Chapter 64
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Chapter 64
Yurien de Harden Kirie recalled the image of her just before she'd retreated, pale and trembling. That moment after his confession, when her cheeks flushed crimson and her eyes sparkled with an undeniable thrill—an excitement that had spread like ink bleeding across paper.
"There's a possibility, then."
His murmur received a response. A voice of indeterminate gender and age resonated through his soul. It was Holy Sword Langiosa.
[You want to believe there is one, don't you? As I've said before, your thoughts become strangely distorted whenever she's involved. Don't jump to conclusions so carelessly.]
"What's your assessment? Am I merely deceiving myself?"
Yurien de Harden Kirie stepped over the remains of the black giant and approached the collapsed villager in the center, asking as he went. The Holy Sword fell silent for a moment before responding in a reluctant tone.
[I've never seen anything good come from getting involved in human romance.]
"Romance... Is that what this is?"
[I don't know what the Demonic Sword Owner is thinking, but you're certainly on that side. So don't ask me.]
"You're already involved, though."
Yurien de Harden Kirie replied with a slightly flushed face. The word "romance" had nearly made him lose his composure. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed, then checked the collapsed instigator. The man was merely unconscious, breathing steadily. Yurien de Harden Kirie lifted him and carried him to where the other villagers were. Meanwhile, the Holy Sword protested.
[That's not involvement—that's advice from a Giosa to his master. I'd prefer to avoid a situation where you commit a crime and I can't be used. And since you seem excited at the mention of romance, let me advise you: approaching someone who dislikes you is not a righteous act.]
Yurien de Harden Kirie looked down at the petticoat hem wrapped around his arm and shook his head slightly.
"She doesn't dislike me."
[...Even if she doesn't dislike you, there are limits to propriety in how one approaches another.]
"Do I seem incapable of such restraint?"
He furrowed his brow. The Holy Sword let out a scoff.
[Then tell me honestly. If you judge there's a possibility she might give her heart to you, what were you planning to do?]
"If she..."
He trailed off as he approached the completely collapsed Shelter beyond the flames. If she wanted him... just imagining it made him feel as though he'd lose his mind. His steps faltered, and he nearly burned himself on the fire. Seeing his state, the Holy Sword clicked its tongue. Yurien de Harden Kirie cooled his burning cheeks with his hand before answering.
"If she wants me, I'll obtain her by any means necessary."
[By any means?]
The Holy Sword questioned him with evident displeasure. Yurien de Harden Kirie didn't answer. The Holy Sword let out a groan and spoke as if to itself.
[The Demonic Sword Owner surely said they wouldn't sacrifice peace even for something they desired.]
"I have no intention of destroying her peace. Everything will be on my..."
Yurien de Harden Kirie, answering reflexively, stopped mid-step. His eyes deepened. Something had occurred to him—a way to not abandon her in his current situation. A way to not let go while leaving her life untouched. A way to seize control within the snare of his brother and father. It was a method the old him would have found unimaginable. Yurien de Harden Kirie murmured as if in pain.
"Yes... that would work."
He stood motionless, lost in thought for a time. Langiosa muttered anxiously.
[If you're going to abandon me, say it plainly. Don't commit evil.]
"Evil? Your trust in your master is lacking."
[If it weren't for her, you'd still be a master I needn't worry about. Among all the masters I've served, you'd rank among the best. But lately, I can't trust you.]
Rather than refute, Yurien de Harden Kirie smiled faintly and resumed walking. He pushed through the debris of the collapsed Shelter and entered deeper inside.
The Starting Point remained exactly where it had been. A faint groove drawn across empty space. He fixed his gaze upon it and leaned against a tilted pillar. The Holy Sword spoke to him again.
[Sometimes I regret showing you those memories. Before I showed them to you, it didn't seem to be this bad.]
"Even if you hadn't shown me, there might have been a difference in speed, but the outcome would have been the same."
[How can you be so certain?]
"Because I can't... give up. Knowing, yet lingering with attachment. Constantly remembering, unable to forget—sooner or later, it would have come to this regardless."
He lowered his eyes. Memories flashed through his mind, from the moment he first saw her until now. Langiosa spoke in a voice tinged with resignation.
[Ah, I understand, I understand—please, just don't become twisted.]
"I'll try."
[Is that really something that requires effort? I've heard you lack faith in your master.]
"...A moment ago, I asked if I might lose control, but to be honest, I don't know."
He sensed Echinacea Loaz's presence through his heightened awareness. Yurien de Harden Kirie lifted his head. She was approaching, shielding a small girl in her arms from the flames, with an elderly man following fearfully behind her. His gaze softened as he looked upon Echinacea Loaz. He whispered quietly.
"Ever since I came to know her, everything has changed completely... I don't know what will become of me either."
* * *
On the 1st of June in the year 1629 of the Divine Calendar, the emergence of the Saint, the Owner of Elgiosa, was proclaimed.
The Saint was a twelve-year-old girl of Sol descent, and she had been staying in Goth Village in the Eastern Empire alongside her mother, also of Sol descent and a diviner.
Around that time, a plague swept through the village, claiming numerous lives. The Saint's Mother also fell ill, but the villagers blamed them as the source of the plague and drove them out. After her mother died without proper treatment, the Saint inherited a short sword that had been her mother's talisman.
That blade was Elgiosa, which had been missing. The moment the Saint became Elgiosa's Owner, she healed those suffering from the plague. However, due to the unusual manner of her healing and the fact that she had remained silent before treating them belatedly, the villagers regarded the Saint as a witch spreading the plague to bewitch them, and attempted to burn her at the stake.
Yurien de Harden Kirie, Commander of the Changtian Knights, and his squire Echinacea Loaz rescued the Saint moments before her execution. Afterward, the Saint came to reside in the Grand Temple of Agenka.
Through this incident, the method of breaking Nodules using the concept of Giosa and the Starting Point was transmitted to the Mage Tower through the Changtian Knights, and the Mage Tower entered a new phase in Nodule research, paying the price of information to Changtian.
Prologue II.
The Holy Sword Langiosa harbored secrets known only to its successive Owners.
First, Langiosa is always in an awakened state.
Second, the Owner of Langiosa gains an ability called the True Eye. Through those eyes, one can perceive the true nature of others—something akin to their very soul.
Langiosa can only be owned by those who have committed no evil deeds, and its Owner loses that qualification the moment they commit a wicked act.
Most Giosa had separate conditions for ownership and awakening, but in Langiosa's case, these two coincided. As a result, Langiosa became the blade that remained awake the longest among all Giosa except the Divine Sword.
[I must inform my master whether his intended actions align with justice or not. My masters gaining the ability to perceive the true nature of others is also to aid in righteous judgment.]
When Yurien first grasped Langiosa, it explained its constant wakefulness in this manner.
[Well, losing ownership with just one evil deed would be unfair if one commits a wicked act unknowingly. At the very least, I must warn before such deeds are committed. So I offer counsel, and beyond my advice, I provide the True Eye so you can judge for yourself. It's a fair ability in many respects.]
The Holy Sword, in its familiar manner, revealed its power and abilities to its new master. And finally, it added:
[My consciousness remaining awake and the True Eye—my previous masters have all kept these two secrets. They only revealed them to their companions or their squires. I would appreciate it if you kept it secret as well.]
He soon understood why these became secrets.
The True Eye gained upon becoming Langiosa's Owner revealed the true nature of all others. Whether this person was virtuous or wicked, harboring ill intent, or perhaps committing evil deeds while actually possessing good intentions. It was a sensation akin to perceiving the soul itself.
If it became known that the Holy Sword's Owner could perceive the true nature of others, people would regard him with great caution. Especially the hypocritical would refuse to reveal themselves before the Holy Sword's Owner at all.
The Holy Sword was not merely merciful like Elgiosa. Langiosa was forged from humanity's sense of mission and justice. And that justice was a concept encompassing punishment and judgment of evil. To judge, one must always confront evil. Evil must not hide or flee. That is why the Owners of Langiosa have kept the secret of the True Eye.
Yurien, newly become the Holy Sword's master, also guarded this secret.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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