The Master of the Tower Dreaming of Beyond (10)
The moment Orlean's head hit the floor, I twisted Nightrend and sliced off both his arms and legs. The severed limbs of Orlean tumbled across the flower field. Strangely enough, no blood spilled.
"Whew, I'm gonna die."
I dropped Nightrend and collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. The Scream Blade was a technique I rarely used even against greater demons. It drained an insane amount of energy and temporarily shredded the durability of my last bastion. Without Celestine's Holy Blessing, I wouldn't have even dreamed of pulling it off. And using a skill without Hunting Dog's Mark was just as brutal.
"Guildmaster!!"
Celestine came rushing over and skidded to her knees beside me. Maybe because my body felt so heavy, she couldn't stop in time and slid right into me, scattering petals everywhere. Already drained, the impact from Celestine sent me tumbling backward. It felt like getting smashed head-on by a heavy sack of rice. Had she always been this hefty...?
"Gasp! Sorry!"
Celestine, sprawled on top of me, flailed in panic and rolled off to the side. Her face, which had been caught in the Scream Blade's range, was deathly pale, her lips parched. Despite her hands trembling violently, she hurriedly channeled holy power to heal me. The fact that she could move after hearing Nightrend's scream put her mental fortitude in the top 10%. Even Bibian the captain was still face-down on the ground, writhing in agony. She looked like a total airhead, but damn if her resolve wasn't steel-solid. Plus, Celestine had jumped in at the perfect moment to disrupt Orlean's spell. Picking her up really was the best decision I'd made all year.
With the holy healing flowing through me, I quickly regained my strength and slowly sat up.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks. You holding up?"
"I'm fine. Oh, your sword dropp— eeeeeek!!!!!!!"
Celestine grabbed the hilt of Nightrend without a second thought and screamed, yanking her hand away.
"Ughhh...."
"You can't just grab it like that."
Her face drained of all color, Celestine chattered her teeth and stared at Nightrend in terror. Only a max-level Demon Hunter like me could wield it.
"Leonar...."
Then I heard a voice calling me from the side. I turned to see Orlean's severed head mumbling.
"G-Guildmaster...! The head's talking!!"
Celestine dove behind my back, trembling.
"Come here a moment... I have something to say...."
I stood and walked over. Orlean smiled with his sea-blue eyes.
"Too high up...."
I knelt on one knee beside him, and he seemed satisfied, nodding—or trying to. But with his neck severed, it was pointless.
"Leonar.... You're the one, after all.... The only swordsman in the world who could kill a high mage...."
"Not a swordsman—a Demon Hunter."
"Haha, right.... The villagers have all returned to normal.... The experiment ended the moment my head came off...."
Good. Even if they hadn't, I still would've killed him. No point talking to a guy who wouldn't listen anyway, and if I didn't stop him here, more victims would've piled up. Lucky break.
"Thanks. Now I can collect the reward fee and won't starve."
His eyes crinkled wider at my words.
"That's what I like about you, Leonar...."
"What part exactly?"
"You always talk like that... but you didn't cut off my head just for the reward, did you...?"
"Who knows."
Orlean chuckled lowly, but it soon twisted into a flute-like wheeze.
"Even if... there was no reward... if you'd learned of my experiment... you would've killed me all the same... to stop it.... Because you're not... the kind of man who moves for money...."
"You still don't get me. I only care about shiny things."
"No.... I know you well.... You won't admit it yourself... but your soul is noble.... Even if I'd offered a fortune... the outcome would've been the same...."
"Sure, whatever."
Not entirely wrong. Orlean was a mad mage. High mages who reached a certain level were all eccentrics with shattered personalities, but he was special even among them. With a face more beautiful than a woman's and a gentle demeanor, he seemed different from the cranky lot. But he was still a mage. He harbored one grand, impossible mad dream: creating a flawless, peaceful world free of all conflict.
To build that perfect world, Orlean believed proper "control" was essential—a "duty" only high mages like him could fulfill. And he accepted the "minor sacrifices" that came with it.
To that end, he'd spent ages running bizarre experiments. Ones as insane as this one, stripping humans of emotions and will.
We met when he started commissioning me for rare materials. He gave me hefty payouts each time. But I cut ties once I realized his "minor sacrifices" kept cropping up wherever I took his jobs. I like money, but some things matter more.
"In the end... it comes to this.... I just wanted to create a perfect world without conflict...."
"No such world exists."
He turned his questioning gaze to me.
"A world made perfect only by someone's intervention can't exist. Perfection means different things to different people."
"Is that so...."
"Yeah. What you want is just puppet play with humans stripped of everything."
"Puppet play.... Interesting...."
He looked away from me, gazing at the sky as he whispered.
"Leonar.... Before I die, a gift for you...."
"What is it."
"The gem on my body... Dawn's Farewell... take it...."
I glanced over. A sapphire adorned his chest where he lay.
"Just leave it in the guild... it'll help in many ways...."
Orlean gave a faint smile.
"Put it somewhere visible, like your desk.... It's the essence of my magic...."
His eyes lost their deep, lonely light, staring into nothing.
Dead.
"Got it. I'll keep it safe."
I closed his eyes. Celestine approached and whispered.
"Has he... passed?"
"Yeah."
"How can a severed head still talk...."
"He's a mage. Let's head back."
As I stood, Celestine fidgeted and grabbed my arm.
"Shouldn't we bury him?"
The words barely left her mouth when Orlean's head crumbled like dry dirt.
"Gasp?! What?!"
"He lived too long."
The body vanished, leaving only his clothes. I pried the gem from them. The quail-egg-sized sapphire gleamed brilliantly, as if trapping light inside. So this was Dawn's Farewell.
"Captain Bibian. Get up."
Celestine helped Bibian, who was still kneeling with her forehead to the ground. Pale as a ghost, Bibian staggered to her feet. This was the normal reaction to Nightrend's scream. She wasn't a coward; it was just that intense.
"Mr. Leonar...."
Looking haggard, Bibian asked.
"Haa.... What was that just now...?"
"This sword's scream."
I held up Nightrend, and she tilted her head in confusion.
"A sword screaming? Like a bound soul or something...?"
"Nothing like that. But explaining here would take forever. Celestine, let's go!"
We approached the door that had appeared in the middle of the flower field and turned the knob. Opening it revealed the spot where we'd first found the marker.
"Investigation Chief!"
The agents guarding the horses below waved and shouted up at us.
"The villagers woke up!"
"Problem solved, then."
As we descended the slope, Bibian spoke.
"Thanks to you and Miss Celestine. We never could've stopped that mage without you two."
"Thank you."
"But what exactly are you, Mr. Leonar?"
She stared straight at me.
"You knew that mage, fought like that, and you killed a great demon?"
"Just your average Demon Hunter. The great demon thing's a secret, though. Spread it around, and the Empire's assassins might come knocking."
"Just personal curiosity. Still, it's a relief."
"What is?"
"That a fine guild like Lucas Guild is in our Schlessi."
"Commission us anytime. We'll handle it clean."
As I mounted up, Bibian said,
"You two head back first. I need to wrap things up here. I'll deliver the reward in cash to the guild within three days."
"Do what suits you. Good work today, Chief."
"Take care, Captain!"
After bidding Bibian farewell, Celestine and I left the village, galloping toward Schlessi.
"Guildmaster! Guildmaster!"
Riding side by side, Celestine called out.
"What?"
"Aren't you sad?"
"About what? Orlean dying?"
"You two fought, but you were friends. That mage seemed to think of you as a real good friend."
It'd be a lie to say I felt nothing. He was a madman, but we got along decently. Totally different from that trash knight commander and ex-party members. If not for this insane experiment, we might've just chatted over tea and parted ways.
But I knew Orlean well. Gentle and kind on the outside, but harboring an indescribable, sticky madness within.
"He's an obsessed psycho. If I hadn't killed him, he never would've stopped this experiment. It started with a small village, but Schlessi could've been next."
"Why did that mage want a perfect world so bad...?"
"No idea. Mages are all nuts somewhere."
"I see...."
Celestine nodded along, then grinned dopily.
"Honestly, I didn't understand a word between you and the mage."
"Probably hard to get."
"But one thing's clear. You're an amazing Demon Hunter, Guildmaster!"
"Thanks. You were awesome today too. The best."
Her ears turned beet red at the praise.
"If you hadn't put up that barrier and given me the Holy Blessing right then, I'd have lost a leg and failed to stop Orlean. Glad you're with me, Celestine."
"Th-thank you...!"
"Bringing you into the guild really was my best move this year."
Suddenly, the halo above Celestine's head started flickering like crazy. She's really weak to compliments.
Back at the guild, Celestine barely greeted Leana before bounding up to the second floor, her body jiggling with each step. She slammed the door shut, dove onto the bed, and hugged a pillow tight. Burying her face in it, she let out a blissful squeal.