Chapter 82: Opening My Eyes Again

Even though it was time for the darkness to lift, the outside remained pitch black and dim.

Was it about to pour rain?

No. It was dawn, so it was too early to tell.

-You’ve finally started looking a bit more human.

“…….”

That thing, which for a long time had maintained an attitude of utter indifference toward all things in the world.

That Golden Girl—the Demon King—was only now letting her eyes sparkle, as if finding things slightly interesting.

What could have possibly pleased her so much?

-You feel it instinctively too, don’t you?

“…….”

I could have slept a bit longer, but I had no choice but to wake up.

Nightmares and seizures had struck me simultaneously.

However, this time was different from before.

The residual grudges that had cursed me with malice, begging to be saved and rescued…

…were now urging me to prepare myself.

It was distinctly different from before.

The splitting headache and the pain throughout my body had vanished as if washed away, but.

The sense of foreboding, unlike before, hammered away at my heart.

It was a chilling sensation.

A foreboding feeling that something would leap out from the darkness at any moment and tear my throat to shreds.

I steady my breathing.

This fear and anxiety originated from within me.

Therefore, even this was a fear and anxiety that I created and harbored.

My intuition tells me.

Being cautious is not enough.

I must flee this instant.

I must bolt.

…Otherwise, truly.

I will die.

It will be irreversible.

I will break.

I will be ruined.

It warns me that I will be unable to do anything.

It pronounces a sentence.

In other words, it was the emotion of fear possessing a vivid reality.

Nevertheless, I struggled to suppress my racing heartbeat with my breath.

And I accepted it purely.

I must not be dominated by emotion.

It is not even about overcoming it.

Nor is it about enduring it.

…One cannot go against the flow.

Even if one struggles desperately to resist.

Even that is futile.

-Still, you slept well last night, so why not take solace in that?

“…….”

Absurdly, she wasn’t wrong.

That was a little… funny.

====

Despite it being dawn, a small light was flickering in the forge.

I reached the place after passing through the village, which felt different, shrouded in a faint mist.

“You’ve come?”

“……Yes.”

He pointed with his gaze toward a sword lying in the corner.

A sword sheathed in its scabbard.

First, I examined its appearance.

There were no major differences.

A conclusion that was natural, if anything.

Grasping the hilt, which was slightly long for a one-handed grip.

I pulled.

Because it was fitted tightly into the sheath, it didn’t budge an inch.

It was exquisite.

Then, I gave the hilt a slight tug to release the lock and pulled it out fully.

It slid out smoothly.

“…….”

The finish was clean, and it was well-oiled.

The point, the edge, and the blade’s surface were all so smooth they seemed brand new.

Even inside the dark forge, the luster was clearly captured by the eye, reflecting the faint sparks of fire.

I looked over it again.

The fullers carved into the center of the front and back were not exaggerated; they were formed exactly as they were originally.

“…….”

The overall balance was also good.

The fact that it wasn’t just a piece of iron lengthened blindly to fix the shape was evident just from the weight in my hand.

…Of course, I wouldn’t know for sure until I actually used it, but at least the appearance and the feel of the grip were not significantly different from the one I had held and swung before.

“How is it?”

“It is sufficient.”

“It looks cumbersome to wear on your waist, so it would be better to carry it on your back. My son made a shoulder strap because he was bored, so just take it.”

“…….”

Unlike Elhermina’s sword, this one would definitely stand out if worn on the waist.

It wasn’t entirely impossible, but.

Still, if I hung it on my back, I’d have to wear it outside the robe, which was a bit…

…But since I couldn’t just ignore the gesture, I took it in my hand and expressed my gratitude.

“Was it unnecessary meddling?”

“…No.”

It was better than nothing.

Even if I already had one I used… there’s no harm in having more of these.

If I can’t wear this sword, I can just wear something else.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“…Please, go ahead.”

As I gave a slight bow and prepared to leave the forge, he spoke while keeping his back turned toward Kariel.

“Why didn’t you dispose of that sooner?”

“…This?”

Kariel, holding up the sword, pondered for a moment.

The reason? It was nothing.

It really was nothing.

“Perhaps it was because it was the first real sword I ever owned.”

“Is it precious to you?”

“No. Not at all.”

Simply.

“…A close older sister of mine insisted that I inherit it, saying it was something I received from my father, and forced it into my hands.”

It was utterly useless.

Still… in a way, it might have been a blessing that I didn’t have to find another sword when I ran away from home.

If not for this, I would have been captured by Elhermina without any means of resistance.

Not that I feel indebted to a mere sword.

“…At least for now, this is the only thing I can call a comrade. Perhaps I felt a bit of attachment. Or perhaps not.”

“You talk too much. If that’s how it is, then it is; if not, then it’s not. Why bother making excuses to me?”

“…I see. My apologies.”

Despite the bluntness that might have sounded incredibly rude, Kariel didn’t particularly feel offended or displeased.

The only emotion that surged was self-loathing.

It was ridiculous.

What was so dissatisfying?

I hadn’t been cold enough.

That wasn’t the attitude one should have toward a tool.

What was the point of assigning useless meaning and sentiment to it?

“Be careful.”

“Yes. I know.”

As I stepped out of the forge, the presence of people entered the area around the entrance and the clearing as if they had been waiting.

“You….”

I didn’t bother stopping my pace.

“W-wait?”

I walked out slowly, but since the courtyard clearing wasn’t wide, I reached their sight and range in fewer than five steps.

Regardless.

Did they perceive it as a threat?

I parried the blade they swung reflexively, and at the same time, I kicked the opponent’s ankle.

And I snatched the sword from them.

“What?!”

The man suddenly fell.

For a moment, he was bewildered.

Only then did he realize his hand was empty, and with a look of horror, he glared fearfully at the sword in my hand.

“Follow me. Then I’ll give it back.”

“What—?”

There was no need to run.

Nor was there a need to consciously mind them following me.

I climbed the stairs and reached the Fourth Layer immediately.

Essentially, the summit of the village.

The area where that damn sword was plunged.

And at this hour of dawn, this place opened up a sense of space as wide as a plaza.

Only then did I throw the sword back.

As the metallic sound echoed faintly on the ground, those who had followed me began to react wildly—some shuddering their shoulders exaggeratedly, others stepping back.

It was a chaotic scene.

…Though not everyone was like that.

“After I speak with that thing, I will leave this village.”

This was a kind of warning.

If their goal was to kick me out, they should not attack.

If they had another purpose, they should prepare themselves.

“Speak with a sword?”

“Is he crazy?”

While some remained wary, others mocked me as if looking at a lunatic.

“Speak? Does that even make sense?”

“No, if a spirit or soul dwells within the sword, it wouldn’t be impossible, right?”

“That’s actually possible?”

There were even reactions of uncertainty, wondering whether to believe it or not.

“Say that again. What did you say?”

From among them.

A voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar rang out.

If words could stab a person, it would have that kind of tone.

“I’ve been swinging that thing around for over a decade, and it never said a single word to me. But what? To you, it just spread its legs like a whore and acted coquettishly?”

“…….”

I didn’t intend for this.

However, I had a small expectation that I might encounter this fellow at this point.

…Is it right to call this an ‘expectation’?

“Ve-Venus?”

“Gasp!”

Everyone recoiled in terror.

As if they had encountered a bear or a ferocious magic beast while wandering through a forest.

“So, are you planning to pull it out now?”

“If you can’t pull it out anyway, weren’t you planning to kill or neutralize the one who does and steal it?”

“You crazy bastard! Where did you hear that?!”

“Does that matter?”

I, too.

Am not exactly a person with a kind personality.

Above all.

The way he picked a fight and then retreated on his own terms, regardless of victory or defeat.

…If he thought I would just let that slide graciously, he was gravely mistaken.

“Did I say it before? That it’s somehow different from the Sword of Grandeus.”

Of course it is.

It has to be.

I drew the longsword I had just received from the forge out of its scabbard.

“Isn’t it natural for the use to change depending on the tool?”

Forcing a one-handed sword into both hands and swinging it like a two-handed sword?

Of course, that’s possible.

But is there any need to do that?

“Since you were kind enough to be disappointed and get lost, this time, answer my question.”

With the scabbard hanging from my waist, I adjusted my posture.

Yes.

The initial posture, the Opening Form.

Para.

That posture, in a way, is reminiscent of a cross.

With the sword held straight up, both hands gripping the hilt tightly.

Therefore.

Whether viewed from the opposite side or from the side across.

It would look as if one were making a vow or showing courtesy to a target or someone.

“…….”

I can see it clearly without even looking.

He must be infuriated right now.

But not yet.

Up to this point, it’s acceptable.

…Because the act of showing courtesy is something knights always do.

But then.

I stepped my right foot back.

The moment I moved both hands gripping the sword to the right along with my waist and fixed my posture.

He must have sensed it.

He must have been certain.

That this…

…was his swordsmanship.

And that despite how hard they had chased it.

They had failed to reach the original.

That this was the very source.

“Why do you… of all people… know that? Why that posture?”

“So you recognize it.”

I wonder why he doesn’t loudly claim it’s a lie or a pathetic imitation.

Rather, it was more surprising to me that he recognized it clearly and was shocked.

All I’ve shown so far is the Opening Form.

In the first place.

Unless I blabber the nonsense that I learned it from the Demon King.

There is no way you’ll ever find out the truth, even if you wake up from the dead.

It would be far more comforting to fabricate a lie and recite it.

But is there any reason for me to do so?

From the beginning.

I haven’t swung a sword to make anyone understand.

“Did you say it was boring last time? Then this time, conversely, it will be interesting. I guarantee it.”

And.

“Since the laws of the world have the virtue of give and take, I hope you gain an enlightenment and a teaching even greater than mine. Consider this my modest reward and take it gladly.”

“You son of a bitch? Your personality is really something, isn’t it? Would you tear into a magic beast’s corpse if you found one?”

“Have you never tried?”

“What?”

“There were times when I couldn’t eat even if I wanted to. Unlike me, you must have been happy growing up in affluence.”

Though it was a story from a dream, chewing on corpses and fragments was a common occurrence.

I wasn’t lying.

Did I chew because I was hungry?

No.

I chewed and chewed to kill.

Chewing and eating because I was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty while fighting, drinking blood and bodily fluids.

I chewed and swallowed a great deal.

“Ha! Fine! Fine! I like it! Great! If that’s what you want! Let’s just die together today!”

Before I was born.

That thing walked beside Grandeus.

The difference in experience was absolute.

But looking only at the surface, he looks like an older brother of a few years.

But so what?

Does that become a reason not to point a sword at him?

Senior? Courtesy?

Do you think I came here to play some pathetic house game?

One of us is lighter, but in this dark environment, both of our hair colors are dark.

Even the colors of our clothing were similar, so in a way, it wouldn’t look strange to see us as members of the same group or organization.

Nevertheless, he and I are at opposite extremes.

That thing, who chased after Grandeus while admiring and hating him.

…And me, crawling desperately along this damn path, whether it be an arrangement or guidance.

To seize power as a means.

Though we seem to stand on the same path at a glance.

Though the direction we head seems the same.

We are on completely different roads.

“Still talking?”

“Khahaha—!”

The moment he drew his sword.

The madness, the frenzy that had been suppressed and suppressed, exploded all at once.

His two eyes.

Two eyes, sharply split and flashing amber.

But more than the burning, they were sunken in darkness.

They were burning fiercely, as if they would erupt in fire and lightning at any moment.

And as I silently looked directly at him.

My reflection in his pupils and irises.

Was infinitely dark and still.

Like.

The surface of a frozen lake in the dead of winter.

Without reflecting anything beyond.

Was that why?

I don’t know who I am.

Still.