◈ Episode 264. I Don’t Believe in Coincidence (2)
Unfortunately.
You heard it after all.
Argentress murmured.
“Darkness. Darkness. Darkness…….”
More than that, she was chewing it over.
The End’s full name was absurdly long, after all.
She was reciting, word by word, the terms she was trying so hard to memorize.
I couldn’t blame Argentress.
The one at fault wasn’t Argentress.
It was my own naming sense for giving him a name like that.
More importantly. ‘……
I’m glad she doesn’t seem to have the presence of mind to memorize my epithet.’ I swallowed a sigh of relief and opened my mouth.
“You may speak, The End.”
It went without saying.
I had not summoned The End.
Had I been struggling to deal with those byproduct scraps, perhaps it would have been another matter.
But as you can see, that was not the case.
There must be something he absolutely had to tell me.
The End must have revealed himself of his own accord.
Ssssss— The End became darkness and swept once through the surroundings.
The way he stared intently toward Argentress.
It was as if he were asking whether a third party was allowed to hear this.
Of course, it was fine.
I may not know how to read elven physiognomy.
But I had experience watching them from beside me, didn’t I?
Elsidore was the same. ‘Even while suffering under the hierarchy.’ He never bent his stubbornness to the very end.
In a word, elves were a race who would rather die than do anything that did not come from the heart. As foul as their innate nature was, they were far removed from acting or pretense.
“Then I shall report to my lord.”
Good. Let’s hear it.
Just how urgent was this matter.
For you to appear while shouting all manner of epithets.
When I listened, The End’s voice had grown serious.
“The darkest place on the Arcana Continent.”
I flinched from the very first words.
The nuance was a little like that, but…….
I could not fail to recognize it, for it was a phrase I had spoken with my own mouth.
The darkest place on the Arcana Continent.
That was a Grandfell-style expression.
Referring to the Claudi territory.
And yet.
“That place is in a grave state……!”
……
That place is in a grave state?
In other words.
Something grave is happening there, isn’t it?
Even if I had unexpectedly come to track the Primordial Evil in Sisley.
Searching for traces of Claudi as well.
Was something I had planned before entering the Arcana Continent.
Failing to carry out my schedule because I was being swayed by mere demons?
Something impossible in Grandfell’s dictionary. ‘Once this quest is wrapped up to some extent…….’ Naturally, I had intended to be guided by The End.
And visit that so-called darkest place on the continent.
It was not as though a dark history would disappear just because I looked away from it.
And now that I knew it had truly existed.
Even that was something I had to make use of, such was my unfortunate situation. ‘But now there’s a problem?’ What a spiteful situation.
Why is everything exploding at once like this, seriously.
First, in concrete terms.
I needed to know what made it so grave.
Only then could I set priorities. ‘If the situation really seems twisted.’ I would have to keep in mind leaving the pursuit to Tempest and Argentress.
Soon, I asked The End.
So where exactly, and what exactly is happening?
“My lord……?”
Instead of answering, The End trailed off.
I thought he was still finding it difficult to answer.
But that was not it.
The End looked around.
More precisely, he identified our current location.
Then he asked.
“Forgive me, but might my lord’s destination perhaps be……?”
Ssssss— The End’s darkness pointed beyond the horizon.
It seemed he was asking about the direction, but even if you ask me that, I don’t know?
I merely moved according to where Tempest led me.
When I looked at Tempest, a howl soon rang out.
“Awooooo!”
Argentress added the interpretation.
“He says the direction indicated is correct.”
“……!”
I could see The End flinch.
By then, I had caught on as well.
This, it seems, overlaps.
“My lord……!”
The Primordial Evil.
It seemed the creature had headed for the darkest place on the Arcana Continent.
For the territory of the Claudi family.
The End’s voice was filled with concern.
“As one so lowly, I cannot yet be certain. It may simply be a coincidence. However, my lord, though I risk discourtesy, I must report this to you. Please, dispel my needless worries……!”
……
No, you didn’t have to speak so earnestly. I was already intending to do so.
If you ask why.
I will answer with the words I, Grandfell, always have on my lips like a habit.
I spoke to The End, who had bowed his head.
“I do not believe in fate.”
That’s right.
I don’t even believe in fate.
So would I believe this is a mere coincidence?
Therefore, I could be certain.
The Primordial Evil.
There must be a reason why that creature headed to the Claudi territory.
When I thought from that perspective…….
I began to understand.
Because it had such a definite objective.
It must have been trying to hold me back through its byproducts.
Now that I knew its scheme.
I had no intention of playing along. ‘I have to go right now.’ The darkest place on the Arcana Continent.
To the Claudi territory.
Someone might worry.
If I leave like this, how do I plan to deal with the byproducts?
Those chunks of flesh that only I can defeat.
Might spread across the Arcana Continent while I am gone.
Indeed, that is a perfectly reasonable concern.
However, do not overlook this.
The listening spirit will feel slighted. [Blessing of the First World Tree]
I am not the only one who holds it.
“Hiel.”
When Hiel appeared in midair, Argentress cleared her throat.
“Ahem.”
Now that I think about it, those two have met before, haven’t they?
On the day heavenly fortune surged.
Hiel had climbed onto Yunaxus’s bridge of the nose.
“Hiel shall follow my lord’s will.”
In any case, as expected of my Number One alter ego.
You realized it well without me even saying anything.
Tempest and Argentress.
And Hiel, who possessed the World Tree’s blessing, on top of that.
Byproducts of this level should not be difficult to dispose of.
It meant I could entrust the matter to them with confidence.
“Tempest. Argentress. I shall likewise leave the rear to you.”
“We will follow swiftly.”
“Awooo!”
“The End.”
“I shall uphold my lord’s will.”
I did have a rough setting in my head.
But that setting was abstract.
And to manifest a portal, precise coordinates were necessary.
Soon, The End transmitted the coordinates through telepathy.
I extracted the coordinates from the telepathy.
Adding the coordinates to the interference process, I immediately manifested a portal. ‘Somehow…….’ The sparkling portal looked different than usual.
It must be because beyond this portal.
Lies my greatest dark history. ‘It is truly frightening in many senses, but…….’ Clack— There was no hesitation.
Even if I wanted to hesitate, now that a demon was involved.
My lofty pride would not allow it.
And so I took a step.
At last.
Arcana.
The darkest place on the continent entered my sight....
What I saw was flesh.
Flesh.
And even more bloated flesh.
“……
How dare you.”
The End’s alien aura surged.
From that, I could tell.
Beneath that flesh.
It seemed there really had been “something” there.
I checked the quest objective. —Track the Primordial Evil. (In progress)
I had wondered, just in case.
How very diligent you are.
You have already fled with your tail between your legs, leaving only byproducts behind.
I opened my mouth.
“There is no need to be shaken, The End.”
“My apologies, my lord. I should have been swifter.”
“There is no need to seek forgiveness from me.”
It was simply that the moment we realized it came late.
Blaming anyone now would be meaningless.
To begin with, this must have been one of the things that creature, the Primordial Evil, had planned.
From the beginning.
From a past too distant to fathom.
In that sense, there was no need to blame yourself.
No, here, if anything, you may be shameless.
“It is all right.”
I said calmly that it was all right, but…….
In truth, I, Lee Hoyeol, did not feel even slightly displeased.
Because my dark history, the Claudi family, had been covered in flesh?
No, this time, it was not for such a petty reason.
This was the joy of having seized evidence.
Shiiiiik— Shk— Shiiiiiii— As if nothing had ever been there.
The flesh spread across the area as it breathed deeply.
Watching that scene, I continued speaking calmly.
“The ones who should be concerned are not us, but them.”
That’s right.
The Primordial Evil.
How that creature had behaved until now.
Through the quests.
Through the dragons.
Through the elves.
And through the arrangements left behind by the World Tree.
I had grasped it to some extent.
In that sense, even if one said everything had gone according to its plan, I could not refute it. Having perfectly deceived the dragons and elves, and having escaped the World Tree that had been like shackles, everything must truly have been perfect.
But that great Primordial Evil.
After escaping the World Tree’s shade.
The first place it headed for was right here.
The great family.
The Claudi territory.
To cover it completely. ‘It goes without saying, but…….’ Until I confirmed it with my own eyes.
I had not known to what extent the Claudi family had been realized on the Arcana Continent. Even if the dragons, including Yunaxus, had bowed their heads. Even if Argentress had recognized that I was Claudi. ‘My setting had far more than that in it.’ Therefore, the scene before my eyes was the clearest evidence of all.
“It seems you are trying desperately to hide it.”
Just as it annihilated Akshan, its natural enemy, from the continent.
It must be trying to erase even the remaining traces of Claudi.
Because it fears Claudi.
However, how unfortunate.
“But it is useless.”
Why, I too once thought the same thing, you see?
Yes, I mean that I struggled to hide my dark history.
But it didn’t work.
The more I tried to cover it up, the more it surged back……!
The past.
Was not something that could be covered up so recklessly.
If I were to express that grandly in Grandfell-style speech.
“Because it is impossible for darkness to cover light.”
So I gave up.
Even if I died of shame from my dark history.
I comforted myself by thinking that I would die all the same anyway.
Through sheer spite and grit.
I decided to face it head-on.
Do not even think of rendering such a solemn resolve meaningless.
The background of Claudi surfaced in my mind. 『The reason the Claudi territory was not known to the continent was simple. Because Claudi did not wish it. In their territory, Claudi’s voice was truly absolute…….』 At this moment alone, I would not consider shame.
The one the Claudi territory had been waiting for.
Could not be the pitiful Lee Hoyeol, suffering from his dark history.
The last survivor and heir of Claudi.
Who returned unbroken by any trial. [Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]
It must have been his voice.
Therefore, at this moment alone.
I will shamelessly and perfectly give it that voice.
I opened my mouth.
“I command in the name of Claudi.” 『Even if it were the emperor. Even if it were a dragon. Even if it were an elf. In Claudi’s territory, none could defy the rules set by Claudi.』 I declared to the ugly, writhing flesh.
“Do not breathe without permission in my territory.”
Then the pieces of flesh stopped breathing as they were.
“Do not defile my territory.”
They stopped moving.
“Be cast into hell as you are.”
In an instant, they caught fire and vanished without a trace.
Physically.
Magically.
By the standards of reality.
And by the standards of the Arcana Continent, it was a phenomenon that could not be explained.
That was precisely Claudi’s law.
At last, the Claudi territory that had been hidden by the flesh revealed itself.
My dark history, which I had wanted to look away from, entered my eyes. ‘Damn it.’ If I denied it even after confirming it with my own two eyes like this.
How would I be any different.
From the Primordial Evil that had covered the territory until just moments ago?
That’s right.
Now is precisely the time.
To fully take responsibility for my past.
To exert an adult’s pride, Hoyeol.
I walked forward.
As if welcoming me, the wind blew.
My jacket fluttered.
Silver hair scattered before my eyes.
“Welcome me.”
I declared, looking at the collapsed mansion.
“Your master has returned.”