A Gaze Beyond Mortality

A thousand views 

The crowd gathered there tilted their heads at the sight of an ordinary appearance that seemed to have no majesty, pressure, or magic, but soon began to cheer. 

In any case, we sincerely welcome the ascendant who has visited the Balkans for the first time in nearly a hundred years. 

"… … … " 

And Leo, who was looking at the appearance of the ascendant Madera through the scope, quietly lowered his arm. 

Cold sweat was running down his forehead. 

I was overwhelmed. 

"crazy…." 

The moment he recognized her presence with his own eyes, Leo was so shocked that he couldn't come to his senses. 

It was a cataclysmic event, comparable in magnitude to the moment when Leo first awakened his magical powers at the factory. 

As soon as you recognize the presence of the ascendant, you feel a powerful magical power emanating from her body, spreading out to every corner of the city. 

A feeling of distance that can be felt and recognized with the skin, but cannot be realized with the mind. 

Because Leo's sensitivity was so great and he was talented enough to see the gap, he could understand it even with his head. 

'This is... more than I expected.' 

I understood all the reasons why the Balkan governments were so rigid and prostrate. 

That thing is already a being that can hardly be called a living being. 

Above all, a transcendent being like me would have no way of not noticing Leo's gaze from this distance. 

I thought it would be okay because of the rumour that he was a very moderate ascendant, but it wasn't easy to maintain composure in front of a monster like that. 

Considering her gaze that could see thousands of kilometres ahead, I couldn't escape anyway, but I should hide my body now. 

[Can there be an effect without a cause?] 

What made Leo, who was jumping up from his seat and drawing on his magic power, hesitate was the soft voice that was ringing in his ear. 

[In a world where order is at its core, we have been trying to answer this question for a very long time.] 

"… … … " 

I raised the scope again with trembling hands. 

Madera Falcière seen through a powerful telephoto lens. 

He was locking eyes with Leo quite precisely. 

[Your existence is the answer to that question itself.] 

The delegation seemed taken aback when they saw Madera suddenly stop walking, but they did not stop her. 

Just waiting for her to take another step. 

[That's funny.] 

The one-sided transmission of sound continues in a breathtaking silence. 

[If others could see the same thing as me, they would do anything to have you.] 

Slowly, Madeira turned her gaze. 

As soon as she took another step, the delegation moved again. 

The voice continued without interruption. 

[But now I know that all that struggling was pointless.] 

An ascender walking through the central square into the city hall of the city government. 

The sight gradually disappears. 

[Beware of Alkaid.] 

"...ha!!" 

Leo, unable to hold back his breath, immediately jumped down from the building. 

Wheeing!! 

Leo, who had been floating with levitation magic and landed safely, was breathing heavily before slumping down on the pavement blocks. 

He takes out the cigarette with trembling hands. 

Meanwhile, Leo steadily headed to the nearby smoking area, lit a cigarette, and inhaled the smoke deeply. 

"Hoooo… ." 

Even if I inhale the smoke from the medicine, my trembling heart does not calm down easily. 

Because a true encounter with a transcendent being would be a shock that would shake the world. 

But even though he was overwhelmed by the ascendant's status, Leo was confident instead of being intimidated or despairing. 

That is the path he should take to reach his goal. 

That reaching the edge of ascension with this dangerous and precarious talent could be the true answer to his concerns. 

The reason he opened his eyes in this world. 

The fundamental answer that goes beyond just surviving day by day was right there. 

It was closer to a strong conviction than anything else for him, who believed in his own talent more than Leo himself. 

"… … … " 

With the appearance of Madera Falciar, the meeting that had been prepared for so long was over in an instant. 

The city council accepted all the conditions put forward by the autonomous delegation without any compensation. 

From the moment the Ascendant broke his own oath and intervened in the secular world, it was already over. 

The delegation refused all consideration from the city government and immediately left the metropolis. 

As if he didn't want to stay in this city for even a moment longer. 

Three days later. 

News has arrived that Madreia Falciar has failed to ascend. 

A visionary who had devoted himself to humanity for hundreds of years had returned to mortality. 

# 

The news that Madera Falcière had died struck the Balkans with great force. 

Regardless of her siding with the Philenormous Dominion, there were still many who admired and looked up to the very existence of the Ascended. 

The city government, which always seemed to be there and then not there, quickly took action. 

He declared a two-day public holiday and simultaneously declared that he would try to resolve the chaos. 

In effect, it was little more than a declaration from the city government to give people two days to keep their mouths shut, but everyone accepted it. 

The media, government, citizens, police… everyone had enough time to mourn the last moments of the ascendant. 

"That's the fundamental reason." 

Jenny said as she returned to the bar after the summons was over. 

She must have been quite stressed out from where she had been called because she had already smoked more than five cigarettes. 

"Excessive abuse of prisoners of war in the autonomous territory, indiscriminate discrimination… There were many reasons, but there was one decisive factor." 

'Black Consumer', a top secret project carried out in an undeveloped area. 

The plan that was said to be the direct cause of the creation of the pollutant was the direct cause that ignited the war of nerves with the Dominion. 

Contrary to the opinion of the city government's inspection team, which announced that there were no human experiments, evidence leaked from within the council that experiments were being conducted on prisoners of the dominion. 

From the moment the truth about the experiments conducted on prisoners in violation of city protocols and ethics was revealed, it was a fight the Balkan city government could not win. 

Since even the ascendants raised their hands for the autonomous region, it is understandable that the city government unconditionally gave in and joined in. 

"… … … ." 

However, Leo couldn't help but wonder if that was really the only reason she had come to the Balkans. 

In her final moments, was it really true that the Dominion's victory was all that Madera Falciar wanted to see? 

If Leo's presence had been trampled by her gaze that looked into both the past and the future... 

After her death, Leo was still haunted by questions for which he had no answers. 

All I can do is just remember the name she said, Alkaid. 

"The problem starts from now on." 

Jordan said, waving the cigarette smoke drifting out from beside her. 

"I don't know why Cheon-Gyeon got involved in this matter, but as a result, the existence of the ascendant who led this one-sided agreement has disappeared." 

"Are you saying we're going to move again from the Balkans?" 

"Of course, not right now. But the city government will not intend to maintain this unfavourable agreement for long. It may take a moderate stance a few times, but it will not hesitate to use drastic measures." 

I don't know the exact details of the agreement, but what he wanted to say was simple. 

Leo muttered gloomily. 

"… … So you're saying that a war could break out." 

A brief moment of peace created by the sacrifice of a great ascender. 

A melancholy feeling that that fleeting moment will not last long. 

Jenny answered calmly. 

"Considering the reputation of a visionary who can see both the past and the future, the city government may not take a hardline stance from the beginning… .. but they probably won't worry about the dead for that long." 

Leo was lost in thought as Jenny muttered that this was almost the first time an ascendant had intervened in a conflict between cities in this way. 

I don't even know much about this city yet, and I never thought I'd have such a headache with other areas. 

Of course, Evan Bylan, who Leo dug up, is just an ordinary citizen, so he won't be suddenly drafted somewhere because of war, but for Van, who is making money in this area, it is a problem that cannot be ignored. 

In any case, the fact that there is nothing he can do right now does not change. 

Leo asked, stubbing out the cigarette in his mouth in the ashtray in the corner of the bar. 

"I guess it would be impossible for me to accept work today." 

"It will take at least 48 hours for the city government and other clients to properly understand the situation and operate normally. Please wait until then." 

He nods and gets up from his seat. 

Leo walked out of the bar, lost in thought for a moment. 

What if Madera came to Balkan because she already knew of Leo's existence? 

If only to see for myself that it was the result without a cause that she had spoken of… . 

Although he wouldn't have risked his life for that, Leo couldn't shake the feeling that something was strange as he recalled his conversation with her. 

A calm and reserved tone and speech, as if he had been waiting to meet Leo's gaze. 

It would be difficult for him to understand the ascendant's emotions, but there were many awkward aspects to that brief meeting that made it difficult to dismiss it as a coincidence. 

Did she really fully understand Leo's disparate talents? 

Maybe he was just wasting someone who could have been a real helper. 

"… … … " 

No matter how long I thought about it, it was meaningless. 

While I was rummaging through my pockets to find the cigarette, I twisted my hand and ended up dropping something else. 

"This is…?" 

A mechanical device resembling a white fountain pen. 

A laser cutter he stole from the thugs who had financed it shortly after he escaped the factory. 

At first, it seems that it was often held in hand for self-defence, but after it became possible to use shooting assistance magic, it became an item that was not very useful. 

Leo reached out to pick up the cutter that had fallen to the floor. 

Thud!! 

But before that, someone's thick boots press hard against the cutter and won't let go. 

"… … What is it?" 

Leo's tone of voice was irritating, as he knew that the other person was approaching, but he never thought that he would pick a fight like this. 

"That's what I have to say, you skinny brat." 

The bearded, bushy nose grumbled. 

The Santa Claus candidate is a middle-aged man who has failed to find a job and looks like he is stuck in a rut. 

He had a very strong oily smell oozing from his body, and his face was bright red, as if he had had a drink too much. 

"Who are you to be carelessly spilling my stuff on the floor?" 

"This is your stuff?" 

It's been a long time since I've been involved in such an absurd and groundless dispute, but there's no reason to avoid it. 

The moment Leo took a big step forward, drawing on his magic power, the man screamed. 

"Fuck, you're a wizard. Save me!!" 

"… … .." 

Leo was speechless at the sight of the man lying flat on the floor as he spoke. 

I was a bit annoyed and let out a bit of my magic, but he seemed to notice it right away. 

Leo took the laser cutter the man handed him and wiped it roughly with his sleeve before asking. 

"What do you mean by your stuff?" 

Unless Leo's memory was confused, the man wouldn't have even been there when he took the cutter. 

Or maybe those punks snatched the cutter from this guy? 

The man replied with a curt face. 

"No. It's my stuff since it was made in my shop. Does it have any special meaning?" 

"This cutter is a product of Dyke." 

Leo, who clearly remembered the conversation the punks had had, turned the cutter over and showed the brand, but the man didn't even flinch. 

"If it's a product that I modified myself, it's mine." 

"Modification…? Oh, then you are the… ." 

By the way, those punks said they had to pay some money to some old lady.