Chapter 86: Destiny (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 86: Destiny (5)
“He hasn't overcome his past?”
He doesn't look like that at all, Lycan added mentally, keeping the thought to himself. For Joaquin's eyes as he stared into the twilight were deeply sorrowful.
“Yeah.”
Joaquin closed his eyes for a moment.
Then he slowly peeled his eyelids open. Before anyone realized, the black sun had completely vanished. Night in Gehenna had arrived.
Everything around them turned pitch-black. It was suffocatingly quiet. Had it not been for the rustling sound of the squirrel pack nearby, it would have felt as though their five senses were completely paralyzed.
“How is it? Dark, isn't it?”
The voice of the Hero of the Origin, Balor Joaquin, pierced the pitch darkness. Lycan tilted his head at the sudden and inexplicable remark.
“It's night, so isn't that obvious?”
“Yeah. It's night, so of course it's dark. But that Sword Demon guy's past knew no day or night. It was always night. Always winter. Think about it. Even this Demon Realm has day and night, yet one person's life was nothing but pitch-black darkness.”
Anyone would go mad. Even from the perspective of Lycan, a Corps Commander, Kang Geomma's thought process was broken. Yet he lived while maintaining a bare minimum of morality. No—he tried to.
“Kang Geomma did a hell of a job holding it together. If I were him, I would've flipped everything upside down and just sat in prison waiting for the day I died. I go around boasting about how I turned him into a proper human being, but honestly, he's the amazing one. Growing up straight and true even while enduring the endless pain of loss.”
“…….”
“Human malice, you know... sometimes it's so terrible that it surpasses even a Majin's imagination.”
Lycan nodded slowly.
“I know. In the Human Realm, isn't there a saying about how the devil gives a standing ovation to such people?”
“You do realize that 'devil' in that saying is referring to Majin like you, right?”
“That's not what's important here!”
Lycan's expression stiffened.
“The fact that Kang Geomma's past was just that terrible—that's the most important part of this conversation.”
Joaquin rounded his lips into an 'O'. Though he denied it himself, Lycan understood the human heart. Joaquin was suddenly—and anew—reminded of a fact.
Majin. In any case, other species fell under the broad category of 'humanity.' Of course, because they were so utterly different from pure humans, grouping them together was ridiculous.
Yet from a cosmic perspective, whether human or Majin, both were ultimately 'human.' The prime example of that was the present Lycan. The one who had once ruled Gehenna was now sympathizing with a human. Unless he had simply developed a feminine side as he aged, that is.
Saying this aloud would surely invite a shower of acorns. Lycan often fired acorns at Joaquin by combining Sword Control and Lightning Magic. To think he used those two supreme powers for something like that.
Anyway.
“Yeah. But well, the guy himself isn't here, and it's night besides. Let's stop with the gloomy talk.”
“Leaving such a bitter aftertaste...”
Lycan's tail drooped. Perched on a tree stump, he swung his legs back and forth. If Joaquin was a friend, Kang Geomma was like Lycan's second half. He was inwardly pleased to learn more about him.
Torches hung on nearby trees centered around them began to flare up. When night fell, the squirrels lit the torches hanging from the trees. The squirrels were Lycan's servants. Having formed a contract, they could naturally use Lightning Magic as well.
A cozy city of lights blossomed in the night of the Demon Realm. In the midst of this, Lycan suddenly changed the subject.
“Say... if that kid overcomes the pain of loss, what do you think will happen?”
“He'll become even stronger.”
An immediate answer. Lycan whipped his head around to face Joaquin. The torchlight briefly illuminated the side of Joaquin's face. Lycan stammered.
“...He can get even stronger than he is now?”
“Yeah.”
A definitive answer this time. On what grounds? Joaquin hadn't even witnessed Kang Geomma's true strength.
Ah, he had watched video footage of the Parsi Massacre. But that alone wasn't enough to gauge Kang Geomma's power. That was merely a fragment. From a certain point onward, Kang Geomma stopped going all out. He sealed his power out of fear that this world might break.
Could Joaquin be unaware of that? No, he knew. He knew Kang Geomma better than Lycan did. After all, he was his father—even if not by blood.
“I know what you're thinking.”
“If you know, then why—”
“Because that kid is someone who always defies expectations. Lycan, you probably don't know this, but Kang Geomma doesn't have an ounce of talent for the sword.”
Joaquin extended a finger and pointed at a specific spot: Lycan's groin. The place where the essence of life gathered, holding a pair of pouches smaller than kidney beans.
A fuse blew in Lycan's mind. This bastard? Before he could explode in fury, Joaquin cut in first.
“At first, he couldn't even slice a cucumber. But who could have guessed that ten years after picking up a sword, he'd be dominating the entire nation? His real talent is pure tenacity. He's a stubborn bastard. When an obstacle comes up, he slams his head right into it. Until when? Until it works.”
...Phew.
Lycan barely managed to calm down.
“So he was always that foolishly stubborn.”
“That stubbornness is his true talent.”
“...Like father, like son.”
The same applied to Joaquin. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, his talent for swordsmanship was third-rate at best. Thank goodness he had 「Infinite Regression」. Had he been given only a single lifetime, humanity would have been defeated long ago, reduced to slaves of the Demons.
In any case, it was a petty bit of revenge from Lycan's perspective, but Joaquin burst into hearty laughter instead. He looked happier than Lycan had seen him in a long time.
“Lycan, you've gotten better at compliments.”
“...?”
It wasn't a compliment, though?
It seemed Kang Geomma's madness was truly passed down from father to son.
Episode: Destiny
— The Villain Syndicate, which was believed to have been eradicated ten years ago, has revealed itself to the world once again. They are those who once bargained away their souls to the Corps Commanders in exchange for magic. Given the severity of the situation, we will speak directly with an expert on the matter.
The screen switched from the solemn news anchor to the opposite side. A woman wearing a rabbit mask sat with her legs crossed. The camera zoomed in on her. The focus shifted from her hands clasped around her knee to her mask. It wasn't hard to guess the camera director's tastes.
— Hello. You asked us to call you 'Rabbit', correct?
— Yes, hello.
An altered voice.
Yet because of her distinct speech pattern, it was impossible not to know who she was. That tall stature, that sly tone—even from a backward somersault, anyone could see it was Choi Seol-ah.
— May we ask where you are currently employed? In our preliminary interview, you mentioned you could answer at least that much.
— I am currently working at the Joaquin Graduate School.
— Ah, so you're a graduate student.
— Mr. OO. Please refrain from personal insults like that.
— ...Pardon?
Fluster flickered in the anchor's eyes. The murmurs of the studio audience burst through the screen. Realizing her slip-up, Choi Seol-ah cleared her throat a couple of times before salvaging the situation.
— I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn... I'm an affiliate. A graduate school representative. I can't provide specifics, but I work at the graduate school.
— Ah... that's fine. Then returning to our main topic: from your perspective, Rabbit, why is this happening? Why have the villains, who were thought to be extinct, raised their heads once again? And in a different form than before?
Choi Seol-ah unclasped her hands and crossed her legs the other way. The camera's focus shifted hurriedly. Isn't that reflection of inner desire a bit too blatant? Amidst the camera's agitated movements, Choi Seol-ah spoke.
— There could be several reasons, but it's likely due to the current state of the Human Realm. Hasn't this station covered it before? Right now, magic power is subtly flowing through the Human Realm. For the villains living in hiding, it's a field day. Like honeybees smelling sweet nectar.
— Could you explain that connection in detail?
— I can't do that. It's a key matter currently being researched by our Joaquin Graduate School.
Choi Seol-ah raised her chin haughtily. The expressions of the audience members grew subtle. A few of them glared at Choi Seol-ah with narrow eyes.
— The reason I came here today is to ease your worries. Don't worry. The Joaquin Graduate School is working hard to understand these unknown occurrences in the Human Realm.
— I believe there were considerable voices of concern regarding the establishment of the graduate school as well.
— Ah, seriously, mister. Are you going to keep straying from the point?
— Rabbit, if you act so impolitely, some of the viewers watching the broadcast might feel uncomfortable...
Choi Seol-ah leaped to her feet. Striding on her long legs, she stood right in front of the camera, turning an educational program into a fashion show in an instant.
— I came here to say this. To the audience here and the people watching this broadcast right now. You guys want to say it, don't you? That Mas—, that the Heavenly Sword isn't doing his job properly, which is why the villains are running wild again. But listen here, people. The only reason you're able to lie comfortably in bed watching this is all thanks to the Heavenly Sword!
I adjusted my posture for no reason. That sounded like she was saying it for my ears.
— Mr. OO.
Choi Seol-ah did a sharp pivot. She was practically a top model.
— You're really wicked, too. Everyone in this audience belongs to organizations hostile toward the Heavenly Sword, don't they? It seems you brought me here among these people thinking we'd cast stones at the Heavenly Sword together. You picked the wrong person.
Her rapid torrent of words paused briefly. The cheeks of the audience members twitched. Their lips parted as if trying to hurl back the humiliation.
— I'm not someone with a fierce sense of justice.
However, Choi Seol-ah was one step faster.
— I've lived doing far more bad things than good. And I'll keep doing so. My survival comes first. But I have to say this: stop picking fights with the Heavenly Sword and the graduate school. If the Heavenly Sword snaps and flips out? You and I are all dead meat, got it?! Why do you keep poking a hornet's nest? Seriously, seeing the trees but missing the forest—
— W-Well, let's take a quick break for commercials!
The screen cut away abruptly. A public service announcement played, showing families laughing and talking in a meadow. After watching it blankly, I turned off the TV.
“I woke up to find the whole world knows now.”
I clutched my head with both hands. It was a hospital ceiling I hadn't seen in a long time—at the annex of the Joaquin Academy Affiliated Hospital.
'Then again, I woke up after being passed out for three whole days.'
According to the doctor, I had slept straight through three days and nights. I remembered passing out cold, but three whole days? I doubted whether that was even possible, but looking at the calendar confirmed it was reality.
While I was asleep, Ryozo apparently mobilized the entire medical staff to examine every inch of my body. She must have thought it was the perfect opportunity.
At any rate, there was nothing particularly wrong with my health. The fainting was simply due to accumulated overwork. Yet both Ryozo and Abel had gloomy faces.
Afterward, my two wives visited me in shifts. Though to varying degrees, both Ryozo and Abel were impossibly busy. Even so, they stayed by my side whenever they had a free moment. I adamantly tried to stop them, worried that they might collapse from exhaustion instead.
Their resistance was fierce. Both had fiercely stubborn personalities. Arguments reached raised voices loud enough to make me feel sorry for the neighboring room, and despite holding the title of Sword God, I was utterly helpless before them.
While I was trapped in this severe dilemma, a mediator stepped in to break the deadlock. Once that person stepped up, even Ryozo and Abel had no choice but to back down.
Rattle.
“My goodness, what a mess.”
Ah, speak of the devil. She arrived right on cue.
I tried to awkwardly push myself up into a sitting position. Seeing that, she pulled a hand out from the pocket of her doctor's gown and poked me.
“Son-in-law Kang. I don't want to get on Ryozo's bad side. She holds a serious grudge. So let's just stay put, okay?”
A youthful face that belied her age well past forty. Cynthia of God. To me, she was my mother-in-law.
She was also the one who periodically checked my physical condition. It was fair to say I entrusted both my mind and body to the Divine Doctor. That was why she was the one person I always held a humble posture toward.
“...I'm sorry for causing you concern.”
“Concern, my foot. If you're really sorry, give my shoulders a rub. At my age, smelling medicine all day is killing me.”
I patted my mother-in-law's shoulders as I replied.
“You still look as healthy as ever.”
“Heheh. Who in the world could ever hear words like that from Son-in-law Kang? I really raised a great daughter. Thanks to her, life's worth living.”
“I will work even harder.”
“Mmm.”
My mother-in-law uttered an inscrutable hum. Then she reached behind her back and gently rested her hand over my fist. Her back looked strangely daunting.
“I'd actually prefer it if you didn't work so hard.”
“...Pardon?”
She squeezed my hand tightly and turned her gaze toward me. Our eyes met. Indigo light streaming through the narrow window illuminated us.
“Everyone in the world knows how hard Son-in-law Kang works. How much more so for my daughter and Abel? The anger they've shown over the past few days wasn't directed at you. It's frustration that built up toward themselves.”
“...The two of them...”
“So don't try to shoulder everything alone. I won't tell someone of your stature to rely on others. But when it gets tough, seek counsel from those around you. If you run ahead too far by yourself, the people beside you don't feel relieved—they start feeling useless.”
My eyes drifted to the water in the vase. My throat felt parched. Even an excuse felt pathetic. My mother-in-law gently patted the back of my trembling hand.
A brief moment of comfort. She rolled her neck and stretched as if refreshed.
“Phew, that feels nice.”
She stood up and took a step toward the exit. Just as I bowed my head toward her back...
She turned around at the door. She hesitated for a long moment, a touch of lingering sorrow welling at the corners of her eyes.
“To be honest... these were the words I wanted to say to him.”
Him.
The Archery Saint, Saki Kojima.
“And yet here I am saying them to Son-in-law Kang instead. They say when you get old, you just become overly sentimental. Anyway, take good care of yourself. If you feel even a bit unwell, tell the nurse.”
“Mother-in-law.”
“Hmm?”
“I love you.”
Her lips parted silently before breaking into a radiant smile.
“I really raised a great daughter, didn't I?”