Rain pattered down outside. Everyone heard Osian's murmur. He said it was a dragon. A dragon that had lived since ancient tis, the strongest among its kind.
"What on earth does that an?"
Ena, who still didn't understand the situation, asked. Osian gave a brief explanation of the current situation. That there was a Sea Dragon, and that it was currently extrely enraged.
"Then, does that an that dangerous dragon is going to attack Tirna?"
Even after hearing the entire story, Ena still seed unable to accept it easily. It was inevitable. It didn't feel like the end of the world or anything like that. It was a part that revealed the public's perception of the Sea Dragon.
"They tried their best to stop it, but that's how it turned out. The rain falling now is presumably the aftermath of that."
"Isn't it just a dragon though?"
"It's not just any dragon. It's an ancient dragon that has lived for a very long ti."
"Isn't that the sa thing?"
Ena's reaction was normal. Even if you tell people about the Sea Dragon, they can't easily accept it. Because it only stays in the sea, it hasn't been observed for a long ti, and unlike the Earth Dragons, there are extrely few cases where humanity directly clashes with it, so its threat level isn't considered high.
But if they actually saw it, the story would be different. The long-lived Sea Dragon can cause natural disasters. Even in this age of developed civilization, natural disasters were sothing that couldn't be overco.
'Even though Anora tried to stop it, she failed. The fact that even she, a Sky Dragon who has lived for ages, couldn't stop it is proof of how trendous the Sea Dragon's anger and power are.'
The drizzling rain stopped. The sky, which had seed like it would continue raining, had brightened a little. Osian instinctively sensed that Anora had done sothing.
However, he knows this is rely a postponent of the coming danger, not a fundantal solution. The Sea Dragon's rage will eventually reach Tirna. The city where people he holds dear reside.
'One incident barely ends before another one occurs in succession.'
It's like the machinations of fate. Osian felt so kind of will in this series of pressing flows. The predetermined end of this world approaches. As if to say they've granted reprieve after reprieve until now, but will no longer tolerate it.
'The reason I awakened. And the countless incidents that occurred afterward.'
Was it ultimately to prepare for this mont?
Night fell. Osian still sat inside the tavern, looking out the window. He needed ti to organize his thoughts.
Then soone approached Osian. Surprisingly, it was Cromwell. Having beco both a hostage and a freeloader, he had to stay at the Violet Fox for a while.
"What is it? Do you have sothing you want to ask separately?"
"It's sothing I can say since there are no other people around."
It seed he really had sothing to say. Osian had thought he might at least say thanks for saving his life, but perhaps expecting that from Cromwell, an extre scientist, was too much.
"I've researched a lot about you. I've observed and watched you for a long ti."
"Even if you suddenly confess that, it's awkward to hear. Well, I knew that eyes had been following constantly since long ago. You're not the only one doing such things either."
"I didn't stop there. I wanted to know more. I kept tracing your traces, continuously groping through the past. Where on earth did such a person appear from? And I was able to find it."
From Cromwell's voice, Osian suddenly recalled sothing he had forgotten about. It was the place where he had first set foot in this city.
Osian didn't flow into the city from outside like others. When he opened his eyes, it was an ancient ruin, and that ruin had been hidden beneath Tirna's factory district for ages.
"I found that place before anyone else and I sealed off the area and secretly continued my research. The place where a knight whose lineage had been severed suddenly appeared. I believed there would be so kind of clue there."
"So did you find anything?"
"Not particularly. It was just interesting that it was an ancient ruin, and that there were various devices ant to test so kind of being. But there was still one interesting point. It was the power of Starlight that was detected there."
Osian looked at Cromwell with an expression asking what he ant.
"I don't know how long you stayed there, but when I checked, the ruin was generally filled with high-concentration energy. I also learned that it was the power of starlight, the Starlight you use."
"That's strange. I didn't sense it at all."
At that ti, he had just dropped into Tirna and didn't have the luxury to pay attention to other things. But that didn't an he wouldn't have been able to sense the power of Starlight.
"Perhaps it's because the energy filling the ruin originated from your power that you couldn't perceive it. Just as fish take water for granted, people are insensitive to changes in their environnt that are influenced by themselves. And I learned an amazing fact there. Naly, that the power of Starlight dwells in the overall structure of that ruin."
Even Osian hadn't noticed that at all. Was it really as Cromwell said, that because it was an environnt he created, he couldn't notice the change?
"So you extracted that Starlight energy to create artificial knights?"
"I wanted to, but all of your power that I used when creating artificial knights was procured from other places. Most of them were minerals imbued with mysterious power. I couldn't even touch the power dwelling in that ruin."
"You must have a reason for telling this."
"I've essentially been expelled from the White House now. To begin with, the White House is an organization the current king Solenon created to make his own position more comfortable. Like , the others are rely the current king's limbs. Having essentially fled from there, I'm in a position where I can no longer conduct experints."
"Then that ans all the projects you were working on at the ti are frozen."
"If there's any fortune, it's that like the artificial knights, that project was conducted secretly, avoiding the current king's eyes. It may be frozen now, but no one should have taken those results yet. It's highly likely."
Osian understood what Cromwell was trying to say.
"You want to check that place again."
"At the ti, I made an energy storage device to secure the Starlight energy existing in the ruin. According to my calculations, there's a high possibility that by now, all the power that filled the interior of the ruin has been stored in the device. We can't just leave that alone, can we?"
"Why are you telling this? You could just ignore it and move on."
"Because if you absorb that energy, or obtain so other clue from there and beco stronger, it will play an important role in protecting humanity from extinction."
Cromwell's purpose was always the sa. For that sake, he could willingly join hands even with soone he didn't like.
And Cromwell didn't actually dislike Osian. Although he had fallen, the cause was ultimately his own misjudgnt. Rather, Osian had even saved and protected him.
He's a superhuman who can protect the world. He even felt a kind of pride in being with such a person. While newly realizing he had such embarrassing emotions, Cromwell willingly wanted to help to the extent his knowledge and power reached.
"Hmm. The place I ca from. I'll have to go there again." "
That's not all. I know there are people with similar powers besides you. I was interested, so I had to know for certain."
"You know about that too?"
"Yes. And I also learned about people who used ancient powers similar to yet different from knights. The North Blinders, was it? They used the powers and techniques that the ancient northern barbarian warriors used."
"You know well. If you happen to et them later, don't say the words 'barbarian warrior.' Unless you want an axe added to your forehead like a decoration."
"That's not all. I also confird the Purifier among the 13 Holy Orders of the Petra Papacy, and the power of the half-elf woman among the Blood Brotherhood. That their powers are also suitable for preparing for the coming extinction."
"If you knew all that, why ?"
"Because your power was the best among them."
At Cromwell's calm acknowledgnt, Osian felt inexplicably pleased. Given his personality, he wouldn't say sothing just to be polite, so he probably truly believed the knight's power was the strongest.
If the barbarian warrior's or paladin's power had been stronger, Cromwell would have made artificial warriors or artificial paladins instead of artificial knights.
"Were you waiting all this ti to tell this?"
"I saw you defeat the artificial knights and absorb the starlight they possessed. The power that Alpha Pri had also returned entirely to you. Since you were the master of the power, it's not surprising that it returned to its original state. But from the scene at the ruin, I saw a possibility."
"What possibility are you talking about?"
"That you can bestow that power."
Osian chuckled softly at those words.
"It is true. I can actually bestow Starlight."
"I see. Indeed. If you do that, cultivating knights would be faster."
"How would what's created that way be different from artificial knights? I rely pass on the spark. It's entirely up to them to kindle that spark into their own fla."
Cromwell didn't say anything about that being inefficient. If Osian had decided to do it that way, there was no need to object.
Anyway, he had only said sothing out of a trace of possibility and regret. If that was impossible, he just needed to seek other possible thods.
He had lived that way until now.
"I'll gratefully accept your advice. As you say, I'll need to examine the place I ca from once more."
"That's fortunate then. That's all I have to say. I'll return to my seat now."
Although called a freeloader, Cromwell is still in an uncomfortable relationship. Especially when there are people who find Cromwell distasteful, like now.
Cromwell wasn't insensitive in that regard, so he quickly withdrew from the spot. And naturally. As if waiting for Cromwell to disappear, Seren approached.
"You didn't use your ability and waited?"
"Ah. Well, that's..."
Seren trailed off for a mont. Even if she had gotten better, if she used her ability, she didn't know when it might relapse. At the very least, she shouldn't overuse it like before. Having secured Cromwell's person, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
"You seem to have sothing you want to say."
"Yes. It seems like sothing I must convey."
Seren smiled as she gazed at Osian. Their gazes intertwined in the air. Her pink lips moved.
"Thank you so much for saving . I should have conveyed this right away, but I fainted and completely forgot."
Seren took several breaths as if gathering her thoughts before continuing.
"I thought I had no future. Because I knew my condition well. Living not knowing when I might die made nervous enough to have a breakdown, and though I was struggling desperately to live, there was no hope. Actually, halfway, I thought, ‘Wouldn't it be easier if I just died?’"
Tap. Tap tap. Rain began to fall again. The sound of gradually falling raindrops tapping the window pane echoed quietly on the first floor.
"Usually people who know about this situation all pity . They were all the sa. I hated that, so I hid it and didn't tell others. But you were different. Even knowing my condition, you didn't pity or feel sorry for ."
"Isn't that just an insensitive person?"
"Maybe I just needed that kind of insensitivity. And yet, when I was in crisis, you ca right away to save . Maybe you could have been sucked into that gap in spaceti and beco lost too."
Osian moved based solely on the single possibility that using the power of the Sun, Moon, and Stars might work. The mont things went even slightly wrong, not only would he not save Seren, but he himself might have disappeared. Nevertheless, Osian moved without hesitation.
Was he without fear? That wouldn't be true. Because everyone harbors fear. Osian simply didn't stop moving forward even knowing that fear.
And so he saved Seren.
"I want to see light shining in this world. I want to hear music on a brilliant stage. I want to eat delicious food too. And, I want to love normally, and live normally."
This world is still full of danger. It doesn't end just by solving one's own problems. So, Seren decided to do her best too.
To handle this unstable power of hers, she needs the light of heaven that Osian wields. Not sothing received from others, but power she cultivates herself. So Seren finally decided to face the world she had been turning away from.
"I look forward to working with you from now on, my Knight Commander."
Osian nodded and said.
"Welco to becoming a knight."
The next morning Seren stood in the center of the training ground with a bewildered expression.
"Huh?"
Dressed in clothing convenient for activity, she had at so point placed a heavy barbell on her shoulders. The heavy pressure bearing down reminded her that this wasn't a dream but reality.
"Right! This is our new recruit joining today! As always! We continue our training!"
She could see Asr shouting. Also the appearance of the knight order mbers shouting at the top of their lungs around her. And right beside such a Seren.
"Is this your first ti?"
Rose lody, Tirna's diva and the city's popular figure, welcod her with a smile as if delighted to have a new comrade.
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