There was a boy.
Born into a Marquis family, his life was filled with riches.
The boy was also a genius from an early age.
He wasn’t called a genius because he was exceptionally smart.
He had no particular talent for studying or for using his head.
Yet, the reason he was called a genius was very simple.
“C-Cough…”
“M-Master!”
At the age of five, he defeated his swordsmanship master.
“T-This might be rude, but how many tis have you used mana?”
“Is this mana? It feels different from what I used to play with…”
At the age of seven, he awakened mana, not just any mana, but his own unique mana.
“We have a new youngest champion…!”
“Haha!”
At the age of ten, he beca the youngest champion of the Empire’s martial arts tournant, catching the eye of the Emperor and the heads of the noble houses.
A genius of combat.
The Reincarnation of God of War.
By the ti the boy entered the academy, such titles had beco synonymous with him.
But perhaps because he was born with such imnse talent from an early age, or because he grew up without ever experiencing defeat…
“Move aside! How dare a re commoner stand in my way.”
“…Ugh.”
The boy was quite arrogant and twisted.
Had he continued on that path, the Empire would have produced a fearso troublemaker.
“…You’re pretty good.”
“Uh, what…?”
But after being defeated by a girl’s magic in his first training session at the academy, his life changed completely.
“Let’s do it again!”
“Well… why don’t you fix that bad attitude of yours first?”
“…Grr.”
Their first eting was certainly not pleasant.
- Crackle, crackle…
“Now… you can last a few minutes?”
“Don’t get cocky. Just you wait. I’ll break that smug nose of yours.”
“Pfft… Alright. If you win, I’ll grant you one wish.”
“…What?”
But the boy, driven by anger, kept challenging her, turning their unpleasant etings into a regular occurrence.
“Huff, huff…”
“You finally managed to hurt ? It stings.”
“… It was just a scratch.”
Before long, their encounters beca a daily routine.
“Why did you hesitate earlier? You could’ve gone further.”
“…”
It was around that ti that a strange atmosphere began to develop between them.
“I… won.”
“Yes, you did.”
By the ti the boy finally defeated the girl, many new titles had been added to his na.
Demon Hunter. The Bloody Man. The boy who changed the Empire’s combat manuals.
And the Mad Dog of the Marquis’ House, among others.
“So, what will your wish be?”
“Uh, um…”
But the title he liked the most was one he earned that day.
“Go out with .”
“Fufufu.”
The girl’s boyfriend.
“H-how is it? Isn’t it humiliating? Having to go out with a crazy guy like … Ah, it’ll be a fatal flaw for a duchess…”
“Follow .”
“…What? Wait, what?”
Not long after that, he gained the title of her husband.
It was a rare marriage born out of love, not a political one.
“Waaah… waaah…!”
“He has my eyes and hair color, and your looks.”
“…He looks pretty, so he must take after you.”
“Pfft!”
A few years later, the two graduated from the academy.
“…By the way.”
“Yes?”
“Why did you choose back then?”
The boy, now a father holding his first child with a dazed expression, asked the girl.
“Your opponent was supposed to be next after , right…?”
“Where did you hear that?”
The girl smiled as she replied.
“There’s a guy I fell in love at first sight… but his personality was just too rotten.”
“…What?”
“I thought I needed to beat him up to fix him.”
The boy would never forget that mont.
“Will you keep your temper in check from now on?”
“…Yes.”
“Only draw your sword to protect soone?”
“Well, that…”
“Ah, the wound from that attack back then… suddenly it’s–”
“Okay, okay, I got it.”
A boy, whose whole life was dictated by fight and power, beca the gentlest and kindest father from that day onward.
“The Lady… has passed away.”
“…What?”
Even when he lost his wife, who was his life’s purpose, in an unfortunate accident.
“They say… I’m a hero?”
“…”
Even when he taught his son the codes used in the love letters he wrote during his academy days and the family’s destiny.
mory alteration in 5 seconds…
“…”
Even when a system window appeared in front of him the mont his son completed the first cycle and regressed.
Even after all the tribulations he suffered, he remained a gentle and kind father.
“Frey… has left the academy and disappeared.”
“Dad…”
“The last sighting was of him heading towards the Demon King with his soul shattered.”
However.
“Heh, Haaa… Hahaha…”
Upon awakening from a long sleep and hearing about the humiliations his son had suffered…
“Hahahahaha…”
“My lord…”
“Hah… Hahahaha…”
He could no longer remain the gentle and kind father.
When he woke from his long sleep, what greeted him was not the son with the smile that resembled his beloved wife’s.
It was the infamous reputation of his son that had spread throughout the Empire. And reflected in the window floating in the sky was the image of his son, suffering and withering away amidst that infamy. Ꞧ
What Happened to That Day
And that damned book.
“…”
The more he understood the situation, the more his sanity slipped away.
“…What is this?”
A completely fabricated false accusation by a maid he cherished had beco the empire’s bestseller.
“I-I-I didn’t an for this to happen…”
For so reason, his beloved son had been expelled and demoted to a commoner by his sister… his own daughter.
Waking up from a long sleep to find out that, legally, his son was now nothing to him—what father in the world could accept that?
“…”
Because of this, he had spent a while lying in bed like a hermit, not letting even Aria or the servants in.
- Frey…
- Please co back…
- We need you, Hero…
What finally made him open his eyes were the voices of people flocking to the courtyard.
“…Heh.”
With a sudden start, he looked out the window at the bustling crowd and the situation at the academy.
“…”
He couldn’t help but smile a kind smile he had practiced for years to avoid scaring the children.
- Crack, crack…
But then, he stopped smiling, and his expression turned serious.
He bit his lip like he used to when he was younger, causing blood to trickle down.
- Shing…
With his body trembling, he drew his sword from the wall, now too old to be called a boy, but still filled with the sa killing intent from his youth.
Abraham stepped out of the room with a cold expression.
“Everyone must be punished.”
Abandoning reason and ard with his undulated wrath, he revised the purpose of his life.
.
.
.
.
.
- Shing…!
Seeing Abraham holding a sword, the princess’s guards hastily drew their swords from their waists.
- Swosh…
“What, what?”
“H-Huh?”
“…What’s going on?”
But their swords had already been sharply cut.
“If you wish to face , you should at least bring the head of the Bywalker family.”
- Clang…!
“Ugh!”
Looking at the panicking soldiers coldly, Abraham held his sword vertically and swung it forcefully, sending a dull sound echoing as the soldiers were blown backward.
“Wait–”
“Haaaa.”
Princess Limia tried to say sothing, but…
- Crackle…!!!
Ignoring her, Abraham swung his sword towards the sky with all his might.
- Boom! Boom…!!
With that single slash, the dark clouds that had been covering the Starlight duchy split in two and scattered.
It looked as if he had cut the sky itself.
- Crackle… Crackle…
Princess Limia and the crowd widened their eyes in shock as sparks began to fly from between the clouds.
- Crackle…!
And at that mont.
“Ah!?”
“What the…!!”
Countless shards of light began to rain down from the sky like a storm.
- Shaaa…
It was like a ray of light that cleansed everything filthy in its path.
“It stings!”
“Ahhh!!”
As the stinging, painful slashes rained down on the entire duchy, people began to scatter in all directions in a panic.
“What…!”
“It’s magic to disperse slashes. I mixed it with my sword aura.”
“…What?”
“I had decided to hide the fact that I was a magic swordsman after that duel… but you’ve forced to use it again.”
Abraham, who until then had been standing with his head in his hands, explained in a low voice to Princess Limia, who was lying on the ground.
“By now, my sword aura should have perated their bodies and the entire duchy.”
“What on earth… Agh!”
“This ans I can do sothing like this.”
As he raised his hand, Princess Limia scread and collapsed to the ground.
“Wh-what is this…!”
“I’ve just invaded your mana circuits with my sword aura and seized control of your body.”
“There’s no way that’s possible…”
“A magic swordsman doesn’t just attach magic to their sword. They use sword aura like mana. And unfortunately for you lot, I’ve reached that level.”
“You think you can do this to and get away with it!!”
“I’m afraid I will. It’s laughable that a re puppet princess dares to shout at the head of the Starlight family.”
Princess Limia, terrified, scread at him, and Abraham laughed at the absurdity of it all.
“The Starlight family has the legal right to rebel. If the stars, the moon, and the sun unite, even the Emperor cannot oppose it.”
“The sun belongs to the Sunrise Imperial family!”
“But right now, I’ve taken control over you.”
“…”
Princess Limia, who had been glaring and struggling, fell silent at his words.
“There will be no help for this damned country.”
Abraham lifted the princess’s chin and began to whisper coldly.
“Even if the Demon King’s Army reaches your doorstep, there will be no one to save you. After all, is it not all of you who have driven out the Hero with your own hand?”
“W-wait a mont–”
“I will only protect the Starlight Duchy. I need to conserve my strength to judge those who have crossed the line.”
“Please wait–”
“Don’t even think about sending the Imperial Army.”
“Ugh.”
He tightened his grip on Princess Limia’s chin, adding his final words with a nacing expression.
“If I push myself a bit more, I can extend my sword aura across the entire empire.”
“Get out, all of you.”
With those words, Abraham turned away from the people kneeling and bowing before him.
“The Hero is not here.”
“D-duke… please wait…”
The princess crawled to his feet, clutching his leg desperately.
“Please… I don’t need anything else. Just give the authority over the private army…”
- Swish…
“Ugh.”
But Abraham coldly kicked her hand away, freeing himself.
- Step, step…
He then began to walk back toward the mansion, still radiating a palpable killing intent.
“D-duke…”
“W-we are…”
He noticed the forr servants trembling and kneeling at the entrance and tilted his head with a question.
“Who are you?”
“”
“I asked, who are you?”
As his expression grew colder, the forr servants began to sweat nervously.
“Get lost, just like you did before.”
“Duke…!”
“Go on and keep fighting among yourselves.”
With a mocking laugh, he dismissed them and locked the door behind him as he entered the mansion.
.
.
.
.
.
“…Sigh.”
Abraham sighed deeply and sat down with a tired expression.
“As expected… my body isn’t what it used to be.”
Having gone all out for the first ti in a long while, his body was exhausted.
Perhaps the effects of the vow he had made with his wife still lingered.
“…But it’s not over yet.”
Despite this, Abraham’s eyes flashed as he lifted his weary body and muttered.
“I will make sure to judge those who have crossed the line…”
- Coo!
“…?”
At that mont, a white owl began pecking urgently at the window beside him.
“Coo! Coo…”
“I’ve seen this bird before…”
As he murmured and opened the window, the owl quickly flew into the mansion and extended its leg.
- Rustle, rustle…
Abraham, staring blankly at the letter tied to the bird’s leg, finally removed and opened it.
Father.
“…What?”
What he saw was unbelievable.
I am deceiving the world and the Demon King for the final battle.
The hastily scrawled handwriting on the white paper seed urgent.
So please calm down and keep this secret.
But it was undoubtedly his son’s handwriting. Moreover, the letter was imbued with the familiar stellar mana.
“…”
For a long ti, Abraham stared at the letter, his expression trembling.
“…It slls.”
Suddenly, he began to mutter in an eerie voice.
“The scent of a demon… and not just any demon, but a pureblood.”
- Coo?
“If you’re going to deceive , you should have masked the scent.”
His eyes, once known as the eyes of the demon hunter, began to gleam.
- Coo!?
“Lead to them.”
- Coooo!!
Monts later, Abraham swiftly grabbed the owl, which was trying to fly away.
“Let’s see the faces of those who dared to deceive .”
- Coo…
The owl, trying its best to resist, turned its gaze away in resignation.
.
.
.
.
.
“I didn’t expect my father to wake up…”
anwhile, at that mont.
“I hope he got the letter… There’s no need for him to worry so much…”
“…Eek?”
Ruby, who had been lying in bed, hugging Frey as, suddenly sat up, breaking into a cold sweat.
“R-Ruby? What’s wrong?”
“N-N-Nothing… I just suddenly feel nervous.”
“…Huh?”
And it wasn’t just her.
“…I-Is this an attack?”
“Grr?”
The other heroines, who had been doing household chores with sullen expressions, also felt the sa foreboding dread.
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