Then the empty house where he was comfortable, the home he toiled to build that was trashed by someone in jest, his bruised body aching from the beating from the drunkards, were they misfortune?

No.

The boy’s misfortune was such that he was unable to see it for what it was.

But even that was over.

The misfortune that the boy was ignorant to was to end here.

Death comes to fortunate and unfortunate alike.

Indeed. Death is absolute.

He closed his eyes.

For his body that could no longer feel the cold, even keeping his eyes open was a chore.

He could hear the small, unreliable sound of his own heartbeat from the darkness. In the world where the only noise he could hear was the rain and his own heart, a strange sound was mixed in.

The noise seemed to block the rain. In his fading consciousness, a child’s curiosity drove the boy to channel strength into his eyelids.

In his vision narrow like a string, it was reflected.

The boy opened his eyes wide.

It was beautiful.

For a moment, he did not understand what he was looking at.

‘Like a jewel, a lump of gold.’ Such expressions would have been fitting. But someone who sated their hunger on half rotten foods from the trash could not think of such words.

That’s right.

There was only one thought that ran through his mind.

The sun.

The most beautiful object in his world and at the same time, the furthest from his reach.

The world dyed gray from the rain, the dark rainclouds covering the sky. Perhaps they were the ones responsible. The sun left for a trip because no one was there to see it and returned, appearing in front of his eyes.

That was what he thought.

A hand stretched out and stroked his face. And—

Until now, the boy was not a human.

No one ever saw him as such.

But on that day, he became human.

♦ ♦ ♦

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), Day 3, 4:15

Located in the deepest area of the capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom was Ro-Lente castle. Its walls surrounded a vast stretch of land measuring 1,400 meters with a protective ring of twelve enormous cylindrical guard towers.

The room was located inside one of these twelve towers.

With all of its lights turned off, a person was lying on the one bed in the room. He was of a delicate age, the boundary between boy and man.

His blond hair was cut short and his tanned skin gave off a healthy complexion.

Climb.

With no surname, he was the one who was granted permission to stand closest to the girl called the ‘Golden Princess,’ a soldier who invited the jealousy of many.

He wakes even before the sun rises.

The moment he regained consciousness from the world of darkness, his mind immediately turns sharp and his bodily functions almost completely recovers. Sleeping well and waking up promptly was one of the things that Climb took pride in.

His sanpaku eyes opened wide, revealing an iron-like will etched within them.

Climb pushed aside the thick blanket covering his body and stood. Even in the summer, the stone walls surrounding him meant that the nights were still cold.

He rubbed his eyes and found that his fingers came away wet.

“…That dream again.”

Climb used his sleeves to wipe the tears from his face.

A memory from when he was a boy, the heavy rain from two days ago must have been what caused him to remember.

The tears were not from sorrow.

How many times in a person’s life will he meet someone worthy of respect? A person who you are willing to throw away your life for in servitude… just how many?

The girl Climb met on that day was such a person.

These were tears of joy, tears thanking the miracle that was created from their meeting.

Climb stood, his face showing a strong determination and a youthful energy befitting of his age.

His voice, rough from excessive training, recited a word.

“Light.”

The lamp hanging from the ceiling responded to the keyword and illuminated the inside of the room with a white light. A magic item enchanted with ‘Continual Light’.

Even though they were used widely, the reason he was given such an expensive item wasn’t because of his special position.

Even if it was for light, burning something in a tower made of stone, with its poor air flow, was unsafe. That was why almost every room was provided with a magic light source, despite the initial development costs.

The floor and walls illuminated by the light were made of stone. A thin carpet was laid out in a futile attempt to cover the cold, hard surface. Aside from that, the furnishings in the room

included a shoddy wooden bed, a slightly larger closet to accommodate weapons and armor, a desk with drawers, and a thin cushion resting on a wooden chair.

An outsider looking in would think of it as unimpressive, but to others who were of Climb’s rank, it was an incredibly envious treatment.

Soldiers did not get private quarters. They were placed into a large room with bunk beds. Excluding the beds themselves, the only furniture the soldiers were given was a wooden chest with a lock for storing their personal belongings.

Also, in a corner of the room rested a white full plate armor. The spotless armor had a gloss that made it look as if it was shining. No foot soldier would ever be granted such equipment.

This special treatment was not something that Climb had earned with his own strength, but rather a sign of favor from the master whom he swore his life to. As such, it would be impossible to not invite jealousy from others.

He opened the closet and changed while staring at the mirror attached inside.

Having changed into his worn clothes that smelled of metal, he then donned the chain shirt over the rest of his attire. Normally this would be where he put on his plate armor, but instead, he opted for a vest with numerous pockets and finished with a pair of trousers. In his hand was a wooden stick wrapped in towel.