Chapter 40
Chapter 40
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: An Old Grudge (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“It took too long to find you.”
Ingna, blocking my path, tilted her head.
“You’re so clear up close. Why was that?”
A string of incomprehensible words followed.
“Still, it was quite fun. But I don’t like games that are too long. They get a little boring.”
Her face was beaming.
Which made it all the more chilling.
Because I clearly remembered the atrocities she’d committed in my past life with that same innocent face.
“What are you going to do now?”
It was a casual question, like a ten-year-old asking what they should play next.
And her tone was so friendly.
Listening to her, I almost found myself searching my memories, wondering if she was some long-lost childhood friend.
Of course, that was just a figure of speech.
No matter how much I searched my childhood memories, I wouldn't find a friend who never existed.
Especially not a friend as deadly as her.
“Nothing else? Guess not.”
She strode forward.
*Rustle.*
I retreated the exact distance she advanced.
“Not yet!”
I shouted, raising a hand to stop her.
“It’s not... over yet!”
At my words, she wrinkled her nose.
An expression of displeasure.
“I’m tired of hide-and-seek now.”
Ingna grumbled and approached again.
“Have you ever heard of it?”
My next words made her stop again.
“What?”
“Do you know what a squire’s most powerful weapon is?”
“...What is it?”
Ingna’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
“Calling for Mom.”
“...?”
She tilted her head at my words.
“That’s what we call it among ourselves.”
Calling for Mom, summoning Mom.
Simply put, it meant calling for one’s master.
“How boring.”
Disappointment quickly clouded Ingna’s face.
It seemed someone of Gunther’s level wasn’t enough to whet the appetite of a Star-Eating Madosa.
After all, she had already faced Gunther twice and hadn't taken his life.
It meant he wasn't an opponent who stirred her appetite.
[Curious Sloth] Hahaha. That's the worst~ So pathetic~~
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] ...I'm embarrassed for him.
[Elegant Left-Hand] How can he say something like that so shamelessly?
Stung by the stars’ criticism, I awkwardly made an excuse.
[Eternal Squire (2nd Round)] Just you wait. It's not like I want to be doing this!
[Elegant Left-Hand] As if... Huh?
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Hm?
But the stars’ reactions were strange.
The ones who would normally be jeering were now just spamming question marks.
“Whoa.”
A gasp of admiration was heard.
It was Ingna.
Her gaze was fixed right on the crown of my head.
“Energy is flowing in and out.”
Words I couldn't understand.
“Hey, the top of your head is wide open, isn't it?”
Her finger pointed alternately at the crown of my head and the sky.
[Curious Sloth] She noticed~~~
[Elegant Left-Hand] She was born with a natural sensitivity to the stars. The blessings of her star have made that sensitivity even sharper.
The channel’s conversation shifted rapidly.
To summarize, apparently, the crown of one's head opens up right before ascension.
It's a way to communicate with the heavens, or so they say.
In my case, my ascension was interrupted, and the passage that opened then has remained.
It seems that's also how I was able to enter the stars' channel.
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Ah. Wait a moment.
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Now that I see it this way, I get it. She's clearly a child of the "Star Beggar."
[Elegant Left-Hand] Star Beggar, you mean that one? The "Star-Eating Star," right?
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Star-Eating Star, my foot. Even calling it a star is a waste of breath. It deserves to be called the Star Beggar.
Even in my past life, Ingna’s Oath was kept hidden until the very end.
Naturally, the identity of the star backing her was never revealed.
But now, I had unexpectedly heard the name of that veiled star.
The "Star-Eating Star."
Knowing the identity of the star an opponent serves makes a world of difference.
I couldn't do anything to Ingna right now, but this information would surely be useful later.
An unexpected gain.
“It wasn’t like this before, was it?”
While I was distracted by the stars’ chatter, Ingna had closed the distance.
“Hah.”
As I gasped, she reached out and tapped the crown of my head.
“Yep. It’s really open. Wide open.”
I swung my sword reflexively.
*Leap.*
She leaped back, creating distance again, and asked with a tilt of her head.
“How did you stay here? At this point, you should have ascended unconditionally.”
It was a question that precisely pierced through my situation.
But I had no intention of answering.
*Shing.*
I sheathed my sword and drew the Gisa Salhaeja, nocking an arrow.
-*Screeeeeee!*
The witch’s legacy, Barisada, shrieked as if in anticipation and accepted the arrow.
“Uh, um.”
In that state, I chose my words carefully for a moment.
The conversation had veered off course, making it awkward to bring it back now.
“Calling for Mom...”
“I told you, that’s no fun.”
“...”
I tried to ignore her and continue, but Ingna cut me off.
“Anyway, from now on, roles are reversed!”
Ignoring her, I brazenly continued speaking.
“Roles are reversed?”
The moment Ingna asked.
*Fweeeeee! Bang!*
Signal flares shot up from all directions.
*Thud.*
Almost simultaneously, something dropped down in front of me.
A man in blackened leather armor, with a similarly black cloak pulled over his head.
The man threw back the hood of his cloak and knelt.
“Your Highness. My apologies for the late arrival.”
The crown prince, who had been standing there awkwardly like a sack of barley, brightened up.
His face was filled with the relief of someone who had just escaped death's door.
And for good reason.
The guardians who protect the Empire’s night.
One of the sharpest swords the Empire had painstakingly forged to combat the mages of the Black Tower.
“Ooh! Is that the Night Watch!”
The man was a member of the Night Watch.
*Rustle.*
No sooner had the words been spoken than dozens of Night Watch members emerged from the bushes.
They were fully armed with longbows and spears specially crafted for fighting mages.
They surrounded the Star-Eating Madosa.
But she didn't even bat an eyelash.
Her attitude suggested the Night Watch was beneath her notice.
Though they must have sensed her disdain, the Night Watch members showed no sign of anger.
Instead, they simply stared at the madosa, their faces tense with caution.
As expected of those who had long fought the dark mages of the Black Tower, they had recognized her as a formidable foe at a glance.
“How annoying.”
Ingna scowled and raised her hand, summoning the bluish-gray energy I had seen before.
*Whoooooosh!*
A tremendous energy erupted from the distance.
A presence no less powerful than that of the Star-Eating Madosa.
“The head of House Gaznae is also on his way.”
The moment I heard the Night Watch member’s words, my legs gave out.
A sigh of relief escaped me without my realizing.
The head of House Gaznae was a transcendent being who ranked above Ingna.
I didn’t know how things would be later, but at least for now, that was the case.
He was one of the twelve strongest knights in the Empire, a powerhouse who vied for first or second place.
“Now, we’re ‘it’.”
I said to the cold-faced Ingna.
[Curious Sloth] Wow~~ That was really cringey~~~
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] He should have just kept his mouth shut.
[Elegant Left-Hand] Did he really have to say that?
The stars jeered.
“Ahem.”
Embarrassed, I just kept clearing my throat.
Then, I belatedly recalled a forgotten memory.
It was from my past life, not long after I had crossed the mountain range.
A duel that wasn't really a duel, started over nothing.
Having not even learned proper swordsmanship, I was miserably defeated, and the injury I sustained then left me with a limp.
‘You should be grateful to me. A guy like you would live longer if you just gave up being a squire.’
That bastard, chattering away as he looked down on me, clutching my crushed foot and wailing.
That bastard had been a squire of House Gaznae.
***
Another private channel, unknown to Yan.
[Elegant Left-Hand] Your Majesty, why go that far?
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] What are you talking about all of a sudden?
[Elegant Left-Hand] That madosa was exceptionally skilled at sensing knights.
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] She grows by feeding on the energy of stars, so that's to be expected.
[Elegant Left-Hand] Don't change the subject. You know exactly what I'm talking about.
The Emperor felt a pang of guilt but played dumb.
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] I have no idea what you're talking about.
[Elegant Left-Hand] That kid is a being of the lower world, but he's also halfway in the celestial sphere. That means he'd be unusually clear to the madosa's senses.
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Get to the point.
The Emperor tilted his head at the Left-Hand’s accusation.
The accusation seemed misguided.
[Elegant Left-Hand] Your Majesty, you could get into real trouble for that. How are you going to deal with the aftermath?
[Elegant Left-Hand] Having a connection to the lower world and just watching is one thing, but openly helping is a different matter entirely.
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Didn't the term 'just watching' already become meaningless when I told him the madosa's location?
[Elegant Left-Hand] That can be brushed off as an oracle or advice. Even the guys in the highest echelons do that much, right?
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] ...So what exactly are you trying to say?
[Elegant Left-Hand] Haa. I'm saying that you blinding the madosa's eyes could become a huge problem. Especially since the ones at the top are already watching you closely.
Just as he thought.
The Left-Hand was misunderstanding.
Of course, it was true that the Emperor had taken a liking to the boy.
Just the thought of the Empire growing stronger through the boy’s plans was enough to make him smile.
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] I didn't do it.
But that didn't mean he had helped the boy indiscriminately.
[Elegant Left-Hand] You're going to play innocent?
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] I told you, I didn't do it.
[Elegant Left-Hand] Then the Sloth did it? Don't be ridiculous.
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] I'm telling you, it really wasn't me.
[Elegant Left-Hand] Wait. You really didn't do it?
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Yeah.
[Elegant Left-Hand] Then if it wasn't a madman like you, who would do something like that?
The Left-Hand, having finally cleared up the misunderstanding, immediately resorted to insults.
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] ......
[Curious Sloth] Sorry to butt in~~~ but besides His Majesty, there's one other madman, isn't there~~~
Just as he was about to curse him out, the Sloth chimed in.
[Elegant Left-Hand] ??
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Hah. These bastards, really.
[Elegant Left-Hand] Who's that?
[Curious Sloth] That newbie who came up recently~~ The one who smashed the orbital elevator~~~
The newbie was drawing the attention of the stars for various reasons.
Where he came from, what he did, and how he ascended.
Even the talkative constellations, who watched everything in the lower world day in and day out, big or small, knew nothing about the newbie.
[Elegant Left-Hand] Wasn't he doing laps outside the boundary because he broke the elevator?
[Curious Sloth] He came back a while ago~~~ They sent him out to do some light patrols, but he completely wiped out that area. It was about to escalate into a full-blown war, so the highest echelons urgently recalled him, I heard~~~
They thought he was a nobody, but seeing as he made the stubborn stars of the highest echelons withdraw his punishment, that wasn't the case.
By this point, his name should have been known from the lower world to the celestial sphere, but all they knew was the nickname he used to communicate with other stars.
[Elegant Left-Hand] ...So he was a complete and utter madman.
[Curious Sloth] Hahaha! That's funny~~ It's hilarious coming from you, Lefty~~~
[Elegant Left-Hand] Look who's talking, the craziest one of all.
[Curious Sloth] I'm too lazy to even cause trouble~~~
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] A guy like that turned the highest echelons upside down?
[Curious Sloth] That was ages ago~~ I'm a respectable mid-tier constellation now~~
[Elegant Left-Hand] The mid-tier constellations from the highest echelons you half-annihilated would be horrified to hear that.
[Curious Sloth] I only half-annihilated them, but you actually annihilated them, Lefty~~
[Elegant Left-Hand] That was for a reason.
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Ugh. You bunch of madmen. I'm going to put in a transfer request and leave this star cluster.
The Emperor lamented as he listened to the pointless conversation between the Sloth and the Left-Hand.
[Elegant Left-Hand] Yep. Transfer denied. Go back.
[Curious Sloth] Hahahaha. The pot calling the kettle black~~~
Despite their retorts, the Emperor stood firm.
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] ...Anyway!
[Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] You know it wasn't me now, right?
[Elegant Left-Hand] Yeah.
[Curious Sloth] Yep.
And so, the conversation more or less concluded.
The Emperor secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed he hadn't been caught for appearing in his descendant’s dream, spouting nonsense about a great person being nearby and to seize the opportunity, and to provide full support.
He was relieved.