Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Enlightenment (2)
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"Gasp."
I unconsciously touched my head.
The hair that had been bristly just a short while ago had already grown long enough to slip through my fingers.
My hair was intact.
It was only natural.
Professor Navian wouldn't have been idly observing my hair.
The gate on the crown of my head that connects to the sky.
The stars of the outer constellations had warned me.
They said if the gate on the crown, the Great Celestial Gate, opened wide, it would be one of two things.
Either I would die young before twenty, or I would ascend.
Either way, it meant bidding farewell to this world.
"The window is wide open."
It was a vague analogy.
I didn't even know what this Great Celestial Gate looked like, nor could I guess how much bigger it could get.
To me, the Great Celestial Gate was an unknown.
But thankfully, Professor Navian, who could see it with her own eyes, was by my side.
I asked her.
What the Great Celestial Gate looked like.
"It was a hole before, but now it's a small window."
She said energy was flowing in and out through the wide-open window.
It looked as if a rope from the sky was connected to the top of my head.
Unfortunately, her explanation wasn't very helpful.
After a moment's hesitation, I explained the existence of the Great Celestial Gate to her.
Hoping I might be able to get some advice.
"Dying young? Unacceptable."
Professor Navian said with a stiff expression.
"Ascension, on the other hand..."
"......?"
"Would you like to ascend together with me?"
What kind of terrifying words were these?
With a face as pale as a Valkyrie's and her long, flowing black hair, her words were even more horrifying.
"...I'm not going to die young."
And I won't be ascending with you either.
Professor Navian let out a sigh at my firm refusal.
She looked genuinely disappointed.
"Ugh."
I was a fool for expecting a normal reaction from the Black Knight.
A sigh escaped me.
After living without thinking about it, becoming conscious of it once made it incredibly bothersome.
Professor Navian's words about a rope connected to the top of my head reminded me of a death row inmate with a noose around their neck.
A noose that would tighten with a snap if some unknown person above pulled the rope.
My heart grew anxious, and another two days passed.
Professor Navian still showed no intention of leaving my room, and I had yet to fully shake off my lethargy.
Occasionally, Lian and the other kids would stop by my room to update me on the situation outside.
But those visits were never long, perhaps because they were uncomfortable around Professor Navian.
Naturally, I had to spend most of my days alone with her.
Her blatant gaze followed me all day long.
She watched and watched, as if never tiring of it.
It was usually like that, except for the occasional times she would stroke the top of my head or grope the empty air above it.
It seemed she was also trying to find a way to solve my problem in her own way.
"Ascending together..."
"......"
Or maybe she was interested in something else entirely.
A few more days passed like that.
Just as I was about to get up and move around.
"Kid."
An unexpected visitor arrived.
"Vice Director."
It was the Vice Director of the Cradle.
"I came down a few days ago, but I've only just found the time."
It seemed he had rushed down to the lower world after hearing reports about the dark clouds covering the sky above the fortress.
Indeed, these dark clouds that completely blocked the power of a knight were no small matter.
If exploited, the very foundation of the Empire could be shaken.
For the Cradle, which educated future knights, it was a problem that had to be solved.
But unfortunately, he said there hadn't been much progress.
He mentioned how he had to report to the Imperial Palace, but his position was quite awkward.
"Oh, right. About the Cradle's problem."
After lamenting for a while, he spoke as if he had just remembered.
"It's been resolved."
I stared at him blankly, wondering what he meant. The Vice Director glanced at Professor Navian before tapping his chest.
"Ah."
He must have been talking about the Cradle's power source.
In my past life, the Cradle of Stars had vanished without a trace.
The fact that I had prevented a foreseen catastrophe felt strange.
It wasn't a bad feeling.
It just didn't feel real.
The fact that I had changed a part of history with my own hands was simply bewildering.
But the Cradle wasn't the only thing that had changed from my past life.
The 13th Front and Alias Fortress.
In my past life, the Empire suffered a crushing defeat and completely lost its influence in this region.
The changes brought about by this defeat were the very beginning of the Empire's downfall.
That wouldn't happen in this life.
Alias Fortress was still standing, and the war had ended in the Empire's victory.
Of course, there were still many mountains to climb.
The reasons for the Empire's fall were numerous.
Still, the fact that I had prevented an immediate crack in the foundation was encouraging.
The fact that my contribution was not insignificant was also very meaningful to me.
It was different from my past life, where I had to face my end as if I'd never existed, leaving no footprint behind.
"You look mighty proud of yourself."
My satisfaction must have been written all over my face.
The Vice Director was watching me with a look of disapproval.
"But I'll let it slide this time."
He said that if he hadn't listened to my advice, there was a high chance that even the functioning systems would have shut down in a chain reaction.
"Go ahead and gloat all you want."
He was saying that since my contribution was so great, he would overlook a little arrogance.
What did he take me for?
If he thought I was the type to get arrogant over something like this, he was sorely mistaken.
"So, what about the reward?"
"What...?"
I couldn't care less about some empty praise.
"After such a great contribution, it wouldn't be right to just let it go."
What I wanted was a proper reward, not just empty words.
"I expected you to be like this, but seeing it firsthand, you really are a piece of work."
Despite his words, the Vice Director was smiling.
It seemed he had already thought of a reward.
"You will receive a fitting reward when you return to the Cradle."
Just as I expected, his answer was straightforward.
He said that due to the nature of the matter, he couldn't reward me officially, but I would receive compensation significant enough to make up for it.
I smiled in satisfaction at the Vice Director's promise.
"By the way, a Centurion? I heard you commanded an entire thousand-man unit?"
It seemed he had been briefed on what I did on the 13th Front.
The expression on the Vice Director's face as he looked at me was quite complex.
It was a look that said, "What in the world is this kid?"
But he quickly composed himself and promised a separate reward.
He said that unlike the previous matter, this one would be officially commended, but the reward itself wouldn't be large.
I didn't mind.
I had already received more than enough reward for that.
Just being on the battlefield after so long was enough.
Separate from my mourning for the warriors who had fallen in vain, it was a time for me to clear my complicated thoughts.
The stifling feeling that had been weighing on my chest was also relieved.
Having finished his business, the Vice Director disappeared.
He left, saying he was going to join the unit that had advanced beyond the border to investigate the strange phenomenon blocking blessings.
All the while, Professor Navian had stood back, just watching me.
She seemed to have no interest in the conversation between the Vice Director and me.
I always feel this way, but I really have no idea what Professor Navian is thinking.
***
Another five days passed after the Vice Director left the fortress.
During that time, I, who had been suffering from lethargy due to the life force stolen by the witch, was finally able to get out of bed.
I left my room to get some fresh air and check on the fortress's condition.
Even though a fair amount of time had passed, the fortress was still filled with signs of the last battle.
Collapsed walls and a clumsily repaired gate.
And numerous soldiers who had not yet fully recovered from their injuries.
There were no familiar faces among the soldiers.
Most of the people I knew from the 2nd Thousand-Man Unit and the allied city seemed to have followed the Cradle's professors beyond the border.
The kids were nowhere to be seen either.
The Vice Director had said he would take them with him when he left, so by now, they were probably having a blast rampaging through the territories of the inhuman species.
As I wandered around the fortress, I saw a sly-looking commander in the distance.
It was the commander of the 13th Legion.
"How long has it been since the battle ended, yet the fortress is still in this state! You lazy bastards!"
But all he did while storming around the fortress was berate the soldiers who hadn't even recovered from the fatigue of battle.
"You must restore this fortress by any means necessary before the professors from the Cradle return! At the very least, the gate must be made presentable so I don't lose face! Hurry up!"
To see a man who was nowhere to be found when the battle was raging now making such a fuss was the height of unsightliness.
He was the type of person I didn't want to associate with.
I quietly turned to leave.
"Oh!"
But the commander started running straight toward me.
Of course, he wasn't running and sweating like that because he saw me.
"Professor Navian!"
The commander's business was with Professor Navian.
"I was just hearing about how you, Professor Navian, forsook military glory to remain here for the security of the fortress! I couldn't help but be moved!"
Forsaking glory for the fortress's security, he said.
As if the Black Knight cared about such glory. Her reason for staying at the fortress wasn't nearly so grand.
It was obvious who had spouted such nonsense.
It could only be the Vice Director, who, unlike a typical knight, was skilled in diplomacy.
"How can I ever repay Professor Navian's goodwill...?"
Professor Navian showed little reaction to the commander's words.
No, to be precise, it wasn't that she had no reaction at all.
Twitch.
Her expression was subtly contorted into a frown.
It was clear she didn't like the talkative commander.
"If I had my way, I would express my gratitude right here, but as you can see, this is a battlefield fortress, so it is difficult to show proper sincerity. Therefore, if you would permit it, I would like to visit the Gaznae family at a later date to formally express my thanks for today's matter..."
Unaware of her expression, the commander continued to babble.
He was only going to make things worse for himself.
"You."
"...Yes?"
"Shut your mouth."
Just as I expected.
"You reek of rot."
The commander's jaw dropped at the sudden outburst.
Professor Navian's face turned cold.
Told to shut his mouth, the commander instead opened it even wider, which seemed to have truly gotten on her nerves.
If left alone, Professor Navian was the type to cut down anyone, commander or not.
Wasn't she the one who tried to cut down Jamal Rudiger, the Imperial Inspector, simply because he was an eyesore?
"Professor. Let's go this way."
I tugged on Professor Navian's sleeve.
Her coldly frozen expression thawed as if it had never been there.
I worried he might cluelessly follow us, but thankfully, that didn't happen.
Still, I couldn't be sure about the future.
Just from that brief encounter, I could tell the commander's ambition was anything but ordinary.
He looked like he would do anything to forge a connection with the Gaznae family.
Considering the Gaznae family's status within the Empire, it was only natural.
I was once again reminded of what a formidable person she was.
Suddenly, I became curious.
Why on earth was such an incredible person following me around?
Sensing my gaze, Professor Navian tilted her head.
She didn't look like someone who would annihilate her own family with her own hands.
The thought occurred to me that perhaps her fate had changed as well.
Was this also my doing?
As I wondered to myself.
Whoosh.
A strange wave enveloped the entire fortress.
"Ah...?"
As I stood there blankly at the unidentified phenomenon, I heard the cheers of soldiers from a nearby window.
"The rain has stopped!"
"The dark clouds are gone!"
I realized at once.
Our forces that had advanced beyond the border had finally achieved victory.
And at that moment.
Flash.
A faint light enveloped my body.
Float.
Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet disappeared.
"Huh?"
I felt a sense of déjà vu.
The feeling of floating that I had experienced several times before.
"Ah, not again!"
A surge of irritation washed over me.