Humanity's Hero Of Despair

Ivy's hand feels nice in mine as we walk together with my friends to the Imperial Balcony.

On our way there, Zephyr and Matteo ask me a lot of questions about what I have been up to in the Imperial Training Grounds while they were stuck at the party making conversation with nobles. I explain to them how the Emperor gave me a military unit of fifty magic knights to be under my personal command within my family.

I make sure to emphasize the fact that these magic knights are loyal to me personally, not my title.

"You get fifty personal magic knights?! That's some insanity, bro. Even as Prince of Tarondar, I barely have any magic knights who pledged their personal loyalty to me," Matteo says, looking slightly upset by this information.

"Maybe that's because all of the Tarondar magic knights pledge their loyalty to me,"

Leena teases as she elbows Matteo in the stomach.

We all laugh as Matteo makes a fake, super hurt look. I then tell them I will explain the rest of what happened once we are on the balcony. They all want to know now, but I want to wait until we can enjoy the beautiful view of Oriventh down below.

It is worth the wait.

We are now standing on the Imperial Balcony, and to say that it is large is an understatement. The view is amazing. We see many sprawling gardens and fields down below under the starry night sky. The balcony is so large that it has several luxurious outdoor couches and chairs to simply enjoy the view. Several fire-enchanted lamps are scattered around the balcony to provide warmth against the slight cold breeze of the night.

We all take it in. I take a deep breath while holding Ivy's hand on the edge of the balcony.

"Hello, lovebirds!"

Matteo says as he whistles and joins us at the edge of the balcony. Ivy and I both laugh at him in response. Matteo is always such a teaser.

"Soooo, Nico, you are a Duke now. Does that mean we should call you 'Your Imperial Grace'?"

Zephyr proceeds to smack Matteo's head with a couch pillow.

I laugh and say in response, "Well, Your Royal Highness, it is perfectly fine to still call me Nico."

That makes Estes chuckle from the couch as he reads his book.

Matteo rubs his head and starts attacking Zephyr with a pillow.

Quillen walks up to the other side of me. The dude really needs to stop appearing out of nowhere like that. His footsteps are so precise you couldn't hear them unless you were one hundred percent focused on them.

"It is surprising how far we have come. You should be proud of yourself, Nico. You are doing an amazing job. I know it's tough with all this pressure and new responsibilities. I understand it somewhat as a political figure as well."

Quillen looks as our friends start engaging in the next World War of Pillows.

Neve does her best to stay away from the flying pillows.

"Those guys are all here for you as well, just like I am. Though it may not look like it."

Quillen finishes speaking with an eyebrow raised slightly at the sight of Estes' book being knocked out of his hands by a pillow.

That scene makes me laugh. It is nice to have some peace and quiet for once.

Estes gets up from the couch and uses his earth magic to trap Zephyr and Matteo in one place.

After a few minutes of keeping them from fighting each other, even if playfully, we all relax on the couches. We are all tired from roughhousing too much with each other. Now, we are simply tired and enjoying the views of Oriventh.

I turn to speak to all my friends.

"It is surprising, like Quillen said, how far we all have come. It was over a year ago that we were just mere mage students at the former Keeper Academy. We have turned into major global figures of politics as well as transformed into much more powerful mages. We are still young, but we still have so much more we can do. Thank you all for sticking by me despite all these new developments."

I try to say more, but Leena stops me for a moment.

"Of course, Nico. I knew you were a good person from the moment we met, even if, at that time, dark magic was very hated. My gut is never wrong, as well as all of our other friends here. We will stick by you through thick and thin, no matter what hardships or pain arise."

I smile and thank Leena for saying that. It is not often we all get emotional, but so many things have been happening so fast, we barely have time for ourselves anymore. I hope that changes once this war figures itself out. If we all manage to get out of this alive, that is.

Zephyr finds some nice wine and brings it to us.

"The Emperor said we could use this to celebrate, and it is leftovers from the party anyway. Let's give a great big toast to us!"

We all toast together and talk for a while late into the night. Some of my friends start getting tired, so they head to their beds. Before I know it, it is just Ivy and me left on the balcony. We cuddle together on the couch as the night is in full swing now. The stars shine bright against the dark landscape of the night.

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?"

I say to Ivy lovingly.

"I'm happy. I can die now."

She responds to me while smiling up at me, her eyes sparkling in a shade of green that reminds me of peaceful, bright green pastures. I can get lost in them every time. We spend a few more minutes of just us in silence, looking out at the beautiful, peaceful night sky. We both know it won't last forever, but in this moment, it means everything.

Ivy and I get off the couch as we both are extremely sleepy. We head to our rooms. I find a note slid underneath my door. I am too sleepy to read it right now, though, so I will read it in the morning. I place the note on my nightstand before sleeping.

I wonder what it says, though.