The Land of Death in the northern Demon Realm was a frozen wasteland where life dared not tread. Atop a lonely iceberg, the Death King, Isis, stood in silent concentration.
She remained perfectly still, her eyes closed as flickers of blue magical light danced around her. Though she was wreathed in power so immense that any ordinary creature would perish just by drawing near, she focused entirely inward, her mind a sea of calm.
How long had it been? It had been so long since Isis had last practiced her training that she had lost track of the centuries. She was working to suppress the malevolent Magic Power of Death overflowing from her body, forcing it back to keep it from spreading.
The concept was simple, but for her, the execution was anything but. Even after tens of thousands of years, she had never managed to fully master her aura. Now, she stood with eyes shut, her expression occasionally twitching as she refined her control. The sheer volume of magic she was manipulating was beginning to take its toll, leaving her with a rare sense of exhaustion.
"How nostalgic... I used to do this... so often... a long time ago."
She whispered to herself, lost in reminiscence. Long ago, she had spent countless years trying to master this power. But according to Kuromueina's estimate, the barrier she faced would take at least a hundred thousand years to overcome. It was a wall so high and solid that, eventually, she had abandoned the dream she once held.
But recently, she had started again. She had begun to seek the growth that had stalled for millennia.
"Kaito is working so hard... I have to do my best, too."
Someone else was reaching for the dream she had discarded. Kaito, the person more precious to her than anyone or anything else—the man who had rescued her from her solitude—was pushing himself through agonizing effort to challenge her Magic Power of Death.
All for the sake of their wedding.
This was a "new dream" for Isis. She, too, wanted to be surrounded by well-wishers and stand at the altar with the man she loved.
There wasn't enough time for her to master her power alone, but she could at least lighten the burden Kaito carried.
A dazzling light of hope now burned in her heart, guiding her toward the future. With that destination in sight, she refined her magic without a hint of hesitation. Even as she trembled with the effort and weariness clouded her features, a blissful smile remained on her lips.
A significant amount of time had passed since my training with Kuro began. In terms of the natural cycle of seasons, about a year had gone by.
Of course, since I had been training for over twenty-four hours a day inside a distorted temporal space, the actual time I'd spent was much longer than that.
Kuro had been the one to insist on the longer hours. "It's better to extend the official training time than to have you doing something reckless behind my back," she'd said. It was a kind gesture, though it meant my independent practice was now strictly monitored.
In any case, the result was that my mana capacity now exceeded the limits of a normal human. I had reached the level of a High-ranking Demon.
As for my attack magic, the size of my fireballs had skyrocketed from the size of a ping-pong ball to... well, the size of a baseball. Rumor had it that a first-year student at a magic academy could produce a fireball the size of a volleyball, but...
Listen, my goal was to suppress the Magic Power of Death. I didn't care if I couldn't cast powerful attack spells. I really didn't. It wasn't like I planned on going into battle anyway, so attack magic was practically useless to me. Really! I wasn't frustrated at all!
While nursing my bruised ego with those thoughts, I got dressed and headed out to the mansion's garden.
Isis-san was waiting there, her expression tense. A short distance away, I could see Kuro and Lilliwood-san watching us.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Isis-san."
"No... it's all right."
"Well then, let's get right to it. I'm going to try and suppress your magic power."
"Yes..."
The moment we'd both been waiting for had finally arrived. My heart was racing as fast as hers. Taking a breath to steady myself, I gently reached out and took her hand.
My mana capacity had increased. I'd practiced my control until it was second nature. This was going to work.
I gripped her cool hand firmly and concentrated. As I prepared to engage her aura, I noticed something odd.
Was the magic leaking from her... smaller than before? The image in my mind was still that of a massive mountain, but it felt like the mountain had shrunk a size.
"Isis-san? Did you do something?"
"Yes... I wanted to help... for our sake. I didn't want Kaito to be the only one working hard. So... I trained, too."
"Isis-san..."
I wasn't the only one pushing through the struggle. We were both chasing the same dream together. The realization hit me hard, and I felt a lump form in my throat.
No, I couldn't cry yet. First, I had to succeed.
I visualized my mana wrapping around the power leaking from her body. I guided it carefully, letting it soak into her aura. Isis-san accepted my presence without any resistance, letting our powers intertwine.
Once I was sure my mana had completely enveloped hers, I looked toward Kuro and Lilliwood-san.
They both broke into wide grins and gave me big "O" signs with their arms.
If two of the Six Kings were giving me their approval, there was no room for doubt. No deathly pressure was leaking from Isis-san. It was a success.
"Isis-san!"
"Kaito!"
Overwhelmed by emotion, we called out to each other and embraced tightly.
"We did it! It worked!"
"Yes... yes! Thank you, Kaito... Thank you so much..."
Tears streamed down her face, but her expression was brighter and more radiant than I had ever seen.
It took the effort of both of us, and it might not be a perfect solution, but in this moment, we had finally overcome the Magic Power of Death that had haunted her for ages.
I held her close as she cried tears of joy against my chest, sharing the overwhelming happiness with every fiber of my being.
After a long moment, once her sobbing had subsided, I pulled back slightly.
"Isis-san."
"Yes?"
I released her and dropped to one knee. Taking her hand in mine, I reached into my Magic Box and retrieved a Blue Crystal Flower I had specially picked for this day. I held it out to her.
"I'm sorry I made you wait so long. But at last, I can finally make your dream come true. Isis-san, I love you with all my heart. Will you marry me?"
In this world, engagement rings weren't the standard. Since polygamy was common, it was said that the most romantic way to propose was to offer an item that held special meaning for the couple.
This flower was a memory that belonged to us alone—a promise that we would keep building happy memories together.
Our story had started with a Blue Crystal Flower. Its transparent blue petals were the perfect symbol of our journey. Of all the happy moments we had shared, this flower represented the very first. There was no better choice for this moment.
Isis-san took the flower with her free hand and pressed it to her lips. Then, she gave me a smile so beautiful it made even the crystal flower look dull.
"Yes... I would be honored."
I had seen many faces of Isis-san. I had seen her sad, happy, angry, and amused. I thought I knew all her expressions.
But the smile she gave me then, in that garden, was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen.