Even in the Radiant Kingdom of the Gods, Night Falls (1)
“Mmm...”
An unfamiliar ceiling... or so I would have said, had I not seen it once before.
A pure white ceiling without so much as the usual marble patterns. At the exact center of that space, so free of color it was almost unnerving, the emblem of the Pantheon of All Gods was set into the surface.
Which meant I had arrived properly in the Holy Kingdom.
“...Violet.”
“She is recovering smoothly, so you need not worry.”
“...The Saint, is it?”
Black priestly robes and a white collar. His hair neatly parted, he took a seat in the chair that had been prepared beside my bed as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
At the same moment, a gentle warmth spread through my entire body. The Saint’s divine power was probably aiding my recovery.
“So then, might I hear exactly what happened? We were only told it was a Color Blue situation.”
“Right. Telling you should make things easier.”
The Holy Kingdom was a theocratic nation that worshipped the All Gods.
There was no Holy Emperor, for there was no one who could offer equal faith to every deity. Yet without a highest decision-maker a country could not function, so the Holy Kingdom had devised a solution.
The Saint. They had elevated a being as close as possible to a true sage, turning him into both their propaganda and their symbol, and set him at their head.
Even he, who had been nothing more than a priest at the time, had accepted the role and taken the Saint’s seat. The All Gods themselves must have been delighted that a man who offered them boundless devotion would become the king of the nation that worshipped them.
In any case, the Saint occupied a rather bizarre office—priest by status, yet performing the duties of a king—so explaining the situation to him would make everything far more convenient.
“Someone used a God’s Remnant to incite the murder of my fiancée.”
“A God’s... Remnant. So there are still those who employ such things.”
“Yes. ‘Saeng’ confirmed it, so it’s certain.”
“...Did you just say ‘Saeng’...?”
Unlike the Saint’s usual calm and gentle manner, his tone carried a hint of excitement.
‘Saeng’ was the first sword Lellasion had ever used—a divine artifact and a sacred relic. For a man who offered fanatical faith to the All Gods, excitement was only natural.
Child. I have no intention of showing my form to that whelp, so convey that for me.
A flash of light—
Th-this bastard?!
“Here. ‘Saeng’.”
“O...ohh... How beautiful...”
‘Saeng’ was the sword Lellasion had temporarily entrusted to me. And a sword that never left its sheath could never be called a famous blade.
“A pure-white blade... a cross-guard of starlight... a hilt of heavenly wood... It is perfect...”
“Don’t get too close. I forced it out when it didn’t want to appear in the first place, so if you touch it you’ll probably get cut.”
“Ah... I understand. Still, seeing a little dust gathered on the blade, it seems Lady Lellasion has not held this sword in some time.”
“Hm? Looks fine to me.”
The ‘Saeng’ in my hand appeared flawless.
No chips in the edge, no dent in the cross-guard, no shattered hilt.
Besides, I had cut my way through every foul thing between here and there; how could there be anything wrong with it?
“I am not speaking of the sword’s exterior. Of course, its performance would have shown little difference. One moment...”
Kyaaaaaah!!
The Saint’s hand released pure white divine power and swept straight across the flat of ‘Saeng’.
I had never heard ‘Saeng’ let out such a cute scream before.
“Mm... This is actually a problem with the sword itself. In our terms, you might say it simply hasn’t been washed. What I just did was force water over it to rinse away the filth.”
“......”
......If you speak to me again I’ll kill you. Put me back.
A flash of light—
“...And Violet?”
“Haha. Only now do you ask.”
“I trust your skill.”
Once we had reached the Holy Kingdom, the chance that Violet was dead had effectively vanished.
If someone asked why I placed such faith in the Holy Kingdom... well, it wasn’t the kingdom I trusted so much as the Saint himself.
Back when I had been on the battlefield, the miracles the Saint performed had been beyond counting.
Erasing in a single instant the corpse legion of a necromancer called a one-man army, or saving a soldier who had taken wounds so severe he was breathing his last—those sights had been nothing less than the power of a god.
Even with a dagger buried in her chest, Violet had clearly been dancing on the edge of life and death, yet I had believed the Saint could save her.
“Miss Lailia has received proper treatment and has entered a stable period.”
“I see. Can I see her now?”
“No. She must remain in absolute rest for the time being.”
The Saint shook his head firmly and explained that if the dagger lodged in Violet’s chest had struck even a little farther to the left, her heart would have burst and she would have died instantly.
“And Count Evan, please listen without alarm.”
“Go on.”
“For a while after she wakes... Miss Lailia’s mind will likely be somewhat unstable.”
“...Her mind?”
“Yes. What was driven into Miss Lailia’s chest was a dagger formed of an evil god’s power. My divine power erased nearly all of it, yet because some time had already passed after the blade entered her chest, I could not completely purge the fact that the evil god’s energy had flowed into her body.”
“...Is that so.”
I did not waste time blaming myself for failing to notice the God’s Remnant sooner or for not moving faster.
In that moment I had used everything I could, fought, and run all the way here.
Only a faint regret remained.
What I needed now was not self-reproach but a plan for what came next.
“Explain properly what you mean by an unstable mind.”
“Certainly. Mental instability can appear in many forms. Representatively, one may become easily tainted by evil, regress to a childlike state, or suffer memory loss.”
“And the best way to suppress that as much as possible?”
“There are various methods... but remaining at her side as much as you can is the most effective.”
“I see.”
It felt odd to say it myself, yet I was confident I could stay by someone’s side better than anyone.
I had done so for my younger sister, and recently I had guarded the Imperial Princess as well.
This time the turn had simply passed to Violet.
“All right. The moment visitation is allowed, let me know at once.”
“Yes.”
“And... change my room. Somewhere soundproofed from the inside.”
“...You used that ability again.”
“The situation called for it. During the evening hours—meals, bath attendance, everything—I want no one admitted.”
“Understood. A brother will be here shortly to guide you to your new quarters. And Count Evan...”
“I know. I have no intention of stirring up friction with them either. Just as you requested, even if they attack me first I will respond with nothing beyond self-defense.”
“Thank you for granting such an unreasonable request. Then I shall take my leave.”
“Right.”
The Saint had acted as though it were nothing special, yet for a man already so busy to wait at the main gate after receiving my message, treat me, and come in person to hear the explanation was an extraordinary privilege.
To receive the Saint’s treatment one normally waited at least a year, not to mention the fortune required simply to push through the Forest of Blemish and reach this place.
“Mm... almost full.”
The mana I had wrung out nearly to its limit had almost completely recovered while I was unconscious.
Several mana circuits that had been scorched were healed as well; the Saint had probably treated me while he was working on Violet.
I spent some time checking my body here and there until a knock sounded at the door of the room I occupied.
When I opened it, a man in pure white priestly robes stood there, sent by the Saint to guide me to my new quarters.
The sooner I entered the room the better, so I followed him at once.
I had not expected to meet you along the way, though.
“......”
“...It’s been a while, Baekseol.”
Hair, eyelashes, skin, even clothing—everything about her was pure white. Without those red eyes I might have failed to distinguish her from the Holy Kingdom’s interior design.
A bad connection among bad connections.
One of the people who had created the circumstances that led me to meet Lellasion.
The Sword Emperor, Baekseol.
“.......Long... time.”
“Yeah. Well, I’m off.”
When we had met on the battlefield she had been a Sword Saint. Time had passed and she had now surpassed Sword King to reach Sword Emperor; she was not someone I particularly wished to face.
Her hand clamped down—!
“Mm, why are you grabbing me?”
“........Spar... with me.”
“Mm, no. I’m leaving.”
I gently tried to free my collar from her grip, and free it... why wouldn’t it come free.
A soft metallic whisper—
The instant her eyes met mine, a chill blade-presence brushed the skin around my neck.
Formless Sword. The near-divine ability that had carried her to the realm of Sword God.
It gathered every shred of killing intent directed at her and her own killing intent, then forged them into a weapon with no physical form.
And right now that killing intent had been honed razor-sharp and was aimed at my throat.
Well, I could cut it away if I wanted, but there was no need to fight right now. No—more precisely, I could not fight.
“Haa... Fine. Tomorrow. I’ll spar with you all day tomorrow.”
“.......Now... right now...”
“I used ‘Saeng’s’ authority. I can’t right now.”
“......!..”
The moment she understood, Baekseol flinched.
We had clashed so often on the battlefield that we knew each other’s abilities thoroughly; she would realize my present condition made fighting impossible.
“Then I’m going. See you tomorrow.”
“.........”
I passed Baekseol and peeled her hand free as well. Her expressionless face began to cloud with gloom, so I tossed out a few words I had been saving for a long time, as if merely in passing.
“I’ve never once resented any of you, including you. Back then our positions were different, and I did the same things to all of you.”
“.....Dif...fer...”
Something like a rush of wind kept me from hearing Baekseol’s final words, but they probably weren’t important.
I brushed past her as she fidgeted as though she still had something to say, then tapped the shoulder of the restless priest to urge him onward.
Only then did the priest, who had been glancing back and forth between Baekseol and me, squeeze his eyes shut and hurry toward the room assigned to me.