Chapter 265
Chapter 265
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 265
Chapter Title: Reality and Ideal (2)
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The day of the operation drew ever closer, now just one day away.
While the knights bustled about preparing to march into Bertha Gorge, Lania had wandered off to a field far from the barracks. A vast plain stretched out before her.
Boulders lay scattered haphazardly across the field, and Lania sat perched on one of them, chin in hand, as the wind whipped around her.
Lania van Trias.
The sage who had concealed her identity now felt not just uneasy, but outright depressed. Her gaze upon the field was somehow vacant.
"......"
If anyone who knew the real her saw her like this, silent and withdrawn, they would widen their eyes in shock.
"There you are."
Someone spoke up to her.
Lania turned her head at the voice ringing in her ears. There, crossing the field toward her, was Galahal. Their eyes met, and for a split second, Galahal swallowed hard.
"......Is something wrong?"
"Nothing at all."
Her demeanor screamed don't ask.
Galahal opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. After a brief silence, he changed the subject.
"I've been training Chloe these past few days."
Lania nodded.
It was something she had already discussed with Galahal.
'Awakening the nature of the stars.'
The star's nature could normally only be awakened after receiving the star's sacred treasure and becoming fully attuned to it... but maybe Chloe could manage it.
She had wielded starlight even before the trials, already possessing it in the form of Star Current (??).
"And the results?"
"She couldn't quite awaken it. But it felt like she was getting the hang of it."
Galahal explained.
"Simple, but efficient. Not like Destel's mimicry or my own conditional type... more like Kyle's."
Destel's was mimicry.
Galahal's was convergence.
'Natures that rely on conditions and setups.'
Unlike Kyle, who could overwhelm with sheer output anywhere, the starlight wielded by Destel and Galahal came with tricky conditions.
"Similar to Kyle's?"
It was good news.
Lania asked, and Galahal rubbed his chin thoughtfully before trailing off.
"Yes. From what I can guess..."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"Amplification."
"......Amplification?"
"The output is overwhelming compared to the starlight she possesses. I knew she had a unique constitution, but honestly, it surprised me."
Galahal gave a wry smile.
"Pure output-wise, she far surpasses me. She might even rival Kyle."
The total amount of starlight was fixed.
Lania, who knew it was divided among the four heroes, found this astonishing.
'I thought the output was off, but...'
She hadn't expected it to be this extreme.
Good news nonetheless, so Lania let a faint smile slip. But even that smile looked awkward to Galahal—unlike her usual expressions.
"Lania."
In the end, Galahal asked her directly.
"What did Destel say to you?"
"I heard it."
Lania replied, still propping her chin.
"That clueless bastard muttering nonsense..."
Her tone was rough.
Her sharp voice carried heat, but it quickly faded.
"And the worst part is, he wasn't entirely wrong, so I can't even call him out on it... That's what pisses me off."
Lania turned to look at Galahal.
Her bluish eyes held complex emotions.
"What do you think of Destel?"
"Destel, huh."
Galahal crossed his arms with a hum.
"Well... I don't think badly of him."
"......Destel really hates your guts."
"Haha. Yeah, things got a bit awkward between us. Can't be helped. I did that right in front of everyone."
With all the knights watching, Galahal had punched Destel square in the face. He had grabbed the unresisting Destel's collar and yelled.
"Take it back."
"Those words—meaningless, futile—insulting the knights who died here today. Take them back, Destel."
He simply couldn't stand it.
He couldn't just watch as their comrades' deaths were mocked, as shadows fell over the knights' faces.
But that was then, and this was now.
"Still, I don't think badly of Destel. Back there... he misspoke, but I get it."
Galahal let out a short breath.
"Fear, thinking it's all worthless—maybe that's natural. Just gotta be careful not to say it out loud."
Lania, who had been silent, spoke up.
"Destel's changed since then."
She knew.
"He doesn't take sacrifices lightly anymore, doesn't dream big like before. He's content with the present, stopped pushing forward. Even though he could."
It wasn't just about Destel.
They could, but they didn't.
Guys who had to, but wouldn't.
Lania ground her teeth.
"They've stopped. I just... can't stand that."
"Lania."
Galahal quietly called her name.
"I'm not saying Destel is right. Just that it's not incomprehensible. As long as he doesn't give up entirely."
"That's..."
"Everyone has their own way."
Their own way.
Lania bit her lip hard at Galahal's words. She understood he wasn't just talking about Destel.
"He talks like retirement's his mantra, acts like sacrifices don't matter—but Destel agonizes too. He's searching for answers. That's why I don't hate him."
"......Searching for answers?"
"Why else would he still be on the battlefield? Even the Knight Commander keeps him there, treats him emotionally—because he knows that."
It was news to Lania.
"I can't call it right."
But.
"Can't outright condemn it as wrong either."
Objectively, Destel wasn't hero material.
Sometimes he demanded sacrifices, hid like a coward. Feared death, never led the charge. Yet preached to others like he knew best.
A contradictory man.
Contradictory.
"Isn't that what makes him human?"
That's why he was human.
"Not everyone can always charge ahead. Sometimes you stop, wander... maybe even fall back in despair."
Because they're not perfect.
"Weak, aware of their frailty, knowing fear."
Weak, fleeing, terrified.
"Yet they strive to overcome."
Yet they face forward.
"That's what makes them human."
Human.
Galahal smiled as he said it.
"It's my favorite line. From the Hero of Salvation, Sir Ganyur."
He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.
"We'll wander, stall sometimes... but eventually, we'll move forward. As long as we want to."
"......Idealism."
"Yeah, it is. I know reality's harsh, and plenty stall out for good."
Still, Galahal said.
"I believe. Someday, all that anguish will see the light."
That was Galahal's conviction.
A conviction unbent by reality.
As he voiced it, Galahal's eyes shone. His platinum starlight-infused eyes were the eyes of a hero.
"The day it sees the light."
Lania mulled it over, then chuckled softly.
"Nice words."
She let out a long breath.
Her worries weren't resolved, her mind still tangled. But she couldn't mope forever.
"Thanks, Galahal."
Lania said, hopping down from the rock.
"I feel a bit better now."
"Glad I could help."
Lania brushed the dust from her clothes.
She swept back her fallen hair, closed her eyes, then opened them. Her eyes gleamed blue.
"......"
Watching her.
"Lania."
Galahal spoke up.
"After this operation."
Lania looked at him.
Galahal saw someone else in her.
"Let's meet up with Raniel."
"Sorted your thoughts?"
"Yeah. Talking with you cleared it up, funnily enough. And more than that..."
Galahal smiled wryly.
"Raniel seems like he could use some counseling too."
...Counseling? Me?
The moment Lania blinked blankly. Galahal finally burst out laughing.
"With a face like that, don't you think you need counseling?"
"......What?"
"I'll take that as a yes."
"Hey, wait. What was that just—"
"We'll talk later."
Galahal grinned mischievously.
"Raniel."
Lania's eyes widened.
No matter what she said next, Galahal waved and walked off. Staring at his back for a long while, Lania muttered blankly.
"......What the hell."
He knew after all.
Realizing that, the first thing Lania did was replay everything she'd said in front of him. Just to make sure she hadn't embarrassed herself like at Kelrhalhm last time.
Fortunately, no such blunder.
Relieved inwardly... Lania pressed her brow.
"Weird. Why does everyone keep figuring it out..."
She'd hidden it, so why?
Everyone knew the answer.
The only one who didn't was her. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 2.
Bertha Gorge Annihilation Battle.
The place where the black dragon Belial, who had reigned as a calamity for centuries, finally fell to humanity. A symbol of victory.
Though now Demon King Army territory with the front lines retreated, it was once where human hope had blossomed.
There, countless knights gathered.
Following orders, they maintained formation as they advanced on the gorge. Some marched straight across the plains, while others on the flanks prepared to rappel down with ropes.
Ambush and annihilation.
The key words of this operation.
To prepare, Destel had been sowing bait steadily for months. Now it was time to reap.
"Commence."
With Destel's telepathic command, the operation began.
They struck back at the suddenly swarming Demon King Army forces. These were eastern front veterans, seasoned against bone soldiers and necromancers.
The knights moved as one.
"Maintain formation!"
"Calmly, swiftly, but calmly!"
"Smash their heads clean! Those damn necromancers only go down with headshots!"
The operation proceeded smoothly.
Even as success signals popped up everywhere, Destel remained expressionless, surveying the battlefield. So far, as planned.
Destel had been plotting this for ages.
Repeated scouting, recalculating oversights. He trusted the results. No reckless frontline push without reason.
'Just this once.'
So he had to make it count.
Destel's eyes darted rapidly. A platinum cloak now draped his shoulders.
Holy Garment (??), or sacred vestments.
Starlight enveloped his body, converging in his vision. His pupils dilated.
Mimicking the hero called the Famed Archer (名??), Efta—known for piercing from miles away. Efta's talent settled into Destel's flesh.
His suddenly expanded vision overlooked the vast battlefield.
Destel, eyes bloodshot, scanned it—then frowned. A clear variable entered his sight. Soon, telepathic chatter buzzed in his ears.
"————contact!"
"———unit, ——!"
The voices were chaotic.
Chaotic, but the meaning singular: a variable.
Destel narrowed his brow.
No matter how meticulously planned.
No matter how near-perfect.
This was demon territory (??).
Riddled with unforeseeable variables.
Knowing that, Destel didn't panic. He had contingencies. Preparations for them too.
"Press on."
Destel raised his hand.
An unexpected variable, one that could derail everything. In such situations, Destel's choice was always the same.
The telepathic command rang out. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇