Red Heat Sword (Fin)

A single mistake.

Even the most skilled of people can have their entire evaluation overturned by one single slip-up.

'Just like right now.'

He had met every condition. The relationship between Agni and the Founder. The things only the two of them would know, their conversations. And the keyword 'Child of Fire.'

'Where exactly did I go wrong?'

Agni's excited, chattering demeanor — that had clearly been a genuine reaction.

'When did that reaction suddenly cut off?'

The answer surfaced alongside the question.

It was —

'the moment I mentioned the Founder's death.'

That meant the wrong answer was one of two things.

'…and was killed by an assassination squad dispatched by the Demon Clan.'

Or —

'Before that, the last thing you crafted was the Red Heat Sword, wasn't it?'

'But the Red Heat Sword really is a final work.'

Agni himself had mentioned it directly during the scene of his contract with Rania.

'The first one is the wrong answer.'

The part from the setting notes — 'killed by an assassination squad dispatched by the Demon Clan' — that had to be the mistake.

'Then what was the true cause of death?'

It took him only two seconds to reach that point.

'I need to say something, anything.'

He had barely enough time for a single word, and the strategy Eugene chose was —

"You're lucky you're an idiot."

Pouring oil on a blazing fire.

—[……!]

The worst possible situation: calling an enraged opponent an idiot and adding an insult to their furious face.

Eugene quietly closed his eyes, as if he would gladly accept death if Agni decided to kill him.

But for some reason —

Contrary to Eugene's resigned expression, Agni drew back all the energy he had been venting in fury.

—[Speak.]

Eugene gently opened his eyes.

"Just kill me."

As if resentful of Agni for not doing so, he added with hostility bared.

"The same way you killed the Founder."

And then, after a brief pause —

—[……I'm sorry.]

Agni shed tears, and Eugene, covering his face with both hands —

'I really almost died. If I'd figured it out even a little later, I'd have been dead for real.'

He let out a sigh of relief.

At the same time, he observed Agni.

That guy was definitely —

—[Yes, I…]

—regretting it.

Even now, hundreds of years later.

—Hey, idiot!

That child was still vividly clear to him.

Dark crimson hair and ruby-like sparkling eyes, pale skin scorched by light. Playful and frivolous in nature, yet her appearance was so overwhelmingly dignified.

—Hah, I'm drunk, you jerk!

—[…Only the outside looks fine.]

That was why Agni always added a comment.

—When's the contract supposed to end?

—[Until you die. But more importantly, can you fix that frivolous tone of yours.]

—If I die and come back, will we meet again?

—[Even if the soul is the same, the existence will be different. But more importantly, can you fix that frivolous tone…]

He had thought that if only she could fix that frivolous tone, she would be a contractor worth boasting about.

But alas —

—Shit, did I say I'd take the blame? I said I'd make weapons for free to save the soldiers if you just supply the materials, you damn idiots!!

—[…Wasn't that human called the Emperor?]

The Founder never changed.

—Ugh. Damn idiots. Hey, Agni. Should I just set the imperial capital on fire?

—[Arson is a serious crime.]

—Do you think I'm suggesting it because I don't know that, you moron?

Always light and frivolous, never losing her smile.

—[How dare you call me an idiot right now!!!]

—Shut up, you!!! What kind of flame spirit can't even grill meat properly!!!

He only realized it now, but Agni had liked that side of her.

—[What kind of madman makes a fire spirit grill meat!!]

—Me, that's me. Ah, whatever!! It's too complicated, I'm going to go hammer some iron!!

—[Y-you crazy!!]

Even though she pretended to be angry and bickered on the outside, her heart couldn't have been more at ease.

—Agni, I'm getting married!

—[Tsk tsk tsk, whoever could fall for that weirdo.]

—What, you jerk!?

When the child found love —

—…It's my kid, Agni.

—[Taking after the mother so perfectly, that one's going to give you quite a headache later.]

—……Ugh, you idiot. Can't even say congratulations.

When the child had a child —

—Hey. Did you maybe bestow a blessing on me?

—[Pfft! Me?!]

—Well, you wouldn't have done it anyway. I just asked knowing the answer, jerk.

—[Why did you ask something like that?]

—Just… I was so happy.

Until the child found happiness.

The Fire Spirit Agni felt a tumult of countless emotions for the first time since his birth.

And around that time —

—Go. I've prepared a place in the west. It'll be safer there than here, for now.

—But mother is…!!

—What are you doing!! Hurry and take the children and evacuate!!

—No… I can't go. I can't leave without you, Vulcanus.

War accelerated.

Until then, Agni hadn't known.

—Think of the children!!

How deep the Founder Vulcanus truly was.

—And don't worry. Agni will soon become the Spirit King, after all.

How well she lied. And how much more than he had imagined —

—[You…!!]

—Ah, busted.

—how outstanding a strategist she was.

—[Give her to me right now!!!]

Agni reached out toward the essence that was burning her hand, but —

—Agni.

—he was immediately blocked.

—[Be quiet!! Treat her right now!!]

—You know. It's already too late. They're only after me, and I can't possibly escape in this situation. So… let's look at the bigger picture, us.

The Founder Vulcanus —

—[You…!! Why… why you…!!!]

—I'm sorry I let your dream come true this way.

—[Why do you have to die…]

—And thank you. I was happier than anything you gave me could have made me.

The final and greatest masterpiece created by the woman who had foretold her own death.

—Its alias is the Red Heat Sword. And its true name —

The name she had passed down before its birth was —

—Agni.

Whoosh!

Her body scattered like fire.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Agni only then realized.

—[…You said you were going on a trip.]

That the Founder Vulcanus had been planning this from very long ago.

She smiled.

She had burned away her entire remaining life to activate the essence, knowing she would soon vanish without a trace — and yet she smiled.

—Thank you. Friend.

—[Aaah…!!]

—Please take care of my children.

She never lost her smile until the very end.

And on that day —

The vacant seat of the Fire Spirit King, empty for hundreds of years, was given to a single spirit.

Agni thought —

—[I killed… the only friend I ever had…]

…That's what he'd be thinking, right?

'Idiot.'

Truthfully, Agni was a victim too.

He had been swept up in the Founder's unilateral plan, manipulated by her until he became Spirit King.

And that wasn't all.

Because she had died right before Agni's eyes and made a request, he was essentially bound to Vulcanus psychologically.

Spirits were pure beings by nature.

He still fell into deep sorrow at the thought of that day, to the point of tears.

Squelch…

Look, he's still crying right now.

'In other words, the Founder was the bad one.'

Of course, it was admirable that she didn't submit to her fate and fought back — but there existed a sin in making a single spirit grieve for far too long.

So, Founder-ah.

"Fire Spirit King Agni. I hate you too. You killed the Founder, and you know it. But… but here's the thing."

—[…?]

"The Founder told me to join forces with you and put an end to everything."

Can't I sell you out a little?

As soon as he finished speaking, Agni's expression stiffened.

—[An end…?]

"As you know, I'm currently embedded in the Cult of Salvation. Why would a Child of Fire be embedded in the Cult of Salvation?"

—[Could it be…?]

"Yes, that 'could it be' is correct."

Eugene answered with shining eyes.

"A double agent."

—[To extract the Founder's hidden final work?!]

"To extract the Founder's hidden final work."

—[Huh? You just said double agent a moment ago.]

"That's a friend's name. It just came to mind, so I said it."

—[Ah, I see.]

This guy —

he really was lucky he was an idiot.

'But then, a hidden final work?'

Were there other things the Founder had hidden besides the Red Heat Sword?

His thoughts immediately organized themselves.

'Retrieve them all.'

Even just the Red Heat Sword alone had greatly increased Rania's combat power.

'If there are other items at the level of the Red Heat Sword, and I could gather them all?'

The Evil God's extermination, which had taken a full year in the original work, would be brought forward considerably.

'Anyway, that's for later.'

What he needed to do right now was deliver the acquired Red Heat Sword to Rania.

"Agni. Help me now."

Once they left this place and headed toward Rania, he'd have her make a contract with Agni, and that would be it.

But for some reason —

—[Yes. If that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is that child's will.]

Seeing Agni lost in thought, his mood was anything but good.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

'What should I say to comfort him?'

Should he sell the Founder out a little more and comfort him with a white lie?

'…No.'

The story of two people belongs only to those two. That's why it's both joyful and sorrowful.

So as for him —

"Hey, Agni."

—[Ah, I'm sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.]

"Never mind. Come look at this."

Eugene selected a single skill.

Most records of the Children of Fire had been lost.

Their final legacy, which they had guarded to the very end —

—They say the Fire Spirit King Agni's flames would ripple, but never scatter…

—When the Founder opened the blast furnace, the heat inside would burst out into the air…

—Occasionally, when the Founder got drunk and Lord Agni would circle around…

The scenes the Founder's children had witnessed flowed from mouth to mouth, down through generations, and took shape as a sword with a single form.

—It was said to be beautiful, like being ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bewitched by fire.

That was the Red Heat Sword.

Whoosh!

Flame originating from the sword's tip swept past Agni's eyes and flowed all the way to the entrance of the tomb.

To be honest, to Eugene it was just a slightly beautiful pillar of fire —

—[Aaah…!!]

—but it seemed to look a little different to Agni.

'…A fire spirit's tears scatter into mist in the air the moment they fall.'

Having learned a new fact, he immediately turned away as if he hadn't noticed.

"Ryang."

—[Y-you called for me!!]

"Stop staring and clean up the tomb."

—[…Yes, sir!]

Thanks to Ryang, who seemed oddly frightened, the cleanup was finished faster than expected.

"A grown man crying like that."

—[I wasn't crying.]

"Right. I get it. Let's go out a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bit."

—[That's easy.]

Whoosh!

"Ooh. Iron Man."

—[…What?]

"Never mind. Let's go."

Crunch!

As if trying to burst through to the surface in one go, a tremendous force gathered beneath Agni's feet.

—[…Child. What was the name of that sword again.]

"Red Heat Sword."

—[The Red Heat Sword, is it…]

Right after he finished speaking —

—[Thank you. For showing me such a beautiful sword.]

Agni smiled.

And the next moment —

KWAAAAAAANG!!!

The small ember that had rippled underground for hundreds of years burst forth into the world with a colossal explosion.

And shortly after —

"Say hello, Agni. This is Count Vulkan, the current head of the Vulcanus family."

—[I am Agni.]

"Uh, um…?"

The most distinguished reception hall of the Vulcanus Count's estate.

"Greet the head, sir. The one standing over there is the Fire Spirit King Agni."

"Wh-wh-what?!?!"