Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Doubts in the Shadows
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He walked, stopped, walked again, then stopped once more. Pondering complex matters wasn't in his nature, but Ineville leaned against a tree.
Dianne's words rampaged through his mind like an enraged bull, prodding every corner. What did it mean to cross the Realm? Was it true that simply crossing it would make him stronger? And what exactly was this Realm to begin with?
The power his master had shown carried a chilling scent that made his body shrink back. It was the smell that stimulated primal fear. It looked dangerous.
His master was a wise person. Someone who knew right from wrong. If she had chosen power, there must have been a valid reason.
Power obtained without cost or effort still felt unsettling, but he trusted his master more than anyone. If it was the path she had chosen, it should be fine, shouldn't it?
Yet a corner of his heart still harbored doubt. Would it really be okay? Could power truly exist without a price?
A body not forged through blood and sweat, not cultivated by effort, but granted by a single choice. His growing curiosity was matched by equally immense fear and disdain.
A month ago, before meeting Lander, he would have chosen power after much deliberation.
It was as attractive as it was frightening. But the sword Lander wielded transcended common sense. The moment he saw it, he was drawn in, awed, and soon yearned to emulate it.
Lander had declared it impossible for him, but he hadn't denied effort and training. He had merely stated that he could never possess the same power.
It was a mountain touching the heavens. Rather than despair, Ineville felt adventure. So high was the place he had to reach, so many things he had to do!
It was thrilling. Exciting. A new measure of strength had appeared. Someone as strong as his master—perhaps even stronger.
Ineville kicked a stone at his feet. It bounced off and struck a tree on the opposite side.
The tree stood firm, and the stone vanished from sight. The tree was Lander, the stone his master.
After the spar ended, as his master massaged her strangled throat and caught her breath. With the fear gone, disappointment filled the void.
His master still displayed astonishing swordsmanship. Elegant, straightforward, clean. But the master wielding that mysterious power had lost all her unique traits, reduced to mere brutality.
As his master said, the new body was astonishing. Speed incomparable to before, and raw strength.
But how did it compare to Lander?
His master dismissed Lander's domain and poise as mere tricks or natural stances.
The domain and poise he had witnessed through Lander were no mere tricks. They were the totality of martial arts.
The culmination of techniques honed relentlessly by a warrior of exceptional talent, never settling.
His master was strong. The master using that chilling power would defeat him barehanded.
But if he stayed alert and prepared for ambushes, they could exchange a blow or two.
What if the opponent was Lander?
Ineville's mind went blank. Nothing formed. The implication was clear. His master was a measurable foe; Lander was beyond comprehension.
After the match concluded, it became certain. Even using that mysterious power, Dianne could not defeat Lander. Could she even approach him?
"Something's wrong. This can't be right."
She kicked another stone. Dianne's displayed violence. The hand that choked her throat, the cold eyes that crushed her chest.
The master who used power had clearly changed. Power without cost? No. Her master's transformation was proof.
The face of his master apologizing with regret as she loosened her grip on her throat was still vivid.
That expression was the Dianne she knew. They needed to talk. Something had gone astray.
She wanted to grow stronger, but not by enhancing her abilities in that manner.
Fear changed form and shook Ineville. What if Dianne, the master she cherished and admired, turned into someone else? A shiver ran through her.
It wasn't just her master who had accepted the power bestowed by the Realm. Silder was likely in a similar situation.
She was lost in thought, staring at her toes, when footsteps approached from behind.
The moment she turned and saw the face, Ineville lowered her stance and gripped her sword hilt. Hostility surged before any questions.
"Gilliud."
She issued a clear warning to Gilliud, who approached without hesitation. Move carelessly again, and she'd sever his legs first.
"Why are you here?"
"Because this is where I stay."
"Why are you..."
Before she could finish, Gilliud spoke.
"Did you see it? The power obtained through the Realm."
"How do you know that?"
"Silder wanted a means, and I provided it."
"You're acquainted with Silder?"
"We've been together for a long time."
She furrowed her brow.
"Lying comes naturally to a con artist like you. You, with Silder?"
Gilliud ignored the question and continued with another topic.
"The method to open the Realm is simple. First, a sacrifice is needed. Limited to human women. We tried other ways, but they failed. Anyway, using a human woman as sacrifice and following the proper ritual opens the Realm. Entering grants a new body. One vastly improved."
Sacrifice. The horrific scene from the two-story house revived in her memory.
Gilliud's words matched the logbook's contents. As expected, Gilliud had deep ties to the two-story house's owner. Probably his disciple.
As she organized her thoughts, an obvious fact struck her like a blow—one so natural she nearly overlooked it.
If Gilliud and Silder were truly allies and shared even the method to open the Realm...
"If you're trying to provoke me, you've succeeded brilliantly. Silder, allied with the likes of you? Impossible. That's not Silder."
"Think that way, and your mind will be at ease. A kind, virtuous man who loves all humanity. A human who compromises not with injustice, sacrificing innocent women for gain—it's unbelievable."
"I don't know how you found me, but the conversation's over. I'll capture you and drag you to Silder."
"Your eyes are wavering. You're intelligent. You can't ignore the discomfort. Your actions outpace your words, yet you only watch me still because of that unresolved unease."
She drew her sword. But she didn't swing.
Gilliud was right. Her mouth denied it, but her mind was reviewing everything.
The mysterious power, the Realm, and her master's violence. Suspicious facts blocked her actions.
"Silder makes bold decisions when he deems them right. He dreams of an ideal world but isn't a dreamer. What he wants is the happiness of the many. He well knows the inevitable sacrifice of the few that comes with it."
"Sacrifice of the few? You mean those women?"
Gilliud didn't answer and slowly approached. She thrust her blade in warning, but it was useless. She stepped back.
It was an incomprehensible reaction. Why retreat? Just stab. Gilliud posed no threat.
A gentle thrust would pierce him surely. A frail body full of openings. Yet she couldn't subdue him.
"Seeing only what's visible is a blessing. The essential condition for happiness. The moment you see beyond, everything crumbles."
"Back off! Last warning."
"Don't warn—act. Enact your will with your own body."
Her sword tip caught the hem of his robe. Extend her hand a handspan, and the sharp blade would split his ribs and pierce his heart.
It would be easy. Simpler than breathing.
Ineville glared. She would kill this monster here, the one who ensnared people with his sly tongue. Just one step. One step forward, and the man would fall silent.
If Gilliud died, would the doubts vanish? Could she see her master and Silder as before? Would the horrors of the two-story house fade naturally?
"Damn you."
She lowered her sword.
"If you trust Silder, kill me and be done. Return to your beloved two, present my head, and earn their praise. But you couldn't. Because you know the truth. You're too upright to close your eyes and ignore it all. That's why people cherish you."
"I won't kill you. I need to take you back and uncover the facts. Silder couldn't have done such filthy things."
"I believed you'd say that. How about seeing for yourself?"
Gilliud pulled a paper from his bosom. She recognized it instantly as a scroll. Was he casting magic? She raised her lowered sword.
"It's a spell to briefly erase presence."
"How can I trust that?"
"Doesn't matter if you don't. I'll do what I must."
Gilliud tore the scroll. A flash of blue light appeared, and a magical wave swept over her body.
Why had she just watched? She had time to prepare. She could have slashed his wrist.
"Guests are coming. Climb into the tree."
Gilliud turned his back. His unguarded rear was fully exposed.
She glared at his back briefly, then climbed the tree. She soon learned who the guest was. Approaching from afar was Silder.
Ineville held her breath. A small bird from somewhere alighted on her head. A cautious bird. The presence-erasing magic seemed genuine.
"Dianne has departed, it seems."
"The butler went in her stead. The two-story house will soon be cleared."
She covered her mouth. Silder knew about the two-story house.
"What were you doing here?"
Silder asked.
"Just being where I should be."
"I see."
"Your mages have begun research. In just over ten days, they'll open a complete Realm too."
"You know that and remain so relaxed. I secretly hoped Master would flee. That would negate all your talk of the Grand Flow and fate."
"It's the same wherever I go. It left my hands long ago. I only wait for time. For the predestined outcome."
"You said a divine agent appeared at the two-story house? But I'll handle them. How does fate change then?"
"It doesn't. Two will die, but one survives. The man who can't contain his curiosity and pursues truth."
"What will that survivor do?"
"I don't know. I see only up to the midway point."
"A cruel fate. If you're at it, tell me the end too."
"Knowing changes nothing. It only brings more emptiness."
The two exchanged cryptic words. Fate and flow—what did it truly mean?
Mid-conversation, Silder looked up. She startled, thinking she'd been spotted, but his gaze was toward the sky.
"We'll know the results soon. Rest easy for the ten days. Flee if you like."
"I'll stay here."
"Do as you will. Oh, one more thing. Do you hope your mages fail? That's how you prolong your life."
"They will succeed."
"Then I'll take Master's head. Did you foresee that too?"
Gilliud didn't answer. Silder left with a smile. Ineville descended from the tree after he was gone.
"Let's move and finish our talk."
Gilliud moved first, as if her decision was already set.