“If your grass burns in my fire, it’s not a big deal.”
“I use only plants? With you, a few animals would do the trick.”
“Bullshit. He took down hundreds of them in one go.”
“Hey, that was because Kalt was ridiculously strong. Charlotte, you’d be dead right away. Plus, even you, that matchstick of yours goes whoosh and it’s out.”
“Matchstick something? Hey, that’s defaming the royal family.”
“This girl calls everything defaming the royal family.”
“Hah… But what are we doing like this? We’re just going to get thumped by that kiddo anyway.”
“Well… that’s true.”
As I was descending through Yuria’s roots, I heard the childish banter between Charlotte and Yuria.
It was ridiculously immature… arguing about who was stronger and ultimately concluding they were weaker than Noah… that kind of conversation.
“Well… our Noah is pretty strong.”
I gently stroked Noah’s hair as she slept and chuckled.
“Hey, Rubia. Strong isn’t enough. Haven’t you heard how Kalt reached Master level?”
“I haven’t heard that. This is my first time seeing a Master, too.”
“Right… it could be. But now you’ll see for yourself. Those called Masters… they aren’t human.”
“Hmm… I guess that seems right.”
I recalled Kalt’s sword swinging toward us.
That terrifying shadow as well…
I had heard that when a Master swings their sword, the sea splits…
I really didn’t expect it to be that level.
“Well, anyway. How Kalt became a Master was…”
Charlotte ignited a crumpled magical herb and continued.
“Ah… there was the Girow Kingdom next door, right? It just came under the Sunrise Empire.”
“Oh, right.”
“Kalt single-handedly destroyed it.”
“… What?”
“He smashed the Girow Kingdom’s army all by himself.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Charlotte’s words are correct.”
Yuria, who had been petting the sleeping Hephaestus, nodded.
“Although there were a lot of political issues in that kingdom… when he heard that his family was taken captive by the Girow Kingdom… Kalt, who had just awakened his unique ability, went there alone.”
“Alone?”
“Yeah. Three days later, exactly three days later, the kingdom surrendered. They begged him to stop.”
I had heard rumors that the Girow Kingdom had fallen.
But to think it was all because of Kalt…
“That’s how Kalt destroyed the Girow Kingdom. When he returned to the Empire… he wiped out about 80% of the royal knight order and vanished. The reason… well, it’ll be something we’ll never know.”
“That’s why my dad lost all his hair. Anyway, what matters is the unique abilities. Kalt, me, and Yuria… those who have surpassed a certain level can awaken their unique abilities. The abilities vary greatly, but they still exhibit powers beyond that of a human. But…”
Charlotte glanced at Noah and shook her head.
“But this guy… he defeated a Master without any of those abilities.”
For a moment, silence fell.
“To face a Master, it’s known that you need at least ten people who have awakened their unique abilities.”
Yuria said as she brushed aside the hair of Hephaestus, who was resting on her lap.
“But… after fighting today, it doesn’t seem that way.”
“Right? Damn.”
Charlotte, who had plopped down on her seat, nodded at those words.
“At least twenty would be needed. Most of those would die, and even if they survive, they’d live as half-donks… but it feels like that’s the minimum you’d need to have a shot.”
Then, she looked up at the sky with a frustrated expression and shook her head.
“Honestly, I felt like a wall. I couldn’t see any way to win. Plus, Noah was fighting while protecting us. Seriously… it’s insane. They are something else.”
I gazed down at the peacefully sleeping Noah.
Gently stroking her cheek.
She is so small and cute.
Soft and fragile.
“How can I… repay Noah…?”
“What can you do? Just let her touch your chest a bit. If it were me, that would settle it.”
“Please shut up.”
“And if you let her squeeze your butt, that’d be the icing on the cake.”
“Puhuhuh! Crazy girl…”
“Sigh…”
Finally, having passed the halfway point and reached the entrance,
we were able to ease our tension and laugh.
*
Arriving in Ursphere, we attracted immense attention.
It seemed the mention of the subjugation squad summoned by the princess and the Black Sun contributed to that.
After all, we looked like a party that had just finished an incredible battle… it made sense.
It would’ve been less so if we had worn the recognition-inhibiting robes.
But since they were all torn, our faces were bare.
Plus, Yuria seemed to have garnered quite the fame, as many recognized her.
While walking with all that attention, we soon faced the subjugation squad led by Revuze.
Since the situation had ended, naturally the squad had disbanded.
We only managed to reach Charlotte’s hideout after donning the recognition-inhibiting robes given to us by Revuze.
As soon as we arrived, seemingly letting out a sigh of relief,
Yuria and Hephaestus fell asleep in the next room.
“Is Kalt… dead?”
“Yes.”
I, too, wanted to finish the report quickly so I could go buy some essentials.
The lodging should be quiet and inconspicuous.
I need to buy a month’s worth of supplies, including clothes and underwear.
I was unsure if I could finish it all before Noah woke up.
“Did Noah… fight against Master Kalt… alone?”
“Geez, how many times do I have to say it? Yeah, I’m saying it! While we were all knocked out, Noah fought Kalt alone. By the time I opened my eyes, both Kalt and Noah were wrecked.”
Revuze’s face turned pale.
“No, I’m not doubting the words of Her Highness… nor am I denying you, Rubia, but… Isn’t Noah still just a bronze-ranked adventurer? No matter how much she defeated Carpen, this is a different league—”
“You are doubting it, dumbass.”
Revuze, with his mouth agape, frantically searched through the documents he had brought with trembling hands.
Then he pulled out a page and shouted,
“Kalt… the Black Knight Kalt… unique ability: Shadow… the one who destroyed the Girow Kingdom… the massacre of the Wyverns in the Sereman Gorge… breaking the Zaytan Falls… the massacre of the royal knight order… and…”
He began to list out Kalt’s horrifying track record.
There were things that were unbelievable for just one person to have done.
What a ludicrous human…
“This… a Master, killed by Noah alone…?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. If you really don’t believe it, you can go climb to the top and see for yourself what kind of mess it is.”
Charlotte said irritably and then took a magical herb and put it to her mouth.
“Of course, what I said might sound ridiculous and hard to believe. But you all saw it, too. The Black Sun floating in the sky. If it wasn’t for him, we’d have been dead long ago. There wouldn’t even be a corpse left.”
“Whoa…”
Revuze’s face, now in disbelief, shifted between Noah and himself.
“I’ve brought back the information you asked for regarding Carpen… as best as I could.”
“Oh, right… that was also a thing.”
“Yes… the materials to forge a great sword, clothes, and armor…”
As he spoke, Revuze ended up sitting down, rubbing his face with his hands.
“But… at this rate, we could just take Carpen whole and the Central Guild wouldn’t be able to say a thing.”
“Matter of defeating a Master. Defeating a Master…” he mumbled, barely able to process it again, and rose to start writing on the documents.
“I believe a significant change will be coming…”
“Hey, Revuze. Platinum rank is off the table. You know that, right?”
Charlotte cut off Revuze’s words as she made her way over.
“Rubia, you understand why it’s not possible.”
“… Yes.”
The Platinum rank trial of Erden.
I don’t know the details, but I heard it’s a trial that shatters and redefines a human’s mind…
I can’t put Noah through that.
She needs to get stronger, but… absolutely not.
I’ll protect Noah from Erden’s gaze, no matter what.
“Do whatever you can to stop it. Erden will likely cause a massive stir. If it’s the Central Guild, they should be able to intervene, right? The royal family will also do what they can, so Revuze, you better step up.”
“Understood. This is… obviously something I need to be concerned about.”
Revuze spoke cautiously, glancing at me.
“There’s no need to read my mind. I know enough since this originated from Erden.”
“Right… I see… um…”
Revuze nodded and got up to slap the documents.
“There’s a way to awaken a unique ability without taking the trial…”
“Really? A method like that exists—”
“I’ll explain it.”
“Yeah, it’s probably best to hear it straight from you, Your Highness. So… I’ll take my leave now.”
“Um… alright, Revuze. Good luck.”
“Yeah… take a good rest.”
Revuze shuffled towards the door.
Once the sound of his footsteps faded,
“Is there really such a method?”
I quickly got up and asked.
But Charlotte, seemingly indifferent, lit another magical herb and gazed out the window.
“Yeah. There is, but…”
After burning the magical herb completely, Charlotte turned to me.
With deeply sunken eyes, she spoke gravely.
“That trial means death upon failure.”
