Upon arriving at House Karsen's grand mansion, Doctor Krombell's jaw dropped.
"What. What is all this?"
'I knew House Karsen was a grand duchy, but this is leagues beyond any rural noble's estate.'
He hadn't expected the mansion to be this grand. And then there was the river flowing before the estate. Lumenia, was it?
The blue, mystical mana flowing from the river was channeling directly into the mansion, maintaining a warm, refreshing spring climate inside.
Krombell was instantly captivated by the phenomenon. Like a child gazing at a beautiful glass marble. Wonder filled his eyes.
'Incredible. Incredible!'
As he crossed the river and approached the mansion, a somewhat portly, heavily bearded middle-aged man walked up to him.
"Might you be Doctor Krombell?"
"That I am."
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Roman, servant to Sion Karsen. We have been expecting you. Allow me to show you to the reception room."
"Ah. Mm. Very well."
Doctor Krombell followed Roman's lead into House Karsen's grand mansion. And was even more astonished.
A mansion rivaling the Central Imperial Palace in size. And size wasn't all.
Lavish chandeliers and exquisite ornaments. Tapestries lining the corridor walls.
"Oh ho. Are these tapestries depicting the history of House Karsen?"
Roman answered with a proud smile.
"Yes. They are."
Tapestries were textiles woven from threads of different colors, their hallmark being how the interlocking hues formed images. And each one hanging along these towering corridor walls stretched a good dozen meters or more.
They traced House Karsen's history along the length of the corridor—beginning with the mythology of Lumen, the god said to have vanished millennia ago, through House Karsen's founding, the wars against the demons fought from the Bukcheon Mountains onward, all the way to the present day.
Truly depicting the history of a single house.
"Ah, magnificent."
Krombell poured out admiration after admiration. So childlike in his wonder that he seemed to have completely forgotten why he'd come.
Passing through the magnificent corridor and emerging into the mansion's gardens, he was startled yet again. The garden was filled with countless plants never seen in the North.
And the sheer number of gardeners and servants maintaining the estate's vast grounds.
But what made Krombell's heart pound most of all was the absurdly enormous magic circle encompassing the entire mansion.
'What kind of Archmage could have pulled off something this insane?'
His heart raced.
He wanted to examine every corner right now.
How were the mana stones arranged? What was the mana efficiency? Was the emphasis on heat retention or thermal energy generation? What was the magical formula connecting to the Lumenia River?
He barely restrained the urge to tear it all apart and study it piece by piece.
He was a guest right now, after all.
After entering the reception room.
Roman said:
"Please wait here."
Krombell nodded and sank into the sofa. Deeply. It was genuinely soft and comfortable.
'Ah. Now I understand why the Central Empire wanted the North so badly.'
Then.
CREEEAK—
The door opened and a tall man in a black suit walked in.
Measured footsteps.
Military boots echoed in steady rhythm.
Brilliant golden hair. Eyes of unfathomable depth. The most handsome face he'd ever seen. An air of authority that radiated from that appearance and bearing.
The man smiled warmly and spoke.
"Welcome. Doctor Krombell. I am Sion Karsen."
Krombell assessed Sion's first impression thusly:
"You were born with truly exceptional looks."
"Haha, thank you for the compliment."
He'd nearly blurted out even higher praise, but held back.
'That's enough of that. He and I still have unfinished business.'
Krombell steadied himself. The family name, the mansion's grandeur, the polished exterior—that ended here.
True to his reputation as an eccentric, he cut straight to the point in a prickly tone.
"By the way...... you were rather presumptuous in your letter."
A remark bordering on rude for a first meeting. But he was unyielding, and Sion didn't seem to take offense.
"If I caused offense, I apologize. But. Whether it was presumptuous or not—well, that remains to be seen."
"Ahem. Hmm."
Krombell cleared his throat and continued.
"I heard the rumors about you."
"That must have been confusing."
"Half-wit. Failure. A man who gets called those things dared to write in a letter that I'd fade into obscurity as an eccentric. You can understand, can't you? I did not come here to shake your hand. I came because I could not let the contents of that letter slide."
"That, too, remains to be seen. Are you the sort of person who's swayed by rumors, Doctor?"
Sion maintained his composure throughout, and Krombell found that... distracting. Not unpleasant, exactly. Just. It nagged at him.
"No. No matter how much the lesser minds chatter, they could never see through the era. That's why I came to verify for myself. I don't believe anything I haven't seen with my own eyes."
"Then you've come to the right place. As it happens, a stage to prove myself is already prepared."
"What? A stage?"
"Today happens to be the finals of the Golden Star Tournament—a martial arts competition held in the Northern capital, Seiren."
"And you've reached the finals, have you?"
"Yes. The final stage opens soon. Come with me. I'll show you what kind of person I am."
"HA!"
Doctor Krombell looked at the still-composed Sion and burst into raucous laughter.
"You really are a madman."
Sion didn't lose his smile at the insult. He answered gently.
"Allow me to escort you to the VIP seats."
"Well, well. Honestly."
Krombell had no idea how far Sion intended to push this composure.
***
Before stepping onto the finals stage, I surveyed the packed stands.
That Kaiseus—famed for its size—was filled to capacity. The largest crowd yet.
Before the regression, the Golden Star Tournament had been so far removed from my life that I'd never given it a thought.
'And yet here I am.'
People hadn't gathered solely to watch the finals. Likely, the two names they'd encounter on the upcoming stage had played a large role.
Me, Sion Karsen, and my childhood friend Silvia Maier.
House Maier had been a swordsmanship family.
Seventeen years ago, an attack by an unidentified group had killed them all. Now only Silvia remained.
How heavy must the shoulders of a lone heir have been, becoming the head of a house by herself?
During the attack, the head and lady of House Maier had placed Silvia on a white tiger—a demonic beast they'd raised—and sent her to House Karsen.
A parent's desperate wish to save at least their child.
By the time Father received word and went to the Maier estate, the attackers had fled, and no one was left alive.
Father and Mother had taken in the orphaned young Silvia, and from then on, she'd lived in House Karsen's grand mansion.
'When I first saw Silvia, she was so withdrawn.'
The trauma had kept Silvia from picking up a sword until she was fifteen. Then, for whatever reason, she overcame it and took up the blade.
The result: with her innate talent, she'd become an Intermediate Knight by twenty-two.
I turned my gaze to the opponent sitting beneath the tent on the opposite side.
Senior Inspectorate Knight Silvia Maier. Her sapphire eyes were gleaming.
So fierce was her gaze that countless men, drawn in by her beautiful features, couldn't so much as meet her eyes before retreating.
As a child, I'd liked her—while simultaneously feeling inferior.
I envied her for surging so far ahead of me despite picking up the sword later.
When affection and inferiority combined, the person it produced was unspeakably ugly......
Ugh—
An unpleasant memory surfaced.
While I was lost in thought, Midgal called out:
"Let the Golden Star Tournament finals begin!"
Snapping back to the present, I vaulted onto the stage and watched Silvia climb up.
A breeze blew in from somewhere, sending her long, straight deep-blue hair streaming. I looked at her face and said:
"It's been a while. You're as beautiful as ever."
Silvia looked momentarily dumbfounded. To her, I was hardly someone she hadn't seen in ages.
But I truly hadn't seen her in a long time. This was the first time since the regression. Only natural.
The feelings I'd once had for her were already discarded, but gratitude and regret remained, knotted in a corner of my heart.
'I'm sorry. For letting you die with the North.'
I wouldn't let that happen again. And I would help her grow even stronger.
While I was privately chewing over memories and resolutions. Silvia honed her lovely voice to a blade's edge.
"You're awfully relaxed. I thought you'd changed a little, but maybe it was all in my head?"
I smiled gently and apologized.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to disrespect you. But if you think I'm the same as before, you'll be in for a surprise."
SHING—
Silvia drew her sword.
"Prove it with your blade."
Seeing her razor-sharp sword aimed at me, I somehow found myself laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"Ah, sorry. I'm not actually relaxed. It's just...... the feeling is new, that's all."
After apologizing to Silvia.
I looked up at the VIP gallery.
I could see my brother and Doctor Krombell.
I searched for Father, but......
He wasn't there. As expected.
Rather than disappointment, I felt a pang of bitterness.
And I quietly wished.
Father.
If you're watching from somewhere. Even through an artifact. Please watch.
Please see that your son is trying to change.
In the participants' reserved section, I could also see Rui Daiken, Bwindol, and Bil watching. They'd come wrapped in bandages. Why bother coming? Anyway.
I ended my brief reverie.
And spoke.
"You said prove it with my blade?"
"Yeah."
SHING—
I drew my sword too.
"Gladly."
Midgal stood in the center and bellowed:
"Let the finals begin!"
BOOM!
A drumbeat sounded, and I kicked off the ground simultaneously.
CLANG—!
Silvia's sword and mine collided. From my blade, flame Aura surged; from hers, frigid Aura erupted.
The two Auras locked in a taut struggle.
RUMBLE—
In the midst of it, I activated [Mana Detection]. I would collect every piece of information on Silvia and build my path to victory.
CLANG—!
We were both pushed back slightly. But Silvia flowed like water, leaping again and thrusting her sword forward.
————CLANG—!
An even more powerful Aura bore down on my blade. A heavy shock ran through my wrist. A tingling sensation crawled up my arm.
I gripped the sword tighter. I poured strength in as if refusing to give an inch.
"HAAAAAAH!"
As if the Flame Dragon's Breath were roaring, flame domain mana surged from the Core in response to the intense cold.
The sleek blade flickered vermilion in the crimson firelight. The intensely compressed heat began pushing Silvia's Aura back.
"......!"
Silvia's eyes went wide.
CLANG—!
She created distance, and the stands erupted in gasps.
—OHHHHH!
In that instant. I traced a gentle arc through the air.
I sheared the flame blooming from the blade, and the burning Aura extended beyond striking range.
WHOOOOSH—!
The blazing energy cleaved the air and streaked outward.
SWISH—!
In that moment. Everyone watching was stunned.
The crowd. Midgal Rau, presiding. The nobles. The other competitors. Rui Daiken in his bandages. Sid Karsen. Doctor Krombell.
"Sword energy extended through Aura!"
The most shocked of all was Silvia.
But Silvia was an Advanced Knight-caliber fighter, and she counterattacked without missing a beat.
Her blade traced a fluid arc like flowing water, and a blue crescent of sword energy split the air.
The two razor-sharp slashes collided in midair.
CRASH—!
The thunderous impact spread across the entire arena. Shock and cheers erupted simultaneously.
ROAAAAAR—!
CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!
August in the North.
The climax of the Golden Star Tournament far exceeded everyone's expectations, and the arena thrummed with blazing energy.