My Promise

Everyone who becomes involved with Gilgamesh becomes stronger, their sense of life improves, and they bring out their best selves. That was something everyone could observe when they interacted with him, but many others were not as fortunate and ended up becoming his enemies.

Roxy Migurdia had grown in confidence; she felt that she should be proud of knowing exactly what her strengths were. Her life was pleasant; others weren't so lucky, so she felt blessed.

After she stopped training Prince Gilgamesh, she somehow knew that it was a silly excuse for that student to better the life of his future self as much as possible. She would have considered it selfish if he hadn't told her about some circumstances of the former Gilgamesh. When she thinks about it now, she believes he deserved a better life.

Dying alone is something no one should feel; a unique sensation of loneliness is not something one wishes upon people, especially when they only live once.

Her life was extensive, long enough to deserve a good life just like Gilgamesh. She deserved to be happy, just like everyone else, and that was entirely different from selfishness.

When she arrived at the Greyrat family to train her new student, she was somewhat disappointed that it was yet another child. She taught him the basics, and what surprised her about his abilities was his skill in using spells without naming them, much like Gilgamesh did.

There were clear differences between this child named Rudeus, whom she trained naturally, and someone who was vastly different from what she should have expected. There's no doubt that Rudeus was incredible, but she, who had such high expectations, was merely talented.

"Master Roxy, am I not the best student you've ever had?"

Roxy always gave the same response: "No, you are incredible, but my first student has never been surpassed by anyone. If you ever get to know him, you'll understand what I mean."

Rudeus didn't need to comprehend the greatness of Gilgamesh, as no one could compare to him, and this was not something she herself believed. Compared to those born with talent, her first student was born with the gift of surpassing any human, and that was something others shouldn't feel bad about.

During that time, Roxy discovered that despite teaching someone talented in magic, Rudeus was simply a child with better development than children his age. She hoped to find something similar to Gilgamesh in him but never did, so she focused on Rudeus' training.

What Rudeus learned in 4 months, Gilgamesh somehow learned in a week at most. He was someone who should be praised even by the most powerful wizards in history. If his talents were announced to the world, it might shake all the continents, after all, there was no one compared to Gilgamesh, and that could potentially bring certain problems.

But for some reason, the rumors about Prince Gilgamesh began to decline to the point where very few talked about him. At that point, everyone believed that no one would speak of that mysterious prince again, but when he reappeared, he would crush kingdoms and change the course of the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

On a study night, Roxy was giving advanced lessons to her student, who seemed to be excelling in everything they did since they began practical training. It was straightforward, easy, and intuitive. Nevertheless, she couldn't quite understand why something bothered her.

"Teacher, why is magic only used in combat?"

"Well, actually, magic isn't used only in combat, Rudeus..."

Roxy always answered her student's questions seriously, taking each of her tasks seriously, so she continued, "Hmm, where should I start? First, magic is said to originate from the long-lived race of pointy-eared beings, or High Elves."

"Elves?"

"Yes, the pointy-eared ones live in the northern part of the Milis continent. A long time ago, before the great war between humans and demons, when the world was still in chaos, and wars erupted every day, the High Elves were able to communicate with the spirits of the forest to control the earth and wind to repel invaders. It's the oldest documented magic."

"Oh, so all that history is documented."

"Of course."

Roxy nodded and continued, "Current magic comes from the human race's imitation of the magic possessed by the High Elves, as well as its subsequent development. Humans are particularly good at this."

"What are humans especially good at?"

"Human adaptation to magic was a kind of blessing."

"Yes, the human race is always behind the creation of new things."

"The reason magic is mostly used in combat is that it's primarily utilized in conflicts, but even if you don't use magic, you can achieve similar effects by harnessing what surrounds us."

"What do you mean by what surrounds us?"

"For example, if you need light, you can light a candle or oil, right?"

"Also, not all types of magic are useful in combat. For instance, summoning magic allows you to summon magical beasts or spirits of the corresponding level."

"Summoning magic!? Can you teach me some?"

"No, I'm sorry, I've never used it. And, although I said 'tools,' it also includes magical items."

"Magical items?"

"Objects that possess special attributes or effects. To work, they have magical circles inscribed inside, so you don't need to be a mage to use them, although they do require a mana expenditure for their use."

"I see."

Roxy had somehow done a good job teaching Rudeus everything she knew, and when she was finally about to leave the Asura Kingdom for another kingdom, her student asked her.

"Teacher Roxy, now that you've taught me everything you can, who's better?" Rudeus asked with total confidence.

"What do you mean?" Roxy asked this question without understanding what Rudeus meant.

"Your first student, which one of us is better?" Rudeus asked again without losing hope.

Understanding that question, Roxy simply smiled and said, "No one, not even I can compare to Gilgamesh, but he doesn't compare himself to anyone else either. He taught me that merely comparing is a defect of confidence and longing. When we as a society stop comparing ourselves to each other, we'll understand the true value we bring to others."

"But I still want to know..."

"I already told you, Rudeus, you're incredible, and there's no doubt that no child your age can surpass you now or in the future. However, the student I told you about is extraordinarily talented. Someone born with magic in one hand and a sword in the other."

After leaving Rudeus's house, her best student, even though she felt that she somehow didn't teach him anything compared to Gilgamesh, Roxy left the Asura Kingdom with the hope that everyone would grow and make their lives. She, too, would seek her own path, leaving the future to unfold as it may.