Chapter 12

The sea of trees, which was always dim, was now covered by the dark night. The only things illuminating the lightless Forest of Death were the campfire Van and Zeke sat around and the faint glimmer of hazy stars.

The fierce monster attacks had stopped… temporarily.

“This tastes awful.”

“…It’s portable rations. Of course it does.”

Just as Zeke said, they certainly were not delicious. While washing them down with water, Van turned his eyes to the surroundings and saw the ice wall that rejected the monsters. The enormous ice wall, radiating a powerful presence, appeared abnormal even in this Forest of Death.

Like a territory-taking game, Zeke had seized the monsters’ territory. The forest had become open ground, and visibility had improved enough that they could see the starry sky. It was convenient enough to use as a base, but Van had never imagined Zeke would cover the entire area with magic. According to Zeke himself, “Not resting while in a tense state… is that what you thought? Are you an idiot? What purpose would that serve? It is the height of inefficiency.”

Van had thought they would rest while taking turns keeping watch. In a situation where they never knew when they would be attacked, they would sharpen their five senses and train amid that tension. He had thought one goal was to turn the experience of surviving in this harsh monster territory into strength, but Zeke’s thinking seemed different.

As for the ice wall, rather than serving as a simple wall, it might have been closer to a barrier. An ice wall that spread through the sky and even underground… At that point, it was practically a dome.

He could sense the monsters’ presence, but faced with Zeke’s specialty ice magic, they seemed unable to interfere. It was true that they could rest slowly like this, but still.

“What? Do you want to sleep outside? If you are dissatisfied, then leave.”

“…I didn’t say that. I just thought it was unexpected. I thought you’d train even during breaks.”

“If half-hearted rest affects the next day, then it is meaningless. Combat until the sun sets, then rest until morning. Basically, we will repeat that. How is it? Even an idiot can understand that much, yes?”

Luke had told him before that Zeke was apparently an efficiency-first person. Rather than finely calculated training, this was training where they fought monsters efficiently and endlessly. Was this the secret to his strength?

Perhaps the portable rations did not suit his taste, for Zeke grimaced. If there were ingredients, Van could make simple food, but Zeke had prepared the carriage. Van felt hesitant about saying whatever he pleased. To begin with, he could not imagine Zeke obediently eating Van’s cooking.

(Something feels… awkward.)

Van felt uncomfortable with the silences that came from time to time.

He had met Zeke before and had acted alongside him, but this was the first time the two of them had been alone together. Usually, Van had his companions, and there was always someone at Zeke’s side too. Ciel and Selen were often near Zeke, but what sort of relationship did they have?

Thinking about it now, what was the relationship between Van and Zeke?

When they first met in the royal capital, Van had been thoroughly beaten. After that, he had continued training, but the gap only widened. He had misunderstood Zeke as Masfelt’s enemy, only to be beaten in return, and now he was being trained by that very same opponent… Objectively speaking, it was pathetic. To begin with, Van had not apologized about Masfelt. Zeke’s impression of him must have been the worst.

(There was always someone beside me… but what about Zeke?)

The evil House of Lagias. The worst and most wicked nobles in Diabalet’s history. That was all Van had known about Lagias. He had only vaguely thought of them as villains, but the truth was that they were victims bound by a vow made with the king of Diabalet. The true nature of Lagias was that an unwanted role and ideology had been forced upon them. Tragic heroes no one knew about—that was Lagias.

(Was he fighting alone the whole time? Without being able to tell anyone…)

Even Zeke, who had seemed flawless and supremely self-centered, had weakness. He might have nearly broken once, but he had returned by his own will. He was trying to fulfill his responsibility as the last Lagias. …Compared to him, what about Van?

He had been shaken by the truth about Masfelt and was shrinking back before the decisive battle with Elzen. Even though he should have known who was evil and what he needed to do. Despite Zeke having arranged things this far for him, Van’s heart still had not settled.

“…Hey, how can you fight?”

Zeke’s blue eyes stared at Van. Strong eyes that did not waver. In contrast, Van’s eyes must have looked weak right now.

“Why can you go that far?”

It was always that way. Zeke never lost. He always achieved results. He had saved the royal capital, repelled the Knight Order, and freed the Watchmen. …It had also been Zeke who saved Atri.

“How can you be that strong? What exactly are you thinking?”

Thinking about it now, Zeke’s actions must have had meaning. Van could not help thinking that everything had been a path toward winning the battle against Elzen. A being who knew everything… Van even suspected that Zeke might know the conclusion of this battle too.

“—What are you?”

“Hah. Have you gone mad from fighting monsters? …Go to sleep. The moment the morning sun rises, I will release the magic. Then hell begins again.”

After spitting that out, Zeke moved behind the carriage.

Van heard him chant some kind of magic, then the sound of him spreading out a prepared sleeping bag. As an aside, a sleeping bag had also been prepared for Van.

“What do I… want to do?”

Zeke gave no answer. His childhood friend Atri was not there, nor were his companions.
The starry sky he looked up at from inside the ice wall was a fantastical sight.

Shining light swords crossed as they chased shadows. They were magic swords formed with exactly the same output. Without the slightest deviation, they overlapped at the same angle and burst apart. The surrounding terrain had changed shape from the violent clash of power.

“Luke. Let us stop here.”

“…Phew. Understood, Father.”

At the edge of the Rent Domain, on a plain far from town, stood Brink and Luke.
It had already been a week since the two moved from the royal capital to the Rent Domain. They had continued training in this place every day. Brink, one of the kingdom’s highest-level magic sword users, was hammering his own techniques into his son Luke.

“You absorb things quickly. You surpassed me in no time.”

“Not yet. At the moment of impact, my mana still gets disturbed no matter what.”

Normally, it would have been impossible for Brink, who was also a regimental commander, to leave the Knight Order at such an important time. Luke’s training could have been called a personal matter, but this time, there was a proper justification. He was instructing a young man acting as part of an independent force by the king’s order… There was no problem at all.

“If you can analyze yourself properly, there is no need to rush. That is what training is for.”

“Thank you. For giving me your valuable time.”

Until just a little while ago, they had been in a regimental commander and platoon leader relationship, but now they were father and son. It was obvious, yet it felt strange.

When Luke said he would quit the Knight Order and pulled out his resignation letter, Brink had been surprised, but he had no intention of blaming him. If Luke had thought for himself and chosen his own path, Brink would respect it. That was Brink’s way of thinking.

“…Father. May I ask you something?”

“Hm? What is it, so formally?”

They had been father and son for years. No matter how much Luke grew, his essence did not change. This atmosphere was what he had when something was troubling him.

“The truth about Lagias has been revealed now, but back then, they should have been like the incarnation of evil. Why did you decide to become involved with Lagias?”

His relationship with Lagias—in other words, he was probably referring to Brink and Zeke.

Back then, Brink’s heart had been nearly broken. His beloved wife had died, and even his son seemed as if he was about to go somewhere far away. Brink had used every possible means to save Luke, but there had been no salvation. Since he had quit the Knight Order, his money had also been on the verge of running out.

“To tell you the truth, it felt like selling my soul to the devil. —I needed money, even if I had to kill my heart…”

“So that’s why you trained Zeke.”

Because of the constraints on his time and the compensation, he had chosen to instruct the son of Lagias in swordsmanship. Brink had no motivation and no ambition. Even so, he needed money. Curing an unknown disease inevitably brought financial problems.

“My first impression of Lord Zeke was the worst. I thought Lagias really was Lagias after all, and at the time, I had nothing but prejudice.”

He had not intended to get deeply involved. It would be enough if he fulfilled the bare minimum of his duty. Everything had been for the sake of saving his son.

“But your relationship with Zeke…”

“That is true. It was a strange feeling. The Lagias I had heard about and Lord Zeke did not match.”

His mouth was the worst, but his actions were the complete opposite. There was no doubt that he purely sought strength, but each and every one of his actions contained righteousness. That did not change even toward Brink, who had distrusted him.

“It is likely because Lord Zeke was there that I am who I am now. Because that encounter happened, I can remain your father.”

The special medicine for mana sclerosis and the subjugation of the venom dragon Basilisk. The whole sequence of events had been outrageous. It had felt like he was dreaming a convenient dream.

“This is only my guess, but… even without that encounter, I feel that Lord Zeke and Luke would have crossed paths somewhere. …Strange, isn’t it? For some reason, I think that.”

Perhaps Luke had the same thought, for his eyes widened in surprise.

“…I do not intend to deny your choice. If you want to stand beside your friend—then do not give up, no matter what happens.”

A peerless antihero with both sword and magic at the kingdom’s top level, capable of fighting the Knight Order alone. A being stronger than anyone and more solitary than anyone. …That was precisely why he also possessed fragility.

“Lord Zeke has likely already been chosen. His eyes showed that his resolve had been set.”

And he had seemed sad as well. He had been grieving the loss of something precious. As if he knew what would happen from here on, and the outcome of the battle…

“I’ll become stronger. To protect this world where everyone is alive, and to protect my best friend.”

If it came to strong eyes, Luke did not lose either. He had truly become strong. Brink had still thought of him as a child, but it was about time he corrected that way of thinking.

The world he had once wished for, where Luke and Zeke walked together. Was it arrogant to wish that it would continue forever?

Humans and monsters mingled together, grinding against each other in battle.

To become stronger, and to obey their own instincts. Their reasons varied, but their essence was the same. A survival competition. The weak lost everything, and the victors could remain strong.

“Blazing Whirlwind!”

A scorching wind tinged with flame burned the monsters. It was one of the sword techniques that carried mana whose nature had been altered through swordsmanship. A new power Van had devised after taking a hint from Zeke’s Delta Storm. Van was also steadily growing.

“What is that? Take this seriously.”

A chill ran through his body. Sensing cold killing intent, Van hurriedly leapt away from that spot. A few seconds later, Zeke’s descending foot carried the force of a hammer. The ground cracked, and the vibration spread through the forest.

“Haa, haa… Damn it, this is ridiculous.”

He had thought the monsters were the only enemies. He had thought Zeke would not interfere in the battle, though he might give some form of instruction. …But Zeke interfered not with words, but with his hands. And his targets were Van and the monsters.

(I completely let my guard down. This guy really is insane.)

An ice scythe was swung, and Van and the monsters dodged while leaping away. The monsters that reacted late were brutally split in two at the torso. If Van made the wrong judgment, he would meet the same fate. Unpleasant sweat trickled down.

“What is wrong… Is that all?”

Van readied his sword, while the monsters bared sharp claws and fangs and growled. Naturally, Van and the monsters had no sense of camaraderie. If they saw an opening, they would kill each other without hesitation. …Of course, they had no such luxury before Zeke.

They were not allies, but enemies. However, right now, the mighty being known as Zeke was trying to reap their lives. Van and the monsters had naturally taken a form close to cooperation.

“Show me something more entertaining, beasts.”

Van’s path of hardship did not seem likely to end anytime soon.