“The weather is nice.”
Kyan, gazing at the clear blue sky, muttered in admiration before speaking offhandedly.
“I heard the news. You succeeded in killing the Demon God.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Ian, with a faint, bashful smile, lowered his head slightly.
Seeing this, Kyan chuckled, seemingly proud of Ian.
“You’ve grown a lot. Just a few months ago, you were sitting with that grim face of yours, and now you’ve taken down the Demon God and become a hero of the Empire. Living long enough really lets you see everything.”
“Without your help, it would have been impossible, sir.”
“Help? Don’t overpraise me; I didn’t even kill him myself.”
“No, your assistance was invaluable.”
“Fine. Since you’re so insistent, I’ll accept that.”
Though Kyan downplayed his contribution, without his help, defeating the Demon God would have been unimaginable.
Ian knew all too well that if not for Kyan, they might have tasted bitter defeat long before reaching the final phase of the battle.
Perhaps Ian or Celia might not have survived at all.
Extracting the immense dark mana of Satan was a vital yet daunting task, and Kyan had shouldered that burden.
Ian’s gratitude was only natural.
“Truly, thank you. Without you, Commander, it would have been impossible.”
“Alright, enough with the sentimental stuff. That’s over with. I heard you’re graduating soon.”
“…Yes.”
“The Headmaster isn’t the type to let someone go easily. I bet you had a hand in getting an early graduation.”
Kyan felt a bittersweet mix of emotions upon hearing about his cherished student’s graduation.
As someone tasked with leading the squad, he had hoped Ian could stay to guide the crucial third-year cadets.
However, Kyan decided to step back.
Ian had never been one to act thoughtlessly.
Even choices that seemed puzzling at first often hid profound intentions.
If Ian was willing to leave Ark Academy for something he truly wanted to do, it was a choice that Kyan, as his commander, had to respect.
Sending off a beloved cadet was a painful duty, but wishing him well on his journey was also part of a squad leader’s responsibility.
“Mind if I smoke?”
“Go ahead.”
“You remember when I said I’d bring you into my squad? Others were strongly against it.”
“…Yes, I do.”
A noble-born young man like Ian could have had a smooth life if someone nurtured him carefully and placed him in the right spots.
However, Kyan detested such underhanded behavior.
For him, the opportunity to learn should be open to everyone, even those with a troubled past.
If no one was willing to take responsibility for such a person and instead abandoned them to the harsh world, Kyan was determined to bring them under his wing.
That, to him, was the duty of an adult.
“They said I was crazy. Why take on someone so precarious? Honestly, there were times I doubted my own decision.”
There were moments when Kyan wondered if he’d made the right choice.
But those doubts never lasted long.
He resolved to prove Ian’s worth and turn the mockery of others into cheers.
He gambled his entire career on Ian, and in the end, his gamble paid off spectacularly.
“When I woke up and saw the faces of the other instructors, that was when life felt good again.”
The hero who saved the Empire was none other than Ian, the very cadet they had dismissed and looked down upon just months earlier.
The instructors’ faces, caught between disbelief and awkward joy, were priceless.
For the first time in a while, Kyan laughed heartily, finding solace even amidst his post-battle fatigue.
“You’ve done well and endured a lot. Thank you for lifting me up, too.”
With these words, Kyan patted Ian’s shoulder a couple of times, releasing a puff of smoke as he shared a truth he had been holding onto.
“At least I kept my promise to His Majesty to produce a proper soldier before stepping down.”
“Stepping down? What do you mean?”
“You didn’t know? I’ll be stepping down from my instructor position after this year. It’s time to let it go.”
Stepping down? Ian was stunned and couldn’t fully process the words.
“But… wasn’t this position appointed by His Majesty? Why would you—don’t tell me…”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I wasn’t dismissed. I’ve just decided it’s time for me to step back. Fighting that Demon God… it made me realize a lot. It’s time to stop.”
Ian interpreted Kyan’s words as a sign that he had reached his physical limits, but the truth ran deeper.
“Until now, I fought without any particular reason. I had no will to live, and all I thought I could do was pass on my experience to the young, bright cadets before I died.”
While fighting the Demon God and after finally collapsing, Kyan found himself lost in deep thought.
Was this really all there was to his life? Teaching the young and ending his days without ever living for himself? Was that truly his destiny?
After much contemplation and as time passed, Kyan arrived at an answer.
“While lying in that hospital bed, I thought about it. If the comrades who trusted me and died miserably could no longer pursue their dreams… maybe I could fulfill them in their stead.”
He decided to carry out the wishes his fallen comrades had held dear in their hearts.
Traveling to scenic places while carrying a photo of the friend who yearned to see the world, providing warm beds for children without parents, and supporting those who sought education—these were the dreams he resolved to bring to life.
“That’s all I can do for the ones who went before me.”
“…”
“Anyway, it’s time to move on. That’s the end of this counseling session. Live well out there, and keep in touch. Come visit if you get the chance.”
Flicking away his cigarette, Kyan brushed his hand on his clothes and extended his right hand.
“You’ve worked hard, Ian Volkanov. Congratulations on your graduation.”
Ian, taking Kyan’s hand, beamed brightly.
“Thank you, Commander.”
***
Lia and Ark.
The challenges Ian had been wrestling with over the past few days had largely been resolved.
Of course, that didn’t mean there were no remaining problems. Celia was still unconscious in the hospital.
Haley Miler, refusing treatment, had barricaded herself in her room. There was also Bianca and Reina, both of whom he needed to meet sooner or later.
However, Ian’s immediate concern was something else entirely.
‘Where on earth is Ariel? Is she locked up in a prison or something?’
His younger sister’s mysterious disappearance was the biggest issue.
As a hero who had saved the continent from the Demon God, Ariel wouldn’t likely be treated poorly, but her complete absence left Ian, as her older brother, deeply worried.
‘Eri said Ariel confessed everything to the Emperor—the wrongs she had committed and the hardships I had endured because of them.’
If she had disappeared after that, Ian figured the best course of action would be to ask the Imperial Palace about her whereabouts.
He was about to reach out to Eri to inquire about Ariel but stopped short.
The reason was simple.
“Where on earth has she been and what has she been doing?”
“Th-that, um, I’m not sure where to begin…”
Just as Ian was about to make contact, Ariel walked in of her own accord.
Sitting her down, Ian interrogated her as though he were cross-examining a suspect.
Nervous and fidgety, Ariel began spilling the details of what had happened.
“You were really in prison? For what exactly?”
“Well, you know… when I swung that attack to deal with the demons hiding in the cave, some civilians nearby got caught up in it. Because of that incident, I was briefly detained.”
“Wouldn’t it have been better to inform the family? Why didn’t you contact us?”
“I would’ve reached out if the sentence had been severe… but no one was harmed, and I was pardoned since it was deemed unavoidable for dealing with demons. I only had to stay for three days.”
“So, you decided not to contact us because it was a short sentence, and you didn’t want to disrupt the family while I was unconscious?”
“Mm-hmm…”
Ariel lowered her head, ashamed.
Given the short duration of her sentence, she must have decided it was better to stay quiet and avoid causing unnecessary trouble for the family.
Ian wanted to raise his voice and tell her how absurd that was, but he couldn’t fault her intentions, which were far from malicious.
Letting out a long sigh, Ian refocused his gaze on his sister.
“Fine. Let’s say you were in prison for three days. What about after that? What have you been doing until now?”
“Th-that…”
“Stop stalling and just tell me.”
“I took the entrance exam for the Imperial Knights. Really!”
“The Imperial Knights? Why all of a sudden?”
“Well, you’ll inherit the family anyway. And now that the Demon God is gone, the privileges of being a hero are over. Sure, I got a fair amount of money, but it’s not enough to live off of forever.”
If things had gone as expected, Ariel would have received enough rewards for her and the next three generations to live luxuriously.
However, she had passed all the credit to Ian, which naturally meant her compensation was reduced.
“I heard there was an exam open for Ark cadets interested in joining the Imperial Knights. I figured I’d take the preliminary test to earn bonus points for the main exam after graduation.”
Ariel could have asked Ian for support and lived comfortably as part of the family, but she felt it was time for her to stand on her own.
“I’ve only ever caused trouble for you. Even if I can’t help you, I want to try living a decent life on my own without relying on anyone.”
“…”
Ian decided to let Ariel’s decision to join the Imperial Knights slide.
***
Sure, it was hard to understand why she had decided such an important matter about her future without consulting anyone.
But it wasn’t like she had done something wrong. If anything, it was admirable that she was finding her own path in life.
‘It’s better than lazing around at home, after all. Besides, this was always her destiny.’
In the ending of Heroic Academy, Ariel graduates from Ark Academy and earns her place in the Imperial Knights, smiling brightly as she embraces her companions.
Of course, in this world, there wouldn’t be any close friends joining the Imperial Knights alongside her. Still, returning to the path she was meant to take felt inevitable.
‘The Imperial Knights are well-paid, and their status is higher than most nobles. If she’s planning to live on her abilities alone, there’s no better fit.’
Now that Ian understood her reasons, he knew it wasn’t his place to interrogate her further. The best thing to do was wait quietly from afar.
‘It’s like watching destiny unfold… exactly as Eris foresaw.’
Though Heroic Academy was just a parallel world created to draw him in, Ariel’s fate seemed to follow the same trajectory.
In that world’s ending scene, she lived happily ever after. There was no reason to doubt her future here would be any different.
“If this world flows like Heroic Academy, then I suppose I would’ve been dragged into an absurd, endless cycle of regressions before finally finding happiness as the tragic protagonist.”
Reflecting on it now, the thought of enduring such an existence was still absurd to Ian.
“But… I’ve cleared away the bad memories, and I’ve filled the void with better ones. That’s enough.”
Ian thought back to the final battle with Lucifer and the moment he struck the decisive blow while pouring all his memories into her.
Lucifer had tempted him with a sweet offer to grant any wish. Ian’s wish had been simple.
‘I want to live my life as Hyun-Woo Lee again—my life from before. But not one where I’m constantly struggling and chasing after money. Just an ordinary, peaceful life.’
It was the kind of life he’d always dreamed of.
Eris, amused by his request, had chuckled softly and said, “As I expected. Humans truly are unfathomable. Very well. Your wish will be granted. I’ll also restore your most precious lost memories.”
When her words ended, Ian closed his eyes.
He was finally given the chance to live the ordinary life he’d longed for.
No more walking to save bus fare. No more toiling away at hard labor as a child just to make ends meet. Vacations with family, idle evenings, and moments of quiet contentment.
Even now, when Ian closed his eyes, the memories shone vividly.
He saw Hyun-Woo Lee, a young boy, hurriedly scribbling in his journal on the last day of summer vacation before throwing it on his desk and collapsing onto his bed.
The final entry in that journal caught Ian’s attention:
[Today, I watched a movie. There was a time machine in it. Mom said it could take you to the future. I wonder if I could meet my future self if I used it. If I do, I’d ask: Are you happy?]
Happy… Ian’s answer to that question was simple.
“Yes. I’m truly happy, and I’ll continue to be.”
With a heartfelt murmur, Ian smiled.
(TLN: There are a handful of side story chapters left.)
