Chapter 48. How to Deal with the World (2)
Chapter 48. How to Deal with the World (2)
3
The guardian spirit.
The so-called Sword Emperor (劍帝) was the kind of fellow you'd get if you shook up a psychopath and a condescending old geezer in a 5:5 ratio. Thanks to this golden ratio, 99% of what the Sword Emperor said to me was either insane or useless.
-When you swing a sword, what matters isn't only your actual skill.
In other words, that 1% contained the essence of both the psychopath and the old geezer.
-Faith! Confidence! Faith in yourself is what matters most.
The guardian spirit put on a solemn expression.
-The same goes for bullshit!
Truly a thunderous rebuke steeped in life experience!
-To deceive your opponent, you must first deceive yourself! Believe your own bullshit. Have confidence! No matter how plausible a lie is, if you spin it without confidence, the other side won't buy it. But no matter how absurd a lie is, with confidence alone, they'll be tempted.
'Oh yeah?'
-I know because I've done it plenty!
Maybe the psychopath-to-geezer ratio was actually closer to 6:4.
-Of course, if it's 100% pure lies, the other side won't believe it, and you won't either. So mix truth into your bullshit! Mix 10% truth with 90% lies!
'Mix it?'
-That's right. That's the whole art of bullshit. Once you believe that 10% truth, the remaining 90% lies flow out on their own!
I see.
-Remember this, zombie. Bullshit is confidence!
"Hm."
I looked ahead.
Armies that had gathered from all across the continent to hunt the Demon King Estelle....... Among them, the soldiers of the Aegim Empire's vanguard, and the general leading those soldiers, were staring at me.
If I didn't deceive them, my side would be in danger.
"A successor of the First Emperor......."
"But that sword is definitely......."
"Why would a successor be in a place like this?"
Murmur, murmur.
Some of the soldiers glanced at me suspiciously. The Aegim Empire's troops kept their heads bowed quietly, but that was all. Soldiers from other affiliations clearly had doubtful faces. Was the Holy Sword of Protection's influence only effective up to the imperial army, after all?
"Th-then, O successor of the First Emperor......?"
The commander of the imperial army carefully studied my expression.
"May this ignorant one dare to ask one question?"
"What is it?"
"The reason we came today, as I have said, is to subjugate the witch. But how did the successor of the First Emperor come to be here......?"
I closed my eyes for a moment.
'Bullshit is confidence.'
I snapped my eyes open and shouted.
"Gentlemen! I have already subjugated the witch!"
My voice, laden with Aura, rang out through the acacia forest path.
General Sarbast Aegim flinched.
"Y-yes? Already subjugated, you say? What do you mean......."
"Look this way!"
I stepped aside. Then Agwi, who had been hiding behind me, was revealed. Some people recognized her and cried out, apparently already familiar with Estelle's appearance.
"I-it's Estelle!"
"The Witch of the West!"
"I've seen her before! That woman is definitely her!"
"Burn the witch to death!"
Agwi let out a small "eep" and flinched.
But I paid no mind and spoke.
"Agwi."
"Yes......?"
"Come and kneel before them."
"......."
A firm command.
Agwi, who had fallen to become one of my Hundred Ghosts, had no power to defy my orders. She staggered over and knelt.
That wasn't the end.
"Lower your head."
Agwi lowered her head.
"Place your hands on the ground."
"......."
Agwi pressed her trembling hands against the ground. Was it from rage? Or from humiliation? She had clenched her teeth so hard she might have bitten her tongue; Agwi's cheeks were deeply hollowed. A moment later, blood trickling from her lips ran down her jawline and dripped.
"Press your forehead to the earth."
"Ugh......."
Agwi obeyed my command.
The soldiers held their breath as they watched the former Demon King press her forehead to the ground. Agwi's breathing mingled with a little more rage and humiliation. Even so, to protect her small paradise, she submitted to my command.
In a way, a noble scene.
To that Agwi, I solemnly commanded.
"Now push off the ground with both feet and perform a forward roll."
Silence.
For a moment, stillness fell over the acacia forest path.
"......What?"
Agwi turned her head and looked up at me.
Her expression said she must have misheard.
I frowned.
"Did you not hear me?"
"Uh, uhh......?"
"Perform the forward roll at once!"
Agwi flinched and reluctantly obeyed. That is, she placed both hands on the ground and then did one full forward roll.
Roll-roll!
Her small body tumbled across the path, and her golden hair, longer than her body, scattered and swept up the acacia petals on the ground. Even after completing one roll, Agwi still wore an expression of utter incomprehension.
"Hmm."
I nodded.
"Now do a handstand."
"......."
Agwi looked back at me once more.
It was a gaze questioning the mental state of the new master she had come to serve.
Of course, I didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow.
"Do the handstand at once!"
"Eep."
Agwi trembled as she placed both hands on the ground. Then she slowly tried to lift into a handstand, but—"Ow!"—lacking the strength, she flopped over. "Owie......." As if swimming on bare ground, Agwi floundered with a tearful face.
Regardless, I continued issuing commands in a stern voice.
"Perform twenty jumping jacks!"
"Ten squats. Begin!"
"Immediately after, ten push-ups!"
"I command twenty sit-ups!"
"Hold a plank for twenty seconds!"
A moment later.
"I-I can't do any more, my lord....... My body, my body won't move......."
The former Demon King had collapsed flat, without even the strength to twitch a fingertip.
Tears were welling in her eyes.
"Hm."
I turned to Sarbast Aegim.
"Do you understand now?"
Sarbast Aegim was gaping blankly. In fact, not just the general—the faces of the soldiers under his command were much the same. The continent's armies stared dumbfounded at Agwi, who was making a tearful face like a frail little child.
"O successor....... What in the world is this......."
"As I said."
I put force into my gaze.
"The witch has already been subjugated by me. No matter what happens now, the witch cannot defy my commands!"
Naturally, I added.
"It is no longer possible for her to harm the people of the continent. Gentlemen, you may rest completely assured regarding the witch!"
The soldiers stirred.
As the rank and file wavered, their leaders grew flustered in turn.
"Well, if the successor says so......."
"No, wait just a moment!"
Sarbast Aegim, who submitted to the holy sword's authority, seemed to be trying to believe my words somehow, but the other commanders mostly wore expressions that said, what the hell is this nonsense?
Among them, the Paladin Captain stepped forward outright and shouted.
"What in the world is all this! We came here to subjugate the witch."
"No, the successor of the First Emperor has said the witch is already subjugated......."
"How can we believe that!"
"O-on the contrary, how can you not believe it? You saw with your own eyes the witch thoroughly carrying out those... well, those whatever-they-are things commanded by the successor!"
Sarbast Aegim grew indignant instead. The holy sword's power was truly something.
The Paladin Captain, with a face like he was about to lose his mind and jump up and down—and he actually did jump—shouted.
"That's exactly what I'm saying, how can we believe—no, no. In the first place! The only evidence that this young man is the successor of the Great Eastern First Emperor is that single sword, is it not!? Because of one measly sword, from earlier......."
"O-one measly sword?"
Sarbast Aegim's voice rose.
"A single sword, you say! Good heavens, are you doubting the authority of His Majesty the First Emperor, who founded the Empire! That holy sword is the very proof that we have received the Goddess's favor. How dare you!"
The Paladin Captain flinched.
"No, General. Calm yourself....... What I meant to say was merely......."
"The First Emperor took up that sword and set out into the wilderness! He ran across the plains, left his footprints in every city, climbed volcanoes, rode down waterfalls, crossed forests, and pierced through mountain ranges! At last he faced the sea and founded the Empire to keep watch over the sun! All of your ancestors were with the First Emperor, so all of you owe a debt to him! And you call it a 'measly' sword!"
"No, that's not what I meant......."
"Then what in the world did you mean!"
"H-His Holiness the Pope gave me an order. A solemn command to me personally, to subjugate the wicked witch without fail... and yet because of a single remark like that......."
The imperial general finally shouted.
"A single remark like that! You, of all people, seem to place the Pope's orders above the successor of the First Emperor!"
Wow.
"Wh-what......."
The Paladin's mouth opened and closed.
It took exactly two seconds for his bewilderment to evolve into rage.
"Do you dare doubt the authority of the Temple!"
"Did you not first doubt the authority of the Holy Sword of Protection!"
"Oh-ho, fine! I understand! It seems the Empire's Third Prince, whom you follow, has no need of His Holiness the Pope's declaration of support!"
"Ha, a mere declaration of support. The successor of the First Emperor has already revealed himself and subjugated the witch. What does it matter when the Goddess's favor watches over the Empire and its altars!"
"Is that truly the will of the Third Prince's faction!"
The imperial general and the Temple's Paladin snapped at each other furiously.
I smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
'Excellent.'
There is something you must always watch out for when multiple groups band together.
Once conflict surfaces even once, they sprint headlong toward collapse.
'No need to look far.'
When we hunters climbed to the 12th floor. Back then, coincidentally enough, there were exactly eight power blocs.
Me, the Sword Saint, and each of the five great guild masters. And then the minor factions ranked 8th through 10th in contribution.
We had come together under the external goal of "conquering the Tower," but we were never one solid mass.
There was accumulated baggage between us. There was distrust.
That was why the mere appearance of a single variable called [Demon King's Reward] had led to such a pathetic collapse.
「Warriors. Those who climb the Tower.」
I recalled what the Goddess's hologram had said the moment the 11th floor opened.
「From the eleventh floor to the twentieth floor, you will face a trial. A trial of faith.」
I grinned to myself.
That oh-so-grand trial of faith.
'Shouldn't the Tower's residents get a taste of it too, not just the hunters?'
Wouldn't that make the world a bit fairer?
4
While the Empire and the Temple plunged headlong into the [Trial of Faith].
The other factions, not to be outdone, began butting in one by one.
"Hah, everyone... now is not the time for this."
The elf ranger captain from the Fairy Forest sighed.
"Shouldn't we verify more thoroughly whether it's true that the witch has come under that young man's control? However foolish you humans may be, please, at least mind the time and place."
It was impossible to tell whether she meant to stop the fight or fan the flames.
Naturally, it was no help at all.
"If I may add one thing, yes. Isn't the Temple side falling into self-contradiction? The Holy Sword of Protection of the Aegim First Emperor was bestowed by the Goddess of Protection whom the Temple worships. To doubt the holy sword's authority is to doubt the Goddess's authority, is it not? This is why short-lived humans are so hopelessly ignorant......."
"What did you say? So the elves have been looking at us that way!"
"This is why those long-eared bastards can't be trusted!"
It was even actively counterproductive.
"What in the world are the Temple and the Empire doing! To bicker like that in front of us, who came to honor a solemn pact!"
The dragon rider commander from the volcano bellowed.
"Settle it with a duel like warriors! What do you plan to do with your weapons, leave them sheathed!"
These guys were just single-celled organisms.
In hunter terms... right, they were Viper, the Heavenly Martial Sect Master.
"We of the Free City League consider both the Empire's sword and the Temple's hammer to be in the right. However, there may be one who is more in the right still. If you have a proposal, we will listen with open minds."
"This is why farming losers are... ah, so when do we get to loot that village, then? You said we could loot it, right? So we came all this way, and now this."
"E-everyone. Everyone... the witch's lair is right in front of us......."
The armed merchant company openly casting [Jesiyeom], the nomad chieftain grumbling as she placated her horses.
Only the lords of the minor nations—the original spark that had been closest to Agwi's paradise and thus most desperate to subjugate it—were beside themselves with anxiety.
Truly a hair-trigger situation.
-Keuh!
Meanwhile, the Sword Emperor and I had grown that much more relaxed.
The guardian spirit crossed his arms and nodded to himself.
-Now I understand why Agwi set the hunters against each other. This instigating business has a real kick to it!
'I concur.'
Honestly, it was hilarious.
But of course, they weren't all just trolls either.
"Hah. Everyone, please step aside!"
In our terms, this was the person equivalent to the 'Vigilante Corps Vice-Captain.' A mediator. Naturally, there was also someone who stepped forward to try to sort out the situation careening toward chaos and destruction.
The lizardman mage from the Mermaid's Waterfall stepped forward.
"As I see it, the matter at hand is ultimately simple. That."
The lizardman mage pointed at me with a webbed finger.
"Whether that young man is truly the successor of the First Emperor. Whether that woman is truly the witch. Whether the successor of the First Emperor truly subjugated the witch and took her in. Confirm these things, and the matter is settled."
The Temple's Paladin Captain, worn out from arguing with the imperial general, frowned.
"And how exactly do you propose to confirm that?"
"Worry not. I have a method for everything."
The lizardman mage reached into her robes.
In her hand was a blue orb that seemed to condense the deep sea itself.
"This is the Soul Gem bestowed by the reigning Mermaid King."
The lizardman mage was utterly serious. Her tone suggested she was about to show something incredibly precious, and that being allowed to see such a treasure was the fortune of a lifetime.
"If a drop of blood is placed upon it, one can tell whether the blood's owner possesses a [Good Soul] or an [Evil Soul]. If they possess a good soul, the gem will emit a bright white light; if they possess an evil soul, it will be stained black."
Hm.
'So it's something like the Vigilante Corps Captain's [Lie Detector] or the Sword Saint's [Detective's Insight]?'
-Yeah, seems like it. Demihumans are good at whipping up that kind of hodgepodge.
The guardian spirit and I were unbothered. The talk of a gem bestowed by the Mermaid King sounded grand, but... it wasn't exactly new to us.
The lizardman mage, utterly unaware of our true feelings, was brimming with confidence.
"Now! If that woman is truly the witch of the borderlands, and you are truly the successor of the First Emperor, then accept this gem's trial!"
The lizardman mage raised the gem.
"The evil deeds you have committed. The good deeds you have accumulated. The gem will prove it all!"
"Very well."
I nodded readily.
"Test me as much as you like."
"Do not regret it. As I said, the gem will expose your soul exactly as it is."
"Your forked tongue is as long as ever. Are you stalling?"
The lizardman mage's serpentine eyes sharpened.
"I pray that confidence is not mere bluster. First, then, I shall verify that woman's soul."
The lizardman mage strode toward us. She seized Agwi's wrist. Then she sharpened her nails and swiped across Agwi's palm.
Blood welled from the palm.
"Eep."
Agwi's shoulders flinched. Dark red droplets ran down and dripped, drip, drip, into the Mermaid King's gem.
Whoosh!
The gem was instantly stained black.
"Good heavens!"
"Merciful gods."
The commanders watching the soul trial were horrified. The color staining the gem was no ordinary black. It was the color of an abyss. Like a black serpent hissing, pitch-black shadows writhed.
"Such a wicked soul......!"
Even the lizardman mage administering the trial gulped.
"It is nearly impossible to believe. How much evil and slaughter must one have committed....... Such a thing should not exist in this world. Truly a cursed existence... she is without doubt the witch!"
Plop.
The mage quickly released Agwi's wrist as if avoiding filth. In the mage's serpentine eyes as she looked at Agwi was immense contempt and a fear to match it.
"No, she is not even a witch. She is clearly a Demon King!"
"......."
Agwi hunched her shoulders a little more.
The atmosphere shifted. Perhaps because the lizardman mage had publicly declared Agwi's identity? The soldiers' murmuring died down. The commanders stopped arguing and glared fiercely at Agwi. The more they did, the more Agwi shrank back, and she quietly backstepped to hide behind me.
"Now, it is your turn."
People's gazes naturally converged on me.
The lizardman mage raised her long nails.
"Self-proclaimed successor of the First Emperor, are you prepared?"
"I am always prepared."
"Bluster will do you no good....... Now, give me your hand."
I willingly extended my left hand. Slice! Where the lizardman's nail passed, the flesh parted like gills.
Red blood flowed from the parted gap. My droplets fell quietly onto the gem, which had been stained pitch-black by Agwi's blood.
And then.
"Ah......?"
There was light.
"Wh-what......?"
The black energy vanished from the gem as if washed away. That wasn't all. White light gathered and gathered, growing brighter, until it finally burst outward in all directions.
Flaaash!
The acacia forest path was instantly illuminated white. Small screams erupted here and there. Soldiers shut their eyes in surprise, and commanders shielded their faces with their palms.
The lizardman mage holding the gem was no different.
"H-how......."
Her mouth opened and closed in bewilderment.
"Wait, this soul, what in the world......?"
"What is the meaning of this commotion!"
The Temple's Paladin Captain shouted.
"O droplet sent by the reigning king! Why does such light pour from the gem!"
"The soul......."
The mage murmured without even turning to the Paladin.
"How can it be so... how many lives must one have saved, for it to be this white, this is... this is truly......."
Ahh, the lizardman mage said.
"This person... is light......!"
Indeed.
I was light.