Chapter 134
Alter returned to the defense line and finally took a belated rest.
Though Mwin the Thunderstorm was subjugated, the Knight of True Flame once again absorbed the dragon's power.
Now, the Knight of True Flame could only be regarded as an even more threatening foe than a dragon.
'He'll lose control one day.'
Alter was seeing the afterimage of the Frost Witch in the Knight of True Flame.
The Frost Witch, in the end, failed to contain the dragon's power and was devoured by madness.
The Knight of True Flame was still maintaining his sanity for now, but he would soon reach his limit.
'He's stolen a dragon's mana twice, so of course it'll cause problems.'
Naturally, the Knight of True Flame had an excellent body for a human.
However, it was still insufficient to withstand the essence of a dragon.
From the beginning, his race was different, and even his latent mana was fundamentally out of sync.
'Ru the Luminescent must know this too. So why is he just standing by?'
Ru the Luminescent would have perceived both the process of the other dragons' extinction and the actions of the Knight of True Flame.
It was clear that this situation could only bring chaos and was indirectly tied to a dragon's honor.
Even so, Ru the Luminescent stubbornly maintained neutrality.
'The Knight of True Flame could take care of Lailnetia the Devouring instead...'
Alter briefly envisioned a separate outcome, but couldn't put faith in it.
The Knight of True Flame only craved blind power—he was not truly involved in slaying dragons.
Above all, to accomplish his goal, he wouldn't hesitate to kill humans as well.
'There are only two dragons left now. If Ru the Luminescent doesn't fight the humans, things will get a little easier.'
Alter realized that true peace was approaching.
If only the dragons were gone, the Agnes Empire, and humans, wouldn't have to suffer in terror any longer.
Of course, monsters themselves couldn't be driven to extinction, but they wouldn't be a threat to the existence of the nation.
'Still, we've come this far already...'
"As expected, I feel a bit of regret. Shouldn't we have finished it right there?"
Brillie muttered languidly, leaning against a tree.
Alter glanced sidelong at Brillie and belatedly opened his mouth.
"It was a dangerous situation. The Knight of True Flame disappeared first, too."
"Did you do that because you thought I might get hurt?"
"I can't say the thought didn't cross my mind... But since we couldn't gauge his skills, would it be right to make the first move?"
"Mm... That's true. He wasn't the type of opponent to go for the first strike against."
When making the first strike, you need at least some confidence in victory.
However, this opponent couldn't be underestimated at all, and it was proven that he'd grown even stronger than before.
So there was no reason to recklessly invite danger by attacking first.
"I couldn't be sure either. It was hard to predict how he'd attack."
"It seems you were right, Alter. I just let my feelings get ahead of me."
"That's not true. Perhaps I was the one being too passive. Even if we fought the Knight of True Flame, it wouldn't necessarily have ended in defeat."
Alter tended to pursue stable victories, and didn't carelessly take risks.
If he'd been prepared for losses, he could have faced the Knight of True Flame head-on.
Besides, since Brillie herself had cut down Mwin the Thunderstorm, even the Knight of True Flame wouldn't have endured easily.
'That wasn't ordinary mana. It felt almost as if it split the abyss itself.'
Alter peered faintly into the properties contained in Brillie's mana.
Mana, from the beginning, is endowed with innate traits and invariability, making it impossible to alter its fundamental properties.
Only through individual effort and acquired nature do its density and capacity become variable.
'It's not something that can be defined by magical attribute or holy magic. Perhaps this is...'
In magical academia, several theories had long been discussed.
Why is magic limited to five attributes? Shouldn't holy magic be classified as a separate attribute? What perspective should be taken on dark magic?
And so on.
Ultimately, the point of debate was whether attributes existed that transcended the existing rules.
'Could Brillie have awakened a new attribute?'
Of course, with his knowledge, it was difficult to prove such a thing.
Maybe Alraune might know something, but even he couldn't make a definitive statement about a newly discovered attribute.
Therefore, for now, he had to observe Brillie and look for subtle changes.
'If Brillie has secrets of her own...'
"Alter."
"Yes."
"Do you think I've gotten a little stronger?"
"If you hadn't, could you have cut down a dragon?"
"It's just... it feels somewhat unfamiliar. I can tell my mana has changed, but it feels like I gained it by coincidence."
"Growth isn't always regular. Sometimes it surges all at once, other times it collapses in a moment."
"Hm... People are all different, but I think you're right."
"You're on the rise now, Brillie. You endured so long, and now you're finally seeing results."
"......"
Brillie mulled over those words, and soon fell into doubt.
The Knight of True Flame fled the moment he saw her mana, and Mwin the Thunderstorm's wings were sliced off in an instant.
Can someone really undergo such sudden change and reach a higher realm so quickly?
'Something feels odd... but I suppose it all worked out, right?'
* * *
Alraune was strolling near the defense line with Megarexor.
Although this subjugation ended rather swiftly, quite a few questions lingered.
In addition, since Megarexor had shared some strange news with him, he couldn't help but be conscious of it.
"... You're saying the Knight of True Flame is the next Sword Saint?"
"I believe so. Sword Flower thinks much the same as I do."
"So that's why he blended flames into his swordsmanship."
"He was a talented one. But he strayed down the wrong path and ended up like this."
Even as Megarexor lamented, he didn't feel particularly bitter.
The Knight of True Flame had already lost all sense of his human identity, now obsessing over endless power as a monster.
Therefore, he'd erased ties to the past and regarded him purely as an enemy of the Empire.
"Hm... So you covered it up out of consideration for his family and acquaintances until now?"
"That's how it went. I figured you, as the great mage, would understand my position."
"I can understand. However... if you meant to keep it secret, perhaps you shouldn't have told me."
"Can't a comrade be entrusted with a secret?"
"A comrade... haha... you speak generously."
"I originally intended to handle the Knight of True Flame myself... but I realized it was beyond me. So shouldn't I borrow the strength of a comrade?"
Alraune paused briefly and then started to walk again.
He roughly understood what kind of feelings the current Sword Saint might have had.
He must have thrown away his pride in asking Alraune for help.
"Since Sword Saint has shown his true intentions, I'll be honest as well. The Knight of True Flame is an exceedingly dangerous monster. He's even stronger than a dragon at this point."
"You're probably right. He's done it twice now, so I don't even know how to fight him anymore."
"There's still hope left. The next great mage and Sword Flower are here, aren't they?"
"I know their abilities well, but... are you thinking of something in particular?"
"It's not really a plan. The next great mage is at a level where he can neutralize Breath, and Sword Flower possesses special mana."
"Oh? Do you know something about that mana?"
"It's just a theory—I can't prove it yet. But aside from that, I don't see any other possibilities."
"Let's hear it. What is that mana, then?"
"It's a power that eradicates malevolence, or... it's also called a trace shining from the universe."
"...?"
Megarexor furrowed his brow deeply, unable to understand.
Alraune watched his reaction for a moment before continuing.
"It is mana, and yet not mana. If I had to establish it as a concept... yes, I'd call it starlight."
"Starlight? You mean like the stars in the night sky?"
"Exactly. Stars, by nature, can't be possessed. They shine independently from afar."
"Sorry, but could you explain it a little more simply?"
"Put simply, it's the power the former great mages longed for—the ultimate mana. If you can wield starlight, no enemy can stand before you."
"And that means... you could even kill the Knight of True Flame with it?"
"Starlight—Radiance—is the will to eradicate the root of malevolence. Those given to evil acts are purified by Radiance."
Alraune presented his lengthy theory with a calm expression.
In contrast, Megarexor listened awkwardly, focusing only on the key points as best he could.
"So... you're saying Sword Flower can use such great mana?"
"It's still only a hypothesis. There are unverified parts, so I can't say definitively."
"Is there a problem?"
"Unfortunately, it's impossible to verify the existence of Radiance. It was first discovered several centuries ago, around the founding of the Agnes Empire—anyone who could know more has surely passed away by now."
"So this would be the second time it's been discovered?"
"If all the records left by former great mages are to be believed, then yes."
"I never thought something from centuries ago would resurface like this."
Megarexor shook his head in bewilderment.
He couldn't possibly dismiss the great mage's claim as a lie.
In fact, just inferring the nature of Sword Flower's mana was awe-inspiring.
"Hm... In the first recorded case, the following traits were noted: the one who manifested Radiance was male, used a sword, and was exceptionally skilled."
"If not for gender, that sounds just like Sword Flower."
"Ah, yes. He was also said to be quite young. Probably... estimated to be in his twenties."
"Sword Flower is about that age now too."
"No name was noted, and he soon vanished without a trace."
"... Could it be a bloodline inheritance?"
"I thought similarly. But there's no way to prove it's tied by blood."
"If something's similar, shouldn't we say it's bloodline?"
"But it can't be ruled out as pure coincidence."
"What are the odds? Shouldn't we stick with the most likely scenario?"
"......"
"Duke Illenat's house is not a family that raises swordsmen. In that case, we should look at her mother's side."
"Hmmm......"
Alraune could not continue, but began speculating further.
If Radiance was passed down as a bloodline, it might be possible to trace it back somehow.
Of course, a thorough investigation would require unraveling both paternal and maternal lineages.
'So there's a secret in the bloodline of Brillie... hmm...'