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Did he have political aspirations?

He maintained good relationships with the imperial family and the central nobilities, but that was merely to keep House Bednicker in check. He had no other motives.

So what was Hatehm Goodspring’s true aspiration? What did he truly desire?

The answer was simple: To surpass House Bednicker.

A few decades ago, House Bednicker had been called “The Fallen Noble House” and “The Fading Sun.” People had casually dismissed them as a relic of the past. Meanwhile, the power of the Goodspring family had been great enough to rival even the imperial family.

But not anymore.

While their positions hadn’t completely flipped, no one in The Empire would place House Goodspring above House Bednicker. If anything, they would say House Bednicker was superior.

Was this simply fate? Though Goodspring still stood strong, would they soon fade away?

Hatehm didn’t think so. The current situation had been created by just one person: Dellark C. Bednicker, the Lord of Blood and Iron.

The man who had: received more blessings than anyone else in history, defeated multiple gem beasts, graduated the academy early, become the youngest to inherit his family title, been granted a middle name by the imperial family, become a duke with a second name, hunted demons, and eliminated a high priest.

Those explosive achievements had captured the attention of many, and those who had feared him initially had come to revere him.

Dellark, the Lord of Blood and Iron, was far too unrestrained to be called a typical family head, he was too brutal to be considered a hero... and yet no one could deny his accomplishments.

In time, people had begun to see his boundless hatred for demons as reassuring as they’d begun to understand one thing: His cruelty would never be turned against them.

The duke’s natural charisma could not be imitated.

—House Bednicker snuck past us during my time, so before my time ends, I shall surely set things right.

A select few within the Goodspring family knew this was one of Hatehm Goodspring’s favorite sayings.

Could that have been the reason most members of House Goodpring held a strong dislike for the Bednickers?

But only most of them.

***

I realized as I was beating him up, he was strangely sturdy. Naturally strong-boned, one might say.

People like him were rare.

But it was odd. With muscles and bones like his, I was surprised he wasn’t bigger.

Butterfly’s physique was on the scrawnier side even considering he was still growing.

But my realization did him no good. The fact that he was tough just meant I could hit him harder.

It didn’t seem like he was all that resilient to pain, which I’d kind of expected. Even in his spar with Hector, he hadn’t been able to handle a kick to the shin, creating the opening that had led to his defeat.

“...”

“...”

Sitting on top of the rock again, I looked down at Butterfly, on his knees on the ground. A gust of wind blew past and I saw him shiver.

“Cold?”

“N-no.”

“Figures. Winter might be ending, but the night is still cold. Especially near the lake.”

“Y-yes.”

I stared at his face. Moments ago, it had been swollen beyond recognition, but the puffiness was already going down. It wasn’t a blessing, though, so it had to be his natural physical constitution.

“Butterfly,” I said with a voice that left no room for jokes.

“Yes...”

“I know you guys have something shady going on. Sellen was just an excuse, right?

“...”

“I won’t dig too deep. Honestly, I don’t much care. Sure, I’m a Bednicker, but I could care less about the political enmity between our houses.”

Truth be told, I found it rather pathetic that House Goodspring busied themselves with rivalries even though there was a bigger enemy on the horizon... But since Butterfly seemed to take pride in his family, I decided to not to hurt him too much.

“Barter is just tagging along as a guardian, right? All the young heroes have actually been following your orders?”

“Th-that’s correct, sir...”

“We’ll arrive at the capital soon, so let’s keep things quiet and peaceful until then, m’kay? A nice, calm ride to the academy. Doesn’t that sound great?

“Y-yes, s-soundz great...”

I patted Butterfly on the shoulder and asked, “How old are you?”

“...F-fourteen, sir.”

“You are only two years younger than me, there’s no need to be so formal.”

“N-not at all, sir...

“I’m serious. It’s fine.”

“I-it’s really fine!” said Butterfly. His tone was strange and slightly unhinged. “This... this ish more com’table for me, sir...!”

Since he was so insistent, I didn’t push. I just acknowledged him with a nod.

“All right. Anyway, you’re free to go, but take a walk and let the swelling go down before you head back. There’s no need to make Barter suspicious.”

“...”

“Well? I said you can go.”

For some reason, Butterfly didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave.

Had I hit him too hard? I hadn’t injured his legs, I was sure.

“Big Brother... Yo weally strong.”

Big Brother?

His way of speaking reminded me of Charon.

Butterfly wore a conflicted look as he said, “...Most of Goodspring’s attention was on the eldest son, Hero Bednicker, but the Lord of Blood and Iron used that to his advantage and hid a secret weapon. Duke Bednicker really is terrifying.”

The injuries inside of his mouth must have healed because his speech was back to normal. That recovery rate almost matched mine when I’d been training the strongest fire technique on Spirit Mountain.

“It’s not that serious.”

“No, the last time I was this helpless was against Elder Brother Barter. Even if I fully unleashed my divine beast’s power, I don’t think I could win.”

“Is that so,” I replied.

Butterfly suddenly looked determined.

“I’ve changed my mind. Seeing you, a man of such caliber, I don’t need to go through the trouble of taking her with me.”

“Taking her? You mean Sellen?”

“Yes,” he said, sounding a little bitter. “I’m sure there’s a reason you’re hiding your strength, so I’ll forget what I saw today.”

It didn’t really matter to me whether Butterfly reported to Barter... but it’d be better to keep things hidden for the time being. It’d save me the hassle of unnecessary pests buzzing about.

“Instead, might I ask you for one favor?”

“You’re going to ask me to look after Sellen, right?”

“...That’s correct.”

I’d expected as much. Even if Barter didn’t care, I had seen it: Butterfly’s eyes were full of affection and care whenever he looked at Sellen.

“Hmm... well, she manages just fine on her own. You should know that; she’s your sister.”

“Yes, I’m aware, but you never know what will happen.”

I nodded. “I owe her in more ways than one. If she ever needs help, I’ll step in, but I don’t plan on interfering too much.”

“That’s more than enough.”

Butterfly let out a deep sigh of relief. His body trembled slightly as he rose to his feet, ready to head back.

I wanted to stay out a bit longer and breathe in more of the crisp, night air, so I turned my gaze back to the lake.

“Well then, Big Brother Luan... Since I can't do it myself, you'll have to look after Sellen for me. We are sisters by blood, after all.”

With those parting words, Butterfly’s presence faded into the distance. Around the same time, the moon emerged from behind the clouds.

It’s a full moon.

The moonlight that descended across the lake once again revealed the gentle flow of the water’s surface. It was as if time, which had been frozen, began to tick again.

I was staring at the lake, entranced by the reflection of the bright moon, when I suddenly realized something.

Reflexively, I murmured, “...Sisters?”

* * * * *

* * * * *

The next day, the young heroes of Goodspring were unusually docile. They no longer approached us with their usual underhand jabs and were no longer picking fights.

Butterfly had kept her promise.

“What’s with them all of a sudden?”

“Did something happen...?”

“I guess ignoring them was the way to go. Since we were so unresponsive, they must have gotten tired of picking on us.”

I heard sighs of relief from Bednicker's young heroes, free from the stress of having to deal with Goodsprings’ bullshit.

On the other hand, some were giving me suspicious stares. Namely Hector, Charon, and Sellen.

I met their gazes for a couple of seconds, blinked, and then swiftly turned away.

I clicked my tongue and decided to just ignore them. It was too much of a bother to explain the situation.

Besides, I was really enjoying training with the divine beast’s power. Since getting the hang of it, I’d made great progress.

“You have extraordinary talent. At this rate, you might become the youngest ever to reach Ascension.”

To hear such words from Arzan, who never bothered with empty compliments, made it clear how impressive my progress was, even accounting for the advantages Lise had given me.

Oh, and I also learned how exactly my appearance changed during the divine-beast transformation.

“Aside from your eyes, your hair turns black.”

“Hm?”

“And your skin takes on a bronze undertone.”

“Um...”

“Those traits are likely to become more pronounced as your abilities grow.”

Black hair, bronze skin, and slit pupils... Funny enough, those were the exact features of the ancient dark fairies.

I might not be turning into a full lizardman, but it definitely didn’t feel like the most flattering change.

“I kind of wish I’d grown horns like you. At least they look cool.”

Arzan chuckled softly at my grumbling.

Anyway, time passed uneventfully after that...

Until finally, exactly one week after leaving the main house, we arrived at the capital.

***

Back when I’d been a mercenary in the South, I’d heard this one song so often that it was still stuck in my head.

The city of dawn,

Hope always beckons.

The city of dusk,

Even the darkness flees.

The city of tomorrow,

A place I will surely return to.

The Imperial City!

Oh, the capital—

Eternal and immortal, the city of twilight and dawn...

That song could be heard in any tavern in the South.

It was cried out by drunken bards and mercenaries with their arms slung over each other’s shoulders.

It wasn’t surprising that the song had been so common there. It was the South, after all, the harshest and most dangerous region of The Empire. Many people there longed for the Imperial City.

I’d been one of them.

Despite being a noble, I had never been to the capital, so the song had stirred a secret longing in me.

Now, seeing the capital with my own two eyes, I was shocked enough to completely forget the song I’d played in my head and heard with my ears hundreds of times.

“Wow...”

“It’s so... magnificent.”

It had to be larger than even the Forest of the Butterfly, whose vastness I still could not fully grasp.

The city was spread out in a large circle centered around an imposing maroon castle. If I didn’t know any better, I might have mistaken the city for an entire nation.

It was to the point that even from a fairly high hill, I couldn’t see the city’s end.

The surrounding walls were not only incredibly tall, they were also thicker than anything I had ever seen before.

And through them ran dozens of rivers that wove together to create the breathtaking scene we were staring at.

The Twilight River.

I’d heard that at dusk, the river took on a hue more beautiful than the finest wine.

Since the imperial family’s most identifiable trait was crimson hair, red was considered the most sacred color in this country, followed closely by orange, representing the sun.

That was why, even though the Archmage of Seven Colors represented The Empire, the Red Magician was the leader.

Anyway, we made our way down the hill and soon found ourselves at the entrance to the gates of the grand Imperial City.

Murmurs.

The entrance was bustling with people, but of course, we didn’t use the gate meant for ordinary citizens. After all, most of us were nobility.

We passed through the gate and stepped into the city.

“I, I’ve never seen a road this big in my life,” Evan said in awe.

I understood his amazement. Even though Bednicker’s carriage wasn’t small, it still comfortably fit the massive road.

If this were any other city, a carriage this size would turned heads as it passed by, but here, its size was barely worth noticing.

A few people did whisper when they recognized the Bednicker crest, though.

“I-is there a festival or something? There are so many people!”

“If I get lost here, I’ll be lost for a week...”

“What’s that over there? It looks delicious...!”

“Whoa! A giant just passed by!”

The four hillbillies—Evan, Karis, Mir, and Pam—were practically glued to the window, busy darting their eyes in amazement.

The high-ranking nobles like Hector, Sellen, Sharyl, and Zeros looked unfazed, like they were used to it all.

Charon was surprised at first, but he seemed to quickly lose interest.

As for me...

“Karis! Move your big head! Would you just scooch over? Man, that building’s gotta be at least 10 stories!”

Yeah. I was definitely in the “country bumpkin” group.

I couldn’t help it. Like I’d said, this was my first time in the capital!

They say that the first time you see the capital, you’ll get dizzy from how much you look around. I finally understand what they meant.

I was tempted to forget about the academy and just spend a week exploring the city.

But of course, Bednicker’s carriage sped down the road, leaving the bustling city scene behind.

We continued traveling through the city for quite some time.

Eventually, the country bumpkins peeled themselves from the windows and started to calm down...

[Inheritor.]

For the first time in a while, the Martial God made his presence known.

[Where is this? I sense something familiar...]

It felt like he’d been speaking more often lately.

We’re in the Imperial City, I replied.

[The Imperial City...]

The Martial God paused for a minute.

[In that case... is this the land where the Nameless King rests?]