Chapter 211

“Ah…!”

My eyes shot open.

I flinched.

The Star Maiden’s face was pushed right in front of mine, not even 10cm away.

“Now, wake up. In your world, there was a knight’s reveille song that went Bba-bba, bba-bba-bba~, wasn’t there?”

“That’s for the army, not a knight order. Please, spare me that one.”

“Why? I liked it.”

I thought I understood why the Star Maiden was being so friendly to me.

It was the first time I had seen her, but she had been watching and waiting for me for over 100 years.

But the army’s reveille was a line I couldn't cross.

With an expression of sheer exhaustion, I slowly rose from the mechanical chair.

“…More importantly.”

The Star Maiden asked me just as I stood up.

“How do you feel?”

“…”

How did I feel?

“Isn’t that… obvious?”

I understood the Star Maiden’s circumstances.

In a way, she was merely following the will of Cosmos.

Being possessed by Martin was certainly a turning point that changed my life.

I was able to be honest with myself and found a love named Lilac.

…However… after 30 years of failure, just as I had grasped sweet success, she had snatched away my soul.

Like a demon.

She had shoved me into Martin without any explanation, telling me only to survive.

My emotions were a tangled mess.

Naturally so.

“Aha, so it’s obvious.”

“Yes.”

On one hand, I was grateful; on the other, I found her utterly detestable.

“That’s why I showed you. My past. My life.”

The Star Maiden’s face was serious.

“I watched your life voyeuristically. I took your soul in exchange for success and toyed with you. I threw you into a world confirmed for destruction with nothing and left you to fend for yourself.”

Her pure white eyes held a mysterious light.

“Showing you my life was my way of apologizing. It may not be enough for a pardon, but I hope it can at least serve as a token of my remorse. And that’s not all. From now on, I will support you completely. I will cooperate with whatever you try to do. I swear on my honor and my faith.”

“…I understand.”

It would be a lie to say I wasn't angry.

It would also be a lie to say I had forgiven her.

But I would endure it.

What’s done is done.

It wasn't something the Star Maiden did for fun.

She too was a victim whose everything was swallowed by chaos overnight, and she was someone who had waited for me for over 100 years.

What would change if I blamed her now?

‘Know-It-All has reached the Master level, so I should be satisfied with that…’

Above all, if she felt sorry, that was good enough.

I had a favor to ask as well.

“Star Maiden, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“I can’t do anything about Sir Elisha’s injury. My powers as the Star Maiden haven’t fully returned yet.”

She was quite perceptive, figuring it out before I even said anything.

“The rosary and the chalice…”

“The Rosary of Grace and the Chalice of Faith? Her backlash isn't the kind that can be healed just by having holy relics. Unless it’s the last holy relic, the Papal Tiara of Divine Right.”

Her sharp reply made my chest tighten.

“You look disappointed.”

“Honestly… yes.”

How could I not be?

‘Star Maiden, Director, Recola.’

I thought that if I met the Director and received help in finding the Star Maiden, I could heal Elisha.

I thought a prophet of Recola’s caliber would be able to do it.

In the end, they were all the same person.

The fact that they were the same person didn't really matter.

In fact, it was better.

What I truly lamented… was the reality that meeting her changed nothing….

“Aha…, that disappointed face. I like it. Then shall I make a tempting offer?”

The Star Maiden raised her finger and pointed upwards.

“Do you want to go back? To Earth?”

“…!”

Earth. My home.

For a moment, my breath caught as if my heart had stopped.

“Is that… possible?”

“It is. Just by pulling your soul from Earth, I permanently lost the power to see the future, but the rest of my Star Maiden powers will recover within a few months. Returning a soul to its rightful place is a piece of cake compared to what I’ve done before.”

My heart pounded.

How much had I suffered in this world?

The shame and insults I endured in the early days of my possession were immeasurable.

“As for Kim An-hyun’s body, I’m sorry. He died from overwork.”

Ah, so that’s how it was.

I… died?

Even a Star Maiden couldn't forcibly extract a soul from a living body.

Especially if the target was a being from another world.

I had somewhat expected it, so it didn't come as a huge shock.

“Instead, I can create a new body for you. With a sculpted face, a long and healthy life, and a brilliant mind.”

It would be a lie to say I didn’t hesitate for a moment.

“No. It’s alright.”

But that hesitation was truly fleeting.

“I will continue living Martin’s life here.”

It’s settled.

It would be a lie to say I had no lingering attachments to Kim An-hyun’s life…, but now, my life as Martin had become more significant.

The power, responsibilities, and achievements I carried.

There was also my family… and Lilac.

Things Kim An-hyun didn't have.

I chose a heavy life over a light one.

It was my selfish desire.

“This is my home now.”

* * *

Gilbert had a long dream.

“Gilbert, we are the descendants of the Cosmos Imperial Family.”

“Always act with justice and righteousness.”

“You must always possess the skill to save everyone.”

“A hero never retreats.”

The princess who escaped from the Cosmos Empire 100 years ago gave birth to a daughter, and that daughter, in turn, gave birth to a son, who was Gilbert.

Though his environment was not grand, his birth was noble.

His talent surpassed that of a genius, and his character was justice itself.

“I will protect everyone.”

His sole wish was the will to protect everyone.

….

….

….

The dream had finally reached its end.

“Gilbert!”

“Martin!”

The treasured sword of the Cosmos Imperial Family and the shotgun clashed, making a sound like a cannonball exploding.

“You shall not pass, Martin!”

Bound by a pact with the Director, Gilbert could not retreat and blocked Martin’s path.

The Humanity Preservation Agency, the Academy, and the Peacemaker.

All were forces of justice, so Gilbert gave up trying to judge which side was evil.

Following his pact and the instincts of a swordsman, he simply stood against Martin, whom he considered a formidable rival.

‘The end of this dream.’

It would end in Gilbert’s overwhelming defeat.

But he wasn't beaten one-sidedly from the start.

He, too, wielded the imperial treasured sword and unleashed the swordsmanship permitted only to the Cosmos royalty.

As if the cosmos itself had become a sword, slicing through space, his momentum was swift.

He was confident that a single cut would be a fatal wound, regardless of any defensive magic.

“Alright, let’s hear it!”

Martin’s shotgun swung.

Did it contain flashy swordsmanship? No.

“What did you see that made you make that pact!”

But it was fast.

No, it was more than just fast.

They were clearly moving in the same time, but it was as if Martin alone was given more time.

Yes, time.

I had no time.

“Martin, the disasters invading the continent are growing stronger! I! I couldn't just stand by and watch!”

I had my own justice.

A noble, self-sacrificing, sublime justice.

“That’s why I agreed to the Director’s pact! Because he said he would tell me! What the root of the disaster is, and how to stop it! I was trying to save everyone too!”

At the same time, it was an ignorant justice.

“Ha…, you’re curious about that, so you cause all this trouble…?”

Martin’s shotgun deflected the sword and slammed into his side.

An intense bursting sound and pain washed over him.

He knew without looking.

His ribs must have been completely shattered.

He gritted his teeth and drew upon his Stellar Force and Mana.

“Kuaaaaaah!”

He swung his vast sword as if the cosmos had been compressed into it.

For an ordinary person, it would have been an overwhelming strike that was impossible to face even with eyes wide open.

“Then, I will tell you.”

Martin was not ordinary.

“The Cosmos Dimension Research Institute was established for the Cosmos Empire’s time regression project, and that’s when your clan’s corruption began.”

The shotgun swung, deflecting the cosmic sword.

Really, very simply.

“The project’s failure created the first Time Chaos Dungeon. It expanded endlessly and eventually swallowed the Cosmos Empire, and it is still threatening the continent now.”

He drew a pistol from his waist and fired rapidly.

He dodged a few and deflected a few, but one bullet found its mark in his thigh.

Blood gushed out.

“Because of that, the balance of the scales collapsed, and the Demon Lords’ invasions began. It’s only now that the scales have tilted in our favor and things have quieted down. Open your eyes and see. This is the result that I and those people buying us time achieved through hellish effort, not you.”

Then, Martin rushed forward like lightning and swung the butt of his gun, hitting the wounded thigh.

He heard the crack of bone breaking.

He fought back the scream that threatened to erupt.

“We have to conquer the Time Chaos Dungeon in the capital of the Cosmos Empire, which is the source of all Time Chaos Dungeons! It will be a difficult task! That’s why we came to unmask the Director who is monopolizing the technology. Not to be used foolishly like you! We thought we would find it there! Something that would raise our chances of winning the war against the apocalypse, even by a little!”

Gilbert gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and looked down.

The fierce armor of the Black Knight was glaring at him.

“And something to find the Star Maiden! Then! We thought we could erase the brand on Elisha’s left arm!”

Martin suddenly came closer, leaning in with his head.

A headbutt.

Along with the pain, his head rang and his vision flashed.

‘Ah…’

So that was it.

Did I make the wrong choice again?

I thought I was doing something just.

His will to fight vanished, and his strength drained away.

“But you just had to! When we have no time!”

He was grabbed by the collar.

“Did you have to come out and block my way?!”

The butt of the gun smashed into his temple.

“Did you have to ruin everything like this?!”

This time, the other side.

“You son of a bitch!”

From then on, it was a one-sided affair.

He was hit, hit, and hit again.

It seemed he was just continuously beaten without a single word being said.

‘Ah, at this point…’

It was time to wake up from the dream.

He opened his eyes.

‘How many times has it been…’

Since that day, he had had the same dream for several days straight.

He might not remember other things, but… the events of the battle with Martin were felt in vivid detail.

His temple still ached from where he was hit back then.

‘Should I make some food…’

Rubbing his tired eyes, he went out to the kitchen to find Lina already chopping vegetables.

“Good morning, Lina.”

“Yes. Good morning, Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

He started cracking eggs into a pan next to her.

‘He was strong, Martin.’

He was truly strong.

So strong that his legs had given out.

Strong enough that, in the end, he had lost the will to fight.

‘Because he’s that strong…’

Nerjin, Savo, Bianca, Lilac, the Star Child, Elidore, Adela, Anette, and others… they all looked up to and followed him.

‘And he’s smart.’

Martin’s actions were all correct.

He had never seen him do anything wrong.

In the Petrak Kingdom, during Helaine’s terror attack, during Marquis Vistavern’s terror attack… in everything that happened after, he was right every single time.

‘On the other hand, I’m an idiot.’

After the battle at the Humanity Preservation Agency ended…, clinging to a thread of consciousness, he had overheard conversations.

It was the Director’s explanations in front of the Platinum Knights, the Academy, and the Peacemaker.

He was sorry for monopolizing the technology.

There were circumstances.

And so on… in any case, one thing became clear.

He had failed again.

He had failed to stand on the side of justice.

On the contrary… he had only been a hindrance.

Martin’s words, that he had attacked the Humanity Preservation Agency, which monopolized technology, to erase Elisha’s brand and search for the Star Maiden, had been true.

“Your Highness!”

“Uh, huh?”

Startled by the urgent call, he came to his senses and saw the egg was burning black.

Once he recognized the black smoke, his eyes stung and his throat felt parched.

“Ah! Cough!”

“Your, Highness! Cough! Cough!”

After the commotion passed, he and Lina ended up having only vegetables and bread for breakfast.

“S-sorry.”

“It is alright, Your Highness.”

Lina silently put vegetables between slices of bread and took a bite.

Gilbert also began to eat his breakfast listlessly.

After a simple meal, the morning training began.

Basic training was essential before starting the main regimen.

As Gilbert lifted dumbbells, Lina asked him a question.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“Forgive my impertinence…, but is something troubling you?”

‘Ugh.’

He had been wondering when she would ask.

It was true, he had been out of it lately.

“…It’s just…”

“I am not interrogating you, Your Highness.”

Lina said, stretching as always.

“I am Your Highness' sword. I will follow you wherever you go, and I can do whatever you command. So… please tell me anytime. I will follow Your Highness' decision.”

“Uh…”

“If Your Highness decides to give up everything and go to a secluded mountain, I will gladly follow.”

Hearing Lina’s resolve, Gilbert set aside his hesitation.

Lina was Gilbert’s companion.

Gilbert’s sword.

And Gilbert’s… lover.

I, Gilbert, am the Crown Prince.

The rightful heir of the Cosmos Empire.

If Lina was to be with me wherever I led, then for her sake, I had to walk the path of justice.

“Lina, the truth is…”