PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

Over time, as the sins piled up like a pyramid, that mantra became a cursed phrase until the darkness passed, and Desmond was able to leave those marks in the past. If possible, Desmond would prefer not to hear that damn phrase again; he did not expect to listen to it again from Cecilia’s lips.

The irony could not be more incredible. At the same time, Desmond used those words to justify his evil, and Cecilia used them to defend her goodness. It really is, as they say: comparisons are odious.

Drinking lava would have been less a bitter pill for Desmond than hearing those words spoken by Cecilia with such resolve. Desmond shook his head, trying to shake off those unnecessary thoughts, before turning his attention to Cecilia. She was besieged by three holy knights.

“I really hate that phrase.”

With his body temperature reaching alarming levels, Desmond rushed in front of Cecilia, drawing his sword and engaging the blades of the three holy knights.

Three against one, there was no need to wait to find out who was on the losing side in terms of strength; but Desmond had more than one trick up his sleeve when it came to skill.

Because they always kept their guard up, the holy knights could respond to the swift Desmond. Even when caught off guard, displaying mettle and skill far superior to the now-dead Erigard.

Still, luck was not on their side, not when their opponent was Desmond. Desmond suddenly lowered his center of gravity, slightly throwing off balance the three holy knights pressing their swords against him. With a flick of the wrist, Desmond withdrew his sword. He lashed out again in a serpentine trajectory that ultimately repelled the three holy knights, forcing them to retreat a couple of steps.

.....

Although the younger knights seemed eager to pounce on Desmond to tear him apart, the middle-aged knight calmed them down before looking at Desmond seriously and asking.

“Mr. Desmond, what is the meaning of this?”

Even Cecilia was surprised for entirely different reasons; Katya’s words echoed inside her mind. You will know who he is when the corrupt steel of the church is deflected from your heart by his hand.

With the most annoying expression of indifference in the world, Desmond shrugged his shoulders with a nonchalant face and replied with a sneer. “What kind of stupid question is that, Archibald? Although my title is not as ostentatious and respected as yours, I am still a knight. More importantly, I am the guardian knight of her sanctity Cecilia. I must fight on her behalf, and I am very faithful to my duty.”

Although part of what Desmond said was bullshit, and Cecilia knew it, she still remembered another fragment of the prophecy Katya gave her that day: When you lose your place in the world, all alone, rejected by everyone around you, only then he will reach out his hand to bring you out of the darkness, to help you and to fight on your behalf.

“Desmond, get out of the way. Do you really want to stick up for her? It pains me to say it, but that woman is now the most hated person in this city, no one is backing her, and no one will stand up for her. She is a martyr waiting to fulfill her role; the church has even disowned her by taking away her last name; she is nothing more than a girl with no name.”

Archibald’s cruel words were like the sharpest and most precise arrows in the world, piercing deep into Cecilia’s heart, reminding her that this world had rejected her. But Desmond had an expression that said who gives a shit?

“I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t use the church’s name even if they paid me for it. It’s too dirty and full of innocent blood.”

“You dare?” Furious at the insult to the church, Archibald yelled forward with solid momentum, swinging his claymore at Desmond.

However, Desmond only scoffed; In a single, effortless move, he quickly deflected Archibald’s blow before finding himself head-on with the other two holy knights. They attempted to corner him with a pincer attack.

“I dare,” Desmond responded to Archibald’s shout with a cheeky expression as the sword in his right hand collided head-on with the red-haired knight’s twin blades. At the same time, Desmond used the back of his left hand, protected by his gauntlet, to strike at the flat side of the other average-looking holy knight’s sword.

Archibald tried to use the window of opportunity generated by his teammates to gather mana and unleash an ability. However, he had severely underestimated Desmond, who could deal with his two teammates with ease and still devote enough attention to it.

With two crescent motions, Desmond opened the red-haired knight’s defense. Simultaneously, his left hand sent a paralyzing wave of aquatic mana resonating through the other knight’s sword. Immediately afterward, Desmond’s heel shot out like a spear as he spun counterclockwise and delivered a kick to the red-haired knight’s chest.

The other young knight intervened, but his reaction was delayed for a second. His body was bound by chains of water that came out of the ground binding his ankles. Thus, Archibald found himself in a very embarrassing situation. He was preparing to unleash one of his best abilities when Desmond was with a knee in front of him.

Although the blow was not strong enough to seriously injure him, Archibald was still knocked back. Archibald’s mind suffers from the strain of having his ability cast interrupted.

The chains released the ankles of the average-looking knight, who didn’t dare step forward to face Desmond on his account. Instead, he waited for the redheaded knight to get up.

The red-haired knight was furious; his breathing was a mess due to the strong kick that Desmond gave him that almost broke his rib cage. Even then, he stood up and watched from a safe distance.

Seeing that the three holy knights were now watching him warily, Desmond had a brief moment to breathe and calm the burning mana within his body as he faced three knights with a base strength matching his own; it was difficult for him.

The mocking smile never disappeared from Desmond’s face; his attitude showed complete contempt for the people in front of him. When it came to fighting, Desmond never lacked confidence.

Sensing that he had forgotten something, Desmond looked behind him, only to find Cecilia looking at him with teary eyes. Thinking it was due to the words said by that hypocritical jerk Archibald, Desmond thought of a way to give the girl some comfort.

“Don’t worry, Cecilia, you don’t need the last name as ugly as that. Who would want to share names with these corrupt hypocrites? It may be presumptuous of me, but; what do you think of the last name Astryd?”

“Hey?” Cecilia stared at him in a daze, unable to understand Desmond’s train of thought; who had time to think about this while facing three holy knights.

“Cecilia Astryd doesn’t sound too bad. Although I have been told that I do not have good taste in naming things, I am very confident about my last name. What do you think, Cecilia? Do you want to be part of the Astryd family?

Desmond was a cautious and meticulous man; he rarely did things without thinking them through. Although there was always a factor of wanting to do things spontaneously and go with the flow, the words he gave Cecilia just now are a bit of both.

The first time she was asked by Cecilia what she thought about Desmond. Nana responded by saying that he was an incredibly handsome man, which Cecilia never paid much attention to. However, she also didn’t deny that it was true. Maybe, just now, she watched the sincere smile Desmond was giving her as he asked her to be a part of his family. Cecilia felt this to be accurate; Desmond was incredibly handsome and maybe a little cool.

Taunted by Desmond, who wasn’t even paying attention to them, the three holy knights lunged again, attempting to overwhelm him with their coordinated attacks. However, even with his weapons imbued with vast amounts of mana, the result was the same, the gap between their physical prowess and Desmond’s; was too broad.

She watched Desmond continue to deal with the three holy knights. He occasionally cast glances in her direction as if he expected an answer. That made Cecilia feel a warmth she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“If you don’t mind having a useless person like me in your family, I’ll be proud to bear the Astryd name.”

“Well said,” Desmond shouted loudly, his voice brisk with joy, at the same time that the burning mana inside his body turned berserk. With a mighty sword strike, he repelled the three knights, who this time had to back up a couple of meters.

“This is a special occasion, and your guests are lucky. To help Cecilia understand a few things about our family, let the Astryd family welcome you.”