Chapter 521

A kitten had suddenly appeared. However, it showed little interest in anyone except for Adriana and Ellen, who it seemed to be quite fond of.

“Ellen seems to be its favorite,” Adelia remarked quietly as she watched Ellen and the kitten.

“This kitten hasn’t eaten anything today. Maybe it’ll eat if Ellen feeds it?” Connor Lint suggested, prompting Ellen to turn her head.

Someone had brought over a dish of lukewarm milk.

“Why don’t you try feeding it?” Adelia suggested, and Ellen carefully took the dish.

Ellen looked at the kitten, which was staring intently at her. She didn’t know how to read the expressions of animals, but she sensed a strange reluctance from it. However, she had heard that it hadn’t eaten anything and seemed to be unwell.

Ellen placed the dish in front of the kitten and gently pushed the milk towards it. Squatting down, she watched the kitten.

The kitten’s eyes flickered between the dish and Ellen, as if it were gauging the situation. Eventually, the black kitten buried its head in the dish and began to lap up the milk. It finally drank the milk that it had refused from everyone else, as if it couldn’t resist Ellen’s offer.

“Wow...”

Everyone realized that Ellen could make the impossible possible, even in unexpected ways. Ellen watched the black kitten lapping up the milk with a soft gaze and began to gently stroke its back.

***

The Allied Forces were not composed solely of the imperial army. If they were, there would be no reason to call it an Allied Force.

It was the strongest army of humanity, and brought together all the remaining resources of mankind. Despite being viewed as pariahs, the Grand Duke of Saint-Ouen and his mage corps were a part of the Allied FOrces, and the surviving vassal states had also contributed all the resources they could to the Allied Forces.

Among these vassal states, the First Vassal State, Kernstadt, had dispatched the second-largest number of troops after the imperial army, which was only natural. After all, the fate of humanity hinged on the outcome of this war.

Kernstadt, which had managed to secure most of its territory after the empire, still had a significant number of troops and held an important position within the Allied Forces.

The youngest prince of Kernstadt, Heinrich von Schwartz, possessed the supernatural power of pyrokinesis, which was now comparable to Riana de Granz’s lightning manipulation. Of course, unknown to humanity, Riana had awakened an ability to manipulate the weather.

Rumble!

Heinrich watched from horseback as waves of flames incinerated the monsters. The troops that followed him stared blankly at the scene.

Ellen Artorius had also managed to draw out the true power of a holy relic that controlled flames, but naturally, Heinrich, who specialized in controlling flames, could wield his abilities more proficiently.

The wave of flames reduced the monsters on the ground to ashes, and Heinrich turned his attention to the swarm of flying monsters crossing the sky.

Just as the monsters on the ground were diverse, so were the flying monsters. However, because they were more mobile than ground monsters, flying monsters could appear from anywhere.

This was why, despite clearing the surrounding areas, the army had to maintain a 24-hour watch on the skies around their encampment. Heinrich watched the approaching swarm of flying monsters and concentrated.

“Brace for impact!”

Heinrich’s shout caused the troops to tense up. A red flash appeared as a point in the sky, distorting it.

Flash!

A momentary flicker...

Boom!

And a deafening explosion followed by a fierce shockwave.

Heinrich watched as the shockwave threw the approaching swarm of flying monsters off-balance and caused them to crash to the ground.

Flames were not his only weapon. All the additional effects that could be generated from flames were part of Heinrich von Schwartz’s power.

***

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Just like how Riana was crucial to Edina, when it came to supernatural powers, all powers related to destruction and generation of force were considered crucial assets in the Allied Forces if the wielder’s level was above a certain threshold.

Heinrich von Schwartz was a prime example. Another example was another student who could manipulate wind. And, although conditional, Rudina’s natural talent was also considered very important.

Due to the nature of his abilities, Heinrich often took on large-scale missions similar to Ellen’s, and their responsibilities frequently overlapped. Therefore, if Ellen Artorious was not in good condition to fight, Heinrich would often carry out missions in her stead.

Thus, those from the Temple Royal Class, especially the supernatural power users, were gaining significant recognition and standing within the Allied Forces after the Gate Incident, even if not as much as Ellen.

After completing a reconnaissance and extermination mission, Heinrich returned to the base, acknowledging the salutes of soldiers who recognized him.

He was not as famous as Ellen. After all, Ellen had two holy relics and was regarded as the adversary of the Demon King. Heinrich could not match Ellen’s fame.

—The prince is here!

—-Look, it’s the prince!

—Prince! Please look over here!

However, when he passed through the Kernstadt military camp, Heinrich was treated as a hero almost on par with Ellen.

Heinrich waved to the soldiers calling out to him. Despite the ongoing tragedy, people always sought hope somewhere. For the people of Kernstadt, the youngest prince of Kernstadt, Heinrich von Schwartz, was one of those beacons of hope.

Every time he saw people finding hope in him, Heinrich felt a heaviness in his heart, but that weight never felt unpleasant.

‘Heinrich, are you back?’

“... Yeah,” Heinrich murmured quietly, startled by the sudden voice piercing through his mind.

All supernatural power users had their roles, even if their abilities were not combat-related.

The voice in his mind was a telepathic transmission by Evia, formerly B-7. Evia’s ability had grown significantly, and she was now responsible for relaying the commands of the allied headquarters to each unit.

Although not directly related to combat, the ability to instantly communicate over long distances was perhaps the most important one in war. Therefore, Evia was almost forced to stay at the headquarters rather than the Royal Class barracks.

In a sense, Evia was the only communications officer in this vast army.

‘Report back and then head to the Kernstadt command tent. The Kernstadt military commander is looking for you.’

“... Got it.”

The voice felt like it was shooting through his brain. No matter how many times he experienced it, Heinrich could never get used to it.

Telepathy... Although not seen as an offensive power or one that could be used for destruction, could it remain unrelated to destruction forever? Since it was an ability that allowed the user to interfere with someone’s brain from a distance, wasn’t it potentially the most dangerous supernatural power in the world?

Heinrich couldn’t shake off the strange unease whenever he was connected to Evia through telepathy.

***

After completing his mission report, Heinrich headed to the Kernstadt military camp as Evia had instructed. Heinrich was as famous as Ellen within the Kernstadt military camp, so soldiers and knights saluted him with reverence and respect, even from a distance.

He couldn’t respond to every salute and cheer, as he was on his way to meet the Kernstadt military commander.

Heinrich quickened his pace towards the commander’s tent. The camp was vast, and it took Heinrich quite a while to reach the Kernstadt military commander’s tent, which was located on a hill. The knights and guards protecting the area saluted Heinrich and made way for him.

Inside the commander’s tent, Heinrich was greeted with familiar faces.

Two men were seated on either side.

“You’ve been deployed in another large-scale operation. Well done,” said one of the men, who had a serious expression.

“Isn’t it excessive to treat royalty so recklessly? Are they saying it’s okay to expend the lives of the royals of vassal states? We should protest,” said the other man, looking disgruntled.

Both men were Heinrich’s brothers.

“Enough. If you argue like that, then no one should be sent to the battlefield,” said a woman seated at the head of the table.

“But sister...”

“Enough. Our youngest is here, and you’re going to keep him standing?”

The woman at the head of the table had sharp eyes. She gestured for Heinrich to sit.

“Welcome, youngest. Have a seat.”

“Yes, sister.”

Heinrich bowed his head to Louise von Schwartz, the Kernstadt military commander, First Princess and heir of Kernstadt.

Only after the world had dissolved into this mess was Heinrich recognized and treated as a sibling by the siblings who had once acted as if he did not exist.

The eldest daughter, Louise von Schwartz.

The eldest son, German von Schwartz.

The second son, Alphonse von Schwartz.

And the fifth son, Heinrich von Schwartz.

All the von Schwartz siblings were gathered in one place.

***

Seated at the end of the command table, Heinrich avoided the gaze of Louise von Schwartz, First Princess of Kernstadt and the heir to the kingdom.

Since the king could not personally lead the operation, command of the Kernstadt military fell to Louise, his heir. She was also the commander of the royal knights of Kernstadt. Her leadership skills were complemented by her exceptional abilities.

Louise von Schwartz, the heir of Kernstadt and the commander of the royal knights, was a prodigy who had become a Swordmaster at the age of twenty-four.

Heinrich was always intimidated by his sister’s sharp gaze. All of Heinrich’s older siblings had long since graduated from the Kernstadt Royal Academy.

Louise von Schwartz had even graduated early, at eighteen, a prodigy among prodigies. Just as the Gradias Empire had the Temple, Kernstadt also had an academy system. It was a royal project that was expected to eventually surpass the Temple, which attracted talents from across the continent. The educational system of the Kernstadt Royal Academy was worthy of being called prestigious, albeit slightly lacking compared to the Temple.

All of Heinrich’s older siblings had attended and graduated from the Kernstadt Royal Academy, not the Temple. Naturally, sending royal family members to the royal project was necessary to maintain credibility, just as the Gradias Empire entrusted the education of its royalty to the Temple.

However, Heinrich von Schwartz had been sent to the Temple, not the Kernstadt Royal Academy. It wasn’t because Heinrich was important. It was because they had wanted to get rid of him.

All the siblings were gathered, and Heinrich was the fifth son, and the sixth in line to the throne. The fourth and fifth heirs were not currently present. No, to be exact, they were no longer in this world.

When Heinrich von Schwartz’s abilities first awakened in childhood, his family members had perished in the flames he’d unleashed. So, when he came of age, he was sent to the Temple—or rather, banished there.

***

“Sister... May I know why you called for me...?”

“Do siblings need a reason to gather? Since you’re not part of our army, it’s hard to run into you, so I called you for a meal,” Louise said. Following her instructions, dishes were brought into the command tent table one by one and placed on the table.

The siblings sat around the table and began their meal. The atmosphere was hardly harmonious, and there wasn’t much conversation. But being together in this place was important.

‘Siblings...’

The word made Heinrich’s heart skip a beat. Heinrich hadn’t been treated as a sibling for a very long time.

He hadn’t attended the Royal Academy, where all the members of Kernstadt royalty went, and he hadn’t been sent to the Temple; he had been practically abandoned there.

At the age of eight, which was the age at which the Temple’s primary education began, Heinrich had been sent to the Temple under the pretext of receiving an education. It was practically an exile.

Although the Kernstadt royal family might have provided for his education, they showed no interest in how Heinrich was doing or what he was up to.

From the royal family’s perspective, Heinrich was merely a cursed prince with a power that had killed two of his siblings. It had been a simple accident, a tale from a time so long ago that Heinrich barely remembered it. An accident that had happened when he was too young.

A prince of an empire, abandoned while he was still too young. Therefore, Heinrich found his siblings unfamiliar, even now, when he occasionally saw them after gaining recognition following the Gate Incident.

Their faces, their attitudes, their every gesture, felt distant.

The two brothers, who had previously ignored or scorned him.

The eldest sister, always cold, now seemed completely indifferent.

Only after achieving something—only after becoming someone—was Heinrich finally being acknowledged as family.

An abandoned royal, accepted not out of affection, but because his power and fame had made it inconvenient to ignore him.

Heinrich von Schwartz had finally become their sibling, not by bond, but by necessity.

Heinrich had a tendency to overestimate himself. He knew he was an abandoned royal, but did not accept it.

“I am a prince of Kernstadt, a legitimate heir of the first vassal state after the empire.”

That had been Heinrich’s pride and source of his self-esteem, until some crazy guy had smacked him in the forehead shortly after he entered the Royal Class.

He now knew that the jerk wasn’t just a penniless beggar, but someone with a shocking secret and an extraordinary being—the Demon King. But even knowing that didn’t change anything.

After being on the receiving end of harsh words he’d never heard before and even getting hit, then showing his pathetic side in front of a classmate he liked, Heinrich realized he was weak.

He had a background to boast about, but it provided no real support. He had to admit and accept that he was no better than that beggar, and perhaps even worse. He hadn’t even properly honed the power that had been given to him for free.

Therefore, Heinrich worked hard. He worked to turn the power given to him into a practical force.

Through Reinhart, who had gone from being a troublesome classmate to a fearsome presence, Heinrich had learned his place. Therefore, even after the Gate Incident, while killing monsters and saving people with his abilities, Heinrich never neglected to improve his abilities.

That allowed Heinrich to grow into the important figure he was now. He could be treated as a sibling by the siblings who had abandoned him and once treated him as if he did not exist.

In the past, Heinrich had a tendency to overestimate himself. The Heinrich of that time would have seen things differently. “Finally, they recognize my worth,” he would have said, “and my siblings have accepted me as family again. After all this is over, I can return to the palace and live as a member of the royal family, even if I don’t aspire to be the heir to the kingdom.”

He would have felt proud and satisfied. He would have been happy and content to be accepted back into the family after being abandoned. But the arrogant and reckless Heinrich of the past no longer existed.

Thanks to a certain someone, he had come to understand his place—what he could and couldn’t do, who he was, and what he needed to do. Heinrich could now view both himself and the situation around him with a clear, objective eye.

“If this situation is resolved, do you plan to return to Kernstadt?” Louise asked quietly while cutting a piece of meat.

In the past, he would have answered without hesitation. He would have said that he wanted to return to contribute to the reconstruction of the nation and be recognized by his siblings and parents. But he sensed that his other two brothers were keenly focused on his answer.

He wanted to return to Kernstadt. He simply missed his family. But he considered the actions he would have to take upon returning to Kernstadt as he tried desperately to contribute to the reconstruction of the nation and gain recognition from his siblings.

He thought about the issues that would arise if his position strengthened.

His eldest sister was testing him.

Heinrich realized that his naive desire to return to his family would be interpreted in various ways.

He considered how not only his siblings, but also countless other people, would perceive him.

Heinrich judged that his eldest sister was testing him and said, “There are many things to do in the world, so I probably won’t be able to return for quite a while. Even if I do return, it would only be for a few days. And if the Temple is rebuilt, I should continue my studies... though I don’t know if that day will come.”

Heinrich felt the tense atmosphere grow more relaxed.

“I see.”

The overwhelming feeling of being recognized as a sibling again was fleeting.

Heinrich von Schwartz had no choice but to realize that he could never truly belong in a family that was forced to accept him due to circumstances, fame, and power.

“That’s quite unfortunate,” Louise said, looking at Heinrich as she put a piece of meat into her mouth.

Understanding one’s place...

The one whose very name had become taboo, a cursed existence. And yet, thanks to that person, Heinrich had learned something unexpectedly valuable.