kscans

CHAPTER 8 PATARAPOZA – Episode 9 Choice

1

“Are you alright?”
“There’s a slight shock at first.”
“You should get used to it quickly.”
“Are you alright?”

—Hmm. It seems I’m fine.

“That’s good.”
“Now, how does it feel?”

The words of the master of the Captive Island rang out with exceptional clarity. Bard’s mind was now in a vast, open space. Beyond that was the other party. And if he wanted to, he felt he could instantly delve deep into the other’s innermost thoughts. His own thoughts were also extremely clear. Each time he imagined a word, its outline was woven without error.

“Try asking a question.”

—What is your name?

“My name is… name is…”
“How strange. I’ve forgotten.”
“I might remember after a while.”
“But you humans call me Patarapoza.”

Through the connected mental pathway, he could be certain that this answer was the truth from the other’s heart. He could clearly sense the confusion when trying to recall the name, and how the attempt to trace the memory was cut off like a snapped thread. How remarkable. In this state, lying was impossible. Even if one tried, it would be completely transparent to the other party.

“Then let’s try telling a lie.”
“My name is Henry Jones.”

Immediately, it was clear that these words were a lie. The surface consciousness that wove the words and the vast forest of memories behind it were completely disconnected. It was clear that these were words fabricated off the top of the head, and the hesitation and embarrassment of the speaker who was aware of this fact came through as emotions.

“It seems you’ve confirmed it.”
“Now, begin your questions.”

—Then let me ask, Patarapoza. What kind of being are you?

“That’s a difficult question right off the bat.”
“I was originally a human.”
“But I gained power by becoming spirit-possessed.”
“Do you understand spirit possession?”

—I know of it.

“Jean imprisoned me on the island.”
“He thought he had sealed my powers.”
“But before I was imprisoned, I had completed a certain research.”
“Do you know that spirits are inhabitants of a world different from this one?”

—I know.

“I discovered a way to step into their world.”
“And there, I devoured them.”

—Wait. Can’t a human only take in one spirit?

“Ah.”
“I had already obtained a method to take in multiple spirits before that.”
“It was because of the power I gained that way”
“that I was able to step into the spirits’ world.”
“I ate and ate and kept eating.”
“My power grew limitlessly.”
“But even so, I was cautious.”
“I couldn’t let Jean notice.”
“No matter how many spirits I took in and how much I increased my abilities,”
“Jean’s power from the weapons he had seized was overwhelming.”
“For a long time, I waited.”

—That must have been quite a long wait.

“Was it two hundred years, or three hundred? I’ve forgotten.”
“Fortunately, I was able to make two dragonoids my pawns,”
“so I secretly monitored the continent.”
“And finally, I learned that Jean had died.”
“But I was a bit hasty.”
“The humans were still in a terribly primitive state.”
“Jean hadn’t given them any weapons or superior tools.”

—But you learned about Majnubec.

“Indeed.”
“I heard from the dragonoids about what happened in Majnubec and investigated.”
“And I learned what kind of weapon was used there.”
“As expected, Jean hadn’t discarded the weapons.”
“While keeping humans in a primitive state, he had hidden overwhelming weapons for himself.”
“Well, I thought that might be the case, since those aren’t things you can destroy even if you want to.”
“But I was relieved.”
“Since he didn’t let go of them even in his last years, he probably didn’t abandon them in the end.”
“However, there’s a high possibility he hid them in a place not easily accessible.”
“I carefully proceeded with my investigation.”
“I concealed the fact that I myself was moving,”
“and my puppets didn’t come to the forefront either.”

—Because if you destroyed the human countries, you would also lose clues to Jean’s legacy, right?

“Hmm?”
“No, that was after the investigation had progressed to some extent.”
“At first, I feared something else.”
“Even though Jean was dead and humans remained in a primitive state,”
“I thought that if I carelessly showed myself,”
“some hidden force might emerge.”
“I still needed more power.”
“I continued to expand my body in the spirit world,”
“absorbing spirits and further strengthening my power.”
“I continued to investigate cautiously, but”
“it seemed there were no opposing forces.”
“And finally, I began to move.”
“To reclaim what was mine.”
“Bard Rowen,”
“let’s stop calling it Jean’s legacy.”
“It was never Jean’s to begin with.”
“It’s mine.”

—I see! I’ve figured out your true identity. You’re the ‘Captain’, aren’t you!

2

“The Captain!”
“The Captain, is it?”
“It has a fresh ring to it in this language.”
“But that’s correct.”
“I am the captain of the starship, the one with authority over the starship.”
“Jean Cruise staged a rebellion and took the ship from me.”
“But, Bard Rowen,”
“how do you know this?”
“How much do you know about this?”

—Until just a few years ago, there was a spirit-possessed person still alive. I only heard the spirit’s knowledge. That people from a distant world came on a starship and split into two factions, with King Jean’s faction achieving victory. That spirit-possessed person said the ‘Captain’ was defeated by King Jean, captured, and executed. But you weren’t killed, were you?

“From my perspective, that was a rebellion, don’t you understand?”

—Wasn’t that because you broke the established principles and tried to oppress the people of this land?

“No, that’s nonsense. I was trying to protect them.”
“Jean Cruise said we should recognize them as intelligent beings and treat them as indigenous people.”
“But the natives were all just primitive people.”
“Moreover, many of them had values completely different from humans.”
“They weren’t partners we could have proper discussions with.”

—Didn’t you try to establish yourself as king, with the ‘ship crew’ as nobles, and found a dynasty?

“I won’t deny that. In any case, there was an urgent need to build a moderate civilization.” “As a transitional measure, adopting a strong leadership system was most appropriate.” “This didn’t violate any committee guidelines.”

—I heard that you called it betrayal when Jean woke up early and came to be called king in this land.

“You’re quite well-informed.”
“But that’s right, isn’t it?”
“Whether his principles and assertions were legitimate or not,”
“he intervened locally without any consultation with us,”
“changed the political system of the locals, and made arbitrary promises.”
“Moreover, he was just a scholar with no qualifications for policy decisions!”

—In the end, what was the point of contention between you and King Jean? From what I’ve heard, King Jean thought that the ‘ship crew’, the ‘sleeping people’, and the demi-humans should work hand in hand. You thought that the ‘ship crew’ should become nobles, the ‘sleeping people’ should become commoners, and the demi-humans should become slaves. I’ve also heard that you planned to wake up the ‘sleeping people’ after implanting devices to control their minds.

“That’s correct.”
“To put it simply, it was about how to handle the passengers.”
“His ideas were idealistic.”
“If implemented, they would have caused terrible confusion.”
“Just look”
“at the world Jean built”
“after sealing me away.”
“Are humans and demi-humans living together?”
“In human countries, are there no class distinctions or wealth disparities, with people living equally?”

—But weren’t there many ‘ship crew’ members who agreed with King Jean’s ideas?

“That was my failure.”
“I hadn’t explained in detail”
“to the lower-ranking crew members”
“about the governance policies and future prospects for the local area.”
“But the possible local situations contained so many possibilities”
“that it was difficult to explain the administrative policies for all cases.”
“Am I lying or deceiving you?”

—No, you’re not. You truly believe what you’ve said.

“Very well.”
“Since you are a descendant of Jean Cruise,”
“it’s natural that you would sympathize with his ideology.”
“But from my standpoint, this was the truth.”
“I want you to understand that much at least.”

—Descendant? What do you mean?

“Ah. You didn’t know that?”
“The condition for synchronizing with the spirit sword, that is, the condition to become its wielder,”
“is to be his descendant and to have a mental structure very similar to his.”

—But shouldn’t a spirit-possessed King Jean have been unable to leave descendants?

“Jean Cruise had left descendants before becoming spirit-possessed.”
“Quite a number of them.”
“To be honest, that’s one of the reasons I strongly hate him.”
“Anyway, you are Jean’s descendant.”
“And you have a heart very similar to his.”
“You should think in the same way as Jean.”

—Me, a descendant of King Jean. Me.

“And to answer your earlier question,”
“I was originally an ordinary human, but”
“by absorbing a large number of spirits, I gained special powers,”
“and because I placed much of my existence in the spirit world,”
“my physical body in this world became bloated and turned into a mass of flesh,”
“becoming an existence that covers the entire island,”
“wanting to reclaim what’s mine”
“and seek revenge on those who put me in this situation.”
“That’s what I am, a human being.”

—Revenge, you say. What do you intend to do with the ‘Arrow of Corama’s Fury’ once you get it back?

“The Arrow of Corama’s Fury?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Wait.”
“Ah, I see.”
“You mean the attack that annihilated Majnubec.”
“Hahaha.”
“Excuse me.”
“I laughed because the name is so exaggerated.”

—What do you call it?

“The main cannon, I suppose.” (he said 主砲, shuhou)
“Please don’t laugh.”
“That is the main cannon.”

—The Shuhō, you say? (bard say, シュホウ, shuhou)

“Yes.”
“It means the most powerful weapon.”
“Combat with hostile forces wasn’t considered,”
“so if we encountered an enemy, we were expected to die from their attack.”
“That’s the philosophy it was built on.”
“So there are no proper weapons.”
“Embarrassingly, that is the most powerful weapon.”

—You say it’s not a proper weapon, yet it annihilated the city of Majnubec in one strike?

“That’s right.”
“It had quite a poetic name.”
“In this language, it would be ‘Spear of Light.’”

—Spear of Light.

“Yes.”
“It’s like the flame of a candle.”

—Wait. So what you’re seeking isn’t the ‘Arrow of Corama’s Fury’? If so, what exactly do you want?

“The ship! The starship. The ship that crosses the sea of stars!”

3

—What? The starship still exists?

“Of course.”
“It’s not something that would deteriorate in a thousand or two thousand years.”
“I knew it was still around.”
“Whether it was Jean or anyone else, it’s not something that can be destroyed.”
“However, there was a possibility that he hid it somewhere far out of reach.”
“In fact, I had the dragonoids search for the starship, but they couldn’t find it.”
“It’s bigger than a castle, even a city.”
“If it were in a place that could be found, it should have been found.”
“This means it must be hidden beyond the Yug that even dragonoids can’t fly to,”
“at the bottom of the Yug,”
“or in an even more distant place.”

—You couldn’t find the starship, but you found clues to it. The Cave of Trials, you say.

“Because I couldn’t find any clues at all,”
“I started researching human legends.”
“Among them, I became interested in stories of those who overcame trials and obtained powerful treasures.”
“As I investigated in detail,”
“I found them in various places.”
“The Cave of Trials and similar facilities.”

—What? Isn’t there only one Cave of Trials?

“There isn’t just one.”
“However, their forms vary.”
“I disabled the facilities other than Fyuza’s Wind Cave.”
“From the mechanical dolls in the Cave of Trials, I extracted”
“how to summon the starship, the command seal, and how to unlock it.”

—Oh. Did the mechanical dolls know such secrets?

“Yes.”
“That Jean”
“made arrangements so that in the distant future, when his descendants visited the Cave of Trials,”
“the secret of the starship would be passed on.”
“However, even they didn’t know where the starship was moored.”

—What is this seal?

“That impertinent Jean,”
“when he learned that the priority order of commands to the starship couldn’t be rewritten,”
“he put a protection on the commands.”

—Protect?

“It’s a mechanism that blocks our commands.”
“Unless the protection is removed through the spirit sword,”
“all commands are invalid.”

—What do you intend to do now that you’ve reclaimed the starship after all this time? Become the ruler of the world? Or…

“I’m no longer interested in such things.”
“There’s only one thing I want to do.”
“Return to my homeland”
“and take revenge on those who put me in this situation.”
“That’s why I absolutely need the starship.”

—Wait. It’s been a considerable time since you came here, hasn’t it?

“I’m not sure of the exact time, but it’s probably over two thousand years.”

—How long did it take to get here from your homeland?

“I’m not sure about that either.”
“The time distortion due to warped space navigation”
“hasn’t been fully understood yet.”
“But I think it took over a thousand years.”

—Then it’s been three thousand years since you left your homeland. It will probably take another thousand years to get back. Aren’t the people you hate already dead and gone?

“But their descendants must still be around.”
“They are all targets of my revenge.”
“I will make the descendants of those living comfortably understand.”
“I will make them pay for the sins they committed.”

—Does the starship have that much power?

“The starship doesn’t.”
“It was made in my homeland,”
“and weapons that can easily destroy it”
“have probably been developed in my homeland.”
“But no matter how much they’ve advanced their mechanical civilization,”
“they probably can’t defend against my current power.”
“It’s a type of power that didn’t exist in my homeland.”
“I can now control people’s minds from afar, drive them mad, and make them see illusions.”
“My power is now strong enough to instantly kill all humans living on the continent.”
“With this power, I will control the people of my homeland, make them kill each other, and annihilate them.”

—But you’re just one person. Won’t you lose? Even if you win, what will you do in a country you’ve annihilated?

“I might lose.”
“But I should be able to inflict significant damage.”
“That’s enough.”
“If I can return to my homeland and leave my mark to my heart’s content,”
“I’m fine with perishing afterward.”
“That is my wish.”
“Am I lying?”

—No. Your words come from your heart. There’s not even a hint of a lie.

“Very well.”
“Now, Bard Rowen,”

—What is it?

“Are we done with our questions?”

—Yes, I believe so.

“So,”
“we have come to an understanding.”
“Now, I have a proposal for you.”

4

“Bard Rowen,”
“You and I can benefit each other.”
“What you will provide me is just one thing.”
“Calling the starship.”
“I’ll have the dragonoids take you to the Cave of Trials, so please call the starship through the relay device.”
“That’s all I need.”
“Even from this location,”
“I can give orders to the starship that comes to Fyuza.”

“And Bard Rowen,”
“What you will receive from me is plentiful.”
“First, I’ll give you the weapons loaded on the starship.”
“With those, you can easily dominate all humans.”
“Of course, you could choose not to dominate, but become a guardian instead.”
“Watching over the human world, and if there is injustice or wrongdoing, if anyone behaves in an unforgivable manner,”
“You can correct those human errors.”
“You will be able to protect those you love and support the country you cherish.”
“Your sense of justice will cover the bountiful land.”

“Then, I’ll give you the carrier ships from the starship.”
“Although they can’t cross the Star Sea (Yug),”
“They can instantly travel anywhere over the continent,”
“And from heights far beyond what even dragonoids can reach,”
“You can watch over people and deliver punishment.”
“You and those you choose can become gods of this world.”

“And I will also give you control over the labyrinths across the land.”
“We’ve found eleven more facilities like the Cave of Trials.”
“There are wise machine dolls there,”
“Treasures that humans would drool over stored in abundance,”
“And equipment that can treat humans and other races of this land.”
“It’s excellent equipment that can treat even those near death.”
“Your precious people can live long, healthy, and happy lives, escaping death for a long time.”

“Above all, I’ll give you youth, health, special powers, and a lifespan of a thousand years.”
“Isn’t your aged body painful?”
“Don’t you wish to regain the endless energy and recovery power of your youth?”
“Don’t you want to regain the overflowing vitality and strong muscles?”
“That wish can come true.”
“By consuming the divine spirit that has finished its role.”
“Yes, I’m talking about the last spirit sword you now carry.”
“The divine spirit dwelling in that spirit sword has extremely strong power.”
“If you eat it, you can receive its benefits.”

“Now, choose, Bard Rowen!”
“Will you accept my proposal?”
“Or will you refuse?”

—What happens if I refuse?

“Hmm,”
“It depends, but,”
“You don’t have children, do you?”

—No, I don’t.

“Oh dear,”
“For some reason,”
“Spirit sword wielders often don’t leave descendants.”
“Since you carry Jean’s bloodline, you should take many wives and have lots of children.”
“In that case, I’ll kill you here.”
“I’ll use the dragonoids and human servants to return the spirit sword to the human world.”
“And wait for the next wielder to appear.”

—I see. So that’s why there was an ancient sword in a village general store…

“It would be terrible if it was just stored away somewhere.”
“It needs to be touched by many people,”
“Otherwise, there’s no chance for the spirit sword to meet a human it can synchronize with.”
“The spirit sword and its wielder seem to be drawn to each other,”
“So if we place the spirit sword in an inconspicuous place where anyone can enter,”
“Eventually, a wielder will be drawn to it.”

—As long as I don’t die, this spirit sword won’t meet the next wielder?

“The spirit sword synchronizes with only one human at a time.”
“And one human can only synchronize with one spirit sword.”
“So if you refuse to cooperate,”
“I have no choice but to kill you.”
“If you had children,”
“And your descendants continued,”
“There would be a high chance of a spirit sword wielder emerging from that lineage,”
“So I might wait for you to die naturally in that case.”

—Captain.

“Hm?”
“What is it?”

—Break the mental connection. I want to think for a while.

“I understand.”
“I hope you think carefully and make a wise decision.”

5

There was no shock when breaking the mental connection like there was when connecting. There was only a sensation of being pushed by a large wind, and a feeling of a floating body falling to the ground.

Even with the mental connection broken, the Captain could probably read Bard’s mind if he wanted to. But if Bard sensed that, it would damage trust, so he likely wouldn’t take such a risk. The Captain had put some mental distance between them, quietly watching as Bard came to a conclusion. Though even if his thoughts were read, it wouldn’t matter much.

Bard was thinking. Indeed, the Captain was not lying. He had no intention of breaking his promise. He sincerely believed and thought as he had said in his heart. The Captain’s only desire was the starship, and he was willing to give up anything else. It was also true that he had absolutely no interest in the fate of the humans and other races of this land. The value of what he offered to provide Bard was exactly as he said. The Captain believed that as long as he could obtain the starship, he was willing to sacrifice anything else. He sincerely thought this, and believed that his strong determination to keep this promise was the key to the negotiation.

Bard considered the Captain’s proposal. The Captain would board the starship and depart for his homeland, never to return. He had no attachment or lingering feelings for this land. He would return to his homeland, cause as much chaos as possible, and then die. That was truly the Captain’s wish, and it was no lie.

On the other hand, what about the things the Captain offered to provide? Was the carrier ship from the starship something like a small starship? If so, it seems one could fly through the sky. Bard recalled his first flight experience being carried by the dragonoids. It was a wonderful experience, though a bit cold and windy. If one could fly through the skies of various countries without such discomfort, how exciting that would be.

He wasn’t very interested in weapons. But if he had them, he could help Fyuzarion or Pakula if they fell into crisis. The existence of someone possessing such weapons might also deter unnecessary wars. While their use would be difficult, if used wisely, they could protect the peace of many people.

The offer to give control over eleven more facilities like the Cave of Trials also moved his heart a little. What kind of weapons, medicines, and knowledge might be sleeping there? Those machine dolls, like Stesil, had healed Bard’s left arm in an instant, and treated Zariya’s wounds and fatigue in just a short time. With that medical technology, how many lives could be saved? It might even be possible to ensure that all newborn children grow up healthy.

And then, he offered youth and health. What an attractive proposal! Would this aged body regain its youth and strength? And a lifespan of a thousand years! Even if not a thousand years, if his life could continue just a little longer. He could watch over the future of Baldrant. He could see the future of Fyuzarion. He could witness whether that dream would come true. What an exciting possibility!

But.

6

Bard remembered the General of Greed. That man had lived for hundreds of years. If Bard and his companions hadn’t killed him, he would have lived for hundreds more years. But did that bring happiness to that man? Did it bring happiness to those around him?

No.

Long life was a curse for that man. His blood turned black and cloudy, he lost his sense of taste, and even when he grew weary of living, he was not allowed to fall or find peace. He was not permitted to savor life, enjoy it, or share joy with others.

What is living? What is dying?

People live until they die. Because death is certain, life is infinitely precious. Precious and beloved. Because life is limited, people share joys and are grateful for the short time they can spend together.

To live is to eat. Remember the days of traveling with Godon Zarkos. Remember those enjoyable camps. The knight fish eaten with Priest Barry Toad, Seifert, and Chantillion. The black shrimp eaten with Godon, Kainen, and Eureka. The Colcordur eaten with Godon and Jurchaga. The chilled ale and freshly grilled beef ribs shared with Gorz Boa, Seifert, Kirie Halifalth, and others. The many meals shared by the waterfall with Godon, Karz, Doriatessa, and Jurchaga.

How enjoyable and delicious they were! If one gained the power to dominate the continent, one could obtain knight fish, Colcordur, and beef ribs as much as desired. But would there be that same deliciousness and joy? Seifert, Kirie, Gorz Boa, and Godon, Kainen, and Eureka have all passed away. He can never share meals with them again. Which means that deliciousness will never come again. But that is why those memories are precious.

They have finished their struggle to live and are now at peace with the true Patarapoza, not this imitation. Living is joy, and death is peace. Believing in the peace that will someday come, people live through today’s painful and sorrowful times. If birth is a blessing, then death must also be a blessing. Both are irreplaceable, a one time events in a single life. To fear death is to distort life.

If he refuses the offer, the Captain will kill him. But it’s unlikely that all the humans on the continent will be killed. For the Captain, that continent is like a cradle nurturing golden eggs. He might shake it occasionally, but he won’t destroy the eggs inside. It’s unforgivable that there’s a massive monster attack once every hundred or two hundred years, but there’s nothing that can be done about it. The current Bard has no way to prevent that. He can only pray that someone who can prevent it will appear in the future. There’s only one thing the current Bard can do. That is to avoid the terrible catastrophe right in front of him.

Bard made up his mind.

7

—Captain.

“Oh,”
“Have you made up your mind?”

—Yes. Captain, please connect our minds once more.

“Certainly,”
“Alright. We’re connected.”
“Now, let me hear your answer.”

—Before that, there are a few things I forgot to ask. What exactly are the monsters? Why do such monsters come into being? No, I know that when mad spirits possess beasts, they become monsters. What I don’t understand is why spirits go mad.

“I don’t know that either.”
“Monsters appeared”
“When I was confined on the Captive Island, accumulating power.”
“I don’t know why spirits started going mad.”
“But I think”
“It might be something like a lifespan for the species.”

—A lifespan for the species?

“Yes.”
“The lifespan of spirits is several hundred years.”
“When their lifespan ends, they disappear once,”
“But they gain new power in the spirit world”
“And reappear in this world.”
“Moreover, they inherit their previous memories at that time.”
“What does it mean to continue holding memories for tens of thousands of years?”
“I speculate that they might have gone mad,”
“Unable to bear the weight of those memories.”
“I don’t know the real reason.”
“Jean was a scholar,”
“So he probably knew more about these things than I do,”
“But it seems even Jean couldn’t determine the cause.”

—Hmm. I see. So in the end, we don’t know why monsters are born. That’s unfortunate. One more thing. Why did King Jean confine you on the Captive Island? Why didn’t he kill you?

“He probably followed the laws of our homeland.”
“In our homeland, we stopped killing captured enemies or criminals long ago.”
“Because life, that is, individual personalities, can never be recreated by human hands.”
“So the act of humans taking human life is abhorred.”
“While dying in war is one thing, since I was captured,”
“I suppose they had no choice but to isolate me on a remote island like this.”

—What happened to your comrades? Were they also confined somewhere?

“…My comrades,”
“After losing the battle,”
“Seem to have chosen to follow Jean Cruise.”
“When I investigated, I found that”
“The initial masters of the labyrinths in various places”
“Were actually my former comrades.”

—It seems you didn’t want to come to this land. You didn’t want to leave your homeland, did you? Why did you become a captain?

“I was trapped.”
“Those who feared my power”
“Set a trap for me”
“And forced me into a situation”
“Where I had no choice but to accept becoming the captain of the immigrant ship.”
“Becoming a captain or crew member of an immigrant ship”
“Was said to be a noble job involving self-sacrifice.”
“After all, it was the role of guiding criminals to a new world.”

—Criminals, you say?

“Yes.”
“The passengers of the starship”
“Were criminals.”
“Since there was no death penalty in our world,”
“We stripped them of their memories and knowledge”
“And abandoned them beyond the stars.”

—I see. Come to think of it, there’s one more thing I wanted to ask. Didn’t you imprint commands in Lugurgoa Geskas’s mind? For example, commands that he couldn’t kill or have the dragonoid Uldruu killed.

“You continue to surprise me.”
“But that’s correct.”
“I had also forbidden Lugurgoa Geskas from speaking about this.”
“How on earth did you know about this?”
“You must have deduced it from the circumstances.”
“You are increasingly impressive.”
“I thank the gods that such an intelligent human has become the wielder.”

—Lugurgoa must have served you for many years. The deaths of Lugurgoa and the dragonoids Uldruu and Echidorkiye must have been a blow to you, weren’t they?

“When I woke up, I learned that Uldruu, Echidorkiye, and Lugurgoa Geskas were all dead.”
“In other words, all the executives I had placed in the human world.”
“I was shocked and felt strong anxiety.”
“I wondered if something fatal had happened while I was asleep.”
“When I learned from the machine dolls in the Cave of Trials that you had killed Echidorkiye, I was very surprised.”
“And when I learned from the puppets I placed in Parzam and Goriora”
“That you had fought Lugurgoa Geskas twice,”
“I was, uncharacteristically, astounded.”

—You learned from the subordinates you placed in Parzam and Goriora. Didn’t you place any subordinates in Shinkai?

“I didn’t place any puppets in Shinkai.”
“That was one of the agreements with Lugurgoa Geskas.”

—You didn’t put any restrictions on Lugurgoa not to kill me, did you?

“No,”
“I had embedded a command not to harm”
“The wielder of the last spirit sword.”
“Somehow he must have found a way around that command.”
“Though that command was embedded”
“Before I could identify you specifically,”
“So the command was incomplete.”

—Not to harm the wielder of the last spirit sword, you say. But he certainly tried to kill me… No.

Bard was struck with realization. The General of Greed had tried to kill Bard. He had attempted to attack until the very last moment. But if a command had been written in his heart that he couldn’t kill Bard…

If the General of Greed himself was well aware of that fact. Everything starts to look different.

—Perhaps suicide was forbidden for Lugurgoa?

“Hm?”
“Ah”
“That’s right, it was forbidden, now that you mention it”
“What about it?”

‘Indeed, that was the case. Then. Then. His actions were. No way. But I don’t know. I don’t know what the truth really was. Now there’s no way to know.’

“How did he outwit me?”
“I’m not completely uninterested”
“But that’s not a big issue now”
“Anyway, you survived safely”
“That’s all I need.”
“However, I can clearly sense the presence of the activated spirit sword”
“I just can’t pinpoint its location”
“That must have been the work of the device called Yana’s bracelet”

—That’s right. I was entrusted with that treasure by the Queen of Manuno.

“If I had known the Queen of Manuno possessed such an item”
“I would have taken it away beforehand”
“Well, I quickly learned that Bard Rowen was in Fyuzarion”
“So I sent human puppets towards Fyuzarion”
“But I heard you had set out on a journey”
“I was about to dispatch several puppets to the capital of Parzam”
“And other locations”

—There’s no need for that anymore, is there?

“Correct”
“You have revealed your location”
“And accepted my invitation”
“Now then, that’s enough”
“Answer me, Bard Rowen”
“Do you accept, or refuse?”

8

—Hehehe. Weapons on the carrier ship of the starship? And mechanical dolls and tools from the labyrinth?

“That’s right”
“It’s the most valuable property that shouldn’t exist on this planet”
“You could call it a priceless treasure”
“It’s the most valuable thing of all”

—Tell me, Captain. Is it edible?

“What?”

—Is it delicious?

“What are you talking about?”
“What do you mean?”

—The stewed innards of Koll Rooster I ate in the frontier town of Gantz were delicious. I’d choose that over a ship that can control the skies.

“If you obtain the carrier ship, you can freely acquire any food”
“Surely you understand that”

—Oh, that’s right! The bull’s tail soup I drank that night at Lordvan Castle was also supremely delicious. I’d choose that over weapons that can obliterate cities.

“That’s fine”
“If you obtain the power of the labyrinth”
“You can get thousands or tens of thousands of such things”

—Is that so? Thousands or tens of thousands, you say. But you know, Captain.

“What is it?”

—Do you remember how the same food can sometimes taste incredibly delicious and other times tasteless?

“Taste is greatly influenced by one’s physical condition and state of mind”
“If you obtain a healthy body”
“You’ll be able to enjoy flavors even more than now”

—I see. So it’s a power that can even control health freely.

“That’s right”
“You”
“Can become the absolute ruler of this planet”

—Captain. Let me tell you something. The feeling of finding something delicious when you eat it comes from savoring the transience of life. Someone who has gained the power to obtain everything or control anyone won’t be able to savor the transience of life. They won’t be able to have friends to share deliciousness with.

“…”

—Do you remember the meaning of the word “delicious”? When was the last time you ate something with your mouth? Five hundred years ago? A thousand years ago? You, who have lost all physical senses—eyes, nose, mouth—and live only on resentment, can you understand the wonder of eating? Can you understand the joy of your body accepting and rejoicing in food? If you can’t understand that, it means you don’t understand what it means to live, what life is. What value is there in a promise with such a being?

“Y-You barbarian!”
“I thought you were a more intelligent man”
“The starship and what’s inside it are the crystallization of wisdom”
“It contains the essence of civilization”
“Built by humanity over long years and with enormous manpower”
“You don’t even know how wonderful it is!”

—Captain.

“Hm?”

—Indeed, you intend to leave here without doing anything once you get the starship.

“Of course”
“You wouldn’t hand over the starship without that condition”
“Whether this planet prospers or perishes”
“Is of no concern to me”

—That’s right. That’s what you think. You think that from the bottom of your heart. But you know.

“What?”

—When you actually obtain the starship, take off from this land, and look down upon this earth from far above, what will you think? When you see this land that has been your prison for a thousand years, what thoughts will well up in your heart? Won’t you think, “I hate it. I want to obliterate it”? Won’t you think, “I want to make them hate each other, kill each other, and destroy them in despair”?

“Ugh!”

The Captain was shaken. As he listened to Bard’s words and imagined that scene, he was shaken by the thoughts that welled up in his own heart. Bard was right. When that time comes. When he’s freed from the shackles of this planet. He’ll probably hate this planet and its inhabitants unbearably. He’ll probably do exactly as Bard pointed out. He realized this.

And Bard knew that the Captain had realized this. Their hearts were connected. Bard clearly felt that hatred and desire for destruction. The Captain also knew that Bard had sensed this. In other words, they both knew that the truthfulness of the promise, which was the premise of the negotiation, had been lost.

—What strong hatred. Deep down, you absolutely despise all the people of this land. But you know, Captain. Even if such hatred didn’t well up from your heart, it would be the same. I cannot hand over the starship to you. Handing over the starship to you means entrusting the lives of all living creatures on this earth to you. I absolutely cannot give such power to someone who has forgotten the transience and beauty of life, and abandoned the heart that respects life. This is my answer.

Now Bard had firmly resolved never to comply with the Captain’s intentions. It was a resolution to never listen to the Captain, even if all his loved ones were taken hostage and he was threatened that they would be killed if he didn’t call the starship. Of course, this strong rejection was conveyed to the Captain as well. Strong anger was transmitted from the Captain. Bard felt as if he had been thrown into boiling water.

“It’s regrettable”
“Truly regrettable”
“The negotiation I prepared over a long time”
“Has ended in failure”
“Because you stripped away the clothing of my heart that I myself was unaware of”
“I can no longer trust you”
“Moreover, because you have exposed what’s in the depths of my heart”
“I cannot use the same method on the next wielder of the spirit sword”
“It’s regrettable”
“Truly regrettable”
“Bard Rowen”
“I hate you”
“I will never forgive you”
“Now then”
“Are you ready to die?”