Chapter 1 - The Moment When The World Completely Transformed“I love you ♡.”
A sudden confession.
“......”
However, Ryner Lute was doing his best to ignore that.
“Heey heey Ryneer ♡ I loove you ♡”
He was told again.
“......”
Like before, Ryner said nothing.
A young man who wished he could sleep for ten thousand years, having black hair and equally sleepy-looking black eyes, Ryner Lute.
Just next to the tall and lean figure with a slightly stooped posture clearly lacking in motivation, came the voice again.
“Hey Ryyyneeer ♡”
What a sweet feminine voice.
“......”
Ryner stubbornly continued to ignore that voice.
To be more precise, he hardly had any time to respond to that lovely voice.
The reason was because, from behind them,
“Hey! Stop right there!”
“Fugitives! Don’t think that you guys can escape us so easily!”
“They are criminals anyway! Let"s just kill them!”
The shouting came from dozens of pursuing mage soldiers right behind the duo.
One after another, glowing magical symbols were drawn into the air, and without warning, a hole appeared on the ground where Ryner’s foot had stepped just a split second ago.
“Uwah!?”
BAM! Another hole appeared!
“Waaaaaah!?”
BAM! Another!
“Gyaaaaaaaaa!?”
Ryner yelled out while just barely dodging the successive magical attacks.
“That was bad! That was REALLY bad! If I were a tad slower, my right foot would have been gone......”
BAM!
“Owa owa owa! Hey you guys, don’t you think that using such dangerous magical attacks in the middle of the night is troubling the neighbourho......”
BAM!
“Gyaaaaaaaaa d.a.m.nnn! You guys have better F***ING remember this!!!”
He was yelling and running at the same time.
Running with every ounce of strength he had.
That was how tense the situation was.
And in that kind of situation.
Following just right behind him was a girl who spoke again,
“Heeey heeey listen to this Ryneeer ~ ♡ I would really love to eat dango ice-cream now ♡.”
“......”
But, as before, Ryner just kept on running without paying any attention to that.
“Seriously ♡ just the two of us running on the streets, it somehow feels like a date, don’t you think ♡”
“......”
“Now, now, Ryyyneeer! You should already be looking at me ♡”
“......”
“Hey hey hey, why don’t I tell you about how I really feel ♡”
“............”
“Well, this is actually my secret, you see. I"ve already reached the point where I can’t live without Ryner ♡ Oh, I’ve gone and said it......!”
At that instant,
“YOU ARE SO ANNOYINGLY NOISYYY ARGHHHHHH!!”
He reached his limit and turned his head around.
Behind that sweet voice, somewhat contradictory, was an emotionless and expressionless face of a beautiful woman, following close behind him.
The moonlight shone on her long flowing blond hair, and her almond-shaped clear, somewhat emotionless clear blue eyes were gazing intently at him.
She bore perfect features which were beyond ordinary, was blessed with smooth fair skin like that of porcelain, possessing a delicate slender figure, and hanging from her waist where her slender hand rested, which no one would have been able to imagine, was a long sword.
An unbelievably beautiful woman. Anyone who sets their eyes on her would agree she is a woman of unmatched beauty. A beautiful woman who resembles nothing less than a G.o.ddess.
When a man receives a love confession from such a woman, it would surely be a heart-stopping moment for him.
Well, he was a little bothered.
“Ah ♡ You are finally looking at me ♡”
He was a little bothered by the words that were repeated by that sweet voice, especially when those words were said by someone with a completely expressionless face.
Even with that expressionless face, the charm she exuded could be felt. She was a beautiful woman.
Ryner looked intently at this expressionless, beautiful woman --- his long-time partner, Ferris Eris.
Though it was not obvious, she appeared slightly embarra.s.sed by his gaze. Her eyes got a little misty. And with a slightly shaking voice,
“Now, now.... don’t look at me like that...... ♡”
That excessive amount of sweetness from her voice, made even Ryner"s heart skip a beat.
That being said,
“That unusually meaningless cute act that you are putting on, is REEEALLY p.i.s.sing me OFFFFFF!!”
In mere seconds, his killing intent towards her rose quickly --- in short, coming to a murderous level.
“Really, what is the matter with you!? What are you trying to do!? Would you please take a look around us! Look, attack magic is coming from the right! Attack magic is also coming from the left! And behind us there’s a ridiculous number of mage soldiers! We are are going to be killed right here! Now now, I have a question for you! In such a situation, what the heck are you trying to do to me?”
In response to such a question, what should normally have been an expressionless face of Ferris was again showing a slight embarra.s.sment accompanied by a slight blush.
“......it’s precisely because we are in such a situation, that’s why I want to ascertain Ryner’s love for me ♡”
“Huuuuuuuuuh!? That’s why I’m asking you what the.......”
BAM!
“Gyaaaaaa! See! See! This is really not the time for......”
“But we made a promise to love each other forever......”
“We did NOOOOOOOOOT! Ugh, what kind of direction is this conversation heading towards......”
BAM!
“Uhyaaaaaa! Hey, by the way...... why do you seem uninjured in such a situation? What did you do to avoid all that magic?”
Ryner asked, to which Ferris completely ignored as she continued, with slightly dreamy eyes that seemed to sparkle.
“We have been lovers for over ten years......”
“Yeah, what a lie. Didn’t we meet just a while back, less than two years ago! Where did that ‘lovers’ thing come from, for goodness sake? Seriously, what’s this? What the......”
That was ignored as well.
“...... Ryner has always been saying this...... I’ll protect my beloved Ferris! So leave this to me, you go on ahead first......”
“So this is where it"s leading to, ehhhhhhhhh!?”
Ryner yelled with final comprehension on how the conversation was unfolding, but it was already too late.
All of a sudden, she caught hold of some of his hair together with a part of his clothing from his back, and forcibly turned him around.
Looking at Ferris, who was still putting an act of mild embarra.s.sment, with a slightly flushed face. Ryner, looking as if he was about to cry, protested,
“...... eh, that’s impossible right? To kick the a.s.ses of dozens of mage soldiers, such a bothersome thing, even if it is me......”
Continuing to look embarra.s.sed, she gave him a shy look,
“But, really, I’m truly happy...... about what Ryner said the other night, those words......”
“...... what words?”
“Don’t you remember...... Even if I’m roasted by magic, even if I’m sliced up into minced meat, I’ll definitely protect Ferris!, those were the words...”
“I DID NOT SAY THOSE THINGSSS!! There’s absolutely no way, I would have said such horrifying words!!”
All of a sudden, Ferris returned to her usual expressionless face.
“Now now, that’s why in the case of Ryner Lute, he shall become "Minced Meat Lute". It’s meat grinding time.”
“What’s with the meat grinding time! That’s sounds really scary! That’s a joke right? So, that’s a jok......”
However, that was no joke.
Before Ryner could finish his sentence, Ferris made a sweep at his leg, and forcefully grabbed his arm by the joint. And then, with all her strength, she started pulling him towards the direction of the pursuing mage soldiers behind them.
“Wait wait! Please...... wait......”
“Eey!” (sound of effort from Ferris)
“You’ve gotta be kidding me! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
With a spinning momentum, Ryner was flung into mid-air. The ground and the sky flashed across his eyes.
For a while, Ryner just stared blankly ahead. Then, he turned his head towards the landing ground where he was bounded for.
He saw what was awaiting him there. It was right in the middle of those loud bunch of mage soldiers that were chasing after them.
“......”
Nonetheless.
“......”
Nonetheless, he thought.
“...... Ah...... this is happening again......”
He was already used to it.
He then looked in the direction of Ferris, watching the back of her figure, as she was running away, full of vigor.
“So, what’s going to happen next?”
Without looking back, she answered,
“We’ll meet at the usual place in two hours time.”
Ryner retorted, “Well now, aren’t there like three of those so-called usual places? If you are still fooling around with me, I’ll definitely kill you, seriously you know?” As he said that, he landed head-first.
“Ughhh.”
Groaning like an idiot, he crashed into the ground.
And he was immediately surrounded by the mage soldiers.
“Hahaha. Your comrade has abandoned you. What a pitiful guy!”
“Now there’s nowhere else you can run to, you criminal!”
“Just keep still and let us tie you up!”
While he was being told all that,
“......”
Ryner turned towards them and got up. He made a grunt as he stood up, examined his surroundings, and appeared to consider the seriousness of his situation. Oddly however, there was no sign of any tension from him as he shrugged his shoulders.
“...... well, that line about "tying me up", isn’t that a little old?”
On hearing that, the man standing right in front of Ryner suddenly flushed bright red.
“Sh... shuddaaaaaap! A criminal has no right to protest!”
“Oh, so that was from you? Did I spoil the mood? If so, I’m really sorry about that.”
The man flushed even redder.
“A... a man with a criminal standing making a fool out of me...... I won’t tolerate this...... I’ve been told from above that it’s perfectly fine to kill you!”
In response to that,
“Really. From above?”
“That’s right! That’s why don’t you dare make light of me. Or I’ll give you a taste of excruciating pain.”
“A taste of excruciating pain...... hmm. Well, I didn’t really have the intention to make light of anything actually......”
After saying that, he suddenly thought of something the man in front of him just mentioned, and smiled faintly at that.
“......”
Well, his wry smile was actually blended into a somewhat sorrowful look on his face.
Criminal.
That’s what that man called him.
Criminal.
“...... criminal huh.”
He murmured. He then glanced briefly at the military uniform of the soldier, specifically at the insignia. The insignia, carved into the uniform, was made up of a snake-like shape twirling around a spear.
That was the emblem of Roland Empire.
And Ryner possessed that same insignia.
“......”
He looked at the clothes he’s wearing. Because of an afflicted wound, he was not wearing his outer garment for his upper body, which was covered in bandages. Otherwise, the outer garment he usually wore, which was currently twirled and tucked around his waist, should bear that very same emblem.
A special cut of a robe weaved into a piece of white armor.
It was a unique type of battle garment specially conferred to only Roland’s mage knight battalion, something which Ryner received from the king of this country, Sion Astal.
Rather, it might be more apt to say that this was something he received from his best friend.
It was given to him before he first started his travels, a particular type of damage-resistant garment that had the ability to withstand even scorching flames.
And of course, the breast area of this particular type of garment had that particular similarity.
“......”
Ryner unfolded the breast area of that garment tucked at his waist. Indeed, there was that very same insignia with a snake-like shape twirling around a spear engraved into that area.
Until just recently, Ryner, Sion, Ferris and their friends had been fooling around, joking, laughing together, and pa.s.sing the days.
Now, I’m called a criminal.
I’m called a runaway prisoner.
He thought,
“...... somehow.”
He thought out loud as he looked around his surroundings. He looked at the mage soldiers surrounding him. He looked at the curtain of darkness from the night around him.
“...... somehow...... the whole world seemed to have changed in just a single moment......“
He then looked at the mage soldier who seemed like the leader of the group, and said,
“So, you’ve been told from above that it’s alright to kill me!”
From above.
That was what the man had said. But, who from above was he referring to? Someone important within Roland’s military?
“...... I wonder whether it"s Sion.”
Ryner murmured.
That"s right.
That was how it was regarding his situation.
The directive from the king of this country --- the directive from his best friend, was to brand him a criminal and to have him killed.
“......”
How it had come to this, Ryner was not sure of that himself.
That night from two weeks ago.
It was a rainy night no different from others, when Sion showed up.
For some reason, he was crying.
As he was crying, he asked Ryner to die.
At that moment, the relationship between the two of them ended abruptly.
Just recently before that, we were surely laughing and spending great times together, and then all of a sudden I don’t understand what he’s thinking anymore.
The figure of Sion crying as he tried to kill Ryner.
Strange black blades coming forth from nowhere. The hand of a woman springing out from Ryner’s own chest. And the fading away of the scenery around him. A scene in which he could comprehend nothing.
During that time.
He was standing there alone, enveloped by something resembling a thick shroud of darkness.
But, he spoke nothing of that. He only smiled sadly, and as he was crying, he merely told him to die.
But in the end.
That did not happen.
By the time Ryner regained consciousness, he found himself already imprisoned. Just about anything and everything about this world had changed.
The harshness of the overwhelming transformation of this world was excessive enough to even send Ferris crying.
She told Ryner as she was crying.
Sion had become weird and creepy.
He was laughing like a mad man as he told her that he had killed Ryner.
And that she was not to step into the castle, and show herself before him ever again.
And on top of that, someone who hated wars, someone who hated to see people die, someone who was peace-loving, and that someone, the Hero King Sion Astal, was invading his ally, sending his troops marching into Imperial Nelpha, and appeared to have given the order to kill soldiers, commoners, women, and children without any discrimination.
That Sion.
“......”
That, Sion.
A king who had ama.s.sed kingdom-wide popular support.
The appearance of a Hero King.
The appearance of a Hero King who would unite the world. Everything in this world should belong to Roland. That seemed to be what he believed.
Anything that proved as an obstruction, would be removed, killed, and eliminated. That was the state of mind he now had.
“...... really.”
Anything that could change would change.
That was what Ryner thought.
And he thought of Sion’s face. An image of his best friend appeared in his mind.
But that was a tear-streaked face.
A tear-streaked face with a self-loathing expression.
He was definitely not someone who could laugh as he betrayed his best friend. And definitely not someone who could laugh as he invaded another man’s country.
He would always, by himself, frantically shouldering all the heavy burdens which others would find to be endless. In order to hide this from everyone, he would do his best to carry a smile on his face. But in the end, unable to become free of all these burdens, he put on a sad face.
Just like the one he had on that rainy night.
Ryner remembered the pain shown on his tear-streaked face, when he looked as if he was seeking help. The Sion in his memory was way too gentle and hurting inside. He was a sorrowful king.
That was the reason why,
“...... um so, you guys were told from above it’s alright to kill me?”
Ryner queried the same man again.
The man laughed,
“Fuhahaha, that’s right! So, you’re only feeling scared now? But then, I’m not an unreasonable person. If you don’t resist, we are fine with apprehending you in a half-dead state......”
Ryner had stopped listening long before that man finished his sentence.
He looked up.
He looked up at the sky.
He turned his head and looked around. He looked in the direction of one of the country’s taller buildings.
Roland’s castle.
The place where this country’s king resided in.
Just some time ago, Ryner, Ferris, and Sion were spending time engaging in meaningless conversations and laughing merrily in that place.
He was looking at that place.
It was a place where he could no longer return to.
Despite not even an hour having pa.s.sed since escaping from prison, the surrounding area of the castle was already crawling with these many pursuing mage soldiers, it was probably no longer possible to just fight his way back, and arrive at the castle unscathed.
Because the Roland now was no longer the same as before.
“......”
Without the knowledge of Ryner, Sion had secretly completed the vile human experiments, a previously unfinished legacy of the former Roland Empire.
Now, the military boasted ranks of soldiers possessing an abnormal strength, created from the results of such experiments.
Even for Ryner, formerly known as “The Greatest Magician of Roland”, going up against that level of strength might prove to be a dangerously difficult battle.
Right now, the castle was probably protected by that abnormal power.
And it seemed improbable for the Ryner now to overcome that kind of odds and make it into the castle alive.
In other words, it was no longer possible for Ryner to even meet Sion right now.
“......”
Even if his best friend Sion were to be yelling to Ryner for help, that very one thing was beyond his ability right now.
Ryner looked at that very castle,
“Arghhh... d.a.m.n. It certainly looks far...”
He said in a languid voice.
Moreover, no matter how the man in front of him shouted,
“How dare you ignore what I’m sayinggggggggg!”
Ryner ignored him.
“But even if it’s far...”
He murmured.
However, as of now, even if it was possible to make his way back to the castle easily,
“...... for me to go this far, it’s decided.”
That was what he said.
He grasped the insignia of his clothing.
The emblem of Roland.
The insignia that consisted of a spear with a snake twirling around it.
The very proof of one’s allegiance to this country.
Ryner grasped it strongly, and ripped it apart. Although part of the clothing got torn off together, he did not care. As he vigorously, forcibly, pulled at it, what used to be a damage-resistant piece of clothing that could only be worn by a member of the mage knight battalion, was ripped into shreds.
Ryner stared at the insignia for a while, and threw it away.
“......”
At that point, his world had undergone a ma.s.sive change, but no one noticed it.
Because he threw it away a little too quickly.
The emblem.
No one had noticed the fact that he had thrown away this country.
Since young, he had lived in Roland all his life, even though he found everything to be a bother and was a genius of a level which might never appear hereupon again, he was bonded to this place in order to save his friends, again and again.
In order to return to the side of his best friend, he had to do it.
No one had noticed the fact that it was the very first time he threw away his country.
The man said,
“That’s enough. Till the very end, you’re making a fool out of us, if you insist on resisting......”
He was interrupted by Ryner before he finished.
Looking at the man with languid eyes,
“No way. I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.”
He said.
With a shocked expression, the man asked,
“Huh? What’s not possible?”
To that, Ryner, with an idiotic expression,
“No, erm, that’s right. If it’s as usual, it would be kind of different. For me to give my best, to be energetic, to be motivated to do anything, that kind of pumped-up mode is really something I dislike...... Eh seriously!? While I’m in the midst saying that, the possibility of you guys catching me, even in a sluggish manner, does exist actually......”
“Well then, so you are not resis......”
But, Ryner shook his head.
“But, today is slightly different, actually. Let"s do it!! You know, I was kind of thinking along this line, if ever so slightly. But then you know, I never thought that such a troublesome situation in which I hardly have any choice would have arisen...... That’s why, I’m going to do it! You see, I was kind of thinking along this line.”
While saying that, Ryner looked up at the castle for another time,
“The unmotivated me is finally going to get serious and do it! Aren’t I great, Sion?”
He said.
But of course, the mage soldiers failed to understand those words,
“What the heck are you saying......”
However, they were interrupted by Ryner,
“As I was saying, you guys won’t be able to catch me, don’t you get it? Do you guys know who I am?”
In response to those words, the mage soldiers looked at each other.
“Who is this guy?”
“And how is it that he’s so full of himself?”
“It can’t be that he’s some kind of highly dangerous guy right......”
The man who looked like the leader started,
“Sh... Shut up shut up! Stop acting so fl.u.s.tered! Don’t be misled by the criminal’s bulls.h.i.t! Look at that sleepy-faced rascal, what’s there to be fearful......”
But, the leader did not finish his sentence.
To be more precise, he was not in a position to do so as he sailed through the air.
It was not just him alone. One after another, five mage soldiers that were behind him were sent flying as well.
Only then did the rest of the mage soldiers realize that something was happening.
The flying soldiers were all struck by Ryner.
With unbelievable speed, before the mage soldiers even realized what was happening, through a series of strikes and kicks, including the leader of the group, Ryner had sent six mage soldiers flying.
The color of the mage soldiers’ faces changed at this unexpected development.
“What is this guy......”
“K... Kill him. This guys is dangero......”
At that moment, with a swift chopping motion, Ryner hit the back of the neck of the second most important-looking man, the man who gave that order, and knocked him unconscious. For a group of such level, once the bosses were put out of commission, the rest would be easy.
“V... Vice-commander was taken out as wellllllll!”
See ~
With a floating smile, Ryner broke into a run.
Weaving through the confused mage soldiers who just lost their commanders, he broke free of the group and kept on running.
Immediately after that, one of the soldiers who was probably the third highest ranking among them,
“Don’t let your ranks falter! The enemy, the enemy is just one man! If we all use our magic together, we’ll somehow......”
As he shouted and started inscribing a magic symbol, Ryner turned his head around.
As he did so, a glimmering vermillion five-point pentacle suddenly appeared over the center of his eyes.
Using those eyes, Ryner briefly studied the unfolding magic symbol that was drawn in mid-air.
At that instant, the power, structure, and the invocation method of the spell the man was casting, were all read in by Ryner’s eyes, and he promptly deployed the corresponding spell cancellation magic.
His hand moved rapidly in mid-air, and with a speed many times faster than that of the mage soldier, he completed his spell.
“WHAT I SEEK IS INTRUSION >>> SHIRA”
At that moment, black smoke was discharged from the magic symbol Ryner inscribed, and came into contact with the magic symbol the man was currently drawing. Consequently, as it was, the appearance of the man’s symbol changed into something that resembled a devil’s face.
In reaction to that, the face of the man changed into an expression of shock.
“What the... what is going......”
Such a thing should not have been possible.
Just a moment ago, he was, without a doubt, in the process of inscribing the magic symbol, and not only was the structure of his magic being deciphered quickly, a spell cancel was thrown at him, changing the structure of his inscription, for such a thing to happen, what kind of monster......
The man looked at Ryner’s eyes.
The center of Ryner’s eyes.
Right after seeing that vermillion five-point pentacle in the center of his eyes, all of a sudden, the man stiffened in fear.
“It... It’s Alpha Stigmaaa!! This guy is an Alpha Stigma monster!!”
Upon uttering those words, a mild confusion started to arise among the mage soldiers.
Alpha Stigma.
Such a level of disgust, fear, and loathing were embedded in those words.
The eyes that can read in all forms of magic.
However, once the bearer of these cursed eyes goes berserk, regardless of living or non-living, friend or foe, he will start destroying and slaughtering everything around him.
The mark of attestation to a mad monster.
Just as one thought, the mage soldiers looked at Ryner’s eyes and started shaking in fear.
“Mon... Monster!”
Ryner smiled wryly at that.
“...... there’s no need to be so afraid of me...... but then again, if that would make you give up on chasing after me, do become even more fearful ~”
In response to those words, several mage soldiers started fleeing, shouting how they were going to be killed by a monster.
“......”
Ryner made a slightly sad expression for a moment and sighed.
He took a deep breath.
And then,
“...... Errrmmm, ora ora ora! If you don’t want to get killed by an Alpha Stigma monster, get away from here nowwwwwwwww!”
He yelled with all his strength.
This time round, the majority of the mage soldiers started fleeing.
Looking at the scene before him, Ryner thought it fortunate to have invoked his Alpha Stigma this early.
But the truth was Ryner originally had a plan.
After being thrown into prison by Sion, and breaking out of prison with the help of Ferris, it appeared that they had been discovered for the mage soldiers were lying in wait for them, and somehow they had managed to escape to this particular street with all their might.
However, the truth was it was easy to shake off these guys.
Rather, to put it more accurately, it was no difficult matter for both him and Ferris to fight them off.
But, the fact was they fled all the way to this street.
What was the reason behind that?
The original plan was to first lure the mage soldiers, who thought they could win against the likes of Ryner and Ferris, to this street and then lose them. After they were shaken off, the mage soldiers would probably continue searching for them for some time while they were under the impression that they could win against them.
In that case, the mage soldiers were unlikely to call for reinforcements at this point in time, delaying the possibility of having more powerful troops or even the activation of the royal military. That was the original plan.
However, the plan failed.
All thanks to her.
All thanks to that stupid Ferris.
It was all thanks to that rampaging, trouble-causing, dango-fanatic woman, that I have to end up fighting these mage soldiers.
They were definitely not weaklings. If Ryner were to fight them for real, there was definitely a need for him to be somewhat more serious.
If that happened, it might lead to some casualties.
Now that he was about to leave the country, he wished to, as much as possible, avoid injuring his former comrades.
“Well, seems like I’ve already hit some of them......”
On top of that, Ryner was afraid that those soldiers who fled would probably call for more reinforcements.
If that happened, more powerful a.s.sa.s.sins were bound to come after them.
He originally wanted to buy a little more time for them to finish their preparations to leave the country.
“Oh well, it can’t be helped...... now, incidentally......”
One of the mage soldiers who was attempting to run away had been caught by a quick movement from Ryner.
That man who was caught seemed unbelievably frightened,
“Mon... monster... let go of m... me......”
“What the...... isn’t that a little excessive......”
“I’m going to be killed...... I’m going to be killed by a monsterrr...”
The wail of despair caused Ryner to grimace.
Monster.
He has always been called that. Always.
Monster.
MONSTER.
M-O-N-S-T-E-R.
After being repeatedly branded as a monster, and incurring a harsh emotional hurt, in the end, he had given up on anything and everything, and had given up on coming into close contact with other people.
Because he bore a defiled body, he had no right to love another person.
Because he bore a cursed body, he had no right to stay by the side of another person.
With a sense of resignation, he gave up on anything and everything...... that in itself was an easy and comfortable way out.
In exchange for not hurting others, he put himself in a place where he himself would not get hurt.
In exchange for not betraying the hopes of others, he put himself in a place where he could do things half-heartedly.
Though that place was dark and lonely, it was a place of ease and comfort.
And yet, the person who pulled him out from that place, that place of darkness, was none other than Sion.
After meeting him, then meeting Ferris, and doing stupid things with them, for some reason, before he knew it, he was no longer bothered when others called him a monster.
As they were doing stupid things and laughing merrily together, before he realized it, his heart had opened up, and he no longer needed to bear the feeling of being alone anymore.
Despite all that, Sion had told Ryner to go back to the way he was before.
Having told me to follow him in a pompous manner, without telling me anything, shouldering everything by himself, and saying sorry to me.
But it shouldn’t have been like this.
That was a little too irresponsible of him.
Ryner thought.
“Hey you, I need you to pa.s.s a message to Sion.”
“I’m going to get kill......”
“Stop that already.”
Ryner’s intimidating tone stopped the flow of his words. The man seemed about to cry.
However, Ryner just smiled faintly.
“Listen to this. I’m not going to kill you. But, I need you to pa.s.s a message to Sion... to the king of this country.”
In response to this, the man glared at him,
“Y... You filth, a message from a criminal like you, His Majesty will never hear of......”
To which Ryner interrupted,
“Hear me. He is really a wimpish person, and there is no way he would ignore this. Anyway, it’s fine even if he doesn’t want to hear of it. I just wanted to let him know I’ll be leaving the country. He can do as he pleases.”
“Who would pa.s.s a message for a monster like you......”
“Aye. That’s fine as well. But, you will pa.s.s the message. Well, this is how it goes. I............”
After making his request, Ryner then released the man.
The man glared at him,
“I’ll not pa.s.s on the ramblings of a criminal!”
He shouted loudly. Well, if that was the case, that was fine in itself. Whether the message was pa.s.sed on or not, how he was to proceed from now on was already decided.
He shrugged his shoulders, smiled faintly, and said,
“Well, thanks a lot for the trouble.”
“Shut up! You monster......”
“Yeah yeah. Now, I think that would be enough. Most of your comrades have completely fled, you know.”
“......”
Even after having said that, the man continued to glare at Ryner for a while before taking off.
After gazing at the back of his fading form for a while, Ryner turned around on his heel.
“Arghhh... for goodness sake, after this, there will surely be more and stronger pursuers coming after us...... we have to finish our preparations and get out of the country before that I guess......”
While muttering to himself, he started walking.
The first destination was the ‘usual place’ where he should link up with Ferris however.
“......”
At that thought, Ryner stopped in his tracks.
“But then again, which usual place was she referring to......?”
He wearily shook his head in puzzlement.
♦
That place.
“......”
That place was terribly dark.
To put it more accurately, though the absence of illumination was the real cause of the darkness, Sion Astal thought that it was terribly dark.
In the castle of Roland Empire, Sion was sitting alone on his throne surrounded by a large amount of empty s.p.a.ce.
Actually, since the start of Roland’s invasion of Imperial Nelpha, in order to pa.s.s down various orders, the time Sion spent in this s.p.a.cious room had increased.
Even though either his subordinates or the n.o.bles would call on him one after another, turn by turn within short intervals, Sion thought that the room was dark and lonely.
He looked at the huge windows lining the left and right of his room. The sky was already starting to brighten, indicating it was about time for the morning visits.
The sunlight started streaming through the windows into the room, and furthermore, given that the room was lit by magical illumination, it was actually in truth far from being dark.
“......”
The darkness was caused by this country.
That was what the king who just turned twenty not long ago thought.
Bearing silver hair that has a regal feel, he has sharp, golden eyes that speak of an indomitable will.
With those eyes, he is always looking far into the future.
The future of this country, the future of the people, the future of the world.
What are the things that can be done to bring forth more changes to this world.
He looks far into the future, makes the decisions, and moves forward.
That’s right.
He is the hero king that everyone had been waiting for.
He is the benevolent lord who remade the formerly corrupt Roland Empire into a strong and prosperous major power standing in the south of the continent.
And this all happened within the span of two years since he became king.
During the previous war with Estabul, he rose through the upper ranks quickly due to his remarkable achievements despite of his illegitmate heritage as the son of the previous king and a commoner. After that, he used everything he had - his skills, looks, and charisma - to overthrow the king by acquiring the people"s support.
But he had not stopped at that.
Reforming the old practices of the country, he put the tyrannical n.o.bles in their place, eliminated waste, brought prosperity to the country, and kept on moving forward. Moving forward. Moving forward.
It was almost as if part of his life was seeping away, even though he looked like a man who was slowly losing his sanity, he continued moving forward.
Always searching for the best option.
Always searching for a way that would save the most people.
What is the best method?
Which is the most correct path?
Even when he felt troubled, shed endless tears, and felt despair, he still believed that would be a better tomorrow and kept on moving forward.
Without a doubt, the people were rejoicing.
At the appearance of someone who was like a beacon of light for them.
At the dawning of a light that shone across this world of madness, every single person in this country was rejoicing.
Everything would be fine, as they believed that they could leave everything to him, Sion Astal.
It was because he is the hero king.
He is perfect because he is the light of this country.
Therefore, he will never make a mistake.
It is not possible for him to make a mistake.
Everyone believed so.
And Sion continued to fulfill their expectations.
To look far into the future, and continue moving forward without making any mistakes.
The path which is the most efficient, the most correct, and with the least sacrifices.
That was the reason why he continued those human experiments to create a powerful army.
Because it was necessary.
To minimize the loss of lives of the ordinary commoners, there was no other way than to acquire a power that could easily overwhelm another country.
“......”
It was the same with betraying and invading former ally, Imperial Nelpha.
It was necessary.
To expand and strengthen Roland, to a level where it can be an intimidating force to other countries. It was the same with former ally Nelpha. In the midst of an internal conflict that arose within the court of Nelpha, an anti-Roland faction was born, attempting to seize political power within the country. If Roland did not initiate the preemptive invasion, someday, it would have been the one invaded.
If that"s the case, it was better to make the first move, and make it a thorough one. In order to deter other countries from opposing Roland. In order to make them think twice before waging an unproductive war.
He will show it to them.
By doing so, it might be possible to avoid any more meaningless wars from now on. It might be possible to bring an end to the meaningless loss of lives.
To achieve that, a ma.s.sacre was necessary.
Roland’s army was now on its way to conduct a large-scale ma.s.sacre in Nelpha. The order was given to show no mercy even towards surrendering troops. Even towards women, even towards children. The order was to spare no one.
To strike fear into other countries.
They shall all watch in fear. In order to make sure that none would ever dare to defy Roland again, the order was to completely crush them.
“......”
In order to show the might of this country, those orders were given.
“......”
Because by doing that, from now onwards, it might be possible to greatly reduce the loss of lives.
Because by doing that, if the desire to oppose Roland was lost, it might be possible to avoid another war.
This was a fair trade.
To sacrifice less to save more.
“......”
The people were supportive. They were enthusiastically screaming about showing Nelpha and showing the world Roland’s might.
Well, that was all due to his manipulation......
“......”
And now, he chose again.
The right path.
The path with the least sacrifices.
Even if the path was a th.o.r.n.y one, he was determined to step on the thorns and carry on.
He will move forward.
He will move forward.
Every step he took forward, he bled. As he forced his way through the thorns, he suppressed the urge to scream out. He suppressed the urge to cry. He suppressed the urge to shout out that he wanted to quit, that he wanted to stop moving forward.
And in the end.
“......”
In the end, even his friend.
“......”
He chose to sacrifice even his best friend.
“......”
Because that was also absolutely necessary.
Because in order to move forward, that was necessary.
“............”
Sion shut his eyes and opened them again. He stared at the emptiness in front of him. There was nothing there but emptiness. Rather, he could feel nothing except for emptiness.
Ever since he parted with him, the room --- the world felt like empty darkness.
The days spent with Ryner.
Together with him and Ferris, the trio spent their days laughing merrily like idiots, doing meaningless things and exchanging blows with one another......
Those days seemed to shine brightly in his mind.
In the end he lost them all, even though he knew that he was immersing himself in a fict.i.tious dream, that was what he wished for.
“......”
However, he had lost them all.
When he opened his eyes, it signaled the end of his dream.
It’s time to move on.
Because even if he had experienced losses, despair, and regrets, time will move forward.
Because to proceed into the future, he had to push himself onward.
Losing something, again and again.
Because even if he’s unwilling, even if he shouted ‘I don’t want to’, he had to push himself onward.
Therefore, he moved forward.
In order to acquire something new, even if he was not entirely convinced it’s something better than that from before......
He abandoned his past, threw away what’s important to him, and moved forward while crying loudly.
In order to seize the future, the light in front of him.
He is that kind of king.
A king who always continues moving forward.
Even if he knows that what lies in front of him is merely emptiness for himself, he will move forward......
At that moment,
“...... do you regret it?”
He was asked in that manner.
Suddenly a voice reverberated from within the emptiness in the room.
It’s Lucile.
Lucile Eris.
The head of the Eris swords clan that, for generations, has been tasked to protect this country’s king from the shadows.
Rather, it may be more accurate to say that he is an abominable G.o.d who sees everything in this country......
“...... regret?”
Sion replied.
Regret.
It’s not possible not to have any. Whether it was better to do it in that way or in this way, every matter and everything, from large to small, there were many a times when he wanted to die.
If only he was stronger. If only he was wiser. Then his mother would not have died. His friends would not have been killed. Kiefer would not have cried. He would have been able to protect Ferris.
And Ryner.
“......”
He would not have betrayed Ryner in that manner......
A smile floated on Sion’s face.
“Regretful about what?”
Lucile laughed.
“Haha. That’s promising.”
“Is that so?”
“You are really splendid.”
After saying that, all of a sudden, Lucile materialized before Sion from out of nowhere.
Bearing blond hair, and a pair of closed eyes.
And with a face that is beautiful beyond ordinary.
Since he is Ferris’s elder brother, he should resemble her in likeness, but when Sion looked at him, he could hardly feel any form of resemblance between the two of them.
Though they have the same hair color, the same facial features, and the same beauty, Ferris and Lucile were two completely different individuals. Lucile carried within himself a being of demonic nature.
Rather, in that sense, he is no longer a human being.
Sion gazed at Lucile.
“It is indeed an honor to be praised by you.”
“Don’t I always commend you?”
“Is that so?”
“That is so.”
“Hmm. Well, I must have been ignoring all that. Probably because it didn’t really make me particularly happy.”
“Ah, that’s kind of terrible.”
Lucile smiled again. However, the smile seemed to carry no emotion. None whatsoever. A kind of fearful vast nothingness exists within him.
Sion, while gazing at the nothingness, said,
“I’m serious. Since the truth is I don’t really feel happy to be praised by you.”
In response to that, as a faint smile floated on Lucile’s face, he said,
“That’s a pity. As expected, it seems like I can’t take the place of Ryner-kun.”
“......”
Sion couldn’t respond to that.
Nonetheless, Lucile continued.
“However, I truly think that you are a splendid king. In spite of the Power that is devouring you from within, the fact that you can still retain your own will, that in itself is amazing. The previous king --- your father who was promptly taken over by the Power --- lost his sanity......
But at that juncture,
“He was no father of mine.”
Sion said.
Lucile shrugged his shoulders at that reaction.
“Right. You’re probably right. He wasn’t exactly the person that you would acknowledge as a father. Even though the same blood flows in you both, existing as a lowly puppet, he was in a different league from you. The same goes for your brothers. That’s why I’m grateful to you. For the fact that in my generation, I was able to meet a colossal vessel like you...... for discovering the vessel that I was supposed to choose. Your mother was great, wasn’t she? Your mother who was a lowly commoner labeled as a dog, and beyond my expectations, was stronger than......”
At that,
“...... silence.”
Sion said.
And Lucile stopped. He then smiled faintly and continued again,
“...... in any case, you are truly splendid. Because even if you have any regrets, stricken with despair, you’ll surely, without losing your sanity, choose the right path.”
Sion looked intently at Lucile’s beautiful smiling face.
“...... you showed yourself just only to say that?”
Lucile smiled.
“Not really.”
“Well what is it then?”
At his question, Lucile, for once, turned his head to look in the direction of one of the windows in the room. From that window, one can see the streets below the castle. He looked intently in that direction for a while before turning back around,
“Ryner-kun has escaped.”
Sion’s eyes widened at that. That’s impossible. The prison that Ryner was sent to, it was definitely not one from which he could have broken out, even a.s.suming his allies...... even if Ferris was the one to help him in the jailbreak, there was no way she could penetrate through the strength-enhanced guards all by herself......
As if reading his thoughts, Lucile started.
“By the way, the entire strength-enhanced guards were wiped out. It was all set up by Duke Lieutolu......”
“Kun!”.
Sion groaned.
Duke Lieral Lieutolu.
That was the name of Ryner’s father. He was a n.o.ble who was supposed to be dead. Someone who used to maneuver this country from the shadows, a dead legacy of Roland.
He is a monster who can match up to Lucile.
“...... he did something unnecessary......”
Lucile laughed heartily at Sion’s reaction.
“Haha. That’s true, he really did something rather unnecessary there. You even went out of the way to conduct research on Ryner-kun, in order to find a way to save him without sacrificing him...... already more than ten people were killed during the human experiments for that sole purpose...... now that he is taken away, all your efforts have gone to waste......”
“Silence.”
“On top of that, since the other side also has the intention of saving Ryner, it’s really a pity. Perhaps, from your perspective, it’s better for Ryner to be living his life with vigor the way he used to before you took away his freedom and made him a sacrifice......”
“Silence!”
“And this must have been within your expectations. That’s why I said you are a splendid king. In spite of feeling troubled, distressed and straying from your path at times, in the end you’ll return to the rightful path and it’s all due to the fact that you can see very far into the future, and will never embark on a path of mistakes. Things like saving your friends, or helping the people in front of you, you can’t do it if it will lead you to a path of mistakes. Eventually, you’ll lose sight of the important things......”
“I said silence!”
Sion shouted loudly.
Lucile opened his eyes and stared at Sion. His clear blue eyes looked straight at him, as if he could completely see through the depths of his heart.
And he smiled.
As if he was making a fool out of him.
As if he was taking pity on him.
Smiling lightly.
Then Lucile said to him.
“...... what is the matter, Sion? The ‘silence’ just now, compared to the level of ‘silence’ when I was bad-mouthing your mother, was much harsher, don’t you think?”
"......"
“...... or is it that you don’t want to be seen by him? The you who is a murderer. The you who conducts human experiments. The you who have lost his humanity, you won’t want him to see you like that, isn’t it? That’s the reason why you became so agitated.”
“......”
And then Lucile smiled again.
“It’s fine even if you don’t feel like answering. Well...... what do you want to do now? Are you going to let Ryner-kun escape after all?”
But Sion, without facing him, replied.
“...... I won’t allow that to happen......”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter to me one way or the other. However, what you’re doing is pointless, Sion. Even if you keep conducting those human experiments, you can’t create another ‘him’. But well, it’s of course a different story if he dies...... but you can’t lift your hand to kill him as well. The thing you never can do......”
Lucile stopped there. He looked intently at Sion and smiled faintly.
“...... you are aware of this as well. And you’ve already made your choice. To sacrifice him. To drop him into the sea of eternal despair. That would be the most efficient way. But you still fret. In a meaningless way. Really, you still retain some sort of humanity...... even though in truth you are hardly a human being right now...... it is indeed a magnificent thing that you still retain some semblance of humanity in what’s left of you. It’s fine then. Do whatever you want. I’ve told you this before, didn’t I? The choices taken by the Hero will never be wrong. You will always do the right thing.”
After saying that, Lucile vanished again.
His form, his presence, his entire existence had disappeared. However, he’s still there. Sion knew that for a fact. Thus,
“Lucile.”
He queried.
As expected, there was a response.
“What’s up? Sion.”
And Sion once again reiterated.
“...... I definitely won’t allow that to happen.”
“Ahaha. You’ve said that earlier. And that’s fine. Having come so far...... since you have already come so far...... after all I can’t rise above the sword of the Hero inside you, feel free to use me as you please. Feel free to use your power as you see fit. Will you sever the darkness from the world? Or will you stop the flow of life? I have absolutely no idea which choice you would take.”
That was what Lucile said.
Sion looked intently at the empty s.p.a.ce from which Lucile disappeared.
Sever the darkness from the world?
Or on the contrary, stop the flow of life?
“...... I......”
He started.
“...... I......”
At that moment, a man entered the room.
A man whom Sion used to pa.s.s down orders to the military, a military messenger. Normally, if he appeared on his own volition, it meant that something must have happened at the frontlines with Imperial Nelpha.
“Your Majesty.”
The man knelt before Sion.
Sion acknowledged him with a nod and said,
“Rise.”
“Yes sir.”
“Well, did anything crop up at Nelpha?”
He shook his head.
“No sir, this is something from within Reylude......”
Though not as expected, at the very least, Sion was well aware that the man came to report something important.
Reylude is the name of the capital of Roland. In other words, he came to report about something that was happening in the streets below this castle.
In other words,
“...... Ryner Lute?”
“T... that’s right sir.”
“He escaped?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry sir.”
“There is no need for you to apologize. So, because Ryner kicked the a.s.ses of the guards and ran away, you’ve come to request for reinforcements, is it something along those lines?”
But the messenger shook his head again.
“The reinforcements were also......”
Sion raised his eyebrows with a start.
“They were repelled as well?”
“Yes......”
“You mean the pursuing troops were already sent out without even reporting the matter to me?”
“...... yes sir.”
“Who was it? Who was the one who gave the order?”
“It was Major Rahel Miller.”
“...... Miller?”
The name brought a bitter smile to Sion’s lips. The man called Miller, who stayed in the shadows during Sion’s revolution, was actually the mastermind behind the revolution.
He is someone known to be a cut above the rest, possessing a sharp and keen mind, and is able to maintain his calm and composure at all times.
When Sion first met Miller, his preparations for the revolution were almost complete. Whether it was regarding gathering of necessary talent, ama.s.sing support from the people, or gathering of intelligence on the n.o.bles that had to be defeated.
And according to Miller’s plans, the revolution happened swiftly.
The world changed.
This is the man who has truly earned the right to stand at the top of the military in this country.
However, he is not one who desires to rise to the top ranks of this country. Stubborn as he is, he has chosen to stay at a lower ranked position and protect this country in his own way.
This is a man who can move without Sion’s permission. He was the one who sent troops in pursuit of Ryner.
Nonetheless......
“What did Miller say?”
Sion asked. And the messenger replied.
“Capture the runaway prisoner, whether dead or alive......”
Whether dead or alive......? In other words, it’s okay to kill him.
However, the troops he sent out were completely defeated. Miller, who in spite of being well aware of Ryner’s strength, had sent out troops that could be defeated by Ryner.
What is the reason behind it?
“......”
Sion thought.
His decision to send out his troops was definitely to delay the reporting of the jailbreak.
If the jailbreak had been reported promptly, there would have been sufficient time to take the necessary counter measures. However, Miller had delayed the report, providing Ryner with extra time to make his escape.
But even if that was so, what can Miller gain by allowing Ryner to escape?
Even though I have sources of information telling me that Miller and Ryner were acquainted in the past, that is not enough reason to have let Ryner escape. Miller is simply not that kind of man.
He isn’t one who would be swayed by emotions to make a meaningless move.
If so, why?
“......”
After some consideration, there were two possibilities.
The first was that in order to discover why Sion was so obsessed with Ryner, he had to ensure that Ryner remain alive.
Another possibility was that he already knew about Sion and the Mad Hero, and that in order for the Mad Hero to be completed, Sion, or rather the Mad Hero himself, had to devour Ryner as a sacrifice.
It was probably the former. Even if Rahel Miller had been known as a genius, to acquire the knowledge on the latter seemed unlikely.
As of now, in this country, the only people who knew of the changes taking place inside of Sion were Sion himself, Lucile, and Froaude.
On top of that, in Lucile’s house, with their nerves in shreds, and safe-guarded in darkness, were Sion’s brothers, or what’s left of them. However, they were deemed as unfit by Lucile, and had never since regained consciousness.
In other words, only three people in this country should possess knowledge of Sion’s true form. And all three of them would definitely keep this in confidence.
That would mean that in order to uncover what Sion was hiding, Miller would have to capture Ryner alive.
So, that’s what it meant.
If that’s the case, there was no need for Sion to take any counter-measures. All he needed to do was to explain things to Miller.
The reason behind Ryner’s imprisonment.
The reason behind the continuation of those human experiments.
The reason.
“......”
The reason why it’s imperative for Sion to throw away his humanity.
All he needed to do was to explain those things.
The distortion and the compet.i.tive struggles that plagued this world.
And also.
The true form of the mad G.o.ddesses.
Miller should be able to understand then. And he should be cooperative then. If he is willing to accept a promotion to the higher ranks, he might even become a greater aid to Sion.
That in itself would solve the problem of Miller.
What was left was Ryner himself.
It was imperative to capture Ryner alive, but who possessed the capability to undertake such a task......
At that moment, the messenger spoke again.
“Erm......”
Sion stopped him before he could say anything else.
“It’s fine. I’ve already understood the issue with Ryner, and that of Miller, I would deal with......”
But the messenger shook his head.
“N... no, that’s not it. The reason why I came here......”
“Hm?”
Sion lifted his head. And looked at the messenger. For some reason, he was having a puzzled expression.
“What’s the matter?”
As Sion asked, he took out an envelope from his breast pocket.
“...... Well...... I’m not exactly sure whether it’s alright to deliver such an absurdity to Your Majesty but.”
“Uhn?”
“There is a message from the criminal to Your Majesty......”
At that moment.
Sion instantly broke out of his thoughts. His vision seemed to blank out for a moment, and he felt as if his blood was drained away from him.
“...... a message from Ryner?”
Acknowledging Sion’s question, the messenger nodded.
Sion was unable to move a muscle at that.
Terrible.
Sion had betrayed Ryner in an unsightly, and most terrible manner.
Always wearing the face of an ally. Always wearing the face of a friend. While saying things like come together with me, I’ll protect you, in the blink of an eye, he had went back on his words and turned against him.
He could still remember Ryner’s face at that time.
That half-smiling face. That