Chapter 272

Chapter 272 – Just Thanks

A starlit plain.

Time itself seemed to have frozen.

The restless air, which had churned so violently, had settled into stillness. The cluster of stars, distorted by the auras of two transcendents, had regained their light.

The night sky was beautiful. Like black pearl ground into paint and spread thin with the world’s most precious brush made of woven fur.

And beneath that night sky, the two transcendents stared at each other.

The old mage could not deny that he had been utterly overwhelmed. No, in a way, it was only natural.

Perfect. Flawless.

There was not a single inch of deviation in the sword’s advance or halt.

Knights who had reached a certain level described their realm as one where sword and body became one, like their own limbs. But this was beyond such dimensions.

If the act of “slashing” manifested as a concept rather than an action, would it look like that?

That curve was exquisitely beautiful, yet the only impression left in his mind was the single word: Slashed.

“Huh, heh… heheheh.”

Having witnessed an incomprehensible divine technique, the old mage let out a hollow laugh.

The magic he had believed no one could sever scattered like a gentle breeze with a single sword strike. There was no explosion. It simply dispersed as if it had never existed.

But what did such trivialities matter?

Having beheld such an awe-inspiring sight, how could he care about the flaws in his own imperfect magic? He felt ashamed of himself.

Sword and magic.

Though they walked entirely different paths, Aevilon’s genius had grasped the meaning and value contained in that single strike.

And at the same time, a thought struck him.

What spectacle would unfold if that perfect flawlessness were infused into magic?

Curiosity birthed inspiration. His thoughts exploded outward in expansion. Within those expanding thoughts, Aevilon crammed everything he had honed over a lifetime into a single spell—packing it in, and in, and in, endlessly.

And that became—

Enlightenment.

Enlightenment turned into a hammer. It struck the wall that had blocked the old mage for so long. Once, twice, three times…

Crack, clang—

The crumbling wall.

“Ah, aah…”

In the ecstasy of that enlightenment, Aevilon could not suppress his exclamation.

This was it.

The emotion he had felt when he first encountered magic.

The stinging in his chest, the thrill of unraveling unknown mysteries. His heart had raced at the realization that the unraveled mysteries were far outnumbered by those yet to be revealed.

When had he stopped feeling that thrill for magic?

Drip—

A single dewdrop gathered at the corner of his eye and trailed down his wrinkled skin.

…It was then.

Zzzt, crack…

A fissure spread from Aevilon’s left shoulder to his right hip.

Splurt—!

Aevilon’s waist twisted sharply as a fountain of blood erupted. Naturally, his gaze turned skyward.

Crimson droplets painting the empty air. Were they trying to become stars? They soared toward the night sky with all their might before losing strength and falling.

Aevilon thought,

…What a pity.

The blood that could not become a star.

The enlightenment he could not grasp in time.

But that lasted only a moment.

Thud!

His staggering body righted itself. The eyes, dazed in the haze of enlightenment, regained focus at that exact instant.

The gaze that had been fixed on the sky dropped to the ground, locking onto his opponent. The knight who had unleashed that awe-inspiring swordsmanship.

When their eyes met, the knight… Shain’s pupils sank deeply.

…Too shallow.

He had aimed to bisect him in one strike, but his power had fallen short. The bleeding was severe, but judging by the light in those eyes, it was not fatal.

No, it should have been fatal, but the old mage was healing his own body, staving off deterioration.

To kill him, only now would do.

Shain gripped his dangling sword tightly. To hide his trembling fingertips. And to cleave the enemy.

As he took a step forward, Aevilon’s voice stopped Shain in his tracks.

“Don’t push yourself, Sword Lord.”

“……”

“Today’s not a good day for either of us, is it? This old man’s in bad shape, and you… seem to have reached your limit. How about we call it here and settle it another time?”

Aevilon smiled leisurely. But he couldn’t hide his pallid complexion. Yet, amid it all, his two eyes shone with clear intensity.

They were eyes that said he wouldn’t shy away from battle if pressed.

But Shain gripped his sword.

Letting a mage of that caliber go free left a bitter taste.

It was then.

“If you press on, Sword Lord, I’ll strike at the Tower Lord. The Patriarch wished for me to spare the Tower Lord, but with death staring me down, what do I have to hold back for? I might as well take one more from the Decullans with me. Heh heh.”

Shain’s eyelids twitched faintly. He wasn’t confident he could protect Aster while finishing off Aevilon.

Had his hesitation dragged on too long?

“Let’s leave it for next time.”

A hollow voice echoed in his ears.

“……”

By the time Shain gathered his thoughts, Aevilon’s figure was already far off. His speed was incomparably slower than before, but Shain did not pursue.

No, to be precise, he couldn’t pursue.

“……”

Shain sheathed his sword, clenched and unclenched his trembling hand, and turned his head.

Aster lay there, having lost consciousness at some point.

“……You idiot.”

He had hoped the fool would someday meet his match and get thoroughly thrashed, but not like this.

Shain dragged his exhausted body toward Aster. It swayed once, but he easily regained his balance.

As expected, I shouldn’t judge this body by human standards.

He had adapted long ago, but the origin itself was different from the start. That was why the transcendence still wavered.

Thus, Shain readjusted his path forward while supporting Aster.

A voice came just then.

[You, moonstone, four.]

“……What did you say, you pathetic lizard?”

[I, great dragon. You, insolent. Moonstone, two.]

Shain stared for a moment at the wyvern flapping its wings threateningly, then clicked his tongue and hoisted Aster onto his back.

“What nonsense.”

……Even so, Shain walked with the waddling wyvern tucked under his arm.

Aster opened his eyes not long after.

His internal injuries were severe, but Rihim had rushed over upon hearing the news and tended to him with utmost care.

“……Where’s this?”

An unfamiliar ceiling… no, it wasn’t.

It was the room he had used while staying in the Second Black-White Slums.

As he clutched his throbbing head and sat up, a voice came.

“Feeling any better?”

Aster turned to look at the source. It was Shain.

Any better?

“More or less. The worst is over, I think. Rihim senior?”

“Yeah, your master’s teacher helped out.”

That explained it.

It wasn’t an internal injury that could be managed with just potions. A half-baked mage wouldn’t even touch it.

But Rihim senior could handle it.

“Still, he said you’d need to rest for a while.”

“How long?”

“Who knows. Ask him yourself. I heard something, but I was out of it.”

At those words, Aster stared quietly at Shain. Was his gaze too obvious? Shain furrowed his brow slightly.

“What? That look.”

“Did you lose?”

“……What?”

“Did you win?”

“What the…?”

Aster scanned Shain up and down, tilting his head as if exasperated.

“You’re too intact to have lost. But your face doesn’t scream victory either.”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“What do you mean? It’s got ‘bitter as hell’ plastered all over it.”

“……”

Shain said nothing. He just took in Aster with his eyes. His mouth opened soon after.

“So what, you want some loot or something?”

“Loot? Come on.”

Aster chuckled dryly.

Letting Aevilon escape was regrettable. But since he himself couldn’t handle it, how could he blame Shain? Surviving was fortune enough.

“Just… thanks.”

“……”

Shain narrowed his eyes.

“What?”

“I’m thankful?”

“Thanks…?”

Shain’s pupils went blank.

Had that sly bastard ever expressed his feelings so straightforwardly? Never, not once. He knew it didn’t suit him and never uttered such embarrassing words.

Was that why?

Shain felt Aster’s eyes looked somehow uneasy.

No, precisely, Aster’s eyes weren’t uneasy. It was Shain who felt the unease looking at them.

“What are you scheming?”

“Scheming what?”

“That old geezer’s a Decullan mage, right? He called me Sword Lord after seeing through me, so your cover’s blown ages ago.”

Shain spat the words like a growl.

Aster wore a bored expression, as if daring him to continue, and it ignited Shain’s temper.

“The old man’s strong, sure, but not enough to trap you completely.”

“And?”

“You’re not the type to let pride stop you from running out of shame… Yeah, that damn geezer threatened the Second Black-White Slums, didn’t he?”

“……”

Aster didn’t reply. But from that, Shain was convinced his guess was right.

Having gained certainty, Shain’s voice grew firmer.

No, actually, it wasn’t the certainty. If anything, it was the boiling rage he could no longer contain.

“Yeah, that’s it. That’s why a sly dog like you got beat so stubbornly. So, what now? What’re you gonna do? Why the wide eyes? Huh? Speak up.”

His voice was so loud it startled the wyvern coiled up asleep by Aster’s bedside.

Aster flinched at the wyvern’s jolt and soothed it for a moment.

As the wyvern blinked sleepily and closed its eyes again,

Aster pulled his hand away and turned to Shain.

“Parasite.”

“Go on, spit it out.”

“Can’t I even say thanks?”

“What the…?”

Shain was at a loss before Aster’s aggrieved eyes.

Only then did he reflect on his actions.

On the surface, it looked like he had needlessly berated someone who was thanking him.

“It hurts my heart.”

“……”

“I wanna be alone.”

“……”

“So, get lost.”

Shain stumbled with an “Uh, uh” as Aster shoved him off the bed indiscriminately, and he was booted out in an instant.

……And.

Bang!

The door slammed shut, echoing down the hall.

“……”

Shain stared at the firmly closed door for a moment.

Had he really misread it? It had seemed like the idiot was up to something dumb.

After standing there a while, Shain turned and walked away.

“Astaroth.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Without even glancing at the voice from the shadows, Shain issued his command.

“Don’t take your eyes off that sly bastard. He might notice your presence, but don’t fall back.”

“……Understood.”

Swish.

Astaroth’s presence faded into the distance.

Shain continued down the dark corridor.

Don’t even dream of idiotic thoughts.

He had given far more than received so far. When leaving, he’d squeeze out multiples back—where did he get off thinking of slipping away at every chance?

But such thoughts were fleeting.

Crunch.

Shain clenched his fist hard.

His power was ridiculously lacking.

……Ridiculously.