Chapter 151: Sincerity and Truth (1)
「”Savior, what is your name?”
The man lying face down in the desert lifted his head.
His blurry vision saw a person with their nose and mouth covered by the sky.
Swoosh.
The person opened their hand, revealing the sky, and parted their lips.
“■■■.”
“……Excuse me?”
He heard something.
But he couldn’t tell what it was.
He wanted to imitate it even a little, like a human mimicking the sound of a beast, but it was impossible.
“Never mind.”
The one who had spoken their name no longer said their name.
Swoosh—
They simply tilted a water bottle and moistened the parched lips of the man lying face down.
“Why are you wandering around a desert like this?”
“I seek to repay a kindness.”
“Kindness?”
“The people of the world have forgotten, but four hundred years ago, there was a hero.”
“…….”
“Along with the Saintess, the Great Sage, the Sorcerer King, and the Green Archer, each one a legend, they defeated the Demon King.”
“The Demon King is not something that can be defeated.”
The man’s eyes widened.
He hadn’t expected someone he met in this desert to know about the Demon King’s existence, knowledge only a scholar would have.
“That’s why the hero defeated the resurrected Demon King once more, cut him into four pieces, and sealed him away.”
“And one of those pieces is here?”
“Yes.”
“Are you trying to gain power from the Demon King’s fragment?”
He shook his head.
“No. As I said, I just want to repay my debt of gratitude.”
“What gratitude?”
“Gratitude to the hero who gave humanity another chance to live!”
“…….”
“Strangely enough, there are records of the other party members, but none of the hero. Even so, the Demon King’s seal they created remains intact.”
Thud—
The person who had given him water opened the bag of the man who was lying face down, his eyes sparkling.
There were a few pieces of silverware and some preserved food that could be considered high-grade.
Then, with a bewildered look, the person looked back at him.
“Were you planning on holding some kind of memorial service?”
“……Yes.”
“To come to this desert, clinging to the end of a legend that’s not even a fairy tale, you must be truly mad.”
And the person took out a piece of high-grade jerky. As they naturally unwrapped it and were about to eat it, the man grabbed their wrist.
Grab.
“Please, stop. That’s an offering for the hero. Even if you are my savior, you can’t have it.”
He was holding on tight.
Where did he find the strength in his body that was dying of thirst? The person stared at the emaciated man, his eyes emotionless.
Chilling.
It was a cold gaze that only a slayer who had taken tens of thousands of lives could possess, lacking any sign of life.
He felt a prick in his heart.
“Then kill me and take it.”
The man’s resolute will.
Smirk—
The person laughed, then gently released the man’s hand. And then they grabbed his other hand and made him hold both of their hands.
He then smiled as he chewed on the jerky indifferently.
“Thank you.”
“……?”
“It’s delicious, as expected of expensive jerky. Here, have some.”
Rip—
They skillfully tore off a large piece of jerky and handed it to the man.
And then, while munching on the jerky, they said to the man,
“Nice to meet you, my follower. My name is John Doe, a former hero and current unemployed person who lives as a parasite in this world.”
“……!”」
🔹🔹🔹
Crash—!
Dust scattered in the air.
The floor of the training ground, covered in solid stone but unable to withstand the impact, cracked like a spiderweb—!
A single old man stood there.
Abel’s sword strike, descending from the sky, had pushed back his bushy hair.
His sharp, deep-set eyes, prominent nose, and thick beard were revealed.
Clank— Clank—
And.
“Not bad.”
He caught Abel’s sword with both hands.
More precisely, the unidentifiable mouths that appeared on his palms bit down, and the teeth tried to gnaw at the blade.
Clank—
And then, the old man’s forehead.
A silver scar was visible.
A single scar, as if scratched by thorns, glimmered silver.
“I didn’t expect you to be able to break one of my seals.”
“Seal…….”
“Think of it as the pitiful sentiment of us who follow in the footsteps of thee who shall not be named.”
Whooosh—
The atmosphere changed.
They had overwhelmed the old man with perfect teamwork and Oleciren’s timely assistance, but not anymore.
Whoosh—
Abel pulled out his sword and distanced himself from the old man.
Wayne and Isoel stood on either side of Abel, and behind them stood Oleciren.
“I never expected to see a party composed like this.”
The old man lowered his arms lightly.
On his cheeks, neck, and forearms.
Except for his palms, eyes, a nose, and a mouth, like those of a woman, formed one by one.
The four frowned at his grotesque appearance.
“What will you do? Will you fight me to the death, unrelated to the succession struggle, or will you let me go?”
“Old man, you’re mistaken about one thing.”
Clank, clank, clank—
The sound of gears, audible only to Cain, rang out, and black flames shot up from Oleciren’s feet.
She looked at him with eyes that held both human intellect and a witch’s madness, and smiled.
“Revenge is more important than the throne.”
“Oh my, even if I’m not the culprit?”
“Are you not the culprit?”
“I am not.”
Truth.
The witch’s power dwelling within Oleciren discerned the truth of his words.
The moment she paused, he smirked and continued.
“But we are.”
Truth.
“The Queen, whom we killed long ago, has returned to life through the mystics of the witch’s spell, so we must kill her again. That is our mercy.”
Truth.
“But you insignificant beings cannot possibly stand against us.”
Truth, again.
Whooosh—
The night wind blew.
The night wind, cooling the heated air of the royal capital, passed between them, and all the mouths of the apostle, Golden Dawn, smiled.
“Let’s make a deal.”
“We do not negotiate with terrorists.”
“To be precise, I am giving you a chance. A chance to fight me.”
“……?”
“In return, I want that friend of yours.”
Swoosh—
He raised his index finger.
At the end of it was Abel.
“If I win, I’ll take him.”
“And if you lose, you die.”
Oleciren immediately retorted, and Golden Dawn nodded.
“Correct.”
“Then there’s no need to accept the deal.”
“……?”
“Because I can just kill you all right here!”
At her cry, the three kicked off the ground, their weapons gripped tightly.
Their intent to crush Golden Dawn in an instant was clear!
“Is that so?”
Click—
He blocked Isoel’s Credne with his left hand.
Thud—
With his right hand, he caught Wayne’s sword.
And in front.
Towards Abel, who was thrusting his sword at his heart.
Stop.
Stop.
Stop.
…….
All the woman’s mouths visible on his body uttered a single command.
“Wha–…….”
Abel suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure, as if he had been thrown into the deep sea and was unable to breathe.
The feeling that his eyes would close, his breath would cease, and his beating heart would come to a stop.
“Keuk—”
Abel collapsed to the ground.
Looking down at him.
“As expected, since you haven’t awakened, the Words of Miracles work well on you.”
All of Golden Dawn’s mouths spoke again, and then.
Kneel.
Boom—
The power of the Words, on a completely different level from Oleciren’s use, resonated.
Isoel’s knees, which she had tried to keep from buckling even if it meant breaking her legs, hit the ground, and Wayne, his eyes bloodshot, tried to resist, but.
Thump—
He, too, eventually fell to his knees.
Only Oleciren remained standing.
Step—
The old man, the silver scar on his forehead shining brightly, walked towards her as if he were out for a stroll.
“To think a fledgling witch could use such a variety of witch’s powers, this island nation is full of surprises.”
Fall.
Oleciren commanded him.
The witch’s power contained in her breath pressed down on Golden Dawn.
Wooong—
But the scar on the old man’s forehead flashed once, and Oleciren’s Words scattered like the wind.
Fall.
Faint.
The Words that Oleciren had practiced over and over again poured out.
But every time the old man’s scar flashed, they crumbled away ineffectually.
“Witch Hunter Jack.”
“……?”
“If you want to face me, you’ll have to give me time to find you.”
Whooosh—
The wind blew.
And when it passed Oleciren, Golden Dawn was nowhere to be seen.
They had fought well, but their opponent was too much for them.
It was a defeat.
🔹🔹🔹
Waaaaah—!
“Ladies and gentlemen, greetings! I am Baron Moliot, in charge of hosting this succession struggle!”
Between Mainus and Lindbloom, at the abandoned racetrack.
Tens of thousands of people roared their cheers.
Baron Moliot, who had somehow been pushed out into the middle of it all, holding a magic loudspeaker, looked around.
“The rules are simple. Three knights from each princess will fight. The first to win two out of three matches wins.”
An awfully simple method.
At the same time, it was so simple that no one could refute it.
“There are two ways to determine victory and defeat: to declare defeat or to die.”
But who in their right mind would simply surrender?
Knights were those who would lay down their lives for their honor, and in a battle to make their lord the ruler, they would rather die than fail.
Waaaaah—!
Cheers loud enough to reach the nearby city beyond the racetrack erupted.
After a few more words, Baron Moliot pointed to the VIP seats.
“Princess Oleciren and Princess Olivia.”
The two princesses were seated side by side.
Behind them were the high nobles.
However, two seats remained empty.
—Just gloss over it, Baron Moliot.
Before the start of the succession struggle, Count Lamaring and Marquis McLoud had sought him out.
—The Saintess and Master Cain will be arriving late.
The Saintess, Caterina, who supported Olivia.
And Cain Ethelred, the unparalleled genius who had brought Oleciren this far.
The fact that both of them were arriving late at the same time made Baron Moliot sense something was amiss.
But he couldn’t dare to ask.
Even without the grim expression on Count Lamaring’s face, whom he served, he knew this was not his place to pry.
—You can speak comfortably.
—No need.
—Right.
It had only been a month or two ago, but it felt like years since he had last faced Cain.
He had become a celebrity in the kingdom for surviving his encounter with Cain at Ethelred estate, and as Cain had risen to prominence, he had also reaped some benefits.
However, Baron Moliot, who still heard Cain’s voice in his nightmares, didn’t want to get involved in the slightest.
“Then let the succession struggle begin—!”
He quickly collected himself and shouted.
Feeling a sense of exhilaration at the cheers that washed over him like the sun, he pointed to the left.
“The knight of Marquis McLoud—! The rising star and strong contender for the next Sword Master!!”
Step—
A slender, tall man walked out from the shadowed entrance.
He wore light armor, and a longsword hung at each of his hips.
“The knight, Martin Graham—!”
Waaaaah.
Martin, McLoud’s knight and the one who had come to secure Olivia’s first victory, waved his hand leisurely.
The very fact that he was standing here meant he was one of the most outstanding knights in Airian.
His bright future seemed to be within reach.
“And his opponent is Princess Oleciren’s escort knight and the greatest prodigy in the history of the Royal Academy!”
Clang—
It was different from when Martin had appeared.
From the darkened entrance came heavy footsteps, carrying with them a chilling bloodlust.
Willpower.
Weight.
The audience’s excitement cooled down rapidly.
“But it turns out that her true identity is the daughter of Count Wareham! Isoel Wareham!”
Whooosh—
Isoel, emerging from the shadows, was clad in heavy armor. Already in her hand was a warhammer as large as her own body.
Clank, clang.
A chilling bloodlust swirled around her, pressing down on her surroundings.
Baron Moliot, wondering if she had always possessed such an aura, skipped all the unnecessary chatter and shouted,
“Let the first match begin—!”
Thud—
Martin stood leisurely and snapped his fingers.
“Ladies first.”
The gentlemanly words of a handsome man.
Moreover, as the audience began to chuckle, trying to break the heavy atmosphere with his humor.
Whooosh—!
Martin’s lush hair flew into the air.
Blood trickled from his ears.
Isoel’s warhammer, having closed the distance in an instant, stopped a hair’s breadth from his face.
“There is no ‘first’ or ‘last’ in death.”
Step—
Isoel stepped back and took her stance.
At the sight of Isoel, her grip firm on the giant warhammer.
Gulp—
Martin swallowed.
He realized just now that he had died and come back to life.
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