Chapter 92 – So That’s Why We Do It (3)

“As you said, before I die, I want to ask you something.”

[…….]

“You said you gave me everything. Everything? What does that mean? Skills? Methods?”

And then, 

“Why didn’t Grandeus use his true strength in his final battle against my father?”

[Is that how it looked to you? But how do you know that? You speak as if you saw it yourself.]

“…Because I did.”

Whether the sword believed her or not, 

[So you have that kind of ability.]

Yet the holy sword responded calmly.

[Even us having this conversation right now is an extremely rare occurrence. This too must be related to your abilities.]

“This situation?”

He’d never heard of such a thing.

[The answer to that is simple. At that time, Grandeus had no choice but to lose, because he used me, not Elbart.]

As another holy sword, 

[The holy sword Luelde wields is an unrivaled blade. It’s a sword forged by a god in the form of a holy sword. In other words, it is a divine sword.]

“……”

What does that even…

[Even if he had wielded Elbart, defeat was certain. But at that time, he didn’t even have that.]

“Wait. Weren’t you Elbart?”

[I have never called myself Elbart, not even for a moment.]

“……”

Then what is Elbart, if this isn’t?

-Ask like this.

“……”

Following the Demon King’s prompt, he asked,

“Then why did Grandeus need you? For what purpose?”

[For the execution of good. The protection of loyalty. And… what he promised was the eradication of great evil.]

Namely, 

[He promised to grant me the right to slay the Demon King.]

-Now it makes sense. No wonder he seemed to struggle more with the greater evils. The reason is finally clear, though I suspected it.

“Demon King?”

[If not for something of that scale, why would I have allowed myself to be wielded by such a being, one who went against the order of the demon realm?]

“Who defied the order?”

[Normally, the moment such a one grasped a holy sword, their body would have melted away. But in this case, that was impossible.]

Because, 

[There was no body.]

“……?”

A body? Does that mean a physical form?

-At some point, he only ever appeared in armor. I suspected it, but he sure hid it well. That was some skill at concealment.

Even the Demon King’s commentary barely registered.

“If he didn’t have a body, how did he move?”

[Didn’t he have armor?]

That was it.

[His will was remarkable. With that alone, he shaped a form and led it onward, an absurd monster of willpower. A single will with intelligence, moving toward a goal. It was like a miracle.]

-In the demon realm, that sort of thing isn’t unheard of, but usually it’s built on grudges or malice.

Monsters like Grandeus.

-It wasn’t justice.

[His sense of justice was unmatched. But excessive righteousness is as poisonous as any toxin.]

It may be someone’s justice, but it’s not a higher cause. It’s not even good. And evil… even less so.

[If he knew one thing, it was that he would eventually fade away.]

Still, the will must be passed on.

Even if his justice crumbled and faded.

He hoped someone would inherit his will.

He longed for it.

[But it’s difficult to instill your will in another. It’s not easy.]

Even in the demon realm.

And after coming to the middle world.

Only he remained steadfast.

Among those he influenced, none fully inherited his will.

Even if they learned his skills, 1`their purpose and methods became selfish and individualistic.

Passing it on only dirtied the will further.

[He collected all of it with his own hands. Like a sower reaping failed crops himself.]

But then, 

There was one seed left.

One he hadn’t even hoped for.

…It grew vigorously, surpassing all expectations.

He’d taught that one the most sloppily, just as a formality.

[And yet he couldn’t trust it. Grandeus couldn’t.]

Grandeus had a realization in a conversation with a wanderer.

The wanderer said, 

There was a time when his laundry disappeared, and at first, he suspected the people living nearby.

But later, when he found traces of wild animals, he realized it was never suspicious after all.

At the end of suspicion, all he found was his own doubt.

[He stopped doubting himself. But others were a different matter.]

So, 

He returned to the demon realm.

And after a long time, he came back.

To confirm it.

As a legion commander of the Demon King’s army, at the invitation of a comrade who had become his lord.

…So he went, to see whether the flower that had once budded and blossomed had withered.

If the flower had wilted, he was ready to fulfill his duty as commander.

But, 

“……”

The Black Knight traced that child’s journey.

A young man who struggled to cultivate hope in a time of chaos.

A man who despaired at reality, lost everything dear to him, even in his homeland.

…Clinging to his last hope, he tried to start over.

There was no glory or honor in it.

Only a simple, humble… wish.

He worked hard to build his village.

But even that was denied.

Though he might have blamed the world, or cursed the heavens in his despair, he seemed to think even that was a waste of time and threw himself into everything.

Why, after becoming like that, with a fragile human body and spirit, 

…did he never give up?

What is it to call something precious?

What does it mean to fight for something you want to protect?

He couldn’t understand it.

And then, 

When he burned himself out and emptied himself of everything, he died.

But because of that, he protected it all.

Grandeus, 

…entered the church building in Cariela, which was called a sanctuary.

He saw the statue.

Looked at the sword left as a memento.

Glimpsed those memories.

It was the journey of a pure but steadfast young man.

As time passed, many people tried to follow in that man’s footsteps.

The will was inherited.

So that’s how it was.

You weren’t wrong after all.

I doubted. I didn’t believe.

The Demon King said:

I trust everything.

That they’ll fall into the pit on their own.

That they’ll agonize over their own foolishness and fall.

That things will go well for them only for a moment, and falling into ruin will take just a moment, too.

…But to suffer in misery will be as close to forever as possible.

Rarely, a few might be exceptions.

But those exceptions aren’t even worth caring about.

Most will fail. Most will despair.

So all we have to do is believe in that.

On that premise, whether you rule them, kill them, erase them, handle them, use them, toy with them, destroy them, care for them, nurture them, or watch over them,  all of it is up to those who have and understand.

So, in all the world, only your own will matters.

[He was an exception.]

So, Grandeus wanted to see him as both a disciple and a teacher.

So, even though he had taught him, he inherited the will and chivalry that Grandeus himself had lost, and devoted his strength to protecting the weak.

[That’s why Grandeus came to be called a knight instead of a legion commander.]

“……”

[You will know the source of that reason. That’s why you are the successor. Those so-called Relief Knights are followers. He knew he couldn’t save the world alone, and only helped them so they could become independent, but he was still someone who couldn’t truly trust anyone. It was hard enough for him just to believe in himself.]

Even so, 

[It’s not as if there was no potential among them. That’s why Grandeus left a few things with them, and who knows, maybe another miracle like before will arise from among them.]

And if you truly are the heir,

[If they go astray, you too must recover and take back everything. Succeeding him means bearing that burden.]

“…But even I’m about to die soon.”

A bitter laugh slipped out.

Yet, his chest grew heavy.

Grandeus raised Saint Cariel.

But in the end, was it Grandeus himself who was most moved by the path he’d walked?

If Saint Cariel had not carried on his will,

…then Grandeus would have remained as a legion commander, acting as an ally to the Demon King of Wisdom.

[Just as you suspect. If that had happened… even your father, Hero Luelde, would have had no chance no matter how hard he tried.]

Grandeus

[from the beginning, was someone who burned everything for the sole purpose of slaying the Demon King. That purpose faded after the Demon King disappeared and he grew weaker… but not even the Golden Demon King could take him lightly.]

-Why would I fight that guy? Even if we fought, it wouldn’t be head-on. I’m not crazy.

…If the Demon King talks about him like that, his strength is beyond doubt.

In other words, even with a holy sword or relic on your side, against someone like him…

And the fact that he never showed his true specialty, 

It’s still a mystery to him.

-If Grandeus had been my subordinate, even that unwanted conquest of the continent might’ve succeeded. Then the entire continent would’ve taken a far more interesting turn. That’s kind of a shame, actually.

“……”

-No regrets, but anyway, at least one thing’s clear now.

What?

Did she read my expression?

-The legacy he left with me was, in the end, a measure prepared for you.

“……”

-Yeah. That guy could glimpse the future. But only in fragments. And just now, that clueless sword said it, some of it was handed to the Relief Knights, right? Then, doesn’t that fit with the so-called prophecy? It was obvious, but I wasn’t sure, so I kept quiet. But now, it’s just too obvious, so I’d feel bad if I didn’t say anything.

[That’s all I can tell you. As for Elbart’s whereabouts, I don’t know. However.]

However?

If you don’t know, you don’t know, what’s with the “however”?

[Elbart is not yet complete. That’s why, for a long time, Grandeus only borrowed my body as a temporary measure.]

“……?”

-Hmm?

What’s that supposed to mean?

[Awaken the Black Star. In that moment, the limits of time and space will disappear. Everything has already been given to you. Whether or not you awaken it, that’s up to you, the heir, the inheritor. Are you still going to keep doubting?]

“……”

Was that a lecture?

Suddenly remembering the earlier conversation, Cariel let out a dry laugh.

“Speaking of lectures, ”

With eyes that had let go of half his regrets, Cariel voiced his suspicions.

With a bit of certainty.

He asked, and answered the holy sword’s questions in return.

The two of them, briefly, continued their questions and answers.