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Cain, Christian, and Icarus followed the boy and entered a shabby house, where they immediately went down a trapdoor that led to the basement. The basement itself led to a long and complicated underground tunnel.
It was a rather perilous situation, but even in the midst of it, Cain couldn’t help but wonder how a space this huge had been carved out under the city.
The tunnel was quite long; halfway through, Icarus’s stamina flagged, and they just carried her in order to keep moving. Of course, she did have things to say about it, but with the situation being what it was, they ignored her complaints.
Just as they wondered how much longer they needed to run, the boy began slowing down until he was walking.
“Hey! Shouldn’t we be going faster?”
“....”
Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Cain shouted at the boy, but there was only silence.
“It’s like talking to a wall…” Cain muttered.
“I don’t think that’s it.”
However, Christian disagreed with him.
“...Huh?”
“That boy, I don’t think he can hear anything.”
“Huh?” Cain gaped blankly at Christian. The other knight’s words were quite unexpected.
“This whole time, he hasn’t responded to a single sound. His breathing doesn’t seem to change either.”
“You mean—”
“I think Sir Christian is right,” Icarus suddenly said from behind Cain.
“Icarus?”
Cain looked back. She looked slightly sullen.
“...An informant who has ears but cannot hear; has a mouth but cannot speak.”
“They’re called ‘guides’ internally,” Christina said, quickly picking up on Icarus’s meaning. “It’s a technique commonly used by information guilds in order to prevent confidential information from leaking outside.”
“That could be possible, but…” Cain trailed off and glanced at Christian. “I never thought that the silver-haired lady could be that cruel.”
“It’s not like that,” Christian firmly refuted, silencing Cain. “Her heart is much purer than anyone else in the temple. What you are thinking is impossible. It’s more likely that she found this disabled child and raised him and gave him a new life.”
“Three years.”
“What?” Christian asked in confusion.
“I’m saying that in the span of three years, the continent has completely changed, so it’s possible that she could also have changed.”
Christian frowned at Cain’s words.
“Perhaps we should prepare for the worst a bit.”
“Why are you so critical and cynical about everything?”
“I’m being careful. And also, do you think I was like this from the beginning?” Cain responded as he shrugged. “I’ve always been positive, but the environment changed me.”
“That’s not being careful; that’s just having a victim mentality,” Christian retorted.
“What’d you say?”
“Sir Cain, you’re afraid that someone will stab you in the back again, just like how your master left you with a word—”
Cain’s face contorted at those words.
“I dare you to say that again.”
“As you said, three years have already passed. If your master were still alive, then he would have communicated with you in some way or another. At least he would have if he thought about his people.”
“Something must have happened! He must have a reason! My master is not the kind of person to just abandon—”
“Of course, you would say that. But as someone who has never met him, I just have questions and doubts.”
“Stop this!” Icarus snapped, unable to take it anymore. “Where are we fighting amongst ourselves? There are people outside who are fighting right now so that we can escape!”
“....”
As Icarus’s voice rang through the tunnels, Cain and Christian stopped glaring and looked away from each other.
“Damn it—!”
“So tell me, who was the person that appeared at the end?”
“....”
“His opponent is Duke Eima, one of the Stars! What if we somehow endangered that person’s life?”
“I doubt that,” Cain said.
“He won’t be in danger,” Christian said at nearly the same time.
“How come the two of you are so sure about that?”
“Because—”
“Let me answer this.” Cain took a step forward as he interrupted Christian. “Icarus, do you know where this guy and I were while you were helping the Pontier Merchant Group in the dark?”
“Yes, you were in the free city in the Kingdom of Thran.”
“That’s right. There, we learned some swordsmanship from that man. To be more accurate, it was more like we were accumulating practice and battle sense…”
“You mean that person taught you?”
Cain nodded before continuing, “And eventually, Christian learned how to materialize his aura—”
“And you too?”
“...No. I haven’t been able to do it yet.” Cain’s face grew somber.
Christian noticed Cain’s gloomy mood and held his tongue.
“It’s embarrassing,” Cain said. “But I haven’t even gotten a feel for it yet.”
“Well, who cares about something like that?”
“...What?”
“In the end, it’s just a feeling. Also, isn’t there a precedent where a person can transcend limits even without materializing an aura?
Cain shut his mouth.
“That person, he, even became a god above many strong men. Duke Aden von Agnus, the Dark God of Avalon… no, of the entire continent.”
Cain shook his head.
“But even he died in the hands of mere humans.”
“....”
“I need to become stronger than anyone else. I need absolute strength, not just for myself, but so I can protect my master, someone who’s praised as the Hero King.” Cain’s knuckles cracked as clenched his fists. “So if in the end, I can’t materialize my aura, then… as you said, someday I will transcend my limits with my own strength. I will have a real aura that can even destroy that materialization.”
Icarus stood for a moment, cautiously taking stock of the heavy atmosphere, before carefully venturing, “So, who is this person who taught you swordsmanship?”
***
Icarus squinted at the bright light that hit her eyes. Nevertheless, her mood was much better than before as they had finally gotten out of that long tunnel.
“Finally—”
“Welcome.”
“...!”
Icarus flinched at the unfamiliar voice.
When Icarus opened her eyes, she saw a woman with her long silver hair glinting in the sunlight.
“You’re—”
“Lilith!” Christian shouted.
“The Silver Spirit!” Cain followed.
Lilith, the silver-haired woman, smiled brightly.
“Jun, you’ve worked hard.”
The well-mannered boy smiled as Lilith gently stroked his hair.
Christian glared at Cain.
“I told you.”
“...I’m sorry.”
Christian relaxed; Cain’s quick apology had mollified him.
“Lilith! It’s been a while!”
Lilith immediately turned to him and smiled brightly.
“Sir Christian, you look well.”
“It’s all thanks to you.”
“Since we’re short on time, shall we continue talking as we walk?” Even as she asked, Lilith started leading them away.
For a quiet moment, their soft footsteps were the only audible sounds.
Cain, who had been looking around his surroundings, tilted his head. Despite everything being blanketed in vegetation, something about the place felt familiar to him. He felt like he’d seen the mountains and rivers before.
“Seems familiar, no?” Lilith asked; it was as if she could read his mind.
Cain turned to look at her.
“It’s only natural it feels like that to you because this place has a connection to your master Joshua Sanders.”
“W-what?”
“What did you say?” Icarus was also surprised by Lilith’s completely unexpected revelation.
“This is Erhaim. We are quite a distance away from what used to be Reinhardt. I believe you’ve come here a couple of times to look for him?”
“That’s…”
Seeing Cain’s still puzzled expression, Lilith put her hands behind her back.
“At the end of this road is where the late kings of Reinhardt are buried.”
“Is it—!”
Cain’s eyes slowly widened. He had just remembered. When his master had won the Master’s Battle, he had come to this place to inherit Reinhardt’s will. Cain stiffened like a statue as he realized he had passed this place when he had been retracing his master’s path.
“The person who became a Superhuman with just one arm.” Lilith continued. “Joshua stopped and brought him to his knees. Duke Arie blocked him but couldn’t succeed, and Joshua boldly walked forward.”
Lilith suddenly stopped in place and looked back.
“The situation on the continent is not looking too good. Hubalt managed to obtain Reinhardt after a year of battle but lost it to Swallow in just a week. They are unhappy about it, and there are rumors that the Martial Emperor will lead his troops here.”
“...!”
Icarus and Christian’s eyes widened when Lilith spoke of the Martial Emperor.
“R-really? It could be a smokescreen…”
“No. But it doesn’t matter whether it’s real or not. It has already been confirmed that the Emperor of Swallow has entered Erhaim undercover,” Lilith said.
Icarus stared at her blankly, mouth hanging open.
“Cr-crimson Sky Lucifer…! Duke Eima was telling the truth!” Christian groaned.
“In both name and reality, they are the two most influential people in the Swallow Empire. They, along with the Martial Emperor, are the culprits behind the death of Duke Agnus. But since that day, this is the first time the Martial Emperor and the Crimson Sky are coming forward.”
“....”
“The two of them are even called Celestials by the people. Whether they fight against each other or create an alliance as they did against Duke Agnus…”
Lilith trailed off before continuing in the suffocating silence.
“The status quo that the continent of Igrant has settled into will be completely submerged in a sea of blood… because the fact is, no one can stop them now. That is the only thing that matters.”
Lilith looked directly into Icarus’s eyes.
“As the head of Moon Gate, I have to make the calculations early on. But right now, I’m sure that there’s just one thing you want to know from me.”
“Have you really found something?” Cain eagerly asked.
Lilith smiled bitterly.
“It is just a trace.”
“....”
I really hope that you can find him as well. Because if he’s alive, then this continent might have a chance of surviving the crisis it’s about to slip into.”
“So… that trace you’re speaking of. Where did you find it?”
Lilith remained silent for a moment before speaking.
“The place known as the homeland of the primitive human race, and where the magic city of Lucerne stood in its heyday, and where the Magic Tower of today was built: the great plain of Aiyas.”
Lilith’s voice was flat as she finished.
“Traces of Joshua was found in the Tower of Trials.”