A few days ago, when Frondier had gathered everyone in the classroom.

Edwin was talking to Ellen. It was a conversation about Edwin's security device.

"The students will have a hard time responding to this situation. Can't we make it so that it sounds an alarm in the vicinity when a dangerous situation arises, to let people know what's happening?"

"It's not impossible to make such an artifact, but mass production is difficult. Given the tight schedule, it should only be given to important figures."

Ellen was the student council president. Therefore, it was her responsibility to decide the direction of the students in such an emergency.

Of course, she would discuss the overall flow with the teachers, but it was Ellen who had to give detailed instructions in the actual situation.

"To be honest, I don't want to involve the students in the battle."

"I agree."

Except for a few, Constel students did not stand on the barrier. They were designed to cooperate with pros and the police to respond to problems within the Empire. In other words, they were in a much safer position than those who defended the barrier.

However, it was inevitable to feel uneasy. For Ellen, the perception of Frondier or Aster compared to other students was as different as heaven and earth.

"If Manggot can really launch a surprise attack, the students might be in even more danger."

They had already heard about shadow teleportation from Frondier. That's why Ellen was worried about the other students now.

If that shadow attacked the students from behind, no matter how much combat training the students had received, they wouldn't be able to deal with the surprise attack of Manggot's assassins.

"That won't happen. Sis."

At that moment, Aster, who had finished talking with Frondier, approached.

"Aster."

"Since Manggot is using a pincer attack of both frontal assault and surprise attack, shadow teleportation won't be possible for all of Manggot. If it were a simple technique that everyone could use, there would be no need for a pincer attack in the first place."

If all of Manggot could use shadow teleportation, the Empire would have already collapsed.

There must be a limit to the number of people who could do it, or some kind of condition.

"So, if Manggot uses shadow teleportation, it will be when they are aiming for the most severe blow to the Empire. If they try to teleport to just anyone and attack, they will all die on the spot. Constel students are safe for now."

"...Right."

Ellen nodded.

Of course, there was a possibility, however small. The possibility that Manggot would teleport near Constel students was certainly not zero.

But they couldn't fight while preparing for every possibility. That's what war was like.

"Senior Edwin."

"Yes?"

Aster this time spoke to Edwin, who was next to him.

"...That, I heard that Hephaestus..."

"Ah, that guy."

When Edwin said "that guy," Ellen and Aster tensed up at the same time.

"He's gone. I have no divine power now."

Edwin spread his hands and shrugged. His face looked rather relieved.

"Is it because of the golem incident the other day?"

"Well, that incident was the trigger. But looking back..."

Edwin put his hands on his hips and raised his head.

"It seems like that bastard has been doing whatever he wanted for a very long time."

"...That, Hephaestus, you mean?"

Aster, who was still awkward speaking casually about Gods. Edwin laughed at him.

"Haha, you can call him whatever you want. I'm the weird one, not you."

"...No one is weird."

"Right, that's a very Aster-like answer. But when you feel like Hephaestus was controlling me, and you realize that it's possible..."

Phew, Edwin sighed.

"I wonder when he started doing that."

"...!"

"During the golem incident, he revealed his power so strongly that it was obvious, but think about it. He could have been doing it little by little, secretly, even before that, right? Small enough that I wouldn't feel any sense of incongruity or strangeness, but consistently. As long as he's by my side, I can't know when he started controlling me, and when he'll do it again."

"...That's right."

Aster could only nod at Edwin's words.

Edwin's distrust of Hephaestus was a perfectly rational judgment.

Then what about Aster?

He who was loved by Baldur.

─I've never been afraid of such a thing.

That one sentence Elodie had said. He knew very well that it was originally Frondier's words.

He had said it during the fake Mistilteinn meeting.

At that time, everyone had thought those words were just bravado, but now no one thought so.

"...Gods."

Aster muttered quietly.

"They're really scary to me."

That small remark.

Ellen and Edwin, who heard it, didn't think much of it.

But Frondier, who was a little further away, was different.

He stood tall and looked at Aster. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened in surprise, a rare occurrence.

Frondier looked at Aster as if he couldn't believe those words had come from him.

His blankly staring eyes, as if contemplating something, silently nodded while no one was looking.

Frondier's plan for the barrier placement was fully decided at this moment, by that one remark Aster muttered.

* * *

Aster slowly raised his sword.

A simple movement that made it hard to imagine anything other than vertically cutting through the air.

'It took me the entire vacation to learn this one technique from my sister.'

Feeling a little embarrassed about that, Aster hadn't told anyone else.

He, who had been so confident that he had completely mastered aura during summer vacation, had only managed to learn one technique during winter vacation.

'But well.'

It wasn't just about learning.

He stood tall.

The cows that were about to throw corpses and the ones that were about to kick them all stopped at the same time. They instantly focused their attention on Aster, whom they had completely ignored.

They themselves didn't know the reason. They didn't feel any great aura from Aster. There was not a speck of divine power.

However.

Aster was originally, 'a swordsman who doesn't emit aura.'

"Here I come."

Evans Family Swordsmanship

Ellen Evans' Unique Sword Style

One Strike

Originally, Aster would have flown towards the cow's head with the power of Baldur.

But he simply raised his sword in a neat stance,

Aster Evans-style Variation

One Flash.

The moment he lowered his sword,

His body was behind the cows.

"...?"

One cow, unable to follow his speed with its eyes, tried to turn its head,

But its body could only turn halfway.

Kwoong!!

Aster's sword, which originally could only barely scratch the Minotaur even with Baldur's power.

That one strike split the Minotaur in half from the top of its head to its groin,

And even that, the cow only noticed later, half of its body crashing to the ground while the other half stood on the ground for a moment.

"!!"

The remaining cows then turned their heads towards Aster, who had taken their rear.

Aster was in the same, terribly familiar stance.

A sword held in both hands, a clumsy and orthodox middle stance, the archetype of a swordsman.

A lightly exhaled breath, even that contained aura, making the air tingle.

He, ordinarily and plainly.

"One."

Recited precisely.