Galaxy Fall: All My Skills Are Maxed-Chapter 106: Promise Me

After the monumental announcement in the Main Hall, Hayatobi dismissed the assembly. Without a word of explanation, he motioned for Hitachi and Mirabella to follow him, leading them out of the academy grounds and into the sprawling, vibrant heart of the Dragon Empire’s Capital.

​"Where are we going—?"

​Mirabella finally couldn’t hold herself back and asked, the sharp architecture of the capital looming over them.

​"Good day, Lord Hayatobi."

​"Thank you so much for your hard work."

​"We are all grateful to you, Master Hayatobi."

​"Thank you for your service, we love you."

​Mirabella’s question died in her throat the moment they entered the bustling central street. She stared at the men and women—merchants, craftsmen, citizens, and commoners—who were all pausing their daily lives to greet Hayatobi. They bowed with complete and utter respect, but it was their eyes that caught her off guard. They were filled with an adoration and profound love that bordered on worship. Even the usually stoic Hitachi was visibly speechless.

​Yes, Hitachi had grown up in the upper echelons of the capital, surrounded by the elite Azul clan name, but he had never strolled the common streets with Hayatobi. He knew nothing of this raw, unfiltered reverence.

​Walking a discreet distance behind them were Elizabeth, Zoginoi, and Cupcake, silently observing the trio.

​"Do you two see that?" Hayatobi finally opened his mouth. He didn’t break his steady stride, his massive frame parting the crowd like a ship through water.

​The two students stared at his broad back, then at the smiling faces of the people.

​"We don’t fight for ourselves or for glory. We fight for these people, and for those from other worlds." He said, his voice a low rumble. He looked over his shoulder at Mirabella, his silver eyes catching the afternoon sun.

​"We got the news when your world was targeted by the invasion. You see, Earth isn’t the only world that is getting destroyed by those monsters." He sighed, a sound heavy with decades of war.

​"We in Galaxy Fall can’t stop the cosmic incursions entirely, but we can at least save the young ones from being devoured." He gestured broadly to the commoners around them. "These people... not all of them are native to the Dragon Empire. Just like you, Mirabella, their worlds got attacked and shattered. Back then, I led the vanguard army and pulled as many as I could through the spatial rifts. That’s why they look at me the way they do. I didn’t just win battles; I brought them home."

​He continued walking, the massive iron gates of the capital coming into view at the end of the thoroughfare.

​"Why are you telling me this?" Mirabella asked, her tone flat, defensive. She stared at his back, her mind flashing to the brutal betrayals of her past life. "I don’t plan to be a hero." She added, the word tasting like ash in her mouth.

​"Oh, you will..." Hayatobi looked at her over his shoulder, a surprisingly gentle smile on his face.

​"When the time comes, you will have a military badge pinned to your chest, and you will have an army looking to you for survival. Their lives, their families, and your mission’s success will all be placed squarely in your hands... When that time reaches you, you won’t have a choice. You will become a hero." He paused, letting the prophecy hang in the air, and added softly:

"Besides, despite your cold exterior, you aren’t someone who can overlook true injustice when you have the power to stop it."

​He then turned his piercing gaze to Hitachi. "As for you, you don’t have any plans to join the military or any official guild. I know that." He sighed, finally coming to a halt in the shadow of the colossal capital gates.

​"I know the only thing you seek is vengeance... You want to kill the entity that massacred your entire clan. I understand the dark path you are walking, but..." He turned around fully to face his two monstrously talented students.

​"Both of you need to remember that you have friends, teammates, and comrades who will always watch your back, no matter how dark it gets." He raised his hand and clenched his fist, the ambient spirit energy swirling around it.

​"I want you two to always remember that! No matter how godly your power becomes in the future, do not lose sight of those standing around you! Always make sure to reach back and lend a hand. If you do that, one day, you will become the pillars everyone looks up to..."

​He stared deeply into Mirabella’s eyes, then Hitachi’s, before turning his face back toward the open gate leading to the wilderness.

​"Both of you, promise me this right now... No matter what happens in the future, you will never let true injustice go free, and you will do whatever it takes to help the innocent. Can you two promise me this?" he asked, his voice echoing with the weight of a master passing on his legacy.

​Mirabella frowned, her logical mind warring with the emotional weight of his request. Hitachi simply raised an eyebrow, his crimson eyes unreadable. The two stood in heavy silence, the bustling city noise seeming to fade away around them.

_

​A short distance away, the peanut gallery was observing the standoff.

​"Oh boy, will those two actually make such a promise?" Cupcake asked, her tail swishing lazily as she sat perched on Elizabeth’s right shoulder.

​"That is the fundamental trouble," Zoginoi muttered, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Young Master Hitachi doesn’t give a fuck about anyone outside his revenge. Making this promise means rewriting the core of his cold, isolated attitude. If he agrees, at the very least, he won’t be so detached when saving people during the upcoming competition."

​"It’s the same with the Young Miss..." Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head.

"Although I have only served her for a short time, I know exactly who she is... She is someone who categorically does not give a fuck about the masses. Well, apart from Carl, Cupcake, Grace, and maybe me if I’m useful... everyone else is just a background shadow to her, which she only glances at if they are in her way."

​"There must be a profound reason Lord Hayatobi is pushing for this now, right?" Zoginoi asked, turning to Elizabeth with a worried expression.

​"Whatever the reason is, I don’t think he will succeed," Elizabeth stated firmly, shaking her head lightly. "Not with those two. They are too broken, too focused."

​The two retainers finally came to a logical conclusion: "They will never make such a promise."

​But the very next moment, cutting through the ambient noise of the capital, two voices spoke in perfect, reluctant unison:

​Hitachi and Mirabella: "We promise."

​"AHHHH!"

​"....?!!!!"

​Elizabeth and Zoginoi exclaimed aloud in utter shock and disbelief, while Cupcake nearly fell off Elizabeth’s shoulder. The impossible had just happened.