(TN: Ed is short for Edgar. I don’t know if it’s been mentioned or not.)
***
Ed was outside with the children on the playground in front of the orphanage building.
The hand-to-hand combat that Deron was teaching had also been something he had learned from someone in his younger days.
Its creator was unknown, but it was a martial art refined solely for survival in real combat.
Since it was designed for surviving on the battlefield without a sword, using only fists and feet, the movements were simple.
Under the sunlight, Ed and the children repeatedly extended their fists in the same stance.
“Huff, huff…”
Calix who was struggling with his stamina was panting heavily beside Ed.
On the other hand, Versilia and Lina did not look tired at all. In fact, it was almost strange that they weren’t even sweating.
Isn’t it weird that they’re not sweating at all? Maybe it’s just their constitution?
Ed wasn’t the only one who found it unusual. Deron was also watching the two girls.
However, a pleased smile spread across his face. He let out an admiring remark.
“Amazing. I almost want to take them in as my own disciples.”
“Aren’t they already your disciples in a way?”
When Ed asked with a smile, Deron scratched his head awkwardly.
“Haha, well… but calling them official disciples to whom I’d pass down everything is a bit…”
Deron was, as expected, not one to lie.
“I wouldn’t want to be your disciple anyway, uncle.”
Versilia pouted.
“That’s a relief. At least we’re on the same page… Haha. Lina, do you feel the same way?”
“…….”
Lina didn’t answer. She simply continued throwing punches in silence.
“Hmm.”
As Deron clicked his tongue and scratched his head sheepishly, someone knocked on the front gate.
“I’ll go check.”
Ed loosened his stance, left the playground, and walked toward the gate.
When Ed opened the door, a woman with short, navy-blue hair stood before him.
She was slightly shorter than Ed who was over 180 cm tall, but her well-proportioned physique gave her a noticeable presence.
She wore leather armor that wrapped around her body, and several daggers were securely fastened to her toned thighs with leather straps.
Though she appeared close to middle age, traces of her youthful beauty still remained, leaving a strong impression.
“Who are you?”
“I was called here by Deron.”
“Huh?”
Ed instinctively turned his head to look at Deron. At that moment, Deron also noticed the woman standing with Ed. He smiled warmly, waved his hand, and came over.
“Carter! You’re here.”
Deron closed the distance in an instant and introduced them.
“This is the person I called since the Director wanted to hire a guard. And this here is the Director, your future employer.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Carter naturally extended her hand with a smile. Even in that small gesture, there was an air of confidence.
“I’m Carter, a silver-ranked adventurer.”
When Ed shook her hand, he asked curiously,
“Are you really considering taking on security work for our orphanage?”
“Hmm… Isn’t that what Deron asked me to?”
“That’s right. There have been a series of disappearances in the area. But as a silver-ranked adventurer…”
Ed trailed off for a moment. Typically, adventurers of her rank took on well-paying commissions.
If she worked as a guard for the orphanage, she would earn far less than what she was used to.
But Carter simply nodded her head without hesitation.
Ed was taken aback by how effortlessly she spoke, without a hint of hesitation.
“It’s fine. Well, my prime years are already behind me, so it’s about time I returned my silver badge anyway.”
A warrior’s peak was usually between their late teens and mid-twenties.
Considering she looked past thirty, it wasn’t unreasonable for her to say such a thing.
Still, that didn’t mean he could readily accept it, so Ed remained silent.
Fortunately, Deron stepped in to lighten the mood.
“Haha, don’t be so humble. She may not look it, but she was my very first disciple. She’s more than capable.”
“When did I ever become your disciple?”
“Did you forget all the martial arts I taught you when you were a kid?”
“It’s been so long since I last threw a punch that I barely remember any of it.”
With Ed caught between them, the two began to bicker playfully.
Their conversation sounded like a quarrel on the surface, but there was an unmistakable sense of familiarity between them.
The way they spoke, the ease in their exchange… it felt like they had known each other for years, like old friends.
As the two went back and forth, Ed quickly made his decision. A silver-ranked adventurer was overqualified for a simple guard position.
Ed stepped between them as their voices grew louder. He held out his hand.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“Straight to the point. I like that. Likewise.”
***
Now that the number of people was steadily increasing, it was time to start looking for a regular source of funding beyond Count Montrant’s patronage.
If things get really desperate, there is a way to get money, but…
That was only a temporary fix. He couldn’t afford to leave whenever funds were needed.
While Ed was holed up in his office, racking his brains, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
When the door opened, the person who appeared was none other than Donna who had just finished feeding the children dinner and left for the day. Caught off guard by the unexpected visit, Ed tilted his head to the side.
“Donna? Didn’t you just get off work?”
Her expression was grim.
“Well… I just heard that Hans is dead. I thought you should know.”
Ed immediately sprang to his feet.
Hans was the owner of the carriage Ed had ridden when he first arrived in Avgenil. They had stayed in touch ever since, so the news of his sudden death came as a shock.
“Another disappearance?”
“No… His body was found in front of his house.”
“Let’s go.”
Without hesitation, Ed set off for Hans’s house with Donna.
By the time they arrived, soldiers had already surrounded the area, blocking anyone from approaching. But even from a distance, Hans’s body was clearly visible.
It hadn’t been a quick death. The numerous slashes across his body made it painfully clear just how much he had suffered.
This wasn’t a sudden ambush. That means it wasn’t a robbery. Was he tortured?
While Ed studied Hans’s body from afar, one of the soldiers searching the area suddenly shouted in alarm.
“Drick! Get over here! We’ve found another body!”
“It’s Kellen!”
Ed had been too focused on Hans to pay attention, but when Donna grabbed his arm and pulled him back, he finally snapped out of it.
A sense of unease settled over him.
Kellen was another name Ed recognized.
She was the owner of the inn where Edgar had stayed for a year.
News of her body being discovered spread quickly, and Kellen’s son who happened to be nearby ran over and clung to her. He started sobbing uncontrollably.
But she wasn’t the only victim.
The stonemason who had helped build the orphanage, the guard Ed occasionally spoke with, and even the owner of the shop Ed often visited—
Their bodies were all found near Hans’s house. As if they had been gathered in one place and killed all at once.
A chilling sensation crawled down Ed’s spine.
All of them were connected to him.
And the one thing they had in common was that they were locals. They were people Ed had questioned multiple times while gathering information about the Black Hand.
Didn’t the Black Hand disappear?
Did they not vanish but instead been operating in secret somewhere?
But something didn’t add up.
Why would they go into hiding only to resurface and specifically target people connected to Ed?
The Black Hand was already an established organization in this area. There was no need for such a brutal display.
Was it because they hadn’t paid protection fees?
But Ed had never refused to pay.
There was no reason for them to go this far.
What if they really had disappeared… but someone was backing them? What if this was revenge carried out on behalf of the disappeared Black Hand?
That seemed like a more plausible explanation.
The day before they disappeared, a Black Hand member had come to see me. If that was their last known activity… could they be suspecting me and tracking me down?
If that were the case, why hadn’t they come for him directly? Why only kill those around him?
Are they making an example out of people who can’t resist? …No, that doesn’t quite make sense either.
There was no way they didn’t know that Ed was learning Ascal-style swordsmanship.
Besides, he had yet to properly train in it.
The reason they hadn’t come for me…
Or perhaps…they already had?
During the two months he had been away to fetch Calix… had they come looking for him, only to leave when they couldn’t find him?
No, that doesn’t make sense either.
While Ed’s thoughts were tangled in confusion, some of the soldiers who realized the severity of the situation after discovering their fallen comrades left to call for their superior.
Before long, the captain of the soldiers arrived.
He ordered the onlookers to step back, one by one.
Ed had no choice but to do the same.
Once they start investigating, they’ll figure out my connection to all of this. That means they’ll come looking for me eventually.
With that in mind, Ed took Donna and headed to where Deron and Carter were staying.
After explaining the situation, he returned to the orphanage with them.
It seemed wiser to stay together until the soldiers completed their investigation.
Since the orphanage had only recently opened, there were plenty of empty rooms, so accommodating everyone wasn’t an issue.
Late into the night, when everyone had fallen asleep, Ed quietly stepped out into the backyard.
Under the dim glow of the moonlight, shadows cast darkly over his face.
Something was definitely happening around him.
Yet, he was completely unprepared for it.
Building the orphanage doesn’t mean it’s over.
He reminded himself.
Once again, he was painfully aware of just how harsh this world was for those who had nothing.
Ed reaffirmed his goal.
To protect himself and those around him.
If I keep handling things in this sloppy way, I’ll face something I truly can’t handle.
Under the starry night sky, Ed took off his upper garment and sat down.
I have to break through the Heavenly Swirl Star. And I can’t just stop there. I need to train even harder and quickly unlock all seven stars.
Ed closed his eyes that were filled with unwavering determination.
He took a deep breath in and exhaled, beginning the Star Breathing technique.
Not long after he started, his entire body began to heat up as if he were absorbing the starlight directly.
The heat didn’t subside; it only grew hotter.
Soon, it turned into pain. A searing sensation that felt like his skin was burning away. The pain dug deep into his bones, making his teeth clench involuntarily.
For some reason, the pain was far more intense than usual, making it difficult just to maintain his posture.
If I can’t endure this, I won’t be able to protect anyone.
Pushing himself even harder, Ed forced his breath to quicken, taking in even more light.
A pain so intense it threatened to turn his mind blank.
At that moment—
Crumble—
The sound of something collapsing echoed in his ears.
This easily?
The thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He refused to belittle the year-long effort he had poured into this.
When he steadied his breath and checked his body’s condition, he could feel it. A round opening had formed at the center of his dantian.
The first point, the Heavenly Swirl Star, had finally opened.
But the joy was short-lived. The Stella energy rising within it was not a pure white light like he expected.
It was black.
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