Chapter 191: A Reason for Everything
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 191: A Reason for Everything
I looked around, but there wasn't much I could do.
The authority I’d gained through the Knight Lord’s mana core only allowed me to do so much—essentially, I was just on a guided tour of a factory producing magic golems.
“Is this really it...?”
Something felt off.
What did the Knight Lord’s mana core have to do with this place? Was the Knight Lord originally a boss entity from Calax?
“No, probably not.”
Most likely not. My guess was that the Knight Lord had been the boss of the labyrinth Iris escaped from to reach the Surface World. That raised another question, then. The Knight Lord existed in Iris’s labyrinth in the distant past.
And here in Calax, this place—where an unnamed woman was being used as a living battery—was connected to the Knight Lord.
Which meant...
“Are the labyrinths actually connected?”
They certainly didn't look the part. Perhaps these 'labyrinths' manifested on the 'Surface World' weren't just independently created worlds, but locations tied to a specific original source. Or maybe they were once a single entity that had been shattered into pieces.
“This is getting complicated.”
I couldn't tell if the woman embedded in the wall behind the glass pane was alive or dead. Her complexion wasn't bad, and her skin wasn't rotting, but logically, she shouldn't be able to survive in that state.
I wondered how she even breathed, let alone how she functioned without eating or excreting. And above all...
“That mana core. It’s incredible.”
There was no more information to be gained here. I didn't know what the glass was made of, but since I couldn't break it, there was no way to rescue her. There was no way to extract the mana core, either.
Eventually, I climbed back up the spiral staircase to the first floor. The boss that had guided me was standing there, waiting patiently. Right, I forgot about this guy.
“Hey, Boss. There’s a person down there. Is there any way to get her out?”
The nameless boss stroked its chin as if deep in thought. Then, it led the way, opening the temple entrance and stepping out into the front courtyard.
It was a beautiful ornamental garden, decorated with exquisite tiles and flowers. If it weren't for the giant white Gundam-looking thing acting as the boss, the place would have had a total Greek mythology vibe.
Clang!
“What, you want to fight?”
I followed the boss to the center of the garden. It turned around to face me, drew its weapon, and took the stance of a Knight’s Oath.
I wasn't sure why, but the thing was friendly toward me. I hadn't expected the connection to the Knight Lord to go this far.
“I won't hold back.”
I mirrored the Knight’s Oath. After a brief moment of sizing each other up, we lunged into combat.
BOOM!
The crazy Gundam had boosters on its back. Yellow flames—fuelled by God knows what—trailed behind it as it flew toward me at incredible speed.
Swish!
“Hup...!”
A powerful strike came down toward my right shoulder, aiming to cleave my torso diagonally. I twisted my body slightly, letting the blade slide off the flat of my sword. The golem crouched low, stepped deep toward me with its right leg, and thrust its shield forward.
I blocked it with my own shield, but those two exchanges were enough for me to realize something.
“The Knight Lord’s sword...?”
It was the swordsmanship and shield techniques used by the Knight Lord. It involved fluidly wedging oneself into the opponent's range, parrying every weak attack from within, and relentlessly pressing the advantage...
“Why is this sword style here?!”
But I could feel it. This was a degraded version. It wasn't that it was intentionally made inferior; it was simply the failure of a golem that couldn't replicate human flexibility.
It also lacked pure agility and output. The original moved much faster and struck much harder.
Clang!
“Stop. This is boring.”
I struck the golem's sword with enough force to send it flying. It stared blankly at its distant weapon for a moment before lowering its shield and bowing its head. Just what was the connection between this place and the Knight Lord?
“Wait, what is this...?”
The Knight Lord’s mana core in my chest started acting strange. Why now?
It felt just like the sensation I had when I first consumed the core.
“In the labyrinth...?! Dammit—”
* * *
“Yoo Eon collapsed?!”
“Ack! The screen went dark! Why does it always do that on the floors Aven is on?!”
On the Surface World, Yoo Eon—who had entered the temple using the Knight’s Oath pass—became the center of attention again as he stepped back outside.
He hadn't gained anything particularly visible, but he had entered a temple guarded by a monster and come out in one piece.
The fact that he had earned the favor of a boss entity, rather than a common monster, came as a massive shock to many.
“Gasp! Is Yoo Eon dead?!”
“N-No way!”
“But why did he suddenly faint...?”
Ravi’s dramatic fussing made the second-floor terrace of the cafe quite noisy. Even to Sera and Ravi, who were laymen when it came to swords, the duel had been spectacular.
To Theodora and Alfi, who were experienced and knowledgeable about the blade, it was clear that Yoo Eon had been holding back significantly, giving the golem plenty of room.
The duel ended after Yoo Eon sent the Master Guardian Knight’s sword flying. Shortly after, Yoo Eon lost consciousness and collapsed. And exactly at that moment, the transmission cut out again.
Strangely, the screens showing other parts of the 40th Floor were perfectly fine. Only the feed showing the southernmost temple had suddenly disconnected.
“Ugh, this is so frustrating!”
“Milady, please calm down. I am sure the young master is fine.”
“How can I be calm?! You just saw him collapse!”
“I suspect the transmission cutting out just now was due to the young master’s ability.”
“What...?”
Theodora looked bewildered by Alfi’s words. How could Yoo Eon cut off a transmission artifact prepared by the Guild? Ravi, who was busy munching on a madeleine, suddenly froze.
“Waugh!”
“Ravi, what’s wrong?!”
“I-I bit my tongue...! But that’s not important right now!”
“Then what is?!”
“It really is Yoo Eon’s ability! It’s the special power of the Anti-Magica Colossus!”
“Huh...?”
Ravi nodded at Alfi, signaling she understood. Every time the camera focused on Yoo Eon, the transmission artifact—a magic tool—would malfunction. It had started on the 35th Floor and continued until the 37th, seemed fixed for a bit, and was now acting up again on the 40th.
“He defeated the Anti-Magica Colossus on the 35th Floor and took its mana core!”
“I-Is that so...?”
Thinking back, they did recall hearing that the 4th Stratum of Calax contained magic golems that suppressed the use of magic.
“Then... he’s still alive, right?”
“I’m not entirely sure about that....”
* * *
After his duel with the Master Guardian Knight, Yoo Eon had suddenly lost consciousness. However, something else was now moving his body, which had lost its own will.
Clink.
“Is this a doll made by those miracle-mongers?”
The Knight Lord’s mana core embedded in Yoo Eon’s chest was currently controlling his body. Using Yoo Eon’s eyes to survey the surroundings, the Knight Lord looked at the Master Guardian Knight standing before him.
“Haha... It seems my curse finally reached them.”
A city turned to ruins. It was a wasteland where the glory of a brilliant past was unrecognizable. The mages the Knight Lord had hated so much were long dead, while only the golems and city guards they created wandered the streets, protecting a city that no longer had a reason to be guarded.
“Let’s go inside.”
The Knight Lord turned and headed toward the temple entrance, with the Master Guardian Knight following closely behind like a loyal hound.
* * *
“It’s been a while.”
“So, we finally meet as acquaintances.”
“That’s my line. You’re the one who kept calling it our first meeting no matter how many hundreds of times we saw each other.”
I met the Knight Lord again in my inner world. I didn't know why he had taken over my body and brought me here of all places, but looking at that iron-plate face didn't make me feel particularly agitated.
He was such a polite and boring guy that I figured he must have a good reason.
“What’s going on? Why this?”
“I believe you once asked me about my family.”
“Ah, right. And then you got mad and split me in two.”
“Forgive me. Back then... I couldn't stand the thought of mages mentioning my family.”
The moment I had mentioned his family, the Knight Lord had sliced me right down the middle.
* * *
“Do you have a family?”
“...Die.”
“What, your mom—”
* * *
“Thinking back on it still gives me the chills. You swung that sword with a ferocity I’d never seen before.”
“It is a shameful memory. To lose my blade to my emotions.”
“Whatever. Usually, when people bring up family, you stop seeing straight. It’s proof you’re a man.”
“An interesting perspective.”
After some idle chatter, we got to the point.
“So, have you finally decided to tell me? Is that why you brought me here?”
“Right now, on the outside, I am borrowing your body for a moment.”
“What the hell? Give it back.”
“The man who stole my heart speaks quite boldly.”
“Well, I am putting it to good use.”
It wasn't like I’d forcibly ripped the mana core out of the Knight Lord. He’d even given me his permission later on.
Wait, don't tell me he’s here to take it back.
“I want to ask one thing. How much of your memory do you currently possess?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you remember dying and becoming an undead monster? Or do you only have memories from when you were human?”
The Knight Lord I’d met before only had memories of his human life. He had a human body and wasn't even aware that he would eventually become a monster.
“I remember everything. The current me... even possesses memories of being in a place other than this Surface World.”
“A place other than the Surface World? You mean the labyrinth?”
The Knight Lord shook his head and let out a short sigh.
“It is a story far too long. While you have the right to know the truth, please understand that I am under no obligation to provide it.”
“Then where can I find this truth?”
“First... I must offer my thanks.”
“Did I do something worth thanking?”
“In a way, yes, though it is slightly different.”
The Knight Lord looked up at the empty, void-like sky for a moment before speaking.
“Please convey my gratitude to the last Vampire Lord.”
“The last Vampire Lord...?”
Vampires? Last Monarch? Who was he talking about?
“Wait, do you mean Iris Albresto?”
“Yes, that was her name. In accordance with the pact made with her, I have fulfilled my lifelong... no, my eternal wish.”
“A pact? A wish?”
“I shall share my vision with you for a moment. You may reclaim your body if you wish, but... I believe you will understand me.”
The Knight Lord reached out. My vision blurred for a moment, and then I felt myself back in my own body.
To be precise, I was seeing through the eyes of the Knight Lord, who was still in control.
‘Wait, how?’
The wall in the temple basement, which hadn't even been scratched no matter how hard I tried, had been carved out into a perfect square.
Naturally, the woman who had been inside was now out of the glass cage and held in my arms.
“She is my younger sister.”
“...Are you serious?”
The woman who had been trapped in the basement of the 4th Stratum temple, having her mana constantly extracted, was actually the Knight Lord’s sister. As she lay in the Knight Lord’s arms, she—who hadn't moved an inch before—began to breathe with small, soft exhales.
“Why is your sister here...?”
“It is a long story. In short, it was because of the mages.”
“So your hatred had a reason.”
“Did I strike you as the type of person who would ostracize others without cause?”
“Well, no, I guess not.”
After that, the Knight Lord said nothing more. He simply used my body to watch over his sister for a long time. She looked as if she were in a deep sleep, breathing shallowly in his arms.
“Thank you, Yoo Eon.”
“Tsk... I didn't really do anything.”
“It was a long, patient wait. I am glad to see her like this again, in the end.”
“What’s going to happen to your sister?”
“I can erase her with my own power. She must be longing for death.”
“...Are you going to do it yourself?”
“I must. It is the only way.”
At some point, I found myself standing at a distance, watching the two siblings. It was my body holding her, but I had the illusion that the Knight Lord’s form was overlaid upon it.
“Close your eyes, Yoo Eon.”
“Yeah. Good luck.”
“I hope that you, too, will be able to go and protect your mother and sister.”
“Ugh, stop it. That’s embarrassing.”
I’d said those things with such gravity back then because I thought it was the end, but meeting him again like this made me feel incredibly cringey.
“Knight Lord, can you tell me your name?”
“....”
After a brief moment of consideration, he gave a small nod.
“Hersha.”
“That’s a unique name.”
“As is yours.”
“Ha, you really have to get the last word in, don't you?”
I closed my eyes, and soon, my vision was dyed black.
* * *
I felt like I opened my eyes immediately after, but my body was already back at the temple entrance. The boss entity, modeled after the Knight Lord’s swordsmanship, was standing behind me.
Creak...
“What now?”
The sky had already turned dark. The sun had been up when I started the duel. It was clear how much the Knight Lord had agonized before finally putting his sister to rest with his own hands.
“This is...?”
The boss entity knelt on one knee and held out both hands.
In its hands was...
“A mana core....”
A glowing, golden mana core.