7 Heroic Desire

Hokuto had some vague familiarity with the Abyss Temple, simply because she was enamored by the valiant Queen Yagyu, who had sacrificed herself on the battlefield without regrets. She utilized her expertise in the <North Star Lily Sword Art> to annihilate the enemies from the Abyss Temple, giving her people a clear shot to kill the various leaders of the devilish sect. Hokuto had a righteous heart deep inside, and found these heroic feats incredibly inspiring.

Thus, while attempting to cultivate her mind towards magic (and generally failing), she also read about the things that made the Abyss Temple infamous. She knew that the cultists from the Abyss Temple were lunatics. They often kidnapped young children and virgins, indiscriminate of gender, using them as blood sacrifices towards a heretic deity they named "Absalom," a being of pure chaos and anarchy. They believed that plunging Heralldia into a chaotic and anarchic purge could result in a revolution and rebirth. "With destruction comes rebuilding and rebirth," Hokuto muttered their maxim.

When she learned that the possibility of the Abyss Temple still being around was not a joke, she quickly left the area, causing King Ren to look at her previous direction with some suspicion. However, he failed to notice her presence as she had already left by the time he felt something was off. Shrugging, King Ren decided to go find Hokuto in her room. Later that day, Hokuto was really in her room, reading a thick tome that contained information chronicled by previous members of the Dark Moon Guild regarding the Abyss Temple.

When King Ren went to see Hokuto, he was shocked to see her daughter expressing an interest in the Abyss Temple. "Hokuto! Dear, you are far too young to concern yourself with that!" King Ren frowned, but he wasn't angry. He was mostly just worried. "You have to be more worried about how you'll present yourself towards the [Rose Sword Saint], as she has scheduled your first meeting with her tomorrow!"

Hokuto didn't seem too surprised, giving King Ren a perfunctory nod of acknowledgement. Deep down, she was contemplating how to take full advantage of the fact she would become Astraea's only disciple in the whole world. While she tried to put aside the matters of the rumoured resurgence of the Abyss Temple, she couldn't help but feel a sense of desire to try and rise up to the occasion. King Ren could see the glimmer in her eyes.

"That presence earlier at the courtyard was you, wasn't it?" King Ren frowned. "You were eavesdropping the whole time. I know how much you idolize Queen Yagyu. You definitely want to join the battle, don't you?"

Hokuto glared at King Ren. "Father. I don't know if I can fully commit myself to the way of the sword, as much as it pains me to tell you," she said. "However, I will try my best not to disappoint you. I will make sure that I do not give the [Rose Sword Saint] any trouble."

King Ren smiled faintly. "This daughter of mine is still so stubborn."

"I still really want to cultivate the mystic arts. I don't really care if you say I have no aptitude or not. I am sure the [Rose Sword Saint] is more qualified than you to judge," Hokuto harshly rebuked her own father, who didn't know whether to laugh or cry, because it was true. Astraea was indeed stronger than him by a large margin.

"Therefore, I don't have any qualms with your arrangement. No matter what happens, I want to pursue a righteous path to become strong and fulfill my own ideals." The way Hokuto spoke didn't seem particularly pumped up. However, there was a cold resolution in her voice that didn't seem like it could come from a ten year old.

"Then you better get some rest. Astraea will be seeing you at our dojo tomorrow." King Ren nodded as he quietly left the room, leaving Hokuto alone sitting on her futon. She went to the single window of her quarters, opened the curtains and peered out. It was rapidly approaching the afternoon. The young child stared at the sky and the orange sun. Something inside her seemed to have awoken.

Meanwhile, at a certain residence near the outskirts of the Hamlet.

Astraea was seated on the floor right by the entrance of her house. It was old-fashioned, all wooden. It could easily be burned down if one was not careful, but due to the sentimental value King Ren placed on this residence, it was still in good condition. She looked in the direction of the castle that towered over the rest of the buildings. Unbeknownst to her and Hokuto who was looking out of the window of her room, their gazes would align if nothing stood between them.

Suddenly, Astraea smiled at nobody in particular.

"This kid has a bright future in swordplay. She just doesn't know it. This will be my greatest challenge yet!" Astraea clenched her right fist.