[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 133

    "Kk, it''s over......."

    Saint Theresia''s eyes trembled uncontrollably.

    He had defeated the demons once again.

    This time, against a demon blessed by the moon—at the most advantageous time for them.

    And not just any demon, but a noble of the Demon Realm, completely erased without a trace.

    "Sir Kaylen. You are... truly an Ernstine, aren''t you?"

    Wielding the proud Holy Sword with ease, even stealing the moon''s blessing.

    Using the Six Sword Path to annihilate the shadow demon in an instant—such a display of power made it impossible to believe he was merely a descendant of Ernstine.

    Especially, the words he had spoken to the shadow demon had been decisive.

    —"With your dark mana, you could have aimed for the rank of a Marquis in the past... perhaps even higher."

    —"If you go all out, you might even be able to replicate the power of your ancestor, Shadowbane."

    Hearing him mention Shadowbane, she had been more than 90% certain—he was an Ernstine.

    "We''ll see."

    Kaylen neither affirmed nor denied Theresia’s question.

    Instead, he asked the Holy Sword.

    "Astella. What do you think?"

    [You''ve grown weaker compared to before... but yes, Master is still Master.]

    "So it seems."

    Whirr. Whirr.

    The voice of the sword did not only reach Kaylen—it spread in all directions.

    Theresia shook her head and spoke.

    "Sir Kaylen... I don''t want to hear it from the Holy Sword. I want to hear it directly from you. Is that too much to ask?"

    Until now, he had been reluctant to tell her, partly due to his unresolved feelings toward the Sanctuary and the Holy Council.

    But at this point, she had seen too much.

    There was no need to stubbornly deny it any longer.

    Seeing Theresia''s eyes glisten with unshed tears, Kaylen made up his mind to answer her directly.

    "That''s right. I am Ernstine. I have returned in the body of a descendant."

    "S-so it was true. Hero...!"

    Tears welled up in Theresia’s eyes as she threw her arms around Kaylen.

    For a thousand years, humanity had declined.

    The Celestial Realm had been pushed back by the Demon Realm.

    The Holy Council had fled into the Sanctuary.

    And the Middle Realm had become a colony.

    Theresia had witnessed this entire downward spiral of history.

    She had always longed for the Hero, Ernstine.

    If only he had been here!

    If only he had been here, things wouldn''t have deteriorated this much...

    "For a thousand years... I’ve spent more time asleep than awake... But every time I opened my eyes, the only thing I saw was our world falling apart."

    "And each time, I thought of you, Hero. If you had been here, the world wouldn’t have become a colony of the Demon Realm."

    "Perhaps."

    No.

    That wasn’t the only reason.

    In truth... I simply missed you, Hero.

    Nestled in Kaylen’s embrace, Theresia tried to voice these words—

    But suddenly, she grew embarrassed and shut her mouth.

    If she were still young, maybe she could have said it.

    But now, she was a thousand years older than Kaylen.

    It was unbecoming.

    Unlike her, Kaylen calmly asked Theresia a question.

    "The state of the Middle Realm... How did things get this bad? You must know more since you''ve watched everything unfold."

    "......Yes. I do know."

    Theresia slowly stepped out of Kaylen’s embrace, calming her flushed cheeks.

    "But this is ''history sealed by the Holy Council.'' Even if you are the Hero, I can only explain it in detail if the Holy Council grants permission."

    "The Holy Council’s permission, huh. A thousand years have passed, and they’re still handling things in the most tedious way possible."

    "Then, does that mean you also need permission to talk about how the Holy Council treated the Meier family?"

    "Wh-what do you mean by that?"

    "The reason the Meier Imperial Family was excommunicated. And why, even after a thousand years, they continue to forbid the Selection of the Holy Sword."

    "Ah."

    At Kaylen’s words, Theresia''s expression hardened, and she responded in a calm voice.

    "Emperor Caius succumbed to dark magic and sided with the demons... That was the justification for their excommunication."

    "Right."

    "And that really is the reason the Meier Imperial Family was excommunicated."

    "......Is that really true?"

    "Yes. Emperor Caius was willing to use dark magic if it meant finding you. Because if Lord Ernstine returned, the imperial rebellion would have ended."

    Theresia added with a look of regret.

    "And as for the reason the Selection of the Holy Sword was forbidden... That was a direct decree from the Holy Sovereign. It’s likely connected to Emperor Caius siding with the demons."

    Astella, which had been stuck in the ground, slowly pulled itself free.

    And where it headed... was back to Kaylen’s sheath, made from the Light Sword.

    Clack.

    "What the...?"

    [ S-Sorry. ]

    "Didn’t you just say I couldn’t be your master?"

    [ ......I won’t act out anymore. ]

    So, in the end, this is how it was going to be.

    Kaylen smirked.

    "Just wait, Astella. I’ll regain my former strength soon enough."

    [ You really mean it, right? ]

    "That''s right. You must be the one to behead the Demon King this time."

    [ Hehe. That’s right. The Demon King this time... What’s their name again? ]

    Astella asked the Saintess.

    Theresia gave a bitter smile and answered.

    "‘The White Demon King.’"

    ‘I can’t see anything.’

    Ederna, the director of the Demon Realm Observatory, who had been monitoring Colony E-Zone, flicked her tongue.

    When Shadowwill had dragged Kaylen into the Shadow Hole, she could see things clearly.

    But ever since the Holy Sword absorbed the moonlight, observation had become impossible.

    ‘The Holy Sword has that kind of power?’

    As expected of the First Holy Sword.

    It had slain countless Demon Kings, so she had expected it to possess immense power...

    But she hadn’t anticipated it could absorb even moonlight.

    ‘And that man... He looks far too much like the previous Hero.’

    Ederna, daughter of the former Demon King, the "Crimson Flame Demon King,"

    Still vividly remembered the face of the Hero, Ernstine—the one who had slain the Demon King.

    A thousand years ago, during the final battle.

    Weak and powerless, she had fled the Demon King’s Castle on her father’s orders, along with his close aides.

    But blocking their escape... was the Hero, Ernstine, who bore that very same face.

    —Where do you think you’re running?

    He had slaughtered all of the Demon King’s aides and tried to eliminate even the small snake that was Ederna to sever any potential threats.

    —Lady Ederna! I will hold them off! Please, escape first!

    If not for that one loyal demon, she would not have survived to this day.

    In the terror of constant pursuit and impending death,

    She had burned the image of the Hero, Ernstine, into her memory.

    So much so that she still remembered it clearly, even after a thousand years.

    ‘The Hero’s descendant. Someone capable of slaying the Demon King.’

    Though he was nothing more than a lowly human from the Middle Realm’s colonies...

    If he was a descendant of the previous Hero who wielded the Holy Sword so freely, he could very well become a real threat to the Demon King in the future.

    ‘As the Observatory Director, my duty is to report this, of course.’

    Discovering abnormalities in the colonies and reporting them.

    That was the very role of the Observatory Director.

    But Ederna chose to do the exact opposite.

    Swish—

    She grabbed the imp, Vile, who had brought the observation crystal.

    "S-Supervisor?"

    Vile’s voice trembled, but Ederna said nothing.

    Instead, she opened her mouth wide.

    Sllrrrk!

    "Ah... Aaagh—!"

    Before he could even finish screaming, Vile disappeared into Ederna’s mouth.

    Gulp.

    She then turned her gaze toward the observation crystal.

    ‘Lucifer. My father died at the hands of the Hero, yet you survived.’

    "The White Demon King," Deimos.

    The strongest Demon King in history, who had conquered the Middle Realm and was now pushing into the Celestial Realm—

    A thousand years ago, he had merely been a Demon Marquess known as Lucifer.

    —Lady Ederna! I will hold them off! Please, escape first!

    And he had been the very demon who risked his life to block the Hero’s path, allowing Ederna to escape from the Demon King’s Castle.

    ‘I don’t know how you survived the Hero’s hands...’

    Ederna’s eyes gleamed coldly.

    ‘But I won’t let you have things your way, Lucifer.’

    Even if Kaylen’s existence interfered with the Demon Realm’s invasion of the Celestial Realm,

    As long as it inflicted damage on the current Demon King, she didn’t care.

    ‘I’ll take control of E-Zone for the time being.’

    Flicking her tongue, Ederna looked pleased as she finished digesting Vile, the former overseer of E-Zone.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]