Chapter 50: It Was No Ordinary Swordsmanship

-Did you see it?

I open my eyes.

No, it would be more accurate to say I regained consciousness.

“Gasp!”

Having had such experiences more often than one would expect, Kariel did not panic as much as the others.

“W-what was that just now?”

“Was that… Saint Kariel’s memory?”

-Did you see it?

A heavy voice.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the source of the sound, but they were all looking in different directions.

And for good reason.

The voice was coming from everywhere.

Since some unknown moment, barbaric warriors in pale, ghostly forms had been standing there.

Dozens of them.

Perhaps even more.

As if surrounding them, they stared intently at everyone inside, including Kariel.

Those wearing helmets stared through the slits; those without stared with ominous eyes embedded in their sockets.

-Did you see it?

“W-what are you asking if we saw?”

“Wait, did you actually answer because you thought you could have a conversation with a ghost?”

Philbar cut in at Baron Roia’s words.

-Then you, did you not see it?

“Uh, eh? Wait, can you… hear me?”

Facing the reality, Philbar was aghast.

His skin was already pale, yet he managed to turn even whiter.

-…….

The silence was heavy.

It was not an atmosphere where clumsy antics or wordplay would work.

“I saw. I saw it, indeed.”

His slumped shoulders looked terribly frail.

“Who are you? I have a rough idea, but…”

Luke asked boldly.

If he had even a bit of tact, he wouldn’t have needed to ask, and it was obvious he wasn’t asking for confirmation.

Their attire and appearance alone proved their identity.

-We are wronged.

They spoke.

They died meaninglessly.

They fell uselessly.

They truly died for nothing.

-It is lamentable.

If only we had died like Heroes.

If only we had died gloriously.

…Surely we would not be bound to this land.

In an eternal battlefield.

Standing upon the stage of glory.

Enjoying the full honor of warriors chosen by God.

-Why did we fail to reach that?

-Why can we not leave this place?

-Answer us, descendants. Why must we rot so miserably and meaninglessly?

One warrior raised an axe.

Another, a massive greatsword.

Another, a hammer.

Some leveled spears.

There was even a man striking his own head with a large shield.

Yet not a single one of them was whole.

Some lacked eyes.

Some limped.

Some were missing an arm.

There was one whose cheek was torn open, exposing the jaw joint and teeth.

Another bled continuously from the abdomen to the neck.

There were dozens of such beings.

No further explanation was needed.

These were, in short, that.

Those killed by Saint Kariel.

The warriors defeated on the battlefield.

Alessia, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and asked.

“I believe there is a reason why you showed us those memories, and a reason why you appeared here to speak to us. Please, tell us. What is it that you desire?”

-…….

A long, long silence.

However, it was clear from the atmosphere and the aura they emitted that a fighting spirit was brewing.

They were burning with battle lust toward the descendants and successors of Saint Kariel.

Was it a grudge? A residual grudge?

Or did they simply need a target to vent their anger upon?

…I don’t know.

However.

Kariel’s gaze shifted to one side.

He was still standing there.

In a pale, ghostly form.

Precariously, as if he might vanish at any moment.

Exactly as he appeared in the memory.

No, slightly different.

Perhaps his current appearance was…

The way he looked after defeating the barbaric warriors. Likely after that.

Though blood was no longer flowing, his body had already been a wreck.

“Come to think of it… Luel?”

Alessia looked toward Kariel as if she had just remembered.

“By any chance, did you use that name knowing its origin? Is that why you chose it as a pseudonym for your knight’s journey?”

“…….”

Just a strange coincidence.

That a child who shared the same name as the pseudonym he provided was connected to Saint Kariel.

When he had revealed his pseudonym, nothing specific had come to mind.

He had unconsciously uttered the name Luel.

A part of his father’s name.

At the time, that was all he could think of.

He had regretted it from the moment he said it until now, but the water was already spilled.

It would be futile to try and gather it back just because he wanted to.

But in the end, it was just a pseudonym.

There was no water to spill in the first place.

“Not at all.”

“Right. Well, the name Luel has spread widely thanks to the Knight of Radiance, so it’s not particularly unusual.”

And so.

It had to be mentioned.

Philbar added, as if it had just occurred to him.

“Speaking of which, I heard that person had a second child recently?”

This, too, was something he had heard sporadically while traveling between villages.

He had tried his best to pretend he hadn’t heard.

“You two. This isn’t what’s important right now, is it?”

Baron Roia, who was seriously guarding the perimeter, looked anxiously between the Saintess Alessia and the souls of the warriors surrounding them.

“Somehow, we’ve ended up merely reconfirming the human side of our ancestor.”

No, rather than being anxious about the situation, he might have been feeling disappointed by the unsightly behavior of his ancestor seen in Saint Kariel’s memory.

Or perhaps.

“But thinking that I would have done the same, I find I cannot resent him at all.”

“Father…”

Rudhi looked at him with pitying eyes.

—Boom!

Then.

The silent souls struck the ground with their feet.

Shattering the silence.

-What we desire is the reproduction of the battle. That very battlefield from that day! A reproduction of it!

“??”

-We could not even meet death with satisfaction. Had we died gloriously here, it would not have been so wretched or miserable.

“It seems there are internal circumstances we are unaware of,” Philbar whispered to Alessia.

“…….”

She observed the situation without showing her feelings.

As a Saintess, she had the duty and the ability to provide some help to the pitiful souls of this land.

But what about heretics?

There were those who firmly believed heretics should be killed.

But Alessia was not of that sort.

‘Even Irenis, who forgave the one who tried to stab them to death.’

Would those who are descendants and wish to inherit that will and teaching turn a blind eye?

If she were not a Divine Human, but merely a person busy making excuses, neither recalling nor attempting to follow those teachings…

Would that be a righteous act?

One might fail to follow them.

But why not even attempt it?

“…….”

Alessia, of course, had also glimpsed Saint Kariel’s memory.

It was clear from the expression of that idiot Philbar that this wasn’t his intention.

However, regardless of that, Saint Kariel’s life had brought her a realization of considerable depth.

“If the reproduction of that battle is impossible, what happens to us?”

When she asked.

-Then we shall let only one person live.

A cruel sentence was handed down.

“…And if we refuse?”

-We will kill you all. Only one chosen by us shall survive. Only then can this fact be widely known in the living world.

“W-wait! How can that be! What mortal sin have we committed to deserve this!”

Philbar jumped up and down.

Though they didn’t openly rebel, the change in atmosphere affected the family of the Baron of Baronen as well.

Luke said, cracking his wrist.

“Let’s steel ourselves. After all, we have the Saintess with us, don’t we?”

That was true, but.

“But everyone, you don’t have proper equipment. What are you going to do?”

“A single sword is enough…”

Luke confidently drew his sword, but trailed off as he realized something important.

That aside from Kariel, no one was actually armed.

Only then did he notice, his face turning red and blue.

To think that even the Saintess, who should be the most important asset, happened to be defenseless.

“The Saintess’s entire body is a weapon, so she’s sufficient even bare-handed, right?”

“…Do you want to die first?”

Crack.

Just by clenching her fist, a sound like breaking bones echoed menacingly from her grip.

While Philbar, startled by this, made a fuss and signaled his servants to gather, hardening his heart.

“…….”

“Luel?”

Alessia asked softly.

Kariel did not respond, as if his mind were elsewhere.

Watching him for a moment, she naturally followed his gaze.

An empty space.

Yet Kariel stared intently at that spot, as if something were there.

Then, he suddenly turned his head.

“If it’s a weapon, there is one more.”

“What?”

Kariel pointed to it with his index finger.

“That.”

“…….”

It was.

Just an old straight sword.

The sword said to have been used by Saint Kariel long ago.

And.

Everyone who had glimpsed Saint Kariel’s memory did not doubt that it was true.

However.

That was merely a tale from long ago.

“…….”

Kariel silently approached and picked up the sword.

The blade was chipped, the body was cracked and rusted.

But thanks to being reasonably well-preserved, its form remained intact.

“Are you really okay?”

When Alessia asked.

Kariel did not answer, but holding the old, worn sword.

He lightly steadied his breathing.

Then, after closing and opening his eyes a few times.

He gave a light scoff.

Indeed.

This wasn’t a matter of hesitating or not.

“You said. You want to reproduce the battle of that time, the humiliation of that time. Is that what you said?”

-Hmm…?

“Luel?”

Kariel spoke, exhaling a deep breath.

“Then? Where is the end? Will you be satisfied only if you win? Or will you be convinced only if you suffer a defeat more wretched than back then?”

-There is no satisfaction. The only result is death or survival. Therefore, if you can defeat us all, if you have the skill to handle us. All you living ones shall return exactly as you are.

“Then, if by any chance.”

Kariel raised his detached eyes.

Scanning the souls, he asked.

“If I satisfy you, but even if I myself do not survive. Does it mean the others can go safely?”

“Luel?”

“What are you talking about right now?”

“Stop talking nonsense! You should be thinking about joining forces! Why say something so rash…”

Kariel shouted.

“Then there is no reason to hesitate. Look! Here! The Kariel you seek is right here!”

He shouted again.

“I am a fellow disciple of Saint Kariel, who brought you defeat! I had the same teacher! And I even have the same name!”

Then.

The souls began to glare at that one person in unison.

As if a storm had suddenly broken out with ink-black clouds over a calm sea.

The fighting spirit of the barbaric warriors surrounding the area surged like a gale accompanied by lightning.

Breath naturally hitched.

The sensation of the entire body being crushed by an intangible pressure was certainly no illusion.

“Lu-Luel?”

“What on earth are you saying?”

“Eh? Eh?! Your pseudonym was Luel, and your real name is Kariel? Is that what’s happening?”

Kariel did not bother to check the reactions of the others, nor did he respond or answer.

He simply waited.

He simply endured.

The conversation of the souls echoed.

-A fellow disciple!

-Then you mean you learned the same swordsmanship as Kariel?

-Fellow disciple? Same tribe? Same kin?

-Perhaps his bloodline? A descendant?

-He was not a born hero? Not a born warrior?

“Saint Kariel, who defeated you, is known in this era as a renowned Guardian Saint and the knight of knights, his name widely spread across the continent. In your terms, he would be something like a Great Warrior.”

Warrior.

At that time, the term ‘knight’ had not yet spread.

That Illand was called a Great Warrior.

Kariel remembered it clearly.

“But among the many Kariels, I guarantee that even after a hundred years or a thousand years, it will be impossible for you to meet the Kariel you desire other than me. Meeting me, who learned the same sword and bears the same name, will be your one and only final chance.”

Therefore.

Swear it here.

“If you truly swear to fight a glorious battle as warriors, then gladly accept my challenge. And regardless of the result, let all the others go safely.”

Right then.

Kariel could not see it.

But in a place beyond his field of vision.

Someone who had been standing blankly.

Momentarily turned their head toward him.

And looked directly.

The vacant eyes shone as if burning.

-Very well!

Kariel did not know.

He could not even see.

Because.

The souls that captured Kariel’s attention were burning with fighting spirit, as if they would spring upon him at any moment.

Even now, it felt as if his legs would give out and he would collapse if he relaxed his tension even slightly.

Even breathing was a struggle.

But not to be outdone, he glared back.

Even as the blood vessels burst and the whites of his eyes turned red.

Kariel did not blink once.

Yes.

This much is fine.

This is far better.

This kind of hardship… compared to all the suffering and humiliation experienced at the Academy.

It almost makes him want to laugh.

“Luel! What are you deciding on your own?!”

Alessia expressed her anger and tried to approach Kariel.

But the hulking souls blocked her path like a city wall.

-Do not interfere.

-Do you intend to defile the soul of a warrior?

“Warrior?! You call that a warrior?!”

The others also tried to shout and argue in confusion.

But beyond that.

They were not given the chance.

Once again.

The world collapsed.

As if being submerged in water.

But this time, it wasn’t as long as before.

Just for a moment, feeling his vision blurred by a desolate wind, he blinked once.

And the world had changed.

“…….”

There.

Kariel stood in an open plain, holding nothing but a shabby sword.

Why was it?

A smile naturally formed.

‘In the end.’

To think I would voluntarily confess my damn name in front of others.

Absurdly.

The only thing Kariel cared about right now.

Was a trivial matter like that.

He gripped the sword tightly.

Though this was an unfamiliar one-handed sword.

“…….”

Does it matter?

Why should it matter?

What if it’s one-handed, or what if I can’t hold it with two?

In the first place, he had no talent for the sword.

This was merely a tool and a means called swordsmanship.

What matters is the heart.

Sincerity.

The will to do so.

The determination to achieve it.

Therefore, he does not forget his mindset.

Had he not heard it from the Demon King?

Even in that desperate moment when he was almost crushed unilaterally by Elhermina’s monstrous Divine Authority.

The reason he could move forward without hesitation.

The thing that saved him there.

Was not some useless swordsmanship.

What pierced through that sliver of possibility.

Was merely will, and intent.

And what supported this was.

[The reason you achieved that miracle? Many factors could be cited, but the core is this.]

Precisely.

[An innocent will that surpassed not only desperation but even purity. And what supported that was likely the Heart Formula.]

The Demon King had said so.

And I remembered it all vividly.