Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: The First Saint's Trial
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The first Saint, Erisiel, was telling Victoria and me a rather interesting theory.
Just as countless ripples spread across the surface of a deep lake when a single stone is thrown in, countless possibilities exist in this world, and each one is called a 'Route'.
"Those possibilities become individual Routes, forming separate parallel universes... But there was always one unchanging existence. The Demon King Ergothum."
As the first Saint said, within the countless parallel universes, countless people could be seen fighting the Demon King.
A white-haired man defeating monsters using only his two fists,
A massive dragon spewing its breath, trying to inflict damage upon the Demon King,
And a nun carrying a cross as large as herself, leaping onto the battlefield to protect people.
"...I'm sorry to interrupt the explanation, but how on earth did you, the first Saint, come to know such information?"
Looking at the first Saint, who called the collection of unrealized possibilities, the Routes, parallel universes, a sudden doubt arose within me.
How exactly did she know such things?
For information known by a single Saint, it was too detailed and precise; something felt off.
"What I'm showing you now is the same thing the Demon King showed us long ago. The Demon King Ergothum directly mentioned the Grand Route, describing us as if he were pruning unnecessary branches."
Saint Erisiel heaved a deep sigh, her voice trembling. She wiped away the tears welling in the eyes of the child she held in her arms.
"The Grand Route... So, in the end, it's like pruning, cutting away all the unnecessary possibilities, ultimately leading to the destruction of all universes?"
Upon hearing those words, Victoria remembered something.
It was exactly like how a gardener prunes unnecessary branches to shape a bush into the desired form.
"If it's about leaving only one possibility, couldn't we, conversely, create a future where the people of the world are happy? The enemy wouldn't do that, which is why he's the Demon King, but..."
Then, couldn't we leave behind only hope, instead of ruin?
Moreover, there was no guarantee that only the Demon King could intervene in the countless Routes. If the enemy can do it, so can I—such a reversal of thinking is basic in battle.
"...Surprisingly, it might be a fight worth trying."
"If we ultimately kill the Demon King and achieve victory across countless parallel universes, wouldn't that be a way to give the one behind all this a taste of their own medicine?"
I spoke while creating an Idea in my hand. Though it was still an incomplete magic, this power that momentarily reached the realm of divinity seemed to hold enough possibility.
"I'm sorry to say this, but that will likely be impossible. Defeating two of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings is a tremendous feat, but those beings and Ergothum exist on entirely different planes."
However, even after seeing the Idea, the first Saint Erisiel shook her head. In the eyes of one who had actually faced and fought the Demon King, there was sorrow and despair.
"What kind of existence is the Demon King Ergothum, that you say such a thing? The rumors say he is an immortal being who absolutely cannot die..."
"Ergothum is a being akin to a nameless god. He exists on a different level than ordinary life forms, so no matter how exceptional you all are, you cannot win."
Erisiel waved her hand through the air once more, and the images of people fighting the Demon King changed into cold, lifeless piles of corpses.
A party like ours, composed of a Hero, a Saint, and a Mage, was sliced in half by a single gesture from the Demon King, dying without even a scream.
The man who used his fists to freeze his surroundings was engulfed in flames that would never extinguish, burning to death alive.
The dragon with a massive frame like a moving mountain had its body pierced by countless swords, spears, and arrows, collapsing in defeat.
"These others, who could be called your other possibilities, also fell to the Demon King Ergothum. How can you be so confident that you can achieve victory?"
"But... it could be an illusion shown by the Demon King. Surely, we have the possibility..."
"Do you have proof? All I see is a magic that merely sealed Durahan within the holy sword."
"...Ah, it's still an incomplete magic. But if it's Lord Astal, I'm sure he can bring results that will surprise us all. I guarantee it."
Victoria, unable to properly refute the first Saint's opinion, spoke with a slight tremor in her voice.
At a glance, there seemed to be nothing wrong with what she said.
Indeed, all previous Hero parties besides ours were completely annihilated, and it was hard to think that Durahan was up to tricks just to escape the holy sword.
If Durahan was impersonating the first Saint, he wouldn't have let the souls of my hometown people or my parents pass on peacefully. He would have used that to threaten or blackmail instead.
"When you first saw us, you said something, didn't you? That it's the usual fate for the Hero and Saint to be connected."
I could only judge that this was the first Saint, Erisiel, testing us.
From her perspective, having actually fought the Demon King Ergothum, she would know how terrifying and threatening his abilities are.
She was indirectly saying that with half-hearted resolve or skill, we couldn't even touch a single hair of the Demon King.
Moreover, the problem isn't just the Demon King Ergothum; there's also that unknown entity behind it all, the one even the gods sealed away.
"That is the proof that we can achieve victory over the Demon King. Because we are the existence that deviates the most from the ordinary 'Route,' we have the highest possibility of killing the Demon King."
"...Go on."
"As if to prove it, Ergothum sent Durahan, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and an army to burn my entire hometown to the ground in order to kill me. I don't know who the entity behind the Demon King is, but..."
At my words, the first Saint Erisiel showed a faint smile at the corner of her mouth. Seeing this, Victoria poked my side, showing jealousy.
It was true that among all previous Hero parties, ours was the first where the Mage and the Saint were connected.
Furthermore, it was rare for a party like ours where everyone either had a lover or loved someone.
Seeing how coincidence and fate overlapped again and again, even transcending destiny itself, I gently took Victoria's hand.
"Good. That's the answer I was hoping for."
Only then did the first Saint Erisiel look at us with a satisfied expression.
She must have had expectations for us from the start, which is why she was sharing all this information, teaching us how to oppose the Demon King Ergothum.
"...To be honest, the idea of ending the Grand Route with hope was something I couldn't conceive of either. Who would think of finding hope in the end of all things, in ruin?"
"Originally, shouldn't a Hero party be composed of people who think that way?"
It seemed Victoria, having regained her confidence after holding my hand, was thinking of the comrades waiting for us outside the corrupted holy sword even now.
The kind and reliable Hero, Kyle.
The spirit mage, Anima, who is shy and nitpicky but surprisingly gentle.
And on top of that, the archer, Taryon, who finds a path to victory in any situation.
The reason we made it this far wasn't because of any one person's outstanding ability or power alone.
"That's right. Perhaps I've lived so long that I've lost such hope. The person I loved abandoned me, and my comrades and even this child were consumed by resentment, losing their sanity."
Erisiel looked at the surging darkness behind her and gave a bitter smile. No matter how she was the first Saint, the reality she had to endure must have been too wretched and bleak.
"...If what you say is truly possible, that would be wonderful. If the Grand Route truly isn't the world's ruin, but a future where countless hopes and connections gather, and no one is unhappy."
"It is possible. I developed this magic to protect everyone."
Looking at the Idea rotating in my hand, I spoke of my resolve to the first Saint.
A magic born from the single-minded desire to protect everyone.
The result created by a small wish, born on the journey to defeat the Demon King, to send everyone back to their hometowns without anyone dying.
I believed that with this, it would surely reach the Demon King's neck.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ —Writhe.
Not long after declaring our resolve to the first Saint, the space trembled, and everything visible began to ripple.
"Oh my, it seems time is up now. No matter how much I block it with a miracle, this space is still inside the corrupted holy sword, after all."
The first Saint, Erisiel, wore a wistful smile directed at us. It must be heartbreaking to think she would be alone again, shouldering the pain.
"Fuck, fuck...!! You bastard...!! I'll kill you...!! I'll rip out those eyeballs and shove them up your—."
"Tsk, tsk. The baby is listening. Could you please shut your filthy mouth? What is it with you, a man who doesn't change even after coming here?"
Seeing that I had to leave this place, Durahan spewed curses. Seeing this, Erisiel directly lifted her mace and smashed it into what looked like Durahan's spectral face.
"Anyway, if you plan to use this holy sword, you must be careful not to let it corrupt. A demonic sword is that kind of object, after all."
It's a weapon that grants its user immense power while simultaneously devouring their sanity and driving them into a frenzy.
As if aware that we intended to give this sword to Kyle to kill the Demon King, Erisiel spoke with a hint of worry.
"Well, I recently saw a dark knight using a demonic sword while observing the parallel universes, so maybe you all will be fine."
As she said this, she began talking about a figure that had briefly passed through her mind earlier.
A man with black hair and wolf ears. As I recalled the dark knight with a youthful face, as if he'd just become an adult, I felt something strange.
With my special eyes that could see magical power even through helmets and armor, he seemed to be a quarter-breed, with only a faint trace of human blood.