Chapter 88: Split in Two

The Empire was in the midst of celebration.  

A hero had appeared.  

His name was Carl, and as soon as he pulled out the legendary sword, Lightbane, he set off on an adventure riding a Pegasus.  

Alongside the warriors of the Lion Tribe and the golden saintess.  

The impact was immense.  

The first to react was the theater scene.  

While ‘The Prince of Night’ was still drawing in crowds, whispers began to surface:  

"Everywhere you go, it's ‘The Prince of Night’, ‘The Prince of Night’. I want to see something else for a change."  

Trends change quickly.  

Theater owners, quick to catch on, began hounding their playwrights.  

And before long, one theater put on a play about ‘The Hero on Pegasus.’  

It was a massive hit.  

One by one, every theater replaced ‘The Prince of Night’ with ‘The Hero on Pegasus’ as their main show.  

It even made headlines:  

◆ The Light That Pierces the Darkness: The Hero Who Finally Ends the Reign of ‘The Prince of Night’.  

But not everyone was happy about this shift.  

“Hah. What's so great about this hero anyway? ‘The Prince of Night’ is way cooler. The public is just full of idiots.”  

“Uh, Seri? ‘The Prince of Night’ is good, but maybe we should start putting on ‘The Hero on Pegasus’. Our sales are dropping…”  

“Go ahead.”

“Re-Really?”  

“I won’t be around for it, though.”  

Crunch.  

Seri Lavione, the star actress of the Golden Theater, crumpled the Empire's newspaper in her hand.  

The theater owner broke out in a cold sweat.  

'Darling, just watch. I’ll protect you until the very end.'  

Serena made up her mind firmly.  

It wasn’t long after that she heard the news of Ascal and Lia Cinus’ romantic involvement.  

****  

In the Crown Prince’s office.  

“Yulia. You look like your spirit has left you. What’s going on?”  

The hero’s arrival was good news.  

But the Crown Prince couldn’t simply cheer alongside the common folk.  

For the sake of the Empire, he had to weigh every gain and loss.  

And to discuss that, he summoned his younger sister, Yulia, to his office.  

After all, she had been present when the hero pulled the sword.  

“Hey.”  

Kain waved his hand playfully in front of Yulia’s face.  

“…Ah. Yes, brother.”  

Recently, Yulia had been acting strangely.  

The Yulia Kain knew was always calm and wise. A bit scary at times, but steady.  

But now, she seemed more like a girl in love.  

Somehow, she even seemed to care more about her appearance, wearing accessories she never used to.

Even now, she would sometimes stare quietly out the window and let out a long sigh.

"Do you have any guesses about the hero's true identity?"  

"I'm not sure."  

"He seems like someone who fell from the sky. Other than his name, ‘Carl’, nothing else is known."  

Of course, that was only natural.  

Because the person known as Carl didn't exist.  

"But I've heard that someone saw you and this Carl figure getting quite close."  

The Crown Prince's eyes sharpened.  

This was the reason he had called Yulia to his office.  

Yulia had some sort of connection with the hero, Carl.  

But exactly what that connection was remained unclear.  

"Is he perhaps... your boyfriend?"  

"Pfft—!"  

Yulia spewed the tea she had been drinking, and the Crown Prince wiped his face with a handkerchief.

"N-No, of course not."  

"Well, I guess not. The hero left riding a Pegasus with the saintess after all. That makes it rather unlikely."  

Crack.

The teacup in Yulia's hand cracked.  

That's right.  

When Ascal fled from the Light, he had seated the saintess behind him on his Pegasus, leaving Yulia behind.  

Of course, Ascal had acted knowing that in the Light, one becomes both a hero and a saintess. But regardless of the reasoning, Yulia couldn’t help but feel...  

-You want to imprison him, don’t you?  

The instinct of a tyrant stirred deep within her.  

‘Ascal. You terrible person.’  

She repeated his name in her mind.  

How long had they even been together before he ran off with another woman? That Eileen, the saintess—she was quite pretty. 

‘Could it be that he prefers blondes? But I’m blonde, too…’

For now, Yulia forced herself to calm down.

"Speaking of which, Ascal is still missing, isn't he? It's strange. They said he went for military training, but Ascal wasn't there."  

The rumor about Ascal, the Minister of Evaluations, going for military training was well-known throughout the Empire.  

A report had been misdelivered, but the story was that Ascal had voluntarily joined the training to set a good example.  

"No way!"  

"...Have you realized it, brother?"  

Carl = Ascal.

Even their names were a little similar.  

It was a truth that the astute Crown Prince would quickly grasp.  

However—  

"Did he flee the Empire again? I guess we'll have to bring him back."  

"..."  

There were only two people officially recognized by the Empire for deserting: Ascal and Bernstein.  

Both men worked tirelessly without vacations, and when their stress reached its peak, they would escape. The Emperor’s hounds would then fetch them at an appropriate time.  

It had become a familiar annual event.  

"For now... we’ll keep an eye on the hero who seems to have vanished into the sky, and Ascal must be well-rested by now, so we should bring him back too."  

"Brother."  

"Hm?"  

"I’ll go with them. To capture Ascal."  

"Uh, right. Sure."

​

​The Crown Prince felt a shiver run down his spine. Yulia’s eyes had grown cold.

And so, Yulia set off with Arthur, the leader of the Emperor’s hounds, to capture Ascal.

The silence was palpable.

Left alone, the Crown Prince gazed up at the ceiling. Then, he spoke his true desire aloud.

"I want to steal that Pegasus."

The Crown Prince wanted to gallop across the plains.

****

Though he'd heard stories of tigers smoking pipes, he'd never heard of a rabbit doing the same.

Ascal pondered seriously.

Should he accept the smokegrass offered by the Earth Tribe or not?

「It’s mostly harmless, aside from making your body feel a bit drowsy. It’s actually quite mild.」

“Well, considering the pipe I usually smoke is far more harmful, I guess this isn’t so bad.”

Just as Ascal accepted the smokegrass, he heard thunderous footsteps behind him.

The warriors of the Lion Tribe had arrived.

“Monsters are threatening Mazar-nim! Protect Mazar-nim!”

As soon as Vadim spotted the Earth Tribe member near Ascal, his eyes blazed with fury.

“Wait! Everyone, halt!”

In an instant, a massacre of the rabbits was about to unfold.

Ascal, holding Lightbane, shouted.

“They have done nothing to harm me yet. Everyone, calm down.”

At Ascal's command, the Lion Tribe warriors froze in place.

It was a relief that they listened well.

“These giant, bipedal rabbits... could they be theEarth tribe, thought to be extinct?”

Eileen took a step forward, curiosity in her voice.

The Earth Tribe member tilted its head.

“They're... adorable...”

Instinctively, Eileen reached out to pet the rabbit.

And the rabbit bit her hand.

“Ow!”

“The saintess! These are wicked creatures indeed! We must exterminate them immediately!”

“No, no, it was my fault. I was rude.”

Eileen then turned to look at Ascal.

“Do you really think these creatures harassed the giant tortoise? As far as I know, the Earth tribe wasn’t a malicious group…”

“That’s what we’re about to find out.”

The Earth tribe members looked wary.

There were so many humans around, and one of them had rudely tried to pet them. The smoking rabbits dropped to all fours.

They were preparing for battle.

It was a tense standoff, and it seemed like a fight could break out at any moment.

“Just give the order, Mazar! One minute will be enough!” Vadim declared.

“You’re too hasty. We need to observe a bit more. Carl!” Eileen countered.

With differing opinions, the decision rested with Ascal.

After a moment of thought, Ascal pulled out the smokegrass and lit it.

The Earth tribe member tilted its head in confusion.

‘Oh, this actually tastes pretty good.’

As Ascal puffed on the smokegrass, an idea crossed his mind—this stuff could be a big hit in the Empire.

He exhaled a puff of smoke shaped like a donut.

The Earth tribe members started murmuring in awe.

​Soon, one of the Earth tribe members stepped forward as their representative.  

This one was a bit larger than the others—clearly the leader.  

The Earth tribe leader took a puff from the smokegrass, exhaled, and commented,  

"A boat shape... not bad."  

This opponent was no ordinary adversary.  

Ascal responded by blowing out another puff of smoke, this time forming the shape of flowing waves.  

The Earth tribe members hopped around excitedly.  

「As expected of my master. To think of this strategy. Smokegrass is a sacred tradition for the Earth tribe, and challenging them with it is something they can’t refuse.」  

It was akin to walking into a house full of rappers and suddenly challenging them to a rap battle.  

This was now a matter of pride for their entire tribe.  

After a moment of contemplation, the Earth tribe leader made his move. He exhaled a spiral-shaped swirl of smoke.  

-What now, human?

His expression seemed to say.  

Ascal smirked, then released his final puff of smoke.  

This one was a multi-layered, pulsing heart shape.  

Its name? Dragon Heart―――  

With that, the Earth tribe leader dropped to his knees.  

He had accepted defeat.  

“...In all my life, I’ve never witnessed such a ridiculous—no, unique—duel.”  

Cough, cough!

Ascal chuckled to himself.  

‘Muggles…’

Unlike these humans, who lacked taste, the Earth tribe—true connoisseurs of art—began hopping wildly in place. It was their way of showing the highest form of respect.  

****  

「 The Tortoise said that? But we did nothing wrong... All we did was peacefully smoke some smokegrass...

That’s what they’re saying, master,」 translated Lightbane.  

Now that Ascal had earned the Earth tribe’s trust, they were able to converse more freely.  

“So you have no clue who might be responsible?”  

「 ...If it’s you, I’ll tell.」 

The Earth tribe leader’s eyes turned serious.  

He tapped his front paws on the ground.  

「 There’s something far more terrifying on this island besides us. A giant creature that devours our kin!」   

“A giant creature?”  

The Earth tribe leader pressed his long ears against the ground.  

「When you listen carefully to the earth, you can hear it... even now... the sound of that monster moving... Ohh?」

Suddenly, the leader's expression turned grim.  

「 Why is the sound growing louder? It's getting closer. Danger! We’re in danger!」  

Rumble! 

“Everyone, get off the ground!”

Ascal shouted.

From the ground, a massive worm burst forth.  

And in an instant, it snatched the Earth tribe leader into its mouth.  

Gulp—

‘Damn it.’  

Ascal quickly surveyed the area.

Thankfully, everyone else had already evacuated.  

「The monster that devours mountains! The Great Worm, also known as Shiksangwi! This must be the creature that’s been tormenting the giant tortoise!」  

With a beast that size tunneling beneath it, it was no wonder the giant tortoise had been suffering.

“Just give the word, Mazar-nim!”  

The warriors stood ready.  

Lightbane hummed with energy.  

「Master! Now is the time for us to shine! Draw me!」  

Ascal unsheathed Lightbane.  

The blade gleamed brilliantly.  

「I have another power! My strength grows based on your accomplishments! Let me review your feats!」  

Slowly, the blade began to glow a golden hue.  

「As expected of my master! You’ve accomplished enough to evolve me to the next stage—Stage 2!」  

A new emblem appeared on Lightbane’s hilt.  

「Amazing! This is triggering further evolution! I’ll now ascend to Stage 3, matching the power of the legendary heroes before you!」  

Runes began to engrave themselves onto the blade.

「Wait, hold on! How many accomplishments do you have? Why is the list so long? Aaaaah! I’m evolving to the final stage!」  

A golden aura enveloped Lightbane's blade.

But the evolution didn’t stop there.  

「No, no, I can’t take anymore! I’m losing myself! I’m becoming something else! Stop it, stop it!」  

And then Lightbane’s voice fell silent.  

It had started evolving on its own, pushing beyond the final stage to some unknown, bizarre level.  

Ascal, left with no other choice, decided to swing the now-transformed Lightbane experimentally.  

And then—

A massive wave of light erupted from the sword, soaring into the sky.

“What the hell is happening?!”

Then—

Boom!

A colossal shockwave swept across the battlefield, striking the Great Worm.  

The Great Worm was instantly split in half.  

“......”

Everyone stood speechless.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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