Ch.69A Star for You (1)

Surprisingly, the Crown Prince didn’t say anything about our long absence. He simply smiled contentedly as he watched us return holding hands. When Irene mentioned she was tired and needed to go back, the Crown Prince approached me and spoke.

“Hmm, you took quite a while.”

“We were just talking. I hope I haven’t been disrespectful…”

“Hmm, no. But I’m curious about something. Did you just talk?”

“…Pardon?”

When I frowned and asked for clarification, the Crown Prince immediately smiled and waved his hand dismissively. As if telling me to forget his question, he showed a slightly regretful expression and handed us a piece of paper.

“I thought you’d return to the Duke’s estate right away. The conversation we had today… well, you can forget about it for now. I was perhaps a bit hasty.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Consideration? I’m not shameless enough to accept gratitude for something so trivial.”

After saying that, the Crown Prince slightly bowed his head toward Irene standing beside me and spoke again.

“I want you to know that I’m sorry. You look tired, so you may go now.”

“…Thank you, Your Highness. Glory to Evangelium.”

“And may glory shine upon Yuris as well.”

After this brief exchange of greetings, we left the palace, and I stared intently at Irene who was still holding my hand. I had intended to hold it lightly, but somehow our fingers had become intertwined, making me smile involuntarily. Somehow… her expressions were becoming more and more obvious. She didn’t even try to hide it in front of the Crown Prince.

But I didn’t mind, so we continued holding hands all the way to the gate. I knew the distance from the Imperial Palace was quite far, but today it felt unusually short. Irene seemed to feel the same way, as she stood in front of the gate staring at our joined hands.

Unlike earlier, she now looked visibly tired. I hoped she would rest immediately after returning, but I wasn’t sure if she would listen to me. Our hands separated. The warmth that had touched my hand dissipated, and a cold wind blew in, chilling my empty palm.

What should I say? Was it just my imagination that I felt more empty than usual? After staring at my empty hand for a moment, I followed Irene who had disappeared into the gate.

I closed my eyes briefly at the nauseating sensation, and when I opened them, the darkened Duke’s estate came into view.

For a brief moment, all the events of the day flashed quickly through my mind. It was hard to believe that all those things had happened in just a few hours. I gently scratched my cheek, remembering what happened on the balcony, and let out a soft sigh as I moved forward.

“Don’t be too disappointed. I’ll hold your hand again later.”

“…I’m not disappointed.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“……”

Now, it was time to return to reality.

#

Time passed. Irene was still acting as the interim head of the Duke’s estate, handling the duties, while the Duke, who had regained consciousness, focused on recovering his health.

Although he only said a simple “thank you” to me, the emotions I read in his eyes were much more profound. Perhaps he might call for me privately later.

Thanks to working through the nights during the first few days, Irene could now take breaks more comfortably with the help of various retainers.

As the work was handled efficiently, the Duke’s estate also regained stability to the point where it seemed as if the Duke had never collapsed. Additionally, my achievement of defeating the dark mage became widely known, and now there was hardly anyone in the Duke’s estate who didn’t know my name.

Of course, they wouldn’t recognize my face if I wore plain clothes… if I ever needed to operate covertly again, I’d probably need to use an alias.

In this situation, I didn’t have much to do. Naturally, I continued to serve as Irene’s guard and work on improving my skills.

When the subjugation of the Roman family would take place, I would inevitably have to cross swords with Duke Roman. The Sword of the Empire, head of the family descended from Emperor Alar, the founder of the Empire.

Though not publicly known as a Master, it was said that his swordsmanship had already surpassed that of Lord Theorad, regardless of his mana-handling abilities.

Assuming I would face him, could I really be his match?

‘…It would be difficult.’

I had awakened my dragon blood and reached the threshold of Master. However, that alone would likely be insufficient to face Duke Roman.

The power of Zhangir I met at Mount Verdeng transcended the normal bounds of a troll lord. The amplification provided by dark magic—an amplification that could continue semi-permanently as long as sacrifices were supplied—combined with Duke Roman’s abilities…

Perhaps even Lord Theorad would find it quite difficult to face him.

So I thought of a method. What if I could maintain that strange sensation I felt when fighting Maloric? If I could maintain that state of selflessness.

If I could move more freely in that state of selflessness where only a single thought remains, perhaps I could break through Duke Roman’s swordsmanship.

“So, you want to spar with me?”

“Yes, sir.”

Lord Theorad, with his long mustache extending on both sides below his nose and a robust physique that contrasted with his elongated face, stared at me intently.

It must seem quite strange to him that I, who usually sparred with the Crown Prince, was directly requesting a match. But Lord Theorad was the only person I could ask.

He was the only person who could teach me now, and the most trustworthy one at that. When I made my request, Lord Theorad, who had been looking at me for a moment, slowly opened his mouth.

“I don’t mind, but it seems you have some purpose in mind. Can you tell me what it is?”

“I felt a certain sensation when fighting the dragon last time. I want to become familiar with it.”

“Ah, I think I understand. Then let me set one condition.”

“A condition?”

Lord Theorad tugged at his long mustache for a moment, then spoke with half-lidded eyes.

“Try to cut me somewhere on my body. If you do, I might give you some advice that could be helpful.”

“…When you say cut…”

I felt my strength drain at those words. Even though he was a Master, I had now reached the threshold of Master myself. He must know this too, yet he simply asked me to cut him somewhere.

I closed my mouth, feeling a surge of competitive spirit, while Lord Theorad smiled and drew his sword, quietly beginning to gather mana.

“What, can’t do it?”

“Ha.”

His words served as the trigger. I remembered when I had just become a Pianist. The numerous people who challenged me with the title of Divine—though I didn’t particularly enjoy confrontations, I accepted all their challenges without exception whenever they insulted my skills. Of course, now the positions were reversed, and I was challenging Lord Theorad…

Whoosh-

“Oh?”

At the very least, I should receive an apology for his dismissal of me. My heart began to pound, and mana rose from it. I excluded the dragon blood for now. What I wanted to confirm was purely my capacity as a knight—sword and mana, these two elements and selflessness. I drew my sword. The sword, responding to mana, revealed its blue blade.

Swish-

Perhaps because there was no dark magic energy, Lord Theorad’s eyes showed interest as he stared at the blue-glowing blade, different from before. As if seeing something familiar, he stroked his chin for a moment and spoke.

“That sword, what’s its name?”

“…I don’t know its name. Have you seen it before?”

“No, I just feel like I’ve seen it somewhere. It’s unrelated to our current business, so don’t worry about it.”

‘Anyway.’

The aura Lord Theorad emitted was truly extraordinary. Even though he wasn’t fully unleashing his power, his mana made my skin tingle. Feeling his mana that filled the space, I slowly wrapped myself in white flame.

A Master-level knight truly transcended limits. The ‘ideal’ that sword-wielders dream of. One who could color the world with their mana.

Perhaps that’s why I couldn’t help but admire the density of his mana.

If I competed with mana, I would surely lose. Therefore, it was more important than ever to feel the sensation of selflessness. I lightly stepped on the ground and sprang forward. Though I described it as light, the reality was different.

Bang-!

The wind tore at my predatory speed. In an instant, I swung my sword at Lord Theorad who suddenly appeared right before my eyes. Clang, our swords collided. I had to press hard at the beginning. The longer the fight lasted, the more mana I would consume, which would be disadvantageous for me.

Whoosh, as my heartbeat accelerated, the white flame spread like wings, burning the surroundings more brilliantly.

Quick resolution—that was my aim, so my actions were unhesitating. To approach selflessness, the most important thing was to erase the thought that followed action in this moment. It wasn’t about thinking about cutting while cutting.

I simply followed the movement of my hands and the extension of my feet. I erased the path. I didn’t think about the technique. I merely relied on sensation and swung my sword.

“Fast!”

Lord Theorad exclaimed in admiration, but I wasn’t satisfied with this speed. I could be faster and focus more on this battle. Yes, battle. When I thought of it as a battle rather than a sparring match, my boiling blood began to cool.

And I faced the situation. Wasn’t I being pushed back? At a glance, one might think I had the upper hand, but that was wrong.

‘…It’s heavy.’

It wasn’t that I couldn’t react. His sword was slow enough that I could track its trajectory with my eyes. However, every time our swords met, an enormous impact was transmitted, naturally forcing me to expend energy.

The trajectory of his sword seemed to bend space, making me feel as if I was being swung around by it—it was a peculiar sword.

Then, recalling another name for his sword, I frowned. The Blunt Sword—slow, but absolutely unavoidable. I was gradually losing stamina due to its destructive power, which was unimaginable from its slow speed.

Yet I couldn’t relax for even a moment, as that sword could threaten my neck at any instant.

Crash! I swung my sword with all my might in one go. Using the strength in my pulled-back shoulder, I turned my waist and deflected his approaching sword.

My wrist tingled. I probably couldn’t use this method again. I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs. I gripped and released my fingers, adjusting my hold on the sword.

Perhaps the problem was that I was being too cautious against a Master.

…A bit more seriously. Slowly, I placed my hand on my chest where my heart was. Among the mana in my heart, there was one that was slightly different.

Unlike my original mana, which was like hot flames, this one was colder and felt foreign. This was the essence that Evan Fried was born with—the mana closest to the sun that once soared through the skies.

Woong-

I felt the exhilaration I had experienced before fighting Maloric. The ecstasy and pleasure as if my heart would burst, as if I had squeezed out all my strength to the limit.

The veins on the back of my hand holding the sword bulged, and I could see the pulsing heartbeat. The heat of the flames grew hotter. With much wider and clearer vision, I opened my eyes wide.

“Hoo…”

As I exhaled the breath that filled my lungs, small sparks flew out. Looking at that sight, I sprang forward. Thump! It was a speed incomparable to before. Lord Theorad’s eyes widened as he faced me. With a mix of surprise and confusion in his eyes, he spoke.

“Your eye color has changed?”

“…Has it?”

I didn’t know my eye color had changed, but somehow his expression seemed to have become more serious. I swung my sword. Our swords crossed. Countless strikes and parries. Not trying to kill each other, but simply to cut and to block.

There was no killing intent. In this pure crossing of swords, I quietly raised my aura more.

Whoosh! Eventually, the flames began to consume Lord Theorad’s mana. Though he had been considerate, using mana just slightly above Expert level, it was no match for the mana awakened by dragon blood.

Clang! At the dull metallic sound, Lord Theorad gritted his teeth. Now I had no trouble dealing with his Blunt Sword. The match had finally become even. But I couldn’t be satisfied. Despite awakening the dragon blood, I was merely on par with him, which made me frown.

Woong-

His unique Blunt Sword began to feel heavier. At this rate, I would be pushed back by him again. My awakened senses were gradually feeling his sword.

Looking at its trajectory, I twisted as soon as our swords met, offsetting the impact. I had to do this because if I met it head-on, I would be the one to break. I continued these movements as smoothly as flowing water.

The burning flames were clearly making his movements uncomfortable. For him to draw out more power, he would probably need to show his own ‘domain.’

So I began to erase my thoughts. When I tried to cut Maloric’s wings, when I tried to break what couldn’t be broken. I recalled the sensation I felt when facing something seemingly insurmountable.

It was fading.

My existence gradually disappeared, and eventually my hand swinging the sword looked blurry. It was a pleasant sensation. Like having swum all day and coming out of water, my limp body was swinging the sword slowly. No, it wasn’t slow. It just felt that way.

Since selflessness meant only a single thought remained, everything other than the sword began to fade away.

The impact of swords meeting, the sensation of swinging the sword.

Breathing, the beating of the heart.

And at the end, my existence disappeared.

I heard sounds. The sound of something continuously colliding. Despite the heavy, dull sounds echoing, only one thing came to mind.

Sword. Swing, thrust, meet, block, deflect.

Thinking only of these actions, I began to forget everything as I immersed myself in selflessness. But that would be meaningless, so I gritted my teeth at the momentarily awakened thought.

I bit the soft flesh inside my mouth to awaken pain. I couldn’t fall into selflessness like this. I had to use this sensation to look straight at that sword.

I saw the lines drawn by the swinging sword. Dozens, hundreds of lines were drawn in the air. If I could find a single gap in the chaotic paths of the sword—diagonal, straight, vertical—perhaps I could cut him. How many times had I fought someone who wielded a sword?

I briefly recalled, but realized I had none except the Crown Prince.

I lacked experience. I lacked the experience to draw something creative in these limited sword paths. Therefore, my lips twisted. I could go further. I still had room to grow.

“…Haha!”

In a fraction of a moment, dozens of exchanges took place. The precarious balance where the slightest disturbance would result in someone being cut showed no signs of breaking.

Looking intently at Lord Theorad, who seemed to be enjoying himself with a broad smile, I pushed the ground with my foot without him noticing. Just a little, a choice that narrowed the gap between us slightly.

It was the only move to break the sword path drawing this space. I put all my strength into it. Filling the sword with mana rising from my pulsating heart, it emitted a flash as it moved in a straight line.

Crack! Despite the speed faster than a moment, faster than the blink of an eye—enough to tear and burst the air—he reacted. Twisting his waist where the sword was aimed, he swung his sword and deflected mine.

Clang-

Having put all my strength into that single exchange, my sword flew helplessly into the air. Lord Theorad smiled momentarily at the sight, but I smiled back at him. Not out of frustration from defeat, but because I had achieved my goal.

“Why are you smiling? Is it out of disappointment?”

“Didn’t I cut you?”

I pointed slightly at his waist, revealing his clothes that had been cleanly cut by me. After staring blankly at it for a moment, Lord Theorad looked at me and let out a hollow laugh.

“…I didn’t think you’d actually do it.”

“I trust you’ll keep your promise.”

“Well, it’s not that difficult, so I can tell you right now.”

Saying that, Lord Theorad took out a piece of paper from his pocket, handed it to me, and spoke.

“Do you happen to know about Dragon Language?”

And at those unexpected words, my mouth opened slightly.

Dragon Language,

It was because the magic that only the original female protagonist could handle came from his lips.