Arunvida, a region that once set the Empire ablaze with heat, now boasted an environment harsh enough to contrast that fervor.
As the sharp wind now somewhat familiar brushed past her cheek, Anais who was wearing her usual expressionless face looked down from Viduron Castle.
“……”
In stark contrast to the cold weather, a lively city stretched out before her.
Residents returning from their day’s work entered taverns with warm expressions despite the frigid air.
Subjugation squads returning from hunting nearby monsters and laborers whose faces were smudged with soot as if just out of the mines walked arm-in-arm, exchanging casual greetings.
“Contrary to what we’ve heard from outside, it’s so lively it’s almost disconcerting.”
As the voice of Elliot, the right hand of Elain who had now become the undisputed lord of the North beyond just this city came from behind, Anais nodded unconsciously.
“I heard only rough people lived here. That they were all criminals.”
“They’re not wrong.”
Indeed, the residents of the North all had a fierce side to them.
But then, who was Elliot?
He had become the aide to a fallen prince and spent decades surviving in the underworld.
Compared to the dirty criminals of the underground, this was nothing. It was almost charming in comparison.
“But, there’s no such thing as a person who isn’t rough. It’s a common misconception.”
“……?”
“A good person isn’t good for their entire life. Every person has a ‘reverse scale’….something you must never touch. If that’s provoked, they become fierce. Most of the people here are those whose reverse scales have already been torn away.”
With that, Elliot looked at the expressionless Anais.
“You have one too, don’t you? Your own reverse scale.”
“Hmm…”
At those words, Anais fell into thought, as was her habit.
What is my reverse scale?
It didn’t take long for the answer to come to her.
“Things that are unjust. I think that’s my reverse scale.”
“…That’s a tough one to have.”
With that, Elliot took a cigar from his coat and placed it between his lips.
“But those people out there… they’re all smiling. They don’t look violent at all.”
“Phew… Sometimes time really does heal everything. Of course, it doesn’t solve everything. If I had to compare it to something, time is like a bandage. It keeps the wound from getting infected while it heals. But if the infection’s already set in, then it’s all for nothing, right?”
The residents of Arunvida, knowing each other’s wounds all too well, embraced one another yet avoided approaching too carelessly.
Once, they were all wounded beasts, baring their fangs in self-defense.
That was what Arunvida had been like in the past, before Anastasia arrived.
But when a leader appeared, someone who embraced their wounds and led them, they began to realize they were all in the same situation. They excluded those who threatened the group and built a world of their own.
Of course, that alone wasn’t enough.
A beast was still a beast.
The journey to set foot once more into the world of humans was never going to be easy.
What allowed them to come this far—
Clayton R. Shane.
It was his arrival that gave the wounded beasts a chance to grow closer to people again.
A young mage who suddenly appeared and made his name known to the world.
Though for some reason he was keeping a low profile now, the long-distance portal magic he had demonstrated sent shockwaves through the world of magic.
“But… in the end, aren’t they still criminals?”
While Elliot had been momentarily lost in thought, Anais’s question brought him back to reality.
“Criminals, huh…”
Elliot had no intention of denying that statement.
After all, most of the residents living in Arunvida now had committed unforgivable crimes in the Empire and had been exiled.
And Elliot himself… couldn’t say he was innocent, either.
He and his lord Elain had also endured and survived for decades in the crime-ridden underground city.
If anything, it was the residents of Arunvida who were cleaner. He was in no position to judge them.
Still, maybe I should at least offer some kind of defense.
With that thought, Elliot opened his mouth again.
“The Judgment Knights. The Empire’s sword that punishes injustice and upholds justice. Isn’t that right?”
“…? Yes, that’s right.”
Caught off guard by the sudden mention of the knights, Anais nodded reflexively, and Elliot continued.
“Then who gets to define that justice?”
“….…?”
“What is injustice, and what is justice?”
“……”
“Was the law even perfect to begin with?”
Anais paused to think about that question before slowly shaking her head.
“I don’t think so.”
“Exactly. There’s no such thing as perfection in this world. Only change.”
Having experienced the Imperial Family, where the Emperor who was said to be as close to perfection as a person could get resided, Elliot could say this with certainty.
Even that Emperor was far from perfect. So how could man-made laws be flawless?
“I think I can guess what you’re struggling with… but law at its core is only meant to keep human emotions from boiling over. It’s not some unshakable truth that defines justice in the world. The people living here were never protected by those laws.”
“People who weren’t protected…”
“Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re automatically in the right. But we can’t say that all they’ve done is sin, either. There are things in this world that simply couldn’t be helped.”
Things that couldn’t be helped.
He had said a lot, but it all boiled down to one simple point.
“When something inevitable happens, the key is whether or not you cross a certain line. That’s where conduct matters.”
“A line…”
“Yes. A line.”
What exactly was that line?
As Anais pondered the question, Elliot gave a crooked smile.
“If you’re confused, then draw the line based on that confusion. You’ll adjust it gradually as you go. Of course, given your position, you’ll have to be careful. But what can you do? That’s how the world works….through experience, learning, and realization. Think of the mistakes you make when you’re inexperienced as debts you’ll repay once you’ve grown. That’s what it means to live wisely.”
Anais wasn’t sure she understood that last part, but for some reason, she felt as if the idea of that “line” had become just a bit clearer.
“You were right, after all.”
“Right?”
When Elliot asked in response to her murmur, a rare smile bloomed on Anais’s usually expressionless face.
“Someone advised me to come here. Said I’d learn a lot.”
“Whoever it was sounds like a wise person.”
“It was my former fiancé.”
“…Cough!”
Caught off guard by the sudden remark, Elliot choked on the thick cigar smoke and broke into a coughing fit.
She’s smiling like that while talking about her former fiancé…
He didn’t know the details, but it didn’t seem like they had ended things on a bad note.
“Anyway, it’s cold. Let’s head in.”
“All right.”
As if it were nothing, Elliot stepped off the terrace completely unaware.
Unaware of what kind of change this conversation had brought to Anais.
***
The Kingdom of Bechelli, a nation of knights, was ablaze with excitement as it welcomed a wave of outsiders.
The people of Bechelli were passionate about strength and revered it.
To them, the national event known as the “Declaration of Knights” was an unmissable moment of utmost importance.
That fervor filled the massive colosseum to the brim.
“Wooooooah!!”
“This is insane! Completely insane!”
“That guy just finished his coming-of-age ceremony? Are you kidding me?!”
The crowd roared with excitement at the battles unfolding in the colosseum, their hearts pounding at the emergence of a new powerhouse.
And at the very center of that colosseum—
A young man with golden hair, radiating heat as intense as the crowd’s frenzy, stood over the fallen body of a middle-aged knight he had just defeated.
Strong.
There are several rules set for the Declaration of Knights.
All participants must use equipment provided by the kingdom during combat, and magic is to be limited to physical enhancement only.
Because of this, Klein’s fighting style of relying on overwhelming opponents with aggressive, brute-force magic was blocked from the outset. But in return, the surplus of mana granted him incredible stamina, and he showed exceptional endurance.
On top of that, his swordsmanship alone was so refined that the academy had nothing left to teach him. Those who knew Klein well never doubted he would win.
In fact, Klein advanced smoothly through the month-long preliminaries and made it to the finals without any major issues. But his momentum didn’t last forever.
My body feels heavy.
Perhaps this was to be expected from a nation of knights.
Even with Klein’s impressive stamina and mental strength, the knights who made it to the finals were all highly skilled swordsmen.
Even this opponent had a fighting style I’d never seen before.
Moreover, their weapons, combat habits, and personal inclinations were all different which created battles unlike anything he’d experienced at the academy.
In light of this, the academy’s head professor, Benjamin, had once given him this advice:
“The Academies of the Coalition were created for the purpose of clearing dungeons. That’s why everyone fights in more or less the same way. It’s the only way to ensure effective leadership in an emergency.”
But here, in the Kingdom of Bechelli, things were different.
The knights here were honed for the sole purpose of combat between individuals. That is people against people. Each one had crafted their own unique fighting style based on their personal tendencies.
Hoo…
A cool breeze brushed past Klein’s entire body, a sign that autumn was on its way.
Drenched in sweat as if it had rained, Klein stood up and fixed his gaze forward.
He liked the sight of the roaring crowd, their cheers loud enough to shake the colosseum. He liked the fact that he had overcome such a difficult battle.
But more than anything, what truly made Klein happy—
Was the feeling that he was, little by little, growing stronger.
After days upon days of stagnant progress…
Even though he was clearly aware that a level beyond his current limits existed, Klein couldn’t reach it.
Why was that?
“It’s because there’s nothing more to be gained within the realm of reason. With the academy’s level of instruction, you would’ve already hit that wall long ago.”
To Benjamin’s advice, Klein nodded.
It wasn’t that the academy’s education was lacking…far from it. But in the end, the academy’s goal wasn’t to foster one exceptional individual but to accommodate as many as possible and ensure everyone could grow.
Even so, the reason Klein had managed to grow this far was thanks to the extreme situations he had faced in the Great Mezaiya Forest, the dungeon list Shane had passed on to him, and the experiences he gained during the war in Arunvida and the subjugation of the non-humans terrorist incidents.
But even those experiences, Klein quickly digested and once again, he hit a wall.
The problem was that Klein couldn’t accept staying where he was.
That presence back then, without a doubt…
At the end of the non-humans terrorism incident—
A mysterious being, covered in scales, who looked down on them with arrogant disdain.
The sheer destructive power of the magic he wielded was terrifying, even just recalling it now.
The magic he used… I couldn’t stop it alone.
The destructive magic had manifested the moment it erupted deep underground.
Of course, it had been an unprepared, disastrous situation, and there was no choice but to be overwhelmed. But had Klein reacted even a little slower, his comrades behind him would surely have been gravely injured or worse.
And then, the masked figure who killed even that terrifying being.
Claiming to be part of an organization called “Nameless”, he radiated such a powerful presence that even Klein had been shaken.
That scene was burned into Klein’s mind, refusing to fade, and even now, the moment he closed his eyes at night, his fingertips trembled.
It felt as though an unavoidable battle was drawing near.
Klein sheathed his sword, moving his arm heavy with damage from the fight, and returned to the waiting room.
“Hoo…”
His mind was worn out from the string of battles, but even so, Klein sat on the bed and began to meditate.
He reviewed today’s fight and thought about tomorrow’s opponent.
Only this constant reflection gave Klein a momentary escape from the suffocating sense of frustration he felt.
***
The dry desert air brushed past Shane’s nose.
It had already been about a week since Lucid Rem of Lust had invaded his dreams.
So far, Nameless had shown no significant movement.
That woman’s hiding it.
If Nameless had known Shane was here, they would have made a move by now.
Unlike before, with rumors of another Saintess being spread on this side, they couldn’t launch an all-out war outright, but they’d surely have found some other means.
And yet, the fact that nothing had happened so far likely meant that, for some reason, Lucid Rem hadn’t reported it to the organization.
Shane didn’t know why.
He hadn’t been interested in the first place.
Still, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
Nameless being quiet only meant they were sharpening their hidden blades.
One way or another, the winds of war were beginning to stir over the Nakar Desert.
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