The guests returned to the Palantír Hall the next morning, well rested and eager to see who's record would be revealed next. Grigori was standing before the Palantír however she was not paying the millions of miniature screens that were being shown her attention instead was upon the tall fully armoured knight standing beside her. The knight's armour was deep crimson red, the helmet was also fashionably adorned with vicious looking horns - much like those seen on a demon or gargoyle. It definitely was not like Raon's or Eruhaben's dragon horns.
The moment TCF!Alberu and Cale entered the hall ahead of the other guests, the knight turned away abruptly, thumped their clenched fist to their chest to bow sharply to the Goddess and then vanished into a misty wafting swirl of shadowy purple and black magic.
Grigori sighed softly and thumbed the piece of material that the knight had handed her before Cale and the others had come into the Palantír Hall. Grigori smiled nostalgically as she admired the cloth in her hand before waving her other hand to return the Palantír to its normal view. She then turned to face her guests.
"Good morning everyone." She greeted them with a warm smile. However before Cale or Rok Soo could ask who that person was, the Goddess made an announcement.
"Today we will be starting the records of Alberu Crossman."
TCF!Alberu blinked and then turned his head slightly to check on how his counterpart was going to react to this announcement, however TBOAH!Alberu merely gulped and then sighed and nodded in acceptance. TCF!Alberu turned his head to face the Goddess again as she continued addressing the guests, specifically TBOAH!Alberu and himself.
"As you can guess, there are not many battles where you both participated in since your roles in the two timelines differ drastically, so I plan to start with the record pertaining to one of the battles where Emperor Alberu faced the White Star. This battle can be compared to the TBOAH!World's Alberu's battle against him, since in both instances you fought him one-on-one."
Grigori did not need to mention that TBOAH!Alberu had died during the final battle in Puzzle City, and TCF!Alberu had a rough idea about which battle against the White Star the Goddess was talking about.
Once everyone had taken their seats (including the fully healed King Fredo of the TCF!World), Grigori clapped her hands together twice and immediately Naur took control of the Palantír and the new record began.
<Chapter 518 – Late (3)>
Alberu looked toward the enemies that were moving forward from the horizon beyond the castle wall. His gaze was focused on the person who was at the center of the enemies and looking at him.
"That person must be the White Star."
The White Star and Alberu Crossman. The two of them looked at each other for the first time. The place they first met was on the battlefield.
TCF!Zed went rigid in his seat, a look of obvious distress and tension seized hold of TBOAH!Zed - his reaction was painfully obvious to TCF!Zed who understood that either he or maybe both he and Alberu of the TBOAH!World had fallen because of this White Star bastard.
The frustrated irritation he felt reared up within him and he wanted to really shout and fling things in irritation and anger, but he exhaled slowly under his breath after looking at TCF!Alberu who was casually corking his head and watching this record with an expression of mild curiosity upon his face. TCF!Alberu's expression gave TCF!Zed the courage to sit quietly and watch the records.
<Chapter 519 – Late (4)>
He didn't know the enemies had so many soldiers.
"My apologies, your highness!" The Lord of the Stan territory. Taylor Stan was bowing toward Alberu Crossman.
TBOAH!Cage gasped softly and instinctively reached out to grab hold of Taylor's sleeve so she could anchor herself. The fact that Taylor was alive even in this battle made her heart race with happiness and courage.
"Why would it be your fault?"
Taylor started to frown after hearing Alberu's calm voice. But Alberu was actually thankful to Taylor.
"I heard that you already had the first battle. Thank you for safely getting past it."
There was a short first battle prior to Alberu getting here. Lord Taylor Stan had defended against the enemies through the battle.
"The White Star does not seem to have any intentions of fighting as he attacked for a bit before withdrawing."
TBOAH!Alberu's eyes narrowed and then carefully balanced his elbows on his knees while clasping his hands beneath his chin, he began to concentrate and scrutinize every single detail in the images provided by the record. In the TBOAH!World the White Star had also attacked the Northwest, but with all the battles going on, it had been too chaotic to hold him off - so even if it was merely a 'short first battle', the fact that they had defended against him at all was a huge success.
Taylor recalled the first battle. The White Star's forces had scoped them out as if they were making sure the food was seasoned properly.
Kim Rok Soo frowned and then shook his head, casting away the memories of the war that haunted his mind and momentarily tried to cloud his judgment.
"Marquis Stan, good job!" He said sincerely looking toward Taylor with a nod of approval. Taylor smiled innocently and bowed his head humbly to Kim Rok Soo.
"I only did what was necessary..." Taylor admitted with a bashful chuckle, but there seemed to be some regret in his gaze.
"You did a huge thing Taylor. You accomplished something that we in our timeline couldn't do." TBOAH!Cage spoke up and clenched her fist and turned to look at him with determination in her eyes. "You probably don't realize it, but what you did here is incredible!" she insisted.
"That's right"
"Exactly!"
Cale and TCF!Alberu spoke up as they also turned to praise him as well. Taylor looked down at TCF!Cage and her counterpart before bowing his head and smiling to himself.
"They then started to bring over more troops! Because of that, because of that-" Taylor could not continue speaking.
Alberu started to speak instead, "That must be why there are so many enemies here."
Taylor clenched his eyes shut. However, Alberu was looking forward, past the walls. He could see the enemies that the White Star had brought over.
The image panned upon the Palantír so that all the guests could see what TCF!Alberu was looking at. Within their chests, their hearts hardened as TCF!Alberu in the record began to list the enemies that were assembled before them by their groups.
"...The Bear tribe, are those Arm members over there? Swordsmen and mages. There are quite a lot of them."
The ground shook every time the Bears in their berserk transformations moved. They each had a weapon in their hands as they slowly marched toward the walls. They did not rush. There were many strong individuals behind them.
The record mentioned that Cale had warned TCF!Alberu about the enemies that were coming his way. However, just like TCF!Alberu's vessel called out to warn, TCF!Alberu internally deduced that the berserk bears were not the biggest threat, even though they were terrifyingly strong. They were shaking the ground and slowly approaching as if they were planning to siege the central city in the Stan territory, and yet TCF!Alberu still did not deem them to be the problem.
"There are many unknown individuals in the rear."
There were a large number of people stationed behind the approaching enemies as well.
'The black mages I can tell.'
Alberu started to speak, "Marquis Stan. Have you figured out who those people in the rear are?"
They didn't know the identities of the people in the rear.
According to what they were seeing from the Palantír these people were all wearing different coloured robes and did not all seem to be black mages. This was especially the case for the people who seemed to be wearing grey robes that reminded him of priest robes who were giving off odd auras - even through the Palantír they could sense and see the strange aura wafting off these people in the rear. Wisely TCF!Alberu concluded that he should not approach them without a plan.
"I'm sorry, your highness. They must have used teleportation magic, as the enemy numbers suddenly exploded and we weren't unable to figure out who they are!"
"That makes sense. I understand."
Taylor had said that with remorse but ended up feeling an unexplainable feeling after hearing Alberu brush it off as if it was nothing.
'...They're different.'
Taylor had been able to see how Cale fought from a distance when he had gone to Mogoru.
"Huh? Taylor you went to Mogoru?!" TBOAH!Cage questioned Taylor. Taylor let out an awkward chuckle and tucked his long hair behind his ear before returning his gaze to the Palantír as the record continued. TCF!Cage looked between her counterpart and Taylor before returning her gaze to the record as well.
This was his first battlefield with Alberu. The two of them were similar but different. It was as if they were siblings.
TCF!Alberu chuckled quietly, feeling the tension in his chest ease a little at hearing such things from the good-natured and citizen-loving Taylor Stan. It felt incredibly reassuring to hear that he was similar but different from Cale. Hearing Taylor compare them to siblings made TCF!Alberu even happier because it meant that he and Cale were seen as close.
Taylor could not continue his thoughts very long.
"Your highness! Please look over there!"
It suddenly started to become chaotic above the city walls.
One of the generals subconsciously shouted in shock.
"Shit! The White Star can control the wyverns as well!"
"F***k." Rok Soo groaned and ran both his hands through his hair to brush back his hair. Even though so many years had already passed, seeing those bloody beasts still made him feel anger and nauseous fear. The haunting echoes of the fall of the Henituse Family during his time echoed for a moment in his ears before Cale suddenly reached out and his hand landed on Rok Soo - breaking him from his depressive thoughts.
"Focus on the present!" Cale advised his Soul Swap Partner seriously. However, despite how impassive and detached his order was, Rok Soo sensed that Cale was actually really concerned about him. Realizing this, helped the former red-haired-turned-Korean to calm down and find his composure once again.
The Palantír cruelly showed the White Star's impressive array of his forces. The wyverns which appeared as the mages and the unknown people in grey robes moved to the side and then moved forward while screeching once the White Star gave the signal. There were the Black mages and knights on the wyverns together. According to the Palantír this was only possible because these wyverns were larger than normal wyverns. And then there was the fact that all of them were black as well while the White Star got on the only white wyvern in the group.
The vassals on top of the city walls started to raise their voices. They were as loud as a busy supermarket. Everybody was raising their voices and busy shouting their thoughts to one another. However, none of them were able to come up with a good solution.
Marquis Taylor watched this for a bit and opened his mouth to speak before closing it back. He had a thought, but he could not say it out loud. However, there was someone else who ended up sharing the same thought.
"...Just like the battle at the Henituse territory!"
"This bastard!" Cale muttered, grumbling and then letting out a huff and rolled his eyes as he sat back.
"How can someone so annoying exist! Why did a bastard like him have to appear in front of me damnit!" Cale grumbled crossly. TCF!Ohn seemed to guess her dad's complaints even though he didn't reveal the full extent of his frustrations. She kindly patted Cale's forearm with her front paw and looked up at him with an extremely sympathetic gaze. Cale pet her head and smiled softly down at her, reassuring her that he was fine before returning his attention to the record.
The battle at the Henituse territory. Everybody stopped talking for a moment after hearing that. The Roan Kingdom had already fought against and defeated wyverns once. It was during the first battle against the northern Indomitable Alliance at the Henituse.
"That's right! If young master Cale casts his shield as he did back then-!"
"Let's contact young master Cale immediately!"
"That's right! Why don't we contact Commander Cale right away?"
Taylor started to frown. This was not it. This was not what he had been thinking. It was at that moment.
"Silence!"
Silence instantly filled the area. Everybody was looking toward Alberu Crossman. However, their gazes quickly turned elsewhere.
"People in charge of the battlefield should not be acting like this!"
They could not face Alberu's fiery gaze and his calm but stern comments.
Deruth and Violan breathed a sigh of relief under their breath, TCF!Alberu was unconsciously earning major brownie points for shutting up those bastards who wanted to overwork their son. Deruth could feel Violan making mental notes and reminders in her head, he was convinced with they returned Violan would be launching some swear-punches of her own when they returned, he decided to save himself and wisely stay out of his wife's warpath.
The Palantír showed the conversation with the Mage Brigade Captain about creating a shield to protect the castle. However to create such a thing it would require time to create the magic circles to support it. The conversation made Taylor and the others within the record frown even while the wyverns screeched and headed their way. Of course this provoked the others in the Palantír Hall too.
The chief executives quickly started to think. It was at that moment.
"Alberu Crossman." A loud voice echoed through the battlefield.
TBOAH!Zed grit his teeth in anger, while TCF!Zed's expression twisted with disgust and anger.
"This wanna-be fake bastard! How dare he?!" TCF!Zed felt like he was going to lose his mind from how angry he was.
"Need some help?" Grigori asked the outraged TCF!Zed whom she could see gripping the arm rests of his chair even while trembling in his seat.
"Yes, I'm so pissed off right now, I can't even focus on the record!" TCF!Zed confessed. Grigori smiled elegantly and then discreetly drew a small circle with her index finger - immediately TCF!Zed felt the three highs* he was feeling diminish. He let out an easier sigh of relief and then raised his head once more to continue watching the record.
Naturally the voice was coming from the white wyvern's back. The crown prince was in the castle while the enemies were outside. Everyone in the Palantír Hall could see that the White Star stopped about halfway between the two forces and looked at Alberu as he started to speak.
"Alberu Crossman." He called for Alberu again.
TBOAH!Zed and TCF!Zed twitched again, but Grigori erased their paternal instincts of fury and allowed a false sense of peace to settle once more upon her guests as the record continued showing how some of the old vassals raised their voices in angry protests. However, the White Radish ignored them - he continued speaking as if he hadn't heard them. According to the Palantír his voice could be heard by both allies and enemies alike.
"Fighting will only lead to destruction. Why don't we have a chat?"
Alberu's gaze instantly started to sparkle. However, his vassals turned pale. They walked up to Alberu and quietly whispered to him.
"Your highness! You cannot trust that man!"
"It makes no sense that he wants to chat!"
Taylor strongly urged him against it as well.
Of course plenty people protested and voiced their objections to TCF!Alberu. Taylor even going so far as to remind TCF!Alberu about what their role here was.
"Furthermore, our role is to resist for as long as possible. I'm sure you'll agree with at least that much, your highness."
Resist until Cale's group gets there. Hold ourselves back even if we want to fight. It was because the White Star's forces were strong.
"I don't think there is a need to head out of the sturdy walls and walk into the enemy's trap."
"That's right. Marquis Taylor is correct, your highness. You can send one of your vassals as your representative, but you cannot go out yourself."
It was at that moment. They heard the White Star's voice again.
"I don't think you should take too long to make up your mind."
Taylor let out a heavy sigh and squeezed his eyes shut - as they'd predicted the White Shit had done something predictably cruel - he had taken hostages. He imprisoned them in wooden cages where luggage is stored in multiple carriages.
"T, those crazy bastards!" Marquis Taylor's expression instantly changed. He started to frown and clenched the ledge he had walked up to. His two hands were shaking. The White Star sneered before continuing to speak.
"These are your citizens that my subordinates just captured. I'm sure some of them are from the Stan territory."
TBOAH!Alberu roughly dragged his hand through his hair and let out another frustrated huff of agitation at the record. He wanted to be angry, but then he took a moment to compare his timeline to his counterparts and he realized that the difference was that thus far they'd been watching Cale Henituse who had a very strategic mind, so hostage situations like this were something that hardly ever happened when Cale was on the frontlines.
This time was different because Taylor was someone who had been focused on defending the castle against the White Star's subordinates' sudden attack and had no time to think about the small village away from the Lord's Castle where these residents were likely from. Predictably, Taylor chastised himself because he'd had failed in his responsibility as the leader of the Northwest region to protect their lands and people.
Taylor wanted to smack his own head.
'...Cage. Is that why you went out of the castle?'
His close friend Cage had stealthily left as soon as the battle had started, saying that she had something to do outside. However, he could not continue his thoughts about his close friend.
TCF!Cage sighed softly and pityingly she patted Taylor's arm in apology. She hadn't meant for him to be put in such a terrible situation, but she had to do something back then and that had been the best thing she could come up with.
'What can we do?'
Taylor could not raise his head.
The White Star continued to speak.
"If you are a crown prince who loves the citizens of the Roan Kingdom, shouldn't you save your beloved citizens?"
'We lost.'
That was the only thought on Taylor's mind when he heard the White Star's comment.
'We lost before we even fought.'
"...Ha. My goodness."
"...Shit."
The vassals were gasping as well.
The instant change in the attitudes and thoughts of those around TCF!Alberu were startling and obvious. Cale's gaze hardened and his attention fixated upon the Palantír, he felt strong disappointment that these bastards were all giving up when TCF!Alberu was clearly right there and all they had to do was wait a bit. Cale was upset that these bastards were willing to give up without even a fight!
"Need to whip them into shape when we get back!" Cale muttered, thinking about Lee Soo Hyuk from Earth 2 and how he'd sparred with those two bastards back then. He glanced toward TCF!Choi Han and then TCF!Alberu. Cale began to plot how to convince TCF!Choi Han and TCF!Alberu to whack some good sense into these cowardly bastards.
"It's chaff and straw here damnit!" Cale grumbled disapprovingly.
They had lost a battle of the minds before their forces even fought.
"T, that damn bastard!" One of the generals could not hide his anger and shouted.
"Hahaha." There was someone who was laughing at his comment. They all turned their heads. Alberu was laughing. He was quietly looking at the White Star on his wyvern.
TBOAH!Tasha and TBOAH!Obante flinched. They couldn't help being more and more concerned about TCF!Alberu especially since they were seeing sides of him that they had never seen before. TBOAH!Alberu wrung his hands, momentarily he pondered the possibility that his counterpart had lost his mind, however that didn't appear to be the case, as the record continued to show everyone something completely unexpected.
"I can see you better now than you are closer."
They were at a distance where he could somewhat make out his features now.
"So that's what the White Star looks like."
'It's odd.'
The only thought in Alberu's mind after seeing the White Star's face was that it was odd.
'My ancestor was the ancient White Star?'
"Wait..."
"I beg your pardon?!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Hold up..."
"What do you mean? What does this mean? What's this about?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Chaos took hold of the guests within the Goddess's Palantír Hall.
However, before anyone could jump to conclusions and start performing, Grigori used her magic to fix them into their seats.
"Children, quieten down. Yes it is true that the Ancient White Star is blood related to the ancestor of the Crossman family line, but the important information you need to understand here is that Alberu Crossman is not the Ancient White Star, nor is he the current White Star. Alberu Crossman is someone who opposed the White Star and forged his own path."
Grigori explained it to everyone, calming them down without needing to resort to using her divine authority because there were no more riotous enough people in her Hall - after all, going against TCF!Alberu meant going against Cale Henituse. Cale was still someone they could not afford to make an enemy out of. In the silence of his mind, TBOAH!Alberu received further explanations and answers to his questions from the Goddess. Naur took the moment of silence to continue the record.
Alberu did not like the fact that the ancient White Star was his ancestor. On the other hand, this White Star was someone who wanted to be like Alberu's ancestor and become him.
'How funny.'
It was very funny.
However no one seemed capable of paying attention anymore, so Grigori gave everyone some time to process the information and then compose themselves. As a precaution, Grigori placed a safety measure in the minds of any people who might be tempted to use this information for malicious purposes later on, she also prohibited Taylor from documenting this detail as well - claiming that it was irrelevant to the current timeline anyways because the Sun God gave her approval to Alberu Crossman.
Once everyone settled back down in to their seats, Grigori kindly gestured for the Palantír to pick up where they'd left of.
He opened his mouth to speak, "Bring me my helmet."
"Your highness! Personally going out is-!"
"Do you want me to ignore my citizens?"
The vassal was at a loss for words after hearing Alberu's question. Alberu mischievously commented to the vassals who were looking at him.
"I'm just going to go out like this if you don't bring me my helmet."
The vassals' shoulders flinched.
"You don't want my damn head to be blown off, do you?"
"Ahhh... I learnt that from Queen Jopis!" TCF!Alberu said cheerily.
"Wonderful Your Imperial Majesty!" Queen Jopis praised TCF!Alberu with an approving nod.
"Perfect execution too Hyung-nim!!" Cale added with an approving grin of his own. Although his smile looked glib and scammy, Cale was being earnest and sincere when he praised TCF!Alberu. Everyone quietened down again as the record continued to show off TCF!Alberu's face as he started to smile.
He was speaking more coarsely than normal, but that made his intentions clear to his vassals.
"Here it is, your highness."
"Thank you. Marquis Stan."
Taylor Stan who had his head down took the helmet from his subordinate and handed it to Alberu. Alberu calmly thanked him.
"...It was nothing, your highness."
However, Taylor still could not raise his head. Alberu put his hand on Taylor's shoulder.
"You are the only one who can lead this castle now."
TBOAH!Alberu sighed and lamented not being in a position to help the Taylor of his timeline - he couldn't help feeling that if Taylor Stan had been saved in their timeline too, it might just have made some burdens a little easier to carry. TBOAH!Alberu then promptly shook his head, casting away those thoughts and focusing on the Palantír again so that he wouldn't miss anything else.
Alberu quietly looked at Taylor who had his head down. Taylor Stan did not look good. He had led the troops from the front during the first battle, so his clothes were a mess and his body was covered in injuries. He had apparently been hit by an arrow as well. That was probably why he had bandages tightly wound around his side.
TBOAH!Cage gulped and squirmed anxiously in her seat, TCF!Cage reached out and gently pet her arm, anchoring and reassuring her with Taylor as he pet the crown of her head. Taylor and TCF!Cage were graciously coddling and comforting TBOAH!Cage because it seemed like she was having the hardest time viewing any record that included him in it, however she was doing better now than she had been days ago.
"...Marquis Stan. Snap out of it."
Some of the chief executives approached Alberu.
"Your highness. The castle will not fall."
"Okay."
"...Young master Cale will be here soon."
"That's right. The situation will change as long as he gets here."
Alberu laughed and responded to them.
"It's not good to rely too much on one person. You shouldn't expect one person to fulfill multiple people's responsibilities."
"Oh, the Emperor really does care about Hyung-nim." Basen gasped softly and then looked toward his sister when she chuckled to herself beside him. Basen looked down at his sister curiously and corked his head to prompt her to explain herself, however, Lily was unwilling to do so.
The smile disappeared from Alberu's face.
"You see, I... I am someone who knows how to do my part."
Taylor's head slowly started to rise. Alberu patted Taylor's shoulder twice as he removed his hand.
"You do your part too."
Alberu then headed toward the tightly closed castle gates. The gates opened and he raised his head after heading out with the Knights Brigade. He could see the white wyvern.
TBOAH!Zed wanted to leap across the hall and grab his counterpart by the collar again and shake him in his anger and fury. He wanted to demand to know if TCF!Zed had lost his mind because he'd left their precious Alberu meet that lunatic in that kind of situation. Grigori fastened both TCF!Zed and TBOAH!Zed to their seats so that neither Roan royals would cause any further interruptions.
'...Mother.'
Alberu thought about his mother. His left hand tightly clenched his helmet. He recalled something his aunt Tasha told him in the past.
'You've inherited your mother's talents. This item allowed your mother to live in the palace. This will hide you.'
'Nobody, no living beings will be able to find out about your power.'
'It's different than the magic item that dyes your hair. This is an item that hides your power. Anyway, you will be free if you carry this and the dye magic accessory with you.'
Hearing his mother being mentioned by his counterpart reminded TBOAH!Alberu of something fanilair. had with TBOAH!Tasha. It was a conversation that was similar to the conversation TCF!Tasha and TCF!Alberu had as seen in this flashback within the record.
He also recalled something he told Cale.
'I'm not fighting.'
'You absolutely won't fight?'
'...Of course, I will step up if something happens to the Roan Kingdom or the Roan Kingdom's citizens.'
He recalled what Cale had said.
'Alberu Crossman. Your highness, your existence is meant to be.'
TBOAH!Alberu did a double take and blinked uncomprehendingly at the Palantír as those words 'meant to be' seemed to stand out to him. A shudder ran up and down his spine as his eyes suddenly began to prickle and sting.
'Mother, aunt. I am already a free person who is meant to be here.'
He looked toward the white wyvern and started to speak.
"Come. If you want my life that is."
'Whether my life is your goal or if you want something else...
'Come. I will be waiting.'
"How incredible, as expected of my son's hyung!" Fredo muttered, oddly enough he sounded relieved. Cale glanced back at him with a curious expression on his face and then a smile toyed at Cale's lips before he turned to face the front of the hall again.
Naur and Grigori did not waste much more time, the moment all the guests quietened down after King Fredo's particularly ridiculous claim of calling Emperor TCF!Alberu his son's "hyung", the next record began. Although the Goddess gave no indication that she was in a rush or wishing to end the nonsense before Cale's other father-figure candidates decided to jump on the bandwagon.
The new record that began showed the White Star and TCF!Alberu approaching each other - there was a bit of a skirmish between the Knight Captain who tried to protect TCF!Alberu, but that wasn't the main focus of the record which the Goddess and her Apostle were trying to reveal, instead the scene within the record soon changed focus - it fixated upon TCF!Alberu who removed his necklace while 'safely' covered by the armour and helmet he was wearing.
TBOAH!Alberu's concentration had passed beyond the human limits by this point and he was frowning so hard that his forehead was aching. The record went on, it even detailed the incident in TCF!Alberu's memory when Cale had confronted him about being part Dark Elf and had then handed over the precious bottle of the dragon's dead mana.
However, what shocked TBOAH!Alberu even more was the fact that TCF!Alberu within the Palantír openly acknowledged that his growth and progressive strength was all thanks to Cale who continued to find and bring more dead mana for his counterpart. TBOAH!Alberu felt his jealousy reach an all new peak.
And then it was time... TCF!Alberu allowed the dye magic upon himself to disappear along with the necklace he had been holding in his right hand.
<Chapter 520 – Late (5)>
Alberu could feel the things that had been restricting his body disappear and his body starting to roar. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them back. It'll be gone soon. The dye magic would be gone. He had no choice. He needed to use dead mana.
His left hand moved the moment he realized that. His helmet covered his face. It was a helmet that only left a small slit for the eyes.
'...I cannot reveal this to everyone yet.'
"It's true... it simply hadn't been the time yet back then..." TCF!Alberu agreed with the logic of his past self. TBOAH!Alberu felt a twinge of jealousy and nauseating envy dig at his heart.
Alberu closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. His eyes had turned brown. His skin was turning darker than brown. It was the case for his hair as well. However, nobody could see it. Alberu started to smile under the helmet. Even the knights could not see him properly because they were fiercely fighting against the wyverns.
Cale, uncharacteristically, let out a happy hum and smiled to himself. Predictably, Grigori knew what the red-haired wanna-be Slacker was thinking, she was also inclined to think the same - a confident Dark Elf Alberu Crossman will always be the best!
Grigori and Cale agreed in their minds and hearts that this was facts because it represented Alberu being comfortable in his true form and his own body, it was a shame that TBOAH!Alberu did not get to experience such blissful freedom as well, but there was nothing she could do about such things now.
"You bastard, what are you hiding?!" The White Star shouted as the fire sword reached Alberu.
Alberu reached his hand out.
"...You bastard?!" The White Star's eyes turned wide.
"You stupid White Radish! Panic some more! We'll come smack you from the back and put you back in your place soon!" TCF!Hong hissed, the fur along his spine was standing on ends - the red kitten was really unhappy that TCF!Alberu had to face the White Star alone, and even though he knew that Cale was coming with the strongest members of their family, it still made the little kittens angry that that annoying vegetable insisted on being a nuisance and left after causing Cale even more terrible misunderstandings.
"That nonsense about Dad being someone who received the will of god still makes me so angry!" the red kitten angrily punched at the cushion nearest to him. TCF!Ohn reached out and pet her brother's head.
"Calm down..." she coaxed her angry younger brother and then looked over at their slightly frightened counterparts. TCF!Ohn took some time to reassure them and gently calm them down.
Alberu's hands were covered in a black aura for a moment. The White Star did not miss that short instant.
'It's dead mana.'
The King of the Roan Kingdom was using dead mana.
"Ho?" TCF!Alberu was almost flattered, "That's the best mistake this dumb bastard has ever made-- ahh... no, there were others..." TCF!Alberu corrects himself while chuckling humbly to himself.
Cale sighed and nodded sagely.
"Let's just not talk about the bullshit theories this dumb bastard came up with..." Cale added while grumbling, just loud enough for TCF!Alberu to hear.
It was the first time the White Star's pupils shook in shock about Alberu. However, the White Star could not stop walking and did not think that he was going to lose.
"Tsk... cocky bastard!" TCF!Tasha muttered indignantly beneath her breath.
She was sincerely wishing she would get to see the White Star get his rear handed to him, unfortunately she also recalled this battle and remembered TCF!Alberu telling her very clearly that Cale had arrived in time to save his life. She shuddered and then rubbed her face with her hands and forced herself to calm down and focus on the rest of the record. Of course, she began the mantra of reminding herself that ' Alberu is alive and safe' repeatedly in her head.
Alberu's voice reached the White Star at that moment.
"I'm known as a high-grade expert. But you see... Did you know this?"
Alberu recalled the dead Dragon's mana he had consumed after Cale figured out his secret.
"You can create water, wind, fire, and light with mana as well."
That was why magic was amazing.
All the Dragons, elves, dark elves and mages in the Palantír Hall enthusiastically agreed. Magic was pretty amazing because it was convenient too! However those of the TBOAH!World would never have guessed that their counterparts became even more impressed by Cale who made everything look easy thus far. For once TCF!Alberu understood the kind of responsibility that had been weighing upon his dear dongsaeng.
The mana inside Alberu's body started to roar. Of course, it was dead mana and not regular mana. The power that was released from its chains was running wild now that it was free. Alberu gathered that power in his hand.
"Wow..." Bud mumbled .
He then turned to look toward Glenn, his expression hinted that he was thinking about something, however the glint in his eyes told the purple-haired mage from the Mercenary Guild that Bud was up to no good and so, Glenn abruptly put a stop to it by giving the blue-haired Swordmaster a scathing glare as a vicious warning.
It happened in a split moment. The black aura disappeared from Alberu's hands in a matter of seconds. However, the White Star realized Alberu's identity.
'...Magic! This bastard can use magic!'
The White Star then remembered that the first step Alberu took to increase the Roan Kingdom's troops was to create a Mage Brigade. However, the aura he was feeling felt different than black magic.
"Did this dumb b-bastard think I was a black mage or something?" TCF!Alberu scowled - he was making an expression that spoke volumes about his absolute disgust at such an outrageous misunderstanding. TCF!Alberu was also offended to the highest degree.
Unlike black magic that went against the laws of nature, he could feel nature giving Alberu strength and working with him. Dead mana that follows the laws of nature.
Those who had been stubbornly holding onto the prospect of dead mana users being stubborn, terrible and scary monsters, could not believe their ears. They realized if they continued acting stubbornly like this especially after even the enemy was acknowledging the fact that dead mana was natural and followed the laws of nature, then they (who were clinging to the old prejudices and propaganda of the past) were no better then bumbling sheep that weren't worth the Goddess' time and effort to reform.
TBOAH!Zed gulped and shook his head as he acknowledged the records of the past of the TCF!World were certainly useful.
The White Star recalled the beings who use dead mana but not black magic. They were not human.
'Dark Elves!'
The Dark Elves who were a part of nature had some people who could use dead mana to use magic. However, their methods were different than black magic.
TBOAH!Obante and TBOAH!Tasha wished that all the bastards who opposed the Alberu and the Dark Elves and all the rotten humans who especially ostracized and scorned them were seeing this - the fact that even the bastard of a wanna-be god rank enemy, like the White Star, was saying they, the Dark Elves, were part of nature too.
While the Palantír stated that Alberu smiled underneath his helmet, nobody in the hall could see it either. The record then posed a series of rhetorical questions - they were questions that TCF!Alberu was asking in his mind. 'Why had he raised a Mage Brigade? Why had he gone in that direction?'
According to the record which continued there were a lot of dangers to raising a source of power that he was not adept in, however TCF!Alberu questioned what would occur if it was something he knew how to do well and could then control it.
"Dead mana is like mana. It's the same."
Using dead mana like regular mana. Fire, water, wind... He could create everything. The battlefield was chaotic. Inside Alberu's empty hands where the black aura that only the White Star had seen had disappeared.
"I can create light too."
Light shot out of his hands.
"Whoa!" Lily was in awe, even TBOAH!Hong, TBOAH!Ohn and the TBOAH!Black Dragon were fascinated. The TBOAH!Dodori and TCF!Dodori were also quite intrigued - this was because they had never seen someone use dead mana like this either - there was of course that aspiring mage from Rosalyn's records.
The black mana had instantly turned into a bright sword of light in Alberu's hand.
"What was that guys name... Bee... Berk... Bed... Becrock! That's right his name was Becrock!" TCF!Dodori finally recalled his name accurately in his head. However after recalling the name of that mage, TCF!Dodori happily decided that Teacher's Sworn Brother was much better at manipulating dead mana than anyone else he'd ever seen.
TCF!Dodori was quite happy with himself after he came to that conclusion. TCF!Mila didn't know what was going on in her son's head, so she simply decided to let him be - especially since he wasn't harming himself or doing anything that might offend the red-haired Goddess seated a few feet away from them all.
The light was as radiant as the sun. Just like the radiant sun rising between two cliffs on Alberu's armour... This sword was like the Roan Kingdom's symbol.
According to the Palantír the sword art he had practiced in his human form as well as the magic he could use because he had his mother's Dark Elf blood both combined within Alberu and became a source of power like none other.
A magic swordsman. This was one of Alberu's other secrets.
TBOAH!Alberu sat back and breathed out a sigh. Truthfully, this was not really surprising - he had also revealed his abilities on the battlefield, especially in his final battle for survival against the White Star. So, almost everyone left in the hall was already aware of his abilities as a powerful magic swordsman.
Despite TCF!Alberu's confidence in the record, the perspective shifted again so that the audience of the Palantír Hall could see the reactions the others were having to seeing the White Star launch an attack at TCF!Alberu. Unfortunately the Palantír also revealed the weakness of the Roan Kingdom - the fact that they only rely on a few select people. However, this was the case for the other kingdoms as well.
Cale was practically the keeper of their entire world - his word was practically law at this point no matter which kingdom or race one chose to speak to. If Cale asked, every one would move according to his will. This was both the weakness and the shortcoming of the TCF!World. Deruth and Violan, of course, joined Rok Soo in disapproval at hearing this ridiculous speculations that were being shared around the Palantír Hall.
The Palantír continued to the point were Taylor took a knee as the distress and panic and hopelessness seized hold of him. Of course, TBOAH!Cage was very unhappy to see Taylor behaving like this - she was unhappy with the fact that Taylor was still too soft and kind.
The long years of harsh reality that she had lived in the TBOAH!World without him had distorted her memories of her best friend and seeing this 'too gentle' and 'too helpless' Taylor made her feel uncomfortable. She turned to her counterpart with a harsh and cold glare. Her gaze seemed to be asking only one thing from her counterpart: "Where the hell are you during all of this?"
<Chapter 521 – Late (6)>
The coldness from the floor travelled up his body. He knelt on one knee and grabbed the ledge and looked toward the sword that was about to slash Alberu.
'...His highness who is a high-grade swordsman cannot block that attack.'
He felt as if his own body was going to rip. His vision started to turn dark.
TCF!Alberu frowned deeply, he really did not like how strongly everyone back then believed him to be weak, but that opportunity served as a perfect stage for him to reveal the strength he had been carefully honing in secret (well, it was a strength he would have continued honing in secret had it not been for Cale who came in like a wrecking ball while bringing him the gifts of precious dead mana to make him stronger).
TCF!Alberu could also see the vast difference in strength between himself and his counterpart - it was evidence enough that his counterpart from the other timeline would not have fared any better than he had against the White Star that is why TCF!Alberu did not feel any shame in the fact that he had lost to that White Radish back then.
However a moment later, the light within the Palantír brightened and the view expanded so that everyone could see an even wider view of the space within the Palantír
"...Ah?"
His vision brightened. Everything started to become bright.
"...Ah!" The questioning gasp turned into a shocked gasp.
He pushed off the ground with his knee while tightening his grip on the ledge. He subconsciously stood up.
"Yes... get up! That's better!" TBOAH!Cage passionately demanded. Although she could not say these things aloud, she wanted very much to smack Taylor on the back of his head and scold him for almost giving up. The Taylor of the TCF!World was living a life that her Taylor from the TBOAH!World never got to live, so it angered and annoyed TBOAH!Cage when it seemed like the TCF!World Taylor was planning to give up and accept his defeat without even putting up a decent fight.
"Cage... Calm down Child." Grigori's voice was a gentle whisper within the mind of the troubled TBOAH!Cage. It whispered through her and involuntarily her body began to relax once more.
"...Your highness!"
'His highness, he...!'
"No, this, what?!"
He could not speak properly. He could not believe it even after seeing it with his own eyes. His body leaned forward a little more over the edge. Taylor could hear one of the territory soldiers who was pointing his arrow to prevent the enemy invasion mumble to himself at that moment.
"...Light."
Taylor said the same thing as if he was out of it. "...It's light."
As the soldier within the Palantír mentioned, Taylor was looking at that light. Through the fire that looked like it would gobble everything up and in between the white wyvern's cold and large wings, there was a light shooting up.
Although it was small in size compared to the other two, according to the record and what they could clearly see being shown, it was clearly making its presence known.
"As expected of our Roan Empire's brilliant and glorious Sun!" Cale bragged cheerfully. Smiling widely and happily squirming in his seat while cuddling with Raon. A happy giggle escaped the young dragon who didn't quite know why his human was being so uncharacteristically affectionate, but accepted it nevertheless because it felt great.
TCF!Ohn let out a happy purring meow as she watched Cale beckon for her and TCF!Hong to join him in their small family hug.
"He must be really tired!" TCF!Ohn deduced after judging for herself the extent of Cale's unexpected burst of uncharacteristic affection. However, she didn't want to miss out on these amazing cuddles either and decided she could always mention this new side of him later.
Upon the Palantír an assortment of reactions were happening as well. As he watched, TBOAH!Alberu thought about how his own revealing of his power had been in the TBOAH!World - it had been no where near as awe-inspiring or inspirational as this and he felt that green envy itch at his heart and weigh down his shoulders again. However, his mind was whispering to him that maybe, just maybe, since his counterpart was stronger than he was, maybe TCF!Alberu had been able to win against the White Star.
TBOAH!Alberu snuck a glance toward his counterpart, who was being pounced on and praised by Cale's children. The fact that TCF!Alberu had gone up against the White Star and lived was enough of a victory already. TBOAH!Alberu looked toward his father, TBOAH!Zed, who had a similar expression of curious hope in his eyes. TBOAH!Alberu knew that TBOAH!Zed had died fighting the White Star - however, TCF!Zed had never fought the White Star. This truly bothered TBOAH!Zed, who again felt the urge to grab his counterpart and strangle him.
TBOAH!Zed shot a venomous look toward his counterpart from his spot across the hall: Oi, you bastard! What the hell were you doing? Sitting on your laurels? You let our son fight that lunatic alone?!
TCF!Zed was embarrassed at his past inactions, but chose to feign being offended by his counterpart's accusations: I was... busy.
TBOAH!Zed did not believe the audacity of his counterpart: Busy? Busy doing what? You weren't even taking care of the kingdom properly, what in gods name were you busy doing?
TCF!Zed had no answer for that, he wanted to remind his counterpart about the Orsena Duchy report that he had been anticipating, but instead kept his mouth shut because in the end he had been wrong to neglect his duties and leave TCF!Alberu to fight alone. He knew his faults and accepted responsibility for his negligence.
TBOAH!Zed, however, was not done: Bastard, do you even know what his lousy half-siblings would have done if something had happened to Alberu?!
TBOAH!Zed changed his expressions - becoming angrier as he thought back on everything that had happened in the final months of his reign. He communicated these events to his oblivious counterpart with a scalding glare that would have felled any lesser man: That wimpy third brat was hiding behind his mother's skirt and fled, the second one was at least delusional enough to stick around to help with paperwork, but he was useless on the actual battlefield and almost sabotaged Alberu!
TCF!Zed didn't want to listen to his counterpart's nagging or the truth bombs that TBOAH!Zed was hurling at him with angry glares and furious huffs.
Kim Rok Soo who had been watching all of this the moment TBOAH!Zed let out his first agitated huff, scoffed under his breath and faced the front again as the Palantír continued, he did not want to think about the Crossman Royal Family and the drama that was going on with them during the TBOAH!World timeline and the TCF!World timeline.
"Honestly, Alberu Crossman was the only redeemable one from the whole lot of them!" Rok Soo concluded and then ceased all thoughts about the TBOAH!Crossman Family.
"W, what is that sword in his highness's hand? General, do you know what it is?"
A sword made of light. A sword of light shining as radiantly as the sun was in Alberu's hand.
"I, I don't know. I've never-" The General did not know the identity of that sword.
The Mage Brigade Captain started to speak, "That is magic! That sword is made of magic!"
"What did you say?"
Everybody looked shocked.
'Magic?'
"That means-" The vassal holding onto the General mumbled to himself. "A magic swordsman...? His highness is a magic swordsman?"
According to the record that followed the vassal within the Palantír remembered what Alberu had said while looking down at them in the throne room at that moment.
'Do I look weak to all of you? You are making a grave mistake if you do think that.'
The General he was holding onto started to speak at that moment.
"...There are a few reasons the military leaders follow his highness."
'What was he talking about?'
The vassal looked toward the General. The General recalled what Alberu had told him before they came here.
'People who are already preparing for defeat will not be able to persist. Use me. Raise their morale.'
He had asked Alberu a question about it.
'Your highness. I don't understand what you mean by that.'
'It's good if you keep not knowing what I mean. I'm just telling you to do that if the time comes when you understand what I mean.'
TCF!Alberu smiled nostalgically because just like he had predicted back then, the Palantír revealed that the General now understood the meaning behind Alberu's words. The allied soldiers who were scared because of the White Star... He needed to raise their morale. Only then would they be able to persist.
TBOAH!Alberu ran his hands through his hair, feeling incredibly conflicted, he was feeling both frustration and awe at his counterpart's strategy, however in the back of his mind he knew that this was something he would never have been able to accomplish - because in the TCF!World they were merely buying time and persisting until Cale and his reinforcements could arrive.
The General's mind cleared up. He recalled what Alberu said before he headed out of the castle.
'You see, I... I am someone who knows how to do my part.'
Alberu had said that to Marquis Taylor Stan, but the General realized how idly he had been standing here. That was why he tensed up and started to speak to the people looking at him.
In their TBOAH!World, they were the only ones fighting, no one was coming to save them, so they had fought with everything on the line and had lost humiliatingly - to the point where the God of Death actually stepped forward to intervene. It was frustrating and it made TBOAH!Alberu want to cry blood, but then he forced himself to regain his composure before stubbornly returned his gaze to the record.
"One of the reasons the military leaders follow his highness is because his highness is a highest-grade expert."
"Gasp!" Someone gasped.
A highest-grade expert. That was the level right below sword master.
This was the perfect way to inspire and motivate the people, TBOAH!Alberu clenched his fists and grit his teeth, forcing himself to bravely suppress his feelings of envy and regret, seeing his persistence, Grigori decided to help him. She used her divine power discreetly and gobbled up the pessimism that was hanging like a dark cloud over him.
The oppressive feelings seemed to disappear and TBOAH!Alberu thought he'd managed to get passed it on his own. He felt a little proud of himself for achieving such a thing, mentally patting himself on the back because he knew that no one else would do it for him.
Grigori's expression turned soft and sad, but she said nothing and allowed the rest of the hall to continue watching as the General continued to inspire the soldiers and the Mage Captain asked for ten minutes to finish putting up the shield. Teleportation circles for the reinforcements from the Henituse Territory had already been prepared in advance, and the request for immediate aid was sent the moment Taylor granted them permission. Knowing that the flow of the battle might change, Taylor in the Palantír came alive again. TBOAH!Cage let out a breath of relief, she had been worried, but felt like she could relax again now.
Taylor motioned to the General with his eyes and started to shout.
"Focus on attacking the wyverns!"
It was at that moment, Taylor heard a loud explosion. He turned his head in shock and then bit down on his lips.
TBOAH!Cage looked toward her counterpart and then corrected her posture - she scolded herself for thinking relaxing could be acceptable right now. TBOAH!Cage reminded herself of all the things she'd seen - the blood-soaked lands, the piling corpses, the triaged wounded, and even the lifeless survivors of the prolonged wars.
She knew first hand how devastating war could be and how easily the momentum could shift and change regardless of how strong or weak the enemy was. So, TBOAH!Cage straightened her slouched back and squared her shoulders - Taylor was still alive, so was the Roan Emperor, she reminded herself of these facts and resolutely decided to keep watching the record.
Alberu's sword and the White Star's sword were clashing against each other. The White Star's fire still seemed as if it would gobble up Alberu's light, but Alberu was persisting.
TBOAH!Alberu momentarily shuddered as the trauma of that very thing happening to him in the TBOAH!World returned to his mind. However, this time he was quicker to cast the thought away and focus on more important things, like the new strength and skills with which his counterpart was holding his own against the White Star.
Taylor suddenly recalled when the northern Indomitable Alliance declared that they would attack the Roan Kingdom. He recalled how the Roan Kingdom, as the representative of the Western continent, had responded.
"Oh?" TBOAH!Alberu was surprised.
"You made the speech?"
"Hmm... yes, was it different for you?"
"Ahhh... well... yes." TBOAH!Alberu replied with a frown. TCF!Alberu frowned as well and then both of them looked toward Cale and Rok Soo who sighed heavily as if they still couldn't comprehend something and it was frustrating them.
"For Hyung-nim, King Zed of the former Roan Kingdom declared that he would be handing the throne over to Hyung-nim." Cale spoke up to explain the difference between the two of them.
"Meanwhile, in our place, King Zed continued to delay naming his heir and the rivalry between the princes continued even during the war." Rok Soo said, there was a hint of incredulousness in his tone that was detected by everyone.
Rok Soo had obviously said it this way in order to remind both former kings of Roan that they were both bastards who were equally as terrible. However, when the two Zed Crossman open their mouths to call him out, the record abruptly continued, and they are forced to be quiet.
'The Roan Kingdom is the kingdom with the longest history on the Western continent. We will show them the strength of the survivors.'
Alberu Crossman had been the one to say that.
"Oh! Nice!" TBOAH!Alberu quietly praised his counterpart. TCF!Alberu smiled and waved off his praise like it was nothing.
"You should hear some of the things that come out of my dongsaeng's mouth!" TCF!Alberu turned it around and redirected TBOAH!Alberu's attention willingly back to Cale. Cale for his part looked at the two Alberus who were looking at him with a mild sense of confusion and déjà vu.
He had lost his mother at an early age and had lost the king's trust.
TBOAH!Alberu and TCF!Alberu flinched at the unexpected hook that came at them from Taylor Stan's thoughts. Cale's expression sobered up and a frown marred his features.
Meanwhile, Rok Soo's expression darkened as well. TBOAH!Zed and TCF!Zed both opened their mouths to object to that last part, but before they could say anything, Cale clicked his tongue and scoffed.
"Pointless bastards." Kim Rok Soo added - further interrupting the two former Roan Kings.
TCF!Zed's expression turned stormy as his eyes narrowed with anger, however Cale turned his head and fixed him place with a look that was astonishingly similar to the expression on the Goddess's face behind him. Their matching looks alone were enough to shut him up.
TCF!Alberu reached out a moment later, and he gently touched the crown of Cale's head.
"Just let it go Dongsaeng..." TCF!Alberu whispered, reassuring Cale that he was alright. Taylor felt embarrassed by his past self for having these thoughts and then he felt annoyed that his thoughts had been exposed by the Goddess's power.
He continued to persist throughout it all until he became the influential future king and the Roan Kingdom's true sun. He felt that the Roan Kingdom and Alberu Crossman's life were very similar. The Roan Kingdom had persisted and persisted until it was finally spreading its wings now.
Being an intellectual and up-standing nobleman, Taylor knew that he couldn't expect to be exempt from the same powers that even Young Master Cale and the Dragon-nims were also victims of and could not oppose. Young Master Cale's thoughts were being revealed left and right since the very beginning, so how could he expect his to remain hidden especially when there were pieces of information that were hidden within them that the two quarter Dark-Elves from the two timelines needed to hear and see.
'...There wasn't necessarily only one person to trust and follow.'
Taylor watched Alberu fight in his armour and helmet with the sword of light before turning around. He had things to do. His steps were full of energy.
Loud explosions echoed distantly through the Palantír. These were heard by Taylor, but according to the record Taylor did not turn back - the Palantír claimed this was because he trusted Alberu.
TBOAH!Alberu's eyes went wide and TCF!Alberu merely smiled feeling calmer and happier to hear such honesty from the thoughts of someone like Taylor Stan who had grown up in a mad household like the Stan March.
Alberu was smiling at that moment. However, nobody could see it because of his helmet.
"...You bastard!"
However, his enemy could not hide his anger as he glared at the helmeted Alberu. The White Star was shouting in anger and disbelief.
"You bastard... you're a Dark Elf?"
He didn't know how Alberu had hidden it, but he was certain that Alberu was a Dark Elf. Others may not have seen it, but he had seen how Alberu used dead mana to create light.
"Hyung-nim... it must have been even funnier when you created the 'sun'." Cale teased with a cheeky grin.
"Ahhh... he should have just burst a blood vessel and died from the anger back then." TCF!Alberu laughed, accepting Cale's attempt to distract him from thinking about his parents.
"Ahhh... Student-nim, you can't say that, if that had happened, he would have just reincarnated!" TCF!Choi Han corrected TCF!Alberu, TCF!Alberu hummed and nodded. Grateful and happy that he had such trustworthy friends and were surrounded by family who genuinely cared about his well-being just as much as his aunt and great-grandfather did.
Although confused, TBOAH!Alberu held his silence and continued to watch both his counterpart and the crazy battle he was having with the White Star on the Palantír. Nothing remarkable had happened thus far - instead the two of them seemed to have been exchanging testing blows to sound out each other.
The White Star's fire instantly roared toward Alberu's shoulder.
"Oh... I stand corrected... it starts now!" TBOAH!Alberu corrected himself and sat up straight to focus on the record.
However, Alberu's sword of light pushed it back before the fire sword could reach his shoulder. Alberu started to speak in a laughing tone at that moment.
"A Dark Elf? Who? Me? Should I give you the answer if you're so curious?" He sounded as if he was making fun of the White Star. "Did you know?"
The sword of light that Alberu had been holding with both hands was moved to his right hand. Black mana appeared for a moment in his empty left hand before turning into a water spear. That spear was quickly flung toward the White Star. The White Star twisted his body and struck the water spear with his fire sword.
Alberu continued to speak at that moment, "If a weakling is someone who reveals everything... An expert is someone who hides at least half of what he can do."
A thought struck TCF!Obante and TCF!Tasha who were watching their beloved TCF!Alberu in the record. There were many ways that they could think of to describe him; reckless, crazy, strong, bold. However the one that stuck with them in this moment, as they watched their great-grandson and nephew taunt the White Star was unexpected spoken aloud by Mary.
The fire sword cut through the water spear. It had no issues doing so. However, a sharp light shot toward him through the exploding water the moment he slashed the water spear. The White Star could hear Alberu's jovial voice.
"In that sense, I am an expert."
"You bastard!"
"Brave." Mary said, her voice hushed as she continued to watch the record transfixed - this was a battle she had not seen, so it was new and exciting to her, especially since it was Alberu who was fighting on the frontlines right now and not Young Master Cale. Those who heard Mary, did not disagree with her and TBOAH!Obante and TBOAH!Tasha could only watch in silent helplessness as TBOAH!Alberu nodded in agreement as well.
TBOAH!Alberu did not deny it any longer - his counterpart was brave, much braver than he was. Perhaps it was because their environments were different or maybe because the intensity and pressure riding on this one battle was not the same as what it had been in the TBOAH!World - whatever the reason for it was, TBOAH!Alberu was acutely aware that if the records of his own battle against the White Star had played everyone would have heard the repetitive words of doubt and fear that had plagued him during his final battle.
According to the Palantír Alberu and the White Star glared at each other as their swords clashed once again. The White Star could get a sense of Alberu's level of strength in that short moment.
'I didn't give it my all, but he was able to block my attacks multiple times.'
The crown prince in front of him was a highest-grade expert just under the level of a sword master. His magic level seemed to be between high-grade and highest-grade as well. He wasn't a highest-grade mage, but...
'...He has an abnormally large amount of dead mana.'
How the hell did the Roan Kingdom's crown prince have the characteristics of a Dark Elf? He also had no idea how Alberu could be in possession of so much dead mana. However, he was certain about one thing.
'He's troublesome.'
The record within the Palantír then provided some unexpected information, oddly it was information shared from the White Star's perspective - this was the first time anyone in the Palantír Hall had heard the White Star's perspective. It was alarming, but at the same time inspiring for everyone here who heard it.
Cale Henituse had an abnormally large number of ancient powers, but his body was weak.
Cale rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue, however his children and family all around the hall nodded, congratulating the stupid White Radish for having enough brain cells left to realize Cale's awesomeness.
Choi Han was extremely talented with the sword, however, he knew nothing about magic.
TCF!Choi Han scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest as he sat back.
"Duh... I am a Swordmaster."
TBOAH!Choi Han grumbled, but agreed that his counterpart was 'extremely talented'. He wondered if he had been wiser with his time and better with his strategies in battle then maybe he too could have been considered 'extremely talented with the sword' - although he would never admit these thoughts aloud.
Rosalyn was famous for her magic but was not a talented swordsman.
"Archmage... hello~!" TCF!Rosalyn waved lightly toward the Palantír with a fiery glint in her eyes. She was having an attitude right now, because she wanted to correct the White Star.
"Just because we don't use the sword doesn't mean we don't know how to use one!" TBOAH!Rosalyn muttered crossly - clearly she too had taken offence at the White Star's opinion of her.
"Ahem... Noona..." TBOAH!Lock tried to console his annoyed older sister.
"What? It's not that difficult to comprehend... just stick him with the pointy end!" TBOAH!Rosalyn grumbled and TCF!Rosalyn slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from let out a boisterous laugh. TCF!Choi Han saw TBOAH!Choi Han inch slightly away from TBOAH!Rosalyn with a wary glint in his eyes.
Alberu Crossman who was in front of him was not especially strong in any area like those three individuals. However, he...
TCF!Alberu raised an eyebrow and sat back, corking his head curious to hear what opinion this 1000-year-old fossil had to say about him.
'His balance is amazing.'
TCF!Alberu blinked, Cale froze, TCF!Choi Han immediately scowled with disapproval.
"No!!" Raon suddenly hissed before shouting crossly. The youngest of Cale's children stood up in Cale's lap, his wings flapping in agitation and his tail flicking sharply from side to side.
"How dare you! The Cookie Emperor is ours! He's my Human's!" Raon protested aggressively.
"Yeah nya!! We won't let you take him!" TCF!Hong added with a shout as well, pouncing back into TCF!Alberu's lap and sitting down on him as if he were claiming the spot.
TCF!Ohn was absolutely certain that her younger brothers did not know what was going on, and she was also sure that they were misunderstanding the record too - but she did not correct them. She could not correct them because she was too busy curiously studying the tinge of red in her dad's ears and the way his frozen expression soon melted into bemused entertainment at TCF!Hong and Raon's objections.
It took Cale and TCF!Alberu some time to calm the children. Grigori and a few of the adults noticed that no one thought of correcting the misunderstanding that had been made, but it was pretty entertaining for them as well, so they decided not to talk about it or correct the children either.
...Was balanced. That was why he was troublesome.
"...Looks like I need to get serious."
He could not let a troublesome bastard hold him back.
'I was trying to save as much power as possible because I don't know when Cale Henituse might arrive, but...'
"Tsk... this dumb vegetable really thought I was easy prey!" TCF!Alberu scoffed in his mind and mentally rolled his eyes before looking down at the red kitten in his lap. His gaze softened and he began to pet TCF!Hong, gently smoothing down the fur that was standing up along his back.
The White Star had been conserving energy because he didn't know when Cale and his group who should be fighting against the noble bastards on the Eastern continent would come back, but he decided to change his thinking.
Hearing that Young Master Cale was fighting on the other continent exhausted TBOAH!Zed's already tired mind. The 50+ year old former king really had reached his limit by this point and knowing that his bastard of a counterpart wouldn't even appear in this battle to protect TCF!Alberu made him too angry to deal with anything anymore. TBOAH!Alberu looked over at his father with a look of mild concern. Since this record began, his father seemed to have aged another decade at least.
The audience of the Palantír Hall gulped as they began to understand what the White Radish meant when he said he was going to start taking the fight against TCF!Alberu seriously. They watched as the area around the White Star started to shake and his fire sword slowly started to shrink in size. However, unlike its smaller body, the aura of the sword became much more violent than before.
The White Star started to speak to Alberu without any hesitation.
"We need to chat, so I will destroy every part of your body other than your mouth."
However, in the face of that threat, everyone in the hall saw and heard TCF!Alberu laugh.
"You're going to do that to me? Ha!" Alberu was laughing.
"How funny."
The White Star then heard the castle gate starting to open. The castle gate opened. The White Star's eyes opened wide. Alberu's eyes clouded over at that moment.
"They're here."
A new wave of curiosity took hold of TBOAH!Zed, rejuvenating him and giving him the added mental strength to keep watching. TBOAH!Alberu also felt a rush of energy run down his spine, Grigori sat back innocently lowering her hand again.
Upon the Palantír the guests of the Goddess' Hall could see what TCF!Alberu saw. They could see the warrior heading out of the castle gate. The image within the Palantír seemed to quiver - representing the ground which shook with every step these warriors took. Cale smiled impressed and happy with the entrance they were making.
The leader of these warriors started to speak to the person standing next to him.
"We made up our minds to respond to his highness's request, but will you be okay?"
"Yes, I'll be fine, Grandpa Gashan."
TBOAH!Lock corked his head curiously, an innocent and fascinated expression appearing upon his face. Gashan chuckled to himself while remaining in his seat. Their entrance truly seemed to inspire awe and it certainly had an effect in intimidating their enemies.
The berserk Tigers walked out on their hind legs. Their baggy clothes fluttered in the wind.
The Palantír then gave some brief information about what had happened behind the scenes after Taylor's request for immediate aid reached the Henituse Territory. Apparently Duke Deruth had sent a message to Harris Village and the Tiger tribe who now lived in Harris Village happily came to the Stan territory after hearing the crown prince's request.
"I will be out there with you."
Next to Gashan was the Blue Wolf boy Lock with a large shield in his hand.
However, in contrast to the terrifying and intimidating view they presented to their enemies, the supportive familiarity with which Gashan spoke to TCF!Lock inspired a whole different set of emotions in everyone.
However, there was someone who did not pay attention to any of that. It was the Former Dragon Lord. Sherritt's smile turned vicious the moment she saw that shield in TCF!Lock's hands. Her eyes brightened and ominously cheerful laughter began to rumble out of her like quiet purrs.
The TBOAH!Black Dragon looked up at his mother and curiously took in the sight of her amusement. He then returned his attention to the Palantír because he realized that something good was going to happen soon.
[*Three highs -- High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar.]