Chapter 72: Morning Sword

****

"What you did was extremely foolish!" Killian said.

After the meeting ended and the decision to resume the trial was made, everyone left the room, including me. We were currently in the doctor's office, where he had to use a healing skill to fix what happened to my face.

"I was in a state of emotion..." I offered my excuse, which was truthful.

At that moment, it felt like everything had collapsed, and I lost the ability to sense danger. If I were asked to do that and face Alexander again, I wouldn't do it at all, but I did it, and it led to changing the decision.

"Maybe he was testing you. Your desire for the throne or something like that..." Killian spoke lazily as he watched the healing process, while the doctor remained silent, focusing on my facial wounds.

"No... He saw something..." I remembered his gaze when he saw my horns. There was no way he would have been surprised without reason.

I was very sure he intended to dismiss me, but something changed his mind.

'Is it the Ether? Does he know something about it?' I wondered, recalling the book I got from Diana.

"Amazing... Despite the mana entering your body, you didn't get poisoned at all!" The doctor spoke as if I were a living miracle. Just like on the first day since I came to this world.

Speaking of the first day...

Suddenly, there was a loud knock, and before anyone could go to open the door, an old man entered abruptly.

"Alfred?" I asked with some shock. I thought he had left the palace since I hadn't seen him for the past week and a half.

"You were absolutely brilliant!" His shouts were extremely loud.

The doctor yelled at him to shut up.

****

"What do you think?" Milena asked while still seated on that wooden chair.

Everyone had left except her and Alexander.

"What was Orange's argument again?" Alexander asked. Orange was the other council member who objected to starting Cassian's trial.

She had argued, "How will he break through to rank SS- without mana or binding contracts?"

"Yes, that talk about binding contracts. She's right since it requires mana. What's wrong with what she said?" Milena asked with some curiosity. She hadn't seen the same thing Alexander saw.

"Only those in rank SS- and above are supposed to get that. No wonder you and the others didn't notice its presence." Alexander recalled the enormous amount of Ether Cassian had gathered between his horns.

Even he could barely accumulate such an amount of Ether in a short time since he had just advanced, yet Cassian had conjured it out of nowhere.

'But I doubt he can use it... Things would be very different if he could.' Alexander closed his eyes briefly while thinking.

"What do you mean?" Milena asked.

"You should know this yourself, or you'll break through to SS- in a fake manner." Alexander rose from his wooden seat and began to walk slowly towards the hall's exit.

"I haven't seen Prince Darian's qualifications directly, but I don't think he can do the same thing." Alexander said. Milena laughed a little when she heard him.

"You used to call him King. Is he really just a Prince now?" Alexander laughed when he heard her.

"It's hard not to do that." Those were his last words before he disappeared suddenly. He undoubtedly had more important matters to attend to as the strongest person in the family now.

"By the way, ensure Prince Cassian and his companion's safety, and the same for Lady Loana. I prefer this succession battle not to take a steep ethical decline." His voice echoed in the room from all directions.

Milena nodded in response.

***

In the center of the human nation, not far from Hope Academy...

–

"This..." An old man's hand suddenly trembled as he held a newspaper, something that had ceased to exist a long time ago, but the government continued to write and print it specifically for him. The man never liked all these technological advancements. Things weren't like this 81 years ago.

After the last major battle with the demons, human technology advanced more than it had between the 20th and 21st centuries.

Using a bit of the influence he had, this man demanded that the government keep some technologically outdated things, like this newspaper in his hands. But despite his old age and great strength, his hand couldn't help but tremble, and the corner of his mouth began to twitch.

"G-Gilbert," the old man spoke in a deep and majestic voice, tinged with a bit of sadness. On the white newspaper he held, there was an illustration of a giant shining star above a devastated city.

[Another Story from the Puppets Society!]

[Sunshine over the Dark Hell for the First Time! Morning Star!]

Perhaps not many knew about that star, but this old man did. White flames ignited at his fingertips, and soon the newspaper turned to ashes that disappeared into the air.

"He was alive all this time..." The old man rose quickly, finally revealing his enormous frame. He wore a long black fabric coat that reached his heels, fastened with shiny silver buttons.

His hair was white with age, combed back by hand, making him look neat, and he ensured his white mustache was well-groomed. He had a bit of white hair on his chin, which didn't connect to his mustache.

As for his eyes, they were hazel with some yellow in them. 

His body appeared somewhat flabby, but that was because he hadn't fought seriously for 11 years. Once this old man jumped into battle, he would instantly regain his former glory.

The Morning Sword who taught Gilbert and gave him the martial art, Pirren Morningstar, the strongest human swordsman in the last 200 years.

Upon receiving the information about the Morning Star appearing in the City of Hell on the Day of the puppet's Liberation, he understood what happened immediately.

The mystery that had puzzled everyone, some linked it to that white-haired person. But Pirren Morningstar knew the truth. He knew the nature of the Legacy skill and everything about it. And he confirmed that Gilbert was the one who caused that incident for a simple reason.

In this world, only three people had that skill: himself, his granddaughter, and Gilbert.

He had just seen his granddaughter, and he was definitely still alive, so the remaining person was Gilbert.

He no longer had an heir from his bloodline, and after years without his son—Gilbert Morningstar—returning and his granddaughter lacking skill in swordsmanship, Pirren had passed the martial art to an outsider.

After 300 years of long legacy, this martial art had left the bloodline of the Morningstar family. Unfortunately, he couldn't adopt the next heir for massive reasons.

"Master," spoke the person sitting before Pirren, looking at him with some curiosity.

He had kept his head bowed all this time before his master, but after Pirren suddenly stood up, doubt crossed his mind. For a king to bow his head to Pirren... this alone could show his strength and greatness.

"Darian..." Pirren spoke slowly as he looked at Darian beneath him, the person who had inherited the leadership of the StarHold family a few weeks ago.

Pirren admired him when he saw him on the day of registration at the academy and decided he was the most suitable person to inherit the MorningStar Sword Art.

And with a contract placed between them, it was confirmed that the Morning Star Sword Art would return to the Morningstar family in the next generation.