenly showed up at the Magic Tower with a child.

Jenny voiced out everyone’s doubts.

"Van, who is this?"

Lenoch looked around the mercenaries, about to answer.

"This is…"

"I’m hi- her daughter," Seina cut him off, naturally changing her words.

Everyone’s eyes widened at the bombshell.

"…"

"What?!"

Dylan choked on his drink, spitting it out on Mila.

"Hey!"

Then, seeing that Van didn’t deny it, the mercenaries started to make a fuss.

"Pinch me, I must be dreaming."

"Ouch."

"Van has a daughter?!"

"Why didn’t you tell us?"

"Who is the father?"

"He’s dead," Lenoch deadpanned.

"Oh."

Madson pointed out, [The age difference is a bit…]

From how old they both looked, did he have the child when he was a minor?

Jenny’s gaze toward Van was also subtle.

Frowning, Lenoch corrected before a strange misunderstanding formed.

"Adopted daughter."

"Ahhh."

They nodded in understanding.

Jenny also looked relieved.

…How bad did they see him to believe he would have a child when he was only a minor?

Pushing aside the thought, he gestured toward Seina.

"This is Seina. She will be part of the tower from now on."

"Nice to meet you," she said.

The others surrounded her and bombarded them with questions.

Lenoch let them do. After all, he knew that his daughter was tight-lipped and trusted her to not leak important information.

"Where did you live before?" Dylan asked.

"In the mountains."

"What mountains?"

"Remote mountains."

The appearance of an innocent child was also in her favor to conceal information.

"Is Van a good mother?"

Seina nodded.

Madson remarked, [Would she say otherwise in front of Van?]

"Are you sure we should pry so much?" Weian doubted.

Mila looked curious, "Do you know how to fight?"

"She’s stronger than you," Lenoch affirmed.

At the Magic Tower Lord’s guarantee, the mercenaries fell silent, gazing at the small child.

Finally, Felix opened his mouth.

"…As expected of the child adopted by Van."

Seina tilted her head while Jenny nodded.

Lenoch looked at them strangely.

…What kind of misunderstanding was that?

Lenoch and Seina’s gazes met.

Pushing aside the previous topic, Seina innocently smiled at him.

"'Mom', won’t you give me a tour?"

"…"

She was definitely enjoying this situation.

***

Aris came back.

Staring into her deep blue eyes, Lenoch got out the words he wanted to say.

"…I have something to tell you."

He felt nervous.

How much time had it been since he felt scared of something?

Or maybe he had been waiting for this moment all along.

"Actually, I’m a man."

Although she was surprised, Aris didn’t say anything.

Lenoch made a bitter smile.

"I…"

Twirling the glass in his hand, he organized his words.

"I wanted to tell you because I thought you deserved to know."

He corrected himself.

"No, maybe I just wanted you to know."

"…"

Lenoch continued, his gaze down.

Aris simply listened silently.

"Before coming to Vulcan, I lived with my family."

He mentioned his family members, Lapis, Seina, Myung, Croken; and why he was currently crossdressing as a woman.

"…I apologize for deceiving you."

Suddenly, it felt lighter.

That someone knew about his circumstances.

Yet, at the same time, he couldn’t help but regret it a little.

Would Aris feel betrayed?

Would that put a wedge between them? How would she react?

At the same time, even now, he hadn’t told her everything.

He hadn’t told her what he had done while she was away.

He didn’t bring up his identities as 'Evan Martinez' and 'Victoria'.

Lenoch didn’t dare lift his gaze from the glass.

"…I see," Aris said.

Her voice was calm.

"Thanks for telling me."

A warm smile formed on her face.

***

Lenoch looked down at the superhumans gathered to kill him.

A subjugation battle with himself as the target to subjugate.

Thousands of people wished for his death.

Lenoch remembered Myung’s words.

'When you go out there, it will be you against the world.'

He had forgotten for a moment.

In this closed world where everyone tries to make their own answer transcend the laws of causality…

One is alone in the face of ascension.

His incarnation body summoned lightning.

The battle itself didn’t last that long.

After helping the superhumans to fight against himself from the shadows, they finally reached his incarnation body.

Lenoch came out and killed 'himself' sitting on the throne.

He didn’t bother to crossdress this time.

"Huh? Am I seeing this right?"

"This isn’t Van?"

The mercenaries were shocked. However, Jenny and Evelyn weren’t surprised. She already knew the truth.

The remaining survivors watched the young man with a mix of confusion and fear from the earlier displays of strength.

"…Wasn’t Gyeonroe a woman?"

Lenoch ignored them.

He defeated the leader of Deadrise and captured the remaining people as prisoners of war.

The Subjugation Battle was over.

"…Van, why are you dressed like this? Is it really you?" Dylan voiced out, struggling to keep up with the situation.

Lenoch flicked his gaze toward them.

"I’m actually a man."

Some mercenaries froze, others choking.

"Pfft-"

"What?!"

"Wait, no- …Did I hear it right?" someone checked.

Evelyn simply nodded.

Jenny covered her ears, frowning, and tried to make the mercenaries quiet down.

"Let’s let Van rest, she- he must be tired after this war."

"…"

They nodded, still in a daze as what they believed to be true was completely overturned.

'Is it that surprising?' Lenoch wondered.

Afterwards, due to the members of the Magic Tower being tight-lipped and the very small number of survivors on the other side—the rest was all dead—the information that Gyeonroe was a man didn’t spread.

***

Lenoch started to stop crossdressing when he was inside the tower.

Anyway, his colleagues already knew the truth.

…And due to his uncle’s misunderstanding about his gender, crossdressing may not have even been needed.

Dylan and Mila burst into laughter, hearing the latest news.

"…"

Seina also approached him.

"Mom, look."

Sighing, Lenoch read the names of the articles on his daughter’s phone, showing the latest trends in Vulcan.

[Breaking news! The Demon Queen of Vulcan strikes again!]

[Gyeonroe has won the Subjugation War.]

[In District 49…]

Davi pulled up comments on the Deep Web, representing the citizens’ opinion on the matter.

—The Demon Queen of Vulcan was actually generous. She had the power to kill everyone like that yet didn’t do it.

—Yeah, I’m sorry to have doubted her. She was making an effort to only kill a dozen before. lol

How long had that nickname been circulating?

Barely catching his breath, Dylan choked out, "De- 'Demon Queen of'-"

Then, he collapsed into a fit of laughter again.

"…"

So that’s why Dylan was laughing.

Lenoch pretended not to care and gave the phone back to Seina.

"Mom."

"…Please stop calling me that."

She looked at him innocently.

Chapter 8

"She’s here."

The superhumans, who were anxiously waiting for the appearance of the Demon Queen of Vulcan—her appointment as the mayor today also coincided with Evan Vylun’s fourth paper presentation—all turned in one direction.

"Everyone should be prepared," Slane announced.

In an instant, the street, which had been noisy due to the appearance of the transcendents, quickly began to quiet down.

A huge presence was approaching this side beyond the invisible horizon.

Soon, the source of the pressure weighing down on them was revealed.

A black car appeared on the other side where tens of thousands of people were looking.

Driving on a carpeted road at a speed that is never fast nor slow.

The car stopped in that silence.

The door opened and a young man with a cane walked out with an expressionless face.

"…Ah?"

A calm and cool atmosphere from which no presence nor magic power can be felt.

Compared to the transcendents gathered here, it’s a weak presence comparable to a candle.

As soon as they saw the face and appearance, all the transcendents who were lined up in front of the main building of the parliament reacted.

"…A man?"

Once someone voiced it out, the citizens finally woke up from their trance and started chatting again.

"Is this really Gyeonroe?"

"Wasn’t Gyeonroe a woman?"

"Was she unable to come?"

A journalist addressed their colleague.

"Am I seeing this right?"

The other nodded. With this, they could make some sensational articles.

"I don’t what’s happening, but let’s go along. If it hadn’t been Gyeonroe, these transcendents wouldn’t have reacted like this."

The Deep Web, receiving the news from pictures uploaded by people at the scene, was also in turmoil.

—???

—Why is the Demon Queen of Vulcan crossdressing as a man?

—Maybe she just had a haircut?

—Does it look like 'just a haircut' to you?

—Trans is the way!

—Trans-cendent -> transgender

—Don’t assume things like that, shorter hair is more efficient for battle.

—So, the Demon Queen of Vulcan is flat. Flat chests are justice!

—Right, she’s flat, so she must be a better person than I thought.

—Indeed, it makes sense.

—Sorry for misunderstanding you, Gyeonroe

Lenoch, who had been prepared for these reactions and knew that his reputation was already ruined anyway with the rumors of being crazy about fighting and liking blood, remained impassive.

Of course, he didn’t know the contents of the comments on the Deep Web. On her side, Lapis knew, and was screenshotting everything as black history for her brother.

It was her 'duty' as a little sister to help Lenoch preserve memories of the 'good' moments in his life. His fourth paper presentation was indeed an important event, and this moment was merely part of it.

The moment when Lenoch stopped walking as if he had recognized their existence, Olinic opened his mouth.

[…Gyeonroe, long time no see.]

Although he could somewhat recognize Van, Gyeonroe’s impression was different from before. Or was it just the hair length?

"Olinic."

Even Van’s voice wasn’t the same, less neutral than before.

The transcendent’s curiosity took over.

[But, the way you are dressed…?]

If one were to look at Van now, they would think Gyeonroe was a man.

But, from Van’s appearance before, it was very clear that Gyeonroe was a woman—albeit flat.

How did one haircut change things so much?

"…"

Yet, instead of addressing the topic of his hair, Lenoch eavesdropped on the conversations around him and understood the current misunderstanding.

He decided to neatly clear up things.

Looking around, various media companies were paying attention to his answer.

In a low voice, he announced.

"I’m a man."

The citizens were stunned.

This would clearly make the headlines tomorrow.

[Then, before—]

"I’ve always been a man," Lenoch added.

Olinic was speechless.

[…I see.]

Regaining his senses, he then told what he planned to say.

That’s how, on top of his gender reveal, Gyeonroe was appointed of the mayor of the city. Then, he attended Evan Vylun’s fourth paper presentation.

—Crazy

—Breaking news: the Demon Queen of Vulcan wasn’t flat, but a man!

The transcendents took their seats and waited for the presentation to begin.

Evan Vylun soon appeared.

On the stage, the young woman held the microphone and slowly raised her gaze.

Long blonde hair and blue eyes. An appearance similar enough to be mistaken as Aris Richellen’s secret sister as the two stood in the same place. (In the first place, this appearance was indeed inspired by Aris’s.)

Since dropping the act as a woman for all his other identities could make others connect the dots, although he had given up on the act as Van, Evan Vylun still had to continue pretending to be a woman.

Since he had told the truth to Aris recently, he couldn’t help but be self-aware as he felt her gaze, covertly glancing at him looking like a beautiful blonde.

"…"

The fact that she wasn’t saying anything only made it worse.

Meanwhile, in Aris’s mind, thinking about the similarity between their appearances, Aris realized that Lenoch had taken her as a model when creating Evan Vylun’s identity. (It was indeed the case.)

Hearing the audience’s applause, Lenoch focused again.

***

"Is that Gyeonroe?"

After the ascension ritual, at the banquet to confirm Lenoch’s wellbeing to the citizens, Lenoch fell gazes staring at him from all directions.

Jenny addressed him.

"So, how does it to feel have your reputation changed from a 'madwoman crazy about blood' to a 'crazy mass-murderer who enjoys crossdressing'?"

"…"

After teasing him, she went away to talk to someone else.

The party proceeded relatively smoothly.

"Van, to the banquet hall…!"

"…Yes. Someone is here."

After the party, the large lobby of the banquet hall where the colleagues of the tower had been tidying up.

The inside of the banquet hall, which had been noisy for a long time, had become strangely quiet.

Lenoch opened the door of the banquet hall with a cold expression and entered the lobby.

He left his colleagues behind and headed to the innermost part of the banquet hall.

The center of the lobby of the banquet hall, where tables and chairs were scattered.

He saw Ermond collapsed with his head stuck between the empty bottles piled up on the floor.

"Cough cough."

"…"

Now that Croken had finally caught his mother, Lenoch wasn’t sure if he would see the dark mage ever again.

He sent Ermond one last look as condolences and started worrying about his own fate now.

…His uncle had specifically come to his tower.

Knowing the crocodile’s personality, the implications were clear.

Croken knew that Lenoch was Van.

"…"

Van considered whether he should run now.

At this rate, he may die today.

The pupils of the reptile flashed in the dark.

"Long time no see, daughter."

"…"

"How have you been?"

He had definitely recognized him.

Sending away his colleagues first, Lenoch sighed.

He then took a seat in front of Croken.

Since his uncle wasn’t attacking him now, he must have come with another purpose.

"…Is it about Myung?"

His father who had been defeated by Jinwa in Paradise.

To recover Myung’s legacy.

"As expected, you understand fast."

***

His two grandparents, who had died.

His mother, whose whereabouts were currently unknown.

His father, who was now in the body of a black dragon and barely awoke one hour a day.

And now…

Lenoch readjusted the obsidian mask on his face, staring in the distance where not even a corpse was left.

With magic, he retrieved an item on the floor.

…His family members were leaving him one after another.

"Heukye, now-"

Lenoch ignored the voice behind him and left.

He headed straight to Vulcan, not knowing how his steps led him there, and reached Myung.

The black dragon looked up at him.

For a while, the two did not say anything.

Then, Lenoch raised his gaze, lifting up the item so that his father could see it.

The item that had belonged to his sister.

Lapis, the Lighthouse Keeper, successor of the ascender Madrea Falcier and bearing the corresponding mission.

In a low voice, Lenoch announced.

"…Lapis is dead."

He was unable to protect her.

Because he wasn’t there for her at the time. Because he hadn’t arrived sooner.

No corpse or piece of her soul were left to salvage, so he couldn’t even bring her back to life like Seina or Myung.

The black dragon silently stared at the face covered by the obsidian mask.

***

Lenoch attended the banquet with ascenders from the three worlds.

As expected, a fight broke out.

He watched Croken intervene to protect him.

Maybe he should have continued training with his uncle.

Then, he probably wouldn’t have been as weak as now.

He wouldn’t have had to be protected from dozens of ascenders like this.

"Guh…"

Croken held his side, frowning in pain.

"Such a wound is nothing," the crocodile assured.

But Lenoch knew.

It was the first time he had seen Croken get injured so badly.

"Daughter."

Lenoch didn’t bother to correct the misunderstanding about his gender in this situation.

He simply waited patiently for his next words.

Lenoch knew the crocodile’s strength the best.

He had always thought that Croken would never be defeated.

That he would always win against his enemies, even if it were an ascender.

The events at Jinwa’s Paradise had also reinforced that belief.

Yet, now, it was proved wrong.

In front of his eyes, Croken was losing.

The crocodile was barely staying alive.

At this rate, Lenoch would lose Croken too.

"You grew well."

"…"

"I didn’t agree with your decision at first, but by going out and exploring the world, you became stronger faster than any amount of training you could have received from me during that time."

An acknowledgement of his strength.

"Now, you are strong enough to not embarrass me."

The reptile looked into Lenoch’s eyes.

"But, don’t forget that you are a mage."

So.

Right now.

"Mages don’t fight at the front."

Lenoch understood what Croken was trying to say.

He frowned. However, he knew that Croken was right.

His presence would only be a hindrance. Croken would get even more injured to protect him if Lenoch remained there.

"Run away," the crocodile concluded.

Lenoch didn’t see Croken again after that day.

He didn’t know if his uncle had survived the fight.

He pressed his forehead, his expression dark.

"Van, are you okay?" Jenny inquired worriedly.

"…"

"…Van?"

"I… have something to do."

Jenny listened to his words, feeling an ominous premonition.

"I’ll go on a trip for a while."

Yet, one year, even two years later, Van didn’t come back to the Magic Tower.

***

Their encounter was a coincidence.

Or maybe it was fate.

Lenoch had never told Aris that he was Victoria, yet, the moment she saw him, she recognized him thanks to her image.

Aris stared at him, wearing a black obsidian black.

He was leaning slightly to the side, barely able to stand, and his posture indicated signs of broken bones. He was most likely injured.

Yet, as usual, he faced her, as if his state was normal.

Would the face beyond the mask be paler than usual?

Would his eye circles have gotten bigger?

Where had he been all this time? Why didn’t he come back?

When would he come back?

Lenoch didn’t say anything.

Aris didn’t ask any of this either.

From his presence, she could feel that he had become much stronger.

Yet, his presence was also that much weaker, like a candle about to be extinguished.

A strong gaze, but an emaciated appearance as if wind could blow him away from her, like glass that would easily break if one is not careful.

"Lenoch," she called out.

Lenoch still didn’t move, his gaze fixed on Aris.

The blonde organized her words.

She finally opened her mouth. However, before she could say anything, Lenoch spoke.

"Have you been well?"

His voice sounded wearier than before.

Aris nodded.

"The colleagues at the Magic Tower are waiting for you. The students at Labatenon University are fine as well…"

He calmly listened to her explain the situation.

Once she finished, a moment of silence hung between them.

"I…"

It had been a long time.

Lenoch took a step forward.

At the movement, the professor closed her mouth.

As he pushed up his mask, Aris could see his face—not Heukye, but the young man called Lenoch.

Apart from the artificially red-colored eyes, everything was the same as when she first met him.

He leaned forward and kissed her.

Without hesitation.

Feeling the touch on her lips, Aris’s eyes widened.

Then, Lenoch pulled away from her. He looked at the dazed blonde and made a bitter smile.

"I’m sorry. Just a bit more time."

Actually, what he was about to do next was very dangerous. Much more than any
battle he had faced before.

He knew he may not be able to come back this time.

He could feel it.

His end was near.

"I’ll come back soon, I promise."

So, he may have been lying at that moment.

Or was he wishing that it could be the truth?

At his words, Aris’s gaze met his.

She was aware that time was precious to him due to his terminal condition.

Every day brought him closer to death, and he couldn’t guarantee how long he would still be able to survive.

Yet, she could only trust him.

Despite her worry and ominous premonition, she could only hope that he would stay alive.

"…I see."

Just as Lenoch had once waited for Aris Richellen at Labatenon University, she would stay at his Magic Tower and wait for him too.

She smiled at him.

For as long as it took.

Smiling bitterly, Lenoch put back the black obsidian mask on his face.

That was the last time that Aris ever saw him.

If the end of the world wasn’t approaching, could they have led a more normal life?

Studying together in the library, meeting his family, sending Lapis to school and watching her graduate with Myung, raising Seina as an ordinary child…

A back dragon flapped his wings, hovering around a young priestess.

"What are you drawing?"

Seina swung her legs on the roof’s edge, humming happily as Myung looked over the child’s shoulder.

"Our family."

「Could they have taken a picture together?」

Notes:

I swear it was supposed to be comedy.

Ayase’s drawing.
Twenty’s (Look_an_idiot) drawing.