Episode 15

Sparks crackled and lit the dark night red. The sun had fully set, and around the time when the creatures of the mountain forest had fallen silent, they were making camp.

What separated them as they sat on the ground was a continuously burning campfire. Perhaps they had positioned themselves with the fire between them because they were wary of one another. Even with words and actions, no relationship of trust had formed, and a deep divide had opened between them.

“I am sorry, Your Highness. This is all the food we have.”

“Not at all. Thank you. …However.”

They should originally have arrived in Samaris by now, but the attack had thrown their schedule greatly off course. The existence of a new enemy was also assumed, so they needed to act carefully.

“Good grief… How long do you people intend to keep this up? Her Highness said it was fine, did she not?”

Rosetta and the others did not lower their guard. Zeke was present because Arnica had asked him to accompany them. Meanwhile, Zeke himself had his arms folded and his eyes closed. His attitude, as though they were not even worth his attention, only irritated Rosetta and the others further.

“…Commander, are you sane?”

“I am sane. I have not had any liquor, after all. Gahaha!”

Rosetta sent a cold look toward Baccus’s booming laughter. It was their usual exchange, but there was an irregular element present here.

“I am grateful that he saved us. But.”

“The timing felt too convenient. If everything had been set up beforehand, then it might have been the natural result?”

Help conveniently arrived on a mountain road far from any settlement. That alone felt strange, but what Zeke had told them was also an outlandish story.

“Massacring the people of Samaris… Even assuming that is true, where did you get that information?”

“And calling Her Highness a ‘key’? I don’t really understand that either. Maybe he’s trying to confuse us by saying complicated things.”

The idea of massacring an entire city’s residents was hard to believe, but Osten had indeed suffered enough damage to be destroyed. If this information had been provided normally, perhaps things would have been different, but the source this time was Zeke. Before even considering the credibility of the information, they could not trust Zeke himself.

“…”

Zeke showed no reaction even as Rosetta and the others looked at him with suspicion. He had not touched the hastily made soup either.

“I cannot tell you everything, as this touches upon a top-secret matter of the royal family. However, even with that said, Zeke’s words can be trusted. Without his assistance, saving Samaris will be difficult.”

Even if they informed the nation of the danger to Samaris now, how much time would it take for the knight order to arrive here? In the first place, could the current knight order even respond to a situation where an entire city was exposed to danger?

“Y-Your Highness. The knight order is certainly in a difficult situation, but the one who caused that was him… If everything had been calculated, then it would all add up, or rather…”

Veil kept glancing nervously at Zeke. His fear was showing clearly. Even from the perspective of the Royal Guard Corps, Zeke was a person who required caution. His reaction came precisely because he knew Zeke’s actions and the suspicions surrounding him.

“…You people really are useless.”

Zeke spoke with a long sigh.

“No one told you to trust me. From my perspective, I do not care whether the Third Princess disappears or Samaris is destroyed. It has nothing to do with me.”

Zeke spoke indifferently and without interest.

“You decide what to do. Whether you resist or let them die is your choice.”

The black shadow that had attacked them on the road. The one who had defeated the entity that closely resembled Baccus, their commander, in both appearance and ability was Zeke, and the one thought to possess some sort of information was also Zeke. By contrast, the Royal Guard Corps side had almost no useful information, and Arnica, the person they were assigned to protect, was now in danger. No matter how one looked at it, they should ask Zeke for cooperation, and a dialogue was necessary.

“Now, wait a moment, all of you. …You, Zeke, was it? Shall we talk a little?”

Zeke looked suspiciously at Baccus, who suddenly cut in. Rosetta and the others also watched warily, wondering whether he was about to say something strange again.

“It is nothing much. It is a story about an old friend of mine. A fool who lived only for the sword and knew little of anything besides the sword.”

The crackling sparks vanished into the dark night. Baccus looked at the campfire with distant eyes.

“I crossed swords with that man many times. Each time, I was defeated. …In the end, he passed away without my ever beating him even once.”

“…Baccus. Could that old friend of yours be…”

He shifted his gaze from the campfire to Zeke.

His deeply wrinkled face bore multiple scars. He looked his age, but his eyes shone powerfully.

“You, Zeke. …How was my old friend… How was Masfelt in his final moments?”

“…………What I saw was him lying collapsed on the ground. His throat had been crushed, and one of his arms had been cut off. He was literally at death’s door.”

Upon hearing Zeke’s words, Baccus clenched his fist tightly. Blood dripped from his palm.

“I knew he suffered from an incurable disease. But… in the end, I could do nothing.”

“Do not flatter yourself. Either way, there was nothing you could have done. …He was in the terminal stage of mana sclerosis. Under normal circumstances, he should not even have been able to move his body, yet the Sword Saint must have fought. The man who never let go of his sword until his final moment was――a true swordsman.”

“!?…………Thank you. For seeing my dear friend off.”

Baccus lowered his head. Tears glimmered in his eyes.

“Hmph. It irritates me, but as I am now, I cannot reach the Sword Saint in his prime. How vexing.”

“Gahaha! How modest. That was a talent that sword fool never had.”

Baccus laughed loudly. His tears were gone, and his booming laughter echoed through the dark night before fading away.

“Wait a second. Then that makes it sound like someone else killed the Sword Saint…”

The fact that Baccus and the Sword Saint had known each other was news to them and came as a surprise, but a matter that needed confirming even more had emerged.

“Rosetta. The blade he wears was bestowed by the king. It is the proof of the Sword Saint, the symbol of an era.”

Anyone could see that the blade was a masterpiece. As Arnica said, the royal crest was engraved upon it. It was the proof of the Sword Saint, known to everyone who aspired to walk the path of the sword.

“If he had killed the Sword Saint out of desire for honor, he would have no reason to flee. And if he were fleeing, it would be unnatural for him to carry around that blade, which could serve as decisive evidence. In other words…”

Arnica declared that Zeke was innocent. From the perspective of someone who knew at least a little of Zeke’s character, she had a strange sense of trust that if he were going to do it, he would have carried it out far more efficiently.

“It is said that a weapon holds its owner’s soul. That blade does not feel as though it is rejecting Zeke. That means he is the one to whom that man entrusted his will.”

Zeke spat out that he had no interest in the occult. Baccus began telling a story from his own experience, saying such things could not be dismissed so easily.

“…I don’t understand. Then why… why don’t you raise your voice?”

“Are you stupid? Should I go around denying to random people that I am not the culprit? Who would believe that? The words of me, a Lagias?”

He was right.

When they had heard about the wanted notice, the thought that it figured had crossed their minds. Information about Zeke’s good deeds had also come in, but they had never connected that with the House of Lagias. A Lagias was still a Lagias after all. They had simply swallowed the knight order’s information whole.

“Commander, did you perhaps know?”

“There was no malice from him, after all.”

Rosetta fell silent, while Rachel turned a cold look toward Baccus. Veil wore a troubled expression.

“Let us return to the matter at hand. The most important question is――who is the culprit?”

The atmosphere changed.

The culprit who had killed Masfelt, the greatest swordsman in the nation. If there was a true culprit behind the case that had thrown the whole country into an uproar, the situation would move forward greatly. Everyone’s eyes gathered on Zeke.

“Do not. You will be e-r-a-s-e-d, you know?”

““““!?””””

An intense pressure radiated from Zeke. They could feel his strong will telling them not to step any further into this matter.

“This is not your place to interfere. …The Sword Saint’s mess should be cleaned up by his g-r-a-n-d-s-o-n… defective though that thing may be.”

“!? I see. …Little El, then. …That great fool.”

Perhaps something had gotten through to him, because Baccus fell silent. He lowered his head and wore a thoughtful expression.

“Zeke, I will say it again. I want you to lend us your aid.”

“Hah. Do not drag me down. You people will become my hands and feet. Think only of that.”

The sun rose, and the Royal Guard Corps and Zeke (Hiroto) began moving toward Samaris. They had camped outdoors the day before, but there was not much physical fatigue.

Normally, they might take turns standing watch while the others rested, but naturally, no one called out to Zeke. He understood that they were wary of him, but when it was this blatant, it instead felt almost refreshing. Hiroto, who had been looking forward just a little to camping, tending the fire, and keeping watch, felt disappointed inwardly.

Ahead of him proceeded the carriage and the Royal Guard Corps. They were the kingdom’s elites, gathered to protect Princess Arnica. Without knowing anything, they would participate in the tunnel opening ceremony held in Samaris, and without understanding anything, they would lose their lives.――At least, that was how it had been in the original work.

Zeke had been given the factor of a spirit (god). He was an arrogant and ruthless person. Although he had high potential in both swordsmanship and magic, after obtaining cheat-like power, he became even more brutal.

In the original Samaris event, Zeke attacked the opening ceremony and captured Arnica. As for everyone else, he annihilated them together with the city. There had been parts where Pariaach had guided him skillfully, but Zeke himself had a goal as well, and he had chosen to go along with their plans.

(Now that I think about it, this is an insane situation. A mass murderer and his victims are traveling together.)

Until now, Hiroto had taken many actions with the goal of breaking away from the scenario. He had not obtained the results he wanted, but he recognized that there were futures he had changed, if only a few. The fact that people who were supposed to die were still alive was important to Hiroto.

Everyone involved this time had died in the original work. Arnica, the Third Princess, had also been used as a spare “key” and lost her life. If possible, he wanted to prevent that. He had no desire to watch someone die right in front of him. If he could not get cooperation, then so be it. He understood that he had no trust from the start. For the peace of his own heart, he would simply save them on his own.

As Zeke (Hiroto) was reviewing the flow of the original work once more for the sake of his objective, one of the Royal Guards walking ahead slowed her pace and slowly approached him. She looked a little older than Zeke. She was tall for a woman, and the sight of her pale blond hair fluttering seemed like something unique to another world.

(…Who was this person again?)

He knew she was a Royal Guard who had been in Samaris, but beyond that, he had no particular information. He thought her name had come up in their conversation, but he did not remember it. In the first place, no normal person would think to build a friendship with people who had hated him that much.

As he made excuses while somehow convincing himself that he was not at fault, the Royal Guard in question called out to him.

“…Can I have a moment?”

“Get lost. Do not come near me so casually.”

“…”

The conversation ended there. Even Hiroto was taken aback by how foul his mouth was. As Hiroto, he had only wanted her to leave him alone until later because he was thinking, but reality was cruel. No matter how much stronger he became, correcting this bad mouth of his had still not been possible. Lately, he had thought his way of speaking had softened just a little, but apparently, it had been his imagination.

“…Hey, do you have any friends? Having someone you can open your heart to makes it lighter, you know?”

“If you want to recruit someone into a religion, go find someone else, you creep.”

“…”

At this point, it almost felt refreshing.

――Friends. Had Zeke ever had such a thing? He was a villainous character who always acted alone. In the story, he was defeated by the protagonists and died without anyone seeing him off. In the game, that had been set in stone, but what had the person himself thought?

(Friends, huh… I wonder how everyone is doing.)

Hiroto did not have many, but he did have people he could call friends. He also had a family, starting with his father and mother, and he had enjoyed peaceful everyday life. Now, he was living side by side with death. You never knew what might happen in life.

(I wonder… what they were thinking when they saved Zeke.)

Normally, no one would save a person hated by the entire country and placed on a wanted list. Even if they owed him a debt, Hiroto had never intended it that way; it had merely turned out like that as a result. Could someone truly want to save another person even at the risk of their life? …Would the day come when he could think that way?

――What had that blond knight been thinking when she became a knight?

“…I’m sorry. I made one-sided judgments about you without understanding you. I just wanted to apologize.”

“Stop with your worthless hypocrisy. It stinks.”

“!? W-Who are you saying stinks!? I take proper care of myself even while camping! Wait, why are you making me say that!?”

She struck him hard on the back with a smack. Cherlan and the others walking ahead turned back to look at them, their eyes widening as if wondering what had happened.

“Hm? Young people are so lively. Rosetta is quick with her hands.”

“What!?”

The Royal Guard in question turned red in the face and strode over to Baccus, stomping across the ground. Without showing the slightest hesitation toward the commander, the top of the organization, she began rapidly complaining about something.

(What is with that woman? The Royal Guard Corps has a lot of dangerous people.)

The first time he had met a Royal Guard was more than two years ago. He remembered being shocked at the sight of an eccentric person who had never appeared in the original work. Would there be more such encounters from here on? …If possible, he would rather pass.

(I don’t know whether things will conveniently go my way… but I have no choice but to do it.)