Chapter 60: That Can't Be Reality

“Even so, walking there… isn’t it too reckless to try and cross the Brut Mountains on foot with nothing but your bare body?”

“…….”

“Crossing it is hard enough, but considering those lurking there, a disaster would have struck at least five times over.”

“As much as it is difficult for me, those following me will likely face hardships as well.”

“Even so….”

The itinerary for traveling by carriage was quite long.

The fact that they could move continuously without the need for separate camping was an advantage, of sorts.

However, it inevitably led to a stifling feeling, as if trapped inside.

The only consolation was that he could hear various stories from Philbar.

For instance, the current location of Elbat, Grandeus’s favorite sword.

“I heard it’s embedded in some forest or some mountain valley in the Metran Kingdom.”

A country with no borders or points of contact with the Empire.

From a diplomatic standpoint, there were no particular frictions; in fact, since it was situated behind the Dabas Kingdom, it was fair to say they were in a cooperative diplomatic relationship.

However, due to overlapping issues of culture, religion, and race, one could not simply say the relationship was smooth.

Particularly in the Metran Kingdom, since it was an area where Grandeus and the Order of Relief Knights were actively operating, he had been elevated to the status of a hero.

And.

Considering that most of those who claimed it was a fact that Grandeus defeated the Knight of Radiance, Hero Lueld, were from Metran, one could not blindly assume the relationship was good.

…Though it was a relatively common occurrence in this era.

Still, since they said this was five or six times better than before the Demon King’s Army invasion, those who had not experienced those days could not possibly understand.

“I have my own schedule, so I cannot accompany you until the end… but instead, I shall introduce you to a competent guide.”

“…Is that alright?”

At Kariel’s words, Philbar smiled broadly.

“Please consider it a reward for showing and telling me various things. People who provide such inspiration and material for creative work are not very common.”

“…….”

“There is no need to feel burdened. I am simply giving a corresponding reward for what I have received.”

Anyway.

“Crossing the Imperial border is one thing, but unless you intend to enter another country illegally, it would be best to have something to prove your identity simply, or to create a separate identity that allows you to operate while hidden. If you have no separate plan for this, I could do it for you. How does that sound?”

“…….”

Come to think of it, he hadn’t considered that far.

Above all, no matter how secretly he operated, if his identity were revealed, it would be the same as exposing his location.

…He thought it would be enough to just live in hiding, but it seemed the ways of the world were not that simple after all.

“I ask for your help.”

“Yes. Then we shall handle that as well….”

After that, Philbar continued to advise him on the necessities of the journey.

During the bright daylight, Philbar would nonchalantly open the seat and climb inside to sleep.

And when his servants or Kariel themselves rested, they would stop the carriage, handle their meals moderately, and camp.

Since Philbar volunteered for the night watch, it wasn’t an issue.

He spent his waking hours immersed in writing; had he said that being away from civilization and using nature as a backdrop was good?

“…….”

Taking a breather a short distance away from the campsite.

Eventually, Kariel asked toward the empty air.

“You’re unexpectedly quiet.”

-Why? Did you want me to interfere or something?

“…Because you’re so quiet for someone like you.”

-If I poke around while you have a conversation partner, it’ll be uncomfortable for you too, right? I was being considerate in my own way, you arrogant brat!

“…….”

-So what? Do you have something to say?

“No. Not particularly.”

The things he wanted to ask had mostly been asked long ago.

If something came to mind, he could just ask then.

“The idea that Grandeus knew the future and laid these pieces… that’s probably nonsense, right?”

-That again?

What Kariel himself had seen must have been conveyed to her, the Demon King.

If she did not know about it, then it was likely just that.

-Besides, that would mean he did ‘this and that’ for a chosen being like you. Aren’t you thinking too highly of him?

“…….”

-If a coincidence is this exquisite, it’s true it might be fate… but I don’t know. I can’t make a definitive conclusion. As you know, being unable to hold conviction unless something is certain is one of my grueling mental illnesses.

“Was it a good thing that I allowed Alessia to accompany me?”

-Why are you asking me that? It’s your life. Are you going to ask my opinion before you get married later too? Are you going to ask my opinion before you pop out kids?

“…….”

Kariel let out a hollow laugh.

“You’re right.”

-Do as you please. Whether it is your misfortune or happiness, that is your share.

“So, were you quite enjoying watching me?”

-Hmm? In what way?

Kariel’s eyes held a half-certainty.

“It’s not easy to meet a good person. Yet, on this journey, coincidentally, as if luck had piled up in layers… I’ve ended up entangled with an absurd number of wonderful connections.”

-If you’re aware of that, it means you haven’t completely let go of your reason. Excellent. It means that even if one of them harbored dark intentions and tried to stab you in the back, you could have responded capably. If that’s growth, then it is indeed growth.

“…You’re changing the subject.”

-I am? Why?

“You must have thought this while watching me.”

I do not expect.

I was someone who neither trusted nor dreamed.

But perhaps.

“I will now, whether I want to or not, hold the hope that I might meet other kind people like them somewhere else during my journey.”

Perhaps someone like Alessia.

Or people like Baronen’s family.

Kind people like those he met in Kariella.

And.

Someone like Philbar, who is easy to talk to and, while slightly suspicious, clearly shows goodwill.

“But it makes no sense for such luck to continue.”

-…….

The silent Demon King.

Blatantly.

Burst into laughter.

-Ke, kekek! Ah! This is why being smart is such a nuisance! I wanted to see that face drenched in the frustration and despair that will come later! Did you already guess everything? You really are something! Isn’t your mental calculation just absurd? You’ve really grown! Beyond my expectations!

“…….”

-So that’s why you had that gloomy face until the end? I thought you were just trembling like a wary cat because you were still afraid to trust people, but I was wrong? I completely misread you?

Toward the cheerfully laughing Demon King, Kariel let out a sigh.

“Because I no longer wish to experience the feeling of being ruined after harboring expectations.”

Rather than pursuing happiness, he sought to learn how not to be disappointed.

And now that he had learned and mastered it.

…I will never repeat the same mistake.

“Also, to harbor useless expectations for someone I’ve finally hoped for, and then to be disappointed by my own exhaustion… that would be rude, if it’s rude at all.”

-Rather than that, you’re probably afraid of the situation itself occurring. Aren’t you?

“…….”

-Since the present and future are opaque, you’d rather just bury them. As long as the past is beautiful, you think that alone is enough, right?

Therefore.

Alessia’s affectionate interest and straightforward love.

…Were an overflowing joy.

So.

If I can remember that moment, that alone is enough for me.

Morning dew is more beautiful than jewels.

But it is truly fleeting.

However.

For me, that fleeting moment.

Was necessary.

And that fact was more precious than anything else.

-Strange. I never taught you, yet you’ve reached a conclusion quite similar to my perspective on thought? My view of happiness? Is this what they mean when they say people become alike when they stay together?

“…Is that so for you as well?”

-Because I always live in the past. The present is a bonus, and the future is none of my concern.

Therefore, it is not a problem at all.

That is why I can watch and stand by the current situation for the sake of amusement.

“Because we have lived in the past. There may be those who skipped over it and lived for free… but I probably won’t be able to forget it even if I die. I am different from them.”

-However, seeing the present and moving toward the future is the privilege of the living.

“…If I say any more, it will be considered arrogant by your standards, so I will spare my words.”

-Your intuition is quick as always.

The Demon King smirked.

-Secure Elbat quickly. Only then will you be able to resist the Residual Grudge clinging to you.

“…What on earth is the identity of that thing?”

-It doesn’t reveal its true form to me, so how should I know? It’s probably related to your past… but if it says it doesn’t remember, what am I supposed to do?

“…….”

Perhaps it was a Residual Grudge that clung to him while he wandered here and there as a hostage.

Both the Demon King and Kariel had reached that conclusion long ago.

“Can I really resist it if I hold Elbat? By what principle?”

-Find that out when the time comes. I preside over the Realm of Wisdom; I don’t know the Realm of Truth very well. If I did, I would have been like Grandeus or the Great Demon King—or in your terms, like those mages who claim to be ascetics or seekers of truth, or those swordsmen who claim to walk the path of the sword—spending my entire answerless life carving stones, carving wood, and paving paths every single day to find an answer. Probably?

“…What kind of nonsense is that now?”

-What do you mean? It’s the path you must walk in the future.

The Demon King snorted.

-Whether you carve stone, carve wood, or pave a path. You decide that for yourself.

“…….”

She still spoke in riddles.

However, these were the words of Wisdom. It was not content to be dismissed lightly.

As much as his contract with her was firm.

She was on the side of helping him.

However, judging and accepting it was entirely his own share.

It would be dangerous to assume that her standard of ‘helping’ coincided with Kariel’s own.

-What is certain is that your growth rate is accelerating more than I expected. Whether it’s a coincidence or fate, take care of it yourself.

“…….”

Even if you don’t tell me.

Even if you don’t urge me.

…That is my intention.

He did not put those words into his mouth.

Because he had already heard a certain answer previously.

The Heart Formula.

She had said before.

Even the same characters, words, expressions, sounds, and tones.

Depending on the listener’s situation, level, and stage.

The content is never understood or applied in the same meaning.

[Otherwise, it’s hard to explain how you showed such miraculous results. Perhaps even that simple Heart Formula I told you had something in it that even I didn’t know?]

And that, for starters.

[It was something that Grandeus had sought guidance from the Great Demon King to revise.]

For example, it was a realm that could not be clearly intuited even by the Realm of Wisdom.

Therefore, it could not be blindly unearthed.

However, a guess was possible.

Because that.

…Was the Realm of Truth.

Using such a guess as advice. As a lamp.

That realm where not a single inch ahead could be seen.

He would have to carve it out himself.

That was soon….