Chapter 174: Both Sisters’ Dream

The two sisters sat beneath the tree and chatted casually for a while, watching the koi swim beneath the surface.

Eventually, Aria’s gaze drifted toward the mansion.

The large estate stretched behind them, surrounded by high wooden walls.

Guards stood near the gates while servants moved quietly between the buildings.

Beyond the garden, the sounds of sword practice occasionally carried over from the training grounds.

Aria had spent her entire life here.

She knew every corridor, every garden path, and every room she was allowed to enter.

Yet there was one thing she didn’t know.

What lay beyond those walls.

"Sister."

"Hm?"

"Do you ever wonder what’s outside?"

Her sister looked at her.

"Outside?"

"The world." Aria pointed toward the walls surrounding the estate. "There’s a whole world out there, but we’ve never seen any of it."

Her sister smiled.

"You’ve been thinking about this again?"

She leaned back against the tree.

"And where would you go if you could leave?"

Aria thought about it for a moment.

"...Everywhere?"

Her sister sighed at the answer.

"That’s the same as saying nowhere."

Then she smiled.

"But if you were to ask me... I’d say I want to see everything."

"Big cities, forests, mountains... maybe even all seven seas."

"Seven seas?"

"Of course."

"But you hate fish."

"Hey! I don’t hate fish!"

"You complained about eating fish yesterday."

"T-That’s different! Hey, don’t look at me like that! You have no idea how many tiny bones that fish had! I’m sick of getting my throat scratched by those annoying things!"

The two sisters continued bickering back and forth for a while.

Soon, Aria smiled.

Then her expression became a little more serious.

"One day, I’m going to leave this place and become a Sword Exalt."

Hearing that, her sister stared at her for a moment.

She knew exactly what those words meant.

A Sword Exalt.

A legendary existence standing at the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

It was said that a Sword Exalt could wield a thousand swords at once, controlling each one with perfect precision.

And this was not merely a legend to the world.

A Sword Exalt had once emerged from their very own bloodline.

For generations, that achievement had remained one of the family’s greatest prides.

And now, it had become Aria’s dream... and burden.

Then she suddenly burst into laughter, holding her stomach.

"Hahaha! Big Sis, you really do love dreaming big!"

"You can barely handle a real sword, and you’re already dreaming about handling a thousand?"

Aria stared blankly at her laughing sister.

Before she could say anything, however, the laughter slowly faded.

Her sister wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and looked at Aria.

"But even so..."

Her smile softened.

"I believe you can do it."

She reached over and gently poked Aria’s forehead.

"If it’s you, I’m sure of it."

Aria stared at her.

"You mean it?"

"Of course I do."

Her sister held out her little finger.

"Then let’s make a promise."

Aria looked at her curiously.

"Let’s promise each other that we’ll fulfill our dreams."

Her sister’s smile widened.

"If you really become a Sword Exalt, you better take me with you everywhere! I want to see the whole world!"

Aria looked at the little finger before hooking her own around it and looking at her sister’s bright face.

"I promise."

Her sister smiled brightly.

"Hehe, then it’s decided~ We will see the world together!"

The two sisters laughed beneath the old tree.

Neither of them knew just how much that little promise would one day come to mean.

_

_

_

For a while, life continued peacefully.

But eventually, things began to change.

The first great loss Aria suffered was... the death of her sister.

The mansion was silent that day, despite the heavy downpour outside.

Rain hammered against the windows, filling the mansion with a constant, muffled sound.

Yet inside, there was nothing but silence.

Aria stood in the middle of the large room, staring at the figure lying before her.

...A white cloth covered the body, hiding her face and leaving only the faint outline of her body beneath it.

"..."

Aria couldn’t move.

She simply stood there, staring at the cloth as if waiting for it to move.

As if her sister would suddenly sit up, pull the cloth away, and tell her that this was all just some terrible mistake.

But she didn’t.

Her sister was gone.

The same person who had promised to leave the mansion with her.

The same person who had promised that one day, the two of them would see the world together.

Aria’s fingers slowly curled into her palms.

She really wanted to cry, and she wanted to... scream.

...But no sound came out.

For the first time, Aria realized that there were some goodbyes that could never be taken back.

That was the day Aria’s world changed, but losing her sister was only the... beginning.

As life did not stop for her grief.

Because not long afterward, the day of Aria’s Class Awakening finally arrived.

_

_

_

Slimy saliva splashed across her cheek, and Aria’s eyes slowly opened.

For a moment, she didn’t know where she was.

The garden was gone.

The veranda was gone.

The old tree was gone.

She was on her back in the dead chamber, her wrists pinned above her head, her torn uniform hanging open.

The fish-like monster loomed over her, its jaw opening wider, needle-like teeth shining in the weak crystal light.

Around them, the rest of the pack waited, tongues sliding over their teeth as bubbling growls filled the cave.

Aria stared up at it as its teeth lowered toward her throat.

Seeing this, she stopped struggling.

Not because she had accepted it, but... her body had simply run out of answers.

The years after her sister’s death, the awakening stone, the whispers in the mansion halls...

All of it came crashing down on her at once.

’...So this is where it ends.’

A trash-class.

A disappointed child.

A girl who had swung a wooden sword every morning and still failed to become anyone worth keeping.

’...Maybe giving up is better...I’m sorry... Someone like me... could never achieve those dreams.’

With that thought, she closed her eyes and awaited the pain of her flesh being torn apart.

But at that moment—

ROAR!!

BOOMM!!

The tunnel behind the pack exploded with a thunderous sound as a wave of deep red aura suddenly swept through the chamber.

The monsters froze at the intense pressure.

Their bodies trembled as they instinctively recoiled, hissing while their lidless eyes snapped toward the tunnel.

Soon... heavy footsteps echoed through the darkness.

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

Slowly, a man emerged from the tunnel.

He wore a dark coat, torn at the sleeve and wet at the hem with a sword hung in his hand, the blade already drawn.

Then—

CRACK!

A surge of deep red aura erupted around him as the stone beneath his boots fractured.

CRACK!

Another wave of aura burst outward as more cracks spread across the ground.

The monsters slowly backed away at the intense pressure.

But the man continued walking.

And step by step, his expression was terrifyingly calm... until his eyes landed on Aria.

Then the warmth disappeared from his face as his gaze became cold and murderous.

A vein bulged against his temple, and another stood out along his neck as his grip slowly tightened around the sword.

It was Jake.

And at that moment... Jake looked absolutely furious.