Reborn As Noble-Chapter 541: Paths of the Chosen ( )

Chapter 541: Paths of the Chosen ( 541 )

Arnold’s smirk sharpened.

His voice dropped low and reverent, like a priest whispering prophecy.

“And… my liege?”

He took one more step.

Close now.

Close enough for only Edmund to hear.

“Once you claim the last celestial…”

“You will no longer grow old.”

Edmund’s gaze twitched.

Arnold nodded slowly, savoring the moment.

“A complete vessel.”

“Not just a man with power—”

His hand spread out, palm upward, like offering the sky.

“But the vessel of all divine authority.”

“You can rule forever, my liege.”

A breath.

“No kingdom can rise against you. No heir required. No time to chase.”

He stepped back, lowering his hands, the smirk still carved into his face.

“And the last celestial…”

He tilted his head.

“Still hidden.”

A pause.

“Could be Veldrac. Could be Lioness. Could be Queen Mylezra.”

“But once you find it—once it’s yours—”

“The world will kneel.”

Every word fed the throne like fuel into a fire.

“Once you claim the six…”

He raised a single hand.

Fingers curling in slowly.

“You’ll be able to face Garius. Head-on.”

A pause.

“Break his region.”

“Devour his strength.”

Arnold turned his head slightly, as if painting the path ahead.

“And when that’s done—”

“Move next to the Beastkin King. Tear down that lion-headed fool and consume what makes their kind special.”

“Then Queen Mylezra. That long-eared thorn.”

His lip curled.

“Her forests. Her people. Their sacred mana—”

He made a motion like swallowing.

“Gone. Yours.”

He began pacing slowly in front of the throne.

“And then… Veldrac. That prideful devil.”

He turned slightly back to Edmund, eyes gleaming.

“Devour him.”

“Take everything that makes him feared.”

A short breath.

“And when that’s done…”

He lifted his eyes.

“The dragons.”

“The old kings who sleep beyond the sea—”

“Even they will fall.”

“Their age is over.”

He walked slowly back toward the throne.

And stopped.

“And then…”

A dangerous, knowing smile.

“The last one waits, my liege.”

“And when that one falls—”

He lowered his head slightly.

“You will be complete.”

King Edmund’s lips curled.

He rose fully from the throne.

“Oho~? Good one.”

He turned toward the war map laid out below the throne steps, glowing faintly with mana threads tracing the world’s surface.

He raised one hand.

“Send all wyvern units.”

“Every. Last. One.”

The hall trembled slightly at the surge of dark mana rolling off his body.

“Even the ones still in training.”

He grinned now—feral.

“Let the Dwarven Kingdom bathe in fire.”

“A thousand skies. A thousand flames. Let them scream beneath us.”

He stepped forward again.

“After that—”

His eyes narrowed.

“We burn the Halfling Kingdom.”

“Reduce Gurdan’s land to ash. Weaken him. Break him.”

“Leave just enough for me to devour.”

He spread his arms wide, as if embracing a future already written.

“This world will fall in order.”

A kneeling officer slammed a fist to the floor.

“As you command, my liege!”

Midnight – Gilikan Town

The wind was cold up on the wall.

Javier sat alone on the edge, legs dangling, arms resting on his knees.

Above him.

A clear sky.

Stars blinking quietly, scattered like silver dust.

His mana talkie sat in his ear. Silent.

He channeled mana into it again.

Nothing.

“…Come on,” he muttered.

His voice was quiet, barely louder than the wind.

He tried again.

Still no signal.

He sighed and leaned back, eyes drifting up.

“Maybe I really do need to build a relay tower here…”

He closed his eyes for a moment.

Then opened them again.

“But I don’t have the resources. Or the tools.”

His fingers tapped restlessly on the stone beside him.

“I could craft it…” he whispered.

“But it’ll take days.”

Another breath.

“Damn this mission.”

He looked up again, this time past the star,past the night—toward someplace far.

Someplace warm.

Liana…

He stared into the sky.

His voice came softer this time.

“I really missed her.”

His eyes stayed on the stars, but his thoughts burned.

“It’s because of them…”

He muttered it low.

“Because of their obsession with power… I can’t enjoy anything.”

He exhaled hard.

“Can’t hold Liana’s hand under the sun.

Can’t tease Gloria over dinner.

Can’t live a normal life.”

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

“I should be back home. Eating warm food. Sleeping without armor.

Not doing this. Not cleaning up after their greed.”

His eyes stayed on the stars.

“If they want power…”

“…then they should train for it. Bleed for it. Starve for it. Break for it.”

Javier looked down at his hand.

Mana flickered faintly along his fingers.

“Power that’s taken without effort isn’t power at all.”

“It’s stolen weight.”

“And stolen weight always crushes the fool who carries it.”

The wind passed.

“All through history…”

“Empires rose fast when their rulers claimed power without earning it. Divine right. Sacred blood.Forbidden pacts. They thought shortcuts made them special.”

A pause.

“But they forgot—”

His eyes narrowed.

“—a throne built without sweat is a throne built on sand.”

“And sand doesn’t hold when the tide comes.”

His fingers twitched.

“That’s why they fall.”

“Every time.”

“Because they didn’t build power. They borrowed it.”

“They all chase after power like it’s a prize to be won. Like wielding celestial might makes them great.”

He looked up again, not at the stars—but beyond them.

“But do they ever stop to ask what it costs?”

His jaw tightened.

“Power isn’t just a gift. It’s a burden. A weight. It can crush just as easily as it can raise you.”

He clenched his hand into a fist.

“Claiming divine strength without understanding the duty it demands… that’s not ambition. That’s recklessness.”

He shook his head once, slowly.

“And yet, they boast. They posture. As if power itself is an excuse. As if holding it means they’re free from the consequences.”

His voice darkened.

“But power that doesn’t belong to them… isn’t just dangerous. It’s desecration.”

He stared into the dark, into nothing.

“True strength isn’t about how much you can take. It’s how much you can hold without breaking the world around you.”

“Every piece of power gained is a promise. A responsibility.”

A beat.

“And they’ve already forgotten that.”

Javier sighed.

The wind shifted.

He leaned back slightly, resting his palms behind him on the cold stone wall.

For a moment, he let the silence stretch.

The stars blinked. The night breathed.

“…At least,” he muttered, “I wasn’t born into a family like them.”

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“The Armand family…”

He looked down toward the quiet town below.

Puppet knights still stood at their posts. Dwarves slept behind half-repaired walls.

“We never chased after thrones. Never waged war for crowns.”

He closed his eyes.

“Father never cared about ruling the world. He only wanted to protect what was his.”

A breath.

“Mother taught me that strength isn’t for domination, it’s for those who can carry others.”

He paused.

“My brothers. Marcellus, Cedric, they work harder than anyone I know. Not to conquer. But to be worth something.”

His voice softened.

“Even Liana… Gloria… Alf… Erinnette, Hesbeirn, Everyone back home.”

He opened his eyes again, staring into the stars.

“No one’s ever forced me to rise. They just made sure I knew how to stand.”

A quiet beat.

Javier looked at the stars again.

A quiet smile formed on his lips.

“Yeah… I’m really lucky.”

The breeze shifted—soft and cool.

“Maybe too lucky.”

He leaned back, resting on his hands, eyes still on the sky.

“Reborn into this world… given freedom. My own path.”

He chuckled once.

“Even if I know that old man’s always guiding it behind the scenes.”

A small smirk tugged at his cheek.

“Heh… like I didn’t notice, huh?”

He tilted his head slightly.

“Dried plum.”

A pause.

Then softer.

“Well… at least his decisions…”

He looked down, toward the town sleeping under his protection.

“…They always push me toward something worth doing.”

( End Of Chapter )

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