Kael narrated the things that happened in Rezelus. He mentioned the assessment that the protectors did to him, and its result. He mentioned the miserable look of the unnamed mage when he was not accepted as a chosen. He also said that the protector that assessed him, quickly activated the teleportation platform, so that he could get out of Rezelus as fast as possible.

Hearing all of this, the Earl got a little of why Kael returned. But, he was surprised that Kael didn’t pass the assessment. He wanted to know why that happened, when he himself witnessed Kael’s impossibly high mana affinity. However, when he asked the child, Kael asked the importance of knowing such “small” detail.

Dismissing the Earl’s question, Kael pleaded once again for the Earl to activate the teleportation platform. His mind was too out of place that he didn’t remember what the Earl answered to him earlier. The Earl denied his request once again.

Kael was even more erratic than before. He wanted to go to the king to request the same thing he requested to the Earl. Earl Gideon stopped him, as it was disrespectful to the king for someone to go to him casually. But Kael was too eager to go to the king that Earl Gideon needed to restrain Kael with his arms.

The king heard the commotion in the room. He went to them, and saw that Kael was trying to escape from the Earl’s grasp.

“What’s going on here?”, the king said. He remembered that Kael went on Rezelus with the Duke’s grandson, so he was surprised to see Kael in his castle. “What’s the meaning of this?”

The Earl was suddenly made aware of the king’s presence, and so, he let go of Kael and lowered his head. He also forced Kael to do the same as the child was just standing in front of the king.

“Kael wasn’t accepted, your majesty”, the Earl said, raising his head but still holding Kael, forcing the child to lower his head. He explained briefly the things that happened in the assessment to help the king understand the situation.

While the Earl explained the situation to the king, Kael grew impatient. He couldn’t take it anymore, and so, he managed to escape from the Earl, and spoke his request to the king. He said that they should hurry before it was too late. He was hoping that his way of explaining what happened in Rezelus will make the king empathized with him. But he was denied by the king.

Kael was devastated hearing the king’s reply. The king was far from the person that was so respectful to the unnamed mage during the mage’s time in the castle. The king was angered by how disrespectful Kael was. The king berated him, assuming that Kael see the teleportation platform as his plaything. The Earl was also scolded, then the king ordered that they get out of the castle.

Seeing Kael’s rising distress, the Earl couldn’t make himself to lightly scold the child for his behavior. He led Kael outside, and looked at the king with anger. He couldn’t help himself to feel some animosity towards the king, even though he knew that the king, technically didn’t do anything wrong.

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“Kael, let’s go home”, invited the Earl.

Kael was silent. He couldn’t accept that he lost the thing that could instantly transport him to Rezelus.

“Earl Gideon, how far is Rezelus from here?”

Kael felt even more hopeless when the Earl told him the truth. The city-state was too far away from them, he couldn’t get there in time by traveling on foot.

Kael’s behavior was too strange to the Earl. He didn’t understand why Kael was so eager to rescue the unnamed mage. Kael wasn’t even sure if there’s really something terrible that the unnamed mage will experience. He thought that, maybe, Kael felt responsible for the unnamed mage’s fate. He wanted to confirm his thought.

“Kael, why do you want to save him?”, the Earl asked.

The Earl didn’t expect Kael’s response. The child’s eyes were honest. Kael claimed that he must help everyone in need. It was too idealistic, the Earl knew that no one could do it. It changed what he knew about Kael, and therefore changed how he viewed Lucien.

However, even if Kael had good intentions, the thing that the child wanted was simply impossible. The Earl wanted Kael to come back to reality. That kind of thinking will lead to failure, and he saw that Kael was already experiencing the cost of such idealistic thinking.

“Kael, you can’t save everyone”

It was an honest statement. The Earl wanted to stop Kael from pursuing the impossible goal.

Kael didn’t want to accept what the Earl stated. His mind kept on showing visions of the terrified unnamed mage. His old self was returning, but unlike when he was Lucien, he had no power to fulfill his altruistic desires.

‘Should I do it again?’

Kael was thinking of creating the special mana pathways again. He was aware that his current body didn’t have the ability to handle the flow of endless mana. He didn’t mind because time was running out. He was about to do it, but then, what the Earl stated echoed in his mind.

He couldn’t save everyone. It was true, and Kael could not change it. He knew that, and that made him feel broken.

Kael looked at the Earl. Earl Gideon consoled him as he began to cry. It was hopeless, he couldn’t do anything about it. If he sacrifice himself, he will be unable to eliminate the remaining demons that still exist. He had no choice but to give up.

The only thing he can do to save everyone is to focus on the demons. He needed to get stronger, and he must know everything about the current world. If the time comes that he can handle the endless flow of mana, by then he may be able to fulfill his self imposed duty.

“I want to get stronger”, Kael said to the Earl.

The Earl was delighted hearing that Kael was relying on him. “I will help you”, the Earl replied.

Kael nodded and followed the Earl. Finally, he obeyed the Earl and they went home.