Chapter 43: White (6)
"I'll need to verify your identity."
A staff member approached me. I showed them the seal I'd conjured with my Authority, and he bowed his head.
"I see a member of the Pendragon family."
My suspicious appearance — not a single patch of skin visible, as if refusing to show who I was — didn't stop anyone from letting me through.
"The taste of power is good."
I slipped out of there leisurely.
Estelle really is consistent, isn't she.
In my plans, the number one priority is always the objective.
The ideal situation is when I know my opponent's goal, but they don't know mine.
Stealing the seal from her by winning wouldn't have been bad, but there was no need to fight her in the first place.
Hell, if I'd run into an insurmountable enemy on the border who wasn't her, my plan was to raise absolute hell and drag her into it.
Because she's kind. I knew that if I just asked her to visit me one last time, she would.
"Though exploiting that does make me feel a little guilty."
It can't be helped. I'm the one with my life on the line here. Just like I understand her choices, I can only hope she understands mine.
[A truly excellent plan.]
'You stay quiet!'
"Can't you just shut up for a second?! Your constant talking feels like it's cracking my skull!"
I frowned at the voice that, while it had faded after a few days of rest, was still ringing in my head.
Going back to the beginning, when I heard what the Alchemist employee said, one question had occurred to me. If the device reacted to Authority, then I should have been caught way earlier. Not on the first day I started running, but from the very beginning.
So I formed a hypothesis.
Right before I contacted her on the border, I used my Authority to create a duplicate of myself.
That duplicate then moved toward the border, using his Authority freely, while I, the original, hid without using mine at all.
The device didn't react to Authority itself, but to the use of it. Kings use their Authorities non-stop, but I had no reason to use this headache-inducing power when I didn't need to.
Once I thought about it that way, everything fell into place. The Academy's facilities are top-notch, so training spars were pretty much only held within the Academy. Plus, the Academy isn't currently allowing outsiders in.
That also explains why I wasn't discovered before.
But they'll be tracking me again now. I landed a hit on them, so I have no idea what's coming for me.
This level of application probably surpasses any other King in history.
"Well, as long as I have Authority, getting stronger is simple. I'll just run around, grow stronger, and keep running."
I tucked the seal back into my pocket. Then, using my Authority, I began absorbing the power of the demon beasts nearby. The difference from when I held back, feeling guilty about harming humans, was night and day.
In that brief moment, a feeling of omnipotence swept through my body, like I'd scaled several walls in an instant.
[Yes. Nothing can stand in your way anymore.]
The bastard was excited too, chattering away.
Things had gone according to plan. And to be safe, I'd immediately put as much distance between myself and the border as possible.
"Luna… what the hell do we do now?"
"I know…"
To go back, I have to prove something.
That I can live without being consumed by this Authority.
And I have to get stronger. Strong enough, at least, that I won't be robbed of even the chance to prove it.
I thought about the most likely method, but I couldn't come up with many.
Bringing back the Demon King's artifact from the 'Library' belonging to the Sage of the Starry Sea is a sure bet, but to make that possible, I'd need to be stronger than the Estelle from the original story I saw.
Like, strong enough to split the ocean with a single blow and create a passage between continents.
Like most of these plans, it was simply unrealistic. Even if it was possible, I couldn't guess whether it would happen within my natural lifespan.
After mulling it over, I came up with only one method.
To carve a star into this starry sky.
I have absolutely no intention of doing the same thing as the Star Engraving group.
I don't want to carve a star born of bloodshed, a star of calamity.
There's no way someone who's massacred a bunch of people can then just go and mingle with them, right?
A mysterious white male who suddenly appears whenever someone's in danger in the Demon Realm.
Someone suspected of being a Devil, but for some reason doesn't attack and instead saves those in peril.
Mysterious setups like that are perfect for word-of-mouth.
The problem is…
"So far, everyone's just pulled a sword on me the second they saw me. Is it gonna be the same from now on?"
To my question, Luna chose silence. I guess even she thinks it will.
Yeah, everyone I meet from now on is probably gonna pull a sword on me, too.
What a harsh world. The fact that I'm already worried about getting stabbed probably means I'm adapting to this world just fine.
It was while I was having such useless thoughts.
"In that case, how about we start with a story?"
I immediately aimed my weapon toward the sudden voice.
"Calm yourself. Didn't I say? I'm here to talk."
I saw a face I hadn't seen in a while, but one I certainly hadn't missed.
"Leika."
Behind him, I spotted Lumieron, standing with his hands clasped behind his back and not saying a word.
That bastard is a serious pain in the ass.
And next to him was a man with ash-gray hair….
Fuck.
I did my best to keep my expression neutral.
The Sage of the Starry Sea… one of the legends of the Age of Heroes, but taken down by Kallisaea and turned into her knight. What the hell is he doing here?
Still, knowing that he couldn't act recklessly because of the restrictions keeping him alive helped calm my panic a little.
Whether my brief panic subsided well or I managed my expression well enough, Leika continued speaking without a care.
"My, what an honor to have someone remember a mere loser who returned in utter failure."
"Sorry, but I'm not really interested in people who kill."
At my sharp retort, he just laughed and answered.
"Oh, I wonder. From the moment you made that choice, it became an irreversible current. Everyone will be after your head. Do you truly believe you can simply overcome that? That you can withstand the Whisper of the Starry Sea with a clear mind?"
"Sure can."
I started calculating.
How do I get out of this?
No matter how I thought about it, the odds of even a safe escape weren't very high.
"That is merely arrogance. It may not be an immediate danger now, but one day it will consume your very self. So I propose you join us."
"Why the hell would I do that? And you make it sound like I'll be fine as long as I'm with you."
He spun his silver tongue like the conman he was.
"Of course there is a way. Are you aware that, since ancient times, the stars have granted wishes? I will help you carve a star of your own. I will help you protect the bonds you do not wish to lose, so that you do not lose yourself in the process. Though an unexpected interference prevented us from immediately carving a perfect star, we have already engraved one. Our goal and your goal are not so far apart. So, King of White — no, King of Conquest — let us join forces with the power you hold."
I wanted to say, I was that unexpected interference, you bastard, but I held my tongue.
His words were certainly tempting.
If I didn't know what he was really about, it would have been an offer I could easily accept.
He always approaches with what people need.
He offers a chance to those backed into a corner, presenting deals they can't refuse, spinning his silver tongue.
"How did you even know I was here in the first place? Your story sounds nice, but there's no reason for me to trust you — not in your actions, not in this situation."
Behind him, the star engraved in the sky, now seemingly complete, shone with a brilliant light.
"Isn't it beautiful? We have already carved a star into that sky. And we are preparing for the next one."
As he said, next to that star was another, faint and incomplete, emitting a dim glow.
"The sky is full of empty spaces. People try to drag each other down to prevent anyone from carving a star into those voids, but we are merely helping to carve stars containing the wishes of the people into those many empty spaces. I understand it is difficult for you to trust us. But would the one who could get you the star you desire lie to you like this?"
He manipulates his opponents with flashy, slick rhetoric.
"That still doesn't answer my question."
His words contained no answer to my question.
Nothing about how he found me, not a single shred of information. And the fact that they know how to carve a star doesn't give me any reason to believe they'll carve the one I need.
"My, so this is the kind of brilliant person you are. Please accept my apologies. I do have a tendency to get excited and just say whatever comes to mind."
He deftly brushed it off, as if my noticing his intention wasn't because I'd seen through him, but just a regular mistake of his.
"You do know of the people called Sages, don't you? The well-known Sage of the Saint Kingdom, the Sage of the Magic Tower, and so on. I happened to come across a connection to one of these wise figures from an old acquaintance. It certainly provided some helpful information. You know how it is. How else do you think we knew you would be passing through this very place at this exact time?"
I had a rough idea. He mentioned other Sages on purpose, but the Sage who helped him is probably the Sage of the Starry Sea. Otherwise, that crazy knight commander behind him wouldn't be here.
"And the world is not so pure. Do you know why the number of people called Heroes in this world always stays constant? Because if there are too many Heroes, attention is divided. And when attention is divided, it becomes an obstacle to carving a star. Isn't that odd? Whenever Heroes begin to flourish, another Hero always appears, achieving new feats. The stars that are not granted to someone like you, who needs them, are taken away by them as if they'd drawn a number and were just waiting their turn."
He overwhelms the mind with a flood of information that no ordinary person could possibly know. Then, he naturally directs the person's sense of injustice and anger along a predetermined path. Most people unknowingly turn to walk the path he has laid out.
"We are prophets, correcting the world's absurdities and moving forward."
He said this, extending one hand toward me.
"Will you not join us?"
The world is unfair and unjust, yes.
If you're ignorant, you'll find yourself being exploited without even knowing it.
People easily torment others to shield themselves from their own pain.
But.
That doesn't mean everyone is evil.
Some people sacrifice themselves to save others. Some save someone with a small gesture of compassion.
That's why violence can never be the answer.
Violence can fix a problem that's right in front of you, sure, but the process creates new distortions.
That's why I can't build what I want on a foundation of violence.
"I refuse. I'm looking for my own way."
Even if I haven't decided what that way is yet, I don't want to choose violence just because it's easy.
"So be it."
The atmosphere turned icy cold.
The man with ash-gray hair raised his sheathed sword — a blade wound in chains so thick it couldn't be drawn — sheath and all.
"Alright, we'll take the man. You take the King."
I'd bought enough time. That bastard can't move freely here without restrictions. I just need to block him for a round.
"Luna!"
"Okay!"
Countless chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around the knight's body.
Creeeaak—
The moment he moved, the chains tore apart like paper.
"Your growth is faster than I thought."
The bastard prepared to swing his sword.
His movements were excruciatingly slow, but the force behind them would be anything but trivial.
I timed it perfectly with his sword's swing.
"Roland."
For a split second, his blade trembled violently.
Even so, I still had to block that destructive sword aura.
I used my Authority to raise a wave. I pulled in all the terrain around me.
———!
A thunderous roar that felt like it would shatter my eardrums. Even after pulling in everything in the area, it wasn't enough — parts of my body were torn away.
"Wow."
Leika started clapping, sounding genuinely impressed.
"You're even more impressive than I'd heard. But what a state you're in. So, Knight Commander, shall we take what we came for and leave?"
"Hmm. I don't think I can just hand that kid over to you, though."
A man with green hair appeared, his voice cocky.
"All spirits belong to the World Tree. And spirits are everywhere. So no matter what you do, you can't escape my sight."
"Says the guy who only found his exact location from that attack just now, just like me. I didn't even know he was on this side until Alchemist told me he'd disappeared a few days ago."
"Hey, we found him in the end, so what does it matter?"