By the time I turned nine, leaving the D’Averon estate by myself had become a fairly ordinary thing.
Of course, I still had to inform the servants whenever I went out, and there were usually guards somewhere nearby, but being the son of Count D’Averon came with certain conveniences. Nobody was going to stop me from taking a walk through the town, especially when I wasn’t causing trouble.
The town beneath our territory was considerably livelier than I had expected.
Merchants stood beside their stalls calling out to passing customers, children ran through the streets while their parents shouted at them to slow down, and knights occasionally passed through on horseback. There were adventurers as well, judging from the weapons and equipment they carried, although I had no idea whether they were actually competent or simply trying to look impressive.
The more I walked, the more I found myself comparing this place to the world I had come from.
It really was different.
In my previous life, people had relied on technology, firearms, vehicles, and countless other things that had made everyday life almost unrecognizable compared to this world. Here, a merchant could spend half an hour arguing over the price of a sack of grain, while a knight could probably cut that same sack in half with a sword.
Somehow, that seemed perfectly normal here.
"Young Master Ares."
I turned my head.
A merchant who had been arranging several boxes outside his shop bowed respectfully.
"Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon," I replied.
A woman carrying a basket also noticed me and lowered her head.
"Young Master."
I returned the greeting with a small nod.
This happened several more times as I walked through town.
Being the son of the count certainly had its advantages.
It was also slightly awkward.
I wasn’t particularly accustomed to having strangers greet me simply because of my family name, but I suppose I would have looked rather strange if I ignored them.
Still, there was something amusing about it.
In my previous life, people usually didn’t greet me because they were pleased to see me.
Most of the time, they didn’t even know I was there.
Now I couldn’t walk through town without someone recognizing me.
Quite the change.
As I continued walking, a thought that had been sitting in the back of my mind for quite some time suddenly returned.
"Hmm..."
I slowed down.
"I’ve been wondering about this for a while."
Now that I could freely use Eclipse without losing control of it, there was something I had started thinking about more seriously.
If I found the right people to stand beside me...
Wouldn’t that be interesting?
The thought alone made me smile.
"Creating an organization wouldn’t be a bad idea at all."
I looked up toward the sky.
"And I’ve already thought of a name."
There was no particular reason behind the sudden excitement that filled me, but I couldn’t help it.
"The Eclipse Order."
I stopped walking.
"That’s right. The Eclipse Order."
A few people nearby turned toward me.
I realized, somewhat belatedly, that I had said it rather loudly.
A merchant was staring.
A passing woman was staring.
Even a child nearby had stopped eating whatever he was holding.
I cleared my throat.
"...Ahem."
Then I gave them an awkward smile.
"Sorry about that."
The merchant quickly looked away.
I continued walking.
That was embarrassing.
Still, the idea itself wasn’t bad.
An organization.
A group of people who would operate together, each possessing power beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
And I would be the one who gave them that power.
It sounded rather good.
There was only one problem.
I couldn’t simply give Eclipse to anyone.
The experiments on monsters had already taught me that much. If the recipient wasn’t capable of handling the power, Eclipse could destroy their body, distort their abilities, or produce an outcome that neither they nor I could control.
I needed people who were capable.
People with potential.
People who could withstand the power I gave them.
And, more importantly...
People I could trust.
I hated betrayal.
Perhaps that was because of my previous life.
Trusting the wrong person had always been dangerous, and I had no intention of making the same mistake in this life.
Which brought me to the reason I had actually left the estate today.
I was looking for someone.
More specifically, I was looking for people who had nowhere else to go.
A few days earlier, I had asked one of the servants about the slave traders who occasionally passed through the territory. She had been hesitant to explain it to me at first, but eventually told me about the children who sometimes ended up in their hands.
Orphans.
Abandoned children.
Children without families or homes.
People who had nobody waiting for them.
That was what I was looking for.
If I wanted someone who would eventually stand beside me, someone around my own age seemed like the most reasonable choice.
I couldn’t exactly trust an adult I had just met.
It’s not that I was afraid of being betrayed.
I simply didn’t like unnecessary risks.
Besides, children were easier to teach.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
I continued walking until I reached the edge of town.
Then I stopped.
Something had changed.
I could feel it immediately.
A dense presence was coming from the forest.
It wasn’t human.
I had spent years hunting monsters in those mountains, so sensing their mana had become almost as natural as hearing footsteps.
I narrowed my eyes.
"...What is a Gloomane Tyrant doing this close to the town?"
I disappeared into the forest.
A few minutes later, I reached the source of the mana.
I stopped on top of a tree.
Below me were two children.
They looked to be around my age.
Both had gray hair and striking violet eyes, though their hairstyles were different. One had straight gray hair that fell neatly around his face, while the other’s hair was slightly wavy and messier.
Their clothes were plain and worn, clearly not something belonging to a noble household.
The two brothers were clinging to each other.
They were trembling and crying.
And standing several meters in front of them was the source of the mana I had sensed.
A Gloomane Tyrant.
The creature looked like an enormous lion, although calling it a lion would hardly do it justice. Its body was covered in dark fur, its limbs were thick with muscle, and a pair of sharp fangs protruded from its mouth. What made it particularly dangerous, however, was the dark mist constantly surrounding its body.
That mist wasn’t ordinary smoke.
It was corrupted mana.
I had encountered Gloomane Tyrants before during my training in the mountains, so I knew exactly how dangerous one could be. Even an experienced adventurer would have to take it seriously, and this one was close enough to the town that its presence alone was concerning.
What is a Gloomane Tyrant doing this close to the town?
I looked at the two boys again.
They clearly weren’t capable of fighting it.
The monster lowered its head, its eyes fixed on them as dark mist began gathering around its body.
The brothers noticed it too.
The one with straight hair grabbed his brother’s arm.
"Run..."
His voice was barely audible.
"But where...?"
"I don’t know."
They didn’t move.
Perhaps their bodies simply refused to listen anymore.
The Gloomane Tyrant took a step forward.
Then another.
I watched for another second.
If I left them alone, they would die.
I raised one hand.
A small amount of Eclipse gathered around my fingertips.
The Gloomane Tyrant suddenly stopped.
The two brothers looked at it in confusion.
Then the monster’s body began to tremble.
A moment later, the Eclipse I had sent into it erupted from within.
BOOM!
The Gloomane Tyrant’s enormous body exploded, sending fragments across the forest while the dark mist surrounding it scattered into the air and slowly faded away.
Silence returned.
The two brothers didn’t move.
They simply stared at what remained of the monster.
After several seconds, the one with straight hair finally spoke.
"W-What... happened?"
His brother looked at the remains.
"It..."
He swallowed.
"It exploded."
I nearly laughed.
Well, yes.
That was exactly what happened.
I stepped down from the tree and landed a short distance behind them.
Both brothers immediately turned around.
The younger-looking brother stared at me cautiously.
"W-Who are you?"
I glanced at the remains of the Gloomane Tyrant before looking back at them.
"I should be the one asking that."
Neither of them answered.
I looked at the two brothers more carefully.
Their mana was strange.
Dense. Far denser than I would have expected from children their age.
Interesting.
I had originally come to this place because I was searching for someone suitable to become the first member of the organization I had been thinking about.
I had wanted someone young.
Someone with potential.
And, most importantly, someone I could trust.
I wasn’t sure about the last part yet.
But there was definitely something unusual about these two.
I took a slow breath.
Then I decided to show them something.
Eclipse spread across my body.
The noble attire I had been wearing began to dissolve into dark particles, the fabric reshaping itself according to my will. It wasn’t a spell that required chanting or complicated movements. Eclipse simply followed my thoughts, changing my appearance in an instant.
The formal noble clothes were replaced by a fitted black outfit designed for freedom of movement. A high, smooth collar surrounded my neck, its upper edge curved into the shape of a crescent eclipse rather than extending upward like ordinary formalwear. The design was simple, but the unusual shape gave it a distinctive appearance.
A dark hood rested behind my head, large enough to cast a shadow over my face when pulled forward. Beneath it, my black clothing fit closely to my body without restricting my movements. The sleeves extended to my wrists, while the lower half consisted of fitted black trousers tucked neatly into dark boots.
Over my shoulders rested a long, flowing cape.
Unlike a traditional cloak, it wasn’t heavy or overly elaborate. The fabric was light and moved naturally with me, stretching far behind my body like a dark shadow. Its lower edges formed a long, sweeping shape, almost resembling the curved edge of an eclipse. Thin white patterns ran across the black fabric in irregular, landscape-like lines, resembling distant mountains, valleys, and a horizon beneath a darkened sky.
A few subtle silver markings curved along the edges of the clothing, following the same eclipse motif. They weren’t decorative enough to make the outfit look extravagant; they simply gave the otherwise dark attire a distinct identity.
The two brothers stared.
I raised my hand.
Eclipse gathered around my palm and the air grew heavy.
Leaves began to tremble around us as a small amount of power leaked into the surroundings.
The brothers took a step backward.
But they didn’t run.
Instead, their expressions slowly changed.
Fear was still there.
But something else had appeared in their eyes.
Hope.
I lowered my hand and allowed the Eclipse to disappear.
Then I looked at the two brothers.
"Do you want power?"