After effortlessly killing the Frost Giant King with a single strike, Aestrelia paid no mind to the praise heaped upon him. His expression remained calm as he prepared for his next challenge.

Solo dragon-slaying.

The so-called teammates accompanying him played only a minor supporting role, handling cleanup and logistics. The real fight was entirely his.

The battle raged for days and nights, ending in a drawn-out and agonized roar from the dragon.

Because of him, the leaders of all races began to regard humanity with newfound respect.

But what should have been a triumphant milestone—sealing Tananorn for centuries—was ultimately tarnished by the hero's youth and recklessness.

Drunk on victory, Aestrelia underestimated the difficulty of slaying the Black Dragon King.

The result was disastrous: a gravely injured Tananorn escaped, and Aestrelia himself suffered debilitating wounds, drastically diminishing his strength.

When news broke, humanity’s initial excitement turned to fury. Overnight, the hero became a sinner in their eyes.

A Nation's Disappointment

“Why didn’t you seal it?! Why? Why did you insist on killing it?!”

For the first time, the usually composed and kindly king lost his temper, raging at Aestrelia like a madman.

The hero’s loss of strength represented the loss of humanity’s strongest warrior—their only beacon of hope.

With no hero, humanity would remain the weakest of races, bullied and trampled by others.

Faced with the knowledge that he had ruined everything, Aestrelia couldn’t bear the guilt. He fled, disappearing from the public eye.

The once-dazzling young hero, whose single sword stroke shocked the world, faded into obscurity.

To Frederick, however, the old man wasn’t a legendary hero but simply his guardian—the one who raised him and taught him swordsmanship.

At this moment, Frederick stood beside his master, looking down at the mutilated remains of a group of foxfolk who had been ambushed.

“Ah, we were too late after all.”

Having sensed the skirmish earlier, they had rushed to intervene but arrived only after the carnage had ended.

Barely twelve or thirteen years old, Frederick’s face was still youthful and soft. He looked at the corpses with sorrow in his eyes.

“Master, they’re so pitiful. Why are people so cruel?”

The old man remained silent for a long time.

“Perhaps it’s still a matter of strength,” he finally replied.

His words seemed to echo his own painful memories.

He had fought for days to defeat the Black Dragon King, yet that victory had become his greatest nightmare.

Aestrelia could never forget the moment when he abandoned the plan to seal Tananorn, opting instead for a final, decisive strike with the Seven-Star Sword.

He had believed, with absolute confidence, that this blow would destroy Tananorn and usher humanity into a new era.

But when the smoke cleared, what greeted him was a pair of crimson vertical pupils filled with ferocity—and mockery.

Mockery of his decision. Mockery of his arrogance.

In an instant, the tide of the battle turned.

What should have been a conclusive triumph after days of grueling combat was overturned in the final seconds.

Whenever Aestrelia recalled that moment, he was consumed by endless regret and self-recrimination.

The Turning of the Tide

Years later, the emergence of Bernard Parker brought a new chapter to humanity.

With his unparalleled magical prowess and revolutionary vision of spreading magic throughout human society, Parker accomplished something Aestrelia had never even imagined.

Born into a noble family, Aestrelia had been surrounded by power and privilege from an early age. His parents were skilled warriors, and his prodigious talent in magic was evident from childhood.

Aestrelia’s journey had been one of uninterrupted victories. Even the rare losses he suffered to older and more experienced opponents were swiftly avenged after a short period of training.

At 27, he privately challenged and defeated his master, the former Sword Saint and human champion, becoming humanity’s unrivaled strongest warrior.

At 34, he slew the Frost Giant King and then faced Tananorn…

…only to fall from grace that same year, his reputation in tatters and his strength crippled. He vanished, leaving humanity to struggle in his absence.

“Ah, the twists of life are truly unpredictable,” the old hero murmured, smirking bitterly as he walked through the wilderness with his disciple.

Despite his grim past, things seemed better now.

Humanity had risen to become one of the most powerful races, thanks to the spread of magic. For a man who had once considered himself a sinner, the realization that others had accomplished what he couldn’t brought unexpected relief.

What he had failed to achieve had been completed by another.

As for his disciple, Frederick, the boy was not only talented but also diligent and obedient. Their travels together had been pleasant, free of major dangers.

Only one lingering concern gnawed at Aestrelia’s heart.

That creature… Could it still be alive?

The thought of Tananorn unsettled him.

The Black Dragon King was a being of pure destruction, a killing machine that should never have existed.

What worried him most was that it had been a human—a human hero—who had once defeated it. If Tananorn were to return, vengeance would be inevitable.

Did humanity now have anyone capable of stopping it?

As a once-peerless genius who had reached the pinnacle of the world, Aestrelia could still judge the strength of others, even in his diminished state.

Bernard Parker, though extraordinary, was not yet strong enough.

Nor were the others.

Aestrelia could only hope that the wounds he had inflicted on Tananorn had been fatal.

Passing the Torch

While lost in thought, Aestrelia glanced at Frederick, who was carefully scouting the path ahead. A sudden idea struck him.

“Frederick, I need to tell you something,” he said.

Frederick paused, his detection spell fading, and turned to face his master.

“Do you remember the story I told you?”

The one about being a hero, defeating the Black Dragon, and suffering serious injuries? How could he not? His master had repeated it countless times.

“Yes, Master. I remember.”

“If that thing is still alive, it’ll be your responsibility to deal with it.”

“...?”

“What’s with that look? Don’t you have faith in yourself?”

Frederick clicked his tongue and turned away, muttering under his breath, “You want me to fight a monster you couldn’t even beat…”

Though quiet, his words didn’t escape Aestrelia’s sharp ears.

The old hero, feeling deeply insulted, grabbed his disciple’s ear and gave it a firm twist.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I won! I just got ambushed afterward!”

“Alright, alright! You won, Master…” Frederick replied, exasperated.

Everyone knew the truth, but the old man loved to cling to his pride.

According to historical records, in the year Aestria 178, Hero Aestrelia fought the Black Dragon King Tananorn. His arrogance and overconfidence led to failure, squandering immense resources and manpower invested in him by humanity.

After his defeat, Aestrelia fled, vanishing from public view and leaving humanity to endure years of subjugation.

To this day, he is remembered as…

A sinner.