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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Imperial Capital, Izezyst (4)
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The Sword Saint, Yan van Gallantus.
He was one of the few Sword Masters on the continent, known to have reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
'What immense pressure...'
Perhaps that was why. Yan merely stood there, sword drawn, glaring at me, yet the pressure emanating from his entire being choked my breath, and the sensation of being crushed made it difficult to even stand straight.
It was the first time since my master that I had felt such an overwhelming pressure from someone's aura.
Along with that thought, a sudden realization dawned on me.
'Even someone like this had fallen...'
It was only natural that the game's difficulty had been so high.
Perhaps he was even stronger. The clear-minded Yan, standing before me with his sword drawn, might be stronger than the Yan who had served the Emperor until the very end, only to ultimately fall with him.
This was because, as far as I knew, the Sword Saint Style that Yan employed was heavily influenced by mental and spiritual factors.
'Interesting.'
Unlike in the game, there was an Emperor who had not yet fallen, and a Sword Saint with a pure heart, loyal to that Emperor, now pointing his sword at me.
They were now attempting to gauge me by pointing their swords.
To see what kind of disposition I, the 'Vessel of Sin,' possessed,
Whether I truly possessed enough power to cut down the Seven Deadly Sins,
And furthermore, whether I could be drawn to their side.
'And it's for the best.'
Their actions, surely based on numerous calculations,
This situation, hopeful in many ways, unlike the game filled only with tragic elements.
'Because I can change things now.'
I could avoid seeing the tears of blood shed by the Emperor, who once loved the Empire more than himself, in his final moments—tears I had witnessed through a monitor.
Furthermore, I might not have to witness the Sword Saint's cries of anguish as he either offered his neck to Fran, who wielded her sword through tears, or took the life of his beloved disciple and then wailed in despair.
If only I played my part well.
"I will not draw my sword."
Perhaps that was why.
The desire to change the fates of these individuals, fates I couldn't alter in the game,
The urge to rewrite their utterly miserable stories to my liking,
A surge of will welled up within me.
Crrrack!
As I stamped my foot, burning mana, the intangible aura that had sought to shackle me scattered in all directions with a tumultuous sound.
"...!"
"Ohh...!"
The Emperor's and Sword Saint's eyes widened dramatically.
"Because I believe I can survive. Even without drawing my sword."
As I spoke, raising my sword which remained sheathed, the corner of the Sword Saint's mouth began to twitch.
"As I've heard... you are truly arrogant."
Grin.
Unable to suppress his laughter, the Sword Saint finally burst into a wide smile and said,
"That's why I like it."
—Whoosh!
Despite saying he liked it.
Contradictorily, the Sword Saint pushed off the ground and swung his sword towards me.
The Sword Saint's cherished blade, imbued with pure mana, traced a pure white arc as it flew towards my head.
—Clang!
When I parried the Sword Saint's mana-laden sword with my starlight-imbued scabbard, the sound of blade on blade erupted not from a blade, but from the scabbard itself.
"...!"
"...!"
As the Emperor, who had been silently watching, and the Sword Saint, who had retreated, both widened their eyes once more.
"I wasn't able to explain this earlier, but..."
I intentionally raised my scabbard, visibly imbued with countless specks of starlight.
"For me to survive until the end, there is one condition."
I murmured in a low, serious voice.
"And what is that?"
"To kill them all."
The Emperor asked, and I answered.
"Who are you referring to? And how many must you kill?"
"All beings imbued with demonic energy. I must kill them all. Otherwise..."
"..."
When I answered the Emperor's repeated question, he merely gazed at me with profound eyes, uttering no words.
"I will die. And countless innocent subjects whom Your Majesty loves will also perish in droves."
Hoo, I took a deep breath and continued my explanation.
"That is why. And that is the sole reason. The reason I have drawn and wielded my sword until now, and why I must continue to wield it. Your Majesty, therefore, I dare to ask: Will Your Majesty forbid me from drawing my sword, thus allowing the predetermined tragedy to unfold? Or..."
"Or what?"
"Will you grant permission, allowing me to purge those who cloud Your Majesty's eyes and ears, and achieve the peace of the continent that is Your Majesty's fervent wish?"
"Hmph..."
At my question, the Emperor let out a breathy sound, and before long,
"Ha, hahahaha!"
He burst into booming laughter that seemed to rip through the very world.
How long did he laugh like that?
The Emperor, having composed himself, began to speak in a majestic voice.
"It cannot be denied. This brief moment... has been more meaningful than all the time I have endured in my life. However, as the time I can remain here is not long, I, Shikar von Isvant, wish to speak to you, Kamel, so listen well, Kamel."
"Yes."
"From this moment forth, I grant you permission to draw your sword. Furthermore..."
The Emperor turned his head, looking at the Sword Saint with eyes full of trust, and continued.
"I promise the cooperation of My loyal vassals, Yan and Deren. Therefore, from now on, you shall..."
Thud.
The Emperor's heavy hand rested on both my shoulders.
"Run wild as you wish, to your heart's content. Should any unfortunate incident occur..."
...I, the Emperor, shall bear the consequences.
With those final words, the Emperor turned, and at the same instant,
—Crrrack.
Space twisted, and before long, my vision flickered.
****
I merely blinked my eyes open.
What came into view was the scene of an antique study.
"Son-in-law! Long time no see! You wouldn't know how hard it was for me to hold back from greeting you earlier."
And Deren's jovial expression, as he suddenly grabbed both my shoulders and guffawed.
"Son-in-law...?"
"Ohh, this is quite an interesting tale. To think the day would come when Sir Deren, who insisted on Lady Daisy's celibacy, would call someone his son-in-law... Haha."
And Yan, frowning as if displeased, along with the Administrator, Evill, whose eyes gleamed with interest.
"What exactly... is going on?"
"What situation, you ask? It's the situation where His Majesty accepted my eloquent persuasion... no, my loyal counsel, allowing us to join hands."
Deren smiled contentedly, shrugging my shoulders, and I, who had been dumbfounded, soon realized why the situation was unfolding so distinctly from the game.
'It was because of you.'
Deren, changed because of me, had even altered the fates of the Sword Saint and the Emperor, who should have already fallen.
"It seems you haven't just been idling about."
"Of course, since my son-in-law has proven himself, it's only natural for this father-in-law to reciprocate. Since arriving here, I too have put in much effort to avoid showing a shameful side to my son-in-law."
Guffaw, Deren burst into loud laughter once more, then gestured with his head towards the other two men and continued.
"To create allies for my son-in-law. Be grateful. If it weren't for these two whom I lured in, His Majesty would never have tolerated your utterly arrogant words and actions, my son-in-law. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Haha. Just as Sir Deren said, it was truly admirable. This old man's heart is still pounding from worrying whether that young man's head would fly off from Sir Yan's sword."
"...Did this crazy old man really say that? Yan? Did he really?"
"...Certainly, his manner of speaking needs some correction. I nearly cut off my friend's son-in-law's head."
Evill spoke with a contented smile, while Yan shrugged his shoulders as if displeased, and replied.
"I suddenly wonder. If your sword, which has mastered the ultimate truth of the blade but cannot reach beings like the Seven Deadly Sins, were to clash with this fellow's starlight-imbued sword, which sword would break?"
"..."
Suddenly, at Deren's mischievous question, Yan's expression twisted like a demon.
'Of course, I'd win.'
Not that I was looking down on Yan, but.
This body had learned swordsmanship and magic from my master, a being presumed to be far superior to Yan, and furthermore, it enjoyed various privileges such as Starlight, the Deceiver of Scales, Mana Burn, and so on.
There was no way I, with all that, would lose to Yan, who ultimately fell to Fran in the game.
"Having just clashed, I can answer that. I can confidently say, my sword would break first."
Even though the truth was otherwise, I didn't want to needlessly displease the Sword Saint, so I vaguely evaded the question.
"...Let's get to the main point."
Whether he liked that answer or not, Yan's mouth visibly twitched at the corner as he spoke in a solemn voice.
"Ah, right. Let's save the chitchat for later and get straight to the main topic."
"What main topic?"
Grin.
As I tilted my head and asked, Deren replied with a contented smile.
"I thought my son-in-law would already know."
"Know what...?"
"Why, the fact that the corrupt individuals gnawing away at this Empire are threatening it, or perhaps even blackmailing His Majesty."
My head instinctively nodded.
As a seasoned veteran of the game, there was no way I wouldn't know.
The Emperor's story of falling after wavering at the crossroads between good and evil,
The Sword Saint's tragedy of choosing loyalty after agonizing between justice and fidelity, ultimately meeting his end at the hands of his disciple,
And even the Administrator's ultimate fate, who endured with unyielding conviction but eventually broke.
Thud.
To me, who remembered all of it, Deren handed over a bundle of papers and spoke.
"This is the list of corrupt individuals swaggering about in Izezyst. It's also the roster of those who will soon die."
I lowered my gaze, and saw various names densely written on the paper.
My head tilted in confusion. I wondered if the Empire, which I had previously dismissed, originally possessed such intelligence. And also, why had these people before me not purged those on the list much earlier?
With the Sword Saint's or Deren's might, they should have been able to eliminate them easily.
"Judging by your expression, it seems you want to ask why we left these bastards alone."
How did he know?
"It's because we also only received this list recently. And there's also what that fellow who handed it over said."
"Who was that? And what did he say?"
As I asked, Deren shrugged and said.
"The Sin of Wrath, Lath."
My head tilted in confusion again. Why would *he* give this?
"He apparently appeared suddenly before His Majesty and Yan, and told them to deliver it to you. He said if you dealt with all these bastards, then he would respond to the invitation you sent. But let me ask you, how did you manage to send an invitation to one of the Seven Deadly Sins?"
"I didn't send one?"
"What? Then why did he spout such nonsense? Is he perhaps an idiot?"
That was a question I had as well, but.
In any case, it was also true that I was grateful in many ways.
'In all my life...'
I never dreamed the day would come when I'd be grateful to one of the Seven Deadly Sins.