25-274

EP.274. [The True Identity of the Fallen Sword Saint, Ulysses Schneider.] 

‘Father…?’ 

Marianne mentioned Ulysses Schneider, and Eugene Schneider’s eyes widened in surprise. First, because Marianne had never mentioned Ulysses by name in front of him before. Second, because she referred specifically to his younger days. Eugene could imagine they knew each other from family gatherings in his childhood, but a connection between young Ulysses and Marianne was unexpected. 

‘I never really asked about my father’s youth myself.’ 

Ulysses Schneider became widely known and controversial at two points: when he was first called “Sword Saint,” and later when he became disgraced as the “Sword Demon.” He became a swordmaster in his mid-to-late twenties, but during that time, he was reclusive and not close to many people. 

‘Thinking back, that must have been when he met my mother. I never wanted to bring up that period and stir up trouble.’ 

Even as a child, Eugene could sense there were reasons for his father’s reclusive youth. After age thirty, Ulysses was the Sword Saint, but in his youth, he was a wanderer never settling, living a life that reflected his swordsmanship. That lifestyle led him to meet the demon woman Sabrina Serazade and become her lover. 

“What does that look in my son’s eyes mean?” 

As Eugene’s thoughts grew complicated, Marianne, still resting her chin on her hand, playfully pointed it out. 

“Did you know my father in his youth, Mother?” 

Eugene gathered his courage and voiced his questions. 

“I did. I, too, had a wild youth, running around everywhere. That’s how I came to know the wanderer Ulysses Schneider.” 

With a gentle smile, Marianne nodded and answered. She referred to herself as wild in her youth, likely meaning the period before marrying Antoine, when she was devoted to her life as a nun. 

‘Wow… I think this is the first time Mother’s ever talked to me about her days as a nun.’ 

Eugene was more than surprised; he was amazed. When he first joined the ducal family, he sometimes heard stories about Marianne’s time as a priestess how she was energetic, full of justice and responsibility, quite different from the gentle, calm duchess she became. As a child, Eugene truly loved and admired his adoptive mother Marianne, who filled the void left by the mother he never knew. He wanted her love and was curious about her, but never asked about her nun days, sensing she seemed bittersweet about them. 

‘But now, she’s bringing it up herself with a warm smile, mentioning Ulysses.’ 

Even as a child, Marianne never talked about her nun days. But now, she brought up Ulysses with a gentle smile, hinting at a story. 

“Does talking about the Sword Saint make you uncomfortable, my son?” 

Marianne probed gently. 

“Not at all, Mother! Actually, after I started working as a mercenary with my second sister, I’ve talked about Father much more than before. So there’s no need to worry. I’m just surprised and curious that you two had a connection in your youth.” 

Eugene quickly waved his hands, showing he was no longer burdened by his past trauma. Now he wanted to learn more about that time and uncover the truth. 

“That’s a relief, Eugene. Honestly, I sometimes wanted to tell you about your real father. I always felt sorry about how people saw him at the end of his life. He didn’t deserve that reputation. But I was always too cautious. Now that you’re grown and handling the Heart of the Sun, connected to Atlantis, I finally found the courage.” 

Marianne smiled again, her expression now tinged with relief and pride as she watched Eugene train. 

‘Maybe Eugene now… won’t be thrown into chaos by the truth…’ 

Marianne held one of the keys to the Pandora’s box that was Ulysses Schneider, created by Antoine de Sel Oblaing. 

“Is it true? The rumor that Sword Saint Ulysses Schneider was from the lost empire of Atlantis?” 

Thunk! 

Meanwhile, somewhere in the interstitial dimension, Elizabeth opened a Pandora’s box of her own. Having just heard the truth about Ulysses’s origins from Anastasia, Elizabeth stood up, hands on the table, eyes wide in disbelief. 

“Some things can’t be hidden by temperament. When I learned about the rumors surrounding the Sword Saint, I understood. Yes, Ulysses Schneider is an Atlantean. Not just a descendant, but someone born and raised in the lost empire itself.” 

Anastasia calmly sipped her tea as she spoke. Being Atlantean could mean being a descendant of survivors, but Anastasia clarified that Ulysses was truly from Atlantis. 

“That can’t be! That doesn’t make sense. Atlantis sank over 200 years ago! The timeline doesn’t add up!” 

Elizabeth voiced the same doubts Eugene and Jeanne had about the rumors. 

“Why not, young and clever mage? Look at me I’ve lived for over a thousand years. Isn’t that clear proof?” 

Anastasia spread her hands, gesturing to herself. 

“Atlantis, though not as old as the demon or elf tribes, is called a divine race and has a history incomparable to humans. The sun god Avinus was a primordial deity, on par with the demon god and the ancient spirit king of the world tree.” 

Anastasia then shared stories that had only been rumors or speculation until now. Priscilla had only heard such things from her mother and other elves, but Anastasia, who had lived since ancient times, knew even the breath of the Atlantis civilization that worshipped the sun god. She didn’t forget to assert her own demon tribe pride, either. 

“In Atlantis, there must have been priests or mages who could traverse interstitial dimensions. Ulysses was probably the child of such a priest or mage. Seeing the empire’s future, his parents took measures to ensure at least Ulysses survived.” 

Even a civilization praised as “the divine nation” was not perfect. Some foresaw its end, others denied it. Ulysses’s parents were the former; they did their best to save their homeland but, as a last resort, sent Ulysses into the interstitial dimension to survive. 

“Hmm… That’s a reasonable analysis… But how does that connect to Ulysses Schneider’s strength? Is there something unique about Atlanteans?” 

Elizabeth, who had experienced the interstitial dimension herself, nodded but pressed for more. 

“The Radiant Goddess Church would be scandalized, but the goddess’s roots are in the sun god Avinus. That’s the origin of the divine race, closer to the source. So within the divine race, a wider range of talents appears.” 

The diversity of origins the divine race had a much broader spectrum than humans, and Ulysses’s parents were among the chosen, passing their abilities to him. 

‘Hmm… but something doesn’t add up.’ 

Hearing about Ulysses’s extraordinary abilities, Elizabeth frowned. 

‘If Ulysses Schneider, who entered the demonic eclipse, awakened the Demon God’s Eye, and he was Atlantean with matching abilities, there should have been a repulsion effect from the conflicting energies.’ 

Drake had said it was “darkness” that awakened the Demon God’s Eye. Only someone with enough demonic nature could do it. Before his fall, the Atlantean Ulysses Schneider didn’t seem to fit that. 

“You mention the demonic eclipse because you want to know who awakened the Demon God’s Eye, right?” 

Anastasia, who had observed the situation, seemed to know exactly what new questions Elizabeth was having. 

“Are you saying someone other than Sword Saint Ulysses Schneider entered the eclipse?” 

Elizabeth, catching Anastasia’s intent, reacted with a flash of realization. 

“Yes. There was another. Someone with a snake-like heart, whose dark ambition was more than enough to satisfy the Demon God’s Eye. That person left their mark in that fateful domain.” 

In Enklema’s demonic eclipse, there was someone else who awakened the Demon God’s Eye.