Book 20 Chapter 26

Last Rest,

in the Holy City of Shuriganakyus (2)

For that reason, only Lysta, Friede, and Kiese were able to hear Shuan's story.

Since Kiese had left, the city might soon be in an uproar with mages searching for Rin.

In the southern downtown area of <Shuriganakyus>, where reconstruction had not yet begun and there was no sign of human presence, Shuan opened his mouth.

"My true name, given to me by my parents, is Eos."

As Kiese was using his detection abilities to watch out for anyone who might come near, there was no risk of this story leaking out.

"Eos? You are *that* Eos?"

"Lord Lysta, did you know my name?"

"No… I heard it. Directly from Lord Shurigan."

"From my father? How on earth?"

"There's no way to explain it… I went back to the past, but I didn't, and I met him in a fragment, but I didn't?"

It was a truly difficult story to understand, but everyone knew that Lysta was not one to lie.

"Father… didn't say anything else?"

Shuan, no, Eos, asked with a somewhat sad smile.

"He said that since I didn't know your name, he would have been happy in his own way if you had lived and died ordinarily without leaving a name."

Since Shurigan had died in the subjugation battle against the Spider Lord, Eos had never seen Shurigan outside of a dream space.

Perhaps due to the emotion of hearing his father's true feelings in this way, tears quietly overflowed from Eos's eyes.

Wiping away his tears with his sleeve, Eos barely managed to speak.

"I see. Thank you."

Friede asked.

"Then what's the name Shuan?"

"Blood-Red Sun Shurigan and Noble Moon Jyenner. It's an alias formed by taking one character from my father's and mother's names and combining them."

"Ha, no way! I never imagined. I wondered who you were, with your spirit so much more abundant than mine, a maiden of the spirits, but to think you're a descendant of the <Ones Who Came>. But the <Ones Who Came> are supposed to return in the last days to end the war and herald the true dawn, so is this the last days?"

Shuan shook his head.

"I was merely awakened temporarily by Emergency Protocol 003. It is not the last days now."

"Emergency Protocol 003?"

"It's a code presupposed for when the ark I entered cryogenic sleep in… that is, the Ark of the Covenant or the Lizard Lord's seal, becomes endangered. During such an emergency, only I was supposed to become active for a short time."

"What's the reason? There must be a reason for it to activate."

"My prediction is that it's because of Zernix. Zernix is destroying everything the <Ones Who Came> had prepared for the last days."

"How is that possible? Most of the <Ones Who Came>'s facilities are hidden, except for holy sites like <Terbenople> or <Shuriganakyus>."

"That is also my question. Whether Zernix is acting proactively, or if the commander, the 'First Pillar,' is giving orders… If it's the latter, then that individual must have penetrated the system of the <Ones Who Came>."

"You mean there's a defector?"

"That's impossible. There are no individuals who could become defectors… I am wondering if the Abyss is giving revelations."

Lysta, who had been silently listening to Shuan's story, suddenly spoke.

"Shuan, you remember Kadin Omec (06), right?"

"I couldn't forget him."

"Did an identification number called Eldia Omec (06) also exist in the Elsinseong Minae Knights? Just not recorded in history?"

Shuan suddenly looked up at the sky. It felt less like seeking the will of heaven, and more like watching to see if the stars of the outer universe beyond might be eavesdropping.

"I cannot explain in detail, but before I do, I will cast a spell on your brains. It is a Genesis binding spell, and it must never be revealed."

"I will never reveal it."

"I know you won't reveal it. But if the Abyss invades your brains and souls, the story changes. That's why I'm casting the spell. The memory of what I'm saying now will slowly fade until it's completely forgotten."

"What on earth is it? Stop stalling and cast that spell or whatever it is, and tell me."

"Eldia Omec (06), that is the last Eldia that Black Sun Karenden said she would prepare for the last days."

"The last Eldia…?"

"If things go according to her plan… he would wield the power of all Eldias and be able to face even that absolute being of the Abyss, Yotos Yole Yotiatos, alone."

"In that case, isn't it an identification number so sacred that it shouldn't be touched? Why did Kadin Omec have such a terrible appearance?"

"There's no way the opponent would know the identity of Eldia Omec. I see it as a product of chance that arose during the process of mimicking the identification number. In our numbering system, Omec (06) comes after Kata (05)."

Friede bit her lip.

She felt as if some crucial energy, which had allowed her to endure all hardships until now, was draining away.

"In short, since this isn't the last days, we aren't the generation that will end the Great Abyss War. Even if we win this war, the threat of the Abyss will still remain."

Shuan realized he had made a huge slip of the tongue.

For them, it was like catching a glimpse of the future, and the sense of powerlessness would be indescribable.

It was a moment when he wanted to ask his mother, who was now beyond reach, how to comfort them, how to encourage them.

"What's it matter, Friede?"

Lysta, with a resolute, and therefore dazzling, smile, grabbed Friede's shoulder.

"If we fight, if we fight and win, at least the people living in this era will be able to smile, right? To regain their daily lives and enjoy happiness. Isn't that enough?"

Friede smiled a smile that was disheartened, perplexed, and yet also as if she had expected this.

"Alright, who would stop you? You're completely right."

Although it sounded somewhat sarcastic, the energy… that is, the vitality that had almost vanished during their previous exchange, had returned to her expression.

'Ah.'

Eos felt a thrilling sensation course dizzyingly from his toes to the top of his head.

'Was this what it felt like?'

Didn't Lady Tersia, the leader of the <Ones Who Came>, and my father and mother who followed in her footsteps, feel something similar to what I feel now?

'People of this era regard the Eldia Knights as heroes, but people of that era called the <Ones Who Came> heroes.'

So the Fay-Querriers, the hero party… are beings who inherit the Holy Eldia Knights, and at the same time, beings who inherit the <Ones Who Came>.

'In that sense, this Lysta Alte Shurpen… seems so much like Lady Tersia.'

Tersia had been eroded by Yotos's absolute abyss, so Eos had only met her directly a few times in his childhood, but…

Each time, he clearly felt…

…an extreme compassion for all things, a gentle philanthropy that felt as if he could glimpse what the love of Genesis that created heaven and earth in the beginning truly was…

'To feel the exact same sentiment in this world a thousand years later… Ah, the providence of Genesis is truly astonishing.'

But…

Is the identical feeling merely due to the similarity of that dazzlingly noble character…?

'Perhaps it's also because the terrifyingly short lifespan remaining in that soul right now… is also identical?'

* * *

"Done."

Rin shot up.

"Senior disciple, please take that pitiful fellow who's passed out to the bedroom. I'm leaving."

"Alright, go on."

Rin ran.

He ran so excitedly, as if he had never been so thrilled before.

It was a district where the Aihn army was deployed, but since the boy was short, no Aihn tried to stop him even though he wasn't wearing a gat (traditional hat) and hanbok. They assumed he was one of their own.

"Nils, Nils!"

"Who are you, daring to call the Chief Tinkerer by his name so casually?"

"I'm Nils's friend!"

Just as the guards, unable to believe Rin's words, frowned, the command room door swung open and Nils emerged.

"What's all this commotion, Rin, you rascal?"

Rin? Rin?

Is this fellow *that* Archmage Rin, who swept through everything from Meister Greta Veiser to Sincheon Kaditpol?

Completely ignoring the guards' bewildered gazes, Rin excitedly chattered away.

"Make me a magic tool! So this magic always works! A hood shape would be good. Exactly Link's head size."

"A magic tool? A magic tool for what kind of magic?"

"The Holy City's Great Library has many anatomy books, and I found books by the <Ones Who Came> that analyze brainwaves with electricity! Most speech impediments occur because signals from the brain aren't properly transmitted to the relevant organs. This is a brainwave magic array I made to control that, and if it's implanted into a constantly-active magic tool, Link might be able to speak!"

It was natural for Link not to be able to speak now, and he would return to normal after the war, so there seemed to be no real need for something like this…

Nils couldn't say that.

The dazzlingly bright, pure interest and affection for his friend shining in the boy's eyes and between his panting breaths, moved even Nils Blantz, an engineer whose nature followed reason rather than emotion.

"Alright! Leave it to Nils Blantz. If I can just find a magic crystal that can constantly supply mana, I can whip it up in less than a day. Tomorrow, let's have a proper conversation with Link."

"Yeah!!!"

"But you'd better be worried, Rin! Actually, when Link kept saying 'Link, Link, Link,' he might have been cursing you. Guhahahaha!"

At that, Rin closed his mouth in embarrassment.

"Is, is that so? I don't really like that. Surely not, right? Huh? Nils."

Before… he had worried if Link wouldn't be able to adapt to society for his entire life even if he returned to normal, or if he wouldn't be able to make a single friend.

There's nothing to worry about.

Link, because you already have one best friend. Nils smiled contentedly and tapped Link's forehead with a wrench.

"We'll find out tomorrow! Now, stop bothering me. I hate being interrupted when I'm concentrating the most!"