Chapter 96 – As If Awakening Destiny (1) 

“It’s hard to say this was something we could have expected.”

Venus grumbled as he sliced through the monstrous creature that had just lunged to bite him.

Ases replied with her characteristic bright smile.

“So you’re saying Cariel summoned that thing?”

“…Is there any guarantee it’s impossible?”

He didn’t say anything further.

Venus had made a mental note of part of what Cariel had said to Barugo.

The Demon King of Wisdom, was it?

…It was not something he could overlook, but for now, it wasn’t a matter to discuss with anyone.

Ases emphasized again.

“We evacuated the villagers to the lower levels and prepared for the unexpected, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe that was because the fighting above was going to get fierce?”

And…

“There’s also those things.”

Even outside the village, remnants of the Demon King’s army were still around.

Even if they weren’t soldiers, just gathering people here would be a heavy burden for them.

Besides that, well… there was the point of preventing unforeseen casualties as a precaution.

There were plenty of reasons…

“But who could’ve predicted this.”

That monsters like that would come bursting out.

Then, as if to answer their questions, a voice called out.

“There were warning signs.”

“Warning signs?”

“……”

A blue-skinned demon skillfully swung a curved blade as she approached.

One of the monsters was sliced in half, spraying murky bodily fluid.

“For some time now, animals and beasts have either run away from the village or died,” Ruslan said.

Ases found her thoughts getting complicated.

“So, you’re saying the appearance of those things was already foretold?”

…And all this time, without even knowing it, we were eating meals and taking naps underground, right next to monsters that could burst up from anywhere at any moment?

“So was it just a coincidence or what?”

Venus, annoyed, swung his sword again.

He seemed to do it lightly, but those caught up in it were sliced apart as if swept away.

Even though he was swinging as carelessly as trimming branches, compared to the guards fighting nearby, it almost felt insulting to even compare their efforts.

“I don’t know much. Still… I just wanted to mention that the signs only started showing up recently.”

With that, Ruslan dashed toward a dangerous spot and started clearing away monsters.

“Recently, huh.”

Venus flashed a sly smile.

“You know something?”

“If someone just showed up recently, there’s only one possibility, isn’t there?”

“Oh, so that’s how it connects?”

Ases licked her lips as if she’d caught on.

Even though she was just standing around as if slacking off, there was something around her that made even the monsters wary of getting close.

In fact, whenever she moved, monsters that had tried to lunge at her either stepped aside on their own or collapsed, unable to withstand her presence.

“Seriously, you crazy woman.”

“Why are you always picking a fight? Is calling me crazy all you can do?”

“If even those reckless idiots are cautious around you, your level is obvious.”

“That’s called being amazing. That pressure or spirit that can’t be grasped by reason or emotion, something that’s just felt instinctively?”

“…That’s exactly why I say you’re crazy.”

The mercenaries Ases had brought along were racking up overwhelming achievements as well.

Even though they were only hired temporarily, their professionalism and determination were impressive, since this wasn’t just volunteer work.

“Shupa! Getting paid to slice up monsters, getting in some real combat training, and even having fun! Am I supposed to get struck by lightning for this? What is this?! Geh-hehehek!”

Especially the wolf-headed beastkin was running wild as if he was at home, eyes rolled back in ecstasy.

He seemed to have lost all reason, yet he instinctively distinguished allies from enemies as he tore through the monsters. He looked more like a battle demon than a warrior.

“So uncultured.”

Ases clicked her tongue, thinking he’d completely lost his leash.

Venus glanced at her and spoke curtly.

“Let’s get moving.”

“Where to?”

“…Whether it’s going up or looking around elsewhere, this place doesn’t look dangerous anymore.”

“True.”

Maybe that piqued her interest.

She finally drew her sword, gesturing with her chin for him to lead the way.

“You’re going too?”

“There’s a fun monster to play with over there. Wouldn’t it be a shame to let that go?”

Grrrrrr, 

A strange roar echoed from the distant monster dragon.

Most people, upon seeing that, would think of running before considering fighting it, wouldn’t they?

“Every time I look at you, I realize you’re definitely crazy.”

“There you go again.”

Even so, the smile on her lips was heated with anticipation for battle.

She might look like someone with nothing to do with fighting or war, but…

Her essence was that of a war warden who stirred death and bloodshed.

A battle maniac.

She had joined the Redeemer faction solely because she believed she could fight the strong by siding with the weak, a completely deranged reason.

She cloaked herself in goodness, only to slaughter evil.

She justified herself as righteous, waging unlimited battles, wanting to exterminate the evil that kept cropping up indiscriminately.

She was the crazy one who’d openly said that the only reason she wanted to learn swordsmanship in the first place was because of that.

At first glance, her goals might look similar to Venus’s and their paths might even look the same, but…

…when it came to the crucial parts, they were polar opposites with a stark difference between them.

“But where did that nun from the Irenis Church go?”

“…There’s no such nun in this village.”

“But there’s a church, isn’t there?”

“It’s not a church, just a chapel.”

He swung his sword while moving.

Those caught in it, if not sliced apart, were sent flying as if struck by a mace, while the rest collapsed without even knowing what hit them.

“You were keeping an eye out, huh?”

“Oh, so you were trying to save that girl?”

“Unlike you, I don’t stand by and watch the innocent get hurt.”

“But you despise the weak.”

“……”

“Ah~ sorry! Did I hit a nerve?”

Definitely.

With a crazy woman tagging along, there were no obstacles to moving forward.

Really as if she were completely insane, she cut down anything blocking her path.

With a casual, almost dance-like movement, she dispatched her targets effortlessly.

…She had claimed she strained her muscles to the limit fighting the corps commander to save that brat earlier, but now she seemed perfectly fine.

If that was the standard, Venus should have already been sprawled out, hovering at death’s door, but for him, injuries like that would heal with just a few sleepless nights.

He had also taken some medicine and benefited from minor healing magic here, so could he really complain?

“I don’t forget a favor. That’s just basic, isn’t it?”

“Why? Isn’t it over once you receive it? Why pay it back? Isn’t that just the loss the giver has to accept?”

“…You piece of trash.”

“No, seriously! Do you thank those pointy-eared types for every fruit you eat? Were you someone who attached meaning to every crumb of bread you ate? Thanking a beast you killed is just mocking it, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be better to act dignified like a winner, so the beaten beast feels less bitter?”

“…….”

For someone so cunningly selfish, why was her behavior always good deeds?

Twisted, and twisted deeply.

“But with the village in this state, if she really gets stranded, will that girl really make it out in one piece? She had kids with her too.”

“…I don’t know about the kids, but she won’t die.”

That woman.

“She was sent to watch whether or not that damned sword would be drawn.”

“Was she?”

“…We kept saying, over and over, that the sword would be drawn today or soon, making such a fuss on our side… you think their side didn’t come?”

Luines.

Maybe the reason she wasn’t visible now was because of the forces backing her.

That was Venus’s conclusion.

Even making a move now was, when it came down to it, aimed at that.

“Now we’ll see just how impressive the people backing her really are.”

“I doubt they’re more interesting than that monster.”

“…If you’re so curious, then go over there. Who told you to follow me?”

“Get it right, Venus. You said she’s a watcher? That means, right now, she has a reason to be there, doesn’t she?”

If it doesn’t get drawn right now.

“When will it finally be drawn?”

* * *

In this moment.

He saw many things.

Whether the choices were right or wrong.

It might already be too late to judge.

But.

The village was frozen solid.

Everything was frozen.

No one was moving as they should.

No one at all.

Only he remained.

A boy who lost his family and neighbors overnight had no way to understand why all this had happened to him.

There, he met a girl.

Luciri, called the West Wind Witch.

And the royal investigators who had come to look into the strange events.

In that journey, maybe the boy had simply been swept up and dragged along.

But the boy didn’t just get pulled along.

With the troubled girl, he looked for solutions and was allowed to accompany them.

He helped with the incidents that occurred in several villages, and even at the audience with the king, he did everything he could.

During a small crisis that arose in the kingdom, he worked with the newly joined companions to resolve it.

It might have been just a minor disturbance in a small country.

It wasn’t a miracle.

But the boy’s efforts carried clear meaning and left many who witnessed them inspired and moved.

And in the midst of it, the boy himself grew steadily.

With a body trained as a forest keeper, natural toughness, and an optimistic personality, he stood his ground even with people like the always gloomy Luciri, impressionable companions, and those with strong opinions.

When crisis came, he brought their strengths together.

Through the trials and incidents that happened in quick succession over a short period, the boy, who had known nothing of the world, still didn’t know much, 

But he was now clearly different from before.

“…….”

Cariel, with Leo drawn in, gripped the hilt of the sword planted diagonally into the ground.

He shared the scene he had just witnessed with the holy sword.

Normally, something like this would be impossible, but the Demon King had said it was possible, so he tried it.

So, 

[Why do you refuse to leave me alone?]

In that space.

Someone besides Cariel and the holy sword was invited in.

“You’re the one who started talking, to both me and him.”

At Cariel’s words, the holy sword was silent.

“Uh, uh?”

Leo, baffled by the situation, could only stare wide-eyed for a while.

Just what was going on?

Though it felt long and drawn out, for those watching from the outside, it was all over in an instant.

Soon.

Leo, who grabbed the hilt of the sword that Cariel released, drew the sword stuck in the ground at an angle.

He pulled it out in one motion.

It was as light as a feather.

The drawn sword, which had always been rusty and shabby, began to shine.

The holy sword spoke.

The journey you’ve walked was the answer.

If you keep your heart as it is now, 

At least until that moment, 

The holy sword would help you.

Right then.

The secluded sword that had chosen to slumber declared its intent.

And, 

Cariel, watching that scene, 

-……

And the Demon King, each became lost in their own thoughts.

Long ago, 

When people talked about the qualities of a hero, 

People would often say it meant overwhelming power.

That’s not wrong.

But above all, hero and champion aren’t synonyms.

That’s why people get it mixed up.

Anyone can become a hero.

As long as they have strength.

If they achieve great things.

Regardless of their character, virtue, origin, or good or evil.

They become a hero.

But a hero can always fall into corruption and decay.

Even the greatest emperors, even the mightiest kings, became tyrants and oppressors as time went by.

Even so, 

Who can say they weren’t heroes?

However.

No one ever calls them champions.

Why?

Because the qualities of a champion are different from those of a hero.

An unyielding spirit.

A will that never compromises with reality.

In other words, indomitability.

So for a champion, great power is just an accessory.

It’s good to have, but not essential.

Because, 

A champion will never yield, no matter what.

It is also hope, and ultimately brings about victory.

That is what makes a champion.

If one does not yield but still loses, then that is not a true champion.

No, one can lose.

But because they never give up and never yield until the end, they eventually create the foundation for a comeback.

Even if they lose a hundred times, as long as they never yield and finally achieve victory in the end, 

Without a doubt, that is the true duty of a champion.

And.

Their ultimate goal is always the triumph of justice. The triumph of good.

Evil is defeated by good.

Good prevails over evil.

That is why, 

How could the world, or the gods, do anything but love such beings endlessly?

Thus, the very quality of a champion means they are respected and loved by the world.

It means they cannot help but be favored by the gods.

There have always been many who were exceptional from the beginning.

Many were once heroes.

But they eventually gave in to the struggle against themselves.

In the end, they became villains, tyrants, bandits, murderers.

Even that was only possible because they had power.

Power carries such weight.

Simply possessing it presses down on your shoulders, your body, and forces you to make choices.

If you get swept up in it, if you give in, 

In the end, even your soul gets crushed.

There are countless heroes who have been ground under like that.

But.

The one who shoulders that burden, keeps moving forward, and fulfills their beliefs, 

That is a true champion.

How noble and sacred that is.

That is why, friend or foe, everyone can’t help but respect and admire them.

Can’t help but revere them.

So, if there are those who are their true enemies, 

It is only those who… resent, envy, and deny that nobility, 

…the absolute evil, the wretched slaves and minions who have sold their souls to darkness.

“…….”

However.

If there is someone who, even if not absolute evil, has sold their soul to darkness, 

What should he do about them?

Like destiny.

As if awakening fate.

Luines, who had just climbed the stairs, saw from afar, 

…Leo, raising the drawn sword high.

“Ah….”

Why.

Why have you shown me this scene?

If only.

If only.

…If only I hadn’t climbed those stairs.

If only I had seen and realized this sight a little later.

…I too, might have had a moment to hesitate.