Chapter 280
Chapter 280
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 280
Chapter Title: Constellation (1)
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Time flew by on the battlefield, and the moment to return to the capital had arrived. Though the schedule had advanced faster than expected, we'd achieved our goal, so there were no major issues.
"The vibe's changed a bit, hasn't it?"
"Has it?"
"Yeah. A lot."
"Must be because I've learned so much."
Chloe beamed at my words.
Her smile was the same as always, but the mana flowing through her body felt a touch purer now.
Her expression looks brighter, too.
Before coming to the battlefield, she'd worn a face shadowed by some worry...
But now, it seemed she'd found her own answers, and that tension had eased considerably.
The month or so we'd spent on the battlefield.
In that time, Chloe had seen much and learned much. Through seeing and learning, she'd grown. Watching a disciple grow is always a joy. And in this case, it was especially so.
"I've come to understand a little more clearly... what it means to be a hero, and what I need to become."
Chloe had achieved spiritual growth.
Growth isn't just about mastering mana control or drawing a few more circuits. Gaining clarity on one's goals and forging convictions—that's true growth, too.
It's not the visible, tangible kind of growth...
Maybe that's why it matters even more.
The fact that Chloe had reached this point made our month-long journey worthwhile. That had been the whole reason I'd brought her to the battlefield in the first place.
"Good for you."
I smiled.
It really was.
"Shall we head out, then?"
Our business on the battlefield was done.
Now it was time to return to the capital. Few came to see us off as we quietly departed, but Destel was among them.
"...What are you wearing?"
"What do you mean?"
I blinked at Destel, who'd come to see us off.
She looked a little different from the Destel I knew. And I wasn't the only one who thought so—Garahal was eyeing her suspiciously, too.
I raised my arm and pointed at Destel's clothes and hair.
"What's with the outfit and the hairstyle?"
Her frizzy hair was slicked straight back over her forehead, and instead of her usual slovenly attire, she wore a crisp hero's uniform. The sight was... deeply unfamiliar.
Is this really Destel?
As I tilted my head, Destel clicked her tongue briefly.
"Gotta look sharp in front of the junior, right? Can't you just play along? God, you take after your brother—zero tact."
"What?"
"Never mind."
Destel sighed and brushed past me toward Chloe, who stood behind me. She bent slightly at the waist to meet Chloe's eyes.
"Chloe."
With the hero's uniform draped over her shoulders, Destel called her name in a soft voice—not the weary tone she usually had.
"You did well this past month."
Destel smiled.
Watching from the side, my eyes narrowed. That smile wasn't entirely unfamiliar.
The smile from before she was called卑劣...
It was the natural, easy smile Destel often wore back when she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Garahal as the most pragmatic hero. A smile both natural and strange.
"Keep up the good work."
"Yes, Lady Destel."
Chloe nodded vigorously.
Destel let out a chuckle and stepped back. Then she shot a mocking glance at me, my eyes still squinted.
"What? Weird, huh?"
"......"
"So weird you can't even speak? I know. It doesn't suit me."
I slowly opened my mouth.
"You should dress like that more often."
"...Huh?"
"Quit smirking like a schemer and keep it sharp like that."
I let out a chuckle of my own.
Leaving Destel staring at me in disbelief, we boarded the carriage. The one carrying the three of us glided smoothly along the road toward the capital.
Chloe had grown.
Now, it was time to prepare for the trial drawing ever closer.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 2.
A few things happened after returning to the capital.
The big one? Kalt, who'd heard about the battlefield and screamed his head off.
"At this point, aren't you just bad luck on legs, Senior? Everywhere you go, incidents..."
After a few punches, with his eye swelling up like a snowball, Kalt sighed.
"Kidding. I heard the rumors."
No need to ask what rumors.
It had to be about that undead wearing Uncle Kuntel's skin. Slumped back in his chair, Kalt muttered.
"I should've gone with you."
"Might've caught it if you had. We were this close."
"...Was it strong?"
Strong? Yeah.
I let out a hollow laugh as I answered.
"Yeah, insanely."
"Even with that superhuman holy knight Kariot, Garahal, and you there... I heard the fight wasn't easy."
"Not easy? We nearly died, and I might've lost an arm."
My shoulder, where the blade had bitten in, still throbbed faintly.
The wound had healed, but that undead's final movements... transcended imagination.
The silver-white sword flash that cleaved through lightning and spells alike.
As if to prove it had truly crossed blades with the Sword of Death, its strikes ignored the limits of flesh in ways beyond belief.
"Guess I need more training."
Kalt sighed and rubbed his eyes.
I shot him a glance, then pulled something from my robe and set it on the table in front of him.
"...What's this?"
Kalt blinked.
I pointed at the sword (sort of) on the table.
"The sword Uncle Kuntel carried. The one that undead wielded."
The blade lost in the clash with the Sword of Death.
Broken once before, somehow it'd been reborn as a perfect sword.
"I looked into it, and the sword itself is fine. No residual demonic energy."
I slid it toward Kalt.
"Better off in your hands."
Kalt picked it up without a word.
The blade gleamed silver as it cleared the sheath. True to its rare metal forging, it hadn't dulled or chipped even in melee chaos.
A keenly shining edge.
Gazing at it, Kalt said.
"Sword Gorge forging technique."
"...Yeah?"
"Yes. Uncle Kuntel mentioned it once. The Sword Gorge had a master smith who forged rare metal blades, and he etched wave patterns into them."
Just like this.
Kalt twisted the blade. The slanted light revealed wave patterns etched into the steel.
"...It was broken, but the patterns are intact. Like it was newly forged. Strange."
Muttering that, Kalt sheathed it with a click.
"Can I really keep it?"
"No one else to give it to. Thought about the Sword Ghost, but it doesn't match his style."
"His swordsmanship favors flowing chains over heavy single strikes... different direction altogether."
Gazing at the sword, Kalt said.
"I'll put it to good use."
With a wistful look, Kalt stared at the blade for a while.
After handing Kalt the sword, nothing major happened. With just over ten days until Chloe's hero trial, I occasionally visited the Black Mage Tower where she stayed to give special lectures.
It was one such morning in our routine.
Early morning, during a walk in the garden after breakfast with Master. A familiar figure stood at the mansion's gate.
"Garahal?"
"Ah, Lania."
It was Garahal's first time visiting the mansion.
Since returning from the battlefield, I had no idea what he'd been up to, but he'd been bustling around everywhere. Wondering his business, I asked—and he handed me a poster.
"This exhibition. Want to go together?"
The poster boldly proclaimed '100 Heroes Who Lit Up Kingdom History' in huge letters. Just the sort of theme Garahal would love.
"They say Savior Hero Ganyur's statue and his autobiography will be unveiled for the first time..."
"So you're going?"
Garahal nodded with an embarrassed smile.
"I've wanted to go for ages, but battlefield duties made me miss them all. These exhibitions only happen in the capital."
And so.
Muttering that, Garahal looked at me.
"I thought about what I wanted to do, and this came to mind first."
"Makes sense. You love hero tales."
I handed the poster back.
"I'm fine going with you, but don't crowds make you uncomfortable? All those stares."
"A bit worrying. An event this big will draw crowds..."
I chuckled.
"Then forget that. Let's go now."
"Pardon? But the exhibition starts in three days..."
"They prep these days in advance. Just unveil on schedule. I've set up a few at the tower—there's always a way."
Garahal earns money but doesn't know how to spend it. I rummaged in my robe pocket and pulled out a small rectangular card.
A gleaming gold card.
The gold card holding all my assets. I waved it in front of Garahal with a smile.
"Money fixes everything."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 3.
"Pardon? Previews are basically..."
"■■■■■■■■."
"Even with money..."
"■■■■■■■■■."
"H-Huh."
"■■■■■■■■■■."
It didn't take much to buy off the exhibition director's conscience. As the sum climbed, the director's breaths grew ragged—then he nodded when Garahal appeared beside me.
"...If Garahal is with you, that's different. You're practically involved in this exhibition."
"Me?"
"Of course. If you have time, a signature at a relevant spot would be great."
The director smiled and let us in. We rented out the unopened venue for the day and wandered freely.
"Ooh...!"
Garahal's eyes sparkled as he darted around excitedly, snapping photos in front of statues like a kid.
"The statue of Hero Efta, called the Divine Archer. Star armaments manifesting as bows are exceedingly rare in history, and Efta's was..."
I chuckled as Garahal chattered explanations at every statue.
100 Heroes Who Lit Up Kingdom History.
Naturally, most were heroes or their comrades. We followed the chronological line of statues.
Portraits, statues, replicas of their armaments. Heroic tales displayed alongside.
"Savior Ganyur."
I stopped in front of a hero by that name. He'd earned the moniker 'Savior' for rescuing countless from a burning metropolis.
"Your idol, right?"
Garahal nodded.
"Yes."
He stood before the statue, reading what was said to be Ganyur's autobiography.
"Some differences from the fairy tales... but worthy of the 'Savior' title."
Snapping a few more photos, Garahal moved on. Each step forward spanned years or decades. How far did we go?
Time no longer pointed to the past.
Ahead lay living heroes. Those yet to die, still writing their stories.
[Hero, Kyle Toven]
My brow furrowed at the first name, but I skimmed Kyle's tales without comment.
His achievements filled pages, but the standout was 'Black Dragon Subjugation' in huge letters. His statue depicted him trampling a massive black dragon's head.
"Ah, there's you too, Raniel."
Garahal pointed to one side of the statue.
Not far from Kyle's was mine. Standing before it, I burst out laughing unwittingly.
[Sage, Raniel van Trias.]
A stern-faced statue.
Pointing at the portrait and photos beside it, I asked Garahal.
"Did I really look like this?"
"Close enough."
"Looks like I could stab someone."
Fierce eyes bordering on murderous.
Staring at these strangely unfamiliar past photos of myself, I turned away. Garahal, leading ahead, had stopped at a statue.
[Hero, Garahal.]
A hero gripping a holy spear.
Garahal gazed at his own statue in silence.
"Feels surreal."
He said.
"My name here with all these heroes... the ones I dreamed of as a kid. It's strange."
"Yeah?"
I stood beside him.
Before us, his achievements were listed in order. Battlefields conquered, lives saved. Feats accomplished.
And the title at the end.
[The Most Hero-Like Hero.]
I jabbed Garahal's side with my elbow, pointing at the bold text.
"See that?"
"Yes. Stop poking."
"You look pleased."
Garahal, trying to suppress a smile, finally burst out laughing.
"Yeah, really..."
He laughed, genuinely delighted.
"Looks like I've already achieved my dream."
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