While waiting for their meal to be served, Duke and Hana shared stories about the past.
“Duke-sama, could it really be that you don’t remember me at all?”
At her question, Duke nodded gently.
No matter where he searched in his memory, he could find no recollection of having met her.
‘There were so many battlefields during the Ophir era.’
According to her, she had been a resistance commander and was on the same battlefield as Duke.
However, during those times, Duke had never associated with the resistance.
Although they had common ground in overthrowing the empire and fought on the same battlefields, they never collaborated or even exchanged proper conversations.
Therefore, Duke was aware that she had been a resistance commander, but it was hard for him to accept that she knew his true identity.
As if reading Duke’s expression, she hesitantly asked in a soft voice,
“Can you perhaps remember the battle at the Citadel of the Katzen Plains?”
Duke could easily recall that place.
It was one of his top five most enjoyable battles during the time he was active in Ophir.
Only, despite knowing the location, she still didn’t come to mind.
Sensing this, she nodded as if it was expected.
“Of course you wouldn’t. I only observed you from afar, Sir Ophir.”
As she sat facing the knight, she recalled that battlefield.
The twilight years of the empire were rife with conflicts across the land.
The Ains, suppressed under the empire’s ideology, rose up to form a liberation army, and peasants who were exploited took up farm tools to create resistance groups.
Hana was one among these resistance forces.
She came from the eastern empire regions, which are now known as the Eastern Coalition of Ten Kingdoms.
She joined the resistance out of vengeance for her parents, who were killed by a noble.
Through secretly observing and learning from other commanders’ training sessions, she broke the first barrier.
Then, thanks to a secret martial manual obtained from a fallen knight she defeated on the battlefield, she was able to break the second barrier through self-study.
Upon reaching the Third Tier, she freely wielded her shadows across the battlefield.
Even among knights, the Third Tier was considered advanced, making her quite a formidable force within the resistance.
The Shadow Princess.
That was the nickname given to her as a wanted resistance commander.
At such a young age, she had achieved the Third Tier, far surpassing the average capabilities of superhumans, so she was called “Princess” based on her youthful appearance.
Perhaps it was out of jealousy that someone so young appeared arrogant.
But Hana paid no attention to it.
The prolonged lifespan and the fixed beauty of her twenties meant little to her.
Her only focus was on achieving her dream, which she was almost close to realizing.
“Now I can create a safe fiefdom where ordinary people can live peacefully.”
Death had never frightened her since ancient times.
For she had a dream she wanted to achieve, even at the cost of her own life.
Once she accomplished this dream, whenever her lifespan ended, she wouldn’t care when.
To achieve the final part of this dream, she continued heading to battlefields.
But when she first encountered a Fourth Tier knight on the battlefield, she realized her naivety.
“!”
“Young one, you’ve pushed yourself too soon.”
The knight who had her on her knees said.
The assault on the Katzen Plains Fortress.
There, in front of a fortress that had remained unbroken for 500 years, she met her first Fourth Tier superhuman.
With earlier victories in sieges, the resistance believed that combined efforts of their leaders could defeat a Fourth Tier.
But that belief was a misconception.
The gap between tiers is not something easily bridged.
Even combined efforts of several Third Tier leaders couldn’t bring down a Fourth Tier knight who was seasoned.
Even more dishearteningly, this Fourth Tier knight was merely a subordinate of the noble.
That meant to the noble lord, who had reached the Fifth Tier, the resistance was nothing but a fun event.
This was demonstrated as they looked up to see the wine glasses raised by the lord and his samurai atop the fortress walls.
– “Bravo! Excellent!”
One of the samurai cheered towards the knight.
As if the resistance’s struggle against the knight was merely enjoyable theater.
She could not accept this injustice.
Thus, using a spear made of shadow, she rose from her place.
The knight who was saluting the castle’s audience aimed his sword at her.
“Alas, what a pity, young girl.”
It was then.
That she met Ophir for the first time.
He suddenly appeared in the middle of the sunlit plain.
“An unfavorable battlefield indeed. But it makes for an excellent stage. Am I allowed to interfere in this war? I didn’t ask, so you don’t need to answer.”
The earth-devouring snake, Ophir.
With his arms crossed arrogantly, viewing the battlefield from the hilltop, he was truly the indisputable predator of that battlefield.
As soon as he appeared, the Fourth Tier knight who had been relaxed moments ago fell into panic.
“Snake! Everyone, retreat to the fortress!”
The knight had no thought of finishing her off and hurried to flee back to the fortress.
Just moments ago, the knight and his soldiers were symbols of absurdity, but now they were fleeing from a single man.
Ophir chased them, saying,
“How pitiful. To have the roles reversed and show your backs so easily.”
Ophir’s battle was utterly overwhelming.
With reaction times that couldn’t catch up, he swiftly overtook the knight’s horse and pulled him off.
Seizing the knight’s sword, he began a one-sided massacre with an eye-dazzling speed of swordsmanship.
With just one sword, Ophir painted the plain red.
“Where— guhhh!”
As Ophir stirred up dust on the battlefield and used it as cover to continue the slaughter of soldiers,
The lord and his aides who were watching from atop the wall turned pale and hid behind the wall.
They locked the walls to ensure their survival, abandoning their knight and soldiers to be hunted by Ophir.
The moment when those knights and soldiers who had been gleefully killing family and comrades became the prey, the resistance cheered Ophir loudly.
Ophir paid no attention to the cheering resistance forces and continued eliminating the knights.
His actions were like saying this wasn’t done for any fame or prestige.
The resistance silently admired the back of Ophir, who fought steadfastly. Hana was no exception.
– “Open the gates! Let us in…”
In the midst of such a moment, unable to bear it, Hana called out to Ophir.
However, before she could finish her sentence, Ophir interrupted sharply.
“I don’t need any followers. If you truly wish to help me, lift your weapons.”
With that, Ophir hurled the spears stuck on the battlefield towards the fortress wall.
The impact of the spears piercing the wall shook it as if hit by a stone-throwing machine.
Having completed spear-ladders, Ophir used them to ascend the fortress wall.
Naturally, no one in the resistance possessed the skills to mimic Ophir’s feat and ascend the fortress using those spears.
Ultimately, the resistance could only watch in astonishment as Ophir crossed the fortress wall alone.
Nor could Hana take her eyes off the spot where Ophir had been.
And that day, when the 500-year-old undefeated history of the fortress came to an end, a sense of admiration for Ophir bloomed in Hana’s heart.
While Hana indulged in such reminiscing, Duke also revisited a similar memory.
However, his memory differed slightly from hers.
Until the disposal of the knights in Katzen Plains, it was the same.
The issue began directly before Ophir leaped over the fortress wall.
Ophir observing the fortress gate over the corpses of knights.
‘How should I cross in a way that fits the character?’
Using flight magic to scale the wall would be easy, but that would lack “swagger.”
Ophir’s character was someone who possessed overwhelming speed, strength, and power, yet was also adorned with excellent technique.
While Duke’s method of inducing despair with a slow choking pressure was a style of hopelessness, Ophir represented an overwhelming despair that crushed the will to resist.
Climbing the wall with a simple magic teleport didn’t fit his character, in other words, lacking the necessary “swagger.”
What was needed was a flashy performance that would send the enemies into despair and evoke awe from the resistance forces watching from behind.
Right as he was pondering about a swashbuckling entrance, one of the resistance members called out from behind.
“We can help…”
Ophir reflexively responded.
“I don’t need followers. If you wish to help me, wield your weapons. Furthermore, you must create more battlefields.”
The latter part of the sentence was cut off by the wind, but Ophir paid no attention, preparing to leap over the castle wall.
He hurled the spears to create an ascent, showcasing his extraordinary technical skills as well as his brute strength, and leaped alone over the castle wall.
What followed inside the fortress was a black mark in Duke’s history.
“Ha! An intruder has arrived! Show me your duty, O Lord!”
“Wow, have you held it off? Then, what about this new tactic?”
“More! Entertain me more!”
<Duke's Perspective>
‘Ah…’
Back to reality.
I clenched my eyes shut as my forgotten black history was shoved right in my face.
A period where I threw caution to the wind since I wasn’t going to stay.
My dark history now stabbed at my heart like a dagger.
“Hmm. The mood has been ruined.”
Ophir always wrapped up his acts on the battlefield with such dramatic lines.
I thought it suited the persona of a war enthusiast.
‘I didn’t think you would recognize me anyway!!’
I had some defenses.
To avoid being revealed as Ophir, I refrained from using Duke’s telekinetic powers.
Instead of the precise and suffocating slow swordsmanship of Duke, I used the lightning-fast style of slashing with overwhelming speed.
I only used magics I learned from my master or those I stole from dragons.
I left no room for being outed, and even a fellow 13th Rebellious Star couldn’t expose me.
‘But how did Hana…?’
After much deliberation, I asked her.
“How did you figure out my true identity? And is there anyone else who knows this besides you?”
Since I had already slipped into informal speech by addressing her as “you,” I decided to keep it conversational.
Despite my superior tone, she blushed and said,
“In my hometown, we have a custom of mourning our revered teacher for three years when they pass away. Was it perhaps… Ah, you already know.”
I nodded while anxiously waiting for the explanation to continue.
‘Oh, no way…’
“If that’s the case, I’ll make it brief. It was the day three months after the official death announcement of Sir Ophir. On my way back from gathering firewood, I happened to see you walking out of his grave.”
‘Oh, Jesus.’
True to her words, back then, I had officially announced Ophir’s death and secretly had him buried in a rock tomb without incident.
The plan went smoothly, and I waited inside for three months just to be sure.
(Reference: Initially, I thought I’d wait three days, but considering the possibility of a new religion, I extended it to three months.)
I figured no one would conduct rituals for Ophir, and surely no one would wait there for three months.
Turns out, Hana was waiting there, fully prepared for three years.
‘Now it makes sense why there was a makeshift shelter near the grave.’
I thought it was probably a common beggar or a vagrant and quietly slipped away since nobody was inside.
But the owner of that makeshift shelter was actually Hana.
And she saw me on her way back from gathering firewood.
What followed was somewhat predictable.
The empire disappeared, replaced by hundreds of kingdoms.
As a recognized resistance commander, she could have become the ruler of a small kingdom,
But,
“I’m not capable of that.”
She declined and accepted only the relatively small Sneeria Realm.
(Although Sneeria Realm is as large as South Korea in her previous life.)
Hana continued to collect stories about Duke Erwick as its ruler for a hundred years.
Sometimes through newspapers, sometimes from minstrels, and other times from informants.
She pursued his tales via various methods and began contrasting Duke Erwick’s actions with Ophir’s.
She realized,
“Upon reflection, Ophir was strange. He proclaimed war but never stood by the empire or attacked the powerless populace.”
“…”
“When he fought for the weak, he asked for no reward and even avoided disgrace without flinching.”
In short, the Ophir Hana admired,
“Duker-sama hasn’t changed much from those days.”
‘Cough!’
Hana’s admiring gaze filled me with a sense of guilt.
‘Urgh…’
Wrong.
Not at all.
My motive for siding with the weak was simply because I thought it would be more enjoyable to fight a strong empire. And with the mentality that an empire destined to fall might as well be smashed without hesitation.
But as I looked at her sparkling eyes in front of me,
‘To hell with this face, how can I tell the truth?’
I couldn’t confess in front of this idol-stricken girl.
Moreover, when facing your favorite, you naturally wished to be seen as a cooler person.
After much mental wrangling, I decided to ride this misunderstanding to my advantage.
“A disgraceful past indeed.”
I started to repackage my past as Ophir.
“Back then, it was a time of arrogance, when I believed I alone could usher in peace.”
Consciously lowering my voice and looking down, I continued.
“Hana, you…”
She didn’t avert her eyes from my helm.
“You…?”
“The scar cut by the blade made me believe fresh flesh would grow. How foolish of me. I lacked the ability and responsibility to heal the scar.”
“If that is the case, then may you now visit our Sneeria Realm…”
“Apologies. I’ve already sworn allegiance to a master.”
She seemed shocked by this revelation, shaking her shoulders lightly.
“To whom do you serve, someone of such esteemed stature…?”
“The one who shall be crowned Khan.”
It wasn’t a lie.
Rex, in the end, would enjoy a glory that no inaugural Khan of the Conqueror Dynasty could even match.
I attempted to lighten the mood by changing the subject.
“So, you’re Fourth Tier now, right? You must have worked hard all these years.”
The Hana I knew ascended through the Fourth Tier barrier without any miraculous blessings.
She didn’t offer human sacrifices or soak people in immortality elixirs. She didn’t exploit or kill her subjects to gain enlightenment.
She lacked mentors, manuals, or special lineage.
Yet, purely through meditation and practice over the span of a hundred years, she broke through the Fourth Tier barrier!
And all this while managing her realm’s internal affairs!
“Other lords completely neglect state affairs and focus solely on their own cultivation and hobbies.”
In this sense, Hana’s Fourth Tier was incomparable with others’.
“Truly, a virtuous ruler. The knights under your command must feel greatly honored.”
She brightened at my words.
“Thank you, Sir.”
“On the contrary, I’m the grateful one.”
She seemed surprised, “Why?”
I understood her struggles.
She was uncertain about her chosen path as all the other lords had reached the Fifth to Seventh Tiers. She constantly questioned herself.
Meanwhile, other lords ignored their domains, suppressing dissent with overwhelming power.
She, on the other hand, cared for welfare and listened to even the weakest voices among her subjects.
This was evident from how the otherwise subdued religious zealots spoke freely in her territory.
Nevertheless, she stuck to her beliefs, striving without exploitation or killing through meditation and enlightenment.
I found such perseverance truly commendable.
“Through your steadfast principles, I too have regained confidence.”
She waved her hands, dismissing this.
“Not at all! I merely followed in your footsteps!”
“?”
“Didn’t you, Sir, avoid unnecessary slaughter, and ascend by upholding justice alone? It was because of you that I’ve never doubted my path.”
Her words made me realize a small difference from her character in the original story.
In the original, she walked this path alone, often confused if she was on the right track.
And in the end, she touched the forbidden.
But not this world’s Hana.
She followed in my footsteps, unwavering in the path she chose.
As I saw her self-confidence glimmering in her onyx-like eyes,
“Hahaha!”
I couldn’t help but burst out with a rare, unfeigned laugh.
Surprisingly, my unexpected laughter drew her curious gaze, but my laughter wouldn’t cease.
‘The best!’
I knew about Rex and his subordinates from the original, allowing me to proceed on this path with no regrets.
Rex doggedly pursued this trail left by Hana without hesitation.
And this world’s Hana also unwaveringly walked behind me.
‘I haven’t strayed!’
What else could this be but the truest cycle of good?
I impulsively removed my helm, revealing my bare face.
“Sir?!”
She was astonished.
Removing the helmet, something the wandering knight Duke had concealed for a hundred years, was no trivial matter.
I extended a cup towards her, astonished expression and all.
“As you’ve trusted me enough to reveal your secret, it’s only right for me to reciprocate with my sincerity.”
Her composure was shattered by this.
Perhaps she was surprised that I knew about her homeland’s customs,
Then again, realizing the boundless trust I extended to her must have astonished her further.
But this surprise quickly turned into joy,
“This is an honor, Sir.”
She reciprocated by extending her own cup.
“I declare that you are a better sovereign than any I’ve encountered thus far. If I hadn’t met my lord, I would have served you without hesitation.”
“I am equally honored. To receive such praise from the finest knight of your caliber is a privilege.”
.
The sound of clinking glasses resonated through the room.
With the mood being so elevated, everything sounded beautiful.
‘This is the best day.’
I happily swallowed the wine down my throat.
…Something seems forgotten, but it doesn’t seem too important, so let’s enjoy the moment.
<Yuhan's Perspective>
After clinking glasses, she sipped her wine.
‘Hmm.’
Even the quality wine wasn’t superficial flattery here.
This fiefdom, compared to her own, was far too poor.
The difference was evident even in the quality of wine.
Comparing her carefully cultivated region to this forced one through exploitation was almost absurd.
But even this cheap wine tasted sweeter than any other liquor in this moment.
She looked up at the Duke’s face.
‘I never understood why the women made such fuss whenever the knights finished training…’
Now it made sense.
The sudden appearance of the face under the helm was more fatal to the heart than expected.
In the midst of a pleasant chest ache, she sipped her wine.
‘I didn’t want to come to this fiefdom, but who would have expected such a meeting.’
She felt slightly grateful for fate.
Right at that moment, their ordered steaks arrived.
She cut a piece of what was objectively a disgracefully inferior steak to her estate’s standards and placed it in her mouth.
Then, looking at Duke’s face,
‘It’s delicious.’
Just as their eyes met,
The feeling of deliciousness was mutual as they exchanged soft smiles and enjoyed their lunch.
*
Meanwhile, Rex.
“Grrr…”
Pausing his shopping from the slave caravan momentarily, he pondered in his reception room, melting.
‘How does the prince in Cinderella talk to everyone nationwide…’
Truly, being royalty wasn’t something anyone could just do, and Rex held them in awe.
