Chapter 47: Who Are You, Mister?

It was only just before sunset that they returned to that place.

In Kariel’s eyes, the man he had seen earlier was still standing there, though only as a faint silhouette.

That figure was a phantom, visible only to Kariel himself.

Or perhaps, an illusion.

“As you know, all of this is an illusion. I hope you don’t get too immersed and confuse it for reality!”

Setting up a small Barrier in the middle of the street and performing what looked like a suspicious ritual—this was the kind of scene that could easily be mistaken for a heretical cult rite or a demon summoning.

White powder had been scattered to form a Magic Circle on the ground, with a pentagram drawn inside the circle and mysterious objects placed at each vertex.

In the center of the star, an old sword said to have been used by Saint Kariel in her lifetime was carefully placed upon a sack, and they waited for a moment.

“It is done!”

Tension filled the air.

Kariel himself remained calm, but the anticipation felt by the others seemed to be far greater.

As Philbar began a long-term spell casting, weaving several incantations and formulas, the world inside the Barrier began to writhe.

Merging with the darkness of night, it created a deep blue scenery.

Then, the streets of the inner city vanished without a trace.

The world brightened.

However, all that unfolded before their eyes was a meager plain.

“Is this the place….”

Perhaps it was a bit shocking for the Baron and the Baronen brothers.

As they looked around, their eyes were filled with bewilderment at the unexpected sight.

“Is that the old Kariella?”

A short distance away sat a cluster of shacks that could hardly be called a village.

There were no fences, and the only thing marking an entrance was a single wooden sign.

A dilapidated slum of planks.

Even those didn’t look particularly intact.

In truth, it was a small mountain at the center of the small city of Kariella.

It was merely a collection of hovels huddled at the foot of the mountain, barely maintaining the form of a village.

“As expected, as Kariella expanded, the known location must have been distorted,” Philbar said without emotion, as if this were a common occurrence.

“It is more… wretched than what I saw in the records.”

Baron Roia, seemingly shocked in many ways, groaned while stroking his beard.

“There are things that are difficult to convey through writing.”

Perhaps because she had no particular prejudice, Alessia accepted it calmly, much like Kariel.

“Are you drawing it well? You there! Make sure you record the directions in detail, got it?”

Philbar urged them with impatience.

His servants, accustomed to this, continued to record the surrounding scenery through text and drawings.

“Look over there.”

Where Luke pointed, hundreds of men, along with a man mounted on a horse, were just entering the plain.

Their armor was a mismatched jumble.

Their helmets were all different.

Even the weapons in their hands varied.

However, their physiques were all extraordinary.

Their exposed forearms were thicker than a woman’s waist.

Scars and wounds were scattered across their bodies like tattoos.

Their attire consisted mostly of leather, which felt incredibly primitive by modern standards.

Yet, beyond a certain ferocity, there was something that could be called an overwhelming pressure.

A fierce intensity, the kind one would only see in wild beasts or apex predators.

Their breath puffed out in gusts, like steam rising from boiling water.

Among them, the one mounted on a large brown horse was draped in particularly thick layers of leather.

The iron horned helmet he wore was exceptionally menacing.

The helmet itself bore various scars like tattoos of glory.

The horns rising from the sides were particularly thick and heavy.

“Dabas, Vanus, and the ancestors of the Metran Kingdom were those—the Ice Sea Sand People, were they not?”

Though they were of the same human race, their temperament, language system, and faith were all distinctly different from the humans of the continent.

Though they had become roughly equal after hundreds of years, their unique culture and traditions still clashed with the current Empire in many ways.

“That man over there is likely one of the distant ancestors of the current Vanus Royal Family. Although he died after being deceived by the Fierce King of Dabas, his fame was said to be immense at the time. And the fact that one of his brothers eventually founded the Vanus dynasty is a point to consider historically.”

Philbar began to explain as if he were a historian.

“…I’m not interested in that.”

When Alessia replied indifferently while picking at her ear, Philbar’s expression crumpled.

“This is your history! What am I supposed to do if you’re this indifferent?! Aren’t you ashamed before your ancestors?!”

“Strictly speaking, I’m from the Empire.”

“That’s why you should be more interested! Saint Kariel was the catalyst and foundation for the knights and chivalry before the establishment of the Empire, recognized even by them….”

“Enough. It’s not like I don’t know,” Alessia interrupted Philbar.

“In the end, those people were tricked into coming here, lost their troops and reputation to Saint Kariel’s fierce resistance, retreated to their home base, and then were counterattacked and killed while they were waiting. That’s the story, right?”

“If you knew, you could have just said so!”

“Even if it’s a heroic achievement, I can’t find it pleasant when someone ends up dead. You know what my profession is, don’t you?”

That was likely why Alessia, while excited like the Baronen family and Philbar, also couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

“Over there! Could that be him?”

Along with Rudhi’s question, a man walked out from the village.

He wore ordinary clothes without a single piece of armor.

It was the kind of attire typical of village men, with nothing extraordinary about it.

Only the two swords he carried were particularly special.

Luke frowned.

“Two swords?”

“According to the records, only one remained in the end, so he probably lost one midway or some unavoidable problem occurred. Smelting technology was inferior back then, and looking at his life, there are no separate records of him obtaining magically enchanted weapons or blessed gear.”

Rudhi added a further explanation to Luke’s doubt.

“Young Master Rudhi is likely correct,” Philbar agreed.

Thus far, it truly.

Seemed like there was nothing special.

Though there were people watching the situation with their own expectations.

Even so, Kariel could neither join nor fit into that group.

What was the reason?

‘I…’

No matter how great that man was.

Whether he was as great as his father… honestly, he didn’t know.

No matter how much he was treated as a saint.

Whether he was a person deserving to be called as great and divine as his mother.

To be honest, he didn’t know.

Despite being such great heroes.

To Kariel, those two were simply parents he resented.

“…….”

It was then that something went wrong.

“Eh?”

The reflected scenery, like paint in a painting being washed away by water.

It became a mess, blurring and scattering in an instant.

“What’s happen—”

“What—?!”

“How—!”

Not screams, but cries drenched in confusion and bewilderment.

Like echoes ringing from somewhere very far away.

They scattered into fragments.

====

“Kariel. Together with me, let’s flip this damn world upside down! Let’s change the world!”

The man who hoped to be a knight met his lord in that way.

Sometimes driving out bandits, sometimes joining small battlefields to earn merit.

He began to make a name for himself.

…….

An old woman rubbed her dim eyes and muttered.

“How strange.”

“What is?”

The old woman in rags observed the man in leather armor with curiosity before speaking.

“There was a spouse, but they are gone. Is it this? Did the woman who should have been the spouse find another partner?”

“…You are a perceptive old woman.”

The man, Kariel, agreed without much emotion.

“What? Was that the case?”

When a man who seemed to be a comrade asked, hitting his shoulder.

“…Yes. It is all in the past.”

It had been more than ten years.

To gain one thing, one must give up another.

To get firewood, one must chop and break trees.

To obtain warmth, one must burn the firewood.

Just as one drinks water when thirsty.

Just as one empties a stored water jar.

To become strong, I let go of love.

To protect their home and their world.

The only consolation was that both of those he was bound to were more precious to the man, to Kariel, than family.

“However, looking at it, your children are as numerous as the stars in the open night sky… how strange. I’ve never seen such a thing in my life.”

Then, the man beside Kariel grinned, taking the opportunity.

“Isn’t that because the old woman’s psychic powers are failing? Why don’t you stop your side job and just weave fabric in front of the campfire?”

“You brat! Do you think that’s easy?! Is that how you insult someone?!”

“…….”

Watching the scene, Kariel smiled only with his mouth.

“Just hearing your words is a comfort.”

“Wait! I’m not finished yet.”

“Is there more to say?”

The old woman cleared her throat with a cough.

“One of those many, many stars will come to you. I am only telling you what I saw, so you accept the rest as you will.”

“……?”

“Old woman. Then what about my love luck? My spouse luck?”

“It’s ruined for a few more years, so be careful. Don’t go poking around strange places and die a sudden death!”

“Hey, why is the curse so blunt!”

Watching Kariel’s comrade and the old woman raise their voices.

Kariel simply accepted it and laughed softly.

…….

“Look at this state!”

Worn-out leather clothes.

Toward Kariel, who was arguing vehemently with a face smeared with soot.

A middle-aged man wearing iron armor glared fiercely from inside the tent.

“How dare you! In whose presence are you throwing a tantrum!”

“Why touch people who have no intention of resisting, let alone defending themselves?! If you need food, you could have just asked for it!”

“But they wouldn’t give it all.”

“They have to eat to survive too!”

“They are not people of my Lord’s Domain. Is there any need to care?”

“Then are they not human?!”

“Kariel!”

Bang!

The middle-aged man slammed his gloved hand onto the desk.

With bloodshot eyes, he gnashed his teeth and struck out.

“Whose warrior are you?! Whose subject are you! Who is your master?!”

“At the very least, I cannot serve a lord who harms the innocent!”

“If they were enemies! They would have done the same to our Lord’s Domain! Why don’t you understand that! Haven’t you seen it countless times already?!”

“I believed! I believed that you, at least, would not be like that. That is why I willingly entrusted my sword to you….”

“Haa! This is driving me crazy!”

The middle-aged man kicked the desk.

“I didn’t want to be like this either! But the world is like this, so what do you want me to do?! If I don’t embrace evil, my family! My people will starve to death! Are you condemning me for that?! For being like this?!”

“Is there truly no better way?”

“If there is, tell me! If there is, I’ll try something too!”

The middle-aged man declared.

“If I must give up being human to protect us, I will do so as much as needed! If I don’t do it, my enemy will, so should I just stand by with my eyes open and be defeated?!”

“……You have changed.”

“No! You simply didn’t know my nature! In this hellish world, only the vicious survive! My sins will be judged by the Lord! And history will provide the evaluation! If not! Then the Lord who created such a world is also wrong! Why make us so miserable! This is a trial?! He should have given us the strength to endure the trial!”

He was certainly a wise man.

He was truly a benevolent man.

Rare for this era, he was someone who sincerely cared for subordinates regardless of their status.

Even if he was hungry, he was someone who would willingly give bread and meat to a child.

…He was that kind of ruler.

But even he.

Succumbed to the cruelty of reality.

“This is the last bit of warmth I can offer you. If you don’t like it, at least do not block my progress.”

“…I cannot do that.”

“Then what about us who have come this far?! You want us to return empty-handed?!”

“…Even so, I…”

…….

Returning home with a wounded body, what he witnessed was.

…A village scene that had become practically a ruin.

“…….”

Just as his lord had said.

They too.

Thought exactly like his lord, and practiced it in the same way.

This was the result.

The village, which had been relatively comfortable though not affluent, was now nothing but ash.

On the faces of the few remaining people, there was only sadness, grief, resignation, and despair.

As if possessed, he headed somewhere.

“…….”

And he saw it.

Near the entrance of the forest.

Where a cozy log cabin stood, which Kariel himself had spent days helping a friend build.

…Only ashes remained.

Only the remnants that hadn’t fully burned or the few remaining pieces were left.

The vegetable garden, the small storehouse he had built.

Not a single thing was intact.

“…….”

As he looked around in despair, two small graves made of stones had been built under a tree.

He sat down there and for a while, silently took the blows of the blowing wind.

Just as small raindrops began to fall steadily.

“Mister, who are you?”

A young voice was heard.