I looked up at the tranquil night sky, feeling the pleasant, fresh breeze. The wind came and playfully toyed with my hair. Come to think of it, for some time now, a night sky had been spread out in my mindscape, and it was full of stars. For some reason, the number of stars seemed to have increased, and their brightness seemed to have intensified.

Had the starlight become brighter, or had the night sky become blacker? I thought it might be both.

At some point, a pale moon was floating gently among the stars that were sprinkled like salt. It wasn't as brilliant as the countless stars that filled the night sky, but the moon's unique, gentle, and cool moonlight pushed aside the procession of brilliant starlight and proudly reigned as the protagonist of the night sky.

Well, the moon in my inner world was like a cluster formed by the gathering of countless stars, so of course, its presence was greater.

The scenery was being filled in, one by one. My inner world was gradually becoming richer. Someday, if I could handle the power of ice like Frost, maybe I could make an ice sculpture resembling Tina here, or freeze the lake and slide on it.

"Hehe."

Just the thought of it made me excited.

As I was admiring the scenery of my inner world, a thought suddenly occurred to me. Since this place is in my mindscape, couldn't I move it as I please?

When I asked about this, the Heavenly Demon stared at me blankly and then answered in an indifferent tone.

[Try it.]

I raised my finger and pointed it towards the sky.

Hwoooong—

The wind immediately began to ride an updraft. My clothes fluttered, and my hair flew up.

"Oh."

Should I try moving the stars in the night sky? I poked the brightest star with my fingertip and moved my hand, and the star flew around, following my hand.

"Hahahaha..."

Laughter escaped me automatically. Because I was pleased. Because I felt like a god. Because the me who had been running away from the Heart Demon the day before was ridiculous. In a world where I could act as I pleased like a god, what was I so afraid of that I ran away into the darkness?

My thoughts suddenly turned to the one who had shown me this world. If it weren't for him, I would never have been able to see such a beautiful world, nor would I have known of its existence. The one who led me to a world I didn't know. The master who unfolded a new world before my eyes.

Is this why everyone serves a master?

I wiped the smile off my face and looked at the Heavenly Demon with a serious expression.

"Master."

[What is it?]

I pointed to the night sky and said.

"For you, I can even pluck the stars from that sky."

[...]

I poked the brightest star and then flicked my finger. The star drew a long tail and fell straight down. I caught the falling star and then opened my hand.

"Ta-da!"

On my palm, a sparkling star was floating.

"Master. This is my heart."

When I blew on it, the star twinkled and slowly moved towards the Heavenly Demon. As I sent the floating starlight to the Heavenly Demon...

The Heavenly Demon frowned and coldly slapped the star away.

Flick!

The star, slapped by the Heavenly Demon, instantly disappeared far away.

"...."

I stared blankly at the trajectory of the shooting star as it flew away, leaving a sad cry.

[Enough with the nonsense. Look at the pond.]

As the Heavenly Demon said, I lowered my gaze and looked at the quaint pond situated between me and him. The pond was very clear, so clear that it reflected the scenery of the night sky like a mirror.

Twice the beautiful night sky! I felt the reward of having boldly discarded the turbid energy and accumulated only the purest energy in my dantian.

As I was looking at the pond with satisfaction, the Heavenly Demon spoke in a displeased tone.

[What are you grinning about?]

I answered with a smiling face.

"You want me to check the results of my training, right? I can see it well like this. The water is so clear. It's so clear that the night sky is reflected like a mirror."

[That's a given.]

"Hmm?"

[Not that. Look at the moon. Do you see it?]

I confirmed the moon floating like a small boat in the pond that held the night sky.

"Of course, I see it."

[Look closely. Hasn't its shape changed?]

"Ah!"

Only then did I realize. The crescent moon had become a half-moon. It was so natural that I hadn't realized it right away. Why didn't I notice it sooner?

[The moon has waxed to a half-moon.]

"Does that mean?"

[What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. Have you heard of it?]

"I have."

[There is a hidden meaning there. In other words, it means you become stronger when you reach the brink of death.]

"...Is that right?"

[It is.]

"Hmm."

Come to think of it, not being killed means I almost died, doesn't it? I reviewed my fights with the Royal Knights.

The taciturn Victor. The manly Victor. Victor of the flaming dual axes. He was a truly hot-blooded and strong knight. I think he was the strongest man I had faced since coming here, after Frost. My left shoulder was wrecked by his flaming axe. I barely defeated him using the two ultimate skills I had contemplated all night: Ten Thousand Skies Black Rain and Moonflower Falling.

And... Van Dyke of the Iron Spear. The cautious Van Dyke. The Van Dyke who would beat a stone bridge until it broke before crossing. Since he used a spear, he didn't easily give up distance. A man like an iron wall who created an invisible wall with countless thrusts, denying approach itself. The pressure of facing that wall directly is no joke. Unless you somehow break through that wall and get into his range, you are likely to be defeated without landing a single effective blow.

Even if you barely squeeze in, another new problem arises. He's big, but his movements are surprisingly agile, so instead of a thrust, you're likely to be hit by a swing with tremendous force. As someone who has been hit directly, let me tell you... anyone who gets hit by that once is a goner. No exceptions.

The man stronger than the manly Victor is the stone-bridge-breaking Van Dyke. Come to think of it, it's a wonder I didn't die. How did I beat those monsters? It still doesn't feel real. Of course, neither of them used their main weapons, so that probably wasn't their full power... but I won anyway.

Thinking about it that way, it seemed to make some sense.

"So, you're saying my realm has risen from the Crescent Moon to the Half-Moon?"

The Heavenly Demon nodded.

[That's right. Summon the moonlight.]

I summoned the moonlight sword that had torn apart the red giant, the Heart Demon, that had been chasing me, and held it in my hand. The moonlight bloomed without a sound.

"...."

As I looked at it quietly... I thought it resembled the gentle light that had surrounded Tina. A cozy and somehow nostalgic feeling. It felt like a light that was protecting me. Then it means I tore apart the Heart Demon with Tina's power.

I danced with the moonlight sword in front of the stars, the half-moon, and the Heavenly Demon. The moonlight sword scattered a gentle moonlight, just like the light she had been wrapped in. It was a profound night.

***

I woke up nearly 20 days after the decisive battle. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Shushruta's night-sky-like eyes looking down at me blankly. She looked at me with moist eyes full of worry, and I said this to her, who had been worrying all this time.

"...What are you looking at?"

It was the first thing I said after waking up. Shushruta was so moved that she started throwing cat-punches, and I exchanged greetings with those who had rushed over after hearing the commotion.

And so, I grasped the general situation.

The Black Prince had officially inherited the throne and was in the middle of turning the royal family upside down. It was said that dozens of heads were rolling every day, and he was showing an exemplary image as a tyrant, which was so moving it was choking. It seemed he planned to thoroughly screw over his own territory, the royal family, first, and then gradually expand the area he was screwing over, and seeing what he was doing, the day the entire kingdom would be screwed was not far off.

Well... whether he turned it upside down or not was none of my business.

When I asked when the teleportation magic circle would be available, they said that since many mages had been caught up in the process of him turning things upside down, it would take some time to gather new court mages.

When I sighed, Sir Max hurriedly reassured me. He said not to worry, as activating the teleportation magic circle was their top priority and they were putting all their efforts into screwing things over.

What could I do? I just nodded and said I understood.

As if they had been guarding me tightly while I was asleep, the Black Knights who had rushed over as soon as I woke up were dismissed to go about their business, leaving only four people.

As I was talking with the remaining people... I heard some shocking news.

Frost had visited several times.

"When?"

"It's been a few days."

Walpole answered, tilting his head.

"I think he came a total of three or four times."

Sir Ashley corrected him.

"Four times."

I blinked and asked.

"...What did he do when he came?"

Sir Ashley answered this question.

"He asked various questions, such as when you would wake up and what your condition was, and then he would stare at the sleeping Prince Ashuban before leaving."

...That cold guy came and stared at me.

'A sudden chill...'

For some reason, I got goosebumps and shivered, and Ashley reassured me.

"Don't worry. We were thoroughly monitoring him to make sure he didn't do anything funny."

I looked at Sir Ashley.

"But is there anyone who can stop Frost if he does do something funny?"

"Oh."

I looked at the speechless Sir Ashley.

"...Still, he only watched and didn't do anything else, so you don't have to worry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Walpole chimed in.

"Sometimes, an unknown halo of light would surround Prince Ashuban, and he would watch it with curiosity and ask us about it."

Linda jumped up and down.

"That's right! A sparkling light came out from his whole body!"

I looked at the frantically jumping Linda and then asked Walpole.

"So what did you answer?"

"We said we didn't know either. Because we really don't."

"An excellent answer."

"Yes."

I looked at Walpole, who was wearing his bandaged arm around his neck like a necklace.

"Sir Walpole."

"Yes."

"Is your arm okay?"

Walpole smiled and said.

"No problem. They say if I consistently do rehabilitation therapy, I'll be able to swing a sword just like before."

I nodded.

"That's good to hear."

"Yes."

Sir Ashley asked me.

"Are you alright, Prince Ashuban?"

She also had bandages here and there, but she looked to be in better condition than Walpole, whose arm had been cut off.

"As for me..."

My body still ached, letting me know it wasn't normal, but it wasn't bad. At least I was alive.

I answered honestly.

"Not bad. I think I'll be better if I sleep a lot."

Sir Ashley nodded.

"I see. That's a relief."

I looked around and said.

"I don't see Sir Fluffy. The Count either."

Shushruta, who had been facing the wall and saying nothing until then, answered.

"Sir Fluffy is with the Black Prince."

"Oh, really?"

Shushruta glanced at me and added an explanation.

"I hear he's making good use of the demon sword and its master. He always has him with him when he stands before people, and he puts him at the forefront when he intimidates the nobles."

Well, that was what he had in mind when he asked to borrow the demon sword.

"That's our Shushruta. They say even cats have ears. Has our stray cat calmed down a bit?"

"...Hmph."

Shushruta snorted and turned back to face the wall. She seemed to be seriously sulking. But as always, she would get over it on her own after a little time, so I wasn't too worried.

I looked at Sir Walpole and asked.

"And the Count?"

"The family head couldn't be away from the family for long, so he received simple treatment and then returned to his domain."

"Aha."

At that moment, the sound of several footsteps was heard from outside the door. Judging by the particularly impatient footsteps among them, I could guess who the owner was.

The door burst open, and the protagonist appeared. He was still wearing black clothes.

"Our impatient king has arrived."

I greeted him warmly.

The Black Prince glared at me, then slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

"...Country bumpkin."

(End of Chapter)