Chapter 85: Interlude – Moonlight (1)

A dizzying sense of joy filled my head. The corners of my lips curled up on their own, and I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt light, like I was floating on clouds.

“I’ve come to get you.”

The moment I heard those words, I was overwhelmed with happiness. How did Dale know I was Yurina, not Yuren? How did he know I was about to undergo the soul stigmata replacement procedure? All kinds of questions surged to mind, but they were instantly swept away. The only thing that mattered was that Dale had come to save me.

“You don’t have to shine anymore.”

I had lived to become the sun. I had lived to shine. I had lived to atone for my sins. If I wanted my mother to love me like she used to, I had to become Yuren. But “Yuren,” that radiant sun, was always so distant and so blinding.

No matter how much I struggled, I could never become him. It was too hard. It hurt so much I thought I would die. Swinging a sword until my palms bled, enduring my mother’s cold, lifeless gaze, and reliving nightmares of my brother had become the norm.

The closer I got to the sun, the deeper became the darkness that consumed my life. Then Dale appeared. He was my first friend, my teacher, my savior, and my new sun. With his help, I could finally break the chains that had bound me for the past eight years.

Now, I was not going to live to become Yuren anymore. I cast aside the fear of my mother and the guilt toward my brother. Dale had taught me courage, something I had never had, something I could never give myself. I didn’t know if he realized how deeply he had saved me, how my heart was bursting with emotions I could barely contain, but it was okay even if he didn’t. I would show him little by little, from now on.

Starting today, I was going to live for Dale. I would devote everything to the one who gave me a new life. If the moon needed the sun to shine and I was the moon, then my sun was Dale. Just remembering that filled me with joy. It felt like a mysterious elixir had coursed through my body, igniting a strength I didn’t know I had.

The monster in black armor rose to its feet. “

Ah!

Urgh!

”

It was a puppet summoned by the man called Faust before he fled. The sight of it made me wonder whether I would have ended up like that too if I had gone through with the soul stigmata replacement. No, I had already been a puppet. Before I met Dale, I was no different. My strings just hadn’t been pulled yet. But now, I was free.

Gripping my sword, I summoned my mana. The soul stigmata of the Moon God engraved on my left chest glowed with radiant light. A golden aura surged along my sword, dazzling like the sun itself. But instead of being inspired, I scowled.

This wasn’t its original color. The golden hue appeared only because I had altered my mana flow to imitate my brother. I didn’t have to do that anymore. Letting go of that habit, I drew my mana out naturally.

With a sharp, shattering sound, the golden aura slowly faded. It was replaced by a sharp, silvery light, cold as moonlight, burning along the edge of my sword.

“

Haa!

”

Shivers ran down my spine. It was like I had taken a breath after being underwater too long. A soft gasp slipped from my lips as my head flooded with information I didn’t recognize, memories I had never known emerged as if they had always been there.

The realization came immediately:

This is... a Blessing.

It was a divine boon only a rare few heroes ever awakened, even among those chosen by the gods. The name of this boon was the Blessing of Moonlight.

Its knowledge entered my mind naturally, unbidden. This Blessing’s power was that the more I thought of someone precious, the stronger I became. When I understood what that meant, I immediately laughed under my breath. I had heard some Blessings granted odd effects, but gaining power through the thoughts of another? That was absurd. However, there was no Blessing more perfect for me than this.

I glanced back at Dale and smiled. Just looking at him sent a storm of overwhelming mana roaring through my body.

The armored monster let out a guttural scream and charged, its greatsword crackling with a dark aura. Even just by looking at that surging energy, I could tell how powerful it was. Yet, I exhaled slowly, gripping my sword. I didn’t know why, but despite the terrifying black aura before me, I only felt pity.

“Sun Sword Style Seventh Form: Radiant Ring.”

It was a technique I had only known in theory and a wall I had never managed to climb. But now, I stepped forward without hesitation, into that unreachable realm. A ring of silver light spun around the blade, cold and clear. That luminous ring entwined the enemy’s black-burning sword and sliced it clean in half, as easily as cutting tofu.

The puppet stared dumbly at its severed blade. “

Ah!

Uhh

?”

I didn’t wait for it to react. My sword pierced its black armor, stabbing straight through its heart.

***

The dim basement shimmered with silver light. Bathed in its glow, Yurina stood, radiant and overwhelming. “

Heh!

”

Her mana had always been extraordinary, but now, it was beyond anything I had ever imagined. The only explanation for this sudden, explosive growth was a divine Blessing.

Memories from my past life surfaced in my mind. Yurina had once been humanity’s strongest swordsman, but she had never possessed a Blessing. That had made sense at the time. After all, a Blessing wasn’t something anyone could earn through effort.

Yet, she awakened one now. This only meant one thing: it wasn’t that Yurina never had one; she simply never unlocked it in her past life. The future had indeed changed, just not in the way I feared.

Yurina, who had just felled the black-armored figure with a single strike, turned toward me with shining eyes. “Dale...”

But the moment she took a step, she swayed as if she would collapse. I rushed forward and caught her in my arms, explaining, “When a Blessing awakens for the first time, the body usually gets overwhelmed by the sudden power. Fatigue will hit you hard.”

“Oh... I see. But, Dale, how did you know...”

Yurina, still nestled in my arms, couldn’t finish her sentence as her eyelids fluttered closed and she slipped into unconsciousness. I let out a sigh, cradling her as I stepped out of the basement.

The magical bombardment had obliterated half of the mansion, but thanks to its sheer size, a few rooms were still intact. I picked one that looked relatively undamaged and opened the door.

A maid who had been hiding inside let out a startled cry and trembled at the sight of me. “

Eeek!

I-I’ll do anything you ask! Please, just don’t k-kill me!”

I sighed as I looked at the maid, who was pale and pressing her hands together in a desperate plea. Anyone hearing this would think I had butchered my way through the mansion. Just to be clear, I hadn’t killed a single person while breaking in.

“I just need to use the bed,” I said.

The maid shot up like a spring and bowed repeatedly. “Y-yes! P-please, go right ahead!”

I lay Yurina down on the bed and touched the back of my hand to her forehead. She was burning up. It was probably a side effect of her body adjusting to the new power she had awakened.

I turned to the maid. “Sorry, but could I ask you for a favor?”

“Y-yes! Of course!”

“Could you bring some cold water and a towel?”

“O-okay! Right away!” The maid dashed out of the room in a panic.

I pulled a chair over to Yurina’s bedside and sat down, quietly watching over her, when suddenly, Rosanna’s voice echoed down the hallway.

“WHERE IS THAT ARROGANT REPUBLICAN HALF-BREED?”

Guess she woke up

, I thought.

She burst into the room, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared at me. “You! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m taking care of your daughter, ma’am.”

“You little!” She stomped toward me, fists clenched. “A mongrel from the Republic dares to lay hands on a noble Imperial family? You think this is a neutral zone like the academy? Just wait. I’ll report this to the Imperial Court and—”

“To the Imperial Court,

huh

?” I let out a small snort and stood up slowly.

“W-what?” Rosanna instinctively flinched and took a step back as I approached.

My lips curled into a smirk. “Go ahead, report it if you want.”

“

Ha!

What’s with the tough act? You think someone like you, no matter how strong, could go up against the Imperial Court?”

“I can’t.”

No matter how much my abilities had improved recently, I wasn’t arrogant enough to think I could face the Imperial Court alone.

“But what about you, ma’am? Can you handle it?” I asked.

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean, what happens when they find out you conspired with a demon and attempted to use a forbidden soul stigmata replacement procedure? What do you think will become of House Helios?”

“W-wait! I didn’t know he was a demon!”

“Oh? Well, if you say so, I’ll take your word for it.” I leaned in close and whispered into her ear, “Though I’m not sure the Imperial Court will believe you.”

“

Urgh!

” Rosanna’s face twisted in horror.

“So? Want to walk into the Imperial Court together, hand in hand?”

She lowered her head in silence. The silence stretched, but for a noblewoman who valued her family’s honor more than her own life, there was really only one choice.

She bit her lip, nodded, and said in a voice low and bitter, “Fine. We’ll pretend none of this ever happened.”

I narrowed my eyes, watching her miserable expression. “Hmmm.”

However, after everything Yurina had suffered because of her, letting her off so easily didn’t sit right with me. So, I racked my brains, thinking what would it take to truly crush the pride of this arrogant noblewoman.

At that moment, the maid peeked her head nervously through the cracked door. “Um, I-I brought the water.”

“

Ah!

” I smiled broadly at her.

***

The door creaked open carefully, and a soft scent of black tea wafted through the air. Carrying a tray, Rosanna entered the room, dressed in a maid’s outfit. “

Ugh!

”

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

It wasn’t hard to see that she shared blood with Yurina. Even in her fifties, Rosanna had a stunning beauty that shone, even in a servant’s uniform.

“I... I brought your tea,” she said.

“Brought your tea?”

“I-I mean, I’ve brought your tea, sir.”

“Good. Speak politely.” I leaned back in the chair and lazily motioned her over. “How long are you planning to just stand in the doorway?”

“

Guh!

”

To think a noble lady of one of the Empire’s most prestigious families was now serving a mere cadet while dressed like a maid. It was humiliating to the point where biting her tongue and dying would have seemed preferable.

“

Hmm

. You brought the tea, so next up, how about a shoulder massage?” I said.

“What did you say?” Rosanna’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You insolent little!”

“Insolent little? What did I say earlier? What should you call me?”

Her face twisted in fury and shame. “

Guh

!”

“Keep acting out, and I’ll summon every servant in this mansion to come watch,” I said.

“N-no! Anything but that!”

Being seen like this by the staff was something she couldn’t allow.

“You understand, then?” I grinned as I looked at her.

Rosanna, head bowed and lips trembling, finally squeezed her eyes shut. “I... I’ll massage your shoulders... M-Master...”

Her face contorted with humiliation as tears began to drip down her cheeks. I chuckled and turned my gaze to the window. The night sky had settled in, and the soft glow of the moonlight shone down upon House Helios.