How to Live as a Knight After the Ending
Chapter 268: The Star's Blessing (1)

Thanks to Amenora, Osian's suspicions were cleared.

In fact, Aspirex hadn't really suspected Osian seriously.

He says he was just wary because Osian's power was outside the norm, but he had no intention of being hostile.

It would have been enough to just coax and persuade him to remain as a member of the city but the situation just took an odd turn because Amenora got involved.

Osian, Aspirex, Amenora, and Koroleva sat together in the hospital room where no one else was allowed to enter.

Aspirex was the first to speak.

"I'd heard vague stories, but I never thought I'd see it in person."

Unlike when he first spoke casually, Aspirex now used honorifics with Osian.

This was partly because Amenora was watching with sharp eyes, but also because he himself had acknowledged Osian's achievements.

"But how were you able to stay alive until now? Are you perhaps an Ascendant?"

Ascendant.

Osian became deeply interested in that term he had heard before.

The fact that the mayor mentioned this title given to those who transcend the limits of their species added credibility to the concept of Ascendants.

"Wait. What are you saying to Lord Osian? How dare you compare him to mere Ascendants?"

Amenora frowned as if even that displeased her.

Aspirex couldn't say anything. Despite being the mayor of Tirna, he was strangely powerless before Amenora.

"What's the relationship between you two?"

Osian couldn't contain his curiosity and asked.

"Ah, don't worry. We're nothing special."

"For nothing special, the mayor of Tirna seems quite unable to speak up."

"Ah, that's..."

"It's because Lady Amenora is my benefactor."

Aspirex answered instead.

Amenora glared at him, telling him not to talk nonsense, but he continued regardless.

"When I was wandering to observe the wider world, I once faced a life-threatening situation. It was an attack by hunters after the scales, horns, and teeth of a Rock Dragon."

Though they were called hunters, it was clear they must have been highly skilled to target Aspirex, who was a dragon, at that time.

In fact, Aspirex nearly died.

Not only was he physically the weakest among his kind, but the opponents were also thoroughly prepared.

"Lady Amenora saved me when I was about to die at their hands. And finding it admirable that I possessed intelligence despite being a Rock Dragon, she passed down the Ancient Dragon Arts to me."

Osian nodded naturally.

Ah, so that's why. He had found it strange that a Rock Dragon was using Ancient Dragon Arts, but now there was a backstory to explain it.

In other words, Amenora was both Aspirex's life-saving benefactor and the master who taught him the Ancient Dragon Arts.

Looking at it this way, it made sense why he was so deferential to Amenora.

Who wouldn't be flustered when their mentor was angry?

Moreover, that same Amenora was treating Osian with extreme respect as a benefactor. It was natural for him to use honorifics with Osian.

Of course, for Osian, it wasn't easy to accept such a sudden change.

'It would be better to just speak casually like before.'

But since Amenora wouldn't allow that, he decided he would have to tell them separately when she wasn't around.

"For now, shall we talk about my situation later?"

Osian thought he needed to redirect their attention first.

They seemed curious about how Osian, a human from the distant past, had appeared in the present but even Osian himself didn't know why he had suddenly appeared in this era.

That was a conversation he needed to have separately with Amenora, who had witnessed it.

Right now, there was a more important matter at hand.

"So what exactly happened after I passed out?"

"I'll explain that."

It was Koroleva who spoke up.

"I was there at the scene, after all. It's right that I should speak."

Osian nodded.

"First, Mother Goose's group retreated with the Candy Castle but foolish Hans failed to escape, thanks to you."

Osian recalled cutting off Hans' arm as he tried to flee, just before collapsing.

"Come to think of it, were you the one who helped me?"

"Yes. Had to cool down the heat. It was quite troublesome."

It was Koroleva who had prevented the heat of the Sun Ring from melting everything around it.

True to her title as the Snow Queen, she had released a freezing cold throughout the area to cool down the Sun Ring's heat.

Of course, while she said it simply, the process itself wasn't so smooth.

The heat of the Sun Ring was powerful and persistent. Even after the Sun Ring was extinguished, its heat remained, melting iron and spreading its range.

Koroleva had never felt such heat before, not even the holy flames of the Petra Papacy were like this.

She barely managed to cool the heat by creating a powerful snowstorm with her magic.

Having watched from afar, she knew how that compressed heat attack had pierced through the Candy Castle and stopped its functions.

'Human. No, one who transcends humanity...like an Ascendant.'

Recalling that moment, Koroleva naturally realized that Osian wasn't an ordinary human but right now, explaining the situation at that time took priority.

"Originally, we should have shot down the Candy Castle right there when its functions stopped. It was a rare opportunity. But there was an unexpected interference."

"You mean the giant."

Osian recalled the giant that appeared from a gap that opened in the sky.

The giant grabbed the Candy Castle with its enormous arm and pulled it beyond the gap.

"A race that was said to have disappeared in the distant past."

"How did they manage to hide something that size? Is that also the witch's power?"

Giants weren't a race that could simply hide. They caused minor earthquakes just by walking.

Due to their size, they couldn't hide anywhere, and they needed massive amounts of food just to survive.

If giants hadn't been seen until now, the general consensus was that they must have gone extinct.

"That must be Jack's doing."

"Jack?"

"Yes. Jack the Beanstalk. A foolish human who made a deal with the witch."

Another interesting name came up.

Until now, only the witch herself or her familiars had been mentioned, but this person was neither.

Realizing an explanation was needed, Koroleva explained what she knew about Jack.

"Jack the Beanstalk was once an ordinary human. Through a deal with the witch, he obtained magic bean plants and used their power to amass enormous wealth. That should have been enough to live a life of luxury. But Jack's greed didn't end there."

Jack planned to use the beanstalk to infiltrate another world and collect valuable items from there.

However, the number of beanstalks was limited, and Jack tried to make another deal with the witch.

The process wasn't smooth since the witch had already disappeared, and he had no more beanstalk seeds left to use.

That's when Jack came up with an idea.

He thought if he couldn't get seeds from the witch, he could grow them himself.

"It was foolish."

Koroleva sneered as if mocking Jack's actions.

A witch's living creation wasn't something a mere human could handle.

"Whether it was an accident, or the price of pursuing his desires, Jack, who tried to take seeds from the existing beanstalk and grow new ones, became so obsessed that he ended up being devoured by the growing beanstalk."

It would have been fortunate for Jack if it had ended there but Jack didn't die even then.

"Instead, Jack became one with the beanstalk. A strange hybrid was born, fused with the witch's creation while still being human."

Was it mere coincidence?

Or a curse brought about by excessive greed?

Jack, who became a living beanstalk itself, became a being where human and plant were harmonized.

"It must be that Jack who hid the giant beyond the clouds."

Hansel and Gretel, Jack the Beanstalk, and the witch who hasn't been revealed yet.

"Mother Goose has built up a force capable of destroying an entire country if she so wishes."

And now that Mother Goose is targeting Tirna.

Aspirex cleared his throat and joined the conversation.

"There's no need to worry so much. They may have caught us off guard this time, but now that we know they're targeting us, Tirna can respond adequately."

The most dangerous aspect of Mother Goose wasn't the abilities of her familiars or their forces, but rather the parts that hadn't been fully revealed.

However, through this terrorist incident in District 34, Mother Goose's side showed many of her cards.

Particularly, the existence of Jack the Beanstalk and the giant was valuable information that would have been difficult to discover otherwise.

Osian's contribution in revealing this was by no means small in this battle.

"But it's also true that this incident was painful. The damage that occurred in that short time is difficult to calculate."

While the human casualties from the battle were significant, what was most serious was that one of the airship docks, which was crucial for transportation and trade, was destroyed.

It wasn't just any dock, but one of the important districts, so many important goods were concentrated there.

Being bombarded there meant Tirna's economy stumbled, even if just for a moment.

If they had let William or Hans escape there, it would have been irreversible.

Fortunately, they captured William and the other Saint Tree executives, and by recovering all their funds, they were able to overcome the crisis.

There was a knock at the door.

For someone to do that while the mayor was inside meant they were calling for him.

"It seems I must get up now. There are still mountains of unresolved matters. I postponed them a bit, but it seems we don't have that luxury anymore."

Aspirex rose from his seat and Koroleva stood up as well.

"I should go too. We need to have a meeting about this incident at the tea party as well. Having made a contract to protect the city, I must uphold it."

"Lord Osian. I will send compensation separately as a token of gratitude. Please enjoy your life in this city of freedom."

Aspirex and Koroleva left, leaving only Osian and Amenora in the hospital room.

...Hmm. This is uncomfortable.

Osian felt strange being left alone with Amenora.

Her intense staring was burdensome, and so was her behavior of seemingly holding him in high regard.

"How long are you going to just stare?"

"Ah. I'm sorry. You're just far more impressive than I had imagined."

She said that but still didn't take her eyes off him for even a moment.

Osian tried to say something but just gave up.

'Was she originally like this?'

Even Osian had no way of knowing that.

He hadn't had long conversations with her to know her personality, and even the quest content was brief and passing.

There was no way to know if this was her original personality, or if it had changed due to some circumstance.

Osian stood up, feeling uncomfortable staying in this awkward situation.

While he was grateful for using the valuable hospital room, he wasn't seriously injured to begin with.

He had just fainted due to the Sun Ring's power, and thanks to the treatment, even his burns had healed cleanly. With no pain, this was more than enough to be discharged.

Seeing Osian like this, Amenora asked.

"Are you leaving?"

"My injuries are healed. There's no reason not to. Moreover, my companions must be worried."

Amenora seemed unable to accept the fact that Osian was trying to leave so easily but she calmly brought up a story that would catch Osian's interest.

"Aren't you curious about what exactly happened to you?"

"..."

Osian's departing footsteps stopped and his gaze turned toward Amenora.

"What changes came to this world after that day. And where your power disappeared to."

Osian sat in the chair opposite Amenora. It was where Aspirex had been sitting until just now.

"Tell me."

"Where would you like me to start?"

"After I defeated the god."

There was no need to specify which god he had defeated.

If Amenora knew about his journey, she would know who he had defeated at the end.

"You defeated the god who ruled the world at the end. And after transcending humanity, you tried to ascend to the world beyond."

That's a story Osian knows too.

Osian gestured with his chin for her to continue speaking.

It was arrogant, but that suited him so Amenora continued with a deep smile.

"But then a massive explosion occurred in the sky, and countless fragments fell to various parts of the world."

Yes. Up to that point, it was identical to what Gaien had said.

The reign of the laws that had constrained the world disappeared, and thus this world began to move forward.

However, Amenora evaluated that crucial process, the day when meteor showers fell, completely differently.

"It was all thanks to your blessing."