Innis Turelina

Kirana and Innis were two comrades at Rostgard Military Academy. 

They were both considered prodigies in swordsmanship, often engaging in friendly duels to compare their progress.

However, their battles were solely focused on sword techniques, devoid of mana and magic. In this aspect, Innis was on par with Kirana. 

But when it came to using mana and magic, Kirana easily outmatched Innis. This was because Innis was a pure martial artist who doesn't use magic. He harnessed the mana within his body for physical enhancement.

Unfortunately, despite Innis being hailed as a genius in the art of swordplay, his name was relatively unknown to the Westyan public. 

The reason was simple: Innis disliked violence. He would only participate in wars or combat against monsters in cases of dire necessity.

Innis preferred spending his time painting rather than swinging a sword on the battlefield. 

Consequently, his military achievements were abysmally low, or one might even say nonexistent.

However, Kirana and their fellow comrades never underestimated Innis. His skills and talents were among the best, putting him on par with Kirana and Lilinette.

Kirana even believed if Innis was more dedicated to enhancing his abilities. She wouldn't be surprised if his progress outpaced hers.

"So, how is your life now, Innis? Still as apathetic as ever?"

"Huh? What do you mean by apathetic? I am a lover of peace and beauty," replied Innis as he lay on the grassy bed in his backyard. 

He gazed up at the clear night sky, free from clouds, revealing the beauty of the moon and stars.

"What about yourself? Last time I saw you, you had just been promoted to Commander, but now? I have no words, you're already a Princess of the Kingdom. It feels like you've skipped too many steps."

"Hahaha, even I don't know how I ended up like this," Kirana chuckled.

Kirana then sat cross-legged beside Innis. However, as soon as she sat down, she felt uncomfortable as her thighs and buttocks came into contact with the grass.

"Ugh, I hate this dress," she muttered.

"Hey, don't say that. This attire makes you look even more beautiful and elegant than your usual uniform. Military uniforms tarnish your beauty, making you seem like a cold, emotionless painting."

"...I'm not a painting."

Ptak!

Kirana flicked her friend's forehead.

"Sigh... so, what have you been up to all this time? Among all our friends, you're the only one we never hear from. Don't tell me you've just been lazing around every day?" 

Kirana inquired while gazing at the beautiful sky.

"..."

"…"

Innis remained silent, and a moment of stillness settled in, with no words spoken. Only the sound of the evening breeze, carrying the scent of flowers, filled their ears.

Several minutes later, Innis shifted from his laying position to sit upright. 

He gazed at Kirana with a serious expression, a far cry from the demeanor he displayed during their earlier casual conversation.

"Kirana... Westya will fall. Sooner or later." 

"...What do you mean?" she asked.

Innis closed his eyes, deep in thought, carefully choosing his words.

"Well, let's start with the time when the Blackwinter War occurred..."

Innis proceeded to narrate his story, beginning with the events of the Blackwinter War in Huntara. 

There was a grand royal banquet held in the Royal Palace of Westya, and Count Turelina was among the nobles invited. Innis accompanied the Count to the capital.

At that time, no one knew about the ongoing Blackwinter War, and the banquet was filled with merriment, free from concerns about the Abyss. 

After all, at that time, the increased Abyss activity was still just a rumor.

Innis, not particularly fond of the noble's pretentious behavior at such gatherings where they always wore masks with fake smiles, separated himself and headed to the palace garden.

The garden was dimly lit, illuminated only by faint mana-powered lamps. 

At one point, during the peak time of the banquet when the nobles' laughter and cheers echoed throughout the garden, Innis, feeling bored, contemplated leaving the party.

However, as he had just begun to walk away, he noticed four silhouettes in a corner of the garden. 

On reflex, Innis quickly concealed himself behind a tree. By focusing his hearing, he could faintly overhear the conversation of the four individuals.

"Conversation?"

"Hm, at that time, it wasn't very clear. I could only hear Duke Grenhall angrily berating Count Vista for not informing him about the Blackwinter operation."

"Blackwinter?!"

Innis nodded. "Yes, in retaliation by Count Vista himself. Basically, he said that Duke Grenhall wasn't ready. Duke Grenhall stormed off in anger, while Count Vista returned to the party."

Kirana frowned. "And the other two?"

Innis smiled coldly. "I killed them."

"?!!"

So, when the four of them dispersed, initially, Innis thought that, apart from Duke Grenhall, the others had returned to the palace to continue the festivities. 

He stood there alone, not understanding the content of their conversation, and decided to dismiss it from his mind, intending to proceed with his plan to leave.

Innis reentered the party room, informed his father that he was leaving, and then left without anyone paying much attention to him.

As Innis exited the palace, he sensed that someone was following him. He turned around and called out to whoever was tailing him, but no one emerged, even after he waited for a while.

Feeling that his time was being wasted, Innis decided it was best to head home, assuming that his pursuer wouldn't follow him into his family's residence in Rostgard.

However, during that time, he heard the terrified screams of a woman pleading for help. 

Innis stopped and looked around, realizing that the area was deserted. He turned towards the source of the sound, deep within a dark alley.

'A trap?' 

Innis thought to himself as he observed the scene before him. Suddenly, a woman's head rolled in front of him from within the alley.

"!"

Innis was startled and fell silent as he heard the growling sound of a wild creature.

"A monster? No, it can't be. What is happening?"

Innis hesitated to enter the alley, but then he heard more cries, this time the voice of a young girl. 

Without further thought, Innis sprinted into the dark alley, twisting and turning to follow the direction of the sounds. 

Eventually, he reached a dead-end where he encountered two individuals he recognized – the same two people who had been conversing with Duke Grenhall and Viscount Vista in the palace garden.

Innis fell silent, looking around in all directions, but he found neither the little girl nor the woman's head.

"Tsk."

Innis realized that he had fallen into a trap. He had suspected it, but he had walked right into it.

"Why? Looking for me?" 

One of the men in front of him spoke, and his voice was the same voice as the young girl Innis had heard earlier.

"Whoa, you have a nasty hobby, uncle," Innis commented, as he began to contemplate a way to escape the situation.

"So, what business do you gentlemen have with me?" Innis asked, "Ah, but let me make it clear—I'm not interested in someone of the same gender. And if I were, I wouldn't choose older men like you."

"Huh? This brat is rambling about strange things," one of the men commented.

"Hahaha, never mind. No need to think about it; he'll die anyway," the other one added.

Innis frowned as he listened to their remarks. Honestly, he didn't know these two men, but judging from their attire, it was clear they belonged to the upper class, whether nobility or wealthy merchants.

"Gentlemen, I believe you've forgotten that in this kingdom, killing is prohibited, especially when it comes to a noble child like me. So, how about we make peace? Even though I don't know what this is all about," Innis suggested as he began to step backward, approaching the intersection at the end of the alley.

"Are you sure you don't know what this is about, boy? After eavesdropping on our conversation in the garden earlier?" one of the men retorted.

"Um, I wasn't eavesdropping. You were the ones talking without realizing I had been there from the beginning. So, peace?"

"No. We cannot let you live. It's unfortunate, but curse your bad luck!"

The man lunged at Innis quickly, but his attack was easily anticipated and evaded by Innis.

"Hey, hey, can't we talk? I don't want to hurt you!" 

Innis shouted as he continued to dodge the man's attacks as if toying with him, which only served to infuriate the man.

"You!!"

The man's hand transformed into a muscular, dark appendage with sharp, black claws.

The other man, who had been silent until now, warned the one launching the attack. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Calm down, as long as he dies, there's nothing to worry about," the attacker replied.

"Tch!"

Unfortunately, that was a blunder. Innis, noticing the transformation of the man's hand, immediately realized the identity of the person he was facing.

"A demon?"

Innis's usually warm eyes turned cold in an instant. When the demon-handed man attacked again, Innis took swift action.

"[Physical Amplification], [Harden], [Mana Sword]."

Slash!

With a single stroke from Innis's hand, the man's head was severed and fell to the ground. It rolled in front of Innis's feet, and then the human head transformed into a demon head.

"Indeed, a demon. What is this? Why are there demons in Rostgard, no—why are you at the royal noble's party in Westya?" 

Innis turned to the other man, emitting an intense killing intent that made the demon break out in a cold sweat. 

He was a Rank 7 demon, but the young man in front of him had an aura far more terrifying than his own.

"I'm done for!" That's what the demon thought.

"Answer me," Innis demanded.

Innis's aura grew more intense as he approached. However, the demon showed no intention of answering. 

Instead, it went into a frenzy, transforming its body into a towering figure of a demon, filling the narrow alley where they stood.

The demon launched an attack, but despite being more formidable than the previous one, Innis still managed to overpower it.

"Since then, I began to feel a sense of foreboding. I took the two demon corpses to our residence and buried them in the backyard. The next day, I heard news that two nobles from the south of Kastia had gone missing."

Upon hearing the news, Innis pondered his choices—whether to report the two demon corpses or leave it be. 

At the time, Innis suspected that the demons might have been impersonating the two nobles from the south, whose whereabouts were currently unknown.

At that time, while Innis was contemplating his decision, a guest suddenly arrived at his home.

"The guest was Duke Grenhall. He came with a mission—to request that the Edenia region send troops to the Ethyria border. He claimed it was in preparation to thwart an Abyss invasion."