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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 144
"Ah... Never mind."
"If you're asking whether I existed before the birth of the stars, the answer is both yes and no."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Do you see that star over there?"
"That one?"
"That star is younger than Leon."
She extended her small, pale hand, pointing toward the stars.
"Those stars are formed due to dimensional fluid dynamics. While people often say stars are created by the accumulation of cosmic dust, in reality, only a very small number are formed that way. The majority are created by massive flows of energy."
In other words, the stars, planets, and even the Milky Way, which brightly illuminate the night sky, were all formed by different means in a short period of time.
"I had suspected as much, but I guess it’s true."
Honestly, if I didn’t have memories of my past life, I might not have even questioned it.
But because I did, the sheer number of stars and the remnants of massive planets in the night sky felt distinctly out of place.
"Countless stars are born and vanish. Their beauty might last for just a fleeting moment or for billions of years."
"Hmm..."
"This is the night sky that Adam wished for."
Adam, huh...
"So, it’s not just a simple myth?"
"It depends on how you take it… but it’s not entirely false. The god of death, Adam, and the goddess of life, Eve, broke a taboo and were punished by the gods, leading to their destruction."
At that moment, she reached out and pulled my arm.
Then, without hesitation, she pressed her lips to my cheek.
"Huh?"
"A reward for not lying."
Was this her way of reciprocating my feelings since I didn’t hide them?
I had no intention of hiding them in the first place.
My hesitation came from my engagement to Isna and the concern that it might be too soon.
Luna, clearly embarrassed, quickly left the room right after saying that.
At this point…
I reached into the void and pulled out a crimson sword.
"It's about time I returned this."
As for Mielephon's head, Catsey, she seemed willing to maintain a good relationship with me and didn’t intend to push for the engagement.
Things might be different with Swordmaster Osberg, but even he wasn’t someone who would force a marriage upon me.
Sending a letter would be inappropriate, so I had no choice but to visit in person.
The next morning, I informed Melissa of my decision.
"Sigh. You should have been more careful with your words."
"……."
"Still, congratulations. Luna seems like a good match. Isna may be a strange person, but she’s not a bad one either..."
She can be draining, though.
Isna had said she wouldn't mind if I had another lover, but no one would take such words at face value.
"You should go now. If you do it now, it can still be annulled as a procedural issue without too much trouble. Engagements often become a headache due to initial negotiations between families."
There would be some resistance, of course, but it was better to handle it sooner rather than later.
"The problem is that thanks to Mielephon, some people have been holding back from interfering with us."
"The royal family has already taken care of most of that. No one will touch us for the time being."
With the downfall of Marquis Vider, who had once supported Tyvel Cascadia, there wasn’t much to worry about.
Thus, I set out for Mielephon, accompanied only by Misha, the head maid.
As soon as Catsey Mielephon received word that I was coming to discuss the engagement, she replied that she would be ready and told me to visit at my leisure.
* * *
"Have you made your decision?"
"I'm sorry. I was the one who brought this up first..."
"Don’t be. To say I’m not upset would be a lie, but..."
Catsey Mielephon paused for a moment, quietly sipping her tea.
"You are Mielephon's benefactor, after all."
"I have no excuse."
I had initiated it, and I had been the one to make it official due to my blunder.
From her perspective, she had been hit out of nowhere.
Yet, she didn’t seem particularly angry.
"You don’t seem to realize, but the lives of a swordmaster, the Mielephon head, and our knights are worth far more than some trivial engagement issues. My father said that without you, the damage could have been unimaginable."
She then pulled out a document she had seemingly prepared in advance.
"This is…"
"The engagement confirmation letter exchanged with Count Cascadia. Do you remember what I told you before?"
"Which part?"
"I may have given birth to her, but I have no idea what goes on in Isna's head."
"Ah, I remember."
Riiiiip!
As I answered, she tore the confirmation letter without hesitation.
"I want my daughter to marry someone she truly loves. I had my suspicions, but in my judgment... this might actually be for the best."
After completely shredding the paper, she tossed the pieces into the nearby fireplace.
I then placed a box containing the treasured sword, Elekstra, in front of her.
"I'm returning this now."
"Keep it."
"…Excuse me?"
"Mielephon has always been called the 'Mad Dog' of the Empire. We never let go once we sink our teeth in."
"That’s…"
"Since we’ve called off the engagement, I have no intention of interfering in your relationship with that Luna Basilin woman."
So she knew.
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"However, if Isna decides to pursue you, I have no intention of stopping her either. In exchange, we will handle any problems that arise from the annulment, and we promise to maintain close ties with the Cascadia family."
"Thank you for your consideration. In that case, I should go and speak with Lady Isna…"
"You won’t find her now. She’s run away from home."
Wow.
That girl never has a quiet day, does she?
We both instinctively knew that there were no real feelings between us.
Yeah, going to see her now might actually be an insult to her.
“Oh, and by the way, young master. You caused quite a stir at the Imperial Academy.”
“What?”
“Her Highness, the princess, seems to want to meet you.”
The Imperial family… This is getting heavy.
* * *
The influence of the Pascalia Empire on our Bata Kingdom is enormous.
Of course, its power is weaker on the continents across the sea, but since Bata Kingdom is right next to the Empire, numerous exchanges have taken place.
It was only natural.
What does that mean?
It means that the Empire, and more specifically the Imperial family, exerts direct influence over our kingdom.
Jokingly speaking, the Imperial family of the Empire holds more power in Bata Kingdom than even our own royal family.
If someone were to ask why, I wouldn’t have much of an answer.
But in a world where the law of the jungle prevails, such dominance by a powerful nation is expected.
Royalty, huh…
I recalled Princess Eilena Lu Pascalia, whom I had seen at the Imperial Academy before.
On the surface, she pretended to be strong, but the moment she experienced true fear, she crumbled in an instant.
Well, that’s only natural for a person.
The fortunate thing is that she is still just a student and isn’t in a position to manipulate the Imperial family as she pleases.
The Emperor is said to cherish her, but even so, an Emperor wouldn’t engage in personal diplomacy.
Leaving the head of the family’s reception room without having returned the cursed sword, I suddenly saw a teddy bear-like figure pop out from behind a pillar, as if it had been waiting for me.
So she never actually left the mansion despite running away.
“Lady Isna, I heard you ran away.”
“A novice would immediately leave the mansion, but a master hides within instead. Hmm… Have you decided to call off the engagement?”
How does she know about that?
No, more importantly, even though she acts eccentric, she has an eerily good sense of things.
“I… apologize.”
“It’s okay. That was the agreement from the start, wasn’t it? Besides, everyone knows your heart belongs to Luna.”
She held out her mitten-shaped plush hand for a handshake.
When I slowly took her hand, she lightly shook it with a mischievous smile.
“Do you remember what I said before? If I like someone, I don’t care about trivial things like an engagement. No matter what, I’ll make them mine.”
“That sounds a bit intense.”
“To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure myself. But I think we’ll be good friends.”
Now that she mentioned it, I do recall her saying something like that before.
“Lady Isna! There you are again!”
“Ah!”
Seeing two maids in uniforms rushing after her from the corridor, Isna flinched and immediately bolted.
I silently watched her disappear before slowly turning away and leaving House Mielephon.
The fact that Sword Saint Osberg was away was a small relief.
* * *
After returning from Mielephon, two weeks passed without incident.
During that time, I focused entirely on suppressing the power of Thanatos.
And now.
With Melissa completely exhausted and sprawled out behind me, I sat still, controlling the wild elemental mana surging inside my body.
Normally, I would have seen Luna munching on snacks nearby or the head maid Misha watching over me.
But Misha had returned to Mielephon, and Luna, apparently full, had fallen asleep under a tree.
The only sound I could hear was Melissa’s breathing.
“…What? Is this… magic?”
Since I was controlling elemental mana, it must have been the first time she felt its presence.
Melissa abruptly sat up and poked me.
“Hey, what’s going on with you?”
“Back off. If you touch me wrong, I might explode.”
“Whoa…”
Startled, Melissa quickly backed away about three meters and cautiously observed me.
The mana raging inside me wasn’t necromantic mana, but elemental mana.
In other words, the kind of mana that mages use.
The kind that calls down lightning, ignites flames, and freezes everything in its path.
Of course, I only possessed elemental mana right now, without any magic circles.
But for me, circles didn’t matter much.
My strength was determined solely by the condition of my physical body.
Enlightenment?
Training?
Aside from my daily routine, nothing really changed much for me.
That’s why I could forcibly break through the barrier between Expert and Master in an instant.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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