357. Star of Destruction
357. Star of Destruction
***
Belua's sudden attack startled not only Sua and Yujeong, who had been watching blankly, but even Serin, who was nearby.
No one had expected that the beings who were supposed to join forces to subjugate Zervallua would suddenly show signs of turning on each other.
Even as the atmosphere sank sharply, Belua kept her icy gaze fixed on Arianne.
"Arianne. Mind your manners."
As her chillingly cold voice rang through the air, Arianne's eyes faintly trembled for an instant.
But Belua paid no mind to Arianne's reaction and immediately turned away. As if her utterly frigid treatment of Arianne moments ago had been a lie, she shifted her attitude in an instant.
A faint smile even touched her previously expressionless face, and her eyes, warm enough to feel almost tender, were looking at Serin. She spoke as if to smooth over the sunken mood.
"...Arianne does not properly understand the Grand Duke. And surely today is also the first time the Grand Duke has ever faced him. So I hope the Grand Duke will not hold any ill feeling over his rudeness just now. I will speak to him properly later."
At Belua's attitude, which seemed to be gauging Serin's mood, Serin gave her an odd look but played along.
"Got it. I'm fine."
When Serin answered with a slight nod, Belua smiled faintly.
Sua and Yujeong, who did not understand the sequence of events, watched with interest but did not join the conversation. To them, the situation itself was deeply intriguing, and even Serin, who was responding to it, suddenly seemed different.
They had always felt Serin was mysterious, but even so, being treated like this by someone who belonged to the same class as a Great Hero—a being called a Star—was something else entirely.
Who could possibly receive respectful speech from a Great Hero, let alone be treated like that?
While the two of them watched Serin with such feelings, Arianne, who had been caught by the unexpected rebuke, was staring at Serin along with Belua and feeling deep confusion.
To him, Belua's current attitude was utterly unfamiliar. No, it went beyond unfamiliar—it was nearly impossible to accept.
Belua. She was Empress Cecilia's closest confidante, closer than anyone, a being called the Empress's shadow, and it was said that within the empire, only a handful of those among the Empress's inner circle and those residing in the imperial palace had ever even met her.
For that reason, Belua's standing within the Grandelia Empire was anything but light.
Star of Death.
Aside from Her Majesty, no one could treat her lightly. That applied equally to Arianne, who was also called a Star. The occasions he had faced her could be counted on one hand, and even when meeting Empress Cecilia, he had barely been able to sense her presence.
Naturally, he had hardly ever even exchanged words with her.
'Wait. Grand Duke...?'
And yet that very Belua was now looking at a woman and calling her Grand Duke.
At present, there was strictly no one in the Grandelia Empire who held the position of Grand Duke.
...But. In the past, there had been.
The empire's last Star, said to have vanished suddenly years ago, a being shrouded in mystery itself.
The only existence known to have been granted the title of Grand Duke by Her Majesty.
—Star of Destruction.
Belua was now looking at that silver-haired woman and, in effect, saying that she was that very person.
But it was hard to accept at face value.
The silver-haired woman's presence and aura were not the least bit extraordinary. She was nowhere near a level that could be considered to have reached the realm worthy of being called a Star. Even allowing for the possibility that she was concealing her power like Belua, the presence he felt now was unmistakably clear.
'This is... by no means a power that could be called the Star of Destruction.'
Her power itself did not feel weak, but that was all. It could not be considered on the same level as Belua or me.
I had never expected to meet her even after appearing in this space. Now, when several cities had already suffered devastating damage from Zervallua. At a time when, in the end, Belua and I had no choice but to step forward.
And yet. The Grand Duke who had vanished years ago was only now revealing herself...?
'Her Majesty searched and inquired so desperately, and the being she could not find appears now...?'
Amid countless questions, I ultimately had no choice but to speak.
"Are you truly... the Grand Duke?"
The moment Belua showed such an attitude, the stance I needed to take was already decided.
As blue eyes carrying a mysterious light turned toward me, I met that gaze and tried to uncover the truth.
In the past. Every rumor known about the woman called the Star of Destruction was extraordinary.
Utterly heartless. A woman of iron blood. The being who had contributed more than anyone to the Grandelia Empire's continental unification.
The feats she had written across the battlefield were so great that calling them mythic would still be an understatement. And yet no one doubted the truth of those rumors.
At the end, countless citizens of the empire praised her, and the many knights and mercenaries who had fought on the battlefield vied to declare that all of it was true.
And finally, because Her Majesty had designated her as the Star who shone brighter than anyone in the empire.
"..."
"..."
Then, as our gazes met in silence for a moment, I realized it without thinking.
One fact.
Someone of insufficient standing cannot calmly meet the gaze of one called a Star.
The standing of an existence was something that could not be explained, but there was definitely something that only those who had reached the level of a Star could feel.
And that silver-haired woman was proving it right now.
"Is there any need for further words?"
When she spoke with a faint smile, as if she too had felt it, no further proof was needed.
Immediately, I offered my respects.
—Grand Duke.
The mere fact that she, who had even been called the Star of Destruction, was here with them now...
My thoughts on the subjugation of Zervallua completely changed.
***
Swish.
As Arianne knelt on one knee and offered his respects, Serin glanced at him for a moment before shaking her head.
"...That's enough."
Looking at the blond knight, who only rose slowly after hearing those words, I felt an indescribable emotion.
Along with a strange tingling sensation in my chest, it felt as though worry was welling up.
The unexpected reunion with Belua was one thing, and the existence of a Grandelian knight I did not know was another.
What should I even call this feeling—as if I had suddenly returned to being the Grand Duke of those days?
When I turned my head slightly, I saw the two women watching me with intense gazes, as if they understood nothing about this situation, and I spoke first.
"I'll explain all of this after everything is over."
"Ah, okay, Rin."
"...Yes, Rin."
I felt a small sense of relief at how they answered without complaint, but I barely managed to swallow the sigh that tried to escape.
Even though I myself did not fully understand this situation, for now I had to subjugate Zervallua. And after that, I would have to persuade the two of them, or whatever it took.
Pushing all my rising thoughts aside, I immediately spoke.
"Belua. I'd like to discuss the subjugation of Zervallua."
"Yes, Grand Duke."
Looking at her as she answered quietly, I gave a bitter smile.
The Zervallua subjugation that I could call a past failure.
Now that I was facing it again with completely different people, in completely different circumstances.
I had no intention of repeating that failure.
How to approach Zervallua, how to deal with it. I knew now.
...
Afterward, I gradually explained the plan for subjugating Zervallua to the other four.
Zervallua, which possessed the trait of 'Gluttony,' was currently in a state of having bloated its power enormously. And the approach I proposed against it centered on fighting a sustained war of attrition and somehow draining the creature's strength.
In that process, I repeatedly emphasized that not even a single person could be allowed to fall to Zervallua.
Because if even one person fell, at that moment, this entire plan would come to nothing.
The Zervallua subjugation in the past, where I had thrown myself forward first, had also proceeded relatively smoothly in the beginning. But the moment one person was swallowed by Zervallua in an unforeseen accident, the raid hurtled straight toward catastrophe.
The creature with the Gluttony trait, the moment it devoured even one person, would not merely recover its original strength but grow even more powerful.
So right now, in terms of objective combat strength, Sua and Yujeong were the most at risk.
That was why the two of them needed to act together with Belua and Arianne, each of whom was called a Star. I continued explaining that the two of them would support the Stars' attacks in tandem.
The two of them, who had experience with the Zervallua subjugation in Another World, seemed to harbor doubts about my words. But I kept pushing my opinion firmly.
By this point, my belief was close to certainty that the demonic beast called Zervallua they had experienced in Another World and the Zervallua subjugation they were about to experience now would be completely different.
Their initial reaction had made it clear they had never seen a Zervallua that had grown this powerful.
Then, as I continued laying out the plan,
Arianne cautiously spoke up.
"Grand Duke... I have one question about the plan you have described."
As Arianne, who had begun calling me Grand Duke, carefully raised the point, Belua also sent a look as if she had a differing opinion.
At that, I stopped speaking and looked at them.
After Arianne and Belua exchanged glances, Belua spoke.
"I understand the plan the Grand Duke has described. However, what does the Grand Duke intend to do personally?"
When I met Belua's characteristically clear, water-colored eyes, for a moment it felt as though my chest had been pierced.
It felt as if my thoughts had been read by her in this instant... I was a little surprised, since I had not expected to receive such a look from Belua, but I soon smiled.
As if I had plenty of composure. That was how I needed to appear right now.
"I'll be acting alone."
"......"
After my words fell, Belua silently stared at me. When she seemed to want me to change my mind without saying a word, I said nothing.
I simply met Belua's gaze calmly.
After that, an untimely silence hung over the space, and several minutes passed.
Belua bit her lip hard and spoke.