Chapter 96 : The Warrior's Bloodline (3)
Chapter 96: The Warrior's Bloodline (3)
“You have something to tell me?”
Leon looked puzzled at Frey's words.
“What is it?”
“It's about the records from a thousand years ago. I assume you still remember the power the Supreme God Solar bestowed upon the Grand Warrior?”
“Of course.”
Leon nodded.
“But why bring it up now?”
“Because we've discovered a way to control your Blessing.”
“Control my Blessing?”
Leon's eyes widened in shock.
Control a Blessing?
Was such a thing even possible?
A Blessing was a power granted by a god from the moment one was born.
Not even the Dragon Luseus, who was called the progenitor of Mana, could interfere with Blessings at will.
Yet they had found a way to manipulate one?
Interest immediately filled Leon's eyes.
Meeting his gaze, Frey smiled warmly.
“This will take some time to explain. Please, have a seat first.”
Leon sat down across from Frey.
As he did, his eyes met Sibelte's, who was seated to his right.
Tilting his head, he asked,
“Is there something you wanted to say?”
“No... I was just remembering what you looked like yesterday.”
“They say you can't judge people by appearances.”
“I still can't believe someone with that face fought the way you did.”
“What's wrong with my face?”
“…Never mind.”
“??”
Confusion appeared across Leon's face.
Watching him, Sibelte puffed out her cheeks.
“Leon.”
“You're a man with many sins.”
“What exactly have I done?”
Watching their exchange, Frey chuckled quietly.
After taking a sip of tea, he spoke.
“Your Holiness, Brother Leon doesn't have much time.”
“You know that, don't you?”
“He must continue refining the power he has been given.”
“…You're right.”
“Let's get to the point.”
Sibelte's expression became serious.
“Leon.”
“What we're going to teach you is how to control a Blessing.”
“As you know, there are many who covet the power granted by Solar.”
“Even if that Blessing is something as seemingly insignificant as the Blessing of Growth Suppression bestowed upon a human.”
Leon nodded.
He recalled the executive of Flower he had encountered before.
Her name had been Gehenna.
Gehenna, who served the Evil God Jeozudin, had acted as though she could steal Leon's Blessing.
Fortunately, she herself hadn't been interested in it.
Had she desired it even a little—
Leon would have been completely helpless.
Back then, he had known absolutely nothing about Blessings.
'Looking back... I was incredibly fortunate.'
The Blessing of Growth Suppression was practically his lifeline.
Things were fine now.
But only a few years ago—
Hadn't he personally experienced the agony that came after losing it?
That was why Sibelte's words delighted him.
She was offering to teach him how to control his Blessing.
If he mastered it—
His life would no longer be threatened by it.
Leon looked at Sibelte with anticipation.
Responding to his expectations, she smiled and raised one hand.
WOOOOONG—!!
At that moment, a violet aura gathered within her palm.
“Huh?”
Leon stared in surprise.
The aura Sibelte displayed was identical to the one Zeke had shown him.
He had never imagined Sibelte could wield it as well.
“What exactly is that...?”
“It could be called the source of Blessings.”
“We call this power Divine Power.”
“Anyone who has received Solar's Blessing can use it.”
“Could you explain in more detail?”
“Divine Power is the force that controls the energy of a Blessing.”
“For example...”
“A long time ago, one of the Evil God's Apostles stole the Pope's Blessing.”
“It happened roughly two hundred years ago.”
“…!!!”
“When I first heard about it, I reacted exactly like you.”
“Stealing a Blessing bestowed by a god.”
“Regardless of whether such an act was right or wrong, it completely defied common sense.”
“What happened to the Pope afterward?”
“He was perfectly fine.”
“Because he recovered his Blessing.”
“Recovered it?”
“Yes.”
“Divine Power is capable of restoring a lost Blessing.”
“Conversely, if you continue refining this power, you can weaken the effects of a Blessing as well.”
“Do you understand what I'm trying to say?”
Leon unconsciously nodded.
If everything she said was true—
Then he could become far stronger than he was now.
Because of the Blessing of Growth Suppression, Leon's growth had always been slower than normal.
The Internal Energy of the Four Seasons Star Cloud Technique had merely accelerated his development.
His fundamental growth had still been restricted.
Yet now—
He could regulate the very Blessing suppressing that growth?
Leon barely managed to keep himself from losing control.
His excitement simply wouldn't settle.
He had already been searching for ways to grow stronger before the coming crisis.
And now—
The perfect solution had appeared.
Suppressing the urge to leap from his seat, Leon spoke.
“Then if I master this power... my rate of growth could increase dramatically.”
“Exactly.”
“And the one who discovered this was Priest Frey.”
“Priest Frey?”
Leon's gaze shifted toward him.
Frey smiled kindly.
“Haha.”
“After meeting you, Brother, I searched through countless historical records.”
“I eventually found something useful.”
“Not long ago, I discussed it with Her Holiness.”
“When I heard you had returned to the Holy Kingdom, I wanted to tell you no matter what.”
“……”
Emotion caught in Leon's throat.
To think someone would work this hard for someone they had only briefly met.
The depth of that sincerity stirred his heart.
Slowly, Leon lowered his head.
“Thank you.”
“There's no need.”
“Haha.”
“I merely spent my time reading records.”
“It was rewarding for me as well.”
“You don't need to bow so deeply.”
Frey waved his hands dismissively.
There wasn't the slightest trace of selfishness behind his warm smile.
That pure sincerity only moved Leon even more.
He lowered his head even further.
Seeing that, Frey smiled awkwardly.
“I merely offered a small gift to the one who saved the Holy Kingdom.”
“To receive gratitude like this is more than I deserve.”
“If you're truly that thankful...”
“Brother, would you grant me one request?”
“Please, tell me.”
“For the time being...”
“Would you devote yourself to training here in the Holy Kingdom alongside Her Holiness?”
“Alongside Her Holiness?”
“Her Holiness only awakened this power herself not long ago.”
“Wouldn't fellow bearers of Solar's Blessing gain much more by researching Divine Power together?”
“And besides...”
Frey looked at Leon with a subtle expression of expectation.
“I think Her Holiness would be happy as well.”
“Priest Frey.”
Sibelte narrowed her eyes at him.
Realizing his mistake, Frey laughed awkwardly.
“Oh my!”
“Look at the time already.”
“I should be going.”
“I think it's better if Her Holiness explains the rest herself.”
Leaving only those words behind, Frey hurried out of the room.
He moved so quickly that no one had a chance to stop him.
Watching him leave, Leon spoke.
“So... Your Holiness wanted to spend more time with me.”
“H-Huh?”
“No, that wasn't my intention at all...!”
“I felt the same way.”
“…Huh?”
Sibelte stared at Leon with trembling eyes.
Her startled expression was filled with confusion.
“W-What do you mean...?”
“I've wanted to learn more about Divine Power as well.”
“It seems I've found an excellent companion.”
“I look forward to working with you.”
“…Ah.”
Sibelte let out a helpless laugh, as though she'd expected nothing less.
Shaking her head, she pressed a hand against her temple.
“…Yes.”
“I look forward to working with you as well.”
“Hm?”
Inside a quiet private room,
Adam smiled with amusement.
“So Leon has grown this much…”
“What?”
“Did Leon send a letter?”
“No.”
“It came from Uncle Indra.”
“Uncle Indra?”
“That's unusual.”
“Did he finally leave the canyon?”
“I don't know.”
Hearing Adam's murmuring, Elsa walked over.
“Our little brother is really heartless.”
“How could he leave Elphrel without writing even a single letter?”
“Seriously.”
“I looked after him so much when he was little.”
Adam and Elsa both chuckled.
Even now, memories of Leon remained vivid in their minds.
The youngest brother who had admired their father since childhood and dreamed of becoming the greatest warrior.
“At this rate...”
“Do you think he'll actually catch up to us?”
Elsa snorted.
“Then let him try.”
“It's not like we've been sitting around doing nothing.”
“True enough.”
Smiling, Adam flipped the letter to its final page.
The instant he did—
His expression hardened.
Seeing that, Elsa tilted her head before looking at the letter herself.
Her expression froze just like Adam's.
Inside were brief details of everything that had happened within the Holy Kingdom.
After silently reading it all, Adam let out a hollow laugh.
“So that's why Father has been so busy lately.”
“So all of this happened?”
“Exactly.”
“I couldn't understand why he suddenly entrusted us with authority.”
“Now I know.”
Just as the world itself had changed, Elphrel had undergone countless changes as well.
Long ago, as Elphrel's greatest warrior, Zeke had already begun implementing unprecedented reforms.
Even before becoming king, the Conqueror had always excelled at overturning everyone's expectations.
He created professions for non-warriors in a nation that considered them worthless.
And despite his fearsome reputation as the Conqueror—
He ruled with the heart of a wise king.
Recently, Zeke had delegated part of the king's authority to Adam and Elsa.
Such a decision went against Elphrel's long-standing tradition of never passing the throne through heredity.
Naturally, many of Elphrel's people had become dissatisfied.
Yet not a single person dared voice those complaints openly.
Because the one who issued the order—
Was the Conqueror himself.
“I think I understand Father's intentions now.”
“He wants us to deal with the lesser enemies ourselves.”
“This is seriously exhausting.”
“They're only lesser enemies to Father.”
“To us, they're still powerful opponents…”
Adam and Elsa both groaned.
Just imagining the days ahead made their heads ache.
“Should we increase the intensity of our training?”
“Even more?”
“You're planning to use Force now?”
“I think we'll have to train as though we're prepared to lose an arm or a leg.”
“Otherwise people at our level won't grow any further.”
“Everyone else grows just by refining their Mental World.”
“So why do we have to go this far?”
“Because we inherited the blood of the Conqueror, Zeke.”
At that instant—
A violent aura erupted around Adam.
Not to be outdone, Elsa released her own aura as well.
KRAK—!
KRAKRAKRAK—!!
The collision of their overwhelming energies filled the room with sparks.
At the same time—
Force surged around both Adam and Elsa.
It was completely different from before, when they had merely stood on the threshold of Knighthood.
This aura was clearer.
Denser.
The unmistakable presence possessed only by those who had truly reached the level of a Knight.
“So Uncle Indra is finally ending his seclusion.”
“We'll have to work even harder.”
“I wonder if the other uncles will start moving again too.”
“Ugh...”
“Do we really have to see those monsters again?”
“Monsters?”
“Isn't that a little harsh when you're talking about our uncles?”
A brilliant light flashed within Adam's eyes.
“You're in the same realm as them now.”
Looking back at him, Elsa grinned.
“I suppose you're right.”
“At least now... I don't think I'd lose anymore.”
The moment she finished speaking—
Adam and Elsa charged directly at one another.