The Unyielding Path (2)
The Sword Master of a forgotten kingdom, Kirchhoff.
Let us speak of his homeland, Rondinel.
Rondinel, a nation destroyed some three hundred years ago. At present, few records of Rondinel remained. Only the briefest of notes survived: that it had once stood near the boundary of the Outer Land, and that it had since been swallowed by the Outer Land.
But Kirchhoff spoke.
"It feels a little awkward coming from me, a native of Rondinel, but Rondinel was once a nation whose power rivaled the Empire's."
It had never been a minor state.
It had been a great power nearly equal to the Empire.
Najin felt no particular doubt at the claim. Kirchhoff himself stood right before him, and the Blue Spear he had met in the desert had also been a transcendent from Rondinel, had he not?
Moreover, considering the existence of the Golden Spear and the Crimson Spear, said to have possessed strength similar to the Blue Spear… by the standards of that era, Rondinel had held at least three transcendents.
Add Kirchhoff and that makes four.
In an age when transcendents were national power itself, Rondinel certainly deserved to be called a great power rivaling the Empire.
"If the Empire became humanity's center of gravity on the Continent and quelled the chaos, then Rondinel served something like a marcher lord."
If one viewed the Continent as a single vast nation, Rondinel was its margrave. Humanity's border—the shield that watched the Outer Land's boundary and intercepted its enemies.
"A nation of that caliber vanished without a trace in a single night. Leaving behind only the fact that three constellations had intervened in its fall."
Kirchhoff smiled bitterly.
"My own memories aren't complete. Only fragmentary ones circled in my head. Until just a little while ago, that is."
He pointed at Najin.
"But watching you, watching the Empire raise its armies, faint memories started to surface. Perhaps because the Revelry Emperor's influence has weakened. Or because that damned demon can no longer hide and has been dragged out into the open."
Whatever the reason, Kirchhoff nodded.
"On the day three constellations descended upon Rondinel, the nation foresaw its own destruction. It realized that no matter what it did, it could not escape ruin."
The Revelry Emperor, the Constellation of Oblivion, and Lancelot.
By the standards of the time, constellations bearing eight stars, an unknown number, and eleven stars respectively had intervened on the battlefield.
"Would they despair before destruction, or try to leave something behind from it? The last monarch of Rondinel was the sort who, even in death, would spit one more time at the enemy and raise a middle finger one more time."
A magnificent person.
Muttering so, Kirchhoff laughed.
"Just as you all are doing now…."
Kirchhoff surveyed the imperial forces outside the tent and let out a sigh.
"Rondinel, too, forged the will of every citizen into a single blade and sought to wound the transcendents."
"…"
"And well, as you know what came after."
He shrugged.
"It failed. Quite spectacularly. I can't say exactly what happened. Even that seems to have been erased from my memory. Only…."
"Only?"
"The moment the plan failed, His Majesty the Monarch, and the Blue Spear, made a choice. To hand over the very 'concept' of the nation called Rondinel to a single human."
Kirchhoff opened his hand.
Above his palm shone only a single star. Kirchhoff's sole star, and a star that alone shone with the light of many stars gathered together.
"Care for a closer look?"
Kirchhoff extended his hand toward Najin. And only when he saw the star up close did Najin understand.
"It wasn't one."
It was not a single star. It was a star that called to mind the blue hydrangea said to be Rondinel's national flower. Just as countless tiny flowers gathered to complete a single bloom… Kirchhoff's star was an aggregate binding hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of starlights into one.
"What is the star's name?"
"Great Synthesis."
The name attached to his own star, which he had never told anyone. And a constellation name that even Kirchhoff himself had forgotten until recently.
"A single star created by gathering and synthesizing all the will of Rondinel."
The knights and transcendents who possessed stars had willingly offered their stars to Kirchhoff. The people had offered prayers until the moment they became ash while gazing at the rising star. A star forged by exchanging the lives of tens of millions of humans.
"Why is this memory surfacing at this moment?"
Gazing at his own star, Kirchhoff posed the question to himself. It was not a question seeking an answer from anyone else.
"Because now is the moment I must step forward."
Self-question and answer. Providing the reply to the question he had thrown himself, Kirchhoff clenched the star tightly in his fist.
"It is time to let them know that Rondinel still stands."
Kirchhoff provided a few more pieces of information as he traced the recalled memories, and based on that information Najin and the Empire's commanders revised their strategy.
"Ah, what do you plan to do about the Constellation of Oblivion and Lancelot? It seems the countermeasures for those two are missing."
The two constellations who would have deep ties to the Revelry Emperor.
When Kirchhoff mentioned them, the gazes of the commanders and everyone gathered in the tent naturally turned toward Najin. More precisely, toward Merlin seated at Najin's side.
"No need to worry about that."
To the blinking Kirchhoff, Merlin spoke.
"Lancelot cannot move. Absolutely not."
Had anyone else said it, they might have asked how she could be so certain, but the speaker was Merlin. The great mage of the Round Table, and the being who knew those who had belonged to the Round Table better than anyone. The words of such a being required no particular basis.
"If the great mage of the Round Table says so… then what of the Constellation of Oblivion?"
"No reason for it to move."
Merlin answered shortly.
"The reason the Star of Oblivion moves is simple. When someone tries to approach its true body, or when someone draws near its true identity. At least, that doesn't seem to apply to you lot."
Kirchhoff's expression hardened, but he asked no further questions. His look said he would put questions on that matter off until later.
"Whether Lancelot or the Star of Oblivion, as long as we don't approach them first, they won't move."
Meaning they only needed to focus on the Revelry Emperor before them. As the long meeting drew to a close, Najin stepped outside the tent and caught his breath.
Sitting on a slightly elevated spot, Najin looked down below.
Countless knights moved between the tents. Watching the mages and the Empire's main forces bustling about, Najin remained silent.
Rondinel failed.
Of course, one could not say the situation then and now were the same. The number of transcendents joining the battlefield was different, and not only did Najin hold Excalibur, he could even borrow Merlin's knowledge.
It was going smoothly. Everything was smooth.
And yet, for some reason, Najin could not erase a sense of foreboding. A sensation as if he were missing something. Narrowing his eyes, Najin looked up at the sky.
The Star of Revelry shining in multicolored brilliance.
What am I missing, what have I left out. Steadying his breath, Najin checked himself over. There was nothing wrong with being cautious.
Wait.
Najin's pupils narrowed. Come to think of it, he had failed to doubt something so obvious, something he absolutely should have suspected. The lighthouse, the city of the Abyss, Atman, the transaction—words interlocking, Najin———.
You doubt nothing.
Najin.
What is natural simply flows naturally. The plan is proceeding smoothly. Everything is unfolding according to your plan.
Blink.
There is nothing wrong. There is nothing strange. As for parts that would make one feel dissonance, well. There are none.
…
Blink. Najin closed his eyes and opened them. Tilting his head slowly, Merlin spoke to him.
"What? Is something strange?"
Najin shook his head.
"No. Hesitating too long here wouldn't be good either. We should push while the Revelry Emperor is still flustered."
There was nothing strange.
Too much suspicion wouldn't be good either.
We head for the Revelry Emperor's domain. We kill the Revelry Emperor. The road is long, so it is right to move even a little sooner.
"…"
You look around.
It is quiet.
Yes, quiet. In this deathly quiet environment, do you harbor suspicion?
Najin harbored suspicion toward this environment.
Najin blinked. There was nothing strange.
"G-gahhhhhhhhhh!"
"My a-arm!"
"I can't hear!"
"Wh-where is this? I can't see anything! Ahead, I can't see ahead!"
Your pupils are fixed upon her.
Your ears hear only her voice.
"S-save me. I can't mo…."
"The laughter!"
"Laughter, laughter, u-uhahahahahaha!"
"Ha-hahahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
"Ahak, hahahahahahahaha!"
Still, such laughter doesn't seem to suit a serious journey like this. That is what you think.
"…"
"…"
"…"
In time the sounds vanish and you grow calm.
Najin looked back.