Book 5 Chapter 9

Chapter 111

AuthenticWarrior (True Warrior) Enuel Yere Sharillion.

The fifth warrior of the Holy Elmene Knights and the wielder of the true holy sword Sharillion.

It is said that the true holy swords wielded by the Authentic Warriors were imbued with omnipotent power, and tales of their exploits tell of their slashes splitting mountains, tearing the sky, and dividing the sea.

For reference, the true holy swords are legendary treasures that are the prototypes of all holy swords currently used by the Fake Warriors. Unfortunately, no human other than the Elmene Knights has ever wielded them.

Among the five warriors, the achievements of Enuel, who is recorded to have wielded ultimate power, appear from the middle of the 『Heroic Chronicles』, which details the 'Tarhe Rondel War', and continue to the end of the latter half.

"And I knew about the assault squad that Enuel commanded… but I thought they were annihilated before the final battle."

"They were not annihilated. They survived and left descendants like this. They were ready to die following him, but he saved our ancestors and died alone…"

In the late stages of the war, as the Deep Sea Lord, Insect Lord, Lizard Lord, and Time Lord among the <Forgotten Kings> were sealed one after another, the Spider Lord, pushed into a numerical disadvantage, began a siege warfare in this old capital of Harvadonia.

The Mountains of Madness were like a natural fortress to the Spider Lord.

The abyss covering Harvadonia was so overwhelming that it couldn't even be compared to the present. Ordinary people would instantly fall into corruption as the undead upon stepping in, so regular troops could not be dispatched.

Even the ancestors of the beastfolk, who gathered one by one around Enuel from the mid-war period, forming a unit called the assault squad, could not advance into that overwhelming abyss.

Therefore, Thersia, the leader of the <Ones Who Came>, tried to lead only Alkaios and Enuel, the survivors of the Elmene Knights, to the Mountains of Madness, but…

"Our ancestors wanted to follow Lord Enuel to the very end. That's why they pleaded with the gods. To let them go as well…"

"…So, this is how?"

"Yes. In the end, the Black Sun, Karenden, bestowed a blessing upon our ancestors. A beast's body capable of fighting freely even in this extreme empire, and a strong spirit that would not be eroded by any abyss."

As a result, they lost their human forms, but no one regretted it belatedly.

Everyone, embracing the pride of being Enuel's Assault Squad, simply advanced north, following their master.

"It was written that brave people, like beasts, followed the last warriors… Could that have meant the beastfolk?!"

"Yes. They are our ancestors."

After an endless bloody battle, Enuel, who had captured the fortress in the mountains, intentionally dispersed the assault squad around the area before ascending to the summit with Alkaios to defeat and seal the Spider Lord.

It is said that during that process, Alkaios, the leading warrior, died, and Enuel, the last warrior who plunged his sword into the Spider Lord's heart, also passed away in Thersia's arms.

If he had led the assault squad up, he might have survived by using them as shields. But Enuel did not do that.

"Amidst the echoes of our ancestors crying out and pounding the ground, dawn finally broke in the world, and the Age of the Abyss ended."

"…"

"It is said that when the <Ones Who Came> still dwelled in the world, and when the <Wall of Snow and Ice> was built on the border of Harvadonia, our ancestors could have returned to human bodies but chose not to."

"Why?"

"To remain in this abyssal land and protect the seal created with his blood. Therefore, this form is a symbol of loyalty and pride that our clan has offered to Lord Enuel for generations."

As Chieftain Beduel finished his story, a faint silence settled throughout the tent.

It was hard to believe it was a lie, because the gaps in information that he had questioned while reading books about the Age of Gods now felt completely filled.

And most importantly… he, more than anyone else in this era, knew well what those left behind could do for those who had departed.

"What would that feeling have been like?"

"What feeling are you talking about?"

"Enuel wouldn't have known of their loyalty, as he had already fallen in battle… But what would it have felt like to uphold that loyalty, knowing he wouldn't know?"

Disillusioned with himself for asking such a selfish question even at this moment, he let out a bitter laugh.

This was a question for himself.

It was a question for which he, left alone in a world where all his comrades who could have asked it were gone, could never find an answer. That's why he hadn't expected a reply.

"My child, we have a saying: a funeral is not for the departed, but for those left behind."

"For those left behind…?"

"Think about the meaning of those words yourself. And why wouldn't you know? Who knows what might happen in this world full of divine miracles? What if, by the grace of the gods, Lord Enuel returned and learned of our ancestors' deeds?"

At that question, a dizzying pain, as if stabbed by a knife, suddenly shot through his heart.

"He might call them fools, but wouldn't he, deep down, be proud, saying 'These are indeed my subordinates'?"

"…"

"Thinking about that gives us strength. It's the same for us; when I was young, I used to imagine the moment I would explain our ancestors' lives to Lord Enuel upon his return."

In a pain he couldn't distinguish as either sorrow or joy, his head bowed involuntarily.

Was it so?

Did they feel the same?

Did they dream such joyful dreams while waiting for me, who promised to return… just as I now dream, looking back on your lives?

Deep within his chest, he felt something hard and solidified break and melt, forming tears.

Since returning to this world, there had been no one he could seriously ask about this. Nor anyone who could honestly answer.

Although Beduel, before his eyes, wasn't his comrade, it felt as if those fools were embracing his back and telling him those very words, making his chest ache unbearably.

"Thank you for telling me…"

Barjen could only stare at the boy with a mix of dumbfoundedness and perplexity, and there was a reason for that…

Because this little kid in front of him was the first person who had listened to their story so seriously, and even shed tears.

For a moment, he felt his heart stir with emotion, but he quickly shook his head resolutely and composed himself.

"Hmph, trying to act like you're crying won't do anything now that it's all over. Stop it."

"…?"

"The years of upholding loyalty are over. You should have done your part when we were doing well; now there's nothing left but for us to kill each other."

What on earth…? As the boy quickly wiped his tears and looked up, Chieftain Beduel let out a deep sigh.

"War clouds are gathering over this land. We've repeatedly warned the wolves that the Spider Lord's seal is gradually weakening…"

"Those bastards didn't listen."

"How is that possible? The Mad Dragon couldn't have not known…"

"This is the land of the abyss, so the Mad Dragon's eyes cannot reach here."

As if not giving time to be shocked by the chieftain's words, Barjen reeled off a series of shocking statements.

"Anyway, those bastards treated us like animals and ignored our words. Now, we can no longer maintain the seal."

"Does that mean…?"

"The Spider Lord, or rather, his minions' seal is about to break. You can tell by seeing the ancient beings appear, leading blizzards."

Such… How could this happen?

This is different from when the Lizard Lord's seal was broken 300 years ago. That was forcibly released by black mages, but this is…

"How can we, shouldn't we stop it? If we leave it like this, something terrible will surely happen, won't it?"

"Tch, if we could stop it, would we be beastfolk or warriors? We can't stop it with our power. So, the only option is to flee below the wall."

"But as far as I know, the White Wolves are blocking the beastfolk's passage through the wall."

"Even if those fake wolves act up, we'll just force our way through."

Rain stared blankly at Barjen.

It wasn't because he didn't understand what he meant. He wondered what kind of situation Barjen's words would lead to, and if he understood the weight of his actions.

However, perhaps interpreting the meaning of the boy's gaze as the former, the chieftain spoke with a sigh.

"Griffion, son of Ralquen, is gathering all the tribes. To break down the wall and descend below it."

* * *

The Abyss possesses the property of eroding the world. Even a speck of abyss, if left unchecked, will eventually proliferate enough to swallow the entire world.

The <Wall of Snow and Ice> was constructed by the White Dragon Legion under the guidance of the gods to block such expansion of the abyss.

Even the gods couldn't completely purify Harvadonia, the former stronghold of the abyss, so they built a wall of light on its border to block the threat of the abyss from the civilized world.

'To break down such a place…'

Couldn't this situation be seen as a prelude to destruction? He couldn't understand how the situation had come to this.

In this situation, with the Mad Dragon Haraderiman and the Water Dragon Yeriserika wide awake, and even the True Dragon Alakish dispatched here.

"「Approximately five hundred years ago, there were no problems. But from some point after that, the White Wolves stopped listening to me.」"

It is said that with contact severed from the Mad Dragon and Water Dragon, Alakish had been continuously looking after the beastfolk here and monitoring the abyss, merely awaiting the call of the Fire Dragon.

Though not spoken aloud, it could only be said that Alakish's stubbornly diligent nature also had a slight problem.

If he had sensed such a serious anomaly, he should have reprimanded and condemned the wolves of the wall, and then immediately reported it to the divine dragons.

'Golden Dragons like Yoshuhar were good at things like this, though…'

The Red Dragon Legion was like warriors among humans; they were all taciturn and faithfully dedicated to their given tasks.

It had been an advantage throughout a long history, but to act so unfavorably here…

He had a ominous premonition.

He had a delusion that this current situation, pushed to such an extreme, felt as if someone had designed it over a long period.

'After relegating the beastfolk's heroic tales to mere cautionary stories, they gradually spread the rumor that beastfolk are truly cursed creatures… dividing humans and beastfolk and amplifying conflict until war breaks out.'

And they cause major and minor incidents across the continent so that the Mad Dragon and Water Dragon cannot see the north. This could be called a distraction operation.

If this was truly their plan, and all situations were proceeding according to their intentions…

Suddenly, the world's destruction that Karenden had shown him came to mind. And the words he had spoken to him as well.

"Our village is also preparing to join Griffion. We will leave in ten days."

If the wall collapses, the destruction of the world will accelerate. And the beastfolk turning into enemies is also fatal to humanity.

Everything must not be allowed to proceed according to the black mages' plans.

He endlessly recalled these pragmatic calculations to justify his current actions, but in truth, his true intention was embarrassingly simple.

"Could you help me resolve this issue amicably?"

He wanted to help.

He simply wanted to help.

Perhaps he saw the shadows of his warrior party comrades in them, or perhaps he felt an impertinent sense of camaraderie with Warrior Enuel, but…

"What did you just say?"

If he were to state only the conclusion without any tedious embellishments, as he said before, he simply wanted to help.

"You said it yourself, Chieftain. You've upheld your loyalty because Enuel might return. But how do you think he would feel if he heard that the beastfolk broke down the wall?"

"That's… But I have a duty to protect my village family. We can't endure it any longer. Staying here will only lead to being devoured by the abyss."

"So, the conclusion is, we just need to get past the wall, right?"

"Damn it! If it were that easy, who would be doing this now?! It's not something a kid like you can resolve amicably!"

Waiting for Barjen to flare up, he immediately placed a hand on his chest and spoke confidently. It was time to use his inconvenient noble status.

"I am a rather high-ranking noble from the Empire. The White Wolf Guard might listen to my words."

"Don't be ridiculous! Why would those guys listen to a little kid like you? Are you the Emperor's son or something?"

"Well, they might not listen to me, but it would be different if she stepped forward."

"Who is that other kid?"

"She is the young lady of the Paige family, holding authority comparable to an Elector. She is a descendant of the progenitor of magic."

At that shocking statement, the chieftain and Barjen looked back at Kasena with surprised eyes.

"The progenitor of magic… Emmitsa?"

"The one the Black Sun regarded as his own daughter…?"

As expected, the name of Emmitsa, who had been a pillar of ancient legends, seemed to have spread widely even among the beastfolk.

For reference, Emmitsa and Enuel were great figures who lived in the same era. Although there was a clear difference in the scale of their activities and battlefields (Emmitsa was a young girl during the Tarhe Rondel War).

Perhaps feeling a sense of camaraderie in having such great figures as their pillars, the wariness in Barjen's eyes noticeably disappeared.

"If the gates are opened peacefully, there's no need to break down the wall, is there?"

"…!"

"So, please take us with you when you go to this Griffion. We will try to persuade him, and also the White Wolves."