Chapter 6

When he had first met Alus, in a town along the sea, he had been unable to even move his three arms. He wanted to acknowledge the wyvern’s shocking diligence, the sheer force of will required to accomplish what he had. Nevertheless, this was the one thing Harghent could not do. As the years had worn on, and even now as everyone spoke in whispers about his bad reputation, he refused to admit defeat in front of Alus. “……Alus.” “…………” “It’s just as you said. I… No… Not only I, but every one of the ambitious Twenty-Nine Officials of Aureatia are searching for a Hero to one day support. They are trying to gather the strongest in the world together. If you’re half as strong as you claim, then you should announce yourself as a candidate, too!” “…Really now.” It appeared that Harghent’s friend was already aware of his motives. “N-nevertheless, I won’t choose you. Have someone else choose you as their champion. I…” “…Okay.” “I won’t be able to seize any glory with your strength.” “Okay.” The wyvern’s replies remained curt, and he turned his body toward the setting sun. His voice was low, but there was a haughty edge to it. “…To me, that hunger of yours is truly admirable… You have my respect… Someday, you’ll become someone much more amazing than myself, Harghent.” Did he mean those words? Could Harghent truly reach the same heights as the wyvern champion who endeavored to claim all this world had to offer? Having lost everything, did he even have time to reach that peak? “…Alus!” The wyvern took flight, soon fading into the setting sun. He was off to find a new object of pursuit. Perhaps he would fly to a whole new world. And then one day, his conquests nearly at an end, he would claim the mantle of Hero. “Where are you planning to go, Alus?” “……The Great Nagan Labyrinth.” “That city is rubble. Why go there?” “…I only ever have one thing on my mind. Conquest. There’s something I want there…” The sun over the Tileet Ravine began to sink below the horizon. Everything Harghent had lost was becoming blanketed in darkness. Harghent thought about why Alus had left without parting words. He had no regrets. At the very least, he certainly didn’t regret watching Alus depart into the sky. …Because he believed in his own definition of evil. Evil is when you betray your own beliefs. He could wield any type of weapon under the sky with his supernatural aptitude. He possessed a vast array of superpowered magical items, gathered together from all corners of the world. He challenged an endless succession of opponents and dungeons and came out on top every time. He was the fastest living creature in the sky, his hunger driving his conquests even into the domain of dragons. He was the rogue wyvern… …Alus the Star Runner.