The Proof of Regret
Rain began to pour. Buying a raincoat in advance, drawing from my experience in Basil, had paid off. But there was one problem. Libero, the "growth mechanism" I was looking for. I had no idea where he was. He had neither a home nor a workplace.
Still, it wasn't as if I didn't have any leads. Where should I go first? After pondering for a moment, I made up my mind. I should probably check that tavern first.
The tavern Libero frequented. It seemed like the place with the highest probability. However, by the time I arrived, the tavern was already closed.
This makes things complicated... Now I really had no clue. Searching every single alleyway was out of the question; it felt too risky. Sak wasn't exactly known for its stellar public safety.
I was walking away from the tavern when a figure suddenly caught my eye in an alleyway.
Huh? A man lay there, as motionless as a corpse. His hollow eyes stared blankly up at the sky. To an outsider, he might have easily been mistaken for a dead vagrant.
But I knew exactly who he was. And I knew there was absolutely no way he was dead.
*Splish, splash.* My footsteps splashed in the puddles on the ground. Yet, the man did not look at me. Not until I called his name.
"Libero."
Only then did the man turn his head to look at me. One would expect him to be on guard when a stranger called his name, but his eyes remained utterly hollow. It was as if he was asking, What does it matter if you know me? Which, in truth, was entirely fair.
"It wasn't easy finding you."
Of course, once I actually arrived in Sak, finding him had been surprisingly easy compared to what I'd feared. I had been lucky. But the journey to get here had been incredibly arduous. I had rejected Gwen's offer, defeated a Demon King to unlock my second inheritance, left the village, and somehow crossed paths with Ersiala. Thinking that all those hardships were solely for the sake of meeting this man made me feel a bit ironic.
To think the legendary figure I went through all this to meet is just a homeless middle-aged man. It was true. Right now, he was indeed just a homeless man. But he was no ordinary vagrant.
"Do you know me?"
"Of course. I have come to claim the promise you made to my ancestor."
I deliberately infused my voice with the Authority of the Reim Royal Family. Hearing my voice, the man finally showed a hint of interest. It was a stark contrast to his dead eyes from moments ago.
"So, what is it you want?"
To be honest, I didn't actually know how to channel something like the Authority of the Reim Royal Family into my voice. I had simply spoken with as much gravity as I could muster, but it seemed to have worked. In that case, we could get straight to the point.
"I want strength."
I recalled what I had once said to Gwen.
"Sure, my swordsmanship is advanced for my age. But let's look at this objectively. If I become your successor, will I really be able to become a high-grade Hero?"
Gwen's swordsmanship alone was far from enough.
"Then are you saying there's someone out there who can help you reach the level of a high-grade Hero?"
There was. And he was standing right in front of me.
"Strength, is it..." He chewed on my request. "What kind of strength do you want? I'll tell you now, I don't grant impossible wishes. That was the agreement I made with your ancestor as well."
"I know."
The "impossible strength" he referred to meant things like political power or intellect. But what I wanted was definitely within his power to grant.
"There is only one kind of strength you can give me anyway, isn't there?"
"Well, that's true." He stood up. As he straightened his slouched posture, his robust physique was revealed. It was a frame that Alan's body could never match, no matter how hard I struggled. I felt a pang of envy. But the difference between us wasn't just physical.
"Then let's see what you're made of."
The gap between his skills and mine was literally the difference between heaven and earth. The casual words, "let's see what you're made of," carried an immense weight that felt anything but casual to me. Still, I couldn't back down. If I did, there would have been no point in coming all this way.
Don't be nervous.
Absolute Obedience
My heart still trembled. However, the tension that had gripped my body vanished. I was finally in a state where I could fight.
Inventory. I reached into the air and pulled out the Gravitus Replicant. Seeing this, Libero let out an impressed murmur.
"The energy I feel from you isn't that strong. Were you sponsored by a Constellation?"
I had no reason to hide anything from this man. More importantly, perhaps because my strength stat had increased slightly, the sword felt lighter than before, even considering that I had lowered its weight. My swordsmanship rank remained at B+, where it had risen when I trained under Gwen, but my practical proficiency had grown significantly through real combat and practice. Though I was still weak, I was undeniably stronger than before. On top of that, I would deploy my Wind Authority, which I had diligently trained up to B-rank during my travels. I intended to pour everything I had into this.
But even so, the outcome was already decided.
Winning against him is impossible. Still, I intended to do my best. Only then would he be able to accurately gauge my level. Therefore...
"Please draw your sword as well."
"You're quite bold for someone with such a gentle face." He was now completely intrigued by me. "Fine. It looks like you intend to go all out, so I can't very well face you barehanded."
He raised his hand into the air. However, a sword didn't just slide out of the void like mine did. Dark red particles began to coalesce from his hand, taking shape until they formed a blade.
"Seeing as you're not surprised, you must already know my true identity."
It wasn't that I wasn't surprised. It was just that Absolute Obedience was controlling my body, preventing any outward reaction. But it was true that I knew who he was.
"You came looking for me even though you knew what I am? I almost doubt if you're really the descendant of that coward." He raised his sword. "Now, show me what you've got."
There was no need to hold back. He was not the type to let his guard down in a fight. Going all out from the very beginning was the only correct choice.
Gravitus Replicant. I minimized its weight.
Wind Authority. I applied the Wind Authority to both my feet and my sword simultaneously. This was a feat made possible now that my proficiency had reached B-rank. With the aid of the wind, I rapidly closed the distance between myself and Libero.
*Swoosh!* The wind wrapping around my feet sliced through the falling rain. Bringing him within my range in an instant, I swung my sword. I was confident that among all the slashes one could execute with a longsword, none could be faster than this. And to that slash, I added one more thing...
Gravitus Replicant. The sword became so heavy that it would normally be impossible to even lift. Yet, the blade was already hurtling along its trajectory. It was a strike that even an ordinary Hero would hesitate to block head-on.
*Clang.* Yet, Libero effortlessly deflected the blow with his sword. He then muttered to himself nonchalantly.
"A remarkably heavy sword. It resembles Gravitus... is it a replica?"
Yes, I had expected at least this much. The moment the strike missed, I lowered the sword's weight again. Then, using the Wind Authority, I forced a change in direction. But this, too, failed to connect.
"You use a peculiar power as well. A divine authority, perhaps?"
I gritted my teeth. Pivoting my foot, I channeled the Wind Authority. It was a technique I had learned from Gwen, now enhanced by the wind. At the same time, I swung my sword just as before.
*Clang.* Once again, it was blocked.
"Is this the swordsmanship of the Lidval family? The form has changed slightly from what I remember, but..." He analyzed my swordsmanship with ease as we traded blows.
Damn it, Wind Authority! It consumed a significant amount of mental focus, but I needed to create an opening. I used the Wind Authority to lift myself into the air. It wasn't a great height, but it was enough.
Gravitus Replicant! I spun my body in midair using the Wind Authority. The rain caught in the wind scattered like a miniature tempest. At the same time, I unleashed the maximum weight of the Gravitus Replicant and brought it crashing down toward Libero.
The clash was decided in an instant. No, could one even call it a clash when the outcome was predetermined from the start? With a precise, controlled movement, he deflected my sword. Slipped from my grasp, the Gravitus Replicant reverted to the weight of an ordinary longsword and clattered to the ground.
I lost. It was the outcome I had expected all along. I knew the gap would be this vast. But experiencing it firsthand was entirely different. A wall. It was a wall unlike any Hero I had encountered on my way to Sak. If those walls at least allowed me to glimpse their summit, this wall made even that impossible. Like a colossal dam, it was an existence that forbade any attempt to scale it.
"Ugh..." Having exhausted too much energy in such a brief span, I slumped to the ground. He walked over and handed me my sword. I took it and placed it back into my inventory.
"You certainly perform tricks far beyond what your talent should allow."
I agreed. I had shown him everything I was capable of. It would have been disappointing if I hadn't at least earned that much of an evaluation.
"You said you wanted strength?"
"Yes." My talent was meager. Everything I possessed now was already more than I deserved. Yet, even so, I needed more strength.
"How much strength do you need?"
"The strength to become a high-grade Hero. No, I want to aim even higher—to become a Constellation-grade Hero."
Ever since the Trial, that was all I had thought about. I didn't want to accept my limits, and the mechanism I had devised to transcend those limits was Libero. But he only looked at me with a cold expression.
"I told you clearly. I cannot grant impossible wishes."
He flatly declared it impossible.
"Do you have no other wishes? If it's just becoming a regular Hero, I could easily make that happen."
To say my heart didn't waver for a second would be a lie. But the reward the Trial had given me was something else entirely. I spoke to him.
"Then prove it."
"What?"
"Prove to me that I can never become a high-grade Hero. If you do, I will accept it and back down."
At that, he wore an incredulous expression.
"Look, kid. There are things in this world you don't need to prove to know."
"No, even if that's true, I must see it proven. Even if the result of that proof is [FALSE]..."
I recalled the summer of that year. I recalled my cowardly self. What the Trial had given me was the regret I had lost. Because I regretted, I would no longer turn away from the past. As long as I regretted...
"I cannot give up."
For some reason, Libero's eyes widened at that moment. He seemed to ponder for a while. In the silence, only the raindrops continued to pelt against our raincoats.
"Follow me, boy."