She was going to die.
The moment she sensed death approaching lasted only an instant.
As the end of her life drew near, fragments of old memories began unfolding before her eyes.
She saw her parents crying with joy the moment she was born.
Next came the memory of her taking her very first steps.
Then came memories of a happy birthday party, crying her eyes out after falling down, proudly making her debut in high society, and more.
Even the forgotten memories flashed before her eyes, bringing her life back into focus, as if the Reaper was gently urging her to recall the beautiful moments one last time before her eternal rest—
Flash!
Thud!
A sudden impact from somewhere sent her body flying, and in an instant, she was yanked back to reality.
“Huh? …Huh?”
“Get a hold of yourself, Lady Selene!”
When her dazed mind cleared, she saw the face of a man staring at her with concern.
“Mars… Noctus…”
“Yes, it’s me. But for now, we need to get out of here. By now, the academy staff must’ve realized something had gone wrong. Let’s keep moving until they track us down and rescue us.”
It seemed he had saved her just as she stood frozen in fear.
When she looked to the side, the place where the monster had attacked was completely devastated, and in the distance, the monster was watching them, as if waiting for another chance to strike.
Judging by how the solid-looking wall had been crushed in completely, it wasn’t hard to guess just how strong the creature was.
“That… That’s not an illusion, is it?”
“No. It’s real. The illusions created by the academy were said to have almost no physical force.”
At the academy, illusion spells were configured to minimize the pain students experienced for the sake of their safety.
Even when hit, one would only feel a faint impact. Just enough to indicate that the attack had landed, but never enough to endanger one’s life.
In other words, the monster’s attack that had just collapsed the terrain was clearly not an illusion by any standard.
“Young lady. I don’t think this is an illusionary space. It seems like we’ve been sent to a real location. I don’t know exactly where, but it looks like we were deliberately teleported to wherever this monster is.”
“What?”
“And what’s more, that thing isn’t just a monster. It’s a chimera. Probably… one made mainly from humans.”
“!!”
The creation of chimeras was strictly forbidden; it was just like the pursuit of immortality.
Though the academy had a field dedicated to the study of monsters, there had always been madmen who tried to take it further by infusing human beings with the powers of monsters.
Unlike humans, who had to train their mana or aura to become stronger, monsters were born powerful. Some people had become obsessed with that natural strength and sought to apply it to humans. In the end, their gruesome biological experiments led to a massive purge. Their research was burned from the face of the continent and vanished into the forgotten corners of history.
“Why would one of those be here…?”
“This isn’t the time to wonder. We need to run!”
“…No, wait. Let me handle this.”
“Huh?”
“You think that last spell was me going all out? Just stand back and watch!”
Gathering mana to the very limits of her capacity, Selene began casting the most powerful spell she could muster.
“Watch closely. That thing’s going to be ashes after this.”
[Inferno!]
With Selene’s incantation, a massive pillar of searing flame erupted beneath the chimera’s feet.
The stone ground melted and sagged from the extreme heat, and even from a distance, the heat was intense enough to make their skin sting.
“I didn’t want to use this yet since I still haven’t perfected the heat control… but against something like that, who cares about control, right?”
However, contrary to her expectations, the chimera stood unharmed where the flames had cleared.
“H-How is this possible…?”
Though there were scorch marks here and there from the intensity of the fire, that was all.
The chimera curled its lips as if it was mocking Selene. Like her attack had merely tickled it.
Selene knew it instinctively.
They couldn’t win against that monster. It was a true beast.
If the word “disaster” were given form, wouldn’t it look like that?
When she saw its eyes fixated on her and the man beside her, she realized they had already been marked as prey.
The fact that it hadn’t charged yet only meant one thing; it was toying with them, like a predator playing with its food.
“…Run.”
“So, even now, we should run with everything we’ve got, back the way that thing came from… huh?”
“I’ll buy us some time. You run.”
The man was weak.
At best, he was on par with an average knight.
At a level where one couldn’t even manifest aura, there was no way to leave a single scratch on that monster’s skin.
She was quick on her feet, so if she ran at full speed, she might just barely survive.
“What are you saying? You expect me to run away alone?”
“I’m the only one here who can stand a chance against that monster. You know I have a talent for magic, don’t you?”
She had grown up being called a magical prodigy from a young age.
If she gathered the last of her remaining mana and launched an attack, she might not be able to kill it, but at least she could restrict its movements for a short while.
Thinking that, Selene forced her trembling legs to stand.
“What kind of nonsense is that? Why are you trying so hard to save me? Weren’t you the one who wanted to be with Pollo?”
“…I did.”
She still did.
With death looming, he was the first person to come to mind.
The first man she had ever truly liked.
She had fallen for his handsome looks and wanted to make him her partner, but now, as she left without even confessing her feelings, she felt pathetically small and miserable.
If she had known it would come to this, she would’ve at least told him how she felt. Regret gripped her heart like a storm.
“Still, I’m a noble. The daughter of a proud duchy, remember? Nobles have a duty. That is to protect the nation, the citizens, and their families.”
It was something her father always used to say to her and her sister.
Her father, proud of being from one of the founding families of the Empire, had always told his daughters that nobles must fulfill their duties.
Though she had at times been arrogant and acted selfishly, not once had she forgotten that pride as a noble.
“Judging by that monster’s power, there’s no way both of us are getting out of this alive. One of us has to act as bait just for the other to maybe survive. And even if I did run and left you as bait, it’s not like Pollo would ever like me for it, right?”
“…You could just lie.”
“I’m not good at lying. It always shows on my face right away.”
“….…”
No reply came, but it didn’t matter.
This man would soon run off, leaving her behind.
If she died, would her parents mourn deeply?
She didn’t know why she suddenly felt so sorry toward her older sister, with whom she always bickered.
What kind of expressions would her friends, those who had always stayed by her side, wear when they heard?
Would Pollo grieve for her?
Even though they had barely talked, and she probably wouldn’t linger long in his memory.
If he remembered her from time to time, wouldn’t that be enough?
“Haah… shit.”
Thud—
“…Huh?”
A curse slipped from his lips, followed by a blow to the back of her neck.
At the same time, all strength left her body, and Selene’s consciousness faded away.
Ma… rs?
The last thing she saw—
Was Mars’s face twisted in annoyance, as if all of this was nothing but a hassle.
***
The training grounds of House Helios.
“Once more!”
“Haat!!”
“Haat!!”
The sight of the knights of the house lined up in formation, swinging their swords in unison, had truly been a spectacle to behold.
“That’s it for today’s training. Take a proper rest, then return to your individual duties. Dismissed!”
“Thank you for your hard work!!”
“Thank you for your hard work!!”
With the thunderous shouts of the knights, the day’s training had come to an end.
The new knight Paul was also happily organizing his training weapon at the end of the training.
“Hey, Paul. How’s everything going?”
“Oh, Vice Captain! Loyalty!”
“Yeah, yeah. Already an Expert at your age, huh? Becoming a Master isn’t just a dream for you.”
Though Paul had been startled by the sudden appearance of Vice Captain Charun, he quickly relaxed thanks to Charun’s cheerful smile and encouraging words.
“Do you think so? I still feel like I have a long way to go…”
“There aren’t many with talent like yours! You should be prouder of yourself!”
“Well, there’s the Lord of the House.”
“…He’s on another level.”
Beginner, Expert, Master.
The commonly known stages of an aura user.
Unlike magic, aura that was used by knights was extremely difficult to awaken. But once manifested, it granted power far beyond that of an ordinary swordsman.
Usually, people believed that aura had stages only up to the level of Master, but there existed a realm one step beyond that.
“Aura Lord…”
Lord.
Those who reached this stage, known as the Lords of the Sword, possessed the power to bring down an entire kingdom on their own. Count Helios, their liege lord, was one such being who had reached this level.
It was an immense honor to serve a master who had attained a realm reached by only three people in history, but at times, it was also a heavy burden to bear.
“To someone like him, I must look no different from a child. I’ve never once heard of the Lord acknowledging anyone’s swordsmanship.”
“…There was someone.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Oh. It’s nothing. I still have a long way to go. Just saying I need to train harder.”
“Haha, I see.”
Although Charun brushed it off with Paul, in truth, there was indeed someone who had earned recognition from Count Helios for their sword.
A monster who had reached the level of Aura Lord that was attained by only three people in all of history while still in his teens.
“Mars Noctus…”
Charun briefly recalled the face of the young man who would be spending joyful school days at the academy with the young master he once served. He worried for a moment that something might happen, but soon let out a small chuckle and left the training grounds. After all, if it was “that guy”, then there was nothing to worry about.
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