The Otome heroine is raised by the final boss (Original)

[Naqu2o]

Lycoris was about to run after aunt Aya, however, uncle Avaris stops her. He manages to grab onto her.

"I have power uncle. I can help her!"

"Don't go Lycoris. It's dangerous. I have lost too much. I can't lose you too. Believe in her. She is my other half."

He told her with a concerned voice. This is the most emotional Lycoris has ever seen uncle Avaris, so she decided to obey him. Thinking about it, he has been getting more emotional lately. His body has also become warmer too. He also went out without an umbrella today. If aunt Aya's words are correct, uncle Avaris' condition is getting better lately. She decided to stay with him to watch the confrontation from afar.

However, she can hear uncle Avaris gritting his teeth.

She puts a hand on her uncle large hand, however, she doesn't think that he felt that. His eyes were far away, looking at the battle, as if imagining he himself was there.

---------------------------

They were twins. However, his brother didn't get raised together with him. When he was 14, his once noble family became bankrupted. It was mostly because of his father's bad investment. However, the reason his father started taking risky investment was because of the expansion of Gemware Pan-Continental Trading Company taking away his family's previous business ties.

The luxuries that they have previously enjoyed were slowly cut down. However, it was tenable at first. Even if they aren't rich-rich anymore, they were more well-off than the average person. They still don't need to work a day in their life, only managing the family business. It's just, father has to hold less drinking party, and sometime mother has to wear an old dresses that she has, but the situation was tenable.

However, at that time, one of their father's friends suggested investment in a business venture with him in exchange for a lot of wealth. Perhaps their father was naive, or perhaps he desperately wanted to get back his previous luxuries that his wife and children have always enjoyed.

He started taking loan and selling off family asset in order to take part in the business venture.

After Gemware came expansion, many small and large noble families have created alliance to create many small companies to compete with their practice. However, what they didn't know at that time was that the "business venture" that their father invested in was actually one of the fall option for one of the "companies" created in that chaotic time.

The specific "business venture" involved foreign mining operation to supposedly combat Gemware's biggest advantage.

Gemware as a company boasted unparalleled connection with foreign mining companies whose name none of them have heard of, people doubted Gemware actually have those connections, however, the raw minerals and gems they provided dissuade those notions of those connections being falsified. Then, there was people who tried to subvert those connection and take those connections for themselves, however, Gemware has been keeping a tight lid on who exactly provide them.

However the business venture their father invested in supposedly has connection with one of those foreign mining companies that will provide father's friend and father with enough materials to be competitive with Gemware.

However, that is a lie.

The truth is that at that time, the various big player in the mercantile world was running a smear campaign on Gemware. It is supposed to dissuade the public from trusting the viability of Gemware. Public image aside, these alliances have also done various illegal act just like Gemware has to create false info for investor.

The alliances painted a picture of the new-comer Gemware being a vulnerable trading company that will be demolished by the various old money institution. The business venture their father invested in was one of those ploys. They created a false business venture to pain a picture of "see, that company has connection with one of the foreign mining companies. Gemware's advantage isn't as absolute as you think" while providing the "foreign mining companies" their father was trading with with the alliances' own stock of minerals and gems. There was no foreign mining companies involved.

All of it was part of a grand plan. For those few years, the business alliances absolutely hammers Gemware reputation in the business world. They were hoping that Gemware would go bankrupt in a few years. However, the owner, Avaris was prepared for the long haul. Gemware's position stubbornly remains the same. The fraud ended in 2 years when the stock was depleted and the large alliances see that it is useless to run the con any longer.

Thinking back, it was extremely shortsighted of them, however, in the end it didn't affect them after all.

It affects the fraudulent business venture they created to pretend to be much more dominant than Gemware, such as their father's.

When things have run its course, they cut the ties.

Suddenly, their family was charged with fraud while the perpetrators have all disappeared behind their powerful wall of prestige and wealth. Debts mounted on their estate.

One day, their mother killed herself.

She just hanged herself in one of the empty bedroom of their once occupied mansion.

He, Mason, found her. He remembered that earlier in that day, she has been talking about bringing him and his brother away to a better place.

She wanted to murder both his twin brother and him too before her suicide to spare them the pain, however ultimately, it seems she decided against it.

Sometime he wished she has actually taken them away with her.

Sometime, in his dream, Mason saw the ghost of his mother, pale, standing over him before she started strangling him. He would always awake with cold sweats.

This deteriorate the mental instabilities of their father to the point that he couldn't speak anymore. He has a stroke in his grief, causing him to be paralyzed from his neck down.

Even after selling literally everything they own, the debts were too much to pay off. Their father has to literally sign a paper to give his twin brother, Stathen, away, stating that he was a bastard, hoping he would get a better life. And him, Mason, their father was miserable and need someone to take care of him, so Mason he kept.

Since then, in the morning, he worked as clerk, at noon and at night, he returned home to feed, bathe and clothe his bed ridden father.

He never kept contact with his twin brother, Stathen because he was too busy to think of someone else that doesn't exist in his life anymore.

And somehow...

It worked out. For the first time in his life, things were looking up. He manages to bring his family name, Blackwood back out of the gutter.

Many sleepless nights and endless working days, he have been contacting his father's old associates and friends.

Some chase him out of their estate like a plague. Some paid pity to him and help him. He took every chances he can get to get ahead in life.

One of his father's old friend introduce him to a job at the royal library. He took it and work until his eyes bleed. His rewards were his new position. He manages to gain a small managerial role at the royal family despite his young age. Combining his new stable earning with other side business he does at night after his father has gone to bed, Mason managed to buy a proper house near his work place.

He has enough to hide a caretaker to take care of his father for him. With the increased free time, he could finally focus on work and workplace politic until he took control of the royal library with his clique. Now, he takes bribe from other young helpful who wanted a glorified clerk position at the royal library. From a clerk to someone who takes bribes from clerk, it was a big change for him.

He could finally buy an actual larger house and started working on restoring the family's name.

However, one day, a piece of news comes back to him.

"Stathen, your twin brother was adopted by the Collfield family with the excuse that he was a bastard of the Collfield family. The Collfield wanted to have a disposable former noble with abilities under their employed, and the young Stathen was prime candidate. I'm sorry that I didn't discover it sooner.

I'm also sorry to announce the death of Stathen.

A few days ago, Stathen attacked the Gemware estate, injuring the Gemware's owner, Avaris's adopted daughter. He was killed in retaliation by a then unknown noble under Avaris's employed. The Collfield has brushed their hand off Stathen stating that they knew nothing about this. In fact, they have even tried to pass some of the blame to his former family saying that he has been keeping contact with you. However, you don't need to worry. I am personally overseeing the investigation procedures. I know how hard you work, get some rest Mason. I promise I will get some justice for you."

The man Mason respected the most, Nikolas Osphens said as if he doesn't understand. The captain of the knight has provided Mason with plenty opportunities because he is a genuinely good person that sometime Mason felt bad comparing himself to him. However, he was just in a state of shocked after the news.

His twin, brother, dead. How will his father react?

Memories of his mother started flooding back.

Another thing started flooding back.

It was his hatred of Gemware, and of course, its owner, Avaris Gemware.

If Gemware had never pushed that much, his family would have never ended up the way it did.

Anger leads to Mason doing some pretty stupid things.

Such as battering down the door of Gemware estate with a giant, fast growing tree and an ability that he has always hided all his life.

He knows that if he revealed it, he would just become pawn to more powerful people that he can't hope to know,so he has always kept it hidden.

However, if Stathen can pass through wood like water and hid in inanimate wood for days, Mason was much, much more powerful than him. He could also cause more destruction too.

A giant tree eclipsing the Gemware estate, started to fall down.

He needs to get Avaris Gemware to pay.

He doesn't care anymore.

However, in the next instance, something slam into his supposedly invincible trump card. It was a woman with blood red hair.

 

[Naqu2o]

The air explodes with an audible pop. The giant tree he was so proud of that was going to crush the Gemware estate explodes in mid air when she touches it.

It was as if she was invincible. She crushes it with sheer force alone uncaring of anything. The tree exploded in shrapnel. However, it was okay. He stayed in one piece because the wooden shrapnel passes through him like air.

However, there was something else Mason was busy doing.

He was busy lying on the ground, holding his ears in pain, trying to stop it from bleeding. All he could see is white. He is half-way from passing out. The red-headed woman falls onto the ground unceremoniously after her initial inertia ended. However, nothing happened to her despite that fall.

She stands up and cranks her neck to look at him on ground. Blood was coming out of his ear, and foam was coming out of his mouth.

"It's a good thing I only when full throttle outside of their reach eh?"

She looked around, the front side of the mansion is in tatter. A strong gust of force destroy many decorations and glassware in their immediate vicinity. However, it would be less disastrous then letting Mason went through with it.

Slowly, her eyes move on to Mason.

"Now, what should I do with you."

She picked him up from the ground effortlessly. He only realizes it now, but the woman towers over him. She holds onto him by his throat. Slowly she lifted him higher and higher until he was in the air. He can't breathe, struggling against her arms, however, she does not let up.

"It's a good thing Avaris will never let little Lyco near this scene of violence. "

Suddenly, she holds him closer to her face, her teeth was pointy, and her eyes were staring at him like a prey. She was laughing.

She was having a laughing fit even as she squeezes the life out of him, taking joy in slowly tormenting him.

Again, she holds him up.

In the first place, she could easily kill him, however, the woman wanted him to die slowly.

Sheer evil was radiating out from her. How could anyone blessed by the God of Light be so evil. Yes, she must be one of those darkness follow-

"You threaten my family you bastard."

Suddenly she throws him to the ground, breaking several bones.

"Did you think I would let you have an easy death?"

She kicks him through the air, breaking several ribs.

"You fuckers never learn. You noble bastard, your mouth always say nice things like how noble you are. However, behind our back, you are just scheming. You never change."

She crouches down and holds him up again

"Judging from the abilities you use, you carry the same blood as that bastard don't you? The one who holds our dear niece hostage. No, no, no. I promised. I have plans for you."

Mason's vision slowly goes black.

All his aspirations, all his hopes for the future, dashed.

Who will take care of his father now, if he is dead.

However, no matter how much he hopes, he can't gather any strength.

Slowly, he gives up all hopes, and his body goes limp.

"LET GO OF HIM NOW!"

Someone manages to save him. However, at that moment, he was too far gone to see who it is. Whoever it is, thank you.

With that darkness awaits Mason.

---

Nikolas Osphens arrives just in time to stop one of the young talented people he has been taking care of, Mason. The young boy was too reckless, even he can't save him now if something happened to the Gemware. He knows full well of the powerful abilities the boy has, however he didn't think the steady Mason would run straight away to get revenge on Avaris Gemware after he was out of his sight. It was only thank to the report from one acquaintance of Mason Blackwood that Nikolas could know in time. He knows immediately where the boy has run off too and immediately travels to the Gemware estate.

He just prays that he is not too late and Mason hasn't done something that can't be retracted.

However, half way through the journey, he can already see the giant tree towering over the Gemware estate in the distance.

He was too late. Mason is going to cause that tree to fall down onto the Gemware. He knows Mason is powerful. The Blackwood family used to be the royal gardeners in the past, they were granted the privilege of working with plant by the God of Light to forever serve his children in the future, however they drifted away and lose favor from an ancient king leading to their current situation. However, he never knows he is this powerful.

It is beyond Nikolas's ability to stop this tragedy.

However, before he can confront Mason, a deafening noise breaks the air.

Something flies through the air like an arrow, breaking the giant tree Mason created into millions of pieces.

That worries about protecting the Gemware from Mason changes to worrying about protecting Mason from the Gemware.

When he arrived at the scene, a red haired woman is strangling Mason. Surrounding her is debris and destruction. She was smiling. He has never seen a colder and darker look from the many criminals he has apprehended. She was going to kill him.

Nikolas tries to step forward to stop her. However, her eyes glance toward his direction, causing an invisible pressure to press down on him. If he moves forward now, he will die.

That is what his instincts is telling him.

So this is one of the legendary Starbringer. She must be it. A living Starbringer.

The family that is most "blessed", secondly only to the Royal Family. A bloodline that has disappeared into the canal of history. Now he finally has seen it.

A living, human disaster that can only truly be stopped by the Royal Family themselves.

She glances away, ignoring him, like he was beneath her notice, lessening the pressure.

However, she has to be stopped. No matter what, Nikolas Osphens is not someone who ignore a murder in front of his eyes.

So, psyching himself out, the Grand Knight yells loudly

"LET GO OF HIM NOW!"

Before drawing his sword.

He knows he has a dead wish, and it is cowardly, however, this is the only way he can see to stop her.

While her attentions are on something else, Nikolas dashes with prodigious speed while withdrawing his sword to attack her.

With her hand outstretch to strangle Mason, Nikolas aims to cut her hand off.

He slashes at both of her outstretch hands with all his force while she is distracted.

However, it was for naught.

It causes her hand to shake, and she lets go of Mason.

However, the attack was ineffective on a member of the Starbringer family, whose body is a living weapon.

Nikolas's sword shatters in the process. The woman's blood red eyes were staring at Nikolas, all of her attention is on him now.

---

 

[Naqu2o]

A picture of a woman was sitting prominently on the desk of a certain man.

His hand has been shaking since that picture arrives. His hands have not stopped missing.

His health is bad. He can feel death approaching him. However unlike what people say about accepting death, he fears death. When he was living, he did a lot of things that he wasn't proud of. And now at the end of his life, looking back at the path he walks, he realizes that he owes a lot of people a lot of things.

But now it is impossible to repay any of that.

When you look back and see your young self, there was only endless regret.

Looking at the picture, he was shaking.

A familiar face was looking back at him. So different, yet so familiar, like he has seen it a hundred times before. He saw a dour friend that he tried to stay together with, but fate was never meant to be. The image lingers for a long time.

Then, he sees another girl, much younger. The girl called him her 'brother'. The face in the picture looks back at him. However, all the innocence was lost.

It was as if she was asking him 'why?'

He sees another older gentleman. The gentleman dies in front of his eyes, spitting at him and cursing his entire family.

'It could be a trick.' He heard a voice telling him that.

'Her hair is red, unlike the rest of the family.'

Many dissenting voices surround him. However, he only has his eyes on the picture. How would they know better who she is than him?

Even he is confused.

But he is sure.

That figure is ingrained in his mind. There is no doubt that they are both the same. She is standing there, magnificently. A second chance.

His own voice resounds in his own head

'Most people only has one chance. You are blessed enough to have a second chance. What graces do you have to be so lucky? You have to make it right!'

And the voice keeps resounding in his head.

Suddenly, the yearning in his heart intensifies, but the excitement was gone.

He knows what would happen if they meet.

But still-

"I want to go drinking together again."

---

The woman was standing in the shadow of the Gemware manor like a war goddess that has descended on the mortal world.

Red hair. Red eyes.

She is more like a demon.

And all her attention was on Nikolas.

Suddenly, the situation changes. She changes. It was as if she originally feels indifferent toward Nikolas, however, now it is full on contempt.

Suddenly she kicks Nikolas before he has time to react.

There was no defense against something so fast.

There was no chance for survival, however he still lives. Nikolas has no illusion that he is strong enough to survive that kick. Despite his minor enhancement, he is still a human. Unlike her, who is a monster in human shape.

Body Enhancement. It sounds so simple. You are simply, stronger, faster and more durable than everyone else. There aren't many applications of the blessings like the other family. However that is only when he sees it in the history book. Now that history has walked out of the book he is reacquainted again fully with the horror of Body Enhancement. In a world of normal people using outer trick, she is simple super human, nothing else.

She can destroy that entire tree bigger than the estate with one attack, what hope does his body has?

The answer is that she deliberately holds back?

Was it out of her consideration for him? Hardly. It is impossible. At that last moment, he clearly saw that her indifference toward him has turned on into full on contempt.

"How dare you? After what our family has done for the kingdom, this is how you treats us? You are all the same. Even the 'Grand Knight' of the kingdom is no different. Hypocrites. All of you." The more she talks, the more madness appears in her eyes.

"How do you feel sitting in that miserable bastard, Avaris's seat? Feel good doesn't it?"

Suddenly, she kicks him again, almost knocking the consciousness out of him.

He understand what is happening now.

She wanted to torment him. In her eyes there are only endless malice.

And the feeling he can feel radiating from her is only pure hatred. It was as if she was completely consumed in pitchblack emotions. However she is also powerful, very powerful. So powerful that he can only recoil from looking at her. It was as if he would die at anytime.

Each time she kicks him, he broke a few bones in his body. The feeling is horrifying. He was helpless in her hands.

And yet on the face of the woman there was only a single emotion.

Laughter. Ever since she appears, she has been laughing madly nonstop, as if all her pent up anger was released on him.

Seeing that he can't stand it anymore, she stops kicking him away. Controlling her strength, she stomps on him.

All the while, she is laughing.

"Stop it!"

"You villain!"

Many voices appear in Nikolas's ears. They were familiar...

They are his subordinates' voice. Hiss

He tries to yell at his subordinates. Stop it! Don't come. This is not an opponent you can control.

However in the mind of the knights, there was only Nikolas' safety.

Body Enhancement may have been the strongest military blessing 20 years ago, but now time has changed.

They can't believe that sir Nikolas's blessing on all of them can't contend with an enemy that walks out of the history book.

At least...

At least one of them can get sir Nikolas to safety.

That was their mindset.

They, of course, are the knights under Nikolas. They were once all normal people. However, after sir Nikolas blesses them with his blessing, they became someone who can protect what is important to them.

Aya only glances at them.

Then, her smile grows even wider.

Standing in the middle of them, surrounded in all direction, she wasn't nervous at all.

Her hair flies wildly in the wind. She looks at them like a predator to a prey.

In the eyes of everyone that day, she was like a war goddess that descends upon the world.

Her figure was powerful. And magnificent.

And it was also extremely familiar to a certain man who witnessed all of it.

'I really want to go drinking together again.'

However, that man was sad. Because he feels that the anger she is demonstrating at this moment was all because of him.

His heart was shaking-

-Suddenly, he looks in a certain direction with widened eyes.

The emotions in his body were running wildly.

Because, in front of his eyes, Lily has returned. No not Lily, how could it be Lily-

"Aunt Aya! Please stop!"

It has to be Lily's daughter.

Everyone has returned again.