episode_0023

People cheered for the victories the heroes brought.

As they reclaimed the territories of fallen kingdoms, faith in the heroes began to grow. When news spread that even the territories of the old Elven Empire had been restored, everyone fell into a frenzy, looking at the heroes.

Nemo, the second hero, seized Argena Silva, the largest city in Latifundium, the fertile lands of the Elven Empire. In Cordelia, the Elven Empire’s ice-free port in the northern continent, Kara, the third hero, reportedly conquered the city by drowning Maris, a legendary admiral and legion commander who had opened the Age of Discovery in his lifetime. At the southwestern tip of the continent, thanks to Astolfo Impurity’s bold blitzkrieg, the holy land of the Elven Empire, Creator, where the navigator who arrived by ark first set foot on the continent, was successfully purified.

The heroes shone ever brighter. Even more brilliantly than the achievements of the legends who were once the masters of the stars etched into their souls. The war, which had seemed only despairing, began to transform into a hopeful scene thanks to the heroes’ exploits. Thus, the Great Expansion progressed smoothly, led by the heroes.

***

I still looked only forward. And ran like a madman. With the sole conviction of becoming stronger, I even burned my own body, seeking out the powerful. No. Without even needing to search, the Emperor and the Prophets personally sent me there. When the great evils I killed were disguised and publicized as other heroes’ achievements, public trust in the heroes rose. Their renown could be elevated. My use in the war was merely that of high-quality fertilizer to make the heroes’ reputations bloom. But did that matter now? Not to me at all. No, I welcomed it, in fact. The more powerful individuals I met, the more times I nearly died, but the stronger I became for it. Despite not possessing any star power, and never experiencing the realm advancements that those with star power naturally undergo. Despite that, I continuously grew stronger. Far more than the Astolfo of the past, the Kara of the past, or the Nemo of the past. But I still ran without pause, as if insatiably thirsty. Madly, endlessly, as if no end had been set.

Time passed. I don’t know since when, but I became able to gauge the deaths of others, excluding myself. I don’t know how I acquired such an ability. Whether it was because I had witnessed too many deaths, or because I had set foot on lands contaminated by the dark green miasma. In any case, after this ability emerged, I could instinctively predict when others would die just by looking at them. Some died quickly. Some survived for quite a while. And some survived for years. But no matter how long they survived, a common aura of death lingered around everyone. Ultimately, no matter how long they survived, they were fated to meet death on this battlefield. I didn’t thoughtlessly utter such words. If a person already called a ‘specter’ were to utter such words, it would only bring despair to that person. So I quietly kept my mouth shut, cutting down enemies silently, completely cutting off conversation with them. Even if I didn’t say anything, they died when their time came. Some died absurdly, while others fell gloriously and honorably in battle. In the end, death was the same for all, but those I watched all met their demise at various times and in various ways. And as I predicted and watched the deaths of countless people in this manner. As the war neared its end, that same aura began to cling to me as well. The dense, repulsive aura of death that was only felt by those on the verge of dying. Only then did I instinctively realize. I wouldn’t survive this war. I had run like a madman to become stronger, but this was my limit. I had grown noticeably stronger, but my fate was ultimately no different from a moth drawn to a flame.

‘But did that matter?’ I didn’t care about that fact. The only difference was that after instinctively realizing I had little time left, I started swinging my sword even more wildly. Death didn’t matter. What lingering regrets could remain in a life devoid of hope, causing me to fear death? It was a life where future and hope had vanished long ago, so I merely clung to becoming stronger to avoid any lingering regrets. And at the end of my mad dash, my own end finally arrived.

***

The final battle of the Great Expansion, the Battle of Hydaspes. Capturing Alexander’s Fortress, situated on the Hydaspes River. That was the final battle of the First Great Expansion.

Crackling— crackling— Since the Great Expansion began, the Alliance tasted bitter defeat for the first time. Alliance soldiers were annihilated even before the heroes arrived, and I, who had been at the very forefront, lay burned in the middle of the wasteland. “…Haaah….” I merely continued to gasp for breath with difficulty. Crackling— crackling— My left leg was severed. My right arm was also severed. The soot that had covered my entire body was no longer a mark, but truly a black scar left from being burned. My clothes and armor had melted from the intense flames, sticking to my charred skin. Both my eyes were burned, seeing only darkness, and my severely burned esophagus and lungs brought dizzying pain with every breath. “…Haaah….” The Blind King of Fire. With the mere appearance of a single legion commander, the assault on Alexander’s Fortress catastrophically failed. In a single burst of flame from him, my eyes, along with those of the soldiers, were burned blind, and all soldiers and knights apart from me melted along with their armor, unable to withstand the heat of his authority, ‘Blind Fire’. Crackling— crackling— Had I ever experienced such an overwhelming defeat in my life? Probably not. I had abandoned everything and relentlessly pursued strength, but my endless pursuit came to a halt with his appearance, in just two sword strikes. It felt hollow. At the same time, I doubted myself. ‘Could I not have become stronger than this?’ I repeatedly questioned myself, but the answer was always the same. ‘It would have been impossible.’ To become stronger than this. ‘Because I pushed myself to the absolute limit, working like a madman.’ I had exerted myself like a madman to become stronger, not fearing death. After five years of relentless striving in a state of madness, what more could I have done? To begin with, I believe I had put in the utmost effort just to grow strong enough to kill a legion commander in only five years, starting from the skill of a low-grade Expert Knight. Even if I were to go back to the past, it would probably be difficult to become any stronger than this. “…Kh-h…h…” Suddenly, laughter burst out. ‘Even in this situation, I’m regretting that I couldn’t become stronger.’ Right now, my entire body is burning and melting, and the oxygen scraping against the burns in my lungs is causing maddening pain. Even amidst all this, I was regretting that I couldn’t become stronger. ‘But what does that matter?’ Kara too. Memories of the past. Promises. Vows. They are now nothing more than unattainable dreams. Rather than clinging to impossible dreams, what’s wrong with devoting myself to something only I can do? ‘I regret it.’ The fact that I couldn’t abandon such past vows earlier. If I hadn’t clung to illusory emotions and had cut them away earlier, I wouldn’t be suffering like this. I wouldn’t be so wretched. I wouldn’t have needed to waste so much time clinging to unattainable dreams. ‘A little more—’ I wanted to become a little stronger. To the point where no one could oppose me. To the point where no one could look down on me. So that I would never be wretched again. If I could live a little longer, I wanted to live such a life.

Then, someone approached me. Rustle— rustle— The sound of soft cloth brushing was heard, and someone stopped beside me. At the same time, a cold yet warm divine power was felt, and the pain in my throat began to subside. ‘Who is it?’ As I harbored that question, the divine power receded, and the voice of an elderly old man was heard. “I am your savior.” As if reading my thoughts, the old man immediately answered the question in my mind. “Try speaking. Your vocal cords have been repaired enough for use, so you should be able to speak, however crudely.” “…Ah-” When I spoke, a sound like scraping metal was heard. It was an unpleasant sound, enough to make one grimace, but the old man spoke to me as if it were sufficient. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cerebus. In the past, I was the Prophet of Fate and former Consul, and currently, I am the old man known as the Fallen Prophet.” The Fallen Prophet. I was well aware of that infamous title. I heard that those prophets who went mad from forcibly using their precognition to see the end of Feanor’s ultimate prophecy, ‘The Story,’ and were consequently dismissed, were called that. ‘Duke Oleg said they were the continent’s greatest madmen, best to avoid entanglement with.’ Yet, despite the infamous title of ‘madman,’ the old man showed no such signs. Rather than a madman, he had the refined speech and dignified voice of an old gentleman accustomed to etiquette, giving him the impression of a noble from a great family. I first asked why he had come to me. “Why has such a great person come to a dying man?” “Because I need you.” Needed. At the frank answer, spoken without hesitation, my guard actually lowered slightly. “You need me?” “Yes.” Rustle— The old man squatted down. “I wish to become Emperor. And for that, I need your strength.” Emperor. When Cerebus spoke so confidently, I instantly understood why the Fallen Prophets were called madmen. “Mad, man.” “Do I seem so?” I spoke quite rudely, but Cerebus brushed it off as if he had expected such words. “Yes, at first glance, one might indeed think me a madman. Anyone who speaks of bringing down the Shahlnu Empire, which held dominion over the continent for a thousand years, and then becoming Emperor, would be called a madman, even by me. Still—” “I believe my situation is better than yours, however.” Upon hearing those words, I was speechless for a long time. At first, I thought he was merely provoking me, but on second thought, the old man wasn’t wrong. “You don’t deny it.” “…Because it’s true.” I was half-paralyzed, virtually in a vegetative state, able to do nothing but move my lips. Moreover, both my eyes were burned blind, leaving me in a state worse than death, unable to see anything. A madman seemed a thousand times better than this. “You are despairing.” The old man said so. The old man’s words, as if he saw straight through me, felt unpleasant, but he preempted my response before I could say anything. “I can save you.” “…What did you say?” “Oh dear, have your ears been affected too?” The old man said in a louder voice. “I said, I can save you.” “Don’t talk nonsense.” “Oh?” For some reason, the old man scoffed. Rustle— The sound of him standing up again was heard, and the old man began to walk leisurely around me. “Consider this for a moment. If you don’t believe my words, who will truly suffer in the end, you or I?” ……… There was no need to think for long. If one were to ask who would suffer more, it was none other than me. “Don’t you wish to erase your own weak self?” “You could have become stronger. You could have erased more of your weakness.” “If you had had time, you could have eventually risen higher than them.” “Weren’t you dying with such regrets?” ……… “Did I misjudge?” “…You are precise.” “Indeed.” Halt. The old man’s footsteps stopped. “Therefore, I propose.” “Come under me.” “Make me Emperor.” “If you accept my proposal, I will breathe life into your dying self.” “If you help me complete my great undertaking, I will satisfy all your desires.” “And—” “I will also erase your past, the one you most wish to obliterate.” “How is it?” “Will you accept the proposal?” The Fallen Prophet said so to me. ……… For a moment, I deliberated on the Fallen Prophet’s words, but then I stopped pondering. ‘I’m going to die anyway.’ My life is already one where I’ve lost everything, and if I continue like this, I’ll slowly die in agony, extinguished at the very bottom of darkness. Even if the old man intended to use me as a pawn, I had not a single reason to refuse. ‘No.’ Even if he intended to use me as a pawn. If he granted me a chance to live and breathe again, I would gladly become his pawn. Carrying the desire to rise again, and despite knowing it was a poisoned chalice, I accepted his proposal. “I accept.” “Good. In return, I also promise.” “That if you complete my great undertaking, I will fulfill your desires.” ……… Promise. There had been a promise I believed would last forever, but after a long period of faith, that promise was brutally broken. In the past, I had held a vain hope that that promise could truly be fulfilled, so as my faith shattered, I came to hate the word ‘promise’. Yet, strangely, in this moment. Whoosh── The promise I made with the old man now felt far more trustworthy and sweet than the promise I had made with her in the past.

Thus, ten years passed.