Chapter 252

Miracle.

It was a miracle.

A miracle born from the sheer determination that he had to win, no matter the cost.

From the beginning, through the middle, and up to the end, it had all been an uphill battle, but in the midst of that process, Aint grew at an astonishing pace.

With every clash of swords, in that state of absolute trance, he read the flow, responded to it, and reached new understandings.

Even so, there was a limit.

No matter how much he learned, no matter how much he weakened his enemy with the power of the rival,
an immense wall still existed between Andras and Aint.

And so, the flame of the miracle he had managed to ignite was destined to extinguish.

Crack!

Aint’s palms tore open.

The sword flew from his hands, spinning through the air.

His chest was left completely exposed.

“Die!”

Andras didn’t let the opportunity slip.

The tip of his sword, charged with killing intent, lunged straight at him.

And in that instant—

“Aint!”

The Archmage, who had been watching the battle and waiting for the right moment, activated the spell he had prepared in advance.

─────!

A white lightning bolt, perfectly controlled, fell from the sky and struck only Andras.

But even within that divine discharge, the demon’s sword did not stop.

Its movement became slower, weaker, but never halted.

“Die…”

He was willing to take wounds.

Aint’s exposed chest was too tempting a target to pass up, even at risk.

But then—

“What?”

As if it had a will of its own, the sword spinning in the air rotated back toward Aint.

“What…?”

A powerful aura burst from Aint,

from where there hadn’t been a trace of energy just a moment before.

Bigger.

Sharper.

Stronger.

A massive sword of light emerged in front of him.

“T-that makes no… sense…!”

The sword of light completely devoured the demon.

***

“Haah… haah…”

Aint gasped.

His body was heavy, exhausted.

He had lost so much blood that his mind was hazy.

But in the end, he had won.

Yes. He won.

He dropped to his knees and let himself fall.

“…Gardner. That… was it, wasn’t it?”

— That’s right. The power absorbed by the sword after killing demons. It had been refining within it for a long time.

“It came just in time. Otherwise, I’d have lost. Did you send it to me, Gardner?”

— No. I didn’t do anything. Nor could I.

Even though Gardner resided in the sword, it didn’t mean he could control everything.

— What was my will was the sword returning to your hand. After that time, I learned how to do it, even if it’s difficult.

— But the energy the sword gave you, that was its decision, not mine.

More precisely, it was the will of the magical circle engraved in it.

Or rather, a recognition of aptitude.

— The sword determined that you are worthy of wielding that power.

That’s why it gave it to you. And that’s why you won.

“I see.”

The reason didn’t matter; the result did.

Thanks to that, he endured, even when the demon had overwhelmed him at every turn, and in the end, he won.

— Don’t let your guard down. The battle isn’t over yet.

“Right.”

He had only defeated one demon.

The other remained, and also the demon contractor, that descendant of Colomo’s blood.

It was too soon to relax.

Aint pulled out a couple of potions from his dimensional pouch.

He drank one to soothe his insides and poured the other directly on his wounds.

“Are you okay?”

“Rector!”

“First of all, congratulations on breaking through the wall. With that, you can truly aim for the title of Royal Knight.”

“You flatter me, sir.”

“No, I mean it. If you properly absorb today’s lessons, it will be within reach.”

“Haha…”

Not wanting to seem arrogant, Aint gave a sheepish smile, though the corner of his mouth inevitably lifted.

“Ah, right… what about the other demon?”

“All good.”

“All good?”

“Yes. It’s over.”

“…Over?”

He and the rector had barely managed to defeat their demon after a brutal fight.

So on the other side…?

“Senior Fernan!”

Aint, who had for a moment basked in victory, suddenly remembered the rival’s power Fernan possessed.

From the beginning, everything had started because of that.

Thanks to it, he too had broken through his wall, albeit by sheer luck.

“He’s over there.”

Where an even more devastating battle had taken place than his with Andras, among the ruins and a massive crater, were Fernan and Luina.

“Good work, rector. You came, Aint?”

Fernan greeted them, lying comfortably on a luxurious blanket spread on the ground.

“What happened here?”

“As you can see, I took care of Valac. At first, I only meant to stall for time relying on you and Aint, but Luina’s determination was too strong.”

Beside him, Luina sat in lotus position, eyes closed.

“So she reached enlightenment.”

“Well, she’s a genius. She tends to have those epiphanies now and then. At this rate, us mediocres won’t be able to rest easy.”

“Say that out loud and you’ll earn a slap.”

“If she pays me for it, I’ll gladly offer the other cheek.”

“Ha, with that argument there’s no comeback.”

The rector let out a tired laugh.

“You really defeated the demon, just the two of you?”

A creature that even he, with all his power and Aint’s help, could not have easily bested.

Even if Aint were replaced with another Royal Knight or Archmage, the result would be the same.

And yet, just two students?

Well, “students” only in name, as both had already far exceeded that level.

“Actually, we were three.”

— Kyuu…!

Wooden, curled up sleeping on Fernan’s chest, raised his little paw sleepily upon hearing his name.

“Still incredible.”

The rector sat on the blanket.

“So that was it, wasn’t it? The power of the rival.”

That was exactly what Aint wanted to ask.

Both he and Gardner held their breath, waiting for Fernan’s response.

“That’s right.”

“Where and how did you obtain that power?”

“I’ll be clear, Aint—I didn’t get this power by looting Armian’s secret archives or studying their sword arts.”

“…Ah, I see.”

Fernan’s answer wasn’t for the rector, but for Aint.

“It was pure chance.”

Fernan knew that one day he’d have to reveal this.

“Chance?”

“Yes. As you know, my family is a merchant house.”

“You’re repeating something the whole continent knows. When someone insists that much on a fact, it’s usually because they’re hiding something.”

“Of course not.”

He pondered how to approach it.

How to tell a believable story?

“For generations, up to now, our house has collected countless treasures and elixirs. That tradition is over a thousand years old, and our family’s warehouses are full of them.”

He had to hide the fact that he’d found the secret records of the Dragon God Cult and obtained his power from them.

Though in truth, it hadn’t been that hard to find an excuse.

He had the perfect context to support it.

“Among those treasures, some of the most valuable are the mandrake root and the Saintbird’s heart.”

Aint flinched upon hearing Saintbird.

The Saintbird’s heart was the same elixir Fernan had given him, and which had been the foundation of his growth until now.

A millennia-old elixir with perfect affinity for aura techniques and the secret sword of Armian.

“I thought those were the most valuable of all. But there was something even more precious in the family warehouse.”

“More valuable than a Saintbird’s heart? I can’t imagine what that could be.”

“It’s simple. The only thing more valuable than a Saintbird’s heart is the heart of an even greater creature.”

“A creature greater than a Saintbird…?”

The rector’s face hardened. Only one possibility came to mind.

“…Don’t tell me…”

“Yes, what you’re thinking.”

“You ate a Dragon Heart?”

“It was pure coincidence. I was browsing the warehouse looking for a useful elixir, and I found a dragon heart.”

“It’s sounding less believable by the second. And you didn’t sell it—you ate it yourself?”

“I questioned that myself.”

A perfectly reasonable doubt. But Fernan already had his excuse ready.

“It was so bright, so beautiful, I touched it without thinking. And in that moment, it was absorbed into my body.”

“Without even eating it?”

“That’s right. I’m not sure how it happened. Maybe that’s how dragon hearts work, or perhaps someone had engraved a magical seal into it.”

“If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t be able to believe or dismiss it.”

“Why would I lie about something like that?”

That was when Aint asked:

“Then, that dragon power—is that the power of Armian—I mean, the power of the enemy of demons?”

“You saw it for yourself, didn’t you? Trust your eyes.”

“I first discovered it when I defeated Flauros.”

Fernan added calmly.

“Now that you mention it—you said something about that. When did you fight Flauros?”

“A few days before Andrealphus appeared. I went with Professor Rosalia to look for adamantite, and we ran into him waiting in a trap.”

“You fought Flauros with Professor Rosalia?”

“That’s right. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her directly.”

“No, it’s not that…”

Aint felt like his head was going to explode.

He had thought Fernan had simply returned just in time to help—but in reality, he had come from defeating Flauros!

Fernan’s power surpassed more and more everything Aint could imagine.

And with that, his anxiety also grew.

If Fernan decided to take the lead in everything, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

— Wait a minute… a dragon, you said? I’ve never seen a dragon!

So the origin of Armian’s power was a dragon?

If Fernan obtained the power of the rival by absorbing a dragon’s heart, did that mean Armian’s source was the same?

— What the hell? The previous emperor never had any connection with dragons. I’ve never heard anything like that.

Even Gardner, faced with a truth hidden for a thousand years, looked shaken.

‘Was there really nothing?’

— Nothing! I didn’t even see a hatchling! Let alone eat a dragon’s heart!

— A thousand years ago, dragons were already creatures of legend! Where would anyone even get a dragon’s heart?

That House Pellenberg had one in their storage was simply absurd.

Nonsense—and yet, coming from the Pellenbergs, it didn’t sound that impossible.

— So if Armian’s power, the power of the rival, comes from a dragon… does that mean the natural enemy of demons is dragons?

— Did the ancient emperor have a bond with a dragon? Was he taught by one? Or, like Fernan, did he eat its heart?

‘No, that’s not the issue now,’ Aint thought, biting his lip.

Whatever the origin, the fact remained the same—Fernan possessed the power of the rival.

— That…

Fernan, noticing his unease, called out to him.

“Aint, don’t worry.”

“Huh?”

“Before I partnered with Luina, I was ranked tenth in the academy. Do you know why I stayed there?”

“I don’t. Your skill is clearly far beyond that.”

— Lack of skill? If that man were weak, demons wouldn’t even dare look at this world.

— If someone like him was only tenth, what hope is left for the rest? Everyone would end up with their necks cut, crying their way to hell.

“No, it wasn’t due to lack of talent.”

Though, back then, Fernan did believe he was missing something.

“It was because, before a mage, I’m a merchant. And for a merchant, it’s better to stay behind than out in front.”

“A merchant, not a mage?”

Aint understood immediately.

Yes, that made sense. Fernan was, above all, a businessman.

“A merchant doesn’t expose himself. He invests, but doesn’t become the protagonist.”

Sometimes there are exceptions, but he wasn’t one of them.

And certainly not by nature.

“In this situation, even less. I’d rather keep making money. I have no intention of becoming a hero or a symbol of hope.”

That’s why.

“You be the hero. Take all the fame that should have been mine.”

“But that…”

“And that fame, that glory…”

Fernan pronounced each word with a chilling emphasis.

“Buy it from me.”

“…What?”

“You can say that you defeated Flauros, that you killed Valac. I don’t care. But you’ll pay me for it. Then, that glory, that reputation, all of it will be yours.”

You only have one task.

“Pay me the fair price.”

Fernan said it in a low voice, almost a whisper.

A shiver ran down Aint’s spine.

He realized something was terribly wrong.

He had to refuse.

He couldn’t fall into that game, no matter what.

“N-no! Senior, you can keep everything! I couldn’t take credit from my superior…”

Clack.

Fernan grabbed his shoulder firmly and looked him straight in the eyes.

“Paying for something isn’t stealing, Aint. It’s a purchase.”

You…

“You have a great dream, don’t you? To become emperor.”

“……”

— He’s a demon… The golden demon, rank 73… there’s no doubt…

The dragon heart wasn’t the real problem.