As the matters at Grand Plaza approached their end, the magic inside Galio was also nearly exhausted.
He did not ask Lux for more magic to keep moving. Instead, he spread his wings and flew up in front of everyone.
Then he unfurled his wings beneath the night sky and departed.
Lux chased after him, but before she could even say thank you, Galio had already disappeared at the far end of her vision.
People knew that he must have returned outside the city to continue guarding Demacia.
In the woods outside the capital, in an open space beside a fork in the road,
Galio landed with a heavy crash. After standing firm, he could not help yawning and muttered to himself, "Looks like I'll be sleeping for a while again."
He turned back and glanced at the capital, his gaze very peaceful. As he felt the magic inside his body gradually run dry, his movements also became stiff, and little by little, he began to resemble a statue.
He did not know when he would wake next. He only knew that no matter when it was, as long as someone needed him, he would always be there.
The colossus returned to slumber, just as the capital returned to peace.
For many people, this was destined to be a sleepless night. As for many newspaper offices, everything that had happened in the capital today needed to be printed overnight and sent throughout all of Demacia.
By now, newspaper offices had already spread all across Demacia. Even the farthest information only needed two days to arrive.
In these two days, the news that Jarvan III had pardoned all mages would spread throughout all of Demacia.
And the Mageseekers out in other places would also be recalled. Those connected to this incident would find it difficult to escape.
Those unrelated to it would be dismissed from their posts and reassigned to other units.
From today onward, in Demacia, the word Mageseekers would become a part of history.
And that truly hidden history would also spread throughout Demacia through newspapers in various forms.
Everyone should know this history, and everyone should also face mages properly.
As Grand Plaza began to disperse,
Lux was dragged back to House Crownguard by the ear by Augatha. It looked like she would inevitably get a lecture.
Although this girl had performed especially brilliantly today, in Lady Augatha's eyes, she had still been far too reckless.
Before leaving, however, Augatha looked at Luke and gently smiled. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Luke bowed slightly in return, answering with courtesy.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow."
As Augatha left while tugging Lux by the ear, her steps seemed much lighter, as if a heavy burden that had weighed on her for so long had suddenly been lifted.
In reality, that was exactly the case.
Ever since she had discovered that her precious daughter was a mage, Augatha had worried so much over her that she had no idea how many strands of hair she had lost.
Throughout Demacia's long history of banning magic, even if Lux was House Crownguard's most treasured daughter, once her identity as a mage was exposed, punishment would still be inevitable.
Augatha worried that one day, this troublesome girl who always loved causing problems would be exposed. She worried that one day, she would lose her.
But today, she finally no longer needed to be troubled by that.
After today, as a mage, Lux could openly and honestly walk through Demacia's streets.
And Augatha knew very clearly in her heart that this was all thanks to Luke.
"I'll head back first too. His Majesty summoned my father to the palace, and my mother was badly frightened by what happened today. I need to go back and keep her company."
Fiora looked at Luke, gave a soft laugh, and prepared to go home as well.
"Take care."
Luke waved goodbye.
Likewise, Sona and Kahina also needed to go home. After saying their farewells, only Poppy, Quinn, and Yurna remained by Luke's side.
Katarina had gone off somewhere, but in any case, she would not run too far, so Luke did not go looking for her.
At this point, Luke looked at Quinn and said with a gentle smile, "Go back and rest properly today. Tomorrow, wait for my father's reward."
In this incident, Quinn had rendered quite a bit of merit. A reward was definitely unavoidable.
On top of that, she had often been running around outside these days. She really should rest well.
"Yes."
Quinn nodded. Before leaving, she took Poppy with her.
Just as he finished saying goodbye to them, another tall and sturdy man came walking toward him. It was Garen.
He looked at Luke, and the first thing he said was, "Thank you, Your Highness."
"Hey, if the two of us talk like that, doesn't it make us sound distant?"
Luke waved his hand and smiled casually.
He knew what Garen was thanking him for, and Garen also knew that he had to say that thank you.
Just like his mother Augatha, he had actually discovered his younger sister's secret earlier.
The fact that she was a mage had often troubled Garen. In his heart, he naturally deeply loved every member of his family and did not wish for any of them to suffer any harm.
But when it came to Lux, Garen could not think of any solution at all.
He was equally worried that one day, Lux's identity would be exposed.
At that time, as her older brother, and also as a warrior who upheld Demacia's iron laws, he would be caught in an impossible dilemma.
On one side was his beloved younger sister, and on the other was the country he revered. He could no longer remember how many times he had imagined that question.
Now, with His Majesty pardoning all mages and declaring that mages were no longer guilty,
the heart that had been hanging in suspense inside him finally settled, and he no longer needed to face that kind of choice.
After saying goodbye to Garen, Luke yawned and walked outward. Unexpectedly, another group of people came toward him, around several dozen in number.
The one leading them was Sylas.
He looked at Luke with those eyes that seemed especially bright in the night, then smiled. "Second Prince, we meet again."
Luke frowned as he looked at him and the group of mages behind him. "Although my father just pardoned you, ganging up on a prince in the street is also a serious crime. Everyone, you'd better think this through."
He felt that young Sylas might have come with bad intentions.
"..."
Sylas fell silent for a moment. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he swept a tempted gaze over Luke. "Clearly, that is a pretty good choice."
Right now, aside from them, there was no one else on the street.
He had already endured this irritating prince for a while. Now it was dark and deserted. If he beat this guy up, no one would know, right?
After beating him up, he could just run. By then, no one would be able to find him.
The more he thought about it, the more feasible the idea seemed.
However, Sylas still restrained himself. He said, "Looks like you know you're pretty punchable too. But I'm not here for that."
"There's no need for thanks or anything. Just treat it as me doing a good deed."
Luke humbly waved his hand, though his face was full of vanity.
Sylas chuckled coldly. "Don't flatter yourself. The one who pardoned the mages was the king, not you, prince."
Luke did not care about that. He asked, "Weren't you assigned places to stay? So what do you want to say now?"
"Nothing much. It's just that the people behind me wanted to thank you before leaving."
Sylas stepped aside. Behind him stood a group of mages, all looking at Luke with the same grateful gazes.
By now, word had already spread through the city, and they also knew that the person who had arranged everything and ended the Mageseekers' sins in one move was this Second Prince before them.
It could be said that he was the main driving force behind Jarvan III's pardon of the mages.
He was an important figure who had saved them from suffering and danger.
If not for him, no one knew when Demacia's mages would finally be able to cast off the sin they had been forced to bear from birth.
So it was not excessive for these pardoned mages to say a few words of thanks to Luke.
"So in the end, you still have to thank me. Fine, I'll accept it."
Luke accepted their gratitude openly. Then he remembered what Sylas had just said and asked, "You said you're leaving? Leaving Demacia?"
"That's right."
Sylas nodded.
He and the group of mages behind him were no longer guilty. They could live in Demacia like normal people.
But before this, all of them had suffered oppression from Demacia. Although they had now been pardoned, they no longer wanted to keep living in Demacia.
Sylas in particular had been locked in a dungeon for fifteen years, fifteen full years in darkness without sun.
Although he now knew that the Mageseekers had done all of that,
no matter what, he still could not untie this knot in his heart.
He could no longer love this country like a normal Demacian.
Demacia's mages had regained their freedom, and for a time, he felt lost about the future. So he suddenly thought, why not go see the world outside Demacia?
Then a group of mages proposed following him and leaving together.
Although these mages had let go of their hatred toward Demacia after learning the truth, they could no longer bring themselves to love it either.
So they all prepared to leave with Sylas.
Jarvan III felt guilty, so naturally he would not stop them.
And Luke also knew that getting Sylas to stay in Demacia was basically impossible.
He had never intended to keep Sylas from the beginning. Although Sylas was indeed a rare talent, talent was something that could be found everywhere.
There was no shortage of it at all.
So after hearing this, he was not surprised. He thought for a moment and asked curiously, "So where are you planning to take them?"
"Shurima."
Sylas answered calmly, "We leave tonight, by ship, heading south."
Luke put on a regretful expression. "What a shame. It wasn't easy for us to finally talk without an iron cage between us. I was even thinking of treating you to something good and asking you to stay a few more days."
Sylas could tell at a glance that this guy was not sincere at all. He sneered disdainfully. "No need. I'm afraid that if I stay a few more days, I won't be able to resist beating you up."
Although he was unwilling to admit it, he knew that as he was now, he probably could not beat this punchable bastard.
Rather than stay here and get annoyed, it was better to leave sooner.
"Fine. See you again if fate allows. I won't see you off."
Luke waved his hand and watched as Sylas led the group of mages toward the docks.
Jarvan III had specially prepared a ship for them to go to the southern continent, Shurima.
That continent was currently in turmoil, with countless small nations and factions standing side by side. It had been in conflict for years and was not a particularly good destination.
However, Sylas was capable, and he was bringing dozens of mages with him. Presumably, he would be able to make his way there well enough.
Who knew when Luke would see him again next time?
Luke yawned rather sleepily, then turned and climbed into the carriage Yurna had prepared.
"Home!"
As his words fell, the carriage slowly began moving toward home.
Some time later, the carriage slowly stopped at the gate of the courtyard.
After stepping down from the carriage and looking toward the courtyard, the quiet grounds seemed especially peaceful at this moment.
The chaos in the city today had not reached this place. The courtyard was still the same as usual.
Beside a doghouse at the courtyard gate, a little black dog wrapped from head to toe in bandages was lying there. Evidently, the injuries he had suffered that afternoon had not been light.
The bandages on this guy were probably wrapped by Frey. She was the only one that thoughtful.
Ignoring the resentful gaze the little black dog cast from the courtyard gate, Luke walked straight into the courtyard. From this angle, however, he saw a figure on the roof of the main mansion at a glance.
At this moment, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. A full moon hung high in the sky, scattering pure moonlight down onto Katarina's face, making her appear unusually beautiful in this instant.
Both the bright moon and her.
Katarina sat at the front edge of the eaves, gazing at the night sky and the bright moon. One of her long, slender legs was bent up, allowing her to rest against her knee at any time, while the other hung casually downward, swaying slightly.
This sitting posture revealed her slender and shapely figure.
She seemed to be lost in thought, not even noticing that Luke had returned to the courtyard.
Luke raised his head and looked at her. After thinking for a moment, his figure shifted. With a few swift movements, he arrived beside her without making much sound, then slowly sat down.
Katarina finally looked at him. Her emerald eyes flickered, then she moved her gaze away again and continued watching the night sky.
"Drink this."
Luke tossed a small bottle into Katarina's arms.
She caught it instinctively and asked, "What is this?"
"The antidote, of course," Luke said. "Didn't we agree back then? Once the matter was settled, I'd give you the antidote."
Katarina looked at the small bottle in her hand and froze slightly. "Right..."
There was still the poison Luke had previously given her inside her body. To be honest, for a moment, she had forgotten about it.
After drinking the antidote in the bottle, she would be free of that lethal toxin and regain her freedom.
Thinking this, Katarina opened the stopper and drank it all in one mouthful without hesitation. The taste was bitter, but after she swallowed it, nothing special happened.
After seeing her drink it, Luke said, "Now you're free. When are you planning to leave?"
His words fell, but he received no response.
Today's Katarina was unusually dazed, or rather, she seemed easily lost in thought. After hearing him, she simply continued looking at the night sky, watching it quietly.
But in her heart, she repeated Luke's question.
When would she leave?
She suddenly realized that it seemed she could leave now. Her mission in Demacia was complete, and the things she needed to do were basically done.
Now, she could return to Noxus.
Clearly, before this, she had especially wanted to escape this leisurely daily life. Yet at this moment, a faint reluctance suddenly arose in her heart.
She could clearly see the feeling in her own heart. Reluctance was reluctance, whether it was toward this courtyard or the people in it.
In other words, this place had made Katarina feel a sense of attachment she had not felt in a long time, something like home.
Seeing that she did not answer, Luke changed the question. "Did you deal with Du Couteau?"
This time, Katarina responded. She nodded lightly, and a black iron token suddenly appeared in her hand. "This is the token that controls the Noxian Assassins' Guild."
Now that this token had fallen into Katarina's hands, Du Couteau's fate naturally went without saying.
At this point, the legend of the premier assassin had finally come to an end, ended by his daughter's own hand.
But at the same time, it also represented the beginning of a new legend.
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