A Habit No One Could Fix

His habit was one no one could ever fix. Unlike the bustling scene outside, the library was utterly deserted. Perhaps because of the sheer number of books, the air carried that distinctive library scent. Sunlight streamed through the windows, warming the quiet interior. It was a peaceful place—one that should have been filled with the soft rustle of turning pages. But with the Sun Temple having claimed it exclusively, not a single soul remained except for the priests and holy knights. Even the librarians had apparently been driven out.

“Haaam……”

In the midst of that profound silence, a woman sprawled across a desk stretched her arms out with a long, lazy yawn. She was beautiful. Appearing to be in her twenties, she had short silver hair, silver eyes that sparkled like embedded gems, and long lashes. She was the kind of stunning beauty who could walk into high society and draw approaches from every nobleman without surprise. Her looks rivaled any celebrity’s; a single glance on the street might make any woman walking beside her feel instantly plain. Yet despite that extraordinary appearance, her eyes held the petulant stubbornness of a child.

“So boring……”

“Is it boring, my lady?”

Beside her stood a holy knight who looked to be in his mid-sixties. While the other knights and priests kept a respectful distance, he remained close.

“Yeah, boring.”

“Heh heh. Already bored? You said you wanted to read on the way here, so we borrowed the entire library for you.”

“But wasn’t kicking everyone out a bit much? Now I can’t even find the books because you sent the librarians away!”

“It was for the Saintess’s safety, of course.”

He smiled gently. Her true identity was none other than the Saintess—Elin, the most beautiful woman in the world chosen by Sol, the Sun God, after 110 years. The Daughter of the Sun. The Sun’s Avatar. She carried an immense amount of divine power, hot as the sun itself. Her power was so great that even the most basic healing spell she cast matched the level of high-ranking priests, and her purification magic was so potent that no undead could withstand it. She was Sol’s blessing after 110 long years. However, because her awakening had come late, she had yet to receive proper training. Her vessel was not yet complete enough to fully control that vast divine power. Fearing something might happen to her, priests and holy knights followed her everywhere in this manner. Perfect overprotection. The Pope had even declared her the most beautiful jewel and treasure in existence.

“And if you need a book, simply tell the priests. They’ll find it within ten seconds.”

The priests trembled at those words, their bodies tensing as they prepared to dash out at any moment.

Ten seconds.

The moment the Saintess speaks, we must find the book within ten seconds.

Otherwise, we’re dead.

The instant she named a title, every priest in the room would have to sprint for it. Failure to deliver within ten seconds would bring consequences no one wanted to imagine. Just look at that glint in her eyes.

If the Saintess asks, find it in ten seconds. If you can’t, assemble at the training grounds.

The order would surely come. Those who failed might have to endure hellish training in order of arrival.

“Oh, don’t worry so much. We have Alvert, commander of the Sun Knight Order—the temple’s greatest force—right here. What’s there to fear~?”

The Sun Knight Order was the temple’s proud elite force, comparable even to the kingdom’s own knights. Their commander, Alvert, had reached the rank of Master—the pinnacle of human achievement.

“Of course I will protect you, but one can never be too careful.”

“What’s the big deal~? You’ll handle it just fine~. Anyway, I’m getting bored again.”

“It hasn’t even been an hour since we arrived.”

“Even if it hasn’t, I’m bored.”

“……”

Elin whined like a child. Watching her throw a tantrum no twenty-year-old should, Alvert let out a small sigh. The temple had spoiled her rotten because she was their precious treasure. Whatever she wanted, they gave her, and now her complaints had only grown. Being so excessively revered had also inflated her sense of authority, making her treat subordinates harshly.

This, too, must be a trial from Lady Sol…… I have no choice but to endure and persevere.

“Then……”

“By the way, it seems a bit noisy outside?”

“There’s been a commotion for a while now…… Indeed.”

Alvert tilted his head as well.

“Hey, can’t I just peek out the window?”

“Absolutely not. Someone outside might be targeting the Saintess from long range.”

“Tch…… I want to see.”

“No.”

Alvert was firm. At his rigid, unyielding response, Elin pouted. He approached the window, staying alert for any possible danger, and looked outside. What he saw made him gasp.

“That’s…… a mask?”

A figure wearing an unfamiliar, strange mask was striking down the holy knights.

“What is that? Oh my god! That person is hitting our knights right now!?”

“……Saintess, I clearly warned you it was dangerous……”

“Forget that—look, that person is beating our knights! Are we just going to stand here and watch?”

Seeing her eyes sparkle with excitement, Alvert sighed in exasperation, but she had a point. He couldn’t simply watch as his subordinates were attacked.

I don’t know who that is, but I’ll have to deal with them.

The holy knights outside charged toward Albert. They were confident. The first one had been caught off guard by a surprise attack, but they wouldn’t make ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the same mistake.

Losing to some heretic would be a disgrace to holy knights!

Heretics must be purged.

As long as their faith in Sol remained steadfast, they could never lose to a mere heretic. Even if the heretic seemed quite strong, he was alone. One man couldn’t possibly handle this many holy knights.

“Kill him!!”

“Long live the Sun!”

Convinced of victory, the holy knights swung their swords at Albert like blazing sunlight. But it was a grave miscalculation.

“Nope, not happening~.”

Albert overwhelmed them with sheer physical force. Their faith-infused blades couldn’t even graze his collar. Their eyes, burning with conviction, couldn’t even track his movements. He slipped through the gaps in their swords and took them down one by one.

“Ah…… ah……”

The holy knight who had first tapped Albert’s head with his finger now trembled in fear. He should have been fighting alongside the others, striking at the heretic. But—

That human is only looking at me.

He could feel the gaze from behind the mask. That sharp stare! The others might not notice, but he could tell—he was being singled out. Those eyes were fixed on him as if they would never let him go, like a predator locking onto its prey. They seemed to say:

You’re getting wrecked. No matter where you run, you’re getting wrecked. You can’t escape getting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wrecked. No matter what, I’m going to wreck you.

That unyielding resolve was comparable to a holy knight’s faith in Sol. Honestly, comparing it to faith was blasphemy in itself, but his will was that firm.

I-is this even possible? In the middle of that onslaught, he’s only watching me……?

He swallowed dryly, fear tightening his throat. Albert was walking toward him, knocking down holy knights with every step. The footsteps of death. That gaze, as if staring at a mortal enemy, made his legs go ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weak and terror grip his heart. His instincts screamed to flee, yet his legs wouldn’t move.

This is fear……? That can’t be. I’m a knight of the Sun Temple. How could I feel fear? From just one heretic?

“I……”

“Been waiting long?”

By the time he realized it, all his fellow knights had already been defeated. Dozens of the temple’s elite had fallen to a single man. Not a single blade had even touched Albert’s collar. And—

He’s not even breathing hard after moving that intensely…… That means……

He still had plenty of energy to spare. He had only subdued them, not killed anyone. Subduing was always harder than killing. Doing that to dozens of knights while keeping his eyes fixed on one target meant he had been toying with them.

“A m-monster……”

“Calling me a monster…… hurts my feelings……. Well, whatever.”

Hidden behind the mask, Albert grinned.

“I’m the type who saves the tastiest thing for last. I’ll make sure to wreck you properly.”

Albert clenched his fist and raised it to strike.

“Stop right there!”

At that moment, a voice that shook the soul like thunder roared out. Turning his head, Albert saw a man in his mid-sixties glaring at him, eyes blazing with fury. A heavy, imposing aura pressed down on him.

Albert was slightly surprised as well. The man possessed strength comparable to an SS-rank hunter. His physique didn’t look like that of a man in his mid-sixties, and his eyes radiated formidable power.

Roughly a Master? Judging by his appearance, he must be a knight order commander. Come to think of it, the Sun Temple’s knights were said to be quite strong.

“Lower that hand at once, heretic. Do you even realize what you’re doing……?”

“Nope, don’t wanna.”

Thud!

Cutting him off mid-sentence, Albert drove his fist straight into the holy knight’s face without hesitation.

“Guh!”

He had been looking forward to wrecking this guy for so long—there was no way he was stopping now. Albert’s fists flashed like lightning, pounding into the knight’s body.

“How dare you tap my head with your finger? You must be out of your mind to want to die. I’ll send you straight to Sol’s side.”

Albert beat him with genuine frenzy. The sight was so intense that even the surrounding people trembled in fear.

“Haa…… haa……”

After some time, while the other knights had been cleanly knocked out with single strikes, this one was reduced to a quivering pulp, barely clinging to consciousness.

“Whew, that felt great.”

Blood had splattered across his X-Men mask, giving him a grotesque appearance. People around him quickly averted their eyes, afraid of meeting his gaze.

“If you act up, you get hit. Simple, right?”

He felt thoroughly refreshed.

This is a skill too. A craftsman’s technique honed through experience.

The System let out a deep, exasperated sigh at his triumphant words. If it was something born from experience, it meant he had gone around beating people that much. And he was calling it a point of pride…… Sometimes the System wondered if it had chosen the wrong master.

You were cheering me on in the middle too.

“Well then.”

Albert turned his head. The holy knight was already staring at him with burning eyes, sword drawn. Albert smirked.

“Why didn’t you attack? It would’ve been the perfect chance while I was hitting this guy.”

“……I am not like you, heretic. I would never stoop to attacking someone who isn’t ready. That would be cowardly.”

“Ohhh, is that so? How righteous of you.”

“Do you think I would be as despicable as you? The holy knights of the Sun Temple burn with justice, always as fierce as the sun.”

“Burning with justice, my ass. Did your justice catch fire and burn down to ashes? And these oh-so-righteous guys are arbitrarily sealing off the library and blocking entry? Does that make any sense?”

“It is necessary for us.”

“Necessary, my foot. Then I can say the same—those guys were blocking my path.”

Albert pointed at the fallen holy knight with his finger.

“If something’s blocking you, you remove it, right? I only did what was necessary for me.”

“There are other ways to go around.”

“Are you forcing me to take a detour you yourselves wouldn’t choose? Is that the justice of the Sol you serve?”

Albert added a sarcastic “No” under his breath and continued. Living in that other world naturally sharpened one’s political skills. No one could outtalk him.

“We call that deception.”

“……Are you mocking Lady Sol right now?”

“Not really?”

“Then what you’re saying right now is—!”

“I’m not mocking Sol. I’m mocking you. What did the god do wrong? The problem is always the humans.”

“You’re the ones mocking Sol.”

“……Heretic…… I tried to explain nicely, but…… I cannot forgive you.”

“Bullshit. Who the hell do you think you are to forgive me? What gives you the right?”

You little shit?

Those words could only come from someone who completely looked down on the other. Alvert frowned. From his attitude and tone, the man seemed much younger than him.

“You…… You look like you’re in your early or mid-twenties at best…… Did your parents never teach you to respect your elders? I’d like to see their faces.”

“My parents passed away about ten years ago.”

“……”

“What? Planning to dig up their graves to see their faces?”

At Albert’s words, awkwardness flashed across Alvert’s face. He hadn’t expected that. For a moment, he grew solemn.

“Are you trying to pull a ‘too little, too late’? That’s too much.”

Though he didn’t understand the term, Alvert bowed his head out of basic human decency.

“……May they rest in peace.”

“Whatever.”

Albert wiggled his fingers.

“Stop yapping and come at me already.”

“You insolent brat……”

He raised his sword. An orange glow like sunlight rippled along the blade as scorching divine power erupted from his body like an explosion. Albert clenched his fists tightly in response.

“And hey, you little shit— I’ve lived several more years than you, so who are you calling a brat?”

“I don’t know what you mean, but I’ll take this chance to fix that rotten attitude of yours.”

“Ha, don’t make me laugh. Fine, give it a shot.”

An overwhelming aura erupted from Albert’s body like a volcano. The force was so immense that the air itself seemed to sharpen into a blade. Albert curled his lips into a grin.

“Among all the people who tried to fix my habits…… not a single one succeeded.”

In an instant, Albert’s figure vanished from sight. Alvert couldn’t help but be shocked.

I missed him?

He was a Master—the strongest knight representing the Sun Temple. Though age had slightly dulled his prime, the experience he had gained made him stronger than ever. Yet he had lost track of someone’s movements.

I’ve never missed anyone except her.

A chill ran down his spine. A shadow fell over his face, and in the next moment, he felt an overwhelming force he couldn’t possibly withstand. Albert drove Alvert’s head into the ground with terrifying strength.

BOOOOOOM!!

After slamming Alvert’s head into the earth, Albert stood up, casually dusting off his hands with a smug expression.

“There wasn’t a single one.”

His wicked grin was downright sinister.

At this point, it was hard to tell who the real villain was.