Lire

Arc#3 Chapter 86: Pride

[Author's Note:

I've been delaying it for a long time, but I think I really need to buy a new laptop. Can you believe it? Two hours just to turn on. Then a bit more time to open Chrome. Fuck.

It's been like this for weeks, but it's steadily growing worse. I'll have to be more serious when looking around.

Anyway, here's the chapter and I hope you all have a wonderful start to 2024!

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Reivan could only bask in the afterglow of his victory so much before he finally couldn't take it anymore. With a final wave, he nodded to the citizens and made for the exit — or in this case, the entrance to the arena's waiting rooms. He was completely drained of magic power after all, so he couldn't repeat his flashy entrance by flying up to the VIP box.

As such, he had to use the good old-fashioned way that humans used to get to places: walking.

Even as he ducked under the archway leading into a dark tunnel, Reivan could still hear thousands of people cheering and calling for his name. He felt surprisingly little happiness over this, but it was significantly better than the fearful gazes he'd received earlier.

'That was a bit excessive, coming from them. I don't think I was that strong.'

And in fact, Reivan had been significantly suppressed in that match because information about his abilities had to be kept under wraps as much as possible. If he hadn't had to hold back, Reivan would have just sent flying swords to keep his opponents busy while he steadily drained them of their resources or harassed them with attacks. There was also the option of gathering his body fluids into a jar, turning it into some extremely toxic substance through [Medicine Reproduction], before vaporizing it and blowing all the fumes in his enemies' direction.

Or he could have just asked Zouros for help.

Alas, he had to go with more orthodox means. His performance today had been impressive enough that most people who had watched wouldn't even think that he had more to show.

'It doesn't hurt anymore...'

Reivan clenched and unclenched his left fist, flexing his fingers and noting the lack of pain. This meant he could now fire another one of his chaos energy beams without the risk of blowing up his arm and subsequently his entire body. As expected of a technique bound to "chaos", the period of recovery time was never the same — sometimes, he would recover after only a few seconds while sometimes, it would take up to three days. On one occasion, it had been a full week before his arm recovered from the incomprehensible damage that using chaos energy inflicted.

This time, luck hadn't been on his side. Not only was his attack entirely countered, but the recovery period had also been lengthy, preventing him from using it again for the remainder of the match.

'Useless.'

It truly wasn't a power that he could depend on, only serving as a trump card for when he was truly out of other options.

'God, that's a dumb name though.'

He mentally reminded himself to think of something better to call it than "Chaos Energy Beam". Being horrible at naming things though, he understandably didn't look forward to such a task. The initial name itself was a temporary measure. After all, naming techniques made it easier to draw up the muscle memory associated with them.

'I should definitely think of something better than Chaos Energy Beam though. Fuck, that's awful.'

Reivan walked aimlessly, deeper into the dark — more like dim, since there were a few orbs of lights here and there — hallways under the arena. Soon, he was forced to stop when he saw a figure leaning against the wall with its arms crossed.

"Donovan..."

"You forgot the Sir, boy." The ascendent raised a brow, his gaze just as chilling as ever. Soon enough, he shrugged. "No matter. It is not my place to teach you manners."

Reivan shrugged, not having anything to say as he walked past. "If you have something important to discuss, I'd rather we do it on a different day. I feel too mentally drained to hold a decent conversation at the moment."

"Understandable." Donovan sniffed and followed along behind him, his voice impassive. "Before anything else, I suggest you do something about your eyes."

"What?" Reivan stopped, his head inclining to the side in confusion. "What about them?"

"Oh, so you really were unaware. Get a mirror and find out."

Frowning as his eyes narrowed, Reivan was about to create a mirror out of ice. But just before he did, Zouros — who had been paying attention to everything around him — mentally reminded him that he usually kept a mirror in the serpent's stomach. And anyway, he also could have created a reflective surface with his [Soul Armament] as well.

'I've forgotten something so basic...'

Reivan retrieved a small hand mirror from the miniature World-Devouring Serpent's stomach before taking a look, only for his eyes to widen — subsequently emphasizing how black and glassy it was.

Staring back at him were eyes that seemed like an abyssal void — a deep dark hole leading to the depths of hell right where his eyes were supposed to be. They were like polished obsidian, utterly devoid of any discernible iris or pupil. Their glassy, jet-black hue held an otherworldly sheen, reflecting a haunting depth that seemed to draw one's gaze into an endless, unfathomable darkness. Within those shadowed orbs lay an eerie, unsettling quality that sent chills up his spine even though he knew the man staring at him was himself.

Or it was supposed to be him.

'Well, that's new.'

It would have been no exaggeration to say that he looked downright demonic. Suddenly, the audience's fearful reaction made a bit more sense to him if he looked like this. Luckily, the moment he noticed it, the darkness receded and his eyes turned to normal — bright, golden, and clear.

'Well then. That was promising. Certainly not ominous in the least.'

"Some sort of dark art that attacks someone's mind?" Donovan, it seemed, wasn't too alarmed by it. "You certainly hid your strength well."

'I don't think that's it...'

"And you certainly chose some troublesome opponents for me." Reivan sighed before grunting in annoyance and sending a glance to the knight behind him. He resumed walking as he complained. "Really? A knight with a special ability that is basically intuition but turned on all the time? A Sormon Templar that can use Resonance and Sormon's Corona? And then there's that guy who can quite literally rend space?"

'Even I wasn't able to comprehend spatial arts in the twenty years I focused on training. That's not even something a normal Ascendent can usually do... though, they can obviously cause much more raw damage in hundreds of other ways.'

If he hadn't spent that twenty years training in solitude, he probably wouldn't have been able to defeat a single one in a one-versus-one match. The knowledge of how strong his enemies were might have even broken his spirit enough for him to lose the battle before it even began.

The red-plumed knight named Sienna would have endured through whatever attacks he could muster or heal any damage he could deal. And while that was happening, she would have been able to stack halos on herself. Once the gap in power had grown enough, she would have smashed Reivan's face in with little resistance. Without a doubt, the woman also had other trump cards she couldn't pull out because Reivan took her down too fast.

Things might have been even worse with the blue-plumed knight named Villago. Reivan didn't think the knight even needed that space-rending technique. Villago could have simply avoided all his attacks by turning into mist while kiting Reivan. Reivan wouldn't have been able to land any melee attacks, which would have meant that he couldn't restore his resources through absorption. In but a few moments, he would have been full of arrows or even had one stuck into his head.

As for the yellow-plumed knight named Gwendolyn, it was the worst. Reivan eventually found out how to somewhat deal with the knight's special ability but that was because he was a version of himself that was mentally optimized for combat after spending so much time on it a day before the match. If he had been his old self, he highly doubted he would have had the skill to come up with a solution. Furthermore, he also wouldn't have had much of an answer against that gravity technique that pancaked him into the floor.

Basically, Reivan was guaranteed to lose the first of three matches no matter who he picked. The only choice he had was how badly he was going to lose in front of the entire country.

Donovan, who seemed to lack a single trace of guilt, shrugged. "You won, did you not?"

Reivan scoffed.

'At what cost...'

"It could have been worse." Donovan drolled on, ignorant — or simply indifferent — to Reivan's troubles. "As you can probably tell, the more potent a knight is in combat, the busier they are. I also had to exclude those who only had lightning, ice, or darkness attributes — which didn't include a lot of people, but still. It could have been worse. A lot worse, since combat isn't even those fools' focus."

"Is that so?" Reivan rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to the front, walking deeper into the darkness. "That makes me feel so much better."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"I was being sarcastic."

"I know. I was also being sarcastic. It happens a lot."

Reivan rolled his eyes.

Donovan stopped talking for a moment before clearing his throat. "In any case, I expected you to be destroyed. Having my expectations subverted in this way isn't bad every once in a while. You did well, Your Highness."

"Yeah, yeah... Hm? Wait..." Reivan's feet ground to a halt as his brain finally processed what he'd just heard. He slowly spun around. "What did you just say something nice?"

By the time he'd fully turned around, the balding ascendant was already gone.

"Damn." Reivan cursed as he resumed walking deeper into the hallway, muttering to himself. "Did he wait for me here just to tell me that...?"

'Bastard. At least let me see your face when you say it.'

Reivan clicked his tongue, feeling as if he missed out on a great opportunity.
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After a very awkward interaction with the Arkhanian Ambassador and getting strongly congratulated by his mother, uncle, and other loved ones, Reivan finally returned to his room. The others seemed to take the hint and left him alone to rest, and Reivan felt thankful for their consideration as he sent them off — the week-long festival was still in motion, after all, so his family was once again enjoying the festivities in town.

Not Reivan though. He escaped to his room and stood in the middle of it, taking in the surrounding interior.

'My room...'

For a few minutes, he strolled around the chamber, examining all the personal effects that made the room... well, his. There were a few trinkets on a shelf that he bought while strutting down streets with his friends, little mementos of the numerous dates he had with Elsa, and clothes that he'd worn but never got rid of because he had felt sentimental about them.

'It should be here...'

Reivan pulled out a locked drawer and found a number of small wooden sculptures. They were crude and likely wouldn't have been bought if someone sold them in the markets. But Reivan didn't keep them around because they were pretty. His father, who barely had enough time for anything, had made them for him from time to time to show off how much better he'd gotten — and to Reivan, that was enough to make them priceless.

He picked one of them out — a wolf, the first carving that his father ever gave him, and was also the ugliest. Reivan held it in his palm and gently closed his fingers around it, stroking it with his thumb to feel the wood's coarseness. His father hadn't even bothered to use any varnish or anything — it was just unpolished wood that carried the risk of splintering.

Nonetheless, Reivan liked this one the most.

'It's been a while.'

The piece of wood in his hand hadn't degraded in the few years of its existence, but to Reivan, it truly felt like such a long time ago since he'd received it. Twenty years was a long time, after all. Having died in his early twenties, it was the majority of his past life. It was also enough time for a newborn baby to become an adult — which was, in fact, something he wasn't.

Despite everything, he was glad to discover that he still felt like the tiny piece of wood was of great importance. And it would hurt to lose it.

Reivan gave the tiny object one last look before carefully placing it back in its own special drawer, securing it not with a key, which he had long forgotten where he left, but with the force of his willpower. Then he lumbered over to his bed and let gravity take him as his body gently landed face-first into the soft mattress. He took a long deep breath, taking in a scent — his scent, he remembered — as his body relaxed.

Just as he was about to let his mind fall into the depths of slumber, someone knocked on his door.

Reivan paid it no mind for a few moments. But when the presence behind the door didn't go away but still stayed right outside, he finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Yes? Who is it?" he called out.

"It's me." his father answered from behind the door. "Can I come in?"

Reivan mentally debated whether to simply say no. He was far too drained for anything else but sleep. "Do I have a choice? You'll go in anyway, now that you know I'm awake."

"No, I won't. You can refuse."

"Is that so..."

Reivan sighed at the softness of his bed before pushing up against it. His body felt heavier than when Dame Gwendolyn used that gravity aetherblade art on him earlier. After struggling with his mental fatigue for a few seconds, he finally sat up at the edge of his bed.

"You can come in, Father."

Rodin's chuckle could be faintly heard even from so far away and with a literal door between them, which soon opened to reveal his father in peasant clothing but with his real features revealed. "I thought you'd turn me away."

Reivan shrugged, then gestured at what his father was wearing. "Did you just get back from the town?"

His father nodded as he walked over and sat down right beside him with a grunt. "I know you're tired."

"Really? I was afraid I hadn't made it obvious enough."

"Donovan's starting to rub off on you, it seems." Rodin chuckled as he joined his hands together and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "You fought well."

Reivan grunted, accepting the praise. "Thank you. With how strong my opponents were, I was under the impression you wanted me to lose though."

"I did." The king admitted almost immediately, somewhat surprising Reivan. "Well, no. I didn't want you to lose. I just... Well, it's a parenting thing."

"Is that so? Then I wouldn't understand."

"Perhaps. But you should still try. If all goes well, you'll be a parent one day too." Rodin chucked as he looked at his hands. "Rein. I feel as if I ask this a lot... But do you resent me?"

Reivan shook his head and answered honestly. "Not at all."

"Even though you would have been humiliated if you lost?"

"That would have been my fault. For not being strong enough to win. Not yours."

Rodin nodded with a pensive expression. "I see. That's... good to hear. Oftentimes, I find that I doubt myself and what I do. Your words, at least, provide some consolation."

Silence reigned in the room after his father's words hung in the air. Reivan couldn't possibly know what exactly it was that Rodin was troubled about — nor if it was just a single thing. He knew that he wasn't equipped to resolve his father's troubles with words.

And so, he would just do his best.

Reivan awkwardly placed his hand on his father's shoulder and gripped it somewhat strongly, letting the warmth of his palm speak for itself. The words of someone who hadn't experienced the same troubles were almost worthless, and perhaps even harmful. But Reivan at least wanted his father to know that he would be there, even if the king made catastrophic mistakes.

If Reivan's intentions got through, he didn't know. But Rodin took a deep breath and spoke. "My father always told me... that being a parent wasn't just providing the best for your children. One also had to make sure that they were as equipped as possible to take on adulthood — even if it meant being a bit too harsh on them."

"He was a good father, then."

"Yes. Yes... he was. I loved him, bless his soul..." Rodin exhaled through his nose. "And that's why I wanted you to lose."

With a frown, Reivan asked. "What is that supposed to mean, exactly...?"

"You are too excellent, Rein. One can even say you are too excellent for a father like myself." Rodin shook his head. "Even this early in your life, you have everything a man could ask for, no? Riches. Looks. Women. Authority. And power — real power. And I feared it would corrupt you... even though you turned out better than I could ever imagine — not that I can boast about that, since I'm not even present in most of your childhood. But as a king, I couldn't live with the risk of you falling into evil."

'I see. Well, that is understandable. Characters who turn out badly because of all their early blessings growing up are certainly common in stories...'

"Well, one couldn't fault you for a lack of effort." Reivan elbowed his father, a small smile on his face. "I had to go above and beyond to barely win."

Rodin said nothing for a moment before continuing, his voice somber. "But now I realize that perhaps I've made a grave mistake."

"And that is?"

"Now, I've become a father that's barely there. And when I am, I make things hard for my son." Rodin pinched the bridge of his nose with his face twisted into a grimace. "Is that not a recipe for disaster? I'm a fool..."

"Oh..." Reivan was lost for words once again. How would he know what being a parent with a troublesome son was like? He naturally didn't have any advice for this so he simply patted his father's back. "Ah, well, don't worry. Didn't things still work out...? Uhm, this sounds strange to say about myself, but I turned out pretty well on the personality side of things... At least, I'm not raging lunatic levels of bad. And in the end, I came out of this ordeal significantly stronger... Plus, I could never resent you, Father."

"Never resent me, huh? That makes me feel even worse about how hard I've been on you..." Rodin shook his head and sighed. "I didn't come here for this... I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done. Even though you were initially supposed to lose."

"Your congratulations are accepted." Reivan chuckled softly and tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Human interaction was hard when you were mostly alone for twenty years. It was a good thing that his affection for his family ran quite deep, so the desire to be with them still remained after all this time. And that was enough to repair what had been lost.

Rodin nodded to himself, a smile finally starting to reappear on the king's face. "I'll leave now. I didn't want to talk for too long anyway."

"Thank the Sun God for that. I'm so tired I feel like I'll pass out any second now," Reivan joked.

With a chuckle and a shake of his head, Rodin gave Reivan's shoulders one final clap before standing up and heading for the door.

Reivan didn't bother to watch him. His heart was already set on his bed. He picked up a pillow and fluffed it up nice and thick so he could bury his face in it. But just as he was about to pick up another one...

"Rein."

"...Yeah?" Reivan looked up to see that his father hadn't left yet, and was waiting by the door. Only half of the man's body was visible though. It appeared as if his father had just remembered something important and came back in a hurry.

"Well, that... Uhm..." Rodin scratched his cheek in hesitation, his eyes darting this way and that. "I almost forgot to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"I'm... Well, I'm proud of you."

Reivan's arms twitched and he almost let go of the pillow.

"I..." Rodin didn't seem to notice though, seemingly too embarrassed to even look at him. "I just wanted to let you know that... I may have had to be hard on you as a king because the repercussions of someone from our family going out of control are just too high. The strength you've shown and the power you'll no doubt achieve in the future emphasize this fact. And that isn't even considering how my royal armament's absolute authority won't affect fellow members of the royal family."

"Right..." Reivan nodded as he continued to fluff his pillow, trying his best to hide how his fingers trembled. "I understand."

"Yes. I know you do" Rodin cleared his throat, his voice taking on more strength. "But as a father... Well, it felt nice. I know you're amazing, Rein. And watching as the rest of the kingdom discovered that too... Well, I couldn't be any prouder. My heart swelled and if my position allowed it, I would have been cheering at the top of my lungs too."

Rodin chuckled. "I wanted to tell everyone that 'That right there... That boy is my son. Isn't he amazing?'"

Reivan said nothing. He couldn't say anything. Staying still was all he could muster at the moment.

"I just... Well, I just wanted to tell you that." Rodin cleared his throat to clear the awkward air and then muttered to himself. "Gods. This was harder than I thought... And endlessly more embarrassing than I anticipated..."

After a few moments though, he said. "I'll leave now, son. Rest well."

"Yes, Father..." Reivan croaked, barely at that. And once he finally heard the door close shut, he sat down for a moment and ruminated on his father's words.

Proud.

'He's proud of me...'

Perhaps it was a small thing. Just a couple of words arranged in a specific order when all was said and done. But that particular arrangement of words was something Reivan had never heard in his past life.

Before Kyouka came along and before that big stupid rat ruined his life, Reivan had been just another boy who wanted to please his parents, thinking that if he showed them he was good at things, they would spend more time with him.

But alas, no matter how well he did at school, no matter how many friends he made, and no matter how good he was at whatever sport he played, nothing he did could ever repair a marriage that neither party wanted to be a part of. And it was only after years in the hospital without a single visit from his parents did he finally gave up.

Reivan's fingers dug into the pillow, gripping it firmly as he played the words in his head over and over again.

Finally.

Finally, his hard work was recognized — praised, even. And all it took was dying and being reincarnated.

A happiness he had never truly experienced until today welled up inside him and soon, he heard the soft sounds of his tears falling into the pillow. He tossed it aside and quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hands, internally glad that he'd answered the door instead of going to sleep.

Arc#3 Chapter 85: The Match's Conclusion

[Author's Note]

I am once again sorry for being late. I suddenly noticed some last-minute inconsistencies with a future chapter so I had to completely revamp this one.

As an apology, this chapter is a double chapter. It is more than 4k long and is split between what was supposed to be an interlude and Reivan's POV.

Enjoy~!

Also, me and my granny have returned to our home, so yeah. I still have to take care of her from time to time, but I'll have some help now, so that's nice.

Anyway, I would once again like to thank all my patrons for the constant support. I still don't make enough from writing so I can make it my only job,  but let's be honest, I don't exactly pump out the content like no tomorrow to warrant that. lol

Still, I'm glad there are still so many people willing to shell out some bucks for me. Thank you. Maybe slightly over 150$ a month of income is nothing to where you live, but it keeps the fridge stocked here in the Philippines because we're poor as fuck. looooooooljk

So yeah. Thank you~!

Just a bit of a heads up, the Transcendent-tier for [10$ - 10 Chaps] will open up once I'm comfy with my stockpile.

Afterward, I'll be working on improving the Ascendant-tier.  My short-term goal is to make it... I dunno, [5$ - 7 Chaps] then make the Transcendent-tier [10$ - 15 Chaps] or something.

I don't even know when this will be though . Life likes to fuck things up sometimes, as I'm sure you've noticed.

Well then, This has gone on long enough, so I'll be leaving it here.

I hope you enjoy the chapter!
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"Whoah! Why'd they stop fighting all of a sudden?"

Danos disregarded the conversation among the Aizenian peasants surrounding him, focusing instead on adjusting his thick scarf to ensure it still obscured most of his face. Despite being born into a proud Argonian lineage, his appearance easily allowed him to pass for someone from the magitechnocratic republic. This was a result of former Arkhanian high-borns defecting to the empire in the past and intermingling with imperial nobility, blending their features over time.

Even with his inherent advantage, exercising additional caution wouldn't hurt.

In fact, he would have liked to wear a cloak or a hood to hide his rugged features and his light brown hair, but he knew that doing so would only attract more attention. Only idiots wore heavy cloaks and masks when they wanted to lay low in enemy lines.

The most important skill in espionage was blending into one's surroundings. As such, he tried to wear what everyone else was wearing and do what everyone else was doing. He would become just one of many trees in this forest called the Aizen Kingdom.

'What amazing technology... Even Arkhan doesn't have something like this...'

He resisted the urge to grimace as he looked up, just like the hundreds of other ignoble commoners in the wide-open area the Aizenians called a "park". Right there in the sky was the scene of a young man having a stand-off with a menacing knight in full plate. The young man in question was apparently the second prince of Aizen, and this was some kind of exhibition match.

Danos cared little for it, but he inwardly noted how the young man's eyes had turned completely black. It was the same case for his opponent, it seemed.

'Dark attribute witchcraft. And I believe he used lightning earlier too... and ice. But mostly dark. How fitting for the prince of such an evil place.'

Somehow, the angle by which the "exhibition match" could be viewed didn't change even though Danos had roamed the park — which meant that the angle didn't matter. You would see the same image from literally anywhere. No matter how strange that seemed, Danos couldn't deny reality when it was shoving itself into his face like it was doing right now.

There was also something strange about how sound was conveyed; Danos could hear the battle as if his ears were magically transported to the stadium. What's even more strange was how he could only "hear" the sounds when he was looking at the scene projected in the sky. The moment he let his gaze wander somewhere else, his ears were brought back from wherever they flew to.

'And from what I understand... The events I am seeing are happening at this very moment.'

Danos clenched his teeth. The implications of this technology being freely used for public entertainment were horrifying to think about. This technology could be used as a means of propaganda against the empire when — not if — the kingdom took over imperial lands. And he didn't even want to mention the insurmountably massive chasm between the three nations in the continent when it came to long-distance communication.

Argonia was already screwed from a logistical standpoint with Aizen's wide use of trains and Sky Arcs. Then there was the disadvantage of having to defend a much wider span of land when Aizen only had a tiny peninsula to their name.

'I already knew this since they even had the leeway to let those trinkets they call holostones trickle into the republic, but...'

He hadn't expected them to have developed to this extent.

'And there are other applications too... I can't even imagine how devastating it would be if they used this sound transmission function on an enemy army...'

Ignorant as he may be, even Danos knew that people could be incapacitated by sound alone — as long as it was loud enough. Right now, the function seemed to have the condition of looking at the projected image in the sky to transmit sound but that couldn't possibly be the extent of its capabilities.

After all, what Danos was seeing was what Aizen allowed others to see. He knew not what lay beneath the surface.

'Monsters. All of them.'

Danos bit his lower lip and turned around. There was no need to watch the fight any longer. The worthless peasants around him were stupidly becoming excitable by what was most likely a staged fight designed to boost the royal family's prestige, but Danos was having none of it. He started walking back to his inn, wondering how the empire could respond to this news.

'Destroying it seems pointless, at least.'

Not only would they sacrifice men capable enough to penetrate Aizen's security to destroy — or even steal — the technology, it was useless since the empire didn't know how to make them. Some of the holostones that Aizen sprinkled outside of the kingdom had reached imperial hands already, and even after years of carefully examining them, none could pry out the secrets of its construction.

They simply didn't have the base material for whatever the holostones were made of.

The endeavor would also exhaust what little spies they had within the kingdom just finding out where the technology was. After all, though much smaller than the empire, the kingdom was large in its own right. Not only that, but most of its land was already occupied and the borders between cities were mostly unclear. It was to the extent that Aizen had now begun to expand downward, creating underground cities — which also just so happened to be where Danos' accommodations were.

Danos eventually made it to a relatively large building that the kingdom dwellers referred to as a "train station". In them were strange vehicles that ran on concepts too difficult for him to understand despite his noble upbringing.

Being the station in the heart of Aizen, it was understandably huge, with countless train tracks leading to who knew where. And there were even tunnels underground — though not deep enough to reach the undercities — that led to other places. The interior was rather simplistic, with the painted white walls that the kingdom seemed to like so much. There were also ticket booths and all sorts of other things set up on the side.

As for the trains themselves, each was very long. They seemed to be composed of numerous smaller vehicles attached to one another, forming a large metal serpent that extended far into the distance.

Through one of these vehicles, Danos could travel great distances in a manner of hours — and in some cases, minutes. Arkhan had trains too, so Danos knew about them as well, but travel was only possible between very large cities. Aizen also ran the entire enterprise to protect the technology, so Arkhan couldn't even build more of them if Aizen didn't approve.

Also, unlike in Aizen — where most places were accessible — Aizen's trains were faster, larger, and more comfortable to ride as well.

Again, Danos resisted the urge to click his tongue. He didn't want to give his watchers any more reason to apprehend him.

'They're not being very subtle about it either.'

From the corner of his vision, he could still see one of those "peacekeepers" crossing their arms while blatantly staring at him. Danos was also quite sure that there were three more following him since it was highly unlikely that they had just happened to have eaten at the same restaurant as him, rested at the same park as him, and were now going to the same train station as him.

Their uniforms made them hard to miss and Danos was an imperial spy, so he was obviously paying special attention to local law enforcement.

'They've confirmed nothing, though. That, I can tell.'

Otherwise, they would have already taken him in for questioning. That was how these barbarians did things. The peacekeepers didn't give anyone but the royal family and the knighthood a single ounce of face, taking anyone suspicious in for questioning. It was absolute tyranny.

Danos liked to think that the fact he could still walk around freely meant that he was still in the clear. Now, all he had to do was not give anything away by acting suspiciously — which wasn't too hard to do for someone of his caliber.

'And if I get found out anyway...'

Well, it would be a good day to die for the motherland. And while he was at it, he would take a few hundred of the peasants that the kingdom liked so much with him to the afterlife.

Danos bought a ticket to the next train that would take him to the city of Northgard. He would have to pass through another city called "Asuna" though, which — according to a very eager inn-keeper — was named after the first king of Aizen's "wives". The integrity of this information was highly suspect though, since Danos knew that the first king only had one wife and she was definitely not named Asuna, nor were they named Akeno, Albedo, or Shinobu, which were other cities named after the first king's supposed wives.

'What horrible luck... I have to sit with all these peasants.'

Though irked to no end, Danos had no choice. His current profile was a middle-class tourist from Arkhan. Which meant he couldn't afford most luxuries in Aizen what with the atrocious conversion rates between the two currencies. As such, he couldn't afford to purchase his own compartment, sitting with numerous other passengers in one train car. He had to admit, though, that the sitting arrangements were quite soft and the train barely shook despite its speed.

This already made them endlessly better than imperial horse-drawn carriages in his opinion.

Danos whiled away the next two hours by mentally arranging the information he'd obtained on this trip so he could more easily report it to his father afterward. After multiple stops in Asuna City along the way, a uniformed man who was apparently the train conductor finally announced that they'd arrived at the Northgard Platform number 004, which was Danos' stop.

'They're gone.'

The peacekeepers that had followed him seemed to have disappeared completely, which was a big relief. Danos tried to suppress the sigh that threatened to escape his lips though, since he still didn't know if someone was watching. He kept his face stoic for the most part, though also colored with a hint of fatigue from "sightseeing".

After getting out of the train station, Danos quickly made his way to another structure nearby. This one wasn't large or wide, since it merely housed a lift that would take him down to Northgard's underground — which seemed to be referred to as "Undergard" by the locals living there.

The building's insides were similar to the train station, one massive room smeared white with a few paintings hung along the walls. In the middle of the massive hall was a large circular hole that appeared to lead into a deep abyss for anyone looking at it for the first time. A shimmering layer of transparent something was covering the hole at the moment, potentially stopping any imbeciles that tried to jump to their demise.

'More witchcraft. It's as if it's part of the kingdom itself.'

Disgusting.

Soon enough, a platform with a few hundred people on it gradually raised itself from the darkness of the pit, stopping just as it snugly covered the hole. No gaps were left and if it weren't for the literal yellow line painted on the marble floor, one wouldn't be able to see the platform's outline with the naked eye.

Danos had grown used to these spectacles after staying in the city for the past five days though. After the previous passengers got out of the big yellow circle on the ground, Danos impassively got on the platform and waited for it to descend along with all the other patrons who wanted to descend. After what felt like an eternity of waiting for all the commoners to get on, they finally began to sink.

As they all gradually closed the distance between the ground a kilometer or two below the actual surface, Danos couldn't help but marvel at how Aizen managed to construct a literal city under another city like this. For all the resentment and disdain he felt toward them, they did some amazing things from time to time.

Danos would not want to live amongst them though. Honestly, these peasants didn't know how unlucky they were to live in chains from the moment they were born. Even the part of him that placed commoners far beneath him took pity on these hapless fools.

'They will understand though. Everything under the heavens belongs to the empire by right. One day, they will understand that being ruled by the imperial family is better for them.'

After only a minute or two, the platform finally rested softly on Undergard's surface. Danos casually made his way to his inn as he noted a heretic of Sormon giving out "Sun Baths" for people who had stayed underground for too long — which was apparently not a good thing and would cause all sorts of complications to ordinary people, according to them.

He didn't have any words for these traitors since he wasn't a pious man, but he was sure many people back home would have quite a few choice words to say to anyone who followed the Heretic Faction led by the false saint. No doubt, there would be all sorts of mud-slinging about how they dared to cut off their roots and abandon god.

Danos inwardly shook his head. It was none of his business who profaned who.

After only a few minutes of walking, he finally made it to his inn. He went inside and nodded to the innkeeper — a man with brown animal ears atop his head and human ones at the side. Warbeasts, they were called. And these demi-humans were common in the underground cities due to their nature of liking dirth, it seemed.

Despite how surprised he was at first, Danos pitied the demi-humans.

'The kingdom has probably forced them into all sorts of agreements...'

Danos shook his head and stopped just before entering his room. He spent a moment to let his psionic powers trickle inside, sensing if it came in contact with anything alive. Once he was sure someone wasn't waiting inside to apprehend him, he let a sigh escape his lips and opened the door.

Only for something to fly faster than he could perceive, piercing straight into his stomach.

"Urgh!" Danos groaned as his body tensed. He looked inside the room in horror, only to discover something that looked like a humanoid doll of some sort.

It lacked the detail to look like a human, but it was definitely modeled after one. The statuesque thing seemed to be mostly composed of gray sand that was held together by something unfathomable. Despite its short stature, just looking at it filled his heart with a primal fear.

Danos looked down at his stomach to see a steel spike skewering him to the wall. He tried to move it with his control over reality, but he found that his powers weren't working.

"Cool trick, huh?" The stone doll spoke. Or rather, its controller transmitted its words directly to his mind similar to how the second prince's exhibition match was broadcasted to the kingdom's populace. Despite this, the voice's languid voice made his fatigue apparent.

And from its tone alone, Danos knew that the voice's owner was confident he had won.

'The problem is, Aizenian knights very rarely let their guards down when in favorable situations. It was almost always a trap to lower the imperial forces' guard.'

Or so his senior used to say. As long as it was on the battlefield, a good knight was a dead knight — don't stop holding back until you're literally holding their head and the rest of their body is six leagues underground.

'So it seems today is the day I die...'

The unseen knight's provocations made it clear that the knight was very prepared for this ambush. Danos quickly called out to the esper within him in a desperate effort to deal as much damage as he could before he died for the homeland. Even if he perished, he would at least show these dogs that the empire wasn't just fooling around either.

'What...'

But even after several seconds passed, his call received no answers. He stared, wide-eyed as he gave the spear lodged deeply into his stomach another look. One attempt to awaken the esper inside him was all it took for him to realize that the reason he couldn't do so was because of whatever the spear was made of.

"Neat, huh?" The doll's controller laughed lazily as the doll started to crumble into countless grains of sand. "Without help from your espers, you are nothing. You don't need to know why or how your powers are gone, though. Die in ignorance, imperial mutt. And don't worry about your body; we are in Undergard — quite a ways underground. We are already in a massive hole even, so it roughly counts as burying you as long as we cover you with some shit, right? The innkeeper is a friend. He'll find a nice little corner for you to rot in. Give the earthworms a treat for all the hard work they do. What do you think? Good idea no? At least, it's a way for you to benefit a creature more useful to the world than yourself."

"Fuck... you..."

"Are you sure you want those to be your last words?" The doll tilted its head. "Come now. You can do better than that. Try a little harder. Go on. I'll listen."

Danos couldn't even afford the energy to bite his lip in frustration as the blood pooled under him. His consciousness began to fade as the doll completely lost its shape, becoming nothing but a heap of sand with a deformed face on it.

"If there is a next life, I hope you learn to know your place in the world, imperial mutt."

Leaving those words to be heard by nobody in particular, the face on the sand vanished. Then, as if carried by a strange wind, the sand slowly drifted through the air, exiting through the window.

Reivan's knees buckled as he fell on his ass, grimacing in pain when he felt the jagged rock underneath. He had more pressing matters to attend to though, so he stood up despite how hard it was to focus on anything else but maintaining the illusory world that the yellow-plumed knight was dreaming of right now.

'I've won... All that's left is the last hit.'

Gwendolyn the knight wasn't the only one who had a trump card that would carry him to victory once activated. Reivan had naturally developed one of his own, though he honestly wasn't depending on it too hard because of its difficult activation conditions.

He named his special aetherblade art << Glimpse >>, after his special ability because of the similarities of what it did — and since he wasn't very good at naming things when he was far too focused on more important matters, he realized. If had just a tiny bit less sense, Reivan would have just named it after one of his favorite anime characters' secret techniques and shrugged.

<< Glimpse >> really was a bit too difficult to pull off though, since the presence of essence — or even just mana — in the target lowered the chances of it working to near zero. That's why one of his initial plans in winning a one-against-many battle was draining them of all their mana and then simultaneously taking them all out by letting them fall into a sleep that they would never recover from until he felt too bothered to keep them that way — or if he got beaten up in the dream world, which, when it came down to it, would be the likeliest reason for having to end the technique.

That wasn't the only thing that made it hard for him. Reivan could barely even move his real body since he had to split his consciousness between the real world and the dream world he'd constructed. Needless to say, it wasn't easy.

The fact that the knight had inhaled a healthy dose of the cursed mist he'd expelled earlier helped make the process smooth, though. Luckily, the knight chose to power through inside his domain's obvious effects, unlike Blue, who quickly flew up to escape. She would have never expected that the smoky substance that stayed in her lungs had other uses than hindering her respiratory system.

'Luck is also a part of the battle. A perk for those brave enough to seek it.'

Reivan groaned as he stood up. Even though his stamina was topped up, his left arm was still in pain from his earlier release of volatile chaos energy. And the majority of his attention was spent on making sure the miniature dream world he'd constructed didn't fall apart. Once he died or at least got taken out in the dream world, his link to it would crumble and everything would be over for him.

If he slipped up, the scary knight would wake up to beat him up in the real world, just like how she did it in the dream world — where time passed a tiny bit quicker than the real one.

He raised his arm and conjured a pistol, pointing it directly at the knight's forehead. Reivan spent a second making sure he wouldn't miss like an idiot before firing. The bullet shot through the air and struck the knight's helmet right in the middle of where their brows were supposed to be.

The bullet had just bounced off though and Gwen's head jerked back a little. But that was all.

Reivan went bug-eyed as the realization dawned on him — he didn't have any magic power left. Using << Glimpse >> didn't consume a whole lot of essence, thankfully. The work needed to maintain it was a chore, but it was the most fuel-efficient trump card he'd created throughout the twenty years he'd spent in loneliness. But even then, he'd used all his magic power by now. He was completely, utterly... dry.

And worse, he didn't even have anyone to take mana from.

The realization that he hadn't truly won yet horrified Reivan and he rushed forward slowly, lest he fall flat on his face. Gwen was truly bringing down the pain on him in the dream world and he was feeling it in a compressed format, all while trying to concentrate on two different worlds that ran at two different times. None of the drugs he ever took induced anything close to what he was going through at this very moment.

He quickly morphed his gun into a sword as he stumbled into the knight, who had fallen asleep standing. Reivan raised his sword and brought it down on her head as hard as he could. But his qi-infused blade barely did anything, only eliciting a dull clang as it comically bounced off the knight's helmet.

'Fuck. God damned earth attribute...'

Figuring that he'd actually have to borrow physics this time, Reivan pushed the knight and watched as she toppled over like a statue, her back slamming into the ground. He then walked over to her, placing her torso between his feet, and brought his sword up once again.

Then he began repeatedly stabbing down with all his power and weight. His blade pierced through the "soul armor" easily enough, but was always stopped by the knight's flesh. The damage resistance that soul armor provided couldn't be whittled down like regular armor of any kind, and her [Soul Armament] inheriting her earth attribute improved her armor even more, but the flesh inside was a different matter.

As long as her damage resistance didn't nullify his attacks completely, he would get through and draw blood with enough hits. It being the head made things easier for him.

Eventually, he felt it. His blade barely met any resistance as it broke past skin. If the knight's body hadn't been teleported out in time, he would have gone further, but it seemed that this was enough to decide the victor in the Sword Star's eyes.

'Just in fucking time...'

Reivan let the breath he was holding escape his lips as the tension in his body left him. He accidentally relaxed his grip on his sword and it clattered to the ground, but it disappeared after a moment of time, returning to his soul where it belonged.

Had he been later than a dozen seconds, Reivan would have probably lost on account of Gwendolyn's surprisingly robust defenses — which he hadn't expected from someone who had two speed-related elemental attributes: light and lighting. She had just knocked him out in the dream world too, and he had few ways to compete with her in a melee with his resources mostly depleted — save from running around the stadium and waiting for her stamina to run out while his stamina was constantly restored.

'I won.'

Rather than feel joy or celebrate his hard-fought victory, Reivan only felt relief wash through him. This had been the outcome he was expecting — that he'd worked for — after all. His preparations were unimaginable from the perspective of ordinary people. His plans encompassed the sky and he had a possible answer to just about anything his opponents could throw at him. Of course, he wasn't sure if those answers were correct, but, he thought, at least he had answers at all."

'As long as they're within the realm of mortals... Plans can go to hell if they pit me against an actual Ascendant...'

Truly, he was just glad it was finally over. Still, even though victory was what he expected, he also knew that sometimes, things just didn't follow expectations. It was only for a moment too, but he'd somewhat accepted his defeat.

That's why he let the seed of a true smile bloom on his face. He deserved that much. That was what he thought, at least.

'Oh, right. I should wake her up more pleasantly...'

Once the dream world he'd constructed with << Glimpse >> broke, there was apparently a minor scene where everything shattered and his victims would float in a void for a few minutes — that only lasted less than a second in the real world — which might cause trauma to the faint of heart depending on how faint their hearts were. Reivan didn't think the knight was mentally frail, but there was no need to be a bad sport and let her experience something potentially horrible that she didn't have to.

He had practiced the move on Karuna and she complained about how he shouldn't try it on anyone he didn't want to hate him. Reivan still didn't know if what happened inside was as the fairy-like being in his head said it was. There were probably some more horrible things, but she didn't want to say anything — which was a shame since he would have liked to know how his enemies would suffer in the future. Interrogating the imaginary people he'd conjured in the fragment of eternity brought no results too, since << Glimpse >> only worked on real people with souls of their own for some reason.

'Meh. Her helping me out at all was good enough. I won't pry.'

Reivan mentally nudged the knight awake. It was the equivalent of poking someone in the cheek. He surprisingly had to put a lot of effort into it though, since if he accidentally used [Formless Will] to bolster his intentions, the "gentle poke to the cheek" would have easily entered "kick them out of bed and dump a bucket of ice water on their heads" territory.

In any case, although he didn't know where she was at the moment, Reivan hoped she was alright.

With that over with, mental exhaustion threatened to sweep Reivan's feet from under him. He let his head fall back and he stared at the sky for a moment, watching the clouds listlessly float by. Then, with a gargantuan effort, finally turned to look at the tens of thousands of people staring at him in awe — or what even appeared to be fear.

'Hm. That's... not the reaction I was expecting.'

Still, he remembered the purpose of this entire affair. Victory in battle was a good thing. But he couldn't forget why he fought in the first place.

So, with a weary smile on his face, he raised his fist into the air and tried to play the role of a young man who couldn't contain his excitement about winning something.

"I won!" Reivan beamed as he scanned the crowd. He looked up to the VIP box and saw his father — whose brows were raised as high as they would go, seemingly still surprised at Reivan's performance. A smirk bloomed on his face as Reivan tapped his throat, gazing meaningfully at his father.

Rodin's brows descended only for one of them to raise curiously before nodding.

'Good.'

Reivan cleared his throat, testing the voice amplification effect that had been granted to him without him even noticing. Then he turned his attention back to the crowd with a regal smile on his face.

"Citizens of Aizen. You have borne witness to my resolve — the results of my hard work and passion toward my goal."

His words still seemed to get mixed reactions, but he kept on.

"This strength." Reivan clenched his fist beat his chest then looked at it for a moment before gazing into the crowd — gazing into the kingdom itself. "I shall wield it for you, the people. And only you."

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You have used [Essence of Falsehood]

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"Protecting the citizens of Aizen will always be my top priority."

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You have used [Essence of Falsehood]

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"As long as I draw breath, I shall strive to vanquish all those who may do you harm. This, I promise."

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You have used [Essence of Falsehood]

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"Hear me, people of Aizen, for I speak the truth! And only the truth!"

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You have used [Essence of Falsehood]

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'These things are annoying...'

After mentally dismissing the notifications that seemed to have taken the liberty to return on their own when the battle ended, Reivan spread his arms wide and spun slowly, his gaze slowly drinking in the crowd.

"I shall be your champion. Your needs will be above mine and even my family's!" he lied loudly as he looked around. "Where are your words, Aizenians? I wish to hear your voices!"

There was a strained moment of silence before the crowd finally erupted into cheers, their voices booming across the arena. Plenty of voices merely hollered unintelligibly but a lot of them also offered praise.

Reivan raised his fist into the air once again, taking it all in — or at least pretending to. He wasn't completely lying. Certainly, he intended to fight for the kingdom and its people.

But they weren't his top priority. This has been the case before he was even born into this world, and it has never changed.

To Reivan, his family was the most important.

If he had to weigh the lives of Aizen's citizens against his friends and family, Reivan would pick the latter. Even Stella's unborn child mattered more to him than all these faceless people.

It was a cold thought to have, even he knew, but that was simply how he felt.

Still, he did intend to do part of what he'd said. Aizen was his home because it was where he and his loved ones lived, but it was still a good place and he wouldn't want to lose it.

Reivan did lie though, and ironically, that made him much easier for the populace to believe. Even though he sounded like a crook trying to appeal to the people.

'Well, it's just a tiny white lie.'

It wouldn't hurt anyone.

Unlock Conditions Fulfilled

'Hm?'

Reivan raised a brow as a strange message filled his vision.

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You have successfully deceived more than 10 Million Souls within a single minute.

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[Essence of Falsehood] Sub-Skill #3 - [Reality Falsification] has been unlocked!

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'Well, that sounds promising.'

Reivan waved it away for now though. There would be plenty of time to examine it later — when he wasn't tired out of his mind.

There was a nice soft bed in his room and he had been waiting for more than twenty years to pass out on it.

Arc#3 Chapter 84: Match End

Reivan didn't know what exactly happened. But he did have a vague idea why it did.

After eliminating Blue, Yellow threw an invisible something at him. Then he suddenly plummeted into the stone stage faster than his mind could process what had happened.

A deafening rumble followed afterward, filling his ears and echoing throughout the stadium as Reivan's body was forcefully slammed into the ground. Dust and debris hurtled through the air, the stage completely ruined by a Reivan-shaped meteor that remodeled the stage by placing a large crater right in the middle.

'That... fucking hurt...'

He may not have looked like he was wearing any meaningful armor besides his gambeson, but his [Soul Armament] had already surrounded him with an invisible layer of supernatural energy much better than enchanted wares. And yet, the damage resistance it provided wasn't enough to fully shield him from the crash.

The height wasn't a big problem but the speed and force behind his fall was immense. Rather than falling, it was like a giant yanked him downward, straight into the ground.

"Ugh...!" Reivan's mind spun, still reeling from the fall. His lungs greedily sucked in air as he tried and failed to get up. He struggled to push up from the crater he had produced, but could barely move a single inch. It was as if a house was sitting on his back — and as time passed, the house was getting heavier and heavier.

With clenched teeth and the veins on his neck threatening to pop from the strain, he resisted whatever technique the knight had used on him. It didn't take a genius to find out that it had something to do with gravity manipulation. And those kinds of aetherblade arts were notorious for being extremely tricky. All he had to do was move out of the area of effect and he would be free.

Probably.

'Wait. That's not right.... The clump of energy must have been some kind of link or activation condition. So this isn't an AoE technique, but a targeted one.'

In such a case, the solution was also simple — he just had to remove the link.

The problem was he didn't know where it was. His eyes could probably see it. But he lacked the freedom to move his hand at the moment, much less inspect his prone body. If that wasn't enough, the gravity technique seemed to have some strange ability to prevent him from using the energy within him — be it his qi, mana, or the combination of the two called essence.

Right after any energy left his body, it got sucked into the ground for a few dozens of meters before it became something "foreign" to him, reintegrating into the world around it. Even the essence within his body was starting to steadily gravitate toward the depths of the earth. The gaseous mist he'd produced to absorb his enemies' resources was affected as well.

To top it all off, his body might still have been intact and above ground, but his internal organs felt like they were getting dislodged from where they were supposed to be.

'I...'

All it would now take was for the golden-plumed knight to finish him off so the Sword Star could snatch him out.

'I think I lost...'

A bitter taste filled Reivan's mouth that had nothing to do with the blood. He hadn't thought that winning would be easy by any stretch of the imagination. And he certainly didn't think his chance of winning was a hundred percent.

But his preparations were deep. And he was so close to victory, that being denied his prize just before he got it felt worse than if he'd just gotten stomped in the first few seconds of the fight.

Perhaps from the eyes of the audience, his performance was already sufficient — satisfactory, even. He did, after all, defeat and eliminate two out of three knights.

His family would also have nothing but praise, probably. His father was tough on him sometimes, but he would likely be the same. They were nice like that. Right after this, they would fill his ears with soothing words, telling him not to focus on his loss and instead pay attention to what he'd accomplished despite the odds being stacked against him.

But that wasn't what he wanted out of all of this.

That wasn't why he worked so hard at all.

Reivan didn't spend twenty years in crippling loneliness so he could be consoled — told that he'd done good enough. He didn't do all that so he could lose.

His face was gradually colored with frustration as he remembered all his preparations. Wounds, severed limbs, and countless deaths while sparring with fictional sparring partners. The soul-crushing pain of literally exploding into a million pieces every time his chaos energy went out of control, just to obtain just one more trump card to use.

All of it. He had endured all of it because he wanted to win in the most amazing way possible.

To prove that he was special — that he deserved this second chance at a good life.

Reivan wanted to convince himself that even if he'd gained an arsenal of special abilities, that wasn't all he was. He was more than that. More than just a person who'd lucked out.

'Fuck...!'

His mind — previously filled with cold calculation, a desire for efficiency, countless aetherblade arts, and all sorts of tactics that wouldn't help him in his current predicament — rang with defiance. What remained of his qi and magic power ran rampant with the force of a tsunami as it circulated through his veins in resistance to the intense gravitational pull. It wasn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, but as chaos energy had proved, tremendous power could be obtained once order and control were lost.

In the basest of terms, he was throwing a tantrum.

Reivan grunted loudly in an almost unsightly manner as he tried to squirm his way out of his invisible chains. His messy and disheveled appearance was the last of his concerns, blood and drool dripping out of his mouth. He felt the veins on his neck and arms fit to burst at the strain of his effort, but he soldiered on as his internal organs constantly healed. With a furious bellow, Reivan somehow raised his body enough to plant both palms on the ground as he strained to complete the hardest push-up of his life.

But no matter how much he tried, the force weighing him down only seemed to intensify as if to match his opposition. After only a few moments, a strong pulse of gravitational force once again slammed into the ground with a mighty crash, the bones in his arms and legs almost snapping as a result.

A breath escaped Reivan's cracked and bloody lips as strength escaped him.

That was it.

That was everything he had.

The final bit of meaningful struggle he had left in him.

There wasn't really anything else he could do at this point except squirm pitifully like a worm under a titan's boot.

"I propose you surrender, Your Highness."

As if to serve as the last nail in the proverbial coffin, what he could only assume was the golden-plumed knight telepathically sent her thoughts into his mind through their dream crystals — though Reivan's was currently in Zouros' stomach. Thoughts were sent as just thoughts and not words — though the brain understood them as words — so he couldn't hear her actual voice, but Reivan could tell that there was no contempt or any intent to mock him in her suggestion.

She was simply stating the obvious.

Reivan had lost. And so he should just surrender with grace or something like that.

In response, Reivan sneered, more to himself than his opponent.

"What is your name, knight?" Reivan telepathically asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"My name is Gwendolyn, Your Highness. But most call me Gwen."

"I see. I don't know where you are right now since I can't even move my neck. But can you see the people up there?"

"Up there...?"

"Yes. Somewhere up there, in the only room above ground in this entire arena. My sisters are there. My brother too. And my mother. And last but not least, my father too. All of them are watching me. Do you understand that?"

Reivan spat out a mouthful of blood as he struggled to even breathe.

"I am not surrendering."

Of this, he was sure.

"Consider it the cry of a dying dog. But you can defeat me a hundred times, but will never make me surrender. The only outcome of this battle is my victory... or the Sword Star pulling me out to stop me from dying. Nothing else.

Reivan labored to take a deep breath before he sent back his final thoughts.

"So either end me right now. Or shut up."

Even after a few moments had passed, silence was the only answer as the weight pressing down on Reivan intensified.

But in a moment of clarity, he noticed it.

'Why hasn't she finished me off with a sword to the back of the head...?'

Reivan had already shown that he couldn't do anything against whatever crowd control technique she was using. The golden plumed-knight could also easily penetrate his damage resistance even when he was trying to resist her. With those two facts alone, it would be a simple matter of finishing him off while he literally couldn't move or muster up a single decent aetherblade art.

'Which means she can't finish me off at the moment.'

His mind spun as he did his best to sense her location somehow. Hearing, smelling, or even sensing her presence like some anime character... Reivan tried to rely on all of those. Sure, he couldn't move or use any energy outside his body, but surely gravity didn't work on sound.

None of his two most dependable senses seemed to work though. There was a tinnitus-like ringing in his ears and the constant sound of his flesh trying to dig deeper into the stone hindered his hearing. The gravity field around him seemed to work on gas too, so he couldn't even smell the blood in his nose.

Luckily, his intuition seemed to have kicked in at the opportune moment. Reivan could somehow tell that Yellow was standing stationary some distance away, outside of his field of vision — which wasn't so hard to accomplish, owing to the fact that he was at the bottom of a crater constructed by his own body.

'She's not moving to finish me off...'

There was a chance that the knight simply had a nasty personality and wanted to toy with her food, but Reivan thought that the chances of that were low. After all, he was still a prince. He wouldn't hold any grudges even if he got the shit beaten out of him since this whole debacle was born out of tradition, but intentionally humiliating him when he could have been finished off sooner was a different matter altogether.

Which meant that there was some other reason.

'It's not that she isn't moving to finish me off.'

The knight simply couldn't move to finish him off.

'I see. This must be a channeling technique.'

And once Reivan really thought about it, if everything really was in the palm of her hand, the knight wouldn't have even suggested a surrender. She would have just won the whole thing by stabbing him in the nuts — which, as proven in their earlier melee exchanges, was something she was open to attempting.

In his mind, all of this meant that victory hadn't been truly decided yet. Psychological warfare through conversation was one of the knight order's tactics, after all. The only reason they hadn't resorted to using it earlier was because they still believed they had the upper hand.

Gwen's use of that card just proved that he still had a chance.

Reivan was emboldened by this realization. It just meant that if he could last until the knight's essence reserves were depleted, he would win.

And this time, it would be an indisputable victory.

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Gwen toiled to maintain << Gravity Anchor >>, struggling with its exorbitant cost.

Just like Villago's killing move — which quite literally destroyed space — her trump card also left her in an exhausted state if she used it for too long. She also couldn't move or do anything else while maintaining it, so all she could hope for was to either crush her opponents into mush on the pavement or deplete them of energy to the extent that she could finish them off in a melee afterward — which, because of her special gift, was her forte.

'This isn't working.'

She had hoped the initial impact would have been enough, but it turned out that the second prince was significantly sturdier than she initially expected. Perhaps he'd instinctively used a few defensive aetherblade arts before the impact with the ground too, Even after the crash, he could heal the constant internal damage with that medicinal effect reproduction ability he had.

'A battle of attrition truly isn't the right choice against him.'

Gwen decisively stopped channeling the art and resolved to end the match in a melee, using the last of her essence to transform into a streak of light and simultaneously burning off the frosty slush that had built around her skin and armor from the prince's domain technique.

She had all but depleted her store of magic power and the second prince was likely the same. Donovan hadn't told her about the domain-type absorption technique the prince had, but other than the obviously very costly technique that the prince likely couldn't use anymore, the prince apparently had to make contact to activate the absorption — and Gwen was very good at avoiding hits. So far, the prince hadn't been able to touch her shadow whenever their swords clashed.

Gwen couldn't help but note how cold her lungs were, likely a side effect of how she'd breathed in some of the icy black mist.

'Doesn't matter. The effects are minimal and already feel like they're wearing off.'

As her body rematerialized, her rapier stabbed into the ground where the prince's back was supposed to be.

However, the prince evaded as if he had expected the << Gravity Anchor >> to end at that moment. With surprising vigor, he rolled away and kicked the air to quickly stand up before charging at her with fists raised.

Gwen focused on the prince, ready to react to his future actions. But she was surprised to discover that he had no future.

'He figured it out.'

Her ability wasn't omniscient. This was a fact she'd discovered a long time ago when Donovan drilled her weakness into her mind.

'He's reacting to my own actions. There's no future to tell since the future hasn't been decided.'

If Gwen dodged right, he would hit right. He would then hit left if she dodged left. And if she didn't dodge, then obviously, he would just hit her that way.

'Did Sir Donovan perhaps tell him about me?'

It was highly unlikely, so Gwen quickly abandoned the thought and switched gears. She didn't have to rely on her gift. After all, she had cultivated years worth of fighting skills. To her, the gift she was endowed with was simply a bonus.

She was so much more than just her ability.

Gwen struck probingly with her rapier, she was once again surprised when the prince simply let the weapon's tip pierce into his stomach. But like a berserker, he rushed in and aimed a fist at her stomach. She immediately figured out what he was trying to do.

'Infighting, huh?'

Her somewhat long rapier wasn't the best at super close ranges like this, and both of them no longer had the essence to use another one of their mobility-based aetherblade arts. They only had their incredibly strong bodies to rely on, except Gwen was now at a severe disadvantage since the prince could heal his internal wounds.

'Then I just have to make all the wounds external.'

Gwen abandoned her rapier and replaced them with spiked knuckle dusters. She let the prince strike her in the stomach and then aimed for the royal's face.

His eyes widened for a moment before he abandoned his attack and dodged at the last minute.

But how could Gwen just let him? She wasn't relying on her special gift, but it wasn't as if she turned it off. Gwen rushed after him in pursuit. The prince also manifested his own spiked pair of knuckle dusters before they exchanged a few blows, punching and kicking with all they had.

Eventually, Gwen landed a solid punch to the prince's face. Blood gushed from his cheeks, but upon closer inspection, there were only three tiny dots of blood on his face. His damage resistance had likely mitigated the majority of the damage.

'Troublesome.'

She had to finish this. Fast.

With the momentum of a giant bull, Gwen kicked off the floor and tried to tackle Reivan to the ground. He quickly evaded by taking a step to the side, but that was just what she was hoping for. As she flew right past him, she swiftly turned around and jumped on his back, clamping down on his torso with her legs. Her arms then snaked their way around his neck, locking the prince's head in place.

A grunt escaped her lips as Gwen tried to snap the prince's spine.

In response, the prince bent forward and repeatedly stabbed her leg with something sharp to force her off, the veins on his neck bulging at the strain of resisting her. She also felt her stamina drain from her body as they were in constant contact, but that didn't matter. Even the mind-numbing pain of having a knife twisting around inside her barely forced her expression to change.

Reivan tried to fight back as best as he could by mutilating whatever part of Gwen he could reach, but she just endured. She was a knight with the earth attribute. Sturdiness was one of her strong suits, even though her speed usually took the spotlight.

Eventually, Gwen realized that snapping the prince's neck wasn't possible, so she only used her left arm to lock his head in place and hinder his supply of oxygen — after all, they were both still mortals, so breathing was still a necessity. A dagger appeared in her other hand, which she tried to stab into the prince's skull.

But in a show of craftiness, he caught the blade with his teeth.

She wrenched it out and tried again from other angles but he did it again and again. Gwen gave up on the dagger and switched it for the spiked knuckle dusters instead. Her right fist drove into his head repeatedly, concussive blow after concussive blow pummeled into the prince's head.

Each hit would have been enough to turn an ordinary mortal into a splot on the ground, but he just shrugged it off. He continued maiming Gwen's legs and arms while using the back of his head as a weapon to smash her face in.

Both of them were no longer using any of Aizen's refined techniques. The exhibition match had devolved into a childish brawl where both just ignored the damage in favor of attacking the other as much as possible.

Their struggle continued for what seemed like an eternity and Gwen was no longer sure whether her leg was still intact. But her struggles bore fruit.

The prince's legs trembled before he fell, knees crashing into the ground.

'Mission... accomplished.'

Gwen didn't let her guard down, of course. Even as the seemingly unconscious prince grew unable to support her weight, both of them falling to the ruined stage's floor, she continued her assault on his head while tightening her hold on his throat. Once she was finally sure that he was knocked out, relief washed over her.

The fight was far too close for comfort, and her stamina was barely holding her together. Adrenaline was the only thing moving her at the moment. Gwen finally let go, simultaneously releasing the breath she'd been holding and spitting out a glob of blood mixed with a few of her pearly whites.

'My legs...'

Even if she looked at her lower body, she wouldn't be able to see her legs since the armor instantly repaired itself. But she could feel that the flesh underneath was maimed beyond measure. She could still heal herself with her light attribute, but that was far too slow.

It was a good thing the Saintess had sent a few senior priests. She just hoped they could do something about regrowing her teeth.

'This was more difficult than it had any right to be...'

Gwen had still won though.

A lot of her moves — like turning invisible or confusing her enemies with illusions — were unavailable to her because the prince would see right through them with little effort, and she couldn't even use her lightning attribute because he was almost immune to it too, but she had still faced far more resistance than she'd expected.

'Fifteen years old, huh? Amazing.'

It was a good thing.

'Or maybe not...'

The royal family would be easier to protect if they were weak and stayed cooped up in the palace. But since the second prince was so strong, and would likely become even stronger, he would probably involved in greater danger.

Gwen sighed and struggled to sit up. She tried to stand, but it was impossible, so she elected to wait for the healers to arrive. That was when she noticed that a sudden hush had fallen over the entire arena as if all its occupants decided to simultaneously stay quiet.

'No. It's not just quiet...'

Looking up, she realized that there literally wasn't anyone there.

No audience.

No foreign dignitaries.

No royal family.

'What...'

Gwen looked to where the vanquished prince was supposed to be and was horrified to discover that he wasn't there anymore. Even the blood on the ground caused by their vicious brawl was gone, and the stage that had been absolutely destroyed throughout the fight was as good as new.

'What is happening...'

"Wake up."

As a chilling voice whispered loudly into her ears, Gwen's world faded to black.

Arc#3 Chapter 83: Struggle

Gwen watched in abject awe as Sienna's body vanished without a trace, teleported out of the battle stage by the esteemed Sword Star. She had seen what would happen too, but — and she hated to admit it — everything was too fast for her to respond to.

'That damned old man...'

Donovan hadn't informed them of these massive domain techniques. A lack of information wouldn't have been a big problem, since they could simply remain on guard for them, but Gwen had explicitly asked her former instructor if the prince had any wide-area spanning techniques she had to watch out for. This was a perfectly ordinary thing for her to ask since those types of techniques couldn't be dodged, and hence, put her at a disadvantage because she couldn't capitalize on her special gift.

And yet, the former instructor had said that the prince didn't have anything like that. It was with so much confidence that Gwen immediately accepted it as fact.

'Two. He has two wide-area spanning domain techniques.'

The first one was the dark-attributed technique that hindered movement while utilizing the resource-absorbing aspect of his bonded spirit beast.

Now, there was this one.

'A composite domain combining the absorption aspect, a dark-attributed corrosive effect that is burning my lungs right now, and a frost-attributed effect that was worming its way into her armor by corroding it and then freezing its way deeper into my flesh.'

The absorption effect aside, it was enough to call it an advanced domain — something only Ascendants could wield. Even Gwen hadn't gotten that far.

'We need to end this NOW.'

The three of them had been slightly frazzled by the sudden group battle. They were primarily duelists, after all. Gwen knew next to nothing about her sudden colleagues and she didn't know how they fought. Recklessly doing whatever they wanted was a good way to hit each other with their techniques. Although she coincidentally went on some missions with Villago in the past, they hadn't fought on the same battlefield back then.

That's why just as the second prince felt them out, the three knights were also getting a feel for each other.

'Was that part of the second prince's plans too?'

If so, he was truly brilliant. He had shot two birds with one stone. Not only could he utilize his domains better by fighting against many at once, but he had also indirectly crippled them for a while by forcing them into such an unfamiliar situation.

In hindsight, they should have just chosen one knight to duel him close up while the other two offered ranged support or something. It would have been even more effective since Sienna was apparently such a ridiculously capable cleric.

'Too late for that now.'

"Hey." Gwen telepathically communicated to Villago. "I'll duel him up close. Try not to get in the way and try not to have him suck you dry. Just try to support me."

"Oh? Sure thing. You do all the work." Villago happily agreed as wings made of shadows spawned from his back. He flew up high, away from the second prince's domain. "Still, this is kinda annoying. Why'd they pick you and me for this anyway? We can't turn invisible because our princely highness over there can see through it. How annoying."

'You can say that again...'

Gwen knew better than to telepathically voice her agreement though. "Turning invisible isn't all that we can do. You must have other trump cards that made Sir Donovan choose you for this."

"Hmm... Perhaps."

"Stop holding back and pull it out then."

"It's going to make things very difficult for me when I go back to Argonia though... Bah. Whatever. Fine. I doubt I'd miss, but try to keep him in place. I can't keep flying for too long and my killing technique takes a lot of essence. We should end this now."

"I know."

"And try to go for his nuts. The prince is still a man, after all. Make him flinch."

Gwen frowned from within her helm but agreed that it was, indeed, a viable tactic. One that would deliver the maximum impact when the first time it happens.

Before Gwen could charge back into melee range, she caught sight of the second prince aiming a pistol at Villago. Lightning arced along the weapon, undoubtedly charging the projectile inside with electricity.

'Railgun? Troublesome.'

Gwen's body erupted with light as numerous orbs of luminescence appeared all over the stage, lighting up all traces of darkness that allowed Prince Reivan to use his dark attribute so freely. They were rapidly corroded by the domain, but it didn't matter. She could create them with little effort.

In this bright environment, where the sun freely shined upon her and all darkness was abolished, she could use << Lightspeed >> relatively freely. The problem with traveling roughly at the speed of light was never the essence cost, though — it was controlling your body so you didn't ram into a wall at high velocities.

Such a thing wasn't a problem for Gwen though.

The scenery around her changed in an instant as she reappeared a sword's length away from the second prince's exposed back. She focused on the prince, her third eye telling her that he would ignore her completely, firing his gun at the flying Villago.

And just as foretold, a loud bang echoed out as a lightning-charged bullet ascended into the sky faster than it had any right to be. At the same time, her rapier pierced straight into... the second prince's afterimage.

'Shit.'

Gwen used << Lightspeed >> to move far away from her spot and scanned the surroundings. Her eye landed on the second prince, a few paces away from where he should have been. Her target reacquired, she once again sped toward the prince as a streak of light, her rapier point held forward like a lance to skewer her liege's son.

The prince's face was a mask of impassive calmness as he vanished like a mirage, merging with the thin black smoke filling the entire stage.

Completely missing her attack, Gwen was once again forced into a halt. Impatience gradually threatened to consume her faster than the rate by which her skin was being frozen. Though the area was vastly illuminated now, preventing the prince from using << Shadow Form >> too freely, she didn't have the means to purify such an advanced domain. It was nothing like the first one, after all. Her essence was being sucked out of her faster than ever, powering the impressive domain plaguing the stage.

As if that wasn't enough, Gwen also still had to watch out for that mysterious attack that forced Sienna into using Sormon's Corona. For all the damage resistance her earth-affinity afforded her, Gwen knew she would be taken out immediately by an attack like that. And she didn't have a fraudulent method that would block just about anything.

'Damn... He wasn't supposed to be this good...'

Gwen was forced to raise her sword to block the prince's sudden heavy attack before he vanished once again. Even in her eyes, the young man had come out of nowhere. She had to focus on her target to view their future, so his constant disappearance was troubling.

'I can't tell where he is at all...'

She had always been proud of her perception, yet, it was as if the prince wasn't even on the stage with her — which was obviously not the case. Her intuition was crying out at the danger she was in and there was a barrier preventing the contestants and their attacks from leaking out of the battlefield.

"Having trouble?" Villago's amused voice entered her mind at that instant. "I think I have an idea."

"What do I have to do."

"That laser beam attack you used that one time. How many of those can you fire?"

Gwen thought about it for a bit as she once again parried another attack from the prince. This time, however, she was surprised to find that her blade was stuck to his sword as if both soul armaments had been melted together. The next thing she knew, a fist was right in front of her face.

She dodged it by taking a step back and letting go of her rapier. As soon as she did, the weapon reappeared in her hands and she lashed out at the prince's stomach. Her weapon — glowing with the golden light of << Spellblade >> — easily penetrated the prince's invisible armor and ignored most of his damage resistance.

If the prince was in pain, she couldn't tell from his emotionless face. He stepped forward, plunging her weapon deeper, then reached out and grabbed her sword arm with a vice-like grip — or he would have, had Gwen not seen it coming and backed away in time. Undeterred, he relentlessly chased after her with a heavy downward strike.

Gwen raised her sword at an angle, guiding the prince's sword away from her before following up with a lightning-quick riposte to the throat.

He momentarily retreated by transforming into lightning, changing his [Soul Armement] into a pistol and rapid-firing three rounds into her skull — which she calmly parried with her glowing rapier. Five spears of ice appeared above his head as his gun morphed back into a sword. The prince bent his knees for a moment before lunging forward.

Gwen stepped diagonally back to dodge two of the frost lances as she prepared to meet the prince's strike.

'Hm?'

Then something strange happened.

The prince was obviously lunging at her with the force of a thousand charging bulls and her intuition was likewise telling her that she shouldn't try to block that stab, but her ability showed her something very different. Despite the trust she'd grown to have in her third eye and intuition, Gwen was absolutely convinced that the prince was going to stab forward.

Yet her future vision told her he would sweep sideways.

Hesitation dulled her thoughts for only a fraction of a moment, but she hadn't reached her position for nothing. She chose to trust in her guts. Her mundane eyes had deceived her numerous times but her third eye always showed her the truth.

Instead of stepping sideways to dodge a lunge, Gwen stepped back at the last second to avoid a sweep.

And once again, just as foretold, the prince spun rapidly right after she backstepped, viciously rending the space between them. Gwen could feel the essence emitted by that strike. There was no doubt that the prince used numerous attack-modifying aetherblade arts to give his strike some extra lethality.

Gwen used << Lightspeed >> once again to create some distance. Attack modifiers lasted a few more seconds after they missed. It would be wiser for her to wait for those effects to vanish instead of risking an exchange.

'What was that...'

She released the breath she didn't know she was holding, simultaneously discovering that her skin was caked with a layer of sweat inside her armor. It wasn't as if the confrontation was too intense, rather, she was simply shaken at her hesitation.

'Is it because of his gift of lying...?'

It didn't take a grand scholar to realize what could have been the cause, given the information she possessed.

"How troublesome. My... feints don't work on you either." Prince Reivan muttered loud enough for her to hear. Despite his words, his countenance was still bereft of emotion, sending chills up Gwen's spine.

Gwen silently waited for the intense essence wrapped around the prince's blade to die out, not responding to his words. Her participation in this exhibition match was on a strict need-to-know basis — or it should have been if her mother and Sir Criston hadn't accidentally found out — so she couldn't let her voice out at all. Otherwise, she would be opening up the chance for someone to connect the voice to her, exposing her combat skills to anyone who shouldn't have been watching.

"Hey, little Miss Prettyface." Villago's lazy voice once again snaked its way into her mind. "I asked you a question, ya know? I'd like an answer before I invest anything into my plan."

"What, dammit?" Gwen answered back in annoyance. Then she remembered what the man had previously asked. "Laser... I can fire that however many times I want."

"Why ain't ya using it then?"

"Because it takes far too much essence to fire a strong one, and as you can see, I'm not doing well on that part. He can probably dodge it easily too... Or worse, turn the laser right back around with an ice mirror."

"Point. Alright, use one."

Gwen's brows furrowed. "Excuse me?"

"I've got a plan. Relax. Just fire one. Point it away from the prince though."

She wanted to retort, but Villago was her senior when it came to serving as a knight. It wouldn't be too difficult to give whatever plan he'd cooked up a chance.

Gwen raised her left hand as light-attributed essence condensed into her palm. After a fraction of a second, a thin golden beam of light, somewhat similar to the one that Prince Reivan had fired at Sienna before, shot into the sky.

"Great. Thanks!" Villago called out through their telepathic link.

'What's his plan...'

Gwen glanced upward for a moment, only to see her laser caught by what looked like a plate of water. Or perhaps it was a bowl, though its insides were a bit too shallow for that. Instead of shattering the water plate, the laser bounced off of it, eventually meeting yet another water plate.

Belatedly, Gwen discovered that there were plenty of these water mirrors floating all across the stage.

"Gwendy~ I could use a few more of those! I'll take care of the aiming."

'Don't call me Gwendy, dammit...'

Gwen realized what Villago intended and acquiesced, She fired dozens of laser beams at the water mirrors, watching as they all shot across the air in erratic patterns.

Prince Reivan also seemed to find them troublesome, as a frown finally colored his previously calm expression. As expected, he formed ice mirrors of his own to deflect the concentrated beams of searing light essence and even froze the water mirrors Villago produced, obtaining control over them.

In response to his efforts, Villago banished the water mirrors the moment they finished reflecting the beams, not giving the prince a chance to turn them into ice.

The prince was now under constant pressure by Villago's relentless assault. The knight was even following up with a rain of arrows that the prince had to either deflect with difficulty or dodge, serving to drain him of even more essence.

It was the perfect opportunity to go in and take him out for good.

Just as she was about to go back in for another attack, a spatial distortion appeared right above the prince's head, followed by a thick arrow that was aimed to drill a hole into his scalp.

The prince's eyes widened as he barely transformed into a dense bolt of lightning, becoming intangible and moving away from his spot. With not even a sound, the arrow that appeared out of literal nowhere easily penetrated deep into the stage, banishing everything in its path to the void. Only a gaping emptiness where the prince had just been was left in its wake, crackles of grey electricity flickered on and off as reality tried to mend itself back together."

"God. Fucking. Damn." Villago once again spoke through their telepathic link, his annoyance clear. "This is why I hate fighting against knights. Everybody and their mother has freaky intuition! Not that I'm that mad about it since I have it too, but man is it annoying to deal with. I'm fucking spent! Shit!"

"A spatial technique..."

"Yes. It's the killer technique I only use when I really wanna kill someone... which just so happens to be a lot. I'm kinda famous for it in Argonia. Fuck. I hope none of those assholes get wind of this..."

"If their spies or even just informants managed to sneak their way here, then don't count on it. The entire country can see this fight."

"FUCK! There goes my job. I guess I better start thinking about switching departments..."

Gwen also sighed. Light and Darkness were the two attributes closest to "Spatial Manipulation", which was the domain of Transcendents. Still, it wasn't something mortals like them could easily play with. Even she couldn't do it, despite having the light attribute. The fact that Villago could use one, even just once, was amazing.

'And the fact that the Prince can deal with it makes him even more so.'

With determination, Gwen decided to use her trump card too. Or rather, she had already been preparing it since a while ago. It wasn't anything all that impressive like Villago's space-rendering arrow. And it took a ridiculous amount of time to prepare too.

But she had never lost once it activated.

Gwen felt the "anchor" of essence she'd shot straight into the depths of the earth reach a suitable distance from the surface. She spent a moment reinforcing the "chain" connecting her to the "anchor" as she watched Prince Reivan jump up and eliminate Villago — who lacked the essence to defend himself.

After finishing off the archer, the prince's attention returned to her, the last adversary he had to face, Gwen completed her technique and shot into the sky, weaving through the prince's attacks.

Faster than even she could control, she rammed straight into the prince and transferred the "chain" to him.

'Done.'

Gwen activated << Gravity Anchor >>.

Arc#3 Chapter 82: Chaos

Around the ten-year mark of his elongated stay within [Glimpse of Eternity], Reivan had begun studying more about chaos energy.

And that was also when he discovered just how lucky he was to be alive, what with all the times he'd been keeping it on.

When the chaos energy went berserk — truly berserk, not like the paltry amount of internal damage it caused him after using it normally — he was shocked to discover that he just died.

In a massive explosion too.

There was barely any warning. His body just exploded. Bits and pieces of him flew out like shrapnel from a grenade, his life snuffed out before he could truly understand why.

Luckily, even before that unique experience, he'd been getting killed by a weakened version of his mother all the time. Because of that, Reivan grew accustomed to receiving fatal damage. It barely mattered since he could revive infinitely within that massive white room inside his head — not that he wanted to repeat the experience too much, of course. Dying was quite unpleasant.

For science and discovery, Reivan tried again and again, repeatedly getting blown up in the process. Soon enough, he gathered plenty of data and even formed his own thoughts on why he had never gotten blown up when he used it in real life.

First of all, he learned that there simply wasn't a pattern to when he would explode. Sometimes, his energy flared up within a few minutes of connecting to the "Chaos Origin". Sometimes, he could leave it on for hours, and maybe even days without anything happening aside from some mild aches. One time, he blew up the moment he turned it on. As such, there simply wasn't a pattern.

It was chaos.

Random. Erratic. Unpredictable.

As for why it had never happened so intensely before, he of course thought that his luck was somehow involved. But another pet theory he had was that he was simply too weak back then. It was like a toddler on a small bike ramming into a wall — sure it would hurt them, but since they weren't going that fast, they wouldn't die.

Now though? Reivan was somewhat, maybe, kinda strong.

It was something he was a bit hesitant to admit when he was constantly in the company of Transcendents and Ascendants. But he supposed that he belonged pretty high up on the hierarchy when the entire world was considered. There were a few billion people weaker than him after all, living normal lives and dying normal deaths.

The strength he'd obtained came with risks, as far as chaos energy was concerned. Using the same analogy as before, he was now an adult riding a sportscar, crashing into a thick steel wall at full speed. There was no way to confirm his theory's correctness though. Aside from seeking out a certain world-devouring serpent somewhere out in the cosmos.

In any case, just the randomness of [Chaos Origin] and its risks almost made Reivan seal the ability forever. The years he'd spent learning aetherblade arts from various elemental attributes felt wasted too. The realization was almost enough to crush his heart since he'd been betting a lot on [Chaos Origin] as well as the [Omni-Resistance] and [Elemental Immunity] it provided while active.

Not having it safely available was a huge hit to his plans.

There was simply no way he was going to bet his life on the line by using it though. Not when he now knew how high the stakes truly were. At least, not in the exhibition match. Maybe if he was truly in a hopeless situation where the lives of his loved ones were in peril, he would pull it out as a last resort.

No matter how important the tournament was, his life was way more important.

Still, he had decided to study the ability a bit more before setting it aside. If he still didn't have any results — or at least, a visible path to raising his power — then he would move on.

Thankfully, the heavens didn't fail him.

Or rather, it was Karuna who shed some light on his path. She had been observing him carefully and had insights of her own as someone who belonged to a higher realm during her life. Something she'd said in passing served as a great clue.

She had said that the reason that Reivan blew up was because his body simply couldn't handle the power produced when the chaos energy acted up.

He really was akin to a grenade. In this case, the chaos energy was the explosive material inside the grenade's body. There was some sort of detonator that caused it all to blow up, but he simply didn't know what it was or when it caused the chaos energy to detonate. Or maybe the chaos energy was both the explosive chemicals and the detonator, nobody knowing when it would all be over.

And with the analogy, Reivan was able to come up with a solution to his problem using another analogy.

Nobody was dumb enough to fire a gun when the barrel was sealed shut. That would just cause it to explode, maybe even killing the dumbass that fired it in a shower of shrapnel. A gun was only mildly dangerous to its user because the force generated by the gunpowder could be directed in some way.

Hence, Reivan would simply have to be the gun — the type that didn't have its barrel sealed, of course.

The problem was he didn't know when the chaos energy would go berserk, so it was still incredibly dangerous to maintain his connection with the chaos origin for too long.

Fortunately, through countless deaths, Reivan also figured out how to intentionally cause volatile chaos energy to go berserk; he simply had to want it to go berserk, and his [Formless Will] — an ability that worked particularly well when used on "energy" — somehow managed to do it.

Unfortunately, the useful ability wasn't very effective in stopping the volatile energy from running amok and blowing him up. That's why he had tucked the knowledge away, deep in his brain as a colorful way to kill himself if he ever had suicidal thoughts — which he probably never would, since that would imply he was courageous enough to kill himself in reality.

But with all of this, he finally had a way to weaponize [Chaos Origin] without too much risk.

The exhibition match would be the first time he would use it in real life.

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Reivan closed his connection to the chaos origin before the light from the explosion even subsided. The beam fired using the berserk chaos energy had destroyed a significant chunk of the stage, filling the air with clouds of dust. It was a shame he couldn't make use of the [Omni-Resistance] and [Elemental Immunity] that the skill afforded, but he much preferred keeping his body in one piece.

Hence, from now on, he would only be activating [Chaos Origin] in one-second bursts.

'One down, Two to go.'

With not even a grunt of pain as he landed on the ground, Reivan pulled out the long arrow that Blue had planted into his stomach, ripping out quite a bit of gore with it. He placed a lightning-charged hand over the wound to stop any bleeding, all while healing just his insides with [Effect Reproduction]. As long as he didn't show that he had a fraudulent ability to heal all wounds instantly, all was well. Such controlled healing was easy for him.

It wasn't pretty though. From outside, it truly looked like he'd burned the wound shut. A seared scar could be viewed from within his holy black gambeson, eliciting cries from the audience. But that hardly mattered to him at the moment. He naturally didn't forget to take note of his opponents' locations while putting on his little act, though the dust kicked up by the destroyed stage over at that area made it a little hard.

That's when he realized something strange. If all had gone well, Red should have been teleported away by the Sword Star before the beam he fired landed.

'Why's she still here...?'

Reivan could feel her presence from beyond the dust. His superior senses as a warbeast — albeit just half of one — afforded him at least that much. The fact that Red was still on stage meant that either the Sword Star couldn't react fast enough, or he didn't think Red was in any danger.

'There's no way he couldn't react fast enough. So that means...'

The red-plumed knight charged out of the dust cloud. All of her halos were gone, but she appeared completely unharmed. A large shield, glowing with sacred light held up in front of her as she flew through the stage to bash it into Reivan's face.

'Did she... use Sormon's Corona...?'

Reivan dodged by momentarily transforming into a bolt of lightning again, all while feeling amazed that Aizen actually managed to snatch someone so amazing from the Church of Sormon. Having a knight who could theoretically block one hit from anything as long as they had enough halos — even a hit from a Transcendent — would be an amazing boon to the nation's power.

The amazement faded as quickly as it came, however. He was fighting that person, after all. And he had to win against them too.

'I'm not going to be able to use it again for a while...'

Reivan frowned as he flexed the fingers of his left hand, still tingling up a storm after he used an imitation of Son Goku's signature move. Sadly, none of his healing methods helped with the unique damage caused by chaos energy running through his body. Only time healed this particular wound.

'I was hoping to use it to take out their strongest in a surprise attack, but I ended up accomplishing nothing.'

Now wasn't the time for frustrations though. Repressing his displeasure, Reivan shot across the air, his sword aiming for the red-plumed knight's back. He didn't want to miss the opportunity to take her out while her halos were out. From what the Saintess mentioned, someone who had just used Sormon's Corona couldn't have halos placed on them for a few minutes.

Sadly, the other two knights had no intention of letting him act as he pleased.

Blue was already lining up a shot and Yellow had somehow gotten right behind him, her rapier aiming right for his back.

As for Red, she suddenly bolted to the side as if she'd known he would go for her at that exact moment.

'Damnit. This is why I hate fighting against knights... Everybody has intuition.'

Reivan clicked his tongue and gave up, turning into a streak of lightning once again — this time, aiming for the blue-plumed male knight with the great bow. His qi and magic power easily combined into essence, willed together by his [Formless Will]. He surged through the air much faster than he had ever done — much faster than how fast he had made them think he was.

Tracing an arc across the void, his blade — its edge glowing with the bright purple light of << Spellblade >> — traced a line right through the knight's stomach, slicing through weapon and armor with ease.

Instead of celebrating his small victory, Reivan's heart clenched. With how fast he was going and how much essence he'd pumped into his attack, its penetrative power was hard to match. But there was far too little feedback from his sword as if he'd cut through the air.

Not even a second later, Reivan felt the fine hairs all over his body stand on end. The blue-plumed knight's body vanished, replaced with a dense cloud of mist that invaded his body through his nose and ears. A palpable malice gripped his heart, looming ominously over him as smoke rushed into his lungs.

Unlike the pure destructive tendencies he'd encountered in battles with nightmare spawns, this malice felt colder—more chilling and intelligent than anything he'd ever experienced. It was as if the reaper stood behind him, its scythe already poised at his neck, ready to claim his life.

He did not remain paralyzed for too long. In the back of his mind, he remembered how the Sword Star had also exposed him to malice much like this one — though at that time, Reivan could tell it wasn't true malice, despite its intensity.

This time, it was different. He truly felt like his life was in peril.

Reivan quickly channeled frost energy from within his body, freezing the mist in his lungs into an icy slush. Once water became ice, it fell into his domain as someone with the ice attribute, so he hastily expelled it from his body. His intuition flared after a fraction of a second, urging him to change locations as fast as possible. He followed his instincts just in time to dodge a blast of fire from underneath the stage, throwing rocks and dust up into the air. A spear-like arrow came from who knew where to strike the same spot as if to make sure he was extra dead.

Not even getting a chance to rest, the dust quickly gathered into several stone thorns that shot toward him from every direction. Various other debris flew at him as well, each charged with essence that would most likely cause follow-up damage after the makeshift projectiles collided with flesh.

Reivan easily dodged that once again by transforming into another bolt of lightning but he was starting to run out of patience — and resources. Using << Lightning Transformation >> so much also wasn't sustainable, even if he was using a higher form of energy that was much more efficient as fuel.

As expected, Yellow hounded him wherever he went, as if she knew exactly which spot he was headed to — which she probably did because of her special ability. Fighting her in melee combat was also nigh impossible since she would easily evade all of his strikes while landing just about every one of hers.

That's why Reivan decided to go for a different attack this time.

Just before the knight's rapier pierced another hole through his flesh, Reivan's essence flared. A deep dark mist spread out from the pores of his skin, filling every inch of the stage. He hadn't wanted to use this technique in close combat since it hindered vision a little, but his first trump card had failed and these guys were looking to be a bit too competent for him to worry about something so trivial. Luckily, serving as a smokescreen wasn't its main purpose, so it wasn't too thick.

Right after the fog made contact, the knights' armor was immediately covered by a layer of dark frost, all while their resources were absorbed to refill his own.

Reivan capitalized on the opportunity to go after Red once again, still deeming her as the greatest impediment to his victory. The surroundings were dark enough for him to use Xander's favorite move while using barely any energy at all. His body dissolved into a dark clump of mist that reappeared right behind the red-plumed holy knight. He brought his sword up in a high stance, aiming to chop into the knight's skull.

Red had been expecting this too, however. Or maybe her intuition did some work. In any case, she held her shield up to block her head without even turning around to face him.

'She fell for it.'

Reivan swiftly switched stances, his feint a success. No doubt, if he hadn't willed the notification screens to stop, one of them would have informed him of how [Essence of Falsehood] had activated. But even a knight's intuition could not see through his lies.

Instead of swinging down, Reivan stabbed forward, aiming right at the red-plumed knight's heart. Not daring to save his energy, he stacked various aetherblade arts to empower his strike, making sure that she was deader than dead. His sword pierced right through her armor as Reivan felt the familiar spatial distortions caused by teleportation.

The red-plumed knight vanished without a trace as Reivan's lips curled into a smile.

'One down.'

Arc#3 Chapter 81: Red, Blue, and Yellow

As he watched the three knights share looks between themselves, Reivan internally chuckled.

He wasn't just being a flashy reckless imbecile in challenging all three knights at once instead of fighting them one by one, of course. Reivan had a plan.

'It's more advantageous for me to fight more enemies at once.'

Nobody knew that though. Only he — and Karuna, he supposed — knew of what he'd achieved. The three knights had likely been informed in great detail about how he usually fought, but unfortunately for those knights, he fought quite a bit differently now. Their intel was entirely useless.

Just like how Zouros excelled in slaughtering numerous weaker foes, he also found it easier when he was outnumbered.

Reivan took a deep breath and focused his mind, tuning out anything and everything unnecessary — including those pesky notification screens that his [Supreme Insight] showed when he activated his abilities. It was something he discovered he could do by, unsurprisingly, willing it to stop.

Those things could be quite disruptive after all. And they only ever told him of things he already knew of.

In this fight, he and the knights would not be powering themselves up to their maximum capabilities. After all, if the fight was happening too fast, how could the audience bear witness to it? There wasn't much of an issue when it came to fairness, however, since all the combatants on the stage could empower their bodies with qi reinforcement, had soul armaments to strengthen them further, and knew how to use perfect magic power application, giving a total of 1200 points to Might.

That said, Reivan could still use his [Beast Gate], bringing his total up to 1032 from 516, meaning he wasn't too far off from his opponents.

'Alright then, let's begin.'

The three knights still seemed quite unsure how to react, or whether what he said was even allowed. Reivan would be a fool not to punish their hesitance.

Without waiting for any sort of signal for the match to start, his magic power and qi easily fused together, producing a higher form of energy that gathered at his feet.

The essence instantly transformed as darkness rapidly extended from below his boots, seemingly altering the massive elevated platform into a gigantic slab of obsidian. The corrupted stage emanated a faint black mist that seemed to take the shape of little arms, coiling around the knights' legs.

'Absorb.'

He'd used quite a bit of magic power for the endeavor, but he would slowly refill his stock by taking it from the knights.

It was a surprise attack, yes. And perhaps it would have been seen as dishonorable in the eyes of an actual medieval knight from Earth. Luckily, the First King had been smart enough not to spread such a stupid view on chivalry when he introduced the concept of knights into the world.

There was no honor in defeat.

Victory was all that mattered — even if you had to spit in your enemy's eye, throw mud at their face, or give them a good kick between the legs.

"Get up!"

As anticipated, at the yellow-plumed knight's cry, the knights swiftly sprang into action and assumed combat stances with remarkable speed.

The knight named Gwendolyn was the first to react, a long and slender rapier appearing in her metal-clad right hand. The seemingly delicate weapon looked strange in the hands of someone in plate armor so thick that one couldn't even tell their gender anymore, but that didn't seem to matter — not to her, at least. She raised her foot and slammed it into the stage. Had it not been layered by darkness, perhaps cracks would be visible on it.

A moment later, thick stone hills seemingly made of whatever material the stage underneath was made of penetrated the blanket of shadows he'd created. The knights jumped up and landed atop the hill of their choice, seeking refuge from the absorption effect.

'Futile.'

Direct contact with the ground was preferred, but the smoky arms had already latched onto the knights — those wouldn't be so easy to escape.

Reivan dodged a few spikes that had been aiming for him as he willed the darkness to corrupt the stone spikes as well. However, as if knowing his intentions, the spikes are all wrapped in light. No matter how much he pushed the darkness, it could creep no further.

'Light element...'

The yellow-plumed knight's body pulsed with light, dispelling the ethereal arms grabbing her feet and some of the darkness on the floor, creating a clean area in a small radius around her hill. She then sent a beam of light to the blue-plumed knight's legs to free him of the smoky appendages plaguing him.

On the other hand, the red-plumed knight had no trouble purifying the darkness on her own. A halo of light hovered over her head, showering her with motes of white radiance. She was cleansed of darkness and Reivan could even feel her strength spike up by a notch.

'That's a surprisingly fat buff. I thought she was just a knight who dabbled in faith, but that doesn't seem to be the case.'

Reivan tightened his grip on his longsword, deciding to go after "Red" first before anything else. "Yellow" was troublesome due to her special ability and her light affinity, but the faith-user would be the most troublesome. She could not only heal the other knights, but if he allowed her enough time, she could summon a halo for the other two as well.

As for "Blue", Reivan didn't know what he could do yet, but it hardly mattered. Whatever that guy could do, it surely wouldn't be as annoying as constant healing and a buff that never wears off as long as the halo persisted.

Just as he had that thought, his body moved on its own just in time to dodge something flying at him far too fast than it had any right to be, causing Reivan to have flashbacks of when Donovan pelted him with ridiculously fast shards of ice.

'A spear?'

Reivan followed its trajectory to see that the blue-plumed knight had already retreated to the far side of the platform, standing on a glowing stone outcrop.

'No. An arrow.'

A metallic great bow taller than the man himself was in the knight's hand, its string pulled back and a javelin-like arrow nocked. The knight released the string and the large bolt shot through the air faster than his eyes could see and more soundless than most could perceive, but Reivan calmly stepped out of the way to evade it.

'How inconvenient.'

Reivan could effortlessly trace the arrow's trajectory if he saw it before it was loosed, but that would require him to pay much more attention to the archer — attention that he would have preferred to focus on taking out the Sormon Templar cosplaying as a knight.

Speaking of the templar, the red-plumed knight now held a very manacing spiked club and a large heater shield. Red bent her knees, apparently intending to save Reivan the trouble of closing the distance.

Unperturbed, Reivan prepared for her arrival but had to hastily summon a shield when he noticed "Yellow" suddenly vanish. The next moment, his shield was penetrated by a rapier headed straight for his heart. With a click of his tongue, he hastily retreated by transforming into a bolt of lightning, appearing right behind Yellow. But before he could land an attack, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Once again transforming into a bolt of lightning before his head was caved in by Red, he used his chance to switch targets for now, after all, Red and Yellow were far too close to each other for him to take one of them out in a melee. In all his simulations, fights never went well when he tunnel-visioned on one enemy.

Blue would be a better target for now.

Reivan zoomed across the stage, leaving the other two knights far behind in the dust. He reappeared right in front of the great bow user, his longsword tracing a merciless line through the air as it aimed for the knight's neck.

Blue wasted no time in blocking the strike with his great bow. The weapon wasn't meant for melee combat, but the knight seemingly didn't care about that fact, holding the body of the bow out in a defensive stance. The knight made up for the weapon's unwieldiness in close combat with skilled movements, Reivan backed away, deciding that a melee with the bow user — surprisingly — wasn't an option.

'Very inconvenient.'

Reivan abandoned his assault. Yellow had caught up with him easily, so he kicked Blue's bow, forcing the knight back. He then turned around, to block Yellow's rapier, this time, manifesting a much thicker shield. As he'd anticipated, the shield managed to block this time, but his Soul Armament was practically screaming in pain at the surprisingly... heavy strikes from such a light weapon.

'Earth attribute... She must be using some sort of self-discovered gravity manipulation technique to increase her weapon's weight then using <<Concentrated Mass>>. The smaller weapon would make sense then. Reducing the point of impact would be ideal for it... And then there's some other aetherblade art to add a bit more speed to compensate for the added weight.'

After instantly analyzing the enemy's technique, Reivan came up with a counter-attack. However, he didn't think any of them would work if Yellow could truly see the future.

'I suppose I should test out just how far her future vision goes.'

Right after blocking another stab from Yellow, Reivan banished his shield and rushed forward, lashing out with his newly manifested longsword. The blade's edge glowed with a sinister purple radiance, heralding the release of a great force. However, he was surprised to find that his target had vanished, and the spot his foot stepped on crumbled into dust, ruining his footwork.

A fraction of a moment later, a sharp pain erupted from his shoulder as a thin blade was inserted deep into his flesh from behind, piercing the "invisible armor" that his soul armament afforded him. The rapier had penetrated it like it wasn't even there.

When he felt the blade suddenly grow hotter, Reivan momentarily transformed into lightning once again, putting some distance between them while healing any internal injuries with [Effect Reproduction].

Yellow seemed to have other plans though. She morphed into a streak of light that relentlessly pursued Reivan, zooming across the air faster than him. The knight then began to pepper Reivan with quick thrusts, ridding his body with bloody holes.

If Reivan was affected by the light injuries, nobody would be able to tell from his impassive countenance. He tried to keep up with the rapid strikes, but Yellow seemingly took those parries into consideration as she continued her assault. Her strikes snaked through his paltry attempts at a parry, piercing deep into his flesh.

As if that wasn't enough, he also had to constantly keep an eye on Blue — who had already nocked an arrow. The archer seemed to know that part of Reivan's attention was on him, holding fire. Even though the man wasn't technically doing anything, the threat of a bow ready to fire was more than enough to hinder Reivan greatly.

'As expected. These people are no joke.'

They obviously weren't going all out yet. But Reivan already felt quite a lot of pressure from the two he was engaging. Luckily, the red-plumed knight was somewhat slow, so he could easily keep his distance from her but that wouldn't last for too long.

After all, another halo had appeared on the former-templar's head.

The first halo's effect was boosted by the second, and the second was boosted by the first. All while both halos boosted the user.

It was a rare talent for Sormon's priests — the ability to put more than one halo on a single entity.

'Resonance, huh?'

The Saintess had revealed to him that she could put ten halos on a single person, acting as a significant boost even for a fight between Transcendents. This meant the blue-plumed knight was quite impressive for managing even twenty percent of something only a Transcendent could do. And at this point, Reivan wasn't even sure if two was his opponent's limit.

'Donovan really picked out some very troublesome foes for me.'

Reivan jumped high into the sky — a normally foolish decision that would leave him very vulnerable. But Reivan had already scouted his opponents' strength enough. Or rather, he was taking far too much damage than he was comfortable with to continue probing his opponents with casual attacks.

Chaos energy filled his body as he forced it to go berserk, instantly causing a massive and nigh-uncontrollable blast of force that should have blown him up into countless pieces of burnt flesh. But instead of letting it do so, he willed the energy into his arm and pointed his palm at the red-plumed knight.

Reivan ignored the arrow that tore into his stomach as he released the concentrated berserk energy threatening to shatter his arm into a shower of flesh and blood.

'I hope the Sword Star teleports you out in time, Miss Knight.'

A bright flash blinded everyone watching as a beam of unstoppable energy erupted from his palm, headed straight for the Sormon Templar.

Arc#3 Chapter 80: Challenge

The tournament had officially begun.

Aizen’s arena was abuzz with excited cheers and roars as thirty thousand citizens — who were lucky enough to buy a ticket in time — raised their fists. Viewed from above, the glorious structure was made of three layers: a thick circle where the audience generally sat, a smaller circle with nothing in it but a low floor, and a massive raised square platform in the middle.

‘How noisy.’

The royal family — including the second prince who would be participating in a glorious exhibition match after the tournament — and a few other people sat in a special elevated private enclosure that gave them a very good view of just about everything in the stadium, with magically imbued glass screens floating along the room showing a close-up shot of random spots below.

After Rodin gave some long-winded speech that Reivan didn’t bother to pay attention to, slightly more than a hundred participants lined up and presented themselves on the platform below. The mortal peasants who mostly consisted of hobbyists or dueling enthusiasts took a knee and recited some kind of pledge about sportsmanship — naturally, Reivan didn’t pay much attention to this part either since he was much too busy thinking about his own matters.

Roland and Jiji on the other hand were busy talking to the ambassadors from the Magitechnocratic Republic of Arkhan. Once again, Reivan ignored these insignificant guests, only bothering to deign them with a smile and a nod before sinking back into his thoughts. Besides, his two siblings would likely extract more from conversing with foreign dignitaries than he ever could.

Especially since he didn’t remember much of anything except for combat right now.

‘Karuna warned me about this, but it still feels strange.’

Even with his boosted memory, Reivan had still lost most of his other skills. The white-haired fairy within his soul said that he would find them again, but this would take some time. It was slightly inconvenient but Reivan wouldn’t have done anything any different.

‘I need to win. That’s all that matters for now.’

Reivan leaned back on his seat as the rest of his family busied themselves with their own matters, his gaze lowered to the floor as the tournament participants fought below. The youngest prince began sinking into his own thoughts.

It may have been a result of his request to not be disturbed, but despite being surrounded by people, he felt very… alone. His uncle Viktor standing over by the door as a guard, his mother, and even his youngest sister were all throwing frequent glances at him, failing spectacularly to hide their worry from his notice.

Thankfully, they were stopping themselves to let him focus on his task.

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[Chaos Origin] has activated!

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All the magic power within his body and even the blood that flowed through his veins immediately erupted with controlled power. Twenty years was enough time for a man to forget what someone looked like, yet it wasn’t enough for him to truly master the utilization of the chaos energy.

Still, he managed to learn some things.

‘At the very least, I can control it quite well as long as I’m not in combat… Though, that’s not very useful right now.’

The ethereal chaos filled Reivan’s body, causing him immense pain. And yet, his face was a mask of stone, unmoving. As he focused, a measure of order was established, and the energy flowed like a river — a river in the midst of a raging storm, but a river nonetheless.

Reivan closed his connection to the chaos origin, watching passively as the volatile nature of everything within him eventually died down, returning to its previous state — as it should be.

‘I wish I had time to practice Release more. Damn. I should have practiced that instead of learning all those shitty aetherblade arts…’

He’d only realized a solution to his chaos energy going berserk after he’d learned enough aetherblade arts. But if he’d been inspired by the idea earlier, he would have definitely focused on that instead.

‘Nothing I can do at this point.’

Reivan was tempted to dip back into his mind for ten or so years. Surely, nobody would notice anything if he diluted time enough. The mortal tournament would last for a few hours, after all. That would be plenty of time.

‘No. No, that’s a bad idea, I think.’

No matter how useful it was, Reivan couldn’t ignore the alarm bells ringing in his head. He didn’t need his intuition to tell him that more than this would be dangerous. Karuna would be furious too, not that it mattered.

‘Wait, no. That should matter. I can’t ignore the words of someone who’s looking out for me…’

Reivan frowned and shook his head. Already, he was noticing things about himself he didn’t like very much. He took a deep breath and heaved a massive sigh. If he didn’t have to maintain his business smile, he would have already closed his eyes and meditated. Sadly, Roland had told him that eyes were an important aspect of any smile.

Furthermore, if the people below saw him with his eyes closed for a long time, they’d think he was sleeping on such an "important" occasion — which obviously wouldn’t do the royal family’s reputation any favors.

‘Win.’

Reivan took another deep breath, his eyes closing for a moment as he released it. Once he opened them again, the intensity in his gaze sharpened, his thoughts once again swirling with all the different ways he’d prepared to attain victory.

‘I have to win.’

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The tournament eventually ended, with a thirty-year-old lady who owned some sort of fighting club taking the championship. Rodin invited the victor to the VIP box and personally shook her hand, almost melting the lady’s brain in the process with his presence alone.

They had to have knights escort the champion out since her knees were too weak. The rest of the royal family were supposed to shake her hand too, but she didn’t seem to have the capacity for that anymore.

Needless to say, it wasn’t the first tournament where the champion had such a reaction. So most people just laughed it off and went on with their day. Reivan, though, felt a bit of exasperation at the overreaction, but this was just the way things were in Aizen — the king was practically a deity to the common man.

In any case, it was now time for Reivan to act.

Rodin explained the exhibition match and its rules, but Reivan also didn’t pay much attention to that. Though he was surprised that he would only have three opponents. He’d expected six or seven, but that number had been cut down by half it seemed.

‘Damn. That’s inconvenient.’

Reivan could only think of three people who could have been responsible for this change: his father, the Sword Star, or a certain balding old man who seemed to have made it his purpose in life to make things harder for Reivan.

Needless to say, he would’ve bet his life that it was Donovan’s doing.

‘They’re all probably half-ascendants because of that. Or at least close to it.’

Reivan of course knew that just because someone was a half-ascendant didn’t mean they were on the same level as his mother when she’d held herself back from ascension.

To be called a half-ascendant, one only needed two things:

To polish their physical body — or their vessel, as some might call it — to the limit so it could carry the burden of ascension.

And to have the capability of fusing their magic power and qi to create essence, a higher form of supernatural energy.

To ascend, one needed to fill their body with essence and let it sit there for some time, letting vessels and energy fuse. It sounded simple, but if it actually was, they would have had enough ascendants to make a wall around the capital with their bodies — like a certain main character from a certain anime did.

‘Damn. That reminds me. I’m never going to see the manga adapted into anime, huh? Fuck. I died too soon…’

A flicker of emotion flashed across his face but it quickly died down. If he let himself get dejected over all the wonderful series he would never read to completion or see moving on the screen, he would have already been diagnosed with fatal depression.

“Rein.”

Reivan was snapped out of his thoughts by his father’s voice. The king had apparently finished his spiel and was motioning at the audience with his eyes.

‘He wants me to make a speech too…’

Reivan almost cursed under his breath. More than twenty years in his ability, and he didn’t spend a single second practicing a speech.

While resisting the urge to sigh, Reivan stood up and walked up to the edge of the VIP box. The enclosure they were in looked more like the balcony of a mansion rather than the private boxes of his old world. There wasn’t even any glass separating the people inside from the outside elements — though his eyes could make out an invisible wall that seemed ready to solidify at the first sign of danger.

‘Here goes nothing.’

He took a moment to check if he was smiling the way his brother had thought him and raised his hand, giving the masses a wave.

“Good day, citizens of Aizen. For those who do not know, I am Reivan Aizenwald, son of King Rodin and Queen Vianna.”

Reivan let his hand fall, resting it on the railing. His voice seemed to have been magically magnified by some sort of function with how it echoed throughout the stadium, just like how it did so for his father. He let his words hang in the air for a second or two before continuing, his tone stern and calm.

“I have the pleasure of serving as the kingdom’s second prince. While the throne will never be mine to ascend and my temperament may not align with the realm of bureaucracy, I intend to dedicate myself to a more… physical means of ensuring Aizen’s prosperity. I am young. Only fifteen years old. But I have worked hard to polish myself for this noble role.”

He once again let all who listened digest his words before he continued, placing his palm against his chest and dipping his head very slightly.

“You are all welcome to witness the results of my endeavor in the exhibition match today.”

Reivan couldn’t come up with anything else so he looked toward his father.

“Good.” Rodin beamed, turning his attention back to the citizens below. The king raised his fist and declared. “Let it be known!”

Taking his words as a signal, the massive crowd once again erupted into cheers. Some of them, Reivan noted, were calling out his name and how he wanted him to live well and live long. Some even wanted him to bless their babies, or even make babies with them.

‘Well, that went over well.’

“Now, let us see the three valiant adversaries that he will face!” Rodin declared in a booming voice.

On the other side of the even platform below, three armored figures walked out into the light, glorious fanfare heralding their arrival. A bit of white mist — seemingly produced by tonnes of dry ice hidden somewhere — filled the stage as the knights made their way to the middle of the platform. They all knelt, facing where Rodin was.

Reivan observed the three carefully. The three were wrapped in non-standard armor that didn't show any skin at all — which made sense since revealing a knight's combat skills and their identities would be foolish. At least, this way, any spies couldn't match a face with the skills that would be shown in the fight. Instead of the visored barbuta-style helms that Aizen's knights usually wore, these ones wore sallets. Their armor, though similarly full plate, was also different from the ones that knights usually manifested through their [Soul Armaments].

Though their helms — each marked with a different colored plume to differentiate them from one another — seemed to hinder their vision, Reivan knew it would hardly matter. The armor created through an advanced application of their [Soul Armaments] could become one with the user, basically serving as an extension of the body. This armor didn't provide protection the way ordinary steel did, though. Rather, they bestowed their wearers with Damage Resistance that completely blocked force below a certain threshold as well as protected the knight from anything else that was harmful, while heavily reducing damage that went beyond that threshold.

Another advantage of this application was that there were no gaps to damage resistance. An assailant would meet the same amount of resistance anywhere they struck.

Reivan knew this well since he could manifest soul armor too. He had an invisible one on right at this instant — since there was no need for the [Soul Armament]'s armor to physically look like it was there to protect a knight — a carefully protected secret that had foiled numerous assassination attempts on sleeping knights throughout the kingdom's early history.

'Three males... No, wait. Two females? And one male. Huh.'

The three knights' thick armor that wasn't form-fitting in any sense of the imagination made it a bit hard to tell, but checking their statuses made things obvious.

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Name: Villago Suprana
Species: Human
Realm: Mortal
Age: 64
Sex: Male

Might: 1100

Special Abilities
[NONE]

Extra Skills
[Keen Intuition]
[Malevolence]
[Qi: Unleashed]

Elemental Affinities:
[Darkness]
[Water]

Favor:
(Loyalty / Curiosity ) 70 / 100   

Threat Level:
N/A (This unit's favor is too high)

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Name: Sienna Suprana
Species: Human
Realm: Mortal
Age: 29
Sex: Female
Might: 986

Special Abilities
[NONE]

Extra Skills
[Intuition]

[Qi: Unleashed]
[Faith]

Elemental Affinities:

[Fire]

Favor:

(Loyalty / Indifference) 100 / 100

Threat Level:
N/A (This unit's favor is too high)

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Name: Gwendolyn Suprana
Species: Human

Realm: Mortal

Age: 29

Sex: Female

Might: 1150

Special Abilities

[Third Eye]

Extra Skills

[Intuition]

[Qi: Unleashed]

[Limit Break]

Elemental Affinities:

[Light]
[Lightning]
[Earth]

Favor:

(Loyalty) 100 / 100

Threat Level: N/A (This unit's favor is too high)

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'As expected. Three knights who are all close to ascension.'

One of them even had a special ability, Reivan cursed. He immediately took a moment to examine it further.

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<< Third Eye >>

Passive:
Bestows this unit with advanced perception.

Sub-Skill #1: [Future Vision]

Passive: This unit randomly catches glimpses of the future. Chances have an increased chance of triggering during mortal peril.

Sub-Skill #2: [Focused Future Vision]

Active: By concentrating on a limited number of entities, gain consistent glimpses into their future, foreseeing events a few seconds ahead of the present. Proficiency significantly enhances the effectiveness of this skill.

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'How vague. Vague descriptions are more troublesome though...'

Reivan resisted the urge to click his tongue. It seemed that the one with the yellow — almost golden — plume on her helm would be his greatest adversary. Though the woman with a red plume and the man with a blue plume definitely wouldn't let him off easy either. One had the extra skill that all priests of Sormon seemed to have and the other possessed a skill that only people in a certain line of work managed to obtain.

"Rein." Rodin suddenly placed a rough and heavy palm on his son’s shoulder, the voice magnifying effect wearing off even though he didn’t seem to have done anything special. “Good speech, son.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“I only wanted you to answer if you were ready or not though. Were you not listening?”

Reivan frowned, the middle of his brows furrowing. “... I’m sorry.”

Rodin waved him off. “It’s not a big deal. Not anymore. Everyone seemed to like your speech though, albeit a bit sudden and unprompted.”

“Yes…”

The king seemed amused at his son’s mild embarrassment, smiling warmly as he gestured below. His eyes scanned the surrounding crowd. "Do you see them all, Rein? The people. Not the three knights."

"Yes, Father." Reivan nodded with a brow raised in curiosity. "I do."

"All of them. Every. Single. One of them. Are suddenly thrust into this world as commoners. Without their input, they are told that there's some sort of royal family that is apparently much more important than they were. Even without doing anything, their standings are below some strangers they rarely even meet. And for their entire lives, even far into the future when their children's children are but dust, it will stay that way."

"Indeed..."

"The least we can do for them is to do things right. The least we can do... is set their minds at ease. To show them. Show them that we deserve to stand above them. Even if it's just a little."

Reivan nodded again as his father's grip tightened. "Yes, Father."

"Do not disappoint them, Rein."

Rodin turned his head toward Reivan, his blue eyes radiating a regal intensity that Reivan had almost forgotten since he'd felt it years ago.

"Do not disappoint me."

Reivan met the king's gaze and placed a fist against his own heart. "... Yes, Your Majesty."

"Good."

Rodin's countenance shifted, a regal smile gracing his features as he turned toward the thunderous crowd. His voice, now amplified by a supernatural essence, resonated with authority.

"Prince Reivan shall now elect his first challenger among the knights, engaging them in battle until each adversary succumbs. As this contest concludes, either the triumvirate obtains victory, or the prince shall stand as the solitary victor upon this stage!"

With his father's prompting look, Reivan chuckled calmly.

His father may have intended for him to fight a gauntlet match, fighting one knight at a time, but Reivan had other plans.

Reivan placed his foot on the railing, easily getting both feet on it with a light kick. As thousands of eyes focused on him, Reivan jumped off, surprising the citizens below. He plummeted to the ground but before he could shatter the ground with his fall, his body turned into an intangible clump of black mist, which rapidly flew up onto the elevated platform.

"Fighting three duels is a waste of time."

A longsword appeared in his hand and he stabbed it into the floor, placing both palms atop its pommel as he declared in a voice that dripped with authority. He scanned the surroundings, drinking in the gazes of tens of thousands before his gaze eventually landed on the three knights, whose curious expressions were hidden from those with mundane eyes.

Reivan took a deep breath as he steeled himself for what was about to come.

And then, he announced his intentions.

"All three of you. I will fight you all at once."

Arc#3 Interlude: In the Waiting Room

[Author's Note]

I'll release another chapter on a weekday this week since I've decided to switch posting schedule. Watch out for it!

New Schedule will now be [Wednesday & Sunday]

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Gwen truly wished her special gift was related to concealment at the moment.

Much to her frustration, future vision wasn’t very useful in her current predicament. Perhaps if more of the knights tasked with defeating the second prince were present, Gwen may have had a better chance of avoiding Donovan’s eyes.

Unfortunately, the two of them were the only ones there.

‘How truly troublesome…’

Donovan was the best knight instructor — few people in the kingdom could deny it, and those who did would be disdained as imbeciles by the majority of knights. His remarkable talent lay in his uncanny ability to pinpoint precisely the areas in which someone lacked skill and offer effective strategies for improvement.

Everybody that came under his tutelage came out of it much stronger in various ways. Gwen was convinced she wouldn’t have reached her current power if not for the man.

Despite this, all his previous students either felt spiteful to the extent that they cursed him to go bald, or withered in his presence.

Gwen was part of the second camp.

If one were to ask her if her experience with the trainer was good or bad, she would pick the former. The man was a harsh and unforgiving teacher, but that was just what Gwen wanted. She didn’t join the knight order to fool around.

Gwen wanted to be strong. Strong enough to protect the happiness she had. Strong enough to protect the happiness she would have. And Strong enough to repay the kingdom that housed that happiness. From the start, she already intended to be harsher on herself than anybody else.

Luckily, she was talented and hard-working. This assured that she would at least be a decent blade for Aizen as long as she continued to persevere. Donovan, despite his sharp words and strictness, must have also felt her relentless drive, paying more attention to her.

Unfortunately, this attention came in the form of significantly harsher training than the rest of her peers.

Numerous times, she felt like she would go insane from stress. Her choice of wearing her hair short wasn’t just because it was efficient, rather, it was also because the number of strands she found on her pillow every morning increased by the day. In an attempt to save what little hair she had, she shortened it — something that, according to her mother, helped with hair retention.

‘It ended up being bullshit though.’

It was fortunate that Gwen eventually got used to the stress before she followed in her bald instructor’s footsteps.

All in all, she appreciated and respected Donovan as someone who had been — and perhaps still was — a vital part of her growth. She would appreciate his contributions more when he wasn’t around to remind her of the nightmarish training she had been through though.

It all ended up well in the end, so she couldn’t truly complain. Gwen was a half-ascendant now, and she hadn’t even entered her thirties. She was unrivaled amongst those in the mortal realm unless they were monsters like the crown prince’s wife, Lady Stella.

Once she managed to fuse her body with her essence, she would ascend.

‘That’s the hard part though…’

Gwen couldn't even begin to fathom how to go about fusing her literal body with her essence. How did such a thing even make sense? Wasn’t her essence already in her body? Hadn’t it already seeped into her bones and muscles, giving her ridiculous superhuman capabilities?

Even if they were both half-ascendents, Gwen truly couldn’t measure up to the truly talented. She still found it hard to believe that there were people who were so sure of their ascension that they actually held it back while pregnant.

‘The queen is so amazing… And Lady Stella seems to be trying something similar.’

It was strange enough that one person did it. But then it happened twice. In consecutive generations of royal consorts too.

Gwen thought that if such antics were what a prospective queen had to accomplish to deserve their spot in the royal family, the royal family would die out eventually due to a lack of marriage candidates. It would be quite a problem for Gwen if none of the royal family remained for her to serve when she became an ageless Ascendant.

She wanted to be a knight who loyally served the king, so the king part was quite vital in her opinion. Otherwise, she’d just be some vagrant with too much power for most people to deal with.

“Girl.”

“Yes, sir,” Gwen answered in reflex before she could pull herself out of her thoughts. In an attempt to ease her heart, she had escaped reality and tried her best not to think too much about the man she was stuck in the room with.

‘What in the world is he doing here… Can’t he leave, please? Is this some type of psychological warfare from the second prince?’

She’d heard that the unfortunate second prince had become Donovan’s favorite for a while. It wouldn’t have been too strange if he found some reason to send the instructor to the waiting room, draining his opponents’ willpower.

‘If so, it’s working… No, that’s not it. There’s no way the king would allow such blatant maneuvers.’

Gwen cleared her throat and focused on the iron instructor. “Sir Donovan. Well met.”

“Indeed.” Donovan nodded with a straight face that looked incredibly harsh without him even trying. “I would have appreciated the greeting more had you not sat there in silence for ten minutes before doing so.”

“I… I am very sorry, sir.” Gwen trembled. She apologized before anything else as her mind spun rapidly to come up with an excuse. “My mind was a bit occupied with thoughts on the task given to me by the king…”

“Did I ask?”

“...No…”

“You seem oddly defensive. How suspicious.”

Gwen’s lips pursed, her usually sharp mind drawing blanks for what to say. Fortunately, her savior arrived in the form of someone opening the door to the waiting room.

A dashing man with long brown hair and chiseled features entered, his lips puckered as he whistled a tune. His uniform looked a bit too messy for Gwen’s taste and his presence immediately filled the space with the smell of booze.

The man’s smile dropped and his whistling stopped when his blue eyes fell on the bald instructor seated in the middle of the training room. Unlike Gwen, he had no qualms about turning around to leave, muttering something about how he forgot his sword of all things.

‘Perfect.’

Someone else had come by — someone worthier of Donovan’s attention.

“Take a seat, boy.” Donovan snapped, his gaze sharp. “You don’t use a sword. And if you have some method separating your soul armament from your body, I’d have to take you in for questioning.”

“Yes, sir…!” Villago turned right back around with a very crooked smile. “My apologies. My mind was just a bit too befuddled by the task I will soon undertake…”

“That reason’s already been used. Think of another one.”

“Shit...”

“What?”

“Ah!” The man slapped his mouth and bowed. “Forgive me, sir. I couldn’t help but curse because of my stomach… I believe it was indigestion.”

“That seems about right.” Donovan scoffed. “Because to me, you seem full of it.”

‘Villago, huh? His Majesty picked out someone troublesome.’

Gwen watched the interaction with relief. She’d had the displeasure of working with Villago on a few missions and though she could only speak praises about the man’s ability, their views of how a knight should act were entirely different — though she did try to understand that the man wasn’t in Aizen most of the time, working as a retriever in foreign countries.

‘I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for knights like him, but I just can’t help but dislike him…’

Villago hesitantly took a seat somewhat farther away from her, giving her a curt nod when their eyes met. For all his frivolity, the man often kept his fellow knights at arm’s length.

“Care to explain, boy?” Donovan wrinkled his nose. “You smell like you slept in a pool of swill.”

“I wouldn’t call it swill, sir. It was quite good, actually.” Villago chuckled but stopped and cleared his throat when Donovan’s sharp gaze stabbed into his face. “Respectfully, I believe it is the duty of all citizens to celebrate our wonderful kingdom’s founding. Glory to Aizen, and all that.”

‘This guy’s playing with fire…’

Gwen’s heart pumped adrenaline into her veins when she thought of how the idiot would regret being alive if he pissed Donovan off with such flimsy reasoning.

Surprisingly, the balding instructor clicked his tongue and said nothing else except an exasperated “Keep it in moderation.”

‘That worked…?’

Villago’s jaw slackened. Apparently, the man himself couldn’t believe it either. Soon, he snapped out of his shock, smiled, and bobbed his head repeatedly. “Of course, sir. Of course…”

Donovan didn’t try to make conversation after that, his stony face directed at the door. Gwen and Villago did not feel like letting out as much as a squeak in their present company either, so both agreed to sit in meek silence.

Soon, the door opened once more, revealing the third and final knight tasked with fighting the second prince in a one-versus-three gauntlet match.

“Oh?” The dark-haired woman’s blue eyes widened for a moment before her lips curled into a smile, her pearly white teeth seemed to glow in the dim lighting. “Sir Donovan. I am glad to see you in good health.”

“I’ve been better.” Donovan nodded curtly, beckoning the newcomer with a lazy wave of his hand. “Sit.”

“Yes, sir.”

The woman respectfully saluted the old instructor before strolling to a seat.

Gwen watched in silence, her face stoic and calm. However, she was internally stunned that someone could actually interact with the ancient knight so… peacefully. The woman even seemed happy to see Donovan — a very rare sentiment for the vast majority of the instructor’s students.

‘I don’t know her.’

As someone who wished to walk the perfect path to knighthood, Gwen researched her predecessors extensively, hoping to absorb anything she could from their exploits. She knew most of the Ascendants. The only exceptions were those whose identities were being kept a secret from everybody.

‘She can’t possibly be part of the Nazgar if she’s a mortal.’

Those old monsters all had special abilities that were being kept top secret from even fellow knights in case an enemy had some sort of ability to suck out memories or something. Other than Queen Vianna, Knight Commander Viktor, and Death God Valter, the Nazgar were the most important Ascendants in the kingdom.

‘I know that we have one with a special ability related to creating array formations. Then there’s the one responsible for creating and maintaining the river network across the kingdom. But that’s about it.’

Suddenly, Gwen’s eyes met with the newcomer’s. She dipped her head and smiled.

“Greetings. I’m sure you’re wondering who I am, yes?”

Gwen shook her head. “I am curious, but I do not need to know. We’ll be fighting gauntlet style, after all. We won’t have to work together at all.”

“Eh~?” Villago cut in, a smirk on his face. “I, for one, am interested. Wouldn’t hurt to gain more acquaintances. Greetings, friend. Name’s Villago. Some call me Vil. Some call me Ago. But you? You, my lady, can call me any time. On that note, what say we grab a drink after this?”

The woman giggled, her voice like a bell. “This humble one is named Sienna. And I apologize, but I’m already happily married.”

“Bummer.” Villago shrugged. “T’was worth a try. Ya sure, though? I don’t mind sharing. More fun that way.”

“My wife is very possessive, so I’d think not.”

“...Wife?” The man looked stunned for a moment before sighing. “Ah, so you… Oh, okay. Damn. I never had a chance, then.”

“Indeed. Sorry.” Sienna then turned her gaze toward Gwen, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Please. Your name, miss?”

Gwen hesitated for a moment but relented with a sigh. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Gwendolyn Suprana. Administrative Division, First Class. Though I am also assigned to… other missions sometimes.”

“Oh, my. First Class…”

“It’s not that big of a deal.” Gwen shrugged and inclined her chin at the long-haired knight. “That one’s First Class too, believe it or not.”

“D’ya have to add that last part…?” Villago raised a brow then chuckled. “Didn’t wanna talk about ranks and stuff. But the box has been opened.” He nodded toward Sienna once again. “North Argonia Retrieval Division. First Class.”

“North Argonia… That’s quite far.” Sienna's tiny little mouth was a mere dot on her smooth face.

“Yep. S’why I’ve developed a bit of an accent when I'm not trying to sound all knight-like. As you've noticed, it slips out sometimes. I’m barely home, after all. Anyway, Gwendy doesn’t seem to know you, which is strange, since it’s sorta her job to know people.”

“Don’t call me that.” Gwen glared at the man before turning to Sienna. “You don’t have to tell anyone. Especially if it will compromise the mission.”

“Oh, it’s no big deal, I believe.” Sienna shook her hands. “I’ve only been recently knighted. That may have something to do with why you don’t know me.”

Villago whistled, his eyebrows dancing up and down. “How recent? Are you as young as you look?”

“I’ve only been knighted for a month and I’m twenty-nine. Fort Alexander Garrison, Third Class for now.”

“Huh. Ya sure yer supposed to be here, then? His Highness Prince Reivan’s pretty strong for his age… If you’ve just unlocked your qi…”

“Oh, no. You won’t have to worry. I’m quite capable despite my low rank.” Sienna giggled again, then said something that made the other two knights doubt their ears. “I was working as a templar of Sormon before coming here. I trained under Sir Donovan for two years before being knighted.”

Villago stroked his chin, his eyes wide. “Seriously…?”

“Yes. I just thought my strength would be more useful in helping the common people by eliminating disease... ehem, evil instead of guarding an already very well-guarded temple. I asked for the blessing of our elder priests before I left, of course. Sormon and the Kingdom are allies so I received it rather easily.”

“That’s crazy… hot. That’s crazy hot. Are you sure about that drink later?”

“My apologies.” Sienna shook her head. “I’ve tried men but I just like women more. If it was Dame Gwendolyn instead…”

Gwen shook her head and leaned back on her chair. “I’ll pass. I want to give my mother a few grandchildren before she grows too old.”

“Oh…” Sienna frowned but seemed unable to give up. “We can adopt, instead!”

Gwen ignored her, sinking into her own thoughts of Sienna. Despite betrayal having become impossible for the former templar, it probably wasn’t a good idea to tell her about everything that Aizen was up to behind the scenes.

‘Best to stay out of trouble. Fire isn’t made to be played with…’

“Are you three kids done with your introductions?”

Suddenly, the bald man in the middle of the room spoke, instantly silencing the trio. A loud bell chimed somewhere above them, accompanied by the muffled sounds of a cheering crowd.

“The tournament has begun and I’m here to offer you some words and make sure your minds are in the right place.” Donovan scanned the room and then sighed. “Listen up.”

“Yes, sir,” Gwen answered immediately, followed by the other two’s agreement.

“Right. It’s a good thing you all came quite a bit earlier than the agreed-upon time. Otherwise…” Donovan's manacing gaze swept over them before he cleared his throat. “In any case, there were initially supposed to be more of you… But the prince’s recent growth has impressed upon me that it would be a bad idea to try to whittle him down with sub-par opponents.”

The three stayed silent as the balding knight continued.

“The initial plan, one formed a couple of years ago, was to use about six or so Second Class knights to tire him out then pit him against a half-ascendant as a finale. But after I evaluated the boy—ehem, the second prince’s abilities, I judged that such a method would be in his favor. So instead, I suggested that His Majesty cut the number of opponents in half but make all the opponents First Class.”

Gwen’s face threatened to twist into one of pity. Even she wouldn’t want to fight three First Class knights consecutively. Even if she did have a very useful special ability.

‘Seems they’re really determined to have His Highness Prince Reivan get beaten up…’

She didn’t want to do something to a member of the royal family she so revered. But orders were orders.

“Gwendolyn’s the only one who remained from the original roster.” Donovan then gestured at the other two knights. “And then I recommended the two of you to His Majesty since you were very capable duelists. Your situations also mean that it is highly unlikely that the prince has coincidentally viewed your… information with those eyes of his. There were better options, I admit, but I want to prioritize knights he has never met to simulate a fight against unexpected opponents. Hence, why you are here.”

“Sir.” Sienna raised her hand. “Is this really necessary? From my understanding, the prince is only fifteen. Three people at the cusp of ascendence seems a bit excessive, no?”

“Wrong.” Donovan shook his head. “The second prince is… something else altogether. Don’t underestimate him. He’s… He’s pretty good.”

Gwen crossed her arms, internally amazed that Donovan actually unsarcastically complimented someone. The old man had always seemed to throw those around sparingly — as if he permanently lost a strand of hair every time he said something nice about his students.

‘At least, he never said that about me…’

This fight had been about following orders all up until a few seconds ago. But her former instructor's words had lit a fire in her. Now, Gwen thought that she’d really like to test her rapier against the second prince that Donovan seemed to favor so much.

It wasn’t as if she wanted to be praised though. She was just mildly — very mildly — irritated. That was all.

“Shut up and listen. I’m going to explain some things about your adversary. Your special talents will be revealed to him the moment he sees you. That’s why I’m going to even the playing field a little by telling you about how he fights. As well as the techniques he’s likely to use in the match. The only reason I didn’t tell you all this earlier than now is that I wanted to be a bit fair to the kid—ehem, to the second prince as well. This way, both sides will have only a limited time to form strategies against the other.”

Gwen shifted in her seat. This was exactly what she’d been waiting for. Information was key.

As a wise man once said, if you cannot be smart, be well-informed instead.

Arc#3 Chapter 79: Facial Problems

While Reivan was busy massaging his cheeks and practicing facial expressions in front of the mirror, he felt a familiar presence right outside the door to his chamber.

“Come in, Roland,” Reivan called out before his elder brother could knock. “It’s unlocked.”

The door opened, revealing the crown prince in a white outfit that closely resembled the dashing American navy uniforms that he used to see in films. The first king of Aizen must have thought they looked nice too since the uniforms had been around since the dawn of the nation, with only minor changes to its looks. And Reivan could only agree with his ancestor's sentiments — the uniforms were indeed very nice.

“Hey.” Roland stepped in, a smile on his face. He strolled inside and seated himself on a nearby armchair, his legs crossed. “Good to see your senses are as sharp sharp as ever today. Especially since it's somewhat important.”

“You came to check on me?”

“Indeed. I wanted to assure you that even if you embarrass yourself out there, you’ll still be my brother and I’ll still love you. I’m sure everybody else feels the same way.”

The tips of Reivan’s lips teased upward at his brother’s words. Though spoken in a joking manner, he knew that they were genuine — he could feel it. Perhaps if he hadn’t just spent slightly more than twenty years away from everyone he loved, the warmth in his chest may have burned hotter.

Alas, all he could manage was a slight grin. “Thanks, I suppose.”

“Huh.” Roland paused thoughtfully, watching his reaction. Then the crown prince stood up and walked over to where Reivan was standing, putting a hand on his little brother’s shoulder. “You must be really nervous about the thing, huh? Are you sure you’re alright? Wanna talk about it?”

Reivan shook his head. “I’m not nervous. I have prepared extensively for this.”

“That’s a really big word you used right there. There really is something weird going on.”

“Did you just indirectly call me an idiot…?” Reivan frowned, then laughed. This time, it was a genuine laugh. He had missed talking to his family like this.

“There we go.” Roland snapped his finger and clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s the little brother I know and love. Just take it easy… Or not. Don’t do that. Still, don’t be too tense either. I got beat up during my time too, so just clench your teeth and you’ll be fine.”

“So we’re already assuming I’ll get beat up too…?”

The crown prince chuckled, his gaze landing on his and his brother’s reflection in the mirror. He released a nod of satisfaction as he admired the view. “We’re really lucky, huh? We were born like this. Stuffed with charisma and charm.”

Reivan followed his gaze and raised a brow. “Is that so? What use is your looks when you don’t use it to get more women?”

“Wow. Is that a dig at me and Father? You impudent little…” Roland lightly smacked the back of his brother’s head. “Womanizers shouldn’t shame those who are loyal.”

“Loyal, huh? I don’t think you two ever had a choice…”

“Oh, shut up.” Roland feigned anger before he shrugged with a smile as he turned around, walking back to the chair. “You just don’t get it, Rein. The feisty ones are also the sweetest. I suppose you’re still too young to understand these things. Hopefully, you come to understand this as you age.”

Reivan rolled his eyes, making sure his hair was perfect. “Whatever.”

“And do something about your face, will you?”

“...What? I’m more handsome than you though.”

“Are you picking a fight? That’s not what I meant.” Roland sat down, leaned back to relax, and crossed his legs. “Your expression. I know you want to hide your nervousness behind a calm smile, but you’re too… artificial. Try to be more natural. Like Jiji. That girl... I swear, she was meant for whatever it is she's doing now.”

Reivan’s brows furrowed as he stared deeply into the mirror, scrutinizing his own face. He couldn’t fathom what in the world his brother was talking about—though, that may have also been because he felt disconnected from his face.

‘It wouldn’t be the first time it happened, to be honest…’

Back when he was stuck in a hospital bed, there were times when he didn’t look at a mirror for weeks or months on end. He had people to take care of him, after all. That included his appearance. Even Kyouka was enthusiastic about styling his hair and whatnot. Rarely did he ever feel the need to check on his appearance.

And when he finally did get to look into a mirror after a long time, he’d always have this… feeling. A strange disconnect from what he knew he looked like to what he presently looked like. In hindsight, that may have also been because he was undergoing puberty among other things back then.

‘It feels like that time... but quite a bit worse.’

While training within the fragment of eternity, there weren’t any situations where he had to look at his face. In pursuit of efficiency, he naturally hadn’t bothered with doing things like maintaining his appearance, eating, drinking, or even bathing. That space was special, after all—he had no need for such mundane trifles.

Still, now that he was focusing on his face so much, Reivan realized what Roland was making an issue of — his face did look a bit… artificial. Like some sort of alien creature trying to emulate a human’s emotions.

‘Interesting. I’ve almost forgotten what I looked like. That’s strange, but not that big of a deal.’

Perhaps he should have taken a look at himself once every few years. Still, it wasn’t much of a detriment to what he needed to do. The ability to manipulate one’s expressions wouldn’t be too useful against what he was going to be fighting against a few hours from now.

‘Or is it?’

After some thought, Reivan recalled something fundamental about the trial he would undertake.

Years of solitude, focused only on training, sharpened him, but it seems to have dulled him in certain aspects. For a long time, he was focused on the result. He had his eyes on the prize of victory, making countless preparations on how to achieve it.

But that wasn’t it. That wasn’t why they were doing this whole thing.

The real purpose of participating in a trial match was to ease the people’s minds. They needed to be assured that the royal family was competent in many fields and weren’t crazy bastards who would start tyrannically throwing their weight around on a hot Monday.

At this rate, their impression of Reivan would be a very strong warrior with an impassive face that just screamed “I’m an uncaring piece of shit, don’t you dare meet my gaze for more than three microseconds” or something similar.

‘This… will be somewhat of a problem.’

Reivan debated spending a few months in a fragment of eternity just to recondition himself. But he didn’t even know what to do. How did one even restore a person’s familiarity with their own face? This wasn’t a problem normal people had anyway.

‘It’ll heal with time… But I don’t have time for that.’

He was sure that his mind was in peak condition at the moment. Tactics, strategies, and all sorts of other things were swimming around his head very clearly. Reivan could only describe it as being in the zone. If he spent that much time in a fragment of eternity just trying to refamiliarize himself with his face, he would lose that mindset and probably never get it again unless he dived back in for another decade of training.

‘But if I don’t, winning will mean nothing…’

Reivan frowned, troubled that something unexpected cropped up just when he wanted to focus on his upcoming fight. He then looked at his brother. “Help…”

“Hm?” Roland stopped fiddling with a silver pocketwatch, looking up with a raised brow. “About the fight? I’d be happy to help, but I’m not much of a fighter, so I can’t offer a lot of advice. I hadn’t awakened my qi during my trial, so I only had to fight some trained citizens and squires that Father planted in the tournament. I have no idea how you’re going to deal with the people you’re fighting… especially that one lady. She’s trouble…”

“Not that. I mean my face.”

“Your face…? You mean your expression?”

“Yes. Please help.”

Roland stared at him for a few moments, seemingly trying to decide if his little brother was joking or not. Soon, he stifled a chuckle and stood up. “Sure, sure… Man, I came here to give you a pep talk. I didn’t expect I’d be giving you facial management lessons…”

It took a while, and the two were almost late, but Reivan managed to fix his face enough for Roland to approve.

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Gwendolyn Suprana progressed through the bustling streets with evenly spaced steps, the heels of her freshly shined military boots clicking against the pavement.

She had actually bought a new pair of boots, different from the pair she was wearing. But in the end, she opted for her old ones instead. Since the likelihood of being in close proximity to their great ruler was high and she wanted to look as presentable as possible when it happened, however, she just wasn’t accustomed to the new ones.

Since her orders were to obtain victory against the second prince, she had to prioritize that above something so trivial as her vain desires.

If fighting in her underwear was what would give her the best chance of victory, then that was what she would do — though she wouldn't actually show up in her underwear, as that would be a violation of public decency.

‘As we'd expected, the tournament this time is drawing more traffic than ever.’

Gwen kept track of her surroundings but didn’t let her pace fall. She noted how despite it being just the third day of the week-long festival, the crowd was already thinning. There weren't as many drunk people passed out along the streets and even some of the stalls were unmanned.

Obviously, it was because of the upcoming event at the arena — which was, incidentally, also her destination.

‘Mother and Sir Criston weren’t able to secure tickets…’

But that wouldn’t be much of a problem. New technology developed from the holostones would be officially unveiled today, allowing the entire nation to witness the glory of the royal family.

After all, even if it was a festival where the crown encouraged the people to celebrate, the country’s economy couldn’t just halt while everyone made merry. Some people would have to man the forts, so to speak. The arena, though large, didn’t have the capacity to seat everyone in Aizen either — nor could the capital city contain every citizen in the country. If it could, the kingdom would have had no need to expand its cities underground.

Hence, the newly developed Sky Panels would project the fight for all in the kingdom to see. Artifacts that telepathically transmitted sound directly into one’s mind would also be interspersed throughout the various cities.

And so, Gwen’s mother and the knight could watch the fight from the comfort of their own home. They were probably cuddling and kissing and whatnot, unaware that Gwen had already found out about their relationship.

‘They really thought I didn’t know…’

Sir Criston was already married and with children, so if they were hiding things from the main wife, their relationship could be considered an illegal affair.

Gwen wanted things to be official though. No matter how the previous kings made it seem otherwise, Aizen supported polygamy and polyamory as long as all parties consented. She really didn’t want to have to arrest her own mother for something that could have been easily avoided.

‘Hm. They're old so they should know how to take care of themselves.’

She wouldn’t stick her nose in that pile of dung for now. Gwen had other matters to attend to. Besides, as someone who was outwardly part of the administration department, she knew that the government wasn't too strict regarding marital issues. At the very least, the portal to a world filled with an endless number of monsters was a bigger concern than who was fucking who's spouse.

While her thoughts wandered, Gwen's steady steps eventually led her to the arena’s back entrance, where a few armored knights holding halberds stood guard. They were armored too, though she was sure those were made by their [Soul Armaments] as well — just one of Aizen's many advantages in combat.

The weightless armor manifested through this method was a facade. What was truly important was the "Damage Resistance" that the armor bestowed upon the wearer. Unlike normal armor, pure damage resistance had no gaps. A normal citizen — or even a newly knighted squire — trying to stab Gwen in the eye would have had no such luck with how high her damage resistance was.

“Good morning, Dame Gwendolyn.” One of the guards greeted her with a nod and a smile. “Awfully early, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir.” Gwen saluted with a serious look on her face. Though she was significantly stronger than the knights in front of her and higher ranked too, they had served this nation quite a bit longer than she had. The fact alone meant that they were deserving of her respect — this, she believed with her heart. “I didn’t want to be late so I came exactly thirty minutes early.”

“Is that right? Well then. We won’t hold you up.”

The two guard knights stepped aside and let her through.

Gwen dipped her head at the two seniors before confidently striding inside. She had already scouted the place in advance a few days ago, so she already knew where her waiting room was. A glance at her watch told her that she’d made good time. There would be plenty of opportunities to meditate before the fight, or at least exchange information with the other knights slated to fight with the second prince — surely, they had done some investigation on the prince's abilities much like she had.

Once she made it outside the waiting room, Gwen knocked politely even though she couldn’t sense anybody inside. It was just basic courtesy after all. After an appropriate amount of time had passed, she opened the door and stepped inside only to freeze in place.

“Quite early, girl.” Donovan, his face stern and unkind as usual, was sitting on a chair right in the middle of the training room.

Gwen’s clammy hands wiggled indecisively and she wanted to turn around and leave at the speed of light itself. For once in her career as a proud knight of Aizen, she regretted being so damned punctual.

"Oh? What's wrong with your face?" The balding instructor that just about every knight under the ascendant realm knew furrowed his brows. "You look like you just stepped on something putrid. Why don't you step inside and tell me what troubles you, Gwendolyn."

"...Yes, sir."

Gwendolyn took a seat and shrunk into herself, her face feigning calm.

Arc#3 Chapter 78: Last Minute Preparations

[Author's Note]

I'll release another chapter on a weekday this week since I've decided to switch posting schedule. Watch out for it!

New Schedule will now be [Wednesday & Sunday]

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After their little father-son talk, Reivan and Rodin eventually met back up with the others.

It wouldn’t have been much of a family night if they all split up and minded their own business, after all. After they reunited, they all led the others to fun stalls that they discovered when they had been split up.

For some reason, nobody else was keen on trying the mystery meat skewer stall that Reivan suggested.

‘These guys lack the spirit of adventure…’

He internally clicked his tongue and shook his head in disdain at his family’s lack of courage. But although Aizen was an absolute monarchy, within the royal family, there was only democracy. Since the vast majority didn’t want to try out the mystery meat stall, Reivan could only give up and go along with everyone else’s idea.

Of course, since they were all quite full, they usually bought one of each dish and shared a bite with everyone else.

After a very festive first night of the yearly week-long celebration of Aizen’s founding, it was eventually time to go home—though the festival would continue on for the normal citizens. The rest of the disguised royal family went home while Reivan escorted Elsamina to their little love shack.

Unfortunately, the red-haired beauty was a bit too full for any nightly escapades, and Reivan hadn’t held back his gluttony either. So he tucked her in, kissed her goodnight, and left.

He had more work to do, after all.

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“Good evening, Your Highness!” One of Grimharbor Penitentiary’s many wardens saluted with his back ramrod straight.

“At ease, good sir.” Reivan nodded at the diligent guard with a smile. “Not attending the festival?”

The old guard sheepishly smiled as he let the tension out of his body. “I’ll be taking the fourth and sixth day off, Your Highness. Already made some plans with the family.”

“That’s good.”

“A shame I won’t be there to witness the tournament on the third day.”

Reivan scratched his head, his smile turning crooked. “That’s also good. You won’t see me get beat up.”

The guard seemed to think he was joking and laughed in good faith. “Oh! I almost forgot, Your Highness. What brings you all the way over to our cesspool on this fine occasion?”

“I’d like to borrow an empty cell to meditate in.” Reivan raised a brow. “That’s okay, right?”

“Of course, it’s okay, Your Highness. The royal family can go anywhere in Aizen.” The guard gestured for some others to take over his duties and led Reivan deeper into the largest prison in the kingdom. “Kindly follow me. I know an empty room nearby. Just cleaned it too. I’ll set it up for you, Your Highness.”

“Thank you very much. Please do.”

Reivan and the kind old guard quickly reached their destination, one of the many cells in Grimharbor Penitentiary that cut off all senses while inside. Of course, Reivan had perfect dark vision and a very keen nose, so two of his senses wouldn’t be affected. There were enchantments to kill sound, invalidate tastes, and numb the touch though, so he would still have most of his senses hindered.

‘It’s the perfect place to seclude oneself in their thoughts.’

Perhaps a normal person would have easily gone mad while inside, but for those of greater fortitude, the utility of these rooms was massive. In fact, ascendants trying to reach the next realm would often stay in such places for years at a time.

Reivan could have easily borrowed such places, but he preferred Grimharbor Penitentiary’s facilities.

“There we go…” The guard fiddled with some glowing runes on the side wall of the room and smiled at Reivan. “Well, I think you already know how these things work, Your Highness. If they stop working, feel free to just break the door like last time.”

“...Yes, thank you. I can take it from here.” Reivan cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment, recalling what happened a few months ago. He’d rather not dwell on the bad memory though, so he focused on the task at hand.

The guard bowed once again and left, closing the door to the cell behind him.

A thick darkness immediately filled his vision, as all sound disappeared. He couldn’t even taste the bits of food stuck to his teeth after pigging out so much in the festival. Nor could he feel the clothes he was wearing.

‘Right, let’s begin.’

Reivan could still see despite the utter lack of light, so he made his way over to a bed meant for a prisoner’s use and sat cross-legged on top of it. He took a couple of deep breaths, marveling at the lack of feeling—he didn’t know if any air was actually going inside his lungs or if it was actually being exhaled.

‘No wonder everyone comes out weird after staying in one of these for a while.’

It was the perfect disguise for the aftereffects of what he was going to do though.

[Glimpse of Eternity] has activated.

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“You’re here again.” Karuna looked at him with a bored expression. In front of her was a table filled with various dishes that Reivan had seen or sampled from the festival stalls.

‘Well, isn’t she having fun. That’s a good thing, though.’

Reivan smiled at her. “I just don’t want you to be lonely.”

The white fairy rolled her eyes in disdain. “Sure. Anyway, judging by how you’re using one of those nutjob-producing rooms in that crazy prison, I guess you’ll be spending a few years here, huh?”

“Years…” Reivan echoed her words in a mumble and nodded. “Yes. Maybe a bit more than that this time. This little tournament is more important to my father than I initially thought. I don’t want to let him down.”

Karuna stopped eating and frowned with her entire face as she squinted at him. “I’ve already warned you about spending too much time here.”

“I think I can take it.”

“That’s what I thought too. D’you think I’m doing well? Hm?”

Reivan scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. “Relax… I’ll dilute the time properly… The next twenty-four hours for… twenty-four years?”

“Hey, if you wanna kill yourself, can you be more considerate of people who’ll die too?”

“Just twenty years then.”

“You crazy nutjob!”

Reivan chuckled as the fairy fumed, but both of them knew that his mind was already made up and there was no stopping him now. “Talk to me every couple of years, alright? It helps.”

“Whatever.” Karuna turned away from him, waving him away like he was an annoying fly.

But Reivan knew that her coldness was an affirmation, so he created a small private dimension and began his practice.

‘Since it’s been confirmed that I’ll be facing a half-ascendant, I probably can’t hold back too much. Still, I can’t show off a bunch of my powers since Argonia might try extra hard to assassinate me if they knew just how much I’m benefiting the county.’

That meant he had to have an absurd amount of skill level with everything that he could use.

[Chaos Origin] has been activated.

Reivan felt the power within him transform into something different—something more. It was both painful and exalting, making him wince and revel in the power it gave him access to. Had he used it outside, he would have had to face constant risk of the energy going berserk and probably doing something bad to his body.

But in this imaginary realm, there were no such things as risks. The outcome would almost always be under his control.

‘I need to get used to the pain.’

He was used to ordinary physical pain, but having [Chaos Origin] activated felt… different. Maybe it damaged his soul, or maybe some sort of ethereal organ, or maybe even something else Reivan couldn’t fathom. What Reivan knew was that it hurt like hell.

‘Ah, maybe I should also try to see what happens when chaos energy goes out of control. If I get used to that too, I might be able to come up with a remedy. Or at least something to mitigate a portion of the side effects…’

There were many things Reivan would have to learn within the next two decades within his skill. Hopefully, his bounty would be enough to bring him triumph.

As he controlled his breathing and chaos energy ran rampant in his body, rows upon rows of tall shelves sprouted from behind him. Within the shelves were all the aetherblade art manuals hidden in the palace archives. Reivan had only ever focused on learning and mastering the arts of the lightning, ice, and darkness attributes since those were the only attributes he naturally had.

But the aetherblade art manuals on the shelves behind him belonged to various other elements, such as water, earth, fire, wind, and light. There were also manuals for attributeless aetherblade arts that each had strange and unique uses that only seemed to be useful in specific situations.

‘I can’t possibly learn them all within twenty or so years.’

And he wasn’t planning to.

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Jiji was grumbling to herself as she gracefully made her way deeper into the penitentiary.

‘Gah! That idiot, making me fetch him like this… I can’t believe he spent a day in one of those crazy rooms. We put prisoners in there for a reason, y’know!’

She knew ascendants used those for mental training too, but mortals didn’t need such intense mental training—that’s what she knew, at least.

As a mortal, they were just supposed to train their bodies to their maximum growth limits, learn how to fuse magic power and qi into essence, and then let that essence permeate the body for a few days or a week at most.

If all goes well and your body’s durable enough, then you’d become an ascendent.

None of that involved mental growth to the extent you had to spend so much time in such a stressful environment to meditate. Sure, it was maybe useful for becoming a Transcendent, but Reivan was so far away from that realm that he shouldn’t even think of such intense meditation yet.

‘Not that anyone will stop him, though.’

Despite the inefficiency, nobody would stop Reivan since he was the favorite child. Well, he was also Jiji’s favorite family member, so she was just as bad as everyone else.

“This is the place, Your Highness,” a young guard said as he saluted.

Jiji ignored the somewhat heated glances she received from the young man and nodded. “Thank you. I’ll take it from here.”

“Understood.”

Once the warden was gone, Jiji moved to open the cell, only to be surprised when it opened by itself—or rather, someone on the other side opened it.

“Jiji?” Reivan raised his brows and smiled when their eyes met. “Did you come to pick me up?”

“Yes, Yani. Though it seems like I didn’t really have to.”

“It’s nice of you to do so anyway,” he said while taking a step toward her. Unexpectedly, he gently wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer.

“Wh-what are you doing…?” Jiji, the recipient of the sudden hug, was naturally very confused. She was no stranger to hugs with Reivan, but somehow, this time felt a bit different. “L-let go of me…!”

“Eh? It’s fine, no? Just a little bit.” Reivan chuckled and tightened his hold on her, resting his chin on her head. “Man, I miss you so much, Jiji.”

“We just saw each other yesterday though…”

Reivan grew silent for a moment before he mumbled. “Yes. But it feels long.”

Jiji also grew silent. She guessed that her brother meant that they’d spent a long time apart because Jiji started avoiding him—which, contrary to his initial belief, was no fault of his.

It was Jiji’s fault.

Back when she had her first mating season, her mother had been in charge of making sure she didn’t accidentally hurt herself. And while restrained by Vianna, Jiji’s lust grew to a boiling point… and in that state, she had unconsciously thought of a certain person.

‘AAAAAGH! I’m definitely not telling anyone about that. That secret’s coming with me to the grave!’

She would tell no one that even after her mating season had passed, she had still unconsciously thought of her brother. Of course, in the deepest parts of her heart, she never actually considered Reivan a brother. Just a nice older boy that she really liked spending time with.

Still, fantasizing about him for so long was way too embarrassing. Logically speaking, it was perfectly normal since Reivan had been the only boy close to her age she didn’t view with either hatred, disdain, or indifference. Even in hindsight, Jiji understood why her brother was the only face that came up when she thought of a potential partner.

‘Even so! It was way too much!’

For so long, her dreams had been filled with all sorts of fantasies. It would have been one thing if she’d only fantasized about lewd things, but she’d even envisioned a literal family with Reivan. Heck, she’d even come up with names for at least ten sons and daughters!

‘I’m fucking crazy!’

And that’s why, for a while, just looking at Reivan or getting a whiff of his scent made her recall all sorts of things she’d rather not. She was just a young maiden at heart. Staying too close to someone who made her feel that way was too difficult.

Jiji naturally chose to distance herself from her brother because of that. But she’d failed to consider how it would hurt the poor innocent Reivan.

‘Geez… This cute bastard. He’s like a puppy or something…’

“You’re so annoying…” Her lips teased into a grin as she also wrapped her arms around his body, stroking his back. She followed her natural urges and buried her face into his chest. “It can’t be helped. I guess if you miss me that much, I’ll entertain you.”

Reivan laughed and even lifted her up for a bit, making her squeal in joy and kick out with her feet. But he eventually let go of her and asked. “Tomorrow’s the third day of the festival, right?”

“Huh?” Jiji was somewhat annoyed that he’d ended their little hug on his own terms but nodded. “That’s right. You should stop training and get a good rest before your big day.”

“That’s true. I’ll do that. Thanks for picking me up.”

“It’s nothing. I was just passing by anyway,” she lied.

“God, I almost forgot how fucking cute you were.” Reivan laughed and stroked her head. "I really love you, you know that?”

Jiji’s heart skipped a beat and she averted her gaze. She knew he didn’t mean it that way, but it annoyed her how happy it made her feel to hear it anyway. “I… I love you too, Yani.”

“I know. C’mon, let’s go.”

Wishing to hide her face from his scrutiny, instead of walking by Reivan’s side, Jiji fell into step behind him as they made their way out of Grimharbor Penitentiary.

That’s why she couldn’t notice the bizarre glint in Reivan’s eyes.

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Reivan went back to his room and got a good night’s rest before waking up at the crack of dawn. He didn’t bother the maids to help him make his preparations since he’d already undergone the motions countless times.

‘There’s no need for too much armor.’

The purpose of this event was basically to show off. Wearing too much armor to the extent that it blocked his features and obscured his body too much was counterintuitive to his desires.

Taking this into account, he opted for his usual sparring attire—a fitted black gambeson with golden linings and embroideries, made of some sort of thin but durable linen-like material and fastened on his left instead of the middle of his torso by golden tassels. The rest of his outfit also followed his favorite combo of a black base with luxurious golden decorations. He secured his waist with a nice leather belt sporting a buckle shaped like the Aizenian Wolf.

Of course, as the prince, his outfit—though relatively simple—took aesthetics, utility, and comfort into consideration.

‘Looks good. Black just suits my hair, I suppose. Just like how white matches Father’s and Brother’s looks.’

Everything was ready.

He’d spent quite a bit longer than he’d planned, but he wanted to believe it was worth it. Though his physical stats hadn’t changed at all, his mind now contained more techniques than memories with his family.

In his mind, he’d fought beings like Stella, a hypothetically older Helen, and a greatly weakened version of Vianna. He even created imaginary foes with all sorts of skill sets out of the vast library of aetherblade arts he had access to.

‘I’ve… I’ve done everything I can, at this point.’

Even if he still lost, he could still proudly say that he’d gone above and beyond what was normal to obtain victory—that he had done all he possibly could.

‘Not that I plan to lose, of course.’

Reivan would win.

And he would do it like no one else had ever won before.

Arc#3 Chapter 77: Proof

[Author's Note]

H O L Y F U C K

I had to write this chapter twice because I forgot to hit save while writing it (Wasn't doing it on Google Docs, so no autosave).

My incompetence frustrates me to no end. FUCK.

Anyway, sorry if this chap's a little iffy.

I have macro plans for the story, but I usually fly by the seat of my pants and let the characters take over for the micro details. Some of those details got lost cuz I'm a dumbass, and the Glimpse of Eternity movie in my head doesn't have a replay function.

Goddamnit, seriously. I'm fuming at myself.

Sorry, guys.

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The Founding Festival was also called the "Founding Sword Festival", celebrating how the First King and the Sword Star conquered the surrounding territories to establish the Kingdom of Aizen.

As a country that took pride in the valor of its knights, the festival stalls featured numerous games and challenges that tested skill and precision. Naturally, none of these challenges involved taking up a weapon and fighting someone—that was for the First Sword Tournament.

Most games involved dexterity to excel in: like ball tosses where you aimed to topple lion figurines; small archery ranges where you hit the "hoodlums" hiding behind their hostages; or simple things like tracing rings around a winding, twisting metal bar without the two touching.

Reivan would have easily won in all of those, so he spared the stall owners by focusing on the food stalls instead.

'Man, does food get a special buff when they serve it at festivals? Why is this so good? This doesn't any sense!'

“Here you go, young man!” A middle-aged stall owner with a friendly smile held out a big juicy skewer with sauce-soaked meat. It released a fragrance that could make anyone salivate. “Fresh off the grill! Get it while it’s hot!”

“Looks good. Thank you, sir.” Reivan reached out for the food he’d already paid for, but it suddenly vanished from his sight.

"This indeed looks good." Rodin—guise as a handsome middle-aged man with a head of dark-brown hair and amber eyes—smiled as he took a bite.

‘When’d he get here…?’

Reivan thought his senses and perception were pretty great, but for some reason, he hadn’t even sensed his father coming.

But that hardly mattered right now. What was important was what that father of his did.

“Father, that’s mine…” Reivan grumbled.

Rodin chewed and swallowed before placing a twenty-lumen coin on the counter. He smiled while holding out one finger to the stall owner. “One more for the boy, please. And please, keep the change.”

“Oh.” The middle-aged stall owner looked just about ready to call the nearby peacekeepers but realized that the two men were father and son. He snatched the coin off the counter and beamed. “Comin’ right up!”

Fortunately for Reivan, he didn’t need to wait for this one. The stall owner had seemingly anticipated more customers and had grilled up more mystery meat skewers in advance.

‘Should I look at it with [Supreme Insight] to know what kind of meat it is…?’

Reivan hesitated as he walked through the streets with his father. Part of the fun in eating mystery meat was, well, the mystery of what you were putting in your mouth.

Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally becoming a cannibal or something since all the stalls were heavily curated by some kind of festival council.

Reivan didn’t really know much about it, but Roland always complained about how much of a pain the founding festival was because he had to approve just about everything in person—yet another one of the responsibilities he’d inherited from their father.

In any case, he decided not to remain ignorant of what he was eating. What mattered was that it tasted good and it wasn’t ridiculous enough to get banned by the festival committee.

“Son.” Rodin licked his fingers and threw the used wooden skewer into his spatial ring. “Are your preparations for the tournament going well?”

“Mother said not to talk about work tonight.”

“... It’s fine since this isn’t about work.”

‘Like hell, it is.’

“It’s going pretty well, I suppose? At the very least, I’m confident I won’t embarrass myself unless I have to fight a half-ascendant…” Reivan then had a thought, sending his father a side glance. “I’m not facing a half-ascendant, am I?”

“That skewer truly tasted good didn’t it, son?” Rodin seemed to decide that changing the subject was for the best. He smacked his lips and sighed. “However, it made me quite thirsty. Why don’t you get your father something to drink?”

Reivan rolled his eyes but obediently left to find a stall that sold refreshments. It wasn’t that hard, since it was also part of the festival committee’s work to space out refreshment stalls evenly, so there was one of them for every few food or game stalls.

Eventually, he bought two cups of chilled juice made of all sorts of fruits—including ones that were apparently grown at the bottom of the sea floor. Understandably, there was a salty aftertaste. But the other sweet fruits mixed into the juice balanced it, giving birth to a flavor that—while unique and would take some getting used to—was quite good in its own right.

‘I kinda like it, I guess. Six out of ten. Maybe a seven on a good day.’

Reivan wiped his damp lips with his sleeve and walked over to where he’d left his father, only to see that some sort of incident had happened.

‘Seriously? I leave him alone for one second…’

From afar, he observed that his father was consoling a crying little girl and there was white cream smeared all over his crotch area… and an ice cream cone on the ground. It was a good thing that he saw that cone in particular since he would have called the peacekeepers to arrest the king.

‘So she accidentally ran into Father and smushed her ice cream on him, huh? Man, that little girl sure has great luck. Of all the people you could run into, you hit the king of all people.’

As Reivan neared, he started hearing some pockets of their conversation.

“It’s really quite alright, little lady.” Rodin smiled warmly as he knelt on the ground, uncaring for the dirt that got on his pants. He gently rubbed the girl’s back and spoke in a soft tone. “I don’t mind at all. There’s no need to cry.”

“B-but…” The little girl sniveled, her button nose somewhat runny. Her shaky eyes were wet with tears that threatened to fall any second now, and her trembling lips were pressed together in anxiety. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean it… I’m sorry I ruined your clothes, mister.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Nothing’s ruined. Look.” Rodin took out a handkerchief and started wiping the cream off his pants. With a few swipes, all the cream was wiped off and only a wet stain remained. “See? It’s all gone. No need to cry.”

Although the stain’s position and darkness made it seem as if the king had pissed himself, it would dry soon enough.

The girl still seemed to be remorseful, however. She fished around her pockets and produced a few coins. With trembling fingers, she held them out to the man who pretty much owned Aizen. “Mom gave me this to buy food, but you can have it, mister. I’m sorry…”

“Ah…” Rodin seemed genuinely troubled over the unexpectedly earnest little girl, so he instead did something he was very good at—changing the subject. “Your mother asked you to buy food? Do you know where she is?”

“I don’t know…”

“Goodness. Are you lost, then?”

“I…” The little girl’s face scrunched up and the tears finally fell. “I think so…”

Rodin wiped her face with a handkerchief again. “Let’s go find your mother, then. Okay?”

“B-but, Mom said not to go with strangers…”

“Ah. That’s true. You definitely shouldn’t do that. You’re a smart girl, aren’t you?” Rodin chuckled as he stood up and called a nearby peacekeeper. “Excuse me, officer.”

The peacekeeper turned their way and his eyes widened for a moment before his expression returned to normal. With a light trot, he strode over to their side. “What can I do for you, Your Ma—” The peacekeeper barely stopped himself and cleared his throat to pass his mistake off. “What seems to be the problem here?”

“This poor child appears to be lost, officer.” Rodin gave the girl a pat on the head. “Kindly help her.”

“Of course.” The peacekeeper crouched low and met the girl’s eye level. “Hello, little one. Let’s go find your mother, okay?”

Despite what she’d said about strangers, the little girl nodded vigorously and ran over to the peacekeeper’s side. She grabbed the officer’s hand and clenched it tightly, her anxiety somewhat abating.

Rodin smiled at that and produced a coin, which he gave to the officer. “Earlier, I was a bit muddleheaded and didn’t notice this young lass. I accidentally remained standing, causing her to run into me and lose her ice cream as a result. I hope you don’t mind the trouble if I ask you to get her another one.”

The little girl tilted her head at the story and was about to say something, but the peacekeeper nodded seriously as he took the coin. “Of course, random citizen. I do not mind at all.”

“Thank you, officer.”

The officer took the very confused little girl away to get her another ice cream as Rodin waved at them. That was when Reivan finally stepped forward and handed one of the cups he was holding to his father.

“Way to abuse your authority, father,” Reivan whispered in a low voice. “You shouldn’t just boss around the peacekeepers like that.”

Rodin rolled his eyes and sneered. “Perhaps you could have helped me instead of slinking away to the side and watching, then.”

“And what? Make the little girl even more anxious? Two grown-ass men walling her off on both sides?”

Again, Rodin rolled his eyes and took a sip of the beverage Reivan bought and soon grimaced. “This tastes horrible.”

“What? That’s a bit harsh. It’s unique, no? New.”

“Bah. Maybe I’m getting old...” Rodin downed it in one. He made a face and stuck out his tongue afterward. “Too salty.”

Reivan snickered while taking a sip of his own.

The two of them had their fill of different foods and drinks until they eventually reached a point where their stomachs were so bloated that walking became a bit challenging. Luckily, a nearby bench was freed up, and they gladly took the chance to rest.

“Oof…” Reivan sat down and gave his stomach a good pat. “We ate too much.”

“A festival encourages a bit of gluttony.” Rodin chuckled and leaned back on the wooden bench. His gaze went here and there, observing the people enjoy the festivities. As he did, a satisfied smile bloomed on his face. “This is what I like most about the festival.”

“What?”

“This.” Rodin gestured at their surroundings. “Festivals are a sign of peace. Of extravagance. It proves that everything is going splendidly. It’s one thing to read about things on paper but…”

The king went silent for a few moments, his bright eyes reflected the orange lights of the stalls.

“These festivals allow me to see it a bit more close up.”

Reivan hummed in agreement, also leaning back and relaxing. “To see the fruits of your labor, huh? You’ve worked hard, Father. This peace, you deserve it… No, we deserve it.”

“Worked hard, huh…” Rodin trailed off while nodding to himself. “That’s true. And we’ll have to continue working hard in the future.”

“Uh-huh.”

“About the tournament…” Rodin cleared his throat and seemed sheepish for a moment. “I hope you don’t think I’m just making things hard for you.”

Reivan grimaced. “So you are making me face a half-ascendant…”

“I didn’t say anything though.”

“Your constant avoidance of answering the question tells me all I need to know.”

Over the years, he’d discovered a pattern in his family’s way of speaking. When they wanted to hide something from him, they wouldn’t lie—they would outright not answer the question. It was a counter to his ability to sense lies and gain enlightenment from them.

Of course, just their refusal to give him an answer was enough confirmation for certain things, so it wasn’t a foolproof counter.

Rodin chuckled, again, not answering the question. “You’re sharp from time to time.”

“Only from time to time?”

“Yes.”

“You’re very harsh, Father… though I won’t deny it.” Reivan snickered. “In any case, you don’t have to worry. I’ll… I’ll try my best. As always.”

Rodin nodded. “This is in contradiction to what I want of you, but you should be aware that we’ve invited ambassadors from the republic to partake in the festivities. They’ll arrive on the third day of the festival, on the same day of the tournament.”

“I know. I won’t show anything I shouldn’t show.”

“Good lad.” Rodin ruffled his youngest son’s head and smiled. “I hope you won’t curse me too much after the tournament.”

Reivan grimaced as his father continued to mess up his hair. “Just how tough are the people I'm fighting? Surely, they’re not literal ascendants, right?”

“Of course not. What fight would there even be? You’d just get beaten up one-sidedly.”

“Well, that’s good to know.”

‘I really thought I’d have to face an ascendant…’

“Don’t worry, Father. I won’t ever hate you.” Reivan sheepishly smiled, pinching the air with two fingers. “It’d be great if you took it easy on me just a little bit sometimes, though.”

“Just a little, huh?” Rodin sneered, letting go of his son’s head. His face gradually grew more solemn as he watched the countless people in the square. “Do you think I deserve to be king, son?”

“What a foolish question. Of course, you do,” Reivan said without hesitation. “You work so hard for the kingdom that your family barely sees you.”

“Hm… Is that a compliment or a dig?”

“It’s both.”

“Ah, I see.” Rodin scratched the back of his head. “So you think I deserve to be king just because I work hard? What if there was someone out there who would have worked harder than I did if he had become king? What if there was someone out there who would have gained better results than me if he had been the king?”

Reivan frowned as he thought about an answer to the question, and why the question was being asked in the first place. “The what-ifs don’t matter, Father. What I know is that you work hard, you get results, and you are the king. So everything is right.”

“Ah, but the people don’t know that, do they?” Rodin raised a finger in the air. “Your opinion comes from your viewpoint, from the things you have seen, from the things you have heard, and from everything you have experienced personally. Remember, the common people don’t know everything you know, and you don’t know everything that they know.”

“I agree. So what is it that you want to say, Father?”

“What I want to say, son, is that we have to prove ourselves to our people.” Rodin’s tone grew intense, impressing upon Reivan that his words were not to be taken lightly. “Just think, son. What is stopping me from simply killing everyone in this square?”

Reivan’s voice caught in his throat. His father’s words hinted at something that he’d been thinking about for the longest time.

To the eyes of many—especially to most of its citizens—the kingdom of Aizen was a utopia.

Food was cheap and accessible. There was always work worth doing and if all else failed, the government would even help you raise yourself back up. Diseases were worries of the past, easily solvable by taking a trip to one of Sormon's chapels. Travel to other cities within the kingdom could be done with relative ease and safety. Basic education was free and even mandatory for all young children, ensuring that they were equipped to tackle the world as adults.

And then there were the peacekeepers who maintained public security, knights who kept them safe from harm, and the almighty Sword Star—a living legend—who would seemingly protect the nation even if the heavens collapsed.

But even with all the good things, people seemed to forget about one thing.

‘All authority belongs to the king, and nobody else.’

Nobody could defy the king’s wishes. All knights—each one, a force of nature—had to obey him. The only one who could stop the king, theoretically, was the Sword Star.

‘But… that old man’s too soft for that.’

The Sword Star was a legendary figure that existed before the kingdom. He was not bound to complete loyalty like the knights were. But at the same time, the old man was just a person like everybody else—despite his record of ruthlessness.

Reivan highly doubted if the Rolf would truly act against a hypothetical tyrant. The man would protect Aizen to the death if the threats came from outside, but he was far too soft on the first king’s descendants to intervene or punish them for tyranny.

And so, if Rodin were to start ordering a massacre at this very moment, all knights in Aizen would kill their families regardless of their individual wills.

‘Well, that’s just hypothetically.’

Obviously, his father wouldn’t become a villainous despot—Reivan would bet his life on this fact. But now he realized what his father was getting at.

‘The people naturally don’t know what I know. And so, they cannot be sure that the king won’t ever become that way.’

Of course, the people also didn’t know that knights were bound by more than just a verbal oath of loyalty to the king. Nor did they know that the Sword Star was an irredeemable softie for the entire royal family’s bloodline. But if they did, there would certainly be a lot more fear spread throughout the populace.

Every time the king changed was basically a coin flip for them—one where a single failure would spell doom for them all.

‘Prove ourselves, huh?’

Reivan now understood what his father had meant. The fact that Aizen’s people placed so much trust and reverence in the royal family wasn’t only because they were ignorant of certain key facts.

It was because the royal family had a long history of results.

And those results proved that the royal family was indeed “working hard” as the rulers of the realm.

“I think…” Reivan looked to the man—the king beside him. “I think I understand, Father.”

“I knew you would, son.” Rodin smiled and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, his grip strong and firm. “I knew you would.”

“Right… I’d like to be enlightened about something that’s bothering me though.”

“Questions are always welcome. Go ahead.”

“Okay. So, how will winning an exhibition match prove the royal family’s competency?”

Rodin stroked his chin and hummed to himself. “Why do you think so?”

Reivan scratched his head and knew that his father just wanted to pick his brain to see if it was still working properly. So he tried to come up with a good answer, ultimately deciding on one. “Is it because we’re a country that prides itself on knighthood? A country of knights cannot be ruled by a weakling… Is it that kind of thing?”

“That is a surprisingly good answer.” Rodin’s brows raised slightly as he looked incredibly satisfied by his son’s words. “I’m sure that was one reason why the tradition was established.”

“Did you have to say surprisingly…?” Reivan mumbled with a frown before gesturing for his father to continue. “So? How will winning an exhibition match prove the royal family’s competency?”

“I don’t know.”

“...Excuse me?”

“I said I don’t know.” Rodin shrugged and chuckled. “There are likely many reasons. And I can name a few right now. I can even think of more given enough time. But I cannot be sure if that was what the ancestors thought when they started this particular tradition.”

Reivan massaged the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“The point is,” Rodin clasped his hands together. “The royal family has many traditions. Sometimes, we can easily see their purpose. Sometimes, we can’t fathom them no matter how hard we think. But you know what, son?”

“What…?”

“They always work in the end.” Rodin’s smile widened. “No king who has been raised by our traditions turns out as some hedonistic bum. Not all kings were wise, smart, strong, or even competent. But none of them were shitheads that would ruin the kingdom.”

‘I see. So it’s a winning formula.’

It was a popular saying back on Earth after all—that good people did not necessarily raise good children. And for a nation that gave absolute power and authority to a single individual, the possibility of raising a bad apple must have been terrifying for any decent king with their heart set on the people.

For them, relying on traditions to raise at least someone who wouldn’t burn everything down was a matter of course.

‘I think it’s a bit dangerous in some ways though…’

As if seeing through his thoughts, Rodin hastily said, “Of course, we don’t just blindly follow everything. Times change, people change. And no matter how proven traditions are, we have to try to adapt those to the current era too.”

“Oh, okay.” Reivan smiled and nodded. As expected, the kings of Aizen weren’t just dumb sheep who followed traditions blindly.

“In any case.” Rodin placed his arm around Reivan’s shoulders. “Do your best, son. I’m counting on you.”

“Sure thing.”

Reivan had been initially planning to just fight a good fight and then lose if it was truly too hard. But now, a fire had been lit inside him. Since he was going to fight anyway, he might as well aim for the win.

“I won’t disappoint you, Father.”

“I know you won’t son.” Rodin looked at his son with a slight twinkle in his eyes. “I know you won’t.”

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[Another Author's Note]

Hello!

Bit of some bad news. Next week, or maybe the week after next, I'll have to escort my granny for some medical stuff out of town. Even though she says she'll be fine on her own, she's fucking eighty years old, so I'm obviously not going to flip a coin here.

Don't worry though, this is when ya boi's backlog comes in. Even though I can't write for an extended period of time, I still have backups!

The problem is, I don't know how long and to what extent I'll have to help her out. So we may stay out of town for more than a week. I plan to bring my shitty ass laptop with me on the trip, but I may have to give her most of my attention. Hopefully, she doesn't have anything bad...

She's been ridiculously healthy, yeah, but she's also pretty old. Man, I wish I could make it to eighty like her.

So anyway. Just a bit of a heads up. There may not be a chapter two or three weeks from now.

That's a big maybe though.

And even if it does happen, I'll make sure to write double time once I'm back from the thing. I'll also write double time now, so I can fatten up my backlogs.

Worst case scenario, I'll pause Patreon Subscriptions and then resume when I can write again. I don't actually know how to do that, but I can always ask customer service. I heard it was possible anyway.

Fingers crossed that I don't have to resort to that.

= Lire ♪ =

Arc#3 Chapter 76: The Middle Child has it Rough

[Author's Note]

For those concerned, sorry it was a bit late. I attended a bit of a late-night birthday party and came home later than I thought. Whoops.

Anyway, enjoy~!

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Once the opening parade was over, the Founding Festival officially commenced.

The capital city was massive though, and it wasn't like the parade chariots were racing through the roads. As such, by the time the festivities officially commenced, the sky was beginning to turn a dark shade of orange.

This was par for the course though, so it didn't come as a surprise to anybody.

'Man, this is great. We should have more festivals...'

Citizens adorned in vibrant attires gathered in the central square. Their laughter and chatter echoed against the backdrop of majestic stone walls. It was the eve of the Founding Festival, a celebration marking the establishment of the nation that most of the people present called home.

The scent of exotic spices wafted from colorful stalls that lined the square and the main streets of the capital, each offering a feast for the senses. Roaring flames flickered beneath pots and cauldrons, where bubbling brews and fragrant stews simmered. Merchants enticed passersby with the promise of culinary delights, from sweet honeyed pastries to savory spiced meats on skewers.

Even the central fountain joined in the festivities, the massive knightly statues decorating it adorned with ribbons and banners. Children giggled as they chased each other around the fountain, their faces painted with smiles. The air was alive with the melodies of minstrels, their lutes and lyres weaving tales of knights and princesses, creating a tapestry of sound that enveloped the gathering crowd. Songs about the First King and the Sword Star were the most common, while merry praises of thanks to the royal family for another year of prosperity rang outwards on random occasions.

Unbeknownst to the celebrating citizens, the royal family they'd just seen during the parade was among them, disguised as completely different people.

"Hooray for Aizen!" someone near them suddenly shouted while holding a half-drunk bottle of alcohol. "Cheers to the royal family! Forever may they reign!"

Reivan laughed and joined the man, "Cheers to Aizenwald! Long may they live!"

"Ohohoh! This guy gets it! Here you go! You can have this, my friend!"

While Reivan was forging new friendships and receiving a free beer from the friendly drunkard, his family and his lover quietly exchanged greetings in one corner of the festivities.

"G-G-Good day... I mean good evening!" Elsamina stiffened up as she greeted his parents. Her hat almost fell from her head but she managed to catch it in time. "Uhm, I hope to continue my relationship with your son. He has been treating me very well."

"He better." Vianna let go of her husband's arm and took the nervous redhead's hand instead, a bright smile on her face. "Dear, you're just as gorgeous as ever."

"Goodness... Not as much as you, though, Lady Mona. I've never seen someone so beautiful except for maybe the queen."

"Oh my gosh. Honey! Honey, did you hear what she just said? I love this girl."

Rodin chuckled sheepishly and tipped his bowler hat in greeting. "I'm sorry that she's so energetic all the time."

"Oh, no." Elsamina hastily shook her head and hands at the same time. "I think it's lovely. It matches Lady Mona's youthful looks... In fact, when I get old, I want to age like she does."

"You... You really know how to get me rolling girl! But, why are you still calling me that? Didn't I tell you that you should call me Mother?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Mother..."

"Geez, who told you to apologize? It's no big deal." Vianna lightly pulled her by the arm and then beckoned the king-in-disguise urgently. "Honey, it's not a big deal, right? Why are you so slow? Tell her."

Rodin playfully hit his wife on the head and smiled at the beautiful woman with red hair. "I'd prefer if you just called me Father too."

Elsamina smiled warmly, though her nervousness hadn't abated yet. "Yes, Father."

"Hello, Miss Elsa." Roland lightly waved at her with his pregnant wife in tow. "I'm glad to see you're still in good health. My wife really liked the gift you sent us last time."

"I did!" Stella chirped, beaming. "I didn't know there were so many things to pay attention to during pregnancy."

"I'm glad I spent the time to find the book, then." Elsamina giggled then as her eyes fell on the soon-to-be-mother's stomach. "How are you, by the way?"

Stella waved her hand like it was no big deal. "I may not look it, but I'm fairly durable. Pregnancy's no big deal."

Roland rolled his eyes and shook his head with a sneer, causing Elsa to burst into laughter.

'It's great when everyone gets along.'

Reivan was happy enough to act as decoration, enjoying his beer while his family spoiled Elsamina. Her past meant nothing to them, just that Reivan himself had chosen her and how she seemed eager to help him with his endeavors. Still, certain members of his family weren't as receptive.

"Hey." Reivan poked the stone-faced Jiji on the shoulder. "What's wrong with your face?"

"There's nothing wrong with my face. Everything is right. I'm very pretty."

"Wow. You shouldn't say that kind of thing out loud, y'know? Even if it's true."

"Then you say it for me."

"Okay. My sister Jiji is very pretty. Especially when she's smiling."

Jiji's mask finally broke and she smiled a little. "You're so stupid. Shut up..."

"C'mon." Reivan chuckled and took her by the hand. With a glance around them to make sure nobody was listening, he whispered to her. "Elsa really likes you a lot, y'know?"

"And?" The smile on Jiji's face vanished as quickly as it came. "Who said I wanted to be liked, anyway?"

"Why are you like this? Do you dislike her?"

"Did I say something like that? Please don't put words in my mouth."

"She even worked hard to personally make a gift for you. No matter what your feelings are, when she gives it to you, don't just throw it away or something, okay?"

"Hah? What kind of person do you think I am...?" Jiji looked at him with wide eyes, seemingly offended at his question. "What kind of person even does that? Even if I don't like her, I won't do that."

"Aha." Reivan poked her cheek, a smirk on his lips. "You just admitted that you don't like her."

"...Shit."

"And you even cursed." He frowned, turning his poke into a pinch. "A lady shouldn't curse like that. Don't let me catch you again."

Jiji sneered slapping his hand away. Then she pointed at a certain direction. "I'll never curse again as long as you can scold Mom and Stella too."

"...Fine, you can curse. But you should act civil around Elsa, okay?"

"That was my plan all along. Wasn't I already acting civil?"

"Was that acting civil? You look like she owes you money."

"Did it occur to you that you might've been imagining things?"

"I wasn't. You were grimacing. And you looked ugly too."

"Hah. You said I looked pretty earlier. You're going back on your words now? How can someone like you be so sure of what you saw? You can't even be sure of what you said. If we were in court, you'd be fucked."

Reivan massaged his temples and bit his lip. "This is what we get for letting you play politics and bureaucracy. It's like you never run out of rebuttals. And you're so good at skirting around my [Lie Detection] too."

"Thank you." Jiji smiled proudly.

"That wasn't a compliment."

"That depends on who hears it, no?"

"You're really annoying. Anyway, if you play nice...no, if you play nicer than nice, then I'll take you to a new place I know..."

Jiji rolled her eyes and turned her face away, only to look at him with a side glance. "You're talking about that place you went to with Helen yesterday, aren't you?"

Reivan blanched. "What? How do you even know about that..."

"I have... friends everywhere. They act as my eyes and ears. Duh."

'That's actually so scary... Both Helen and I were wearing disguises too. And yet she still found out? What happened to my cute little sister!? Give her back to me!'

To think that just a few years ago, she hugged him like a koala at every opportunity and agreed with whatever he said. Now, she acted so coldly and her tongue was so sharp. He couldn't understand her anymore.

'Wait, why would you even waste resources having your spies stake out a restaurant in Lightharbor City...?'

Jiji wasn't done yet, it seemed. "I even heard you were making out at the pier. How scandalous. Did you leave behind your shame when you lost your virginity?"

"...Do you want to go with me to the damned restaurant or not?"

The girl clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. "I want to go. You're paying. And you have to come with me to a few other places too. I have a list."

"Deal. Then behave, okay? Let's all get along."

"Fine, fine..." Jiji hopped over to Elsa and smiled sweetly. "Hello, Miss Elsa. Long time no see~! It's like you get prettier every time I see you.♥"

'... The fact that she can just switch gears is also somewhat terrifying, but whatever.'

Reivan heaved a sigh of relief, but when he saw his other little sister, he frowned again. "Mimi. What're you doing?"

"Nothing." Mimi—who was absolutely not doing nothing—craned her neck as she looked around the area. "Don't worry, me and Elsa see each other a lot, surprisingly. I get along with her great. Don't nag at me."

'Oh, right. Elsa did say something along those lines... I wonder what they're up to.'

"What're you looking around for?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Nothing. I'm not looking around," she said while looking around. "Can you not bother me? Go away."

"Are you looking for Hector?"

Mimi scowled at him. "...How'd you know?"

"I'm his best friend. Duh." Reivan shrugged. "He looked really happy and stuff. So it was obvious that he asked you out and got you to agree."

'It's also because he borrowed money so he could take you somewhere nicer.'

He wouldn't say that bit out loud though. It'd be great if his friend's young romance actually bloomed. Reivan had to hype up his friend to the girl he liked.

Even though Hector was technically knighted now, he wasn't being assigned any real duties, so his salary was also low—though still high from a commoner's standpoint. It's just that living in the palace for years had a tendency to get people to have more refined tastebuds. Only people who'd gotten sick of high cuisine from having it so much—like his father and mother—would appreciate the simpler things.

With that said, Hector had to shell out plenty of cash if he wanted to take Mimi out to somewhere she'd actually like.

'That's what he thinks at least. But since she already likes him, the venue itself doesn't really matter so long as they're spending time with each other...'

Reivan had already said as much, but Hector just wouldn't believe him so he gave up. Perhaps these were the kinds of lessons one was supposed to learn on their own, through experience. It was a good thing Reivan read a number of romance novels too, so he didn't have to personally go out there and experience so many things—though the validity of the information was still subject to scrutiny.

"That dummy..." Mimi grumbled with an amused smile.

Reivan raised a brow. "Did you finally confess?"

"What!?" she exclaimed. "Wh-why would I confess? It's not like I like him... He's the one who keeps following me around everywhere!"

[Lie Detection] has activated!

"Whatever." Reivan mentally waved away the notification that told him something he already knew. "But if you keep acting like this, he's gonna get tired of your bullshit."

Mimi bit her lip and threw him a side glance. "Did he say anything...?"

"Who knows?"

"Tell me."

"Don't wanna. I'm going away since you told me to go away earlier."

"This guy is so..." Mimi clenched her teeth and scowled at him. But after a moment, she hung her head to hide the slight blush on her face. "I'm being nice to him now, okay...? And I agree whenever he asks me out. I even dress up in girly stuff even when I don't want to... Isn't that enough?"

Reivan shrugged. "I don't know."

"...You're really annoying. Don't bother me today!"

Mimi slapped him on the back of the head. In shock, he was about to retaliate, but she was already hiding behind Vianna with her tongue sticking out. The physical blow was light, but Reivan's ego took more of a hit because he couldn't retaliate.

He could only swallow his grievances for now.

'Why are my little sisters like this? I miss Kyouka! Damn, I wish she were here to teach these two how to do it right...'

With a bit of a heavy heart, Reivan rejoined Elsa since it seemed like his Mother and Stella were being a bit too overwhelming, draining the poor girl's wits.

"Dear, if my son ever goes too far, make sure to tell me, okay?" Vianna cooed, her arms linked lovingly with one of her future daughters-in-law. "That boy, he listens to me so I'll scold him for you. Even if you're his woman, he's also your man, so he has to treat you right. Don't just give in all the time."

Elsamina giggled. "There's no need to worry. We get along very well, Mother."

"Is that really so?" Vianna squinted as she sent a suspicious glare at her son. "You're not just saying that because he's here, are you?"

Reivan rolled his eyes and disregarded her accusations. "I was raised by good parents so why would I mistreat my woman?"

Vianna scoffed and then sent him a telepathic message through their crystals. "You say that when you have numerous women's scents on you all the time?"

"...The two of us have already talked about that," Reivan answered back, using his own crystal. "She said she was okay with it too... And she wasn't lying. Also, Elsa was the one to suggest it in the first place."

"You really are an idiot. Just because she's okay with it, does it mean you should keep doing it? Get your act together. And at least make me a few grandchildren if you're sleeping around so much. It's not that hard!"

"Grandchildren!? Those are a whole other problem!"

"Tsk. Useless... Well, at least you had the sense not to invite two of your fiances at the same time. Maybe there's some hope for you after all."

'Wow. Everybody's grown so mean to me! Is there some kind of trend that I'm not aware of? Is it in style to beat up the middle child nowadays..!?'

Reivan had been his mother's spoiled little brat for the longest time, then she suddenly started treating him like this. He really couldn't help but feel a bit aggrieved at his recent treatment. Even if he was technically older now, wasn't it still a bit too much? It wasn't like he was asking to be pampered and coddled like when he was a kid though.

At least his elder brother treated him well—or maybe that was just because the man was too busy to mistreat him at all.

Vianna suddenly pulled Elsamina away from him, ending their telepathic conversation. "Come, dear. I think I remember a stall that sells special honey. It's what I used before my husband and I tried for a child. Just stay away from this stupid son of mine for tonight. I'll take care of you."

"Yes, Mother..." Elsamina's face burned at the older woman's words but she still followed. Just before they were swallowed into the crowd, she sent Reivan a troubled smile and a cute little wave.

Reivan returned her gesture before looking around. Before he noticed it, his other family members had split up into smaller groups to enjoy the festival. Roland, Stella, and Mimi were curiously eyeing a stall that sold mystery boxes with accessories inside, while Rodin and Jiji were chatting merrily as they ate something that looked like a turtle on a stick.

'What the hell... Why am I suddenly alone?'

He had no desire to chase after his Mother and Elsamina, considering Vianna would obviously shoo him away. The trio by the mystery box stalls was out too, since he felt like he'd smack Mimi on the back of the head if he got any closer, subsequently incurring the wrath of a half-ascendant and her husband. His father and Jiji were also talking about complicated things—like how surprisingly nutritious yet tasty the turtles were, and how maybe they should invest in cultivating them in Aizen—so he didn't want to butt into that either.

'I thought this was family night...'

In the end, he decided to roam around by himself for now.

Arc#3 Chapter 75: The Festival Begins

Reivan had to make a hasty getaway once Helen started barraging him with kisses for the reason that kissing 'felt nice'. Even though she was much faster than Reivan, Helen waved goodbye but didn't pursue him—which was, quite honestly, somewhat of a relief and a disappointment at the same time.

'Well... I guess it didn't feel bad. There's a time and place for those kinds of things though.'

They were in public, after all. Reivan's skin wasn't quite thick enough to make out with someone in front of so many people.

Furthermore, Valter was hiding in his shadow at the moment.

"Not a single word, Valter..." Reivan muttered.

"I didn't say anything though?" Valter's voice crept into his ears. "With that said, I must say that it is good to see that His Highness' relationships are doing well."

'I said not a word!'

Grimacing, Reivan ducked into an alley. He briefly concealed himself behind a dumpster, allowing the illusion covering his face to shift, revealing one of his alternate identities. Simultaneously, he swapped the clothes wrapped around his body for a new set, and confidently strode out of the alley in the opposite direction, as if nothing had happened.

'Elsa should be back by now...'

Reivan pretended to yawn while looking around to make sure nobody suspicious was following him before sneaking into the secret teleportation facility. He then asked the knights guarding it for help, aiming to return to Starwater City.

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Since staying in the Serpent's Haven all the time wasn't very convenient, Elsamina—with Reivan's permission and aid—bought a nice little house in Starwater City's residential district. Of course, "little house" here meant that it was quite a sizeable home with six floors. The place was also a short distance away from the Serpent's Haven, so a few of the girls stayed there instead of the business' living quarters.

It was also here that Reivan did all kinds of debaucherous acts with Elsa and anyone who was willing to jump in at the time.

Some of the girls even took to calling it the "Snuggle Spot" because almost anything female that entered the premises eventually ended up in his arms at some point.

'That's a completely baseless accusation. I'm sure there are some who haven't yet... I'm sure... Uh, wait...'

Reivan squinted as he entered the building, scanning his memories but found that name was now very apt. Feeling defeated, he strode deeper inside.

"Well then, Your Highness," Valter said, his voice slowly drifting away from Reivan. "I'll be waiting outside. Call me if you need anything."

"I need you to stop teasing me in the future."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Goodbye and have fun."

Reivan snorted as he made his way to the third floor, where the "master bedroom" was. When he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of a gorgeous red-haired woman wearing a modest cream-colored dress and a hat.

"I think this looks okay..." Elsamina stared into the mirror, inspecting herself from numerous angles. She even practiced her smile and bowed in a demure manner. "Good day... No, that seems a bit distant. It's been a while...? Hello! Uh... too energetic, maybe? Ah, why is this so hard? Maybe I'll just smile and bow? Then I'll say something about how their son has been treating me well... No, wait. I shouldn't skip the greetings."

With an elegant smile on her face and a friendly wave, Elsamina rehearsed her lines to herself. "Greetings! It's been a while but I'm still getting along very well with your son... Uh, no, who the hell says greetings as a greeting..."

"What are you doing?"

"OH MY GOD!"

Reivan couldn't resist the urge to play a little prank in the end, but he did resist the urge to snicker, acting as if he did nothing wrong. "That's not how you're supposed to react when you see your lover."

"You scared me...!" Elsamina had pulled out a gun with wide eyes as her chest rose and fell. A moment later, she calmed down and stowed her weapon away. "I told you not to sneak up on me like that. What if I shot you accidentally?"

'I would have been fine, honestly.'

That wasn't the right answer in this situation though.

"I'm sorry," he said while his hands snaked around her waist. Reivan pulled her close and started pecking her neck with 'apology kisses'. But when she pushed against him as hard as she could, he released her. "Eh? Are you actually really mad?"

"What? No." Elsamina smoothed out her dress and inspected it closely. "I just didn't want you to mess up my dress. This is what I'll wear when I meet with your family tomorrow."

"Oh, okay." Reivan backed off and enjoyed the view. "It looks great on you."

"I know." Elsa giggled, obviously pleased. "You say that about everything I wear though."

"Because it's true."

"Yes, yes."

"Elsa, everything you wear looks as if it was made so it could be graced by your skin."

"Psh. Oh, shut up..."

The beauty threw her hat at him in embarrassment and Reivan gladly caught it. Her pleasant scent immediately wafted into his nose. "You changed your perfume too?"

"It's a new product we'll be selling in Arkhan. What do you think?"

Reivan appeared to think about it before he solemnly spoke in utmost seriousness. "I think you'll have to come a bit closer so I can get a better sniff. Preferably with skimpy clothes on. It's for science, I assure you."

Elsa rolled her eyes and started taking off her accessories and changing out of her dress. "Just wait there."

"Okay!" Reivan happily made his way over to the large bed while he continued to enjoy the view. When he sat down though, something on the bed caught his attention. "What's this?"

'Did she buy something from a beggar again...?'

Reivan picked the things up and inspected them. After turning them around in his hands a few times, he realized that they were knitted bonnet hats. They didn't look nearly as refined as what Reivan or Elsa usually wore or bought, so he suspected that Elsamina's altruism and kindness urged her to buy them off some bums.

'The wool looks strangely high-quality though. It feels nice to the touch too. But the craftsmanship is a bit...'

"Ah, that?" Elsa sat next to him wearing a very skimpy maid outfit, a sheepish smile on her face. "I tried my hand at knitting... They're bad, right?"

"What are you talking about? They're awesome!" Reivan beamed, immediately throwing away every negative thought he had about the hats. "Are they for me? I love them!"

"Uhm, no. They're for your mother and little sisters. They seem to like wearing hats after all."

"Oh."

'They're not wearing those because they like hats, though.'

Elsa had met his family a bunch of times by now, but she still couldn't be made privy to certain secrets—like their true identities. As such, everyone still had to use illusion rings to disguise themselves.

But no matter how advanced their disguise techniques were, Vianna, Mimi, and Jiji couldn't get rid of their ears or tails. Their tails could somehow be tucked into their clothes, but ears were a whole other problem. Sure, the illusion rings would hide them from plain sight, but it would still be better to hide them under hats to avoid any other incidents.

'Geez. If it weren't for that stupid tradition where you have to be in a relationship for at least five years before getting married... Well, traditions are important. And I suppose Elsa and I haven't been together for that long to think about marriage...'

Maybe he was being too impatient. He was quite sure that Elsa would agree to marry him if he proposed though.

'I guess I'll wait.'

Both his father and his brother insisted that women changed after marriage, so perhaps he would savor this time for a little longer—not that he had a choice, that is.

In any case, he had to give his opinion about the hats. "I think they'll love it."

"Really? I just thought that since everyone's already so rich, a gift that I personally made would seem more sincere... Was I wrong?"

"What? No. You were completely right. Don't worry, don't worry..."

Elsa's lips curved into a small smile as a sigh escaped her lips. "That's good. I don't know what to get for the others though... So I just knitted small wallets for them."

"What about me?" Reivan smirked as his arm wrapped around her waist again. "Where's my gift?"

"Why would you even need a gift?"

"Ehhh? I really don't get a gift?" he pouted while resting her chin on her shoulder. "I feel so sad now. What am I gonna do about this overwhelming sadness in my heart? Should I just leave?"

Elsa heaved a sigh, giving in. "What do you want?"

"You!"

Chuckling and giggling echoed through the room before they soon transformed into gasps and moans.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

The next morning, Reivan had to return to the palace very early because he needed to make himself extra presentable. After all, today was the day—the first day of Aizen's Foundation Festival.

Royals like him had to parade around the capital before the festival truly began, smiling and waving at the citizens who came from all around the country to see the people they paid taxes to.

Naturally, with some of the most important people in the nation gathering into a very small mobile space and traveling along a very predictable route, security was given the utmost priority. That's why the Sword Star would temporarily be delegating a lot of his focus on the event. Even the Ascendants who usually meditated in secret away from civilization were kicked out of their caves to help raise security.

The thought that they should just put a bunch of body doubles into the parade floats and use illusion rings on them had occurred to Reivan. But when he'd suggested as much to his father, he was refused immediately. Apparently, this was tradition, and they couldn't break it without an extremely good reason.

Reivan thought that the security of about ninety percent of the royal family was a pretty good reason, but that didn't seem to be good enough for his father.

"We're finished now, Your Highness." The veteran maid in charge of his make-up tapped him on the shoulder warmly. "You look so dashing now. I can't believe just a few years ago, I was helping Lady Vianna change your diapers."

"Thanks for the hard work but please don't talk about that..." Reivan pleaded with a sheepish smile. He stood up and strode toward the mirror, inspecting the sleek-black military uniform he wore. It looked strangely like something a navy officer would wear on ceremonies, with gold tassels and trimmings.

All in all, it looked extremely elegant and contrasted well with the silvery color of his hair.

'Good heavens. I'm so handsome, I should be illegal.'

Reivan internally chuckled at the fortune of having such attractive parents. He waved goodbye to the maid and strode out of his room—where he came face to face with Jiji, his little sister.

"Hey, did you come to pick me up?" he asked with a smile, reaching out to pat her head.

Jiji dodged out of the way with an impassive expression. She smoothed out the elegant white dress she wore and crossed her arms.

"Prince Reivan, please don't mess up my hair."

"Right. Sorry about that..."

The catgirl turned around and urged him to follow without saying anything, her tail trailing along behind her.

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'She's really grown cold...'

Reivan fell into step behind her with a sad smile.

He didn't know why, but the little sister who used to be so clingy had grown so distant. About a year ago, after her first mating season, she started throwing herself into the depths of bureaucracy and administrative work. They barely had time to see each other and even when Reivan went out of his way to look for her during her free time, she would find some reason or the other to avoid him.

'She even keeps calling me Prince Reivan! Jesus Christ... What did I do to deserve this treatment?'

Back when he was still stuck in a hospital bed on Earth, he heard that it was fairly common for sisters to become distant from their brothers after puberty hit—sometimes, even downright hostile. The fact that only otaku participated in the forum he read might have had something to do with it, but people like him with sweet and loveable little sisters were a minority there.

'Ah... This sucks...'

Maybe that forum he'd read was surprisingly accurate? Was Kyouka just a giant weirdo for maintaining such a close relationship with her elder brother? Reivan didn't know anymore, but he definitely thought it would be a shame if he let this continue.

'Yeah. I don't know what I did wrong... Rather, I don't think I did anything wrong at all. Still, I should make an effort to bridge the gap.'

With the determination to rekindle his family ties, Reivan caught up to Jiji and smiled at her. "Jiji, did you pick out this dress yourself?"

"Yes." She spared him a glance before returning her gaze to the front. "Why?"

"Nothing. I just thought you had really good taste. Maybe you could pick something out for me next time? I don't have much talent for fashion, see."

"If our schedules line up, why not?" Jijij answered noncommittally.

'Yeah, but that's the thing. They never line up!'

But he wasn't gonna give up.

Suddenly, Reivan stopped walking and exclaimed in shock. "Goodness! Jiji, your hair!"

Jiji twitched and also halted her steps, as she looked at him in surprise. "Wh-what! What's wrong with it!? Is there a bug!?"

"It's beautiful. Your hair's beautiful, Jiji."

"...You're annoying."

The cat-eared girl looked at him with a chilling gaze but Reivan didn't miss how her ears twitched and tail swayed. With a cold snort, she stomped off.

'Her ability to maintain a poker face is insane. But her ears and tail still give her away.'

Reivan chuckled as he pressed on. "Jiji, what's wrong? I just wanted to tell you how great you looked."

"Stop doing that."

"What? Why? Should I lie then? I don't want to call you ugly even if it's a lie."

"Be quiet, please..."

"Ah, are you embarrassed? Is that it? Haha. You're so cute when you're embarrassed."

"AH! This guy..." Jiji stopped and glared at him before taking a swing.

"Whoah!" Reivan easily dodged with a snicker. Even if she had also unlocked her qi, he was still much stronger and faster. "So violent... But why is it that you're so pretty even when you're being violent? My sister is really great..."

"If you don't stop..." The white-haired princess squinted her eyes and scowled at him. "I'm gonna tell Mom!"

'What...'

Reivan immediately raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I surrender."

Jiji snorted before turning around and walking off.

"Hey!" Reivan chased after her, his tone almost pleading. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"...Hate?" Her ears twitched. "I don't hate you at all. Stop speaking nonsense."

"But you've been avoiding me for a year now... I don't know what I did, but I'll apologize if you want."

While Reivan was genuinely convinced that he hadn't done anything wrong, he was willing to set aside his pride to mend things with his sister. If left unattended, their relationship might gradually drift apart, reaching a point where they'd both pretend the other didn't exist—a common occurrence, as he had read.

He was a man who knew his priorities. His family was above everything, especially something flimsy like pride.

"That's not..." Jiji's voice softened, seemingly affected by his sincerity. "You didn't do anything wrong. I just... I don't know."

"That's not a very good answer."

"Well, I don't have one!" She exclaimed, exasperated at herself. Her ears then drooped as she hesitantly gazed at him. "I'm sorry if I made you feel that way."

Reivan bit his lip for a moment before sighing. "At least stop referring to me as Prince Reivan. That's way too distant, y'know? I mean, we're not blood-related, but still."

"I... I'll keep that in mind." Jiji averted her gaze. "Yani..."

"There we go. That's the Jiji I remember." Reivan laughed as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He reached out to pat his sister's head, and this time, she didn't dodge out of the way. "You're cuter when you're not being an ice princess. Although you were also cute when you were an ice princess, so I'm somewhat conflicted."

"...Shut up. You're annoying. I'll tell Mom you keep on teasing me."

Jiji kicked his shin and ran off, her white dress fluttering along behind her.

'Well, as expected, nothing happened.'

The parade had ended uneventfully. Now, the royal family was eagerly preparing their wallets and disguises so they could have some fun in the stalls.

If Reivan had been in an anime, a mysterious terrorist group would have revealed themselves during the parade to abduct a princess or two. Then the main character—some ordinary bloke from nowhere posing as a commoner in the crowd—would burst into the scene and save the day. Afterward, the king would then reward him generously, and the main character would be embroiled in political intrigue or some other complicated annoying stuff, ultimately ending with his marriage to the princess—or princesses—that he saved.

Reality was a lot less interesting though.

Reivan smiled and waved without a break. His face felt like it had solidified into a mask of flesh. Since his family didn't say anything about his face, it must have been fine. Perhaps it had something to do with how he'd mended his relationship with his sister, but smiling was a lot easier than he thought.

"Yani, how do I look?" Jiji did a little spin to show off what she'd be wearing this afternoon. It was still a gorgeous and elegant white dress, but obviously a lot less ornate than the one she wore as a princess. Her facial features had changed and her hair had turned black, but she was as much of a pretty girl as ever. To top it off, on her head was a white sun hat with a blue ribbon.

"You look like you'll make the entire kingdom fall in love with you."

"Gosh, shut up, Yani...!" Jiji squealed with a huge smile on her face, pulling her sun hat down in embarrassment.

Mimi, who was in similar attire, chimed in sarcastically from the side. "How about giving your other sister some compliments sometimes?"

"You look great too, I guess."

"Wow. So sincere. I feel so loved."

Reivan and Mimi chuckled at each other before bumping fists.

"Where's Mom?" he asked.

Mimi shrugged, fixing her hat to cover more of her blackened hair. "Beats me. I think there's a bit of a fuss since Stella said her stomach kinda hurt after the parade."

'Oh. Maybe she won't be coming then.'

A few months ago, Stella started boasting about how she had become a half-ascendent. And then literally two weeks later, their family was greeted with the pleasant news of Stella's pregnancy. There was a test and even the Saintess came over to confirm it.

That's why everybody was a bit tense about their favorite big sister. Even though she was obviously ridiculously durable already, the royal family already had a case of maternal mortality—which was one case too many—so everybody was treating Stella like her body was made of glass. Roland had almost forbidden her from participating in the parade too, but Stella had insisted on coming anyway.

'I'm sure she'll be fine. That woman's a trooper.'

Reivan, Mimi, and Jiji intended to wait patiently though. But Reivan couldn't help but feel a bit anxious since they had to meet up with Elsamina soon, and she probably came to the location in advance on account of her professionalism—and her desire to make his family like her.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait long since the last four members of their family came by. All of them were already wearing their disguises—black hair, blue eyes, and an entirely different set of facial features.

Still, all of them looked like extremely attractive individuals.

"Sorry for the wait, you three!" Stella happily strolled into the room with a slightly larger stomach. "I'm perfectly fine! I can't wait to play around after being stuck in the palace for so long!"

"Can you please don't move around so much...?" Roland was anxious as could be, his gaze never leaving his wife's belly. "The baby..."

"Oh, hush. Even the one carrying it isn't complaining. Why are you more nervous than me? Do you not trust me, is that it?"

"I'm nervous because it's you!"

"What! Say that again, huh!"

The crown prince and his future queen bickered but everybody else was already used to it so they were mostly ignored. Rodin and Vianna walked arm in arm, ever the picture of a harmonious couple.

Or so they thought.

"Honey," Vianna said in a sweet voice as she hugged the king's arm. "If I hear you talking about work while we're out, I'm going to freeze your office for the rest of the festival. Okay? Remember what this day is for. It's family day."

Rodin sheepishly nodded. "Yes, dear..."

'Well, I guess we can finally go.'

Reivan shared a glance with his two little sisters and they all smiled.

Arc#3 Chapter 74: The Prodigy's Determination

Despite their griping and whining, Hector and the Knights were able to triumph over the horde of nightmare spawns before their stamina and magic power ran out. Reivan had naturally expected such a result, even though he was a bit rough on the delivery.

As for their resident prodigy, Helen took out the three human-faced nightmare spawns as well. She didn't use [Overwhelm] to give herself a bit more of a challenge, yet, the monsters could do her no harm no matter what they did. Unstoppable was the only way to describe her growth at this point, and her evolution only seemed to accelerate after she started joining Reivan on his little trips to the Outlands.

It was just when he thought he was finally closing the gap between them too.

'Well, it's whatever.'

Understandably so, he wasn't bothered by it. Helen was his friend and—even though he still found it a bit hard to accept—his future queen, so her growth was nothing but a cause for celebration.

"Make sure to get plenty of rest, guy!" Reivan commended them the men and women lined up before him. They had all just come back to the safety of Aizen through the portal and were all visibly tired. "We're diving back in tomorrow!"

The knights—even the young Hector—mustered up what strength they had left to offer him a crisp salute and a solid "Yes, Your Highness!" even as they resisted the urge to fall over.

Once that was done, they all dispersed, going back to their barracks or maybe even their homes within the capital if they had them. As for Hector, he gave Reivan and Helen a friendly wave while slumping away.

'Where's that guy going...?'

Reivan watched his best guy friend leave, probably to go rest at home, with a puzzled expression. He was very sure that Hector and Mimi had an appointment today.

Was it a date? He didn't know.

What Reivan did know, was that if Hector forgot, he would likely be in a world of trouble. Mimi had shown tremendous growth in her own right after all, and was much stronger than Hector now—much taller too, on account of being a warbeast.

'I should remind him.'

The thought of letting his friend forget was amusing but the man's life may have been on the line this time, so he sent the guy a message through their communication crystals and left it at that.

Reivan had his own girl problems.

"Hey." Helen nudged his arm with her sword's hilt. Maybe she would cut him down if his answer didn't please her. "Are we going?"

"Of course, haha..."

'Oof. Good thing this place was kinda cheap... Well, cheaper than the places in Starwater, at least.'

As the two of them strode through Lightharbor City's streets to walk off their meal, Reivan thought about how much lighter his wallet had become.

Many things had changed for Reivan, Helen, and the relationship between them. However, one thing that was everlasting was Helen's gluttony. The girl's stomach was a black hole. If she wasn't such a treasure to mankind while alive, maybe it would have been great to cut her stomach open so humans could discover the secrets of the abyss.

"That was great, huh?" Helen gave her belly a few pats as her left hand firmly gripped his. "We should come back sometime."

"True." Reivan shrugged as he strode through the streets, disguised as usual. "But next time, how about we split the bill...?"

Helen raised a brow and looked at him for a few moments before giggling. Still, she didn't agree.

'So it's pretty much decided that I pay every time, huh? Well, not that I mind.'

Reivan was crazy rich, after all.

And that was without the allowance he got from his father. It was all thanks to the Serpent's Haven and all of its other affiliate companies that were starting to take a bit out of Aizen's market with his help.

This, naturally, was because Elsamina was such a hard worker—in all sorts of ways.

When he remembered the things they did in a fancy restaurant's comfort room the other day, Reivan's nose couldn't help but flare.

"Hey." Helen glared at him while pinching his arm. With her strength, it was enough to make him yelp despite his literally thick skin. "You're thinking about her again, aren't you?"

"Uhm..." Reivan sheepishly smiled. "Of course, not."

You have used [Essence of Falsehood]

"Oh." Helen's brows furrowed for a moment before she caressed the part she'd pinched. "Sorry."

"Ahaha... You don't have to be so down about it. Can I ask what made you think so, though?"

"Just a feeling."

'That's nuts. Isn't your intuition a bit too sharp!?'

Reivan himself had the [Intuition] extra skill and it had proven quite useful in tough situations. Numerous other squires and those who managed to get knighted had it too, so it was quite common for Aizen's combatants to have it.

But he didn't expect Helen's [Paranormal Intuition] to be so sharp it even told her things like that.

'Only she and Mother have grown their intuition to that level... Oh, and probably the Sword Star too, though I can't check his status.'

Helen only had it as [Keen Insight] one day, then after dinner, it was already [Paranormal Intuition] for some reason. It truly reminded him that Helen was such a fraudulent existence that she grew stronger for every second she existed.

It was almost enough to make him envious at this point.

Not that he particularly hated working hard. It felt rewarding after all.

"Hey..." Helen shook his hand as they arrived at a pier, the sea breeze almost blowing her hat away. "Is she really that great? That... That woman with the red hair..."

"Hm? I think she's great, at least."

"Better than me?"

Reivan looked down at the young woman staring at him. Her face wasn't as vacant as when they were both kids. She was obviously making an effort to be more expressive. And all that effort was enough to let him know that this question wasn't a joke.

It was a question she'd been thinking about for a long time.

'Should I answer...?'

Even if he wanted to, he didn't know how to answer her question. There probably wasn't a totally correct answer either. What about his feelings, then? Well, if he was being honest, he didn't find the two comparable.

Because he didn't really look at the two of them the same way.

'Other people are staring...'

It was nothing compared to the capital, but Lightharbor City was still among Aizen's most populated areas. The pier was also a popular spot for couples or families to kill time. So when a man and a young woman stopped in the middle all of a sudden, they would naturally attract some attention—and both of them were quite attractive to boot.

'I wonder what people think when they see us walking hand in hand like this...?'

Reivan was now quite tall while Helen was actually short for girls her age. Her thin and demure figure hid tremendous power due to qi and all sorts of supernatural reasons, but visually, she looked like a child.

He was sure others viewed it as a spoiled little sister and her big brother going to the pier for some afternoon fun.

And that was exactly how Reivan viewed Helen in his heart too.

'She reminds me a bit too much of Kyouka like this...'

Was it Helen's dark hair? Or maybe how she liked to style her locks in a ponytail? Maybe it was just how their current physiques reminded him so dearly of how he would hold his little sister's hand when he snuck her out. Their personalities were completely different, but Helen was too young for him to even consider her romantically. Heck, he'd watched her grow up from a cute little child to the budding young beauty she currently was.

Reivan didn't know what made her think of him in such a way nor did he know when it happened, but he found it hard to live up to her expectations.

And she probably felt that too.

Still, maybe it was because he was a bit of a coward. He couldn't just hurt his best friend, could he? Reivan couldn't just tell her that it was just impossible between them and he would probably never love her romantically.

If he had that much courage, he would have killed himself in that hospital room at some point.

But he didn't.

So instead of answering her question, Reivan tried something he'd learned from some drunk knights.

"Why do you wanna know?"

It was to ask a question instead of answering. They had said that women liked asking trick questions, and the best way to respond was to give trick answers or to find a way not to answer at all.

Of course, the words of drunk men may not have been the best source of information.

Helen's grip tightened ever so slightly—really, he might have missed it if he wasn't so focused on her—as she took a deep breath. "I just wanted to know."

"I see..." Reivan, again, didn't know what to say. So he just tried to keep the conversation going by asking more questions. "And why do you think you wanted to know?"

"Because I like you. A lot."

A sudden confession.

Reivan didn't know how to deal with sudden confessions either.

'There's no way out.'

With a sigh, Reivan looked at the part of her status that he'd tried to avoid looking at since he saw it a year ago.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════
Name: Helen Mercer
Species: Human
Realm: Mortal
Age: 15
Sex: Female 

Might: 724

Special Abilities:

[Peerless Perfection]
[Overwhelm]

Extra Skills

[Limit Break]

[Qi: Unleashed]

[Paranormal Intuition]

Elemental Affinities:

[Lightning]

[Wind]

Favor:

(Trust / Affection) 74 / 100

Threat Level:

N/A (This unit's favor is too high)
════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Affection.

It said that the dominating emotion Helen felt for him was affection. Surprisingly, when the dominant emotion someone felt for him changed, the numerical value of their favor also shifted to reflect it. Or maybe an average was taken? Reivan didn't know anymore.

What he did know was that it wasn't right to ignore it. Regardless of how he loathed hurting someone important to him, he had to at least set the record straight.

"Helen..." Reivan bit his lip in hesitation before deciding to take the plunge. "I don't like you in that way."

Helen's eyes trembled and her lips tightened, but she continued staring right into his eyes.

His heart felt like it was getting grasped by a clawed hand, but Reivan continued. "Of course, I like you as a friend. Same with Hector. You two are precious to me. Really, if you got lost deep in the Outlands, I would dive in there to go look for you no matter what anyone says. But..."

"But you don't like me..."

"Yes. In that way. In the same way that I like... her."

A few moments passed as silence hung in the air between them. Their gazes were locked with each other and Reivan tried not to look away. As for their engagement, if Helen ultimately wanted to break it off, naturally, he would defend her desire.

'But if she still wants to marry me for some reason, I...'

"Is it because of my breasts?"

"...Huh?" The shocking question stunned him so much that he was a bit late in responding. "What are you talking about...?"

"Breasts..." Helen looked genuinely forlorn as she hung her head. "I heard you like them big."

The statement was so... out there that he unwittingly stared down.

She had them.

Breasts.

'I mean, all girls have them at some point...'

Reivan had never really looked all that carefully, but Helen had a normal bust for her height.

'Wait, why am I evaluating that area...?'

He couldn't deny that he certainly preferred women with sizeable mounds, but it wasn't like it was a rule or something. Elsamina certainly had them, and he had to admit that he couldn't take his eyes or hands off them when the opportunity presented itself, but he liked Elsamina for more than her tits.

So, to defend his honor, Reivna grabbed the young prodigy's shoulders and said as seriously as possible. "That's not the reason. You're wrong."

"Really?"

"Yes. Really. It's not about that at all!"

Helen seemed to accept his words with a nod—and a subtle sigh of relief. "Then why?"

"Why..."

"Why can't it be me instead?" she asked with a hopeful expression. "If you tell me what's wrong, I can fix it. I'm... really good at learning. If I try hard enough, I can fix whatever's wrong."

Reivan shook her lightly. "Hey, hey. Nothing's wrong with you."

"You're not making any sense..."

"Uhm... I'm the problem, alright?" Reivan let go of her surprisingly hard shoulders and took a deep breath. "I just don't look at you that way, okay? You're like... a little sister or something?"

"A little sister?" Helen tilted her head. "Like Jiji?"

"Yes."

"I see... Okay. I get it."

"Oh yeah? I'm glad you understand, then!" Reivan smiled despite himself. He didn't dare to see how much his favor had dropped at this point, but at least, he wouldn't be leading her on anymore.

Suddenly though, Helen grabbed the front of his shirt. "So I just have to make you stop looking at me like a little sister, right?"

Reivan frowned as his intuition fired warning signs at him, giving him a vague feeling of what was going to happen next.

Despite this, he hesitated.

Should he really dodge? Wouldn't it hurt her more if he resisted? Or maybe letting it happen would actually be the better option here.

The fraction of a second he wasted in hesitation was more than enough time for the choice to be made for him.

"Woah!"

Reivan felt a great tug as his upper body bent forward and Helen's face grew closer and closer. Her eyes were closed and he couldn't help but notice how long her eyelashes were, how smooth and pearly white her skin was, or how pink and soft her lips looked.

But just before they could get closer, their foreheads got in the way.

"ACK!"

"OW!"

Reivan was forced to take a couple of steps back while holding his poor forehead while Helen crouched on the ground and rubbed hers. With a bit of exasperation and something else, Reivan frowned as he berated her.

"What the heck are you doing!?"

Helen spoke through the pain. "Big sis said this was what she did with her husband when they were young..."

'Damnit! It was her again!'

"You're an idiot..." Reivan took out a pill and tossed it to her. She had gotten pulled fairly hard so the impact actually hurt quite a bit. His body was slightly more durable than Helen's though, so she must have felt even worse.

"Uuuuu..." Helen groaned but caught the pill without trouble and swallowed it before standing. She rubbed her cute little nose while seemingly ruminating on something. "I see. I'm supposed to tilt my head, huh?"

"Duh. You have to be careful about the noses too, so—"

"Okay. Now I know."

There was a flash and Helen was right in front of him, and soon her lips pecked his own. Really, it was just a light peck that lasted a fraction of a second. But he felt it—and she felt it too.

Reivan held his mouth in shock. "You little!"

"Van."

"What!"

Helen poked him in the stomach, a rare mischievous smile on her face.

"I'm going to make you like me. You'll like me so much, you won't ever look at anyone else but me."

Arc#3 Chapter 73: Two Years After

[Author's Note]

As you have all probably surmised from the last interlude or my comment replies, there was a 2-year time skip.

Yay! Time-skips! We love time-skips! :P

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"Hey! Master Ken! Wake up!"

"Whu-what...?" Reivan awoke with a start, cradling his cheek as his mind struggled to start back up again. It didn't really hurt since his face was thick, but suddenly being slapped awake wasn't pleasant for anyone.

'Who the fuck...'

With a fierce glare, he searched for the culprit only to find Aila next to him, naked as the day she was born. Her hand was raised as if she was going to slap him again.

"Hey, stop stop stop..." Reivan looked at her, incredulous. "What, no... Did you slap me?"

Aila shrugged, standing up before throwing him some clothes. "You said to wake you up just before dawn but you wouldn't wake up."

'Dawn...right, right... I promised to meet up with Helen to do some hunting...'

Reivan sent a glance toward the nearby window and indeed saw the light of the sun illuminating the sky. In fact, it was a bit too bright for that. He hurriedly checked the clock on the wall and discovered that it was six o'clock in the morning.

"Ah... Sormon help me..." he paled in horror as his palm automatically covered his forehead. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier...?"

"You're joking, right?" Aila rolled her eyes before putting on some clothes too. "Big sis tried to wake you up earlier before leaving but you wouldn't budge either."

"No way..."

"Yes, way. Me? I also just woke up, as you can see." She gestured down at her state of relative undress. "Anyway, are you leaving or not? Honestly, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to go for another round. But I thought you had something to do, master?"

"Right." Reivan nodded as he tried to get up, but someone's body was right on top of him. So he carefully pushed her off and covered her with the blanket. Then he carefully got off the bed only to stop.

'God, they really slept on the floor again...'

On the floor of his and Elsa's little love room were a bunch of other naked beauties. With a sigh, he carried them all to the bed and made sure the cover protected them from any chills. It would be a while until they had to wake up for work and whatnot, so he decided to let them sleep—they had all been up really late last night, after all.

Reivan took out a bottle of pills that restored stamina and placed them on the nearby counter with a note.

"Ah, wait. Is my share in there too, master?" Aila asked while fixing her corset.

"Yep."

"Great. I need a couple." She smiled and hopped over to take a few of the pills before throwing him an aggrieved look. "Why are you always such a monster, I swear..."

Reivan fixed his own clothes and scowled at her, feeling wronged. "Maybe don't come at me all at once then."

'It was supposed to be just me and Elsa... When did things devolve to this?'

It had all started two years ago, when Elsamina had to go around all over the place for work. She and he agreed that his lust was a bit too boundless, so she said that it was fine if he asked a few of the other girls to help him out. Reivan, indignant, had said that he wasn't some kind of animal who couldn't control himself. He would wait for her to return and they would make love.

But then he discovered that he couldn't, in fact, wait for her return.

'Who knew hybrids like me went in heat all year round? Crazy...'

It was a horrifying discovery—one that would probably discourage humans and warbeasts from making babies with each other. He started having hallucinations if he went a month without doing something. Reivan had lamented that if, hypothetically, someone locked him inside of a room alone for a month, he'd probably go nuts because he couldn't fuck anything.

'Worse, masturbation doesn't work!'

In shame, he'd told his parents about it, causing Vianna to giggle at him for a few moments before hugging him in comfort. His father, on the other hand, took it a bit more seriously by sending out a subtle announcement to the Terracatta clan not to couple with humans—not that they were keen to do so, anyway.

Reivan appreciated how his father didn't tell anyone why members of the two races shouldn't make a child together. Because that would mean everyone would know that Reivan—the only other hybrid in existence—was horny all year round.

'By Sormon's grace, I really wish this is all some joke or misunderstanding...'

Sadly, it wasn't. This was his reality now.

For all the benefits being a hybrid brought, it seemed that this was just one of its weaknesses.

Anyway, that's why he eventually agreed to Elsa's proposition to ask the other girls to help out. They were a bit too enthusiastic about it sometimes, but all was well. Maybe he'd even take all of them in as his concubines, as absurd as that sounded.

'Well... I'm thinking about all sorts of idle thoughts, but really, I'm fucked now, aren't I?'

He had an appointment at dawn, but he was late by an entire hour. Really, he could only blame the girls for ganging up on him.

'Not like I can reproach them, though.'

Reivan scanned the room, gave Aila a kiss, and then whispered goodbye to the sleeping beauties piled up on the bed.

'I hope she's not too mad...'

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Helen was flipping mad.

Reivan knew because she wasn't talking at all. She'd grown more vocal these past few years, so when she regressed to her past quiet self, he knew she just didn't know how to put her anger into words.

"Helen, I'm really sorry about being late..."

The pretty little genius said nothing, keeping her arms crossed. She wasn't even looking at him.

Reivan felt at a loss as he looked down at one of his best friends.

While being a hybrid warbeast-human had its downsides, it also came with advantages. Notably, his body's physical development was astonishingly rapid. At the tender age of fifteen, he now stood at a towering one hundred and eighty centimeters in height, presenting a physique reminiscent of a Greek god. His broad shoulders and chiseled chest hinted at the immense strength he possessed, while his limbs were lean yet sinewy, showcasing his agility and athleticism.

He probably looked more mature now than when he was Kagami Ken at the moment of his death. Even warbeasts didn't have such rapid growth, though they were pretty fast as well.

Because of this, it was a bit awkward to hang out with his two best friends—they always looked like a young father playing with his two kids. Of course, that didn't stop them from hanging out anyway.

"Hey...?" Reivan tried to get Helen to look at him by leaning from side to side, but she swiveled her head left and right to avoid him. Eventually, he decided to call upon his other best friend for help. "Hey, Hector, help me out here?"

"Don't look at me, man." Hector chuckled, looking at Reivan like he was thoroughly enjoying the events unfolding. "I didn't even know you two were meeting up two hours early. What, is going with me and the boys too boring for you guys?"

Numerous teasing grunts and heckles followed Hector's accusations. The knights behind him couldn't help but jump in on the fun, it seemed.

"Shut up, you guys..." Reivan glared them all down. "I guess I've been giving out too many bonuses to you guys, hm? Maybe I should stop."

That got them all to close their mouths and avoid their gazes, busying themselves with making sure they had everything in order.

After handling his subordinates, Reivan turned back to the immovable girl sulking in front of him. Leaving her behind was one option—one that would likely cause more problems than it would solve.

'Damn... Uh, this is hard...'

At some point, it had become set in stone that Helen would be his fiance. Of course, his parents had already met Elsamina and didn't have any problems with her being his wife too, but they were still adamant about pulling Helen closer to the royal family.

To him, this made sense in a lot of ways despite how awkward it felt for him to marry his best friend. Helen was an incredibly talented individual and infusing her genes into the royal bloodline would benefit everyone. She herself would likely be an Ascendant in a decade or two, and maybe even a Transcendent one day.

There were only benefits to be had if she became part of the royal family through marriage.

Even then, he'd expected some protests from the girl herself. After all, weren't other people deciding her marriage partner without her consent? But then she seemed to think this was totally ordinary and happily nodded when Reivan broke the news to her. With how enthusiastic she seemed, how could Reivan say anything else?

When life throws you lemons, you have to roll with the punches.

'Oh, wait. I don't think that's how the saying went...'

In any case, since they would soon be married anyway, Reivan tried to treat her like a fiance instead of a friend—though, he had to admit that he wasn't very good at it and they still went out as if they were friends.

So now, Reivan was very troubled.

He'd now enraged his fiance because he overslept after playing around with other girls. Wasn't he just absolutely finished? Nobody would be on his side here. Not even his family, since they would all gang up on him for being too careless. If he was the protagonist of a story, this would be the point where the audience would be cheering for him to suffer a bit of a setback.

'I have no choice! I just have to make her pity me!'

"Royal command! Turn around and block your ears!" Reivan ordered every single person in the room aside from Helen. All of them were knights so they had no choice but to obey.

"The hell, man..." Hector grumbled with his brows creased but he didn't have a choice here. Having a soul armament meant that he was unable to disobey a command from the royal family.

All the other knights snickered while following Reivan's orders. They'd all grown a little too familiar this past year and Reivan felt like he had to teach them a lesson soon.

'Good. The coast is clear...'

Reivan then walked up behind Helen and wrapped his arms around her delicate shoulders. He then placed his chin on her right shoulder. It was a pain to bend his knees to do so, but sacrifices had to be made. This, he had found, was the best way to make her stop sulking.

Helen didn't try to break out of his embrace, but she still didn't say anything.

"Helen... I'm sorry."

"..."

"Forgive me, please?"

"..."

"Please? It won't happen again..."

Helen let an audible breath escape through her nose before muttering in a very quiet voice that was barely a whisper.

"Why were you late?"

Reivan's face brightened at the opportunity to explain. "I overslept. I am really sorry."

"Hmm..." Helen wriggled out of his grasp and turned around, staring at him with narrowed eyes. "Where?"

"What do you mean where...?"

"Where did you oversleep."

"Oh. There's only one place I can sleep, right?"

"Did you oversleep because you were at that place again?"

'Shit. Does she know? Did someone tell her...? Was it Jiji...!? It was her, wasn't it!? I've been betrayed again!'

"Uhm..." Reivan thought that maybe he should lie, but Helen now had the resources to actually investigate the truth. She might have also known the truth already. In which case, he'd just make everything worse by lying. "Yes... I was there..."

"I knew it." Lightning sparked from Helen's eyes and Reivan braced for an attack that never came. Instead, Helen turned around and headed to the portal to the outlands. "You're bait today."

"Eh?" Reivan's puzzled expression soon turned to one of relief. "You're not mad anymore?"

"I'm not mad."

[Lie Detection] has activated!

'Oh.'

Reivan waved his hand to slap all the other knights on the back of their heads with [Formless Will] before catching up with his fiance and speaking in whispers. "I'll make it up to you, okay?"

Helen didn't stop walking until she stopped right before the giant puddle that led to one of the most dangerous places in the world. When Reivan caught up and stood right beside her, she gave him the side-eye.

"How?"

"Uhm..." Reivan tried to come up with something on the spot. He almost wanted to ask what she wanted, but he had enough experience to know that would piss her off. It would make her think that he wasn't putting in the effort. "There's this new place in Lightharbor City that serves a mean fish stew..."

"What about meat?"

"Oh. I think they have meat dishes too, yes."

"Mhm." Helen nodded, crossed her arms, and stared at him.

Reivan took this as his cue to continue. "So, you wanna go there with me after this?"

"...A date."

"Yes. My treat, of course."

"For how long?"

"How long...?" Reivan tilted his head, puzzled at the question. "However long it takes...?"

Helen smiled as she jumped into the giant puddle of darkness.

"Okay. Forgiven."

Reivan pumped his fist before jumping in after her. But grimaced when he glanced behind him and saw that everyone else was wearing smirks on their faces. They even offered thumbs-ups, as if that made him happy.

As he sunk into the portal and felt the familiar sense of being whisked off into another world, he promised he would teach those guys a lesson.

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Perhaps because his family finally accepted his incessant insistence that he didn't want to be king, Reivan's studies had changed drastically. It was as if he was being molded into a battlefield general, similar to his mother—one who was extremely strong and could command a group of knights.

That's why he was tasked with a few dozen knights to take to the outlands every few days. While he got to practice his skills at commanding knights, the knights would get high-quality training by fighting in actual battles. And it was in a relatively safe environment too, since obviously, the prince wouldn't go around unguarded or unwatched.

Of course, even if they didn't die, it wouldn't be pleasant to get mauled by those ugly things.

Furthermore, because Reivan's eyes were special, he could see through the fog that even the Sword Star's senses couldn't fully penetrate, making him the best candidate to take command during operations in the Outlands.

"Hey! Watch your flanks!" Reivan yelled from behind the formation while overseeing the battle. His sword turned into a bow and he shot a few of the more powerful nightmare spawns dead before letting the others take care of the rest. Naturally, he made sure a few spawns that would be very challenging for them remained.

"Hrah! Yah!" Hector was like a gust of wind, skewering enemies left and right with his spear.

For all his self-deprecating crap about being untalented, he'd unlocked his qi at age fifteen, proving himself as one of Aizen's rising stars. In fact, the other knights with them had only been recently knighted, but they were already in their mid to late twenties, barely making the cut. If they had been delayed for a few more years, they may have had to enter the Order of Peace instead.

'Ooooh. Hector's keeping up really well even though he's the physically weakest one of the lot.'

This was a vast improvement from the nervous wreck that he was two months ago. That said, even though Reivan was happy about his friend's growth and success, that didn't mean he would let the guy off easy today.

"Hey, leader...!" Hector eventually yelled out as he swung his spear like a madman. Each time its blade sliced through the air, a nightmare spawn was bisected. "Last time I heard, soul armaments didn't run out of arrows! How about some ranged support, huh!?"

The other knights were feeling the pressure too but hadn't said anything. Even though they were familiar enough with Reivan to tease him about his problems with women, questioning him on the battlefield was a different matter. Luckily, one of them was the prince's best friend and someone from House Mercer.

"What~?" Reivan shot a few arrows sparingly, killing the strongest spawns but leaving everything they could theoretically handle alone. "I can't hear you! I'm too busy shooting arrows!"

Hector cursed under his breath and then chanced a glance at where his sister was, but couldn't even see through the dark mist. With a shake of his head, he continued reaping the lives of all his enemies.

'Haha. This guy, he really wanted to ask his sister for help.'

Even though nobody could see Helen at the moment, Reivan was different.

'She's busy with her own shit.'

Helen was like the living embodiment of a storm. Bolts of lightning rained down a certain area as tempests were left behind in her wake. The raging winds ripped apart any monster foolish enough to come close while the lightning focused on attacking three monsters that, surprisingly, had human faces.

Reivan had done most of the work in gathering the human-faced nightmare spawns, using his body as bait. They were the only mortal-realm nightmare spawns capable of giving him or Helen an actual challenge at this point, so they were the prey that both of them preferred.

Usually, they shared the ones they found. But Reivan just had to be an idiot today, so he wasn't fighting anything and Helen would benefit from all of his hard work—not that he'd worked very hard if he were being honest.

'Heh, if I went back in time and told my past self that by age fifteen, I'd be the one hunting for trouble... I probably wouldn't have believed myself and called some knights to kill me for impersonation.'

The thought made him chuckle. Perhaps this was also part of his growth?

"Look at this guy, snickering to himself...!" Hector must have seen him since he appeared even more annoyed. "Hey! We're dying here!"

"You sure like to exaggerate..." Reivan grinned but pulled the string of his bow back as far as it would go. An ornate black arrow was automatically created for it by his soul armament and it was soon encased in lightning that obscured its figure. "I'm clearing the front!"

He aimed high at nothing in particular. But as the arrow sailed across the sky, electricity snaked through the air and struck every single nightmare spawn nearby, turning them into crisps. This earned them a brief respite. Some of them even took out water canteens to take a sip before continuing the grind.

But before they could fully relax...

"Brace!"

A new swarm broke through the fog in time with Reivan's exclamation.

Arc#3 Interlude: Just Another Knight

When she was young, Gwen didn't live a very good life.

Gwen had never seen her father.

As for her mother, Dana, she was kind and pretty, but sickly. Dana raised Gwen in a remote village on the outskirts of the Argonia Empire by using her meager skills as a seamstress.

In a decrepit village where people usually just endured until their clothes became rags, her services weren't very popular. Despite this, Gwen and her mother never seemed to go completely hungry.

When their coins dwindled or when Gwen got sick, Dana would take out a box of gold coins under the floorboards and take one out. She would then trade it for smaller coins in the nearby town. Naturally, this was Gwen and her mother's greatest secret. Even the young Gwen knew that the other villagers would find some reason to ask for a few—and the village chief would probably take it all.

The village chief.

Gwen didn't like him at all. He kept on pestering Dana to marry him even though she refused him a number of times. The village chief even said that Gwen should marry his son when she got older.

Their constant refusal made the village chief angry so he made trouble for Gwen and her mom at every turn. Dana had even wanted to move out, but they apparently couldn't, because it was dangerous. Even though this village was poor, it was much more peaceful than other places outside.

Gwen didn't really understand why it was more peaceful in other places, but Gwen loved her mother and was convinced that she was never wrong.

There was also another reason why they couldn't leave the village—Gwen's father might not be able to find them.

Gwen didn't think her father would return. At least, that's what the other villagers thought. Maybe it was because she was "cute", or people liked her blonde hair and green eyes, but a lot of adults were nice to Gwen. And those adults who were normally nice said that her dad would never return, so Gwen came to believe their words.

Still, since her mother believed that her father would return, Gwen also prayed for the same thing. She just wanted her mother to be happy after all, and her father's return would definitely do that.

And then one day, Gwen thought that their prayers actually came true.

Their house was small so there was only one room with one bed where Gwen and her mother slept together. Then there was a table and two chairs where they would eat their meals. Just outside of their house was a small hearth where they did all their cooking.

That's why, when Gwen was still pretending to sleep because she wanted to pull a small prank on her mom, she managed to see when a mysterious man she didn't know entered their little house.

Gwen thought that this might be her dad since her mother seemed to know him.

But that was wrong. He was blonde too, but he didn't have the same green eyes as Gwen. Her mother said that Gwen inherited her eyes from her father, so there was no way the man in the room was her father—since the man in the room had brown eyes.

The mysterious man and Gwen's mom talked for a bit, then her mom started crying. As for the man, his face looked calm but Gwen could somehow tell that he was sad too.

Apparently, Gwen's dad was dead.

As for Gwen and Dana, the man—Criston was his name apparently—would take them away from this place.

Gwen didn't feel as sad about her father's death as her mother, but she was happy that they wouldn't have to stay in this village anymore. She wouldn't have to marry the village chief's bratty son while her mother wouldn't have to deal with the chief's pestering.

It was a very good thing and Gwen was all for it.

So that very same day, Gwen's mom "woke" her up and they left the house behind. Naturally, they took the secret stash of gold with them and Dana tried to hand it over to Criston.

But Criston said they should use it for themselves since he had lots of money.

The three of them traveled for a long while together. Gwen remembered what her mother said about it being dangerous in other places but that didn't seem to be true. Even when they had to sleep outside, Criston would walk around and all the scary beasts would go away. And when bad men tried to bully them, Criston would just make Gwen close her eyes and the bad men would have gone away by the time she opened them.

Gwen thought that her mother must have been wrong about it being dangerous outside. But that was okay since Gwen loved her mom even though she was wrong for once.

Traveling was fun. Criston bought them new clothes every few days. Gwen would think that it was a waste to throw their old clothes away but Criston said that it couldn't be helped.

Criston.

Gwen really liked him because he was really nice to her. He was handsome and he smelled good too, unlike all the other adults in their village. Criston also told her lots of stories while traveling and made her treats out of berries they found.

Sometimes, Criston looked really scared though, and Gwen would get scared along with him even though she didn't understand what was happening. Criston would then make her smell something really nice that made Gwen sleepy afterward... then when she woke up, they'd be at a completely different place and everything would be okay.

There was even a time when Criston made her sniff the nice thing over and over again, even though she had just woken up.

But that was okay. Gwen knew that everything would be fine because Criston always said so.

And it was.

Soon, they made it to this really nice place where Gwen could eat as much as she wanted. Criston also helped them get a new house that was way bigger than the one Gwen grew up in. He also said that since her father "died honorably", Gwen and her mom would get a bunch of money every month even if they didn't work.

Gwen got to go to school and learn all sorts of new things. She also made a whole bunch of friends who didn't try to steal her food. The clothes she wore were all pretty and new. Her mother also smiled a whole lot because the nice people from the church made her healthier.

Happy.

Gwen was really happy. Every day she just kept on getting happier and happier.

She didn't understand why her life suddenly got better, but her mother always told her that when someone did something nice for her, she had to say "thank you" and try to pay them back. Not a whole lot of people ever did something nice for her though, so she didn't get to say thank you a lot.

Criston came to visit them from time to time and Gwen thanked him every time. But then he would always look troubled, making Gwen wonder why.

When she asked, Criston said that she shouldn't really be thanking him because he'd just done his job.

Gwen didn't fully understand, but she just wanted to thank someone for all the happiness she received—because it was a lot.

"The king was the one who made me save you," Criston had said.

The king.

Gwen didn't know who that was. The king sounded like a great person though, if he was the one who told Criston to bring them to their current home. Apparently, their house and the money they kept getting came from the king too.

I have to thank the king, Gwen had thought.

So she snuck out and tried to go to the big castle where the king lived. But big men in armor stopped her with a troubled smile. Even when Gwen told them that she was just going to thank the king, they wouldn't let her through even though they stroked her head.

"There's a festival three days from now. There'll be a parade and the king will go around with his family. Why don't you just thank him there?"

Gwen had nodded at the nice armored man's suggestion. She gave up on sneaking into the castle and waited patiently.

Then the festival arrived.

Her friends seemed to be really excited to go around but Gwen wasn't like them—she had a mission. So even though her mother had things to do, Gwen pestered her to see the parade. Criston heard about it too and came along.

There were lots of people waiting along the streets because they wanted to see the king just like Gwen. Gwen was afraid that she wouldn't be able to see the king at this rate, but Criston took them to a place where only special people were allowed, so she could see the main road just fine.

That's why Gwen was able to see the king.

Gwen will never forget the time when she first saw the king.

The king was tall and handsome, maybe even the most handsome man Gwen had ever seen. His hair was like night while his eyes were like the sky, and on his face was a warm smile. He waved enthusiastically to everyone as his chariot rode by. From time to time, he would respond to the countless cheers he received, yelling his answer over the roars of the crowd.

Gwen didn't know what she felt at that time but by the time she realized that she'd been staring too much, the king was about to pass her by.

She had felt panicked. More panicked than she'd ever been her entire life. If she couldn't thank the king now, would she ever be able to?

So with that in mind, she mustered all the strength her little body could muster, shouting as loud as she possibly could.

"Thank you for saving me and my mom!"

It was just a single sentence but Gwen felt exhausted after the fact. Even her throat hurt and her head felt like it was ringing.

But none of that mattered because the king seemed to hear her.

Gwen didn't know why. Maybe it was because while everybody else was shouting for the king to look at them, Gwen had yelled something different. Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe the king just looked her way because she was cute.

But the king looked at her. Their gazes met even though there were thousands of other people there.

"You're welcome! Little Gwendolyn!"

Gwen was really happy that the king answered her. But then she was shocked and speechless when she realized that the king knew her name. She didn't even know the king's name! So why did the king know hers?

"Good for you," Criston had said, patting her on her little head. "King Rodin heard you."

King Rodin.

Gwen had clenched her fists. She was bothered when the king knew her name when she didn't know his. But the question remained—why did the king know her name?

"Don't you remember?" Criston had answered her. "I said it was the king who ordered me to save you."

Gwen did remember. So that was why. Still, she thought it was amazing that the king remembered her name. Or was it normal to do so? Maybe the king didn't order for a lot of people to be saved.

She then wondered if the king ordered people to save kids like Gwen all the time, and Criston nodded like it was obvious.

"That's amazing." Gwen had said. "Why does he do that?"

"Well..." Criston had thought hard about it. "I think it's because he's nice?"

"Can I save people too? Like you did for me!"

"You have to be a knight to do the stuff I did. But don't worry, there are other ways to save people. Like making medicine and—"

Gwen hadn't listened to everything else that Criston said. She was just focused on one thing.

Knight.

She wanted to be a knight.

Because the king had ordered a knight to save Gwen and her mom, they were really happy now. Gwen was so happy she thought she might blow up.

It would be great if she could make other people happy too.

"Hey, hey," Gwen had pulled on Criston's shirt. "Can I help the king if become a knight?"

"Huh? Well, I guess, you can...? But like I said, that's not the only way to—"

Gwen had clenched her little fists when she heard she could help the king too. Now she had even more reason to become a knight.

Knight.

Gwen would become a knight.

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"Gwendolyn! Get down here! Breakfast is ready!"

Gwen opened her eyes and she was greeted by the ceiling she'd grown familiar with. She checked the nearby clock and nodded when she confirmed that she had slept for exactly eight hours.

After getting out of bed, she took the spatial ring on her bedside table and put it on. Then she took out her uniform and wore it with practiced movements. Her firm but slender limbs slipped into the black uniform effortlessly and she was soon ready in exactly two minutes.

Gwen briefly scanned her room to see if anything was amiss then proceeded for the door.

She was on duty today.

Vacations and rest days were nice, but she liked her work. Today, she would have breakfast while chatting with her mom for twenty minutes and then she would rush to the barracks within five.

But when she got downstairs, she immediately realized that her usual schedule might be broken.

Gwen rushed down the stairs and saluted. "Sir."

"Hey, hey. Calm down, will ya?" Criston chuckled as he munched on a piece of toast. He looked just as young as the day he saved Gwen and her mom. "I'm just here to visit. At ease, at ease..."

"Yes..."

"Come on. Get some breakfast."

"Yes sir."

"I said at ease... Geez." Criston laughed in exasperation. "You've become a splendid knight, huh?"

Gwen's lips curved into a smile as she sat down. "Thank you."

"A bit too much of a straight arrow though. Let loose a little~!"

"Thanks, mom." Gwen ignored the knight's words and smiled at her mother. She respected Sir Criston as a person, but he and Gwen had different viewpoints on knighthood. "You're back from the frontlines again."

"I got kicked out for grave misconduct."

Dana giggled as she put down two mugs of coffee in front of them. "That joke's getting old, Criston."

"Eh? It is? Oh, dear... Now I'll have to think of a new one."

Gwen chewed on a mouthful of toast before her eyes fell on a piece of paper on the table. "What's that?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing much." Criston sipped on his coffee only to be scalded. He grimaced as he offhandedly said. "Just a letter from King Rodin. Some kind of secret order for you."

Gwen almost spat out her toast but stopped herself. She glared at the man she treated as her second father before snatching the letter and reading its contents. There was quite a bit of writing on it, but the essence could be summarized in a few words.

Dame Gwendolyn will be participating in the exhibition match against Prince Reivan Aizenwald. And by order of the king, she had to do everything in her power to win—except if it involved permanently damaging herself, which was forbidden.

"Hm." Gwen impassively ate through her breakfast. Nothing else mattered to her. The king gave his orders and she would complete it.

"Oh, you're fighting His Highness?" Criston remarked with amazement.

"...Did you read the letter? I can report you for this."

Criston pointed behind her, making Gwen glance back to see a mirror hanging on the wall.

'That wasn't there yesterday.'

"Oh my." Dana hadn't been listening, she only saw that they were looking at the mirror. "Do you like it? A scary man was going around the neighborhood selling mirrors... He looked sad because nobody was buying from him so I bought one. Quite a nice lad, actually. I'm glad I brightened his day."

"I see." Gwen sighed as she shook her head. "Good work, mom. We needed a new mirror."

"I know, right? I'm glad you like it."

Gwen watched her mom head off to buy groceries at the market before glaring at Criston. "You better not tell anyone."

"My lips are sealed~!"

Gwen didn't believe him but since he already knew anyway, she may as well ask him his opinion. "What do you think?"

"About what? Your marriage prospects? I think if you stopped being such a prude, you could snag a guy soon... Your mother and I are worried."

"...She is?" Gwen raised her brows but shook her head. "Wait, that's not what I meant. I meant the match with Prince Reivan."

"Ah~ His Highness?" Criston nodded. "He's a good lad. We bonded about two years ago when he unlocked his qi. Good times..."

"I heard he had numerous special abilities. Talented too."

"You have a special ability too. And you're a twenty-one-year-old half-ascendant. What are you worried about?"

"Not worried. More intel wouldn't hurt though, no?"

"God, you're a perfectionist..." Criston rubbed his chin. "I'm not telling you anything I saw. It's a man-thing. I'm not going to sell out my fellow man."

"Hah...?"

"But just think of it this way... Prince Reivan's been getting a lot of attention from the Sword Star and the Saintess. I wonder why?"

Gwen sipped her coffee as she sunk into her thoughts.

Criston smirked after a while. "So? Nervous?"

"No. The king has commanded me to win."

Gwen put her cup down and stood up. It had been exactly twenty minutes after she started her breakfast.

"And so I shall."

Arc#3 Chapter 72: Objectively Better

While it was frustrating that he didn't get to try everything he wanted to, Reivan didn't really think it was a big deal. If Valter's words were anything to go by, there would be more opportunities from now on.

'I don't know if I want to fight a nightmare spawn with three faces every day though. That'd be too stressful...'

Hopefully, today was an extremely rare occurrence.

"Oof!" Revan let himself fall forward, hugging the giant serpent's cold body. He'd unconsciously deactivated [Chaos Origin] at some point—most likely because his body knew that it was dangerous to keep it active for any longer than he already had.

Which was a good thing. Even now, he felt sore all over. It was akin to having countless needles lightly prick your skin.

'It's not getting better even though I'm spamming [Effect Reproduction]. So [Chaos Origin]'s self-harm isn't physical.'

He already knew, but receiving confirmation and experiencing it in a safe environment was a good thing. In the future, he would be more prepared for the backlash.

"Good work, Your Highness." Valter suddenly appeared on Zouros' expansive back as the serpent roamed the dark skies.

"Psh. It was too easy." Reivan scoffed.

"I see. As expected, you are quite formidable. Tomorrow, let's find more human-faced spawns. Try to fight two at a time."

"Ehem. Tomorrow is a bit... I have other matters, you see. Perhaps another time."

The prince and his knight looked at each other and chuckled before Valter pointed at his eye. "Your Highness. Why not check your... status, was it called? I'm sure your physical abilities have been raised. Especially since it was such a long and hard-fought battle."

"Oh. Sure..."

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Name: Reivan Aizenwald
Species: Hybrid
Realm: Mortal
Age: Cannot Be Calculated
Sex: Male
Might: 219 → 224

Special Abilities

[Supreme Insight]

[Indomitable Willpower]

[Essence of Falsehood]

[Drug Memorization]

[Glimpse of Eternity]

Extra Skills

[Chaos Origin]
[Intuition] [Taunt]
[Qi: Unleashed]

Elemental Affinities

[Lightning]

[Chaos]

[Darkness]

[Ice]

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'Whoah. Crazy. It actually increased by five points just from fighting for an hour or two. Oh, wait...'

"Valter, for how long was I fighting?"

"You fought for a total of one hour and eleven minutes, Your Highness."

"Huh?" Reivan squinted as he frowned. "That can't be right... I'm sure I fought for much longer than that..."

Valter shook his head. "Oftentimes, when we are incredibly focused on a single task, it may feel as if time passes much slower. This is also due to your mind processing a massive amount of information during combat. You feel as if every second is extended because you pay attention to numerous things to accomplish a single task."

'Is that really how it works...?'

Reivan mentally asked Zouros and the serpent confirmed that the fight had only lasted a bit more than an hour.

'That's nuuuuuuuts.'

"In any case," Valter said with a smile. "Now that you know you can obtain results within a short span of time, do you still have things to do tomorrow?"

"Haha..." Reivan sheepishly chuckled. "I think I remembered wrong. I'm free every day of the week."

"I see. So young but your memory is already lacking? How alarming. But do take note that this kind of training has diminishing effects. It'll be harder to raise your power as you grow stronger."

"Understandable."

"It is also pointless to do this too much in a single day. So from now on, we'll come here for one to two hours every day. Within that time, I will try to make things difficult for you."

Reivan's cheek twitched. "Harder than today?"

"Yes."

"You answered that so fast..."

"I will also be imposing limits from time to time. This is so you don't overly rely on a single set of skills. As today proved, you may suddenly run into something that shares most of your elemental affinities, thoroughly limiting your options."

Reivan nodded in understanding, recalling how he had to resort to using [Chaos Origin] to finish off the three-faced bird.

Valter crossed his arms and thought for a few moments before speaking. "Your Highness, do you remember Aizen's Foundation Festival?"

"That's a sudden change in the subject... But yes, I remember."

Every year, the entire kingdom celebrated the week-long festival and that tradition would likely continue until the nation fell. It was in honor of the first king and the valiant warriors who unified the peninsula to establish Aizen. Reivan could only enjoy it in secret with his mother and uncle in the past, but ever since he became a "real" member of the royal family, he got to participate in a number of events.

Like a parade on the first day of the festival where the entire royal family—including his father whose default state was "busy"—rode a massive chariot pulled by dozens of huskies around the capital. It was a simple event, but countless people from across the kingdom came to get a glimpse of the royal family that they only rarely saw.

There was also a martial arts competition called the "First Sword Tournament", but Reivan didn't think much of it because only commoners fought. He wasn't really looking down on them, but Reivan was used to seeing the refined techniques of monsters like Rolf, Valter, Vianna, Viktor, Donovan, and Stella. Because of this, the commoners' "matches" just seemed like kids playfighting to him.

Heck, any random squire could have won the entire tournament.

Reivan knew those events were important, but honestly, he looked forward to going around the stalls the most. During that time, his entire family would usually have lots of free time so they could disguise themselves and have some fun. Even his father came out of his office to partake in the festivities—albeit, surrounded by numerous Ascendants. It was the single week of the year when they stopped being the "royal family" and just became a normal family, having fun and goofing off together.

'Oh. Come to think of it. It should be soon, no?'

Suddenly, Reivan was struck with a strange idea. "Valter. You're not telling me I'll have to fight in that martial arts contest, right?"

"Not this year, no."

"... how about next year?"

Valter shook his head. "You will have to disguise yourself and compete when you're fifteen. It's tradition. Your brother partook as well... though, you were too young back then and weren't invited to witness it."

'The fuck. That's not fair... I don't ever get to see him fight since he's also ridiculously busy...'

Reivan felt like he'd lost out on a good show. Still, he now had to worry about himself. "But what's the point? Only commoners enter, right? I'll win easily unless you guys cut my limbs off and throw me in the ring blindfolded."

Valter grunted in agreement. "Your father has naturally thought of an alternative. After all, your bloodline as a warbeast isn't necessarily something new. It was all but foretold that you would unlock your qi before then."

"Right."

"All royals, regardless if they're male or female, participate in this tradition. Still, having a royal with their qi unlocked at age fifteen is unprecedented so the topic of what to do with you was up for debate."

Reivan hummed and nodded. "I guess that's true. If they haven't unlocked their qi yet, the gap won't be too big."

"Yes. What we usually do is create a false sense of security in the royals by making them think that they'll only be facing commoners. But we'll secretly make squires enter the competition in secret to pull the rug from under them. But that won't be an option either."

"..."

'I've been thinking this for a long time, but this country is way too horrible to the members of the royal family! Who the hell made all these traditions!?'

Reivan heaved a sigh of exasperation. "So? What will happen?"

"We'll hold an exhibition match after the tournament instead," Valter said. "And you will fight six active-duty knights in consecutive one-on-one duels."

"Active-duty knights... I'll be fifteen though..."

"A fifteen-year-old with a soul armament, qi unlocked, perfect mana enhancement, numerous special abilities, and three elemental attributes."

"Right... Damn."

"Furthermore..." Valter's face turned solemn for a moment. "You can't show too much during the fights."

Reivan arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because now that our relations with Arkhan have improved to the point that we accept immigrants from them, a representative from their country will also be invited to the festival."

"Oh..." The prince nodded in understanding. "And the republic is also growing closer to the empire right now."

"Indeed."

"Then can't I just lose? What's the big deal?"

Valter shook his head. "You would be the first royal to ever fail this tradition in history then."

"Oh..."

"And having the knights lose to you on purpose... would shame their honor. We are warriors. Not actors on a stage."

"I understand." Reivan also didn't entertain the notion of having knights intentionally make a fool of themselves by losing to him—who would've held back by a lot to decrease information leaks.

Knights fought dirty and weren't afraid of hitting low blows to accomplish their goals, but this was all for the sake of the nation. All of their actions were righteous—this was what they told themselves to stave off their guilt.

'Hmm... So I'll be limited to using things I wouldn't mind the other nation finding out about. Or stuff that isn't noticeable at a glance.'

Healing effects from [Effect Reproduction], using [Formless Will] to control things, and maybe even [Chaos Origin] was out of the question. Showing off Zouros wasn't good either since the snake was like a trump card for him.

'Just imagining some assassin coming after me, only to get eaten by a massive serpent... I have to hide Zouros from the public eye as much as possible.'

His [Beast Gate] would be okay though, since warbeasts are generally known to have some kind of transformation ability. As for his elemental affinities, those would be tough to hide while fighting active-duty knights so he should just give up from the start and assume he'd use them.

'Well, when I think about it, it shouldn't be that hard to show off a decent fight. Unless they pit me against half-ascendents like big sis...'

Reivan's eyes widened in realization as he hurriedly slapped his lips.

'Idiot! Why are you raising flags like that!?'

Life wasn't a light novel, but Reivan still thought that ominous thoughts like those should be avoided.

"Your Highness?" Valter looked at him with concern.

"Ah. I'm fine. I was just being stupid."

"I see...? Anyway, we'll be focusing on improving your basic skills. All advanced techniques are born from the basics after all."

Reivan nodded with a solemn expression. "Alright."

"Good." Valter smiled in satisfaction then chuckled. "Well, I say that, but we're done for today, Your Highness."

"I think I can fight a bit more... After a few minutes of rest, that is."

The guardian knight shook his head. "Sufficient rest and a proper diet is also part of good training. No more training for today."

"I see."

"Let us continue tomorrow."

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Reivan snuck out of the castle with the Sword Star's help again. At the moment, he was still a bit embarrassed to tell Valter about his... escapades. The guardian knight's duty wasn't something he could do while giving Reivan privacy after all.

"Thank you, old man," he whispered under his breath as he made his way into the Serpent's Haven. Reivan winked at the burly man guarding the employee entrance and headed inside.

Surprisingly, he met Elsamina upon opening the door.

"Oh my." she gasped before breaking into a smile. "It's only three o'clock in the afternoon, master. Did you miss me already?"

Reivan cleared his throat, feigning composure. "I just had important matters to discuss."

"Important matters... I see."

"Ehem. Anyway, what are you doing here...?"

"Just making the rounds to see if everyone was still hale and hearty. There seems to be a cold going around so I was worried."

"A cold?" Reivan raised his eyebrows before nodding. "That's nothing. I know a guy who can get the best medicine for those."

"Goodness. Really?"

"Of course. I'll hand it over tomorrow."

"You really take care of us very well." Elsamina smiled as she strode forward and hooked her arm around his, inadvertently letting him make contact with certain prominent parts of her body. "I will have some appreciation on behalf of everyone. Please, follow me to my office."

Reivan nodded, enjoying the moment.

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Once they arrived in Elsamina's office, she immediately shut the door and gently pushed him against it.

"Mmph!" Reivan's mouth was immediately sealed and he didn't want to do anything about it. Well, that was wrong. He wanted more.

But just as he was about to hug her, she broke away as if nothing happened. With a smile, she started preparing some tea.

"Master, why stand there? Please sit anywhere you like."

Reivan was a bit disgruntled at her teasing but looked for a place to sit down anyway. He was just about to head for the couch, but memories of what they did on it last night made him look for something else. His fluids probably hadn't been cleaned off of it yet.

'Actually, we went at it pretty hard so it's harder to find a spot we didn't do it at.'

They had done it to the point of exhaustion. Well, only Elsamina was truly exhausted. The poor woman had tried to earnestly match his bottomless stamina.

'The window... Oh, no. Wait. We did it there too. Shit.'

Still, the afternoon breeze felt nice so he chose to linger there. Elsamina soon handed him a cup of tea before sitting on her posh office chair.

"The weather in Aizen feels really nice, doesn't it, master?"

"Indeed." Reivan nodded even though he didn't have any experience outside of Aizen. "How was it in the capital?"

"Winters were very cold and summers were incredibly hot."

"Sounds rough. You don't have to worry about that though. Since you might not go back there ever again."

"I suppose..." Elsamina rested her head on her palm and looked at him. "So? What important matters did you wish to discuss that you would rush here so early in the afternoon? I thought you were busy. You were in such a rush to leave when you woke up, after all."

"Ah." Reivan chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that... I had circumstances..."

Elsamina giggled mischievously. "I was joking, master. I'm not really mad. We're both very busy people. I myself had matters I needed to handle... There was even a meeting I was almost late to. Though it was a joyous thing, our... meeting wasn't planned."

"I see. Thank you for understanding."

"Yes. I wasn't annoyed in the slightest."

[Lie Detection] has activated!

Reivan pursed his lips while thinking of ways to make it up to her somehow.

"Anyway, master." Elsamina took out some documents from her desk's drawer and looked them over while speaking. "Why did you rush here so early? I have some vague ideas but maybe I'm wrong. Is it related to our failure to buy up properties in the capital?"

'Huh? She was trying to do that?'

If she was, it was guaranteed to fail. There was a secret unspoken rule that knights, bureaucrats, and their relatives would have priority for those matters. It wouldn't work even if she contacted property owners directly since some people would get in the way.

'That's not good. I should get someone to keep an eye out so she doesn't get hurt.'

"No, that wasn't why." Reivan shook his head. "I just wanted to see you sooner."

"Oh?" Elsamina's face brightened and her smile made her face shine to his eyes. "Your tongue is very sweet, master. Though I suppose I've already tasted it, so I would know."

"You're so lewd..." Reivan chuckled.

Elsamina stood up and strode toward him, her hips swaying from side to side. "Do you hate lewd women like me, master?"

He gulped and turned away, pretending to find the outside scenery interesting. "I-I don't..."

"I'm very glad to hear that." She hugged him from behind, wrapping her dainty arms around him as her soft hands stroked his chest.

Reivan twitched at the pleasant sensation at his front and back. "W-wait a minute..."

"Why wait?"

"Well, maybe we could have a meal outside first...? Enjoy the sights..."

"Oh my. Are you proposing a date?"

"Yes."

Elsamina giggled and nibbled at his ears. "That sounds wonderful. But what do we do after the date?"

Reivan let a breath escape him as he felt her lips on his neck. "Afterwards..."

"Yes. Afterwards. What do wish to do together?"

"I..."

"Do you want to fuck me, master?"

"Ah..." Reivan almost jumped when her hands tried to invade his pants. "Absolutely."

Elsamina laughed and broke away again. "You're so cute, master. It really makes me want to believe what you said about being thirteen years old."

"...I wasn't lying about that though."

Reivan bit his lip in frustration. Whether it was due to her lack of belief in his words or something else, even he wasn't completely sure.

"Psh." Elsamina sneered then placed a hand on the top of his head. "I am quite tall for a woman but you're already close to my height."

She then poked his arms. "Your arms are thick too. Couldn't you crush my head with these?"

"Then..." Elsamina rubbed his stomach, where his abdominal muscles were incredibly well-defined. "Need I say more? Walk around the street, master. Then tell everybody you meet that you're thirteen. Watch as their faces fill with doubt."

'Uh... Well, she has a point...'

Reivan looked down at himself and admitted that she made a good point. At some point, he'd even left Hector in the dust when it came to height and physique—and Hector was tall for his age.

Elsamina shook her head and sighed. "I don't even know why you tell such an obvious lie."

Reivan also sighed, internally giving up on insisting. Was it a curse? Because he lied so much, now, people didn't believe him when he told the truth.

"Anyway... I wonder what I should wear. I've never been on a date." Elsamina excitedly said as she stroked the spatial ring he'd given her—likely looking through her wardrobe.

"Never?"

"Yes. Just straight into sex."

"O-oh..." Reivan cleared his throat. "I won't be like that."

"I wouldn't mind it if it was like that for us sometimes." Elsamina giggled and then looked at him. "Master?"

"Hm? Yes?"

"What are we?"

Reivan immediately recognized the seriousness behind her lighthearted tone.

Before he could say anything, she continued. "I don't mind if we're... not anything. Just two people who have fun? But... It seems to me that you intend to treat me especially well and..."

"And...?"

Elsamina's enchanting green eyes stared into his. "I just wondered... If I could expect more? Uhm... How do I put this... I just wanted to set my expectations."

"I see..." Reivan nodded as he smiled. "You can set your expectations higher."

Her eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Yes..." Reivan cleared his throat, trying hard not to blush. "The founding festival... Uhm. My family and I were going to go around the stalls and I was wondering if you would like to come?"

"Yes! I'll come!"

"Great. That's settled then."

Reivan laughed and tried to hide his face by staring out the window but suddenly felt a jolt. Then, hands aggressively tried to take his clothes off.

"H-Hey! What are you..." Reivan tried to stop her but her cold hands felt a bit too good against his skin. "I thought we agreed to go on a date before doing it...?"

"I changed my mind." Elsamina hugged him tightly. "We can just do it now and then go on a date later. Then we can do it again afterward, no?"

"Well... that is objectively better."

She giggled.

"Yes. Objectively."

Arc#3 Chapter 71: Three Faces

[Author's Note]

Sorry it was late, there was a surprise power outage!

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Reivan had tea while chatting with the Sword Star every once in a while, and he remembered that on one occasion, he'd asked Rolf about humanoid nightmare spawns.

"Why are you curious about that?" Rolf had chuckled while smoking something from a pipe. Even after pestering the old man countless times, he had never told Reivan what it was and a strange power had prevented him from looking at it directly with [Supreme Insight], but the Transcendent always had a loose smile on his face when he puffed one out—making Reivan think it was some fantasy marijuana that gave even Transcendents a high.

While thinking about how crazy it was that their strongest protector was getting stoned and could quite possibly get the entire kingdom killed, Reivan had shrugged.

"Just curious. Also, can you let me try some of that...?"

"No." The stingy old man had immediately slapped his hand away. "And for now, you don't need to worry about humanoid Transcendents."

"Why?"

"Because if I'm not around and one of them sees you, you'll die without even seeing the humanoid Transcendent. At least if you're ignorant, you'll die in bliss."

"The hell...?" Reivan had scratched his head in frustration at that answer. Over a lot of visits, he'd gotten close to the old man so he spoke his mind. "Coming here was a waste of time, then. You're not telling me anything and you're not even sharing your thing!"

"Now, now..." Rolf had placated him with a chuckle. "Rather than humanoid spawns, what you should be worrying about are the ones with a human face."

"A human face...? Nightmare spawns have human body parts all the time though. I've seen so many of them, there must have been one with a human face..."

"Well, one day, you'll have to run around in the Outlands mostly unsupervised for your initiation. When that happens, you have to look out for the ones with human faces."

"Are they stronger?"

"That's part of it. They usually have multiple elemental affinities and are more cunning than other spawns too."

"Cunning... so they run away when they can't win?"

Rolf had shaken his head with a smile. "No, they're not that smart. Only humanoids have a desire for self-preservation."

"Then?"

"So they'll just try and try again until their prey is dead. They're smart, but they still have the undying persistence of an ordinary spawn."

"Is that so..." Reivan had nodded.

Rolf had patted him on the head before returning to his pipe when had suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot."

"What."

"Be more careful of the ones with two faces."

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'Old man, this thing has three faces! You didn't hand out a memo for this one!'

Reivan continuously dashed around the battlefield, dodging left and right as worms were rapidly shot out of the spawn's six eyesockets. Even if he wanted to retaliate, he found it hard to do so with the opponent having the literal ability to fly. When Reivan tried to attack it with his remote-controlled swords — which he had decided to call his Serpent Fang Swords since that sounded cool to him — the bird dodged them with ease.

It cunningly stayed in the air and continued pelting Reivan with worms like its faces were machine guns.

'When is this stupid bird gonna run out!?'

He had been running around for an hour by now and the stupid bird just wouldn't stop. At this point, Reivan simply had to accept the fact that the stupid three-faced bird produced worms faster than it could shoot them. If he didn't have serpent fang swords to return some pressure to it, Reivan would have probably been shot full of holes.

'Those worms are bad news...'

The worst part was that even if he dodged them, the worms didn't disappear, staying on the ground they landed on. They were slow as heck so it didn't matter if they chased him. What mattered was that Reivan couldn't run to those spots anymore.

He'd accidentally stepped on one earlier and it had actually squirmed its way into his foot despite all of his defenses. It was a bitch and half trying to remove it from there while dodging.

And his situation was about to get worse.

Their battle had attracted even more nightmare spawns and Valter only seemed keen on blocking the Ascendants. Reivan killed the newcomers instantly and without trouble, but it felt like Valter had stopped blocking off the mortal realm nightmares entirely.

'This... is not sustainable. I have to make a move now or I'll gradually run out of mana.'

If it was just mana augmentation, the consumption was lower than his rate of recovery so it was fine. But from time to time, he was forced to use aetherblade arts to quickly dispatch a particularly strong nightmare spawn so Reivan could focus on dodging the three-faced one.

'Oh, wait a minute. This is the perfect opportunity to share Zouros' absorption ability!'

If he could use that, he wouldn't have to worry about magic power anymore. He could generously use his mana to strike at the three-faced spawn and then attack a few of the ordinary spawns to absorb their mana. Then it would be rinse-and-repeat until the three-faced spawn dies.

'Yosh! Let's do this... Uh, but how?'

"Whoops!" Reivan's feet surged with lightning as he side-stepped something big bursting out of the ground. He didn't look back and continued running as he mentally communicated with Zouros—who was watching his battle from far away.

'Hey, buddy! Do you have some spare qi? I need to use your absorption thingy!'

The giant serpent bobbed its head and sent a wave of warmth through their connection. The warm energy that was likely qi flowed into Reivan gently and his body welcomed it. Reivan recalled Valter's story and focused on his desire to borrow his serpentine partner's skills.

'For now... I wanna suck... Wait, no. Fuck, my mind has been ruined by the internet. Uh, I need to absorb. Yeah. Absorb the mana...'

Reivan charged forward and wrapped his blade with qi and magic power. He hadn't tried combining it yet, and he didn't have the leeway to try it out right now, but he figured it would succeed if they were both on his sword. Then he chose a nearby target and cut it in two.

Immediately afterward, he felt his mana pool fill up with a few drops.

'It worked! Wow, I can't believe this...'

Despite only making contact for a brief instant, he'd sucked...absorbed more magic power from a single hit. His stamina had been replenished as well, but Reivan wasn't too troubled about that since he could constantly restore that with [Effect Reproduction].

'It would be great if it didn't absorb stamina anymore, but stole more mana instead... Hm. Let's try it.'

Reivan killed a few more stray nightmare spawns but his new innovation didn't seem to work. That is until Zouros sensed his desires and donated a new batch of qi. With Reivan's next kill, his strikes no longer stole stamina but grabbed him more mana in return.

'Awesome! This was easier than I thought.'

His [Formless Willpower] probably had something to do with it. In any case, with this new power, he could now mount a proper counterattack against his flying adversary.

"It's my turn now, bird brain!" Reivan skidded to a halt and faced the three-faced spawn's general direction. Lightning arced in his feet and he exploded upwards while his sword transformed into a pointed lance. As he pierced through the air, the lance's tip lit up due to <<Spellblade>> , increasing its penetrating power even more.

'Get fucked, ugly!'

The three-faced spawn must have been caught off-guard by his sudden switch to offense. Its reaction time was late enough that Reivan's lance tore through its left leg. All three faces shrieked in pain but it barely kept itself airborne as it shot glares at Reivan.

'Damn, if only this thing didn't have both lightning and ice attributes! It's resistant to most of the moves I have!'

It was fine to use lightning aetherblade arts for mobility, but just like when he sparred with Helen, Reivan couldn't use lightning to attack—nor could he use ice. As such, he was stuck with attribute-less offensive arts.

'I don't know any offensive dark arts... And all of them sucked anyway, so I didn't learn them.'

Reivan gnashed his teeth in regret but it wasn't like his loss was pre-determined. He forced himself to a stop mid-flight by summoning a floating shield as a foothold. Then lightning burst from his feet again as he resumed his attack.

'You think it was over...!?'

It had just been attacked so it must not have expected another one right after. However, the three-faced spawn was much more alert than before so it was able to evade Reivan this time.

With a clock of his tongue, Reivan let himself crash downward before breaking his fall with a few well-placed floating shields. He then transformed his massive lance into a longsword as he resumed running.

'Time to refuel!'

Reivan refilled his magic power by attacking a few of the numerous stray nightmare spawns. He was like a runaway Truck-kun, everything he ran over was sent to the world beyond. The wind brushed past his face as he spent his magic power recklessly while throwing glances above, looking for a chance to launch another attack.

'Now!'

Just like that, Reivan launched attack after attack before returning to the ground and replenishing his magic power. Aside from the three-faced spawn, ordinary mortal nightmare spawns kept on joining in, becoming Reivan's neverending supply of magic power. With a way to restore resources, he could use mobility arts with impunity and generously chuck slashes of sharpened mana to harass the three-faced monster.

When the opportunity presented itself again, he would renew his assault.

'Sheesh. With this absorption ability, this fight is becoming easier than I thought it would be.'

As a wise man once said, if you shoot your load enough, one of 'em would hit eventually. This was the case for Reivan's fight with the three-faced bird monster. Even though most of his attacks were evaded, some of them still hit, causing the monster's injuries to gradually build up.

If things continued as they were, he would win.

'Hm? Did it finally start running out of worms...?'

Suddenly, Reivan noticed that the pressure on him had reduced significantly. There were much less bullet-worms getting shot his way. So he shot a glance upward.

'Huh? It's attacking something else... Ah! Shit! This cunning piece of crap!'

The three-faced monster was only using one of its heads to barrage him with worms, while the other two heads attacked other things—the ordinary nightmare spawns.

Reivan instantly knew what it was doing; the three-faced bird monster was reducing the number of enemies he could absorb mana from!

'Fuck...! I have to end this NOW!'

While the monster's actions would make things harder for him if he dragged the fight on longer, it also made things easier for him right now. So Reivan immediately switched gears and resolved himself for a final exchange of blows.

'I guess I can't put off using this forever.'

Silencing his apprehension, Reivan pulled out a power he didn't use very often so he could turn the tide of battle.

{[Chaos Origin] has been activated!!!}

{You are now connected to the [Chaos Origin].}

{All of your essence is transformed into [Chaotic Energy]!}

{[Omni Resistance] and [Elemental Immunity] have been temporarily gained!}

Reivan knew that the three-faced monster had been holding back from using any of its elemental skills to save magic power, but with his [Chaos Origin] activated the thing had done it for nothing.

'Alright, now I just have to not die to my own power!'

His body felt like something similar to blood was destroying his body from the inside as it flowed through him, but Reivan endured and constantly used [Effect Reproduction] to heal any injuries. Surprisingly, it didn't really work that well, so he couldn't maintain this state for too long.

{Your overwhelming intent has bolstered your power!}

{Your heart burns!}

{Might has increased by +100%!}

'Great! I needed the extra kick!'

Reivan summoned a lance and pulled his arm back, the veins on his arms and neck visibly bulging. With a powerful grunt, he threw it at the monster with all his might. Then lightning burst from his feet again, filling the air with the sound of thunder and propelling him upward like a streak of light, much faster than he had ever flown before.

The lance tore through the skies as it pierced through the surprised three-faced monster's stomach, leaving behind a gaping hole. All three faces shrieked in pain but Reivan wasn't done with them yet.

"Get fuuuuuucked!" Reivan summoned a shield and braced himself against it as he crashed into the monster's chest, sending it flying backward from the impact. Not satisfied, he quickly summoned a foothold below him and jumped up again, only this time, he grabbed onto the body of the bird and grabbed onto the hairs of its wings.

'I'm gonna suck you dry! Non-sexually, of course!'

It already took quite a bit of magic power from a single touch, but right now, he was practically hugging the damn thing! It definitely wouldn't last long at this rate. All Reivan had to do was hold on and endure any attacks.

The monster shrieked, obviously threatened by the rapid draining of its resources. As if it couldn't take it anymore, one of its heads opened its mouth and breathed out a thick cloud of icy mist.

Reivan smirked as he traversed its body and got on its back while ignoring the attack.

'This is the power of having information!'

He'd known the monster's elemental affinities from the start which was why he hadn't bothered attacking with lightning or ice.

But the monster didn't know Reivan's affinities.

It had seen him use lightning a bunch of times, but never ice. Even without [Chaos Origin], the attack would have likely done little to no damage.

Of course, since he had [Chaos Origin] active, even if the monster had used a fire elemental attack, it wouldn't have mattered.

"Hah!" While holding onto the monster with one hand, Reivan slashed out and cut off one of its head. Naturally, he hadn't gone for the one that had breathed ice, even wanting to thank that head for wasting the monster's magic power. He wanted to cut off another one, but a foreboding feeling made him un-summon his sword and grab onto the bird monster's hair.

Just in time, the bird monster started to descend while rotating rapidly.

'AHHHH!'

Reivan almost let go but managed to hold on by biting a clump of hair.

'I'm gonna get thrown off! Shiiiiiiiii—!'

Knowing he'd lose if he changed nothing, Reivan took the risk. He let go of the hair he was holding with his right hand and summoned a dagger before rapidly stabbing the bird as fast as he could.

Reivan stabbed the thing repeatedly until the monster's flesh was mutilated beyond recognition. Then, just as he was about to get thrown off, the dagger disappeared and was replaced by a clump of spell balls he'd taken from Xander.

'Eat shit!'

With a sneer, Reivan stuffed the spellballs into the wound and let himself get flung to who-knew-which direction. His vision spun but his heart was full as his ears were treated to a deafening explosion. A resplendent light filled his vision and a chuckle escaped his lips.

'If that didn't kill it, nothing will!'

Just as he was wondering what method he was going to use to get back to Valter, he was suddenly caught in the mouth of a giant serpent. It was surprisingly dry inside but Reivan unwittingly stared deeper down the throat and felt a shiver. He quickly looked away from the dark void and clambered out.

Thankfully, Zouros didn't feel like joining the list of Top 10 anime betrayals, so it kept its mouth open and still, enough for Reivan to easily get out and climb onto the massive serpent's back.

"Phew." Reivan heaved a sigh and let the tension drain from his limbs as his golden eyes stared at the center of the explosion. The bird monster was well and truly dead now, and none of the little ones on the ground could get to him.

'GG. EZ'

As he gazed at the resplendent lights of the explosion and internally flamed the defeated, Reivan suddenly had a thought.

'Oh shit! I didn't try the shadow form thing!'

Reivan bit his lip and slammed his palm into his forehead.

Arc#3 Chapter 70: Meat Grinder

[Author's Note]

H O L Y

This chapter was a pain in the ass to transfer to Patreon, lol

It has so many boxes that I have to reformat.

Anyway, as always, thanks to all of you for the support!

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Reivan stared at the strange massacre going on in front of him. After all the falling feathers made contact with the ground, a vast expanse of land that had previously been an inky black color was now stony grey. The trees and all the nightmare spawns that had occupied the land dried up and turned to stone, then eventually crumbled into dust.

'Ah. Wait, I know what this is...'

Reivan brought up Zouros' status screen.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════
Name: Zouros
Species: Archon Fragment (World Devouring Serpent)
Realm: Mortal (Degraded Archon)
Age: 12
Sex: N/A
Might: 1000

Special Abilities
[World Devouring]
[Wings of Desolation]

Extra Skills
[Chaos Origin]
[Qi: Unleashed]
[Contract: Reivan Aizenwald]

Elemental Affinities: 
[Chaos]
[Darkness]

Favor: 
(Loyalty / Protectiveness / Familial Love) 100 / 100

Threat Level: 
N/A (This unit's favor is too high)
════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

'There it is. [Wings of Desolation], huh? Hey, you little rascal. Did you really not know about this?'

Zouros' head drooped. It apparently didn't expect this outcome either and even felt wronged that Reivan was blaming it.

Valter finally snapped out of his daze and offered his opinion. "I think this is also part of another special ability. There is qi in the feathers and it seems to want to suck resources from those it touches, but seeing as the power that... turns everything to stone nullifies it. This is strange since spirit beasts normally have complementary skill sets, never contradicting ones like this."

"...Yes, it is strange." Reivan nodded, ruminating on where the ability had come from.

'Was it Zell? Did she make Zouros eat something before sending me here? Or is having these wings normal for her kind? I'm so confused... but this is a good thing.'

Reivan tried to be optimistic. "It seems like a good power."

"Indeed." Valter also agreed, his arms crossed as he continued to examine the surroundings. "I've noticed this before, Your Highness. But it seems that Zouros seems to do very well against a large number of weaker foes. His absorption skill means he can just keep fighting endlessly as long as there are things to kill and eat. And then he even has this new ability."

"Oh, that's true." Reivan nodded, also impressed with his soul roommate. Then, he suddenly had a realization. "Isn't he the perfect match against nightmare spawns?"

"I thought so as well. Spawns only have their numbers and their strange abilities going for them, after all. And in addition to his mass-slaughter capabilities, it seems Zouros is also immune to the nightmare spawns' tricks."

'Oh. That's true. Way to go, buddy.'

Zouros smirked as it licked the air. It looked around excitedly, seemingly eager to hunt more prey.

Reivan chuckled at its actions. "Well, I suppose we won't have to ask what it wants. Zouros wants to come here more often."

"That can be arranged." Valter smiled. "This is a very good thing. But we can't have him visit all the time, though. The mortal knights need something to train against."

"I'm sure there are plenty of spawns to go around."

In fact, as they were speaking, more of them were coming from a distance. They were like a horde of cockroaches scurrying across the black plains.

"You Highness, I would like to show you something that Zouros may be able to do as well." Valter urged Freed forward and the black chick instantly transformed into a majestic black falcon. "I have... spent some time in the republic, you see. And I have encountered a few spirit beasts with the darkness attribute. They could all do this technique so I had Freed try it too, and it worked."

"Interesting..."

"Xander has even managed to do it even though he doesn't have a beast to bond with."

"Okay, let's see it." Reivan paid attention while mentally urging the massive serpent to do the same."

The guardian knight nodded to the black falcon.

Freed screeched as its body was surrounded—no, it became black mist. The falcon's form was maintained and only the eyes glowed a deep dark purple, but there was an ethereal feel to the beast's body now.

"I don't know what the republic calls the technique but I simply call it 'Shadow Form' since I'm not very creative."

"What does it do?"

"While in that state, the user is intangible. It makes one faster, especially in places that lack light. It is to the point that the user seems like they're teleporting. Of course, even when used in bright areas it will still make the user faster."

Reivan nodded but saved his amazement for later. "What are the downsides?"

Valter smiled down at him and said, "It has two downsides. One, the user cannot attack or do much else except move. Two, unless used in total darkness, the cost of maintaining the state is very high."

'So it has high utility but high cost too.'

The condition of being cheaper to use in dark places was a very nice addition since the Outlands were very dark and Reivan would likely spend a lot of time fighting nightmare spawns.

'Oh wait. I'm treating it as if it's decided that I'm learning the ability but I don't even know if Zouros can do that. It's not exactly a spirit beast despite the similarities...'

He looked at the giant snake and it nodded at him, eager to try. It slithered around in the air for a few moments before its body turned into a transparent haze of black mist. And when Zouros flew lower, its body passed straight through the thousands of newly-gathered spawns.

'Holy shit. You did it, buddy!'

Reivan could only sigh at how seemingly easy it was for Zouros to learn new techniques.

Valter hummed and nodded in satisfaction as he watched the serpent. "How truly envious. Your Majesty, did you know? Spirit beasts are essentially beings of pure energy with a consciousness of their own. That's why they can learn and easily do things we think are difficult. To them, learning a new technique is... like moving fingers in a certain order or shaking their head at a certain speed. They are amazing creatures..."

'Damn. For real? Now I'm getting envious.'

But when Reivan thought about it, spirit beasts were beings that couldn't exist in the material plane without finding someone to be their "anchor", so they were very limited in that way.

'Pros and cons, huh?'

"So..." Reivan turned to look up at Valter. "Now what?"

"Now, you fight."

"I knew this was gonna happen..."


════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════


Reivan stood with his sword out, calmly observing the numerous nightmare spawns surrounding him with every intention of ripping him apart. If it weren't for Valter's barrier, they would already be trying to do so.

"Your Highness."

"Yes?"

"You already understand why we're doing this, yes?"

The prince nodded. "To stimulate my survival instincts."

"Good." Valter nodded then proceeded to explain as he stood in the air above the tiny barrier that protected Reivan. "There is a difference between sparring against someone and fighting something that you know wants you dead. It awakens something within us all—no matter how safe we think we are."

"And that's why you're going to have me chaotically fight hordes of nightmare spawns?"

The guardian knight chuckled. "Not all at once. Just enough to... stimulate you."

"Uh-huh..."

"It would be great if you could successfully borrow Zouros' abilities, but please prioritize survival. And you can go ahead and activate all of your buffs before we begin."

"Well, that's kind of you. I'll take you up on that."

{Bodily Reinforcement through Magic Power application has been detected.}
{Your manipulation of Magic Power has resulted in a Perfection Rate of 50%}

{Perfection Rate becomes 100% due to [Formless Will]!!}

{Your Might has been increased by 300 points.}
{A perfection bonus of 100% has increased the bonus to 600 points.}

Might: 219 → 819

{Your racial skill, [Beast Gate] has been activated!}

Might: 819 → 1038

{Armament Energy surges through your veins!}

{Your Might has been increased by 300 points!}

Might: 1038 → 1338

And finally, Reivan activated his new power.

{Qi Reinforcement has been used!}

{Your Might has been increased by 300 points!}

Might: 1338 → 1638

'This is it. This is my current peak...'

"Alright then, I'll stop here. Please stay ready. I will start letting monsters in at a random time to catch you off-guard."

Reivan wordlessly nodded as he clutched his longsword with both of his hands. He scanned his surroundings and waited with bated breath for what he knew was coming.

'Way to keep the suspense, Valter.'

Even after dozens of seconds, nothing happened. So Reivan was forced to stretch his focus endlessly, watching out for anything entering his range. Inadvertently, he ended up staring into the eyes of many of the spawns. In their beady little obsidian eyes, he could see himself reflected clearly and their strange growls and howls filled his ears. Limbs of different lengths and thickness clawed at the invisible barrier, eager to rend his flesh from bone.

'They... want to kill me.'

Reivan had known this for a long time. But nothing made him feel more danger than when he was actually faced with the things. Perhaps he'd even looked down on these nightmare spawns because the knights under his family's command could massacre the lot of them, and even Zouros could mow them down with ease.

Now, in this very moment, Reivan realized they weren't a joke. That they were dangerous creatures that should never see the light of day.

Gulp.

Reivan gripped his sword tighter as his breathing grew a bit ragged. The malice around him was palpable and he could practically taste it. And as he did, his heart beat faster and faster, pumping hot blood through his chilled body.

'I just... gotta fuck 'em up before they get me. That's all.'

{Your overwhelming willpower has activated Sub-Skill #2 - [Intent]!}

{[Intent] has temporarily changed into [Battle Intent]!}

Reivan stopped the flood of notifications before it could get too far. He really didn't need any more distractions right now.

And it was just in time too since a nightmare spawn passed right through the barrier in front of him.

Although slightly surprised, Reivan's eyes narrowed in focus as he ducked, letting the monster's worm-like body fly above him. His sword flashed, tracing a line across the monster's body, severing it in two.

'I'm not even using <<Spellblade>> and I cut through that thing like butter!'

He knew not to let these small wins get to his head though. A certain old man with an eternally balding head had already taught him that bad things happen when one gets overconfident.

'Always assume that the enemy is stronger. Aim for weak links. Avoid tanking hits you're not absolutely sure you can take.'

Reivan leaned to the right and dodged some kind of projectile before forming a gun in his left hand and shooting at where it came from. Without even looking if it had died, Reivan took a step back just in time to avoid a literal hand that burst from the dark soil.

He severed it instantly and scanned his surroundings again, wary of other attacks. For a moment, none came. But he knew it was to create a fake sense of safety within him and he wasn't falling for it.

More of the monsters penetrated the barrier after that and Reivan cut them all down rather easily. The numbers soon ramped up and he was forced to create four swords and control them with [Formless Will] to cover his blindspots. Four swords became six, then six swords soon became eight.

None of the nightmare spawns were a threat to him individually, but they were relentless and didn't care about their lives. Their numbers also put a ridiculous amount of pressure on him.

Soon, his stamina started running dry so he used [Effect Reproduction] to replicate the beast king's ichor. However, this did not cure the mental fatigue from maintaining focus for such a long time. He also had to use some aetherblade arts earlier, so his mana pool wasn't exactly topped up either.

At some point, Reivan had lost track of time. His strength and speed allowed him to finish off any monster with a single attack. Reivan was like a human meat grinder as his arms swung wildly but with trained precision.

'Is this... never gonna end...?'

Reivan had been leisurely at first, thinking he would find time to test out Zouros' skills later. Then at some point, he'd lost any leeway. It felt like if he stopped his swinging his sword he would die.

But as he swung his sword he finally noticed that there was now nothing to cut.

"I... I did it! Holy shit!" Reivan chuckled lethargically as he realized that he'd run out of enemies. But then he stiffened when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck tingle. "Fuck!"

Lightning surged from his feet as he was brought forward by dozens of meters. When he looked back, his grip on the sword tightening, he saw a human face.

No, it was a nightmare spawn with the face of a human. Three of them, one for each head, and with constantly changing expressions of pain and agony. Countless squirming black worms could be seen wriggling around in their eye sockets.

The monster looked like a strange caricature of a bird. Except its feathers seemed more like hair and its feet were massive human arms. A ghastly aura surrounded the ten-foot-tall creature as all of its faces licked their lips.

'What the fuck...'

Reflexively, Reivan used [Supreme Insight].

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════
Name: N/A
Species: Archon Fragment (Dream Weaving Moth)
Realm: Mortal
Age: 15
Sex: N/A
Might: 2042

Special Abilities
[None]

Extra Skills
[None]

Elemental Affinities: 
[Lightning]
[Fire]
[Ice]

Favor: 
(Malice) -100 / 100

Threat Level: 
B
════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

"Hey, Valter!" Reivan immediately called out to his guardian. "A weird one got in! You wanna help with this?"

"Please do your best by yourself, Your Highness."

"... Fine." Reivan took a deep breath and forced a smile, the sword gripped tightly in his hands.

'Why do all my teachers have personality problems?'

Arc#3 Chapter 69: Valter's Secret Method

[Author's Note]

Here's the chapter! Starting this week, the posting schedule will be changing to Saturdays and Sundays.

So see you again on Saturday and Sunday!

= Lire ♪ =

"Thank you for the tea, Frey." Reivan smiled as he stood up. "It was wonderful."

The Saintess giggled. "I'll be sure to send you a few bags then."

"That would be great, actually." Reivan reached forward and shook hands with the most important religious figure in Aizen. Then he nodded to her one last time and walked toward the door.

"Yes. Oh, and usually, we priests say that we hope people would never have to come here again, since that would mean they were either sick or injured. But I do hope that you come from time to time, Reivan."

"Of course. Let's work together to make better medicine."

Frey smiled widely and clapped her hands. "Oh my. That really has a nice ring to it. Yes, please come by whenever you can."

After the Saintess gave Reivan the sacred symbol imbued with her power, they talked a bit more about what to do moving forward. Although Reivan's ability was miraculous, Frey did not see too much value in it because only Reivan could produce those high-quality drugs. What she aimed for was the creation of medicine that just about anyone with enough skill and the right materials could produce.

It was a bit strange to Reivan, but according to Frey, she wanted a world where their powers weren't needed anymore.

'She's a weirdo... but I think she's an okay person.'

Still, according to Frey, there were still some benefits to studying how the medicine Reivan produced interacted with the body. And so Frey easily agreed to Reivan's favor of looking for rare medicines in exchange.

Reivan was just about to leave with the ever-silent Valter, but then he couldn't hold his curiosity and turned around. "Frey."

The Saintess tilted her head, she had been just about to clean the table with a cloth. "Yes? Is there something wrong?"

"Not really. I just wanted to ask something."

"Well, ask away then."

"Why would you wish for a world where your powers aren't needed? Wouldn't that mean people might not believe in the Sun God anymore?"

'That's how it was back on Earth, so...'

With the advancement of science and the rise in standard education, faith in the gods eventually diminished. Reivan thought that the same thing might happen here too.

The Saintess looked at him with wide eyes before understanding seemed to dawn on her face. "Ah. It seems that there is a misunderstanding here, Reivan."

"A misunderstanding...?"

"Yes, a misunderstanding." Frey continued to put away the empty cups and wiped the table. "It seems that you believe that our church's goal is to increase the number of people that believe in the Sun God."

Reivan frowed. "Is that not the case?"

"It is not."

'What?'

"Then what is your goal?" Reivan couldn't help asking.

Frey sent him a glance as she worked. "Our goals are the Sun God's goals."

"I'm very confused..."

The Saintess laughed, her tinkling voice tickling his ears once again. "Reivan, to me, and those who followed me back to Aizen, the Sun God is just the pioneer of the path we walk. Sormon showed us the way. But that's it."

Silence hung in the air before Frey stood up and walked to the window, where the rays of the sun were shining brightly.

"Don't get me wrong. I respect the Sun God greatly. If he were to come down here, I would kowtow just like those fanatics from the Pope Faction."

Reivan tried to wrap his head around what the transcendent was saying. "So if you don't worship the Sun God, then what do you worship?"

"His ideals. His way of life. His dreams."

The Saintess closed her eyes and bathed in the sun for a moment before continuing.

"I do not know if you've read our scriptures, but Sormon once traveled the world to cure the sick and heal the wounded. And when he stopped his travels, he would instead pore over books or study the local fauna so he could impart knowledge of medicine wherever he went."

Reivan nodded. "Yes, I read a bit about that, actually."

"Then to answer your question, Reivan. That is what I admire. Sormon's actions, what he did, and what he wanted to do. Just like him, I wish to eradicate disease and build a world where wounds are never consequential. Hearing about Sormon and his story was what made me realize that this is what I wish to do with my life. His story made me realize that his dreams are my dreams as well."

Reivan finally felt as if he understood what the Saintess was getting at. "And so Sormon himself doesn't matter...?"

Frey giggled. "Don't let those of the pope faction hear you say that, but yes. I still pray to Sormon and give him thanks. But I have already acquired everything I can from him. I already intend to live the life he lived and fulfill the dreams he dreamed of fulfilling."

"I see..."

"And seeing as I became a Transcendent at such a young age..." Frey turned around and looked him in the eyes, a bright smile on her face. "I think he agrees with my viewpoint."

As he looked at the beautiful woman in front of him, he thought that perhaps this was the kind of conviction — or obsession — required to reach the pinnacle of power.

Reivan smiled and asked. "Frey, when is the next mass?"

The Saintess tilted her head. "I don't know... Ah, it's not that I'm careless, okay? I'm just very focused on research. We have a subgroup that's focused on recruitment and proselytizing. I don't really know if they're doing their jobs though... maybe I should check on them, now that I think about it."

"I see... I was actually interested in attending."

Frey raised a brow then giggled. "Reivan, if the priests knew you wanted to attend a sermon, they would probably conduct one even if they originally weren't going to."

Reivan chuckled. "Alright then. I'll ask around."

"Mhm. Have fun."

The Saintess really didn't seem to care as Reivan and Valter left. As for the Sword Star, he'd vanished at some point—but not before leaving Reivan with a message to leave as fast as possible before Frey changed her mind and took back her gift.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

"Well," Reivan said as he stretched just outside the Sol Sanctum. He then started making his way down the marble steps leading to the streets. "That was unexpected. I mean, I know the Saintess is in there, but I didn't expect her to come out for a chat."

Valter nodded. "Indeed, Your Highness. I was also very shocked."

"Oh, I know. You were quiet the whole time."

"It wasn't a conversation I could insert myself into."

"Why not? The Saintess seemed great."

"To you, perhaps. But she doesn't particularly like me."

Reivan's eyes widened. "Reason being...?"

Valter shook his head with a wry smile. "I lie a lot. For the kingdom, of course."

"Ah."

Remembering what almost happened to him if the Sword Star hadn't intervened, Reivan chose to abandon the topic of the Saintess for now.

"So, Valter. According to my mother, my qi has stabilized. So I was thinking about what you said last time..."

Valter hadn't ever taught him any dark-attributed aetherblade arts and that had annoyed Reivan to no end since he wasn't utilizing his potential to the fullest. Darkness was a rare attribute after all, and just like Light, it was slightly more potent and versatile than the regular attributes.

But rarity wasn't always a good thing. This meant that very few knights ever had the darkness attribute, so there was little to no knowledge about it passed down in the archives.

Luckily for Reivan, his guardian knight had the Darkness attribute. But the stingy knight said that he wouldn't be able to teach anything until Reivan unlocked his qi.

"It's time to own up, Valter." Reivan smirked.

The guardian knight raised a brow and nodded. "Very well. Let's go to somewhere we can train qi properly."

"Great! Let's go!"

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

'Why are we in the fucking Outlands...?'

Valter was with him, and the Sword Star was probably watching too, so Reivan didn't feel scared at all. But there were quite a lot of dangerous-looking bastards around them, all of whom were glaring at him like he killed their fathers. It was a good thing that Valter erected a barrier of some kind, preventing all the monsters from getting to him.

"Hey, Valter. Why are we here?"

"You said you wished to train your qi."

"I did say that, yes."

"You also said you wished to learn dark aetherblade arts."

"I also said that."

Valter nodded with his arms behind his back. "Then this is the best place for that."

Reivan felt skeptical but he was also aware of how ignorant he was, so he just accepted Valter's words as true. "Now what?"

"Yes. Before we start, I want you to understand two things."

"Go on, please."

"First, what is qi?"

Reivan thought about it for a bit. "It is life energy."

"Good. Now, this would be a bit harder to understand for normal humans, but you just underwent something similar. What stimulates life the most?"

Reivan had a strange look on his face. "You want me to say it here...?"

"The desire to procreate isn't the only answer, Your Highness."

"Oh." Reivan crossed his arms and pondered, taking note of their current location. "It's the desire to survive."

Valter smiled. "Very good."

'I have a bad feeling about this.'

"Valter, why do I feel like you're going to have me fight all those monsters by myself?"

"You are perceptive, Your Highness."

"You're not denying it?"

"Anyway, the second thing I wish for you to understand..."

"Hey!"

Valter ignored him. "...is that normal darkness attribute aetherblade arts are very difficult."

Reivan didn't like being ignored but he had to nod. "Yes. I know."

Although few, there were aetherblade arts of the darkness attributed in the archives. The problem was that they were all extremely hard to learn. Their power and utility were certain, but the problem lay in learning them. Reivan could train repeatedly within [Glimpse of Eternity], but he barely succeeded in learning a few.

"But there is actually a way around this for people like you and I, Your Highness. A way to learn highly efficient dark aetherblade arts without much difficulty."

Reivan hummed, interested. "Well, don't keep me waiting."

Valter smiled and held out his hand. Soon, a clump of black smoke was released from his palm and eventually condensed into a black chick.

"It is by replicating the power of our spirit beasts."

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

After receiving a long explanation from his guardian knight, Reivan summoned a mini-version of Zouros. There was a bit of a commotion since having the little serpent in the vicinity seemed to put Freed on guard, but it eventually seemed to realize that Zouros had no intention of attacking.

"Did you get all that, you big lug?" Reivan patted the tiny serpent's head with his finger. "You have to fight a bit so we can understand what you can do. Well, I already know some of what you can do, but you should show everything else you haven't shown yet."

Zouros tilted its head and stuck its tongue out. It seemed to be expressing confusion since it hadn't hidden anything from him.

"What about these?" Reivan poked the miniature wings on the serpent's body. "Can't you do anything else with these except for flying faster? Like, I dunno, shooting the feathers out or hardening them to use as blades."

The snake's little eyes widened in realization as it nodded, seemingly excited to try if it could actually do it.

'What? So you're not even sure?'

Reivan chuckled and shook his head in exasperation. In hindsight, perhaps he should have suggested them to his partner sooner.

'Well, good luck. You should kill a bunch of those first before trying something you're not used to.'

Zouros nodded, signaling that it was ready. So Reivan threw it as hard as he could.

Mid-flight, the tiny serpent defied the laws of conservation of mass by instantly enlarging into a gigantic serpent with a mouth wide enough to swallow mansions whole. With tremendous speed that Reivan's eyes could barely follow, Zouros began chowing down on the nightmare spawns.

There was not much of a fight. The thousands of spawns that had gathered were slowly being devoured by a massive serpent that traveled far too fast.

Although Reivan couldn't keep an eye on Zouros, this was not the case with Valter. The guardian knight narrowed his eyes as he spoke. "Zouros has an obvious ability to sap away the vitality and magic power of anything it touches... though it barely uses it, preferring to devour enemies with its mouth instead. Your Highness, I'm assuming the wide-area power it uses when it sucks in the essence of everything in front of it is some sort of special ability, right?"

Reivan nodded. "Yes."

"I see. Then you won't be able to copy that."

Feeling somewhat helpless, Reivan shrugged.

Valter's secret method of copying the abilities of one's bonded spirit beast involved sharing their qi. The guardian didn't have an explanation as to why it works, he just knew that it did. He was the first to ever discover this method and was one of his most well-kept secrets. Only the Sword Star, the knight order, and the Aizenian royal families of the past knew—which was quite a lot of people who knew a secret, in Reivan's opinion.

Apparently, he'd discovered it accidentally when he was a child. Valter had lived a hard life and Freed had been his only companion for a while. So they shared pretty much everything from food to shelter.

One day, Valter got wounded but was too tired to heal himself, so Freed shared some of its qi to gradually close up his wounds. But then imperial forces tracked them down and Freed was forced to fight alone. While Valter watched, unable to do anything, he thought about how great it would be if he had Freed's ability to summon poisoned air, that way, he could at least defend himself and not have to burden his partner.

And lo and behold, his qi responded to his will. It ate up the qi Freed had left inside him and then mixed with the magic power that Valter had never learned how to control.

The rest of that even flowed like water. Valter hadn't learned how to control his magic power back then, so he still had a full tank. With that, combined with their qi, a massive poison cloud was summoned, killing all of their pursuers.

Valter had apparently passed out for an entire week afterward, but that wasn't important.

After listening to the story, Reivan couldn't help but gap. "The qi... moved on its own?"

Valter nodded. "Qi is life energy. So it has a life of its own as well."

'What the fuck? That was not in any of the cultivation novels I read.'

"That's amazing," Reivan muttered as he looked at his hand. He coated it in qi and thought about whether to say hello to it.

Valter chuckled as he shook his head. "Well, it's like a living being, but it doesn't have an ego, Your Highness."

"Oh." Reivan put his hand down.

"However, qi carries the will of its origin. At the time, Freed sent its qi into my body with the intention of helping me. And I wanted to use his abilities. That's why Freed's qi must have responded to that desire, seeing as it coincided with the will of its owner."

Reivan nodded in understanding but then had a realization. "Wouldn't there be some side effects to using qi like that? That doesn't seem like it's a normal way to use it, after all."

Valter nodded. "Perhaps you are thinking about qi as if it's similar to magic power. But that's not the case. Qi is not a resource to be consumed. It is simply there, empowering whatever and whoever it inhabits."

"Oh..."

"Of course, once your qi gets too far from you—or in other words, the origin—then it will gradually dissipate into nothingness. But the moment qi leaves our body, even when it hasn't dissipated yet, we produce more of it. For example, when your mother sealed your meridians so you couldn't accidentally activate your unstable qi, the moment the qi left her body and entered yours, her body produced the same amount of qi that left her."

"Produce more of it? Just like that? Nothing in exchange?"

"No. We consume stamina to restore the qi that leaves us."

"Oh, okay." Reivan nodded in understanding. "So if we produce qi the moment it leaves our bodies... that means we're always at a hundred percent, right?"

"Indeed. Once your qi is unlocked, your body will start to hate not having it at full capacity."

"Hm. What happens if you don't have it at full capacity for a long time?"

"You die."

Reivan's eyes widened and he gulped. "Oh."

Valter rubbed his chin, seemingly arranging the words in his head. "There is no way to stop your body from burning your stamina and replenishing the qi around your body, Your Highness. Simply put, if you spend a long amount of time at a state of, let's say, half-capacity... then that simply means that you no longer have any stamina. In other words, you are dead."

'Oh, okay. It's not that you died because your qi can't be replenished. But rather, your qi can't be replenished since you're already dead. Gotcha.'

Reivan smiled and nodded. "Okay. I get it now. Thank you, Valter."

Valter nodded then gestured to their front. "It is good that we're done talking. Zouros seems to have whittled down the rabble and is about to try out some new tricks."

Reivan looked to where Zouros was, only to see the massive serpent staring at him, waiting for him to look at it. "Ah, sorry. You can start now, buddy."

Zouros nodded with its gargantuan head then flourished its wings. Feathers... did not shoot out, but rather, scattered in the air and showered the little nightmare spawns—which were surprisingly dumb enough not to run from the massive serpent despite the size and strength disparity.

'Oof. Well, the featherstrike theory is a no-go.'

But then something interesting happened. The scattered black feathers slowly rained down on the hundreds of surviving nightmare spawns. But the moment when those seemingly soft feathers made contact, with the ground, the already barren land became even barrener.

The black trees and the dark soil underneath them became stone grey in an instant, and every monster close to those areas was petrified, becoming nothing more than stone sculptures. And soon, those nightmarish sculptures crumbled into dust, joining the grey soil underneath.

Reivan, Valter, and even Zouros stared in shock at what happened.

'Well, that's new. What the fuck is that?'

Arc#3 Chapter 68: The Saintess

[Author's Note]

Hello, just a bit of a heads-up so you're not confused later. 

There will be some parts were someone talks to Reivan mentally. Those parts will be in (bold italics) and will be punctuated in the same way that Reivan's thoughts are.

Basically, like this:

'Oh? I'm talking to you mentally right now. Whoo~ scary stuff~ mind control stuff~!'

Reivan couldn't help but jump out of his seat. "Of course, not! Forgive me, but you are mistaken, Saintess Frey."

"Oh? Such a strong reaction..." The Saintess tittered on her seat, her hands clasped together atop her lap. "I exaggerated. My apologies. Please sit, Your Highness."

"Very well..." he complied.

Lady Frey smiled as she examined Reivan's face for a moment before taking her cup and having a sip. She then continued. "Well, I have my own thoughts. We have sent some of our clerics to Fort Alexander so they may aid Aizen in the conflict against Argonia. That's why I am aware that we aren't totally being replaced. But although I don't go out much, I am quite... observant. I know Aizen fights on multiple fronts. I have no idea where some of those fronts are, but I know they exist."

"Hmm..." Reivan hummed noncommittally, not wishing to confirm nor deny her claims.

"The lack of knights in the capital confirms that the fronts still exist. However, we have received drastically fewer requests for healing. And even the clerics on the frontlines have noticed that knights are more... courageous? Or reckless, is the word? Perhaps bold is the most apt term. In any case, after every battle, everyone still comes home with no injuries whatsoever. I find that very fortunate... and very strange."

'Shit. This chick has so much proof, what the fuck! Are you Detective Conan??'

The Saintess kept on smiling at him as if daring him to keep up the facade. But Reivan wouldn't budge no matter what she said since his ability was a national secret. And in any case, she would never be able to guess that the miracle medicines were mostly made by him.

"By the way, Your Highness. I heard you were quite involved with the research and development of medicine. And from such a young age too!"

'She knows!'

Reivan fixed the collar of his shirt and nodded. "Yes. Due to personal circumstances, matters of health are very important to me."

"Oh my." Lady Frey covered her mouth, feigning shock. "Even when you were so young?"

"Yes."

"Hmm..."

The prince and the Saintess stared into each other's eyes for a few moments before Frey sighed.

"You know what I think, Your Highness?"

"...Please tell me your thoughts, Saintess."

"I think you have a special gift related to medicine." Frey's blue eyes glowed gold as she smiled. "Am I correct?"

Reivan's limbs stiffened under the pressure of her gaze but he returned her smile. "You are mistaken."

════════════════════

You have used [Essence of Falsehood]

════════════════════

The Saintess Frey continued to stare at him, but Reivan placed his faith in his abilities, so he maintained his poker face.

Eventually, the Saintess tilted her head, her eyes still eerily golden. "I cannot confirm if you have a medicine-related gift, but I can definitely confirm that you have a gift for lying."

The next moment, a piercing dread crept into Reivan's heart as he felt something foreign gazing deep within him. He wanted to flee, to speak out, but he couldn't.

Just as he was thinking about letting Zourors out to ask for help...

Jingle!

...the pleasant tinkling of a bell reverberated throughout the room. And soon, Reivan felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

"I think that's enough mischief for today, Frey." Rolf sighed as he took a seat right next to Reivan. "I know you despise liars, but His Highness hasn't done anything wrong to you. Not yet."

The Saintess' eyes returned to their usual, bright blue color as she looked down in embarrassment. "Ah, I'm very sorry... I don't know what came over me!"

Rolf then patted Reivan's back gently. "You too. Frey has her own circumstances. And while it doesn't excuse what she almost did, I ask that you understand and don't resent her for it."

Reivan took a few deep breaths and nodded toward the Saintess. "I will bear no grudges for this."

"Thank you, Your Highness..." The Saintess dipped her head. "It won't happen again."

"I'm very glad to hear that."

Light chuckling filled the air as the Sword Star's thoughts entered Reivan's mind.

'I apologize, Your Highness. I intentionally didn't step in even though I knew what would happen.'

The smile almost fell off Reivan's face but he stopped it just in time. He threw a glance at the old man before sending out his own thoughts.

'And the reason?'

'I have known for a while that Frey has an ability related to seeing through falsehoods. I just wished to see how it would interact with your ability. We have now gained confirmation that although she can tell when that ability activates, she cannot see through it.'

'I see. But did we not lose out on this exchange? That's the only thing we found out. While she discovered that I have a lying-related ability... and she also indirectly confirmed the existence of a medicine-related ability.'

After all, what she had asked was a yes-or-no question, and she'd confirmed the activation of a lying ability. Which obviously meant that the truth was the opposite of Reivan's answer.

'No. She would've found out about that eventually. Your Father knows this too.'

'What do you mean...?'

'Frey also has a highly advanced divination ability — presumably from her god. It requires a very lengthy period of time to complete, but as long as it is a yes-or-no question, she will get the correct answer. Your [Medical Memorization] ability was as good as revealed the moment she became curious about you.'

'You've gotta be kidding...'

'I wish I was. This is the reason why we must be very careful around the Church — Frey in particular. Our alliance will break the moment she asks Sormon the right questions. Aizen is doing plenty of things that Frey will not appreciate at all. It is best she never gets wind of it. Luckily, she is a gentle soul and normally throws herself at her research. Most of her divinations are likely used in those, so she has no leeway to poke around our national affairs. We must keep it that way.'

Reivan subtly nodded and decided to just offer the information outright. At least this way, the Saintess might find him slightly more likable.

"I apologize for lying to you, Saintess. It's just that I've been advised not to tell people about my gifts lest I be... taken advantage of. I ask that you understand my own circumstances as well."

"Oh!" Lady Frey gasped, her eyes widening. Eventually, tears started to form and she hastily wiped them away. "I failed to think of it like that. The world isn't a kind place at all. It is only natural that you hide your talents. Yes... I'm really very sorry, Your Highness."

"It's fine, Lady Frey. I understand that your actions were due to your eagerness to advance medicine and help even more people."

"Yes. YES. That's right. Oh, I'm so glad you understand!" The Saintess reached over the table and grabbed both his hands. "Now I feel even worse for what I almost did!"

Reivan smiled as he looked down at his hands, grasped within the woman's soft palms. This close, he felt even more appreciation for the Saintess' divine beauty, and heck, she even smelled heavenly. He was quite confident that if he hadn't just lost his virginity to Elsamina, he may have fallen in love with the woman before him — just like how his father did when he was a child.

'Luckily, I ain't no simp!'

The Saintess seemed to have realized the inappropriate distance and went back to her seat with a slight blush. "Goodness, where are my manners? Anyway, I simply cannot tolerate my past actions. I must make amends!"

"Oh, really. There's no need, Saintess. It was just a little scary, that's—"

"To think I almost cleansed your soul...!"

'Excuse me, WHAT!? Is that what was going to happen!?'

He didn't exactly know what having one's soul cleansed did, however, with his imagination, he envisioned his soul getting burned away.

But when he thought about it, an ability that burned all liars was a strangely fitting ability for Saintess. Reivan couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He could probably still survive since [Indomitable Willpower] prevented his soul from being destroyed by those kinds of things. But it would've definitely hurt like hell.

And he wasn't a masochist. He'd prefer to stay away from unnecessary pain.

"Oh..." Reivan suddenly felt like he didn't want to let this subject pass with just a slap on the wrist. Still, it would make him look too petty if he acted on it. "Anyway, seeing as I have personally experienced Saintess Frey's boundless love for the common people, I see no reason why I can't reveal my ability to you."

"Ah! Is that so?" Lady Frey clapped her hands together, a beautiful smile on her face. "Thank you, Your Highness!"

With a nod of his head, he took a small bowl from his spatial ring and placed it atop his lap. He then formed a knife with his Soul Armament and made a tiny cut on the tip of his finger. A drop of blood was squeezed out and fell into the bowl.

'Wish I coulda just used my spit, but that's a bit inappropriate here...'

He didn't want to reveal [Medicine Memorization]'s other effects, so he left the small wound alone for now. With a wave of his hand, the blood inside the bowl lit up. A moment later, a green pill was rolling around inside the bowl.

"What?" The Saintess scurried to take a seat right next to Reivan, her eyes narrowed as she glared at the pill. "I have no idea what happened."

"Well, I don't either..." Reivan scratched his cheek awkwardly, scooting away from the woman. Her pleasant fragrance kept invading his nose and he found it hard not to notice it. "All I can tell you is that this is how it works."

"Hm... does it have to be blood? And your blood in particular?"

"No, it can be any of my body fluids. And yes, only mine."

"Hm? So it works with your saliva too? And semen? How about sweat?"

"S-Seme—!? Uh, I haven't tried it with all of those, but I'm fairly certain that I can."

"I see. I suppose you've studied it extensively throughout the years if you've been supplying the military." Saintess Frey nodded to herself. "I have some other clarifications. You don't have to answer them if you don't feel comfortable doing so, alright? Ah, and the old man probably told you about my ability to divine answers. Don't worry, I promise not to pry further even if you refuse."

Reivan nodded with a smile at her consideration. "That would be ideal for us. Thank you. And feel free to ask what's on your mind."

For the next hour, Saintess Frey asked a variety of questions, even using some medical jargon. Reivan only understood some of it though, so the Saintess had to explain before he could even give a response.

All in all, Reivan didn't give out any other sensitive information like his ability to replicate the effects directly. He did have to cut himself up a few more times so the Saintess could have some samples.

Furthermore, he also had to reveal his ability to manipulate the medicine's effects. But it was all worth it since the Saintess agreed to help him look for — or even create — drugs that were useful but had terrible side effects.

'I suppose it can be said that we've profited from this whole ordeal. Holy shit, what a morning. I just wanted to visit my injured subordinate...'

"Thank you so much for these, Reivan!" she carefully stowed away a few vials with pills inside. "Now I feel even guiltier about what I did earlier."

"It's water under the bridge, Frey." Reivan smiled, having grown somewhat closer to her during their chat. It had all stemmed from both of them being annoyed by each other's overly long form of address, so they both agreed to refer to each other by name.

'I still can't get used to not using a title for her... I mean, she's a Transcendent. And she's old as fuck!'

Although much younger than Valter, she was still more than twenty times his age. And was even the leader of the largest religious sect in Aizen.

"Oh, shush. I have to make it up to you. Uh, now where did I put that old thing..." The Saintess, unaware of his idle thoughts, dug around in her pockets for something. She then pulled out a golden necklace with the sigil of Sormon hanging from it. It was an exact replica of what she was wearing.

"That's..." Rolf muttered in shock, his eyes boring holes into the holy symbol. It almost seemed as if he wanted to snatch it for himself.

"Ah, the old man knows what this is." Lady Frey smiled wryly as she pushed the item toward Reivan. "Please take it. I hope you never get into a situation where you have to use it though."

Reivan received it and thanked the Saintess. It was obvious from Rolf's reaction that whatever the item was, it was extremely valuable.

'I hope this isn't some elaborate way to induct me into the religion...'

Curious, Reivan used [Supreme Insight] on the item.

════════════════

[Frey's Blessing]

A one-of-a-kind item that Frey - The Saintess of Sormon produced.

Active:
Cast [Sun's Halo] even without the [Faith] stat.
Stamina is used as a resource instead.

Passive:
After receiving fatal damage - The user's body and soul will be fully healed; a barrier that can withstand a Transcendent's full-powered strike will protect the user until the energy runs out.

Can only be used once and the item breaks afterwards.

════════════════

'Woah...'

Reivan gulped as he read through the item's effects one more time, just in case he read it incorrectly.

'This is an end-game item, I'm pretty sure...'

He looked toward Rolf and the old man had a huge grin on his face. When their eyes met, Reivan was sure that they were thinking of the exact same thing.

'Jackpot.'

'Jackpot.'

Arc#3 Chapter 67: Sormon's Halo

Reivan was about to exit through the door but just before he could get to it, he heard someone knock. "Eh? Who..."

"Allow me." Valter stepped forward ahead of Reivan and pulled the door open.

"Good day." The newcomer, a woman with bright blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes smiled as she greeted Reivan and the others.

"Yes, a pleasant day to you as well..." Reivan stepped back and greeted in return. He hadn't expected to encounter a beauty that could rival his mother and Elsamina while visiting his subordinate, but here he was.

That said, he quickly noted that she wore what seemed to be a white lab coat and an apron over casual clothing. What stood out was the necklace bearing the symbol of the Sun God hanging from her neck, immediately clueing him in as to what her profession was.

"May the Sun God praise you for your devotion, Priestess."

"Yes, and may he bless you as well, Your Highness."

'She must mainly do research...'

A lot of people forgot, but the Sun God actually exceeded the state when it came to medicinal research and development. Although the state had secretly closed the gap due to Reivan's fraudulent ability, they were still a leading authority in the field. These kind souls took every measure they could to improve the health of everyone — even those who did not believe in the Sun God.

'What's she doing here, then?'

Right behind her, he could see a young man and a young woman dressed as actual clerics, with flowing white robes and a mitre on their heads.

Reivan didn't know what was happening, but he signaled for Valter to step aside and let the Sormon adherents in. "Please, don't let us disturb your work. We were just leaving."

"Oh, heavens. No one's disturbing anyone." The beautiful woman dipped her head, looking slightly embarrassed. She then glanced at Valter and smiled. "It's been a while, Sir Valter."

Vatler looked uncharacteristically stiff as he nodded at her.

'They know each other?'

The woman looked very young — maybe in her early twenties — and Valter was apparently in seclusion for a long time before he came out to become a guardian knight. So Reivan grew confused at how the two could possibly know each other.

Eventually, he got his answer.

Covering her mouth to stifle her giggle. "I think the last time we saw each other was a hundred years ago when you asked for help healing a particularly nasty wound."

'A hundred years ago...?'

"Yes..." Valter fixed the collar of his shirt and dipped his head. "I still feel very thankful for that, Saintess Frey."

'Saintess!?'

In horror, Reivan searched through his memories for a portrait of the Saintess and realized that the woman in front of him matched it almost perfectly. She had been wearing sacred garbs at the time, with a golden ring floating behind her in the portrait. The immaculately holy appearance was a far cry to the somewhat sloppy — but still very beautiful — woman in front of him, so he'd failed to make the connection.

Reivan quickly apologized for not recognizing the Transcendent. "Forgive me. I failed to recognize the Saintess."

Saintess Frey seemed agitated, waving her hands in front of her. "Oh, no, no. It's fine. I rarely go outside, after all. Of course, the prince wouldn't recognize me. I haven't attended any social events since you were born."

"Even so..."

"Goodness, it's alright~!" she strolled into the room and gestured for the other two clerics to follow. "I'm just here to make sure His Highness' subordinate is taken care of."

Reivan cleared his throat. "We don't deserve the honor. You didn't have to come for such a small matter."

"Oh, it's quite alright. I actually had something to discuss with you, Your Highness." Saintess Frey narrowed her eyes at him and smiled, making him feel as if it was a mistake to come here. "I hope you'll give me a bit of your time."

"Ah. Of course..." Reivan nodded but he didn't really feel like he had the right to refuse in this kind of situation.

'Shit. Did I get trapped?'

The Saintess had only asked for what amounted to a "chat", and Reivan had every right to refuse on account of his busyness. But she'd been polite from the get-go and honored them by personally seeing to the recovery of one of his men. Furthermore, she was an entity with a spotless reputation and represented an organization whose value to the nation was incalculable.

If Reivan refused such a small request, it would create more trouble than he was willing to deal with.

"Wonderful!" The Saintess clapped her hands and giggled before gesturing at the two white-robed clerics she'd brought with her. "I hope you understand, but we are constantly training new priests. These two are some of our most talented trainees, and I think everyone would benefit if they gained more experience. So I wanted to ask if it was okay to let them have a shot first. Of course, should they fail, I will step in and fix any and all mistakes."

Reivan shared a glance with his guardian knight before nodding. "If Xander agrees, I do not mind."

"I have no complaints either." Xander bowed to the clerics and held out the stump of his left arm.

'Ugh. That looks nasty. This crazy bastard must've cauterized it.'

While there were numerous ways to regrow limbs — the healing medicine he gave out being one of them — there were also numerous techniques that could temporarily nullify them. Apparently, one of the reasons why spirit beasts were so dangerous was precisely because most of them dealt wounds that were nigh unhealable within a certain period of time. And what was more annoying was how the effects persisted even if those spirit beasts died.

There was one healing method that always worked though.

"Then, we will start now." The male cleric nodded toward the other and they both joined their hands together in prayer.

'Now that I think about it, this is the first time I'm watching a Sormon Priest at work...'

He'd never gotten injured, after all. And even when he did, he could heal himself with [Effect Reproduction]. Sensing that it was an opportunity to learn more about the church, Reivan watched closely.

The two priests did not do much else aside from standing and praying. No chants, no sutras, and no ritualistic dances.

Just prayer — a solemn communication with the divine.

An atmosphere of pure devotion enveloped them as they stood in silence. And soon enough, it seemed like their god answered their call.

'Woah...'

A literal halo of light hovered over Xander's head, radiant and ethereal. Another halo encircled his stump, illuminating the burn marks the knight had inflicted on himself. Motes of divine light began to emanate from these celestial crowns, their luminescence swirling and coalescing into a faint, ghostly silhouette of an arm.

With every heartfelt prayer, the ethereal arm took on a more tangible form. Its outline became clearer, gradually emerging from the divine aura that surrounded it. As the moments passed, the celestial glow faded away, revealing a miracle that defied all rational understanding — a fully restored arm, perfect and whole in every way.

'Holy shit...'

Reivan did not truly believe in gods. He did believe in Archons playing around in the mortal world. But gods? Nope.

Still, what he'd just witnessed certainly made him think that the Sun God really did exist somewhere out there — and they were kind enough to lend their powers.

Saintess Frey stepped forward and poked the knight's restored limb with some kind of blunt metal apparatus. "Is your new arm working fine, Sir Xander?"

"Yes, Saintess. Thank you." Xander flexed his fingers, then his joints. Satisfied, he smiled toward the two trainee clerics and bowed. "Thank you."

"Ah, no. It was nothing."

"You're welcome, sir knight. We'll pray you won't have to return here soon."

Xander chuckled. "I shall try to delay my next visit as best as I can."

A pleasant atmosphere surrounded the room for a bit before the Saintess turned toward Reivan with a radiant smile. "Now that the healing's over with. I'd appreciate it if you could accompany me for some refreshments and conversation, Your Highness."

"...Of course, Saintess Frey."

Reivan put on his best smile and prepared himself for whatever the Transcendent had in store for him.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

The Sol Sanctum of Sormon held the honor of being the first church ever built in the Sun God's name. However, despite its profound historical importance, the sanctuary lacked the grandeur and opulence of modern churches.

Of course, the state helped them compensate for it in other ways. Such as creating a large underground research lab directly below it and erecting numerous chapels in its vicinity for the faithful to pray in. The actual Sol Sanctum though, was just a tourist attraction and the home of the Saintess Faction's most important personnel.

That's why it wasn't strange at all when the lounge Reivan and Valter were taken to was very... homely. Or cozy, was the word. In any case, it all looked very lived-in.

"I am quite proud of the tea I brew. Please try some, Your Highness." The Saintess smiled as she passed him a cup.

"Thank you." Reivan graciously took it and took a whiff. "It smells wonderful. Though I'm not quite familiar with this brand."

"That is to be expected. The leaves come from my personal garden and are grown with my power."

"I see. It's not every day I get to enjoy something so rare. Please excuse me."

Saintess Frey giggled. "Please take your time. I hope you like it."

Reivan nodded and took a sip.

'...it's sweet.'

The good kind of sweet, he thought. He didn't see her put any sugar into the tea, so it must've been the original flavor.

'Hm. I guess I'll give it an eight out of ten.'

"How is it?" The Saintess asked, slightly tilting her head.

"It tastes wonderful. I'm sure someone with a sweet tooth would enjoy it much more than I do, though."

"Ah, so you don't like it very much." Saintess Frey chuckled, standing up to take off her coat and apron. "You talk similarly to a minister, Your Highness. And I don't appreciate that."

Reivan placed the cup down and tried to hide his panic. "I meant no offense. I really did like the tea."

"Hmm~ really?"

"Yes."

"Fine, fine. I'll believe you for now." The Saintess sat down on the couch in front of him and stretched her arms upward. "Ungh...!"

Her oblivious actions made Reivan unconsciously glance at her chest.

'I guess the rumors are true. She really is flat.'

Reivan had a preference for large... assets, but it wasn't like he judged women by their cup size. Some ladies were highly attractive even when they were lacking in that department.

'She's one of them.'

He rather thought that the Saintess looked perfectly fine just the way she was. By his standards, she was the very image of a Saintess.

Reivan looked away after just half a second of looking, but he'd apparently been caught anyway.

"My eyes are up here, Your Highness."

"... My apologies."

"Geez. I'll forgive you. But please don't let it happen again, okay?" The Saintess gently admonished him like a mother to a child.

'I guess the ages, line up. She should be around three to four hundred years old or something...'

Frey was the youngest Transcendent in the continent, who managed to break through to that stage before she reached half of her current age. Still, she certainly could be his mother — or great-great-great-great-great grandmother.

"Of course..." Reivan cleared his throat and cut to the chase. "So what did you wish to talk about?"

"You don't waste time, do you? Very well." Saintess Frey took out a vial of what appeared to be blood and placed it atop the table.

'Hm? What's this?'

He tried to use [Supreme Insight] on it and got a strange answer.

[Fresh Blood Sample]    A vial of blood from [Xander Suprana]. It is still fresh while also being free of undesirable properties.

'Eh? Why does she have this?'

The Saintess answered his question before he could ask it. "The church takes a blood sample of everyone it heals so we can examine it for any contagious diseases. It's to prevent a pandemic. Just in case."

"Oh..." Reivan nodded in understanding, realizing the church's value once again. "On behalf of the crown, I thank you."

"Eh? Ah, well, you're welcome...? But that's not what I was getting at. I didn't ask to meet just to solicit praise."

"Then what is it? And what does it have to do with... this vial of blood?"

The Saintess bobbed her head and crossed her arms. "Well, you see... I've heard rumors that the state has made some big improvements in the medical sector. Furthermore, the church has noticed a very steep decline in the number of knights coming in to have injuries healed."

Reivan gulped. He threw a glance at Valter and noticed that the guardian knight had also stiffened.

"Sir Xander here has actually been our first case in a while. Aside from an incident that Lady Vianna brought up lately is one of the few exceptions. But anyway, what I'm trying to say here is that..."

The Saintess smiled sadly and sighed.

"The order of knights has replaced us, right?"

Arc#3 Chapter 66: The Morning After

If one were to ask the men of the world: What is the best view to wake up to in the morning?

One would get a variety of answers. Like a bright sunrise with a cup of coffee in their hand. Maybe someone would answer that they wished to wake up surrounded by their beloved family. Or maybe something simple like the ceiling they grew familiar with over the years.

For Reivan? He would certainly welcome the above-mentioned scenery, but right now, he would only have one answer.

'Man, waking up with a busty babe in your bed is the fucking best!'

Reivan carefully pulled his arm from underneath the sleeping Elsamina's head and got up. He spent a moment admiring her angelic beauty and her devilish body.

'Oh, I should cover her up...'

He took out a spare blanket from his Zouros' stomach. Because they jumped right into the action, he and Elsamina hadn't bothered to move to a bedroom. They had rolled around in what appeared to be her office. Reivan briefly recalled how he'd bent her over on every possible surface here and felt touched.

'I've done it. I'm a man now!'

Reivan had killed people, fought monsters, and destroyed organizations, likely ruining the lives of thousands of criminals. But nothing made him feel like a "man" more than what he had just done last night.

'Hehehe... I wanna brag to someone. But I know I shouldn't...'

Instead, he went to the window, opened it up, and breathed in the cool morning air as he looked at the cityscape below.

'Good morning, all the virgins of this world! And a pleasant morning to the virgins of my old world too! I, Reivan Aizenwald, am no longer one of you! I eagerly await you on this side! Get fucking good, you scrubs! Muaaaa ~ ha ha ha!'

Reivan's smile challenged the limits of how wide a human's grin could be. He'd always, always, wondered how it would feel, and now he knew.

'It's the best feeling in the world!'

It was almost addicting, even. And he foresaw how his sexual desires would likely interrupt his duties... and his dreams.

'Oh, shit. That's not good.'

Reivan's mood immediately fell and he calmed down. Sure, sex felt wonderful. But there were more important things than that.

'The heat is gone. Awesome.'

He noted the absence of the annoying urge that had been bothering him and smiled. Now he could get back to work.

"Master? You're awake..."

Reivan glanced behind him and smiled. "Yes. Good morning, Elsa."

"Good morning." She sat up while rubbing her eyes, the blanket that he'd placed over her falling off and revealing... well, everything. "Are you leaving already?"

"Uh... yes. I've stayed for a bit too long."

'Luckily, it shouldn't be time for breakfast yet. So I should still be clear.'

Reivan inwardly wiped off a bead of sweat. Just imagine how his mother or Jiji would react if they barged into his room and didn't find him there. Wouldn't they immediately call the guards and order a search?

'Absolutely not!'

If they did, his little escapade might be revealed to even more people.

With that in mind, Reivan really wanted to hurry on out of this place so the old man could port him back into his room. "I might come back later this afternoon to discuss some matters..."

"Oh?" Elsamina covered her mouth and giggled. "So quickly? Haven't you had enough? You were a beast last night... I'm still sore all over."

"Ahahaha..." Reivan scratched his cheek. "Sorry about that. It must've been tough for you."

"Not at all. Rather, I think I was infected by you... enthusiasm."

'It wasn't really my enthusiasm. I just drugged you.'

Last night, Reivan had continuously utilized [Effect Reproduction] to use the Beast King Ichor's stamina regeneration effect. Of course, he'd also used it on Elsamina by making his saliva into medicine. But he didn't want her sensing anything strange, so he made it so that the medicine didn't last too long.

That's how they were able to do it so much.

'Damn. Now I kinda wanna jump in again...'

Reivan managed to resist the urge with his inhuman willpower though. "Then, I'll be going."

"Yes, do take care. I'll be waiting."

"...right."

With a spring in his step, Reivan snuck out of Elsamina's office, and eventually the Serpent's Haven. Luckily, most, if not all, of the workers were asleep at this time of day. He then ducked into an alley and sent a telepathic message to the Sword Star to portal him as soon as nobody was looking.

Jingle!

The pleasant ring of a bell echoed throughout the alley just as he vanished into thin air.

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With the help of his favorite Transcendent, Reivan managed to make it to the breakfast table without seeming suspicious.

Of course, few things in his life ever went the way he planned, so he got found out anyway.

"You little rascal." In an empty room close to the dining hall they used today, Vianna held him up by the scruff of his neck and took a sniff at him. She smirked before putting him down. "You say you're too young and then you go out and do it anyway."

Reivan's knees buckled as he fell to the floor. "How did you even find out...?"

"Your body odor's different. And no, I don't mean someone's smell is on you. I mean that your odor changed. It happens to all warbeasts after they do it at least once."

'You shoulda told me that earlier!'

However, in hindsight, knowing that piece of information wouldn't have changed Reivan's decisions. The heat really did get in the way of his duties.

Thankfully, his mother wasn't too hung up about it. "Just introduce her to me one day. And don't forget to meet with the concubine candidates anyway. I don't want a son that leads women on, okay? Those poor young ladies are still hoping for positive answers from you."

Reivan watched her leave and felt grateful that she'd pulled him aside for this embarrassing conversation. He didn't want Roland and Stella teasing him over this... or worse, asking for details.

"Okay." he nodded, a bit troubled. "But there are special circumstances, so she doesn't even know my real identity."

"Oh?" Vianna tilted her head, appearing surprised. She then hummed in thought for a second before asking, "Is she that girl you depend on to run your little business?"

"Yes."

"I see. I did hear that she was very pretty... Well, I can understand if you don't reveal the truth to her for a while. We can't run the risk of secrets leaking to Arkhan, after all."

"Exactly." Reivan nodded. He did trust Elsa, but at the same time, nobody was immune to accidentally letting things slip. The fate of Aizen lay in the balance after all, so he didn't want to gamble.

'I'll tell her one day. For now... we work.'

"Well, I'll be going now, Mother. And don't worry, I won't try to use my qi for a while. Like you told me."

Vianna suddenly grabbed his shoulder. "Ah, no need. Since you went and did that, there's no need to wait. Your qi should have stabilized by now."

"Really? Is that how it works...?"

"Yep. That's how it apparently works for us. I wouldn't know. My first was with your father, and that was when I was in my seventies..."

'Okay. Pause. That's too much information, mom.'

Vianna poked a few points in his chest and left to do whatever it was that she wanted to do.

'This is qi?'

After his mother presumably removed her own qi from his body, Reivan could feel a... strange energy running through every aspect of his body. His bones, muscles, skin, and even his organs. All of it was filled with what he could only assume was his qi.

'This feels... really good.'

He instinctively knew that this changed everything.

'I should call Valter.'

Reivan wasn't supposed to have lessons with Valter until his qi stabilized, so his duties for today were supposed to consist of some brainstorming with Scholars about new ideas for medicine. However, with his mother giving her seal of approval, Reivan intended to push his lessons forward.

"Hm? A message?" he raised a brow as he took out his personal communication crystal. Few people had the right to send direct messages to him, so he rarely got unexpected messages.

'Did something happen?'

Grasping the crystal in his hand, he let the information it received flow into his mind. As he processed the new knowledge, his face blanched.

He hastily called Valter and ordered him to come as fast as possible.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Reivan walked briskly down the halls of the capital's holiest structure — The Sol Sanctum of Sormon. Once he reached the room he was looking for, he nodded briefly to the templars flanking the door and made his way inside.

"Your Highness?" Xander, with a missing left arm, looked surprised as he stared at the visitors from atop his bed. He hastily jumped out of bed and saluted.

"I'm glad you're still alive and kicking." Reivan sighed in relief, noting the lack of stiffness in the knight's movements. "Sit. I didn't come here to bother a patient. Valter has some words for you though."

"Understood." Xander obediently got back to bed and gestured toward his arm. "It's not that serious, Your Highness. I just came to have my arm regrown."

'You say it so casually, but that's a pretty big injury in my eyes.'

Valter entered the room right after Reivan and closed the door. "You must have had a tough fight."

"Yes, Ancestor." Xander smiled, seeming a little proud. "I took out a squad of battlemages on my own."

"Recklessness isn't something to be brag about."

"I was careful. I led them into the sewers where it was dark and ambushed them one-by-one when they split up."

Valter nodded as he listened. "Good. You still lost an arm though."

Xander grimaced and looked down. "There were some minor complications."

"Minor complications that made you use the runestones I gave you?"

"Yes..."

"Goodness." Valter shook his head in apparent exasperation before taking out three dark purple runestones from his ring and tossing them to his descendant. "Here. Use them sparingly. I'm far from the Sword Star's level, so it takes a lot of time and effort to refine one that can teleport you. Be more careful next time."

"Thank you, Ancestor." Xander bowed his head, a smile on his face. "I will be more careful."

Valter seemed satisfied so he nodded to Reivan, signaling that the two were done with family matters.

Reivan took a seat on a nearby chair and faced the mutilated knight. "I roughly got the gist of things, but please give me a rundown of what happened."

"Yes, Your Highness."

In light of Arkhan's recent crackdowns on criminal activity within the capital, Xander naturally worked to evacuate and transport as many of Ouroboros' assets. Even the land and buildings they owned within the capital were mostly sold off, with only the legal businesses remaining.

Unfortunately, since some of the assets were rare plants, exotic animals, and slaves, they couldn't just be stuffed into spatial storage artifacts. And in any case, the amount of spatial storage artifacts Ouroboros had access to has been artificially restricted, since having too many would be very suspicious. It would likely be connected to Aizen, where spatial rings were relatively accessible to people — as long as they had enough lumens, of course.

As the final shipment was about to leave the capital, Xander received a tip-off that battlemages were spotted in their area. Since they were the only criminal organizations there, it was obvious who the sorcerers were gunning for.

Which is why he cut down their numbers when opportunities arose and eventually fought the remaining ones.

He hadn't come out unscathed and had to consecutively use three of Valter's runestones to make it back to Aizen, where he then took one of the military portals to the capital.

"You were a bit too reckless, Sir Xander." Reivan shook his head, disapproval in his face. "It would have been a much greater loss if you died. Much less, revealed our actions to the Arkhanians. I like money just as anyone does but I would've just burned everything and be done with it. Instead of tempting fate like that."

"My apologies, Your Highness. I simply felt as if I knew my limits. But perhaps I underestimated the battlemages." Xander dipped his head in apology, but then took out a box and presented it to Reivan. "I have acquired some very valuable things, Your Highness. Kindly check them for yourself."

'You're bribing me? This better be good...'

Reivan opened the box and examined its contents. "Wands?"

Valter peeked in from behind him and remarked. "Their Class-A wands, Your Highness. Higher quality than most sorcerers have access to. They're primarily granted to battlemages and even the great families can't easily procure them. Eleven would fetch quite a price on the black market."

"Hoh" Reivan was already very satisfied with the knight's loot. "I'll give them to Father to do as he wishes. I'll keep one though."

"A good choice." his guardian knight nodded with a smile.

The scarcity of wands was the main reason why Aizen couldn't train their own force of sorcerers. That didn't stop his father from having a few secretly trained, however. These wands would be a great boon to the puny sorcerer squads.

Xander cleared his throat and somewhat enthusiastically chimed in. "There is more at the bottom, Your Highness."

"Hm?" Reivan looked down at the box in confusion and finally noticed the worn leather book at the bottom. The book had nestled into the box so perfectly, its color matching the container's, that he'd briefly thought it was the bottom of the box. Carefully, he took it out, studying its plain cover, which had no title or text. "Valter, you said you knew a bit about sorcery?"

"I've dabbled. I've lived a little too long, after all."

"Good enough. Kindly inspect this and estimate its worth."

"I will do my utmost." Valter respectfully took the offered book and flipped through its pages. It only took him ten seconds to reach a quarter of the book. "I believe the knowledge in this grimoire can be considered as advanced sorcery. It's far too complex for me to fully understand with my limited expertise. In conclusion, it is highly valuable, but useless on its own without the required foundational knowledge."

"Oh?" Reivan raised a brow and then nodded in satisfaction. "That's great."

Knowledge pertaining to sorcery was even rarer than wands. And from what he knew, Aizen only had entry-level to apprentice-level stuff.

He turned to Valter and asked. "So what is that book about?"

"Souls, Your Highness. Particularly, the diseased."

'What!?'

"Gimme that!" Reivan snatched it out of the shocked Valter's hands and began to furiously slip through the pages, his eyes scanning every letter. He eventually closed it shut with a resigned look on his face. "I can't understand any of this."

"Yes. As I've said, it requires quite a lot of foundational knowledge."

'Fuck. What luck... Wait, no. I actually have good luck here, don't I? While I was out having sex, someone got me a clue to reviving Kyouka and Hanzo!'

Perhaps the spells in the grimoire would ultimately lead him to a dead-end, making him despair at the impossibility of his desires. But a clue was a clue. He was very thankful.

"You've done really well, Sir Xander!" Reivan got up and repeatedly patted the injured knight's shoulder. "You stay here and rest up, alright? Prepare for a fat reward when you do!"

"Hm? Ah, yes, Your Highness. You are most welcome. I was just doing my job..."

Reivan couldn't help but laugh out loud and pat the shoulder again before turning around and handing the book over to his guardian knight. "Valter, kindly have this book duplicated and archived. Then give me a copy."

"Understood."

'I guess I have to pay even closer attention to Arkhan, huh?'

With the discovery of the mysterious grimoire, there was even more reason for him to take an interest in the Spirit Tower.

Arc#3 Interlude: Cornered Rats (2)

Xander did not stop to watch the battlemage leader's head fall off, he immediately capitalized on their shock to slay another one. In just a second, he'd managed to cut down their numbers from six to four.

"Snap out of it and fight!" One of the battlemages roared as he pointed his wand at Xander, but before a spell could be fired from its tip, the knight had already vanished. "Shit. Barriers!"

As expected of Arkhan's core forces, the other battlemages recovered quickly as well. They all got into some kind of formation, and with a wave of their wands, barriers formed with the casters at their center. The barriers did not stop expanding until they eventually came in contact with the other battlemages' barriers.

This seemed to cause a reaction in their spell, fusing their barriers into one giant dome around the four of them.

'How troublesome.'

In the eyes of a mortal, the dome of white light seemed nigh impregnable, but it was actually far more problematic than it seemed.

'I can't just cut it...'

Knights had techniques to cut through spells such as the barrier in front of him, but that would require him to reveal himself, leaving him open to retaliation. Furthermore...

Roars and bird cries pierced the silence of the sewers as the battlemages' spirit beasts manifested into the material world.

Hidden in the shadows, Xander observed his four new opponents.

'A tiger that's obviously fire-attributed; a type of praying mantis, likely attributeless; a small wind-attributed bird of some kind; and a white bear... probably of the ice or light attribute.'

"Hahahaha!" The battlemage that had fired the spell at him earlier laughed loudly while patting the head of the flame-maned tiger. "Are you just gonna keep on hiding!?"

"Bardo! Stop! Don't agitate him further!"

Undeterred by his colleague's warning, Bardo smirked. "I thought Aizen's knights were known for their bravery!?"

'... I'll kill that one next.'

Xander was not particularly impressed or afraid despite the one-versus-four fight becoming a one-versus-eight. In the end, all he had to do was to kill the battlemage and their contracted spirit beast would lose the anchor that kept them rooted to the world.

Aizen did not know much about spirit beasts, but this was a fact they had repeatedly confirmed through past conflicts with Arkhan.

In the end, the number of people he needed to kill was still four.

'I suppose I'll try to siege them down.'

Xander went as far away from them as possible before materializing. His glaive then transformed into a bow. An arrow of darkness rapidly condensed in his hand, aided by the darkness that already existed in his surroundings.

In one fluid motion, he nocked the arrow, pulled the string, and fired. The shadow arrow soundlessly sailed across the air until it collided with the dome of light, producing a sound akin to the gong of a bell.

"Fuck!" Bardo cried out in surprise as the part of the barrier right in front of him was struck by a bolt of shadow energy. "He's over there! Get him!"

The tiger spirit beast passed right through the barrier as it dashed toward Xander. Soon, the white bear followed after it.

Xander fired another five arrows at the barrier before the two beasts made it to where he was, swinging their claws at him. However, he did not try to engage, becoming mist once again. He then traveled to a different part of the sewer and started firing again.

"This isn't sustainable!" Bardo cursed as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "We're running out of magic power to keep up this fortress ritual but he's barely using any!"

"Well, you sure knew how to flap your mouth earlier! Why don't you tell us what else is in that damn head of yours!?"

"Stop arguing and calm down! We have to stop him from moving around like that!"

Bardo gritted his teeth before saying, "I'll do something about it! Just get ready!"

'I can hear you perfectly well, you know?'

Xander was quite far away but sound easily echoed here. Furthermore, his senses were very well developed for a human. Xander continued to bombard their barrier while anticipating whatever it was that they were planning.

And he soon found out.

The flaming tiger was getting close, so Xander wanted to shoot one last time before turning into mist again. But suddenly, the tiger's body lit up with a bright red light as the temperature instantly rose to boiling levels.

'Fuck.'

With the darkness in the sewers momentarily dispersed, Xander's mind worked quickly as his bow was replaced by a large shield that covered most of his body. He leaned against it and braced for impact while taking out a runestone with a defensive effect.

BOOM!

The self-destruction of a spirit beast was not to be underestimated. Xander and his shield were sent flying back, eventually slamming against the tunnel's walls. He quickly procured one of the healing pills that Reivan had given him and popped it into his mouth.

'Crazy bastard. He actually blew up his own spirit beast...'

Even if spirit beasts died in the material world, they ultimately came back to life as long as their "anchors" lived. However, if they self-destructed like that, it would take years before a complete recovery. It wasn't something a battlemage did lightly.

Xander admired their fighting spirit though.

"You guys better take care of him..." Bardo coughed up blood as he fell to his knees, most likely having completely depleted his mana pool.

The barrier around the four lost a bit of its radiance, but it still wouldn't be easy to penetrate.

Furthermore, the tiger spirit beast's sacrifice had destabilized the tunnel that acted as a sewer. The ceiling bore many holes, letting the morning light seep into the tunnel.

'Shit. I should've started this operation at night...'

The situation had grown very disadvantageous for him, but Xander still did not falter.

'I have to kill them all.'

Since his secret was out, none of the battlemages should make it out alive. It would strain the relationship between the kingdom and the republic, to the extent that Arkhan might fully commit to an alliance with the empire.

'Maybe I'll die here. But I'll take these four out first.'

With unshakeable resolve, Xander summoned his glaive again and recklessly dashed toward the four battlemages.

"He's getting desperate!" One battlemage yelled as she pointed her wand at the charging knight. A massive lump of green magic power burst out of the tip and shot toward Xander.

"Break!" Xander bellowed out a warcry as he threw his glaive at the spell. A bright explosion filled his vision but he kept on charging, shrugging off any damage with his armor. Once he'd made it through the smoke and dust, the barrier was right before him.

"This crazy bastard!" Another battlemage fired a spell at him from behind the barrier, but it was already too late.

Xander instantly pinpointed the right spot to strike, a glaive appearing in his hands as if it never left him in the first place. With one downward slash, the barrier vanished.

"How the hell do they keep doing that!?" Bardo yelled out incredulously as he took out a handful of spell balls and detonated them all. A myriad of spells flew toward the knight as the exhausted battlemage procured a sword from his spatial ring. "Prepare for melee combat!"

Xander did not even bother defending against such low-level sorcery, letting his armor do all the work. With a lazy flick of his wrist, a dagger of shadow energy pierced into Bardo's head and the battlemage's life was no more.

The other three pulled out kite shields in their left hand while still gripping the wands in their right. With a shrill cry, the praying mantis charged at Xander with inhuman speed while the white bear was running up behind him.

'It's over.'

The darkness may have been Xander's home but close-combat battles like these were the preference of just about any knight. And at such a close distance, a spirit beast's self-destruction would take them all out, which was still a win for him.

'Let's try not to die, though.'

Xander was like a fish in water, easily sidestepping the praying mantis and cutting off a few legs as it passed by. He then weaved past the white bear's downward strike, moving behind it so the battlemages couldn't fire spells at him. Utilizing the temporary obstruction to their line of sight, Xander's body evaporated into black mist once again.

Although no longer invisible and only a tenth as fast, he was still faster than he usually would have. In mist form, Xander instantly arrived and materialized at the side of the closest battlemage, his glaive stabbing toward the Arkhanian's left flank.

"Wha—" The battlemage let out a gasp of shock as his wand lit up but it was already too late. Before he could muster a spell, Xander was already charging at the next battlemage.

'The mantis is gone...'

Xander noted the change in the battlefield as he created another shadow dagger in his left hand and shot it at the white bear's eyes while charging at the only female battlemage in the group.

She readied a spell and yelled. "Now!"

Fwoosh!

Xander's feet left the ground as a fierce gale blew him backward by dozens of meters. He landed in a ditch with barely any sewer water left because of the tiger's self-destruction.

"Ack!"

Before he could regain his bearings, he cried out in pain as something pierced through his armor and dug deeply into his left shoulder. With a grunt, he tried to pull out whatever it was, but it escaped his clutches, flying back to the woman who blew him back.

"Good work, pip!" she yelled in praise as she cast the spell she'd been preparing earlier.

A lance of storms that looked vaguely similar to House Mercer's signature aetherblade art came careening towards him faster than he could move out of the way.

'Damn!'

Xander's body barely managed to melt into black mist again. He rematerialized farther away from them to catch his breath as he cradled the bloody stump that was his left arm.

"Got him!" The other battlemage that had stayed silent the whole time cheered an expression of malice on his face.

The white bear roared as all the water in the sewers froze, including the water that Xander was currently standing on.

'So he was an ice-attribute beast!'

Xander struggled to break free as the bear stomped toward him, its teeth bared. Far into the distance, he could see the male battlemage's wand disappear, replaced by a sword as he stood protectively in front of the other battlemage.

'Finally.'

Wasting no time, Xander's glaive instantly transformed into a weapon from another world called a sniper rifle. He then loaded a pre-made bullet from his spatial ring and fired at the two battlemages who lined themselves up for him perfectly.

Bang!

With a deafening boom, the spellbane bullet pierced the air, passing by the large white bear, and soon penetrating all of the male battlemage's defenses.

"Fwoo..." Xander heaved a weary sigh as he watched the bear vanish into motes of white light.

The two lifeless sorcerers then fell to the floor with a thud.

'There's no rest for the wicked...'

Xander began to shave away the ice holding down his feet. Once he was done, he looted the corpses.

'Eleven wands. A great profit.'

While the shields, combat robes, and other consumable items the battlemages had on them were worth a lot of money on their own, what Aizen truly desired were the wands. After all, they were made of materials that couldn't be found in Aizen or Argonia. So even if Aizen wanted to train sorcerers, they would be limited by the lack of wands — which were paramount to the art of sorcery.

"Oh?" As he dug through their spatial rings, Xander also found some sort of spellbook. He flipped through it just to make sure it wasn't a basic spellbook available just about everywhere and eventually smiled. "Jackpot."

While wands were something only the Spirit Tower of Arkhan could produce, they could easily be looted from the corpses. Advanced knowledge of sorcery, on the other hand, was closely guarded by the tower and the great wizard families.

'Heh.'

Xander was about to laugh but winced. He was rapidly losing blood through his severed left arm.

'This isn't something easy to fix...'

He would have to return to Aizen and have it regrown with the aid of a Sormon adherent. But for now, he took out one of the looted spell balls and activated it. A raging flame erupted from his palm and he used it to sear his open wound. He couldn't help but grimace at the pain, but this was far better than when he lost his leg to a nightmare spawn during his initiation.

Once he was done, he dispersed the giant thorns blocking the path to the surface and waited for a while. If another battlemage came by right after the battle, they could still scry some information from the spirit beasts' residual wills. Xander took some recovery medicine — which, he had a lot of due to direct contact with the manufacturer — and waited.

After he'd lingered enough, Xander used numerous looted spell balls and collapsed the final path as well. Then he took out a special runestone given to him by his Ancestor.

'Mission Complete.'

The runestone was crushed in his hands and in an instant, a puddle of black sludge devoured Xander's body whole.

Arc#3 Interlude: Cornered Rats (1)

While Reivan was busy with his own private matters, the rest of the world did not slow down for him.

'It's about time.'

Somewhere within the dark sewers of Arkhana, Xander somberly watched the Ouroboros grunts lug crates full of contraband and other things that could be used as evidence of their illegal activities. Floating on the waters were ten small boats that had already been partially loaded with similar crates. Bright glowing orbs hung from their edges, serving as the only sources of light for miles.

'It really doesn't stink at all, huh?'

Waste treatment techniques have long since advanced in the Republic's capital. Now, the toilets were equipped with disposal functions, so the sewers were rarely ever used. In fact, the place seemed more like an underground waterway than a sewer.

Of course, it was also the perfect place for criminals to gather or hide for a while.

"Hey, be careful with that, will ya!?"

"Oh, shut up. Don't think I didn't see you earlier! You almost dropped one in the water!"

"Wh-what!? No did not!"

The grunts were all highly motivated despite the dangerous and menial job, because despite their relative incompetence during their times as peons, Xander had promoted them a few days ago.

None of them knew that they had been promoted for the express purpose of fulfilling this particular task. Nor did they have an inkling that Xander was about to get most of them killed.

Suddenly, five masked men dressed in thick, black cloaks approached from beyond the darkness. Their movements were precise and a trained eye could see that they were ready to respond to any sudden attacks.

The one in the middle spoke first. "Sir Xanthus. The mission has been completed."

Xander nodded, consulting the sewer map in his head again. Because of these five, all paths to their location except for one have collapsed. This meant that any pursuers would have limited options if they didn't want to go through the trouble of creating new paths.

'An earth-attribute spirit beast should be able to do something...'

Luckily, Xander had already preemptively taken care of any variables like that. Now, even if someone arrived, they wouldn't have enough time to clear out a tunnel before the boats got away.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to complete their task as fast as possible to avoid any unforeseen problems.

"Hurry up," he commanded.

"Y-yes, sir!"

"We're on it!"

Receiving the casual command from the strongest combatant in Ouroboros, the grunts hastily exerted all their effort to complete the job faster, despite the difficulty of moving around in dim lighting. Soon, they finally loaded the last of the crates, collapsing on the boats right after completing their tasks.

Xander nodded in satisfaction as he signaled the dark-garbed warriors to get on the boats, which confused some of them.

"Will you not be coming with us, Master?" one of them asked.

"Do not call me that. The Boss owns all of you now." Xander spat, admonishing one of his past students. He'd personally trained these forces outside of his previous organization's eyes, so they'd gotten used to calling him Master. But now that Reivan owned them, their previous way of addressing him was no longer appropriate. "You are now proud Hounds of Ouroboros. Act like it."

"Yes, Sir."

"Now go. Do not forget what you must do."

The five hounds bowed in acquiescence and then vanished, reappearing on some of the boats. In truth, not all of the boats had crates filled with anything important. Half of them were decoys and cannon fodder for any possible traps waiting for them down the waterway. If even those decoys ended up compromised, the hounds were to gauge the situation and judge if it was better to set the contraband and the boat aflame.

Reivan's potential finances would take a huge hit if all of those crates went up in flames, but Xander knew that the prince would understand. It was more important that these crates did not get into the wrong hands.

Sadly, they did not have enough spatial storage artifacts on hand, so some of the items had to be transported in such primitive ways. In any case, some of the crates contained living things, so the situation wouldn't have improved much even if they did have boatloads of spatial rings.

'They... should be fine. I've trained them well.'

Xander selected the five most competent hounds as an extra precaution, but he was sure that most of the law enforcement's efforts would be focused within the capital city anyway. As previous occasions have proven, the fools did not chase after those who fled too far.

'They have even deployed a squad of battlemages for this operation, so they're likely confident that they can catch up to the ships through the sewer routes.'

Unbeknownst to them, Xander was staying behind just so he could stop them.

The boats did not stay for too long after the hounds got on. Xander watched them disappear from view, taking the only sources of light with them.

"Well then... I suppose it's time to wait." Xander turned around to face the opposite direction, not bothered by the lack of illumination.

He waited calmly for the Arkhanian battlemages to arrive while involuntarily thinking of idle thoughts — a negative quality he accidentally picked up from conversing with the talkative prince for too long.

'I wonder why none of the Ouroboros's member titles are snake-related even though the organization is named after a snake?'

Peons, Grunts, Raiders, Hounds, and then Shadows. None of them had anything to do with snakes, which always bothered Xander since he thought the prince would continue the theme. Not even Reivan's title as "Boss" was snake-related.

No matter how much Xander thought about it, he couldn't really understand. In the first place, it didn't matter since in the grand scheme of things, the entire organization was disposable.

All that mattered was how it would serve the motherland.

'Sarina...'

Thinking of his homeland ultimately led him to think about the reason he was fighting so far away from home in the first place: it was to create a slightly more peaceful world for his precious daughter.

Of course, the absurdly high salaries for spies helped smoothen the deal.

'I'm so glad she forgave me...'

Xander was even more motivated to do his job well when he remembered how Prince Reivan personally attended his daughter's wedding with him. It was just so he could help Xander plead for forgiveness. An employer's job most definitely did not include helping their employees mend the relationships that were broken through that very employee's foolishness. This act of kindness was the reason why Xander's loyalty to the crown shot through the roof — not that it wasn't already sky-high.

'Huhu. She even seemed excited to meet her siblings...'

It would take some time before he could sneak his mistress and illegitimate children across the border, but it was definitely a future he was looking forward to.

The problem was his wife.

'Ah, what am I going to do about her...? Am I doomed?'

Just as his mood worsened at the impending bloodbath once he took his mistress home, the people he had been waiting for arrived.

"Halt! I see someone!"

Six figures that wore combat robes and glowing runic gauntlets broke through the darkness, standing on what seemed to be floating metallic plates. Each were holding a bright orb of light in their left hands — a magic item, probably. They all immediately stopped when they saw Xander, placing a more than appropriate distance between him and their party.

Xander examined them carefully as the six figures shined light upon him.

"Who goes there? State your business!" One of the battlemages yelled, pointing a wand at him.

Instead of answering, Xander wore a confused expression as he counted the number of battlemages again. "There are six of you...?"

"Answer the question, scum! Who are you!?" Another battlemage sounded furious. "Fuck this. Why are we even asking stupid questions? This man is obviously affiliated with some underground organization. Let's just finish him off and be on our way!"

"Ah, don't!"

Before the first battlemage could stop the second, a torrent of flame that took the form of a massive tiger's head roared as it hurtled toward Xander. Judging from the intensity and casting speed alone, it was obvious that the conjurer of this spell was a much more proficient sorcerer than Valmir — the last leader of the Silver Cross.

However, Xander's face was serene as his blade traced an arc in the air. In the next instant, the battlemage's spell dispersed just as quickly as it manifested.

"What..." The first battlemage looked incredulously at Xander. "That sword technique..."

Ignoring their shock and confusion, Xander spoke as if talking to himself. "Arkhanian Battlemages are deployed in squads of ten. Is that correct?"

There was silence among the battlemages before the one who'd fired the spell earlier spoke, his voice filled with malice. "And what of it?"

Xander felt his lips curling into a smile despite himself. "But in actuality, squads are actually made up of eleven, battlemages. One of them is tasked to stay away from combat, focusing on using a scrying spell to monitor the other ten. Which means—"

"SPLIT UP AND RUN!" The battlemage who had spoken first yelled at the top of his lungs, taking the lead.

There was a short delay before the other five realized the implications of what Xander had said — and why he said them. They all turned right around and flew away from Xander as fast as their hoverboards could take them.

Xander serenely watched their backs grow smaller and smaller as a thick black smoke oozed from his skin, eventually forming a carapace of obsidian armor around his body. He stowed away the finely crafted sword he'd been using in the republic for years, only for it to be replaced by his Soul Armament — a black glaive with a dark purple hue along its edge.

"You cannot run. Not anymore."

After all, he'd collapsed the paths leading to this location not only to prevent more people from coming in... he had also done it to hinder the ones trying to leave.

'I no longer have reason to hide my capabilities.'

Xander's body slowly melted into the darkness of the sewers, a veritable paradise for dark-attribute Elementalists such as himself. He would not dare to claim he could emulate how his ancestor could teleport, but Xander didn't let his skills stagnate while working as a spy.

'As long as it was within darkness...'

Few could escape him.

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Miriol couldn't help but glance behind him in fear while flying forward as fast as he could, no matter how dangerous doing those things simultaneously was.

'Shit. Why the fuck did we have to meet a fucking knight! Or rather, why is one here!?'

The profound sword technique that could directly attack a spell's core, the sheer confidence despite facing more enemies, and quite frankly, intuition, told Miriol all he needed to know.

He wanted to give himself a pat on the back for ordering a retreat as fast as he did, but he couldn't do so when he saw his colleagues traveling just behind him.

"I said we have to split up!" he yelled.

"The other paths were caved in, remember?" One of his squadmates shouted back while waving her wand. Soon, what was left of their squad flew much faster, due to the nullification of wind resistance. "There's only one way back!"

'Son of a... he's fucking right!'

Miriol unconsciously touched his throat, feeling as if a blade was held up against it but he cleared his thoughts.

'Crap, they didn't teach us this in the fucking academy! There haven't been any confrontations with Aizen for decades! We don't have a protocol for this shit! What the hell am I supposed to do here!?'

In his uncertainty, Miriol was sure that the knight had been the one to kill the other five members of his squad.

'Shit. This is all my fault...'

Hungry for achievements, Miriol had chased after two tails at the same time, splitting his squad into two. Miriol and five others had quickly taken out one criminal organization, then moved to reunite with the other five. It went against protocol to pull out the person on scrying duty, but they didn't get a lot of chances to gain achievements by fighting weaklings so he'd gotten a bit greedy.

Who would've known that they would be dead before their reunion?

What little they could scry from the residual memories of the dead squad members' spirit beasts wasn't all that helpful either. The fools had been slain without a fight — backstabbed with lethal force while they were split up.

They were even taken out in the exact same way, every single time.

Miriol thought that he and the other members would somehow pull through if they stuck together and remained vigilant of surprise attacks.

Oh, how naive they were.

'Fuck. FUCK! We got too complacent.'

Miriol wasn't immature enough to shift the blame onto someone else when he was, in fact, the one who suggested they split the squad in two. Sure, the others had agreed, but he was the captain and everything that went wrong was his responsibility.

'I admit I fucked up but we were just supposed to fight some puny gangs and small-time crooks! Why is there a knight here!?'

For all intents and purposes, employing battlemages to clean up the city's criminal organizations was overkill. Battlemages were trained in military-grade sorcery and even had contracts with spirit beasts. They could cast spells that lesser mages could never even dream of learning — and at record time, too!

Some of them could even temporarily fuse together with their spirit beasts to become Ascendants!

Of course, Miriol and his squad were nowhere near that level, but their position was prestigious nonetheless. It was beneath them to fight gangs — no matter how big those gangs turned out to be. Sure, they could use their success in these missions to ask for salary raises, but he still couldn't deny that it was a job beneath their station.

'Fuck those Argonian bastards!'

While he still admitted to most of the blame, the state wouldn't have ordered battlemages to clean up the city if princes and princesses from Argonia weren't coming to visit long-term. That's why Miriol couldn't help but resent the visitors and the bureaucrats who wanted to impress those visitors with a crimeless city.

'We're almost there...!'

This whole ordeal was no longer something a lesser battlemage like him could handle.

Aizen's knights were Rank-S threats that could nullify spells below a certain level, had magic-resistant armor on top of that, unbreakable weapons, and all sorts of strange techniques that didn't fall behind the effects of high-rank spells at all.

On top of that, every single one was a zealot who either won or died trying! None of them were right in the head!

'I have to tell the higher-ups...!'

Just as he was about to turn the final corner, Miriol was forced to stop.

"What the f—!" Miriol's eyes widened as crippling despair started seeping into his heart.

"Hey Mio, why did you stop...?" One of his colleagues barely halted their hoverboard before their eyes also widened. "Shit. The path's blocked..."

Instead of the passage they used to enter the sewers, what the battlemages saw was a forest of what looked like black thorns. Each and every one of the battlemages was adept at sensing magic power, so they could all perceive that the barricade was not natural at all, but rather, the effect of some obscure technique.

"You're late."

Miriol stiffened but he still turned to look behind him, only to regret his life choices.

Pinning them to the wall of thorns was what could only be described as a demon. Although humanoid, most of its body was obscured by some kind of thick ebony mist. In its hand was a scythe — no, Miriol's eyes deceived him. The demon held a glaive, a polearm that was apparently favored in the eastern continent but was adapted by Aizen's knights.

"First... you."

The clump of mist rapidly shot forward, and the demon's glowing purple eyes were the last thing Miriol saw before his consciousness left him forever.

Arc#3 Chapter 65: A Restless Night

As he briskly walked through the streets of Starwater City alone, Reivan forced his hood down while subtly making sure the special skin mask was securely stuck to his face.

'I sure hope nobody sees me...'

He had long since upgraded from the silver ring that shrouded him in an illusion that would break when someone touched the affected area. The special skin mask he was wearing was a finely crafted tool made by an Ascendant artificer that offered their knowledge when they found out about Reivan's... overt activities.

With the skin mask, he would be at ease. As long as he wasn't subjected to a thorough anti-magic check like the ones at country borders and didn't meet a non-ally Ascendant, he was confident his disguise would never be seen through.

'Everything's ready...'

Reivan gulped at what he was setting out to do. He'd even called in a favor for the Sword Star to sneak him out of the palace without anyone else noticing. Naturally, he needed the old man to guard him too... until he entered a more private setting.

Luckily, the old man was quite fond of him and consented to his late-night requests, in exchange for the very minor favor of visiting more often.

'Shit. Maybe I shouldn't do this after all...'

Reivan was starting to get cold feet but he shook his head and continued walking. He had to get rid of this annoying feeling today. Any more interruption to his royal duties would be far too detrimental. Who knew when the heat would abate if he just left it alone?

Anyway, it definitely wasn't because he wanted to have steaming hot sex with a beautiful woman.

'Yeah... yeah. I'm doing this for the nation! It is essential that I'm at my best so I can fulfill my duties to the state. I'm not just some horny bastard!'

Feeling as if he had sufficiently gaslighted himself, Reivan walked with lighter steps to his destination.

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Reivan looked up and marveled once again at the Serpent's Haven. It really was amazing that the abused prostitute he rescued a year ago managed to build something so grand within a year of being saved — even if she did have help from him and Ouroboros.

'Anyway, now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn't come here using my identity as Ken.'

Wouldn't it reduce his prestige as the organization's boss if he was caught sneaking into one of his own brothels? Sure, The Haven was marketed as a type of bar right now, but people fucked in there sometimes, so it had naturally built up a reputation as a seedy establishment.

'Elsamina and the girls would never look at me the same.'

With all of that in mind, Reivan ducked into a nearby alley so he could readjust the illusion masking his face and maybe change his clothes.

"Eh? Is that you, Master?"

"...huh?"

Reivan squinted as his eyes cut through the darkness of the alley. Despite the lack of light, a figure came into focus —a young woman with lustrous, dark brown hair, concealed beneath a long hooded cloak that concealed everything below her neck.

"Aila?" he muttered, immediately recognizing her from her brilliant amber eyes.

"Yes, it's me. Wow, you recognized me even though it was so dark?" Aila smiled sweetly as she ran up to him, hooking her left arm around his. Her other carrying a small package wrapped in paper. "What brings you here so late at night? Goodness, did you come for me?"

Reivan hesitated for a moment. His initial plan was to come in as a customer. Then try his best to charm one of the ladies into giving some special service. He even brought quite a bit of money to help smoothen the deal.

But Aila's discovery of him and the memory of what she'd told him before raced through his mind. He cleared his throat and feigned confidence. "I decided to take you up on your earlier offer."

The woman's eyes widened as her mouth gaped in shock. "Really? You're not just teasing me are you...?"

"Yes..."

'I'm going all-in now!'

There was no backing out now that he'd been discovered. He may as well step forth with confidence!

"Oh my..." Aila covered her mouth as her cheeks burned slightly. "I didn't expect you to agree. I've heard about how you reject sister Elsa again and again, so I thought..."

Reivan's heart plummeted as he asked, "Does that mean you don't..."

Before he could complete his question, he found his lips sealed and his mouth invaded by something warm. Then the pleasant smell of sweat and something else wafted into his nose. And right in front of him, too close for comfort, was Aila's beautiful face.

When Reivan finally got his bearings, their lips parted and Aila was staring into his eyes while licking her lips. "Perish the thought. I just grew shy when you caught me unprepared. Furthermore, I'm not exactly dressed for such a special occasion."

Reivan looked down despite himself and noted that under her thick cloak, Aila had been wearing some simple travel wear.

"All day, I've been out on an errand to pick this up." Aila sighed, gesturing at the parcel she was holding.

"Oh?" Reivan hastily tried to mask the excitement from the kiss by making casual conversation. "Something important? Drugs?"

The brunette giggled, her pleasant voice tickling his ears. "Drugs? You must be joking, Master. I'm not keen on trying out the prison life right after escaping the slave life. The cross-city checks in this country are very strict. Especially since I'm a foreigner and all."

"Then...?"

Aila was about to answer when she seemed to realize something. A seductive grin crossed her face as she stepped forward to hug him.

"They're contraceptives."

She bit her lip and her eyes narrowed.

"You really came at the perfect time, Master."

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Reivan was led to a hidden back entrance that was only known to employees. There was even a hired guard from an official Aizenian security company and everything.

Of course, the guard raised an eyebrow at first, but Elsamina had apparently briefed him about what Ken — Elsamina's boss — looked like. So the guard let Reivan through even without Aila's input.

"Master, please be quiet, okay?" Aila held him by the hand as she navigated the halls. "We don't want the others to know you're here."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Aila turned around and kissed him deeply again. Afterward, she stared into his eyes and whispered. "Just because."

Reivan nodded, savoring the taste left on his lips. "Okay."

'I don't care about anything else right now...'

The heat was definitely getting to his head because he couldn't stop thinking about what they were about to do. Aila's repeated kisses had only made it worse. He didn't know where she was leading him either, but all he knew was that he would likely become a very happy person there and that she didn't want anyone else to know of his presence.

His mind was too full of fantasies about the stuff he wanted to try with Aila. All the dirty things he'd only heard or read about, he would finally be able to try them himself.

Reivan was going to be the protagonist of his own smut story, so he was too busy to think about trifling things like why Aila was so secretive.

"Oh, shit." Aila cursed and clicked her tongue as she peeked behind a corner, snapping him out of his fantasies. "Fuck, why are they here..."

'She just cursed...'

Aila had always spoken so elegantly whenever they talked so this came as a great surprise to him.

'That's so fucking hot.'

But he was so deeply entrenched in lust that her curses somehow turned him on even more. He finally couldn't resist and hugged her from behind, his hands exploring the insides of her shirt.

"Ah—!" Aila barely stifled her yelp. She looked back with a slightly troubled expression. "Master, please wait until we reach my room.♥"

"I can't wait though..."

"Oh geez... you're making it hard for me to wait too."

She took another look at whatever it was that concerned her so much then looked at Reivan with a resolute expression.

"Fuck it. Let's just do it in someone else's room. Everyone should be at work anyway."

Reivan was dazed in passion as Aila pulled him inside the nearest room. He was then pushed onto a soft bed as an intense womanly smell wafted into his nose, further intensifying his thirst. His view of the ceiling was soon replaced by Aila's face. She had straddled him and was now stirring the insides of his mouth with her tongue.

"Mmm!♥" In his lightheaded state, Aila broke away to catch her breath as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

The slow, graceful movement riled Reivan up, and soon, they forcefully exchanged places.

"Oh?" Surprise colored her face but she soon smiled and placed her arms behind his head to pull him closer. "I prefer leading, but Master can try it if you want..."

Reivan didn't know or care about what he or anyone wanted. But what he did know was that...

Bang!

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"Kiala...! I knew you were goofing off in your room again!" Elsamina burst into the room with fury on her face. "You have a shift, you know! We have enough manpower problems as it is!"

"Huh!?" Aila yelled in surprise as she tried to push Ken away. But he was like an immovable rock. In the end, she pushed against his hard muscles in vain.

'Oh, wow. These are really nice...'

Aila couldn't help but feel him up despite the current situation.

"Hm?" Elsamina frowned as she looked at the scene. "Aila? This isn't your room... I thought you were someone else. Also, you brought a man here! That's unusual... you said you were saving yourself for someone. Oh, wait, is this him...?"

"Ah, yes he is. Anyway, don't mind me, sister... please leave us alone— Ah!♥" Aila barely covered her mouth before a moan escaped her. The young man on top of her didn't seem to have noticed the intruder. He'd opened up her shirt at some point and was now investigating her body with his tongue.

And he was surprisingly good at it too.

'This is convenient. She shouldn't be able to see his face at this angle...'

Her big sister would only see Ken's back and his face was obscured by her... assets.

Elsamina shook her head. "God, how much did this guy drink to be this drunk... He hasn't even noticed me."

"Ahaha..." Aila did her best to stay calm and bluff her way out of this. She pushed Ken's face even further into her cleavage while shooing Elsamina away. "Sorry, sister. Please give us some privacy..."

"Alright, alright..."

Aila inwardly sighed in relief but almost yelled when she saw Elsamina walking further into the room, stopping right beside the bed.

"Big sister...?? I said leave...!" she whispered loudly.

"Relax, I'm just taking this." Elsamina waved her off and then pointed down at the parcel that Aila had thrown aside earlier. "You should've given this to me before fucking your boy toy. Geez. What'll you do if someone gets knocked up cuz you delivered this late?"

Aila watched in horror as she reached down, praying that her breasts were large enough to completely hide—

"Master!? Is that you!?"

'Damn! Is it because my tits aren't big!?'

Aila bit her lip in frustration, knowing that the jig was up.

Reivan didn't understand why, but he didn't get to have sex with Aila.

'Why must I suffer like this...?'

It was the worst feeling he'd ever experienced. Right up there with the first time the black rat cursed him way back when he wasn't used to the pain yet.

'I wanna have sex, I wanna have sex, I wanna have sex, I wanna have sex, I wanna have sex...'

Sex was all he could think about as he was led to sit down on a plush, velvet sofa right next to Elsamina. His breathing was rough and his senses were numb from shattered expectations, but he tried his best to listen to what the two women were talking about.

Elsamina crossed her arms and glared at Aila. "What in the world were you about to do to our Master!?"

The young woman shrunk into herself and replied in a tiny voice. "Wasn't it obvious...? We were about to fuck..."

"He's our master!"

"He was the one who came onto me! And I wanna do it too, goddamnit!"

"You little...!"

"I've only ever done it with fat old guys! I wanna do it with someone handsome too! You're just jealous cuz he didn't come to you, right!?"

"Hah!? What did you say!? You have no right to tell me that when you obviously drugged him! Just look at the poor guy! He looks just about ready to eat you! And not in a sexual way!"

"You're talking out of your ass! Where would I even get drugs that intense...!? He seemed off from the moment I met him! The master must've taken one too many aphrodisiacs while he was fucking some other chick."

"Oh, shut up. He's obviously a virgin!"

"Well, you've got me there..."

Reivan's cheeks twitched as he frowned. He felt indignant at their assumption but was too dazed to say anything about it.

'Damnit. It's true, but...'

Elsamina's kind voice tickled his ears as he felt a soft hand on his forehead. "In any case, he's obviously not in his right mind now. And he seems to have a fever too. You shouldn't have agreed so readily."

"But it was my chance to do it with him..."

"In this state? You of all people should know how unpleasant it is to be taken advantage of while drugged. Shame on you!"

"Ugh... fine. I'm sorry. I was wrong. But he was alright at first! I swear! Just a little sweaty and his eyes were shifty... but he talked clearly! He only got like that after I kissed him a couple of times... he looked cute, so I just kept doing it. I didn't know he'd get like this!"

"That's a great excuse. Why don't we tell this to the others? Just to see if they believe your bullshit."

Reivan's vision was growing blurry and his breathing was becoming rougher and rougher until he felt a soft tug. Then a pleasant softness enveloped his face.

"Goodness, look at him... Aila, return to your room. I'll take care of him for now."

"Wha—!? Get his face outta there! You're just gonna do him after I leave, aren't you...!?"

"I won't! He just looks tired, so I'm comforting him!"

"Like hell, I'll believe you. You're the one who likes him the most! Don't think I didn't see you giggling over one of his letters one time!"

"Sh-shut up! Leave! Now!"

Reivan felt someone pulling him from behind, trying to separate him from the heavenly sensation wrapped around his face but he resisted with all his might.

"Shit, he won't budge...! He's attached to your tits...! Fuck!"

"Just give up and get out of here."

"I won't! I'm the one he went to!"

"Gah! You're really persistent... Guards!"

"What the hell...!? you're really gonna call the guards on me? You're so petty! Just cuz he doesn't want an old hag like you, you're gonna separate us!?"

"Old ha— I'm not old!"

There was a huge fuss, but Reivan couldn't care less about any of that, nuzzling his face into the softness. A delicate pair of hands stroked his hair while he indulged in this luxury, so he couldn't help but try to dig in further.

"Goodness, what a mess... And you, Master. What in the world happened to you? Why are you like this...? Oh, but don't worry. As long as I'm here, I won't let Aila won't take advantage of you."

'Aila...?'

Reivan's hazy thoughts formed the images of the beautiful young woman who promised to make him a man tonight. He couldn't help but think of all the fantasies he had on the way here.

'Aila's gone? Then who...'

If she was gone, then what was he supposed to do now? Should he just go back? Could he go back like this?

The dilemma seemed to brush away the haze clouding his mind for a moment, because his vision cleared enough for him to see what had been smushing his face.

'Breasts...'

Looking slightly up, he witnessed a beautiful pair of green eyes adorning the most perfect face he'd ever seen. Framing the woman's features was a head of flaming red hair that seemed to embolden the fire smoldering within him.

"Elsa..." Reivan muttered through rough breaths, his gaze locked on her. "You... should not have interrupted. We were about to... hah... get to the good part..."

"Oh... Oh, I see." Elsamina's face morphed into one of disappointment, then one of annoyance. She roughly pushed him away. "My apologies. I was just worried about the chastity that you seemed to be so protective of."

'What...'

"I have been making such blatant advances, and yet you always, always refuse. But you meet Aila once, and suddenly, she's all you think about?"

"All I think abo— that's not the case..."

"Is there something wrong with me? It's not as if I'm asking to be your wife. I just really want to repay you for all you've done and honestly... I've discovered that I have a preference for younger men! No, rather, I have a preference for you! Damn it, I went and said it... Gah. It's about time I let you have a piece of my mind!"

Reivan silently listened to her air out her frustrations at him. About how troubled she was because she didn't know if it was okay to have such unique preferences. About how she tried looking at other younger men just to see if she'd like them too.

But in the end, it was always Ken who filled her fantasies.

"I can't believe you're even lying about your age just to avoid the subject. Am I really undesirable? Is it because lots of men have used me? Am I dirty to you...!?"

"That's not...!"

Before he noticed, a stream of tears was already running down the side of Elsamina's face and he felt something within him snap.

"Wha—!" Elsamina squeaked in surprise as she was pushed down on the couch.

Observing the beauty under him, Reivan felt some slight hesitation.

'Wait, isn't this rape...?'

But then she looked at him with what he could only perceive as anticipation. "You're stopping...?"

'Fuck. Let's just check her favor to make sure...'

He hadn't done so in a while for fear of seeing something that would change their relationship forever. But he just had to make sure before taking that final step.

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Unit's Statistics:

Name: Elsamina
Species: Human
Realm: Mortal
Age: 26
Sex: Female
Might: 9

Special Abilities   
[NONE]          

Extra Skills
[Business Intuition]

Elemental Affinities:
[Fire]

Favor:
(Affection / Desire / Admiration / Curiosity)

100 / 100

Threat Level:
This unit is too weak!

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

'What the... she has a new skill. Wait, that's not important! At least not now!'

Reivan ferally ripped his clothes off since he couldn't be bothered. He then eyed her body greedily. "You asked for this!"

"Ah!♥"

"And for the record, I don't think you're dirty or anything like that. You're beautiful."

"Oh..." Elsamina still looked confused, but her face suddenly burned red. "But, I'm suddenly feeling shy all of a sudden..."

Reivan could wait no longer and started stripping her dress off, causing her to panic.

"W-wait!"

"I'm not waiting!"

"Geez... At least take me to dinner first..."

Arc#3 Chapter 64: Family Planning

[Author's Note]

Hello~ Patreon's [Ascendant]-tier will open up sometime in the next two or three days.

(If nothing goes wrong.)

Not including this chapter, I already have 5 chaps in the backlog. With nothing to do over the weekends!

Uhehehehehehehe...

Two whole days! I can just write for two whole days.

Best.Weekend.Ever.

Too bad I have a cold. lol

But It's not too bad. Just a load of mucus and a light cough. So if nothing goes wrong, I can write maybe an additional four chaps and sit on a comfortable 9-chapter backlog before I open the 5-chapter tier.

Anyway, here's the chapter, friends. Hope it's fun for you~

PS - Just a heads up, but since I'll be unemployed soon and won't have to adjust to my off days, I'll be adjusting the posting days to... Saturday and/or Sunday.

It won't happen this week, but I just thought I'd give you beautiful people a heads-up. Maybe next week, I dunno.

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Reivan used his pinky finger to dig out any earwax that may have caused him to mishear his mother's words. But as a prince, he was expected to preserve perfect hygiene as much as possible and even had numerous servants to monitor and help him maintain it.

Naturally, his pinky finger remained perfectly clean no matter how much he dug.

"I said," Vianna raised a brow, a smirk on her face. "Come. I'll help you pick out your future concubines."

'I didn't mishear!'

"Wait, wait, wait..." Reivan chuckled dryly as he tried to dissuade his mother. "I'm thirteen..."

"I know." Vianna rolled her eyes. "You think I'd forget how long ago it was since I squeezed you out of my belly? It hurt a lot!"

"I'm pretty sure I'm too young for this...!"

"I understand. That's why we're picking out future concubines. Future. Relax~!"

"Also, my bloodline is special since all of my children will have Royal Armaments! I can't just make kids willy-nilly!"

"You don't have to worry about that either. I've done my research. The moment we declare your other kids as part of the Kimiku clan instead of the royal clan, their royal armaments won't be a threat to the throne's inheritance. Rather, aren't you the biggest threat to Roland's future rule? Yet, you two get along so well! Don't mind the small stuff too much!"

Knowing how stubborn his mother was, Reivan tried to seek help from the only other adult in the room. "Uncle! Please say something!"

To his pleasant surprise, his uncle really did help him out this time. "Vianna, that's enough joking around. You're scaring the boy... er, the lad."

"Pff." Vianna's serious face broke and gave way to a wide grin. "I was just kidding, Rein. Geez. I hope this serves as a lesson not to agree to anything without hearing the full story first."

"Oh..." Reivan sighed in relief then chuckled. "You almost got me there. I really thought we were gonna pick out concubines."

"We're still doing that. Just maybe not today."

"Eh?"

"Anyway." Vianna moved over so she was sitting on the edge of Reivan's bed. Then she patted the spot next to her. "Come."

Reivan hesitated but still obeyed.

"Okay. You're now physically, an adult." Vianna thought for a bit before rephrasing her statement. "Well, you've reached the bare minimum of what can be considered such, but you get the idea. It's good enough! Now, we have to have... the talk. Oooh, I've been waiting so long for this..."

"No need for that." Viktor grinned. "The boy already knows."

"He does?" Vianna tilted her head in confusion. Then she looked at her son with wide eyes. "You do?"

"I uh... Yes. I read about it somewhere..."

"Books are amazing," Vianna murmured in admiration, but her voice came out tinged with disappointment. "I feel like I got a parental moment stolen from me by pieces of paper..."

'Hah. Blame porn.'

"Anyway, my son. Since you already know how kids are made, that makes things easier. What your uncle and I expect of you is precisely that."

Suspicion crept into Reivan's face as he asked, "Can you be more specific...?"

"Okay." Vianna nodded. "We need you to make babies. Lots of them. More is better!"

'I was right! Shit!'

He'd read where the conversation was going and lamented how he'd guessed correctly.

"But I'm too young..." Reivan countered.

"It's fine!"

"No, that's not okay. I'm only thirteen."

"I said it's okay~! We'll pick out pretty ones that suit your tastes. There are already lots of promising volunteers! All of them are gorgeous! You'll love them!"

"Really...? Maybe it'll be fine to take a little loo— Uh! I mean, no!"

"You sure are intent on refusing." Vianna tilted her head and observed her son with a strange look on her face. "I would've thought that most boys would have jumped on the idea."

'Are you kidding me? Of course, I wanna do lewd shit with hot girls!'

Reivan was a man too, after all. Sure he was immature on the inside, but he'd lived a long life in the past as a virgin. He'd always been curious about what it would feel like.

'It's just...'

He didn't feel ready to bring a life into the world yet. There was no way he was mature enough for something like that. In any case, he had way too many things he wanted to do, and being weighed down by a child would only delay the fulfillment of those desires.

Sure, he was a prince, and would probably have countless maids to aid him in raising a child. But was that really for the best?

Would he not be the same as his father and mother from his past life on Earth?

He'd never even entertained the idea of having a child. Much less, the amount of children these two elder warbeasts probably wanted him to have.

Still, if he was going to have kids, he would want to have plenty of time to watch over them. To watch his children grow. To be there when his children needed him.

Reivan absolutely didn't want to have a kid just so he could leave raising it to some other person. Even if that person was better at raising children than him, he wanted to be the one to raise his kids.

Now just wasn't the time for that.

"I'm sorry, Mother, Uncle. But I'm just not ready for that kind of responsibility right now."

None of his elders reacted violently, and Vianna even pulled him into her arms and cooed. "My little boy's really put a lot of thought into this, huh? How responsible of you. Don't worry too much though. We are well aware of human standards, and won't expect you to take actual action until you're at least eighteen."

"I see." Reivan heaved an internal sigh of relief that he still had plenty of time to mentally prepare himself for parenthood. "Thank you."

Viktor took this chance to chime in with a knowing smirk on his lips. "Of course, if you willingly go out looking for ladies, we won't be stopping ya!"

"I won't!"

Reivan protested, but even he didn't know what the future would bring. The relentless advances from Ouroboros women — especially Elsamina — didn't make it any easier for him to maintain self-control. If they caught him at a bad time, he might take them up on their offers and pounce on them.

'Maybe they'd lay off of me if I gave them more concrete proof that I'm thirteen...'

Part of why the women approached him so blatantly was due to his physique not matching his age. Most from Ouroboros were convinced that he was older than he stated, somewhere around fifteen to sixteen years old. As far as Arkhanians were concerned, this was already adult age and a fraction of the girls he'd saved from Balor's brothels were in this age group.

'Should I make a fake identity card of some sort...?'

Reivan heavily considering the idea. But a part of him actually liked the women's advances, so he hesitated a little. After thinking about it some more, he decided to maintain the status quo.

'It ain't bad to be fawned over.'

In the end, he could not refuse his baser instincts as a man.

"Anyway," Vianna chirped and clapped her hands together, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Let's go take a look at the candidates."

"Eh? But I thought we agreed that—"

"I changed my mind! And anyway, we're just gonna talk with them a little." His mom assured him as she stood up, lifting him under her arm like a sack. "Besides, it's necessary to inform them whether you'll accept them as future concubines or not. We don't want them to wait for nothing, after all!"

"Hrm," Viktor grunted in agreement. "It's also necessary to hammer out the details of your relationship."

"Details...?" Reivan raised a brow. Seeing as he was restricted by his mother, he'd grown resigned to his fate and was more curious about the intricacies of what they'd prepared.

"As concubines, their main duty will be to bear your child in the future," Vianna spoke with great enthusiasm. "So we must make sure that this is further clarified to them. They must then agree to adjust their lifestyles to healthier ones so as to make the childbearing process smoother."

Viktor also threw in his two cents. "There is also the possibility that their mindsets are similar to some concubines from our homeland. In which they will bear you one child and leave with a tidy sum of money afterward."

"What? That happens?" Reivan asked, wide-eyed.

"Most of the concubines in our homelands were like this. The sums would usually be enough for a peasant woman to live half of her life well, so it was a common practice for particularly pretty or strong women. In this way, the clans get favorable blood mixed into the clan, while also not having to deal with another power player."

'Oh, that makes sense. If the concubine ended up giving birth to a strong or capable child, they could possibly usurp actual blood-related clan members. Smart.'

Vianna giggled. "I was so surprised when I discovered that human concubines become part of the family even after giving birth. Humans confuse me sometimes."

Viktor snorted. "That's why you were so protective of Rodin, huh?"

"Shut up."

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

The meeting with the concubine candidates did not last all that long.

Apparently, today was meant to be an introduction of sorts. And there would be future meetings to come.

As expected of the women who answered the royal family's call, all of the girls were from respectable households. Of course, the lack of nobility and whatnot meant that the candidates were the daughters or granddaughters of knights, prominent merchants, scholars, or bureaucrats.

Unlike Elsamina and her girls, the candidates did not throw themselves at him from the very beginning. Rather, some of them seemed to have come to appraise him.

This changed after a bit of conversation though.

Perhaps because they were assured that they weren't volunteering to wed some ugly hedonistic brat, the candidates became much more enthusiastic after conversing with him. Reivan couldn't even remember how many invitations to tea parties he accepted.

In any case, he would be meeting them individually on separate occasions. But when he asked them what they wanted out of the marriage — not expecting them to be entirely truthful — they all answered honestly.

Some simply wanted the prestige, some liked his face, some did it for their family, some just wanted a partner who would take care of them, and some just wanted to live out the fairy tale of marrying a prince and living in a palace.

Reivan was a bit put off, but he eventually understood. Nobody would fall in love with his personality at first sight. Naturally, they came here with their own agendas and it would be up to him and his concubines to decide if their relationships were purely transactional or something special.

After sending the beautiful women off, Reivan sat on a sofa, considering his option while the two elder warbeasts watched over him with knowing smirks.

"Oh, right. I've been meaning to ask you since a while ago..." Reivan turned to his elders, who'd gone through the same ordeals that he did. "Even after supposedly unlocking my qi, am I still supposed to be... y'know. Horny?"

Vianna and Viktor tilted their heads and then looked at each other before both of them frowned.

"No, I don't believe so."

"Nope. My thing softened up like a rice cake after my qi was unleashed."

"Right." Reivan nodded to himself. "Thanks."

'Shit.'

He was still horny.

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After the little meeting with his potential concubines, Reivan was treated to a meal together with most of his extended family. Mimi was noticeably absent, and Jiji had absolutely no idea what ordeal two of her elder siblings just went through in the past few days. She was simply happy that her favorite brother had returned from who-knew-where, pestering him to spoil her like she usually did.

Surprisingly, Stella had returned from Fort Alexander at some point. With a fresh batch of interesting war stories and an obvious craving for her husband's juices, Stella's very existence convinced Reivan that it was mating season for certain groups of humans as well.

Rodin and Roland were looking more and more alike by the day, in particular, they both had very heavy bags under their eyes despite all the medicine Reivan provided for them.

Naturally, Vianna was as beautiful and graceful as usual. She was now smirking at Reivan while pointing out pretty maids that apparently welcomed his... advances, but for the most part, she remained unchanged.

'So peaceful...'

It would have been Reivan's favorite type of atmosphere if not for the incessant heat in his loins.

'When does it stop, I wonder?'

It was nowhere near what he experienced before unlocking his qi, but it was still quite an annoyance. Luckily, his... son, did not see fit to stand up for him. He was afraid he'd embarrass himself in front of his future concubines, but luckily, no accidents happened during the get-together.

'Is it because I'm a hybrid?'

Being the world's first hybrid, Reivan lacked a knowledge base about his unique race. While [Supreme Insight] granted him ample information, the ability didn't concern itself with relatively minor details like this — even though such details held significant importance for Reivan.

'Whatever. it'll die down.'

At least, that was what Reivan told himself. His current priority was enjoying the meal he was having with his beloved family — even though one of the cat sisters was missing.

After the meal, Reivan could now return to his previous duties. Despite his discretion in steering clear of Elsamina and the enigmatic Serpent's Haven, his plate remained full with tasks at hand.

He still had mental and physical training regimens to stick to, spies who were doing their best so far away from home to manage, and general lessons as a member of the royal family to take.

The demands his duties left him with were overwhelming, but he pushed through.

So, when night came, Reivan didn't waste any time. He was eager to crawl into his own bed and get a good night's sleep to recharge his energy.

"Ugh..." Reivan groaned, unable to sleep even though he really wanted to. Instead, he'd been tossing and turning for hours. Somehow, even after using [Effect Reproduction] to replicate the strongest sleeping pill he ever took, he still couldn't fall asleep.

Rather, he just made his situation worse because his body wouldn't allow slumber to claim him — despite his immense drowsiness.

'Fuck...! Why am I so horny!?'

Even when he bit the bullet, asking the Sword Star to look away from him for a few hours while he... relieved himself, the heat within Reivan's body would not abate.

He was so absurdly thirsty for a woman he felt like he would literally go insane.

"Son of a fucking...! I've had enough of this shit!"

With anger, embarrassment, and some other emotions mixed in, Reivan kicked his sheets off and jumped out of bed.

'Fine! I just have to do it right!?'

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Raunchy Chapter Next Chapter... (No smut)

Arc#3 Chapter 63: The Fall of a Dynasty (2)

[Author's Note]

Good daaaay~!

I am doing very well. If you wished to know.

Anyway, I think I'll be able to open up the 5$ tier on Patreon by early October. So there's that.

Without further ado, here's the chapter!

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'So that's how they ended up here...'

But something didn't add up yet. His mother and uncle had said that there were plenty of imperial children. They even had some vassals guarding them.

And yet, from what Reivan knew, the only warbeasts to have made it to Aizen before the Terracatta clan were his uncle Viktor and his mother.

'Did they die on the way...?'

Vianna was not aware of the question in Reivan's mind, so she merely continued with her tale. "There was basically no trade nor contact with Sentorale. But there were rumors going around. In some places, there were legends of an old, tailless swordsman who came from foreign lands. There were also sightings of armored Ascendants flying close to the coastal cities before eventually retreating to the west. The armor was unlike anything that was ever seen on the continent, so rumors quickly spread of a nation beyond the perilous western seas."

"I mean..." Reivan raised a brow and frowned. "The first one may have been old man Rolf. And those armored guys were undoubtedly knights from Aizen. But with just that amount of unreliable information, wasn't it a reckless gamble to assume that...? Rumors are rumors after all."

"We were desperate, Rein." Viktor laughed sadly. "Our vassals were grasping at straws. They did not fear dying to protect us. What they feared was that they would die, yet still fail to do their duties. As the eldest child there, I tried to take on some of their burdens but could only raise my hands up in surrender at my... inadequacy. The pressure on them was too great."

"May their souls reach the eternal winter." Vianna closed her eyes in apparent prayer for a moment before continuing. "In any case, we needed a ship and a crew to drive the thing. Of course, we expected a very long voyage, so we needed plenty of supplies too. We could somehow push through even without a crew, but we really needed the ship and the supplies."

"Ships and supplies that we didn't have." Viktor spat. "Our funds had already been exhausted from paying bribes and smugglers to help us in our travels. And even if we had more, no merchant would sell us anything at that point."

Reivan's lowered his head and examined the white sheets of his bed. "So you... stole them from someone?"

"Yes, son." Vianna nodded. "The best option at the time was a certain coastal city. It didn't have any Ascendants, which favored us since none of our vassals were Ascendants."

Reivan's brows furrowed in confusion. "Since you were all so important, shouldn't you have had a few Ascendant guards with you...?"

"At any other time, yeah." Viktor yawned while scratching his stomach. "But all of our strongest forces were used to hold off the treacherous clans that tried to stop us from leaving the capital. We were lucky that we still had any guards left after all that."

"Yes, and although our race has some advantages." Vianna pointed a finger in the air. "We are also very disadvantaged in other ways. In particular, although unlocking our qi is something normal, our mana pools are much smaller than humans so we find it much harder to ascend."

"Rein, if all of the Ascendants and Transcendents in the world were to suddenly perish." Viktor stood up and walked to the window. "The eastern continent would be the strongest. They would dominate the world. Hands down."

Vianna rolled her eyes. "Such a scenario won't happen though."

"I know, sister. I just wanted to paint a better picture for our youngest. Basically, Rein, unlike humans, warbeasts easily unlock their qi, and then after about five decades of constant training and combat, they reach the limit of the mortal realm for humans. This is a feat that would take the average knight two hundred years to accomplish. The more talented ones — like your sister-in-law — can do it faster, of course. But the same can be said of the talents of the warbeast clans. And furthermore, they have higher physical limitations than humans. Just imagine, a city would have a population of around ten thousand people, and every single one had the qualifications to be knighted. Crazy, right?"

For some reason, Vianna seemed somewhat indignant that humans were being painted in a worse light. So she chimed in, "In exchange, there are very few Ascendants. Aizen probably has more Ascendants than the entire eastern continent combined."

Reivan found the way his mother puffed her chest out in pride cute as he slowly digested this information. He'd known about how warbeasts found it harder to ascend, but he failed to realize how it would affect things on a macro scale.

'So, given the chance, Aizen could probably conquer the continent easily, huh? Especially since they're not united.'

Of course, this would only be a possibility if there weren't two neighboring giants staring Aizen down. There was also the problem of the extremely chaotic Outland. Aizen had many enemies, each of which could be taken out relatively easily by themselves. The problem was that they existed in tandem, and they couldn't focus their efforts on just one threat at a time.

But this wasn't something he had to think about right at this moment.

"So what happened afterward?" he asked.

"The attack succeded. For the most part, that is." Viktor grimaced and then sighed, a desolate look on his face. "We managed to take some noble lady hostage. And this made everyone back off for fear of us hurting her."

"But most of our vassals died in the attack." Vianna also looked melancholic. "Which was expected, since we attacked a force that had a fortified structure, while our side was hungry and travel-worn. It was actually a miracle that our assault succeeded. We had no time to mourn or bury the bodies of those who fell in battle either. In a hurry, we took all the food and barrels of ale that we could. One of our vassals was left behind with the hostage to make sure they didn't pursue us."

Viktor grunted. "Yes. We didn't want to risk them taking action if we brought her with us after all. They all looked fricking crazy, I tell you. It's like they considered her a living goddess or something. Buncha nutjobs."

"Anyway," Vianna threw a pillow at her brother for talking too much over her then continued. "We embarked using numerous ships so we could take as many supplies as we could. Kidnapped seamen were our crew. Of course, we faced numerous problems on the way. There was plenty of food at the start, but that rapidly decreased. Furthermore, there were all sorts of sea monsters that attacked our boats thinking it was food. This also prevented us from refilling our supplies by fishing."

"What? Sea monsters?" Reivan asked, flabbergasted. He didn't know monsters existed outside of the Outland too.

"They weren't so much monsters, as they were sea creatures." Viktor chuckled. "We just call them that. They were just massive versions of the stuff our fishing boats bring home. With a few extra rows of sharp teeth, poisonous sweat, and maybe some other dangerous properties."

'Seriously...? Do they give exp when you kill them?' he joked inwardly while feeling shocked and amazed at this new trivia.

"We were even attacked by a giant sea creature that looked like a massive blob of transparent goo." Vianna's nose wrinkled as she seemingly thought back to that day. "It had thousands of these thin little tentacles that churned out electricity. And physical attacks didn't have much of an effect, so everybody had to waste a ton of mana using elemental attacks. But it was so massive we barely made a difference. In the end, we didn't kill it, but we did manage to scare it off eventually."

'It sounds like a giant jellyfish...'

"You joined the fight too, Mom?"

"Of course. I was already pretty strong even though I had only unleashed my qi for two years!" she laughed proudly.

"I had to cover for her a lot, by the way." Viktor sneered as he whispered loudly to Reivan.

Vianna frowned but didn't say anything else, seemingly acknowledging her brother's words.

Seeing his sister's meekness, Viktor scratched the back of his head. "Hey, fight back, would you? You're making me seem like an asshole..."

"You are one. And I do admit that I made a lot of mistakes back then. I'd be dead if you weren't there."

Viktor's back straightened and he cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Well... it's what any brother would do. No big deal."

Vianna rolled her eyes at him before turning to her son. "Thank your uncle so he stops being weird. You wouldn't have been born without him."

Reivan played along by standing up and bowing at ninety-degree angle with a smirk on his face. "Thank you, respected uncle."

"Shut up, brat." Viktor clocked him on the head and frowned. "Anyway, we eventually found hope when we caught sight of some ships in the distance. They were different than ours, but they were definitely ships."

"Aizenian fishing boats?" Reivan inquired as he rubbed his poor head.

"Unfortunately, no. They were Argonian Invasion ships. They were immediately hostile and surprisingly strong. Our remaining guards were killed from range almost instantly."

'Oh, fuck.'

"Unbeknownst to us, our voyage had taken us to Argonia's waters. This was a very bad thing for us. Especially for your mother."

Reivan glanced at his mother and immediately knew why. The slave trade was huge in the Empire. Without a doubt, his mother would have already exhibited signs of growing into a great beauty even at the age of fifteen. Furthermore, the imperials likely saw their strange animalistic features as a plus — since they could sell the slaves for more coin by advertising their exoticness.

Basically, the warbeast children — especially his mother — would have been very valuable slaves.

Reivan couldn't help but ask even though he could have gotten the answer by waiting a bit more. "How did you get out of that situation?"

"It was both a fortune and a misfortune..." Viktor said. "But they got attacked by a massive sea dragon just as they were taking us to their ship. We helped them, considering the situation. But none of our attacks could penetrate its scales. It destroyed all of the ships including ours, then it began snacking on the people who fell into the sea."

"Luckily," Vianna sneered. "It went for the humans more than us. The crew that we'd kidnapped tried to escape too, but they were picked off by the sea dragon purely for the fact that they were physically bigger than us youths."

"And what about the other children from the clan that traveled with you and uncle...?"

"We managed to gather together and swim to a nearby deserted island. The problem was that it barely had anything on it, be it food or even trees. So we knew we wouldn't last long there."

Viktor leisurely paced around the room, occasionally toying with some of Reivan's decorative knickknacks. "That's when I volunteered to scout for another island, far from the direction those Argonians approached from, but still to the west. It seemed like a foolish gamble back then, but I'm grateful I took the chance."

"I came with him, of course." Vianna also turned glum. "Swimming there would have consumed too much stamina, so we froze the water and crafted a small boat from ice. Then, we paddled while praying to our ancestors, hoping that we wouldn't be attacked."

"Eventually, after a week of careful paddling so we wouldn't attract monsters, we were intercepted by Aizen marines." Viktor then let off a chuckle. "We didn't know at the time, but they were the ones waiting to intercept the Argonian ships before the sea dragon came out of nowhere and did their job for them. They were sticking around just in case the sea dragon came to Aizen's waters so they could chase it away like they always do."

"We managed to communicate that we weren't hostile." Vianna sighed. "Then this old man suddenly arrived in the middle of the ship. It was actually Rolf, but how the heck were we supposed to know? Anyway, the old man knew how to speak our language, so we told him about our family members and asked him to save them."

'Huh? If the old man was there, then where are the rest of the kids...?'

A foreboding feeling crawled up Reivan's chest and his suspicions were confirmed by Viktor's next words.

"When we got there, all we saw was the aftermath of a massacre. All of the clan members that stayed behind were beheaded, their heads skewered on spikes and stabbed into the ground. In the middle of their foreheads, the sigil of the Torhu Clan was carved with what was probably heated steel."

"Master..." Vianna's ears drooped as she finished off her story. "The old man couldn't help much at the time because he couldn't go too far from the Outland gate for too long. And we didn't expect him to do anything for us at the time anyway. It was enough that he assured us that we were welcome to stay in this nation... which we did, as you can see. The rest is history."

'Jesus Christ. It's like the fucking Odyssey or something.'

Reivan was truly amazed at the numerous difficulties his mother and uncle faced just to make it to Aizen. He had to admit that before this conversation, the scenario he imagined was similar. But imagining a possibility sure as hell wasn't as depressing as having an even worse story shoved into his face.

And what was more amazing was how seemingly nonchalant these two were. Sure, their moods were affected by recalling their past during the conversation, but a lot of the things that happened to them could be classified as traumatic. And yet, they seemed to be doing fine...

'No. I guess that's not quite right. Maybe they're just trying to be fine.'

His uncle did a lot of stupid things and acted like a mischievous man-child at times, and his mother was an affectionate, happy-go-lucky kind of woman from what he knew. But perhaps they used those qualities to mask the scars that would never really heal. Maybe hints of the youth they never fully experienced remained, seeing as they were unceremoniously thrown into adulthood in a foreign land.

Reivan didn't know what to say, but he thought that he should at least try to say something comforting. "I... don't think any of it was your fault. Rather, I think the two of you did a lot more than what normal people at that age are expected to do."

Vianna reached forward and giggled while stroking his hair. "Of course, it's not our fault, Rein. Don't be silly."

"Haha. Yeah..." Reivan was going to laugh together with her but stopped when she saw the cold look in her eyes.

"It's their fault," Vianna said, her voice dripping with malice. "Our dynasty's ruination, the deaths of our elders, the end of our era... and all the suffering and shame we have experienced. It's all their fault — the Great Tiger and his Torhu Clan's fault."

His mother's words hung in the air, heavy with anger and bitterness. Reivan felt a chill run down his spine as he looked into her eyes, now devoid of the warmth they once held. It was as if darkness had eclipsed the love and tenderness that embodied her nature.

Or perhaps he was merely looking at a different side of her he was never aware of.

Reivan was no fool, so he knew where this conversation was going. And he was fully supportive of it. "We must get justice for our clan. I will assist as best as I can."

"Justice, you say...?" Viktor raised a brow and snorted. "Justice won't bring back everyone that died. Justice won't mend our broken legacy. Only vengeance can do that. We must erase them and everything they've built."

Vianna threw a glance at her brother and sighed as she withdrew her hand from Reivan's hair. "Your uncle and I share a hatred for those traitors, and we wish to enact vengeance upon them, but we have different... views on how that vengeance will be enacted."

Reivan unconsciously gulped and then asked, "And those are...?"

"Your uncle wishes to eradicate the Torhu clan as fast as possible. No matter how low we have to stoop and regardless of the consequences."

"From the very beginning, Rodin already knew that this was my goal," Viktor confessed, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "It was one of the reasons why I chased after accolades so fearlessly, eventually becoming the Supremo. His eventual aid in vanquishing our enemies and reclaiming our birthright is the foundation of my servitude... well, now, I do it because we're family. But he knows that my thoughts on this haven't changed."

"And I assure you, he hasn't forgotten." Vianna sighed. "He's rather troubled because he's recently obtained technology that can help a lot with that endeavor. The problem is it will reveal Aizen's strength too soon."

"I am also aware of this. That's why I don't push the idea of using it either. My loyalty and gratitude to this nation is real. I don't want to negatively affect Aizen in any way."

"Surprisingly tactful of you, brother."

"Oh, shush."

Reivan rubbed his chin in thought, digesting the information. "What about mother?"

Vianna absentmindedly twirled the ends of her long hair as she shared her perspective. "I believe we shouldn't cling too tightly to our ancestral lands. Aizen is a good place... one could even say that it is a better place. We can rebuild our legacy here instead of there. We can also avoid the bloodshed involved in trying to retake those lands. The greatest vengeance, in my eyes, is prospering."

Viktor clicked his tongue and his eyes flickered with anger as he yelled at his sister. "The ancestors would cry if they heard you...! Shame! You've forgotten your roots! "

"And you are too attached to them!" Vianna bristled in response. "We live in the present, brother! And soon, the future will arrive! If we are too focused on the past, we may be too unprepared for the trials that will come!"

"You can only think that way because you didn't spend much time in our home!"

"You're only five years older than me! Do not talk to me as if you didn't spend more of your life here just like I did!"

Reivan cautiously stood up and got in between the two, hoping his presence might defuse some of the tension. Perhaps because they were both ice-attribute Ascendants, instead of the air in the room being heated from their rising tempers, it was getting colder instead.

"Let's take a step back. Uncle, Mother." Reivan looked back and forth between the two, watching as their breathing gradually eased back to normal. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Let's agree to disagree. I think there is merit in both of your views and I am convinced that we can reach a common ground if we talk this out."

Viktor fixed his clothes and snorted. "Did you learn that eloquence from hanging out in meeting rooms so much, boy?"

"No, I learned it from you," he sarcastically replied.

"Like hell, you did." Viktor raised a fist at him but a soft chuckle escaped the man's lips.

Vianna also seemed calm now, but her gaze still sharpened when looking at her brother from time to time. She then turned to Reivan with a soft look on her face. "Regardless of which viewpoint you side with in the future, your idiot uncle and I want the same thing from you."

"Consider it done." Reivan solemnly placed his hand on his chest. "I love both of you and your dreams are my dreams as well. Of course, I'll do my best to help you achieve them."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that too fast if I were you..." Viktor warned, a frown on his face.

Vianna seemed extremely happy though. "Perfect! Come. I'll help you choose your future concubines."

"Excuse me?"

Reivan thought he heard wrong.

Arc#3 Chapter 62: The Fall of a Dynasty (1)

[Author's Note]

Hello~!

I know I said I was about to get a lot of free time to write after I finished my resignation process...

But who knew I would get a job offer right after I said it...!?

Very good thing for me since it allows me to work flexibly. Though it's just a "gig" so it's not sustainable. I may still be getting that free time, but after this gig.

I'm so stoked since it's actually a "fiction-related" job. Fuck. This is great.

I'll be sure to give you guys updates on this soon.

And of course, thank you very much for those who support me here. It means a lot. And it pushes me to grind harder because of the fact that someone out there thinks that my work is worthy of spending money on.

I'll work hard so I can improve the amount of chapters for every tier! And add new ones of course!

Anyway, here's the chapter~!

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Reivan jolted awake, sucking in his breath as he sat up.

'What the hell happened...?'

His mind alert, Reivan looked around and discovered that he was back in his room back at the palace. This made him realize that he'd probably lost consciousness at some point. The last thing he could remember was something intangible crawling up his nose.

'The heat's gone too.'

Or at least most of it. The desire to dry hump anything — even the cold hard floor — no longer overwhelmed him, so that was certainly something to celebrate. There were still some urges left, but what alarmed him the most was that he'd lost consciousness at all.

'Did I unlock my qi...!?'

Being unconscious, how the heck would he know if he did? It would crush him if he'd undergone all of that shame and suffering for nothing. Reivan would honestly lock himself in his room for a few days in depression if that happened.

While his anxiety continued to rise, a soft pair of hands grabbed him by the shoulder and gently pulled him down. The back of his head was immediately met with a soft sensation, and half of his view of the ceiling was blocked by two white mounds wrapped in fabric.

"Mom?" Reivan recognized right away who'd done it. What lay behind his head was his mother's lap, while the things blocking his vision were her... assets — which Reivan appreciated for providing him meals when he first woke up in this world.

Vianna smiled down at him and stroked his silvery grey hair. "Good morning, Rein. Or I suppose I should say 'good afternoon'...? Anyway, you slept for quite a while, huh?"

"I did...?"

"Yep. You got knocked out for three straight days." Vianna giggled.

"What!?" Reivan sat up again, alarmed. "What about my qi? Was it unlocked...!? Did I fail!?"

"Relax." His mother's smile didn't falter but her hand used a bit more force to get him to lay down again. "It went well, so you don't have anything to worry about."

"Really?"

That was certainly a relief, but he could never be too sure. He hadn't checked himself with [Supreme Insight] since his stats plateaued, so this would be the first time in a while. After he made sure he was no longer wearing the strange shackles that sealed his special abilities, he brought his hand up to his face with anticipation.

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Unit's Statistics
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Name: Reivan Aizenwald
Species: Hybrid
Realm: Mortal
Age: Cannot Be Calculated
Sex: Male
Might: 219

Special Abilities
[Supreme Insight]
[Indomitable Willpower]
[Essence of Falsehood]
[Drug Memorization]
[Glimpse of Eternity]       

Extra Skills

[Chaos Origin]
[Intuition]
[Taunt]
[Qi: Unleashed]

Elemental Affinities:

[Lightning]
[Chaos]

[Ice]
[Darkness]

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"Uhehehe..." Reivan unconsciously snickered in an unsightly manner when he saw the [Qi: Unleashed] skill. Furthermore, it seemed like his breakthrough actually provided an instantaneous increase in his Might.

'Holy fuck. My Might just doubled. I'm so strong now. No wonder Argonia and Arkhan treat our knights like monsters.'

Every single knight had their qi unlocked by default — since they wouldn't be knighted otherwise — and had monstrous physical prowess. Furthermore, the gap would only widen over time since Qi was the greatest aid in helping someone improve their physique.

And now, Reivan had obtained the qualifications to become a knight.

'Well, not that I'd actually become one since I'm already a prince. But it's still nice.'

Most of all, it would allow him to catch up to Helen. Although he won against her whenever they sparred, Reivan always felt somewhat guilty deep down. After all, it was never a one-on-one fight.

It would take a while, but this was good. A journey of a thousand miles started with a single step, and this would be his first step to catching up.

'I wonder what I can do with it?'

The subject of "Qi" was never tacked in great detail during his lessons with either Valter or Donovan. Even when Stella, Vianna, or Viktor came by to give him some guidance, they never gave him any concrete information. Everyone always said that qi manipulation relied more on "feeling". The hard part was unleashing it, activating it was always easy.

As such, Reivan wanted to try out how "easy" it was.

'Uh, activate? Qi, on! Activating Qi...!'

He tried thinking of using keywords first, but none of them worked. Really, he didn't expect them to work, but he thought it was worth a shot.

'I guess it's not that easy.'

Chuckling at his own thoughts, Reivan closed his eyes and turned his attention within himself. The feeling was unmistakable; he could sense the energy flowing through every part of his body. It was a potent, primal force that surged from deep within, saturating his organs, pulsating through his bones, and wrapping around every inch of his skin.

It was as if the energy was a permanent part of him now.

'Can I move it...?'

Just as he was about to try, he felt as if he'd completely lost track of the energy and couldn't find it anymore. He then became aware of his mother's hand pressing against the middle of his navel.

"I understand that you're excited," Vianna said with a warm smile on her face. "But you shouldn't try to do anything with your qi until it has stabilized. It's different if you unleash it in battle like you're supposed to, but when warbeasts unlock their qi through their first mating seasons it takes a while for the qi to settle down."

"Oh. Yes, mom." Reivan grinned and decided to set aside his thoughts about his qi for the time being. What mattered most was that he had finally unlocked it, and there was no harm in waiting a bit more.

"Good. Now, we have other important matters to talk about now that you've reached this stage in your life. Like your responsibilities to our clan."

'Okay. I immediately don't like the sound of this...'

Despite this, Reivan sensed the severity of the situation in her tone. So he sat up and moved to sit in front of his mother and faced her properly.

"Oh, wait a second..." Vianna took out a communication crystal and rolled it around in her palms for a bit. "Since this involves our clan, your uncle should join us."

In the next instant, there someone knocked on the door.

"It's me."

Vianna raised a brow. "Why are you going through the door...?"

"Because that's what civilized people do when they want to enter someone else's room, sister." The door opened and Viktor came in, a big smile on his face as turned his attention to his nephew. "How're you doing, champ? Good?"

"I'm doing pretty fine, I guess?" Reivan shrugged. "I've been better though. But since I've unlocked my qi, it's all worth it."

"Oh, I'll bet it is," Viktor smirked and threw a small crystal orb toward Reivan. "Here, a small present."

Reivan smiled and stared down at the object as his heart beat in excitement. "What's this?"

"Inside is a recording of everything that happened while you were blacked out. I made sure everything was visible even though it was somewhat dark in the dungeon."

"... I don't want it."

"Just keep it with you. And don't worry if you accidentally break it. I have a few more copies."

"Please get rid of those copies!"

His uncle just laughed as Reivan struggled with the choice of whether to watch the recording or not. On one hand, he was incredibly curious as to what happened. But on the other hand, he was convinced that it would permanently scar his mind and traumatize him for life. His uncle wouldn't have such a mischievous grin otherwise.

'Asshole.'

Reivan cursed his uncle inwardly but knew that he would probably do something similar too. It was scary how similar they were even though Reivan developed most of his personality during his past life instead of in this one.

"Okay, okay. You can watch or not watch that later." Vianna cut in, her solemn tone brook no argument. "We have important matters to discuss."

"Yes, mother."

"Fine, fine."

Reivan focused on his mother while Viktor chose a nearby stool to park his butt on.

"Good." Vianna nodded in satisfaction at the boys' behavior. "Rein, I believe you already know about my and your uncle's past, yes?"

"I've pieced together bits and pieces, but nothing specific." Reivan bobbed his head while gathering his thoughts. "I was always told to wait until you told me yourselves."

Viktor grunted. "Right. Then tell us what you've pieced together."

"Mother and uncle came from the continent to the east when you were both very young. Then you've been living here for most of your lives. From what I understood, you were running from something. Oh, and I can understand that you guys are either royalty or from a very important lineage. That's about it."

"Pretty good." His uncle nodded in admiration. "You can pretty much piece together a story with that information alone, right?"

"Yep. I'm not assuming anything though. Reality is often stranger than fiction. What happened can be vastly different than the scenario I think of."

"Well, in this case, it's probably exactly what you were expecting." Viktor chuckled lethargically before throwing his sister a look. "You wanna do it, or should I?"

"I'll do it." Vianna turned toward her son and said, "Rein, we are from the Luka Touji clan, which hails from the bloodline of the Winter Wolf."

Viktor cut in at this time. "Just so you know, the Winter Wolf is a giant legendary creature in Eastern mythology. A Primordial Beast symbolizes one of the four seasons. The medicine called Wolf King's Ichor comes from is just one of the Winter Wolf's descendants. Ours is the last of the four primordial beast bloodlines. The others have all died out."

"The Winter Wolf..." Reivan unconsciously whispered to himself.

'Cool. That's so cool.'

He liked anything dog-like so the idea of some kind of massive wolf that embodied winter itself pulled on his heartstrings. It was extremely generic and he'd seen a lot of similar creatures in the novels he'd read, but it didn't change how he felt about the concept.

A question suddenly popped into his head at that time. "If these primordial beasts were so formidable, where are they now?"

Viktor shrugged. "Some say it didn't exist at all. Some say that it died fighting some other great foe. And some say that it actually came from another world and birthed babies here before leaving right after. There are many theories but civilization barely existed when it all happened, so we can never know."

'Uh, that last part makes me think that the Winter Wolf's an Archon or something similar... but surely that can't be it, right?'

"Anyway," Vianna cleared her throat and brought the conversation back on track. "Our clan was pretty important. All of the members of our clan were top-of-the-line talents who were guaranteed to become Ascendants given enough time. Furthermore, our clan was protected by a Transcendent guardian beast that we called the Icetail Canis."

Reivan raised a hand, then asked a question once he saw Vianna nod. "What is this Icetail Canis? And why would it protect our clan...?"

Victor chimed in again. "The Icetail Canis was a wolf that was just as big as Viktor's transformed form. And as for the reason why it protected us, nobody knows. It was there before the founder of our clan was born. With its nature, it is also said to have been one of the Winter Wolf's offspring."

"I see..."

"That said, all it ever did was protect us. It never attacked our enemies for us. This is also the reason why the location of our clan's headquarters never changed throughout the millennia that the Luka-Touji Dynasty ruled."

'Interesting...'

Vianna threw her brother a look of annoyance. "Would you stop cutting in? I can explain these things too!"

"Oh, please." Viktor rolled his eyes. "You never paid attention to your lessons saying there was always time to do so in the future. See where that got you?"

Vianna grimaced and ignored her brother, turning her attention back to her son. "Anyway, just because we were powerful and had lots of strong Ascendants, didn't mean we were unrivaled. Our guardian beast never strayed too far from our ancestral home. The rest of the continent didn't know this initially, but after generations of emperors died on the front lines, they realized the guardian beast's limits. They naturally began to challenge our rule, and for centuries, the eastern continent was embroiled in neverending conflict."

"Wars were a common occurrence." Viktor sighed as he wistfully stared out of the window. "It would pretty much only stop during mating seasons. And that was just to sow the seeds for the birth of future soldiers and to obtain more fighters capable of using qi. Things were a lot different where we lived since it had a Transcendent protecting it, but we still heard about how rough it was on the outskirts of the empire."

"New blood was used to wash away the old blood." Vianna crossed her arms under her heavy chest and shook her head. "And we weren't the only clan that had a Transcendent. On the southern side of the continent was the Celestial Sage of the Stoneskin Ape clan. His staff was renowned on the battlefield, and soon enough, he became a Transcendent. He eventually came to our capital to challenge the Icetail Canis to single combat."

Reivan frowned as he offered his predictions of the story. "And he beat the Icetail Canis...?"

"No, he lost." Viktor snickered. "Did you know, kid? Mortals and Ascendants can kill each other in an instant. But that doesn't seem to be the case for Transcendents... well, at least the ones that don't have assassin-like abilities like old man Rolf up there. Anyway, after two weeks of fighting high up in the sky, our guardian beast triumphed."

"Eh...?" Reivan couldn't help but scratch his head at this baffling development. "So then how come you were forced to flee...?"

"Because," Vianna sighed. "There was another person who managed to become a Transcendent right after the battle."

Viktor's face darkened as he nodded. "The Great Tiger of the Torhu Duchy that served us. That piece of trash immediately turned his glaive toward our clan the moment he Transcended! Even if the Icetail Canis defeated the Stoneskin Ape Champion, how could it be easy to slay a Transcendent? Naturally, it took a lot of damage."

"I see..." Reivan rubbed his chin with a frown. "So that evened out the gap in experience between them?"

"Precisely." Vianna took one of the nearby pillows and hugged it to herself. "Everybody knew what the outcome would be. Allies and enemies alike. In our troubled times, the snakes revealed themselves immediately to curry favor with the eventual winner."

"Father and the other ancestors fought hard." Viktor's fists clenched and they trembled from the force he was exerting. "They wished to at least preserve some of our bloodline's legacy by sending the imperial children along with some loyal vassals to the edges of the continent. Mind you, it wasn't just me and your mother. There must have been hundreds of us and all of us haven't even made it through puberty yet."

"There were still some clans that helped our clan escape," Vianna said. "but there were plenty more that chose to switch sides. Then a few days after our flight from the capital, there was a resplendent explosion of energy in the sky, similar to what happened when the Celestial Sage died to the Icetail Canis. Soon, news of our guardian beast's death reached us. And after that, our party no longer had the courage to ask anyone for help."

Viktor grunted as he rubbed his throat. "For months, we were forced to live off the land while keeping one eye open at night and constantly glancing behind us in fear of pursuers. Oftentimes, we couldn't feed everyone. Luckily, we never ran out of water since we could just melt the ice we could easily produce. But I can still remember how for days, I drowned out the hunger with just water..."

"In any case, it was a rough period in our lives." Vianna casually said it as if it didn't matter. "I can barely remember it since I was only fifteen at the time. But moving on to the next part of the story, the loyal vassals escorting us eventually came to the conclusion that staying anywhere on the continent would be too risky. So they decisively took action to send us to another continent."

"Sentorale..." Reivan whispered to himself.

"Correct." His mother smiled at him. "They chose to send us to the mysterious continent beyond our western sea."

Arc#3 Chapter 61: Losing Control

"Woah!" Reivan exclaimed as he stiffened up in shock. He wanted to be a gentleman and close his eyes, but a bigger part of him thought it would be a waste to miss such a sight.

So he naturally peeled his eyes wide open and immediately prepared to capture every detail in vivid memory.

Just like anyone would.

'Eh, wait. She's not naked...'

Reivan bit his lip in frustration. The disappointment in his heart was immeasurable but he did his best to tell himself that this was a better outcome.

What was revealed to have been underneath Chief Mikachi's thick kimono was a simple white tunic and a thick pair of brown pants. Despite their simplicity, Reivan could immediately tell that they were made of good materials and definitely weren't cheap. They managed to hide away some of the warbeast woman's seductive curves and seemed very easy to move around in.

And that's why Reivan went on guard. With her attire, he sensed that the "help" she would give him involved getting physical — and not in an intimate way.

"How sharp." Chief Mikachi giggled but took a step forward with her hands raised in the air. "I mean you no harm, Your Highness."

Reivan eased his stance a little but didn't completely believe her. "Is that so?"

"Yes. Vikt— I mean, Sir Viktor asked me to come since I have lots of experience with helping children when they face difficulties during their first mating season."

"And how will you help me...?"

The woman covered her grin with her hand. "He told me that I should just do it without warning, but I dare not offend the prince of a nation where my people prosper. So I thought it prudent to clarify things to you first."

"I see..." Reivan nodded, noting the lack of notification from his ability. "Please go on then, Chief Mikachi."

"By your leave." She dipped her head before starting her explanation.

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The Terracatta chief's method was fairly simple.

If the clan that Vianna and Viktor had belonged to dealt with the first mating season by lighting multiple "fires", the Terracatta clan apparently did what a lot — if not most — other warbeast clans did.

It was stoking one fire until the house burned down.

And Chief Mikachi could apparently accomplish this by merely staying in a male's vicinity during mating season.

"We don't know why," she explained. "but during mating season, females let off a unique odor that only males can pick up. And inhaling this odor intensifies the lust that those men feel."

'What? So it's basically like that hormone thing, huh?'

Reivan's knowledge was shallow, so all he really knew was that some animals released hormones when trying to attract mates — or sometimes, food.

"So you'll be staying with me and letting off this... odor until I break through? Is that it?" he asked while taking a sniff of the air. While there was definitely a pleasant smell, it had little to no effects on him.

"Yes, that's correct." Chief Mikachi placed her hand on her chest and bowed. "I have been told that my scent is particularly potent, so when I was young, I always locked myself up during these times to avoid driving all the men insane. After becoming the leader of my clan though, I thought up a way to weaponize this strange attribute of mine — which I'll be demonstrating soon, once you are ready."

"Will that really work though?"

"I have a hundred percent success rate so far, Your Highness." Mikachi giggled. "All you must do is let yourself go. Sir Viktor has told me that you've remained conscious and self-aware all this time. While this is admirable — especially since the first mating season is always the worst and only adults usually have the composure that you do — this is not the case for our goal."

"You mean..."

"Yes, Your Highness. Your body wishes to evolve right now. And furthermore, it already knows how to do this. However, your brilliant mind is holding it back from doing so. A fool would have succeeded on the first day of the mating season before going off and hunting for a mate."

'Shit, really? I don't want to do that last part though...'

Reivan grimaced as he took it all in. He'd always considered his status as a reincarnator an advantage with little to no disadvantages. Who would have known that it was actually what held him back from unlocking his qi the most?

"You need not worry about losing control." Chief Mikachi assuaged him with a warm smile. "Just let loose, Your Highness. Even if you go berserk, you won't be able to hurt me no matter how hard you try."

"I see..." Reivan's smile was crooked as he nodded. "That's a relief."

'Will I be okay...?'

No matter how he convinced himself that everything would be fine, losing control of one's body would never stop being a terrifying notion for anyone. It was even more so for Reivan since he experienced something similar when he actively used [Glimpse of Eternity] for the first time.

As he hesitated, Chief Mikachi offered a way out for him.

"I can see that you are very hesitant, Your Highness." she nodded understandingly. "Perhaps this is something difficult for you to parse because you were raised by humans? But don't worry, I've been helping boys break through for centuries. Naturally, I've had my own insights on this phenomenon and have thought of a few alternative methods to do things. I have yet to try them on anyone else, but if His Highness is willing—"

"I'm willing! Very willing!" Reivan felt his heart leap with joy. "Tell me about this alternative, please."

"Very well."

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Reivan soon found himself in the very awkward position of being hugged to Chief Mikachi's chest. His back felt like it was heaven since it was cushioned by two soft mounds. But he couldn't move his arms in her tight embrace. His feet dangled in the air too, which added an extra layer of discomfort.

'I'm like a fucking stuffed toy or something...'

According to the expert on helping kids unleash their inner selves during mating season, the closer you were to a female, the more intense the heat became for the male.

Reivan assumed that this was most likely due to the source of the hormones being closer. In any case, this was the reason why Reivan was being held so close to her. His arms were also restrained, so he literally wouldn't be able to do anything even if he accidentally went berserk.

And the best part about this method was that he could probably still keep his consciousness intact for the entire process. After all, Mikachi could evidently tailor the experience to fit the needs of whoever she was helping out.

'I hope this goes all according to plan.'

According to the cat chieftain, this method should have been an effective way for any older warbeast female to help a warbeast male out. But it was made more effective with the increased potency of Chief Mikachi's body odor.

'Oh, but I'm not feeling much different. So maybe it'll be less effective than I thought?'

Fearful of the chief's hormones, even his uncle had retreated to watch over him from farther away. Which confused Reivan greatly. 

After all, if Reivan was fine, why wasn't he?

Of course, Reivan was still ultra horny, what with being so close to such an attractive woman. And even if he wanted to be the gentleman who tried not to notice them, her breasts felt very nice against his back so he couldn't forget.

The heat was definitely worse than before, but it wasn't as bad as he expected. This gave him a bit more confidence.

Sadly, that confidence didn't last long.

"Are you ready, Your Highness?" Chief Mikachi asked.

"What do you mean? We've already started, no?"

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

Chief Mikachi hesitated for a moment before she shrugged. "Well, since you said you were ready, let's begin."

The next moment, Reivan blacked out.

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'Was that too much?'

Mikachi tilted her head as she examined the young pup she was embracing. The moment she partially released the energy field holding back most of her body's scent, Reivan went limp and stopped moving.

This was out of her expectations so she grew flustered, thinking she accidentally killed a prince somehow.

But then she calmed down. There was a very terrifying old man at the top of the mountain in the middle of the city. And that old man was watching her every move and all that happened here.

If the boy was dead, Mikachi wouldn't even get the chance to wonder about it. She would just be erased in an instant.

'Hmm... Well, what should I do now...?'

Hypothetically speaking, Reivan's lust should have grown to overwhelming levels. But since she was physically restraining him, he wouldn't be able to act on that. Furthermore, the boy had been starved by his uncle and toyed with in all sorts of ways so the built-up frustration should be staggering by this point.

And if all went well, the boy would break through in a matter of minutes. The shackles that restrained mana and special abilities would also come off as a sign of his success since they were configured to do so when they came in contact with qi.

But with Reivan knocked out, they were wasting precious time.

A warbeast's mating season didn't last forever. The first one was the most optimal time for them to break through since the seals in one's inner body loosened up greatly.

So Reivan would truly have wasted a great opportunity if he failed here. For normal warbeasts, there were still quite a few days to go but since the prince was only half of a warbeast, it wouldn't surprise Mikachi if he also only had half the time.

"Your Highness~" Mikachi called out to wake him. "Please wake up, we're done yet..."

Taking care not to use too much force, she also prodded his leg with her tail. But it was to no avail because the prince just wouldn't wake up.

'Oh no, oh no, oh no...'

When she and her clan came to this nation, they intended to take a wait-and-see approach before offering fealty of any kind. But in the short few years that they'd lived here, Mikachi determined that there was no better place to live in. Too bad that the crown had grown somewhat cold after the Terracatta clan rejected their initial proposal. Mikachi had waited and waited for Aizen to make an offer again, but they never did.

That's why lately, Mikachi had been taking every chance she could get to curry favor and make their usefulness shine. She even had some of her young ones enroll as squires. Combat was about the only thing their people were good at after all. This made it hard to shine in other industries, but for the most part, things were going very well for her and the clan.

When Viktor came to her with this task, she didn't hesitate to accept it since it was an excellent opportunity to obtain accomplishments. But now that she was facing some unexpected difficulties, Mikachi realized that she may have been too thoughtless. She hadn't even thought of the possibility of failure because Prince Reivan's excellence had been made known to her by Vianna and Viktor's repeated boastings.

'The ancestors be damned. What have I gotten myself into...?'

Naturally, it would not be ideal for her to be part of the cause for failure. Especially when it came to Reivan — the brat that was doted on by all the people she wished to curry favor with.

'Dammnit, if need be, I'll have to...'

Just as she was starting to think she'd have to do something shameful, Reivan suddenly bolted awake. His limbs burst with tremendous force and she almost let go of him because she'd been trying to hold him with minimal strength. To her, he was like an expensive vase that would get her killed if she returned it with a single scratch.

"Your Highness...?" Mikachi called out once she'd secured her hold. "It seemed that you lost consciousness for a bit there. But are you okay now—"

An ear-piercing roar exploded out of Reivan's mouth before she could finish her sentence. He then began fiercely struggling to break free from Mikachi's grasp. With a ferocious glint in his eyes, he craned his neck to stare into her eyes and bared his sharp fangs — which he definitely did not have earlier.

'What? A beast transformation? They said he already had a different version of our transformation called the [Beast Gate]. He shouldn't be able to transform at all...'

It was a tiny transformation, but a transformation nonetheless.

With her Ascendent senses, Mikachi examined the four fangs that were about two times as long as the prince's other teeth. She thought to examine his body for any other changes, but there didn't seem to be any changes on the outside. When her senses tried to pry deeper inside his body or into certain private areas, a strange force hindered her.

She offered a guilty bow in the direction of the Sword Star's mountain before retracting her senses and thinking about her actions moving forward.

'This is good.'

The second prince was yelling like an absolute lunatic and he looked like he wanted to devour Mikachi in all sorts of ways, but this was par for the course. In fact, this was exactly what they were aiming for from the start. It was only a matter of time before his qi got unleashed.

'This is very good. Heh.'

To top it all off, she had somehow aided in discovering some sort of physical transformation that nobody expected. Even if was small, it could only be described as a good thing.

Thinking about it, Mikachi couldn't help but chuckle in glee. She didn't even mind that the prince's spittle was flying everywhere, even sprinkling some droplets onto her face.

'Here you go, little one. You've made me happy so I'll give you some extra service.'

Mikachi turned the boy around so he was facing toward her then buried his face into her bosom. While he voraciously dug into his meal, Mikachi was lost in visions of her people's rise to greatness and the reclamation of everything that was taken from them.

'Just you wait, you striped bastards. We'll come back and snatch it all back.'

In the dark dungeon filled with nothing but Reivan's growls, Mikachi's smile was radiant.

'With interest.'

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[Author's Note]

I still have a job at this time.

I've resigned, yes. But I will still take a month to completely transfer my position over to my... successor? I guess you could call it that.

Naturally, I'll still be paid so it's whatever for me. In any case, this means that if you expected me to start chugging out chapters and Patreon tiers this week or the next, well, I have bad news for you...

So yeah. In my resignation letter, I stated that my last day would be somewhere between X and Y. I don't intend to leave until my successor can do things decently.

As with any other corporate employee, I have lots of complaints about my company. But they did take care of me, so I wanna leave professionally. That's all.

Anyway, here's the chapter!