A Lesson in Reality
“That’s impossible!”
After showing him the communication crystal and explaining the situation, the other party reacted with obvious shock, laced with suspicion and outright rejection.
“You’re really one of the Hero’s companions?”
Well. Even if I was used to it, that blatant attitude still rubbed me the wrong way. Especially since he was a little taller than me and naturally looked down at me while speaking.
—Geil! That’s rude!
The man called Geil was, as expected, one of Elena’s companions. The deer beside him was Duran—an entity commonly referred to as an Incarnation of Greenery, not an actual deer but one of those rare beings that had ascended into a spiritual existence.
There wasn’t any specific race or creature called an Incarnation of Greenery. It was simply a general term for ordinary beings that had, through some particular trigger, transcended into spiritual entities. They were extremely rare, generally ranking above most sacred beasts. Honestly, this was my first time seeing one in person.
“But Duran, you said it yourself! You said his soul was stained black!”
…I never stained it on purpose.
“How could a companion of the Hero possibly be a Dark Priest? That doesn’t make any sense!”
For a brief moment, I thought it was quite something to say that right in front of the person in question. And again, I had never forcibly stained my own soul. So there was no reason for anyone to call me a Dark Priest.
—But……!
Duran tried to argue, but apparently couldn’t find the words. He simply stared at me cautiously. Well, he must have been just as flustered.
“If you still can’t believe me, why don’t you contact Lady Elena?”
There were plenty of things I wanted to say, but I figured getting into an argument would only sour the mood, so I kept my words to a minimum.
“……”
Geil silently studied my face. He probably understood it logically. That what I said was true. After all, it was far too simple a lie to maintain, and one that could be verified immediately.
“…So you’re saying you’re the real Anak. The Summoner of Deception, the Second-Best Strategist, the Nightmare of Orsia Hill?”
—Geil! That attitude toward Lord Anak is……!
His eyes still carried blatant rejection and a hint of hostility, but at least the suspicion was gone. Of course, that didn’t make it any more pleasant. He had only half-shifted to a respectful tone while keeping the same rude inflection—there was no courtesy in it, let alone respect.
What I could feel instead was an unmistakable sense of superiority. It might have been partly due to his relatively young age, but more than that, it seemed to stem from an absolute lack of actual combat experience.
It wasn’t the arrogance that came from repeated victories, nor the intoxication of triumph itself. Those were emotions that only surfaced after one had grown somewhat accustomed to battle and its realities. What I saw in him now was nothing more than the reckless bravado typical of novices.
He didn’t know the fear of battle, nor had he ever felt the weight of life.
Of course, his skill was clearly considerable. The very fact that he had formed a contract with an Incarnation of Greenery already proved he possessed significant potential and ability. Against most opponents, he could probably handle things with ease—and he clearly had until now.
But overcoming fear and not knowing fear in the first place were two entirely different things. A fighting style that relied solely on talent and instinct wasn’t just less sharp; it could easily put oneself in danger.
The way he had fought just moments ago was proof of that. Even while riding a griffon with an Incarnation of Greenery summoned, he had tried to wield a sword himself, and there were clear gaps in his choice and command of summons.
Thanks to that, I had been able to recall Jequirac quickly, but watching him block the escape route with the griffon instead of summoning more creatures while his other summons were nearly wiped out had left me momentarily baffled.
He had probably believed Jequirac was my greatest asset, but that hasty judgment itself was evidence of his inexperience.
“……”
Since I didn’t react while lost in thought, he simply continued staring at my face. His eyes seemed to demand that I show hostility toward him, constantly seeking a response.
Why was he so worked up? Was he simply disappointed in me?
No, that wasn’t it. I had faced that kind of expression countless times before. Disappointment alone wouldn’t produce that level of hostility.
“You must have been quite displeased that I was using my name for your activities.”
At my words, both Geil and Duran’s faces stiffened slightly. As expected, my guess had been correct. Strong ego, exceptional skill, and youthful vigor. It was only natural, really.
—That’s not true. If anything, we felt unworthy of using Lord Anak’s name……
But unlike Duran, who spoke desperately, Geil showed no intention of hiding his feelings.
“The only advantage was that not many people knew me, so it was easy to impersonate.”
—Geil!
Duran quickly raised his voice to scold him, but it was pointless.
“…Well, I suppose so. It’s not exactly wrong.”
—I-I’m sorry, Lord Anak. Geil is still young……!
I extended my hand, and in the air, white, black, and blue sigils appeared. I wasn’t particularly angry or excited. In fact, I could have just laughed it off and let it pass.
The other side had tried to provoke me, but brushing off this level of grumbling and discontent was nothing to me. In some ways, it was even familiar. But I couldn’t let it slide.
A flicker of confusion crossed his eyes, followed by satisfaction and a faint sense of relief. Yes. That was exactly why I decided to play along.
It wasn’t just because he was arrogant or held a grudge against me that he had been trying to provoke and test me. He was simply trying desperately to look away.
He had, for the first time, felt his own inadequacy just moments ago. He had vaguely experienced that battle didn’t always go the way he wanted. And because he didn’t want to acknowledge that, he was clinging even harder to hostility and discontent to protect his pride.
By denying me, he was also trying to deny his own emotions and experiences from earlier.
It was one of the common reactions geniuses showed when faced with a crisis or wall they couldn’t handle.
If I hadn’t returned after disappearing from his sight earlier, things probably wouldn’t have turned out this way. He would have had no choice but to confront that wall, whether he liked it or not, while thinking about the missed enemy and the battle that had gone differently from his expectations. But because I came back, he had gained the chance to avoid and deny that wall.
That was why I needed to break that attempt and that misconception. As a fellow summoner, and as one of those common fireflies. No matter how you looked at it, it was the small kindness I could offer to someone who had been doing good deeds in my name.
Of course, I wasn’t the sun, so I couldn’t do it like Rowell. But making someone face reality and their own situation didn’t require being the sun. It could be done with the darkness that their own light could never hope to overcome.
The silver figure that burst from the white sigil flew straight toward Geil. Duran tried to block it quickly, but the black hand that reached out from the black sigil and its intense mana froze him in place, at least temporarily.
—Geil!
Geil reflexively drew his sword at the white figure lunging toward him. His movement was fairly fast, and his stance and direction were accurate, like a trained swordsman, but it wasn’t enough. His sword was sliced clean through by the white figure’s gesture and fell to the ground, and soon those sharp fingertips stopped just short of his neck.
“……!”
He was so shocked he couldn’t do anything. Standing before him now was a metal doll with a silver body and hands shaped like blades—its name was “Aphros’s Sword.” It was an artificial lifeform created by Aphros’s mages as guards. Most of them had been destroyed during the Aphros Invasion, but the few I had received from Medrup early in my travels were still left.
—L-Lord Anak……?
Duran, relieved that Geil was safe, was also at a loss about my sudden action.
“With this, you just died once. How does it feel?”
“……!”
I could see defiance and anger flicker across his stiff face and eyes. Right. He still had a long way to go. I raised my hand and withdrew Aphros’s Sword. As the blade moved away, his somewhat rigid expression softened slightly, and Duran approached his side.
—Lord Anak, what exactly are you trying to do?
“It’s just education.”
……!
Suddenly, Duran’s body grew slightly larger as he stepped in front of Geil. His voice had been normal, and my answer hadn’t carried any killing intent, so it was strange—until I realized he had tensed up after seeing the owner of that intense mana from earlier walking out of the black sigil.
An entity wreathed in black flames, with a sharp single horn and a face that looked like blue mist or ghosts, walked out and stood beside me.
“There’s no need to be so tense.”
This one’s name was Dede Samudi. Like the Puppet Crows, it was one of the most powerful dark creatures created and used by ancient witches, and one that had even developed its own ego. Records stated that after that, powerless witches had instead worshipped and obeyed it.
“I simply intend to give some guidance to an inexperienced junior. At the very least, one should understand their own limitations if they want to keep their life, don’t you think?”
“Guidance……?”
I could see strength enter the hand gripping the broken sword hilt.
“My name is Geil de Sopimimes! The first disciple of the great Kainaknus de Sophi-edea! And now someone closer to a Dark Priest, whose soul is stained with darkness, claims they’ll teach me?”
Sophi-edea. Sopimimes. Sophi-edea meant true wisdom, or one who possessed true wisdom—a title for a great master. Sopimimes meant one who imitated wisdom, or one who studied wisdom—a title for the disciples or descendants of such a great master.
When a king or emperor granted a surname along with a position to a commoner who had none, they usually made one up on the spot. But there were a few special surnames that had been passed down since ancient times.
Among those special surnames, the one kings and emperors bestowed with the highest respect was Sophi-edea. (Historically, only about thirty people had ever held this surname.) And the surname passed down to their descendants was Sopimimes.
I had known that Kainaknus had received the surname Sophi-edea, but I never expected he would pass it on to his disciple as well. The bond between master and disciple must have been much deeper than I thought.
“That’s right. It seems Kainaknus hasn’t properly taught you everything yet.”