"……"
A lone figure stood some distance away from Lenoglade.
Without doing anything in particular, he simply stared intently at the far-off city.
Before long, the figure—Riken—let out a sigh.
"Good grief… I failed."
He had made contact with Guld, whispered sweet words into his ear, and handed over the demonic sword.
He had also provided some financial support.
Riken… or rather, the Alliance of Dawn, never intended to actually do anything to Lenoglade.
They merely used it as a tool to slow down Fate and the others.
Though still immature, Fate continued to grow at a terrifying pace.
And Sofia, who had reached the ultimate realm of Sword Saint and wielded the Holy Sword.
The two of them were formidable enemies.
They would become a major threat to the Alliance of Dawn.
That was precisely why he had used Guld to stall them, but…
"To think he’d be defeated so easily."
Riken sighed once more.
The demonic sword he had given Guld was fairly powerful.
Though it was a mass-produced item, he had selected the highest-quality one among them.
Moreover, Guld had strong compatibility with demonic swords.
He could draw out their power.
Not at a full hundred percent, perhaps, but around eighty percent.
In fact, he had put up a good fight against Fate.
Watching from the shadows, Riken had even hoped that Guld might manage to defeat him.
But…
The result was a crushing defeat.
Guld never managed to reach Fate, and in the end, was completely overwhelmed.
Worse still, tangible evidence—the demonic sword—was left behind.
"…Now I understand why Lena was so obsessed with that boy."
At first, he had thought it was nothing more than a young girl’s whim.
But now, he could no longer dismiss it as such.
Such overwhelming power.
Such an incredible rate of growth.
That boy… is terrifying.
"Perhaps he may become a threat even greater than a Sword Saint."
Fate knew about the Alliance of Dawn.
He understood their identity and their objectives.
He didn’t yet know their full scale or the trump cards they kept hidden…
…but if left alone, he might eventually reach even those.
"Hmm."
Riken rested a hand on his chin, deep in thought.
"Crushing him here… would be difficult."
There was a Sword Saint.
A strange fairy.
A shrine maiden and a divine beast as well.
Even if he risked his life, there was a nine-in-ten chance he would be struck down instead.
If he were to act, he would need thorough preparation.
"…Very well. Let’s test something."
After some deliberation, Riken came up with a plan.
Rather than interfering with Fate’s movements, he would wait for him to reach the royal capital.
Though that would mean allowing him to slip into their inner circle…
…the royal capital housed the headquarters of the Alliance of Dawn.
It was their home ground.
There, they could strike with full force and crush him for certain.
Though there were risks, the potential gains were greater.
Riken judged it worth it.
"If I recall… his name was Fate Stuart, wasn’t it?"
A smile crept across Riken’s lips.
That smile…
"I’ll be waiting in the royal capital. And there… your journey shall come to an end."
…was profoundly sinister.
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