Ch.203The Forgotten One (5)

The Blue Spear is the most noble knight.

And incidentally, also the strongest.

The Blue Spear, Golden Spear, Red Spear—the owners of these spears have never officially ranked themselves, but unwritten rules exist nonetheless.

Even in the Empire, isn’t the First Pillar among the five pillars, the Empire’s Best Swordsman, regarded most highly? It was the same in Rondinell.

The Blue Spear.

A spear given to the strongest and most noble knight.

It’s not simply given to someone with a noble character, but bestowed upon one who maintains nobility through all manner of trials. And the last Blue Spear of Rondinell was truly worthy of that spear.

Unfortunately, I don’t remember clearly.

It must have been an important memory.

But I’ve forgotten it.

Still, what I do remember is that he addressed everyone with respect. Whether it was a renowned noble of Rondinell, a beggar on the street, or even the lowliest creatures—he never spoke carelessly to anyone.

Everything in the world has value.

Nothing should be addressed with disrespect.

Yes. That’s what he used to say habitually. I can’t remember his face. I don’t recall his name or anything else. But I do remember what he said to me.

Ah, how could I possibly forget?

Liar, fake, fraud, beggar, coward… For someone called such names, it was the moment I became a knight.

Certainly, those words began like this:

“Kirhov.”

“Do you know about the blue hydrangea?”

2.

“Najin.”

Originally, the Blue Spear was like a mayfly, losing his memories after a day. Living and dying each day, his life was not continuous but disconnected and isolated.

But thanks to Najin, the Blue Spear began living a somewhat continuous life. What he realized yesterday, Najin would convey to him tomorrow. Thus, from yesterday to today, from today to tomorrow, changes occurred in the Blue Spear’s life.

A change in a life repeated for over 300 years.

That change prompted the Blue Spear to ask Najin a question. One day, the Blue Spear asked Najin:

“Do you know about the blue hydrangea?”

What is the blue hydrangea?

The moment she heard that question, Najin’s breathing faltered as she wielded her spear. She couldn’t help it. It was the same question she had heard in Kirhov’s story.

“The blue hydrangea, you say?”

“Yes. According to the diary, I was called either ‘Blue Spear’ or ‘Blue Hydrangea’… but no matter how much I search through the diary, I can’t find anything about this Blue Hydrangea.”

“Is there anything written about the Blue Spear?”

“That is written. Blue Spear. A kind of title. It doesn’t say much, but it says it’s a title given to knights who achieve meritorious deeds.”

That’s not a title to be described so lightly.

In truth, the Blue Spear was generally like this.

He never valued himself highly. Not because he lost his memories, but even in the diary he wrote before losing his memories, he was excessively humble.

“The Blue Spear wasn’t a title that could be described so simply. According to what I heard from Lord Kirhov, the Blue Spear was a title given to the strongest and most noble knight in Rondinell.”

“The strongest and most noble?”

The Blue Spear blinked.

“Me?”

He muttered in disbelief.

“That’s… strange. Was I really such an impressive person?”

“It seems so. Though I don’t know much about it either.”

“Then what about the blue hydrangea?”

“First, the blue hydrangea is Rondinell’s national flower.”

Najin spoke, recalling her conversation with Kirhov.

“It’s the flower representing Rondinell, and additionally, it’s also the form of Lord Kirhov’s sword energy.”

“Kirhov—that name comes up often?”

“Because he’s the last knight of Rondinell. He’s probably the only person who remembers Rondinell.”

“Judging by the inexplicable sense of relief I feel when hearing that name, it seems I had some connection with him.”

There must have been a connection. Quite a significant one.

But instead of explaining that connection now, Najin explained about the blue hydrangea.

“Blue is the symbol of Rondinell, and the hydrangea symbolizes the knights who protect Rondinell. They say the knights’ banner was emblazoned with hydrangeas. So you being called ‘Blue Hydrangea’ probably means…”

Najin pointed at the spear the Blue Spear was holding.

“The knight representing Rondinell, the most symbolic knight. Something like that, wouldn’t you say?”

The most symbolic knight.

The Blue Spear murmured the words Najin had spoken, as if unable to believe that they referred to him.

“Hmm.”

After muttering that, he laughed.

With a smile, the Blue Spear shook his head.

“Having lost my memories, I can’t be certain… but I don’t think I would have thought of myself that way. I’m not saying your words are wrong. I just mean I don’t think I would have seen myself that way.”

“Then how?”

“To represent someone. To be the most excellent. When I hear such words, I feel resistance. Don’t those words imply something special?”

It was true. And it wasn’t wrong either.

As Najin tilted her head as if wondering what the problem was, the Blue Spear explained.

“I don’t consider myself special. I don’t think of myself as superior to others. I don’t want to be seen that way either.”

Even after losing his memories and forgetting his past, there was still a belief he hadn’t let go of. The Blue Spear was expressing that belief.

“I’d rather be looked down upon. I’d prefer to be taken lightly. I’d like to be seen not as the highest being, but as the lowest.”

When Najin asked why, the Blue Spear answered.

“Isn’t that the only way everyone can rise above me?”

The Blue Spear smiled.

“No one is eternally superior. Even if someone is superior at the moment, as time passes and history continues, someone will use that person’s achievements as a stepping stone to reach higher.”

He pointed at the sky.

“Even the star at the highest point in that sky must be the same. That star must be waiting for someone who will step on it to climb even higher.”

“You mean the star of King Arthur?”

“I don’t know who King Arthur is. But if it were me, I think I would feel that way.”

Looking at the Blue Spear speaking with a gentle smile and shining eyes, Najin recalled what the Blue Spear had supposedly told Kirhov.

“I am not the highest being. I am not the most excellent being. Look down on me. Take me lightly. Consider me a stepping stone to climb higher upon.”

“Kirhov.”

“I wish to be not a lonely being shining in the highest place, but a stairway for those who come after, like you, to climb upon.”

Those words he supposedly spoke over 300 years ago, when his memories were intact.

“I would rather be a stepping stone for others to leap to higher places than be a lonely being eternally shining in the highest place.”

The words he spoke now, after 300 years and having lost all memories, were remarkably similar. There was a belief that even oblivion couldn’t break.

Najin was even surprised by this fact.

“Are you sure you’ve lost your memories? You’re not lying?”

“What? What do you mean, Najin?”

“What you just said was exactly the same as what you told Lord Kirhov 300 years ago. Was it written in the diary?”

The Blue Spear shook his head.

“No. It wasn’t written there. It just came to me suddenly, but…”

After saying that, he laughed.

It was a laugh that seemed genuinely joyful.

“Just now, for the first time, my past self didn’t feel like a stranger. It seems I had the same thoughts before losing my memories as I do now.”

The Blue Spear gripped his spear.

Night was already falling. Looking at the hourglass running out, the Blue Spear was no longer afraid. He exhaled deeply and swung his spear one last time.

“Please, be sure to tell this to tomorrow’s me.”

And so she did.

Hearing what his yesterday self had said, the Blue Spear stood in place, pondered those words, and then burst into laughter just as he had yesterday.

“I said that? Indeed, how remarkable. This is the first time I’ve felt that my past self is the same as me. Then I should also leave a message for tomorrow’s me.”

She conveyed yesterday’s words to today’s Blue Spear. She conveyed today’s Blue Spear’s words and actions to tomorrow’s him. Thus, Najin built a bridge between the Blue Spear’s disconnected days.

Whoosh!

Sometimes that bridge was spear technique.

“Your yesterday self asked me to tell you not to waste time worrying and hesitating, but to ask me questions right away when you’re curious. He said because of that, he only asked two questions when he could have asked ten.”

“…I said that?”

“Yes, and he said these would be the questions in your mind right now: One, what did Rondinell’s streets look like? What food was sold there? What kind of speech did the King of Rondinell, your lord, use? And so on.”

Sometimes it was words and letters.

Thus, the Blue Spear’s life lengthened, and the messages to his tomorrow self grew longer. Now he spent more time reading his diary, asking Najin questions and answering them than wielding his spear.

But if you asked whether this meant regression, Najin would shake her head.

“Ah, like this.”

The Blue Spear was actually progressing.

The more he understood himself, heard about his past, and resolved his questions, the sharper his spear became and his skills developed with each passing day.

It wasn’t simply wielding the spear according to habits ingrained in his body, but understanding why he needed to move in certain ways. Sharing the insights he gained, Najin’s spear techniques also developed rapidly.

“This is an insight your yesterday self gained—relax your strength in this movement, make the next movement more concise…”

Swish, slash!

“Like this.”

“Indeed! Ah, I think I understand a bit. This applies not just to this movement but to others as well. Wait a moment. So here, like this. Aha!”

The Blue Spear was both Najin’s teacher and student. They were each other’s student and teacher. And so the days passed.

“Well then, Najin?”

A farewell that had been repeated countless times.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that farewell, the Blue Spear closed his eyes.

Believing without doubt that tomorrow would come.

Najin also had no doubts. She was certain that by walking slowly but surely at this pace, they would soon reach a perfect conclusion.

“…”

However, the next morning.

Najin had to realize.

That it had all been just her illusion.

3.

The Blue Spear who opened his eyes that day frowned at the diary placed beside him. As if he didn’t understand the letters written on the diary’s cover, he put it down.

He didn’t read the diary.

He didn’t turn the hourglass.

He asked Najin, who was sitting in front of him:

“Who are you?”

Speaking informally, not respectfully.

“Do you know me?”

With eyes so transparent they seemed empty, he asked such questions.

“Nothing in this world should be addressed disrespectfully. Because everything in the world has value.”

“Therefore, I speak respectfully. To everything.”

“That much, at least, I remember and haven’t forgotten.”

The Blue Spear who had said such things was gone.

Only a nameless human staring at the desert with empty eyes stood in his place. Najin finally noticed. The body of the man before her was cracking.

Erosion.

The Blue Spear, who hadn’t eroded for 300 years, was somehow rapidly eroding away.