Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Two Hearts
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Monester de Strange.
A man of the same bloodline as me, yet one who had never truly spread his wings, solely because he was born into a branch family.
I gazed at the spot where he had vanished like evaporating mist the moment our conversation ended, offering a brief moment of silence.
'He was even stronger than I imagined.'
A formidable opponent wielding swordsmanship beyond anything I'd encountered in my previous life.
Meeting him had been a tremendous stroke of luck for me.
Thanks to him, I'd gained a clue about the power needed to slay a dragon, and facing off against such a high-caliber swordsman had given me a chance to grow even further.
And not only that—the massive fireball blazing in the skies above Legion right now, intense enough to rival a second sun, was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate my newfound strength to everyone gathered here.
"Sister, let me handle that one."
Valentine de Strange, covered in wounds and looking utterly exhausted, turned to me.
"Are you sure you can manage?"
"Yes."
Our exchange was brief.
The words that come from my mouth carry weight.
She knew that well, which was why she entrusted the cleanup to me.
'To think I can already put her to use like this.'
The rubies on the bracelets encircling her arms—the artifacts known as Rising Force—began to glow.
Shiiieeeek—
It was a perfect chance to test them out before facing a real dragon instead of just a hatchling.
Without hesitation, I kicked off the ground and soared into the air, extending both arms toward the massive fireball Monester had conjured.
Faust, the master of every alchemist who had ever succeeded in creating the Philosopher's Stone in my previous life, had once told me that an artifact's power scales with the strength of its wielder.
Which meant I might not be able to annihilate it completely, but I could certainly blunt its impact.
"Devour the flames, Rising Force."
The rubies embedded in the Rising Force artifacts blazed with light.
At the same moment, the other artifact around my neck, Dark Star, amplified my aura and mana to their maximum, driving them into overdrive.
And with that, I blacked out.
I could clearly remember the sight of the two artifacts swallowing the flames, but I had no idea what happened after that.
'However.'
Those who witnessed the scene later would say.
The dazzling golden aura pouring from my entire body as I engulfed the massive fireball with my arms—it was as if a god had descended. 'This is—'
"That's what they said."
Valentine took hold of my hand as I lay in bed.
The anxiety, impatience, and pity in her eyes told me just how worried she'd been.
"I'm glad I could protect you, Sister."
It was honeyed flattery, but it was what she wanted to hear, and it made her happy.
She twitched the corners of her mouth upward before reverting to her usual cold expression and smacked my forehead with her palm.
Tak!
"Don't ever fight so recklessly again. I asked your doctor—he said if you'd burned through just a little more stamina, you could've died."
I'd staked my life on the fight, but to think I really could've died?
I forced my unresponsive upper body upright and replied to her.
"I've heard that a true knight grows through battles where death is a real possibility."
"......"
"It was dangerous, but this fight surely made me stronger."
Valentine smiled with her eyes—a expression I'd never seen on her before.
Of course, she offered no advice or praise for me.
She merely stroked my head lightly, pulled me gently into her embrace, and called my name.
"Berddin."
"Yes, Sister."
"Mind if I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"...That purple divine energy you unleashed against the dragon yesterday. Did your Guardian Spirit teach you that technique?"
I understood her question immediately.
She'd been unable to pierce the dragon's hide, but I'd cut through it with a single stroke. Naturally, she wanted to know the nature of that power.
'Well.'
There was no need to hide it anymore.
I'd reached a level of skill that even the Glazer family couldn't treat lightly, and the Imperial Army, acting on the Emperor's orders, had now fully acknowledged my existence through this incident.
No matter what abilities I revealed from here on, they wouldn't dare approach carelessly.
"No."
"It's not?"
"Yes. It was Siegfried, my Guardian Spirit, who taught me how to slay the dragon—or rather, the hatchling. But the purple divine energy you saw? That's a technique I created myself."
I wondered how Sister would react.
She stared intently at my hands, her eyes narrowing, then raised her eyebrows and replied.
"I see. You did well, Berddin."
'Huh?'
It was a completely unexpected response.
I'd assumed she'd ask how I'd acquired the power or how to use it.
Just "You did well"?
"Rest up."
With those words, she left the room, a meaningful smile on her lips.
'Could it be...'
Does Sister know the true nature of Lightning?
The two generals who had visited Legion to deal with Marquis Pierre had returned to the Papal Court.
Without even thinking of tending to their own territories, they went straight to the Archbishop and recounted everything they'd witnessed.
"A dragon appeared in Legion."
The Archbishop was genuinely shocked by their report. These two generals standing before him were not the type to lie.
Which meant a dragon—the monster of legends—had truly appeared on the continent.
"Then that's a grave matter indeed. It's an old tale, but His Holiness the Pope once received an oracle stating that if a dragon appears, the continent will perish."
Under normal circumstances, he might have dismissed the oracle as a mere warning to the faithless, but he couldn't ignore it coming from Clark and Wendy now.
"Perish?"
"Is that true?"
They asked in unison.
The Archbishop nodded slightly and replied.
"Yes. As you two generals know well, dragons are beings beyond human control."
He pulled out an ancient tome, flipped it open, and continued.
Flutter.
"Long before the tower rose in Legion, it was said that God Himself descended to this land to avert destruction from them."
Clark swallowed hard.
"God descended in person?"
"Yes. Had He not, this continent might have vanished by now. Dragons are the seeds of ruin for us humans."
The more the Archbishop explained about dragons, the graver Clark's expression grew.
"Then, a human who could defeat a dragon would have to be as strong as a god?"
"Precisely. Assuming such a human even exists."
"......"
"At present, the Strange and Glazer families come closest."
The Archbishop turned another page, revealing an illustration of a dragon, and spoke.
"Whether even they could triumph over a dragon remains uncertain. Much like how you two fled from Legion."
Wendy shook her head.
"Archbishop, forgive us, but we didn't flee Legion."
"Pardon? Then..."
"We're returning after the dragon was slain."
The Archbishop's eyes widened, his mouth agape.
"You... you slew the dragon?"
"Yes. Though not by our hands..."
Wendy glanced at Clark. He met her eyes, gave an awkward smile, and continued.
"The Strange family's youngest son, a knight named Berddin, succeeded in killing the dragon."
The Archbishop couldn't believe it.
The youngest of the Strange family, as far as he knew, was only eight or nine years old.
For such a child to slay a dragon? Especially with two of the continent's top powerhouses present.
"Is this true?"
"Yes, every word."
"Then the dragon currently in Legion was handled by the Strange family?"
"Correct. We forgot to mention—besides Berddin, there was another Strange there."
"Who?"
"...Valentine de Strange. The one called the Arbiter. She was there as well."
The Archbishop fell silent, deep in thought. Two members of the Strange family had dealt with the dragon that appeared in Legion.
This went beyond merely defending a castle—it could be a way to broadcast their prowess and flaunt the Strange family's might.
'Did they deliberately revive the dragon...?'
Once suspicion takes root, it knows no end. The Archbishop's mind was now spinning theories utterly at odds with what the two generals had witnessed.
'Do the Stranges need to flaunt their power now?'
Roys was already hailed as the strongest being on earth, and Valentine was a knight even the Glazers couldn't underestimate.
'Why go to such lengths?'
His doubts deepened.
Unable to reach a clear conclusion, the Archbishop turned to the generals.
"Could you perhaps bring this Berddin to the Papal Court?"
Clark and Wendy bowed deeply, dropping one knee to the ground.
Thud.
"Would you issue it as a command rather than a request? They'd understand that better, and it'd give us cause to bring him."
"Exactly. If we just demand he come to the Papal Court for no reason, they won't listen."
As the Archbishop heard their response, he clasped his hands piously before his chest and prayed.
"May blessings be upon these lambs who tread the path opened by God's will."
He bestowed a benediction on Clark and Wendy's heads and continued.
"Watch over them, that they may endure any trials and return here safely."
Amen.
The aftermath of battling Monester lingered longer than expected.
It had already been a fortnight, yet the wounds he'd inflicted still hadn't healed, and my stamina was depleted from maxing out the talismans.
'This is the problem.'
Using talismans granted immense power, but it demanded proportionally long recovery times.
At this rate, full recovery would take about three months.
Staying cooped up in the mansion that long was an unacceptable waste of time.
'And besides.'
With my reputation now too prominent across the continent to ignore, assassins would surely flood into Legion aiming for my head.
Staying put like this was dangerous.
'No choice.'
I'd wanted to delay meeting him as long as possible.
"Cynthia."
"Yes?"
"Looks like we'll need one more companion."
"Companion?"
"Yeah. A companion."
She was frustrating enough to make me sigh, but in the field of recovery, she was unparalleled on this continent.
"We'll head to the Papal Court at dawn. Have everything ready by then."