The Exposed Identity

"Mm..."

In a vast, brightly lit room, a soft groan slowly rang out.

Shien opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling. Only after a while did awareness gradually return to his empty mind.

"Where am I...?"

Shien murmured in confusion.

At his side, an exceptionally calm voice immediately answered him.

"You have returned to your room in House Bigusle, Lord Shien."

The instant that familiar, indifferent voice entered his ears, Shien snapped awake.

He immediately sprang up from the bed and looked to the side.

"Lasha!"

Shien instinctively called the name of the maid standing beside the bed.

It was Lasha.

"You have finally awakened."

There was no rise or fall in Lasha's voice.

Yet Shien keenly noticed that, for a brief instant, relief had appeared in her eyes.

"Lasha." Shien looked at her for quite some time before hesitantly asking, "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yes, you did." Lasha fell silent for a moment before saying, "Though you slept for rather a long time, your body is unharmed. That is a blessing amid misfortune."

As she spoke, Lasha handed Shien the sword she had been holding in her arms.

"Your Holy Sword."

Lasha spoke of it as though it were an ordinary iron sword.

"The Holy Sword..."

Shien reflexively accepted his Holy Sword, and only then did he finally remember.

"Right. I lost consciousness during my fight with Moro."

It had happened because he had expended too much power while dealing with Moro's final attack—Moro, who had entered the Transcendent Class and gained terrifying strength.

Shien remembered that he had not only completely unsealed the Holy Sword, but had also pushed Cycle of Fate to its limit, gaining ten times his normal strength. Combined with the Holy Sword's power, he had finally managed to cut apart the descending