<Episode 165>
Confidence rose as never before, but I looked at the floor without getting excited.
I could see my steps little by little, gradually moving forward, as if overwhelming the opponent..
‘Something’s not right. We’re clearly fighting on equal terms, but the swordmaster keeps retreating.’
…Could it be?
‘Is he trying to stall time?’
Five minutes later, the clock would go off and the guards would come rushing in to capture us.
‘I have to be more proactive.’
Checking the hour hand of the clock, I infused my ego onto my sword for the first time. Then, with a sense of urgency and roughness, I began swinging the sword. With the sole determination to inflict a serious blow on the swordmaster.
“Ugh.”
The movements of the opponent started to subtly change. Realizing this fact, I attacked the opponent with even greater intensity.
In the end, emotional attacks end badly.
Emotional attacks don’t end well.
Clang!
The pearl sword flew away.
“You were a bit too hast now… I haven’t been so wholeheartedly immersed in a long time. It’s a shame, Sir Andert.”
The swordmaster was not a sentimental person.
He always sought efficiency. He was a man who didn’t mind small sacrifices to achieve his goals.
The swordmaster’s objective was to capture us alive. And the most efficient way to capture an opponent who was resisting with all their might was…
It had to involve shedding some blood.
“You need to calm down a bit.”
The swordmaster raised his sword towards me.
As calculated.
‘Now, Jin!’
Did she hear my inner voice? From afar, Jean came running towards me, clutching her chest.
In one step, she flew towards me, blocking my front protectively. In that brief moment, The swordmaster’s movements slowed down.
This was the moment.
Jean and I had been waiting for this.
“When the crisis comes, you’ll stand in front of me.”
“Me…?”
“Yes. It will be dangerous. If something goes wrong, the sword he’ll use to pierce my shoulder might end up stabbing you in the heart. Can you do it? No, can you trust it?”
My judgment.
And the person called swordmaster.
‘Jean can never cut down the swordmaster by herself. but…’
The swordmaster couldn’t cut down Jean either.
Exploiting and threatening are completely different. What master in the world would be able to cruelly harm their disciple?
Especially a disciple whom they forged an ordeal for just so they could surpass the wall.
“I apologize, Duke.”
Jean didn’t miss the moment when the swordmaster was thrown off balance. Anticipating the timing of the sword’s trajectory change, she attacked the swordmaster’s eyes with a hidden azure dagger tucked in her sleeve.
The swordmaster didn’t just take the hit. Instinctively, he raised his left hand to protect his eyes, and the dagger pierced through his palm, not his eyes.
Whether it was the eyes or the palm, it didn’t matter.
As long as it was pierced.
“…Good job, Jean.”
As the magic contained in the dagger infused with the Calepa’s power activated, the swordmaster’s movements momentarily ceased. I supported the falling Jean and held onto the handle of the dagger.
This dagger was a magical tool crafted in the shape of a blade which I received as a gift from Urd and Skuld, inspired by the magic tool that Rue used to peer into my soul.
“So, you need a magic tool? What is it for?”
“I want to delve into the memories of Duke Berkeley-Gratten.”
“Creating a magic tool requires a considerable amount of money and time. Sometimes, torture can be more efficient.”
“Unfortunately… He’s not one to open his mouth so easily.”
So, I must find a way to confirm what he is thinking, even if I have to force it.
Through the magic tool, the swordmaster’s memories quickly began to rush into my head..
In other words, the information he had tightly kept hidden in his mind.
* * *
The Swordmaster’s memories.
The memories felt like connecting black and white photographs from a newspaper. Faint remnants of intense moments appeared sporadically and passed by in front of my eyes.
The first scene that appeared was during the summer the Alliance was declared.
Inside Duke Jurian’s residence, two men were engaged in a conversation.
“Heart Crystal? It’s an unfamiliar object.”
In response to Jurian’s question, his aide replied while scanning through documents.
“It is said to be a stone crystallized from the heart of a deceased person. According to the reports, it is considered the core of Rogue’s magic… It seems to be used as a high-purity energy source.”
“A high-purity energy source, huh? It might be related to the grotesque monsters Mephisto is manipulating. Investigate it further.”
“Yes.”
The scene became blurry.
Not long after, a brutal winter began when the Penrotta Empire began to go through a full-fledged war.
Year 1 of the Declaration of the Allied Forces, winter.
An aide who arrived at Jurian’s mansion posted a report.
“Your Excellency, half of the four Rogue Wizards we made contact with have responded to the demand. As soon as they arrive at the Canyon in two weeks, they will be eliminated on the outside, and it will be conveyed to Rogue that the rapid currents in the gorge made it impossible to recover their bodies. Two of them will be immediately sent to the eastern Lake Iregiel for ‘Heart Crystal research.'”
Over the past six months, Jurian had obtained a significant amount of information about the Heart Crystal through independent information gathering.
He considered the research on the Heart Crystal to be of utmost importance.
Coincidentally, some of the support forces sent by Rogue and the Northern Continent were showing a passive attitude towards the war, causing frustration. Jurian managed to recruit some of them.
The collaboration was possible only because the research on the Heart Crystal was ultimately a means to counter Mephisto’s army.
“Was that stone we sent to Iregiel also a Heart Crystal?”
Jurian asked about the strange item he had picked up.
“Yes. It is said to be a unique Heart Crystal with a large amount of energy. We have requested confirmation if the location of discovery was indeed Queen Island.”
“It must be Queen Island. It was found a year ago shortly after the Queen Island Crisis. I did think it was strange that it didn’t even get a scratch no matter what we did… so it was indeed a Heart Crystal.”
The Heart Crystal picked up by the swordmaster was called the “Queen” and played a significant role in the progress of the research.
The winter of the 8th year of the Declaration of the Allied Forces.
To Duke Jurian’s barracks came a worn-out aide and an old wizard with a hood covering his face.
The swordmaster’s face, which greeted them, was pale with fatigue. He asked with an annoyed expression.
“So, are you saying we stop the research like this?”
“Your Excellency, ‘Queen’ undoubtedly possesses energy that can be harnessed. However, our technology cannot keep up.”
“….”
“To be frank, in the past seven years, studies that have shown significant progress are only mental trap research, healing magic research, and post-traumatic stress disorder improvement research. The research on producing chimeras to counter the devils is practically impossible…”
“But that doesn’t mean we can give up like this.”
“Your Excellency.”
“If everything goes as planned, the Allied Forces will enter Queen Island within two years. Until then, continue supporting the research.”
“…Understood.”
After a few more altercations, the aide led the old wizard and left the barracks.
Autumn of the 9th year of the Allied Forces’ declaration.
The old wizard, who visited the mansion once again, knelt down and pleaded.
“Your Excellency, I can’t go on anymore.”
Jurian, as he looked at him with a stern gaze, had an unkempt stubble.
“You can’t go on anymore? I can’t understand that. What exactly is so difficult? Support? We haven’t spared any effort in providing the best support despite avoiding the eyes of the Allied Forces and the royal family. Security? Not even a rat has been found near Iregiel in the past 8 years. So, what exactly is hindering the research?”
This was the first time the Duke had shown such anger. The old sorcerer, swallowing his dry saliva, began to explain in a calm voice.
“…The core of our research was ‘Queen’. A heart with overwhelming energy and magic power. Utilizing this noble heart, which was hard to believe once belonged to a human, we were able to conduct research that was incomparable to any other.”
“But?”
“After eight years of research, we have confirmed it. This heart is the one that is not allowing chimera research.”
The old wizard continued with a self-deprecating face.
“Do you believe it? It means that this pebble, smaller than a thumbnail, has its own consciousness. The chimera research has not failed. It’s just that this heart did not allow it. For example, all the research related to mental therapy has been successful…”
“Ridiculous. You’re not asking me to believe those words, are you?”
The old sorcerer was promptly expelled from the mansion.
In his place, three other wizards were summoned, but they, too, presented the same argument as if they were enchanted by something. They claimed that the consciousness of the heart rejected the chimera research.
The Allied Forces were on the verge of invading Queen Island, and it was a time that called for a decision.
In the end, Jurian decided to stop supporting the research. And to prevent the researchers from doing anything more in vain, he retrieved ‘Queen’.
It wasn’t until a few months later that Queen, which had returned to the Duke’s hands, reappeared in the world.
“What is this?”
“An elixir passed down through generations of the Berkeley-Gratten family.”
The reason Jurian handed ‘Queen’ over to Andert – his comrade, colleague, and disciple, was simple.
There was no other choice.
War required sacrifice. And victory required even more sacrifices.
However, Jurian could not be sacrificed. And so could not Raphael. The millions of troops of the Allied Forces had set foot on this island solely relying on and believing in them.
He knew Andert couldn’t survive. But he at least wanted to embrace the possibility.
Even such a great source of energy was no use if it couldn’t stop Mephisto. If he couldn’t even try to help Andert, who was on his way to die, then he was no better than trash.
Andert was their last hope.
Their hope ultimately led them to victory.
Ten years after the declaration of the Allied Forces, Winter.
As Mephisto’s castle collapsed in a massive explosion, the devil army that threatened the survival of humanity crumbled like sand and disappeared.
It was a surreal sight that they would never forget even in death.
“W-We won!”
“The Great Wizard Mephisto is dead! The Allies have won!”
While most rejoiced in victory, some couldn’t hide their sorrow at the sacrifice of their friend.
“Andert….”
Afterwards, the collapsed ruins of the castle were thoroughly searched, but no trace of Mephisto or Andert could be found.
The Allied Forces won.
And The Hero died.
Aaa I feel like crying. The war was hard on everyone. The sacrifice had to be made but I still cry. I guess Dian Cecht’s heart wasn’t allowing chimera research because it subconsciously knew it could ultimately lead the allies down a very destructive path.
Thank you for the chapter!
Dian Cecht really needs to make an appearance, even if in flashbacks. No background character can have so much influence on the story and no be present in it himself!