Chapter 56
In the infirmary of the academy sat Granny Gilda. She heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to see the familiar figure of Harper. He rushed near her.
“What’s the hurry, Harper? Take it slow,” she said.
Harper asked,
“Gilda, that sword… is it what I think it is?”
Gilda smiled and took out the medallion. Harper glanced at it. His eyes started tearing, his knees weak. He fell on the ground.
He spoke,
“Does this mean—”
“Yeah, we didn’t fail. Her son lives.”
Harper laughed like a lunatic. Then he continued,
“How long have you known?”
She replied,
“Not long ago. Germy, the groundskeeper, found a battle-ridden corpse of a young demon in the academy pond. He brought it to me for treatment. On his arrival, he was barely clinging on to life. His body had lost all the functions needed for life — but he didn’t die. That day I saw a miracle. The mana in the air carried him, poured into him, beating his heart, not letting him die.”
“The child of mana,” proclaimed Harper with surprise written over his face.
Gilda continued,
“Yeah, I had my doubts back then. I couldn’t believe what I saw until after 36 hours of mana supplementation and treatment, his body started to run again. When I finally came out and asked Germy about him, he told me the story and gave me the broken sword in his hands and the magic pouch he carried. I didn’t dare hope for anything, but when I opened it, it was there, staring right at my face — the proof of the queen’s sacrifice, the hope to our kingdom, a future for us demons.”
Harper, his hands shaking in excitement, asked,
“So we didn’t lose?”
Gilda replied,
“Not yet, my dear.”
Gilda continued,
“I tried to keep him away from the sword, but fate had other plans. Just like his mother, this boy too fell in love, ready to defy the world. He raised his sword.”
Harper laughed and said,
“You can’t help it. It’s in his very blood.”
At that moment, a strange surge of mana rose up from the arena. Harper looked at Gilda and asked,
“This is—”
Gilda smiled and replied,
“It’s Leo. It took almost a year for his body to heal, but mana didn’t flow through his body. Perhaps it didn’t have any reason to… until—”
Harper continued,
“Until Maria.”
“Exactly,” said Gilda.
The mana surged further.
Gilda turned serious.
“Let’s go,” said Harper.
A while ago — in the arena
As the referee announced the start of the match, both demons stood against each other.
Hart spoke,
“Let me do you a favor. Strike first.”
The crowd cheered the benevolent noble, while shunning the disrespectful commoner who didn’t speak anything.
Leo held his sword, remembering the instructor’s words from the times he secretly overheard his teachings.
“The ultimate state of a sword — what is it?” he asked.
The students remained silent.
Then the instructor continued,
“Until now I told you the right path is the imperial path. But once you reach the level of a sword master, all of that becomes irrelevant. When one becomes one with the sword, he doesn’t swing the sword — instead he lets it flow. Not guiding it, but being guided by nature itself. Such is the pinnacle of the sword.”
Leo opened his eyes and stared at Hart.
He said,
“Come at me.”
Hart’s facial veins popped in anger.
“You are asking to die earlier. I shall comply. Go to hell!”
He screamed as he ran toward the young demon.
Unlike last time, Leo was steady.
Behind him Maria shouted,
“Leo!”
Hearing this, the stagnant mana that had not flowed for a year suddenly had a reason to move.
The mana in the arena slowly formed a whirlpool with Leo at its eye.
Normal demons didn’t see this, but it was clearly seen by the ones who stood at the top.
Harry asked,
“Just what is going on here?”
Reginald replied,
“The mana is responding to his call.”
“A mere commoner — how can he command mana at his will?” Reginald spoke.
Wind raged in the arena, pushing back Hart who approached Leo.
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Finally, like a cactus in a dry desert, Leo absorbed all the mana in the air. His sword turned crimson.
The whole arena cheered.
Hart regained his footing and lunged at Leo, his sword aiming at Leo’s neck.
Leo closed his eyes — but he was not blinded. Mana guided him. The path opened.
His broken blade flowed against the young noble.
In a swift encounter, the two blades collided. For a moment they seemed tied — but then the path appeared again in front of Leo.
He moved his sword, deflecting Hart’s blade.
Hart’s eyes widened in disbelief. He took a step back.
The instructor in the crowd spoke,
“That is the flow.”
The crowd went silent, except a single girl in the crowd — Lily shouted,
“Go Leo!”
Leo smiled.
His sword flowed again.
This time Hart was on the receiving end.
Leo’s half-broken blade came down on Hart.
Hart tried to counter him, but in the end his sword was deflected from his hands and landed on the ground.
The referee came forward and announced,
“The match is over. The winner is Leo.”
The silent arena started to cheer, their sound shaking the very ground.
Maria finally felt peace.
On the peak, the Sword Star stood up and spoke,
“What a waste,”
as he turned around to leave.
Reginald couldn’t believe his eyes. What took him decades to achieve, this child in front of him grasped before reaching his twenties.
Reginald spoke,
“Maybe he is a good match to Maria indeed.”
Marie replied,
“You are wise, Father.”
Gilda and Harper reached the entrance to the arena.
On the ground, on his knees, sat Hart. He murmured,
“No… no… I can’t lose. I must have her. No… he is too weird. I can’t defeat him. Will I lose? No… nooooo!”
Then a moment of silence.
He looked at the sword next to him. His pupils constricted. He held the sword in his hands. He stood up and ran toward Leo.
Maria screamed,
“Leo!”
Just before reaching Leo, he stopped and threw his sword, enforcing it with mana toward Maria.
He shouted,
“If I don’t win, nobody does!”
Leo’s mana burned through his legs. He rushed forward.
Harper and Gilda both rushed as fast as they could — but they were too far.
Leo didn’t give up.
He reached Maria in time.
The sword pierced his heart.
He looked at Maria’s teary eyes.
She said,
“No! You fool! Why would you do it?”
Leo replied,
“As long as I live, death dare not touch you, my dear.”
He coughed up blood.
Maria and Gilda rushed to Leo.
Gilda started treatment.
The referee apprehended Hart as he laughed hysterically,
“I won! He is dead! Hahahahahahaha!”
Leo lost blood. His tunic was fully soaked. The ground beneath him was wet.
He saw Gilda and spoke,
“Thank you for everything, Granny. Forgive me.”
Gilda spoke,
“Forgive me for being late, Leo.”
Leo smiled and looked at Maria.
He spoke,
“Forgive me for breaking my promise, dear.”
His consciousness slowly faded.
The crowd’s cheers slowly faded as he faded into oblivion.
In the abyss
Leo floated in the far edges of the abyss.
A female voice asked,
“Do you regret it, child?”
Leo slowly opened his eyes and replied,
“No.”
The female voice continued,
“After losing your memories, after losing your strength, after losing everything, you still didn’t lose yourself. You made me proud, Leo.”
Her voice diminished and faded away.
The fat Fairy King appeared again and spoke,
“Stubborn bastard. Your father took 12 years to overcome this trial. You did it in one. Perhaps you can end this vicious cycle after all.”
Leo asked,
“What are you talking about? Who are you? Who is the woman who spoke to me?”
The Fairy King spoke,
“The time you know the answer to that question is not far, boy. Now you need to go.”
He placed his hands on Leo’s head.
At that moment, his memories flooded back. Along with them, something within him awakened — a flame that had lain dormant for decades.
The Fairy King asked,
“What is your name?”
Leo opened his eyes, flames pouring out of them.
He replied,
“I am Leo Legion.”
The Fairy King laughed.
“Hahahahahaa! Go now, child. It’s time.”
Leo flew back the way he came.
Back in the arena
Gilda, Maria, and Herbert were crying as they stared at Leo’s lifeless body.
Herbert took his sword and approached Hart with rage devouring his heart.
Hart spoke,
“Grandpa, I am your grandson!”
Herbert replied,
“I have no such grandson from the moment you decided to harm an innocent girl.”
He raised his sword to kill Hart.
Harry said,
“Saves me the time to dispose of trash.”
At that moment, mana raged toward Leo. Unlike before, this was not a calm whirlpool — it was a raging tsunami.
It flew toward Leo.
His heart started to beat.
The sword in his heart started to melt.
Flames came out of his wound.
Reginald, Harry, and Harper sensed the torrent of mana and turned to Leo.
The blade in his hands glowed redder and redder until it reached its original crimson color.
Reginald’s eyes widened.
“The Crimson Knight,”
he whispered.
Harry started to shake.
“No… that is not possible. How can that appear here after 20 years?”
He fell to his chair.
Behind Leo, golden flames formed a symbol — a golden shield with a phoenix in the middle.
Harper spoke,
“The crest. He really is the young prince. He didn’t die. My queen, your sacrifice was not in vain.”
Tears flooded his eyes.
Gilda spoke,
“My queen… if only you could see this with your own eyes.”
Flames poured from Leo, engulfing the area.
They spread toward Maria. The medics tried to move her.
Gilda said,
“No. Wait and watch.”
Her chest puffed with pride.
“These are the flames of the undying phoenix.”
The flames reached Maria — not hot, but warm. She felt the same warmth she felt that night on the balcony of the orphanage.
She embraced the flames.
They healed her, improving her body, pushing it further.
Leo healed as well.
He landed.
The golden flames moved toward Gilda. The medallion in her hand flew to the skies.
The golden flames engraved the symbol on the back of the medallion.
Gilda spoke,
“It’s complete. After 20 years, the Medallion of the King is complete again.”
On the stand, Reginald and Harry saw this.
“There is no doubt. It is the son of the late queen and king. That is the real medallion our Majesty has been searching for two decades — the only thing keeping him from entering the throne room and gaining the power of the king,” said Reginald.
Harry replied,
“No. He can’t be allowed to live. We need to kill him and get the medallion to the king.”
Reginald replied,
“Yes. Let’s go. Knights, surround them. Kill them!”
He continued" Marie , pass the news to the capital".
Marie told " yes father". and left the place.
They jumped down and stood face to face with Leo, Maria, Gilda, and Harper.
Harper spoke,
“You think you children can beat us?”
Harry replied,
“I know I can’t — that’s why I slipped in a backup plan. Didn’t expect to use it so soon.”
He broke a vial. The aroma spread around.
Herbert smelled it and vomited blood. His mana veins twisted.
Leo saw this and spoke,
“The Nine Hell Serpent poison.”
Harry said,
“Quite the eyes you’ve got there, Prince.”
Herbert asked "but how".
Harry smiled " didn't you drink it on your own".
Herbert realised" The wine "
Harry replied" You finally know".
Gilda stepped forward and removed her hood.
Harry and Reginald’s eyes widened.
“I am disappointed, my son,”
she said.
“Mother…”
Harry replied.
Reginald followed,
“The Sword Queen Gilda…”
The knights trembled at the mention of her name.
Reginald continued,
“The woman said to be a match to the Sword God — his long-dead wife.”
Harry said,
“Draw your swords. It’s us or them today.”
