Bonus chapter thanks to '@readercord' for subscription to 'Sorrow' tier on Ko-fi.Legacy.
Swords of the Stars.
The knight order is known as humanity's strongest.
The thought that they only had twelve members might make them seem small, but their force was comparable to the Imperial Knights.
Each member was a genius, the likes of which were only born once a generation.Especially their leader, Gillius. He possessed such overwhelming power that he could compete with Korn for the position of the strongest in the world.
In the original story, they often appeared before Allen had fully awakened.
They served as a deus ex machina, providing aid whenever the protagonists encountered insurmountable foes.
They saved Allen from a brutal beating at the hands of one of the Four Heavenly Kings' Pryen.
They sliced through the Seeker's headquarters like tofu, allowing the kidnapped students to escape.
Excluding the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings, they were practically unrivaled in their might.
Whenever the Swords of the Stars appeared in the original story, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.The problem was...
“...Please, raise your head, Sir Crayden.”
The leader of those incredible individuals was bowing his head to me.
I bit my lip, feeling an immense weight settle upon my shoulders.
Fortunately, Gillias straightened his posture after a brief moment, but the gazes of those around us remained fixated.
I swallowed, trying to quench the sudden dryness in my throat.
Sword Star. A being capable of splitting mountains and seas in half with a single strike.
The pressure emanating from him was like nothing I had ever experienced, making it difficult to even speak.
“...”
No, perhaps I had felt something like this before.
This feeling of being completely overwhelmed.
It was similar to the pressure I felt in my previous life when I faced my opponent in the World Championship finals.
The opponent who had utterly crushed me, 10-0.
I couldn’t recall his name, but the feeling was eerily similar.
As I drifted down memory lane, Gillius, who had been staring down at me, finally spoke.
“You are an interesting one.”
“Uh… P-pardon?”
I almost bit my tongue in surprise, but I managed to recover smoothly.
Gillius didn't seem to mind my slip-up.
“Most people would be frozen stiff in your position, unable to move under my aura. Like those people over there.”
Gillius gestured towards a group of students who stood frozen in place.
Their eyes were wide with fear as they stared in our direction.
Gillius continued, his gaze fixed on them.
“That reaction is to be expected.”
“I see.”
“Yet, you seem perfectly composed. There's a spark in your eyes.”
“Huh…?”
That’s when I realized something was strange.
Why wasn’t I affected by his pressure?
The professors were powerful enough to withstand his aura, but I wasn't anywhere near their level yet…
As I pondered this, a familiar mechanical sound rang in my ears.
-Ding!
[The skill 'Iron Will' mitigates the effects of status ailments (Fear, Submission, Incapacitation… and 3 others).]
A blue window popped up in front of me, displaying the notification.
I frowned at the message.
So, it could even block passive effects like this?
I had a hunch about this ever since it blocked the ‘Curse of Loneliness’ on Violet.
It seemed like Iron Will was a much more useful skill than I initially thought.
“You possess a strong will, despite your appearance.”
“...Thank you.”
“Well… you are Lucas's disciple, after all.”
Gillius nodded in understanding as if that explained everything.
After a moment of silence, I cautiously spoke up, finally voicing the question that had been on my mind.
“Sir Crayden… if you don’t mind me asking, are you related to my master by any chance…?”
“Hmm? We fought side-by-side in the past, but we are not blood-related.”
“Then why do you share the same last name…?”
“Ah, I suppose you wouldn't know.”
Gillius seemed to understand my confusion.
He chuckled softly and gestured towards the knights standing behind him.
“All of my knights bear the name Crayden.”
“Crayden… it’s a name bestowed upon those who serve under you?”
“To be precise, it’s a name I bestow. Most of those who have served by my side have taken the name Crayden.”
“So, my master as well…?”
“Yes, Lucas spent some time with me… though he decided to become a professor after the war ended.”
Gillias scratched the back of his head, letting out a sigh.
He gazed towards the tombstone, a wistful expression on his face. Then, he turned back to me.
“Well, I suppose this is goodbye for now… I should be on my way.”
“What? You’re leaving already?”
“My purpose for coming here today was to see what Lucas left behind.”
Gillius’s gaze swept over the crowd, lingering on the faces of the students and professors who mourned master’s passing.
His eyes finally settled on the gray tombstone that stood at the center of the field. A sad smile touched his lips.
“So, this is what he left behind.”
“...”
“That arrogant bastard. He lived a fulfilling life, even if it meant defying me to the very end.”
Gillius looked at me one last time, his blue eyes filled with an emotion I couldn’t decipher.
He patted my shoulder lightly and turned to leave, his knights following closely behind.
“Until we meet again, Young Master. If fate allows it.”
I watched silently as Gillius walked away, his red robe billowing behind him like a cape.
***
The Swords of the Stars, who had swept through like a storm, left the funeral, leaving Raiden standing dazedly in the rain-soaked field.
A little distance away, another boy was observing him.
“...Something’s definitely strange.”
The boy, who muttered these words with a frown on his dazzling, golden eyes, was Allen Reinhardt.
The chosen hero of this generation.
Standing beside him was Lorraine, the next Saintess of the Holy Kingdom.
“Mr. Allen…? What do you mean by strange?”
Lorraine tilted her head, looking at Allen with a puzzled expression.
The boy seemed off.
His body was stiff, and beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead.
It was a stark contrast to his usual composed demeanor.
She was worried that he might be feeling unwell, but Allen didn’t seem to hear her.
“...”
Allen was currently experiencing a chilling sense of fear.
He was someone who had remained calm even when facing the attackers during the banquet hall incident a few months ago.
Yet, here he was, his hands trembling.
The reason was Raiden.
It was because of the suffocating pressure emanating from the black-haired boy.
It didn’t seem like others could sense it,
But Allen, with his hero’s eyes, could see it clearly.
A blue aura was violently swirling around Raiden, threatening to consume everything around him.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time Allen had witnessed this sight, but the intensity was on a different level this time.
In the past, it was simply a feeling of tension,
But now, it felt as though he would be devoured if he so much as lowered his guard.
His survival instincts were screaming at him.
“Mr. Allen, you’re pale… Are you sure you’re alright?”
“...I’m fine.”
Allen replied, unable to tear his gaze away from Raiden.
Gillius Crayden is known as humanity’s strongest.
Despite standing next to such an existence, Raiden’s wild power wasn’t suppressed in the slightest.
No matter how much Allen thought about it, it didn’t make sense.
For a student who was at the bottom of the Academy until last year to exude such an aura…
There were too many suspicious things about him.
The fact that he knew Allen was the hero, the fact that he knew about the banquet hall attack in advance,
And the fact that he was always at the center of every incident that occurred.
Allen was beginning to suspect that Raiden was the mastermind behind all the recent events.
‘Could it be that this field trip attack was also…’
He couldn’t be sure, but Allen thought it was a reasonable assumption.
The banquet hall attack and the field trip attack.
He didn’t believe it was a coincidence that the same person was at the center of both incidents.
‘…I need confirmation.’
Allen muttered to himself.
He decided to call Raiden aside and sound him out.
If his hypothesis was correct, Raiden would surely react suspiciously.
“A-Allen…! Where are you going…?”
“I’m going to see Young Master Lishite.”
“What…? You mean, Raiden…?”
Allen calmly started walking.
He felt a flicker of fear as he looked at the boy standing amidst the surging blue light,
But he steeled his resolve.
He was the one who shouldered the fate of the hero.
This was a duty he couldn’t run from.
If it was a misunderstanding, he would apologize sincerely and back down.
And if it wasn’t… he would just have to eliminate him with all his might.
Allen took a deep breath and stopped.
He was now standing in front of Raiden.
“Young Master Lishite.”
“...Young Master Reinhardt?”
“I have something to discuss with you. Could you spare me a moment?”
“I’m a little tired right now… No, I suppose a moment would be fine.”
“Thank you. Then please follow me. I wish to speak somewhere private.”
“What is it that you wish to discuss…?”
Raiden furrowed his brow but agreed to Allen’s request without resistance.
The two of them left the funeral grounds and headed for a secluded alleyway.
After confirming that there was no one else around, Allen turned to face Raiden.
“Young Master Lishite.”
“Yes… Explain to me why you brought me to such a secluded place.”
“I have something I want to ask you.”
“You do not have permission to question me.”
Raiden’s face was expressionless.
To break through his facade, Allen decided to cut straight to the chase.
“Did you have something to do with Professor Lucas’s death?”
“...What?”
“I asked if you killed him.”
Allen asked with resolute determination.
The next moment, the aura that had been surging around Raiden distorted grotesquely.
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