How to Live as a Knight After the Ending-Chapter 491

Seren looked at the knights. They responded enthusiastically to Osian's words. There was no sign that they were reluctantly following him just because Osian taught them swordsmanship.

The way they sincerely got angry on his behalf and burned with passion brought to mind the word "purity." Yes. Purity. An element that was hard to see in the city called Tirna, something she thought had completely disappeared.

And what connected them was a strong bond. Seren knew that bond well. The members of Violet Fox had always shown such bonds too.

'How foolish.'

She spoke mockingly, but it wasn't sincere. Rather, it was a kind of envy toward something she couldn't have.

'I have nothing. Neither the qualification to form such bonds, nor the luxury to do so.'

Creating connections with someone was impossible for Seren. Her ability to shift dimensional phases was akin to a curse.

She tried to utilize it as much as possible, but there were still far more parts she couldn't use. It seemed like she was controlling it now, but that was just a surface phenomenon. In fact, Seren Gracia's ability had been trying to grasp and manipulate it for a long time.

It was like living with a wolf on a leash. A wolf with no loyalty, constantly watching for an opportunity to devour its master.

The only means to control the beast was a single shabby leash. If it ever decided to, the moment she let her guard down, it would easily break the leash and tear out her throat.

And Seren was feeling in real-time that her ability was gradually growing stronger as time passed.

She didn't know when she would disappear. It wasn't simply a matter of going somewhere far away. She would be sucked into dimensional rifts and disappear forever in places where no one's gaze could reach. Truly, the annihilation of existence. She would fall to some unknown place, so her final moments would surely be lonely and desolate.

That's why Seren couldn't form deep bonds with anyone. She was essentially living on borrowed time if she couldn't cure this condition.

'That's why I have to find the White House somehow and cure this condition.'

It didn't matter if she couldn't control it. It would even be fine if this power itself disappeared. Seren closed her eyes and recalled the past.

It was when she first came to Violet Fox.

-Hehehehe. Everyone. Would you please welcome her warmly? This is Seren Gracia, who has newly joined our Violet Fox.

What she encountered in this city was a man with a suspicious smile, Ronan Roland. Following Ronan into Violet Fox was the result of her own calculations.

Anyone could see that Ronan was either a hidden mastermind of the city or a man with solid backing. Seren's calculation was that if she stayed under that person, she would at least be safe from the White House's pursuit.

With Ronan's introduction, Seren met the Violet Fox fixers who numbered only two at the time.

Basilio and Mist both exuded an extraordinary atmosphere and Seren was certain she had come to the right place.

'I'll just stay here briefly, and once I establish myself, I'll leave.'

That's how her life as a Violet Fox fixer began. Seren made full use of her abilities and succeeded in various requests. As she got to know her colleagues, she realized one fact: the man called Ronan only looked suspicious on the outside but actually had no particular abilities.

Just by looking at him, he seemed like someone who wouldn't bat an eye at abandoning even his family, but he actually showed the peculiar behavior of trying to maintain humanly good relationships with the fixers.

It was a half-hearted mindset that didn't suit this harsh industry. If there was any advantage, it was that he had an excellent eye for people. That's probably why all the fixers he recruited showed outstanding performance in the industry.

But Seren's mind wasn't at ease. After all, they were strangers. They had no obligation to help her no matter what she went through. The most trustworthy Ronan turned out to be just a beautiful but worthless fruit, so for Seren, it was just cause for lamentation.

While continuing her activities, she happened to be caught by the White House and came under attack. This happened not long after she had left Violet Fox.

They were determined to capture Seren. The force was formidable enough to think so. Even Seren had to be tense. While escaping would be easy if she used her ability, reality wasn't like that.

'To shake off all those guys, I'd have to use my ability much more and longer than usual.'

If that happened, she could escape from the White House, but she would be devoured by her uncontrolled ability. It was a moment of dilemma for Seren.

The one who helped her was Basilio, from the same office.

Red lines were drawn in the air, and those who had tried to attack Seren instantly became cold corpses and collapsed. It all happened too quickly. She trembled with the overwhelming feeling.

Seren looked at Basilio, who appeared before her like a ghost. Seeing that man standing proudly on the quietly settled field of death made her breath catch.

-Th, thank you.

Seren first expressed her gratitude. Her trembling voice had a charm that stimulated men's protective instincts. Naturally earning others' favor. This was Seren Gracia's own survival method that she had learned to survive in Tirna.

However, Basilio seemed uninterested in such things and simply turned his back. There was no advice like being careful. His indifference was so unexpected that Seren was the one who became flustered.

-W, wait! Are you just leaving?

-I helped enough. The job's done, so I'm going now.

His words were so cold that Seren was rather dumbfounded.

-If you find it so bothersome, why did you help me?

That question must have been quite impressive because Basilio pondered for a moment before speaking.

-Because we're from the same fixer group.

-You want me to believe that now? Even if we're from the same group, fixers compete with each other. Being workplace colleagues is just a surface reason - there's no meaning or reason to help.

Perhaps because the tension had eased after being rescued in a moment of crisis, words she had only kept in her heart usually came out without her realizing it.

-If not that, do you want to gain my favor? Because I'm pretty?

-You seem to be misunderstanding something.

Basilio showed an emotional reaction for the first time. It was a tone half-scolding her.

-You're not that pretty in my eyes. Don't be mistaken.

-...What? No, what is that? What did you just say?

She was even more dumbfounded because she had never been told she wasn't pretty in her life.

-The reason I helped you is nothing special. Ronan just told me to get along well with colleagues. And I answered that I would. But if I didn't keep that promise, what would happen to my reputation? Ronan would be quite disappointed too.

-That's all, you're saying?

-Just that? I think that's more than enough reason.

Seren couldn't believe it. Could the relationship between fixers and brokers be that good? She knew that both Ronan and Basilio weren't ordinary fixers and brokers. But still, wasn't this too different from public perception?

-You still don't seem to understand. Yes, I can tell by that look. You're full of wariness toward the world. You can't trust anyone and think everything is just calculated relationships.

-Isn't that how fixers should be?

-It doesn't matter. That's your freedom. But the world isn't a place where you live alone in the end. Living requires times when you need to form bonds with someone. Especially if that's what you want.

-I don't want that. Such things make people weak. Besides, it's childish.

-How young. It's like seeing my old self.

Basilio laughed out loud for the first time. Even though he wore a mask, she could tell it was sincere laughter.

-Living taught me that wasn't the case. Bonds sometimes make us stronger. At least, they make us somehow tenaciously continue this wretched and miserable life. Whether it's friendship, love, or simple acquaintanceship, it doesn't matter. We are weak beings who can only live by borrowing someone's shoulder.

-...That doesn't sound like something a person who has solved requests alone without joining hands with anyone would say.

-If I can do it alone, there's no reason to do it with someone. But even someone like me, if someday something beyond my power comes up... then I'll gladly ask for help.

Seren didn't believe those words. She thought he was just saying things he didn't mean to lecture her.

However, she thought Basilio's words themselves were worth deep consideration. She too was secretly feeling limitations about living alone like this.

In fact, she too was hoping for a future of forming ideal relationships with other people and for moments of purely laughing and chatting with someone to come.

When Seren made up her mind and returned to Violet Fox, what she saw was Mist sitting alone, creating an atmosphere. Bonds, huh. Should I try getting close to that guy?

Mist turned to look at her. The moment Seren saw him, she was swept by a strange feeling.

-Hmm. That guy doesn't seem right.

This was because of her instincts and intuition as a woman. Mist was somehow a man who didn't inspire trust.

After that, new people joined Violet Fox. They all had outstanding talents, and even more than that, they were people with untold stories and pasts.

They quickly became close to each other and showed the bonded appearance that Seren had so desired. But Seren Gracia still couldn't blend into Violet Fox.

Whenever she thought of wanting to do so, her ability would squeeze her heart. Unless she completely severed these chains, she could never dream of a peaceful daily life.

Then. Finally, a new fixer joined Violet Fox.

It was a mysterious young man who used a sword in this city and claimed to be a knight.

Osian immediately moved while leading the knights. The target was the White House's secret laboratory. The ones who had been hiding until now had finally revealed their tail. They no longer intended to hide.

'That means they're confident. They're confident that even if they gradually reveal their identity, they won't lose to anyone.'

If so, he intended to verify whether that arrogance was truly justified.

"Seren."

"Yeah? Why are you calling me?"

"You said you found their laboratory. And you saw the test subjects too."

"Yeah, that's right. I confirmed everything clearly with my own two eyes."

"The artificial knights they actually made were quite interesting. Even though they used expedient methods, they used characteristics that knights learn. That's never an easy thing."

It was around the time she wondered why Osian was asking such things.

"But when you came to find me, the reaction you showed went beyond simple worry to fear. You wouldn't normally do that, so that part concerns me."

At his words hitting the core, Seren briefly pressed her lips together. She soon smiled naturally as if it was nothing serious.

"Well, you saw it too, didn't you? How dangerous that artificial knight was. You were actually in danger too. Ah, I'm not looking down on you. It's just in case, you know? Sometimes people die from bee stings. It's roughly that kind of feeling. And also, they're copying your genes and using them for various things. So I judged that the resulting products would be that dangerous because you're such an amazing junior."

The excuse came out naturally as if she had been thinking about such questions beforehand.

Osian stared intently at Seren's face with a look as if asking, "Is that really all?"

Seren didn't answer but Osian knew that the person called Seren Gracia doesn't make such a fuss over ordinary matters. She was someone who had seen many things with her position as Violet Fox's No.3. Such a person had shown a reaction of fear, even if momentarily.

'There's definitely something, but she doesn't want to talk about it. I asked quite directly, but I can't force her to reveal what she's desperately trying to hide.'

What on earth had Seren Gracia seen before coming to find him? What had she seen to urge moving so urgently?

Since that question couldn't be resolved immediately, Osian decided to face the immediate reality.

In the distance, he could see an abandoned factory. It was a place that could be found without difficulty in District 37. That place was the White House's secret laboratory where they were training artificial knights.

Osian looked back. The knights following him were lined up wearing armor and swords.

Wearing elegant silver-shining armor, they displayed the dignity of proper knights.

Everyone waited for Osian's words. Then he had no choice but to gladly meet those expectations.

"Show them how brilliant what was truly built through effort is and how worthless what those guys possess is."