Episode 12

As time passed, the gravity magic deployed across the battlefield lost its effect. Even though their bodies were free again, the knights could not move. Because of the demon who had descended onto the battlefield.

“So many of you all together… are you all that bored?”

The same hateful sharp tongue as always. Even before well over two hundred knights gathered from across the kingdom, his arrogant attitude did not change.

They had been waiting for him all this time.

For this man who pushed forward without flinching even before absurdity itself. For the strongest one who overturned everything no matter how hopeless the situation.

To the knight order, he might be a traitor, but to them, he was an antihero who cut down evil.

“…You really do seem insane. To actually side with Lagias when it puts you at a disadvantage.”

“Hmph. I don’t care about Lagias. I walk the path I believe in.”

There was no sign left of the weakness once hidden behind her strong words. Stronger than anyone, and more self-righteous than anything else. No one could stand against Zeke, who upheld absolute self-rule.

“…Did you come here sightseeing or something? To this worthless country?”

“Of course not. …I told you, didn’t I, Zeke? If anything happened, I’d definitely come running.”

It had been two years since Kratz and Zeke last met. Compared to back then, he had grown taller and seemed more dignified. His overwhelming power was still there. If anything, he felt even stronger than when he had fought the divine dragon. Since even Kratz, a soldier unversed in martial matters, could feel that much, there could be no doubt.

It had been Kratz who interrogated Zeke after his illegal entry into the Republic of Ignote, and that was how they first met.

The questioning had been difficult. He remembered how troublesome it had been trying to deal with a self-proclaimed noble boy who treated him as if he were beneath him. They had barely managed to have a proper conversation.

“…I know that sounded cool, but in the end, I just kept holding Eris and the others back…”

Zeke had displayed overwhelming power in the battle against the noble faction. Kratz would never forget the sight of him mercilessly crushing the rebels blessed by the divine dragon.

“Hmph. Trash should act like trash. …But I heard your voice.”

Though Zeke possessed supernatural strength, Kratz had always sensed something unstable about him. Back then, his eyes had looked painful and sad, but that was gone now. They were very strong eyes.

“So you did follow my instructions. That must be the answer you reached after recovering the dragon relic.”

The small stone embedded in Kratz’s saber. That clear blue fragment was part of the shattered jewel of Leviathan. President Riedel had carried out Zeke’s advice.

“Trash or not, you chose to fight. Then keep your eyes forward. No matter what the other piles of filth say… you are a soldier.”

“Zeke… Right. That’s right. I’m a soldier. A soldier doesn’t bow to evil.”

After speaking with Simon, Eris, and Kratz, the last one Zeke turned his gaze to was Yorn. Zeke looked surprised.

“You’ve got that look on your face, like you’re wondering why I’m here. I’m the type who properly repays what I owe.”

“Are you an idiot? That’s just common sense.”

“That’s unexpected. To hear the word ‘common sense’ coming from someone as abnormal as you.”

Yorn had, one way or another, crossed paths with Zeke many times before. It had started with guarding the lords’ conference, then the entrance exam, then the attacks on two provincial cities. In every case, it had only been because Zeke was there that the damage had been kept down.

“…I still hadn’t thanked you. Thank you for saving Westen. That city is my hometown.”

A sleepy, peaceful provincial city one could find anywhere. A boring place where the same uneventful days repeated endlessly. It was full of hopeless people, but even so, it was Yorn’s precious hometown.

Back then, it was because Strohk and Brink had been there that Yorn had managed not to forget his duty as a soldier. If he had been alone, Yorn would have abandoned his post, headed for Westen by himself, and died there.

“Don’t make me say the same thing over and over. Be grateful to those regimental commanders.”

“Honestly, you never waver, do you? …So what now?”

The knight order had fallen silent because of Zeke’s presence, but in terms of numbers, their side was still overwhelmingly outmatched. Considering that Zeke had only just been unable to move, he was probably not in peak condition. In a prolonged battle, they would unquestionably be at a disadvantage.

“Your role is over. Sit around and drink tea.”

Zeke raised one hand. Perhaps that was the signal, because Simon approached and lowered himself. Yorn was a little put off by just how much loyalty the man showed toward his master.

“I don’t like it, but… these people are my guests. Entertain them properly.”

“Yes, sir. Understood.”

The immense mana pouring from Zeke. Yorn recognized the unusual magic formula, different from ordinary magic. It was teleportation magic, once hammered into him by that absurd old magic geezer. A modified version of it wrapped around the four of them.

“You’re planning to stay behind alone? There’s no reason left to fight.”

“I do have one. …These pieces of filth are not the kind of people who understand words. You should know that too.”

The rotten customs that had continued for years. Since it was Zeke, the one who had cut through the darkness of the corruption-ridden knight order and National Military Headquarters, saying it, there could be no mistake. Publicly, the story was that the ducal house had moved, but Yorn was convinced Zeke had been involved as well.

“Understood. Leave this side to me. I’m secretly pretty strong, after all.”

Perhaps understanding the situation, each of them changed expression. Eris looked anxious, Kratz forced a smile, and Simon knelt expressionlessly.

It was not as if each of them had truly accepted it. From here on, Zeke would face these knights all alone. No matter how much power he had, he was still human. They keenly felt their own inadequacy at leaving behind Zeke, who was not in peak condition. —They did not accept it, but neither did they object. Because each of them believed in Zeke.

Zeke stepped forward with Yorn and the others at his back.

Just before the light of teleportation enveloped them, Zeke opened his mouth. In a voice so quiet it could not be heard without paying close attention, he murmured softly.

“Eris. Your words… reached me.”

Yorn and the others vanished through space.

“This is absurd… was that teleportation magic? And why are you staying behind alone…?”

“Is there any need for a pathetic wretch like you, who is about to die miserably, to know?”

With a fearless grin, Zeke looked over the knights.

Many of the knights were perplexed at seeing Zeke remain alone on the battlefield, but they could not lie there forever. Though fear remained, they stood up and drew their swords.

“Flashy magic and teleportation that sends only the selected targets away. …I can tell that you’re forcing yourself.”

There were quite a few who were cowed by his strong words and arrogant attitude. But considering everything Eris and the others had done up to now, the sense of wrongness came naturally. If he had that much power, there would have been no need for them to keep running, nor any reason to aim for Maria City. He had shown up in this desperate situation because he was protecting his comrades even at the cost of pushing himself too far.

“So you really aren’t in full condition.”

Blood ran from the corner of Zeke’s mouth. He did not show it in his expression or words, but his face was pale and his breathing ragged. It was obvious he was forcing himself hard.

“It’s quite a noble tale. Sacrificing yourself to save others. I don’t dislike that sort of thing.”

Simon’s rampage, Yorn’s magic, and then Zeke. Their individual strength was exceptional, yet even so, the overall situation had not changed greatly. The knights still held an overwhelming numerical advantage. The current Zeke was no more than a wounded beast.

“I don’t mean any harm by saying this. Surrender quietly. There is also the option of negotiating—”

“Shut up.”

“What an irritating man you are, prattling on and on.”

His sharp gaze pierced Eltia.

“Not in full condition, you say? So what? That gives me no reason to yield to trash like you.”

Blood dripped from his mouth. He was smiling savagely even while coughing up blood. Zeke was the one who was cornered, and yet the intense sense of danger would not leave Eltia.

“I’ll tell you why I remained here alone. —To collect the debt you owe me.”

“A debt? What are you talking abou—!? Wh-what is this…!?”

The ice pillars that had appeared across the Telone Plains suddenly began to shine. The black, ominous light rising from them filled all who saw it with unease. At the sight of that light, as though denying the very existence of life itself, unrest spread among the knights.

“How many times do you think I’ve cleaned up after your messes?”

The black light emitted from the ice pillars surrounding the knight order pierced the knights. Some collapsed to the ground, some stood there in stunned silence, some fled in terror, but all of them were targeted regardless. —All except Eltia alone.

“Did you really think I was acting out of goodwill alone? —Me, the Lagias you all despise so much?”

Was it some sort of attack, or something that caused a mental abnormality? Since she herself was not being targeted, Eltia could not tell what was happening. The knights collapsed where they stood as though all strength had left them. Judging by their slight movements, they were still alive.

“…What did you do, Zeke Lagias?”

“Shut up and watch. I’ll crush you last.”

The light that had pierced the knights gathered into bundles and converged at a single point. Within the black radiance, sparkling objects could be seen. The converged black light was gathering into Zeke.

“Ku-ku-ku… my power is coming back.”

All the light vanished into Zeke, and the very next instant, a surge of mana erupted. A pillar of light pierced the thick clouds and rose into the heavens, shaking the world. Snow had begun falling from the suddenly chilled sky.

“Life Absorber. I even gave value to trash like you. Cry with gratitude.”

“All the knights… Is this some form of curse? Your mana… it’s not merely doubled or something on that level…”

“Are you an idiot? I simply returned to normal. What you were desperately chasing was something like my other half.”

The world froze over. Every breath turned white, and the grass and trees around them crystallized. Every knight on the battlefield except Eltia was now unable to act. The only one left was Regimental Commander Eltia alone. She would have to face this monster all by herself.

“Well then, you really did as you pleased. You were prepared for that, weren’t you?”

The female knight before him slashed at him with a sword wrapped in crimson flames. Judging by her armor, she was likely a regimental commander, but since he did not know her name, he could not even tell exactly who she was. Characters who had not appeared in the original story were always troublesome, because he had to make the same kind of judgment call every time. —But this time, it did not matter. He would certainly eliminate her here. As one of the debts he owed in return to those weirdos who had fought with their lives on the line.

(My body feels light. It’s like I’ve been reborn.)

His body, which had felt as heavy as lead, was astonishingly light. He did not even need to gather mana; if he saw it and moved, that alone was enough. Watching the regimental commander raise her sword as though in slow motion, he might even have mistaken it for her holding back. Of course, his opponent was not holding back, nor had Zeke (Hiroto) literally been reborn. The reason was perfectly clear.

(Life Convert. I pushed myself too hard.)

Zeke had top-class potential even in the original story. His sword, his magic, his mana capacity—all were extraordinary, but none of them were infinite. As a living being, there was a limit to his mana. It had been the same in the game; once mana ran out, neither arts nor magic could be used. That was the rule in both the game and this world.

There were ways to recover depleted mana, such as rest or mana potions, but in this world, which had become like the game made real, even those had limits. To begin with, the substance called mana was deeply tied to a person’s life force. A dying person was never going to be overflowing with mana.

(How do you make up for lacking mana? The answer was Life Convert.)

One of the skills from the game. A forbidden technique that produced mana by sacrificing the hidden parameter of life force. Hiroto had forced himself many times through that.

To make up for insufficient mana, he had been burning away his own life. He did not know why he had kept making such foolish choices. Burning away his life just to survive was completely backwards. He understood that in his head, and yet his body had moved on its own.

(I’d stopped caring anymore. I had no intention of playing along with this justice game… but because of them…)

He had despaired when he learned that everything up to this point had been meaningless. No matter how much he resisted to change fate, the ending would not change. He had realized that Zeke, as the villain, was fated to die alone in isolation. That this world existed for the sake of the main characters.

(Because they all stuck their noses in where they didn’t belong… now I can’t die yet.)

The adventurer who said he had changed fate. The soldier who had actually carried out that nonsense. The private army captain with unnaturally high loyalty. The regimental commander of the Mage Corps who should have already exited the story.

Every last one of them was an idiot. Why were they all siding with Zeke, a Lagias? Why were they reaching out over such worthless debts? They should have just defaulted on all of it. They should have simply left a being like Lagias, who ought to be erased from this world, alone. If the same thing happened in the game’s scenario, it would undoubtedly have caused an uproar.

(I really don’t care anymore. This whole world can just break apart. I’m getting out… once I settle things.)

He understood this about himself better than anyone: Hiroto was a self-centered person. What happened to anyone else did not matter. It had all started from his decision that if he himself survived and laughed at the end, that would be enough.

Again and again, he had acted for his own sake. There were times he had helped others for calculating reasons, but at the root of it all was always himself, and the great goal of surviving.

(I’m not pretending to be some ally of justice… but I’ll repay the bare minimum of what I owe. I’m not so far gone that even that’s impossible.)

Starting with Eris, then Kratz, Simon, and Yorn. There might even be more beyond them. Fools all, for helping Zeke, the evil of this world.

Zeke’s current position was that of the great criminal who had killed the Sword Saint. If Zeke were not captured as things stood, there was a chance the blame would shift to Eris and the others. People would die somewhere beyond Hiroto’s knowledge. …He refused that. It would leave a bad taste in his mouth. Why should he have to bear responsibility for other people’s lives? —That was why he would repay only the minimum he owed.

(If they stay in the Lagias Domain, no harm will come to them. …That place is a forbidden zone. The king will never permit an army to march in.)

Simply confining them there would not be the best solution. He would also need to pull strings with the ducal house or the royal family. Once he did that, he did not care what happened afterward. Anything beyond that was outside his jurisdiction.

(Life Absorber, huh. It turned out just as I expected.)

Once life force was lost, it did not return. Unlike stamina or mana, it was not the sort of thing rest could restore. But there was one exception: Life Absorber.

A devilish act that literally absorbed life from living beings other than oneself. It suited the Demon of Lagias perfectly.

Using it, Hiroto had restored the life force he had lost. He had taken it from the knight order, the very people to whom he had extended a debt.

But unlike Zeke (Hiroto), the life force shaved from them was minuscule. Taking only a tiny bit of life from hundreds of knights had been enough. It likely would not have much effect on the course of their lives.

(They sure collapsed dramatically. Want me to beat them awake?)

The regimental commander fought on alone. There were no allies around her. What was this commander thinking, facing Zeke all alone?

“This is laughable. Since when did the knight order become a playground for children? Tell me, little girl.”

“…That is rather offensive. I am a lady older and of higher standing than you.”

While she wielded her sword, flamboyantly wrapped in flames, with one hand, a magic spear was hidden in her left. This regimental commander, wielding swordsmanship and magic at the same time, was clearly a highly capable fighter. But she was no match for Zeke (Hiroto).

“You’re weaker than me, so ‘little girl’ is more than enough… disappear.”

It was not a technique. There was no skill or mana-infused art behind it. He simply struck once. A single blow directed at the regimental commander.

Her armor shattered, and she was blown away. Without even the chance to speak.

“And that still makes you a regimental commander? …It seems there are differences in strength even among knights.”

There was no one left to answer his mutter.

All across the vast Telone Plains, countless knights lay collapsed. It was a bizarre sight: armored knights bearing the kingdom’s crest sprawled across the ground. The foreign force deployed near the border had vanished at some point.

Now, the only ones on the battlefield were Zeke, fully restored, and those blessed by the world.

“You’re late. Pieces of trash…”

They must have abandoned their horses partway and run the rest of the way. Each of them was breathing hard, their exhaustion plain to see. If they had ridden horses across a plain covered with collapsed people, it would have been easy to imagine deaths occurring.

“Because you were late, the Kingdom’s knight order suffered devastating damage. Well, they brought it on themselves.”

Zeke sneered and spat the words out. In the direction of his gaze stood several men and women. At their head was Van, the grandson of the Sword Saint.

“…You did this? All by yourself?”

“Of course I did. If enemies come at me, I crush every last one of them. How long will it take before you understand me, Van?”

He had expected Van to fly into a rage and attack him like before, but Van did not move. Instead, he watched Zeke’s every motion as if trying to confirm something.

“You’re not coming? Aren’t I supposed to be the Sword Saint’s enemy? What happened to all that spirit you had the other day, Van (failure)?”

He deliberately spoke in a way that provoked Van.

At this point, it would be hard to correct the course anymore. Since Luke had apparently joined up with them, the world was moving according to the scenario. Luke’s two colleagues had mixed in as well, but that was probably close enough to a negligible deviation.

“I don’t understand what you’re thinking at all…”

“You don’t need to understand. The path I live by is different from yours.”

Zeke was the enemy of the world. This world would continue to turn according to that fixed future, one that could no longer be overturned. …So what?

If the world rejected Zeke and blessed the main characters, then fine, so be it. If they wanted to immerse themselves in their little justice game, they could revel in it to their heart’s content… but he had no intention of playing along.

“If you get in my way, I’ll erase you too.”

“Zeke. You seem awfully happy. Did something good happen?”

Luke stepped in front of the downcast Van. Since he was in armor, this meant he had come here in the line of duty.

“…I’m not here to blame your actions. This was legitimate self-defense.”

“How ridiculous. What can someone who’s merely a captain of a small unit say to me?”

Until he had repaid the bare minimum of what he owed, he needed to keep the main characters’ attention appropriately focused on himself. It would be bad if the protagonist party became hostile toward those who had become anomalies in this world.

“You are a knight, and I am Lagias. This outcome was decided from the very beginning.”

“Who decided something like that? We were always together—”

“Don’t get carried away.”

For some reason, seeing the sorrowful look on Luke’s face made his chest ache. He did not know why, and he had no need to understand it.

“You are nothing more than a pitiful brat who failed to die. If I’d let you die back then, I could have spared myself this extra trouble.”

“Zeke…”

This was for the best.

The die had already been cast.

He would fulfill his role as the villain, just as the world wanted. Then, when the time was right, he would withdraw. Once the protagonists learned the truth, they would no longer have the luxury of concerning themselves with Zeke. And if they still stubbornly came after him, he would crush them. If he truly could not escape the fate of death, then…

“Van (failure). If you want the truth, prove your strength. When you learn everything, I look forward to seeing what you choose.”

Wrapped in the light of teleportation, Zeke vanished.

What were Van and the others left behind beneath that cold sky thinking now?