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Chapter 85: Interlude – Moonlight (1)

A wave of happiness washed over me, leaving my head in a daze.

Even while standing still, I can’t help but grin.

My body feels light, as if I’m floating above the clouds.

“I’ve come to get you.”

When I heard those words, I was overwhelmed with joy.

Questions popped into my mind—how did Dale realize I was Yurina and not Yuren?

How did he know I was going to undergo the stigma replacement surgery?

But all those trivial questions quickly vanished, replaced by the overwhelming happiness of Dale coming to save me.

“You don’t have to shine anymore.”

I’ve lived my life to become a sun.

I lived to shine.

I had to atone for my sins.

I wanted to be loved by my mother again, like before.

I had to become ‘Yuren.’

But…

The sun named ‘Yuren’ was so far away, so blinding.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t reach it.

It was exhausting, unbearably painful.

Swinging my sword every day until my palms were raw, seeing my mother’s cold eyes, being haunted by nightmares of my brother.

The more I strove to become the sun, the more my life was filled with thick darkness.

Then, Dale appeared before me.

The first friend I ever made.

My mentor and my savior.

My new sun.

‘I won’t live to become Yuren anymore.’

I’ve broken free from the chains that have bound me for the past eight years.

I’ve erased my fear of my mother, my guilt towards my brother.

Dale taught me ‘courage,’ something I could never muster on my own.

‘Dale.’

Does he realize how much his presence has saved me?

Has he noticed how my heart is swelling with emotions, ready to burst?

I don’t know.

But it doesn’t matter.

I can let him know bit by bit from now on.

‘From today on, I’ll live for Dale.’

I’ll devote everything to the one who gave me a new life.

If the moon can only shine because of the sun,

‘Then my sun is Dale.’

Just thinking of that makes me smile uncontrollably.

It feels like I’ve taken some priceless elixir; an unknown power surges through my body.

“Aaah, ugh.”

Clang.

The black-armored monster rose to its feet.

It was a puppet summoned by the man named ‘Faust’ before he fled.

If I had undergone the stigma replacement surgery, would I have become a puppet like that?

‘No, I’ve been a puppet even before that.’

Before I met Dale, I was no different from a puppet, just without the strings attached.

But now…

‘Not anymore.’

I gripped my sword, and mana swirled around me.

The ‘Stigma of the Moon God’ engraved on my left chest radiated light.

Vrrrrmmm!

A golden aura enveloped my blade.

Looking at the radiant, sun-like golden aura, I squinted.

‘It didn’t look like this before.’

My aura was golden because I had forced it to resemble my brother’s, manipulating my mana to change its color.

‘I don’t need to do that anymore.’

I stopped controlling my mana out of habit and unleashed it with full force.

Clang!

With a sound like something shattering, the golden aura gradually turned silver.

The cold, moonlit silver aura blazed fiercely along the edge of the blade.

“Hah.”

A thrilling sensation ran down my spine.

It was as if a long-blocked breath had been released, spreading a refreshing feeling throughout my entire body.

“…Ah.”

A soft gasp escaped my lips.

Information flooded my mind, as if I was recalling a forgotten memory.

“This is…”

A blessing.

A divine blessing, something only a rare few heroes with awakened stigmas can manifest.

‘Moonlight’s Blessing.’

Information about the Moonlight Blessing naturally flowed into my mind.

‘The more you think of your cherished one, the stronger you become.’

I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the information.

I had heard that some blessings had strange attributes, but…

To gain power just by thinking about someone?

‘No blessing could suit me better.’

I glanced at Dale with a faint smile.

Just by looking at him, a tremendous surge of mana threatened to explode inside me.

“Uwoooaaahhh!”

The black-armored monster charged at me with a ferocious roar.

A black aura blazed from the greatsword in its hand.

Judging by the amount of aura flowing along the blade, it was clear that this monster possessed immense power.

But…

“Hah.”

I let out a soft breath and gripped my sword.

For some reason, rather than feeling threatened by the ferocious black aura, I found it laughable.

“Seventh Form of the Sun Sword.”

A technique I had only known in theory and never successfully executed.

The towering wall that had blocked my path—the realm beyond it.

I stepped into that realm without hesitation.

“Radiant Halo.”

A silver ring formed along the blade.

The cold, shining silver ring wrapped around the black, blazing greatsword.

Shaaack!

The aura-wrapped greatsword was sliced in half as easily as cutting tofu.

“Huh, uh?”

I thrust my sword at the monster, who stared dumbfounded at its severed weapon.

Crunch!

The sword pierced through the black armor, impaling the monster’s heart.

* * *

The silver light illuminated the dark basement.

I watched Yurina, bathed in the silvery glow, and let out a soft gasp.

“Hah.”

Yurina’s mana had always been immense, but…

Now, the mana radiating from her surpassed even that ‘immense level’ by a long shot.

Unless she had consumed some legendary elixir, there was only one explanation for such a sudden change.

‘A divine blessing.’

Memories from my past life naturally surfaced in my mind.

Yuren had been the strongest swordsman of humanity, but even so, he hadn’t possessed a divine blessing.

Since divine blessings can’t be acquired through effort, it wasn’t strange that Yuren hadn’t awakened one.

‘But to suddenly awaken a blessing like this?’

That means that in the past life, Yuren had the blessing but never managed to manifest it.

‘The future has really changed.’

In the exact opposite direction of what I had feared.

“Dale….”

Yurina, who had just taken down the black-armored monster with a single strike, turned towards me with gleaming eyes.

When she took a step forward—

“Ah.”

She suddenly wobbled, as if she were about to collapse.

I quickly caught her in my arms.

“When you first awaken a blessing, your body needs time to adapt to the power, so you’ll feel exhausted.”

“Oh, I see…. But Dale, how do you kno—”

Before Yurina could finish her sentence, she softly closed her eyes and fell asleep.

“Phew.”

Holding the sleeping Yurina, I walked out of the basement.

The mansion was half-destroyed by the magical bombardment, but since it was originally so large, there were still a few intact rooms left.

I picked a room that seemed relatively unscathed and opened the door.

“He, heeek!”

A maid, hiding inside, recoiled in terror upon seeing me.

“I-I’ll do whatever you say, so please, just spare me!”

“......”

I let out a deep sigh as I looked at the maid, trembling with her hands clasped in front of her.

‘Anyone would think I killed everyone on my way here.’

Of course, I hadn’t killed a single person while breaking through the mansion.

“I’m going to use this bed for a bit.”

“Oh, yes. Please, use it as much as you need!”

The maid quickly stood up and bowed repeatedly.

I laid Yurina on the bed and placed the back of my hand on her forehead.

‘She has a fever.’

It seemed her body was generating heat as it adapted to the new power she had acquired.

“Sorry, but could I ask you for a favor?”

“Yes, of course!”

“Could you bring me a towel and some cold water?”

“Oh… yes, right away!”

The maid dashed out of the room in a hurry.

I pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down, quietly watching over Yurina.

“Where is that arrogant Republic bastard right now?!”

It seemed Rosanna had woken up after fainting.

Her voice echoed loudly down the hallway.

BAM!

Rosanna barged into the room, glaring at me fiercely.

“You…! What the hell do you think you’re doing right now?!”

“Can’t you see? I’m taking care of your daughter.”

“You…!”

Rosanna strode toward me.

“How dare a Republican mongrel touch a noble family of the Empire? Do you think this place is some kind of ‘neutral zone’ like the Hero Academy? Just you wait. I’ll make sure to inform the Imperial family about this, and they won’t let you off….”

“Telling the Imperial family, huh.”

I chuckled and stood up.

“W-what?”

As I rose, Rosanna flinched and took a step back.

I approached her with a sly grin.

“If you want to tell them, go ahead.”

“Hah. Do you really think, no matter how strong you are, you can handle the Imperial family?”

“Of course not.”

Even though my power had recently surged, there was no way I could handle the Imperial family alone.

But.

“Can you handle it?”

“H-handle what…?”

“About how you’ve been working with a demon and using the forbidden ‘Stigma Replacement Ritual.’ What do you think will happen to the Helios family if the Imperial family finds out?”

“W-wait! I didn’t know that man was a demon!”

“Oh? Well, if you say so, I’ll believe you.”

I leaned in close to her ear and whispered.

“I’m not sure if the Imperial family will believe you, though.”

“Ugh…!”

Rosanna’s face paled as she stared at me, her mouth agape.

Even if, by some miracle, they could overlook the use of the forbidden ritual, the fact that she had conspired with a demon would spell the end of the Helios family.

Colluding with demons was considered a crime of treason against the nation.

“I-I didn’t know he was a demon!”

“Really? If you say so, I’ll take your word for it.”

I smirked as Rosanna’s expression twisted in despair.

“How about we go together and explain that to the Imperial family?”

“…….”

Rosanna lowered her head in silence.

The decision was clear.

For a noblewoman who valued her family’s honor more than her own life, there was only one choice.

“…Fine. We’ll let this matter slide.”

She bit her lip and nodded.

“Hmph.”

I narrowed my eyes, staring at Rosanna’s twisted expression.

‘It feels like a shame to end it here.’

Thinking about the pain Yurina had gone through because of her, it didn’t sit right with me to let this go as if nothing had happened.

‘What could I do to crush this proud noblewoman’s dignity?’

While I was lost in thought, the maid timidly poked her head through the slightly open door.

“Uh… I brought the water.”

“Ah.”

I looked at the maid and smiled wickedly.

* * *

Click.

The door carefully opened.

The scent of tea wafted through from the other side.

“Ugh….”

Rosanna entered the room holding a tray, dressed as a maid.

Despite being over fifty, Rosanna still looked stunning in the maid’s uniform, as if proving her blood relation to Yurina.

“I-I brought some tea.”

“You brought some tea?”

“I-I brought some tea, sir.”

“Yes, yes. You should speak respectfully.”

I lazily leaned back in my chair and waved her over.

“How long are you going to stand by the door?”

“Grr….”

For a noblewoman from such a prestigious family, serving a mere student like a common servant was a humiliation worse than death.

“Now, how about a shoulder massage?”

“W-what did you say?”

Rosanna gaped at me, shocked.

“You little… how dare you…!”

“How dare I? What did I tell you to call me?”

“Ugh!”

Her face twisted in rage.

“If you keep this up, I’ll call all the servants in the mansion.”

“No, please don’t!”

Standing in front of the servants in this outfit was absolutely unacceptable for her.

“So, you know what to do, right?”

I grinned at her.

Rosanna, biting her lip in humiliation, closed her eyes tightly.

“I-I’ll give you a shoulder massage. M-master.”

Tears of shame streamed down Rosanna’s face as she reluctantly spoke the word.

I chuckled to myself as I turned to look out the window.

The night had fallen, and the soft moonlight illuminated the Helios mansion.