〈 Chapter 266 〉 Reality and Ideal (3)
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Destel was called a realistic hero.
Galahal was referred to as an ideal hero.
Though known as opposites, neither denies the other’s way. Preferences may differ, but right and wrong are not up for debate between them.
‘Why?’
Raniel found it hard to understand this truth.
“Don’t force ideals on others. Not everyone can be like Raniel.”
Destel said that.
“Everyone has their own path, right? If you don’t give up, that struggle is worth it.”
Galahal spoke similar words.
Raniel quietly mulled over their remarks.
“Push harder!”
“Strike! Keep moving!”
The surroundings were chaotic.
The sounds of blades clashing echoed and the bones of the spell-casters cracked, their screams ringing in her ears.
It was the heart of the battlefield.
As Raniel moved her body, she thought.
It’s obvious, but a few words won’t ease years of accumulated worries. If her burdens were that light, she wouldn’t be suffering this much.
However, it was enough to spark a change in her mindset.
A small ripple formed in the constant stream of Raniel’s heart. The calm lake was disturbed. In the tangled thoughts, Raniel suddenly recalled her life.
From as objective a perspective as possible.
2.
There exists a human named Raniel van Trias.
Originally, his name wasn’t grand at all.
His parents, who ran a small library in a backwoods village, named him Raniel. There was no particular meaning behind it.
The child lost his parents as he grew.
His hometown turned to ashes.
The wandering child was taken in by a certain mage and came to be known as Raniel van Trias.
Up until that point, it was ordinary.
The child simply loved magic, a somewhat twisted mage. A mage who could do more than others. The change began when a single word was added before his name.
Wise One, Raniel van Trias.
The young man who became a companion of the hero began to change. It was inevitable.
Raniel van Trias was unyielding.
In good ways or bad, that was the case.
The human known as Raniel van Trias always sought perfection. A Wise One must be perfect. For those who died for him, he must remain perfect. That was the Wise One’s belief.
Running away.
Taking a step back.
Hesitating.
Turning a blind eye.
None of these were permitted for him.
He thought this was what taking responsibility meant and the attitude a human must have standing before everyone. Because he thought so, Raniel lived this way.
He sought to be upright. Always.
No matter how hard it was, he felt he had to be that way.
“I dedicate half my lifespan.”
He broke his body. Burned his lifespan. Yet, he never fell. Raniel upheld his own beliefs. He wanted to show someone he could endure this way.
I stand firm.
I want to be perfect.
I’m enduring against anything without yielding.
“So, you too.”
You, watching me.
“You too, stand up.”
“Stand up and grasp the sword.”
Stand up and follow me.
He did not ask them to lead. If they couldn’t even walk beside him, then just follow behind. It was support for that purpose.
He knew it wasn’t easy for someone like Raniel. Understanding others isn’t something that either a woman or a man cannot do. Raniel empathized with the fear they felt.
He understood and empathized.
But he couldn’t stand by them.
Someone had to lead. Someone had to be a light. If the hero could not fulfill that role, then he had to become that existence.
As Kyle grew weaker.
As he lost his light as a hero.
Raniel stepped forward even more.
He sought to take on Kyle’s role, crying out ideals for everyone. He endured for several years, trusting that one day Kyle would rise again. Convinced he would stand beside him once more.
“We defeated the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon, the calamity that ruled for centuries… we brought it down, Raniel!”
“Everyone calls our name.”
“We’ve been rewarded for our efforts. We weren’t wrong. Let’s keep going together, Raniel.”
He believed firmly that they could achieve the dreams they spoke of, laughing in the Berta Canyon.
“Raniel.”
But what was that ending like?
“You don’t fit with us.”
Expectations were betrayed.
Trust was trampled.
What Raniel felt at that time was utter betrayal. It felt like everything built up was being denied, a mix of rage and emptiness washed over him. He felt that way back then…
‘Now…’
Living as Rania for the past year.
That year imbued Raniel with different feelings. Still angry, still disappointed, but now there was room not to drown in those emotions.
“What exactly are you? You are, only you.”
Kyle said I was special.
So special that he couldn’t be like me.
“Not everyone can be like your brother.”
Destel said similar words.
Since not everyone can be like me, he advised not to impose my ideals on others.
Two sentences, two conversations.
It was easy to find a commonality.
Rania’s lips parted. The voice that slipped through was dry to the point of being stark.
“…So, you never saw me as human.”
Saying I don’t even feel fear.
Saying I do this for enjoyment.
Saying I didn’t feel despair or anything else, so willingly burned half my lifespan without any thought of giving up.
It wasn’t overcoming anything.
I was just like this from the start.
From what they said, it seemed they genuinely thought that way. Even though it wasn’t true, they believed it. That made Raniel feel bitterer than ever.
Yet, he would not turn away.
That too was just like the usual Raniel.
‘I found the problem.’
Now it was time to search for answers.
“…”
Raniel cleared her mind, filled with thoughts.
With eyes wide open facing reality.
In deep thought, Raniel mechanically swept away the Demon Lord’s army. Beneath her feet, crushed bone fragments lay scattered. So what lay ahead?
“Gah, grrk…!”
There was a necromancer gasping, trapped in her grip. Upon seeing his pale face, Raniel tightened her grip slightly.
That was enough.
With a swift snap, the necromancer’s body fell limp. Stepping on the skull of the discarded necromancer, Raniel looked up. Before her lay the cracked canyon.
Berta Canyon.
The place where dreams were dreamt and hope was seen.
In the canyon that once brought down a calamity, Raniel slowly exhaled.
“To accept weakness.”
“To move forward while suffering.”
“Isn’t that what makes it meaningful?”
And thus, Raniel made a choice.
A choice she wouldn’t normally make.
2.
Destel’s eyes moved rapidly at the occurring variables. There was more than one variable, and if not careful, the situation could dramatically turn.
While issuing directives in a flurry,
“I heard a variable has occurred.”
A voice echoed in her ear.
It was a transmission from a communication artifact given only to key figures. The voice was familiar.
‘Rania van Trias.’
It was definitely her voice.
Destel furrowed her brows at the sound. She could somewhat guess the intention behind why she was contacting at this moment.
‘She must be trying to stir things up.’
She’s someone who resembles her brother.
Just like Raniel, is the girl also trying to express discontent with her operation? Is she trying to refute her method as the absolute truth and prove her correctness?
That wasn’t the most welcome news.
Destel clicked her tongue and opened her mouth.
“Hey.”
Destel replied in an irritated tone.
“I told you not to meddle in the operation…”
“I’ll follow your orders. Just give me the command.”
However, the voice that came was completely different from Destel’s expectations. What did she just say? While Destel doubted her hearing, the voice echoed again.
“Whether you use the system’s language or whatever, just give the commands as you usually do. To me.”
She added.
“I think I can at least try to understand you by watching that.”
You will try to understand me?
What is this girl talking about? Reading the true meaning behind her words was challenging. It was hard, but there was no time to dwell on that now.
“I need to know your capabilities to either utilize you or not. If I don’t know that, how can I…”
“Raniel.”
The girl said plainly.
“Whatever Raniel van Trias can do, I can too. Just calculate it that way.”
“You’re talking nonsense. Where else can you find another monster like that…”
Such bravado.
Destel thought this just as a huge sound reverberated.
KWAHAHABAAAAAM!
Somewhere, an immense noise burst forth.
As she turned to where the sound had come from, a part of the canyon was collapsing. The girl who cleared all obstacles in her path was also seen.
“Is that enough?”
“…”
After a brief silence, Destel issued her orders.
3.
The Berta Canyon extermination battle.
The operation hit a snag right after demolishing a single necromancer’s tower. As crimson waves erupted, something ascended from the depths of the canyon.
Kieeeeeek!
It was an army of wyverns; given the unusually black and shiny scales, they were surely elite troops of the Demon Lord’s army. So they reacted to the surprise attack.
However, that much was within expectations.
As the knights sharpened their blades to face the rising wyverns, once again, a major variable slammed into the canyon.
HOOOOO!
A fierce wind blew.
The wind disrupted the ranks of the knights. Then they saw it. A shadow blocking the sun, casting over the ground. That shadow was different from the wyverns’.
The knights, staring up at the sky, murmured in bewilderment.
“Dragon…”
Not a wyvern, but a dragon.
A creature over twenty times larger than a wyvern looked down at the knights from above. The sense of pressure emanating from its enormous body was on another dimension.
…Recently, dragons are no longer called rulers of the skies. It is merely a past glory.
Even the apex of dragons, the black dragon, was slain by humans. Humans brought countless dragons down to the ground. No longer are dragons rulers of the skies, nor symbols of immortality.
However, that doesn’t mean they can be disregarded.
Dragons remain a threatening existence. Especially in the heart of the battlefield.
【————–!】
A tremendous roar erupted from the dragon’s open maw.
A sound infused with mana that would crush the area, known as the howling technique unique to dragons. The knights clutched their ears and staggered.
Hwah!
Next, flames erupted from the dragon’s mouth.
No knight lacked the instinct to recognize what this portended. Hastily, they raised their shields, and the mage knights began to chant.
TUUUWAHAAK!
Flames engulfed the canyon.
Enduring the surging heat, the knights were drenched in sweat. They sensed it. If they did not bind the dragon here, the operation would fail.
“Hold on.”
Then, their commander made the same judgment.
Through the comms ringing in their ears, the knights gritted their teeth and bore the heat. The armor of the knights wielding large shields began to melt under the heat.
Sizzling.
Even as their skin scorched, the knights persevered.
‘If it’s just one, there’s a chance.’
If it were only one, they could seize their fortune by timing the dragon’s breath. It wouldn’t be an easy task, but it wasn’t impossible…
Yet, that thought would not linger.
For there was not just one dragon in the battlefield.
Wyverns also waited for the moment the breath ceased. The necromancers riding on their backs were chanting spells. The knights sensed their impending doom.
There is no chance of winning.
Only holding off for even a single second longer.
*
“Did you hear that?”
“Yes, Destel. I was listening.”
“You know, above all, my priority is the success of the operation. Just because new power emerged doesn’t mean my strategies will change.”
“That’s right.”
“I’m going to use that audacious girl to wrap up the operation as quickly as possible. I instructed them to take down the tower along with the knights. But the newly appeared dragon will be left alone. This is a race against time.”
“I understand.”
“But.”
“Yes.”
“I won’t impose that on you.”
“Thank you.”
“…Is Chloe with you now?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then show her.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”
Destel smiled wryly.
“What do people desire in a hero?”
*
The heat of the breath starting to wane.
Even though they felt it, the faces of the knights were somber. They knew what would come after the breath ceased.
Exhausted from blocking the breath, they would have to withstand the spells of the necromancers. They had to counter the charging wyverns. It was nearly impossible, and even if they succeeded…
‘The breath will surely unleash again.’
Then it’s annihilation.
The ending played vividly in their minds. Death advanced step by step, and the knights felt fear. They were, after all, human. They couldn’t be free from fear.
Yet, a knight is one who has made up their mind.
They resist, hoping their sacrifices will have value until the very last moment. Finally, the breath stopped, and beyond the dwindling heat, the hands of the necromancers gleamed with malice.
A horrendous spell was coming.
What was aimed at them was a tormenting spell, one that meant to make them mere playthings for eternity after death… The knights bit their lips at that instinctual realization.
And at that very moment.
SSSWWWWWEEE!
The sound of slicing through the wind erupted as a platinum beam was launched, piercing the head of the necromancer who was preparing the most substantial spell, embedding in the neck of the wyvern he rode.
“Gah!”
With a dying scream, the gathered magic spiraled out of control. Other necromancers rushed to contain the rampaging mana…
Flare.
The beam embedded in the wyvern’s neck illuminated brightly. The light flickered in a platinum hue. It rejected and disrupted the malevolent magic.
KWAHAHABAAAAAM!
With an enormous explosion, the starlight burst forth.
Pieces flung in all directions, the uncontrolled spell devoured the wyverns and the necromancers. Thud, thud, bodies fell to the ground below.
What fell were not just bodies.
In the explosion’s wake, someone who had caught a spear hovering in the air landed before the knights.
Tap.
The white cuffs fluttered.
In their hands was a holy spear radiating in platinum light. There was no knight who didn’t know that silhouette.
“The hero, Galahal.”
The hero who was the epitome of heroes.
“I will join you.”
The spear-wielding hero, Galahal.
He stood before the knights.
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