WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 93: I Think You Overestimate Me

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"I have something I'm curious about. May I ask?"

On the way out of the meeting room and toward the Sword Garden, Kyle drew close to Akarion and asked in a low voice.

"Go ahead."

Akarion answered with an easy smile, though the corners of their mouth seemed oddly stiff. The rigid smile from earlier still lingered in Kyle's mind.

::Aberrations yearn for an origin yet can never become one::

Kyle didn't know what an aberration was. It was probably a race, but five hundred years ago when he was alive, no such race existed. He could only guess from the fact that a vampire, once considered a monster, was standing right beside him, and that the vampire had gone rigid when Kyle relayed the angel's words.

[Sir Kyle. If you are concerned about the fact that I am a vampire, do not ask. Among those present, only you, the Thunder Emperor, and Erdera know what I am.]

'I have enough tact not to ask about that.'

Kyle felt the gazes on him. Everyone who had been in the meeting room was walking to the Sword Garden together, and they seemed curious about what he was going to ask. He had asked aloud whether he could pose a question, and he had received permission. Saying nothing after all that would be strange.

"Is the Lastea Tower Master a man or a woman?"

That was what he had originally meant to ask. Akarion's stride stopped dead. Akarion stared at Kyle with an expression of genuine disbelief, and Erdera, walking alongside, wore exactly the same look. A glance around showed similar faces on everyone.

"That is... an incredibly absurd question."

Akarion let out a dry laugh and muttered.

"I asked because I genuinely wanted to know."

He meant it. Like Fragment, Akarion was androgynous to a degree where one couldn't tell gender from appearance alone, and the voice was no different. Think of Akarion as a man and they looked like one; think of Akarion as a woman and they looked like one too. No prominent Adam's apple, no large frame, but no distinctly feminine features either.

"The fact that you're curious actually makes me want to tell you less."

Akarion's expression turned impish. At the same moment, their voice reached Kyle's mind.

[Gender is meaningless to me. I can be a man, or I can be a woman.]

'What?'

[I mean I can change my body as I please. I can be a child or an elder. And more than that, I can become an animal.]

'Is that because you're a mage?'

[Partly, yes, but in my case, shapeshifting is a trait I gained as a vampire. If I had to compare it to something, it resembles a dragon's polymorph.]

So that's why Fragment looks androgynous too? Kyle tilted his head, and Akarion started walking again.

[I thought perhaps... you were concerned about the vampire thing.]

'I am concerned about it. Your expression was quite bad when aberrations were mentioned earlier.'

[That was because you knew my secret, so it looked that way to you.]

Akarion grumbled.

[Thinking about it again, I suppose my composure did slip a little. I never imagined I would hear something like that.]

'Are vampires aberrations?'

[Aberrations... aberrations.]

Akarion's pace did not slow, did not waver. But the voice in Kyle's head carried a faint tremor.

[Yes. A being that is not Demon Tribe, not elf, not dwarf, not orc, not beastkin, not dragon. What was once called a monster but has since gained intelligence, that is what one calls an aberration.]

The tremor faded.

[A byproduct of dark magic, like vampires and lycanthropes. Or a being that shed its nature by abandoning the natural order. Spirits born from perception and belief. Those are aberrations.]

'What does it mean, yearning for an origin yet never becoming one?'

[Only an apostle of a sky god would know the true meaning. But from my perspective, from the perspective of an aberration, a vampire, I would say it means a vampire can never return to being human no matter how much it yearns to. That is my guess.]

Akarion's laughter echoed in Kyle's head.

[Or one could think of it this way. For a species, its origin is its starting point. Like water flowing from its source, becoming a river, and then a sea. But a being like me cannot give rise to anything.]

'What?'

[To put it plainly, a vampire like me has no reproductive ability. I can neither conceive nor sire. The only way our kind increases in number is by turning others into vampires.]

The group came out of the Sword Tower and headed toward the Sword Garden. Kyle glanced at Akarion's face. The stiffness from before was gone.

In its place, those eyes looked like cold flame. A contradiction, but that was how it felt.

[That is not a normal way for a species to reproduce. A vampire cannot taste any food. The only thing a vampire can taste is blood, and without drinking blood, we cannot survive.]

"..."

[I manage because my existence is of a high rank and I can use magic, but most vampires suffer in sunlight. A truly, truly wretched race. Even those who became vampires by choice spend the rest of their lives in regret.]

Kyle was curious about Akarion's own circumstances, but he didn't ask. He sensed a complicated, messy story behind it. When he stayed silent, Akarion sent a glance his way.

[Sir Kyle.]

'Yes.'

[Is there... nothing more you want to ask?]

'Nothing.'

[No, really? Why?]

'It didn't feel like the right thing to ask.'

[Oh.]

Akarion gave a quiet laugh and shook their head.

[I appreciate the consideration.]

A short distance from the Sword Garden, Akarion stopped.

"I will lift Baal's seal, but there are several conditions agreed upon regarding its handling afterward. These were decided in consultation with Julius Alastor, the current Family Head of Alastor and the master of the Sword Garden. Sir Kyle has the right to refuse."

"I will hear them."

"First. Ownership of Baal belongs to the Alastor family. It is on indefinite loan to Sir Kyle alone, but the Alastor family may reclaim Baal at any time, and Sir Kyle may not refuse its return."

"What happens if I refuse?"

"It would be taken by force. That is not something I have any part in."

"Understood."

Kyle nodded. As long as he didn't do something insane like breaking away from Alastor or defecting to another nation, the family would never demand Baal back.

"Second. The loan of Baal is limited to Sir Kyle alone. Sir Kyle may not transfer Baal to anyone else. Should a situation arise where that becomes necessary, it must take place with Sir Kyle present as a witness."

"Understood."

"Third. If someone attempts to take Baal by force, Sir Kyle must resist with everything he has."

"Understood."

"Fourth. Should Sir Kyle, by virtue of his unique ability, learn sword techniques from Baal that would benefit the family, he must report them and contribute that knowledge to the family."

"Understood."

All conditions were acceptable, and from the family's perspective they were reasonable requests.

"Fifth. If Sir Kyle dies while in possession of Baal, Baal will return to Gladiheim immediately. I will apply a separate enchantment for that, so Sir Kyle need only be aware of it."

"I will do my best not to die."

"Sixth."

Akarion paused and cleared his throat.

"The Alastor family may call upon Sir Kyle for assistance when Baal is needed, and Sir Kyle may not refuse."

"Understood."

"Seventh. I, Akarion Lastea, who cooperated in lifting Baal's seal, and the Mage Association I belong to, may request Sir Kyle's cooperation."

Now they were getting to the point. Kyle didn't answer immediately and looked back at Julius. These conditions had supposedly been negotiated with Julius.

"It is a 'request' for cooperation. If you dislike it, you may refuse."

Julius spoke up.

"However, should the requested cooperation be urgent and of great importance, it would come through Alastor."

"Understood."

"I'm sorry, child."

Nelia let out a short sigh. As the head librarian of the Great Archive, she held a position representing the Elder Council, and she had also served as the former commander of Gladiheim's magic corps. In other words, Nelia Alastor was the finest mage in Gladiheim.

Even Nelia could not lift Baal's seal. The seal had only grown stronger with age, and crucially, the Demon King's will that had driven Baal into the ground still remained.

"There is nothing to apologize for."

Kyle answered steadily and turned to look at the Sword Garden. He wasn't even close yet, and already a deep crimson mist was stirring within it. Baal was waiting for Kyle's return with desperate eagerness.

"If you were to give an example, what kind of request would you be making?"

"Requests that require Baal's power of annihilation are usually related to dark mages."

"Dark mages..."

When the Dark Age ended, dark mages had retreated into deep shadow.

Even now, in a world where every human had a Spirit Root, dark mages apparently still existed.

'The world is still unfair.'

Even awakened Spirit Roots were not equal, and magical aptitude was not equal either. If anything, humans felt the lack most sharply when they had something middling rather than nothing at all.

"Annihilation magic is difficult to wield. The risks are great. And asking the clergy who practice holy arts for help is not easy, either. They and the Association are at odds."

Kyle held no ill will toward the clergy. Setting aside a handful affiliated with certain sects, during the Dark Age five hundred years ago the clergy had devoted themselves entirely to relief work.

The clergy, however, had not liked the Sword Demon. In truth, it wasn't only the clergy. He had crashed into every battlefield without distinction and swung his sword wherever his heart moved, so in that era, people who disliked the Sword Demon were as common as roadside stones.

"It probably won't be long before I ask for your help, Sir Kyle. Those who want to uproot dark mages are more than one or two. The Crows' side will come to you as well. The west is a breeding ground for dark magic in a different sense from the south."

All the terms of the agreement were settled. Akarion and Kyle walked toward the Sword Garden. Karthan, watching their backs, lowered his voice and whispered to Julius.

"Family Head. Is Kyle not still too young to carry the family's burdens? Even Roel has not been told any of this."

"I have not told him everything either."

"But you did mention it."

"Karthan. Does Kyle look to you like nothing more than a fifteen-year-old boy?"

"That... no, he does not."

His achieved skill. The sword in his hand. His conduct up until now. None of it could be believed from a fifteen-year-old. But in the end, wasn't the core of him still a boy? Karthan looked at Kyle with worried eyes.

"This was discussed with the Elders as well."

Julius smiled bitterly.

"Just as Fenris became a sword in its time, Baal too has come to the age of becoming a sword. That kind of era is pressing in."

"..."

"An unprecedented succession struggle has broken out in Erebos, and the dark frontier in the west keeps stretching further the more it is pushed into. No one knows what is happening in the severed east. And that is not all. The outer sea keeps drawing closer."

Julius turned and fixed his gaze on the Sword Tower.

"The age is shifting violently. Before my life runs out, a great wave will come. Our ankles may already be underwater."

At those words, Karthan exhaled a long breath.

"Being born with such outstanding ability seems to impose a great deal of responsibility on that child."

"All who are born into Alastor bear that. Especially the pureblood, who are born with responsibility and must fulfill that duty their entire lives."

Gladiheim's White Night Knights stand watch over the north against the day the Demon Tribe invades.

That is what the world knows. But in history, the White Night Knights were deployed as intended only once, five hundred years ago, when Demon King Astaroth Erebos had tried to push onto the continent.

In the five hundred years since, the White Night Knights were never deployed for their stated purpose again, yet they are still considered Gladiheim's greatest fighting force. Their support was generous, and the knights belonging to them were outstanding.

That was because standing watch for a Demon Tribe invasion was not the only duty of the White Night Knights.

The White Night Knights' enemy was not the Demon Tribe alone. The place where the Sword Tower stood was the northernmost point and the front line in an entirely different sense.

"Let's begin."

Akarion, who had reached the center of the Sword Garden, spoke. Both hands extended toward Baal. The mana that rose from their fingertips was immense, but no attribute shaped by a Spirit Root could be felt from it.

'When one reaches the Extreme Boundary, they transcend the limits of their Spirit Root. They draw closer to mana in its pure form.'

This world was made of mana bearing no attribute at all. Up through the Will Realm, a practitioner was bound to mana whose attribute matched their innate Spirit Root. From the Extreme Boundary onward, where the Upper Dantian opened, that limit was surpassed.

'Being an aberration doesn't mean their mana is something special. Though, since Akarion is hiding the fact of being a vampire, the true nature of it might lie elsewhere.'

The rising mana took form as magic. Blue light approached Baal. Before they even touched, complex magic circles appeared across the Sword Garden floor with Baal at their center. A low hum filled the air as the circles began dissolving from the outside in, and with each one that vanished, the light Akarion had extended drew closer to Baal.

The title of greatest mage was well-earned. Without shedding a single drop of sweat, Akarion erased every magic circle that had spread around Baal.

The light reached Baal. The moment it did, Baal's blade trembled violently and crimson mist surged up. Seeing it, Kyle stepped forward.

He was at the center of the mind space. Strangely, though, Baal's eyes did not open. Instead, something stirred beyond the crimson mist spreading behind Baal.

[You.]

The mist parted on its own as that presence revealed itself. A pair of long, sharply pointed horns. What approached Baal was a Demon Tribe member in a pitch-black dress, with ashen hair.

[Not Ruin. That hair and those eyes... a descendant of Ruin's?]

Cool silver eyes studied Kyle, then slid sideways.

[A vampire casting magic under the open sun. Something impossible is taking place. Is this truly the end of days?]

"I wondered what this might be. A thought remnant of the Demon King, I take it?"

The one pulled into the mind space was not only Kyle. Akarion stood there too, their long ears and sharp fangs now restored, and they asked with a thin smile.

[This king's name is Astaroth Erebos. I left my will here so that none but Ruin could draw Baal, and yet here you two appear. Who are you to dare erase this king's will?]

"Five hundred years have passed since the Founding Ancestor's ascension."

At Kyle's answer, the eyes of Astaros, or rather, the thought remnant left five hundred years ago, narrowed with a faint tremor.

[This king graciously left Baal as a gift, and that fool went and ascended after all.]

"How is suicide by Baal a gift?"

[He was a creature born into absurdity, who gained absurd power and drew too much attention because of it.]

The thought remnant spoke.

[And because he wished to use that power for his own kind and the world he was born into, he could not refuse even the Dragon Queen's request, and spent his days swinging a sword at the edge of the world. It was pitiful. If he died, he would be plucked from the cycle of reincarnation and pass into the maw of the sky gods. If he ascended, he was fated to pass into the maw of the outer gods partway through.]

"Outer gods...?"

He had a rough idea about sky gods, but what were outer gods? Kyle looked to Akarion with a puzzled expression, but Akarion shook their head slightly.

"It's too early for you to understand that. There are things in this world where simply becoming aware of them unsettles the mind. As long as Alastor's blood runs in your veins, you will learn of it someday. As the Thunder Emperor also said, aim first for reaching the Extreme Boundary."

[Extreme Boundary? What's that?]

The thought remnant squinted and asked. This was not Demon King Astaros himself, only the thought remnant pressed into Baal five hundred years ago, so its awareness had stopped at the moment Baal was driven into the Sword Garden.

"The world has changed greatly in five hundred years."

There was no reason to talk with a thought remnant that was about to vanish anyway. Akarion strode forward and extended a hand toward it.

"Ruin Alastor has already ascended, and only Baal remains here. Since there is no longer any meaning in leaving this blade here, I intend to draw it. Thought remnant, will you vanish on your own, or be erased by another?"

[The end of days must be drawing near indeed. This king, threatened by a mere vampire.]

The thought remnant chuckled and beckoned to Kyle.

[Come here, descendant of Ruin. It is you who need Baal. Though I am but a thought remnant, being erased by a byproduct of dark magic is a stain on this king's honor. So come here and draw Baal yourself.]

Kyle glanced at Akarion.

"You don't have to go over there. It claims to be a thought remnant, but it is the Demon King's. There may be unforeseen dangers."

[Why would a thought remnant from five hundred years past wish to bring harm? Especially not to a descendant of Ruin. I only wish to vanish with honor.]

The thought remnant chuckled again.

"I'll go draw it."

"You're sure?"

"If there's danger, just handle it."

Kyle walked toward Baal with steady steps.

[Your hair is red, descendant, and your eyes are gold. After five hundred years, one would think Ruin's coloring would have faded.]

"Apparently quite a few ancestors married women with red hair and gold eyes."

[Ahaha. Humans are truly remarkable creatures, attaching symbol and meaning to the most trivial things. Do you know, descendant? This king intended to take Ruin as a husband.]

"Oh... that's the first I've heard of that. Which husband would he have been?"

[The fourteenth in order. But if Ruin had accepted this king's proposal, he would have been made the head consort.]

"I've heard it's difficult for children to be born from Demon Tribe and human unions."

[One does not marry only when one desires children. Had Ruin wished for a child, this king would have permitted him to sire one through a human concubine.]

"I heard you fought the Founding Ancestor. Did love bloom in the midst of all that?"

[Ruin was a strong and captivating male.]

The thought remnant smiled. The Alastor family had nearly ended up in Erebos rather than in the Empire. Kyle laughed and gripped Baal's hilt.

Crack, crack, crack!

Without even applying force, Baal began to draw itself out of the ground. The crimson mist rippled, and the thought remnant's form began to fade. At the same moment, its voice reached Kyle's mind.

[Descendant. I have not yet asked your name. What is it?]

'Kyle Alastor.'

He answered, and then a sudden curiosity rose in him. Kyle let the question form in his mind rather than speak it aloud.

'You seemed fairly close to Ruin Alastor. Did he ever speak of Raikal?'

[Raikal...? Sword Demon Raikal? Why do you ask about that name?]

'I am Raikal's reincarnation.'

Baal was already half drawn, and the thought remnant's form was nearly collapsed. Even in that state, Kyle could clearly see the thought remnant's eyes fly open.

[Raikal... you are Raikal's reincarnation? You are truly the reincarnation of the Sword Demon who was slain by Ruin?]

'What lie would I tell, and what would I gain from it? You don't have much time left, so say it quickly. Did Ruin ever speak of me?'

He couldn't help being curious.

Five hundred years ago, the Sword Demon had been killed by Ruin. Among all of Ruin's opponents in that era, the Sword Demon had not been the strongest. And yet Ruin had kept Fenris at his side until just before his ascension.

According to the traditions passed down in the Alastor family, among all the battles Founding Ancestor Ruin Alastor had ever fought, the one where he felt the most joy, where he never stopped to think about the glory of victory or the sting of defeat, was the fight with the Sword Demon.

Helenas had said that Ruin Alastor never used Fenris as an actual sword because he didn't want the memory to be overwritten.

[Ahaha...]

A dazed laugh from the thought remnant rang in his head.

[Your words are hard to believe, but I will answer your question. Ruin said that the greatest regret of his life was killing the Sword Demon.]

'Why?'

[Because once dead, one cannot cross swords anymore. Strange, isn't it? In terms of the sword, this king was stronger than the Sword Demon. Though perhaps what mattered to Ruin was something other than strength. You had something this king did not.]

'What?'

[Purity.]

'I think he overestimated me.'

Kyle laughed despite himself.

'I wasn't a particularly pure person.'

[You were, to Ruin.]

The thought remnant smiled and whispered.

[Everyone wanted something from Ruin. They demanded responsibility and proof from him, and Ruin held himself to the same demands. Perhaps that is why he remembered you. He said the fights with you were simply joyful.]

'That part I understand. I enjoyed them too.'

The thought remnant could no longer hold its form. As it dissolved into the mist, Kyle sent it one last thought.

'So much so that I almost regret it ending in death like that.'

[Ahaha...]

The laugh faded, and the mist scattered completely.

Baal came free of the earth.

Footnotes:

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