The Sword Star's Bow

The Sword of Stars. A knight order that carried the title of humanity's strongest. With only twelve members, one might assume their scale was small, yet their martial prowess stood shoulder to shoulder with the imperial knight order itself. Every single member was a genius who might only appear once in a generation. Their leader, Gilius Crayden, in particular, possessed such overwhelming power that he vied with Korn for the seat of the world's strongest.

In the original novel, they had appeared frequently during the period when Alan had not yet achieved his awakening. They functioned as a deus ex machina, extending aid to the protagonist's party whenever they encountered foes beyond their capacity to handle. They had rescued Alan when he was being brutally pummeled by Pyren, the third seat of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings, and they had sliced through the Seekers' headquarters like cutting through tofu to liberate the kidnapped students. Barring the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings themselves, they were powerhouses without equal.

Even while reading the original work, whenever the Sword of Stars made their entrance, an indescribable sense of relief would wash over me.

But the problem was...

The fact that the leader of such extraordinary individuals was bowing his head to me.

I bit my lip against the crushing burden that surged over me like a tidal wave. Fortunately, Gilius straightened his posture before long, but the concentrated gazes from those around us showed no sign of dispersing. A pointless dryness lingered in my throat; I swallowed hard.

An existence who could cleave both mountain and sea in two with a single strike—the one known as the Sword Star. The overwhelming pressure I felt for the first time in this life made it difficult for me to open my mouth.

"......"

Come to think of it, perhaps there had been something similar before. An existence that pressed down with this kind of weight. The opponent from the world championship finals in my previous life who had crushed me ten games to zero. I couldn't recall the name, but the impression was eerily alike.

While my thoughts had briefly drifted elsewhere, Gilius, who had been staring directly down at me, spoke.

"Eh? Uh... yes?"

I nearly bit my tongue in surprise, but fortunately managed to recover naturally. Gilius didn't seem inclined to point out the slip.

In the direction Gilius indicated, the students stood rooted to the spot. They stared this way with eyes laced with faint terror. Gilius regarded them and added,

"I see."

"Huh...?"

Only then did the strangeness of the situation hit me. Why was I fine? The professors could be excused—they were strong enough to resist the aura. But I shouldn't have been capable of enduring the Sword Star's gaze yet...?

As I pondered this question, a familiar mechanical sound rang in my ear.

At the same time, a blue window appeared before my eyes. I frowned at its contents. So it could even neutralize passive effects like this. I had suspected as much ever since it blocked Violet's Curse of Loneliness, but Iron Mind seemed far more potent than I had imagined.

"...Thank you."

Gilius nodded as though he had convinced himself. After a short silence, I cautiously spoke up. There was one question that had been nagging at me since earlier.

"Sir Crayden... if it wouldn't be too rude, may I ask you something?"

"Are you, by any chance, related to my master...?"

"Then the reason you both share the same surname..."

Gilius showed he understood my confusion. He gave a light shrug and gestured toward the order members standing behind him.

"So Crayden is a name bestowed by the order itself."

"Then my master also...?"

I treated him like a son, the damned brat.

Gilius scratched the back of his head with a sigh. For a moment his expression grew distant, as though he were recalling old memories, before he turned away.

"Already? You're leaving so soon?"

Gilius's eyes turned toward the people nearby—the students and professors still visibly mourning my master's death. His gaze then shifted to the dark tombstone standing at the center of the field, and a bitter smile formed on his lips.

"......"

Gilius looked at me one final time. Within his blue pupils swirled an emotion I could not name. He gave my shoulder a couple of light pats, then departed with his order members.

I watched Gilius's receding back in silence. His red robe fluttered like a cape in the autumn wind.

Like a storm that had swept through and vanished, the Sword of Stars departed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the funeral grounds. On the rain-cleared field, Raiden stood in a daze. From a short distance away, a boy watched him.

"...It's strange after all."

The boy muttering to himself while narrowing his brilliant golden eyes was Alan Reinhardt. The chosen hero of this generation.

Beside him stood Lorraine, the next saintess of the Holy Kingdom.

"Alan...? What exactly do you find strange?"

Lorraine tilted her head, gazing at him. The boy looked off. His body was rigidly tense, cold sweat beading heavily on his forehead. This was nothing like his usual relaxed demeanor. Worried he might be ill, she had called out to him, but he hadn't seemed to hear.

"......"

Alan was currently experiencing a bone-chilling fear. Even during the banquet hall attack a few months ago, when he had faced those assailants, he had never lost his composure. Yet now his hands were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠visibly trembling.

The cause was Raiden. It was the suffocating aura radiating from the black-haired boy. It seemed invisible to everyone else, but to Alan, who possessed the eyes of a hero, it was painfully clear. A ferocious blue aura raged with the force of something that could swallow its entire surroundings.

Of course, he had seen it several times before, but this time the intensity was on an entirely different level. If previously it had merely carried a sense of tension, now it felt as though even the slightest lapse in vigilance would result in being devoured. His survival instincts were screaming in alarm.

"Alan, your face is deathly pale... Are you truly all right?"

"...I'm fine."

Even as he answered, Alan could not tear his eyes away from Raiden. Gilius Crayden, hailed as humanity's strongest. Even standing beside such a being, that savage power refused to be overshadowed in the slightest.

No matter how he considered it, none of this made sense. A student who had lingered at the very bottom of the academy until just last year was now emanating an aura like this. There were far too many suspicious points.

The fact that he had known Alan was the hero. The fact that he had known about the banquet hall attack in advance. And the fact that he always stood at the center of every incident.

Alan had begun to suspect that Raiden might be the mastermind behind all the recent events.

If that's the case, then this field trip attack incident as well...

It wasn't certain, but Alan believed it was a reasonable conclusion. The banquet attack and the field trip attack—there could be no coincidence in which the same person stood at the heart of both events.

...I need confirmation.

Alan muttered inwardly. He would call Raiden aside and probe him. If his hypothesis was correct, the boy would surely show some suspicious reaction.

"A-Alan! Where are you going...!"

"I am going to see Young Lord Lisite."

"Huh...? Raiden...?"

Alan walked forward with measured steps. The sight of the boy standing amid that flickering blue light sent fear surging through him for a moment, but he forcibly steadied his heart.

He was the one who bore the fate of the hero. This was a duty from which he could not run. If it was a misunderstanding, he would offer a sincere apology and withdraw. If it was not...

Then he would simply have to eradicate him with everything he had.

Alan took a deep breath and stopped. Before he realized it, he stood directly before Raiden.

"...Young Lord Reinhardt?"

"I'm rather tired right now... Still, a moment should be fine."

"What exactly do you want to talk about...?"

Though Raiden furrowed his brow, he obediently followed Alan's request. The two left the funeral site and moved into a secluded alleyway.

After confirming there were no signs of life nearby, Alan turned and met Raiden's eyes.

"Yes... Now explain why you've brought us to such a secluded place."

"You have permission to ask."

Raiden's face remained hidden behind an expressionless mask. To shatter it, Alan did not hesitate. He threw a fastball without preamble.

"......What?"

With unwavering resolve, Alan posed the question. In the next instant, the energy swirling around Raiden twisted grotesquely.