Chapter 161: Spring of Hometown (3)
Crrreak—
Cain stepped on the teeth that were scattered messily across the floor.
Abel, holding the holy sword ‘Summer,’ silently followed after Cain and crushed Golden Dawn’s teeth.
Words weren’t necessary for the two brothers who had just fought for their lives and the fate of Airian.
They just did what they had to do, and followed.
Edmund looked up at the sky, shielding the sunlight with his hand.
“Is it still spring?”
Fwoosh—
The black barrier that Oleciren had spread out scattered.
Far away, he could see her, half exhausted, collapsing onto an empty chair in the VIP seats.
Cain glanced at the sky and replied.
“No. It’s summer now.”
The sunlight had changed.
If the spring sunlight embraced him with its soft touch, the summer sunlight stabbed at him with its sharpness.
That’s how the value of shade was born and the heat arose.
“Everyone is waiting.”
It was silent.
Not a single sound could be heard in the place where tens of thousands of spectators had cheered.
Cain, looking around, picked up Agweska and held out his hands to the two.
Thud—
Abel, with a puzzled look on his face.
Thud—
Edmund, with a meaningful look on his face.
Each took one of Cain’s hands.
Heave!
Cain raised both arms.
At that moment, Baron Moliot’s commentary, which had been silent until then, rang out deafeningly loud.
—Victory…! The three Ethelreds have defeated the monster that attacked His Majesty Hybolt!!
There was a tremble in his voice.
Enough to tell what kind of emotions he felt as he witnessed the battle.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
The spectators’ cheers followed.
A battle seen only in legends and myths had unfolded before their very eyes.
Most people didn’t know how strong a Sword Master truly was. They were just told that they were strong, that’s all.
Most people didn’t know what kind of enemies only a Sword Master could face.
Even the officials in charge of war only judged them by the number of troops they could handle.
But now.
Everyone in this place realized in their hearts.
Why Sword Masters had always existed in legends and myths passed down through generations.
The pinnacle of humanity.
Those who walked the cutting edge of the sword.
The strongest heroes of the human world, facing the worst monsters beyond common sense.
—Ethelred! Ethelred! Ethelred!
Ethelred!
Their family name echoed throughout the arena.
As tens of thousands of people cheered in unison, Cain lowered his arms and opened his mouth towards the two.
“I killed it.”
Then Edmund frowned and shook his head.
He pointed to the head of Golden Dawn, which was rolling on the floor, pierced by a half-broken sword.
“My sword pierced the back of its head first.”
Abel shrugged.
And he held up ‘Summer,’ which was now stuck to his hand as if it were his own.
“I made sure of it with this.”
The three’s eyes sparkled.
Who killed Golden Dawn?
The three of them, looking at each other, burst into laughter. They were able to kill it because they had each other.
That’s how strong and cunning the Apostle, ‘Golden Dawn,’ the old man, was. He used a bizarre technique called ‘Daydreaming’ that even a Sword Master couldn’t handle alone.
Cain approached the head rolling on the floor.
“I’ve seen a lot of enemies in my life, but this is a first.”
“Anyone would think you’ve been rolling heads on the battlefield for decades.”
At Edmund’s words, Cain smiled bitterly. When he looked back, Edmund was also smiling bitterly.
“How much do you remember?”
He should have asked sooner.
No matter how much Edmund acted like Edmund, he wouldn’t have come here with a bucket over his head if ‘Spring’ hadn’t shown him Cain’s past.
‘Spring’ said that he would forget most of his memories and only a few would remain, and Cain had accepted it as it was.
But seeing his swordsmanship today, he knew.
That his memories…
“Nothing.”
Edmund shook his head.
And then he slowly traced Cain’s sword with his hand and said.
“But not everything needs to be remembered.”
That they remained.
Cain frowned and shot back.
“Where did you learn to say such cheesy lines? You could’ve just said you only remember me swinging my sword.”
Sword Master.
A true master of the sword who extends his will through his sword.
As a Sword Master, Edmund only remembered the sword from Cain’s life in the previous world line.
He didn’t know the details of the situation.
But he remembered how Cain had fought for a long time, how he fought, and what kind of sword he swung and how.
“This is more like father, isn’t it?”
Edmund shrugged.
That was enough.
At the same time, Cain saw it.
The weight he carried.
The heart of a father who wanted to carry the burden of his son, not only the current Cain, but also the Cain of the previous world line.
“Is that why you tried to kill me?”
“Yes. I saw a fatal weakness in your swordsmanship.”
“You could have just told me……”
“Do you think you could fix your swordsmanship just by listening to words?”
“It would have been better than being stabbed by a sword, wouldn’t it?”
Edmund shook his head firmly.
“I, my father, and my grandfather. The Ethelreds learn by being stabbed by a sword.”
“……What a damned family.”
“We can’t do this here anymore.”
Applause and cheers, tears and joy.
Even Edmund couldn’t kill him in the midst of the enthusiastic cheers of the Airian people.
“The cliff.”
Cain thought of the place where his life had changed.
“The meadow atop the White Rock Cliff in Ethelred.”
“Good place.”
Edmund and Cain smiled.
A place where, unlike here, Oleciren wouldn’t need to deploy a barrier to block the aftermath of their fight.
The land, the sea, and even the sky.
The father and son decided to meet again on that land of Ethelred, where everything stretched out endlessly.
Just then.
“B, Brother.”
Abel reflexively drew ‘Summer’ and called Cain.
Cain followed Abel’s gaze and saw a new mouth forming at the back of Golden Dawn’s head, which was pierced by the sword.
I am not finished—
Shing—
Before it could even finish muttering, Cain drew Agweska with lightning speed and split the head in half.
And he said to Abel, whose eyes were wide with shock,
“Don’t keep looking at things like that. You never know what kind of curse they’ll leave behind.”
“Aha. I’ll have to stab it with my sword as soon as I sense something.”
“Yes.”
Cain patted Abel on the shoulder.
Edmund watched the scene with a pleased expression.
At least in the knightly family of Count Ethelred, it was the right teaching.
Thump, thump, thump—
Mouths began to form on the parts of Golden Dawn scattered on the floor. Cain cut them all down before they could open, but……
With our flame, the world will be renewed—
“Who said anything about renewal? Let’s just cremate all of this with fire and be done with it.”
Cain crushed the remaining mouths.
Abel, imitating him, once again engraved in his heart what it meant to be like Cain.
“Are you sure this is the end?”
Edmund looked up at the VIP seats.
If the matters of the earth were settled like catching moles, then the matters of the sky remained.
He could see Saintess Caterina, standing as if she was about to jump off at any moment, gripping the railing of the VIP seats.
Although it had been pushed aside for a while, the meaning of wielding ‘Summer’ was heavy.
The two looked back at Abel.
‘Summer,’ which had been moving temporarily until now, was now glowing faintly gold in Abel’s hand.
It meant that he was the owner of the holy sword.
And the owner of the holy sword, ‘Summer,’ was the hero who would fight the approaching Demon King in this era.
“How did you even grab it earlier?”
Cain tilted his head in wonder.
When the 〈Sacred Treasures of the Four Seasons〉 moved, time seemed to slow down for the whole world, as if he were crossing world lines.
But at that time, Abel moved so naturally and grabbed the holy sword.
At Cain’s question, Abel tilted his head.
“I don’t know. I just heard and saw it, so I grabbed it.”
“Is that so……?”
Cain looked into Abel’s eyes. The silver that had been shining brightly until just now had disappeared.
‘There must be a connection.’
A story he didn’t know.
The 〈Sacred Treasures of the Four Seasons〉.
The ‘silver sun’ that fell when Abel was born.
And the ‘Thee Who Shall Not Be Named’ that the Commons cried out for.
Cain had a vague feeling that it was all connected.
And he hesitated.
Because he didn’t want Abel to become a hero. Because he wanted Abel to live peacefully in Airian as the Count of Ethelred.
Cain, who had awakened and rushed back this time, could only smile bitterly.
‘I couldn’t stop it.’
No matter how much Cain changed and shook the world, he couldn’t change the fact that Abel would become a ‘hero’.
[‘Summer,’ though truly reluctant, manages to speak, saying it can be changed.]
Cain looked at Abel’s hand.
Fizzle—
Slowly, the golden light scattered.
Unlike just now, when it had recognized Abel as its owner, the holy sword dimmed its light, just like it had done with Edmund and Cain.
[‘Summer’ says that seeking ■■■ was its own selfish desire.]
‘Why did your mind change after all that talk of loyalty?’
[‘Summer’ says it realized after sensing the hero’s qualities within ‘Abel Ethelred’ that ■■■ it knew does not exist in this world anymore.]
Whoosh—
And then it slipped out of Abel’s grasp.
Clang—
It was stuck in front of Cain.
[‘Summer’ says it now agrees with ‘Winter’ that you are the only one who can save this world line.]
‘Why should I save anything?’
Cain was resolute.
Why do something like a hero or a savior? It was hard enough just to protect those within his reach.
Then, ‘Summer’ sparkled in front of Cain.
[‘Summer’ agrees with Cain’s thoughts. However, it says that now that the World Line Fixation has reached 25%, things will not go as you please.]
‘What’s going on?’
But ‘Summer’ didn’t answer Cain’s question.
[‘Summer’ tells him to grab it.]
Sparkle, sparkle.
As if it would only shine if he pulled it out.
Abel was flustered by the holy sword that had left his hand, and Cain nodded towards him.
“Try pulling it out like you did before.”
“Yes.”
The moment Abel grasped the holy sword, the light disappeared. And it wouldn’t budge, like a rock embedded deep in the ground.
[‘Summer’ feels longing and regret within ‘Abel Ethelred.’]
[‘Summer,’ however, resolves that this time, it will not be with him, for longing is just longing.]
Abel shook his head and stepped back.
Cain frowned and reached out for the holy sword.
‘How can the heart of a sacred treasure change so quickly?’
He was suspicious, but he thought that it was right for him to do it rather than let Abel be burdened with the hero’s role again.
Shing—
Cain grabbed the holy sword.
The warrior who had volunteered to be the villain, after going through spring, grasped ‘Summer.’
At that moment.
+
『The Promised Owner of ‘Summer’』
The promised owner of the holy sword ‘Summer’ in this era was ‘Cain.’ However, ‘Summer’ did not forget its past owner and made the wrong choice.
But now it is in the hands of its rightful owner.
May the blessings of the four seasons be with you, who have grown from winter, through spring, and reached summer.
Success: 『Four Seasons』 partially unsealed, World Line Fixation increased
+
A quest window, different from usual, appeared.
[World Line Fixation: ▲ 25%]
[The second peak of 『Four Seasons』 is revealed.]
[‘Winter’ smiles.]
[‘Spring’ nods.]
[‘Summer’ rises.]
『Registering ‘Cain Ethelred’ as the new owner of ‘Summer’…… Complete.』
Fwooosh—
Like the white crown and cloak that appeared whenever Cain unfolded ‘Winter’s Winter of Night.
Armor that resembled the color of the sun endlessly enveloped Cain’s body translucently.
“Hero…”
The Saintess clasped her hands together and prayed towards Cain, who was bathed in brilliant light.
[‘Praise of Spring’ has ended.]
[‘Spring’s Rhapsody’ has finished playing.]
[‘Summer’s Radiance’ has begun.]
Cain raised his head.
It was summer, and it was ‘Summer.’
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