Episode 27

A roar like a lightning bolt striking for real, not as a metaphor, rang in their ears. Startled by the sheer explosive volume, Kratz fell flat on his backside. The others could not hide their agitation either.

“A-A ghost yelled!? What is wrong with this country!?”

“Quiet down, my amusing foreign friend. This is unexpected, but the truth is about to be revealed. The cruel truth, that is.”

The atmosphere grew tense, affected by Aaron’s unusual mood. Everyone focused on the spirit.

“Grandpa…… is that you?”

[……It has been a long time, Van. Have you grown a little taller? First, those two need treatment. —Those who inherited silver. May I ask you to heal them?]

“Y-yes! Understood!”

Ciel, who had been addressed, hurried over to the two and began treating them simultaneously with sacred arts.

“These wounds are terrible. Why would you do something so reckless……”

“It was likely not a matter of logic. You handle Luke. I will treat Zeke.”

Aktor joined in as well and used sacred arts on Zeke. Considering efficiency, there was nothing strange about dividing the treatment between them. ……There was not, but Ciel’s pressure was incredible. She was glaring at Aktor with an expression no one had ever seen from her before. Her eyes were telling him that this was her role, that he should switch places with her. ……Aktor quietly looked away.

“It has been a long time. Masfelt-san……”

[Glanz, is it? You have grown old too.]

“Yes. I had retired, but various connections brought me here.”

Glanz and the spirit who seemed to be Masfelt conversed in a friendly manner. To borrow Kratz’s words, the other party was a ghost. For those who had never met Masfelt, it was only natural to be shocked.

“……I am terribly sorry. I could not save you.”

[Never mind that. You did nothing wrong. If anything, you guided my immature grandson this far. You have my gratitude. Thank you.]

Glanz had supported Van and the others thus far as their elder. No matter how much life experience he had, that did not mean he felt nothing toward a person’s death. All the more so when that person was an old acquaintance. Perhaps because Masfelt’s words had lifted the weight from his shoulders, Glanz’s expression softened slightly.

[And to the rest of you as well…… Van caused you trouble. I am sorry.]

“I merely acted for my own sake.”

“Yes. We thought it through ourselves and chose this path.”

[How dependable you are despite your youth. He was blessed with good companions……]

Masfelt nodded in satisfaction after hearing Selen and Ciel’s words.

“……Yorn-dono. Judging from the situation, I understand that he is the deceased Sword Saint…… but is it possible for the dead to appear in the present world?”

“I’ve never experienced it myself, so I can’t really say. But judging from the Sage’s reaction, he must be the real deal. ……Aaron-dono, do you know anything?”

“To be honest, I did not know it was an object of this caliber. Now then, I wonder what will happen.”

Aaron directed meaningful words and a meaningful gaze toward Van. Van was still shaken. There were likely many things he wanted to say and ask. But no words came out.

[And then…… the young knight. Luke, was it?]

“Yes. It is an honor to meet you for the first time.”

[Enough. Be at ease. I am a dead man, a relic of the past.]

Masfelt stopped Luke, who had stood and saluted. His gaze shifted to Luke and the person beside him.

[You endured well. Without your efforts, I would not have been here.]

“……It is the same as with Selen and Lady Ciel. I merely acted according to my own feelings.”

His injured body had almost fully recovered thanks to the sacred arts, but recovering the mana he had consumed would take time. ……In other words, the other injured person was in the same situation.

[Indeed. The strength of your heart shows in your sword. ……Now then, our time is limited. Where should I begin?]

The main issue.

They surely wanted to rejoice at their reunion with Masfelt. But they had to accomplish the most important thing…… the purpose for which they had come to the Hidden-World Ruins. That was why they had acted all this time.

[First, about Samaris……]

“There is no need for that.”

Zeke stood up. Like Luke, his body seemed to have no issues. In a certain sense, he was the most important person present. Everyone focused on Zeke’s statement.

“Do not speak so arrogantly when you are dead. Do not think a being like you, pseudo-existing through my mana, has any value.”

“……You are probably the only person who would show no respect to the Sword Saint.”

Aktor was visibly put off by Zeke’s statement. ……But on second thought, Zeke did not change his attitude even toward royalty. This was business as usual.

“You can only exist because of necromancy. Then I will simply destroy that altar and send you back to the afterlife.”

“……Why? Why can you say something like that? Are you telling my dead grandpa to die all over again?”

Van stood between Masfelt and Zeke. There was no anger there. He overflowed with sadness and emotions that could not understand Zeke.

“……I do not intend to take his side, but I believe he will vanish on his own even if left alone.”

“No. I will not allow the dead to stir things up any further.”

Zeke stubbornly rejected Masfelt.
Zeke usually spoke roughly, but this time felt different. There was a sense of wrongness…… From the outside, it could be taken as though he had something inconvenient to hide and was trying to conceal it.

[Enough…… Enough, Zeke. You no longer need to be that way.]

Masfelt spoke as though admonishing Zeke’s sharp gaze. Gratitude and sorrow. Different emotions were contained in his words.

[A soul dwells in a weapon…… I understand that now because I am dead. I had been watching you from closer than anyone else all this time.]

At the end of Masfelt’s gaze was the sword that served as proof of the Sword Saint. It was the sword Zeke had possessed ever since the incident in question. It had been entrusted to him by the Sword Saint.

[With your power, you could have slaughtered every knight there. You had no need to save those with whom you had no ties. Against those who rejected everything about you simply because you were a Lagias, you did not wield force—you extended your hand.]

Each of them reacted as though something in Masfelt’s words came to mind. It was information only Masfelt, who had been watching from nearby, could know. The truth everyone wanted to know was beginning to come to light.

[What I know is only fragmentary information from these past few months. But it must have been happening since long, long before that, had it not? Alone, without relying on anyone. ……You did well.]

“……”

They understood even without explicit words. Most of the answers had already appeared.

“Masfelt-san. Then Zeke……”

[Zeke did not kill me. On the contrary, he fought to save me. The same was true in Samaris. The town may have vanished, but its residents are safe. There are plenty of witnesses too.]

“I knew it……”

Luke and his companions were relieved. For Eris and the others in particular, their actions up to this point had been rewarded, and smiles naturally rose to their faces. However, Zeke, who stood at the center of the matter, was still frowning. He had an expression as though he had bitten into something bitter.

“The residents of Samaris have been confirmed in the Lagias Domain. Including the missing Third Princess.”

“……My words may lack credibility, but it is as Aktor-dono says. The private army should be quite busy around now.”

With corroboration from Aktor and Simon, Ciel raised a question that could only be expected.

“Why did you not tell us that?”

“We did not think you would believe our words. In that case, the existence of these ruins was convenient. ……Though the Sword Saint appearing was unexpected.”

Masfelt gave additional details about the incident in Samaris.

The enemy had used beings that mimicked Zeke to target the residents of Samaris and Arnica, the Third Princess. He explained that Zeke had used spatial teleportation as a desperate measure to deal with the fake Zekes’ self-destruction.

“Fake Zekes…… and three of them at that. I am amazed you dealt with them.”

[They were inferior to the real one in power. ……Putting that aside, this is where the main topic begins.]

The truth behind the murder of Sword Saint Masfelt Freak was spoken by the man himself.

[The bandits who attacked Samaris and the one who killed me belonged to the same organization. ……In other words, the enemy can command fake Zekes. That alone is troublesome.]

“No, I don’t think ‘troublesome’ quite covers it. They are opponents capable of annihilating the Knight Order, correct? I would rather not face that.”

“Yorn-san. Your bad habit is showing again. ……Masfelt-san. I assume the person who killed you was also quite skilled.”

Masfelt had not been in perfect condition due to mana sclerosis. Even so, traces of battle had been left behind. —In other words, the culprit was a powerful fighter capable of opposing a single stroke from the Sword Saint.

[The person who killed me was……………… Elzen Freak. My son.]

—Van’s world collapsed.

Agitation spread at the shocking words Masfelt had unleashed. There were many who did not know Elzen, but considering his relationship to Masfelt, they immediately understood. In other words, that man was Van’s father.

[This is the truth, and the truth Zeke wanted to hide.]

Zeke glared at Masfelt. But he said nothing. Words once spoken could not be made unsaid.

“To add to that, Elzen Freak was the head of the Freak Trading Company and also a candidate to become the next Sword Saint.”

“Why would such an amazing person…… kill his own father?”

Kratz answered Aktor’s explanation with a look that said he could not understand. A child killing his own parent. To Kratz, who cherished his family, it was all the more difficult to comprehend.

“Only the person himself would know that. However, everyone in the Freak Trading Company, Elzen included, disappeared after the Sword Saint incident. —Would that not be the answer?”

“It was convenient for them. All the blame was directed toward my friend, and the Knight Order chased him with all its might. Truly an outrageous farce.”

Aaron’s sarcasm contained a slight anger. He could not forgive them for using Zeke, and Aaron’s older brothers had also been taken in by their smooth talk and strayed from the path.

“Why did you do something like that? If you had told us……”

[You all have time. Talk things through properly and come to understand one another.]

Zeke did not open his mouth in response to Selen’s question. Since the person himself would not speak, it could only be imagined—but quite a few of them thought he had probably done it out of consideration for Van.

“Zeke, you……”

“Do your worthless farce somewhere else. There are other things you people should be concerned about.”

At the end of Zeke’s gesture with his chin stood a swordsman. A swordsman who was standing there in a daze.

“Ha, haha…… What are you saying, Grandpa? It’s a joke, right?”

His eyes wavered, and his voice trembled. The sword at his side rattled.

“Dad—Father is my father and your child, right, Grandpa? Then why would he kill you? ……What happened to you, Grandpa?”

His gaze would not settle. Van’s world crumbled with a sound.

“It’s true Father and Grandpa didn’t get along. But that doesn’t mean he would kill you, right?”

[……]

Masfelt gave no answer to Van’s question. With a pained expression, he silently accepted Van’s words as though taking them to heart.

“……Van. I think there are other things we should talk about. We cannot waste time.”

“Shut up!!”

Van shouted back at Luke’s consideration.

“What do you know about me!? What do any of you know about me!? You people with all that talent…… You people who are first-rate with both swords and magic—don’t act like you understand me!”

“……Van, stop already.”

Van looked at Luke, and then at Zeke, shouting and hurling his emotions at them. Heated mana leaked out due to the disorder in his emotions.

—Atri’s tearful voice did not reach Van.

“I…… I only had the sword! All I ever did was swing a sword. Even if I couldn’t use magic, I would never lose to anyone with a sword. And yet…… don’t you people who lived without lacking anything deny me!”

Van poured everything out according to his emotions. No one stopped him.

“I only had the sword and…… the Sword Saint—Grandpa. So why did things turn out like this?”

Van fell to his knees and pressed his head against the ground. Unable to hold them back, tears spilled out.

“Why? Why can you be that way? What is different between me and you?”

“……Hey, what do you intend to do?”

Zeke looked toward Masfelt after watching Van break down in tears.

“That is why I said I would not allow the dead to stir things up. Is this what you went out of your way to return from the underworld to do?”

[Mind, technique, and body. All are immature. ……Even so, I believe. I believe Van will stop Elzen.]

Masfelt’s body began to glow faintly. The time of parting was approaching.

“!? Wait, Grandpa…… What am I—what am I supposed to do……?”

[Fool. Why seek answers from the dead? ……Do not try to be perfect alone. If you are immature, then look to those around you. You should not have been able to come this far by yourself.]

The meaning of Masfelt’s words. If it had been the usual Van, he likely would have understood at least part of it. But now he understood nothing. Nothing entered his head.

[……I know it is a selfish request. Would you lend Van your aid?]

“It truly is a selfish request. You intend to make me, a Lagias, clean up the mess of you Freaks? It seems dead old fools lose even the emotion called shame…… How laughable.”

Zeke truly sneered, just as his words suggested. He showed no mercy even to Masfelt, who had been praised as the strongest swordsman in history.

[I do not intend to force you. You are the one who decides.]

“……Hmph. Do not misunderstand. I use my power for myself. If that man gets in my way, I will crush him. That is all.”

[Indeed……]

Masfelt nodded as though satisfied. His expression had been mostly stern, but in the end, he showed a smile.

The spirit blurred, and Masfelt’s form grew hazy. The moment the presence of necromancy that had filled the ruins vanished would be their farewell to the Sword Saint.

“Before you disappear, please tell me. What is Elzen Freak’s objective? —How much does he know?”

[……Elzen once said this. “I found a way to create a world where Harla exists”……]

“Harla? ……Who is that?”

Masfelt did not answer Aktor’s question. He only murmured that he would leave the rest to them, then vanished. The spirit became particles of light and ascended into the sky. It returned to the place where it was meant to be.

“Grandpa……”

“……Masfelt-san. Farewell.”

The series of disturbances that began with the Sword Saint’s murder was developing into an incident that could shake the entire nation. Only a scant few had noticed that fact.

The answer they had sought had been nothing but an unwanted truth for Van. —But they still did not know. They did not know the structure of this world, nor the true role of Lagias. When Zeke—Hiroto—learned everything, what would he think?