Chapter 88 – Does Having Nothing Mean You Can Do Nothing? (2)  

His nose hurt.

No, what hurt was the act of breathing itself.

Drawing in air felt like pain.

As if the outside air had turned into blades slicing into him.

Even the air he inhaled felt like agony.

He let out the heat he barely managed to gather with a long exhale.

The warmth in his lungs spewed out through his mouth and nose in an instant, yet the burning sensation remained.

His body felt like it was burning, but in contrast, chills kept climbing up his spine.

‘This is the worst.’

His mind was foggy.

The full-body muscle aches were the least of his concerns, the situation was far worse than expected.

Now he understood exactly why he was told to clear his head before waking up.

Right now, just enduring and staying conscious was a torture in itself.

“You’re awake?”

A voice he wasn’t used to came from the side.

“…….”

That woman, 

Wasn’t she called Ases?

There were a few other names she used to describe herself, but that was the one he remembered for now.

Anyway… first things first.

“I have something I want to ask.”

“Even in that condition, you’re trying to get answers first?”

“What do you know about me?”

The Demon King had mentioned it.

That Venus had recognized this woman.

And that Venus had used a bodily function similar to hers, perhaps even the same type.

Their briefly overlapping movements suggested they’d both trained in the same art, or at least been influenced by it.

In other words, she was either from the Relief Knights, or someone closely connected.

Cariel himself hadn’t been in the right state of mind when she appeared, but the Demon King had watched everything and grasped the situation.

“That question’s a bit vague.”

“Not as someone’s child, me, as you know me. Judge me based on that.”

“That sounds like some philosophical riddle. I like it.”

She rubbed her chin with her index finger.

“Still, the fact that you don’t remember me… I guess those rumors were true.”

“…….”

“We used to spend a lot of time together, didn’t we?”

At that, Venus, who had been leaning against the wall, interjected with disbelief.

“What? You two had that kind of relationship?”

“What kind of relationship are you even implying? Don’t be petty.”

Ases clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“My reason for coming here has nothing to do with you. In fact, you could say I came looking for that instead.”

“…The sword, you mean.”

The one who draws the sword.

And if that sword happened to be Grandeus’s?

The Relief Knights wouldn’t be able to ignore it.

“No one assigned me to it… So it’s because of that prophecy or whatever, huh?”

“Still sharp, I see.”

“…….”

She, Ases, was speaking to him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

As if his competence, his insight, were completely expected.

Meaning, she was evaluating the present him based on who he used to be.

“If it’s the old me you remember, what do you think I’d do now?”

“You’d assess the situation first. But once that’s done, you’d act.”

“…….”

He forced himself to move, swinging his legs off the bed.

Naturally, the problem wasn’t the pain, it was the weakness wrapping around his entire body. And the chills.

Just the faint loss of warmth had his body trembling uncontrollably.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“…Need to deal with the urgent matter first.”

He gasped for air and pointed outside with just his eyes.

“Doesn’t it sound a bit rowdy out there?”

“…It wasn’t that loud. Surprised you caught it?”

“It’s obvious.”

Call it a lie, call it deceit, at this point, who cared?

…Whether he was right didn’t matter now.

Even just standing was an ordeal.

Just getting upright made the entire world spin.

“Will you be okay?”

“…….”

He didn’t know.

Had his body ever been in this terrible of a condition before?

Still, it was familiar.

A failing body wasn’t something to be proud of.

…Especially in a world where that only invited scorn and contempt instead of sympathy.

He’d been torn apart and ridiculed for even the smallest weakness.

So over time, when he was fine, he acted unwell. When he was at his worst, he pretended to be okay.

…Always feigning imbalance to survive.

‘It’s absurd.’

Only at rock bottom did he finally realize what a pitiful farce that all had been.

As if fed up from watching in silence, Ases moved in to support him, then shot Venus a reproachful glance.

“You weren’t even thinking of helping, were you?”

“…Why interfere when a man’s trying to stand on his own two feet? That’d be the real insult.”

“You are so stubborn.”

“A nutcase like you would never understand.”

Venus and Ases, despite everything, they seemed oddly close (…in their own way).

With Ases supporting him, Cariel took a moment to catch his breath.

Eventually, she opened the door, and they exited the chapel’s back room, making their way down the narrow corridor.

The noise outside became more palpable.

Yet his body remained in the worst possible shape, his mind clouded, overwhelmed by chills, weakness, pain, and dizziness.

He truly felt what it meant for breathing itself to be a form of hell.

But, 

…That’s just his problem.

The world had no sympathy for him.

“Go alone.”

“Alright.”

At his words, Ases gently let go of him and stepped back.

“…….”

Just standing felt like a miracle.

To realize that, that alone felt like a blessing.

He took a slow step forward.

There was no interference, no obstruction, yet each step grew heavier and heavier.

And then, 

A golden glow entered the edge of his vision.

– How primitive the masses are. Take a good look.

Well, not that you need the reminder.

—

As fear and anger piled up, so too did their hostility.

The crowd gathered before the chapel hurled threats and jeers, looking ready to drive out those guarding the entrance at any moment.

“You people brought danger to the entire village!”

“Drag that bastard out! Bring him here!”

“You’re all accomplices too, you know?! You think we’ll just let you go?!” 

Leo raised his voice, trying to calm them.

“Why are you all doing this?! This isn’t going to solve anything!”

“Outsiders should keep their mouths shut! Hey, Luines! You speak up! Why are you protecting that bastard?!”

“…It’s the duty of a believer to protect all who enter the courtyard of God.”

“We don’t give a damn about the Irenis Church’s rules or whatever!”

“Be honest! What scheme are you plotting?! Oh, I get it! You’re clinging to him hoping to get a handout from the Great Hero’s descendant, aren’t you?!”

“Always acting all high and mighty with that pretty face! Guess you had this kind of trick up your sleeve too! Well, with legs like that, I suppose you had to find some way to make a living!”

“So! How far did you go?! Already crossed the line?!”

At that, Luillin stomped her foot against the ground.

Boom!

“You bastards really have no idea when to shut up, huh?! You! Want me to break your legs?! Make sure you limp for life?!”

“Y-You little brat! How dare you interrupt when your elders are speaking?!”

“Kids with no roots are always like this!”

“I heard she crawled in after that so-called Hero’s son too!”

“So that’s why she’s all desperate to protect him, huh?!”

Even the smallest retort instantly turned into an excuse, an absurdity.

Nothing anyone said got through.

It wasn’t even this frustrating yelling at a wall.

“H-Hey! Look over there!”

“Huh?”

At the sudden commotion, those guarding the entrance to the chapel reflexively turned to look behind them.

And then, 

It became clear why all their gazes locked in that direction.

“T-Teacher?”

“…You’re awake?”

Luillin and Leo called out with unease, but he only met their eyes, he didn’t bother to respond.

“…….”

Luines sent him a nervous glance, but Cariel let it pass without reaction.

He walked slowly, neither rushed nor sluggish, as he passed by them.

“Uh, hey, you alright?”

Asked Gehven, the wolf-faced beastkin, but Cariel only gave a faint nod.

As Gehven glanced toward Ases, who was inside the chapel, she simply shrugged her shoulders.

With the path cleared, he now stood exposed to the crowd, people clutching farming tools, weapons, and blunt instruments.

He walked toward them without a hint of hesitation or fear.

“Oh, so you hide inside all this time, and now you show up?!”

“You think just showing your face now will make us go easy on you?!”

There was no clear reason.

But for some reason, every person who now found themselves facing him directly began to feel a creeping chill and dread.

His outfit and appearance, cloaked in shadow.

His skin, so pale it looked white as snow.

So drained of color, he could easily be mistaken for a corpse.

And yet, 

Those eyes.

Golden, almost amber in hue, 

…They didn’t appear beautiful. They only felt ominous.

And then, someone watching remembered, this unease felt familiar. It struck them.

It was just like the beast with the bright yellow eyes that had once stared silently at them.

They’d survived only because the beast had just finished a hunt.

Because it was full, it had shown no interest.

So they had quietly retreated, trying not to provoke it.

…If that hadn’t been the case, no amount of prayer would’ve saved them.

And perhaps the only mercy they could’ve hoped for would’ve been a swift, painless death.

“You will die, regardless of the choice you make.”

Though his voice was low, it somehow rang out clearly, and that sentence spread like oil on fire.

“What the hell does that mean?!”

“This is all your fault!”

“Say that again!”

“You think you’re in a position to talk like that?!”

The mob roared with fury, ready to pounce at any moment.

But Cariel, watching them without reaction, stirred an eerie sensation in everyone looking on.

Was this what they meant by being exhausted by your own rage?

Despite all their shouting, the man at the center didn’t even blink, and so their fury began to wane.

Still, this balance was fragile, like a collapsing pillar poorly braced with scrap wood.

How long could a crumbling building stand tall, even with patches holding it together?

“Whether you kill me or not, the result will be the same. You will die. All of you will die, some in vain, others in agony. That’s reality.”

What the…

“What kind of nonsense is that?!”

“If you just die, the village will be saved! That’s what I heard!”

“Who cares if you’re the Great Hero’s son or whatever!”

“You came here and dragged in the chaos, it’s all your fault!”

“I won’t stand for this anymore!”

“Me neither!”

And finally, a few hot-blooded men charged at him.

Cariel saw it.

The dark desires and anxieties in their eyes, 

Twisting their actions into something they could justify.

“Graaaaah!”

“Teacher?!”

They were too far away to help in time.

No, maybe if they acted immediately, they could barely intervene…

But despite Luillin’s panic, 

“Ugh?!”

Cariel stopped their attack.

And not just stopped it.

He overwhelmed them.

He caught the strike of a steel axe, with his bare hand. With just his left hand.

“Wh-what…?”

And on the other side, despite the clear size difference, he didn’t give an inch, he even forced the attacker down with brute strength.

Even as they all rushed in, Cariel advanced without faltering, overpowering them with almost laughable ease.

In that instant, everyone watching felt their spirits drained away.

“If you planned to kill, you should’ve been prepared to die too, no?”

“Eek?!”

“Huhk!”

“Hic!”

Even though his voice was calm, those who heard it right before their eyes, right in front of their faces, reacted with pure terror.

A shock like his heart had been seized gripped his chest.

Just meeting his eyes had been enough for their legs to give out.

“Do you want to live?”

The men who had collapsed all nodded in unison, as if rehearsed.

“I ask the rest of you, do you want to live?”

Cariel’s gaze slowly shifted from the fallen men to the surrounding crowd.

Though his voice was small, and the commotion continued, 

His words sank strangely deep into their ears.

Do they want to live?

What kind of… of course they did.

“There’s a way.”

What?

“A way for you all to survive, even if I die.”

If these people had been true outsiders, cut off from the world in a backwater village that rejected all things foreign, this kind of approach might never have worked.

They said crowds became ignorant, but even then, there were limits based on baseline awareness.

And these people… seemed to have at least some grasp of things.

The descendant of the Great Hero.

The lingering threat of the demon remnants and their commander pressing on the village.

Even if they escaped the immediate danger, many of them surely knew, this village could never return to what it was before.

Especially those in control, the real ruling class of this place.

Sure, they might think they could just survive the moment and move elsewhere, start again somewhere new.

…But would that really be so easy?

As those involved in the death of the Great Hero’s child, 

They’d likely be treated as the center of the storm.

Could they really escape that fury?

Would anyone be so generous, so forgiving, as to absolve them just because the victim was the Great Hero’s child?

……No way.

Which was why, 

When that same supposed “cause of all this” said, not to make excuses for survival, but instead, 

…Declared outright his intent to throw himself into danger, 

No one, at least in that moment, could bring themselves to condemn him.

Maybe someone thought it was all lies. Deception. A trick.

But at least in that moment, it didn’t matter.

He hadn’t raised his voice. He didn’t show emotion.

And yet in a single breath, he seized control of the entire square.

“Freedom and happiness don’t fall from the sky. Miracles and salvation aren’t like that either.”

But, 

“What you need now isn’t a miracle. It’s not salvation.”

Just one thing.

“Silence.”

All of this, 

“Is my fault.”

So, 

“Stay quiet in your homes, believing it’s all my fault. If anyone asks, tell them it’s because of me. If anyone blames you, shout that it’s because of me.”

But don’t go any further.

“Only then will the blame and resentment not fall on you. The dangers beyond? Do you think they’ll truly harm you? After what I showed them just now, you think they’d take you lightly?”

Sure, some among the remnants likely died alongside the Legion Commander, in front of Grandeus’s planted sword.

But even so, from the village’s perspective, it was still a small number.

Their families and friends may not understand.

But Cariel wasn’t the one who killed them.

To blame him would be pathetic self-justification.

They had come with the intent to harm him, nothing less.

And Cariel wasn’t someone soft-hearted enough to feel sympathy for that.

Even if others were caught in the crossfire, was he supposed to feel guilt?

Not a chance.

He was not that kind of person.

“If you touch me, you’ll incur the Empire’s wrath. And my father, for the record, is Luelde.”

What? Luelde?

…The Golden Swordmaster?

Wait, what? No one told me that!

“And that wrath will be taken out on the bastards outside. There’s no need for you to bear it. The reason they haven’t come at you more aggressively is partly because they understand that too, isn’t it?”

That’s why, more than anything, they wanted him gone.

One way or another, to cast him out. Banish him.

They hoped, somehow, the source of all this trouble would just disappear.

But too bad.

They were past the point where that kind of resolution would work.

To them, this situation was a dilemma from the start.

Do nothing, and it’s bad. Act, and it’s also bad.

So they just pretended to act, overthinking every step…

…All while waiting for a miracle solution to fall into their laps.

But when no solution came, they resigned themselves to fate.

“And what is it that they fear, the reason they came here and try to intimidate us?”

It’s simple.

“They’re afraid I’ll draw that sword, Grandeus’s Holy Sword, and drive them away.”

What? Grandeus’s sword?

A Holy Sword? That’s a Holy Sword?

So… that’s why no one could draw it?

But, 

He said he’s the son of the Golden Swordmaster?

Then…

Is the child of the man who slew Grandeus now trying to draw his sword?

How would he even know it was a Holy Sword?

What’s going on?

“There’s only one thing that matters. Follow what I say, and you’ll live. If not, you’ll die.”

Everyone who’d been in turmoil just a moment ago fell completely silent.

On what basis could he speak so surely?

They didn’t know.

They had no idea, but…

“That’s why you’ll hide behind me.”

He declared:

“I will never hide behind this village. And I will never hide behind you.”

Even if he died, 

“I will face death head-on. Always.”