Chapter 15

The great archive built within the royal castle of the Kingdom of Diabalet. Only those with authority in the kingdom were permitted to enter it, and many historical texts were stored there. The highest-ranking mage, known as the Sage, and a young lady from a foreign land had come there.

“It feels less like an archive and more like a large library.”

“Yes. Originally, it should have been opened to many people, but… it seems there are important books here as well.”

Glanz had only entered this place a handful of times in the past. It had been managed so strictly that permission would not be granted unless he was accompanied by Royal Guards. The reason Glanz and Selen could now enter without restriction was thanks to Alderic’s arrangement.

“So… why am I here too?”

“I wanted to hear the opinion of Selen-san, who comes from another country. The existence of spirits. Even if they vanished from the world, it seems the records of their existence could not be erased.”

Glanz picked up an old book. Written within it were past wars, natural disasters, and supernatural phenomena. They were all things that could not be explained by modern magical technology alone. It even touched on mana aggregates with wills of their own.

“Wait… this staircase leading to the heavens…”

“It says it is the path leading to the Gate to the Otherworld—the ‘Path of the Firmament.’”

The beginning of the world that appeared when the fool and the one who built bridges encountered each other. That was what the Path of the Firmament was recorded to be.

“That makes what the king and Zeke said sound even more believable.”

“Yes. I cannot believe this book is a product of fantasy. In other words, the possibility that Elzen Freak may become a new Diabalet is beginning to feel realistic…”

Neither Glanz nor Selen doubted Zeke, but with literature that matched this closely, they had no choice but to accept it. Wishes and spirits. Watchmen, sacrifices, and the existence of successors.

“Then… what is this staircase leading to the earth?”

“The ‘Path of Stars,’ is it?”

The Path of Stars manifested at the same time as the Path of the Firmament. It was written that if the firmament was the beginning, then the stars were the end. What exactly did that mean?

“Unlike the ‘Path of the Firmament,’ there isn’t much detail written about it.”

“We cannot understand it from this alone, but let us keep it in the corner of our minds.”

Other words that were no longer heard in the modern day were also written there, such as spirit worship and divine descent. Among them were even ominous terms such as godslaying.

“This may prove useful in the coming battle. I apologize for taking your precious time, but…”

“I don’t mind. Power alone isn’t what decides a battle. If you called me here in that sense, then I’m honored.”

The brains of the protagonist’s party began gathering information. This, too, was their way of fighting.

Nearly two weeks had passed since Elzen’s attack. Since they had already been at the halfway point back then, the time limit would arrive soon. In other words, there was only a little training left in this Forest of Death. Whether it had been long or short was hard to say. Since they had fought every day as though they were dying, he honestly had not paid much attention to time. As long as he was not late, it would be fine.

Van, who had become like a broken doll, had completely changed and was now filled with motivation. It was not just empty cheer or fighting spirit. He had truly changed. One could tell by watching him fight monsters. He was clearly a different person.

(Did talking with Elzen help him move on? Well, it’s good that he’s motivated.)

Van’s sword showed a transformation that made him look like a different person. His swordsmanship and body movement were no longer what they had been before. He was growing stronger at a speed that made one’s eyes widen. In terms of growth speed alone, he might even be above Zeke and Luke. Hiroto had even raised the pace of his own training because he could not afford to be careless either.

Another thing that had changed was Van’s attitude. Even before, he had shown some restraint toward Zeke (Hiroto), but that restraint was now gone. He began actively asking for instruction, and their casual conversations outside of training also increased. …Although even if one called them casual conversations, Zeke’s tone cut things down without mercy, but Van paid that no mind.

The protagonist kept talking to him without hesitation. To be honest, it was annoying… and creepy. He was so persistent that this time, Hiroto nearly reached his limit. As expected, one could not let one’s guard down around main characters.

(Now then, this training is reaching its climax. The next one will be the last.)

The final destination of the training Hiroto had planned from the beginning. This was why he had carried out that flashy territory-control game. It was to make the protagonist fight a player-killer monster wandering in the depths of the great forest.

He had created an environment where Van could concentrate without thinking about unnecessary things. It had been part of his training as well, but they had also reduced the number of monsters by a great deal. If the monsters were intelligent, they would no longer attack recklessly. The stage was set.

(Whether he can break through that monster or not. That may be what divides Van’s fate and the fate of the world.)

Once the battle began, Hiroto could no longer interfere. Van would have to overcome it alone. If he won, he would make a leap in growth. If he lost, he would lose everything and die. It was a huge gamble. It might be close to symptomatic treatment. Even so… they had no choice but to do it.

They headed for the depths of the great forest, aiming for the monster in question. Perhaps because he sensed the tension, Van did not open his mouth. Compared to the start of training, Van’s appearance had changed greatly. The clothes he wore were in tatters. His sword was the last of his spares. Purification magic could keep his body clean, but it had no effect on damaged items. Even so, he had a very good expression on his face.

(Show me, protagonist. Show me your resolve.)

Led by Zeke, Van had advanced deep into the great forest. Perhaps because of the dense mana that made the very space feel tense, he felt short of breath. The sunlight did not reach them because of the towering giant trees growing thickly together. And most eerie of all was the fact that he could not sense any sign of living creatures.

(This is different from them being wary of Zeke. This place just isn’t an environment where monsters can live in the first place.)

If there were no monsters, then what purpose had they come all the way here for? Would he be training with Zeke in this environment? If one thought of it as training, Zeke might be the best possible opponent, but Van could not imagine Zeke thinking in such a simple way.

“This is the final training location.”

Zeke, who was walking ahead, stopped. The scenery had not changed. If he had to point something out, it was that the area was open.

“If I were to put it into words—this is your final test.”

“…Final test.”

Van swallowed. The tension he felt from Zeke was on a completely different level from anything before.

“The contents of the test are to defeat one monster. …Even an idiot should be able to understand that much, right?”

“Yeah… I can tell well enough that it won’t be just an ordinary monster.”

He spread out his enemy detection, but there was no reaction. It felt as if only Van and Zeke were present in the dim forest.

“The monster’s name is—was it Mentel? Well, a name is unnecessary for that thing.”

Mentel. It was a monster Van had never heard of. What did he mean by saying its name had no meaning…? Was it a metaphor or something?

“As for its trait—it is a monster that reflects the heart of the opponent it faces. Within the domain it deploys, only you and Mentel can enter.”

“In other words, a duel. I have no choice but to win. It reflects the heart… is it some kind of illusion?”

“You could call it an illusion with substance. It transforms into the strongest being you have ever opposed and attacks you.”

The strongest opponent. The first candidate that came to Van’s mind was Masfelt. Others included Luke, Feluart, the Ogre King, and the monkey in the Lagias Dungeon. …The one he did not want to remember was the perverted lightning user from the Royal Guard Corps. That guy had been especially strong. Honestly, Van did not want to fight him again.

(Could it be my father? I’ve never fought him seriously, though.)

Even just remembering them brought up nothing but powerful opponents. No matter who it transformed into, the fight would not end easily. It was worthy of being called the final test.

“Even if I say strong, it ultimately depends on your heart. What one considers the strongest differs from person to person. It is an uncertain factor.”

“It depends on me… huh. Hey, Zeke, what is the strongest thing to you?”

“…Who knows. To confirm that, you would have to run away or lose. There is only one Mentel.”

In other words, it was the rarest of rare species. Van always wondered where Zeke obtained such information. There were far too many things Van did not know.

“The domain Mentel creates will not vanish until either you or it dies. …Failure. Are you prepared?”

“Yeah, of course. I won’t run anymore.”

“Hmph. Struggle as hard as you can so that does not become mere lip service.”

Zeke disappeared from the spot. It was not teleportation magic. He had simply moved far backward with leg strength alone. As always, he was far too fast.

Van was left alone there. As he remained on guard, a small being appeared before him. Something shorter than a child. Perhaps it should be described as a sphere covered in leaves and vines. It was hard to tell whether it was a plant or a monster.

(That’s probably Mentel.)

Mentel looked around restlessly. What meaning did that action have?

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“What the hell?!”

Mentel uttered incomprehensible words. At the same time it shouted, something like a black wall manifested, covering both of them. This was most likely its domain. It was a black curtain that would not let Van escape.

Van was trapped in the blink of an eye. …Though since he had no intention of running, he did not resist.

(It’s dark, but I can see normally. I can fight like this.)

He quietly drew his sword and kept the enemy in view. Mentel, covered by the black domain, began to change shape. The vines and leaves wrapped around it peeled away, and its height increased. What appeared was something in human form.

“So that’s how it comes… Yeah, that’s definitely the strongest.”

Was its darker coloration compared to the original part of Mentel’s nature? Black hair he had seen countless times and a somehow fearless attitude. It was the strongest being Van knew and the existence he had admired. Even if it was a fake, he had never imagined he would end up fighting for his life against it in this form.

“Can I surpass Zeke?”

“…”

There were no words. Instead, what blew violently was a storm of cold mana. In a sense, it might be even more troublesome than the real one. After all, this fake probably had no concept of holding back.

Zeke (Hiroto) turned his eyes toward the black dome. He had briefly left the area, but after confirming that Mentel had appeared and activated its power, he had returned.

(Just as planned… I guess.)

Just as in the game, it seemed to have a cowardly personality. The monster in question only challenged battles it could win. That was because it could not fully display Mentel’s ability unless its enemy was alone. No matter how much it transformed into what the enemy considered the strongest, if there were multiple opponents, that premise would collapse.

(Now then, I wonder what this world’s protagonist considers the strongest.)

In the game, the battle against Mentel was one-on-one. Its setting was that it transformed into the opponent that character had struggled against the most so far. Since the Forest of Death was visited after clearing the game, no matter which character it was, the strongest judgment would end up being the final boss. …Of course, there were exceptions.

In other words, it meant challenging the final boss solo. That was quite the hard mode.

(I doubt it’ll be Elzen, but…)

He did not know what kind of enemies the protagonist had fought until now, but from Van’s perspective, it would definitely be a powerful enemy. It would not let him win easily.

(Give it your all, protagonist. If this still isn’t enough, it might cause a scenario break… but I don’t want that future.)

He had taken on a major role himself. Hiroto would be troubled if Van stumbled in a place like this.