Chapter 72 – If You’re Upset, Try Keeping Up

The moment his hand gripped the hilt, darkness enveloped his vision.

Then, shortly after,

The scene he had witnessed before unfolded again.

The only difference this time was

Through whose eyes he was witnessing it.

Now, he observed the world through the eyes of the one who had held the sword.

Before him stood his father, appearing much younger.

Events unfolded similarly to what he had seen before.

Previously, it had been like watching from the sky or from a distant vantage point.

Not this time.

The identity of whose eyes he was borrowing was unmistakably clear.

Experiencing a desperate battle from a third-person perspective versus through the eyes of a participant—

The sensations were completely different.

The oppression. The threat. The tension. The intensity.

…Even though it was clearly an indirect experience,

Every sensation felt vividly alive, transmitted with perfect clarity.

And finally, at the climax of the brief yet interminable duel,

The two clashed.

The outcome was obvious.

Yet unlike before, he couldn’t understand why Grandeus had fallen without employing his Vision.

…It made little sense.

Kneeling with one knee on the ground, the Black Knight used his sword as support.

And that sword, embedded diagonally into the earth, was

…This very one.

“……”

Reality returned.

The sword, having endured countless tempests while maintaining its vigil,

…remained firmly in place, unmoved.

He pulled on the hilt with all his strength.

It didn’t budge an inch.

As if defiantly challenging, Who do you think you are?

No, that wasn’t it.

Perhaps the lack of any response made him feel rejected, leaving him secretly disappointed.

“……”

Since others were waiting behind him, he released his grip without lingering regret.

Perhaps today wasn’t meant to be.

Or maybe… the time wasn’t yet ripe.

Or possibly,

…He hadn’t yet earned the right to wield it.

He couldn’t be certain.

“No luck for you either, Teacher?”

Luillin tapped his arm with a teasing I told you so gesture.

“Appears not.”

He responded with nothing more than a faint smile.

As he stepped out of the line, he spotted Leo and Luciri in the distance.

They appeared anxious in front of a flower stall, prompting him to approach instinctively.

“Ah, Lord Riel!”

Leo’s face lit up as if he’d just found salvation.

“If it’s not too intrusive, might I request your assistance?”

“…Let’s hear what it’s about.”

The girl, leaning on her cane, stood up quickly, clearly desperate to take action immediately.

It seemed the issue might be more urgent for her than for Leo’s group.

“They say a child named Rio was taken away by men who appeared to be adults. Ah, Rio is with Miss Luines here…”

So the flower stall girl’s name was Luines.

Behind her stood a tiny girl, barely reaching her knees, clinging to her leg and gazing up with apprehensive eyes.

“If it’s urgent, keep the explanation brief.”

“I’ll explain.”

Luciri stepped in for Leo.

“Rio is an orphan who lives at a small chapel here in Someren.”

The situation was straightforward.

Some orphans, particularly the more spirited ones, were often sent on errands under the guise of charity, but these tasks sometimes took on a more sinister nature.

Whether through mistakes or deliberate action, children occasionally ended up captured, and in rare cases, even trafficked.

“Description? Location of disappearance? Likely whereabouts?”

“I… I might know something.”

Without a map, they had to proceed to the very edge of the area—a literal cliff—before Luines pointed to several locations, roughly indicating buildings where the child might be.

“I can’t be certain, but… it’s most likely either there or over there.”

“So we’re down to two possibilities.”

Leo responded naturally.

“……”

Was he simply kind-hearted, or did he have ulterior motives?

The flower seller was certainly beautiful… but if that were his motivation… this young man seemed rather…

‘He has all the makings of a pushover.’

And what about Cariel himself?

‘Indeed.’

Was it chivalry compelling him to act? Not exactly.

Sympathy? Not quite that either.

…Not that he was unwilling to admit it, but…

“I’ll head to the farther location first. Luillin, you accompany these people.”

“……”

Luillin clearly disliked doing something for no reward, but she raised no objection.

She simply complained through her expression alone.

“Well then.”

He stepped toward what appeared to be empty space—a sheer drop where a single misstep meant certain death.

Then,

His vision flipped instantaneously.

The endless sky filled his sight.

And his body plummeted without hesitation.

“Huh?! W-Wait—?!”

Leo, Luciri, even Luines and the small child clinging to her—all stared in shock as he fell.

‘Not particularly high anyway.’

He lightly touched a wall surface with his foot, twisting his body mid-descent.

Then, using the wall as a foothold several more times to control his momentum,

He adjusted his trajectory.

He landed gently on a rooftop without damaging it, then dashed toward his destination.

***

“…He must be an elf, right?”

Luciri’s words sounded more like awe than a question, and Leo responded with an awkward chuckle.

“Scaling buildings isn’t impossible for someone naturally agile…”

He added a small comment.

Given how closely packed the buildings were, it wasn’t entirely impractical.

“Let’s just accept it and move on. Instead of standing here gawking, shouldn’t we get moving? Or would you rather jump off like the teacher did?”

Luciri and Leo simultaneously shook their heads at Luillin’s deadpan suggestion.

“Let’s discuss our approach as we go. Figure out what each of us can contribute. Or should we just storm the place?”

“And if the guards show up, who benefits from that?”

Leo chimed in as the two girls exchanged practical considerations.

“We’ll figure it out when we get there.”

“Isn’t that too late?”

“Better than being paralyzed by indecision and unable to act at all.”

“…That’s true.”

A surprisingly valid point.

Of course, unlike Cariel, none of them was confident enough to attempt a high-altitude drop, so they sprinted toward the nearest stairway instead.

***

Cariel, having covered in minutes a distance that should have taken at least half an hour, landed on the roof of a large warehouse and began assessing the situation inside.

‘……’

The wind carried a powerful stench of blood and metal.

After crossing just a few rooftops, the smell had intensified to the point of nausea.

“……”

Getting involved here could lead to serious complications.

Still, if that child Rio was inside…

‘If they’re already dead.’

Would he at least need to recover the body?

He felt a touch of self-loathing at how coldly he was analyzing the situation.

Cariel abandoned any attempt at stealth and descended from the roof, heading directly for the warehouse entrance.

Blood was already smeared across the threshold.

The men lying there had long since stopped breathing, their bodies devoid of life.

“……”

Opening the warehouse door only intensified the metallic stench of blood.

“……”

Inside, as expected, lay a pile of corpses.

At least ten, possibly more.

Fortunately, none appeared to be children.

However,

“How frightening.”

Standing amid the pooling blood, someone stared intently at Cariel.

An irritated gaze.

Sharp eyes.

Deep amber irises beneath dark navy-blue hair—his presence radiated through the dim warehouse despite the shadows.

“I heard that if I killed enough people, you’d show up. Seems it worked.”

The young man muttered, either to himself or to Cariel—it wasn’t clear which.

His eyes remained fixed on Cariel the entire time.

“I’m looking for a child.”

“A child? What child?”

The young man furrowed his brows in apparent confusion.

“In this cruel world where children die constantly, you’ve rushed here frantically for some stranger’s offspring?”

“……”

He knows something.

This wasn’t mere guesswork.

He possessed information.

“That’s precisely why I’m hunting like this. Don’t worry. Do whatever you want elsewhere, but we’re not so lenient that we’ll allow monsters to run rampant here unchecked.”

“…I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

After quickly surveying the area, Cariel concluded this wasn’t the place.

“Leaving already?”

“……”

“I wanted to test your skills. If you’re the one from the prophecy, didn’t you come here to claim Grandeus’s sword?”

“……”

Prophecy. Grandeus. The sword.

His reason for coming here.

Testing his abilities.

…From these scattered fragments, Cariel could gauge how much information advantage his opponent possessed.

And that comment about “the one from the prophecy.”

Did that mean Cariel himself was some figure wandering within a prophecy that someone had spoken or recorded?

Some predetermined entity?

“Does that prophecy specify whether you’ll win, survive, or die?”

“Why? So you can fulfill it if I tell you?”

The young man swung his sword through the air.

The raised blade, perfectly silent, pointed downward.

In an instant, blood clinging to the sword scattered like rainfall, creating countless ripples across the congealing pool at their feet.

It happened in a flash.

…Too fast for the eye to follow.

“You’ve been up there, so you know. But even you, supposedly chosen, couldn’t pull it out, right? In the end, it comes down to skill.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“You. You’re not even from the Relief Knights, yet you inherited Grandeus’s technique? How is that possible?”

He had anticipated some form of confrontation.

…But not like this.

“So you’re a proud member of the Relief Knights?”

“That’s right. The third sword, no less.”

“……”

As if that ranking means anything.

Cariel couldn’t comprehend why the man boasted as though it mattered.

“What’s with that look?”

“So what? Third or fourth, what does that have to do with me?”

“This is why those without proper lineage are hopeless.”

That’s rich coming from you.

That groundless confidence. That self-importance.

Those arrogant shoulders, that haughty gaze, that superior expression.

…He’d seen it countless times before.

Those who called themselves blue-blooded always carried themselves that way.

Above all,

…Alessius.

That bastard who claimed golden lineage always displayed that same baseless confidence, masked though it was.

And ultimately, he made that confidence real.

He succeeded because he was genuinely exceptional.

Credit where due.

Without Elhermina, Alessius would have been an unrivaled genius.

Strangely enough,

Though this man before him was entirely different, clearly raised in a completely different world,

Somehow, they exuded the same aura.

“Drop that brooding expression and let’s fight. We’re hardly the type for pleasant conversation.”

“…Is there any reason we should fight?”

Lingering here risked misunderstandings he’d rather avoid.

“Then perhaps I should ask the little girl instead. The one you brought all the way here.”

“You have the skills for that?”

A cheap provocation.

Moreover,

“…Weren’t the Relief Knights founded on principles of justice, protecting the weak, and defense? Your identity seems to have shifted considerably since Grandeus’s time.”

“You’re the Demon King’s right hand, aren’t you?”

That caught him off guard, striking a nerve.

“What?”

“Interesting that you don’t deny it.”

What is he talking about?

“There’s a rumor circulating. That the child of some great hero is plotting to resurrect the Demon King.”

“……”

Absurd nonsense.

But truth was irrelevant here.

Facts didn’t matter.

What mattered was that someone believed it.

And someone was spreading it.

“What if I announce that the great hero’s son stands right here? That would cause quite an uproar, wouldn’t it?”

“……”

A threat?

Or the groundwork for blackmail or negotiation?

“Haa.”

Enough of this.

“Fine. I’ll indulge you.”

Cariel drew Elhermina’s sword.

No matter how he analyzed it,

Further deliberation wouldn’t yield a better solution.

Besides,

…Why avoid a confrontation that had already found him?

His main concern had been the risk of being falsely accused for fighting in this location.

In other words, if that issue could be addressed…

“Hm?”

Instead of entering the warehouse, he turned and walked away, as if intending to vanish altogether.

“You little—?!”

Like a child who’d just been teased, the man erupted in fury and rushed after him.

“Hey, you bastard! You said we’d fight! Where the hell are you going?! Stop right there!”

…Why does this grown man, clearly older than me, act like a petulant child?

In a flash, Cariel perched on the opposite warehouse roof and looked down at him, wagging his index finger mockingly.

Then, with a challenging nod of his chin, he took off again.

“YAAAHHH—!”

The youth’s furious roar tore through the area.

What did you expect, you fool?

If you’re upset, try keeping up.