299 - Father and Son
The sound of gunfire and cannons echoed across the battlefield.
It was a tactic to divide the enemy, the maximum utility I could squeeze out of my guns, whose power was meager and whose skill usage was restricted.
"Dividing the enemy. Using gunfire to confuse the horses... I see. Perhaps saving them for this moment was the right call. Though, if we'd had these earlier, we could have held the opponent back more effectively during the defense," General Broa said, shrugging his shoulders as he stood nearby. However, it wasn't without its drawbacks. After all—.
"Rejected. Even with funding from Beim and a massive number of craftsmen, there are limits to maintenance costs and securing ammunition. Or rather... if I hadn't acquired Beim, this would have been a completely impossible means. Because it's limited, I have to use it at the critical moment."
The ammunition was crafted one by one by the artisans; even with money, you couldn't just get them in bulk. Considering the nature of the battlefield, it was probably a mistake for my father to avoid guns. However, from the perspective of internal affairs as a lord, it was a reasonable choice.
Facing the pursuing force, now divided and confused, I lightly tapped the neck of May, who was beside me. In the form of a kirin and wearing horse gear, she was ready to go at any moment.
Looking back, the allied forces, who had intentionally retreated to reorganize, were waiting. I had made it look like we were retreating, drawing the enemy back to the place where I intended to settle the score.
Normally, they would have been suspicious, but the opponent was a group that called themselves the strongest. They had grown accustomed to winning and to their opponents fleeing.
...I have to be careful too.
"Now, prepare for the charge. No matter how you look at it, we have the superior force. While they're divided—I'll take Maisel Wolt's head!"
As I drew and raised my katana, those around me shouted in response. Mounting May's back, I began preparing to lead the charge.
General Broa looked troubled.
"I really wish the Commander-in-Chief wouldn't go to the front lines. Your martial reputation is already more than enough."
As I put on my helmet, I spoke to General Broa.
"There are things I want to tell him. ...I can't back down on this."
—Maisel, seeing that the rear could not keep up with them, grit his teeth.
(I was careless! To think they had prepared this many guns and cannons! To this extent—)
In reality, even Maisel hadn't truly realized the magnitude of Beim. Beim had grown so massive that it sparked a sense of crisis in Lyell and the previous heads—its production capacity and funding were beyond imagination.
Additionally, while Lyell had destroyed Beim once, he had devoted most of his capabilities to securing funds and craftsmen to fight.
He had employed means that would normally be impossible and had prepared specifically to win. Maisel had underestimated Lyell.
"Lord Maisel!"
Bale was trying to gather the surrounding knights and soldiers to reorganize their formation, but he shouted as he heard a rumbling and saw the enemy launching a charge.
Maisel drew his saber and spoke to Bale.
"...I will not surrender. We will break through them as we are and aim for Lyell's head!"
Bale turned to the surrounding knights.
"You heard him! Show the pride of the Wolt family's elite! Charge formation!"
Maisel's unit, divided and reduced in number, aimed for the largest force in front of them as they were being surrounded. This was because they could see a flag they believed belonged to Lyell.
Maisel pointed the blade of his saber forward—.
"You've done well to corner me like this. I shall praise you. But I will definitely take your head! —Charge!"
My father's surrounded unit reorganized and launched an attack.
Riding on May's back and watching the scene, I gave orders as I charged. Aria and Miranda were waiting on both flanks, and the front was filled with elites. The Valkyries on horseback, as well as Unit One, Unit Two, and Unit Three, were around me as my guards.
"A charge, huh? How typical of Father. Well, I figured you'd do that!"
As I drew my katana and collided head-on with the enemy, a magic shield deployed at the front of the unit. The opponent deployed the same, which meant magic, arrows, and bullets would be blocked. Since it was a head-on collision, I lightly kicked May's stomach.
"You want to go forward? Are you sure? I'm going for real."
"Don't worry about it! There's no time to hold back!"
What May was worried about wasn't the act of going all out. The people in front of me were the elites of the Wolt family. In other words, there were people I knew.
"...Then I'll take you right to Lyell's papa!"
May bolted forward, overtaking the surrounding horses and leaping to the lead. I gripped the reins with my left hand, but I felt like I was about to be thrown off. With that much acceleration, May produced a horn from her forehead and generated purple lightning. The purple lightning interfered with the magic shield, creating a barrier made of lightning, and the enemy knights appeared before my eyes.
"...Tch! Scatter them!"
I won't say I had no hesitation. After all, I had seen them. The Wolt knights, soldiers, and servants who had rejoiced at my birth.
In the memories of the Seventh, everyone was truly smiling. But now they were enemies, and I had no means to liberate them.
Our unit, clad in purple lightning, collided with the enemy unit—and the enemies were blown away.
Usually, she's lazy, spending her time buying snacks or napping, but as expected of a kirin. When you charge with a kirin at the lead, you don't lose in a collision.
I probably shouldn't say that I wish she worked this hard all the time.
Then, May spotted him.
"Lyell!"
I followed May's gaze—and there, I found my father.
"Aria, Miranda—make sure nothing gets in the way. Valkyries, do as you please!"
I urged May forward, slashing through the approaching knights with my katana. The knights, sliced through armor and all, fell from their horses. Without looking back, I headed toward my father as the surrounding knights and soldiers swarmed me.
But—.
"I won't let you!"
Miranda stepped forward, taking on a knight. And then...
"Get out of the wayyy!!"
Aria, swinging her spear from atop her horse, was truly scattering the knights and soldiers to clear my path. The Valkyries provided support for Aria and Miranda.
As May raced through the opened path, I leaped from the horse and swung my katana down toward my father.
My father blocked it with his saber, lost his balance, and fell from his horse. However, he immediately took a breakfall and stood up, leveling his saber. Looking at his left hand, the wind was swirling violently.
"To step before me, you dare act so insolently. But this saves me the trouble of searching."
The voice I hadn't heard in a long time was, as expected, cold to the core. It wasn't a voice directed at a son. It was utterly cold, looking at me not as a child, but as an enemy.
I readied my sword and generated lightning in my left hand in the same manner.
"It's been a long time, Father. Or rather, Lord Maisel Wolt."
"...You disgrace to the Wolt family. You should have just dropped dead in some ditch!"
As my father stepped forward, Bale, on his horse, shouted.
"Lord Maisel! Someone, help Lord Maisel!"
However, Aria leaped out in front of Bale. There was a reason I had pulled them from the right wing to the center and brought them here.
"I won't let you interfere!"
Aria swung her spear from her horse, stopping the movements of Bale, who held a greatsword. Allies caught up around us, and the interference gradually decreased.
"Are you not ashamed to be protected by women! You failure!"
My father pointed his left hand and launched a mass of wind at me. I immediately ran sideways to dodge, but my father anticipated it and thrust his saber. That blade was filled with killing intent.
I parried it with my katana, and sparks flew as the blades scraped. Then, I shot back.
"Who's the one who should be ashamed? For your information, the Wolt family is a lineage that's been protected by women for generations! If you think they were the ones doing the protecting—you're dead wrong, you damn old man!!"
I kicked my father away, but the sensation of the kick was very heavy. I couldn't blow him back as much as I wanted, and as he stepped in again, a slash approached, which I blocked with my katana. However, because my father suddenly retreated, I lost my balance slightly.
Then, my father's fist, gripping the hilt of his saber, struck me directly in the head. My helmet flew off, and I formed a fist with my free left hand and punched my father in the face.
My father's helmet also flew off, and faint lines of blue light were running across his body. The light, which looked like a pattern, was similar to what I had seen when fighting Raiel.
Amidst the dust dancing on the battlefield, my father and I, carrying similar weapons and fighting in a similar style, took some distance from each other.
Seeing my father after a long time, he did indeed look similar to the previous heads, likely because he inherited their blood. Was he most similar to the Fifth?
As I thought that, my father vanished from before my eyes. He likely increased his physical abilities to attack from my blind spot. But I had received such attacks from Raiel many times. Many times—yes, many times.
...Perhaps he wanted to show me various things for this very moment.
As I blocked the thrust of the saber with my katana, the distance between me and my father was very close. I could see his face clearly. He was irritated and seemed surprised that I had blocked his lethal strike.
"You blocked that!"
"I've blocked it many times. Besides... I've been trained by strong people. If I lost to this level, I wouldn't be able to face them!"
I headbutted my father to flinch him, then swept my left hand sideways to generate lightning. My father leaped back and placed his left hand on the ground—.
"Brat! Sand Wall!"
As a wall of earth erupted from the ground, I instead raised my left hand to the sky.
"Thunder Clap!"
Thunder roared across the battlefield, destroying the earth wall and blowing away the surroundings. Spotting my father trying to flank me, I slashed at him.
My father blocked it, knocked my katana away, and tried to pierce my head with his saber. As I tried to dodge, the blade undulated like a living creature and attacked me.
However—.
"You're softer than the Fifth!"
The Fifth's chain sword was truly the worst. Whether you dodged or blocked, it forced you to bleed. If you took it many times, the bleeding often made you unable to move first.
I blocked it with my left arm. The metal on my arm was custom-made, finished with a special metal that Old Man Latata had prepared for me since I didn't carry a shield.
However, even that special metal was scratched.
"Kuh! It's hard, is it?"
I rolled on the ground to create distance. Then, my father slashed at me with his saber. I blocked it with my katana, but—.
"You said I was soft? ...I'll return those words exactly as they are!"
The saber slipped past my katana, and the tip of the blade pierced through a gap in my armor into my right shoulder. It wasn't deep, but I didn't understand what had happened.
I hurried to move away from my father, but he launched a series of thrusts that slipped right through.
"Now, what's the matter! Try and block this!"
Was he increasing his physical abilities and subtly shifting the direction of the blade to create an illusion? I moved my left hand to my lower back, drew the handgun from the holster and fired, but my father put his left hand forward and deployed a magic shield.
...The bullet couldn't even penetrate the magic shield.
"My shield cannot be pierced by something like a gun. You and your father rely too much on guns. But this is the end!"
My father tried to step in, but in that instant—I felt my line with Monica recover. The saber in my father's hand began to glow, and though I blocked it with my katana, it was easily snapped. I tried to keep him at bay with the gun in my left hand, but my father's movements were too fast to hit.
"Fool! Did you think I was only restricting the use of skills! I showed you on the first day that it's easy to release them for a moment!"
He likely released the restriction and used the magic tools he wore to go for the win in one go. When the gun in my left hand ran out of ammunition, I threw away the hilt of my katana and gripped the orb.
The voice of the Third echoed.
『—Now, Lyell, let's deliver it to Maisel-kun. The Seventh's gift.』
The silver decorative part of the orb swelled, wrapping around my right hand and shaping itself.
As I felt a hot flow through my body, the lines of light arranged by Raiel formed a pattern just like my father's.
Pointing my right hand at my father, I remembered.
—It was in the Room of Memories of the Seventh.
To Lyell, who had learned of the past where he was loved, the Seventh had asked.
『Now, to the main point. Lyell... when you tell me to disappear, does that mean you've absorbed everything? Do you no longer need my teachings?』
The Seventh didn't seem dissatisfied. Rather, if that's what Lyell thought, he was prepared to disappear honestly and entrust his skills to Lyell.
But Lyell shook his head.
"No. To be honest, I don't want you to disappear. There are still many things I want you to teach me. And... after all, the Seventh is my grandfather."
To this, the Seventh replied.
『Then why inherit skills from me here? I doubt there will even be a situation to use them in the fight with Maisel.』
Considering the skills of his son, Maisel, inheriting the Seventh's skills at this stage didn't mean much. The Seventh's third-stage skill was [Shuffle]—the ability to change the positions of oneself and others.
"...To be honest, it's not about the skills. The Seventh has suffered. He struggled with his relationship with his father, and yet he still worked hard."
From the Seventh's perspective, both father and son were excellent. Caught in the middle of them, he had accepted it and cherished Maisel.
That was why Lyell made his decision.
"I don't want such a grandfather to see a killing match between me and Father."
As Lyell smiled sadly, the Seventh was at a loss for words, but still...
『...I, too, am prepared. Even so, it doesn't change the fact that I support you. Even if the opponent is Maisel.』
Lyell spoke to the Seventh.
"I will kill Father."
『...』
"But I don't want Grandfather to see that sight, even if it's just a memory. At the very end... I want Grandfather to see me with a smile... It's my selfishness. But could you grant me this one last request?"
As Lyell spoke in a strained voice, the Seventh looked up at the sky. The sky in the memory was crystal clear.
『I see. To be considered by my grandson until the very end... I was a failure of a grandfather. I left problems for your generation and couldn't even clean up after myself. It wouldn't be wrong for you to call me the cause of everything... Lyell, you are excellent. And kind. You have long since surpassed me.』
To the Seventh, who laughed weakly, Lyell spoke with a smile. However, tears were flowing from his eyes.
"Please don't worry. I, the grandson, will clean up the problems Grandfather left behind. You taught me many things, after all. Well, I've become a bit more twisted than before, though."
The Seventh laughed at Lyell's joke.
『That's true. You were unreliable at first, but you were an honest, good boy. But I was actually a little happy. Maisel was excellent and didn't require much care. Because of that, there were things I wanted to do for you, advice I wanted to give... Lyell, you fulfilled those. I was truly happy that you relied on me.』
Lyell and the Seventh faced each other with smiles, and the skill was inherited. Particles of light erupted from the Seventh and gradually faded.
『Lyell, you were a grandson far too good for me.』
"To me, Grandfather was wonderful. Kind and strong... you are my pride."
『I see. Then I am no longer needed. Now, go. Do as you wish. Proceed to the place you aim for.』
As the surrounding scenery crumbled like sand, a faint light appeared around the Seventh. Zenoa was leaning close to him.
And his mouth was moving. Lyell couldn't hear the voice, but the Seventh seemed to.
『That's right. I have to put it into words clearly. Lyell, you—』
The orb in my right hand took the form of a gun.
The silver gun had the orb embedded in the grip, glowing blue. The muzzle was large, and a knife was attached to the gun. It was a shape that seemed to combine the gun the Seventh had and the gun Mireia-san had.
And I felt as if I heard the Seventh's voice.
『—Lyell, you were certainly loved. You were born loved by everyone. Your mother, Claire, loved you too. And—』
As I pointed the muzzle, my father looked surprised, likely because I had approached him. He probably didn't expect me to draw a second gun after closing the distance.
But he responded immediately.
Thinking he couldn't dodge, he put his left hand forward and deployed a magic shield.
"I've told you many times that my shield cannot be pierced by a gun—"
It might indeed be blocked. Even with a silver weapon, my father's magic shield probably wouldn't be easily pierced. However, there was no need to pierce it.
"...You panicked. Your win rate would have been higher if you'd just kept the skills sealed. —This gun is the Seventh himself. You... Father, you lost to us... no... you lost to Broad Wolt!"
"Father? What are you talking—"
My father was confused, but he must have realized something. The tactics using guns. And the final blow I prepared was also a gun...
『And—Maisel truly loved you too.』
I pulled the trigger. Then, a blue light burst from the muzzle, and a bluish-white bullet was fired toward my father.
I heard the Seventh's final words, and in an instant, I remembered the figures of my father and mother I had seen in the Seventh's memories. But the trigger had already been pulled.
—[Warp]—
By using the Seventh's second-stage skill, the bullet leaped over the shield via the skill's warp. Then, it pierced just below my father's chest, opening a large hole. The bullet that pierced through hit the ground and exploded.
The battlefield was instantly enveloped in silence.