I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-24

Ch-24 **The Final Moments of Wilhelm**

—

For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard.

An heir?

The notion that the Knight-King Wilhelm had an heir was something I had never once heard in my life.

*So he’s a swindler.*

Marquis Weiser calmed his startled heart.

Come to think of it, how many frauds had claimed to be the Knight-King’s reincarnation, predecessor, disciple, and whatnot?

Especially after the Great Expedition had failed, there had even been those who openly secured positions in a few cities while claiming to be “the Knight-King’s disciple.”

But this time—an heir, not merely a disciple?

Absurd.

That calm demeanor… once his life is on the line, he will surely show his true colors.

Marquis Weiser lowered his hand.

As the knights, understanding their lord’s unspoken command, were just about to take a step forward—

“The House of Weiser owes the Knight-King a *Star*. In exchange for that debt, Marquis Weiser—what is it you swore to the Knight-King?”

“…Stop.”

Thud!

The knights, who had been radiating killing intent, froze mid-step.

Marquis Weiser’s gaze trembled violently.

He owed the Knight-King. In order for his only daughter, the pure-white knight Serengeti, to transcend, the Knight-King had lent his aid—and in return, Weiser had sworn an oath.

But no one knew about it.

Not even Serengeti herself.

Only the Knight-King and Marquis Weiser shared that truth.

Then the man who called himself the Knight-King’s heir spoke again.

“If you’ve forgotten, I shall remind you.”

Gulp—

Someone audibly swallowed.

“…I have already shown sufficient sincerity.”

Marquis Weiser answered.

I burst into laughter.

“Since when did *loyalty* become shorthand for ‘sufficient sincerity’?”

Marquis Weiser had sworn *loyalty* to the Knight-King Wilhelm.

Loyalty was wholehearted devotion springing from the very core of one’s being—an oath of the heart.

It could not be glossed over with something as trivial as “I have shown sincerity.”

“There was once a time you were called the ‘Honorable Weiser,’ yet now you’ve truly become a fattened pig, haven’t you?”

It was Weiser’s honor and ability that had earned him the rank of marquis of the Valan Kingdom. He had even become the master of the Garden of Knights, a man who truly understood the meaning of honor.

Marquis Weiser ground his teeth.

“Five hundred knights died. Serengeti became a cripple. What more do you want me to lose?”

“And still, it does not match the worth of a *Star*.”

A Star’s worth far surpassed that of a single great city.

There were 244 such cities on the continent of Pangaenia.

Yet only 32 Stars existed.

Beyond rarity, the remains of the Goddess held immeasurable value, symbolism, and transcendence that could not be compared to anything.

“However, I am not unreasonable. I only wish to hear my master’s final moments.”

“You intend to meet Serengeti?”

“Yes.”

That was all I wanted.

I wasn’t asking for the city, yet Marquis Weiser’s expression did not soften.

“If you truly are the Knight-King’s heir, show proof.”

“Proof?”

“Your swordsmanship. Or perhaps… a skill you inherited…”

Even after I revealed a truth only the two of them knew, he still could not trust mere words.

The Knight-King’s swordsmanship, or a skill…

I straightened my posture and nodded willingly.

“That isn’t too difficult.”

It *was* difficult.

…What do I do?

—

—

 

Across the training ground stood a regular knight clad in silver armor, his expression murderous.

He held his sword in hand, radiating an aura that said he would cleave me in half without hesitation.

**[Lv. 7]**

This man was one of the few strong knights left in this territory.

The truly powerful ones had all been slaughtered during the Great Expedition.

Thus, even this mere level-7 knight was armed with every treasure they could muster.

*Blessed Executioner’s Sword, Blessed White Knight’s Silver Armor, even a Blessed Royal Ring?*

He was practically drenched in blessings.

To attach the prefix “Blessed” to any equipment required a high-ranking priest, a blessed talisman, and countless prayers for a miracle to manifest.

For someone like me—a mere level 3—he was a formidable opponent.

“You don’t look like much. Don’t blame me if I accidentally kill you.”

The knight spun his Executioner’s Sword with playful arrogance.

He had no idea I was claiming to be the Knight-King’s heir.

This duel was being held under Marquis Weiser’s strict silence.

“…Do as you please.”

Marquis Weiser’s expression was grave.

Confirming whether I truly was the Knight-King’s heir was of utmost importance to him.

The Great Expedition had drained the city of wealth and manpower; he was on the verge of ruin.

But perhaps, if the Knight-King’s heir helped him, his city might escape destruction… or so he was likely thinking.

“So this is that ‘house-brand sword’ I’ve heard so much about!”

…Great. Just great.

A familiar expression—but apparently, Blessed treasures were spoken of that way here.

And if a man like *this* was one of the strongest knights left, then the city was truly doomed.

Slowly, I drew my *dual blades*.

“What’s that? Those crude swords? And dual-wielding, no less?”

The knight scoffed.

To the eye, the two blades I drew looked pitiful.

Like the cheap mass-produced weapons cluttering the front of any smithy.

And dual-swords were something only flashy amateurs used.

No proper swordsman used two swords simultaneously.

But these blades were anything but ordinary.

*Two Extreme Iron Swords.*

Weapons gained as transcendent rewards from Main Quest 3.

I had chosen two identical Extreme Iron Swords without hesitation.

*For switching.*

One of my hidden traits, Weapon Master, allowed me to wield all weapons with significant proficiency.

To maximize this trait, I needed weapons I could switch between freely.

They were not Michela’s Sword, so they didn’t grant the Celestial Dragonkin effect, but for imitating the Knight-King’s style, these two swords were ideal.

**[Extreme Iron Sword]**

★ A simple iron sword pushed to the extreme. Once an ordinary, basic iron sword, it was enhanced and transcended to the maximum by some eccentric Transcendent Star.

★ STR +3
★ When equipped with other “Extreme” titled gear → “Way of Extremity” effect
★ Sword Mastery +1 Lv
★ Unobservable
★ Bound

Extreme. True. Ruin. Destruction.

Weapons bearing these four titles possessed power far beyond conventional standards.

The attributes were sparse because they had been transcendently enhanced from mundane items, but their other effects were incomparable.

*Proficiency correction. Looks trivial, but nothing is more broken than this.*

As I gripped the two swords, messages appeared before my eyes.

《Sword Mastery corrected to Lv.7》
《Sword Mastery corrected to Lv.8》
《‘Way of Extremity’ effect active: Sword Mastery corrected to Lv.10》

The Hidden Trait “Weapon Master” started mastery at Lv.5.

Hidden Trait “Dexterity” added +1 to all proficiencies.

That alone gave me Lv.6.

With two Extreme Iron Swords and the Extremity effect, I reached Lv.10.

Once mastery surpasses level 10, stones become towers, and droplets become oceans.

*Still not enough.*

Even so, it was not enough to call myself the Knight-King’s successor.

Not enough to reproduce his iconic style.

Not even dirt beneath his fingernails.

What must I do? What would allow me to be recognized as the Knight-King’s heir?

Then—

《The “Successor of the Star” class can read memories of the previous owner of a Star under certain conditions.》
《Sword Mastery has reached Lv.10. Reading the memories contained in your Star.》
《Reproducing the Knight-King Wilhelm’s sword art—*Heaven-Earth Sundering*, first form: Heaven.》

—

—

 

“…….”

Humans become fools when faced with something beyond their comprehension—something their mind cannot process.

All one can do is stare blankly, stunned.

Everyone gathered around the training ground was in that state.

Marquis Weiser, Hudson, Isabella, and even the knight standing before me.

*Wh-what?*

The knight looked up at the ceiling of the training hall.

Wearing blessed treasures, he had been overflowing with confidence. He thought defeat was impossible.

His opponent was a flashy dual-sword amateur wielding two crude iron blades.

But once the battle began—everything flipped.

Before the fight, my form had seemed full of openings; the moment it began, his path forward vanished.

His mind went blank—he couldn’t figure out where to attack.

And when he regained his senses, he was already on his back, staring at the ceiling.

*What happened…?*

He couldn’t understand it.

It wasn’t that the swords moved too fast to see.

They were slow—slow enough to parry easily.

The “mystery of slowness”?

Such a thing didn’t exist. He should have been able to block it—yet he couldn’t.

An overwhelming presence dominated the battlefield.

An intangible, formless force.

For a moment, the man before him had become the heavens.

“…Ah.”

Marquis Weiser let out a small sigh.

He realized then that he had stopped breathing.

*It is the Knight-King’s swordsmanship.*

The sword just displayed matched the Knight-King’s.

That overwhelming force that defied reason, making opposition impossible.

Only one man could do such a thing—the Knight-King Wilhelm.

Something impossibly slow yet unguardable, something one couldn’t perceive in full even with eyes open.

Magic-like—yet the Knight-King called it *his swordsmanship*.

If anyone could unleash that absolute domain—

*Ah…*

Marquis Weiser trembled.

The Supreme Knight-King.

The Strongest of Humanity, its final hope.

The man thought dead… had returned.

—

—

A woman lay in bed, eyes open yet unfocused.

Lifeless—completely devoid of vitality—the woman was none other than the pure-white knight Serengeti.

Alive, yet as good as dead.

“She came back tied to a horse like this. I summoned the Saintess, but the curse was so powerful she could do nothing.”

Marquis Weiser spoke heavily.

Behind him, Hudson stood staring at Serengeti, struggling to hold back his tears.

*The Demon King’s Curse.*

She was afflicted with it.

A curse that bound a person in eternal sleep, forcing them into endless nightmares.

The Demon King’s curse could not be undone by anything—not even a saint or hierophant.

Yet I had to wake her.

Only then could he hear of my final moments.

*Serengeti…*

My closest aide.

The one who followed me the most faithfully among the 500 knights.

Even their deaths had stirred no emotion in me.

Because, to me, it had just been a game.

But seeing Serengeti now, I felt something bizarre.

A longing.

Had I been bewitched by the horrifying realism of this place?

No—now it was time to admit it.

*This is not a game.*

This is not the world inside a game.

This is another reality.

“I have tried everything to awaken Serengeti. Potent elixirs, renowned healers—nothing worked.”

It was one of the reasons the city’s finances had collapsed.

Marquis Weiser had exhausted every option, yet Serengeti still had not returned.

“…But now, I must protect this domain. One month from now, Serengeti will no longer be here. Duke Cyan has agreed to take her in. I have no other choice.”

“…!”

Hudson trembled even harder, dread flooding his eyes.

Duke Cyan was the highest-ranking noble in the kingdom, one who had coveted Serengeti for a long time.

Marquis Weiser spoke bitterly.

“I’m sorry. I could not help her.”

“It’s all right.”

And I meant it.

I placed my hand above her head.

Then—

Fwoooosh—

A cluster of stars swirled around her and sank into her body.

《Bestowing the Blessing of the Star.》
《Consuming all Star power.》
《Star power insufficient to dispel the Demon King’s curse.》
《‘Limit Curse’ temporarily lifted.》

Slowly—

Focus began to return to Serengeti’s eyes.

 

 

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