EP.193 Each Stage (7)
Crazy Man.
A derogatory term for Kelharlem.
When people confront Kelharlem, the word “crazy” often comes to mind first. Soldiers recalling the scene of him crazily rampaging and shredding the Demon Lord’s Army alive fear him. Out of fear and a desire to keep their distance, they’ve labeled him “The Mad One.”
The Mad One.
A mage who has lost his sanity.
“Crazy, Kelharlem.”
Thus named, Kelharlem wandered the battlefield for over a hundred years. There wasn’t a place on the battlefield he hadn’t been to kill the Demon Lord’s Army, requiring him to stay close to the Phantom Territory to trace the shadows.
For achieving his goal, the battlefield was a suitable environment.
However, it wasn’t a good place.
The magic he learned to teach students was now used to kill and tear apart others. A scholar by birth, Kelharlem slowly wore down as he roamed the battlefield. Controlling his madness became increasingly difficult.
Each time he failed to control his madness.
Each time he created unnecessary carnage.
More people grew to fear him.
When everyone began to think of him as “The Mad One” before even acknowledging his name, Kelharlem stood alone on the battlefield.
He did not seek understanding.
If he could achieve his goal, that was enough.
That was how he had lived his life.
Then one day, Kelharlem encountered a young mage. A mage whose name had been rising recently on the battlefield. A mage who fought alongside a hero, or so the rumors said.
“Are you Kelharlem?”
A young man with ashen hair.
“What?”
He nonchalantly said as he looked at Kelharlem.
“You seem fine.”
Kelharlem frowned.
The knights beside the young man held their breath.
And the young man chuckled.
“I wondered how insane someone had to be to be called ‘The Mad One’… but you look perfectly fine.”
Kelharlem asked the young man in return.
“What do you mean?”
The young man smiled at Kelharlem’s question.
“Real madmen don’t even know they’re mad. Or they have reasons for their madness and hope to be understood. You know the Sword Demon, right? He’s exactly like that.”
He shrugged his shoulders and addressed Kelharlem.
“Compared to him, what about you?”
He pointed a finger at Kelharlem.
“You understand your madness. There must have been reasons for you to go insane, but you don’t expect others to understand. You keep it to yourself and try to bear the burden alone.”
You force no understanding.
You do not shy away from responsibility.
You intend to endure your madness all by yourself.
“Impressive.”
He smiled and extended his hand.
“I’m Raniel. It’s an honor to meet you, Kelharlem.”
Raniel, the Ashen Mage.
Kelharlem stared at the hand of the young man he introduced for a while. It was the first time in a century since he had stepped into the realm of the superhuman.
*
I don’t know Kelharlem well.
I do not understand why he gained his madness, why he harbors such hatred for the stars, or how the world reflects in his eyes.
Just a few lines inscribed in a history book.
Shattered words circulating as rumors.
A handful of records, scattered and fragmented.
I couldn’t claim to understand someone’s past with such limited information. Therefore, I cannot say I understand Kelharlem. A shallow understanding would be a disrespect.
However, there is one thing.
Just one thing, I can say I understand about Kelharlem.
Madness.
The madness that Kelharlem possesses.
I understand that.
Because I have seen it.
I know what means Kelharlem uses to control his madness and what determination he holds to cling to it. And…
“Yes, I will trust you at least once, Ashen Mage.”
I also know what happens when that madness is unleashed. I cannot be ignorant of it; I witnessed it with my own eyes.
Now I understand why he is on guard.
Releasing himself from constraints, Kelharlem consumed by madness.
The sight I saw on the battlefield made me comprehend why everyone calls him “The Mad One.”
He tears apart everything that comes near. Showering in blood, he rains down spells. The brutality he commits is… closer to that of a beast than a human. A beast moving by instinct.
In the past, I had to confront that beast.
Stopping the now-mad Kelharlem was a contract about utilizing that madness.
Naturally, he was not an easy opponent.
After defeating Gletus, I had to subdue the mad Kelharlem, dragging my thoroughly exhausted body along. I drew circuits with my broken fingers and gathered the remnants of the mana left to weave a spell.
Each saw the depths of the other.
Each saw the limits of the other.
In that process, I comprehended Kelharlem’s madness, deciphered the constraints he had, and through him, I formed a contract.
“I hate the stars, Ashen Mage.”
Kelharlem.
“I hate them, but I also hate myself for being powerless. I curse my weakness. I guard against the self that has fallen to madness.”
The Mad One.
“So, Ashen Mage.”
“Can I make one request?”
Although he was a madman.
“The day will come when the mad me will not return to being human. It will surely come. The madness I possess is like an inferno, and someday it will consume everything I hold.”
Though called a madman.
“So please, kill me when that day comes.”
The man who resisted becoming a madman.
“When I am no longer myself.”
The madman who wished to remain human asked me to kill him when he transcends humanity. Reflecting on that request and past, I gaze at the present.
Spells pour forth.
The shadows crawl toward the ground.
A dense black fog obscures even a hand’s breadth ahead.
“………”
I silently extend my arm.
I grasp the pouring spells. The ashen mana swallows them. I stomp toward the approaching shadows. With a boom, the shadows stagger.
Thud.
I waved my hand toward the staggering shadows, toward the thick black fog. As I cleared the fog, I approached the center. There, I saw a figure standing.
A human harboring shadows.
A being that has transcended humanity.
No longer capable of being called a superhuman.
I utter his name.
“Kelharlem.”
He looks at me.
I smile bitterly at him.
“Is that what you’re saying, to keep the contract?”
The flames blaze in the ashen pupils of the madman. The skin splits from the eyes outward. Black filth oozes from the cracked skin.
It is the destruction of a human.
A process in which a soul is shattered.
I have experienced that process too.
“I offer half of my life.”
The day I offered half my life to the stars, I gained power beyond my control. The cost was horrific. My soul cracked, and the fissure of my soul manifested in my body.
“In my case, I shed starlight.”
Now, Kelharlem sheds shadows.
Watching him, I realize time is short. This is not just about Kelharlem.
“I, too.”
The ashen mana holds me back from the shadows.
“Likewise.”
That too is poison.
Merely blocking poison with poison does not change that the ashen mana burdens my body. The time available is limited, and the moment the last sand falls from the hourglass, I will be defeated.
There is no time.
There is much to be done.
Limited time forces me to make choices.
My reason whispers to kill the shadows with Kelharlem before they consume him.
“Kelharlem has severed all constraints.”
Even if I tear away the shadows, he will simply become the rampaging madman he once was. The option to impose constraints again, like in the past, is impossible.
At that moment, Kelharlem had left one constraint.
That constraint remained Kelharlem’s last reason, allowing him to regain his senses as time passed. Around that chain, he could once again impose constraints.
However, now it is impossible.
“He has released all constraints.”
There is no return left for him.
“So, kill him.”
That is the rational and efficient choice.
Kill Kelharlem along with the shadows.
Gift him the death he desires.
Otherwise, I will simply die.
“………”
Dwindling time, the moment of choice.
Standing at the crossroads of choice, I closed my eyes.
*
Three girls walk through the darkness.
Within the swirling barrier, it is dark. Visibility is non-existent. They rely on the starlight lit by Ayla to move forward. But they are never truly dependent.
“This way.”
Resti points to a path.
“This is the direction of the flow.”
The Watcher, who sees what ordinary people cannot.
“It’s really dark.”
“…If it’s just for a moment, I think I can brighten it.”
Toward the area where Ayla’s light does not reach.
Chloe reaches out her hand. With a brief flash, the darkness recedes slightly. The now less dense darkness reveals the path ahead again illuminated by Ayla’s stars.
They advance in this way.
Sometimes Resti directs the way, sometimes Chloe clears the darkness. Ayla leads, but she does not walk alone. They rely on each other’s strengths to forge ahead.
“This must be it.”
And they arrive.
“That altar we need to destroy is right there.”
Ayla points to the end of the darkness.
Before them lies something horrifically shaped. Constructed from human bones, it is an altar to offer sacrifices to the god.
“I’ve heard that destroying that will end everything.”
Ayla says.
Resti nods.
“Please step back for a moment.”
Resti places her hand on the ground. A crack appears where her palm meets the floor. Something reaches out from within the crack.
THUD, BOOM.
The ground rumbles. As the tremors shake the earth, something rises from the ground. It is a summoned creature known as a Golem.
“Being the most basic, one can tell the summoner’s capabilities by just looking at the Golem.”
Ayla reflects as she observes the massive Golem summoned by Resti. It towers so large that she has to crane her neck to see its top.
“It’s even larger than the royal guardian Golem…”
There was no doubt about Resti’s summoning skills.
Resti touched the Golem’s back. The Golem began to move. THUD, BOOM, the earth shook as the Golem charged toward the altar.
“UGOOO!!”
With sufficient acceleration, the Golem lunged toward the altar. The collision between the massive Golem and the bone-constructed altar was easy to predict. Ayla thought the altar would be shattered, but when the dust settled, the outcome was different.
“…Still intact?”
It was the Golem that shattered.
As soon as it touched the altar, the Golem broke into pieces. The altar remained unscathed.
“………”
Resti frowned.
She clapped her hands, and at the sound, a circuit appeared before her. The circuit that quickly formed began to glow, shaking the nearby ground.
THUD, BOOM!
The immense Golem rose. Wolf-like summoned creatures tore open the space and emerged. Creatures of various shapes filled the area.
Dozens, nearing a hundred summoned beings.
An elite summoner can form an army on their own. Demonstrating this fact, Resti waved her hand. The summoned creatures faithfully followed the command of their general.
“UGOOO!!”
Roaring, the summoned creatures marched toward the altar. The ground shook, and dust rose.
“Wow…”
Chloe gasped in amazement as the swarm of summoned creatures passed by her, nearing the altar.
And at that moment…
“…!”
Ayla’s eyes widened.
Her instincts rang out. The intuition of a girl who had long received the stars’ prophecies was sharper than any other. Acting on her intuition, Ayla reacted swiftly.
She grabbed Resti’s wrist.
She grabbed Chloe by the nape and lowered their posture.
And that was the right choice.
BOOM.
As the summoned creatures approached the altar, it vibrated violently. Soon afterward, a wave burst out from the altar, sweeping across the area. The wave swept over Ayla and the two who had lowered their heads.
“…Alright.”
What remained where the wave passed was nothing. Ayla swallowed her breath as she gazed at the broken and torn summoned creatures.
“…It seems we cannot destroy it with ordinary means.”
Then what means should they use?
“…Starlight in the form of a weapon.”
Resti murmured.
Ayla and Chloe turned to look at her. In Resti’s eyes, rings of platinum-colored light were revolving.
“That altar’s structure can only be broken down with weaponized starlight. Mere starlight won’t do.”
Resti explained.
“Starlight in the form of a weapon, meaning… something like the Holy Sword.”
Eyes naturally focused on Chloe.
The Holy Sword is a precious possession of a hero. Even in this place, there is supposed to be one hero among the candidates.
“Chloe.”
“…But I haven’t faced my trial yet.”
Chloe shook her head.
She was an unusual case where her mana was made entirely of starlight… but still, she merely remained a candidate.
“I heard you need to undergo a trial to be recognized as a hero and blossom your star talent. My trial hasn’t come yet, so I’m still just a candidate…”
She cannot wield the star weapon.
Her mana has yet to become a weapon.
“Then what should we do…?”
Ayla rubbed her lips together.
They must crush that altar. However, a method was not readily forthcoming.
“…Professor Rania, that is, Lord Raniel…”
It was a request made of her.
If that person entrusted her with it, it meant it was within her capability. Ayla closed her eyes, pondering and thinking again.
Her own talent.
And the talents of those around her.
“…Ah.”
At the end of that thought, Ayla recalled something.
“Not long ago, I began attending special lectures…”
“It’s a class I’m taking with Resti, but the content is a bit difficult, so I’ve been struggling.”
That was the story Chloe had spoken of before her. That story began to intertwine with what she had recently heard from Raniel.
“Resti and Chloe.”
“The two can utilize each other’s talents with the princess’s talent.”
For that reason, she gathered both.
Ayla envisioned her talent and those of the two.
A child loved by the stars, Stella.
Stella can make the flows around her her own.
She can control every flow.
The Watcher, who reads the context of the stars.
The Watcher can see and understand everything.
Understanding turns into analysis, and analysis leads to utilization.
A child blessed by the stars, the Hero.
The Hero wields starlight as a weapon.
Not having bloomed yet just means it’s not fully forged, but the Hero’s starlight has the potential to transform into a weapon.
The three talents interlock.
Ayla opens her eyes.
“Maybe…”
She looked at the two.
“Perhaps there is a way.”
A method to destroy the altar.
As Ayla spoke, her eyes sparkled with a golden light.
*
“Perhaps there could be another way.”
Muttering that, I opened my eyes.
What I see upon opening my eyes is the flood of shadows. I walked toward the waves of shadows crashing over me.
“An efficient, certain, and rational path.”
Thus, an alluring path.
“An easy path.”
I know a person who insisted only on such paths.
“Draka walked that path.”
The Sword Demon, Draka.
He proclaimed efficiency while forcing sacrifices onto others. He treated others’ lives lightly. Only he considered himself human, viewing others as expendable.
Draka was such a person.
“He chooses lightly.”
He always made decisions easily.
“And discards lightly.”
He had no reservations in casting people aside.
“Lightly; such people exist.”
And I.
“I’ve thought about it.”
“I don’t want to be such a person.”
I lived despising those kinds of people.
While the Demon Lord’s army trampled my village, it was such people who set it ablaze. I didn’t want to walk the same path as them. This was my stubbornness.
So I didn’t choose the easy route.
I neglected efficiency. To give up is easy. It’s easy, so I didn’t. Even when everyone shouted that it was impossible or to give up, I postponed the idea of abandoning someone until the very end.
“I cannot take sacrifices lightly.”
That is…
“The person in front of everyone should not do so.”
When everyone gives up, not giving up is essential.
Not giving up, finding another method.
Thus, saving someone I should have discarded.
“A hero cannot do that.”
It was my role to stand beside the hero.
“So, Kelharlem.”
BOOM!
I took a big step toward the shadows.
From the foot I stepped, ashen mana spread. The ashen mana crawled up my body. It flowed along the circuits inscribed on my skin.
Smash.
I clenched the completed spell in my fist and swung it.
THWACK-!
The shadows suddenly parted. Facing Kelharlem, revealed before me, I twisted my mouth into a smile.
“It seems I must delay our contract a bit longer.”
I see possibilities.
Kelharlem has released all constraints, so he has nothing left.
“However, there is a contract that takes precedence.”
One that remains with me as opposed to him.
The contract we forged when Kelharlem came to Apuria. It is a chain we shared. I recall that.
“The contract is still in effect.”
Constraint one: As long as the constraint wavers, the subject must accept the contractor’s proposal unless it contradicts the principles.
Constraint two: Should the subject lose their sanity, they grant the contractor the right to impose “new constraints.”
Constraint three: The above constraints have absolute priority within Apuria.
“Fulfill the contract, Mage.”
The moment I recalled that, something grasped in my hand. A chain made of starlight. Holding the chain that made a clinking sound, I smiled.
“Contracts must always be made carefully. Don’t you agree?”
This path is not an easy one.
It is remarkably burdensome and troublesome, but that is precisely why it is valuable. It’s the path I have chosen and will continue to choose moving forward.
