Shamed, Climb kept walking nonetheless.
Gagaran wouldn’t change his nickname no matter how many times he told her, so giving up and just pretending he didn’t care was the most effective thing he could do.
“It’s been a while, La— Er, Gagaran. And Lady Evileye.” When he arrived in front of them, he bobbed his head.
“Yeah, long time no see! Did you come to get laid?” she asked with a wild, animalistic grin on her face, gesturing with her chin for him to sit down, but Climb remained expressionless and shook his head.
This could be called Gagaran’s usual greeting, but she wasn’t kidding. If Climb responded affirmatively, even as a joke, she would probably drag him up to a private room on the second floor. He would have no way to resist her overwhelming muscles.
She endlessly professed her fondness for relishing “fresh cherries”—that was the kind of person she was.
In contrast, Evileye faced straight ahead, unmoving. Climb couldn’t tell where her eyes were focused under the mask.
“No, Lady Aindra asked me to come.”
“Hmm? Our leader?”
“Yes, I have a message for you. She says it seems like you’ll be moving very soon. Details will come when you get back, but she wants you to be combat ready at any time.”
“Whoa. Well, sorry you had to come all the way here just for that.” Gagaran laughed heartily, and Climb remembered he had something else he needed to tell her.
“Today I was blessed with the opportunity to receive training from Captain Stronoff, and he praised that move you taught me, the overhead strike.”
Gagaran had taught him that move in this inn’s backyard. She broke into a smile as if Gazef’s praise had been for her. “Oh, that? Hmm, nicely done. But you know…”
“I know. I won’t be satisfied with this. I’ll train even harder.”
“Well, that too. Assume that move won’t work out, and come up with the next thing and chain it.”
Curiously, or perhaps because it was just common sense among top-class warriors, Gagaran’s advice bore a strong resemblance to Gazef’s. Climb was surprised at the coincidence, but Gagaran must have read his reaction as something else. “Of course, the downward slice I showed you has no point if you don’t use it with the intent to make it a one-hit kill.” She laughed. “Really, the correct answer is to have countless moves and choose the appropriate ones as you go, but you can’t do that.” She remarked in a roundabout way that he lacked innate talent. “So make a chain of three moves so that even if your opponent blocks them, they can’t transition into a counterattack.”
Climb nodded.
“Well, there will be times that it won’t work, like when your opponent’s a monster with lots of arms, but you’ll be fine against a human. If they learn your pattern, you’re doomed, but for first-time opponents, it’ll be pretty effective. Make a chain so you can push, push, push.”
“Got it.” Climb nodded emphatically.
That morning, the only time he’d been able to penetrate Gazef’s space as far as he had was when he had used that move. Except for that, the captain had seen through him instantly and left Climb defending against counterattacks.
But did Climb lose confidence because of it? No.
Did he despair? No.
Just the opposite.
An ordinary person had come that close to the strongest warrior in the kingdom—no, in the entire region. He knew it was because his opponent had been holding back, but for Climb, going down his pitch-black path devoid of light, that was plenty encouraging.
Your hard work isn’t all for nothing.
Remembering that, he realized what Gagaran was trying to say.
He wasn’t sure he would be able to devise a chain attack, but still, the passion to do it bubbled up inside him. He wanted to get strong so that next time he sparred with the captain of the Royal Select, he would be worth just a little more of his superior’s effort.
“…Oh yeah. You were asking Evileye for something, too, right? Magic training, was it?”
“Yes.” Climb glanced at Evileye. When he’d asked her, she’d scoffed at him from under her mask, and the conversation had ended. Since nothing had changed, if he brought it up again, he would probably get the same response.
But—
“Kid.” Her voice was hard to hear. Even ignoring the effect of the mask, the tone of her voice was very mysterious. Despite the mask, as long as it wasn’t too thick, it should have been possible to tell what sort of voice she had to some extent. But Evileye’s didn’t betray her age, emotions, or anything like that. The sole, barely discernible trait was that it belonged to a woman. She sounded both old and young. Her voice was detached and flat.
It was probably because the mask she wore was a magic item, but why did she need to go to such lengths to hide her voice?
“You don’t have the aptitude. Pour your efforts into something else.” She made the dismissive declaration as though that was all she had to say to him.
But Climb knew that perfectly well.
He had no magic aptitude—no, not only magic.
No matter how many times he swung his sword, no matter how many times his blisters bled, popped, and healed over, he hadn’t been able to reach the realm he aspired to. Someone born with talent could scale that wall easily, but for Climb, it was an unapproachable precipice.
But that didn’t mean he could neglect his efforts to overcome it. Without aptitude, all he could do was work hard and trust that he would be able to advance even one step forward.
“You don’t seem convinced.” Apparently noticing Climb’s emotions beneath his expressionless facade, Evileye continued. “Gifted people show it from the beginning. Some people say that ability is like a flower before it has bloomed and that everyone has the potential, but…hmm. If you ask me, that’s nothing but wishful thinking. Something inferior people say to console themselves. But that’s what the leader of the Thirteen Heroes was like, too.”
The leader of the Thirteen Heroes… The legends said that he was originally an ordinary person. He’d been weaker than everyone, but as he continued fighting with his sword, getting injured along the way, he became a hero stronger than anyone had ever seen. He had potential that endlessly grew.
“He already had it, it just hadn’t bloomed yet. But you’re different. You work hard and stay the same… That’s right. Natural aptitude is unmistakable. There are those who have it and those who don’t. So…I won’t say to give up, but just know where you stand.”
Evileye’s harsh words invoked a moment of silence. And it was Evileye who broke it again.
“Gazef Stronoff…he’s a good example. That’s a man with potential. Climb, do you really think you can close the gap in your abilities with hard work?”
His words wouldn’t come out. He had been reminded today during his training bout with Gazef that it was a distance he couldn’t cross.
“Well, it’s probably unfair of me to compare you to him. I don’t know anyone equal to him with a sword besides the Thirteen Heroes, perhaps. Gagaran here is pretty skilled, but she can’t beat Gazef.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! That guy’s already got one foot in the realm of heroes.”
“Hmm. People say you’re a heroine yourself…although there’s a question mark with regards to your gender.”
Evileye faltered for just a moment, but Gagaran smiled and said, “Hey now, Evileye. Isn’t the definition of a hero a monster with extraordinary power who’s transcended human limits?”
“I don’t deny it.”
“In that case, I can’t set foot in the heroic realm. I’m a human.”
“…Still, you have a gift. You’re different from a human like Climb with none. Climb, you’re not meant to spend your time chasing after the stars.”
Climb knew full well he was lacking, but this constant confrontation with the fact drove it home. Still, that didn’t mean he intended to change his way of life.
I exist for the princess.
To do her will.
Evileye must have sensed something martyr-like about him. She clicked her tongue from under her mask. “…You probably won’t quit just because I said all that.”
“You’re right.”
“What a fool you are. Truly a fool.” She shook her head and exclaimed how she couldn’t understand. “Those with dreams that can’t be attained destroy themselves, you know. I said it before, but you need to know your place.”
“I understand.”
“But you don’t feel like listening? You are a man who’s beyond foolish. The type who dies an early death… Is there anyone who would cry if you were killed?”
“What’s this, Evileye? You’re harassing him so much because you’re worried about him?”
At Gagaran’s words, Evileye bitterly slumped her shoulders. She turned to face Gagaran, reached out with a gloved hand to grab her collar, and shouted, “Shaddup for a second, meathead!”
“But it’s true, isn’t it?”
Gagaran was unfazed, even held by her collar, and her remark left Evileye speechless.
The robed woman sank into her chair and, to change the subject, directed her frustration at Climb. “First, learn about magic. If you increase your knowledge, you’ll be able to understand the intentions of an opponent who uses magic. That way you can take more appropriate measures against them.”
“Aren’t there too many types of magic for him to study them all?”
“No. There are relatively few core spells that casters rely on. He can start with those.” Evileye added dismissively that if he couldn’t do that much, he should just give up. “Besides, as long as he learns up to tier three, he should have no problem.”
“Hey, Evileyyyye. They say there are spells that go up to tier ten, but no one can use them, right? So how do we know about them?”
“Hmm…” With the air of a teacher instructing her students, Evileye did something beneath her robe. Suddenly, Climb felt all the sounds around them grow distant, as if their table had been placed inside a bubble. “Don’t panic. I just used a trifling item.”
He wasn’t sure how wary of surrounding ears she had to be to use the item, but Climb sat up straighter when he realized the answer to Gagaran’s question was important enough to take precautions.
“In one of the myths, there are beings known as the Eight Kings of Avarice. It’s said that they stole the powers of the gods and ruled this world with their enormous strength.”
Climb knew the story of the Eight Kings of Avarice. It was far from popular as a fairy tale, but people who possessed a certain degree of knowledge knew the story.
To summarize, five hundred years ago, the Eight Kings of Avarice appeared. Described as taller than the sky and dragon-like, they obliterated a country in the blink of an eye and conquered the world with their overwhelming power. They were unaccountably greedy, however, and fought because they coveted one another’s possessions. At the end of the story, they all died.
It was only natural that a tale like that would be unpopular, but where opinions split was whether it was a fairy tale or something else. Personally, Climb thought it was rather embellished. But among adventurers, there were some here and there who believed it depicted actual beings—those more powerful than any that existed in the present day.
As grounds for this belief, they pointed to a city said to exist far away to the south in the desert. Supposedly it had been built by the Eight Kings of Avarice to serve as their capital when they ruled the continent.
While Climb stewed in his own thoughts, Evileye continued. “It’s believed the Eight Kings of Avarice possessed countless powerful items, and among them was a grimoire known as the Nameless Spellbook. That’s your answer.”
“Huh? You mean it was all written down in that book?”
“Indeed. Supposedly all the spells are listed in that unimaginably powerful magic item left behind by the legendary kings. Rumor has it that, perhaps through the workings of some magic, every new spell created is listed automatically.”
Though Climb knew the story of the Eight Kings of Avarice, he had never heard about this book before. Vaguely realizing what a rare piece of knowledge this was, he focused again on listening.
“That’s how we can be certain tier-ten spells exist. Of course, few know even this much—that the Nameless Spellbook is real.”
Climb gulped. “H-have you ever tried to find it? The Nameless Spellbook?” He asked precisely because these two stood at the pinnacle of adventurers.
Evileye snorted as if to say, Don’t be absurd! “Hmph. According to someone who’s laid eyes on the thing, it’s protected by such a strong magic charm that no one but its rightful owner can touch it. It reportedly has power equal to an entire world, but that just means it’s equally dangerous. I know my place, so I have no intention of coveting that sort of item and dying a foolish death like the Eight Kings of Avarice.”
“You say that even knowing the leader of your team is famous for owning a weapon that belonged to one of the Thirteen Heroes?”
“It’s supposedly on a whole other level, that book. Well, it’s secondhand info from someone who saw it, so I don’t really know the details. Aren’t we off topic? Anyhow, that’s the answer, Gagaran. Got it?”
After that, Evileye seemed to hesitate a bit, a rare occurrence, and turned to Climb. “Climb, don’t do anything foolish like giving up your humanity just because you want power.”
“Giving up my humanity…? You mean like demons in the stories?”
“That or becoming undead or a magic being.”
“A normal human can’t do those things.”
“Yeah… Most people who turn undead end up warping their minds. They’re passionate about their ideals, so they pursue that route to realize their desires, but…the physical changes strain their mind too much, and they transform into something horrific.”
No emotion was visible behind the mask, but Evileye’s voice was clearly tinged with pity. Watching her adopt an apparent faraway gaze, Gagaran spoke in a terrifically cheery voice. “Plus, if the princess woke up and Climb was an ogre, she’d go into shock!”
Evileye must have understood the feelings driving Gagaran’s remark. Her voice returned to its previous inscrutable state. “…Well, that’s one thing you could do. Using transformation magic, you could change temporarily. In all seriousness, that is an option! For increasing physical ability, I mean.”
“I think I’ll pass.”
“It’s effective in the sense of purely physical enhancement. Humans don’t have a terrible amount of ability to start with, you know? Given the same talent, starting from better basic attributes would naturally give you an advantage.”
That was obvious. At the same skill level, the one with better physical ability would have the edge.
“Actually, most of the Thirteen Heroes hailed from other races, not humanity. By the way, we say the Thirteen Heroes, but really, there were more. Only a mere thirteen made it into the legends… The fight against the evil spirits united beings across racial boundaries, but people focused on humans, probably not willing to spread sagas featuring the exploits of other species,” Evileye remarked sarcastically. Then her demeanor changed entirely, and her narration turned nostalgic. “The warrior wielding the whirlwind ax was chief warrior of the air giants, and there was a royal family of elves that shared the characteristics of the ancestral elves, as well as the original owner of our leader’s sword, Killineiram, the Black Knight, who possessed the Four Great Swords of Darkness and was part demon.”
“The Four Great Swords of Darkness…?” asked Climb.
One of the Thirteen Heroes, the Black Knight, was said to possess four swords: Evil Sword, Humiris; Demonic Sword, Killineiram; Canker Sword, Coroquedavarre; and Death Sword, Sufiz. One of them was currently in the possession of none other than the leader of the Blue Roses, Lakyus.
“The most powerful Sword of Darkness, created by condensing infinite shadows, Demonic Sword, Killineiram… Sooo, is i
t true that if you unleash its power completely it would radiate enough dark energy to swallow a country whole?” asked Gagaran.
“What in the world?” Evileye seemed confused.
“I heard it from our leader. She said it when she was on her own the other day. She was holding her right hand and saying something about how only a woman who serves the gods like her could control its full power, et cetera, et cetera.”
“I never heard anything about that…” Evileye cocked her head, puzzled. “But if the owner of the sword said so, it might be true.”
“Then is it true that there’s a dark Lakyus born from the mind of that darkness?”
“What?”
“Nah, I mean, she was mumbling that to herself a different time. She didn’t seem to realize I was there, so I listened in to see what was up, and she was saying this crazy stuff like, ‘If you get careless, I, the black root of all darkness, will rule your flesh and unleash the power of the Demonic Sword.’”
“I…can’t say that it’s entirely impossible. Some cursed items take over their owners’ minds… It would be a massive pain in the neck if Lakyus was possessed, though.”
“It seems like she wants to keep it a secret, but I bet if we ask her straight, she’ll blush and tell us not to worry about it.”
“Hmm. As a priest who’s supposed to break curses, she’s probably embarrassed that we’d worry about her being cursed instead. Does that mean she’s determined not to make us worry and bottling it all up?”
“I haven’t seen anything like that happen since then, but… Do you remember? She started wearing those meaningless armor rings right after she got that sword, right?”
“I thought they were just a fashion statement, but are you saying they might be magic sealing items or catalysts?”
Climb couldn’t maintain his stoic mask any longer and furrowed his brow.
From what he’d heard just now, it sounded like Lakyus might be falling under the control of an evil item. Thinking about where he’d just come from, his uneasiness grew. “Is Princess Renner in danger?”
He seemed ready to fly out the door, but Evileye held him back. “Don’t panic. It’s not like anything’s going to happen this second. Even if she were about to lose herself to a dark power, it’s not like it would happen before she realized what was going on. The fact that she hasn’t told us about it probably means she thinks she can control it. I mean, she’s mentally strong, right? But…I had no idea that sword had such power!”
The Men of the Kingdom Part I Page 8
