Ch.8989. Charlotte

“…Master?”

Berger opened his mouth with a bewildered expression. At those words, Rex widened his eyes as he looked at the woman. Hearing the word “master” naturally brought back memories from the past. A figure who had briefly crossed his mind when he heard about the Apostles. Berger had never mentioned having two masters. If that was the case, then the woman standing before him was…

‘The Apostle of the Sword.’

Charlotte von Edenhart. She greeted them with a leisurely tone.

“Berger. It’s been a while.”

“Why are you here…”

“I asked a question first, but you’ve grown quite arrogant in my absence. In the past, I would have spanked you immediately… but I’ll let it slide this time. This doesn’t seem like a situation for casual conversation anyway.”

Berger’s shoulders twitched. Knowing Charlotte, he couldn’t dismiss her words as a joke. If they hadn’t reunited like this, Charlotte would have truly spanked him. Suffering such humiliation in front of his disciple would have been truly terrible.

‘Fortunate.’

Berger let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t because he avoided being spanked. It was relief at escaping danger. Shaharon was still present, but Berger no longer felt the situation was dangerous.

The Apostle of the Sword. Anyone who knew the meaning of that name would naturally think the same.

“Before we share the joy of reunion, I should deal with the vermin first.”

Charlotte turned her head with a relaxed smile. Shaharon responded with an expressionless face.

“Vermin? Are you referring to me?”

“Well, who else is here besides you? As strict as I am as a master, I would never call my disciple vermin. Nor am I so twisted that I’d insult just anyone. Unless they’re some bizarre servant of chaos.”

Shaharon’s brow furrowed. Though a considerable amount of divine power had been consumed due to the destruction of the Divine Release, that was only by the standards of an ordinary cleric. He still had enough energy left to continue fighting.

“How unpleasant.”

The shadows covering the forest writhed and gathered beneath Shaharon.

“Looking for a fight?”

Charlotte twisted her lips into a smirk and stomped her foot. Kwang! With just one stomp, the ground shook and rippled as if an earthquake had occurred. The darkness that had been gradually growing was pushed back. Immediately after, dozens of invisible blades targeted Shaharon’s neck. Though formless, everyone present could feel the sharp killing intent.

After a long silence, Shaharon shook his head.

“No.”

The shadows disappeared cleanly as Shaharon snapped his fingers.

“The losses would outweigh the gains. Your appearance is like a natural disaster, so even the Holy Woman would understand. I hadn’t heard that the Apostle of the Sword was on the move, so I was caught off guard. I’ll withdraw.”

“Are you scared?”

When Charlotte threw out her taunt filled with mockery, Shaharon replied with an expression of disbelief.

“You’re still as crazy as ever. It’s better to avoid fighting a mad dog than to get bitten. Not everyone is as battle-crazed as you. Most people value their lives.”

“What? Crazy?”

Just as Charlotte frowned and was about to shoot out formless swords, shadows engulfed both Shaharon and Malacor.

[You were lucky today, but eventually you will come to the Order.]

Shaharon’s voice echoed in their minds. Rex twisted his lips and spat out a curse.

“Get lost. Next time, I’ll kill you myself.”

No answer came. A low laugh echoed and then even that completely disappeared. The ominous atmosphere that had permeated the space dispersed. Warm sunlight shone down from the blue sky, and the forest, having bid farewell to its predator, finally regained its peace. The chirping of birds and the sound of foliage rustling in the wind could be heard.

“So.”

The silence was broken. Charlotte turned her back as she sheathed her longsword.

“What’s going on here?”

“Master.”

“Berger. You look tired. Rest. There are plenty of others who can explain.”

Rex swallowed hard as her gaze swept over his body. Despite having overcome one crisis, the tension hadn’t subsided. Charlotte. He had heard of her alias as the Apostle of the Sword, but seeing her in person, the pressure she exuded exceeded his imagination. If Shaharon felt like peering into an endless abyss, Charlotte felt like a cold blade poking at the nape of his neck. And that was just from meeting her gaze.

‘She’s strong.’

And beautiful. Since she was Berger’s master, he had secretly expected an elderly woman. Contrary to his expectations, Charlotte appeared to be a young woman. She looked to be in her late twenties. Clear, transparent blonde hair and cold, sky-blue eyes. Even setting aside her status as an Apostle, she seemed too young to be the head of an imperial viscounty.

“You.”

Charlotte’s finger pointed at Rex.

“You tell me.”

***

She knew it the moment she saw him. That this boy was the genius Berger had told her about, who had reached the stage of Holy Flame at just fifteen.

“It’s different.”

Charlotte suddenly muttered to herself while Rex was explaining the events.

“…Pardon?”

“I understand the general situation, so you can stop explaining. More importantly, you. It’s not Holy Flame.”

Rex had organized his thoughts to explain the story as clearly as possible, but Charlotte was barely listening. In truth, she hadn’t been very interested from the start. The Chaos Order, and especially the appearance of Shaharon, an Apostle, was certainly unexpected. But wasn’t everything resolved now? If she had fought Shaharon, she might have enjoyed herself, but he fled without a moment’s hesitation.

“It’s Radiance.”

As a result, her remaining interest was focused solely on Rex. Charlotte examined him with curious eyes. The letter had stated that Rex was approaching the wall of Radiance.

But what she saw now differed from the letter’s content. Did he reach Radiance in just three months? Charlotte’s smile deepened. She considered the possibility of lies, but Charlotte trusted the Berger she remembered. He wasn’t a man who would speak falsehoods carelessly. If what he said was true, this was a talent that would make all the geniuses who had ever existed in the world look ordinary. Even if she didn’t plan to do anything immediately, she couldn’t just leave him be.

That’s why she came to Lindveil. She had harbored a tingling expectation, but that expectation was perfectly defied in an unbelievable way. In a good way.

“I originally just planned to check.”

Charlotte approached Rex with leisurely steps. Berger blocked her path.

“What?”

“No.”

Rex tilted his head with a puzzled expression. It was difficult to guess why Berger had suddenly stepped forward. And what did he mean by “no”?

“You’re planning to take him to your territory, aren’t you?”

At Berger’s words, Rex’s eyes widened. Charlotte nodded readily.

“That’s right. It would be a shame to leave such a precious talent, so I want to nurture him. Are you upset about losing your disciple? I am your master, so your disciple is essentially my disciple. I’m not saying I’ll keep him forever. I’ll send him back once he reaches a level I’m satisfied with.”

“Still, no.”

Berger answered immediately in a firm tone. Finding his appearance quite amusing, Charlotte smiled slyly.

“You’ve grown a lot. Even standing up to me like this. Well, you were always the one disciple who wasn’t particularly afraid of me. All the other children followed my teachings well, but you were always hiding somewhere, idling away.”

“That’s a misunderstanding. I was just as afraid of you as the others. It’s just that I feared you yourself more. The memories of the days I received your teachings are still vivid.”

“Then you should also remember what happens when you defy my words.”

Charlotte’s mouth was smiling, but her eyes were not.

“I think I’ll have to spank you after all.”

Charlotte removed her gloves. Slender fingers with fair, smooth skin were revealed. Though those hands were clearly unblemished, Rex somehow felt a chill at the sight. Charlotte slowly stepped forward, as if she really intended to spank Berger.

“Wait!”

Rex shouted without thinking. Charlotte smiled gently and said:

“Do you want me to spank you too? Don’t worry. There will be plenty of opportunities. If you train under me, you’ll get spanked whether you like it or not.”

“…That’s not it.”

His response was delayed because he thought he had misheard. Only then did Rex realize why Berger had described his master with such a reluctant voice before. Are all Apostles somehow twisted in their thinking? No one but a mentally deranged pervert would want to be spanked. Rex considered himself a normal person.

‘This isn’t right.’

Rex shifted his gaze slightly. He saw Chloe looking this way with an anxious face. And Elin beside her. After organizing his thoughts, Rex spoke again in a careful tone.

“I won’t refuse Lady Charlotte’s offer.”

“That’s more like it. Do you know how many people knock on the Order’s door just to get one piece of advice from me? Consider it an honor.”

Charlotte chuckled with an affected laugh.

“Unlike that stubborn fellow, your ears are open. Is it because you’re young? Anyway, now that it’s decided, let’s depart immediately. I have many things prepared for you.”

“But not right away.”

“What?”

Charlotte’s eyes narrowed. Rex hastily continued.

“I promised the Baron of Lindveil that I would attend an investiture ceremony.”

“By the Baron of Lindveil, do you mean Raimund?”

“Yes. He’s someone who has helped me in many ways. I can’t leave without any notice. And the date… it’s not far off. I’ll follow you after the investiture ceremony is complete.”

“I could bestow knighthood upon you myself…”

Charlotte trailed off with a displeased voice. After a moment, she shrugged and added:

“Well, fine. It’s a rare outing for me, so taking a rest wouldn’t be bad either. It’s also admirable that you’re trying not to break your promise.”

“Does that mean…”

“I’ll wait. Do you have a way to return to Lindveil? If we walk, we’ll only arrive by evening.”

“We came on horseback.”

“Bring them.”

The horses were tied up not far away. As Rex approached with the reins, Charlotte drew her longsword.

“Berger’s condition isn’t good either, so it would be better to save time.”

Charlotte lightly swung her sword. Jjak! Despite striking at empty air, there was a tearing sound as if something had been caught.

Rex’s mouth fell open.

Space itself had been torn apart.