Memorial Service (1)

“I, I…”

Logan’s words stumbled out of his mouth.

With his sword broken, he had begun to gradually regain the sanity that Hella had dominated.

“I just… only wanted to become stronger…”

The entire body of Hella, whose blade had snapped, started to crumble like sand.

As the hilt turned to sand and scattered following the blade, only a handful of sand remained in Logan’s hand.

“What on earth… What have I done?”

His knees buckled beneath him.

No, even his legs had turned to sand and crumbled away.

As the Madness Blade Hella broke apart, Logan, who had been its host, also could not remain unscathed.

Just as it was with Hella, Logan began to disintegrate into sand.

“Aldred.”

With great difficulty, Logan stabilized his collapsing body and looked up at Count Ribina, who gazed down at him.

“I never intended for any of this.”

“I know.”

Count Ribina answered briefly to Logan’s words. It was not mere lip service, but a tone filled with sincerity.

Logan showed a slightly surprised expression at that answer.

Count Ribina quietly continued.

“But it doesn’t change the fact that you did wrong. Logan Deoric, you were certainly once an honorable knight of the kingdom—but now, you are not.”

“…”

Logan could not offer any words in response to that reproach. He could not bear to look Count Ribina in the eye and turned his gaze away.

And at the end of that gaze stood me.

“… Clay Vanhart.”

His eyes were filled with things he wanted to say to me.

“You—”

However, before he could even open his mouth, his body collapsed like a sandcastle and was scattered by the wind.

The being that was Logan Deoric disappeared just like that.

In the end, I never found out what he meant to say to me at the very last moment.

At Logan Deoric’s finale, I was seized by an emotion that words could not readily describe.

[It’s simply retribution. Don’t dwell on it.]

As if reading my feelings, Grancesia gently offered words of comfort.

‘Retribution…’

It was something I had once said when I defeated Baian.

I never thought it would apply to Logan Deoric as well.

“Count Vanhart.”

As I stood silently for a moment, Count Ribina spoke to me.

“Thank you.”

“I only did what was right. If it weren’t for you, Count Ribina, things could have been much worse.”

These were not words I spoke to curry favor with Count Ribina.

Although there were some casualties, thanks to Count Ribina, the damage had been kept to a minimum.

“… Is that so.”

Count Ribina looked toward the people watching from a distance.

They were staring at the ruined scene wrought by the calamity.

“The world needs pillars, you know.”

“Sorry?”

“The tougher the times, the more so.”

He turned his gaze to me.

“Duke Gale wanted to make you the pillar of this kingdom.”

“… About that.”

Because I’d refused Duke Gale’s proposal, it was difficult for me to respond.

“There’s no need to feel conflicted. You made the right choice. You are not someone who will be satisfied with being just a pillar of this kingdom.”

Saying this, Count Ribina planted the sword he was holding into the ground.

“You are sure to become an even greater pillar.”

“No, I’m still far from worthy.”

“Ha ha ha!”

At my answer, Count Ribina let out a hearty laugh.

“It hasn’t been long since you became a Sword Expert, has it? But what about now?”

“To be honest, I haven’t changed much…”

“Are you saying a Swordmaster isn’t that much of a change?”

“Pardon?”

At the mention of Swordmaster, my eyes widened.

Was I… a Swordmaster?

I belatedly checked the condition of my body.

‘What?’

Right now, my body was brimming with a strength I had never felt before.

The surprising thing was, this wasn’t from the effects of Deltode. I had not unleashed Genova’s power.

Yet the power surging through my body was not far from what it felt like when Deltode’s ability was active.

“You must have come across many fortuitous opportunities.”

“… Yes, that’s right.”

“But making them your own is never an easy task. You have the qualification.”

Qualification.

For some reason, that word didn’t quite resonate with me.

‘A pillar supporting the world…’

I just couldn’t associate such grand words with myself.

“You’ll understand what I mean soon enough.”

Unable to reply, Count Ribina smiled at me and spoke thus.

Then, slowly raising his eyes to the sky, he muttered in a small voice.

“Still, at the end, I managed to save face.”

Hearing him murmur this with a voice tinged by a faint regret, and yet a sense of relief, I felt a strange unease.

As I hesitated, looking at Count Ribina staring up at the sky, I finally spoke up.

“Count Ribina?”

But no answer came from Count Ribina’s mouth.

* * *

Naturally, Leogart the King’s birthday celebration was cancelled. It would have been a festival of joy, but now no one was in any state of mind to celebrate.

Although the damage from the calamity was not enormous, there were still dozens of casualties.

And above all, Aldred Ribina, hailed as one of the Seven Heroes, had passed away.

“The Count Aldred Ribina, one of Seven Heroes and the pride of the kingdom, fulfilled his role, protected the kingdom, and passed away peacefully.”

In the end, a memorial service was held in place of the cancelled birthday festival, to honor the victims.

Leogart the King addressed the gathered multitude in the square, his face wrenched with grief.

“Count Aldred Ribina fought for the people, caring not for his own life. Had it not been for him, there would have been even greater sacrifices.”

There were many among the crowd in tears.

Aldred Ribina was a symbol of the kingdom of Talua—a great pillar.

It was only natural that his death brought such mourning.

Even those nobles who once opposed Count Ribina wore grim faces.

[He was a great man.]

As I listened to Leogart the King’s speech, Grancesia spoke to me.

‘Could I have done the same, honestly…? I don’t know.’

[That’s only natural. That’s what made him special.]

He truly lived up to the name Seven Heroes.

Even for one of the Seven Heroes, it was impossible to remain unharmed after prolonged exposure to the Calamity of Madness’s power.

And yet, he did not retreat—instead, he spent his own life force to face Hella head-on.

‘I should have realized it.’

[Even if you had, there would have been nothing you could do. I think that’s why he never showed it.]

It was no lie.

Had I been alone, I wouldn’t have been able to stop Hella from escaping.

Had that happened, the number of casualties would have been catastrophic.

“Zelbin…”

Leading Count Ribina’s coffin, of course, was Zelbin’s duty.

The funeral was held with as much formality as a national ceremony, but I doubted it brought Zelbin any comfort.

Just the fact that he could stand so composed was admirable.

“Count Vanhart.”

As the memorial service was nearing its end, Duke Gale approached me.

“I’m sorry. Normally, you would have been lauded for your great contribution in stopping the monster together with Count Ribina, but…”

“It’s fine. That’s not why I did it.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Duke Gale let out a heavy sigh, his face gaunt.

He too must have had complicated feelings.

Given the weight Count Ribina carried in Talua, even more so.

“Do you plan to return directly to your domain now?”

“I think so. I’ll probably head back as soon as the memorial is over.”

Of course, before leaving, I planned to visit Lavantara to look into the sword guarded by the beastkin, but there was no need to mention that to Duke Gale.

“I’m sorry to ask, but if it’s all right, would you wait just a bit longer?”

“Excuse me?”

“I can’t say any more yet, but… there is something only you can do.”

Something only I could do.

I wondered if it had to do with the Seven Swords Under Heaven, but from the look on Duke Gale’s face, it didn’t seem to be that.

“Will it take long?”

“It may. But would you at least hear me out?”

It was the first time I saw the duke so desperate.

After a brief consideration, I nodded.

“Of course.”

“Thank you, really thank you.”

As he even bowed his head in gratitude, I felt a bit awkward. So many people were watching.

[I’m sure people will talk about you later.]

‘That can’t be helped.’

Although I didn’t know what Duke Gale wanted to ask of me, I was sure it wouldn’t be anything damaging.

If it turned out poorly, I could always say no then.

Thinking over all the possibilities, I turned to look at Riya, standing beside Leogart the King.

The Empire was supporting the victims of the disaster both materially and emotionally.

Riya, taking quick action in this situation, truly behaved as a princess of the empire should.

Thanks to that, the people’s favor toward the empire rose, and Talua could build a more solid relationship with the empire.

Unlike other imperial royalty, Riya was trying to bring together neighboring kingdoms and tribes.

Of course, behind it all was the ploy to more easily distribute the novels I’d written…

‘It doesn’t matter now.’

I looked up at the sky, rain starting to fall steadily.

At the end, what went through Count Ribina’s mind as he gazed at that sky?

I found myself simply wondering.

* * *

Several days after the memorial, Duke Gale visited my mansion in the capital.

The problem was the person who came with him.

“Y-young master! His Majesty Leogart the King is here!”

“… What?”

Monet, too, had come to help out at the mansion during my extended stay in the capital.

She had grown fairly bold from all she’d experienced recently, but even she was overwhelmed by the idea of the king visiting.

‘Is this what he was talking about?’

Duke Gale had said there was something he wanted to ask of me in person. If the king himself was coming, it might be bigger than I’d thought.

“Show them to the parlor.”

“M-me?”

“Then who? Should I ask Riya?”

“That’s not it…”

Monet had grown close to Riya, but still showed her due respect as the princess.

With a troubled face, Monet left to greet the king.

[What do you think it is?]

‘… I have a hunch.’

[Oh, really?]

Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it.

But if even the king was coming to ask for my help, there was only one thing it could be.

‘Is it because I became a Swordmaster?’

A miraculous realm achieved through many overlapping factors.

I had only just reached the threshold, but a Swordmaster, nonetheless.

With Count Ribina gone, I was now Talua kingdom’s only Swordmaster.

[You think that has something to do with what the king wants?]

‘Yes.’

[So what is it? Another competition like the Founding Festival?]

‘Similar, but a bit different.’

It wasn’t some regularly scheduled event.

It was something that, since my birth, had happened exactly once—a truly special occurrence.

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