Chapter 395: The Master (4)
cQSBchGKnock, knock, kock.u44Z
mAA2UERyozo tapped the glass with her forehead. Where she hit, white marks remained.tYI
Efb4“…That person.”7E4r
519L2v6The words pierced her chest like a stake.7QCx
znQKe4“I also… why am I like this…?”3x48Qt
ciJHer sigh fogged up the window.UNvgJ
pCmht3kShe regretted it.6Tm6LM
NsBuIt was the emotional hangover of having spoken that way to Abel.hOcb
Sd8zjQ4Sure, Abel had also acted a little childish.RBFp
Y0gH1But Abel, now is not the time.VLLa
pDP1The whole world was in turmoil. Ryozo could understand Abel’s feelings a hundred times over if needed, but on the larger scale, that was a minor issue.xyYs
7fib“I know she was seeking advice from someone in the same situation.”Zpyxk
9QfPFThey were both adults now. They couldn’t live always dragged by emotions.gaEY6H
SnhAEven less so in their positions. Ryozo was the director of Joaquin Academy, and Abel was the queen of the social circle.gBwXQN
0YDPWEAbove all, Abel… cannot allow emotion to dictate her attitude.Xuay8
CXoQTNibelung had too many enemies. And these days, with nobles hostile to Geom-Ma approaching the Empire, Abel had to watch every word, every gesture. A single imprudence could spawn new rivals for Nibelung, and even taint Geom-Ma. That was why Ryozo had spoken to her in such a harsh tone.z8OA0UM
LAyBf“…Why?”ncZ2
rUsKvWAnd yet, guilt tightened her heart.w3Wy7lR
3Ez“Why is that the only way you know how to speak, Ryozo?”3sYq
Z4Y0lGShe realized that, unintentionally, she had tried to crush her with her position. She hadn’t treated her as an equal. She had thrown a cold “leave” at her, as if she were a nuisance.XWD
BaCR4CDIt was no wonder Abel had been offended.usHT
P4wThat was why she had spat out precisely the phrase she hated hearing most.L4Eva51
rXBU“That person.”JfU
8kNTick!EimD
TNTRyozo pressed her hand to her temple.2KNl
ts6“Ugh…”0RYvAM
c5xwIt had been so long since she had spoken that name, and as soon as she did, a migraine drilled into her head. Groaning, she let herself fall back over the desk and resumed her pen.pjP6J4S
gwTFVMT“….”RvGa
BY16CSilence filled the director’s office for a long while.vwBAlDT
s14LXoV“Haah…”jlDNYS
T4dYznRyozo lifted the receiver of the internal phone.JEDa
gg29nOJ“Yes, it’s me. Can you clear this afternoon’s schedule?”U0d
mKzP3— Ah, yes. Understood.Ppssvg7
Q7iuwDL“Thank you.”wEzCU
61w— But, Director… I need to note a reason for the absence. What should I put?cAIAys
9IS0S“It’s spring already, isn’t it?”i3OkkN6
PB8DKoWith the receiver still at her ear, she turned her gaze to the window. Outside, the cherry trees scattered a rain of petals.kLaXta
RqNo3Ta“I’m going out for a walk.”loPY
7k7MfK***jTX
KlUqThe graduate professors threw themselves into cooperating with me. Their conservative stance changed immediately upon seeing in me a “possibility.”mQmQSv6
hbrlSThe awakening of magic.wOeiE
I5zgdMost of them were experts in magic, and also demons, faithful to the logic of power.TTZfC22
UQJMI had shown them a hope—that magic could evolve a step further. It made their hearts beat faster.ET749I
sE8“Lord Heavenly Sword, this is the result of my research from last night…”Hrh
KTQlm“Please look at this as well. In my opinion…”2T6aLM
CnaDZrWe spent an entire week immersed in research. We used the Special Building as if it were an enormous laboratory. We ate and slept there. The professors only left during their classes, returning right after.GLw5OL
E937JPjIt was just after midterms, so the Special Building was closed to the public for weeks. Nothing interrupted us.Sbaa1FX
fxT9“A perfect environment to concentrate.”OMoPlBA
B74zP0The momentum was good. Progress was accelerating.YC0
dXFrtmiSmiling, I stepped outside. The spring sun greeted me. It was the first time in days that I breathed fresh air, after so much confinement. The air tasted sweet.Nv04
6zhO“…Eh?”TI8qoSb
51IFvAs I stretched, I caught sight of a profile. Familiar, yet strange.Clg98W
rC7Shaaaa.JRu4po
rXnRSCherry blossom petals fluttered.nhl
ja8NACEShe was only sitting on a bench. But even that was enough to make the scenery seem brighter.pYBXWMd
055EzhM“Ah, Geom-Ma.”5uH
vTo4KGAbel, noticing my fixed gaze, turned to me. She brushed the petals from her hair and approached.U3B
bt8“It’s hard to catch a glimpse of my husband’s face, don’t you think?”Y2I
KLDA7nI felt awkward. I scratched my eyebrow forcefully.AqBjcW6
DM6“I’m sorry…”LIn5b3
dNqXQ“There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s not an empty compliment—you’re the busiest man in the world.”MWzB
XiVkrThat I could not deny.j5C
PqJlRNu“If you were the kind of husband who stayed home with nothing to do, I think I’d even get tired of you. Besides… sometimes it feels like we’re a weekend couple, and that has its charm. It’s not so bad.”uk2IFc
Paucv1“…”hZTtPl
23FRPRm“Don’t misunderstand, I’m serious.”7zg
6jXpAbel smiled and clung to my arm. She rested her head on my shoulder, walking beside me like that. I let myself be led in her stroll.FYJcxs
kHKSTap, tap.mmc
HTBTcHsI don’t know how long we walked.QDNUdF9
eaL“Geom-Ma.”qOm
38JSuddenly, Abel opened her heart.fgK5
y0Ou“You know… I…”U7ipY
r8ZU“Yes.”pdCxL
zNdx“…I feel so, so useless.”3FN
u62iNyI stopped and looked her in the face. Her eyes shone wet.czZ
oUSVgG“Is something wrong?”ax8Hje
tfLI asked, alarmed. Abel shook her head.1izB
iIqTk“No. Actually, I was the one who caused everything for no reason.”leg
asNXM“…But I want to hear it.”6DJdkJN
fkNJ4Jb“Maybe it’ll make you lose some affection for me.”ZvU9QRb
93UI pursed my lips, uneasy.dgW
toUr“That’s impossible.”HnLB
jzun“True. You’re not one to say things you don’t mean.”cCoM
Lyf1jCA cherry blossom petal fell on her nose. The trees seemed to have done it on purpose, covering her like a handkerchief.KfGu
OjEMsWc“…I said something unforgivable to Ryozo.”RX5vZ5
3yAc4yK“What did you say to her?”9m55fH
E4cP0WAbel hesitated, but finally spat it out.Lb9Q
wOL4pw“…I mentioned him.”2Lf
epO“Ah.”25VWLc6
jFWA sigh slipped from me.UPXD
Wdy51“How did Saki Kojima come up?”nVQhI
EC3DJ“Well…”0t91l
mQL636EThere, in the middle of spring, Abel told me what had happened.1fpYZ
byKSNXSIt had been a week. While I was locked in with the professors in the Special Building, Abel and Ryozo had argued about the current situation. Times were becoming increasingly unsettling, and over a trivial comment, they ended up clashing. In the end, hurtful words were thrown.Hml1ek
UsdWR5b“I’m a damn disgrace.”T2mNCJ
3eSXUWhen she finished speaking, Abel burst into tears. Her tears slid down her cheeks and reached my heart like blows.BrG7qv
RFwZMy mind went blank. I just opened and closed my mouth like an idiot.jBP4k
win1PN“I know I shouldn’t have. I know everything Ryozo has been through. I should’ve been the first to understand… but I was so angry.”aRWVA
T2dXI answered in a low voice.1T4rl
kqVkgNU“…It’s not your fault.”wXG
1iggIt’s mine.sEQjYoj
om3WIThe imminent second catastrophe. The resurrection of the Villain Alliance. Chloe’s salvation. All that consumed me, and in the end I neglected what mattered most—my family.awnnZ
pnoAs an orphaned child, I had sworn that if I ever had a family, I would give everything for them, no matter what. The reality was the opposite. I am a broken man.MFZO
wMVy4“Love, hey, love!”0qz5wYt
zdjzmV3Seeing my vacant look, Abel shook me by the shoulders. Slowly, I returned to myself.lNKrd
z9M“I didn’t tell you this to pile more weight on you.”sgu
PsJxAbel wiped her tears and said.maN
jul“I was only complaining about my own mistakes. I know it sounds repetitive, but tell me, where in this world will you find a man like my husband? Capable, yes. And on top of that, the most handsome of all.”EEk
BhF3“Isn’t the most handsome in the world Leon?”g75LN
QJKVqM“Ugh!”wpSV
9ou5pxAAbel made a face, almost biting her tongue.7GoZ
xyYfM“That’s handsome? That’s just an empty dandy.”K09B9
Roy9OI remembered that a baron once said that “dandy” was almost a synonym for “distinguished gentleman.” But coming from Abel, she surely meant it.mfXn
gcKI“It flatters me that you say so, but the fact remains that I am a bad husband. The reason you saw in Ryozo the reflection of that person, in the end, was also my fault.”C94hmG
OmBI8Za“Eh? What do you mean?”wpyiJu2
yAvHjAbel was left bewildered. Meanwhile, I brushed away the spring petals that had settled on her shoulders and added:HwR
haxW6“Ryozo has always been alone since childhood.”muPmm
uEXIThe Nibelung family and Saki’s family held similar social positions, but their life paths were very different. Abel grew up surrounded by affection. After losing her parents in a tragic accident, her grandfather did everything possible so she would never feel any emptiness.MvZ6m
BiY3DBy contrast, Saki Kojima—that person—never accepted the loss of his wife. He tried to replace her with Ryozo. Perhaps it was his way of paternal love, but it was unhealthy.th61
LrFnlThe result was a twisted relationship. Kojima isolated Ryozo, separated her from her mother, Shin Cynthia, and never showed her affection. Even though she had everything, she never received recognition from that person. Her direct, unrestrained nature, then as now, came from that childhood.CfqXuF8
ZUjhv“You know that Ryozo detests that person, right, Abel?”PNG
aDjo“Yes… well, sort of. I don’t know the details…”7vCF
ArsPZVx“But even hating him, that is still a feeling. When someone is truly despicable to you, you don’t even bother hating them. You erase them from your mind.”tka
bGMniF“Now that you mention it… I’m the same way. The people who truly disgust me, I simply forget.”BDKBs7x
KHEFMk“So imagine Ryozo, whose brain works like a supercomputer. If she wanted, she could erase that person’s image in an instant. And yet, she left the scar. She could have deleted him as a father and as a superior, and she didn’t.”1v0l09
8k4“Then that means…”bGAe
o2P4“That deep down, there was a time when she longed for his recognition. And maybe she glimpsed an echo of that wound in you, Abel. That’s why she reacted that way.”LobL
0AqjbI fell silent for a moment, and with a lump in my throat, I confessed.J3lnhu
o682Wr“It isn’t Ryozo who resembles Saki Kojima. It’s me.”MIE
AjNl“…”2vmC7
YV27XAbel, shaken, stepped back a couple of paces.dFPyshS
gnL0m5Fwoooosh.DA33
ysUqezhThe spring breeze blew between us. She looked at me with her hands clasped behind her back, serene.DvOyvB4
XZ2MP“Go talk to Ryozo.”06HKq
yTZHkbI nodded.6eAO
kR7Z“That was my plan. In fact, I was heading to the director’s office right now…”kFvxnRV
FgIClBzzzt.w6Q
RuwWHHI shuddered. It was my phone vibrating in my pocket. When I pulled it out, I saw it was Weapon. Even in the vibration, the urgency was clear.MiD
6OH— President!tNpS
liGG“What’s wrong?”PAsn37y
E3D— We found the base of the New Villains’ Alliance!eOT
62Q62uAAt last.PwTGYTF
TqVhs“Where?”Pq31d
G3g— Haa… it’s the place we went on the school trip in our first year, but right now my tongue is twisting…qsGuJE
w9Eoi6“The trip? Avalon Island?”YFf
JKTWhere the World Tree, Yggdrasil, stood.rmzFB
fTxwThe very place where I first awakened the power of the God of the Sword.yf1
N3XQ— Yes, right there!nSk3J
FpJSo that was it.a3bWB5C
sPS“All right. I’ll stop by the director’s office first and then head there.”6cVPU
McA— No, no need.RBz
kP67Q“What do you mean, no need? I’ve been absent these days without explaining anything, I must report to Ryozo…”1Mf4
jHG— You don’t understand! The one who gave us the location… was Saki.Iaeuk
ScW“…What?”Ro6j
UUVwuc4Speedweapon shouted, excited,7EJ
Egl— Saki is on Avalon Island right now!CLjsND
oDZO1EPAvalon, once used as Joaquin’s training ground.kaw6
cKe3aIsBut after that incident, Yggdrasil lost its glow. Its golden waves vanished.u6lO
uRksOver time, the island was abandoned, untouched by human hands.JzcW
rNZThe forest grew dense, the dead branches of the World Tree creaked in the wind like a macabre moan.Mb0ig
KwhRThe mythical island, now degraded to a cursed place, was perfect for the Villains’ Alliance to establish their lair.M8lagj
PqmAnd there they did. Inside Yggdrasil itself. Its trunk was as vast as a colossal building; hollowing it out was enough to install their base.Gs8g
g2XxsH***HY8OE
dl7cE10“The scattered cells are practically dismantled.”kpEq
0MHzA man with a rough face spoke. A woman with a nose ring snorted.yMU
IH2m7aM“Damn it! So the nobles finally turned their backs on the Minister? And since when are the hero agencies so cooperative? Weren’t we supposed to have the backing of the Celestial Tithe?”A2on
1mb“Our intel failed.”Jcqfp
LqTqZSZ“Shit, shit, shit!”lW0D722
ZKkDmBetween curses and laments, the villains shouted. They were the Twelve Villains, the core of the New Alliance. A council of twelve that had gathered criminals from all over the world under one “great purpose.”SgHZ
NH5Il“At least for now, only the scattered cells…”Y8Cj5k
h4dghSuddenly.ET5p47
nnoFvooWhoosh!fQjPquz
nKZoY97The leader who was speaking was hurled backward.7Fh8gC
YFI“Gugh!”NldEx
oQYLHe slammed against the wall, caving it in. A scream tore from his throat—a single arrow had pierced his chest.WO0yROr
QoETpThe remaining ten whipped their heads toward a hole in the wall. Before they could react, another arrow whistled.EwjWp
4623nWwThwack!Ph4Dt
wvTflDThe projectile pierced his forehead. He fell dead in two strikes. Then, a rain of arrows descended.9KB4n
QHInJsFfft! Ffft! Ffft!Jt54
WLBGXxhSparks and splinters flew everywhere. And amid that barrage, the attacker’s silhouette appeared.GK8B
Q4NyRiding a dragon, with sky-blue hair fluttering in the wind, drawing her bow against the backdrop of the sky.DW3
MO9lO“L-Lady Director…!”sjirSw
352nEOIt was Saki Ryozo.W9vlhI
BlEM“Right between the eyes.”LkkXZcT
PmXNAnd the arrow flew.sfeJ
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