EP.213 Reunion (8)
“Crazy girl from Apuria…!”
In what could only be described as a fateful reunion, Sara’s reaction was one of sheer terror. She gasped, clinging tightly to Kyle’s side.
“W-why is that insane girl here? Kyle, say something…!”
Sara shook Kyle’s arm.
“Why is she here…! And Kyle, why are you just standing there? An unbeliever standing on this holy ground, what a blasphemy! Blasphemy, I say…!”
She shook him so violently that Kyle’s head bobbed left and right.
“We, chosen by the Star, have the duty to punish that unbeliever. To defile this sacred ground, we must…”
Gone was the Sara who complained about not wanting to go to the ‘cursed land’ when they first journeyed here. Now, she called this place holy and clung tightly to Kyle’s arm.
“You!”
Sara pressed her chest against Kyle’s arm and pointed a finger at Rania.
“It won’t be easy for you to leave here nicely!”
She looked rather confident.
Surprised, Rania’s eyebrows twitched. Without a word, Rania reached out and grasped the finger that was pointing at her.
“Wait…”
Kyle, brushing tears from his eyes, belatedly tried to stop the girl, but it was too late.
Thud!
“AAAAAAAAHHHH!”
Sara’s finger bent at a right angle.
She shrieked and thrashed around, while Kyle quickly grabbed Rania’s wrist and pulled them apart.
“Ugh, ughhh!”
Holding her broken finger and with tears welling up in her eyes, Sara glared at Rania.
“Kyle, quick!”
Clinging to Kyle, Sara pleaded.
‘You’re dead now!’
Sara was sure Kyle would show that girl a taste of a hero’s fiery fist. Whenever she clung to Kyle like this, he always listened to her.
“…Sara.”
But today, his reaction was a bit different.
Kyle called out Sara’s name with a sigh. Sara cautiously lifted her head to look at Kyle. His gaze, looking down at her, felt rather cold.
‘…What’s up with that?’
Why that look?
Sara gulped, swallowing dry.
“W-what? That crazy girl needs to be….”
“It’s getting complicated, so just rest for a bit. I’ll explain later.”
“No, Kyle, what are you talking about…?”
Kyle pushed Sara away.
Then, he called out to Remia, pushing Sara onto her, and walked toward the girl. Sara’s pupils shook violently.
“K-Kyle? Do you not remember the incident in Apuria? And I just had my finger bent! It hurts…!”
She spoke with a trembling voice, but got no response. He completely ignored her. For some reason, Sara felt betrayed.
“Remia, Kyle…!”
“Stay quiet, Sara. Kyle is talking about something important right now.”
“Remia, you too…!”
No one empathized with her.
Sara’s tightly clenched fists trembled. Yet, she couldn’t say what she said last time about sharing a room. Kyle had indeed let her stay in separate rooms as per her wish, and she had to spend lonely nights for a while.
In the end, Sara found herself at a loss.
Her broken finger healed quickly, but it still hurt.
“Ugh, eeeek…!”
Sara stomped on the unforgiving stone floor, glaring. Her gaze was locked on the Ashen-Haired Girl. Coincidentally, the girl was also looking at Sara.
“You, you…!”
“What, crazy girl?”
“What did you say?”
Unlike Sara, who was grinding her teeth, the girl’s reaction was plainly indifferent. Rania just smirked, with a hint of mockery.
‘…What even is that.’
And there was someone watching all this unfold. The ancient sage, Cardi van Armiel, gazed at the saint of the time with wide eyes.
‘Is that really the saint…?’
Cardi doubted his own eyes.
As far as he recalled, a saint was synonymous with representing the Deloheim Church. They were supposed to be the most devout, tirelessly refining themselves to convey the words of the divine… an embodiment of grace.
Gleria Bel Armias.
The first saint certainly fit that description. When it was just Cardi and her, it was a different story, but in front of a third party, she was a perfect being. Pious, devout, and from a single gesture to minor habits, grace overflowed.
Cardi recalled Gleria.
Thinking of her appearance, he glanced back at the saint in front of him.
Eeeek!
He couldn’t help but kick the ground in frustration, feeling no trace of elegance in her actions. Her mannerisms were utterly vulgar.
‘What on earth…’
Instead of a saint, there seemed to be a silly kid.
Cardi’s expression twisted as if he had bitten into a bug. His golden beast-like eyes filled with disdain. Sara didn’t realize that gaze, but…
Flinch.
Continuously observing Cardi’s expressions, Remia keenly noticed the contempt radiating from the Elven Savior. She quickly covered Sara’s mouth.
“Sara, be quiet for a moment…!”
“Mmph, uugh! Mmm!”
Remia dragged Sara away towards a corner.
Cardi pressed his fingers against his temples and let out a long sigh.
Huff…
Now, he somewhat understood why Raniel had shuddered whenever the names of the saint and archery master were mentioned.
“What a world we live in…”
Cardi’s sigh fell heavy over the air.
—
I gazed at Kyle standing in front of me.
He looked just as I remembered him, not a bit different. Even that hollow gaze he had after encountering the Demon Lord was the same. Meeting those eyes head-on, I spoke up.
“I asked what your true identity is.”
Last time, and this time too.
Kyle asked me the same question. He nodded, and I pursed my lips.
‘…How can he not realize it, even after all this?’
To be honest, I was a bit surprised.
One could chalk it up to Sara and Remia not being particularly interested in others. But Kyle? No way. He had seen my battle style up close.
Ashes to Ashes.
The only one who could use that technique was me. Kyle must have known that only a battle mage who could fight against a hero could ever do so.
Yet, he still had not figured it out.
Of course, the changes in gender or the corruption of a soul were not things governed by reason. But with this much evidence, I thought for sure he would catch on to my identity as Raniel.
‘Then, it means there’s another reason at play here.’
The only reason that came to mind was:
‘Star.’
Ayla, the one loved by the Star, had her suspicions about me but was never certain. Only after she chose to be independent did she gain confidence in my identity.
So, to put it another way.
‘The Star doesn’t recognize me as Raniel.’
Kyle trusts the Star, turning away from his own instincts. He is still living his life, relying on the Star.
‘What a foolish brat.’
I muttered inwardly and spoke.
“Why not ask that well-renowned Star?”
“It didn’t give me an answer. It merely said that I lost you.”
“Lost me?”
“I don’t know why. The Star just whispers like that.”
Whispers of the Star.
That vague foresight.
“…”
I sealed my lips, contemplating.
‘What should I say?’
He doubts my existence yet has no certainty. All that remains for him are questions.
Why do I use the same techniques as Raniel?
What relation do I have with the current Raniel?
Why can I wield this Holy Grail?
The answers to those questions were simple. I could just say that I’m Raniel and that during his absence, I moved ahead, earning the right to hold the Holy Grail.
But.
‘But I don’t want to.’
I didn’t want that.
I still didn’t want to reveal my identity.
‘Just… no.’
I just didn’t want to. I couldn’t put it into words, but there was an instinctive aversion inside me. I didn’t want to reveal it, especially to him.
“…My disciple.”
So, I lied.
A rather flimsy lie.
“I’m the disciple of Ashen Mage, Raniel… and I’m in a position like his successor. So, I know everything. I learned all the techniques.”
It was a light lie.
A lie with enough room for doubt.
“…Is that so.”
Yet, Kyle accepted that lie.
Still blindly believing in the Star, he wouldn’t doubt such a simple lie.
The situation turned quite amiable.
If I tossed a few more lies into the mix, the matter would be easily settled. Kyle would discard any suspicion and wouldn’t ask me the same question again.
Should I feel pleased by that fact?
But, the more I spoke lies, the more my expression twisted bit by bit. The disdain in my eyes looking at Kyle only grew larger.
“If that’s the case, the right to hold the Holy Grail…”
“Because I traveled with Lord Raniel.”
“Then, the reason Lord Raniel chose you is…”
“Because I possessed potential, perhaps.”
“Is that so? That does make sense.”
A straightforward exchange of questions and answers.
But it wasn’t a conversation between people. It felt like conversing with a nodding doll. I could feel a wall from him.
Encounter with the Demon Lord.
Fractures from feeling powerless.
That wall had persisted since that day. I felt no value in conversing with a guy who was blindly following the Star’s voice.
“Then what about that guy…”
“Hey.”
Ultimately, I interrupted Kyle.
“Is this even meaningful?”
It was merely a waste of time.
I shot back with a scowled expression.
“Get to the point. What’s the point of this?”
I asked, and Kyle exhaled sharply.
“…I was commanded to search for the Holy Grail. And the Holy Grail is in your hands. Most likely, it will come into Raniel’s possession.”
Kyle pointed at me.
“What does he plan to do with the Holy Grail? He wouldn’t try to become a superhuman, would he? That guy who never faced walls from the beginning can’t demolish them either.”
“That’s true.”
“Then, what does he intend to use it for? What is his purpose in aiming for this Holy Grail? If there’s no legit reason…”
Kyle’s eyes narrowed.
“I plan to drag you, who holds the Holy Grail, to the front lines. The decisions will be made by the Knights Order Leader.”
He was speaking earnestly.
And in his view, that was a reasonable choice. If he couldn’t obtain the Holy Grail, abducting me who could wield it would be the right decision.
“……”
I fell silent momentarily before speaking again. This time, I wasn’t saying a lie.
“Raising superhumans.”
“What?”
“Raising superhumans through the Academy. Ultimately aiming to secure a party made solely of superhumans.”
I lifted my hand.
“So.”
The tip of my finger pointed at Kyle.
“A party to replace you.”
A task you couldn’t accomplish.
A party to execute the thing you had given up on.
That was my goal.
“That is the purpose of the Ashen Mage.”
“…To replace me?”
“I couldn’t see potential in you anymore.”
Kyle sealed his lips for a moment.
The silence didn’t last long. Gradually, Kyle opened his mouth. He posed a question.
“Are you part of that plan?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“…If you are a product of that plan, then there’s ample potential. To forge a party that will replace me…”
Kyle fiddled with the hilt of his Holy Sword.
“Certainly, it fits the bill for someone like him.”
Snicker, Kyle chuckled.
At that, I narrowed my eyes.
“What’s that?”
“Nothing.”
Kyle stepped back a pace.
“Certainly, I believe it’s a reasonable reason. The Holy Grail would be more needed by those who have been picked by that guy than by the knights on the front lines.”
Mumbling that, he looked at me.
“I will report to the Knights Order Leader. You’ll soon get a letter; write a detailed explanation there… I believe the Knights Order Leader will understand the reason.”
To form a party that would replace him.
Even though I stated that blatantly, Kyle’s demeanor was excessively calm. I frowned at his nonchalant attitude. Something felt off.
“Did you say Cardi? This Holy Grail must have also been placed in the Sacred Site of the Sword, right? The trials that the Sword Masters went through there…”
“Yeah, the trials through the Holy Grail. The Sword Saint who founded the Sacred Site of the Sword was gifted the Holy Grail by the Kingdom.”
“Is that so.”
I felt a sense of unease.
Kyle, who was conversing with Cardi, turned to me again and continued talking. However, those words didn’t reach my ears.
“I’ve heard about the trials at the Sacred Site of the Sword. Those trials aren’t something just anyone can pass. If one thinks it’s similar to the Star’s trials… even if one raises a superhuman on the battlefield, it will take a long time.”
Step back a bit, I took a step forward.
“You.”
I grabbed Kyle’s collar.
“What’s this all about?”
This wasn’t the kind of guy I knew.
He wouldn’t accept such a circumstance, nor would he acknowledge the appearance of someone to replace him.
“What are you doing right now?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not that kind of guy. There’s no way you are.”
I pulled Kyle’s collar tighter.
“Who are you really…?”
“Hah.”
Kyle chuckled hollowly.
“What do you know about me to say such things? Did you hear something from that girl?”
“……”
“Me from the past and me now are different.”
I fell silent, and Kyle spoke.
“People change. They do.”
Kyle’s dark eyes met mine.
“Raniel hasn’t changed. No matter what he sees, no matter what he experiences… he hasn’t changed. But I am different. Unlike him, I am human.”
The changing human.
His voice carried emotions.
“I too have changed. That’s all.”
Kyle grasped my wrist.
I released my hold on his collar. Only then did Kyle let go of my hand and take a step back.
“I apologize. I won’t apologize for attacking recklessly. I also apologize for my comrade’s rudeness.”
I looked at him without a word.
“Sara, Remia. Let’s go.”
“Mmm, ugh!”
“Okay, got it.”
He turned to leave with his companions.
I stared at their retreating figures for quite a while. I felt a vague sense of unease, but I couldn’t pinpoint the source.
“…Cardi.”
“What is it?”
Only after Kyle left did I finally speak.
“That guy mentioned he had a contract with the Star.”
“That seemed to be the case.”
“About that.”
I looked at Cardi.
“Tell me in detail.”
There was something unknown lurking in the shadows.
