Finding a large-sized town proved more difficult than Nova had expected. The Blackridge Kingdom was dotted with small settlements and average-sized towns, but as their size approached that of a city, they became far less common.

Though there were over two dozen large towns scattered across the kingdom, their distribution made them feel rare. As a result, Nova spent over four hours traveling, bypassing several medium and small towns along the way, to finally find one.

From the outside, the town resembled a city in many ways, if not for the modest, unpolished walls that surrounded it.

"This time, it's best if you stay here. I'll let you know when it's safe to come in," Nova said without so much as glancing at Letto.

Phew, I just get to sit here and wait until he either dies or clears the place out. Couldn't have asked for better, Letto thought, nodding in agreement.

Nova approached the gates slowly while thinking, 'I couldn't tell at first, but after so many hours, it's clear something's changed in me. Just the other day, killing a few bandits stirred my heart. Now not even a knight brings a flicker of emotion. If I had to guess, it must be my mentality. The current me is lacking compared to the past me… How far have I fallen? I'm regressing instead of advancing.'

He felt so pathetic it made him laugh, loudly and without restraint. He didn't care about the citizens and guards standing just ahead, watching him with mocking eyes.

"Another crazy one," someone muttered. "They're popping up everywhere lately."

"This one's even got a spear. Probably from some rich family."

"We'll gut him if he lays a finger on the young master."

While the crowd around him kept chattering, treating him like some street performer putting on a madman's play, Nova didn't hear a word. He was lost in thought.

'How dare I regress? What right do I have to take my time when years might've already passed on Earth? I'm here fooling around, saving people, expecting they'll be useful, but all I've really done is wasting time I could've spent improving myself.'

It had been a long time since he'd felt truly angry. Not at others but at himself. Furious that, despite all his effort, he was falling short of what his expectations for himself were.

He thought back to when this new life began, three years ago. All the training he went through, the blood and the sweat he poured into better himself, every day spent pushing forward. He never imagined that, despite everything, he would one day worsen.

'I'll find what I lost, and more. No matter what.'

By now, the people around him had mostly stopped paying attention. He hadn't moved in so long they assumed he was harmless, just another quiet lunatic standing in place.

But then, Nova moved, and it wasn't just a muscle.

Before anyone could react, the few dozen people at the town's entrance lay dead in a pool of blood. Nova stepped over their bodies without pause, entering the town as if walking through tall grass.

From a distance, Letto watched the scene unfold. He shuddered and whispered, "He's started again…"

/////

Whoever crossed paths with Nova, noble, soldier, or citizen, shared one fate: death.

As he neared the center of town, a woman in her thirties stood in his way. She wore knight's armor, a sword at her waist and a shield strapped to her left arm. Behind her marched a hundred soldiers.

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"Do you know your sins?" she asked, her gaze shifting to the trail of corpses in Nova's wake. A deep frown creased her face.

Nova glanced at her. "Are you the one at the flow stage?"

"Devil's spawn! Answer Lady Laria when she speaks!" a soldier barked from behind.

Laria silenced him with a sharp look, then returned her eyes to Nova. "Does it matter? After what you've done, there's no leaving this town alive."

"So you are," Nova said coldly. "Then I won't hold back."

He stepped forward, spear sweeping in a wide arc that threatened to fold Dreadscape in two.

Laria's eyes flashed. Her shield met the spear's sweep, halting the strike without a problem while she slashed at Nova's left arm, aiming to sever it completely.

Swiftly reacting, Nova released Dreadscape with his left hand and drew Fragmented Star, the sword he had taken from Jovar, the bandit leader, from his Inventory. Steel met steel as he caught Laria's strike mid-air.

Sparks flew out from the clash, a loud clang rang through the street. His arm was pushed slightly back, but he held firm.

Laria, though seemingly unshaken, frowned as she raised her sword. A small chip marred the edge where it had struck Nova's blade.

She shot him a glance. "Is that your source of courage? A sword? How naïve."

Nova didn't answer. Instead, he returned Fragmented Star to his Inventory, gripped Dreadscape with both hands, and lunged.

The knight snorted and deflected the thrust, countering with another slash of her blade.

Seeing her use the same move again, Nova swiftly reacted. As she turned her body to strike, he pivoted on his heel, letting the momentum from the spear being deflected carry him before spinning with the spear in a low sweep.

The air howled as the spear swept toward her ankle but Laria saw it and leapt lightly, easily dodging it. Dreadscape slammed into the ground, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.

"Lady Laria!"

"Are you okay, Lady?"

"Wait a moment, I'll come to rescue you!"

Having no vision of the two, the soldiers shouted from outside, some even attempted to barge in but were stopped by their fellow colleagues.

Laria didn't bother to answer, they may have been the soldiers under her but this was a battlefield and not a gathering of friends. Her focus heightened. Her lips curved into a soft smile as she thrust her sword through the dust. The strike was lightning-fast and hard to see that had Nova not already moved, it would've pierced straight through his head.

"Hmm? You dodged that?" Laria's voice carried genuine surprise.

'That was close,' Nova thought, steadying his breath. 'But I shouldn't have to try this hard against a knight at her level. I feel stiff, my heart is in turmoil and I can't think clearly.'

With the cloud of dust lowering the visibility, the two didn't dare to casually move. One wrong move, followed by a random strike, could cost either of them their lives.

Nova's thought process culminated in 'Why am I not enjoying this?'

His eyes widened. 'I haven't enjoyed anything since leaving that palace. What's changed? I met that second prince… but he was such a fool I can't imagine he had any real effect on me. After that…'

"Why are you hiding? Where did all that cockiness go?" Shouted Laria.

Nova acted as if she didn't exist, his thoughts slowly becoming clearer.

'Veliora said something about her mother making me think of Catherine. That's when I started acting out. But is it really enough to rile me up?'

'If not that, then was it the king? But who am I to control the actions of others? If he doesn't want to see me, I'm not going to beg. Then… what if both situations happened at once? Still, I don't think that's enough. it just sounds like someone throwing a tantrum and I'm long past that age.'

"Still not answering?" Laria called again, amusement clear in her tone. "The dust's about to settle. You won't be able to hide much longer."

'Let's see… Right after leaving the palace, I changed my plans and I came here, wanting to force a war between Blackridge and Lotra. While doing so, I wanted to use the bloodshed to help me train, but it hasn't gone the way I hoped it would.'

'Wait.'

His pupils trembled. 'I abandoned my plans… because of someone else. I'm here because of someone else.'

His heart slightly fluttered.

'This isn't what I wanted to do. I want freedom, yet right now, I'm not even acting of my own free will. Everything I'm doing is just a reaction to someone else's choices.'

The fluttering grew stronger.

'No wonder I haven't enjoyed any of this. How could I? None of this is what I truly wanted. But now that I see the problem—'

A smile slowly curved his lips.

'—it's easy to fix. I just need to enjoy it. Because this time, it's what I want.'

The Aura within him surged, circulating throughout his body over and over until, instinctively, he learned to control its flow.

A soft chime echoed in his mind, one notification, then another.

A maddening grin spread across his face. He burst into laughter, eyes wild.

"LET'S ENJOY THIS, EVEN IN DEATH!" he roared.

[Skill Aura – First Stage → Aura – Second Stage]

Will 16 → 17

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