Chapter 5 - Flame Empress

"It's safe for now," she said, glancing back at Melissia, who was already trying to peek around her.

The young girl's eyes widened as she stepped forward, taking in the scene. Her gaze first fell on the Shadow Fang, its lifeless body partially pinned under the rubble at the mine entrance.

A broken sword was embedded in the beast's neck, its jagged edges stained with dark blood.

And then, her attention shifted to the boy sprawled near the dead creature.

"Who is that?" Melissia whispered, her voice barely audible as she moved closer.

Nyra remained silent, But still moved towards the boy.

Melissia tilted her head slightly, her earlier excitement slowly fading into a quiet sense of curiosity.

"Sister Nyra... is he sleeping?" she asked in a soft and careful voice, almost like she was afraid her words alone might wake him.

Nyra's sharp gaze moved over the boy's body with precision. "I am not sure, Miss," she said calmly, her tone thoughtful yet alert.

"But the strange and dense mana we felt earlier—it is definitely coming from him. It seems that he must have gone through the process of awakening…"

Melissia took a careful step closer, her curiosity beginning to outweigh her caution.

"Does awakening really cause this kind of disturbance in the surroundings?" she asked while crouching slightly, leaning just a little to get a better look at him.

Nyra frowned, her body instinctively tensing a bit. "Miss, please don't go too close," she warned gently but firmly.

"We cannot predict what might happen next, and to answer your question—no, a regular awakening does not cause this level of disturbance."

Unless someone awakens a powerful trait... She didn't speak those words out loud but thought them silently, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

Melissia sighed softly and rolled her eyes, but she listened and stepped back, though she did it with clear reluctance in her movement.

"Alright, alright," she mumbled under her breath.

"But honestly, he doesn't seem dangerous to me... if you ignore his scary appearance, covered in blood and filth."

"And… his mana—it feels so pure. I've never sensed such a clean and dense amount of mana before, especially from someone who looks this young."

She paused for a moment as she focused on him more seriously, her expression softening as understanding flickered in her eyes.

"And I can tell he lost consciousness after fighting that weak monster. There's no sign he's faking anything. As for his wounds, they must have healed during his awakening process…"

Nyra's brows drew together as she carefully examined the boy's overall condition, her mind connecting the dots as she also observed this.

"It must be because of some kind of Trait that his mana levels are this high. It could mean his class is that of a mage... but if you look around carefully at the surroundings, the damage and signs of the fight clearly suggest that he was using a sword in the beginning."

They continued to talk quietly, their eyes never leaving the boy.

But then, as if something deep inside him could feel their presence nearby,

The boy slowly stirred.

His eyelids fluttered open, revealing Sky blue eyes that seemed far too calm for someone in his state.

He didn't move, but his gaze locked onto them, as if thinking deeply.

A heavy silence hung in the air before he spoke, his voice hoarse but steady.

"...Who are you?"

**

'It's comfortable.'

Ash felt as though he were floating, his body weightless and his mind clear. A strange, soothing calmness wrapped around him, like he'd been freed from all his burdens.

There was no pain, no exhaustion—just peace.

But then, the voices came.

'Sister Nyra… is he sleeping?'

'I don't know, Miss, but the unusual—'

Annoying.

The voices shattered the serenity, and irritation flared within him.

The peace he'd clung to slipped away, forcing him to stir.

With effort, he pried his heavy eyelids open, revealing sky-blue irises that seemed unnaturally tranquil.

His vision blurred, but he could make out two figures standing nearby.

He stared at them, unmoving, his gaze sharp despite his hazy mind.

'Who are they?' he wondered,

A heavy silence hung in the air before he spoke, his voice hoarse but steady.

"...Who are you?"

"What?! How dare you, lowly commoner! Don't you know who I am?!"

He focused in the direction the sound has came from,

Ash blinked, his blurry vision beginning to clear as he saw a Kid shouting at him.

He forced his body to wake up and stand, pushing past the fog in his mind.

As he rose, a strange sensation spread through him—his body felt light, stronger than before.

He flexed his hands, testing the newfound vitality.

The pain and exhaustion that had weighed him down were gone. Even the wounds that should've left scars were completely healed.

I guess the Rune of Stability Worked, he thought.

Relief flickered across his face, and a faint smirk appeared unbidden.

The smirk wasn't just relief—it was a spark of triumph, a quiet acknowledgment that he had survived the impossible.

All the suffering he'd endured to get here finally felt worth—

"Look at this bastard ignoring me!"

The sharp voice cut through his thoughts, jarring him back to reality.

"No, miss, don't use magic! Your father will get angry!" a second voice warned, frantic and pleading.

"But didn't you see that Fucker ignore me?! And that smirk—he's mocking me!"

"Miss, your father will definitely be mad if he hears you cursing again!"

The voices were grating, and his vision slowly regained clarity.

The voice belonged to a petite girl, no older than twelve, with fiery red hair and crimson eyes burning with anger.

She looked utterly adorable.

The baby fat on her cheeks only amplified her cuteness, giving her an almost doll-like charm.

It was easy to see that this little girl would undoubtedly grow into a nation-toppling beauty someday.

Before he realized it, the thought slipped from his lips, unbidden.

"Cute."

Silence.

The word hung in the air like an unexpected ripple in still water.

Even the lady standing next to the girl froze, her expression a mixture of shock and disbelief,

The lady's lips twitched, her expression betraying the effort it took to maintain her composure.

It was clear she was fighting back laughter, her eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and surprise.

"You—! You bastard!" The girl stammered, waving her hand.

A fireball materialized and shot toward Ash.

"Miss!" Nyra shouted, her tone sharp with warning. "No magic! Your father will—"

As he took in their reactions, Ash quickly reined himself back in, slipping into his usual composed self.

He didn't know why he had blurted out that she was cute—it wasn't like him to speak without thinking.

But for some reason, the words had come naturally, unfiltered.

Ash frowned slightly.

Something was wrong.

He wasn't the type to lose control over his emotions, not like this.

'Something is definitely wrong.'

Lost in his thoughts, his body moved instinctively.

He tilted his head ever so slightly, just in time to dodge the fireball that came hurtling toward him.

The girl froze, her jaw dropping in disbelief, while even the lady beside her looked stunned.

The fireball wasn't lethal—it wouldn't have killed him.

It was just Tier-0 Magic.

But it should have hit, or at the very least grazed him. And yet, he had dodged it with ease, almost as if it had been second nature.

Their wide-eyed shock only confirmed what he already suspected: something had changed within him..

But he decided to think more about it later, when he was alone.

"You... You... Who are you?" the girl demanded, her voice trembling as she tried to mask her embarrassment with anger.

Ash glanced at her, his expression became guarded. "I should be the one asking that question. And why should I reply to you? It's not like I know you," he said, his tone sharp, his body tense.

Something was wrong with his emotions, and he wasn't going to lower his guard.

This time, the lady beside the girl spoke instead, her voice calm and measured. "We sensed unusual mana activity outside the city. When we came to investigate the cause... and we found you here."

"It seems you were undergoing awakening process."

"See? Fucker, we protected you while you were Passed out! You should be thanking us!" the girl snapped, her tone dripping with arrogance as she crossed her arms, glaring at him.

The lady beside her sighed, shaking her head bitterly, as if she'd long grown used to the girl's antics.

At first, Ash thought the girl's outburst was a little amusing—maybe even cute in a childish way—but it quickly turned annoying.

He stared at her for a moment, his patience waning, then walked past them without another word.

"Hey! Where are you going? At least say thank you!" the girl shouted, her voice rising with a mix of frustration and disbelief.

Ash stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly, just enough to glance back. His face remained blank, calm, unreadable.

"Before I lost consciousness, there was no one around me," he said, his voice cool and steady. "So don't pretend you did something you didn't. Trying to take credit for nothing… that's just childish."

His words were sharp, like cold wind against skin, and without waiting for a reply, he turned forward again and continued walking toward the city.

Behind him, the girl's face flushed with anger and confusion, her voice shaking as she called out, "Don't you know who I am?!"

Ash came to a slow stop and turned fully this time, his expression unmoved, eyes calm like still water.

"It's not like you're the daughter of a saint or anything important," he replied plainly. "Stop acting like some spoiled child who expects the world to bow."

His gaze didn't waver as he continued, "And even if you are someone's daughter—even if your family is powerful—so what? Are you the reason for their name? Their reputation? Don't act like their fame belongs to you just because of your bloodline."

A heavy silence followed.

The girl stood frozen, her eyes wide, the defiance in her posture beginning to crack. Her lips trembled slightly, and for a moment, she looked like she might cry.

Beside her, the older woman sighed softly again, her expression touched with something between pity and understanding as she glanced at the girl.

She knew all too well—though the boy's words were cold and unkind, they weren't wrong. Not everyone respected the saints, not everyone believed in their greatness. And honestly, she couldn't just go around punishing everyone who disliked or questioned them, could she?

Without saying another word, Ash turned away once more and walked on, leaving the silence behind him, heavy and uncomfortable.

but,

Ash froze mid-step as the sound of the girl's sobbing pierced through the air.

He turned slightly, glancing over his shoulder to see her clutching the hem of Nyra's cloak, tears streaming down her flushed face.

"S-Sister Nyra!" she wailed, her voice trembling with a mix of indignation and hurt. "He called me a spoiled brat! I-I was only trying to help!"

For a moment, Ash felt an uncomfortable pang of guilt.

And then it hit him.

The Lady's name.

Nyra,

Something about it tugged at the edges of his memory, but it wasn't until the girl spoke again that everything clicked into place.

The red hair, the fiery temper, Combined with her earlier arrogance and the way she carried herself, it painted a picture that was impossible to ignore.

Flame Empress.

The girl in front of him—this teary-eyed child throwing tantrums and hurling fireballs—was none other than the Flame Empress.

One of the most terrifying and destructive figure in future, and one of the member of protagonist Harem.

Ash's breath hitched, and his heart pounded as the realization sank in.

He hadn't just insulted a random girl.

He had insulted....

Cold sweat formed on Ash's back, his body stiffening as the weight of realization settled over him.

And then there was Nyra.

That name…

Nyra was known as the Radiant Valkyrie, a Mythical-rank figure famous for her unshakable loyalty and power.

She was the steadfast protector of the Flame Empress.

Together, these two women had been an unstoppable force,

And he had just mocked one and ignored the other.

What the hell have I done?

Panic clawed at his chest as he pieced it together.

'This bratty, crying child would grow into a Saint-ranked powerhouse whose very presence could incinerate armies and on top of it she is the daughter of a Saint-rank powerhouse.'

Ash broke out in a cold sweat.

He hadn't just annoyed her—he had actively antagonized her.

And to make matters worse, he was still weak,

If things escalated, he wasn't sure he could defend himself.

His emotions, usually locked away behind an iron wall of discipline, were spilling over, raw and uncontrolled.

What's happening to me?

Ash clenched his fists, his frustration mounting.

He realized just how reckless he had been—far more careless than he could afford to be.

Something about his awakening had unbalanced him, and he needed to regain control fast.

But first, he had to deal with the consequences of his blunder

He took a deep breath, trying to clam himself and and think what to do now.

***

A/N: Ash messed up big time! ???? What do you think will happen next?

Drop your theories in the comments, and if you're confused about anything, feel free to ask! Oh, and don't forget to shower this story with power stones—it keeps me going! ????✨