────── This is but a mirage of fleeting peace.
"── Gospel. "
" Ah, gwaaaaaaaaaa!! "
Three shadows flew back with the force of a raging torrent, tumbling across the ground through the surrounding grass and trees. The sound of snapping bones—noises that should never come from a human body—echoed through the air. Afterward, the three lay perfectly still.
Even in Orario, the city of adventurers and the front line in the war between humanity and monsters, such a sight would be considered horrific. Yet, remarkably, this scene was a mundane part of daily life for the Cranel family.
Naturally, the beauty standing at the center of this destruction, Alfia, looked exactly as she always did. Or perhaps, to those family members who could spot the nuances others missed, her lips were pursed slightly in an expression of minor annoyance.
There was an unwritten law in the Cranel household that no one dared break: "Never disturb Alfia's mood, no matter what."
The reason? The result was always the same: being sent flying by the merciless power of her magic, Gospel.
The Cranel family consisted of four men and one woman. Despite the male majority, absolute authority rested with the "Queen," Alfia. She was the law and the unchanging logic of their world. As someone who loved silence above all else, her hand moved significantly faster than her tongue. The moment her peace was disturbed, the men of the Cranel family were tossed aside without debate.
The family's established constitution was simple: do not anger Alfia at any cost. If one person provoked her, the others suffered as well under collective responsibility.
Before her, the Great God who once led the strongest Familia in the world, the hero who stood as a pillar in the defeat of Behemoth, and the genius with talent rivaling Alfia's own were reduced to mere servants seeking to appease their Queen. If anyone dared to make a ruckus in her presence, they would spend the entire following day bedridden.
Chief among these was Zeus, the legendary troublemaker. He frequently committed reckless acts bordering on harassment without any fear of death, and the consequences were well-known to all.
Today, yet again, a foolish argument over "who is the most beautiful girl in the village" resulted in the men being launched into the air by the strikes of her "Gospel Fists."
The Queen—having turned Zeus, Zald, and Al into fertilizer for the fields in equal measure—picked up Bell, the only one spared from punishment. As he trembled with anxiety, she walked back toward the house, muttering harshly:
"A bunch of fools. They bring nothing but a bad influence to Bell's upbringing..."
What a terrible fate! Zald might be excused, but Al was still just a child who hadn't even received a blessing!
"── Ah, after we finish eating, it will be time for 'training'."
In the Cranel family, Zald handled the daily cooking with Al's help. Alfia could cook, of course, but the task fell to Zald, who cared more about food quality, and Al, whom Alfia assigned simple chores at every opportunity. The food they ate while their bodies were broken should have been delicious, but they couldn't taste a thing.
After lunch, the usual daily training began—
"Guh, aghhhhh────!?"
Once again, Al's body bent at angles a human frame should never reach as he tumbled across the ground. A normal person would have been permanently disabled by such injuries. However, despite his condition, he possessed talent that rivaled Alfia's. He stood up immediately, ignored the pain, and took a fighting stance.
"Taking a stance full of openings is a wasted effort, you clumsy fool."
The response was a cold voice filled with rebuke, followed by a hand-blade strike sharp enough to decapitate an average blessed adventurer. Al lost consciousness after a heavy blow to the back of his neck, his body hitting the dirt. He regained consciousness quickly and stood back up, only to be sent flying again. Over and over, he was knocked out and then beaten awake—punched, kicked, trampled, and struck once more.
"Gah, guh, oh, gu... gwaaaaa!!"
No adventurer in Orario practiced training like this. Al was utterly crushed by every one of Alfia's movements. No matter his talent, the gap between a twelve-year-old boy without a blessing and Alfia, who was effectively the "strongest in the world," was a chasm between two different orders of being.
Furthermore, Alfia—who had never undergone traditional training and, due to her innate genius, could not fathom the feelings of those who couldn't do what she did—pushed Al through a regimen that exceeded the boundaries of madness. Her philosophy was simple: it was impossible to become truly strong without standing on the brink of death and surpassing one's limits there. As someone who understood the cruelty of an adventurer's life and the weight of their responsibilities better than anyone, she allowed Al no leniency.
Because he understood this perfectly, Al continued to resist with everything he had.
Sometimes he was thrown into a monster's nest with his hands bound. Sometimes he was pushed off a cliff, just as a lion does with its cubs, or submerged in raging water currents. Once, he got lost in a natural labyrinth and wandered for weeks. Those days were akin to hell, but Al never knew despair. No matter how disgracefully he crawled, how much blood he spat, or how much mud and grass he had to consume to survive, his heart never broke in his quest to meet those expectations.
The times he teetered between life and death were too many to count. Yet, Al dedicated everything to surpassing his limits, solely to catch up to that monster.
And so, he ended up today as well—a tattered rag of a person.
"Do not rely on physical abilities. Do not lean on a weapon. Refine your skill."
If he wanted quick power, he could have had Zeus grant him a divine blessing. If Al had gained the power of the Falna, he could have obtained extraordinary strength instantly, but Alfia did not favor this path.
She knew the strength of heroes who reached the peak as followers of gods. She had seen with her own eyes how the strongest heroes—the fruit of a thousand years of history—were crushed helplessly by a single dragon. Thus, she demanded from Al a strength resembling the heroes of the ancient world, whose power left no room for divine will to interfere.
She didn't reject the idea of him receiving a blessing eventually. However, since Al would rise through the ranks at a speed matching or exceeding her own, she felt compelled to instill in him "skill and maneuverability" so he wouldn't rely solely on the explosive power of his stats.
The challenge imposed on Al was to build a body and mind that would not be at the mercy of the "Vessel." This was the conclusion Alfia had reached, and it was why Al underwent this hellish training daily.
Zald, who tended to be more rational, tried to intervene several times to stop it. Each time, he was floored by a "Gospel Fist," a silent message saying: "Do not interfere." Even more surprising was that Al, possessing a talent that made even Alfia jealous, began to adapt to this training that resembled persecution, even without a blessing. Any ordinary child would have surrendered in the first few moments.
"Is this all you have?"
".........."
Well, even so, he still lacked the strength to face Alfia. The situation remained a one-sided slaughter.
"That... tomorrow is the day I leave for Orario, so let's call it a day..."
"...... Ah, right. It was."
───── In truth, I never intended to meet either of you.
───── I had resolved never to appear before you.
The Absolute Evil that shatters the current false peace and casts all people of good will into the depths of despair. The disruptor of order. The defiler of serenity. The enemy of the world. After turning everything to ash, I would pose the question to those who remain about the nature of the "Justice" that sparkles like the stars, raising them to the status of "Heroes."
For the sake of the "Heroes of the next generation," and to create the "Last Hero" who will save the world, I would be the evil used as a stepping stone. I would shatter the stagnation and kill many to find among them the one worthy of the title of Hero and lead them.
That was how it should have been. That was the future, the mission, the destiny, the role, the sin, the burden, and the curse I was prepared to carry. I had to be the "Evil" from which a single "Justice" is born.
But.
───── But, I saw your white hair.
I saw that pure, untainted white hair. Bell, who resembles Meteria so much in his hair, his face, and his smile—if not for his red eyes that remind me of the past...
And Al, the owner of divine talent that makes me tremble, who carries no malice like the disease devouring me, and who is capable of protecting Bell as an older brother... He is the perfect embodiment of what I used to dream of.
I didn't shed tears, but I realized I couldn't do it. I couldn't lie to my heart in the face of the overwhelming emotions that struck me. Foolishly, I chose you two—the memory of my late sister—over the fate of the world.
At the same time, I thought:
───── I hate the idea of dying and leaving you two alone while you're still small.
This ugly desire—if the old "me" heard it, she would have spat on it. Ah, I'll admit it. I wished to be a "mother" to you, even if it meant abandoning the "Original Sin" I imposed upon myself.
My rage toward the Black Dragon remains a fire smoldering in my chest that will never go out. But more than that, I wished to live with you.
The skills of divine followers express what is in their hearts. When I updated my status for the first time in 11 years, the skill that had devoured me for years had vanished as if it never existed.
───── Did my desire for you overcome my guilt toward my sister?
Strangely, I felt no remorse. However, since we did not choose to be the "Evil" that gives birth to "Justice," the "Hero" may never bloom. So, I know it is a selfish wish, but──.
Tomorrow, you leave for that City of Heroes. You will face great hardships there and go through many breaking points. Many heroes will stand in your way. But please, do not give away. Resist, struggle, and keep flailing; if you find a peak there that your hands cannot reach, crawl forward even if you are on the ground.
And at the end of that road──
"── Al, I want you to become the 'Last Hero'."
" '..... Fine. It's better than leaving it to Bell.' "
In the moment of sunset that declared their parting, under the sunlight playing across his snow-white hair, Al whispered those words to himself.
Orario, the city of adventurers. The place inhabited by heroes sitting at the heart of the world. The place where heroes tasked with the mission of saving the world continue to be born.
The boy going to that promised land smiled quietly. The wish his "mother" placed within him might be heavier and more rugged than he imagines. A day may come when he hates the responsibility of being a hero. A time may come when he weeps at his own helplessness.
But, despite that, it is certain ────────
Al Cranel
Affiliation: Freya Familia Race: Human Occupation: Adventurer Weapon: Greatsword Representative Colors: Black and White Favorite Food: Sweets Combat Style: All-rounder Natural Enemies: Alfia, Airmid, Mia
Stats (Level 3)
Magic
[Thunder Bolt]
Quick-cast magic.
Lightning element.
[Silentium Canan]
Enchantment magic.
Healing injuries.
Soul protection (Spiritual Blessing).
Skills
[Longing Reminiscence]
Rapid growth.
Effect lasts until the One-Eyed Black Dragon is defeated.
Effectiveness increases in direct proportion to the strength of emotions.
[Earth Eater to Heaven]
Accelerates mastery of all skills and techniques.
Draws out full latent potential (Stats) to their maximum limits.
Gains experience points by consuming magic stones.
Enhances all abilities by consuming magic stones.
[Heroic Royal Road]
Right to execute "Charge" for offensive actions.
Enhances all abilities upon release.
Enhancement is directly proportional to charge time.
Special enhancement when facing the Dragon species.
Note: Unlike the original story or Astrea Record where he relied mostly on self-teaching, Al entered Orario here after receiving intensive training from two heroes who reached Level 7 (Zald for combat and Alfia for magic). Honestly, his situation is very "dangerous." His personality has been tempered through moral upbringing, making him a largely upright hero (placing him closer to healthy human relationships).
Despite the change in skills, the core of what he does doesn't differ much from the main story. In this path, he will use his knowledge of the original timeline to hunt down Enyo as quickly as possible, so things will change significantly. In the worst-case scenario, Alfia will intervene with "Motherly Power" (along with Father Zald) as external support, which is entirely unfair; Enyo deserves pity here.
Characters:
Ais: Yes, her situation here is much better than in the original story.
Filvis : She might be saved in a truly upright manner.
Airmid: Nothing changes about her no matter the timeline.
Freya: She will be incredibly impressed.
Hermes: He will lose his mind from the shock.
Enyo: "I haven't even done anything yet, and yet..."
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[100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
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