Chapter 36: His Name
TL: Potato-tan
Proofreader: Asianpotato
At that moment, the sky outside the labyrinth had already turned a reddish color.
It was due to the short winter sun. However, the sun’s afterglow continued to linger in the sky, acting as a barrier against the impending threat.
Lord Frederick stood on the castle wall and let out a sigh filled with despair.
“This year is definitely cursed. . . There’s no other way to explain it.”
The Lord’s wizard, the elf Albert, spoke from beside him.
“Think of it as a blessing in disguise, my Lord. Next year will bring good things.”
Lord Frederick turned his head abruptly and glared at Albert.
“Next year? What next year? It’s uncertain whether we’ll even see tomorrow’s sun! What good is next year?”
“Would you like me to teleport you to the other side of the continent? Then you’ll be able to see tomorrow’s sun. Or, should I say, yesterday’s sun?”
“Ack!”
“Ah, Father! Hold on! Albert-nim is just trying to tease you!”
Zeona barely managed to pull the Lord away from the elf wizard, who had grabbed him by the collar and was shaking him. The two men glared at each other like neighbors who had just had a huge fight, then turned their heads away at the same time.
Zeona kept her head in her hands. ‘When on earth would men ever grow up?’
They weren’t the only ones on the castle wall. Elenora, Evelyn, and Lexi were also in attendance. The princess’s knights were also present. Despite their gloomy appearance and the loss of their master, whom they had sworn to protect, they remained unflinching in the face of an unprecedented crisis.
Just then, Karen, the guild master of the Rephilia Swordsmanship Guild, climbed up onto the castle wall. She wasn’t wearing her martial arts uniform. Chains connected her fully armed leather armor, and a longsword hung from her waist.
Karen stopped in front of the Lord and spoke.
“I have finished gathering the troops. The guild members are ready, too. We have gathered everyone who is able to fight.”
Lord Frederick looked at Karen with gloomy eyes.
“I’m sorry. I called you here.”
Karen shook her head.
“No, you didn’t. I would have come forward even if you hadn’t called me.”
They looked out over the castle wall. Northeastern Calisden lay near a vast forest extending from the north to the east and south.
The Calas Forest was home to a wide variety of animals and monsters that formed an ecosystem.
Their numbers were countless, and as winter approached, it was an annual event for them to come out of the forest in search of food.
However, solving this issue required more than just organizing a hunting party.
Beyond the castle wall, there were even more monsters.
A far greater number of monsters were overflowing from the wilderness than the ones led by the evil dragonkin a few days ago.
After the princess and Russell had disappeared into the portal, the knights and wizards had tried every means to locate them, but it was all in vain.
They had gathered in the castle without achieving anything and were about to discuss what to do next when a guard with a pale face came running from the castle wall. This is how the situation unfolded.
Lord Frederick spoke in a dark voice.
“Albert. How much time remains before sunset?”
“Approximately two hours, I believe.”
The monsters, who didn’t like the sun very much, were still lurking in the shadows, but according to Albert, that time wouldn’t last much longer.
“Dammit. We still haven’t located Her Highness, and now we find ourselves in a mess. Is this also the work of that dragon?”
“It’s highly likely. Since ancient times, dragons have been a race that ruled over all creatures, just like giants. More deeply rooted in their minds than in animals and monsters, is their memory of that instinct. We speculate that they have gathered in response to the dragon’s cry that we can’t hear.”
“And it’s infuriating that I can’t disprove your speculation. . .”
Next to the Lord and the elf wizard, Elenora stood expressionlessly. In order, Lexi was next to her, followed by Evelyn. Lexi spoke.
“. . .Lucy, are you okay?”
Evelyn chuckled. She found the dark elf’s stubbornness in not calling him(Russel) by his proper name, even in this situation, cute.
“I’ll be fine. I can’t believe that man is going to die somewhere.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Lexi nodded vigorously. Just then, she heard a quiet voice.
“He is alive.”
Lexi stared at Evelyn, and Evelyn looked to the side. Elenora still had the same expressionless face, so it didn’t seem like she had spoken. However, it was definitely her voice, as Elenora had proven.
“He is alive.”
“W, Where?”
“I don’t know that either. However, God told me that he is still alive.”
Lexi was simply delighted, but Evelyn couldn’t believe it. Was a mere priestess hearing God’s words? Of course, she wasn’t just a priestess; she was a candidate for sainthood, but that didn’t make her a saint.
“When can we meet him?”
“You will see him soon.”
Elenora uttered only those words as if she were making a prophecy, then closed her mouth.
As was the case with many prophecies, Evelyn knew that she wouldn’t get an answer even if she asked a question, so she simply turned her head away. She muttered,
“I hope it’s not after we’re dead.”
The people on the castle wall faced west, backlit by the red light. With the red light behind them, they looked towards the east.
The east had a deep blue sky, and stars were beginning to appear one by one.
Once the moon and stars alone adorned the night sky, the monsters would come running.
The battle was imminent. The battle would take place over the course of the night.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
Russell said,
“Who was the prophet who made that prophecy?”
“Oh, that’s a good question.”
“Normally, there’s only one answer to that kind of question.”
“That’s right. I don’t know.”
He sighed. Ludwig smiled apologetically and said,
“Really. He, or she, was wearing a robe that covered their whole body. This incident occurred when I had just barely managed to fly to De-Calas with Ismen.
Ludwig drained his cold tea and continued.
“The one who called himself a prophet correctly predicted everything that had happened to us up to that point. He even knew secrets that we had never told anyone. At that time, Ismen was not mentally or physically sound, so I was the only one who could listen to his words.”
Gulp. The tea in the teapot was still hot. Ludwig refilled his own cup, as well as Russell’s and Julia’s empty cups.
“He said to go into Ismen’s lair. Then he said that he would help me create the Underground Labyrinth and the Maze of Fog.”
“Why?”
“As I said before, it was to wait for you and Julia. And by the way, to defeat the weaker intruders.”
The steam coming from the teacups dispersed into the air. Ludwig looked at a point where the steam was drifting.
“And so we made the labyrinth. Not just me, of course, but together with Ismen. And when we were done, he just disappeared.”
“. . . . . . .”
Russell folded his arms. An unidentified prophet. Whose gender was unknown?
“Was it hard to identify them by their voice?”
“Yes. Their height was average, and they had no exposed skin. However, their speech was gentle.”
Russell thought about it for a moment, then gave up. It was a story from three hundred years ago. The prophet was long dead by now.
“If you don’t know, that’s fine. I think you’ve told me everything important.”
Ludwig turned his gaze to Russell. Russell calmly met his gaze.
“. . .Okay. Let’s get up.”
The three of them finished their tea, tidied up, and went outside.
“It’s a bit awkward to fight in the garden, so let’s go to the back. There’s a yard.”
However, the house’s backyard was too small to fight in. It was only about ten steps wide, even at Russell’s pace.
“Don’t look at me with such a pathetic expression! Just watch and see.”
Ludwig stamped his foot as he barked out those words. Then, something amazing happened. As soon as he stamped his foot, the yard, which had been no bigger than the palm of his hand, began to expand at an incredible speed. Not only that, but the dominoes that had been laid down from where Ludwig’s foot had landed flipped over as if they had been flicked, and their material changed.
In an instant, the backyard had become a meadow filled with grass that barely reached their ankles. The meadow was vast and boundless, with no obstacles in sight, so vast that they could even see the horizon.
The sky, which had been a mix of purple and gold, had now become a clear blue sky with white, puffy clouds. It was still a sky without the sun, so it was like a picturesque sky with the most brilliant piece of the puzzle missing.
Ludwig looked at Julia, who had a dumbfounded expression, and Russell, who had a cool expression, and chuckled.
“Isn’t it amazing? Imagine this place as a real-life manifestation of a dream world. And the person who is dreaming this dream is me. As the master of this dream world, I can rearrange it as I wish.”
“. . .Amazing.”
Julia muttered. However, Russell, who had already seen the truth of this space with his ‘eyes’, wasn’t very impressed. No, a certain movie from his previous life came to mind. However, Russell shook off the memory. He didn’t have time to indulge in such things.
“What should I do?”
“This space isn’t easily broken. And if you can’t escape from here, you won’t be able to enter the place where Ismen is.”
“Then?”
“There’s only one way. The only way is to kill me, the axis and master of this space. And I will face you with the intention of killing you.”
Russell tilted his head.
“Why? If you’re going to die anyway, why don’t you just stick out your neck? I promise to do it cleanly. You won’t even feel any pain.”
“Russell!”
Julia shouted, and Ludwig laughed out loud.
“That’s a very considerate offer, but it’s impossible. Should I decide to take my own life, Ismen’s restraints will remain in place. There are two or three layers of magical structure. I can’t do anything that would be considered an attempt at suicide. You have to fight me. With all your might.”
Russell clicked his tongue. ‘Nothing was going to be easy.’
“So, are we fighting now? Just like this?”
“Are you in a hurry to go to the bathroom? Go quickly, then come back. I can’t wait too long.”
“. . .Fine. Julia, take care of this.”
Ludwig turned his head at Russell’s nod. Julia was standing with her lips bitten. Her eyes were red.
“. . .Okay.”
Ludwig knelt on one knee and spread his arms, and Julia ran to him and hugged him in her chest. She was buried in his large bosom. Ludwig hugged Julia tightly as well.
“My proud descendant. You’ve worked hard to get this far.”
“Ludwig-nim.”
The descendant, who had met her ancestor after so much time, wept silently in his arms. Ludwig simply patted Julia’s back.
Julia hugged the prince of the empire who had not been recorded in any royal genealogy, the wanderer no legend sang about, and the guardian who protected the world without anyone knowing.
Ludwig whispered,
“I remember the words you said in my flashback just now.”
“. . . . . . .”
“The reality that comes to us is sometimes harsh. There will come a time when you really can’t win, and you’ll want to give up and just sit down.”
“. . . . . . .”
“However, even then, there is only one thing we must do in the present. We must complete the tasks assigned to us in the time. That is the only thing we can do. Don’t forget that.”
“. . .Yes.”
“Don’t turn away from the fear and hardship that come your way, but face them head-on. Then, you will be able to become a great empress. Like my sister.”
“. . .Yes.”
“Yes, that’s right. Oh, that’s right. Take this.”
Ludwig held out his palm. A pair of rings of different sizes were placed on his palm.
They were beautiful rings made of platinum and pure silver, with a dragon’s body engraved on them. They formed a circle from the tail to the head, and the dragon’s mouth held a large, black jewel.
“. . .What is this?”
“They are the rings of my wife and me. They must find a new owner because no one can wear them on their fingers anymore. Keep them well. And when you judge that the time, place, and person is right, take them out. I think you’ve already found the most difficult thing to find.”
Ludwig gave a wry smile, and Julia’s face turned red. She carefully accepted the rings. Ludwig replied, still smiling.
“Now, step back, far away. Being too close could lead to injury.
When Ludwig released her from his embrace, Julia stepped back. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she slowly moved away, but she was smiling, her hands clasped together.
Russell had been looking away, but when Julia had moved far away, he looked back at Ludwig.
“Shall we begin?”
“. . .Yes. Thank you for waiting.”
Russell and Ludwig faced each other, about fifty steps apart. It was a distance that could be considered long or short, but to them, it was like a stone’s throw away.
The celestial sphere, without the sun, was shining on its own. There was no wind, so the clouds didn’t move and remained fixed in place.
The sky, which had maintained the same expression for three hundred years, shone down on the two people below.
Swish.
Russell’s claymore was drawn. The greatsword that had fought fiercely in the underground labyrinth had nicks and dents all over it, which Aunt Philly had repaired.
It was partly because Russell had handled it so roughly, but also because the monsters in the labyrinth weren’t pushovers. No one could have expected to meet a basilisk and fight it.
Ludwig’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Russell’s sword.
“A sword with the crest of the world tree. It’s rare to see a sword that an elf has given you.”
“I’m doing pretty well with it.”
“Yes. It seems like it has found a good master.”
Ludwig also drew his own weapon. As he extended his right hand into the empty space beside him, a black hole appeared, and the sword’s handle poked out.
Russell blinked, expecting a great sword.
Ludwig had taken a huge, single-edged axe out of the black hole. The axe was white, its handle and blade both glowing with a metallic sheen.
The large blade’s border featured intricate black runes drawn in curves, while a small, white hammer-shaped lump of metal on the opposite side functioned as a counterweight. It was also adorned with runes.
The material that made up the axe was emitting a faint, smoke-like vapor from its body. Russell soon realized that it wasn’t smoke or steam, but cold air.
With his white hair, white flames, white clothes, and even a white axe that emitted frost, Ludwig looked like the inverted colors of the Grim Reaper. Although , he wielded an axe, not a scythe.
“The black armor you were wearing before? And the great sword? Where did they go?”
“Why would I wear armor when you’re not wearing any? Moreover, Nahilnir holds a special place in my wife’s heart, so I can’t bring it. So I’ll have to face you with this axe.”
“Nahilnir?”
“The name of the sword you mentioned. It would take too long to explain. You can ask my wife later. If you can hear her, that is.”
Ludwig’s eyes, which had been light before, were now blazing with a slight provocation. Russell couldn’t believe that those were the eyes of someone who wished for death.
His eyes reflected emotion clearly. This was a quality that Russell consistently possessed. Fighting spirit.
“As I said before, I don’t plan on dying easily. This is not only due to the enchantment binding me, but also because my heart resists the idea of dying. You’re the first challenger to come in three hundred years. It’s a joy I haven’t had in a long time to be able to witness the fighting techniques of three hundred years later.”
Ludwig took a light step forward with his left foot before taking his right foot back. The weight of his body slightly bent his right knee, which in turn bent his upper body. He raised his left hand slightly and rested it on the empty space in front of him, leaving the huge single-edged axe in his right hand in mid-air.
The dragon seemed to rush right in because of its fierce stance.
Russell fixed his gaze on Ludwig and assumed his own stance.
Like him, he put his left foot forward and his right foot back, with a slightly wider stance. His firm lower body firmly supported his upper body. His hands gently gripped the long hilt of the greatsword, as if holding a woman’s wrist, and pulled it up. The greatsword, which other men could not even lift, floated up as lightly as a branch and pointed its tip at Ludwig.
Ludwig had the impression that a massive greatsword was coming his way.
In that thrilling sensation, a three-hundred-year-old warrior who had been growing crazier and crazier, watching the unchanging sky for three hundred years, waking up at a set time and going to sleep at a set time, with nothing to do but watch over his wife, who was going mad, awakened.
Kuwahhhhhhh━!
His magic power surged. His magic power, which he hadn’t even known he had, surged through his body as if it had forgotten him. He felt the speed of a wild horse galloping across a vast prairie, the freedom of an eagle gliding between high mountain ranges.
His magic power couldn’t just run through his body; it burst violently out of Ludwig’s skin. A platinum-colored aura erupted, consuming the space.
Russell shook off that space and raised his own magic power in the face of that imposing momentum.
Gugugugugugu. . . .
Unlike Ludwig, whose magic power was like a raging fire, his was like the waves of the cold North Sea. The magic power of the ocean surged around Russell’s will, gradually boiling as if it had encountered a storm.
If Ludwig’s was like the sun, blazing brightly and raising the atmosphere, Russell’s was like tremendous pressure, crushing the atmosphere.
The heavy magic power weighed down the air. An even more deafening silence spread out in its place, devouring sound as if it were in the depths of the deep sea.
Ludwig doubted his eyes as he looked at Russell. He saw a hallucination of darkness, of emptiness, spreading out behind him.
The darkness was so deep that not even a single point of light could penetrate. In the midst of the darkness, Russell’s azure eyes burned.
“Haha! Hahahahaha!”
Ludwig laughed. He couldn’t help but laugh.
‘So that’s it! Prophet! It’s this guy!’
He understood everything at that moment. However, he didn’t reveal what he had understood to the world.
Ludwig emitted a scorching heat that burned the earth, and Russell spread out a momentum that overwhelmed the entire atmosphere.
In a world where everything remained frozen, the two of them created a wind. The wind rustled the pages of a book that had been open for a long time, but had only been collecting dust. The wind scattered the dust that had accumulated over hundreds of years. An unknown chapter, which no one had seen, was being turned.
The clouds moved. Slowly, very slowly. But they didn’t stop.
The wind enveloped Ludwig. His white clothes, hair, and beard fluttered violently. However, Ludwig didn’t move an inch, like a statue.
The one standing there wasn’t a weak human being who was being buried in the sands of time.
He wasn’t a wanderer who roamed the prairies either, nor was he the husband of a mad dragon.
There, stood a monarch who was descending upon the world.
Ludwig looked at Russell with his blazing golden eyes and shouted in a voice that couldn’t contain his passion.
“I am Ludwig Dracas de Hyperion! A wanderer who chose the wilderness over the imperial throne, and the companion of a dragon with the father of war and the mother of the earth as her parents! Warrior! State your name!”
His voice became space. The earth, the grass, the wind, the sky—everything became Ludwig’s voice. It was as if the whole world was roaring.
A crazy wind blew, trapping them. That was why the center was rather quiet.
In the silence, Russell realized that Ludwig had never asked his name until now. ‘My name. My name.’
‘What is a name? It was mine, but it wasn’t mine, and wasn’t it truly uttered into the world when someone called me?’
No one calls themselves by their own name. So, the owner of a name might actually be the one who calls it, not the one who has it.
However, in his previous life, no one had been able to call him by his name. What happens when someone doesn’t receive their name?
Nothing. It is just a lifeless object that breathes and eats.
Can that be called living? Can the monthly bills that arrive in the mail, or the SNS messages that send congratulations on his birthday, prove that he is alive?
He had been unable to mix with people, so he had not become human.
As a result, he had died. He had also forgotten his previous life’s name.
He had been given a new name by time.
It had given him a new body, a new family, and new connections.
There were also some slightly awkward connections. Russell smiled slightly.
His new body had a talent that was incomparable to his previous one, which gave him fighting spirit. It had given him a sense of being alive.
‘I am alive now.’
His thoughts were lengthy but brief. Russell looked at Ludwig, who was waiting for his answer, and said calmly,
“Russell Balthazar von Zahard. That is my name.”
Leave a Reply