After the dragon fell, the followers of the Void continued to struggle, but their resistance was meaningless in the face of the Sword Saint, a formidable opponent.
Having easily suppressed all the enemies, Yuden chuckled as he watched Joy and Faivy rebuilding Erginus' magic circle.
“Faivy. Is this right? I didn’t make a mistake, did I?”
“You don’t need to confirm every stroke with me, you know.”
“B-but...”
“If you have no confidence in yourself, why did you collapse the magic circle entirely?”
“I thought that was the best option at the time!”
Even the saint, who had reached the peak of mercy, couldn’t help but feel frustrated at Joy’s apparent carelessness.
However, the way Joy drew the magic circle was different.
Despite being a student, her mastery of mana control, overwhelming even many active wizards, made Yuden silently marvel.
Could she be someone descended from Partlan’s bloodline? If left alone, she’d probably solve it on her own.
“Lady Karia, whether it’s the church or the kingdom, just hand these trash over to me.”
“Why not do it yourself? It’s your victory, after all.”
“Haha. What have I really done? I’ve just been entertained by Lady Arlen all day today.”
Everything that happened at Soul Academy today was ultimately played out on the palm of Lady Arlen.
The followers of the Void, herself, and everyone else had all been mere actors on a stage set by Lady Arlen. How could anyone claim credit for this?
Yuden didn’t need accolades served on a silver platter. If she had cared about such honors, she wouldn’t be wandering like this now.
“Lady Arlen is truly strange, though. She doesn’t seem to have taken a liking to me, so why give me credit?”
“Well... I don’t know either.”
Hearing Karia’s smug tone, Yuden frowned but then sighed deeply.
“I don’t know what she was after, but I’ve put in the effort as an actor, so please be sure to keep your promise and pass that along.”
“Wouldn’t it be more convincing if you said it yourself?”
“...I get heated when talking to her.”
“Hahaha, I understand. Our employer does have a knack for making people lose their temper.”
Yuden, with a slightly awkward expression at Karia’s laughter, saw the students who had been sleeping gradually waking up and she sheathed her sword.
“Sword Saint, before you go, just one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Your friend will be waiting at the clock tower.”
Friend? Is she talking about Luca?
That guy... Is he still alive? Even with all that, he’s quite strong, so I’m sure the followers of the Void didn’t just leave him alone.
“Don’t worry. He’s not dead.”
“...Please don’t read my mind.”
“What can I do? It’s obvious.”
“...Well, thanks for the information.”
After thanking her, Yuden leaped down without hesitation.
The place where the magic circle had been was quite high, but to the monster known as the Sword Saint, height was nothing.
“...Sword Saint?”
“Is it real?”
“Am I still dreaming?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Without making a sound, the Sword Saint landed gracefully, greeted by the gazes of the many students present. Oops, maybe I picked the wrong place to jump down.
“Sword Saint! Thank you for saving us!”
Just as Yuden was feeling self-conscious, one of the students voiced their gratitude.
“Me too! Thank you!”
“Really, thank you!”
“If it weren’t for you, we’d be...”
“How can we ever repay this kindness?”
Yuden’s mouth twitched into a stiff smile as gratitude poured in from all directions.
Well, I’m human too. I don’t dislike being praised.
But right now, things are different. All I did was dance on the stage, and now I’m getting all this gratitude? It’s uncomfortable!
But if I tell the truth, no one would believe me! Who would believe that the reckless, troublesome Lady Arlen is the mastermind behind all of this?
Ah, forget it. It’s better to just run away.
“Sword Saint.”
At the sound of a deep, middle-aged voice, Yuden flinched and slowly turned her head.
Standing there was the head of the academy’s combat department, someone Yuden had once owed a favor to when she was filled with youthful energy.
“On behalf of the academy, I thank you. If it weren’t for you, countless lives would have been lost.”
“No, I... didn’t really do anything.”
“You don’t have to be modest. Everyone saw you bring down the dragon. Who could deny your achievements?”
“That’s true. Sword Saint.”
Feeling awkward in front of the few people she found difficult, Yuden quickly turned her head as an elderly voice continued.
“As the headmaster of Soul Academy, I offer my gratitude. Right now, this old man’s thanks are all I can give, but once the situation settles, I’ll make sure to show my respect.”
“No, no, really, there’s no need for that! This really wasn’t...”
“Sword Saint, do you know? Excessive modesty can be poisonous too.”
Yuden stiffened at the voice from a distance. After a moment, the sounds of others quickly kneeling reached her ears.
With stiff movements, like a wooden puppet, Yuden turned her head to find the figure standing across from her—one of the most exalted names in the current kingdom.
“...Queen Consort?”
Kavaty Soladin. The Queen Consort of the kingdom.
She ruled in place of the king, who had stepped back due to illness, making her the de facto most powerful person in the kingdom.
“Yes. It’s been a while, Sword Saint. How should I thank you for protecting the future of Soladin Kingdom?”
Hearing the Queen Consort’s thanks, Yuden abandoned the idea of escaping neatly.
Even Yuden, who cared nothing for etiquette or dignity, couldn’t help but feel pressure when facing the leader of a nation.
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I have a moment to speak with you?”
“Ah, that... ugh...”
Just as Yuden was about to suffocate from the discomfort, she was saved by a religious leader who could boldly step forward even in front of a queen.
“I’m sorry for interrupting, Queen Consort. But I have something important to say.”
Prette, the apostle of the Art Guild, flashed a smile even in the face of the cold gaze of the Queen Consort.
“Just now, the enemy you fought was a follower of the Evil God. We don’t know what influence she might have had on her.”
“Ah, yes. You’re right. I lacked consideration. Please forgive me.”
“No, it’s just a formality. I should be the one apologizing.”
With his usual eloquence, Prette helped Yuden out of the awkward situation and, leaving the gazes of many behind, led her to the designated place.
“Thank you, Apostle. As always, you have great tact.”
“You don’t need to thank me. It wasn’t out of consideration for you, just fulfilling someone else’s wishes.”
“...Huh?”
Prette led Yuden to the clock tower on one side of the academy.
Without hesitation, Prette opened a hidden passage and climbed up the dusty stairs with steady steps.
After a while, Yuden began to understand what Prette had meant.
At the top of the clock tower was Lucy, the mastermind behind all of this.
And beside her was Luca, her friend and benefactor.
Yuden, startled by the terrible appearance of her friend, rushed forward, but as she reached out her hand, she stopped, feeling an unsettling aura emanating from Luca.
“...Luca?”
Luca radiated the aura of the Evil God.
Luca had never doubted that he would become a star since the day he was born.
He had always lived with the title of a genius.
Even when he was born into an unremarkable commoner family.
Even when he proved his abilities and learned under a famous adventurer.
Even when, at a young age, he surpassed countless competitors to become a high-ranking adventurer.
Even when he entered the academy, which gathered all the kingdom’s greatest talents, he was still called a genius.
How could someone from a commoner’s bloodline have such talent?
Even in such circumstances, Luca never fell into self-absorption.
He knew that his journey was far from over.
And because he believed that if he kept pushing forward, he would eventually reach the highest peak.
He cast aside offers from the nobility, refusing to settle for anything less.
The offers from the nobles, to him, seemed like nothing but complacency.
Convinced that his star could shine brighter than anyone else’s, Luca threw himself back into hardship to sharpen his abilities.
And that’s when he met it.
The talent that made Luca, who had always thought of himself as a genius, feel insignificant.
A talent that was already shining brightly in the sky, growing brighter each day, never giving Luca a chance to catch up.
He met Yuden.
Since that moment, Luca had nurtured a darkness in his heart every single day.
Yet, despite everything, Luca couldn’t bring himself to leave Yuden’s side, because he still held onto a sliver of hope.
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He believed that the talent people called genius was not a lie.
If he could just bring down the star in front of him, he could become the brightest one.
Luca struggled, pulling that star from the mud.
“Thank you! Luca! Because of you, I’ve gained insight again! I’m so glad you’re my friend!”
Then, when Luca saw that all his efforts to make the star fall only made it shine brighter, he finally resigned.
He recognized that he could never shine like her.
Instead, Luca decided to carve a new jewel.
He would make a star brighter than Yuden and present it to her.
He would watch as Yuden crumbled under the light of that star.
He would make her feel the same emotions he felt.
But everything he planned failed, because someone made sure it did.
His actions to create a star brighter than Yuden’s only served to raise her fame higher.
Was he the hero who single-handedly defeated the followers of the Evil God occupying Soul Academy?
Ha...
Damn it.
I’ve always been helping that girl.
“...Luca?”
Hearing the confused voice, Luca clenched his lips and looked down.
What emotions were in the eyes watching him from above?
Contempt? Pity? Disbelief?
Ha. Fine. Whatever.
It’s better than this stupid girl smiling without knowing anything.
“Are you okay?”
When Luca finally lifted his head, the gaze he met was far from what he had expected.
Yuden was concerned for him.