712
Chapter 712
URURURURU!
Noah gradually came to his senses at the melodious crying sound ringing in his ears.
"Gasp!"
When Noah got up, a beautiful bird that looked like a pretty chicken with colorful feathers was staring at him.
'What, what is this?'
The bird looked at Noah as he rose, then spread its wings and instantly disappeared.
At the sudden disappearance of the bird, Noah rubbed his eyes trying to clear his mind, wondering if he had seen an illusion.
At that moment, Noah remembered how the constellation had reached out its hand to crush him to death right before he fainted.
"UGH!"
His head felt like it was splitting.
The memories in his head were fragmented and tangled.
Then one image flashed by.
'Knight with blue glowing eyes.'
He remembered how that knight had cut down the constellation with a sword.
'...But where am I?'
Looking around after recalling the previous situation, Noah found he was still inside the cave.
He was lying covered with a thick blanket, with a fire lit beside him.
What was surprising was that it wasn't firewood burning, but white flames spontaneously burning on top of a brick-stacked furnace.
'Is it magic? Or an ignition device? I've never seen anything like this before.'
Although it was an era of advanced magical machinery, Noah couldn't help but be amazed as he had never seen this kind of ignition device before.
While he was curiously looking at the flames above the furnace, someone appeared.
A knight with unruly black hair tightly tied with a string.
Blue eyes glowed brilliantly between the strands of hair.
He approached Noah while carrying a large bundle on his back.
"I see you've regained consciousness."
Noah was wary of the mysterious knight for a moment, but then recalled that he had killed the constellation.
He realized that if the knight had wanted to, he would already be dead.
The knight set down his bundle and sat heavily across from Noah.
He took out a pot from his luggage, placed it on the furnace, and snapped his fingers.
Amazingly, the pot on the furnace filled with water.
Seeing this, Noah was startled and muttered.
"Ma-magic? No, I've never seen a device that creates water on its own..."
At those words, the knight shook his head and said.
"It's closer to spirit arts than magic. Strictly speaking... never mind. I'll skip the explanation since it's complicated."
He then took out other ingredients from his luggage and began preparing to cook.
Before long, a decent soup was completed in the pot.
The knight ladled a steaming bowl of soup and handed it to Noah.
"Eat. It will warm your insides."
Noah received the bowl from the knight, hesitated for a moment, then grabbed a spoon and began eagerly eating.
The ingredients were fresh and delicious, beyond what one would expect from a meal inside a dungeon.
Seeing Noah quickly empty a bowl, the knight said quietly.
"It's alright, have more. I made plenty on purpose."
At the knight's words, Noah filled another bowl without hesitation and stuffed it into his mouth.
Though he wasn't completely relaxed, after eating tasteless rations for two weeks while following the attack team in the dungeon, having proper food really stimulated his appetite.
"WHEW!"
Noah, having emptied the entire pot, patted his stomach and took a deep breath.
The knight watched Noah and handed him a cup.
Noah tilted his head curiously as he accepted the cup containing a brown liquid.
"What is this?"
"It's called cocoa. I thought about giving you coffee, but this seemed more to your taste."
Noah tried a sip of the drink called cocoa and was surprised by the intense flavor and taste he had never experienced before.
"Oh, ah, mmm? Wow."
The knight smiled at Noah's reaction.
"You seem to like it quite a bit."
"This, this is my first time. It's sweet, but somehow smooth... I've never tasted anything like this even in the cities of Midland."
The knight nodded at those words.
"Yes, cocoa was discovered not too long ago, so it will take some time before it's developed as a beverage. Sugar substitutes will also be needed."
Noah didn't fully understand the knight's words, but it didn't matter. He was just completely immersed in the taste of the new beverage called cocoa.
The knight leisurely drank the beverage called coffee instead of cocoa.
Only after finishing his drink did Noah cautiously open his mouth toward the knight.
"Sir Knight, are you perhaps... one of the Ten Stars of the continent?"
The knight shook his head at Noah's words.
"I don't know what the Ten Stars means, but I don't think I am."
Noah was shocked by this reply.
"You don't know the Ten Stars? It refers to the ten strongest people on the continent... I thought you must be one of them since you killed a constellation with just one sword."
"Interesting. I haven't been in the Central Continent long, having come from a far place. Could you explain what that is?"
At the knight's words, Noah began excitedly chattering.
"The most famous person among the Ten Stars is none other than the North Star Alicia Himonas! Next is the Golden Star Felix, the first knight of the Midland Union and current league champion, then the White Light Star Yellin Ishtar, followed by the Flash Star Reina Tourn, and we can't forget the Five-Colored Star Zeros Nirvana!"
After the Celestial War ended, the continental alliance forces engaged in a fierce war with the celestial legions that remained in the physical realm.
In that process, the ones who gained attention were the Continental Ten Stars.
The Ten Stars, with strength transcending humans, were the envy and focal point of all continents.
The alliance forces were able to achieve victory in the war against the celestial realm thanks to their struggle.
To recover from the wounds of war, Midland decided to join forces in the form of a city alliance nation.
Cities in the central and eastern regions of the continent such as Mycenae, Panstas, Canus, the Neutral City, Heli, Tempel, and Lason joined hands as a single alliance nation centered around Atlas.
Kali, the Silver Knight who had been the commander of the allied forces, was elected as the representative chairperson of the Midland Federal Republic.
While creating Midland as a unified alliance nation, Kali renamed herself as ‘Kali Prana,’ following her maternal family name.
Chairperson Kali Prana formed alliances with the Rom Empire, the emerging powerful nation of Cusco Kingdom in the southern continent, Himonas in the northern continent, and Pannotia in the southern archipelago, bringing peace to the entire continent.
Unlike the Central Kingdom Alliance where knights lost power and the Hunter Guild took the lead, Midland was in the process of solidifying the federal system centered around Mycenae.
The Ten Stars and the Midland Federal Knights were the key to maintaining that federal system, and even the Hunter Guild would often request help from Midland for high-level dungeons that were difficult for them to handle.
"Sir Knight, have you ever been to Mycenae? It was the place that suffered the most damage during the fierce battles of the Celestial War, but now it has completely changed and become the center of Midland. You wouldn't believe how beautiful the newly decorated central plaza is."
The knight listening to Noah nodded with a smile.
"A new plaza. I'm curious. Mycenae wasn't such a big city in the past."
"Now Mycenae is the largest and most beautiful city on all continents. The Agamemnon Castle in Mycenae City is a tourist attraction that draws thousands of people every day. They say you might even see Lord Felix there if you go."
The knight nodded with a subtle smile at Noah's words.
"Ha, Lord Felix... To be called that. Time really has passed."
"What? Sir Knight, do you know Lord Felix?"
"Yes, he was a comrade I fought alongside in the past."
Noah exclaimed excitedly at the knight's words.
"Goodness, a comrade who wielded a sword alongside the Golden Star Felix! As expected, you were also an amazing person! My guess was right!"
Noah jumped up and down, recounting the exploits of the Golden Star Felix.
He then went on at length about the adventures of the Ten Stars. Then, with twinkling eyes, he looked at the knight.
"Sir Knight, but actually my favorite hero is someone else. The one who even the Continental Ten Stars respect."
The knight poured another cup of coffee and said to Noah, who seemed excited.
"Your favorite hero. Tell me more. It's interesting to hear news from the continent after so long."
Noah tilted his head and said,
"Don't you know about the Knight of Freedom and Salvation who defeated the evil god Metatron with the Guardians? I went to the plaza in Mycenae precisely to see the statue of the legendary godslayer, Lord Zeke..."
PFFT!
Suddenly the knight spat out the coffee he was drinking.
He asked Noah with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
"...There's a statue? In the plaza?"
"Yes, a statue honoring the one who saved this world. People from all over the continent flock to honor Lord Zeke, making it difficult to get close. It's customary to offer tea that he liked, so I also offered tea to Lord Zeke."
The knight glanced at the coffee in his cup.
Indeed, as time passes, tastes change too.
Just like someone who used to like tea might come to prefer coffee.
Noah continued with teary eyes.
"I always wanted to be like Lord Zeke someday. But as I grew up, I realized something. First of all, my family isn't a knight family but a mage family. And a ruined one at that... So I thought since I can't be like Lord Zeke anyway, I might as well become a hunter and make tons of money. Maybe seeing that money would bring my family to their senses a bit."
Watching Noah speak despondently, the knight put down his cup and slowly opened his mouth.
"There's no need to become someone else. Just do what you can do. Lord Felix... was like that too."
Noah was surprised at the knight's words.
"Really? Lord Felix was like that too?"
"Yes, all the other Ten Stars were lacking in many ways at first. They also grew by slowly doing what they could, one step at a time."
The knight approached Noah and grabbed his shoulder.
WHOOOOSH!
Then a strong light flickered from Noah's body
The knight nodded upon seeing this.
"As I suspected, there's an unquenchable flame of magical power inside your body."
"What? Inside my body?"
"Yes, an Irregular called Infinite Magic... a very rare talent. Why haven't you learnt magic with such talent?"
Noah hesitated before responding to the knight.
"M-magic is old-fashioned. These days, magical engineering is the trend."
Hearing Noah's words, the knight examined the remnants of the mechanical device that the hunters had been carrying and said,
"...That's something that would astonish the dragons and mages who created this. In the end, magical engineering is just a fruit born from the roots of magic. If you could properly learn magic, you could become an even more excellent person than that... Lord Zeke."
Noah was startled by the knight's words and exclaimed,
"S-Sir Knight. You shouldn't say such things carelessly! They say that if you talk even a little about Lord Zeke's exploits, not only the Ten Stars but all the Guardians in seclusion across the continent will come after you!"
"...Is that really necessary?"
The knight showed a momentarily bewildered expression, then shook his head and said to Noah,
"If you're thinking of returning home, I'll take you there."
Noah shook his head at his words.
"N-no! I'm definitely going to Pannotia Academy. Then I'll become a hunter and make lots of money!"
"To get revenge on your family with that money?"
Noah hesitated at the knight's question.
Though he said it that way, it seemed he actually wanted to somehow save his ruined household by earning money.
The knight looked at Noah and eventually nodded.
"Then let's go to Pannotia together. The noisy ones have been dealt with to some extent, so I can rest for a while."
"You're going to Pannotia with me, Sir Knight?"
"Yes, I want to see how much it has changed from before. I'm also curious if my master and old friends are doing well."
"You must have been away for a long time. Given that you haven't been in contact for so long."
The knight nodded and said,
"I've been to a continent far across the sea. Since my strength isn't what it used to be, I had some trouble coming back."
"Oh, are you talking about the New Continent? I've heard rumors about it. They say it has more dungeons than the Central Continent, and cities of forgotten civilizations are built all over the place?"
"So they call the abandoned continent the New Continent. I was there too, but I was even further away. When I returned to the physical realm, I found that more continents had appeared beyond the New Continent. It took time to find the celestial bastards who had hidden there."
Noah tilted his head at the knight's words.
He had never heard of another continent beyond the New Continent.
'The knight must be mistaken about something.'
Noah prepared to leave the dungeon, gathering his belongings with the knight.
By now, the pretty chicken-like bird that had awakened him earlier was seen perched on the knight's shoulder.
Noah, while quietly observing the bird, casually asked the knight,
"By the way, what is your name, Sir Knight? I'm Noah."
The knight looked at Noah and slowly opened his mouth.
"My name is... Zi-, no, Rio. You can call me Rio."
Noah repeated the knight's name and extended his hand with a smile.
"Nice to meet you, Sir Rio."
To that bright face, Rio likewise smiled and took Noah's hand.
"Nice to meet you too, Noah."