Ch.48Chapter 48: Why Are You Here, Sis?

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After safely navigating the dawn’s incident, having breakfast with Shizu, and getting through morning classes, the afternoon arrived.

“Let’s hurry.”

After lunch, with Shizu’s light footsteps leading the way—having completely shed the disappointment from earlier that morning—we headed to the familiar special training ground reserved for Awakened students.

The selection process for the Subjugation Festival participants was starting today, so there was much to prepare.

I needed to refine my sword form to perfect another swordsmanship technique of my ancestor based on my Awakening.

And I needed to be completely prepared in every aspect, including my demeanor, to face whoever might come for the evaluation.

‘Pull myself together!’

As I repeated this mantra to myself, I found myself at the entrance to the training ground.

“We have a lot to do.”

Briefly recalling my tasks, I placed my hand on the handle of the training ground door that not just anyone could open.

Click.

I applied force with my right hand and turned the handle.

“Let’s do our best today.”

With Shizu’s warm encouragement, I pushed my body through the gap of the opened door and entered the training ground. What greeted us wasn’t the heat of students immersed in their training, but—

“FAILED!!”

At this unexpectedly early hour, it seemed they had already begun the process of selecting participants for the Subjugation Festival. The harsh declaration of failure and the fighting spirit emanating from its owner filled the entire hall.

The density of the fighting spirit was so intimidating that even the students of Yonam, who could freely manipulate such energy, felt overwhelmed. For a moment, it was hard to breathe, but this wasn’t the time to be intimidated.

‘What’s going on? Are they bringing in external evaluators instead of conducting an internal assessment?’

Leaving Shizu behind, I quickly stepped toward the center of the training ground where the voice was coming from, hoping to resolve my sudden doubt.

Even as I accelerated toward the center, the harsh declarations of failure continued without pause.

The voice resonating throughout the training ground was remarkably beautiful despite its severity.

‘This voice… could it be…?’

It sounded exactly like someone I knew well.

Organizing my suspicions, I finally arrived at the center of the training ground.

“I came to select participants for the Subjugation Festival, but all I see are arrogant fools.”

There stood the owner of the harsh voice, now speaking in a slightly more delicate tone, with their back turned to me.

It was a woman.

Around her were my peers and juniors who had received the “failed” verdict and looked dejected.

These were students from prestigious families representing the Empire in every aspect, yet they maintained silence without showing any particular reaction to the woman’s somewhat provocative remarks. Judging by the scene, they must have been spectacularly defeated.

Regardless of my observations, the woman’s voice continued.

“I’m disappointed… At this rate, it would be better to ignore the military elders’ opinions and participate in the Subjugation Festival without these chicks.”

Looking more carefully, I could recognize her despite not having seen her for a long time.

The voice expressing dismay in what was almost a soliloquy belonged to someone I knew well.

I stopped moving while maintaining an appropriate distance and carefully observed the woman’s back.

She wore a ceremonial uniform based in black with impressive vertical stripes, which was evidence of her affiliation.

Imperial Knights.

The elite order of knights that served as the Empire’s sharpest sword and thickest shield—a group that every martial artist born in the Empire hoped to join.

The golden epaulets on both shoulders of her uniform revealed her high rank within the Imperial Knights.

“What should I do… Going back empty-handed isn’t an option, but changing the standards now would raise issues of fairness…”

In contrast to her previously powerful voice that had resonated throughout the hall, she now muttered in a surprisingly delicate tone. I addressed her with a voice full of warmth.

“Sister.”

Flinch.

The protagonist who had been causing such a commotion trembled at my words, but she didn’t turn toward me.

“Did I hear wrong?”

She seemed to be treating it as if she’d heard a voice she shouldn’t have.

I was slightly annoyed, but I understood her reaction. I cleared my throat and spoke again with clear pronunciation so she could hear me well.

“Iriana, sister.”

“…Hmm?”

Only then did a confused sound escape my sister’s lips as she turned toward the source of my voice and our eyes met.

“Oh my? I didn’t hear wrong after all.”

As our eyes met, Iriana’s expression revealed slight confusion, and she looked as if she was about to ask, “Why are you here?” But in the end, she didn’t say it.

She seemed to realize what my presence meant, given that only those with proper qualifications could even open the entrance door.

“Oh…”

It was no coincidence that a short exclamation of admiration escaped her lips as she examined me from a distance.

“You succeeded. When?”

“…On my birthday.”

“My goodness…”

After this brief confirmation, she temporarily set aside her original purpose of selecting participants for the Subjugation Festival and began asking me about what had happened during my Awakening.

One might have expected complaints about her putting the evaluation on hold to chat, but among those gathered at the center of the training ground for the assessment, not a single person expressed dissatisfaction.

Rather, they seemed pleased to have time for mental training, observing their brilliantly defeated comrades and figuring out how to overcome similar challenges.

Anyway, I answered my sister’s questions honestly about what I had experienced.

Awakening my hyper-regeneration ability, fighting against Mein who had turned against the Crimson Five Stars right after my Awakening, and finding clues to master my ancestor’s swordsmanship different from Gwanghwi during that process.

‘I should leave out meeting Fafnir.’

As I carefully selected what to share, omitting the nearly surreal encounter, my sister’s expression grew increasingly satisfied as she listened.

“Congratulations.”

Though brief, the warmth directed toward her blood relative was fully conveyed.

“Thank you.”

I nodded slowly while giving an equally brief response.

The conversation with my sister, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, continued with a comfortable warmth.

‘In the previous timeline, she drew her sword to kill me when I became a monster.’

I recalled how she had faced me with composure, drawing her sword against the malevolent entity that had possessed my body as an agent of the Demon God.

‘Along with Shizu, she was one of the few beings that the evil possessing my body couldn’t defeat.’

Shizu, who inherited the holy sword of the great hero and the swordsmanship based on it.

My sister, who unlike me, fully inherited the bloodline of the great hero.

Meeting these two people again after my regression—the two whom the monster dwelling within me couldn’t defeat as it burned the world as the Demon God’s agent—filled me with nostalgia rather than inferiority.

“Anyway, if you’ve set foot here, you know you’re qualified to participate in the Subjugation Festival, right?”

However, it seemed I would have to postpone the opportunity to resolve this nostalgia I felt upon reuniting with my blood relative.

My sister’s voice had taken on a similar businesslike tone as before.

“Is the Deputy Commander conducting the evaluation?”

Matching her attitude of separating personal and professional matters, I addressed her not as my sister but with the respect due to the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Knights.

“That’s right. The situation in the Dragon Claw Mountains is more serious than usual, so I’ve come personally to select talents who meet the Imperial Knights’ standards, setting aside internal evaluations.”

“I see.”

“So… will you take the evaluation or not?”

Despite her calm voice, my sister—no, Deputy Commander Iriana—was emitting the same massive fighting spirit I had felt when I first entered the training ground, along with an air of dignity beneath her expressionless face.

The fighting spirit emitted by a superhuman who had mastered Prikasa—the breathing technique that only people of Ranos could learn—to its extreme created a pressure that made it difficult for even the superhumans present to breathe, let alone ordinary people.

Step, step.

As if the pressure from just standing there wasn’t enough, my sister moved toward me with steps intended to convey even more pressure.

With each step closer to me, the pressure binding my body increased, but—

“Yes. I intend to take the evaluation.”

Without showing any sign of intimidation, I expressed my intention while looking directly at my sister.

“…”

My sister continued to examine me carefully, maintaining her expression of dignity and formality after I declared my intention to participate in the Subjugation Festival.

The pressure in her gaze, reminiscent of a predator eyeing its prey, continued to try to overwhelm me, but I calmly withstood it without yielding.

After a moment—

“Phew…”

My sister completely withdrew the fighting spirit surrounding her body and spoke with a rather satisfied expression.

“Pass.”

“…Pardon?”

I inadvertently let out a confused sound at my sister’s words, which caught me off guard—I had expected her to evaluate various elements including martial prowess of each participant—but I naturally understood after hearing her subsequent explanation.

“You’re much better than those sprawled over there. I directed much stronger pressure at you than at the others, considering you’re my brother, but you didn’t flinch. You pass.”

Now I realized that those who had received the “failed” verdict from my sister had been eliminated before even crossing swords with her, unable to withstand even the pressure she emitted while trying to gauge their strength.

“Hah…”

I let out a light sigh, feeling somewhat deflated.

‘Maybe things will work out better than expected.’

But my relief was short-lived.

“However…”

I turned my head toward where I heard my sister’s voice trailing off mysteriously.

I saw my sister slowly walking toward me.

She was approaching with a slight smile, but I felt more intensity than when she had approached with an expressionless face.

Her expressionless face soon changed to a different expression.

Different from the joy she showed when first seeing me.

Different from the pride she displayed upon realizing I had succeeded in my special Awakening.

Different from the satisfaction she felt seeing me not easily yielding to the pressure she emitted.

I couldn’t help but swallow dryly at her expression that revealed some inexplicable dissatisfaction.

Why did I feel such a chill even though she was just slowly approaching without emitting any energy?

Before I could ponder this, my sister, having closed the distance between us to some extent, suddenly appeared before me without leaving even an afterimage and—

Thwack!

She raised her right hand and delivered a heavy flick to my forehead.

‘It’s been a while…’

It was a familiar strike I used to receive from my sister when I acted up without knowing better as a child.

“Kal, you rascal!”

By now, my sister’s voice no longer carried the dignity of the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Knights, but rather the voice of a sister three years my senior scolding her younger brother.

“If you succeeded in your Awakening, you should have immediately informed home! Is it okay to let this sister find out only after arriving here? Is it?”

Based on years of experience knowing that making excuses would only make things worse—

“…I’m sorry.”

I apologized to my sister, though I couldn’t quite prostrate myself.

The evaluation to select participants for the Subjugation Festival officially began with Shizu, who had slowly followed behind me, giggling at this scene.