“Where is our table ?” Aita asked. “Right there, Milord.” The maid pointed to the table near the one belonging to the Imperial family. Helio, Margreth and Albert were already there. The seats around the table were enough for only Aita and important people like Selena and Karen. Thud! Thud! Thud! The sound of hurried footsteps echoed. Aita stopped on his track and waited for the girl to pass. “Hm?” He recognized the girl. Black hair and grey eyes, it was Anna Foster. She wore a frown as she seemed to be looking for someone. Anna ignored Aita and the others on her right and walked but- Clack! Her high heels bent and she lost her stance. ‘Are you kidding me?!’ Aita felt a feeling of déjà-vu and it annoyed him as she was falling right in front of him. Grab He grabbed her by the hand and Anna avoided the fall. Anna sighed in relief and looked at Aita. “You shouldn’t wear highheels when you don’t even know how to walk with them.” Anna glared at Aita. “Get off of me!”
“The space rift? We don’t know anything about it though?”Aura said.They had already asked Helio about it and he hadn't even given them any information about it because they were as lost as them.He could have lied but he seemed very sincere, so it was probably true."Yeah, Solaria doesn't have any information about it but what about the others ?"Sienna asked."You mean Nychterin and Fulgura ?""No, Anna. I don't think they have anything either. I'm talking about Lunarstella and Niveis."""!""Aura and Anna opened their eyes in realization. "Now that we made a truce with them. We can maybe ask them. But there is a high chance of failure."Though they made a truce, it didn't mean they became best friends after all.Information about the space rift was also valuable, so there was even less chance."Leave that matter to me.""Aura?"Anna was surprised by Aura’s proposition."Why are you so sure ?"Sienna frowned."W-Well, that Lord Commander has a good impression of me and Claire, so
“Wait.” Aita felt something snap inside him as he saw someone barring his way. And the identity of the guy didn’t help either to calm him. Black hair, blue eyes with a very handsome face. It was Austin Lachman. “Who are you again? Ousting?” “It’s Austin!” Austin replied loudly at Aita’s mocking. “I am busy ‘Ousting’ so get the hell out of my sight.” Aita kindly requested before bypassing Austin. “Wait!” Austin stepped back before blocking Aita again. Unfortunately, Austin’s voice was rather loud… “Oh! What’s happening?!” “I-It’s Austin, he is arguing with that masked guy!” “Will he be okay? Th-That guy is a monster!” “D-Don’t know but he looks cool with that mask and his eyes are really beautiful~” “N-Nora?!” The noisiest ones were, of course, Austin’s classmates, also his own classmates. Thud! Aita ignored the noisy bunch and approached Austin. Since now he was as tall as Austin, he could look straight at Austin. No, Aita was looking down at Austin without a doub
The small feast to celebrate the truce between Solaria and Lunarstella ended in good terms even though Aita left because of Prince Albert’s comment. Or at least they thought that was the reason. But no, Aita just left because he felt uncomfortable with the skin mask and he wanted to sleep as well… "I see…" In a large room, Claire was facing Sienna. She didn't find the time to explain to her what happened during the meeting so first thing in the next morning, she told everything to Sienna. Well, everything except Aita's identity. Honestly, she couldn't tell if he seriously meant his words when he said that he would kill their classmates if his identity was revealed by them. But after seeing how he mercilessly beat up Vincent and Jordan, she preferred to play it safe. There was also the fact that she thought Aita might have a good reason to hide his identity, so in the end, she kept mute even in front of Sienna. "The Lord Commander of Lunarstella is aware…" Sienna fell silent.
"H-Help!"The voice of a young girl echoed inside the palace in the morning.The usual calm palace was already becoming noisy.The maids and knights of Solaria met the amazing sight of Aita carrying Claire without her consent.It was without doubt a kidnapping (for them).Aita probably confessed to Claire, to which she refused and the latter, without choice, took her away forcefully for malicious intent (for them).But they couldn't do anything.After they witnessed the day before, they learned about Aita's ruthless side.If even Jordan, who was considered as one of the strongest Heroes, was beaten up easily like that, then they would be just a pebble on the ground for him."L-Let me go!"Claire hit Aita's back with her fists but it was just tickling him."L-Let me go! You can't do that just because I refused you!""Shut up! They are all misunderstanding me!"Aita shouted, irritated by Claire's shouts."T-Then put me down!""No, I will bring you back to Sienna so she will keep you fro
"Claire." "..." "Claire…" "Ah yes?" Claire finally replied. After Aita 'delivered' Claire safely to Sienna, he bid them farewells and left. Since then, Claire seemed lost in her thoughts. Sienna looked at her with a hint of confusion. She couldn't help but feel like she was missing something. Something that would explain Claire and Aura's strange behavior towards Aita. She knew both Claire and Aura well. Claire would never act so casually with a stranger. Aura was a more open-minded girl, but she also acted too close to Aita. Something was amiss... But she couldn't find what it was. "Hu-Hum, Sienna." "Yes?" Claire hesitated a little but remembering about Aita's words, she opened her mouth. "I-It’s about the Lord Commander of Lunarstella. He doesn't want us to involve ourselves with Salazar Solaria anymore." "..." Sienna furrowed her brows. "Why…?" She asked while scanning Claire’s expression. "He said that he would take care of him so we shouldn't interfere in his p
"You took your time, Aita."Selena said.They were called early in the morning by the Emperor but few people came late.Aita, Laika, Aura, her friends, Claire, Sienna and a few others.“I’m not the only one. Anyway, that Emperor is still not there? He sure has the guts to call us in advance to come himself late.”“Shhhh.”Selena put her fingers on Aita’s lips to stop him from further insulting Solaria.“They will hear you.”Selena looked around her.“Indeed I heard.”“!”Selena turned around and saw a grey-eyed beauty.Again, Selena found her very beautiful, like Aura.“Anna, don’t start early in the morning…”Isabel sighed next to Anna.“Hmpf. That guy needs to get off his high horse.”Anna spat in disdain at Aita before her.“Lady Isabel, I can’t condone such words to Aita. He is the Lord Commander of our Empire and m-my fiance.”Selena furrowed her brows at Anna’s behavior.Among everyone here, she was the only one speaking her thoughts without holding back. In a sense, she was sim
“Sir Aita asked me a favor.”After the awkward silence, Helio spoke.As expected of the ruler of an Empire, his skin was very thick.Though what he said piqued everyone’s curiosity.What that young cheeky Commander would have asked?They couldn’t imagine Aita asking a favor from someone.“He would like to try the rift of our capital.”“““““!”””””People turned toward Aita in surprise.The latter’s expression deformed.He had enough of being always at the center of attention.“Can’t they refrain from turning their faces toward me? It’s cringe.”“That brat…”Dante clenched his fists.“Cough. I agree but I would like our ‘Heroes’ to also accompany the Commander in the rift.”‘That damn Emperor.’Aita frowned.It wasn’t part of what he had asked…Helio smiled and continued.“I hope our Heroes and Lunarstella can learn from each other.”“I don't have anything to learn from them though.”“...”Helio’s smile froze at Aita’s words.As for his classmates, the Heroes’ expressions turned bitter.
The Nychterin Empire, once overshadowed by hardship, had transformed into a beacon of power and resilience on the Dreamland continent. This remarkable evolution was a stark contrast to its past, a past marred by the scars of a war that had ravaged the nation hundreds of years earlier. During those tumultuous times, the Nychterin Empire had borne the brunt of the conflict, losing countless knights to the enemy's clutches.The aftermath was even grimmer, marked by a scarcity of labor and, more poignantly, a pervasive sense of desolation that had settled over the populace. Widows mourned, children became orphans, and the Empire seemed to teeter on the precipice of despair. Yet, amid this darkness, a glimmer of hope emerged.The Solaria Empire, a benevolent force, extended a compassionate hand to their beleaguered neighbors. Without seeking recompense, they aided in the Empire's reconstruction and dispatched healers to tend to the wounded souls. Although the specter of gloom lingered, the
“You-You want to take part in the tournament?”Selena stammered, speechless at Aita’s demand.“Yeah.”Aita nodded casually.“Why, suddenly? You told me yesterday you were not interested?”Selena tried her best to keep her calm.“I want the reward.”“!”Shock filled Selena’s face. Did he want the reward? So Princess Evelyn? She couldn’t believe it.“Wh-Why? You already have me…”Selena started to doubt her own worth now. She didn’t want to brag about it, but she considered herself not less beautiful than Evelyn Nychterin. Or maybe Aita liked the innocent-type more?“What?”Aita, as dense as ever, wondered what the hell she was speaking about. He only wanted the second reward, the other part of his spear after all.“Can I use you in need every day? Would you be with me any time?”Aita said in a mocking tone. She wasn’t a weapon after all.“Idiot!”-Thud!Selena threw the cup of coffee in Aita’s face and ran away with a tomato-red face.***“Princess.”“...”“Princess?”“Ah!”Selena brok
“Ahhhh…He’s taking his time.” Daisy yawned as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. More than an hour had passed and Aita still hadn’t come out. She was on the verge of sleeping on the floor but held back. She could wait for Aita. Aita had still saved her best friend and her. “What the hell is he doing?!” Anna, still hidden in the corner, was reaching the limits of her patience. “Anna, seriously, we should go…I really want to sleep…” Isabel leaned on the wall and was on the verge of falling asleep like that. “No! Wait a little mor-” “Daisy?” “““!””” “Le-Lena?” Daisy was surprised to see Elena here. She was sure Elena would play or speak with Aura for a few more hours at least… “What are you doing outside and you will catch a cold like that.” Elena sighed, seeing Daisy standing there in a negligee. Elena was also wearing a blue negligee but she was wearing a jacket on it. “A-Ah, well…” Daisy scratched her head, not knowing what to do. Aita was still inside the room after all. Still,
Late at night, Aita left his room. He wandered in the corridor of the palace aimlessly. The guards roaming around would bow to him upon seeing him, otherwise they would let him. They probably thought he wanted to take a breath of fresh air.After an hour or so, he started to walk toward the section reserved for the girls in his class. Like Daisy had promised, she would leave him in their room. Waiting for the right time, he went to the ladies' side. He made sure to erase any sound of his steps with his wind. He didn’t want to cause another uproar and be labeled with another cringe nickname. He already wanted to erase his memories just thinking about what he was doing. Infiltrating the ladies’ dormitory at night? Anyone would label him as human trash.Reaching the room of Daisy and Elena, Aita knocked on the door. He was having a hard time keeping his face from distorting. All his actions seemed like he was going to sleep with a woman late at night…“Look, Isabel, I knew it!”At the en
“You had a tough day, Aita.”Selena said with a glare.They went back to the palace and the first person who welcomed Aita was Selena. She had an exhausted complexion but she still looked like a perfect princess. Her sapphire eyes were staring angrily at Aita and mostly the knights of Lunarstella. She told them to look after Aita so he wouldn’t do anything, threatening their truce, but they couldn’t do anything. They all averted their faces in shame. They couldn’t tell that Aita at that time was too scary to speak to. More than that, they were also angry at Rex and the others for what they had done.“...”Aita stared at Selena. Her face overlapped with the mature Selena of the recording. Her tears, her sad expression, her helplessness, everything overlapped with the current Selena. He couldn’t understand why that woman he didn’t know at all was making his emotions stir that much. He cared for Selena Luna Lunarstella, but not her great-great-aunt.“Aita?”Selena called out to Aita sinc
“What happened…”Aura asked. Behind her were all her classmates, the knights of Solaria and Lunarstella. They were silently waiting for two people to answer. The two people were, of course, Aita and Elena who, after two days, finally reached the entrance of the rift. Austin, Jake, Jaxon and Daisy had already arrived as well the day before, so everyone was there. Well, everyone except Gaut and Rex, who were killed by Aita. By the way, Bein was sitting with a blank expression in a corner ignoring them. Anyway, most of the stares were gathered on two people. Aita and Elena. Aita had his black mask off but he still had his skin mask, which didn’t please him in the slightest as he felt uncomfortable with it, so his current annoyed expression. Right behind, strangely close to him, was Elena, who seemed to be happy to finally reunite with her classmates.“Nothing.”Aita replied clearly, showing that he was annoyed at her question, and walked ahead. “Hmpf!”Aura harrumphed and went to Elena
“...”“...”Silence reigned in the empty hall. The runes weren’t glowing anymore. Aita and Elena were not speaking. Elena had a pained expression, a little more and she’d have cried. Remembering Selena’s face and her words, she felt despondent for her. She glanced at Aita. He was playing with a little stone. It was the White Crystal that was inside the coffin with the book. The book disappeared as soon as the recording was over. As for the skeleton, Aita had put Selena’s remains inside his space ring. Elena looked at the stone with a complicated expression. She needed four of them to go back on Earth. No. She needed five of them. Four to destroy the space rift, once on the other side, she needed another one to finally reach Earth. In any case, the one in Aita’s hand didn’t belong to her, in the first place, so right now she had nothing.-Gurgleeeee“...”“...”Elena buried her face in her knees, not daring to look at Aita’s current expression. She depleted her mana, so she was exhau
“I am going with the name of Selena Mona Lunarstella. The First Princess of the Great Lunarstella Empire.” Her domineering voice echoed. Looking at her, Aita started to understand why she was hailed as a heroine back then and even now. He could understand how she alone was able to defend Lunarstella from enemies everywhere. She really had the aura of a leader. “I do not know who you are, but I know that you are here with the help of my blood. How many years had gone since the war ? I just hold the hope that my Empire is still there flourishing like it should…” She said in a nostalgic tone. “You, who discovered my tomb. I am going to reveal what I discovered in the hope that you are my blood, or at least someone of my Empire. I gave my spear to my brother so he could give it to his children. I engraved runes on my spear that will serve as key to entering this place when the time will come. I transmitted this emplacement to my brother before leaving the Empire forever.” Selena spoke
“I did nothing! B-Believe me, please!”Elena’s quivering voice kept ringing in the hall. She was speaking to Aita, who was standing, looking at his surroundings. He didn’t seem to care about Elena’s words. Stretching his limbs for a minute, he removed his shirt.“Ah! W-What are you doing, Lord Aita?!”Elena turned her head away with a flushed face.Aita ignored her and took out a new white shirt and put in on while making sure to hide his pendant so Elena wouldn’t see it. He glanced at the ground and saw the silver spear. Stooping down, he took the spear. As usual, it looked like a newly crafted spear as its silver color shone with purity. Swinging the spear a few times, he turned around. Elena was looking at him nervously.“How long have I been out?”He asked. Vivid memories of Artemis were still present in his mind. Memories he shouldn’t have as he wasn’t even born at that moment. Why had he the memories of other people? Anyway, it felt like years had passed, so he wanted to know.