Chapter 174
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Princes of a Ruined Nation
The great demonic army that suddenly began to sweep across the Astria Continent shattered the human nations in an instant.
Their movements were on a different level from any demons that had appeared in the continent's history. They formed units and attacked systematically. Demons skilled in stealth were the first to assault the royal castles of each country, slaughtering high-ranking nobles and royalty.
Having lost their central figures, the human nations couldn't hold out for long. The most powerful empire was the first to fall, and the kingdoms followed, one by one.
The Holy Nation in the center of the continent, which housed the main headquarters of the Church of the Supreme God and was united around the Pope, held out for quite some time, but it too eventually fell. A major factor was the steady decline of holy power since the war of divine beings five hundred years ago, a conflict humanity hadn't dared to witness. Fortunately, the churches in the remote hinterlands, centered around high-ranking priests, and the main headquarters of the Church of the Supreme God, perched atop a high, rocky mountain, remained safe.
When the Holy Nation fell, a colossal being descended from the sky.
A black-winged angel.
Humanity, having witnessed this being, called him the 'Demon King'.
It seemed the Demon King who had descended upon the world had perfectly orchestrated his plan to destroy this world over a long period and had finally chosen his moment to strike.
The assassination of the royalty who served as figureheads, the initial attack on the most powerful empire.
The demonic beings that had appeared on the continent until now had been powerful in their own right, but they had never invaded humanity with such organization and planning.
However, the black-winged Demon King knew this world all too well.
Was the 'Demon King' of that time truly a being from the demon world?
*
"The descent of the Demon King...!"
Having only read about it, Chris couldn't easily picture the scene.
However.
"A black-winged angel."
She had seen something similar to the description in the records.
The ancient temple of Verbeia. The golem she witnessed there.
'Archangel Dominion' and 'Fallen Angel Valiel'.
"Fallen Angel Valiel had black wings."
A being witnessed by the ancient dwarves during the war of the angels fifteen hundred years ago.
The placement of the instance dungeons presented by 'Astria Online', the path she had walked with Rain so far, and the thousand-year-old records gathered in this library.
These facts allowed Chris to surmise the Demon King's identity.
Perhaps he was the one who had annihilated the high-ranking angels during their war, a fallen angel. He must have become the Demon King. He, along with the invaders from another world—the demonic beings—had tried to destroy this continent.
The question of why such a divine being had fallen remained, but Chris continued to read.
*
The prince of the Alpharion Kingdom, 'Bernhard von Alpharion'.
In the year he turned twelve, the Alpharion Kingdom fell.
Nearly all the royalty of every nation had met their end, but Bernhard had been spared. He had been holed up in a remote mountain valley for an extended period with a knight from House Roeid, training in swordsmanship to become an excellent king who was proficient in both literary and martial arts.
Gazing upon the burning royal castle of his kingdom, the boy Bernhard made a vow that day with tears of blood.
He would save humanity from the brink of destruction and restore the Alpharion Kingdom.
With the ruined nation's Prince Bernhard and the knightly House Roeid at its core, a human resistance was formed.
Fortunately, Bernhard of the Alpharion Kingdom was not the only surviving royal. Prince 'Leoner' of the sister kingdom, Betarion, also joined the resistance.
And Bernhard's swordsmanship master, the Master of that era, '■■■', clashed with the head of House Roeid and left the resistance.
That master returned about two years after the human resistance began its activities, accompanied by a certain young girl.
*
'Master ■■■'.
Prince Bernhard's swordsmanship master.
The swordsman of the Hero's party. A hero of humanity.
The name was erased. Even in a record like this.
However, the Chris of today knew that name. Not just Chris; thanks to the Duke of Roeid's public announcement, the name was becoming widely known.
"Melissa."
With Chris's soft murmur, the erased master's name was etched into place.
[Master Melissa]
Feeling a strange sensation, Chris finally focused on the 'girl' mentioned in the record.
[The girl's name is ■■.]
[I have decided to record these unfamiliar characters, the name she wrote for me, exactly as they are.]
[I have cast a spell on this book, so that if there is anyone who can read these characters, they may approach a deeper truth.]
[If my descendant comes to know these characters, or even if not a descendant, if one who knows these characters sees them, I ask that they read them aloud.]
"Huh?"
The girl's name written in the book was a bit different.
Unlike Melissa's, it wasn't erased but written properly. However, it was strangely distorted.
This was not the script of the Astria Continent.
*Click.*
Chris turned off the hologram translation feature.
Seeing the characters with her naked eye instead of through the translation function, Chris couldn't help but be shocked.
For Chris, who had lived in South Korea for a long time.
It was an all-too-familiar script.
"Hah... Hangul!"
The girl's name was clearly written in 'Hangul'.
Chris read the characters aloud.
"...Rain."
*Fwoooosh!*
At that moment, Chris's body was engulfed in a blue light that erupted from the book.
*
'■■'
The small, silver-haired girl had picked up a tree branch and was drawing a strange picture on a patch of ground between the resistance camp's barracks.
Bern was watching the girl draw when he suddenly spoke to her.
"What's this drawing?"
"......."
"Ah, haha, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Bern gave an awkward laugh and scratched his face.
The prince of a ruined nation, the boy Bern.
He had developed a keen interest in the quiet girl his master, Melissa, had brought with her.
The sword hanging at the small girl's waist, emitting a faint golden light even from within its scabbard.
Is this the Holy Sword?
Perhaps this child was the being recorded throughout history as the 'Hero'.
In an era overflowing with war orphans created by the demons, the reason his swordsmanship master Melissa had taken this girl in must be because she believed this child with the Holy Sword was the savior of humanity.
However.
Bern tilted his head.
"A little kid like this, really? How old are you?"
"......."
She was so small.
Children at this age grow differently every day.
Though the boy Bern was only fourteen, he had already grown to nearly the height of an adult man through grueling daily swordsmanship training.
Feeling inexplicably uncomfortable, Bern carefully studied the girl's face.
Large, deep obsidian eyes. Swirling within them was an emotion so profound that he, still young himself, could not dare to guess its depth. She was a girl of a similar age to Bern, yet her eyes held the gaze of an adult who had weathered countless storms.
Her brilliantly shining, silvery-white hair slightly covered one of those deep eyes.
At the same time, her cheeks, still holding their baby fat and looking seriously soft, formed a strange contrast with her mature, deep gaze.
That's right.
The reason the boy Bern was interested in the girl wasn't just because she had the Holy Sword.
This child was an incredible beauty.
Perhaps noticing Bern's gaze as he blankly stared at her face, the girl turned her head slightly and wore an anxious expression.
At the girl's minuscule, yet clearly negative, reaction, Bern's heart sank with a thud.
"Ah, ahh! I'm sorry! Would it be better if I didn't look?"
Though Bern was fourteen, with a body hardened by training and a frame that had shot up like a storm, he was still just a tender-hearted boy on the inside.
Hurriedly backing away from the girl and waving his hands, Bern looked no different from other boys his age, despite his height.
*Step, step.*
"Bern, what are you doing? ...Huh?"
"L-Leon!"
A blond boy who had been looking for Bern appeared. It was 'Leoner von Betarion', called 'Leon'.
The prince of the ruined 'Betarion' Kingdom, he too was a member of the resistance.
In place of them, who were still young despite their abilities, the vassals of the great houses were leading the human resistance.
Leon's eyes widened when he spotted the girl Bern had been watching.
Then, to the girl who was looking their way with an anxious expression, he gestured and bowed his head, speaking politely.
"...My lady, please do not be alarmed. We are the prin—Oof!"
*Thwack!*
"Why'd you hit me!?"
"You psycho, you still think you're a prince!?"
"We're going to rebuild it, aren't we?"
"You're making her anxious! ...Look at her waist."
"......!"
At Bern's whisper, Leon's gaze also fell on the Holy Sword hanging at the girl's waist.
The two boys watched the girl from a short distance, whispering cautiously.
"The Hero? For real?"
"I don't know. Master Melissa brought her, right?"
"Master Melissa von Roeid? I heard she fought with the head of House Roeid and left. Has she returned?"
"Seems like she just stopped by. Anyway..."
Bern saw Leon's expression and sensed that he was thinking something similar.
"She's incredibly pretty, right? How old do you think she is?"
"Based on her height, maybe ten? A four-year difference is, hmm..."
Bern looked at Leon, who was nodding to himself, with a pathetic expression.
"...Leon, what are you thinking? Anyway, could a little kid like that really be the Hero, the savior of humanity recorded in history?"
"But, judging by the Holy Sword she has."
Bern let out a deep sigh.
He didn't know the extent of her abilities, but she didn't look like she had the build for fighting at all.
Did humanity really have to pin its hopes for salvation on such a small girl?
*Step, step.*
"What's this, Your Highnesses? What are you all gathered here for?"
Following them, a beauty with a blue ponytail and a confident smile appeared.
She was none other than the Master of the era and Bern's swordsmanship teacher, 'Melissa von Roeid'.
*Patter, patter.*
The girl who had been drawing on the ground immediately ran over and buried herself in Melissa's embrace. Melissa gave a motherly smile and hugged her back.
A light of favor appeared in the girl's doe-like obsidian eyes. It was a clear contrast to the anxious look she had given the boys, Bern and Leon.
Bern asked Melissa what he had been curious about.
"Master Melissa. This child, is she, by any chance."
Melissa nodded. Bern and Leon were certain that their guess was correct.
"The Hero...!"
"We just stopped by to say hello today. We'll be moving separately from the resistance."
"Aren't you going to meet with the head of the house?"
"Hmph, that old fossil and I have already parted ways."
Melissa scoffed, then walked through the resistance barracks with the girl in her arms.
"M-Miss... Hero!"
Bern called out to the girl, feeling an unexplainable sense of regret. The girl, held in Melissa's arms, turned her head slightly to look at the boys.
Bern mustered his courage and asked a question.
"...Could we at least hear your name? I'm Bern, and my friend here is Leon."
Melissa, holding the girl, smiled with her eyes.
A moment later, the girl's small mouth finally opened, and a voice like a nightingale's flowed out.
"...Rain."
Then, she raised a tiny finger and pointed to the picture she had drawn.
"Those letters, that's my name."