272 - Relentless Blade
――On the walls surrounding Beim, soldiers stood, raining down arrows.
However, facing the forces of Banseime, which were deployed to encircle the entire perimeter except for the harbor, they were unable to launch a coordinated attack despite having bows and guns.
In terms of magical attacks, it felt as though Beim was pushing forward. The most skilled mages among the adventurers fired off their proudest spells one after another. Banseime, for its part, focused on simply enduring, only occasionally launching counterattacks with magic.
If things continued like this, wouldn't they eventually be able to blow Banseime away with magic? The morale of Beim had recovered, if only slightly.
The leader of a large adventurer party, who was commanding on the scene, fought bravely in the areas where Banseime's offensive was most intense.
"Show those Banseime bastards! Show them that the monsters we usually deal with are far more terrifying than they are!"
He wasn't wrong. However, it was a statement made by someone who had forgotten who the most terrifying person actually was.
While the party members fired magic and arrows in succession, the Banseime side endured. They deployed magic shields, seemingly doing their utmost just to withstand the attacks――or so it appeared.
――The main camp of Banseime's army conquering Beim.
There, the generals had gathered, holding a meeting while feeling the vibrations and explosions of magic.
None of them feared Beim's fierce assault. Rather, they appeared composed.
The Commander-in-Chief spoke.
"Now then, the people of Beim are showing some spirit, but we can proceed as usual. We need only wait, and the enemy will exhaust themselves."
One of the generals spoke up.
"I have prepared ships to attack from the sea. They were looted from villages on the coast, so it will take some time to get used to them."
The Commander-in-Chief nodded.
"Ensure they are properly trained. It is better than rushing and failing. Besides, we only need to apply pressure with our vast army. I wonder when the hearts of the Beim lot will break as they watch us remain unshakable..."
The Knight Commander reported on the surrounding situation.
"A considerable number of refugees from surrounding villages and towns should have gathered in Beim. They likely have food secured, but I wonder if they have enough to feed that many... Furthermore, they have never experienced a war of this scale. They might be surprisingly fragile."
Beim had prospered by intervening in wars using mercenaries, but they had never been in a position where they themselves had to experience war. There was no leader who had experienced a war of this magnitude, and the Banseime side knew that Beim had yet to come up with any effective measures.
No, they felt it intuitively.
"They should have piled money on retired general-class figures to seek their teachings. I cannot understand why Beim did not take such means."
The one who answered the Commander-in-Chief was a young general.
"Perhaps they underestimated it? Even if they intervened in wars nearby, most were small-scale. From what I hear regarding the response of the looted villages, they overconfide in the abilities of adventurers. They likely think they are one-man armies."
Adventurers who fight monsters――the people of Beim had greatly misunderstood their true capabilities. The merchants who managed Beim were the same.
One of the generals laughed.
"One-man armies, is it? I admired that when I was a child. However, reality is not so sweet. There is no incompetent person here, Commander-in-Chief, who would conduct a war that places the entire burden on a few individuals with such strength."
A war that relies on a single strong person meant, conversely, that it would easily collapse if that one person were lost.
If the adventurers were the strong ones for Beim, then they only had to wait for the adventurers' hearts to break. The Commander-in-Chief laughed slightly.
"Indeed. Then, gentlemen, let us bet on whether Beim's heart breaks first, or whether the operation we have prepared succeeds."
The generals of Banseime burst into laughter――.
Late at night.
Having stepped back a bit and lying down, I gripped the orb. I took my meal, wiped my body lightly, and then closed my eyes as I entered my bed. I had prepared in advance. Mei should be ready as well. Feeling my consciousness shift into the orb, when I next opened my eyes, I was in the Round Table Room within the orb.
Waiting for me was the Fifth Head, seated at the round table. He had a serious expression.
"You've come. Come here quickly. I will teach you my skill and give you the weapon best suited for this place. Take my Chain Sword. End this wretched fight quickly."
The Fifth Head's skill was Map――a skill to grasp the surrounding geography. I had wondered for myself why he had obtained such a skill.
The First Generation's reinforcement type. The Second Generation's skill to use skills on others. The Third Head's mental type. The Fourth Generation's movement type. ――And the Fifth Head obtained the grasp of surrounding terrain.
I thought the reason he needed it was due to the situation at the time. The Walt family territory back then, where bandits would slip in and run amok. Rather than a skill to detect enemy reactions like the Sixth Generation, the Fifth Head likely needed to predict defenses and enemy intrusion routes through the grasp of terrain.
The Third Head and the Seventh Generation watched from their chairs as the Fifth Head left the round table to go to his room. When the Fifth Head glanced back, both of them nodded.
However, Mireia-san, who had sat in the Fifth Head's chair, had an expression of dissatisfaction. No, she likely understood. In the current situation, she didn't seem to mind that they couldn't give him a grand send-off. Then, she stood up.
The Fifth Head looked at Mireia-san.
"Mireia... stop trying to hold me back."
"I'm not holding you back. But isn't it lonely being alone?"
At that, the Fifth Head shrugged.
"I'm not alone. There's someone waiting for me in my room already."
Mireia-san shook her head and said something like, "You really are a hopeless person." As Mireia-san and I headed toward the Fifth Head's room, the Seventh Generation's voice could be heard.
"...Aunt."
At the worried gaze of the Seventh Generation, Mireia-san turned back with a smile.
"Do not worry, I won't get in the way anymore. And Broad-kun... you haven't changed in that regard. It reminds me of the old days."
What did she remember? That was something only Mireia-san and the Seventh Generation knew. Then, we passed through the door of the Fifth Head's memories and entered the room.
A battlefield where grey clouds covered the sky, looking as if rain would start falling at any moment.
No, the battle had already ended. Corpses were scattered around, and the bodies believed to be Walt family soldiers were handled with care. Conversely, the self-proclaimed bandits with well-equipped gear were lying fallen; since there was a possibility they were pretending to be dead, the Walt family soldiers were going around stabbing them with spears.
However, there were many mangled corpses around, and some made me wonder how they had been killed. The Fifth Head looked at Fredricks, who was sitting in a chair on the battlefield, watching the bandits.
The living bandits had been stripped of their equipment and tied up with rope. They were brought before Fredricks and kept their heads down.
"...Fifth Head, are these people bandits?"
The Fifth Head laughed slightly.
"Self-proclaimed, that is. In reality, they are one of the Walt family's dependents and people who slipped in from the neighboring territory. They conspired to ravage my lands. They only call themselves bandits when they are ravaging. Well, that's the reason why a lord is no different from a bandit. The Banseime lot were looting on the battlefield, weren't they? That happens everywhere. It's nothing unusual."
When I made a disgusted face, the Fifth Head and Mireia-san laughed. It wasn't that they were mocking me; they seemed happy. The Fifth Head nodded.
"That's good. Those feelings are important. Though I've forgotten them."
"Father."
The surrounding images began to move. One of the bandits pushed forward was a boy who had once been a follower of a noble who mocked Fredricks. He had grown into a young man, but now he was brought before Fredricks as a bandit and was being kicked by the surrounding soldiers.
"Y-you bastards! Don't think you'll get away with doing this to me. I may have lost here, but once I return to my family home――"
I tilted my head.
"Family home? He intended to return?"
While I was finding it unbelievable, Mireia-san explained.
"At the time, there was a sort of mutual understanding among the surrounding lords. By the time we grew up, that had disappeared. Depending on the case, they would be taken to Central to serve as witnesses when requesting mediation from the royal family. No, as evidence, rather."
"Disappeared? The reason that didn't last was――"
The Fifth Head spoke in a void of emotion.
"Because I thoroughly destroyed such rules. It was a rule peculiar to the provinces. It existed elsewhere too, but essentially, it was just mutual indulgence. They call it 'among nobles,' but for these people, it was a kind of game."
I felt a sense of loathing looking at the tied-up young man appearing in the Fifth Head's memory. Mireia-san, perhaps reading my emotions, nodded.
"...By the rules of the Walt family, all bandits are to be executed. Cut off their heads. Hang the corpses as an example."
Soldiers carrying large axes stepped forward before the bandits. Then, the young man began to say something nonsensical.
"S-stop! I won't yield to such threats! If you do that, a war will break out between our houses and the Walt family!"
The dependent noble who had looted alongside the youth was the same. His expression changed from arrogant to panicked.
"Please stop! If you do that, something truly irreversible will... I-I swear I will never do such a thing again in the future!"
What an ugly sight. It wasn't even funny. But the Fifth Head laughed slightly.
"Cruel, isn't it? This was the situation back then. They believed the local rules were absolute and did things like this without bearing any risk. There were various factors, but at the time, there were no external enemies. Even if there were, it was only minor skirmishes. It was a period where the Third Head had threatened the war-loving idiots too much, causing an extreme shift in direction. In short, these guys were bored. They should have just shut up and developed their territories."
Fredricks, who had been sitting in the chair, stood up and drew the sword hanging at his waist. There was something like a trigger on the hilt. Lines were etched into the blade, and a unique sword――the Chain Sword appeared.
"I can't hear you. All I see here are bandits. I see nothing else. I will display your heads here. Furthermore, the house of you, the dependent, will be abolished. If you have a complaint, your son can go cry to Central. 'My father, who acted like a bandit, was killed by his patron!' he can say!"
Fredricks used the Chain Sword. As he swung it sideways, the blade moved like a living creature, harvesting the heads of the dependent knight and his soldiers. Heads flew off one after another――the Chain Sword, turned red from drinking blood, curved like a whip and returned to the Fifth Head, resuming the form of a sword.
The bodies of the tied-up bandits around them fell, spurting blood. Seeing this sight, the young man began to scream.
"S-stop it!! You won't get any ransom! I should get at least several hundred gold coins in ransom――"
The youth wailed and struggled desperately to escape despite being tied up. His soldiers watched this sight. Fredricks, holding the blood-red Chain Sword, stepped on the opponent's back and pinned him to the ground. He pressed the Chain Sword against the youth's neck.
"I have no need for such things. How much money do you think is required to provide a single village?"
"T-then, I'll rebuild this village! I'll restore it to how it was! It's a small village. There wasn't much there, but my family will provide the money to rebuild it! Don't get angry over one small village! O-or are you angry about things from the past? Then I'll apologize. I'll make a formal apology! So, move that sword!"
One small village――there was no way several hundred gold coins could be reached through annual tax revenue. People would increase even if left alone, and they would develop land to become independent. To the youth, that was what a village was. His way of thinking differed from the Walt family.
Fredricks spoke.
"I see. You will restore this village to how it was."
"D-do you understand now? Then..."
"That's right. Restore it exactly as it was, down to the last detail. From the burned-down buildings to the tools, and bring back every single villager you killed. If you do that, I won't need any ransom. I have no interest in the past. I'll send you back to your beloved family home immediately. Now, try it!"
The youth's mouth hung open.
"D-don't be ridiculous! There's no way I could do such a thing――"
The youth's head flew through the air. The face of the young Fredricks, who had sworn revenge, was terribly grim. Fredricks stepped away from the youth and wiped the blood from the blade. Then, with an air of indifference.
"Kill them all. The corpses are for display. Impale them so their families notice. If they attack because of that, kill them all."
He was detached. The fact that he was checking the condition of his weapon was likely because he cared more about whether the Chain Sword was damaged than about those being killed. As the soldiers with axes moved toward the knights and soldiers who were bandits, screams could be heard.
Mireia-san looked slightly appalled.
"Father was truly cold-hearted back then."
The Fifth Head spoke softly.
"...I couldn't think of any other way. No, perhaps I didn't want to think of one."
In the image, a group was approaching Fredricks. They were the villagers.
"...Lord Fredricks."
In their hands, every one of them held weapons that had belonged to the bandits. Old men, women, children――with eyes full of hatred, they pleaded with Fredricks.
"Please let us kill them."
Hearing those words, Fredricks called out to the soldier who was cutting off heads with an axe.
"That's enough for now. Leave the rest to these people. Also, hang all the corpses. Think about the aftermath when you kill."
The villagers nodded and approached the soldiers with weapons in hand. The voices of the soldiers echoed. It was enough to make one wince just listening to it.
I didn't understand why the Fifth Head showed me such a sight. The Fifth Head, with his arms crossed, spoke.
"...Truthfully, I shouldn't have let them do such a thing. I regret it. But, back then, when I had sworn revenge, I believed it was absolutely right."
I asked the Fifth Head.
"That it was wrong?"
"Who knows? I don't know how to verify it. I was thanked. I also saw villagers who regretted it. I don't know which was right. But I can say this much. Liel, do not become like me. You may hold a heart of revenge. But do not seek revenge as I did. For me, the regret remained more strongly. I only felt a sense of clarity for a short while."
Then, the image shifted. It was the Walt family mansion.
As if being urged by those around him, Fredricks was heading toward a certain room.
"Lord Fredricks, hurry!"
"It's a healthy baby boy!"
"Come, hurry!"
"Honestly, please stop dawdling!"
"I-I get it. I get it, already."
There were also women with large bellies. They were the Fifth Head's concubines, and around them were vassals caring for the pregnant women.
"Please don't run! I beg you, don't run! Lord Fredricks, please tell everyone! It would be terrible if someone fell and got injured! The Madam and the young master aren't going anywhere!"
As I watched, thinking they had vassals just like Baldor, Fredricks was pushed into the room by his concubine.
There was a newborn baby. He was crying vigorously, and the woman who was the primary wife was hugging him with a smile.
"Dear, it's a healthy baby boy."
The woman was teary-eyed, perhaps because she was happy the baby was born safely. Fredricks' face also softened as he looked at the baby.
"I-I see. You worked hard. Y-you did well――!"
It was just as he reached out to touch the baby. Fredricks pulled his hand back and looked at his palm. The Fifth Head told me his feelings at that moment.
"...I didn't want to touch him with hands stained in blood. I thought I would stain Fines as well. I regretted it deeply at that time. The people I killed naturally had families too. To the families of those I killed, I am the object of revenge. I wonder why... when I thought of that, I felt as if my heart would break. It's only natural. I had reasons to do it, but I wonder why."
Fredricks was shedding tears.
"Dear?"
"...You did well. Rest comfortably for now. I'll notify your family. I'll express my gratitude too. I... will go now."
Wiping his tears, Fredricks left the room.
Inside the orb. The Fifth Head's memory room.
There, I saw the reason why the Fifth Head could not be honest with children. The memory room showed a scene containing the Fifth Head's strongest emotions――an image of an animal shelter.
The Fifth Head turned to me.
"Well, this is about all I can teach you. Now that I think about it, I feel it might have been better not to show you. You seem to be fine, though."
"Fifth Head."
Then, a fully grown Kirin emerged from the Kirin's room at the very back of the shelter. It approached the Fifth Head with quick steps and rubbed its face against him.
"Fredricks!"
"Mei. I've caused you trouble as well."
"That's not true. I had fun too. Because I got to meet Fredricks again."
Mireia-san looked at the Fifth Head with a somewhat complex expression. The Fifth Head looked at me and smiled.
"My final skill, [Map Model]. To put it simply, it's a skill that allows you to change the viewpoint of a map to any position you like, centered on yourself. There are limits to the range, but it's quite convenient. You can find people who are hiding. Also, you can find places where you can hide."
While fighting bandits and mercenaries, and being attacked from the surroundings, the Fifth Head likely sought this skill. However, the Fifth Head let out a small sigh.
"Well, the main event this time is this. Here."
What he handed me was a silver Chain Sword. However, unlike the others, it felt as if the Chain Sword were alive... as if it were starving.
"I wonder if it's my fault. This thing is considerably dangerous. It's different from the First Generation's greatsword. Fines' halberd is quite straightforward. The Second Generation's bow does its job perfectly. Father's dagger is... well, just like Father. But this thing is simply specialized in killing. It doesn't have the strength of the First Generation. It'll be effective in group battles."
The Fifth Head's gaze toward the Chain Sword was somewhat complex. The silver Chain Sword had no gimmick. Lines were etched into the blade, and it glowed blue when gripped. Blue lines of light entered the Chain Sword like blood vessels, informing me of its hunger.
The sinister-looking Chain Sword somehow looked like the kind of demonic sword that appears in stories.
"...Liel, master this thing. It will be useful in various ways from here on. Just don't become obsessed with killing."
Mei spoke to the Fifth Head.
"It'll be okay. Liel has me and everyone else."
Mireia-san was also smiling.
"That's right. The current Liel is not alone. Father kept people away from him."
The Fifth Head scratched his head and looked down.
"...Even though I knew it was wrong, I couldn't turn back. Before I knew what to do, I had built a shelter like this. Perhaps I was just tired. I've caused a lot of trouble. To you too, Mireia."
Mireia-san gripped her skirt with her fingertips, lifted it slightly, and bowed elegantly.
"Just being able to hear an apology from Father made becoming a guide meaningful. Also, Liel."
Turning back to me, Mireia-san smiled and reached out her hand. When I reached out as well, Mireia-san was holding a blue orb.
Septem-san. Liel. And Mireia-san――.
"Is this the third――"
When I looked up, Mireia-san hugged me with a smile. Wrapping her arms around my back, she whispered in my ear.
"Various plans were disrupted. You stirred things up quite a bit, Liel-kun. But perhaps this was for the best. As a guide of the orb, I shall acknowledge Liel. Receive the final skill from you."
As the orb was absorbed into my body, words floated in my head. However, they were clouded and I couldn't understand them well. What I did understand was that my third skill was very unique. It was a skill with a price――if used, the orb would lose its power, and it could only be used once.
"Mireia-san, could it be..."
Mireia-san kissed my forehead. As she brought her face close and I looked at her head-on, she was teary-eyed.
"Liel, please look after Miranda and Shannon. Miranda has weaknesses you might not realize. Conversely, Shannon has strengths. So that the two of them don't go astray... so they don't become like me, hold the reins firmly. Let them be spoiled once in a while."
The Fifth Head also scratched his cheek with a finger while looking at Mei.
"Sorry. This is as far as I go. There are more things I want to say... but I have one request."
Mei looked at the Fifth Head.
"What?"
"I leave Liel to you. He's a descendant too good for me. He was unreliable at first, but now he's stronger than I was. He's my――our pride."
I gripped the hilt of the Chain Sword. Tears began to fall.
"Please tell me sooner. You say things like this at times like this, which is why I cry. I wanted to see you off with a smile at the end..."
Mireia-san wiped my tears with her finger.
"Cry once in a while. It's okay to show weakness. Not to those around you, but to Miranda and Shannon――and to Novem and the others. They might actually be happy. Also, this is a gift from me."
Saying so, Mireia-san touched the silver Chain Sword. I felt as if something flowed into it, but I was looking at Mireia-san's smile. I thought she looked like Miranda, but she also had traces of Shannon. No, Miranda and Shannon likely had traces of Mireia-san.
I smiled at Mireia-san's words.
"I'll remember that. It's a precious opinion from a woman, after all."
"Very well. If you can still be sarcastic, you seem to be fine. Also, the orb's power is increasing. Liel, master the orb. I'm sure Liel has the strength to do so."
Mireia-san's words almost sounded as if she were telling me to be careful of the orb. I nodded and carved her words into my heart.
Mei looked at the Fifth Head.
"...Fredricks, I promise. I'll watch over Liel. For the sake of you and the others too. Besides, I don't dislike Liel."
The Fifth Head was smiling. Then, he began to walk not toward the back of the shelter, but toward the entrance. Mireia-san also began to walk beside him.
"Father, I shall accompany you. And, a final request from your daughter."
"W-what is it?"
To the Fifth Head, who seemed slightly afraid of Mireia-san, Mireia-san reached out her hand.
"Would you hold my hand?"
The Fifth Head tilted his head and offered his hand. Holding hands with Mireia-san, the Fifth Head began to walk. As they walked toward the entrance of the shelter, Mireia-san's appearance became that of a young girl. And, with a slightly younger voice――.
"It was my dream to have you do this."
The Fifth Head looked awkward, yet happy.
"I wish I could have granted it while I was alive. Sorry... to all of you."
The Fifth Head shifted his gaze from the young Mireia-san to what lay ahead. Curious, I also wanted to see the outside and began to walk.
As I headed to the entrance with Mei, five women――and children in their young forms were waiting around. The animals were also waiting for the Fifth Head. Everyone was smiling.
"Fifth Head!"
"Fredricks!"
The Fifth Head responded by waving his hand without looking back.
"Idiots. I can't look back right now. It would be boring to see someone like me crying. Do your best... all of you."
The Round Table Room.
Reaching out, I saw the Chain Sword floating where the Fifth Head had once sat at the round table.
Mei was not here. Her consciousness had likely returned to her own body from the orb. And the floating Chain Sword looked slightly different from when it was handed to me by the Fifth Head. A bit of the sinister nature remained, but the shape looked truly slightly different.
The one waiting for my return was the Seventh Generation.
Sitting in the chair and looking up at the ceiling.
"It's an old story. The first woman I admired was my aunt――Mireia-san. Perhaps that's why. Perhaps that's why I took up the gun."
"Seventh Generation, I――"
The Seventh Generation stood up and intended to return to his room.
"Liel, you have been acknowledged by the Fifth Head, and by my aunt. As for me... whether I was acknowledged in the end... I do not know."
Once the Seventh Generation was gone, I was alone in the Round Table Room.
"...Fifth Head, Mireia-san, thank you very much."
Muttering this, I wiped my tears with my sleeve. Every time a weapon increased in the Round Table Room within the orb, the number of previous heads decreased. The stronger I became, the lonelier it felt.
The Fifth Head had a cold impression at first, but I later understood what kind of person he was. He was clumsy. He was completely different from the image I had heard. And he was a person who had worked hard.
And Mireia-san――despite everything, to me, who had few memories of my mother, she was like a mother. A person who was noisy, played around with the Seventh Generation, and sometimes surprised the previous heads.
As they left, a wave of loneliness washed over me.
"Really... why? Why, even though I thought she was so noisy, can't I stop crying..."
It was terrible at the beginning. I had been insulted. I had been mocked. Yet, when everyone is gone, I feel lonely. I let my gaze wander over the silver weapons floating before me, and finally looked at the Chain Sword. When I reached out, it extended its hilt toward my hand.
When I gripped it, the hunger was less than before. It might be thanks to Mireia-san.
"Lend me your strength. I need your power now."
Feeling a sensation as if the Chain Sword had pulsed, I returned my consciousness from within the orb to reality.