Maria?
No... that's not her...
But still, she does resemble her a little...?
"Master!! You've finally awakened!"
What? Who is this girl who looks like Maria? And why the hell is she calling me Master??
"...Who are you?"
I asked her while scanning my surroundings.
This place… is strange…
Why is it so empty?
As far as my eyes could see, it was nothing but endless white grasslands.
The only beings here were me… and this girl who resembled Maria.
"What? Master, what's wrong with you? How can you not recognize me? It's me, Nora! Your one and only disciple!"
Huh? Things just keep getting stranger by the second…
But...
Why do I feel this overwhelming familiarity…?
This sunset glow, this strange warmth, this odd landscape…
And this girl… this Maria-like girl...
Could she be from one of the worlds I've lost my memories of?
I, who surrendered to despair—ignoring my own feelings and those of others...
Why am I feeling this warmth?
As if I'm… home?
Yes… Home.
This place is my home.
And this girl… she's my disciple.
And this world—this world is my dream.
Was what I did to the Empire truly so terrible that I needed to escape reality?
Has my surrender to despair turned me into a weak-willed insect, fleeing from the mere collapse of an empire?
Wake up, Telodeos, from your fake dream. Face the truth.
What you did in past lives was far worse than this.
I won't say my actions are justifiable.
But everyone has reasons, goals, and ends...
And after all, the end justifies the means.
Rise from this false dream and stop running—
The path to virtue is not a clean, red carpet.
It is a bloodstained path, soaked with the sins of your enemies… and your own.
Face your disciple, for you are the one who killed her father.
Face her, for you are her only path forward.
Because the path of despair is not easy—
And never will be.
RISE.
.....
Urgh…
Hmm… I think I've woken up…
"Master, you've finally awakened!"
Hmm… this time, I'm sure I'm conscious…
This Maria—she's real.
The dusty air caused by my earlier attack confirms it.
But why the hell is Maria here?
"I'm really grateful you're okay. We were afraid you'd never wake up because of that thing on your face."
We?
Kugssa is here too!?
"Didn't I tell you two to leave the Empire? Why are you still here?"
Wait a second…
"Hold on… did you say was on my face?"
"Yes, Master. Your face was completely black, as if your veins were about to burst. But suddenly, it went back to normal… Apparently, that thing had spread all over your body, not just your face."
So the curse has subsided.
Despair no longer dominates my mind… or my consciousness.
Though, the seal on my soul is still there—just as that woman's voice said.
Hmph…
"Where is Kugssa?"
"Over there. She's meditating."
Meditating?
"Help me stand."
"Alright, Master."
I leaned on Maria's shoulder and stood with great difficulty. My left arm and right leg were useless due to the soul seal.
But once I was upright, I thought of floating—
And it worked.
Though I couldn't walk, hovering a few centimeters above the ground would do just fine.
"Amazing! How did you do that, Master? I don't feel even a trace of mana coming from you, yet you can still use your skills!"
Her voice… she still hasn't come to terms with it.
After all… it was her father.
"I'm not using any skill. Or rather, I can't anymore. You could say this floating is fate's twisted little gift to me. After all, I never became a Virtue… but I am stronger than anyone who has reached Sovereignty."
"Hmm… I don't really understand what you mean..."
"You will soon. For now, let's check on Kugssa."
We headed toward Kugssa.
From a distance, I noticed something strange happening…
"She's breaking through!"
She's piercing through to the level of a Legendary Warrior.
But not only that—
She's entered a state of unconscious meditation, trying to uncover something…
"What happened to her for this to occur?!" I shouted at Maria.
The air was thick with dust and turbulent from Kugssa's meditative storm. I had no choice but to shout.
"She entered that state right after witnessing the phenomenon you caused, Master!"
Even though Maria shouted, I could barely make out her words.
That phenomenon—
She must mean… my Sword Intent?
Wait…
Wait…
WAIT!!!
She's breaking through to Legendary Warrior level,
And even trying to uncover some mysterious truth—
All because she saw my Sword Intent?
"She… she gained Sword Intent…"
"WHAT?! Master, she hasn't even reached her twenties yet!!!"
"For heaven's sake, I KNOW!!"
How the hell is this even possible in this world?!
Gaining Sword Intent just from witnessing another's…?
She hacked the system—
She hacked this damn world!!
Sigh…
Why is fate this unfair…?
I went through Black Hell just to glimpse the idea of Sword Intent.
Then comes this "genius" girl—
And she just gets it…
Ghhhaaaah…
Once again…
This world is unjust.
.....
Hours passed…
The storm slowly began to fade…
And we were still waiting for Kugssa to complete her breakthrough.
Since the storm was dying down, that meant she succeeded.
But for some reason… her Sword Intent feels different.
"Maria…"
"Yes, Master…?"
"I will not apologize for what I did to your father… or your homeland."
"It's alright, Master. They… they deserved it. But I won't lie… I did feel something about it..."
"It's okay, Maria. Just know that no matter what happens… I will stay with you from now on.
And also… it's okay to cry, when sorrow becomes too heavy to bear."
"Master… hhhm…
Ughh...
Daaaddy!!... Ughh, Moooom… Waaah… Ugh, Rasel… I… I'm sorryyyy—Waaaaahh!!!"
Maria clung to my shoulder and wept from the depths of her soul.
Releasing the shards of sorrow buried in her heart…
As she began her new journey—
With no family left.
And the weight of an entire Empire on her shoulders.
I understand you deeply, Maria.
Loss is painful…
And responsibility is terrifying.
My goal forced me to do what I did to you—
But even so…
I will never regret it again.
For the path of despair is thorned, cruel, and bloody.
And my goal…?
I truly don't know anymore.
For my wish… is a black one.
.....
After Maria calmed down, signs of awakening appeared on Kugssa's face.
Slowly, she became aware of her surroundings.
And the moment she saw me and Maria—
She stood and dashed toward me, hugging me with incredible force.
"Master Tel!!! I'm so glad you're alright—waaahhh!"
Her physical strength had clearly increased—
For a second, I thought she'd break my back…
"It's alright. No need to cry, Kugssa. Your Master won't die so easily."
Maria stared at Kugssa for a moment, then said in confusion—
"By the way, Master… doesn't Kugssa's Sword Intent seem a little too clear…?"
She was right. I had noticed that before too.
"Maria! I'm glad you're safe too, sister!!"
"Kugssa, turn around for a second."
Hmm… strange…
Her Sword Intent is stronger than that of a Swordmaster who's trained for fifty years straight—
Yet she seems unable to control it.
"Kugssa… when you saw my Sword Intent, what was the first thought that came to mind?"
This would help me determine the type of her Sword Intent.
"Umm… but Master, no thoughts really came to mind.
I just felt my mana suddenly surge, and I sat down to meditate to calm it down."
I see…
No… I don't see—!!
No way…
"Kugssa… you haven't achieved Sword Intent yet?!!!"
"HUUUUUH???"